Hello, everyone!
Well, here's part 7. I hope you enjoy. The next part will be posted next Monday. I need to give myself a little time to get some writing done. I want to thank DSdragon for doing an awesome job, as usual, as a beta, and I also want to thank everyone who has been following this story, espeically those who have taken the time to leave fdk.
Hope everyone had a great weekend!
From Part 6:
“What are you going to do about Lois, Son?” Jonathan spoke up, breaking the silence.
“I’m going to try and talk to her.”
“Do you think she’ll listen?” Martha asked.
Clark grimaced. “Listening isn’t one of Lois’s strong suits.”
“Would she listen to someone else? Perry, maybe?” Jonathan asked.
“I don’t know, but I should call him and let him know what’s going on. Jimmy too.” Clark picked up his phone and dialed Perry’s number. After a brief conversation, Clark hung up and turned back to his parents and Jack.
“Perry said he’d be by first thing in the morning. He’s going to call Jimmy and relay the message,” Clark explained.
“It’s getting late. I’m going to head to bed, Clark,” his mother told him on a yawn.
“Me too,” Jonathan added before giving his son a warm hug. “Hang in there, Clark. You guys will get him,” he assured.
“We have to. If we don’t…” Clark couldn’t bring himself to finish that sentence. He had to stop Lois from marrying that monster. He watched as his parents made their way into his bedroom. After they left his sight he turned to Jack.
“I’m not going back, Clark,” Jack said, not giving him a chance to speak.
“I wasn’t going to suggest that you should. You’re right. If someone’s out to kill you, then you aren’t safe there. You can stay here,” Clark offered.
“Thanks, I knew I could count on you.”
**********************************
Part 7:
“Lex has requested that you join him for breakfast this morning,” Mrs. Cox informed Lois the next morning.
“Requested, huh? Whatever happened to ordering me around?” Lois replied scathingly, knowing that she would probably suffer the consequences of her words. She couldn’t bring herself to care, though. Not only had she awakened in the wrong bed that morning, she had awakened on the wrong side as well.
“Lex could have any woman of his choosing, yet he’s chosen you. You should consider yourself lucky, Ms. Lane.”
“Obviously, your definition of the word ‘lucky’ differs drastically from mine.” Lois stared at Lex’s too-smug personal assistant, her eyes holding the woman in contempt. It was clear to Lois that the woman must have had one too many screws come loose in her lifetime. Or maybe it was working with Lex that had driven the woman insane. Lois smirked at the thought.
Mrs. Cox smiled coolly, and Lois couldn’t help but notice the amusement dancing in the woman’s eyes. “I can see why you continue to hold Lex’s attention. He always did like a good challenge.” The woman paused in Lois’s doorway. “He’s waiting in the study. Be ready in fifteen minutes,” she ordered before disappearing through the doorway of Lois’s room.
Lois growled in frustration before grabbing a pillow off of her bed and throwing it through the open doorway. She stopped suddenly, noticing her reflection in the mirror above the antique vanity. She didn’t recognize the wild look in her eyes. The fear from the night before was gone, replaced by anger.
Lois stomped over to her door and slammed it shut, feeling immensely satisfied with the loud sound that reverberated throughout the room. She quickly removed her pajamas and dressed for the day. Lois left the room a couple minutes later, preparing herself for the moment she would be face-to-face with Lex.
“Good morning, my dear,” he greeted her as she made her way into his study.
Lois remained silent as she took a seat across from him. Avoiding his eyes, she started to pick at the breakfast that had been placed before her the instant she’d sat down.
“You will have to learn to control your anger, especially after we’re married. I can’t have my wife going around throwing tantrums, now can I?”
“What are you talking…?” Lois trailed off as what he’d said registered. He’d seen her bout of anger back in her room, and if that was the case, then that meant...
That rat! He’d had a camera put in her room! He’d been watching her—watching her undress! Lois’s eyes filled with rage at the thought that he’d violated her privacy so completely. She shot up out of her chair in an instant.
“You’ve been *watching* me?” Lois exploded, her dark eyes spitting fire.
“You didn’t expect otherwise, did you?” he asked nonchalantly, seemingly ignoring her anger. “I know better than to trust you alone, my love.”
Lois was seething inside. She looked around the room—which was just as ugly as the man sitting before her—and suddenly knew. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t live like this—with a man as cold and evil as Lex for a husband. She didn’t know if she could go through with this marriage. There *had* to be another way to protect Clark.
