I'm sorry you had to wait for a whole week. But Nancy and I had a lot of work to do on the next bit and we didn't always understand each other. I hope our effort has turned out into something you'll like.
Feedback is very welcome
From Part 10:
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…
Part 11:
Clark had been to almost every place in the entire city. He had spoken to many, many people. Actually he had lost count. After he had seen that Lois went to her apartment, he had been somewhat relieved. He had decided to find as much about Lex as possible. He frequently checked on Lois, who went to work at LNN after having gone to her apartment.
As he realized that he still had time left, he visited more and more people. Slowly he gathered information about Luthor. From time to time he called Perry and told him what he had learnt. He also went to Henderson and told him that Jimmy and Perry were working on it, too. As soon as he saw the growing evidence that Clark had, Henderson had promised to help as well.
When he had last checked on Lois, she was again walking through the streets of Metropolis. He disliked the direction of her steps. She was on her way to Luthor. Clark was aware that there was barely time left until Lois would walk down the aisle to become Luthor’s wife. He had to stop that before it was too late.
Right now he was flying as Superman across the city, moving as fast as he could. He would bring this to an end this evening. It was already getting dark. Clark could see the Lex tower in front of him. It was very high, about 1000 feet. Clark landed somewhere next to it and changed into his street clothing again. Then he approached the huge building and entered it.
Clark searched for the next stairwell, knowing that he would be faster that way. He gritted his teeth and prepared for the encounter with Luthor. He wasn’t going to let Lois go without fighting for her. And he would force Luthor to tell her the truth. Clark wouldn’t let him get away with that lie about his marriage. Luthor would pay in prison for the hurt that he had caused Lois and him.
* * *
“Sorry, Lex. Your offer is very generous. But I cannot accept. It wouldn’t be fair to you.” Lois smiled sadly.
Lex didn’t believe what he heard. This couldn’t be true. She was rejecting him! How did she *dare* to do that? Never had anyone so offended him. Of course, his generous offer was a plain lie. He surely wouldn’t allow her to get divorced. Lex was furious, and he knew who the responsible person was. Clark Kent was really stronger than he had ever thought possible. He had caused him a lot of problems over the last twenty four hours. Lex really hoped that most of them were solved by now.
Clark Kent was coming close, threateningly close. He had never assumed that Mr. Kent would be so dangerous to him. On the other hand Lex had never felt so challenged by anyone. Lois was difficult, granted. But Mr. Kent was a worthy enemy. Lex had to admit that. But tonight his end had come. Lex would win Lois over. He had the perfect plan. All that he needed was Mr. Kent. But Lex was sure that he’d come sooner rather than later.
“You *have* to accept it, Lois.” Lex replied with a slight hint of threat in his voice.
“No, really Lex…” Lois said, obviously ignoring the change in his attitude.
“That wasn’t a question, my dear Lois. You better accept my proposal.” Lex became more explicit.
“Lex,” Lois whispered. Her eyes widened in shock and sudden awareness. She had obviously opened her eyes for the first time. Lex smiled.
“Yes, my dear. I wait for your answer. In case you haven’t understood it yet, I won't accept, ‘No’!” he said aggressively. This time he didn’t try to hide his anger.
At that moment, Clark Kent stormed into his penthouse. Lex didn’t actually know how he had gotten inside so quickly. He had expected to be informed about Kent's arrival. On the other hand, he had lessened security. After all, he had longed to see his enemy’s face.
Lex noticed contentedly that the last few days had taken their toll on the reporter. He hadn’t shaved and wasn’t dressed as neat and tidily as he would usually be in public. Clark Kent wasn’t wearing his usual suit or one of those ridiculous ties. Instead, he wore casual jeans and a washed-out shirt. Both looked as if he had spent several nights in them. Others would have appeared ridiculous in this outfit, but Clark Kent had never seemed to be more dangerous. His facial expression conveyed anger, and his entire bearing had an air of restrained strength.
Lois on the other hand looked at him like the frightened deer who had been fed by the kind human in winter who now just wanted to hunt it down. She was on the edge of running away but was too shocked to really move. Lex felt a flush of excitement running through him. Being in control of everything was magnificent!
Lex ignored Clark Kent and approached Lois.
“Leave her alone, Luthor!” Clark yelled and came closer to Lex. “She doesn’t want to marry you. What part of that didn’t you understand?”
“Clark!” Lois whispered, who seemingly wasn’t capable of saying anything more than a name.
