Hello! I have a new fic! This is my attempt at a darker fic, trying to explore some deeper issues. Despite what it seems, it is NOT a deathfic, though, promise!! Just bare with me...
I would like to thank LolaDane for beta-ing this story and MLT gave me some ideas that may still be woven in... this writing community is so supportive and makes a lovely place to escape to now and then!
Thanks, all!!
Usual disclaimer applies... all characters belong to DC comics and Warner Bros. Just borrowing them for a bit of fun.
This is set around the season 2 episode, 'The Phoenix'.
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"Clark Kent, you are under arrest for the murder of Lois Lane. You have the right to remain silent..." the officer's words fell on deaf ears, as the man they were arresting was in shock.
The rain, splashing carelessly over his body, had at last awoken Clark. He felt like he had been lost in a dark abyss, one where he couldn't remember how he got there or why, but now that he had returned, he knew that the world would never be the same again. Clark looked down. There was Lois' form, the rain washing over her. Blood came from her side, sluicing with the rain. He absently watched the trail it as it made its way to a nearby gutter. Lois' blood. She was *dead*?!
"Nooo!" As the reality of the moment hit him, his voice cried through the night. His body shook with wracking sobs, as he cried her name over and over, a litany for a man who had lost the one person that mattered more to him than all others, even more than himself. He reached for her, but could not touch her, as Henderson held his arms behind his back to handcuff him. His soul cried out for hers. Too soon, she had been taken away from him, the only woman he would ever love. Tears poured down Clark's cheeks, indistinguishable from the rain except his tears were punctuated by broken sobs.
He had failed her. It was that simple and that tragic. Where he should have been her hero, he had been taken down by a force stronger than himself, and that had left her vulnerable to Lex Luthor. The one thing he had promised himself above all else, to keep Lois safe, he had failed to do.
As Lois Lane died, so did Superman.
"Oh, God. Lois..." he whispered raggedly, his world collapsing around him. He wanted to hold her, even if it was for the last time. But he was denied even that. He was now a prisoner.
Inspector Henderson tugged Clark up onto his feet as the coroner prepared to take Lois' body to the city morgue. Henderson walked Clark to his car to take him back to the station. "I'm sorry, I have to. You're the only lead we have right now, Kent. I promise, I'll do everything I can--" Henderson stopped as he saw the look on Clark's face. Clark couldn't take his eyes away from where they were taking Lois. His lips moved silently, an admission to his failure to be her hero this last time, when it had mattered most.
“I killed her. Oh, God, I killed her…”
*******
Clark found himself in a cell an hour later, though he couldn't have said how long the ordeal at the police station had actually lasted. One of the investigating officers had tried to get a few details from Clark about what had happened, but he couldn't answer them. He just shook his head, numb, murmuring to himself incoherently about Lois. Henderson had at last rescued him, telling his fellow officers that they would have to wait to question Mr. Kent. Henderson knew in his gut Clark didn't do it, but to all intents and purposes, it appeared he had been responsible. No one else had been seen at the crime scene to be implicated, and Clark’s ravings clearly showed some sort of guilt. But anyone with an ounce of sense in their head could see that Clark was also deep in grief and couldn't possibly have murdered Lois Lane. Henderson remembered the reporting team together, they were best friends if not a couple, and ones that respected and admired each other deeply. But Clark was the only suspect they had at the moment, and so Henderson had had to arrest him.
Henderson had made sure Clark was safe, put by himself in his own cell, giving him what comforts he could. Henderson justified it by telling his boss that Mr. Kent was a well-respected reporter, and people were innocent until proven guilty in this country---though throwing a grieving man into a jail cell belied that law just a bit. So, with reluctance, Henderson locked up Clark, certain he hadn't done the crime and promised himself he would help him in any way he could. At the moment, that only amounted to a warm blanket and his own cell.
"Take care, Kent. I'll do what I can," he told him, though Henderson suspected Clark barely heard him.
Clark heard the cell shut behind him, it finally registering that he was being locked up in prison. For murdering Lois. How could this be true? How could she be *gone*? Forlornly, Clark looked up at the small bit of sky he could see through his bars. The rain had cleared to leave behind a full moon and a sky lit with stars. His soul cried out; he was a broken man. "Lois. Oh, God, Lois!" He shook from grief, and partially because he was still weak from the Kryptonite exposure. If he had his powers, he could bust through these bars in an instant. Go after Luthor and—what? Could he be the hero now? Did it matter? What good would running amuck as some crazed vigilante do?
His reason for being Superman, ultimately, was gone. Lois was… gone.
Clark sat down heavily on the bench, his head in his hands. What did any of it matter? Part of him hoped he never got his powers back, that the cell would remain dark and cold until it eventually took his life from him. Because maybe then…
Clark sighed heavily, feeling the burden of grief heavy on his shoulders.
“Lois…” was all he could say, each time filled with a different shade of pain or regret.
What good was Superman if he couldn’t save the one person that mattered most to him, the one who had inspired him to become Superman in the first place?
*******
4 hours earlier…
"Lois, why are we here again?" Clark asked, unnerved by Lois wanting to chase after the rumored to be resurrected Luthor.
