They made their way slowly through the network of tunnels, partly because Clark was still suffering from the effects of the Kryptonite, and partly because he had a harder time due to his larger form getting through the cramped spaces. But finally, and after a few wrong turns, Lois brought them to her strange little apartment.
Lois peeked her head out of the vent, her hair swishing as she looked side to side. At least it looked like Lex hadn´t been back. She had lost track of time somewhere when she first entered the vents and she wondered how much time they would have until morning.
Lois easily shimmied out of the vent, gently landing on the fish tank below. She squatted carefully and managed to ease herself down.
Even affected by the Krptonite, Clark was able to follow her example.
She turned to him when they were finally on solid ground again. "How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Better that we're out of that tunnel," he said with feeling. "But I'm nowhere near my regular strength yet."
"Come on, you need to lie down," she said, tugging him towards the bedroom.
"This place is... I don't know, very weird," murmured Clark, looking around.
"It gives me the creeps. But what scares me the most are the details he put into it. How, for example, did he know what kind of coffee pot I have or what shampoo I use? All of it is here, just like 'home'," she shivered.
Lois gestured to the television. "Except for a clock. Not one in this place. I'm going to turn on the news just a moment and check the time... we need to see how long until morning we have. Go on and get settled in the bedroom. I'll---be there in a minute," she said shyly.
Clark entered the bedroom and took off just his cape and boots to make himself more comfortable. He closed his eyes, relieved to be away from the Kryptonite and to have Lois nearby---even if it was in Luthor's creepy replica apartment.
She came to the door a short time later, the light behind her making her little more substantial than a silhouette. "It's almost 2:30
AM. We've got time," she sighed, looking at Clark. He looked so tired, and she was concerned the Kryptonite had weakened him considerably.
"Will you lie down with me?" he asked, too tired to be shy about it. He simply needed her company.
She hesitated a second and then simply nodded. Clark made room for her on the bed, holding his arm out to her, which she quickly fell into. Clark pulled her in tight to him.
They were silent for a long moment, listening to each other breathe.
Suddenly, as if needing to explain why they felt so comfortable to be together like this, Lois' voice cut through the silence. "I didn't want it to happen. I was too afraid of something real. That's partly why I had pushed you away," she whispered to Clark.
He gently stroked her arm, encouraging her to continue. "What do you mean?"
She turned so she could face him. "I mean before. Before I knew you were Superman. You scared me in a way that I didn't think possible, but in a good way," she clarified. "Yet, I was afraid I'd mess
it up, and that you would leave--"
He started to speak, but she stopped him with her fingers. "Let me finish," she sighed, pulling herself together to explain to him, explain to herself.
"It was much easier being just friends with Clark. Having a wonderful guy in my life who stood by me no matter what, my best friend," she said lovingly, stroking his cheek. "You are a man I wanted to love--did love--DO love, yet I was terrified that as soon as I really opened myself up to you, you'd run like all the others. That's why I thought I was in love with Superman and wouldn't look at you back then, I realize it now. Superman represented the impossible, unattainable. Someone safe. But since I've learned you're both, it--takes my breath away, really. I know the man and I know the hero,
both two halves of the man I love. Will always love..." she finished, leaning in to kiss him. "I just thought you should know."
She sighed, moving to lean on her elbow and rest her head in her hand. She reached over to hold his hand with her free one. "And I'm
sorry I didn't see it before, didn't see YOU before. I don't deserve you, but if you'll have me, I'm yours," she said simply.
This time, he reached for her, pulling her close to him, to kiss her.
He was so moved by her speech, moved by how much he loved her and by how much she loved him.
"Lois, you mean the world to me. It's not a matter of deserving each other... Love doesn't work that way. There's something good and strong between us, I'm sure you feel it?"
She nodded.
"And whatever that is that binds us, it is lasting, forever. At least, it is to me," he said softly.
She snuggled into his side, reaching over so she could touch his chest. "You are amazing, Clark. Do you know that? You. The man I write--wrote stories with. Eat pizza late at night with. Play Scrabble with. When I thought I might be trapped by Lex both literally and figuratively, I knew two things. One, that I couldn't live without my
best friend. And two, that somehow, you'd save me. Cause that's the way it's always been between us."
"Yet you saved me tonight," he pointed out.
"Sort of. We still have to wait for Perry and Henderson to show up tomorrow. We are not out of the woods yet," she noted.
