Sometimes they just write themselves...
Re-edited
againPart 31The reception was set up in the large room adjacent to the ballroom. Lois knew that Chef Andre’s staff had been working overtime to get everything ready.
Luthor took Lois’s arm and led her to the reception room. The room was resplendent – all white and pink. Even the huge wedding cake from Carlisle’s Bakery was trimmed with pink and white roses. Carlisle’s had created the wedding cakes for every Luthor wedding since the Civil War. Lois had always wanted a Carlisle wedding cake – but this wasn’t the way she had ever imagined getting one.
Luthor guided her to stand with him at the entrance to the reception room to greet their guests. The mayor, the chief of police, even District Attorney Clemens. Clemens mouthed ‘sorry’ at her as he shook her hand then moved on.
The head of the Metropolis Art Museum, opera stars, the conductor of the symphony, the presidents of several of the colleges Luthor gave scholarships to, several prominent doctors - a ‘Who’s Who’ of Metropolis society. Even the new publisher of the Star was there to give the new couple his congratulations.
Lois thought the line would never end. Finally, she spotted Clark. It was all she could do to keep from breaking into tears with relief as he approached her. He was dressed in a dark suit and dark tie. She pulled him into a hug, ignoring Luthor’s glare.
“You okay?” Lois murmured to Clark. He looked a little pale but otherwise unhurt. He’d even managed to shave.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“I promised you he’d be here,” Luthor interrupted. “Did you doubt me?”
“Of course not, Lex,” Lois assured him as she let Clark go. “I’m just very happy he managed to come.”
Clark turned to Luthor and shook his hand. “Congratulations.”
Luthor bowed his head slightly, accepting the offered sentiment.
Clark smiled at Lois and moved on, disappearing into the crowd. But Lois noticed Asabi standing at the door, back in his usual white suit and turban. He was watching Clark and if looks could kill, Clark would have been smoldering pile of ashes.
A jazz quartet was playing softly, somewhere.
“Our first dance as man and wife?” Luthor asked. She nodded and he led her to the center of the floor. The guests made a space for them. On some hidden signal, the jazz band switched to a rendition of ‘Unforgettable’. Luthor pulled her into his arms and they began to dance. Lois had to admit, Luthor was a good dancer – but then so was Clark.
Suddenly the doors to the reception room burst open. One of the ushers hurried over to Luthor, followed by Inspector Henderson, A.D.A. Drake, Perry, and Jimmy. In the hallway beyond Lois saw a large number of uniformed police officers in helmets and bullet-proof vests. Several of them were carrying rifles.
“Sorry sir, but…” the usher stammered out. Luthor pushed him aside.
“What is the meaning of this?” Luthor shouted. His face had gone red with fury.
“I think, Mister Luthor, it would be better if you came quietly,” Drake said, keeping her voice low. The reception guests had gone quiet as they watched. The mayor began to step forward but Clemens put a hand on his arm, stopping him. Clemens shook his head.
“I will not!” Luthor spat.
Drake took a deep breath and addressed the guests. “Ladies and gentlemen, if you would please proceed to the exits in an orderly manner. The officers outside will see you to the elevators.”
“How dare you!” Luthor shouted.
The crowd began thinning as the guests took Drake’s advice and began leaving the room. Clark stepped forward and moved Lois away from Luthor.
“What is the meaning of this?” Luthor repeated with a hiss.
Drake shrugged but it was Perry who spoke. “The meaning, Luthor, is that you're through. We have all the evidence against you we need.”
Drake held up a sheet of paper. “We have a warrant here charging you with arson, murder, and that’s just the start.”
“You must be out of your minds. All of you,” Luthor screamed. The guests who stopped to watch, who may have even been sympathetic to him, started to back away.
“You have the right to remain silent,” Henderson began. “You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney...”
Luthor glared at him. “Will you stop that? I can afford a thousand attorneys. I'll have your head...” he caught himself. “…badge for this. Someone get the Governor on the phone! Wait, make it the President, make it...”
There was a motion near the doors. Lois looked over to see Mrs. Cox flanked by two officers. Her hands were behind her and Lois assumed she was in handcuffs. Luthor’s mouth had fallen open in shock at seeing his assistant standing there. Cox shrugged nonchalantly.
“Et tu, Mrs. Cox?” he murmured. “Sorry, Lois. I'm afraid something's come up.”
Luthor moved forward toward Henderson who put out his hand to grab Luthor’s arm. Lois watched in amazement as Luthor twisted away from the officer’s grasp. Several martial arts moved disposed of two uniformed officers in his way. He disappeared through a side door.
