A/N: SPRING BREAK IS HERE!!!! Lol, I had to get it out. Thank you to every one of my lovely reviewers. We have a couple of chapters left and I appreciate all of your responses. Don't forget to review!

Chapter 11

Lois nervously chewed on her nail. Clark had been gone for almost a couple hours now and returning from a robbery never took this long. She knew he could have gotten another call for help, but he would have called her first to check to see how she was doing.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

She got up and grabbed her coat. If anything, she was hoping someone saw Superman or heard he was answering an emergency. I hope he's saving someone because if he's not then I WILL go into labor.

Lois stepped into the elevator and pushed for the lobby. Once the doors closed, she realized she wasn't alone.

"What are you doing here?" Incredulous, Lois spotted Lex standing in the corner.

"Well for our date," he replied smoothly. "I've decided to change things up a bit."

"Oh… well, I'm in the middle of something so we're going to have to do this later."

"I'm afraid 'later' isn't an option, my dear. And neither do you have a choice." He took a menacing step forward and yanked on her arm. "Now, we can do this the easy way or we can do it hard, but should you bring attention to yourself, I'll be thinking twice on how much I really care about this newspaper and the people in it."

She couldn't take the risk if he was bluffing, but since Lex blew the Planet up before she didn't dare cross him. Doing as he wished, Lois left the building cooperatively and entered his awaiting limo. After a few minutes, Lois realized they were heading to his penthouse.

"What? You couldn't buy the airport today?" Her arms were crossed over her chest as she glared.

"Why Lois, am I sensing a sudden case of hostility?"

"You have a lot of nerve dragging me away like that," Lois rejoined. "You couldn't have called?"

"I could have, but that would have been a part of the original plan. I took the initiative and gained control of my destiny."

"What are you talking about? Destiny?"

Lex shook his head. "Now, now Lois. No more of that. A mutual friend of ours has educated me on what will come between us and the not-so-happy ending. I would like to try and avoid my demise at all costs and I took the precautions necessary to make sure it doesn't happen."

A chill went down Lois' spine. "I don't understand." My God Tempus got to him! I should have known… Oh no! What if he knows about Clark? What if he got to him? Clark!

"Lo-is," Lex said, clicking his tongue. "I know you're intelligent than that. You see, I was planning on whisking you away on a romantic flight to propose. But an independent woman, such as yourself, would most likely need encouragement if you wanted to accept. I was already in negotiation talks with the board of The Daily Planet about buying and this morning I cancelled the deal."

"You… cancelled?"

"Yes. Pity too. But… don't want to draw any suspicions that would cause Perry and Clark Kent to investigate me. Now the police will have no reason to come looking for me."

Mentally, Lois was sighing in relief. He doesn't know. Thank you.

"Taking those steps, I had ensured that my life will go on. However, the matter relies on you. How could I ever hope to win you over? I see now that my death pushed you in the direction of that bumbling partner of yours. I'm alive so that won't be an issue, but I'm a jealous man by nature so why tempt fate?"

The vehicle rolled to a complete stop. "We're here. Ladies first."

"I think I rather stay."

"Lois." Lex pulled out a gun and held it at her.

Looking at it, she swallowed hard. "Lex… you wouldn't shoot me."

"You're right. I wouldn't. But I would shoot Clark Kent's children."

At her lethal gaze, Lex shrugged nonchalantly. "Like I said, I'm a jealous man."

xxXXxx

He was fading in and out… the buzzing in his ears was becoming intense, every nerve, every vein, every inch of his body was bursting with the burning sensation caused by the green kryptonite.

Clark squeezed his eyes tightly, jaw clenching, perspiration dripping from his face as he tried to curl himself into a ball, hoping he would disappear from the pain.

"Oh come, come," a voice taunted. "It can't be that bad, can it?"

Tempus laughed softly, soaking in the delight of seeing Superman quivering in the cage like an abused animal. "You know, I can bet I can guess what is running through that muscle-bound alien head of yours. You're thinking… Luthor doesn't capture you in this cage until he's about to marry Lois. And you're right. But why wait?"

"L…L…Lois," Clark hissed.

"Don't worry. She's being taken care of as we speak. It won't be long now. Soon all of this agony will be—"

Tempus' words were cut off by a flash of white light and an explosion.

xxXXxx

"You got this all wrong Lex. I'm not your Lois."

"Oh, I know that. My Lois is in your place. In your time."

"If you know that, then why keep me? I know what you are. And I won't hesitate in sharing," Lois snarled, yanking on the handcuffs that kept her bound to her chair. "You're a liar, a crook, a murderer, a kidnapper, a saboteur, a sadist… and this is unfair treatment against a pregnant woman."

"That's why. Sure, I'm going to miss the Lois who idolized me, but she won't have the passionate fury that you have."

She spat. "You're sicker than I ever thought possible. Just wait until Superman gets here—"

"Yes, Superman," Lex interrupted. "I'm afraid the Man of Steel won't be coming to your rescue anymore."

"What?" She stopped struggling.

"I stepped up my original plan to get rid of Superman. It will be quite some time before anyone finds him, and by then, he will be a corpse like any other mortal."

"Oh God…" Lois choked, tears streaming down. Clark's dead. He isn't going to save me. The twins won't have a father… The twins! If Clark was dead, then the twins wouldn't exist. But she was still pregnant. That meant there was still a chance Clark could make it out of this. "What did you do to him?"

"A couple of things. Tempus was kind enough to bring the kryptonite cage that I will build here and he already had a specially made bullet to make sure that he can't get out of it. I guess I underestimated the affects it has over him since he was able to escape. But I'm not going to make that mistake. And once Superman's dead, then I'll go after your partner. That way no one can take you away from me. Ever. But there still exists another problem… I can't let you leave. Not if you're going to run away and blab what I've done. Well, wouldn't be the first time I had to fake a death. Then you'll be mine forever."

It was then Lois' life flashed before her eyes. A cage. A kryptonite cage! And if Tempus had a kryptonite bullet too… there is no way Clark can escape. Oh my God. No! It can't end like this! It can't! He has to make it through. He has to be alive. Clark!

Lois went rigid as a wet, sticky substance began to trickle down her leg.

TBC…