He leaned down and kissed her head. "Well, I'll stay here a few hours, and then I'll have to try and sneak out of this complex and get Perry."
"It's a little trickier than that. The door is locked solid, and with you incapacitated by Kryptonite... well, you can't just walk out of here."
He sighed with resignation, "Then it's the vents again."
"And I--" Lois gulped. "I have to pretend to go through with this wedding?"
He gave her a gentle squeeze. "Lex can't know the game is up just yet. He'll escape otherwise, and we can't have that. He may discover I escaped and you have to feign innocence... Do you know what time this--wedding is tomorrow?"
"Noon," she said with emphasis, as if it were the last duel at the OK Corral.
"That's plenty of time! I'll get out of here and this will soon all be over with."
Lois sighed, "I hope so."
Clark and Lois faced each other, lying down, both thinking.
"You know, I'm glad you found out I am Superman. I was so afraid of just telling you... not because I didn't trust you," Clark explained quickly. "But rather, I didn't know how you would feel, seeing your hero turn into just... me."
"Clark, you should give yourself more credit! I can't believe you still cared for me even though I was so blind. I mean, if anyone should have seen the connection, you'd think it be me! Some
investigative reporter," she scoffed at herself.
"You're the best in the business," he offered kindly. "But I deliberately deceived you because, well, I was taught from a very young age to doubt acceptance of who I really was. And, by the way, you were the one who gave me the idea for Superman."
"Me? Really? This you gotta tell me!"said Lois, her eyes dancing with an interest that made Clark smile.
"Yeah, I came to work in a mess from a rescue and you suggested I should bring a change of clothes to work," he said, relishing her reaction.
"Really? So how did that transform into this?" she asked, gesturing to his primary color suit. "Wait," she said, sitting up. "Didn't
you say your mother made it? Oh my goodness! Martha sewing Superman suits! I love it!" she laughed.
Clark reached for her. "I'm glad you understand. You were the first person I wanted to tell. And I never thought that would happen. I agonized over how I'd tell you if we ever became closer than just friends. You mean the world to me, Lois."
"Oh, Clark," she leaned in to kiss him, laying her head on his chest a moment later.
His breathing began to slow, and when she looked up a few minutes later, she saw he was sleeping. She settled back in to his arms, ready to get some sleep as well.
"I love you," she whispered, before drifting off to sleep.
*******
When Lois awoke, Clark was gone. It was a good thing too, because she awoke to Nigel delivering her mother to her room to help her get ready for the wedding. He was the image of politeness, but Ellen Lane was not fooled.
As soon as he was gone, she turned to her daughter. "Do you want to tell me what's going on here, Lois?" she asked. "I was home last night, when I got this mysterious call that Mr. Lex Luthor the billionaire requested my presence in Metropolis for a marriage to my daughter and that I would be picked up at 5 AM by a helicopter!
What is going on? Are you marrying that man?"
Lois shook her head. "I don't have time to explain. I am sort of marrying him," Lois began, hesitant on how much to fill her mother
in on. "But it's all part of a larger plan. The man is dangerous, Mom, and my friends are trying to stop him. So just go with it. Help me get
ready. Hopefully we won't have to go any further than me taking a step or two down the aisle."
********
Lois looked at herself in the mirror. The dress was gorgeous on her, she had to admit. One hundred tiny buttons went up the back. It took her mother the good part of a half an hour to do them up. Ellen was now straightening out the veil in the other room, getting it ready to put on Lois. Lois herself stood in front of a three-fold mirror, thinking of the irony of the dress. She hated that she looked beautiful for this. She didn't want Lex to think he was winning, though she understood that had to be part of the plan.
She twisted to the side, to get the full effect of her dress. "Lois Lane gets married," she joked to herself. "Well, sort of."
"Lois Lane Luthor," she said aloud, cringing to herself, praying that the ceremony wouldn't get that far.
Then she whispered to the glass, unable to resist the idea the dress provoked, her voice catching unexpectedly on the last word, "Lois Lane Kent."
She felt tears well up in her eyes, wishing unexpectedly that it was Clark who she was marrying. She knew things were moving in a good direction with him, yet marriage had been far from her mind. But seeing herself like this, she could envisage a marriage with him, and she hated the painful irony of having to fake a wedding with a man she could never love.
Her mother came in, the veil a frothy wave in her arms.
"Are you going to be okay, Lois?" she asked, seeing Lois' tears.
Lois nodded. "Yeah, I will. I trust Clark will get here in time."
Just then, a knock was heard at the door.
