PREVIOUSLY...
“Go,” she whispered, forcing the single word past her lips even as the lump in her throat grew painful.
He leaned in for one more kiss and she put her entire heart and soul into the exchange. And then, after one final look into each other’s eyes, he disappeared in a rush of wind.
She slowly sank to the floor. “It’s over,” she whispered. “Everything is over. I never should have let him go.” She buried her head in her hands and finally allowed her tears to flow freely.**
* * * * * * * * *
End Of Season Three
* * * * * * * * *
AND NOW...
* * * * * * * * *
Chapter Thirty-Eight
* * * * * * * * *
“Let me give that a blast of heat vision,” Clark said when they sat down to eat their cold supper. It was the first words either had spoken since deciding to come back to the conference room. Memories of their separation that day so long ago had left both of them in a funk. However, before he could warm up their dinners, some sort of commotion in the newsroom captured their attention.
Lois beat Clark to the conference room door and looked out.
“Why the Sam Hill did you bring that into my newsroom?” Perry demanded.
Lois stepped outside the door, closing in on the crowd that had gathered around Claude, trying to see for herself what was causing Perry such annoyance.
“Great shades of Elvis We don’t even know if that stuff is safe!”
“Hey, you don’t see my hair dropping out or anything, do you?” Claude asked in response. “Besides, I thought we could get some pictures. After all, the reporter covering the story at the time never did manage to get pictures.” With that, he looked directly at Lois.
She had no idea what he was talking about. What she did know was that the barb was somehow directed at her reporting skills. And in no reality did Lois Lane let a challenge like that go unanswered. “Then it probably wasn’t necessary to the story,” she responded, her eyes still on Claude.
She heard Clark groan, but quickly dismissed his obvious objection to her getting into a fight with Claude. He probably wanted her to keep a low profile in this reality. Not to cause a stir. But no one slammed Lois Lane’s reporting skills without a challenge. Clark should know her well enough by now to know that.
“Besides,” Claude said, looking back at Perry. “It’s being used in a lot of luxury cars these days, and I thought it might be interesting to do a follow-up.”
“Hmph,” Perry responded.
Finally, Lois managed to push her way through the crowd surrounding Claude to see for the first time what he was holding.
All the color drained from her face.
“Get that thing out of here!” she exclaimed, spinning around in time to see Clark stagger back into the conference room.
“What are you talking about? Your story about S-126...”
“Didn’t say it was safe. Testing hadn’t been completed. And I still have reason to suspect that some people don’t react well to it.” She spun towards Perry, directing her next comments at him. “Perry, we don’t know enough about this stuff to have it in the newsroom. And the stuff being used in cars is red, not green. Maybe the reason for that is because the side-effects are different for red S-126.”
“I agree,” Perry growled. “Claude, get that stuff out of my newsroom... now!”
Claude glared at Lois for a moment. She met his gaze with a defiant expression of her own. She really didn’t care what he thought of her. She just wanted to ensure that the green kryptonite was taken away from her husband - and the faster the better.
It seemed to take forever for Claude to gather his coat and head out of the newsroom. At times, she’d wanted to grab him by the collar and force him to hurry. But it was imperative that he not connect her objections to having that rock in the newsroom to Clark. Still, she silently screamed at him when he seemed to do everything he could to take as long as possible. In spite of her desire to check on Clark, she waited and watched until she was certain Claude had boarded the elevator - needing to be absolutely certain that he’d take the kryptonite with him - before returning to the conference room.
“Clark?” she gasped when she saw him - a lump on the floor. She quickly closed the door and rushed over to him, dropping to her knees next to him. “Clark,” she whispered this time, gently stroking the sweat-soaked hair off his forehead.
Clark opened his eyes. “I’m okay,” he whispered.
She let out a breath of complete exasperation. “Okay as in I’m not going to die?”
Clark grimaced. She knew him too well.
“So... how do you feel?” she asked, as she helped him move into a sitting position against the wall.
“I’m... better,” he said, choosing his word carefully this time.
“Do you have your powers?” she asked, gently rubbing his arm.
