Hope this chapter was worth the wait, everyone! As to everything that's happening here, and will be happening in the chapters to come, we can only ask that you trust us. This story has been four years in the making – we began plotting Heirs to the House of El while we were writing Little Secrets – and everything that is to come has its purpose in the storyline.
Also remember that we are hardcore Clois 'shippers. You may want to keep that in mind, too.
The hour was growing late, the day and its activities had been more than a little strenuous, and Maggie Sawyer would have liked nothing more than to be asleep at this point. But her mind was still racing with all that had been happening, and she didn't dare drink more than three shots of scotch when she was going to work in the morning. There had been no update from Lois or Clark, either, and she knew she couldn't rest until she knew that Richard and Lana had made it in one piece. And there was the mess with the kids to add to the anxiety. So she sprawled in the comfortable chair just beside the balcony doors and tried to drowse. The call would come in, she knew. She just had to be patient. Maggie closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind, hearing the faint sounds of Tobie and Cat arguing over something from the kitchen. Probably something completely ridiculous, a trend that had started almost immediately after they had come home from the Troupe's.
First thing this morning was a fine example. Tobie had started the day by bitching at Cat for not rinsing out her toothbrush, prompting a puzzled look from Jamie. Turning to her mother, she asked in a vaguely amused tone, "Are they always like this?" Maggie, unable to stop her smirk, had told her plainly that any time the three friends weren't arguing, someone was in a life-or-death situation, so she actually welcomed the bickering – it signaled a slight return to normality. Of course, without Lois around to balance them out, Tobie and Cat were twice as contentious. If she heard correctly, they were now in a heated argument about alfredo sauce versus tomato sauce. How the hell they'd gotten on that topic, she'd never know, but at least Jamie was having a ball laughing at them. She couldn't remember a time when she had heard her daughter laugh so much, in fact.
And at least she knew they were safe. The situation in Smallville had been stable since the rest of the family had touched down, Martha herself had called once all were settled, and she'd had a call from Ron that night. Currently, all of the family attached to the Daily Planet were involved in what looked like a bid to take over the newspaper. They had control of the situation right now, but they wanted to keep Lois out of it for the moment. Everyone suspected it was a ploy by Luthor to distract all connected from whatever he was planning for Lois and Clark, and neither of them could afford the distraction. There had been no further attacks on any of the family still in town, so Ron thought they should keep this to themselves for now. Maggie fully agreed, telling him to keep her on standby. The news was enough to soothe her a little. Now if only she could reach someone in Nevada to know that they were all right…
"Inspector Sawyer." That gravelly male voice came from the balcony not six inches away from her ear, and Maggie was on her feet with her gun drawn before she recognized the voice – and the style. Goddamn pointy-eared bastard.
Holstering her gun, she yanked back the curtain to confront the cowled figure she remembered well from her stint in Gotham's Major Crimes Unit. That, however, did nothing for her frayed nerves. "Someday you may want to stop doing that. Do you want to get shot?" she growled irritably, glowering at him.
Maggie saw what may have been a smirk cross his lips, but Batman was too draped in shadow for her to be certain. "I thought you might appreciate an update, in light of the situation."
Pushing away her annoyance, she leaned against the doorway and regarded him seriously. "I would, actually." Truth be told, she was a bit impressed by the fact that he'd sought her out. That could only have come with Superman's help and that meant that the situation out west could stop preying on her thoughts so heavily. Then again, he could be vexingly uncommunicative when he wanted to, frustrating the hell out of Gordon; she bet that it was the commissioner who had begun calling him 'the Goddamn Batman' after one of those infuriatingly brief meetings. But there was no doubt in Maggie's mind whose side Batman was on.
He told her that Lois and Clark were presently safe in Nevada, and that Richard and Lana had discovered their stowaways. Jason and Elise were still with them, the adults evidently deciding that the kids were safer under their watchful eyes. So far, Luthor had made no move against them, but they were no closer to finding him, either. And Superman seemed of the mind that time was running out.
"Thank you," Maggie told him. She glanced away at the sound of Cat's footsteps in the hall, and when she turned back, Batman was gone. She shook her head with a sigh. "The amazing disappearing superhero, ladies and gentlemen."
…
When she had stowed away with Jason, she had never thought that she'd be doing this. Elise had been so glad to have been a counselor at summer camp; the basic first-aid knowledge seemed to be coming in handy tonight. But she wasn't expecting what she saw when Lana raised her blouse. Just seeing it made the girl hiss in sympathetic pain. Beneath the bandage, the long slash across her ribs had reopened during the day, and blood smeared the wound, some of it dry, some still tacky. "Oh, wow."
Lana gave a small smile at that, all too aware of how it looked. "I know," the redhead murmured when she saw the girl's pained wince, trying to be reassuring in spite of the reality of the wounds. "And I can't see what I'm doing, so you have to clean it. I'm sorry, Elise."
The girl was torn between disbelief and awe at the older woman's guts. She'd have taken herself into an emergency room ASAP if it had been her, but it was clear that Lana had no intentions of even considering that. Again she was amazed at this family. They were just unbelievable. "This is so not your fault," Elise told her, forcing herself to think straight. Okay, first things first, get it cleaned up. Fortunately the hospital had sent home a wound care kit, and Richard always had a first-aid kit on the plane, so she had supplies.
Lana held still while she sprayed cold saline over the wound and daubed it away with gauze. Once the dried blood was off, Elise could see that two stitches had torn through the skin, opening the cut each time Lana moved.
