Disclaimer: DC Comics/WB Entertainment owns. No profit is being made from this story; this is strictly for my own amusement.
Author's Notes: In this next chapter, Luthor's plea and bail hearing moves forward, a surprising witness appears, and Lois and Clark continue their talk but Lois's reaction is unexpected to say the least. Please read and review. Thanks! :D
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Chapter 8: Fate Delayed
Monday morning, Metropolis courthouse:
Luthor's hearing was scheduled for 10:00 am in the morning and Lane and Kent would be there. After their 'CLONE OR NO CLONE' front page article hit the newsstands earlier that morning, the Internet was all abuzz with the story, so all they had to do was wait for Luthor to arrive from Nassau and then the authorities would throw the book at him.
In the article, Lane and Kent had decreed that the man being extradited from the Bahamas to America this week was in fact the real Lex Luthor and according to Superman, the Superman clone had died with Lex Luthor's name as his last words. Lois and Clark had also turned over to the police the name of the one person who could corroborate their article, but finding her would be a challenge. Her last known location was in the Bahamas.
Clark had searched for her for several days but with no luck. It was obvious she had gone underground for protection but with the right incentive, she may find the courage to come forward and to do the right thing.
"Do you think she'll come back?" Lois asked her partner as they sat in the courtroom waiting for the proceedings to begin.
"Well, your idea was brilliant, Lois. I'm a bit surprised Perry went along with it."
Lois chuckled. "Once I explained to Perry that all the evidence the police had against Lex was circumstantial and that he could go free, he went along with it." She took his hand. "Of course, the stabbing happened, but we have no proof that it was Lex. Only Kitty was a witness to that, we really need her here."
Clark didn't say anything. The wound in his side spoke to him every now and then and he wondered if the wound would ever heal both physically and mentally. He knew what Lois was saying was true. He squeezed her hand. To find Kitty, Lois had dropped a few hints in the article about a certain someone being cloned and used to represent that person in court, if that person didn't come back and tell the whole story. "I just hope it works."
"I hope so too," Lois said worried her plan wouldn't work but then they looked into each other's eyes with the hope that it would work.
Moments later, the alleged 'real' Lex was then brought into the courtroom in an orange jumpsuit and in handcuffs. Lois and Clark glanced at each other satisfied with all their hard work and couldn't help but enjoy the proceedings. The courtroom was filled to capacity. A few minutes later, the judge arrived and the hearing was called to order.
Judge Stewart had a reputation, a fair and honest reputation, but that didn't mean he would stand back and let a career criminal loose among the populace. He then spoke to Luthor. "Mr. Luthor, you have been charged with multiple crimes against this state and this country. How do you plead?"
His attorney helped him to stand. "Not guilty," Luthor answered the judge firmly and with his head held high.
Lois and Clark were not surprised by that plea.
"Bail will now be set. The State's prosecution has set bail at $5 million dollars," Judge Stewart stated.
Luthor's mouth dropped open; he was outraged. He didn't have that kind of money, and one tenth of that which was the minimum to get him out of jail was $500,000. He just didn't have it. After finding out from his attorney that the estate of his 'late wife' could be tied up in legal proceedings for years by countless heirs, he could be stuck in jail for weeks.
His court-appointed defense attorney, Mr. Burns, spoke up then. "Your honor, Mr. Luthor is penniless; he has no passport, no means to leave the country, and no family that could help him. He's all alone in the world. Where would he go?"
Judge Stewart had no sympathy for Luthor. "You do realize that the charges against your client borders on an 'act of war' against this country, not to mention aggravated assault with intent to murder Superman. According to the government's indictment, Mr. Luthor concocted a scheme, not unlike the one he set out to inflict upon innocent victims in California, which almost caused a catastrophic event, an earthquake. If not for Superman's actions back then, millions of lives could have been lost and if not for a technicality, your client would be in prison serving a life's sentence."
The judge continued. "And now, here we are again, having to deal with his schemes and threats against this country, and if not for the quick thinking and heroic actions of Superman, it could have happened all over again and all because of his unreasonable hatred for one man. Now give me one good reason why Mr. Luthor should not remain in jail for those unspeakable acts."
Mr. Burns cleared his throat. Luthor punched him in the ribs to get him to say something, anything to keep him out of jail.