He shook his head. “But we both know how this goes. I’ll get them back, Lois. We just have to make sure that we don’t get in over our heads before that happens.”
“Well, knowing us...”
“It will be all right. So... Let’s eat our supper...” He rose to his feet with her help, taking a seat again at the table. Picking up the chopsticks, he took a bite of Chinese food, grimacing when he realized that it was still cold - but this time he didn’t have the power to warm it up. Still, he forced himself to chew and then swallow.
Lois gave her head a slight shake. That was her husband, all right. Never having been forced to eat cold food in his entire life. She chuckled.
“What?”
“We could always stick it in the microwave,” she suggested.
“It’s okay.” He forced himself to take another bite.
With a sigh, Lois picked up their plates and left the room. Walking to the coffee area, she stuck one plate and then the other in the microwave. Trust Clark not to be able to admit that he wanted his food hot when he didn’t have his heat vision to warm it up. It would be like admitting defeat - violating some ancient man-code.
A few minutes later, she was carrying two steaming plates of Chinese food back into the conference room. What would he ever do without her?
“Thanks,” Clark said sheepishly as he dug into the food.
“You’re welcome,” Lois responded, taking a bite of food as she turned her attention back to her computer.
“Do you remember if I returned from New Krypton?” Clark asked.
Lois shook her head. “But you must have. Otherwise, wouldn’t your parents have said something?”
“True. But we don’t know if I returned as quickly as I did in our reality. After all, I wasn’t sure I had something to return to.”
“Oh god. I’m not sure how I would have dealt with a prolonged separation. I already felt like I was going crazy after only a matter of days. What would I have done after months or even years?”
“Okay, well before we jump to any conclusions, let’s just see what the next few headlines are.”
Nodding, Lois turned back to her computer. She glanced up a moment later. “Take a look at this.”
Clark rolled his chair over to read the headline.
‘Aliens Invade Small Town In Kansas,’ by Lois Lane.
Lois breathed a sigh of relief. After all, if aliens had invaded Smallville in this reality too, Clark’s return couldn’t have been too far behind.
“Nor?” Clark asked.
“Must be. Anyway, I think I might remember something about that time.”
**Lois felt as if she was losing her mind. It seemed every other man reminded her of Kent. How many times could she run up to a man, thinking it was Kent, only to discover that it wasn’t before she could legitimately claim to be insane?
She pulled out her keys as she ascended the steps to her apartment building. A man stepped out of the shadows. She stared at him for a moment before giving her head a shake.
“You’re just an illusion. Not real. I’m here. You’re not,” she said to herself as she walked up the last few steps. She began to push open the door when a hand came to rest on her arm. She followed the hand up to see the face she’d thought never to see again.
“Oh, god,” she whispered.
A moment later, she was being swept into Kent’s arms. Kisses were planted all over her face and lips. She dropped her keys to bury her hands in his hair. “If this isn’t real, I don’t want to know,” she said before kissing him back. If she’d finally gone insane, that was fine - just as long as this illusion didn’t end.
Hands and lips roamed wildly, both participants having forgotten they were in a public place.
“I don’t have much time,” Kent said between kisses.
“Why are you here?”
“Change of plans.”
“Don’t stop,” she begged, kissing him deeply once again. “What about your people?” she asked when she finally came up for air.
“They’re here, too.”
“Smallville?” she asked.
He nodded before moving in to kiss her once again.
“Lord Kal El?”
A man’s voice speaking very close nearby caused Lois to pull away from Kent slightly to look at the unwelcome intruder.
“Family friend?” the man asked, gesturing to Lois.
“Very friendly,” Lois responded, wondering who the oddly dressed man was.
However, he ignored her to address Kent. “Sir, forgive me for reminding you how critical your presence is at the palace.”
“Palace?”
“Temporary palace,” Kent responded, looking slightly embarrassed by the admission. “It floats. Yes, Trey, I know.”
“In that case, may I suggest you unhand your... friend... and return to your troops. And your bride.”
The last word caught Lois’ attention, causing every muscle in her entire body to go ridged.
“Bride?” she asked, pulling completely out of Kent’s arms. “You’re married?”
“Political marriage,” Kent said hurriedly.