Elise smeared it with antibiotic ointment and held pressure against it with clean gauze for a few minutes, then wiped away the excess ointment and applied some butterfly bandages. "Okay, that should hold it closed for a while," she said as she covered the whole thing with gauze and taped it in place, concentrating on making it as snug as she could. She couldn't help giving the redhead a warning look, though. "But if you keep opening it by moving around, it's going to scar."
Jason's stepmother just looked back at her with a small smile, obviously affected by the concern, but Elise knew she wasn't going to back down. "I can live with a scar," Lana told her. "What I can't live with is knowing I lay in a hospital bed like a coward while my daughter was being held captive." That said, she sat up gingerly and pulled the blouse down over the fresh bandage. Then she looked at the girl thoughtfully. "Thank you, Elise. I couldn't have done this alone."
They both glanced at the door, but neither Jason nor Richard had returned. All too aware that anything could happen at any time in this situation, Elise sighed with defeat. "You're welcome. But what you need to be doing right now is nothing. Do you have to do something with the rest of them tonight? Any chance of you just resting for a while? Maybe get the rest of this cleaned up?"
Lana relented a little. "The dressings are supposed to be changed every day. Richard said I might as well just completely bandage both arms and wrap them in that purple stuff in the kit there, instead of doing separate bandages. And my hand has to be cleaned and re-bandaged, and the drains checked, too."
All of that sounded, quite frankly, gross. But Elise figured everyone else was busy having their meltdowns, and she was here. At least this way she was needed, which kept her from worrying over Jason and what was going on with Lois. "We might as well get started," she said, reaching for the bandage scissors.
As she worked, she had to keep biting her lip not to say something. Lana had many slashes across both forearms, ranging from shallow cuts that just needed a smear of antibiotic ointment to deep gashes with many stitches. Elise couldn't imagine how much this was hurting, or how Lana could keep going without complaining at all.
There was silence for a time, Elise concentrating on the task at hand and the older woman staying as still as possible. After a while Lana broke it, her voice hushed, "I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier." The girl looked up then, startled, to see a very thoughtful look on Lana's face. "Elise, I want you to understand something. It's not that we don't like you; far from it. I don't think it's ever been a secret that you've been one of the best choices that Jason ever made. It's that you shouldn't be in this much danger."
"Neither should you," Elise pointed out, meeting her gaze and meaning it fully.
Lana smiled, her sea-green eyes tired. "The difference is, I've made a commitment to this family already. I'm aware of what I'm walking into. You … Elise, you're a very brave and insightful young woman, but there's too much you don't know."
That furrowed Elise's brow in way that nothing else in this conversation had. Again with the damn family-mystery thing. What in the hell was going on here that no one would explain to her? It was starting to feel like she has living in a Gothic romance novel where Jason had a crazy ex-wife locked in the attic somewhere. True as it was, now wasn't the time or the place to drag it out of them, particularly out of poor wounded Mrs. White. Holding her tongue, Elise dropped her eyes back to the work at hand. "Tell me about it," she sighed.
…
Richard knocked lightly at the door, but it swung open under his hand; Lois hadn't completely closed it behind her when she had stormed out. He resisted the urge to peek in to check the space first and strolled in as if nothing were wrong. "Hey, Clark," he called, keeping the tone light.
"I'm going out," was the other man's instantaneous response, his voice harsh. Clark was staring out the window, his back to Richard. "I can get sunlight instead of sleep."
"Man, it's dark out," Richard replied, startled.
"On the other side of the world it's midday." Clark turned toward Richard then, and his face was haggard. Without another word, he was starting for the door.
Richard saw the determination there and knew he had to work quickly if he didn't want the older man to leave. And he didn't need to leave; this cycle didn't need to start over again. It was likely part of their current problem, actually. "Clark. Stop, man. Seriously. You need sleep – actual sleep. Didn't you tell me sunlight makes you feel energized, but it doesn't replace sleep? Kinda like caffeine does for the rest of us. I tell you what, I wouldn't want to try pulling an all-nighter right now no matter how much coffee you gave me." Richard tilted his head, frowning. "Come to think of it, Clark, when was the last time you slept?"
The older man scowled, then, having to think about it. "The day before yesterday. I think."
"Yeah, you need rest," Richard insisted. "Get some sun tomorrow."
Clark's voice was brittle as he replied, "And how exactly do you expect me to sleep with everything that's going on? I'm exhausted, but I'm way too keyed up to even close my eyes. Worrying about Kala would be enough, but Lois…"
When he stumbled to a halt, Richard sat down in the room's chair. "About her. Wanna talk about it?"
It was clear then where Jason's petulant look of displeasure came from as Clark brooded. If this situation had been a little less serious, Richard would have called him on it, but now wasn't the time. "Thanks, your wife already gave me the lecture," he snapped. Nope, definitely not the right time.
Richard only shrugged then, his whole being deceptively casual as he leaned back in the chair as if he belonged there. "Hey, who said I was here to lecture you? I can understand how you feel – she lied to me quite a lot back in the day, too, and I was royally pissed off about it. No one ever said it was easy to love Lois Lane."
"You don't understand. It was Luthor. She dealt with Luthor, and hid it from me!" He was pacing then, trying to outrun his anxiety.
That drew a chuckle from Richard. "Yeah, I do, actually. It was you. She slept with Superman and hid that from me."
