A big thank you goes out to everyone that stuck through with me this long through this story. I really appreciate all the feedback. It's what keeps me going. Thanks again! I'm sorry that I haven't responded individually. But each time I see my inbox with another feedback, it renews my motivation to continue. This is for all of you! Thanks again to 4ever1!

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Lois watched in horror as Clark crumpled to the ground. A man in a lab coat rushed into the room yelling "What are you doing?"

Peter Valentino said dryly "Aren't you supposed to be wearing a mask, Jon?" Lois thought it was an odd comment to make since Peter's face was uncovered.

Lois crawled toward Clark, hoping that they were too distracted to notice. Her ribs ached, but she didn't think anything was broken. The blood had dried beneath her nose and her cheek was starting to throb.

Clark lay unmoving, sprawled across the floor. Lois could see the steady rise and fall of his chest. At least he was alive.

Jon's eyes were wide as he took in the scene before him. Medical equipment lay shattered on the floor. A sickly buzzing noise trilled from some sort of monitoring device that was in two pieces, but was still plugged into the wall.

Lois reached Clark. Even wearing a medical gown, and helpless, he looked tragic rather than ridiculous. At least while he was unconscious it was hard to imagine him as Superman. His eyes were such a vivid shade of blue it was no wonder that he needed something to diffuse their depths

His glasses were nowhere in sight. Lois ran her fingers through his hair, trying to mess it up, straightening the lock of hair that had a tendency to curl.

Albert, still fully outfitted in the bio-hazard suit, was groaning, holding his arm carefully to his chest. He sat on the floor, his dark eyes glazed in pain.

Jon explained, "Masks are no longer necessary. Clark's body eradicated the virus, so he's no longer contagious." Jon retreated a step when he saw that Peter was armed. His voice sounded almost pleading. "We need him. He just might be the breakthrough that we were looking for. His very cell structure has been altered unlike the others. It probably accounts for why he is still so weak, but it has great potential."

"I don't care about your research. He's a reporter, and that makes him a liability. He has to go."

"He might be the key to learning how to make the powers last. Even after Kryptonite exposure, he's retained traces of metahuman DNA."

Lois' eyes grew wide. Kryptonite. If Clark had been exposed to Kryptonite, would that make him susceptible to a virus? She thought it was possible. It was bad enough for him to be weakened by lethal radiation, but to add a virus to which he probably had no natural antibodies was potentially life threatening.

Her worry about Clark's condition became dread. But the scientist, Jon, had said that the virus was gone. Did that mean that he was recovering? Given enough time, would his strength return?

She needed to buy them some time.

Peter snarled. He gestured for some men to enter the room. "Find some other way to make these enhancements last. We can't do anything that will attract attention. And I suggest you leave now, before I add you to the list of expendable resources." His coal black eyes seemed to go even darker with the threat.

Jon back peddled out of there, as he gave the three of them a regretful look.

Peter yanked Lois upright by her arm. He looked at the injuries on her face and grinned. "Sorry if I was rough, but I think I might be able to make you forget the pain in your face."

Lois grimaced and then said, "Let them go."

"You're not in any position to be telling me what to do."

"I'll go with you willingly if you let them go."

"It doesn't much matter to me. I like a bit of fight in my women." Peter got a considering expression on his face. "But I admit that I'm intrigued by the prospect."

She swallowed hard. "Only after you let them go." Lois demanded, feeling as if her stomach had turned to ice in her gut.

"I'll think about it. I was going to kill them right away. Maybe, if you're good enough, you can make me forget all about these two."

A couple of men grabbed Clark's arms and dragged him down a corridor and into an elevator. Albert rose painfully to his feet. Lois and Peter followed. They filled the elevator; no one said a word as they watched the elevator descend.

Peter stood behind them with the gun pointed in their direction. Lois could feel his breath stir her hair. She tried to suppress a shudder. Her heart fluttered nervously in her chest as she exchanged tense glances with Albert. He was still holding his arm against his chest. He met her gaze, his eyes blazing with determination.