“You’re married,” Lois repeated. It figured. Damn him. He was... married. The word stuck in her throat even as tears well up in her eyes. “Then what the hell are you doing kissing me?” Without waiting for a response, she turned, pushed open the door and fled inside, leaving Kent calling after her.**
“It was odd,” Clark said. “I can remember before that kiss... I pictured it almost exactly the way it happened - well, except for you fleeing for the safety of your apartment.”
Lois reached over, gently rubbing his arm.
“Still, I shouldn’t have done it,” Clark continued. “After all, I’m sure it convinced you that I was just the sort of man you originally thought I was.”
Lois nodded. “Well, hearing that you were married was a bit of a blow.” She paused. “It’s interesting. When you returned from New Krypton in our reality, neither of us thought twice about the morality of kissing when you were, at least on paper, married.”
“I suppose it was because I didn’t think of myself as married to Zara. In my heart, you were my wife.”
“And how many affairs have started because of that exact reasoning?” Lois asked in return.
“Touche,” Clark said.
“Anyway, after that encounter, I really wasn’t prepared for what came next.”
**His clothing gave him away before he even spoke. He was one of the Kryptonians. A Lieutenant Ching, or so he said.
In the day following her encounter with Kent, the army had attacked Smallville, hoping to drive out the Kryptonians - only to be virtually slaughtered by no more than three of them. She had so many questions.
One question, of course, took precedence - or at least it should have taken precedence. Was Kent responsible? He’d said he was returning to New Krypton to be their leader. So was he leading them in an invasion of Earth?
She’d asked herself the question at least a hundred times and still she had no answer. Okay, so he was cheating on his wife by kissing her, but did that make him capable of some diabolical plan to take over the Earth? Smallville was Kent’s hometown. Quite a coincidence if Kent wasn’t involved. On the other hand, the man she had fallen for would never do something like that. But then the man she’d fallen for would never cheat on his wife. She flinched again at the thought of Kent - married to someone else. How could he do that after the night they’d spent together? Had it really meant nothing to him?
And how could he have kissed her like that when he was married to someone else?
Political marriage - or so he’d said. What the hell did that have to do with anything? How could he even see that as an excuse? It had still been his decision to marry this woman. And it had also been his decision to kiss Lois in spite of his marital status.
She gave her head a shake. Kent’s marital status was not the issue here. Earth was being invaded by superpowered aliens. That was what she should be focusing on.
So, if Kent was really the ‘leader’ of the Kryptonians, what was going on? Was this just the beginning? Would they use Smallville as a base from which to conquer the entire world?
Would Kent settle there with his wife? Introduce her to his family? Lois growled in frustration. The world was being invaded by superpowered aliens. So what was she doing focusing on Kent’s marriage?
She forced her mind back to the subject at hand. The world had lived in fear, glued to televisions, grabbing on to every news publication offering any new information. Alien invasion. It had all the makings of a Hollywood horror movie.
She’d been wondering if she should try sneaking into Smallville. The dangers were great, but then so too were the possible rewards. This was the story of the century. To get the inside scoop was a virtual guarantee of a Kerth, perhaps even a Pulitzer.
And now, in front of her stood a man who could help her get that story - was offering his assistance in getting the story.
“Why?”
“Lord Kal El feels someone should let the people of Earth know what’s going on - to keep them from panicking.”
“Really?” she asked skeptically. “And why would he do that? Doesn’t he want to conquer the world? Or is he just wanting someone to keep the population calm while he does that?”
Ching looked shocked. “Of course not, my lady! He’s trying to prevent that very thing.”**
“I guess that explains how you got involved, and why we ended up working together to bring down Nor,” Clark said.
Lois nodded. “Although, if I remember correctly, I wasn’t exactly... thrilled by the deception that was used to smuggle me into the palace.”
**Kent opened the door to his chambers, standing aside to allow her to enter first. She hesitated momentarily, until, in the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Trey watching them curiously. Turning to Kent, she grabbed him by the front of his robe, pulling him suggestively into the bedchambers, closing the door behind them with a wink at Trey. If she was supposed to be a concubine, it seemed appropriate.
