Author's Notes: It's funny you should mention about where the story is going, Joseph. Before the Lois/Clark/Cameron storyline came into play, there was an ending, but then I got tempted to go past that and now a whole new plotline started. I do have a general idea on how it's going to end.
Metamorphosis – Chapter 42
"You're not going back there"
Clark followed Lois down the stairs and across the living room to the front door. She opens it and looks at Clark squarely in the eyes.
"Yes I am," she says turning the knob of the door.
With the door barely even a few inches open, Clark pushed it shut.
"No you're not"
"Yes I am," she says stubbornly, opening the door again.
Clark refuses to let her go and pushed it shut once more. "No you're – "
"Stop arguing with me on this," Lois sighed, aggravated.
Clark moved in between her and the door, crossing his arms in the process. "Lex is dangerous. What happened the other day wasn't a fluke. He's got something planned and I don't want you anywhere near him, Lois"
"I've known Lex a long time – "
"He's not the Lex you knew anymore," he cut her off vehemently, clearly frustrated at the situation regarding Lex Luthor.
"I have to believe that if there's anything about him that was real, it's was our friendship"
"And if it isn't real?"
"Then Lex is truly gone"
"Will you at least wait a few days?"
"If we wait any longer, it'll just give Lex more time to sink into his hatred of you. I'm not gonna stand around and watch my past and future destroy each other. I won't do that, Clark. It's not in my nature"
"I don't want you getting hurt"
"I know how to take care of myself," she assured him, but it didn't ease Clark's worry one bit.
"I just got you back, Lois. You and our son. It's not just about us anymore. We have to think about his future too"
Lois knew this; that is why she needed to confront Lex herself. "I have to try, Clark. He was my friend once. I know it's hard for you to see that, and I understand, but I can't erase all those years I've known him." She paused, recalling the last couple of days. "And he nearly killed you, I can't have him threatening our lives every day for the rest of our lives. I need to face him and I need to do it alone"
"I don't want you to do it alone. I don't want you doing it at all," Clark says, his protective nature and love for this woman clouding his judgment.
"Stay here with Cam, please," Lois pleaded with her eyes. "I'll be back as soon as I can"
Clark shook his head, not liking or wanting to do as she requested at all. They've come so far…
"Lois – "
"You're no good to me dying, Clark"
Clark fixes her a glare. "What if he hurts you?"
"Then I'll hurt him back. You gotta trust me. Let me do this. I'll call you if there's even an ounce of trouble I can't handle"
"Fine!" Clark reached for his coat that hung next to the wall. Lois looks at him oddly.
"What are you doing?"
"Coming with you," he answered simply.
"Weren't we just arguing about how you would let me do this alone?" she inquired, annoyed.
"You can drop me off down the road before you hit the mansion. So when you call for help, I can hear you. I'm not letting you do this alone and that's final"
"What about our son?"
"MOM! Can you watch over Cameron for a few hours?" Clark yelled to his mother who was upstairs.
"That's no problem, sweetie!" Martha returned with a loud yell as well.
Clark turned to Lois, smirking. He opens the door and gestures her to exit first.
"You're unbelievable," she says, leaving the house.
Clark closed the door behind him. "You are too, so now we're even"
Lois pulled over a quarter of a mile from Lex's mansion. Clark removes the buckle from his seat belt. "Be careful," he says for the umpteenth time.
"I will," said Lois with an encouraging smile.
Clark exited the vehicle and walked around to Lois's side.
"Remember – " he starts but Lois intersects.
"I'll call you when things start to go downhill," she nods knowingly. "I know the drill"
Clark stood uncertain how to proceed. Should he kiss her or a simple good luck would suffice? They had spoken in depth about the current state of their relationship for hours the previous night. She had gone into detail about everything that's happened since she left, and Clark, in turn, told his.
The one thing neither elaborated on is how to move forward from there.
Lois sighed. "Are you gonna stand there and stare or are you going to kiss me good luck?"
Clark grinned. He should've known.
He lowered his head and met her lips with his. Every kiss with her felt like their first kiss, where the feeling was new and wondrous.
Magical.
Lois walked into the mansion like she has many times before with an air of confidence and familiarity. There was only one place in this majestic tombstone that Lex Luthor would often be found occupying.
She opened the double doors leading to his library. "Alexander," she greeted him, her voice calm and steady but very much there for a purpose.
"I see we're on a full name basis now. I must really be in trouble," Lex snickered, pulling up his feet to rest comfortably on top of his desk. "Lois Joanne Lane. Welcome to my humble abode. What brings you to this merry little town?" He though a moment and then chuckled. "Oh right. The alien"
"What do you want, Lex?"
He smiled almost mischievously. "You can't give me what I want. As I recall, you've proven that on more than one occasion"
"Is this what you've become?"
"If I wanted a sermon, I'd have gone to church, Miss Lane." Lex stands up and walks to his mini-bar.
"It's obvious that nothing I say will change who you are"
"I'm glad we finally agree on something"
"Yeah, except I've never asked you to be anyone else but you"
Her words hit a nerve.
"Don't bother begging for Clark's life. Sooner or later, one of us will fall and I'm gonna tell you right now Lois, it's not going to be me"
Clark paced nervously back and forth on the side of the road. His thoughts blurred with so many possible outcomes he felt like he was ready to go insane. Lex has always been unpredictable, that is one of the reasons why he never felt comfortable telling him what he really was.
And now…
With Lois and Cameron, the stakes has gone higher.
And it was scaring him. With his entire family in danger and his inability to protect them because Lex had a room full of the only disease on Earth that can kill him.
Kryptonite.
There was nothing he could do but wait and hope Lois knew what she was doing.
"Since you're not going to stop until you kill Clark and ruin everyone's lives, tell me this. Why?"
"The question holds no relevance, especially to me"
"I'm dead anyway, so come on…" she taunted. "It's a simple question that requires a simple answer. Why?"
Lex ignored her.
"What are you so afraid of Lex?"
"I'm NOT afraid of ANYBODY!" he spins and throws his glass of bourdon across the room, the glass flying pass Lois and hitting the wall behind her. It shatters into hundreds of pieces.
CRASH! Clark looked towards the direction of the mansion when his super hearing caught the sound of glass breaking. His eyes wide with worry.
He closed his eyes and focused. He felt the sound of Lois's heartbeat loud and clear. It beated fast but that was all.
She's okay.
Clark breathed out a sigh of relief. If he doesn't die by Lex's hands, it'll certainly be by Lois's.
"That was a waste of glassware. Didn't you import that from Spain?" Lois remarked half-honestly.
"Morocco"
"Same thing," she shrugged.
"Just leave, Lois." Lex just wanted to be alone and away from her.
"I'm not going to leave Lex"
"I can't stand seeing you there defending him," he admits bitterly. "I can't stand to look at you at all"
"Make no doubt about it. The feeling goes both ways"
"We were happy, weren't we?"
Lois doesn't answer. She loved and appreciated her friendship with Lex, but there are some things she just couldn't give him. It didn't matter how much money he had or how much influence he carried. Her emotions are who own, no one but her owns it.
"I'm sorry things had to end this way"
Lois wiped the tears forming in her eyes and left, leaving Lex to what he wanted.
To be alone.
"So am I," he says to Lois's retreating form. He reached for his keys and unlocked the bottom drawer of his desk revealing a .35 mm hand gun. Already loaded, he cocked it ready exiting his study the way Lois did.
Lois reached the bottom of the stairs and then…
BANG!
The body dropped dead.
Clark heard the gunshot. He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach and he super speeded to the mansion as fast as he could.
To be continued…