Henderson ran after him only to find the door bolted. He ordered his team to search for Luthor.
“Lois, I’m so sorry we couldn’t get here earlier,” Perry told her. “There were problems getting the building secure and then…”
Henderson walked back to them. “Don't worry, we'll get him. We have the entire building sealed off. He’s not getting away.”
“You know this building had escape routes not on the city’s plans, don’t you? He has a whole complex beneath the building,” Lois told him.
“We know,” Drake told her.
“Let’s get out of here,” Clark suggested. Perry draped his jacket over her shoulders. She reached up and pulled off the veil. She handed Jimmy the bouquet. She looked around the room. Carlisle’s was going to be disappointed that no one would enjoy their cake.
“You have to give him one thing, though,” Lois commented. She got curious looks from everyone around her. “He sure knows how to throw a party,” she explained. Clark and Jimmy both chuckled.
Lois let Clark and Perry guide her and her mother out of the building. Police cars and personnel were everywhere. Most of the wedding guests were milling around on the blocked street, trying to make sense of what was happening. The mayor and D.A. Clemens were conferring with Drake beside one of the police cars. Mrs. Cox was nowhere to be seen. Lois assumed she’d already been taken off to jail already.
“It was a dangerous move, arresting him at the reception,” Clark was saying to Perry.
“Based on the information we had, leaving it until after the party would have been too late,” Drake said, joining the little group. “Our analysis indicated he probably wouldn’t risk his reputation by creating a hostage situation.”
“He probably wouldn’t?” Clark asked.
“We had a hostage negotiator standing by, and sharp-shooters,” Drake told them. She turned to face Lois. “I am sorry you had to go through all that. But it’ll be over soon.”
“Over?” Lois asked. “I’m married to the monster.”
Clark cleared his throat. “Actually, no,” he said. “The two of you never applied for a marriage license. That’s not something you can delegate. No license, no legal marriage.”
Suddenly one of the police walkie-talkies squawked. “He’s back at the penthouse.”
Lois looked up. She could just make out a tiny figure on the penthouse balcony. “Lex?”
The image was surreal. The tiny figure separated itself from the building. Luthor had jumped rather than face his crimes.
She felt the air move beside her and realized Clark was gone.
Another figure appeared in the sky. A murmur came up from the onlookers. “It’s a bird...? No, a plane…? No…”
“It’s Superman!” Lois shouted.
“Superman?” Drake asked looking up.
The first figure’s fall was broken. As they got closer to the ground, Lois could hear Luthor screaming. “Lex Luthor will not live in a cage!” He was struggling against Superman’s iron grip. “Unhand me, you freak! You’re dead! I ordered you dead! I buried you!”
Superman came to earth a short distance from Drake and several uniformed officers. Luthor was on his feet, fighting to get away. Superman nodded to the officers and they stepped forward to take custody of Luthor. He kept fighting even as they handcuffed him.
“Do I understand that you are confessing to conspiring to murder Superman?” Drake asked Luthor.
“You can’t murder something that isn’t even human,” Luthor spat.
Drake’s expression turned hard. “Funny but I’ve heard that song before. Against blacks and Jews, anybody the bigots choose to hate. I knew you were crooked but I never took you for a bigot, Mister Luthor,” Drake said. “I guess I was wrong.”
She nodded and the two uniformed officers took Luthor to one of the nearby panda cars. Then she turned to Superman. “Welcome back, Superman.”
“It’s good to be back,” Superman said.
Lois studied him as he spoke to the other woman. She wondered how she could have missed it for so long. A change of hairstyle, clothes and a pair of glasses.
It was good to see him back in action.
“Where have you been?” Lois asked. The question needed to be asked.
He didn’t seem surprised that she’d asked, even in the middle of a crisis. “Recovering. I was seriously injured during my attack on Nightfall. Mister Luthor’s murder attempt didn’t help.”
“Welcome back, son,” Perry said, clapping him on the back. “We’ve missed you.”
Superman smiled his thanks and lifted off, disappearing into the sky. A moment later, Clark reappeared, adjusting his tie.
“I’m glad he’s back,” he said. Lois pulled him into a hug.
“So am I. But I’m happier you’re okay,” Lois said.
-o-o-o-
‘Superman Returns’ the headlines screamed in the Star. Luthor’s fall from grace had been relegated to smaller type. ‘Luthor Arrested for Murder, Arson, More.’ Headlines in the other papers were similar – Superman’s resurrection/homecoming was bigger than Luthor’s fall.
