I did it!!! I've finished "Seven Seconds" yesterday. 
So there's no reason to fear that this will become another story without proper ending. Especially since I was quite nasty to Lois and Clark, they deserve a happy end. Feedback is very appreciated. Thanks to Nancy, who saved evil Mr. Luthor. I like him better this way, too. From Part 9: 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.
Part 10: Lois ran through the streets of Metropolis as if Jack the Ripper was pursuing her. She had never felt so betrayed by someone. Why couldn’t Clark just say that he was married? She had made a fool of herself. What an embarrassing memory would that be! She had thrown herself at Clark like a drowning person. And he hadn’t even reacted. She had at least expected to be pushed away by a humiliated husband. He would have had every right to be mad and humiliated. Lois still blushed at what she had offered Clark. As strange as it sounded, she had felt that this was the right thing to do, and because of that she had dismissed all her personal objections concerning adultery. She loved Clark, and he had told her that he loved her as well. His wife was cheating on him; she didn’t obey the vows she had made when they had married. As a child Lois had thought that a marriage was worth saving at any cost, but now she was an adult. She understood that not every marriage was good and that it could make people unhappy. With the dangers she had faced and everything else she had encountered in her life, Lois had learnt that life was really too short to waste on marital arguments and deceit.
Everyone deserved to be happy, and Clark just couldn't be happy with such a wife. He had made the wrong decision years ago, but that didn’t mean that he should have to pay for it his entire adult life. But even though he had briefly cried for help, Clark seemed to like being caged. But now that she had come to save him, he was sending her away and pretending that nothing was wrong. She had seen his misery, yet he had the nerve to call her blind.
How could life be so cruel to both of them? She had asked herself frequently if there was someone perfect for her, the soul mate that she could share the rest of her life with. In the very moment that she had found the answer and with it the man, she realized that it had come too late. Another woman was married to the man of her dreams. But for Clark, it was even harder. He was so ashamed that he couldn’t even confess his marriage.
Despite all her anger, she felt mostly sad for her best friend and new found love. There was a nagging pain torturing her heart that was the last bond between her and him. Right now, she felt the same incredible pain that he had to endure. This loss was the worst thing Lois had ever experienced; it was even worse than the pain Claude had caused her. She didn’t know how to bear it. Lois had the impression that she was never going to survive this and that she would die any minute because of a broken heart. But she knew something else: there was no way she could marry another man now. If she couldn’t have Clark, she didn’t want to marry at all. Assuming that she would survive the day, she couldn’t imagine ever kissing someone else.
Lois knew what to do and where to go. She had to break the engagement. She would visit Luthor and apologize for her mistake. She just couldn’t marry him anymore. But could she tell him this directly? Lois decided that she would make some detours to her apartment and LNN. She hoped this would help her find the courage to go to Lex.
* * *
Perry had rarely seen anyone as devastated as Clark obviously was. He felt that this poor guy needed all the help he could possibly get. So he had decided to phone Jimmy because he was Clark’s friend and more importantly, he lived in Metropolis. While Perry waited impatiently for the young man to arrive, he approached Clark cautiously as he had already noticed that Clark wasn’t too keen on company when he was in a very bad mood.
And right now, he was in the worst imaginable state. Clark hadn’t moved since Lois had left, but a constant shiver seemed to control him. His face was still buried in his hands, and after this first heart-wrenching moan, he had been terribly silent. Perry had watched him anxiously from a secure distance. He didn’t want to be sent away again. The scene hadn’t changed a bit for four hours. Clark seemed to be weeping silently, though he couldn’t possibly have tears anymore.
The pain of this young man cut into Perry’s heart like a knife. He liked both Lois and Clark very much. Usually he knew everything that was going on, but this time he was clueless. Of course he had overheard their conversation; he would have had to be deaf to miss it. Perry was well aware that only one of them could be right. Clark couldn’t both be married and a bachelor. He knew that Clark was a very bad liar and that his excuses often were rather lame. But he also knew that Clark was a very honest person. Whatever reason he deceived people about the things he was actually doing, Perry was convinced that he had a good reason.
But Perry knew Lois as well. She was a great investigative reporter. She sometimes was blind concerning certain truths, and she never believed anything easily unless she could get proof. So Lois had to have evidence for her theory that Clark was married. And she wasn’t a liar either. When Lois said that she had met Clark’s wife, she had done just that. So what was the true story in this mess? He seriously hoped that Jimmy would help bring some light in this affair. Perry valued Jimmy’s research skills. He was talented in that way and had access to sources that Perry was too old to use. Perry also felt that Jimmy’s good humor would be the right way to get Clark out of his depressive state.
