XYK – CHAPTER: 37 The Circus
Most kids want to be something or other when they grow up. Some want to be figure skaters and fire fighters, whilst others want to be Astronauts and Princesses.
Not Lois Lane.
She had wanted to be a knife thrower.
Not just any old knife thrower but the best that ever lived.
The thought had occurred to her on a hazy Sunday afternoon in the spring of 1981 sitting on her father's lap at the Ring-A-Ling Brother's circus. The General and her mother had been chatting away, not paying any particular attention to the show, but Lois, in all her 7 year old glory was mesmerized.
She had felt her guts drop as a man from the audience had been placed up against a wooden board. She was then entranced by the female knife throwers sparkly, pink spandex outfit, but finally she had been left thrilled when each sharp knife aimed at the man had missed and simply served to outline his shape. Such precision and skill had left Lois awestricken. So much so, that she had spent all summer practicing with cutlery and sticks, using targets drawn clumsily out of chalk.
She'd probably have become a knife thrower in a travelling circus if she hadn't come close to killing her father. Not on purpose. The butter knife had sailed past the Generals head, ricocheted off of a deck chair and hit the ground.
And now, as she sat in a very expensive restaurant, across from the man who had unknowingly tried to kill her the night before, she felt almost compelled to take her knife and see if knife throwing was anything like riding the proverbial bike.
"Lois.."
Lois blinked at the mention of her name.
"You were miles away." Lex smiled sardonically "Let me know if I'm boring you."
Lois feigned a smile and put her cutlery down, "I'm sorry, last night was eventful as I'm sure you can imagine."
Lex's grey eyes clouded over for a second. "Hmm, how are your hands?"
Lois looked down at her hands which had been freshly bandaged before she left. "A little sore but at least I still have hands."
Lex nodded pensively. "You're not hungry?"
Lois looked down at her Duck L'Orange and knew that despite this being the greatest meal she would ever have the privilege of tasting she couldn't eat it. Not when her stomach was doing somersaults. "I'm not hungry…Just thirsty. I could do with a stiff drink."
Lex smiled, he had always enjoyed Lois Lane's candour. "There's a private members club not far from here…"
"No", Lois interjected, "I was thinking maybe we could go somewhere a little more private, somewhere we can talk….uninterrupted." She made sure to let the last word linger with the aroma of 'possibility'.
For Lex Luthor was a man, a smart, educated ,business savvy man who could bed almost any woman he wanted, but a man nonetheless and all men wanted a woman they knew they couldn't have. She watched Lex try to contain his triumphant smirk, as if the war had been won without him having to break a sweat .As if the woman of his dreams' near death experience had finally led her into submission.
"I have a couple of bottles at my place with our names on them. What do you say?"
Lois beamed. "Perfect."
-x-
Lois looked over the expensive array of alcoholic spirits in Lex Luthor's possession and picked the bottle of Verres Billionaire Vodka.
Lex poured her a glass while Lois looked around his study, trying not to draw too much attention to the fact that she was in fact scoping out her surroundings.
"You know.." Lois smiled coquettishly, " I'm not really in the mood for Vodka. How about a nice Cabernet? I know for a fact that you have some of the nicest Cabernets in the world lurking down in that wine cellar of yours."
Lex smiled, "You're a classy Lady Ms Lane."
"I know. So make it a good one." Lois smiled, her pearly white teeth glistening. She watched Lex get up from the sofa and make his way out of the huge room and down the hall in search of the Cabernet . Once he was out of sight and she was certain that he was gone Lois rushed over to his desk and sat down. She quickly put his Laptop on and cursed when it demanded a password.
Lois tapped her fingers against the mahogany desk as she typed in the first word that came to mind. WRONG! Lois could feel herself begin to sweat as her heart pounded violently against her rib cage. Lex Luthor could come back at any second and she had no idea how to access his secret data.
It was a beautifully framed picture of Lex's smiling mother that caught Lois's eye. She smiled and typed in the word L-I-L-L-I-A-N. Bingo! The computer began to load to Lex Luthor's personal desktop.
Lois tutted, disappointed that THE Lex Luthor could be so predictable. For someone who ran a multimillion dollar corporation he really should have been a little more creative with his personal security systems.
It also became evident that Lex Luthor wasn't a man who deleted his history or cleared his cookies. In fact he had been transferring money just before he met Lois for Dinner.