“I can’t do this, Lex. I can’t marry you…I *won’t* marry you,” Lois said, folding her arms across her chest.
“Sit down, Lois,” he commanded calmly.
“No! I will not sit down!” Lois shouted, her temper getting the better of her. “I’m not your little puppet! You’ve caused me and Clark enough grief. I won’t let you get away with it!”
“I said SIT DOWN!” Lex roared as he jumped up from his chair, startling Lois at the sudden movement. She sat down in stunned silence, fear making its way back into her heart at the crazed look in his eyes. “What makes you think that you are in any position to tell *me* no?” Lex shouted before knocking over their breakfast table in a fit of temper, the dishes crashing to the floor before shattering. He stood, his chest heaving in anger for a few moments before saying, “Clark’s life isn’t the only life at stake, Lois. I’ve had men following Perry White, Jimmy Olsen, and your sister, Lucy, since yesterday afternoon. One phone call is all it will take.”
The blood drained from Lois’s face at his words. Even Superman couldn’t be in three places at once, and that was assuming that he could escape the kryptonite that Lex no doubt had in store for him.
“You wouldn’t…” she trailed off as it dawned on her that he *would.* He was that twisted and sadistic. So twisted and sadistic, in fact, that he would threaten any number of innocent people just to get her to marry him. How could she have been so blind not to have seen how evil Lex Luthor really was?
“Come, my love. I’ll show you how serious I am when it comes to having you become my wife,” he said as he got up from the table.
Lois warily followed him out of his study. A moment later they entered another room down the hall and she stopped dead in her tracks at the sight before her. The room was full of high-tech equipment. Lois’s eyes were immediately drawn to the television monitors and she felt sick at the images displayed on them.
He was watching them—Clark, Perry, Jimmy, and Lucy—using video surveillance. He had bugged all of their apartments! “Why are you doing this, Lex? I don’t love you. Why would you want to marry someone who doesn’t love you?”
“You will learn to love me, Lois,” he said, his voice full of confidence.
“I will never love you.”
“We’ll see about that, my dear,” he promised as he ran his palm over her cheek. She flinched at his touch, regretting the instinctive urge the moment she noticed his eyes darken in anger.
“I will not be denied, Lois,” he told her before covering her mouth with his own. His arms encircled her, holding her prisoner, and her body went rigid in his embrace. As his kiss deepened, Lois finally found her backbone and started to push him away. Her attempts were in vain—he was too strong for her. Fear gripped her, suffocating her. Where was that Mad Dog Lane spirit when she needed it? Was she really going to let a man instill such fear in her heart?
No. Lex Luthor would *not* break her!
“Get off of me!” she yelled as she yanked her mouth from his. She stared him boldly in the eyes before spitting in his face. “Don’t you dare touch me ever again!”
Lex’s eyes took on a dangerous glint as he wiped the spit from his face. He raised his hand and struck her, the movement so fast that it unbalanced her. “You’d better get used to my touch, Lois. I plan to touch you often,” he whispered hotly into her ear, his breath making her skin crawl.
Lois covered her sore cheek with her hand. Shivering in repulsion, her mind went to a very dark place—a place that she’d avoided visiting. The thought of actually sharing a bed with him—of sharing the most intimate and private part of herself with such a monster—was more than she could bear. The thought made her want to run as far from him as she could possibly get.
Lois’s eyes found the monitors once again and fought the urge to flee.
What choice did she have? He’d already threatened to kill Clark. Now he’d gone even further by threatening Perry, Jimmy, and Lucy. He had her between a rock and a hard place, and he knew it.
“I don’t love you, Lex, and the thought of you touching me revolts me. I can’t help the way I feel, and that won’t change. But if it means that the people I love most in this world will be left alone…then I will marry you.”
“Oh, I know you will, Lois. I know how loyal you are to those you love. You won’t let anything happen to them. Why do you think I came up with this plan? It’s foolproof.” He leaned toward her, a smile of triumph on his face, and his mouth descended upon hers again. This time she didn’t fight him, instead she did the only thing she could do in order to keep her sanity—she pretended that it was Clark she was kissing.
She thought of Clark’s gorgeous brown eyes and of the love shining in their depths. She thought of the way she’d always felt so safe—so cherished—in his arms. She remembered with startling clarity how it had felt to kiss him, how her heartbeat had raced as his mouth had opened to hers, and their tongues had danced and mated. She could recall the texture of his shirt underneath her palms, and she remembered her surprise at finding that she’d been gripping the material in her fists. The memory was so vivid that she could practically taste him—the lingering taste of tea and something that she knew was the essence of Clark. She could still smell him, the scent of his soap and aftershave filling her nostrils, a scent that she’d been familiar with for a very long time, but had never paid attention to until that moment. She could still feel his hands on her body, still feel the way they ran up and down her back before pulling her closer.