Once the door closed, however, she released Kent, not looking him in the eye as she checked out the room. Unable to stop herself, she found herself walking over to the large bed which was the focal point in the room.
The wedding bed? The bed he shared with the woman with the weird name? Sara... Or that wasn’t quite right. No, it was... Bara or... well something like that. Did Kent do with Bara in this bed all the things Lois and Kent had done together?
“...here.”
She turned towards Kent, realizing that she’d missed what he had been saying. She backed up automatically when she realized that he’d followed her over. “What... What did you say?”
“I said, I’m glad you’re here.”
“Yeah, well, just so you know, despite the outfit...” She gestured to her harem-girl’s outfit. “...this is strictly business, Kent. Ching said you wanted to make sure the world knows what’s going on. And this is the story of the century. So... I’m here to make sure the world learns the ‘truth.’” She emphasized the last word, making sure he understood that she wasn’t about to cover for him if he was trying to take over the world. “As for...” She gestured to the bed. “You can just forget about it. Unlike you, I don’t do married men.”
“I don’t do married men, either,” he dead-panned in an obvious attempt to lighten the mood.
She narrowed her eyes, staring at him until he began to shift uncomfortably under her scrutiny. Finally, satisfied that he’d understood her message, she gave a nod. “Okay, so what exactly is going on here?”**
“If I recall correctly,” Clark said slowly, “in spite of everything, you never revealed that Clark Kent was the one who fought Nor in that final duel.”
Lois shook her head. “Since there was no Superman, I simply called you Lord Kal El.”
“So you were protecting me.”
She shrugged sheepishly. She supposed she had been. After all, her story could have been much more sensational if she had revealed that the leader of the New Kryptonians had actually been raised on Earth, the adopted son of an ordinary farming couple in Kansas. But she hadn’t been able to do that - she wasn’t entirely certain why. She turned her mind back to the subject at hand. “Do you remember how you finally defeated him? After all, in our reality, Nor betrayed you after you’d won the challenge - and was stopped when General Cash shot kryptonite gas into the street. But in this reality, no one but you - well, and me - knew about the effects of kryptonite on Kryptonians.”
Clark nodded. “After I defeated Nor and his men showed up in violation of orders that all the troops remain in their barracks, Ching and his men showed up. They’d expected a last minute betrayal by Nor and were ready in case it happened. Nor’s men backed down pretty quickly when confronted by Ching’s superior numbers. Guess they only wanted an easy victory.”
“Hmph,” Lois said. “Anyway, I can’t quite remember why you didn’t go back to New Krypton with Zara after it was over.”
“For pretty much the same reason that I didn’t go back in our reality.”
“Me?”
“You.” He reached over, gently touching her cheek. “And although you hadn’t let me touch you since finding out that I was married, I couldn’t walk away. So I sent Zara back to New Krypton with Ching - and I stayed here. I even managed to get my job back at The Star - even though there was now a new editor since Carpenter was in jail. Although, I think my personal interview with Lord Kal-El before he ‘left’ for New Krypton helped pave the way. As I recall you, however, weren’t exactly thrilled about my staying.”
**Clark took a deep breath to steady his frazzled nerves before knocking on the door of Lane’s apartment. She’d been civil enough to him, even compassionate on occasion, during their battle against Nor. But she never seemed to forget his marriage to Zara. Her response to even the most inadvertent touch, to any affectionate word or even to the way he sometimes looked at her was always the same. ‘You’re married.’ He was never certain if she was reminding him - or herself.
So now that Zara was gone, it was time for him to explain. He never should have pulled her into his arms and kissed her when he returned to Earth. But he’d seen that scene in his head so many times - it had felt natural, right. He just had to make Lane see that his marriage to Zara meant nothing. To get them back to that place where they had been the night he’d left for New Krypton.
His heart skipped a beat when the door opened and Lane stood before him.
“May I come in?” he asked softly.
The way she folded her arms across her chest even as she stepped back to allow him to enter was not encouraging. It was as if she were guarding herself against him.
When she didn’t speak, he nodded slightly. At least she was listening. “I wanted to be the one to tell you that I was married.”