"You are to be upstairs in five minutes, Miss Lane," called Nigel through the door. "I will escort you there."
"I'll just bet you will," murmured Lois. She felt her heart flutter nervously. She did trust Clark, but she was still scared the ceremony would get further on than she wanted it to and she'd be Mrs. Luthor before anyone could do anything about it.
<<Clark won't let that happen,>> she reassured herself. <<*Superman* won't let that happen.>>
*********
Clark clamored through the vents, feeling a little better just knowing that they were hours away from stopping Luthor. His weight made the vents a bit noisy, so he had to move slowly through rooms if there was a light visible. It took him almost an hour, but at last he
made his way to street level. He could sense the sunlight, and feeling as if it was pulling him from an abyss, he moved gratefully towards it.
Pulling himself out of the street manhole, he could tell that it was no more than six or so in the morning. He couldn't fly, but the sun felt
good on his shoulders, so he didn't mind walking to his apartment. He was glad not many people were out this time of day, so there were
less likely to be people to stop and question him.
Clark arrived home at a quarter to seven. He forgot Perry and the boys were staying over. It wouldn't do for Superman to sneak in to Clark's apartment, but he didn't see any choice. So he took off his boots and went into his bedroom as quietly as possible. He noticed only Jack and Jimmy were there. On his nightstand, Perry had left a note.
"I'm worried you didn't come back last night. Heading over to Henderson as soon as it's light. Hope to meet you at the police station. And that you're okay.
"Perry."
Clark smiled at his editor's concern and quickly changed to street clothes. He still had the vestiges of a headache from the Kryptonite, but he thought he would be okay within a day or so. His main concern was to catch up to Perry and stop Luthor.
********
Lois had to go on blind faith.
She was in the hallway, moments from walking down the aisle. She trusted Clark with all her heart, but part of her still worried if the plan would work. What if Henderson hadn't been able to get a
warrant issued? What if Luthor had discovered Superman was missing and suspected she had something to do with it? She had to stall,
that's all there was to it. Her mother had already made a few excuses for her pretending there were issues with the veil, but they could
delay no further.
Lois took a steadying breath and started down the aisle. As she walked towards Luthor, as slowly and deliberately as she could manage, all she could think of was Clark. She knew now that she loved him, and whether or not they could work together again with the Planet destroyed, she knew that she wanted to be his partner in
every way. Images flooded her mind of his boyish smile, of being rescued by Superman, of her best friend. She felt tears because she could feel the precipice just beneath her feet, becoming more shaky with every step towards the altar; she was a hairsbreadth away from belonging to a criminal or being rescued by the man she loved.
At last she stood by Luthor. She tried not to look nervously to the doors, praying that her friends would stop this. Calculating, just
in case, she took a glance around to see if she would have any place to run if she needed to. There were no windows, and only two sets of
doors.
<<Just get here soon!>> she pleaded silently.
Her eyes turned back to the altar. "The archbishop?" she couldn't help asking Luthor, shocked to see someone so high-ranking in the church overseeing this mock wedding.
"Unfortunately the Pope was busy," he said easily.
The archbishop started the ceremony, a look on his face that revealed he maybe suspected this wasn't an entirely mutual arrangement. Lois listened absently to the drone of him speaking,
meanwhile straining to hear signs of Clark or police.
At last it was her turn. She couldn't do this---*wouldn't* do this!
At her hesitancy, Luthor squeezed her elbow in warning.
"I--I--I can't!" she at last got out.
Suddenly, the doors at the back of the chapel swung open, and Lois sighed in relief.
Perry led the charge. Lois could see Henderson and several other police behind him. "Lois, you can't marry this man!" he decreed
\formally.
She laughed, so relieved that this was almost over. "What, is there an echo in here? I just said that."
Luthor's demeanor turned angry immediately. "What is the meaning of this?"
Perry looked the villain straight in the eye, stepping between him and Lois. "The meaning, Luthor, is that you're through. We have all the evidence against you that we need."
Henderson stepped up, waving a piece of paper at Luthor. "I have a warrant here charging you with arson and other crimes too numerous to mention."
"You must be out of your minds. All of you!" cried Luthor, realizing his game was up, but refusing to go easily.
Henderson started reading Luthor his rights, though Luthor waved him away, a man used to getting his way. "Will you stop that! I can afford a *thousand* attorneys! I'll have your badge ---your *head* for this! Someone get the Governor on the phone. Wait, make it the President!"