The police found the Sorcerer’s body in the sub-basement – his real name had been Daniel Poldan and he had been wanted for various unsavory crimes in several states. The slug belonged to the gun Luthor had in his possession at the time of his arrest. They also found drugs and drug labs in the underground warren.
Apparently Asabi was singing like a bird for lesser charges. Nigel St. John was still at large and there was no word on Mrs. Cox.
A few days later: ‘Luthor Vast Criminal Network Revealed.’ The AP byline on that one was Lois Lane and Clark Kent. It felt good to be working again and she needed the job, even if it was as a freelancer. Her position at LNN had disappeared when it appeared she was married to Luthor. He’d had no intention of letting her work in her chosen profession past the wedding.
Lois was determined to put the experience behind her as much as she could. But she still had questions.
What had Luthor planned for their honeymoon? He had told her that ‘clothes were optional,’ but there had been no flight plan submitted for Luthor’s private jet, nor had visas been requested. They had found out that Luthor owned a small island in the South Pacific and it was assumed that was where Luthor planned to take her. It was uninhabited except for a few LexCorp employees.
There was also the question of the marriage license. Why hadn’t Luthor gotten one? It wasn’t a difficult process – go down to the registrar’s office with a witness, fill out some papers and plunk down your fifty dollars. Had he thought he was above the law? Or had he planned to use it as a ‘get out of jail free’ card in the event he discovered that having her wasn’t as good as wanting her?
“Or maybe he delegated to someone who just didn’t do it,” Clark suggested as they sat in a coffee shop near her apartment.
“I’m embarrassed to admit I didn’t even think about it,” Lois said. “Mrs. Cox was in charge of all the arrangements.” She sighed. “Maybe she really was trying to help me out.”
“Henderson told me that Cox was the one who clued them in on the extra escape routes and the various sub-basements and bunkers,” Clark told her. “He didn’t say it, but I got the impression she’d been working fairly closely with him and Drake to bring Luthor down.”
Lois was silent as she concentrated on her coffee. There was so much about what had happened that didn’t make much sense.
“Clark?” she asked finally. “How did Luthor and Asabi grab you?” She’d been afraid to ask before.
Clark shrugged. “Who says they did?”
She glared at him and he ducked his head.
“Asabi and his accomplice were waiting for me outside the coffee shop. You’d been followed from your office by one of their people,” Clark explained. “I played along with it.”
“You mean you were never in any danger?” she asked sharply.
“I wouldn’t put it that way,” Clark told her as he sipped his coffee. “There was always a chance they might have kryptonite, or pieces of the asteroid. And Asabi’s magic was pretty potent. But the drugs they forced down my throat didn’t have any effect on me, so I was able to stay in control of things.”
“Luthor thought that if I was the one to kill you, the link between us would be broken,” Lois told him.
Clark shook his head. “Another of Asabi’s lies. A soul can be injured but never destroyed. And for a soul, even having an incarnation be murdered is just another experience to be learned from.”
“So, there’s no way to break the soul mates thing?” Lois asked.
“I expect it could break if the two souls in question grew apart over time, had different things to do and learn. But they’d probably still be in the same group, like you and me, my parents, Perry, Jimmy, even Luthor. Kind of like a family unit traveling together through time.”
“A pretty dysfunctional family, if you ask me.”
Clark shrugged. “Maybe this time he’ll actually learn something.”
“Or not. He honestly thought I would kill you for him. I hadn’t realized until that moment how sick he really was,” Lois said. “I’m glad he’s locked up for observation at least. Drake thinks it’ll be a long time before he’s let out to stand trial. ”
Clark’s head came up in the way she’d come to recognize. “I’ll take care of the bill,” she told him. He nodded and disappeared out the door.
She sat back in her seat and smiled. Luthor was locked up. Superman was back in the skies. All was well with the world. Almost.
The Daily Planet was still gone.
-o-o-o-
A few days later Lois, Clark, Perry, and Jimmy stood outside the barricades in front of the burned building that used to house the Daily Planet. The entrance had been boarded up and ‘Building Condemned’ signs were nailed to the plywood.
“I wish they'd get it over with and tear this old place down,” Jimmy complained.
“Yep, too many memories,” Perry agreed.
“Most of them good,” Lois reminded them.
“There's a lesson to be learned here,” Perry said.
“Why am I not surprised?” Jimmy said with a grin.
“We ought to appreciate what we've got when we've got it,” Perry continued as though Jimmy hadn’t spoken.
Lois looked over at Clark who was looking at the ruin, hands in his pockets.
“It's my fault, you know. All of it,” Lois said sadly. “If Luthor hadn't wanted me so badly he never would've destroyed the Planet. I just don’t understand why. I mean, I know he was a sick man, but why me?”
