A/N: Okay guys, I'm very very sorry for the delay of this but I had some problems to finish it and I didn't find someone else who could be my beta reader for the final chapter. It's not beta readed, so any suggestions are welcome! I hope you ejoyed the story! I don't have plans to write a sequel. At least, not for a while.
CHAPTER 11
Daily Planet, two days later...
Chloe was reading The Gotham Globe through the Internet, when Clark arrived. "Did you want to see me?" he asked as soon as she looked at him above the monitor.
"Did you hear what happened to Regina Doomsdale?" she asked back.
"She goes to be under safekeeping of the Federal Authorities and Bruce Wayne's murder attempt doesn't go to be investigated by Gotham's authorities since they didn't find out any evidence of what she was doing in that hotel room, despite the sophisticated weapon she was carrying that day" he said. "And it's all my fault. If I have called a police officer to go to the hotel with me-"
"Maybe Bruce wouldn't be alive" she completed. "But it doens't matter anymore" Clark wrinkled his forehead as Chloe added: "Bruce Wayne disappeared"
"Oh... really?" Clark asked, showing surprise.
"Yeah. He simply left Gotham and people don't know where he can be"
"Strange..." he said.
"Very strange" Chloe agreed. "But not as much as this..." she said looking at her computer screen. "Regina Doomsdale is dead"
"What?" he asked in shock.
Chloe showed him The Gotham Globe website and Clark read the fresh news while she explained: "She was murdered by another female prisioner at Blackgate's prision in Gotham City little before being transferred to a federal arrest"
"It can't be..." he said. "Bruno Mannheim?" he immediately suggested.
"I don't know who else can be behind of this..." Chloe answered.
Clark took a deep breath.
"But... we still have Maxwell Jensen's connection. Is it something, right? And maybe Metropolis' authorities can put the hands in Mannheim after they find out that his agreement with Joe Chill is related to Bruce's murder attempt-"
"Too late. Mannheim was faster. Metropolis Homicide Department concluded that Maxwell Jensen was in Suicide Slum for drugs and was supposedly murdered by his drugdealer" she said.
"'Supposedly murdered'?" repeated Clark.
"That's what police report says. Now the case is closed" she added. "And there isn't anything that can connect Regina 'Dutchess' Doomsdale to Bruno 'Ugly' Mannheim except their fancy nicknames-" Chloe said, wrinkling her forehead.
"And Mannheim will still be free" Clark added.
"But if this serves of consolation, I don't think that The Duchess would give Mannheim's name to the federal authorities because of her reputation of not to deliver the name of her contacts..." Chloe said.
"If Mannheim is as Falcone, he'll probably continue to be unpunished, especially after what I saw in Gotham..." Clark said.
Chloe wrinkled the forehead, confused.
"I didn't know that Gotham City would affect you so much" she commented.
Clark faced her in the eyes. She didn't have any idea of how much the city of the shades had affected him.
"We shouldn't leave men like Mannheim does whatever he wants in Metropolis and the rest of the world as much as Falcone does in Gotham" he said, remembering the colloquy between Falcone and Bruce at the club in Gotham.
Chloe didn't say anything for a while, as she didn't know what to say. She could only have in mind that her friend had lived bad moments in Gotham, until she finally said, trying to comfort him:
"For now, there's nothing we can do, Clark. But I'm sure that some day they will pay a price and they will be catch, 'cause there still are good and decent people decided to do something about it"
Quiet, Clark hoped his friend was right, after all, he could never imagined how much crime could corrupt an entire city until he met Gotham. And he remembered Bruce's gesture when he throw the weapon away at Gotham's Bay, and faced the reality of his city. There still were good people. And Bruce was one of them, he thought.
Later, in Smallville...
Lois was thoughtful looking throught the window of her apartment in the Talon, when she heard somebody beating the half-open door. She turned over to see who was, and noticed that it was Clark, who smiled to her, holding a branch of flowers.
"I wish I could come before but..." then he noticed some made bags next to the sofa. "Are you leaving?" he asked, worried and surprised.
"I'm going to spend some days with the General" she said coldly, while Clark extended the lilles to her. "For what is this?" she asked, looking at the flowers.
"My apologies for leaving Gotham without saying anything" he answered.
Lois smiled. It was her first smile since he was there, but nor therefore it was her more pleasant smile. She was visibly bored. And Clark wondered it was because of Bruce's disappearance.