In the very moment Perry wanted to say something, Clark moved for the first time. He lifted his head up and his hands sank down, resting on his knees. His face was still lined with pain, but he hadn’t cried a single tear. His eyes were dry. There was a shade of grief in them, but they were neither red nor swollen. Perry was surprised. Not that he was actually used to men crying their heart out, but he didn’t think that men shouldn’t cry at all. After all, Clark was more the soft hearted kind of guy. But right now, nobody would have guessed that. Clark looked very determined. His eyes had a hard, almost aggressive note. It actually scared Perry, because he noticed that there was fatalism in them.
Clark stood up and had an air of strength that Perry had never seen in him before. How could the appearance of a person change so completely within a second? It was amazing.
“He’s going to marry her tomorrow morning, Perry. We have just 24 hours left to hunt Luthor down,” Clark said hoarsely. His voice was trembling and soft, totally opposite to the stance of his body.
“I’ve called Jimmy. He’ll help us to gather the evidence against Luthor.”
“Good. I’ll go and get Superman. He’ll keep an eye on Lois,” Clark said as he rushed out of his apartment. He left a very startled Perry behind.
* * *
Clark had to admit that Luthor had prepared his trap properly. He hadn't left anything to chance and had planted all the needed evidence. All those things Lois had told him were embarrassing accusations. Clark wouldn’t easily declare his love for a woman if he wasn’t free to do so. He certainly wouldn’t marry a woman capable of committing burglary. And he wouldn’t have hidden a wife regardless what she was accused of. He didn't much care what other thought about him anyway.
But even worse than Luthor was that he couldn’t talk to Lois lately. They hadn’t been able to have a proper conversation for what seemed like ages. Luthor might have set the trap, but they had granted him success. They had caused this terrible misunderstanding themselves. If they hadn't been arguing so frequently, maybe Lois would have listened to him. And *he* would have really listened to her. Luthor didn't know that Clark indeed had something to hide from Lois. Clark was pretty sure of that. Otherwise his attackers would have had kryptonite with them.
He had to find Lois and do the one decent thing. He had to tell her the whole truth about his dual identity. He had to let her know that she didn’t have to decide between Clark and Superman. He had to tell her what he knew about Lex and why he was so convinced that this man was evil. He had to tell her about the people Lex had sent to hurt him and about the insurance Lex had had on the Daily Planet. Lex had told everyone that there wasn't any insurance. He had already told her that Lex was responsible for the explosion of the Planet, but it had been to no avail. There was one person left that Lois might believe - Superman.
But that led him to another problem. He couldn’t easily expect Lois to believe Superman and then tell her a moment later that the Man of Steel had deceived her for a long time. What a wicked web this was!
* * *
Mrs. Cox smiled with content as she took the invention of the crazy scientist in her hands. He had explained her that it worked with sound. But the poor fool lacked the right power source to allow it to work. But he was very self-assured that the sound pistol actually worked. She had asked him if it could even defeat Superman. Derek Camden had nodded and told her that everything had its own frequency. He had also given her advice as to which frequency she should use for the Man of Steel.
So far she had prepared for the great encounter between Lex, Lois Lane and Superman- Clark Kent. Did they count as three persons or as four? At least Mr. Kent’s dual identity spared her from worrying about Superman. The guy in spandex wouldn’t intervene. She doubted that Mr. Kent would blow his cover in front of Lex and Lois Lane. If Superman appeared in Lex’ penthouse, he would have another encounter with kryptonite. Mrs. Cox knew that Lex had also prepared a trap. Of course, this was a possible problem, and Clark Kent was likely to be aware of this danger. He surely had guessed that Lex had the green crystal after his brief exposure in front of the bank. Mrs. Cox hoped that he wouldn’t come in his Superman suit because she didn't want him to be killed yet.
Now, she needed to wait until Clark Kent found his love and tried to rescue her out of Lex’ hands. The first step was already done. Lex Luthor had Lois Lane. Mrs. Cox had to wait patiently for the right moment. Until then she would stay hidden and get herself ready to destroy the relationship between Lex and Lois. Killing Superman could wait for the moment.
* * *
It was shortly before sunset. Lois sat on an expensive but not very comfortable sofa. She assumed that its only task was to show the wealth of the owner. She was waiting in the anteroom. Lex had apologized for being quite busy right at the moment. He had told her that a few unforeseeable catastrophes had happened in his empire. It wasn’t life threatening for anyone. He had promised to be with her in no time.
That had been half an hour ago, and Lois was impatient. She had wanted to do this quickly. There wasn’t much to do. She had to take the ring off and apologize. That was pretty much all of it. For her, this was a simple task. But unfortunately, what would happen between her and Lex just didn't depend on her. She didn’t love Lex. She had never truly loved him. Lois was at least sure about that. But what about Lex? Did he love her? Would he let her go so easily?
