Lois found herself back at the cave in Smallville. She might have thought it all a strange but wonderful dream if not for the disc that opened it in her hand and the fact she still wore the white robe of Krypton.

She'd investigated Lex Luthor before. That's why she knew he had a home here.

Her car was not where she'd left it, which was no surprise. She'd been gone for a week. She walked back to town and from there borrowed a phone to call an Uber driver to take her to said mansion.

The servant at the house eyed her abnormal dress with disdain. "Do you have an appointment?"

She could hear the General and Lex's muffled voices from the front door.

"That's my father in there."

She pushed past him before he had time to process it and followed the sound to the study without escort.

"Lois!" Sam exclaimed, rising to his feet at once. "You escaped!"

"I didn't escape. He let me go."

"Well, whatever the case, at least you're free. Now we have to make sure we all stay that way."

And that was her father: no hugs, no tears of joy or relief. Simply on with business as usual. "Didn't you hear? He had a change of heart."

"I heard you the first time. Could be you have Stockholm syndrome or maybe mind control is another of his powers. This I do know: he is a threat to national and international security."

She was irritated that he was being so dismissive of her though what else was new? "He is not. He's the last of his kind, and he has lived on this planet the last twenty-eight years without taking over the world yet. He just wants to live in peace."

"If he wanted to live in peace, he wouldn't have held you hostage in the first place."

"And what was his alternative, you bringing the army on his head? Just like you're doing now. And why are you here with Lex Luthor of all people?"

"Mr. Luthor has graciously agreed to furnish weapons of defense."

"What I hear in that is that you're taking matters into your own hands because the army said no. How is that ethical?"

"I'm defending my country just like I swore to do," he said, rolling up the plans that had been strewn across the desk.

"You can't. I won't let you. I love him!" She was shocked to hear herself say it, but she was knew it was true as soon as the words had left her mouth.

He looked at her aghast with a measure of disgust thrown in as if she'd just admitted to murder. "In love with an animal like him? An alien? Now I know you're out of your mind. Go home and get some rest." He left without giving her or Lex another glance. Whatever plans they'd just made were already set in motion or he wouldn't have taken his leave.

She had to tell Kal-El before it was too late, but Lex was blocking the doorway. "Get out of my way," she snarled in no mood to deal with the likes of him.

"Where do you think you're going? To warn the beast?"

She turned turned around, thinking to escape through the window, but the alarmed servant had called in Lex's goons and they had guns pointed at her. They must have slipped in through some secret door.

They jostled her in their rough handling and the key to the caves clattered to the ground.

Lex snatched it up with a smile. "I have a feeling this may come in handy."

She wanted to knock that smug look off his face, so bad, but the cold nozzles in her back made her think better of it.

Lois sighed as his men tied her up. Held captive twice in one week. That was a record even for her.

sss

Kal-El felt his loneliness twice as keenly now. And yet, he wouldn't trade getting to know her for the universe. He looked out on the snowy landscape, thinking of their snowball fight. Everything reminded him of her now.

"You're better off without her," Jor-El said in an attempt to cheer him. "It'd been better still if she'd never shown her face around here."

"Why? So you could keep lying to me about how humans are? Lois is kind, just, and honest. She's everything that's beautiful about this world."

"Don't look now, but your kind, just, and honest friend just brought reinforcements."

He looked to the horizon and just as Jor-El said, there were men in armored suits that looked more than threatening. Had Lois betrayed him?