"Because I have to see for myself that it was really Lex I saw in the alleyway last night," she shivered. “If he’s alive, Clark, then we need to know why. He should be behind bars, you know that!”
Clark sighed, at least slightly relieved that Lois only saw Luthor as a criminal and no longer as her ex-finace. He tried not to be too patronizing when he said, "And why couldn't we just let the police or better yet let Superman handle this?"
She smiled, not taking the bait. "Cause you know I have to be in the middle of the action, Clark! Come on!"
He groaned but followed her. He had a very bad feeling about this, more than his usual worry when Lois jumped in headfirst. Something was extremely creepy about the idea that Lex had just been somehow resurrected from the dead. And something told Clark that he had not returned to make amends…
The morning after her supposed encounter with Lex, Lois had done some investigating into some of Lex’s old holdings. Bobby Bigmouth had said that a rumor was going around town that the Boss had made a reappearance and had spooked some old cronies who had made off with a few of Luthor’s millions. Bobby said that the rumor was that Lex was doing some dealings at an old warehouse on Hobb's Bay, trying to scare up some funds by putting the pressure on old friends. She hadn’t been able to resist the idea of catching Lex in action, doing his nefarious deeds. Even though she knew he was the biggest crime boss Metropolis had seen in decades, she hadn’t entirely been able to reconcile the urbane fiancé to the criminal in her mind, so well had he played the former part. To her way of thinking, this would be official closure on the whole Lex Luthor mess. Catch him in the act, report the story, and let the police arrest him. Besides, Lois hated to be made a fool of and simply couldn’t pass up this opportunity for a little revenge. Odd how some second chances come about…
So Lois had doggedly chased after the lead on Lex, tugging Clark behind her. She knew he hated anything to do with Luthor, but she had convinced him that she needed to sack him herself. "I just want to get some pictures to prove what I saw and to see what he's up to. He won't even know we're here, Clark!"
They came to the edge of a large delivery door. The door was wide open, and easy to sneak into. Lois could see a corner of light on the far end of the warehouse. She made a 'come on!' gesture to have Clark follow her.
They hid behind some barrels, and just as Bobby Bigmouth had told her, Lex Luthor was up to a nefarious scheme to get some of his money back.
"You will have the full backing of LexCorp once I'm on my feet again," Lex said with a beatific smile on his face, patting a briefcase that he held to his chest. "You have my word."
Lois leaned on a barrel to get a good picture. She was using a brand new camera, and could take pictures without making a sound. Only Clark with his super-hearing could hear each time she made a depression on the button.
Lois leaned in more than she meant to and accidentally sent a barrel over.
Clark sighed. He knew this had been a bad idea.
"Ooops," she whispered, cringing.
The villains in the corner stopped talking. Lex himself sauntered over. "Well, well, well. If it isn't my fiancee and her precocious partner, Clark Kent. So nice of you to drop by."
He gestured for some thugs to grab them. Clark thought of throwing them off, but he couldn't be Superman at the moment. He was certain they'd leave them alone at some point, and then he'd get Lois out of there.
Lex stepped up to Lois, her camera dangling around her neck, glaring at him as a thug held her arms behind her back.
"You don't scare me, Lex!" she cried defiantly.
Lex stroked the hair off her face. "Lois, my love, how you make me sigh with longing. Our time will come, soon." Then Lex turned to his goons. "Tie them up over there. I'll deal with them in a moment."
Clark calmly let them tie them, calculating all the while. If they turned away, could he change into Superman and get them out of there? Course, he'd probably have to explain things to Lois. But he'd been wanting to tell her for a while--
"You'll never get away with this! Superman will find us!" Lois was screaming at Luthor's back, making Clark cringe just slightly at Lois’ blind faith.
"Superman?" Lex turned slightly, a smile curling on his lips. "Oh, I have insurance against him coming to rescue you this time, Lois. A little leftover from our wedding."
Lois looked at Lex with a perplexed expression, while Clark went rigid. Luthor turned around. "Superman won't come within fifty feet of you and your partner, Lois. So sorry to disappoint."
He walked over to them, this time anther briefcase in his hand. Clark eyed it, knowing what it contained, and suddenly kicked the box out of Lex's hands, having broken free of the binds on his legs. He hadn't gotten too good an angle on it, but it had sent the box skittering across the room.
Lex leered at him closely. "Well, you'll have to pay for that," he said dangerously.
Clark had had enough, Superman or not, he was getting Lois and himself out of there. He broke his binds and reached to undo Lois'.
"How did you--?" she began, puzzled.
"I'm the missing link, let's get out of here,” Clark said, pulling Lois towards the entrance.
Lex ran over to the box to check the Kryptonite. He opened it to see if it had been damaged.
Clark's headache began immediately, the pain stopping him dead in his tracks. He did all he could to not wince at the pain. He felt himself sweat, as if his skin would rip right off his body. Lex noticed the reaction right away, and couldn’t hide his fiendish grin of triumph.