“Because Lex Luthor always wanted what he could never have,” Clark told her.
“He almost did,” she reminded him. “I said ‘I do’.”
“You only did what you had to do,” Clark told her. “And no one blames you for what he did. Sick or not, it was always his choice.”
Lois had no answer to that. She knew what Clark was saying was true. Luthor had gone after her because she had no interest in him. First there had been Superman, and then there was Clark Kent. It was a good thing for her sanity that they were one and the same person.
“All those deaths for nothing…” Clark murmured. He was staring at the building again and Lois knew he was feeling guilty for not having been able to do more.
“Clark, even Superman couldn’t have done anything,” she said. “Luthor planned it that way.”
“I know,” Clark said. “But it doesn’t make it feel any better. At least Luthor’s not going to be able to hurt anyone else for a long long time.”
Perry sighed. “I know I've said this before, but I hate the idea that Lex Luthor got his way...” He motioned toward the ruins. “...even in this one thing.”
“He didn't,” a man’s voice announced. The speaker appeared from around the corner – an older heavyset black man in a custom tailored business suit. Franklin Stern, the media mogul. He was pointing at a crane and a flatbed truck that had just rolled up to the building. “Look!”
There was a large roundish object under a tarp on the truck. Workmen pulled off the tarp to reveal the Daily Planet globe. The crane began to move it into position above the boarded up main door.
“Great Shades of Elvis!” Perry murmured.
“We'll start on the building next week, but first I thought we'd announce to the world we're back in business,” Stern said cheerfully. “I reconsidered your proposal. I agree with you, Mr. White. Metropolis needs the Daily Planet. Besides, one more nail in Lex Luthor's coffin suits me fine.”
Lois grabbed Clark in a hug. Jimmy clapped her on the back then moved off.
“There were some ideas I had about modernization,” Stern was telling Perry.
“Modernization?” Perry asked.
“Yes, improvements, expansions...” Stern said. “Would you like to see the plans?”
Stern moved off, Perry and Jimmy trailing after him.
“Now, Stern? Stern!” Perry yelled. “Wait just a doggone minute!”
Lois was left alone with Clark. He was gazing at the globe.
“I've never seen anything so beautiful in all my life,” he said.
“Neither have I,” she said, but she wasn't referring to the globe. He turned and gave her a confused look.
“Clark, I really would have gone to bed with him, if it meant you would be safe,” Lois said. “But I want you to know, it would never have been his face in my mind while we… He would have had my body, but he never would have had my heart. That’s already spoken for.”
“Superman.” He said it flatly but there was just a hint of a twinkle in his chocolate eyes.
She chuckled. “A pretty face and a flashy costume? Nah. Besides, being known as his girlfriend is a little on the dangerous side.”
“What about your three rules?” he asked.
She shrugged. “Rules are meant to be broken, aren’t they?”
“Does that mean you’ll go out with me?”
“You mean, like on a date? Get dressed up and not talk about what we’re working on?” Lois asked coyly.
He nodded.
“That works for me,” Lois said with a grin. “My mom needs time to recover from my last wedding anyway.”
His head came up and his eyes went out of focus. “Uh…”
“Go,” she ordered.
She only felt the air move as he disappeared. Lois grinned and looked up at the globe. Superman was back in the skies. The Daily Planet was going to reopen. Clark was back to ‘normal,’ or at least as normal as he ever was. All was well with the world.
Loisette stood over the grave of Bayard Tempos. Five years after he had sent her to the convent for not bearing him children, ten years after he had forced her betrothed into exile and made her wed him instead, he was dead. He hadn’t died in battle, or even an assassin’s blade, but of madness – he had escaped his caretakers and thrown himself from the roof of the keep.
She had sent a message to Charles that he could return home if he chose, although she knew the chances were unlikely that he would come. They both had duties and obligations to their orders, to their people, to God.
“Milady?”
She turned to see several men on horseback waiting outside the cemetery. Two were men-at-arms. One man, dressed in the black robes of a monk, was dismounting his horse. He was dressed as monk but there was something about his carriage that said he was a warrior too. He lowered his hood and she finally saw his face.
It was the face that had been in her dreams for the past ten years.
“Charles.”
He was older, more careworn that she remembered, but then so was she. She pulled him into an embrace and realized he was wearing chain mail beneath his robes.
“I’ve missed you so much,” he murmured.
“How long can you stay?”
“Not long,” he told her.
“Long enough to sup?” she asked hopefully.
He smiled and her heart sang. “Long enough to sup.”Lois Lane smiled in her sleep. All was well with the world.
TOC