Clark paused, giving his friend a startled look, and the younger man continued, "I was always a fan. I was excited as hell to meet her when she came back from Paris because she was your chronicler. But she always insisted it was strictly business between you two. I felt like such an idiot when I found out the rest of Metropolis considered you the biggest love story in town. And yeah, I was mad at her for everything else she hid from me, not just her relationship with you. It wasn't so much that she had me raising the Supertwins, but things like … she'd had a tubal ligation, and never told me about that. Or that she never had any intention of marrying me."
"Okay, you have a point," Clark admitted finally. He sat down heavily on the bed and rubbed his hands over his face, trying to scrub away some of the exhaustion.
"Told you so." Richard couldn't resist a smirk before he added, "So I can understand why you're acting … hmm, a little out of character?"
Clark looked over at him despondently. "How am I supposed to act, Richard? She made a deal with Luthor and kept it a secret from me for ten years!"
"Think of it this way," the younger man suggested. "We're talking about a woman who jumped from a helicopter into the ocean, fifty miles from land, while handcuffed, to save your life. That is how freaking intensely committed Lois is."
Clark looked appropriately embarrassed at that reminder; he'd been so angry at Lois that he had forgotten how dedicated she was. That point made, Richard moved on, "Knowing that about her, I'm not at all surprised that she made a deal with Luthor. And seeing how you reacted to finding out, I kinda can't blame her for keeping it a secret. That doesn't make what she did right," he interjected quickly, seeing the wounded look in Clark's eyes. "It wasn't right, Clark. She was wrong. And it sounds like she didn't have any better choices at the time. I don't have the full story, but maybe you should think about getting it. If you can talk to her long enough to hear her out."
Poor Clark looked beaten and beleaguered. "It's not just that. I guess … the biggest thing for me is that I trusted her, and even if you're right, it still feels like a huge betrayal. Now I'm questioning a lot of things I always took for granted."
"Like what?" asked Richard, who could see that Clark had something he needed to get off his chest, even if the other man was acting reluctant.
"Like this idiot investor who's been hanging around her at work," Clark muttered, his words coming slowly. "He's just some rich kid who's fascinated by the hotshot reporter with the great legs."
"There's always a few of those hovering around her," Richard commented, thinking that Clark rarely mentioned Lois' physical attributes out loud. Maybe he should compliment her that obviously a little more often… "A few decent guys, like you and me and Jimmy Olsen, but a lot of shallow jerks obsessed with the legs. And they are worth obsessing over, am I right?" That actually got a chuckle from Clark, and Richard followed up quickly. "She usually runs off the annoying ones, though. If this guy is aggravating you, she must not have scared him away yet. So what's the deal?"
"She's encouraging him," Clark growled. "Every time I turn around they're talking and laughing in her office. And lately she's hiding her computer screen whenever I walk by."
"Clark, she said she was researching Luthor. I bet that's why she's hiding what she's doing online," Richard pointed out. "As for this Eastlake guy, you can't seriously think she'd cheat on you with one of the investors."
"I wouldn't have thought so, but…" Clark muttered.
"Hey. Earth to Clark? Lois is not going to cheat. Know why?" Richard waited until the older man turned his beleaguered gaze up to him, and hit him with the punch line. "Because she's fucking Superman. What mere human has a chance against that?" Clark looked so horrified by that statement that Richard couldn't help adding, "Except me, of course."
That finally got the reaction he wanted – Clark laughed, the tension falling away from him. "Richard, have you ever doubted yourself?"
"Nope, not since Right Said Fred stole my theme song. I'm so sexy I make Tobie Raines uncomfortable," Richard joked back.
"I don't think that's why she's uncomfortable around you. I think it has more to do with controlling her urge to slap you upside the head."
Richard shrugged. "I'm not kidding about you, though. What else could she want? Lois has the man that every woman in the world fantasizes about. Hell, there are still women sunbathing naked on rooftops in this city every summer."
"Please don't remind me." Clark winced, and decided to change the subject slightly. "As for you, I know better, Richard. I've never worried about you and Lois, even though you still have some chemistry. At least, not since that journalism conference in Japan."
That ended the hilarity instantly, Richard's spine turning to ice. He and Lois had almost kissed then, and it was true that the conference marked the turning point in his relationship with her. After that one momentary brush with adultery, the two of them had always been friends with a little spark of something more, not the lovers they once were. But Clark sounded almost as if he knew. "You know," Richard said, trying to sound as casually as he could, "she and I never…"
"I know," Clark said without the slightest change in his tone. "I trusted the both of you. You had to figure out how to deal with having been together and still seeing each other, and the conference was the perfect way to do it. You proved to yourselves that you could actually be alone together and not leap right back into bed. I never doubted you; you wouldn't betray me like that."
"I came pretty close to kissing her," Richard finally said. "We were both really drunk, not that that excuses it."
Clark shrugged. "It wouldn't have gone beyond that. You know who you want to spend the rest of your life waking up beside, and it isn't Lois. And as much as she still loves you, she wouldn't have."
Thoughtfully, Richard asked him, "So if you trusted her that much with me, who actually slept with her for three years and knows exactly how to seduce her, why are you so worried about this Eastlake guy?"
"I know you. You like everyone to think you're an absolutely amoral stud, but you're actually one of the good guys. Otherwise Lana would never have given you a second glance."
Richard couldn't fault that logic, although under other circumstances he would've reminded Clark that he had been that promiscuous in his younger years. As it was, he was more concerned with figuring out why Clark was threatened by this investor. "Still … what does Eastlake have that you don't? Seriously, you don't even need a plane to join the mile-high club."