"Well, how interesting is this?" Lex said to himself. "Lois, have you ever noticed how your boyfriend has a striking resemblance to the man of steel?"
Lois looked at Clark, as if seeing him for the first time, her face a mix of concern and confusion. Clark couldn't hold back anymore. His head was splitting and he fell down to one knee.
"Clark?" she whispered leaning over him, realization dawning on her. Then she turned swiftly to Lex. "Lex, let him go! Do whatever you want with me, just let him go!"
Clark got out a pained, "No, Lois. Don't--"
Lex simply laughed. "Oh, it's all too---poetic, isn't it?" Lex gestured for his thugs to tie up Lois again. "I'm afraid I'll have to leave you two to sort this out on your own. But I'll be back for you, Lois, when it's all over," he looked disdainfully at Clark. Lex chuckled, "Oh, this is too good, isn't it? Clark Kent is Superman! Very clever disguise, I must say. Ha! Too much!"
Lex began to walk away, assuming his thugs could handle Lois. He turned back when he heard the sound of a kick meeting flesh.
Lois was glad for once to be wearing slightly less than sensible shoes as they gave her a dangerous weapon on the end of her foot. While one thug held her arms, she high-kicked the other in the chin, sending him reeling backwards.
Clark, meanwhile, was struggling to get away from the Kryptonite. He drew himself up with his last bit of strength and lunged at the thug holding Lois, freeing her, while sending her to the pavement.
"Are you all right?" he asked, still too close to the Kryptonite to feel any better.
Suddenly, Lex picked up the case of Kryptonite again, a frightening glare on his face as he walked towards Clark, fascinated by the effects of his weapon.
"So sad, really. A little chunk of home, and it's poison to you! What strange irony, isn't it, Superman?"
"Leave him alone!" cried Lois, jumping on Luthor's back, trying to knock the box out of his hands. She couldn't seem to manage it though, just flailed around on Luthor's back, watching as Clark seemed to be getting weaker and weaker. In one last effort, though, Clark stood up to lunge at Luthor again. But Luthor used Lois on his back to swing her around so her foot accidentally connected with Clark's chin, sending him reeling back. He hit his head on a pipe and then was knocked out cold on the cement floor.
"Clark!?" she called, renewing her fury against Luthor. Luthor chucked the Kryptonite towards Clark, to keep him from recovering.
Lois jumped off of Luthor to run over to Clark. "You monster!" she called over her shoulder at Lex. "How could you do this to him?"
She didn't realize she was crying, but the overflow of emotions was too much to contain. She was reeling over the realization that Clark and Superman were one, and now she might lose them both if Luthor had his way!
She kicked the Kryptonite away from Clark and turned to face Luthor again. Lois fell into a Tae Kwan Do stance, feeling her heart racing, as she prepared herself to confront a man she had at one time respected and had almost married.
He came near her slowly, calmly.
"Lois, let's not do this. We're friends, at least? At one time we were more than friends," he said smoothly, his calm voice belying his vile intent.
"Let us go, if you have an ounce of a heart left in you," Lois said in a low voice, not taken in by his words. She may have been fooled by Lex once, but she’d be damned if she’d let herself be fooled by him again.
"I'm afraid I can't let you go. You see, Superman has been a long time nemesis of mine, which answers the question about why I hated Clark Kent so much," he said absently. "Anyway, you were always meant to be mine, Lois. And now, there's nothing standing in our way. We can be together again."
"We will *never* be together again," she spat, glancing over her shoulder at where Clark lay. She tried to back up slowly towards Clark so she could at least kick the Kryptonite away, to give him some chance. But Luthor kept her well occupied.
"Wrong answer, Lois," Luthor said dangerously, pulling out a long Japanese knife he had salvaged from his few remaining possessions.
"You wouldn't hurt me," she said, trying to convince herself it was true.
"My darling, I don't want to hurt you, but I need you to cooperate," he said with patience.
"Well, it seems we're at cross-purpose, as I have no desire to do what you say." Lois suddenly moved, coming up close to him to swing at him. She missed, but managed to kick his side.
They were suddenly fighting an over-the-head wrestle for the knife. Luthor was stronger than Lois expected. She tried gaining control of the knife, but to no avail. She tripped him with her shoe in their bizarre dance, and they were suddenly rolling on the floor. Lex quickly got the upper hand, and was as frustrated by her struggle as he was by their almost lover like position.
"That's it!" he cried, sitting above her, ready to throw the knife into the ground and claim a kiss from her.
She rolled slightly to her side under him screaming "No!" just as he accidentally plunged the knife into her waist.
He pulled it out immediately, horrified by what he had done. "Lois! No, no, no!" he cried, watching her clench with pain as blood began to ooze out of her.
Lex heard police cars and knew he had to think fast. He wiped off the handle of the knife with a handkerchief, and walked the few feet over to where Clark lay. He put the knife in his hands, taking another glance at Lois.
She was fading fast and he thought she would be gone before help could arrive.
Luthor looked around, noticing his thugs were long gone. He took one last longing look at Lois, shaking his head in regret and then ran to find a manhole to slink back to the sewers, along with all the other rats in Metropolis.
