Ch 16 – Schema
"Whoa, whatever you're planning, don't do it," Lois teased as she removed a plate from the dishwasher. "You've been spacing on me for the past ten minutes. The plate you just put away wasn't a clean one."
She laughed as Clark rolled his eyes and opened the cabinet to pull out the now soiled stack of plates.
"I'm not planning anything," he said, avoiding looking at her.
Lois smirked and arched an eyebrow.
"I'm not!"
"Okay." Lois smiled to herself. He really was a bad liar. "But you might want to take the dish towel out of the refrigerator."
Clark groaned and dropped his head. "Okay, okay. I'm meeting Lana tonight."
Lois fought to keep her grin in place as she processed the information. "Really?"
"Yeah, I ran into her the other day at The Talon and we started talking. She was dating Jason Teague, but they broke up a few weeks ago."
When she didn't respond, he looked back to her. "You knew about it?"
Lois shrugged. "Sure. I thought everybody did."
"How come you didn't say anything?"
Lois shot him an amused glance and stepped around him to wipe off the counter. "Um, I kind of missed the point when we graduated to girl talk. So, Rico Suave, you think enough time has gone by for you to make your move?"
"It's not like that. It's just… we never really gave it a chance."
"Uh oh. This is worse than I thought." Lois pulled out a chair and sat down. I definitely noticed the awkwardness between you two. What happened?"
"She felt I wasn't honest with her…"
"And you want to tell her," Lois deadpanned.
Clark frowned at her reaction. "You don't think I should?"
Lois forced her expression back to a neutral one. "I'm not saying that. Hey, I like Lana. She's… a nice gal, I just think you ought to… think about it a little longer."
"I have. You took it well."
"I tend to think that I'm one of a kind," Lois smirked. "It's your call, but be careful."
"Be careful of Lana?" Clark asked with a wide grin. "I've known her forever. I just think she deserves… you think I don't know how I feel about her?"
Lois held both hands up. "Wait, Clark. I think it's a case of unrequited feelings. You've been chasing this girl for your entire high school career…" At his look, she amended her statement. "Since middle school?"
He shook his head.
"Okay, I'm not going any earlier than elementary because it's kind of disturbing, but my point is, you don't really know what you're feelings are because you've both been dancing for so long. When you actually get into it, it might not meet up to the fantasy. You shouldn't feel that you have to bear your soul out of guilt."
Clark sighed. "Thank you for that bit of advice," he replied sarcastically. "Don't you have something better to do other than lecture me?"
Lois stood and tossed a towel at him. "Yes, in fact I do. You remember Tony. He's having another deal at his club. Someday, when you're done moping over The Princess, I'll take you with me."
"Have fun," he grumbled at her back as she headed up the stairs.
"Nice place you got here, Mr. Luthor. Kind of reminds me of one of my old boarding schools," Tony said, running a hand across the rosewood paneling of the bookcase.
"I'm sure you didn't call to schedule this meeting just to admire the woodwork. Let's get down to business, shall we?" Lex gestured to the sitting area of his office and sat down.
Tony sat across from him. "I hear that you're a man who appreciates information. I happen to be someone with a knack for getting it."
Tony locked gazes with Lex. He needed to find out what Lex sought. When the image surfaced, he smiled. Things were going to be easier than he'd thought.
"Mr. Luthor, you have certain contacts that I could use. I have a project that needs… distribution. And, as I mentioned to your assistant, I'm running low on certain raw materials."
"How does this benefit me?"
"Maybe you're familiar with a certain acquaintance of mine? Lois Lane? You might be aware that she now lives with your pal, Clark Kent. There's certain information that Miss Lane is privy to that you might find interesting." It was a risky bluff, but one he felt positive would deliver.
Lex reached under the table and pulled a custom-made Halliburton briefcase into view.
"Okay, Mr. Black. My associates tell me that your sources are reliable. I'm willing to invest in your business. You'll find what you requested inside the case. If you follow through on your end, there will be more where that came from. I am a little worried that you seem to know your product intimately… hopefully that won't cause a distraction for you."
"Not at all." Tony reached to seal the deal with a handshake.
"You've disappointed me, Jason," Genevieve told her son, stepping into the plush living area of her hotel suite.
Jason turned around to face her. "Somehow, I am not surprised by that."
"Your role was simple. You were supposed to get Lana to the church and introduce her to Madame Theroux. That was it. Your continued presence is becoming an interference."
Genevieve had always known that her son was a weakling. It was that knowledge that had made him perfect for the part… perhaps too perfect.
"You had her branded!"
"You knew that was part of the plan. It was the only way to connect them."
"That witch possessed her and almost killed me!"
"You know I wouldn't have let that happen."
"I don't know what to believe about you anymore, Mother!"
Genevieve sighed. "You've let your feelings for that girl cloud your senses."
"No. I know that I love her. I won't let you use her."
She laughed at his brashness. "This game is bigger and has gone on far longer than you know."
"You're going to release her. You're going to remove that damn tattoo so Isobel can't touch her, and you're going to leave her alone."
"Oh, really? You know I can't do that. I need her to lead me to the stone."
"You don't need her. I have what you want." Jason pulled a piece of paper out of his jacket. "The map."
His mother reached for it. "How did you…?"
"Isobel brought it to Lana's apartment. I saw where she hid it and took it. Lana has no idea that it even exists." He pulled it out of her reach. "Let her go."
They stared at one another for an extended period of time before she broke eye contact.
"Okay Jason. Whatever you say. Le ravissement essoufflé et laissent son esprit libéré. Sa paix remplacé."
Jason nodded and handed the paper to his mother.
"I think I have made the mistake of underestimating you, Jason," she said, running a hand over the face of the manuscript.
"I know. That's something that has worked in my favor." He turned to leave. "Oh, and mother. I plan on using every ounce of my power to protect Lana, so I'd advise you to keep your distance."
Genevieve watched her son leave the room with newfound respect. She knew that it would be the last time she would see him. She had every intention on leaving him alone now that she had what she needed.
After all, the curse had stated that only the one who shared her blood would have the power to bring her life to an end.
tbc