As Clark winced again, the answer dawned on Richard. "Let me guess – this guy pays attention to her, right? He's always around, talking to her, hanging on every word she says."
"Basically. He follows her around like a well-trained dog."
"Which is exactly how everyone used to describe you!" Richard exclaimed. "Not the cape, but the guy at the office who just smiled when she stole his coffee. The man who was always there for her, the best friend who was madly in love. That's the only thing this jerk can possibly give her that you aren't: some attention."
"She knew when she married me that the mission…" Clark didn't even get to finish his sentence.
"Oh come on. You have a whole league's worth of help, and you don't have to step in at every traffic accident in Metropolis. You have to make time for your wife, Clark. Trust me, I know." Richard scoffed slightly. "Do you think I have anything Lana needs? She's got enough money to buy and sell me five times over. Yesterday proved she doesn't need a man to protect her. She doesn't need me to run her business, and I think she'd get mightily ticked off if I tried. She doesn't even need the sex. The only thing I have that she needs is the attention. And even though Lois would never admit it, even under torture, she needs that too."
Clark scowled. "She hates it when I make a fuss over her."
Richard laughed. "Oh man, you are so out of touch. Clark, remember Valentine's Day a few years ago when you sent her a hundred and one roses?"
"She complained for days."
"Yeah, but she also displayed those suckers at her desk. It's just like when you cuddle her, she complains about it and tells you you're mussing her hair, but she doesn't actually try to get away, does she?"
Clark was about to argue that, when he remembered one of their trips to the cabin. The kids had found a huge drift of fallen leaves, and all of them wound up getting a little silly and playing in the leaves. Richard had started tickling Lois, and she'd screamed and swatted at him, yelling at him to knock it off. Lana had been momentarily worried, but Clark had stopped her from intervening. 'If Lois wants him to quit, she'll make him quit,' he'd said when the redhead looked at him in puzzlement. 'The last man who touched her when she didn't want him to got his hand broken.' After a moment, Lana had seen that Lois was laughing in spite of her protests, and it had become obvious that she wasn't really mad at Richard. Although when she stuffed a double handful of leaves down his shirt, it might have been up for debate.
"See, the thing about Lois is, she can't admit to wanting to be fawned over," Richard continued, bringing Clark out of his reverie. "She's way too hardcore for that. She'll never just tell you that she needs a hug, or that she just wants to talk about how your day was. Even now, even with the people who know her best, she can't quite bring herself to be that vulnerable. If that's frustrating, blame her dad. I'd punch him if he was still alive for how neurotic she is, but even that wouldn't help."
"You're probably right," Clark admitted, thinking about all the times Lois had smiled with possessive pride even as she'd told him not to get cuddly at the office.
"And you know what else?" Richard said quietly. "You used to know all this, Clark. You used to laugh at idiots like Eastlake who tried to put the moves on Lois. You thought it was hysterical, because you knew they never had a shot with her. When did you forget everything you used to know about your own wife, Clark?"
…
Now in the car with the heater blowing, Jason stared across the seat at his mother. Her gaze was firmly forward out the windshield, but the boy knew her mind was directed farther away. He had tried to get her to go inside once they had pulled out of their hug, but Lois had refused the idea the moment it was uttered. Having heard the way their voices had been raised, Jason couldn't say that he blamed her. In the end, he suggested that they at least get in the car and stay warm. Mom had wanted him to go on back up. "I'm not going without you," he had told her, digging in his heels. In the end, Lois had simply rolled her eyes in disgust and unlocked the passenger-side door.
That had been half an hour ago. Although she had held the hand he had slipped in hers once they were in the car, she hadn't said a word since they had settled in. In that time, he had seen a range of emotions play out across her face, some that actually frightened him. Jason didn't dare speak until she sighed heavily and closed her eyes. "Mom, why? Why did you take the deal? Why didn't you tell Dad?"
That opened her eyes instantly. He had fully expected to be screamed at, for those eyes to stare that him with hurt betrayal. Instead she just squeezed his hand, and Jason realized that his mother was looking at him like an adult. "For you. And Kala. And my own selfishness. You two were still so little; I'd tried so hard to keep you and Kala safe and hidden. If it had just been me … hell, even just me and your Dad … I would have told him to go to hell. Told your Dad what he was up to. Let him do his worst."
The strain of that decision showed in the haunting light in her eyes. She frowned slightly then, looking away. "But he had found the perfect Achilles heel by then. It was a catch-22, sweetheart. Either I dragged you and the rest of the family right back into a battle with Luthor or I lied to your father about keeping us safe." The chuckle that rose from her throat was bitter, appropriate for the secret she'd been forced to keep. "There was never a choice. And Luthor knew that. Jason, you were there." Her eyes went back to him and he was surprised to see tears there.
When she spoke again, her jaw was clenched, voice slightly muffled by her gritted teeth. The frustration and anger there was a decade old. "He had a shiv to your throat to bait me. He left you both with a convicted child molester. Took you to an island made of kryptonite to use you against your father, knowing full-well the effects. And tossed Kala over the side. You both were six! Just babies still. We'd barely survived the first encounter. What damn choice did I have?"