4 Million dollars had thus far been transferred to a premiere account and 4 million more were in a holding account due to be deposited into the premiere account in the next two account asserted that the money would be transferred to a .
Lois tried to remember where she knew that name, she was certain that she had heard it before. So she quickly pulled up another page and typed 'FERMINETTI' into the browser .Lois grimaced at the results.
Ferminetti was the name of a notorious crime family who had run the streets of Metropolis since the turn of the century. Every single member had spent time in prison for crimes ranging from murder to petty theft. What would a man like Lex Luthor be doing consorting with the Ferminetti's?
The C had to stand for Cillian Ferminetti the oldest of the Ferminetti brothers who had a rap sheet longer than Lois's arm, amongst some of those charges were Arson. Lois shivered at the revelation. His brothers Carmine, Seamus, Francesco and Liam didn't fare any better.
A quick search of Lex's history revealed news reports. It seemed that Lex had been keeping up to date on the news of the phantom arson attacks around Kansas' main cities. Lois felt the colour drain from her face.
This wasn't everything but it was a start. Lois was certain that there had to be more. Something more concrete .she didn't have much time so she quickly wiped her search and shut down the computer, all the while trying not to let her nerves get the best of her. Her hands were shaking from all the adrenalin pumping around her body as she made her way back over to Lex's Italian Leather couch just in time for Lex to enter with a bottle of Château d'Armailhac.
"I have found the perfect Cabernet Sauvignon, I've taken the liberty of uncorking it to let it breathe." Lex said with a self satisfied smirk on his face as he sat the bottle down in front of her.
Lois quickly fished out her phone from her purse. "I have to go." She said without preamble. "I just got a call from my copy-writer, I'm needed at the Magazine."
Lex's face was picture of disappointment. "Can't someone else take care of it?"
"No, it's urgent. I'd rather be there. It's my name on the door after all." Lois lied. She wanted to get as far away from Lex Luthor as possible, at least until she figured out what the next step in bringing him down would be.
Lex gently picked up her hand and kissed it. "One of these days I am going to have you all to myself ."
Lois faked a smile and tried not to role her eyes or gag. "We'll see."
-x-
Lois got into the elevator of her Penthouse apartment and closed her eyes. All she wanted now was to crawl into bed with her baby and the man she loved. The adrenaline that had previously been pumping around her body was now giving way to a melancholy. Lois seethed with anger when she thought about how she had trusted Lex, defended him to Clark and even gone into business with him.
When the elevator stopped Lois got out and opened her apartment with her key, she slipped off her shoes and put her clutch down on the side board and her keys in a bowl by the door. She smiled when she heard the faint sound of Sam Cook drifting through the walls. She breathed a sigh of relief. She was home. She felt safe again.
Walking into the Living room Lois stopped with surprise at the sight of Clark and Durga slow dancing to a Sam Cook classic Cupid. Lois silently watched Clark gently sing to the drowsy baby as she battled with sleep. It warmed her heart.
"Is this a private party or can anyone join in?" Lois asked.
Clark turned around and smiled. "How was your dinner?"
"Illuminating."Lois said as she came forward and gently lay a kiss on Durga's head. "But I don't want to talk about it right now."
Clark studied Lois silently for a minute. She looked tired so he chose not to press the issue."Ok."
Lois reached up and kissed Clark softly on the lips, savouring the feel of him being here, loving her despite all she had done to him to push him away. "Marry me." Lois whispered against his lips.
Clark smiled. "Yes."
" Now. Tonight... " Lois said urgently.
Clark stopped smiling, "Why so impatient?"
"Because life is short..because I nearly let you get away once and I'm not doing that again…because I want you to officially be my husband and this little ones daddy…because Lex Luthor is the devil incarnate and if I'm going to bring him down I need you to come home to, to keep me centred and remind me of everything good in the world." Lois didn't try to stop the tears falling from her eyes.
Using his spare hand Clark gently wiped her tears.
"What do you say? We can be in Vegas tonight…we can leave Durga with your Mom."Lois smiled pleadingly. "Marry me Clark, make me the happiest woman in the galaxy."
Clark looked down at Durga who had finally fallen asleep against his broad shoulders. "Looks like your Mommy and I are getting married." He whispered to the sleeping baby who didn't stir a muscle.
TBC.