Author's Notes: Joseph, tiny bits and pieces of his powers are used but not to the excess like when he's in Smallville. He's in Gotham City and he has to be a bit more careful there, and no, I made a point not to let Lois know about his Kryptonian lineage.
Marcus, it's always a pleasure to read your feedback. My reasoning from jumping conversations was to imply the fact that Lois and Clark are very much in tune with one another. It's an intentional move in my part.
Now, in regards to sharing his secret with Bruce. Frankly, Clark isn't obligated to. He will when it's absolutely necessary but if he can avoid having to share his extraterrestrial nature, he's not going to openly divulge it. Remember, this takes place post-Smallville, so he doesn't have the same insecurities about loneliness and solitude as he did as a freshman on the show.
Origins - Chapter 17
Abandoned Warehouse
"I want Lois Lane eliminated and I want her eliminated NOW!" A deep harsh voice commanded the two brothers that stood before him. Fear. An emotion just as strong as love, it's what he uses to survive every day. About the only thing he can depend on besides himself. This is his life, and he loves it.
"What about her cousin, boss?"
"Once Lane is out of the picture, take her out too," he responds coyly, fixing the wrinkles off his expensive suit. "Get it done boys"
"Why can't we do it right now?" Mark asks his brother.
His older brother slaps him upside the head. "Because little brother, she's our insurance," Roland says with brotherly annoyance. "Come on, let's go find Lane and get this over with"
Lucius Fox's Home
Sprawled out across the floor are files of papers and papers. Lois has spent most of the evening trying to find as many leads between Thorne and the Desmond Brothers. She believes that in order to find Chloe, she'll have to find one of them first.
"I've got take-out," Clark says, coming in from the front door.
Clark's been helping her with the investigation as well. Lois has always mused how useful he can be out in the field. Sometimes, she'd be amazed at his quick thinking, in the beginning, she didn't see him as the type but if Lucy was any indication, she's learned never to judge people to easily and always keep an open mind.
"Dammit!" she says, throwing her pen right on top of a stack of papers with force. Time is ticking and she is no where near to finding her cousin than she was when she first started.
Clark immediately darts behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders giving her a massage. Lois sighs and is grateful.
"I don't know what I would do without you," she lamented, eyes closed and her head falling back while Clark continues to work his magic.
"I'd do anything for you"
Her eyes still closed, she says, "That's sweet, but not entirely practical"
"You don't believe me?" His eyebrow creased watching Lois's lips turn to a smile. She opened her eyes; her only view is that of her boyfriend.
"I can prove it to you," Clark continues.
Lois smirked. "Prove it to me? Come on, Smallville. I didn't say it to be mean, I'm just being factual." She rested her hand behind his neck, pulling him down for a kiss. "Everything I need is right here," she says in a soft loving tone. She kisses him again. "Besides, how exactly would you be able to do everything for me?"
Clark grinned. "Giving you anything or everything means two entirely different things." He's dreamed of flying Lois across the world to any destination she desired. Bathing her with gifts from various cultures. He'd move a mountain for her; all she needed was to ask.
Moving her worries for Chloe aside for a moment, Lois responds with a smile. "Okay," she says, taking on his challenge. "How will you do anything for me?"
"Name it"
"You serious?" she says incredulously.
He nodded his response.
Feeling the weight of emotions for the last few days, there was one thing Lois needed from him in this moment.
"Make love to me," she whispered and Clark returned her request with a passionate kiss they've with held themselves for months. He lifted her and carried her up the stairs in his arms, making their way to her bedroom. They had the night to themselves.
Several hours later 2:00 am in the morning, Clark held Lois in his embrace as they slept soundly through the night. The previous hours' session left them exhausted.
Downstairs, two black cloaked figures professionally broke in through an open window. Security systems were disabled leaving the entire premise open to the surrounding neighborhood. They creep up the stairs, one holding a stun gun and another held a silencer.
Their movement caught Clark's sensitive hearing jolting his eyes awake. He looked over at Lois's sleeping form, kissing her on the cheek before getting up to investigate what was happening outside their door. Lucius was out for the night so Clark knew something was off.
As the two perpetrators walked softly up the stairs steps, Clark x-rayed through the floor and saw them and the weapons they carried and the first thought that came to his mind was protecting Lois.
He super speeds to their room.
"Lois," he whispers, waking a reluctant Lois.
"Clark," she responds softly. "It's too early"
"Lois, we're not alone," he tells her urgently and her eyes went wide open. She shot up from her bed.
"What?" she whispered.
"We gotta get you out of here," he says.
She throws him a weird look. "And what are you gonna do?"
"Please, don't argue with me right now." Clark's mind swirled with worried thoughts that he momentarily lost focus on the intruders.
"Clark – " the door busts open and two incredibly large men with weapons came into the room. They lifted their firearm and fired at her. Before Lois could react Clark moved in front of her blocking the impending bullets; his eyes locked onto a stunned Lois.
Clark's eyes began to glisten with tears.
"This isn't how I wanted you to know." His voice sounded broken, almost hollow before turning towards the hit men.
Lois felt numb. Uncertain. Confused, mostly numb as she watched the man she loves move to protect her. The sound of the gun was evident of their death but nothing happened. He kept his focus onto her until his broken words were shared with her.
And then he turned.
He faced the men with the firearms as they shot at him. Each bullet falling from his chest like he wasn't made of flesh at all.
He moved.
My God, the way he moved.
She didn't even blink and he moved so fast. The guns swiped from their grasp in a single movement. He wasn't the Clark she knew, but there he was protecting her.
She tried to open her mouth but no words were said.
One man tried to hold him but all Clark did is pushing him aside like he weighed nothing. The other man though is a bit stronger, picking Clark up and tossing him through the window.
She screamed. "CLARK!" She raced passed the men wearing nothing but Clark's long buttoned-up shirt with the goons close behind. She needed to know he was okay. To her surprise, he certainly was.
"You've got to get out of here Lois," he reached her, cupping her face with his hands. "The man's strong"
"So are you," she retorted in a low voice, subconsciously aware that her mind still worked while her emotions were in disarray.
"Stay behind me," he says, moving in front of her once again when the two men walked out of the house. The only light that illuminated both their presences was the moon.
"I see your boy has a few tricks on his sleeves too, huh," the goon taunted.
Clark remained unfazed.
"What do you want?"
Lois rolled her eyes despite the gravidity of the situation. "That's pretty obvious, Clark"
"Do you mind," he whispered to her. "I can handle this"
"He threw you off the roof," she reminded him, saying it out loud was more absurd than seeing it.
"Minor oversight," he quickly replied before turning his attention back on the two goons. It all started to make sense. "You're the Desmond Brothers"
The older man is not amused.
"I'm going to have to kill you too," he says with a smile.
"I'd like to see you try"
Lois is again even more surprised by the amount of confidence that Clark held in with his voice. She stepped back and looked at the man she has fallen in love with these past few months. All those times she had thought that they were extremely lucky to survive certain impossible situations, it's becoming abundantly clear to her now that it wasn't luck… it was her Smallville.
The older brother Roland raises his firearm and aims it towards Lois and shoots. Before Lois could react again, Clark holds his hand out; it was balled into a fist.
"What the…" Roland began to say.
Clark opened his hand, the bullet held in his grasp.
Lois is floored. "Whoa!" she was in awe. Clark turned and picked her up. Lois looked at him and then down. "What are you doing?" she says in a slight panic.
"I'm gonna fly you out of her"
"Oh." Processing his words. "What?" she yelled, but it was too late, Clark was already in the air while Lois is again for the third time tonight, stunned into silence.
To be continued…