Feeling tears in his own eyes, Jason leaned over to put his arms around her. And much to his surprise, she let down her guard enough to let him. Hugging him back as tightly as she could, he heard her stifle a sob against his shoulder, "Do any of you think it was easy? I hated lying to your dad, hated the fact that Luthor could renege on the deal at any time he felt like. He held all the cards. But it was worth it to have my family. Dammit, I never wanted to get married in the first damn place when I met him, but I don't think I've wanted anything as much as I wanted all of us together after that. And now that I had it, I couldn't let it go. And it's all I could think about that day in the subway tunnel. That I had everything I never knew I wanted and, now that I had it, it was going to be taken away again. And I couldn't do it. Even if your father hated me for it. Someone had to do it and this was too important to all of our lives to chance his not agreeing. I couldn't lose all of you. I couldn't."
Listening to the way her voice quavered, Jason just hugged her tighter. How long had this been eating at her? Thinking back over the past couple of years, his mother's occasionally strange behavior started to make sense. Even in her happiest moments, she had been watchful. His grandmother had once likened her to a mother bear, letting her children stray from time to time but ready to come on the run if anyone harmed them. He could remember her on the boat if he really tried, remember her trying to buy time and throw out diversions long enough to get him away from Luthor. Normally, this was a thought that he pushed as far back in his subconscious as he could; in his nightmares, he could still hear the greedy glee in the man's voice as he pressed the shiv closer while taunting his mother.
Kala had never seen the way Luthor had used him against Lois, how far she had been willing to go just to get them out of the old man's clutches. No matter what the cost. What Mom had done wasn't necessarily right, but it was the only thing she could do in light of the situation. Having been there, seen the terror and chaos that Luthor had put her through, he understood in a way that no one else in the family likely could. He knew how far she had been willing to go. Closing his eyes tightly against the wash of love that crashed into him, Jason murmured against her hair, "I love you, Mom. And thank you. Even if Dad never says it, thank you for loving us that much. No one should have even asked it of you. It's not fair that you had to carry that around for us."
Jason could feel her struggling to contain her emotions then; how long had she been waiting for someone to say that, he wondered. But even while she strove for self-control, pulling back from him to give him a teary and grateful look, her phone rang. That seemed to break the spell. Sitting up and sniffling back tears, Lois fumbled the phone out of her pocket while Jason stared. "Lane here," she said brusquely, clearing her throat. It was obvious that she thought the phone call to be of huge importance.
Nothing epic occurred then, he could only hear a rumbling man's voice reply, "Check your email," before hanging up.
The immediacy of the way the call dropped had Jason staring at his mother in disbelief. He knew Luthor's voice well enough to hear it, and that hadn't been him, but it unsettled him nonetheless. "Mom? Who was that?"
The secretive light in those eyes was back, her expression guarded as she regarded him. All signs showed that she knew he had listened in with his limited super-hearing. It also said she couldn't really blame him in the situation. "If you're going to eavesdrop, Jason Garen, learn to be a little more subtle. And hush, you'll have your father down here and that's the last thing we need right now," Lois scolded, scrolling through her phone menu.
"Maybe he needs to be down here," Jason retorted, frowning at her disapprovingly. "What's going on that some guy is randomly creepy-calling you?" As he watched in amazement, she continued to go through her phone as if she hadn't heard him. "Mom! What are you doing? Hey, don't check your email! You don't know what he just sent you!"
Lois looked up at her son with measured patience, one eyebrow arching sharply. No fear there, which was what Jason had expected. Whatever this was, she had been waiting for this information. "Relax, Jason. That was only your Uncle Bruce."
That really wasn't what he'd been expecting. "Oh," he said, feeling more than a little chagrined. "Wait, how come Uncle Bruce is emailing you? I thought Dad said they were going to Kansas to help…"
Lois closed her eyes for a moment, and sighed. The weariness in her expression was the only evidence of her emotional turmoil just minutes ago. "Your father told Bruce and the JLA to stay out of this, that he didn't want their help going after Luthor. He told the entire League to baby-sit the family in Smallville, if they wanted to help."
"Whoa," Jason murmured, raising his own eyebrows. Uncle Bruce couldn't have liked that.
"Yeah, well, Bruce and I think alike on a lot of things. Such as, sometimes you have to do exactly what Clark doesn't want you to do in order to help him." Lois gave a dry chuckle. "So Bruce has been doing his part to help us from behind the scenes. That phone call was just let me know that he me sent the latest information he's been able to glean about Luthor's recent activities."
Jason just looked at her for a minute. "Okay, why do I get the feeling you're not going to tell Dad about this?"
"Because I'm not an idiot," Lois retorted. "He'll have a damn fit if he finds out that I asked for help. Once this is done, I'll tell him the truth, the whole truth. But for now, I'm passing Bruce's information off as my own research."
He knew better, but he had to at least try to talk sense to her. "Mom, you know he's…"
He didn't even get the full sentence out before she cut him off. "He's already pissed; I'm aware of that and Jason, let's not make it any worse." She wasn't going to budge, he could tell. And honestly, Jason couldn't fault her logic there. He was willing to do pretty much anything to get Kal back. For the time being, he decided it was best if he kept his mouth shut about the League's continued involvement.
…
Taken aback by Richard's question, Clark couldn't even begin to respond. He wanted to protest, but he knew he couldn't back that up. Everything Richard had said was true; he and Lois had lost touch. But where had they gone wrong?