“Shut up, Kent. I decide who Lois Lane marries. And she will marry me,” Lex replied.
“Really? How about your future, Luthor? I’m not so sure that they allow you to marry in prison. Anyway, what kind of family life will that be?” Clark shot back.
Lex grabbed Lois’ arm and pulled her closer to him. “She’s already said yes, Kent. There’s no escape clause in that contract!”
“You’re mad, Luthor. An engagement is no contract,” Clark disagreed.
Meanwhile, Lois struggled to get free from him, but Lex didn’t loosen his grip. He held her even tighter, and he knew that he was causing her pain. But Lois didn’t seem to care. She tried again to break free. Clark Kent watched them and his expression grew even angrier.
“Let - her - go, Luthor!” he shouted and approached him. “Or…”
“Or what?” Lex replied mockingly and watched Clark appraisingly. “You’re gonna throw a piece of cotton wool at me? I’m scared to death, Kent.” He laughed.
Clark felt hot rage burning inside him. Lex Luthor was even more evil than he had already assumed. Lois shivered with fear, trying desperately to get free from Luthor. He had to help her. But Clark needed to be careful as well. Lex might be a devil, and dashing him into thousands of pieces was maybe the appropriate punishment, but hardly explainable. He stood for moral standards. He couldn’t work with arbitrary justice. He couldn’t be accussant, judge and executioner all in one person.
Clark approached Luthor and Lois. He shoved his enemy away from Lois using well measured strength. It was enough to hurt him but not to injure him. Luthor glanced at him with surprise and slight shock. Obviously he had underestimated Clark, who noticed that with fierce satisfaction.
“Lois can decide who she wants to marry. If she rejects you, you have to accept that Luthor. If she doesn’t want me, I have to accept that too. Even Superman wouldn't force her to do something she doesn’t want to do. Nobody owns her,” Clark said menacingly.
Clark looked at Lois briefly and still saw the lines of fear on her face. He felt her pain and angst as if it was his. In fact he had never been that afraid in his life. What if she sent him away, telling him to attend to his own affairs? Had he really interpreted this scene right, or was it a hallucination of his own troubled mind? Did he wish so desperately that Lois was seeing the real Luthor that he had begun to imagine things?
Lois seemed to be in shock; she didn’t say anything. He heard her heart beating forcefully. Her breath was labored and rapid. Her eyes were wide and her glance unsteady, moving from Clark to Luthor and to the exit. She obviously didn’t know what to do.
But Luthor hadn’t given up yet. He tried to struggle free and pushed Clark through his penthouse. Clark let it happen, knowing that he would harm Luthor too much if he fought with his whole strength.
And all of the sudden he didn’t even need to pretend that Luthor was as strong as he was. Clark felt his world turning upside down. A strange pain was cutting in his head like a knife, making him nauseated. It wasn’t kryptonite. The pain was located in his head. With kryptonite he had never felt so dizzy. He couldn’t focus his vision anymore. Metropolis and the interior of the penthouse were moving in circles. Where was he? What was up and what was down?
* * *
Lois had watched Clark struggle with Luthor. She had never been so afraid. Clark had been right from the very beginning. Luthor had just shown her his real face. Had she really ever felt pity for that man? How blind had she been? How awfully blind! And now Clark was fighting for her. After all that she had done to him, he was indeed fighting her battle. He could have said *I told you so, Lois. Now see for yourself how you get out of that trap.*
But he was saving her instead. Lois winced as she saw Clark stagger and fall. He seemed to be confused, and Lex was taking advantage of it. Had she missed a punch Luthor had thrown at Clark? Lois felt panic as she noticed that Clark might lose the battle. What would Luthor do to him? She wanted to get to them, but her panic had nailed her in place. She wanted to say something, but her mouth was dry and the words refused to form.
*Clark,* she screamed inwardly. But she could only watch Luthor pulling Clark up and shoving him across the room to the roof-deck. What was he up to? Slowly Lois regained control over her feet and forced them to follow Clark and the madman.
“Let him *go*!” Lois managed to say and grabbed Clark’s arm.
Clark seemed to be helpless. He was caught in Luthor’s grip like she had been shortly before. It was up to her to save him now. He had helped her. She loved him. A thought crossed her mind that made her realize that Luthor had been lying. Clark *wasn't* married, and he was free to love her. Clark had been right from the beginning. He was the one she could really trust. Lex had lied to her. She hadn’t listened to Clark. She hadn’t given him the chance to explain. He was in this situation because of her. Why hadn’t she believed him? They could already be on their way to Las Vegas, Smallville, Paris or wherever he wanted to marry her.