Luthor stopped a moment seeing one of his partners in crime, Mrs. Cox in handcuffs. He shook his head with dismay, "Et tu, Mrs. Cox?"
Lex suddenly turned to Lois, his eyes burning with anger. "Sorry, Lois. I'll have to take a rain check. I'm afraid something's come up."
Henderson reached for him, but suddenly wily Luthor swung away from him, making for the doors on the other side of the room.
"Don't worry, we'll get him. We have the entire building sealed off," Henderson said, following his men out the door to chase down Luthor.
The guests started filing out, most in a state of shock.
"I always suspected Luthor had more up his sleeve than real estate," said one old woman.
Perry turned to Lois as the drama moved out of the room. "Are you okay, honey?" he asked gently.
They all walked out of the chapel onto the street and Lois started looking around.
"Where's Clark?" she asked. She hadn't spotted him during the dramatic entrance, but knew he had to be there somewhere.
"I'm right here," he said a few feet behind her. She turned to him and they embraced tightly.
"Thank God! I didn't think you guys would make it on time."
Suddenly, someone shouted, "Look up!"
The crowd looked up as Luthor was standing on the edge of the LexCorp building. Suddenly, he was plunging to the ground.
Lois hid her head in Clark's shoulder. She felt him jump slightly saying, "I can't..."
Lois realized that if he had his powers, he
probably would have tried to rescue Luthor. Lois couldn't believe that Clark had so much generosity of spirit in him. She clung to him
tighter, waiting with a cringe for the sickening thud of a body to hit the pavement.
********
EPILOGUE
Lois would not leave Clark's side for days. She needed his strength as much as he needed hers. Luthor's games of control were over, but she still felt vulnerable. Lois covered it up though, in typical style by saying that she was just concerned for Clark as he was still recovering from the Kryptonite.
A week after Luthor's gruesome end, they all received a message from Perry to meet at the entrance of the Planet. He wouldn't say why, though they all suspected it might be to say good-bye to the place where they had all once called home.
Perry greeted Lois, Clark, Jimmy, and Jack with a heavy heart. He had tried to no avail to solicit some of the powerful people in Metropolis to save the Planet, but none of them would step up. So he called them all there today, wanting them to say good-bye to the Planet together.
"I wish they'd get it over with and just tear this old place down," Jimmy said, looking around at the boarded up windows.
Perry shook his head solemnly. "Yep, too many memories."
Lois chimed in, "Most of them good," thinking of all her successes at the Planet. And meeting Clark.
Perry looked around at all of them, loving his little misfit family. "There's a lesson to be learned here."
Jack rolled his eyes. "Why am I not surprised?"
"We ought to appreciate what we've got when we've got it."
Lois shook her head, miserable. "It's my fault. All of it. If Lex hadn't wanted me so badly he never would have destroyed the Planet. Why did he signal me out?"
Clark turned to her, sympathetic. "Because Lex Luthor always wanted what he could never have."
She shivered. "He almost did."
Perry looked dismayed, not willing to let go of all the pain of losing the Planet. "I know I've said this before, but I hate the idea that Lex Luthor got his way... even in this one thing."
"He didn't," said a deep voice from behind them.
They all turned to see it was Mr. Stern, one of the philanthropists in the city Perry had tried to convince to save the Planet. He gestured to a truck carrying a large round object covered in a tarp. "Look!" Mr. Stern said, pulling off the tarp to reveal a brand new Daily Planet globe.
"Great shades of Elvis!" whistled Perry in awe.
Mr. Stern came over to Perry, a smile on his face, knowing he was doing the right thing. "We'll start building next week, but first I thought we'd announce to the world we're back in business!"
*******
Clark looked at the globe with a smile. He turned to Lois, "I've never seen anything more beautiful in all my life."
She blushed with a laugh, getting his double meaning. "I'm just glad we'll be back at it again. I don't know what we would've done without the Planet."
Clark stepped over to her and reached to gently stroke her cheek. "I don't know what I would have done without you."
Lois looked in his eyes a moment, realizing happily that with every day, she was falling more and more in love with him.
"Remember when I told you a few months ago that I wasn't ready to leap, too afraid that maybe Superman was pushing me off the edge?" she said.
Clark nodded. "Yeah?"
"Well, Superman better catch me, because I've fallen," she said, moving in closer to him.
"Every time, Lois. He's got you every time," Clark said softly, leaning in to seal his promise with a kiss.
~End~