Judge Stewart was done. "Bail is set at $5 million dollars. Trial will begin two weeks from today. Court is adjourned."
~o~o~
Later that day outside the Daily Planet building:
Katherine 'Kitty' Kowalski managed to make it all the way to Metropolis without any trouble at all. She had decided to change her name as soon as she and Lex had parted ways. Her name was now 'Bernice Jones' and she had a real passport to match. Now that she had gotten this far, she was starting to get cold feet.
Her dark hair was covered with a not too flattering blonde wig. She also had on a hat, sunglasses, even though it wasn't that sunny this day, and slacks and an overcoat, even though it was nearly 60 degrees outside. Kitty's disguise was drawing attention to herself, which wasn't her intention at all. There really was no turning back now though. She'd gotten this far, so she took a deep breath and entered the building then wasn't sure which way to go. The guard walked over to her and asked if she needed help. Kitty gave him one name. "Lois Lane."
"Of course, 30th floor," the guard said.
"Thank you," Kitty said then entered the elevator, pushed the button for the 30th floor and nervously waited for her destination. When she finally exited the elevator, she was bombarded by noises of phones ringing, television monitors tuned to various news channels around the world, and frantic people going about their jobs and paying Kitty no mind.
She decided to look for Lois on her own. She took off her hat and sunglasses and she spotted her soon enough, but then she cocked her head to the side and watched a young man standing over her. He was pointing to something on her computer then they smiled at each other and she knew love when she saw it. She blinked and wondered if she had imagined it.
Then the man stood up straight and even from this distance, Kitty could see how tall he was and the look on his face; there was just something about him. He turned and saw her and Kitty could have sworn there was recognition in his eyes but only for a moment. Had she imagined that as well? Kitty had never seen him before ... or had she? He came toward her and Kitty stiffened as second thoughts came into her mind again then she turned to go. This was a mistake.
"Miss, may I help you?" Clark knew who it was even with her blonde wig. He would know that face anywhere.
Kitty stopped and turned to face him. "Lois Lane, I need to speak with her."
"Of course, right this way."
Kitty followed him still wondering if this entire idea was a terrible mistake.
"Lois, Miss … I'm sorry, what was your name miss?"
"It's Jones, Bernice Jones."
Lois recognized her immediately. "Miss Jones, please follow me. Clark could you join us, please?"
"No, no, only you, Ms. Lane," Kitty was still doubtful about speaking to anyone accept Ms. Lane.
"Alright, but I will have to record our meeting. Are you ok with that? If not, then, Mr. Kent will have to join us."
"Well, if you put it that way, I suppose he can come."
They went into a conference room then Kitty took off her coat, went to a window and looked up at the sky as if looking for something or someone. "Is it true that Superman loves Metropolis? I wonder if he'll fly by today. I've been here for several hours, but I haven't seen him yet."
Lois cocked an eyebrow at her partner. Clark shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Ms. Jones … or is that Ms. Kowalski?" Lois asked.
Kitty removed her wig and smoothed her hair in place. "It's not much of a disguise huh?" She sighed. "Yes, Katherine Kowalski is my real name, but you can call me Kitty. That is my name."
"This is Clark Kent; he's my partner," Lois introduced him.
"Yes, I've seen your bylines in the Planet. It's nice to meet you Mr. Kent." Kitty stared at him and that same feeling came over her again, like she'd seen him before today and he had recognized her too; she was sure of it.
Clark began to squirm under her scrutiny. "Shall we sit down and get started with your statement Kitty?" He asked hoping to move things along.
"Of course, that is why I'm here. So, it's true that Lex cloned himself and Superman. I read your article about it," Kitty stated unbelieving, but with Lex anything was possible.
"Yes, it's true, but the Superman clone is dead," Clark stated.
"Yes, I know; I read about him in your article. Is it possible the Lex clone could also face the same fate?" Kitty asked.
Clark sensed Kitty wasn't completely convinced and needed to understand what was really going on. "We can't take the risk that Lex will go free and this scheme of using a clone to justify his actions could work if we can't tie him to the green kryptonite and New Krypton. Only you, Kitty know what happened on the island. Are you ready to tell us everything after Superman was stabbed in the back and tossed into the sea like so much garbage?" Clark asked getting emotional.