When he just looked miserable and confused, Richard leaned forward. "Hey. It isn't all you, Clark. I'd be the last man to tell you that Lois is perfect or that she's right all the time. I know her – in the Biblical sense. But I also know exactly where you two are right now. You're mistrusting each other, bickering a lot, going a while without fighting only because you're both biting your tongues about the things that aggravate you. And a lot aggravates you, stupid little piddly shit that you could handle a year ago, and actually liked when you met her." He laughed, a short sharp sound. "My uncle gave me this talk not long before Luthor showed up in our lives the last time. Clark, you love Lois for being mysterious and willful and courageous. Just remember that those things also mean secretive, stubborn, and willing to do absolutely anything to protect her family, including cutting a deal with a madman."
Clark stared at him, trying to bend his mind around what Richard was saying. What a cruel joke, that the very qualities he admired in Lois should be causing such friction in their relationship now. Richard was far from finished, however. "I've been where you are right now, Clark, and I've been there with her. It's not fun, is it? Trust me, I'm saying this as your friend and hers: you're heading down a road you do not want to be on with her, and the only way you're going to get out of it is if both of you make a concerted effort to turn around."
"I can try, but Lois…" Clark trailed off, thinking of the sullen looks she'd been giving him.
"Lois is doing all she can not to bite your head off," Richard informed him. "When have you ever known her to put up with anyone treating her the way you have the last few days? If I snapped at her like you did in the lobby, she'd kick my ass halfway into next week."
Scowling, Clark wondered whose side Richard was really on, and instantly upbraided himself. The younger man was giving him nothing other than the unvarnished truth, and truth hurts. Clark had been sniping at Lois, speaking more cruelly to her than he ever had to anyone else before in his life. Then again, he'd never felt so betrayed, and never feared anyone as much as he feared Luthor.
"I don't think I've ever been angry like this before," he said apologetically. "I guess Lois is trying to put up with it because she feels guilty?"
"No, because she's afraid of losing you," Richard corrected. "No matter how much you're hurting her right now, she couldn't bear to lose you, Clark. Why do you think she's been dyeing her hair?"
Clark tilted his head in confusion at that non sequitur. "What does hair dye have to do with us arguing?"
Richard was already shaking his head sadly. "Clark. Listen to me. Lois may still jokingly claim to be thirty-five, but we both know better. Like it or not, she's getting older. But you spend all your free time hanging around a bunch of hot younger women in spandex, and they have superpowers. Lois feels like she has to keep dyeing her hair so maybe you won't decide to trade her in for a newer model."
His jaw dropping open, Clark was rendered speechless yet again. On this one, Richard had to be off-base. Didn't Lois know that he had only ever had eyes for her? "I would never cheat on Lois," he stated in vehement denial.
"Yeah, but she's lost touch with what she used to know about you, too," Richard reminded him. "And to be honest, most guys in your position would be tempted. It's like the president always being surrounded by impressionable interns. You're this amazing, powerful man, women freaking ogle you wherever you go – at least in uniform – and your wife has to worry that if you're offered enough free samples, you might not be able to resist."
"Richard, you know me," Clark said slowly and seriously. "You know I can't lie. So understand me when I say this: I have never even thought of it. Never. Not once in the ten years of our marriage. Even before that; from the moment I met Lois, there was never another woman for me."
"And I believe it, coming from you. You don't even look, and that's quite frankly weird, for the average guy."
"I'm not the average guy," Clark replied.
"Not by a long shot," Richard retorted, and grinned again. The smile faded as he continued, "The thing is, I bet Lois has forgotten that. See, women don't realize that we men aren't as shallow as we seem. Most of us like to look at younger women, especially when they dress sexy, but we'd rather stay with the women we love than fool around with the cute young thing taking her shirt off for Girls Gone Wild. Most of us are more forgiving of our wives' appearances than they are, too. I happen to know that you think Lois is sexy first thing in the morning, when her hair's all mussed and she's grouchy and squinting at the word through a haze of caffeine withdrawal. She would never in a million years assume she looked good at that moment, and she's usually pretty confident about her looks."
Clark was frowning at him, not understanding what he was getting at. "But what would make Lois assume I'd do something I've never done and never even thought about?"
"One, she's hasn't been thinking right since the summer. Losing Ella really rocked her to the core. And two, she doesn't know you've never thought about it. Most guys have thought about these women even though they've never met them, and you work with them all the time. It'd give any woman pause, and Lois has had a lot to worry about lately." Richard chuckled wryly. "And to be perfectly honest, if Lois had seen you getting all cuddly with Wonder Woman in the subway, she would've reduced the JLA trinity to two."
Clark drew back, frowning. Richard had been close by when they'd found Kala's sunglasses, but he hadn't realized the younger man had been that close. If he'd seen Clark hug Diana, then he'd seen her in civilian garb. Her secret identity might be compromised; though Clark knew from personal experience that Richard was a trustworthy confidant, Diana would not be happy with a perfect stranger knowing who she was.
On the other hand, what was so rage-inspiring about a hug, particularly under those circumstances? He had needed the moment of comfort in the midst of frantically searching for Kala, and that was just when they thought she'd run away. "Why?" Clark asked, trusting that Richard would know how Lois' mind worked. "I just hugged her. I hug lots of people. Lots of women, if that's the point – all of Lois' friends hug me." Cat Grant was even fond of leaving a bright red lipstick mark on his cheek.
"Yeah, but those are her friends," Richard pointed out. "Wonder Woman is like her arch-nemesis. Lois hates her. She'd probably strangle her if they ever met."