Her eyebrows rose but she remained silent.
“It was for political purposes only. You were there at my trial. You know the marriage was never even consummated. She was in love with Lieutenant Ching. And I... am in love with you.” When he saw some emotion across her face, he gained courage. “Zara’s gone. She’s not coming back. And I...” He took an subconscious step towards her, stopping immediately when she stepped back. “Lane, I love you - and I know you love me. We can’t ignore it. Please.”
He stopped then, waiting for her to say something, anything.
“Yeah, I love you,” she acknowledged softly.
His heart leapt for joy. She still loved him. He again stepped forward and again she matched his movement by stepping back.
She closed her eyes for a moment. “I’m sorry, Kent. I just... I can’t do this anymore. One minute we’re making love - and it’s wonderful. The next your married and I’m wondering if you’re trying to take over the world. Okay, so Zara’s gone, but... I just can’t keep doing this.” She carefully stepped around him, reopening the door. “I just can’t.”
He stared at her in disbelief for a second. There was no anger in her - only a sad resignation - as if all the fight had gone out of her. But she was most definitely telling him to go.
With a sad nod, he turned towards the door. He stopped on the threshold for a moment, trying to think of something, anything he could say that might change her mind.
“Goodbye, Kent,” she said softly.
He turned back towards her. “Lane...”
But she was already closing the door on him. His hand came up and landed on the door for a moment when it finally clicked closed. Then, with a sigh, he turned and left the building.**
“The roller coaster ride we’d been on for three years was just getting to be too much for me,” Lois said softly as Clark finished. “Moments of ecstasy followed by moments of agony. I just didn’t think I could do it anymore.”
He nodded slowly, understanding the sentiment. After all, it hadn’t exactly been a picnic for him either.
She cleared her throat. “Anyway, we should keep going.” She turned back to her computer.
He watched her for a moment before doing the same. Nothing he could say would make any of this better. The only thing they could do now was to figure out what they’d done to change the past and change it back. And the sooner, the better.
‘Wedding Destroyer Caught Again,’ by Lois Lane.
“I remember that story,” Lois said. “The whole time I was investigating it, I kept thinking that I should be planning my own wedding. But I knew that was never going to happen. It was... depressing.”
Clark reached over, rubbing her arm. Lois sighed before turning back to her computer.
‘Fountain Of Youth Is Death Trap,’ by Lois Lane.
“That was the story where Jimmy’s friend came to the Daily Planet - and died. We only realized afterwards that he had aged prematurely. Anyway, as in our reality, Jimmy started doing some research on his own and... got a little too close to the story.”
“I remember that,” Clark said. “News travels fast in our business.”
**Clark left The Star after work that night, feeling exceptionally perturbed. It was an interesting piece of gossip according to most of the employees at The Star. A goffer from the Daily Planet, Jimmy Olson, had apparently gotten too close to a story and was now aging unnaturally. In fact, he was expected to be dead within a matter of days, if not hours.
Clark never liked hearing about people in trouble. It just wasn’t part of his character to take pleasure in the problems of others. Still, there was something about the imminent death of Olson that hit him even harder than normal. If he didn’t know better, he’d almost be tempted to believe that Olson was a close personal friend.
Clark roamed the streets of Metropolis for a long time before realizing where his wanderings had taken him. The Daily Planet. He lowered his glasses, searching the newsroom until he spotted Jimmy... or at least an old man he thought must be Jimmy... in Perry White’s office. Lane was there, too. He couldn’t help but listen when his superhearing picked up on their conversation.
“Jimmy?” Lois asked.
“Lois...” Jimmy answered, his voice subdued. “I guess I screwed up pretty royally, huh?”
“No, you didn’t screw up.” There was a lot of pain in her voice.
“All I remember is... I wanted the story. Guess now I am the story. I must look pretty awful to you, huh?”
“No...”
“I’m not me anymore.”
“Jimmy, you’re still you. The outside isn’t what’s important. That’s not why people love you.”
Damn. There had to be something Clark could do. One thing he knew he couldn’t do was nothing. He couldn’t let the kid die. He just couldn’t.