They could have been out of danger, somewhere Lex would never find them. But now Clark was at Lex’ mercy. He desperately tried to get up, but his feet gave away under him. Luthor was dragging him closer and closer to the balcony while Lois tried desperately to get Clark free. When Luthor opened the doors, the cold air blew in, moving the curtains.
“Let him *go*!” Lois tried once again but without any effect.
She pulled at Clark’s arm even more to get him free, but she was weaker than Luthor. He lashed out and sent her to the floor. She cried in anger and frustration more than in pain. When she stood up again, Lex had managed to drag him to the railing. Clark still struggled against him, but his punches missed Luthor and landed in the air.
Lois ran again over to Luthor and tried to stop him.
“Don’t come closer, Lois, or I’ll push him over,” Luthor yelled into the night.
Lois stopped dead. “No,” she whispered in shock. Then she became louder and shouted again. “*No*!”
“*Yes*” Lex said with an evil grin on his face. He pushed Clark over the edge but still held his hands.
Lois’ eyes grew wide with fear. Clark was hanging in the air, and all that kept him from falling were the hands of the most evil man on the planet. Lois felt her stomach heave.
“Lex!” she screamed. “You can’t do that!” He couldn’t be that bad, could he?
“I can do that, my dear,” Lex said softly and then his voice became bold. “And I most definitely will if you don’t marry me. I’d vote for a quick decision. I can’t hold him any longer. And screaming for Superman won’t be the solution, Lois. I can make him unable to save your darling one. I have kryptonite. So Lois: his life? Or your freedom? What is the greater value to you?”
Would he really force her to decide between Clark and herself? Lois knew exactly what she valued more. Though the thought of marrying Luthor made her nauseous now, she knew that she could do it for Clark’s sake.
“You’re so evil, Luthor.” Clark’s weak voice interrupted her thoughts and stopped her from agreeing to his second *proposal*. “Do you honestly think that I would make her give up her life for me? I’d rather die than to be the cause of her pain. Lois, run away!” It was the last thing she heard Clark say.
Suddenly Luthor’s hands were empty - Clark had wrenched himself loose and was falling a thousand feet down to the streets of Metropolis.
* * *
Lex Luthor stared at his empty hands in disbelief. Clark Kent was indeed falling down. This man had a strange interpretation of pride. Had he actually wanted this foe to die? He had been challenging, and he didn’t seem to give up fighting. He had had a hard time dragging him to the edge of his building. Though Kent had lost orientation and had to have been in a lot of pain, he had tried to fight him.
Panic was rising inside him as he understood the ultimateness of this. Clark Kent was the enemy he had longed for his whole life through. He was smart enough and like a shadow, he had pursued him silently. Lex had tried really hard to prevent Clark from meddling into his affairs, but he hadn't been able to stop him. Lex had wanted to defeat his foe, but Clark Kent had seemed to be invincible. In Lex’ last attempt to win over this man and to bind him forever, he had definitely lost him. Lex had wanted to turn Clark Kent into a loyal friend, but he had failed. Clark Kent decided that he would rather die than allow Lex to take control of his life. When Lex had first planned this little trap, he wanted Clark Kent to come and fight for Lois. As was the plan, Mrs. Cox turned on the sound pistol making Clark Kent stagger and fall. He was supposed to lose his balance and to fall over the balustrade. It should have looked like an accident, and the great hero Lex would have grabbed poor Mr. Kent and kept him from dying. Lex had wanted to be his saviour. Then Clark Kent would have owed him his life, and Lois would have been convinced that Lex was a good guy.
But things had happened differently. Making him his slave wasn’t possible anymore. Lex had at least wanted Clark to blame himself for Lois’ misery. He had seen so many people begging for the tiny bit of life that was still inside them. Pointing a gun at people’s head made them do about anything. Lex had made husbands kill their wives because they didn’t want to die themselves, only to commit suicide a week after that.
Lex had a theory that the will to live was one of nature's eternal rules - a rule he could rely on. He had assumed that no one would *ever* give their life for another. He'd read about such things, but he'd never *seen* it happen, and he thought that idea was simply ludicrous. He had always assumed that such tales were just idealized stories. And until today, his assumptions had been proven to be true a thousand times. Although scientists could never prove anything to be absolutely true, they could prove that a theory was wrong. Right now, Lex saw the wisdom in this scientific rule, because his theory that he had thought so true had just been proven wrong.