Her mind and heart were so full of Clark that she couldn’t stop a small groan from escaping.
“Mmm, now that was much better, my love,” Lex murmured, clearly pleased with her response. “I knew that you wanted me, Lois. You won’t have to wait much longer. I eagerly look forward to taking our relationship to the next level.”
<And I detest the thought of letting a snake like you anywhere near me,> Lois thought, her blissful fantasies of Clark dissipating as the sound of Lex’s voice filled the room. She took a couple of steps away from him, needing some distance between them.
“Come now, my love. Breakfast awaits us,” Lex said, his mood lightened considerably compared to a few moments before. “The tailors will be here shortly to fit you for your new wardrobe, and I’m sure you’ll be overjoyed to know that the wedding consultant will be by later. You’ll get to see and try on the wedding gown I’ve chosen for you.”
Lois avoided his eyes as he ushered her out of the room. There would be hell to pay if he ever found out that while she’d been kissing him, Clark had been the only man in her thoughts.
*****
“I’ve got some news, CK,” Jimmy announced as soon as he walked through Clark’s door later that morning. “Hi, Jack, glad to see that you’re out of the slammer,” Jimmy told his friend with a smile as he noticed the former street urchin sitting in Clark’s living room.
“Glad to be out. How have you been, Jimmy?”
“I’ve seen better days. I haven’t found a new job yet and the rent’s past due. I think I’m going to have to look for another place to live.”
“Jimmy, why didn’t you say anything sooner? I can loan you the money you need. I’ve still got some money left in savings,” Clark offered, annoyed that his young friend hadn’t come to him with his problem.
“Clark, that’s nice of you to offer, but I couldn’t. You’re just as unemployed as I am.”
“Jimmy, trust me, it’s no problem. I’d feel a lot better knowing that you won’t lose your apartment.”
“If you’re sure…” Jimmy said hesitantly.
“I am. In fact, I insist. I’ll have the money to you by tonight.”
“Thanks, Clark. I appreciate it. I owe you big.”
“It’s no problem, Jimmy. Now, you said that you had some news? Clark asked.
“It’s about that video. My friend did a little digging and compiled a list of names of people who have purchased high-tech video surveillance equipment in the area recently. He’s really connected and knows a lot of people. You’ll never believe who was on that list.”
“We’re waiting in suspense, Jimmy,” Jack chimed in.
“The name didn’t mean anything to me at first. But I did a background check on all the names on the list and bingo! A Mrs. Cox recently bought some very expensive video surveillance equipment from a guy my friend knows. And during that same background check, I found out that Mrs. Cox is Lex Luthor’s personal assistant,” Jimmy finished triumphantly.
“Good work, Jimmy. That confirms what we already suspected—that Luthor was behind the video. And Bobby Bigmouth said that The Boss was behind the video *and* the explosion at the Planet.” Clark’s eyes flew to the door as a knock sounded. He lowered his glasses, x-raying the door. “It’s Perry.”
As Clark went to answer the door, he missed the look of surprise that Jimmy and Jack exchanged upon seeing their friend openly use his powers. “Hi, Perry, come on in.” Clark quickly ushered his old Boss through the door. He shut and locked the door just as a couple of reporters were scurrying forward.
“How are you holding up, Son?”
Clark sighed and raked a hand through his hair in frustration. “I went by Lois’s apartment this morning, but she wasn’t there. If only I could find her, I’m sure that I could talk some sense into her. I don’t know why she suddenly agreed to marry Luthor, and I can’t deny that I’m worried, Chief. Something’s not right.”
“That woman is going to give me a heart attack yet!” Perry sighed as he sat down on Clark’s sofa. “As long as I’ve known Lois she’s always managed to get herself into the worst of trouble. But marrying Luthor after everything we’ve found out about that man—it doesn’t make sense. I agree, Clark. I smell somethin’ fishy, and I haven’t even been fishin’ yet!”
“Some retirement, huh, Chief?” Jimmy asked wryly.
“You could say that. I did find some interesting information this morning, though. I was doin’ some diggin’ into the Planet’s finances again, and came across something. Apparently, the Planet’s Board of Directors had originally voted *not* to sell to Lex Luthor. Then suddenly, they all changed their minds,” Perry told Clark, Jimmy, and Jack.