Kitty's eyes widened briefly as she stared at him. Lois glanced at Clark out of the corner of her eye and tried to diffuse the situation.
"Are you ready Kitty?" Lois asked.
"Yes, I'm ready." Kitty took a deep breath and began her story. "After Superman was stabbed in the back and tossed into the sea, Lex began to gloat like I've never seen him before. He was sure Superman was dead. His greatest enemy gone and he felt triumphant like he was sitting on top of the world literally, but he wasn't finished yet. He had plans, big plans for the island, for using kryptonite and Superman's crystals for more experiments. He began to gather pieces of it like so much gold, like they were worth a fortune. Some of them had Superman's blood on it and when he saw it, he cackled with glee, laughing like a madman. He was relentless with his plans.
I asked him why, why did so many people have to die? He just shrugged his shoulders, lit his cigar and looked at me like I was the dumbest person in the world. He just didn't care about anyone but himself. A little while later, the island began to rumble and shake like an earthquake, so we ran for our lives, three of his employees didn't make it. Lex and I barely escaped from the island in the helicopter.
Once inside the chopper, Lex handed me the crystals. I looked at them and I knew I couldn't let Lex carryout anymore mad schemes to hurt innocent people, so I tossed the crystals onto the island. Lex was furious with me, but there was no time to get them back; the island was crumbling beneath us. We took off just before the island broke apart. We both watched as Superman raised it from the ocean and took it into the sky. Several hours later, we landed on a strip of beach in the Caribbean and barely survived on coconuts for a week until a passing cruise ship picked us up then dropped us in the Bahamas. That's all there is."
"Thank you, Kitty. One more question. Did Lex ever say anything to you about a red rock that could poison Superman?"
"A red rock? No, I've never heard of that," Kitty replied curious. "Don't tell me he tried to hurt Superman again?" Kitty shook her head. "He just won't stop."
"Not until we stop him, Kitty. Would you be our star witness to convict Lex once and for all? I'm sure the government could put you into witness protection and get you around the clock police protection before the trial," Clark asked.
Kitty thought about it and it was the reason she had come all this way. "Yes, I'll help you."
Lois and Clark both breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Kitty. Wait here while I contact the authorities and we'll get you a place to stay. Where's your luggage?" Lois asked.
"At the airport; here's the key."
"I'll take care of that for you," Clark said and took the key from her, stood up then he held out his hand. "Thank you Kitty; you're very brave. Would you like some coffee while you wait?"
Kitty froze as everything fell into place but she managed to find her wits. "Sure ... I take it ... black," she slowly replied then her eyes widened but Clark had already turned to go.
"Wait here Kitty, I'll be right back," Lois said.
Once they had exited the office, Lois and Clark stared at each other and then they were in each other's arms clutching each other close. "It's almost over; the nightmare is almost over," Clark said holding her tightly to him.
Lois could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She felt silly but she couldn't help it.
Clark pulled back, saw her tears and wiped them away with his thumbs. "I love you," he said and kissed her right there in the hallway. Lois kissed him back loving him so much; it felt like pain sometimes.
Someone cleared their throat. It was Perry. "Hey, back to work you two." They didn't see his smile as he went down the hall toward his office.
~o~o~
Riverside Drive, later that night:
Kitty was settled and ensconced in a safe house with armed guards while Lois and Clark headed home with their son hopefully for a quiet evening with just the three of them.
After dinner, Lois felt that Jason was being a bit clingy but she wasn't going to interfere with her son's acceptance of his real father. Jason and Clark deserved this after what they had gone through these past few months. Clark was reading him a story on the sofa and Jason was getting sleepy nodding off every now and then. When his eyes finally closed in sleep, his little head on his arm, Clark smiled and stroked his hair.
"He's bone tired; take him up and I'll be up in few minutes," Lois told him.
"I'll be waiting," he whispered then carefully lifted his son, and took him up to bed.
Clark tucked his son into bed and smoothed his hair away from his forehead. Jason snuggled under the covers and whispered "Goodnight, Mr. Clark."
"Goodnight, Jason," Clark whispered with the hope that one day he would call him "Dad," but he had time now; they all did. He stood there for a few minutes more until he finally went back to sleep.
"Is he asleep?" Lois asked as she poked her head inside.
"Yeah, he's asleep." Clark sighed. "He's so beautiful Lois."