Lois bit her lip. She was really fooling around with men’s hearts. Hadn’t she looked down on Cat because she wasn’t capable of a lasting relationship? But during the last week she had rejected Clark, she had accepted a proposal from a man that she didn’t even love, and she had messed with Superman’s heart. She remembered that he had wanted to tell her something, but she had barely let him say a word. What if he had changed his mind then? Hadn’t he even called her ‘sweetheart’?
Lois shook her head. There was really no reason why anybody should find her lovable. She always reacted in the worst possible way. She could have been more sympathetic with Clark. And she really should have given him a chance to explain. He had deserved that.
The door to the anteroom opened, and a smiling Lex entered the room. “I’m sorry, Lois. There were a few problems that needed to be solved immediately. I couldn’t trust anyone with the task, so I had to do it myself. But Lois, I promise you that this won’t happen often. I don’t want to be the kind of husband that is too busy with his career and has no time for his wife.” He apologized.
“Hi Lex,” Lois managed to say. Her heart was beating so loud that she feared Lex would hear it from across the room. “I need to talk to you.” She added in a low and hoarse voice. Why was she so nervous? Lex had always been the perfect gentleman. He would let her go, wouldn’t he? He would understand.
“Of course, Lois. I need to talk to you, too. Our marriage is tomorrow morning and we haven't even spoken about the cake, let alone your wedding gown,” he replied and sat down next to her.
Had she ever felt so uncomfortable? Being so close to Lex suddenly disturbed her. It raised the need to run away and put as much distance between them as possible. Was it because she was afraid of hurting this man? Lois didn’t know. No matter, she had to break the engagement.
“Lex, I’m so sorry, but I can’t marry you.” She took off the ring and put it in his hand.
Lex stared at it. For a short moment his eyes seemed to glow. He winced and then looked at her, and the expression on his face was hard, almost frightening. For a millisecond, she could see right through his eyes and into his soul. She didn’t like what she saw, but the moment had been too brief for her to really understand what she had seen. It left a certain uneasiness and fear within her. Lex' face softened almost immediately and he seemed to be as gentle as ever. Lois wondered if she had really seen this frightening version of Lex or if she was starting to hallucinate.
“It’s Clark, isn’t it? He is still confusing you, Lois,” Lex said softly.
“Yes, he does, Lex. I didn’t realize that I love him until you told me that he is married. How ironic can life be?” Lois sighed and felt tears in her eyes.
“And what did Clark say?” Lex asked.
“He isn’t going to leave her. He is still so infatuated with that woman. I can’t understand him, and it hurts like hell,” Lois replied sadly. Lex seemed to be so understanding and kind. Lois could hardly understand why she had become afraid of him. Shivers were running down her spine, but she knew that it would be impolite and childish to run away now. Lex didn’t pose a threat to her at the moment.
“Lois, why don’t you want to marry me?” he inquired. He held the ring out to her as he was offering it to her again. “You can’t have him, anyway.”
“Well, that’s the reason, Lex. I don’t want anyone but Clark. Even if that means that I have to stay alone and lonely.”
She really couldn’t imagine spending her life with someone else. Why had she been so blind? Why hadn't she seen that Clark was so kind and handsome? Lois had blown all her hope of getting him when she had rejected his declaration of love. How could she have been so cruel? Now that she felt this pain herself, she couldn’t understand why she had done that to Clark.
“Lois. I know this is hard for you. But please consider this: If you marry me, you would never have to worry about money again. I would love and cherish you. I don’t care too much if you return this love. Maybe you’ll learn to love me one day. All I would ask of you is your respect. Please allow me to love you,” Lex declared desperately. “I will always care for you. Do you really want to be alone for the rest of your life? Please think about it, Lois. And it’s not as if these vows are literally made forever. You could still get divorced if you decide to do so some day.”
“Oh, Lex…” Lois said hoarsely. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
She felt sorry for Lex. He must be desperate. She still had this uneasy gut feeling, but Lois was more and more convinced that she had been mistaken. Maybe she had only seen his fear of losing her. She still felt her own despair after acknowledging that being together with Clark was impossible. Yes, that must be it - Lois must have seen the hurt in his eyes. There was just no way he could be such a good actor. She was tempted to say yes. Lois didn’t really want to be alone. And it almost killed her having to hurt such a kind man. There was still anxiety within her, but she dismissed it as ridiculous. She had no reason to be afraid of Lex. She believed in evidence and Lex was the gentleman he had always been. That brief moment that he had seemed so frightening hadn’t meant anything, had it? Had Clark really called him a devil? He didn’t know the man, not at all. Lex was different. She looked into those yearning brown eyes…
tbc...