"Now you're just exaggerating. Lois saw her yesterday when I took her with me to talk to the League." Lois had looked sullen and furious, but they had just had the argument about her making the deal.
"I told you she was holding back," Richard countered. "You have to have seen it. Every time Wonder Woman's on television, Lois practically foams at the mouth."
"But why?" Clark heard the frustrated note in his own voice. This felt too much like talking to a therapist, asking Richard to translate Lois' actions. Once upon a time Clark had known the reason behind most of Lois' reactions to things, but on this topic he was clueless. Why on earth did his wife hate one of his colleagues? She was fine with Bruce, Wally amused her, and of the rest she'd met, Lois had liked most of them. But not Diana. "What does she have against Wonder Woman?"
Richard rubbed his temples, chuckling softly. "Let's start with the fact that your fans keep saying you and Wonder Woman would make a perfect couple. I've been hearing that since she made her debut."
"I know, but they say pretty much the same thing about me and Batman." At least that thought made Clark grin in amusement. Bruce had shrugged off that particular rumor with a remark that his debauched playboy persona had supposedly done everything else, so why not let the cape have some scandal, too? "It's the same sort of thing as the rumor around the office that has you and Lana involved with me and Lois – just gossip. Pick any two heroes, or celebrities, and someone out there has not only decided they're secretly married, they've also named the first three kids. That's life in the public eye."
"Okay, I'll give you that, but how about the way she looks at you? Granted, Wonder Woman has more dignity than to drool like most of your fangirls, but she does give you the eye." Richard leaned back as if he'd presented an airtight case.
Clark, however, frowned. He'd never really thought about it, but now that Richard drew his attention to the fact, Diana did turn a softer eye toward him than to anyone else. She could be downright abrasive to Bruce at times, but then, those two had a spectacularly dysfunctional type of chemistry. "She's a little nicer to me, but I wouldn't say she gives me the eye," Clark demurred. "Besides, she's a colleague. We keep things professional."
"I'd ask if you hug all your professional colleagues, but you married your City Editor," Richard pointed out, giving him a significant look. "And I've seen news footage. She does give you a look sometimes. Hell, I saw her face when she hugged you. I'm sure she knows you're married, but I'd bet my pilot's license she kinda wishes you weren't."
And that was just too uncomfortable a thought to entertain for long. "So?" Clark asked, his brow furrowing. "According to you, there are lots of women who wish I weren't married. Not all of them are talking about Superman, either. Why does Lois hate her?"
"Probably because… You mean you've really never thought about this? At all?" Richard looked utterly astounded, and Clark started to get annoyed. Was it so hard to believe that a man could be faithful to his wife in thought as well as in deed? He crossed his arms and glowered, not even dignifying the question with a response.
Richard just shook his head again. "You amaze me, Clark. Okay, the most obvious thing is, Wonder Woman isn't getting any older. And she won't either, if I remember her deal correctly. You don't look much older than you did when I met you, but Lois feels like she's aging faster than you are, and she's afraid that one day she'll be an old woman and you'll look just like you do now."
Clark shifted uneasily. Kryptonians had a somewhat longer life expectancy than humans, but that was mainly due to excellent health care in their elder years. He expected that he and Lois would grow old together. The thought that the yellow sun might slow his aging was an unwelcome one. He decided to skirt the issue. "Lois has always been a little too worried about her appearance; she's as beautiful to me now as she ever was. But she doesn't worry about younger women at the office, so what else is so specific about Wonder Woman?"
"Wonder Woman has powers pretty well equivalent to yours, while Lois is human."
"So?" Clark threw up his hands, exasperated. "What does that have to do with anything, except that since we're both founding members of the JLA, we'd never be home at the same time? I wouldn't consider the work schedule a bonus."
"I can't believe I have to spell this out for you," Richard sighed. "Clark. She's practically invulnerable, right? That means you would never have to hold back."
For a moment, Clark didn't realize what he meant, and then understanding dawned along with a blush that turned his ears red. He was always careful with Lois, and that meant he couldn't abandon himself to desire unless she was on top. It was too easy to imagine breaking her pelvis if he wasn't careful to reserve his strength. But what Richard said … if he were sleeping with Diana, he wouldn't have to worry about such things.
The thought itself embarrassed him. Clark simply didn't think of his colleagues like that, and the realization that Lois had probably come to that conclusion well before he even speculated on it made him feel foolish. Why hadn't he ever thought of that?
"You don't think about sex first," Richard agreed, evidently answering the expression on Clark's face. "A lot of guys are ruled by their gonads, and they have to train themselves to be decent people instead of the human equivalent of a dog that humps every leg it can reach. I speak from experience. But you just don't think like that. You treat everyone, regardless of sex or race or age, as a person first. And now that you're married, you don't even imagine what it would be like with someone else."
Clark cleared his throat. Before this moment, he'd never speculated about sleeping with anyone other than his wife. And afterward, he didn't plan to wonder about it ever again. He was married, he'd made a commitment, and adultery wasn't his style, no matter how angry he still was with Lois. "There's never been anyone else," he admitted. "And quite frankly, I don't want there to be."
"Good man." Richard leaned forward to lightly thump him on the shoulder. "Now, you have plenty to think about, which means you're almost guaranteed to fall asleep before you can get any good conclusions made. I'm going to go see how Lana is, and make sure Lois and Jason are all right."
After a pause, Clark told him, "They're already back in the hotel, in your room talking to Lana about sleeping arrangements. Tell Jason he can have the other bed in here, if he wants – Lois doesn't want to be around me right now."