There was a law of nature that said everything kept falling down. And surely Clark Kent was still falling. And while Lois was screaming frantically for Superman, Lex Luthor noticed with astonishment that his own voice mixed with her screams, crying for his arch-enemy as well. When Lois stopped screaming, Lex turned around and saw that she had passed out.
* * *
When Lois came to, she felt utterly lost. Voices were around her, but she didn’t understand a word. Was she in heaven? Most definitely not! Her heart just couldn’t hurt so painfully in Heaven. She had read so often that people who woke up from unconsciousness didn’t remember what had happened to them earlier and had no idea where they were. Lois knew it all too well. She was with Lex Luthor and the horror of seeing Clark falling was still fresh within her. She didn’t want to open her eyes. She didn’t want to come back to the reality that had been so cruel to her.
Clark had refused to let Luthor have power over him. He had chosen to end his life because he didn’t want to destroy hers. All their silly arguments during the last week seemed ridiculous now! Most of them were caused by her. But that hadn’t stopped him from showing his deep feelings for her in a last act of devotion. She only wished she could have done the same for him! But there was nothing left to do for her but to cherish his sacrifice. No, Lois couldn’t die. She had no idea how she was going to go on living, but she couldn’t end what Clark had virtually protected until his last breath.
Suddenly someone was stroking her arms and then patting them softly. Who was patting her arm? Even though it seemed impossible, could it be Clark? She desperately hoped that it was Clark. She hoped that the seconds had passed slow enough for Superman to be able to save him and bring him to her. But what if it wasn’t Clark? What if she opened her eyes and stared into the face of another person? Could she take the disappointment, or would she die the next moment? Did she even care anymore whether she lived or died? Without Clark she would rather be dead. He had sacrificed his life for her and didn't know if Superman would come in time. He hadn’t even shouted for him.
Her upper body was lifted up a little, pulled into an embrace, and soft murmurs filled her ears. Did she really dare to find out who was holding her so tightly? Maybe her eyes should stay closed until the day she died. If Clark was gone, she would be able to let him live in her fantasy in a place where no one would ever be able to violate him again. She would protect him like he had protected her. But why did she need her eyes to remain closed to do that? Hadn’t Clark a secure place deep in her heart and soul where he would stay until the end of days and even beyond that, assuming that the soul was eternal? He was going to stay with her, no matter what happened.
Opening her eyes might offer her the small chance to see those wonderful brown eyes again. She might get a glimpse at his boyish and charming smile. She would be able to touch his lips again, first with the tip of her finger and then with her lips. She would feel his silky tongue again, she would taste him. She would taste the wonderful mixture of chocolate and cream that had made her melt in his arms. Never had a kiss made her so hungry, and never had anything satisfied her need so much. With him she had felt capable of living without chocolate. No danger would ever be able to scare her. She had felt the truth of Archimedes words: Give me one firm place on which to stand and I will move the earth. Even that had felt possible with Clark.
Lois swallowed, gathered all her courage and opened her eyes.
* * *
Lex Luthor’s world had broken apart in just one short second. He hadn’t only lost his one worthy enemy; he had also lost Lois forever. She had seemed to be willing to trade her freedom for Clark’s life, and she now would surely die before she tied herself to him. After many years of hard work and ruthlessness, Lex Luthor had gained a lot of power, and in a brief moment of time, Clark Kent had managed to throw it all in the dark abyss. Just like the proud man that was capable of such earth shaking love, everything Lex Luthor had had was gone forever.
If Lex Luthor had had a heart, he would have been envious of the feelings Clark Kent was able to feel. But instead of grief, there was only a strange loss. This enemy couldn’t easily be replaced by another. Lex Luthor might earn more money and even more influence. He might rule the planet someday, but he would always feel bored because he didn’t have to fight for it. Without an enemy to challenge him, there lay no pleasure in getting richer than he already was.
But Clark Kent had left Luthor unable to win the battle. In the very moment that Lois had passed out, exhausted and desperate from her unavailing cries for Superman, Inspector Henderson, Perry White, Jimmy Olsen and several other people had stormed in. They hadn’t gotten hold of him though because Lex Luthor was invincible. Maybe not as invincible as Clark Kent had been, but he wouldn’t go to prison. And after all, who said that he wouldn’t meet his arch-enemy in the afterlife? They could fight their never-ending battle there.
Lex Luthor ran to the balcony and jumped over the edge. He laughed as he was falling down into the empty space beneath him. Nothing was going to stop him now!
tbc...