"Don' be silly, Smallville!" she said, smiling and giving him her back, ignoring the lilles while she walked until the balcony of the kitchen to serve herself some coffee. "You don't need to give me excuses"
"But I-"
"I don't even know why I decided to go there with you!"
"I thought it was Chloe's-"
"Look!" she said, while Clark listened her intently.
There was a long pause, and Lois finally said:
"Okay. I'm going to say it and I hope you don't get me wrong"
Confused, Clark wrinkled his forehead as she added:
"I was very worried about you, okay?" and Clark gave her a little smile. "But take this smile out of your face, Smallville" she added and he simply became serious. "You disappeared and... well, I thought we were a team! At least, it was what we had to be..."
"But we are a team, Lois" he corrected her.
"I don't know anymore... You played dirty with me, Smallville. Starting for the fact that you had wake me up in the morning of Chill's hearing instead of making everything by your own"
"I'm sorry, Lois" he said.
Clark smiled again, and without understanding that smile, Lois rolled her eyes, while drank some coffee.
"Did you really worry about me?" he asked.
Lois chokeed with the coffee and placed the mug on the table. Then, crossed her arms and looked at him.
"Of course I was, Smallville!" she said. "It's pretty obvious, don't you think? After all, what would I say to Mrs Kent in case of something had happened to you?"
Clark smiled. The defensive Lois in action, he thought.
"Only after I went back to the Wayne mansion Chloe, and at least she was the one who had common-sense to call me, gave me some satisfactions that you were fine and everything was right at the Court... except for Joe Chill, of course" she completed, catching again the mug of the table.
After a long silence, Lois looked at the drink, while Clark faced her with attention and curiosity.
"What?" she asked, noticing him.
"Nothing" he answered.
Suddenly, Lois felt that she had said too much to Clark, and decided to move immediately the subject:
"Alfred called me this morning" she said.
Sure, Clark thought. Lois was still worried about Bruce. After all, she loved him.
"Did he say something about Bruce?" he asked.
Lois smiled.
"Yes. He called to Alfred to say he was fine and that he doesn't have any idea of when he will come back" she answered.
Clark nodded, sure that it wouldn't be soon, judging for the way he left.
"I think he won't come back so soon" she added, as she had read Clark's thoughts.
"I don't have any doubt of this" he agreed.
She faced him, distrustful.
"Do you know something I don't, Smallville?"
"No. Not at all" he answered.
But Lois continued to look at him, not satisfied.
"Did he at least say where he is?" Clark inquired.
"No" Lois answered, with a lost look. "And I don't have any idea where he can be..."
Clark took a deep breath, while watched Lois' concern about Bruce.
"That night, at Wayne mansion, you said that you only has Bruce as a friend..." Clark said, confused, but decided to take his chances. "Are you sure about it? After all, I see you, and the way you worry about him-"
Lois smiles.
"Sometimes I think you know me better than anyone and this is something that makes me really mad. But then you say something like that..."
Confused, Clark gave her a little smile. She didn't asnwered his questions, as usual.
"If I didn't know you, I'd say you're jealous" she added.
"What?" he asked, surprised.
"Okay, Smallville... you don't need to blush. I was just joking! After all, this is an insane possibility!" she said, smiling.
And Clark smiled. She didn't have any idea of how much she was certain about it.
"Well, the truth is... he was my best friend when I needed" she said with serenity, while Clark watched her intently. "And he will always be... a good friend"
She smiled and Clark approached her and touch her in her shoulder.
"He will be fine"
"Of course he will" she said, walking away. "He's just... a little lost" she admitted.
"But I'm sure he's still one of the good ones" Clark added.
Lois smiled. Although she didn't understand what he wanted to say with that, she felt that it was the most comfortable thing somebody could say to her at that moment. And while she looked at Clark, she felt a peace in her heart that she couldn't understand.
Feeling confused for that reaction, Lois shook the head, and approached to Clark to take the flowers and walked until the sofa. Clark turned over to see her and was surprised when she threw against him the heavy bag.
"Let's go, Smallville!" she ordered on her usual bossy way. "Help me to take the bags to the car!"
Clark wrinkled his forehead, and while he followed her until the door, he asked, curious:
"How long do you plan to be out?" he asked, as Lois turned over to see him in the eyes.
"I haven't already left and you're planning to celebrate, Smallville?" she inquired.
Clark smiled.
"Well... I was wondering if I will have much time to celebrate" he lied.
"Don't create expectations, farmboy" she said, smiling. "You won't be free of me for so long"
The Lois of always, he thought. And he couldn't wait for the moment she would be back.
The End