But what? None of his superpowers could correct this.
“Don’t worry, Jimmy,” Lois said. “I’m sure we’re going to get this sorted out. I’ve traced what happened to you back to Dr. Veda Doodsen. I’m going to pay her a visit this evening. I’ll find a way to get you back to normal. I promise.”
Outside the newsroom, Clark silently promised, too.**
“So that’s what made you do it,” Lois said.
“What?”
“Risk your life to save Jimmy.”
“I just seemed to know that I could survive that machine. And that my life force could save him. So...” He shrugged.
“You’re a good man, Mr. Kent,” Lois said, looking adoringly at her husband. “I just wish I could have told him what you’d done. He was too out of it by the time I managed to get him over to Doodsen’s to realize you were the one helping him.”
“You couldn’t tell him, Lois. I didn’t want you to. After all, how could you explain my ability to use some of my life force to help him without risking my secret?”
“I suppose... but...”
“No buts.” He leaned over, giving his wife a kiss. “That’s how I wanted it. Still, I remember how... painful it was to have contact with you at the time.”
Lois nodded slowly as she, too, thought back.
“You weren’t... mad or angry. You were just...” He struggled to find the right word. “Subdued, I guess. It was as if you didn’t even have the energy to fight anymore.”
“I didn’t,” she responded. “I just sort of... felt dead inside. If it hadn’t been for the need to save Jimmy, I’d have probably let Dr. Doodsen get away with her ‘experiments.’”
“You don’t mean that.”
She shrugged, not sure if she did or not. She just knew that she’d felt so tired, so horribly tired. She didn’t even have the energy anymore to fight with Kent, to hate him, to... anything really. Every thing had just seemed so pointless. “So... what’s next?” she asked before she could get lost completely in her own self-pitty.
“Right.”
They returned to their computers and a minute later the headline, ‘Lois Lane Sentenced to Die,’ screamed back at her from the computer monitor.
Clark looked over at her headline before looking back at the one he’d found. “This one’s worse,” he said, gesturing to his screen.
Lois looked over, reading off his headline. “‘White Testifies; Lane Fries.’ The time when I was convicted of murder and sent to death row. So... Did I die? Oh, wait. I couldn’t have. After all, I’m still working at the paper.”
“Did you figure that one out all by yourself? I always knew I had a smart wife.” His eyes twinkled playfully.
She swatted his arm. “So what happened?”
“Well...” Clark said before telling what he remembered.
**Clark glanced around, evaluating the prison’s defenses. Dressed completely in black, he knew he would be virtually invisible to anyone without his special abilities. Still, with search lights methodically sweeping the area outside the prison, he had to remain vigilant. He watched for the right moment, carefully tracking and timing the guards’ movements both inside and outside the prison. He knew where every camera was located and how to avoid being picked up by them. It was important that he not be seen.
Finally satisfied that his plan would work, he made his move. A moment later, he was standing inside the prison. He could hear the soft sounds of sleep coming from all around him. Still, now was not the time to dawdle. A few quick steps and he was standing outside Lane’s cell. Not wanting to wake anyone, he quickly bent the bars back and slipped inside.
He knelt down beside her cot. “Lane,” he whispered, lightly shaking her shoulder.
“What?” she gasped, coming awake in an instant.
“Shhh,” he cautioned.
She looked around, trying to clear the sleep from her mind. It seemed to take a moment for her to figure out exactly what was going on. “What are you doing here?” she whispered.
“I’m getting you out of here,” he said, gesturing to the bent bars. He reached out, taking her arm to help her into a seated position.
“Wait,” she said, then fell silent for a moment as she evaluated the situation.
“Lane, if we’re going to get out of here, we need to go now,” Clark hissed.
“But... why are you doing this?”
“You want to talk about my motives now?”
“Seems as good a time as any.”
“Trust me, there are a lot better times than this.” When she didn’t respond, he let out a breath. “You are the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met. Okay, fine. I’m not going to sit by and watch them kill an innocent woman.” He stood up, offering her his hand. “Coming?” he asked.
She stared him for a moment before slipping her hand into his.**
TO BE CONTINUED...