“Makes you wonder *what* changed their minds,” Jack mused. “Hey, Clark, do you have a video camera I could use?”
Clark stared at Jack in bewilderment, wondering what he was up to. “Yeah, why?”
“I always was good at digging up dirt on people. You never know what you might catch on tape. I’m going to follow some of those board members. I’d bet money that they were paid to change their vote—just like Pete and John Black were paid to take care of me.”
Clark went into his bedroom and returned a few moments later, camcorder in hand. “It’s worth a try. If we can prove that Luthor paid off the Board of Directors, then we have him,” Clark said as he handed Jack the video camera.
“Not quite. Jimmy, track down this John Black kid. See if you can find out who hired him,” Perry instructed. “We need all the evidence we can find.”
“I’ll get right on it, Chief,” Jimmy said as he headed for the door. “I’ll see you guys later. Wish me luck.”
“I’d better get going too. Hopefully I’ll get lucky and catch something useful on tape. My butt’s on the line here too,” said Jack as he followed his friend out the front door.
Clark watched as his two young friends left, and he couldn’t help the gloom that settled over him. He had to find Lois—had to make her listen.
“Are you okay, Son?” Perry asked.
Clark found the older man’s gaze and he couldn’t help but notice the concern in his eyes. “I’m just so worried about her. There’s no telling what he could be doing to her. I just can’t believe that she would agree to marry him willingly.”
“I can’t believe it either. She knows just as well as we do that Lex Luthor is a criminal.”
“I’m going to check her apartment again. I’ve got to find her and talk to her. You’re welcome to stay here for a while, Perry. My parents should be back a little later. I think they went shopping—they always take advantage of the stores in Metropolis when they’re in town,” Clark said, stopping before he started babbling like Lois.
“I’ll see you later, Son. Take care,” Perry said, embracing Clark in a fatherly hug. “Lois cares about you, Clark. Any fool can see that.”
“Thanks, Perry. I’ll see you later,” Clark said before leaving his apartment.
*****
After flying past Lois’s apartment and finding it empty, Clark headed toward Lex Towers. He hated the thought that she might be there, but knew that there was a strong possibility that she was with Lex.
Clark landed outside the building, drawing the attention of the people scattered on the sidewalk. Before anyone could bombard him with questions, he entered the lobby quickly, his red cape flowing behind him.
“I’m here to see Lois Lane.”
“Superman?” the woman behind the counter asked in surprise. “I’ll check to see if Ms. Lane is accepting any visitors.”
Clark shifted his feet, growing impatient as the secretary picked up the phone on her desk. He looked around the lobby, watching as people eyed him curiously as they went about their business.
The woman hung up the phone a few moments later. “I’m sorry, Superman, but Ms. Lane is unavailable right now. May I take a message?”
“No, thank you.” Clark left the front desk and headed for the doors to the lobby. Once he was back outside on the sidewalk he x-rayed the building, quickly spotting Lois on the penthouse floor. His heart plummeted to his boots at the sight of her.
She was stunning—breathtakingly beautiful. He was sure that if he wasn’t Superman he would have melted into a puddle of goo right there on the sidewalk.
Lois stood as a woman fussed over the wedding gown she was wearing. A wedding gown that she would wear in less than a week to marry the most dangerous criminal mastermind Clark had ever known.
No way would he let that happen!
Something in Clark snapped. He zipped back into the lobby and up the hundred and twenty flights of stairs until he reached the penthouse. Security tried to stop him, but it was no use. Clark couldn’t see or hear anything except Lois.
She stared at him in stunned silence after he barged into the room. The woman who had been assisting her with her wedding gown hurried from the room upon the look of determination in his eyes.
Clark shut and locked the door behind him. He turned to her, and his gaze drank her in. He could get drunk just from the sight of her. Despite the fact that she was dressed in a wedding gown intended for another man’s enjoyment, he’d never seen a more beautiful sight.
“Lois…” Clark trailed off, confused by the sudden look of fear in her eyes and the way her gaze kept shifting to the wall behind him. Surely she wasn’t afraid of him? He looked behind him, wondering what it was that held her attention, and almost missed it.
One shot of heat vision took care of the barely noticeable camera on the wall. Why would Luthor have her under surveillance?
“Clark…what are you doing here?” she asked once the camera was no longer monitoring their conversation.
“I came to talk to you. Lois, I know that you’re in trouble. Please, let me help you.”
TBC...