Lois came into the room when Clark just stood there watching him. She put her arm around his waist and guided him into her bedroom. After undressing, putting on a nightgown and climbing into bed, Lois brought up the subject of her missing memories. "You know, seeing you with him like that, I can't help but think about all the time we lost Clark."
Clark had gotten down to his boxers, pants in hand then stopped what he was doing, took a deep breath and turned to face her. "I know."
"Jason is asleep, so no interruptions this time." She patted the bed and waited for him to join her.
He hung up his clothes, then climbed into bed and pulled her to him, but inwardly Clark wondered if Lois was really ready to hear everything. "Where was I?"
"You tripped ...?"
Hoping to ease his way into his story, he decided to remind her about her obsession with finding out the truth about him. "I think I need to back up a little. Earlier in the day, we were sightseeing at the Falls when this kid who was playing on the railing, fell over the side. I pretended to go and get us hot dogs then I rescued him. You yelled at me, but I ignored you, went to change, and got us a couple of hot dogs, then you told me that Superman had just been there. You were always suspicious of me always trying to find out my secret identity."
"Now that I do remember," she said and smiled.
He chuckled at seeing her smile. "I know and then you told me your suspicions and I denied it. Then you jumped into the river."
"You're kidding."
"Nope, you jumped right in and barely survived without drowning. I helped you to shore, then I fell in. You were convinced I wasn't Superman. And then later in our suite, I brought you your hair brush, but I wasn't looking where I was going, so I tripped over a pink bearskin rug."
"Really, then what happened?" Lois was finding this all unbelievable.
"My glasses fell into the fire pit in the center of the room, I reached into the fire without thinking and you grabbed my hand to see my burns, but of course there were none. You knew the truth then and I couldn't deny it anymore."
"And …then what?"
He took a deep breath and continued. "You told me … you were in love with me."
She looked at him closely. "Just like that ...?"
"Just like that," he said and smiled remembering.
She shook her head at her boldness. "Wow and then what happened?"
"We flew to the Fortress and … I gave up my powers to be with you."
"You did what? But why, I don't understand?"
"My father insisted."
"Wait, your father, but …?"
"Oh, I forgot you don't know about him. My biological parents are dead, but I can speak to them because they're both AIs."
"AIs, that's incredible. But why would he insist you give up your powers to be with me? That seems a bit extreme."
"It was, but to me, there was no choice. I loved you and I wanted to be with you more than anything. Nothing was more important to me than that."
"Oh, Clark," Lois whimpered. "I think I know what happened next," she whispered barely holding it in.
He knew that it would be hard for her to hear everything, but they had to get past this. He turned her to face him and braced himself with his next words. "We made love Lois for the first time, several times actually." He paused when he saw her eyes brimming with tears. "Jason was conceived that night."
She knew what he was going to say, but that didn't stop her heart as it constricted with the pain. Lois sniffed unable to hold it in any longer then she began to cry. He pulled her to him holding her tight. "I'm so sorry. Don't cry, please don't cry."
She snuggled under his chin, let the tears fall for a few minutes then she wiped her eyes with the back of hand. "I don't want to hear anymore."
"But I wanted to tell you about Zod and why I had to get my powers back, why I took your memories, why I left you and …"
Lois covered her ears hoping to shut it all out. "No Clark, none of it matters now."
Clark frowned but he didn't want to push. "Alright, we can talk about it later."
"No, Clark you don't understand. We will not talk about it ever again." She stated firmly, left his arms then turned to face the wall."
Clark could hear her begin to cry again. He didn't know what to do. He never expected she would react this way, to shut down like this, but he couldn't just lay here and not give her any comfort. He scooted over to her and pulled her stiff body close to him. Lois had no choice but to put her arms around him and pull him close. She did want his comfort and she accepted it. He reached for a tissue by the bed and gave it to her then he stroked her hair. However, the tears refused to stop.
After about a half an hour, Clark realized Lois had fallen asleep but of course he couldn't sleep worried that they had reached another roadblock in their relationship; worried they may not be able to get past all the pain and heartbreak of the past and move forward; and maybe … that their love may not be strong enough after all.
TBC!
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A/N: Coming up, Lois will find the strength to face the past. Look for an update in 4 days! Please tell me your thoughts. I would greatly appreciate it. Reviews are love! :D