And in spite of his anger that would not be denied, only banked, he heard the wistfulness in his own voice.
…
Luthor glared across his desk at the Kryptonian, but General Zod's expression was carefully blank, a serene mask that failed to yield to even Luthor's sharpest barbs. He often had the sense that his prisoner was biding his time, waiting for something, but Luthor had not yet been able to discover what that was. Zod knew he couldn't escape, and he surely couldn't expect anyone to rescue him, so how could he remain so aloof and confident?
He had just reported on Kala's progress, praising her swiftly-growing mastery of the language, but cautioning that she sometimes misspoke from haste. "She is most eager to learn, but her enthusiasm yet exceeds her skill."
The Kryptonian spoke as calmly as if this were a scheduled meeting, not the abrupt summons that had brought him here at an hour during which he was normally asleep. That rankled Luthor, but he kept his temper. "When will she be ready to try the AI again?" he asked.
"She would try now, if you allowed her," Zod told him. "But that I do not recommend. She will bear repeated failures harshly, and it is ease that she requires to achieve true fluency, not fiery determination."
Luthor couldn't fault that logic. As he turned over what Zod had said, Mercy watched them both from where she sat to Luthor's left. She glanced at the Kryptonian with cold amusement, and he returned her gaze levelly. "Are you certain you're not trying to forestall her for some reason?" Luthor asked, his voice silky.
"I am not so foolish," Zod replied urbanely. "My freedom hinges upon hers, for you have promised to release me once you have acquired the knowledge you desire. I assure you, she and I are of one mind in this endeavor, and not even the pleasure of thwarting you outweighs the desire to leave this place at last."
Someone knocked at the door, and Mercy rose fluidly to open it, her stance wary. Stanford came in, anxious in the presence of the three people he feared most in the world. Luthor stifled a sigh. For the moment, this was more important than interrogating Zod. "Stanford. I assume it's more bad news, since those spineless cowards in engineering sent you to deliver it?"
"We won't have the second satellite in place to take readings until morning," the geologist said. "The Russian communications satellite is in position, but it isn't capable of doing the type of search we need. We have to wait a few hours for a compatible satellite that we can hack." Luthor sneered at this news, and turned to take out his frustrations on Zod. But before he could begin to scathe the Kryptonian, the office door opened again.
Startled, Mercy whirled to the offense, but it was Kala who stood in the doorway staring coolly at them all. Luthor bit his lip on an exclamation of surprise. The girl looked different, standing more confidently. She'd chosen to wear unrelieved black, a satin blouse with jeans that emphasized the length of her legs and boots that added several inches to her height. The only spot of color was the pale blue of the cast on her wrist, which was mostly covered by her sleeves.
She stood with her arms crossed, meeting each of their eyes in turn before settling on the General. "Dru-Zod, I regret interrupting your meeting," she said in Kryptonese, "but if we are to resume my lessons in the morning, we must both be well rested." The three humans in the room all understood her, but Luthor saw a look of amazement on Stanford's face that he and Mercy were too disciplined to show. There was an audible difference to the way Kala sounded in Kryptonese as opposed to the three of them, all of whom were well-versed in it. Luthor figured it must be some slight difference in the construction of Kryptonian vocal chords.
"Of course," Zod replied, rising from his seat. With a courteous nod to Luthor, he departed, asking something of the girl in quiet tones.
The three of them stood staring at the door, until Mercy finally broke the silence. "She's chosen him over you, Lex."
"Doesn't she know who he is?" Stanford said in disbelief.
"She knows," Luthor said. "And she doesn't care that I know." He scowled. This did not bode well, though at the moment he couldn't see how an alliance between Kala and Zod could possibly benefit the two of them.
Stanford cleared his throat. "I did bring the preliminary scans you requested, sir," he said tentatively. He handed over several sheets of paper, and Mercy moved to look over Luthor's shoulder.
"According to this data, he's flying around above the atmosphere," Luthor muttered. "Why the hell is he so high up? Doesn't he have to breathe? And why hasn't he gone back down to the planet's surface at all in…"
He trailed off as sudden realization struck him. "Mercy, what's the update on the family in Kansas? Did we ever get a roll-call?"
"I haven't heard from any of our agents," she replied. "They haven't turned up on the local police blotter, either – they've just vanished."
"Could they have decided to go AWOL?" Luthor asked, his eyes agleam.
"Unlikely," Mercy said. "They were among the best we had – I pulled Radcliffe out of Metropolis to go check on them when we didn't have a report within six hours, and he's missing, too."
"Probably his little league of do-gooders," Luthor growled. "I wonder what they're so anxious to keep us from finding out, don't you?"
"We already know the Whites are somewhere in Nevada," Mercy said.
"Yes, but what about the boy?" Luthor asked, giving them both a telling look. It had always been his habit to coax his subordinates into making the same conclusions he had; the length of time and amount of coaching it took for them to get it usually reinforced his ego. Though if he was any judge, Mercy would soon catch on with just a little stronger hint. "Just where is that murdering little halfbreed?"
At those words, Mercy's eyes widened in comprehension. "The data shows Superman closer to the satellite because the signal is stronger than expected, coming from two Kryptonians."
Luthor nodded. "Sanford, go find the recalibration equations I wrote for our alpha-wave tracker, and rework them to include a fourth individual, similar to our guest Kala. When we get that next satellite in the morning and can triangulate, we'll be able to pinpoint them exactly."