The men opened a door deep beneath the main floor as an alarm went off. The lights went dark. A red light flashed in the hallway indicating that main power had been shut down. Lois might have tried to fight them, if Clark had been conscious. She knew that she had no hope of escaping and keeping him alive at the same time.

Peter swore and gestured with the gun for them to go forward into a room.

"Don't worry Sweetheart. I'll be back for you." He promised.

He threw her inside the dimly lit room. Lois tripped over Clark's body as the sound of the door being locked reverberated through the thick metal. She stared at the back of the door for a long moment before dropping to her knees where Clark lay inert.

"Clark?" She brushed the hair off his forehead, unable to stop touching him. She pulled his head into her lap. His eyes twitched, but remained closed. His usually warm skin was cool to the touch. He went from shuddered violently to becoming deathly still. She wasn't certain what was worse.

Albert shucked off the environmental suit so that he was dressed in the plain coveralls. He paced the room, cradling his arm against his chest, but when she asked, he denied that he was in pain. "Shouldn't we try to call Superman for help?" Albert's voice was oddly calm.

Lois wasn't certain how she should answer. "I don't think it's a good idea right now."

Albert seemed about to argue studied her for a moment, then resumed pacing.

Lois hoped they were in a boiler room. It actually looked more like a crematorium lit only by the red blazing firelight visible through a small square window. It must have been enormously hot, because it was remarkably easy to see by the light. Lois suspected it was here so that the facility was able to safely dispose of medical waste. She feared Peter intended a more sinister purpose for the device.

Lois gazed at Clark wishing that they would survive this unscathed. All the misunderstandings and missed opportunities seemed too painful to bear. They had wasted so much time. Lois felt the tears trace a path down her face. She tried to keep her sobs quiet, not wanting to alarm Albert.

Albert stopped pacing, to study the wall, as if trying to solve some monumental mystery. He was watching Lois whenever he thought she wasn't looking. She knew he had heard her exchange with Peter. She was grateful that he didn't bring it up. If it wasn't for her, he wouldn't even be here.

"I'm sorry to get you wrapped up in this mess." Lois said.

"At least it gets me out of unpacking boxes." He gave a mock shudder. "I don't think I could stand looking at all Marie's Hummels. Damn creepy if you ask me."

Lois laughed, but it sounded forced.

She took Clark's hand and brought it to her lips. His skin was warming in her palm. She gripped it tightly trying to maintain control, but the tears continued to spill free anyway. "Don't you dare leave us again, Clark. We need you. I need you."

She jumped when she felt his fingers curl around her own. "Lois?"

Clark slowly sat up, his eyes going wide when he looked into her face. He ran his hand lightly down her cheek.

Lois forgot her discomfort, she forgot Albert in the corner. She threw her arms around Clark's neck and kissed him. His hand pressed against the small of her back, his lips grew warm at her touch. They pulled away to inspect each other.

It was a relief to finally see him awake and aware. Lois had gone from hoping that he would save them to praying that he would survive. He looked pale, but the greenish pallor was gone. His eyes moved over her face, and she could see the tightening of his jaw when he noted the dried blood and bruises.

"It looks worse than it is. How about you? Are you back to normal?" Lois asked and from her intonation it was obvious that she was referring to his abilities.

He paused as if to consider then answered, "Better. But still, not myself."

"I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to wake up from your nap."

He ran his hand down her face, wiping away one of her tears. He smiled sadly. "I guess I just needed the magic of your kiss."

Lois snorted. "Come on Sleeping Beauty. We don't have much time."

Albert said, "We can't wait until they come back. That is completely out of the question."

Clark started, and then he said in a high pitched voice. "Oh, pardon us sir. I thought we were alone."

Lois' voice was amused. "This is Albert Barnes. He gave me a ride when I was stranded in Smallville."

Clark gave her a look that seemed to indicate she would have been better staying there. Then he gave Albert a polite smile. "You're the one that bought the Siegel place right?"

"All 450 acres of it." Albert agreed proudly. He was scrutinizing them, as if trying to figure something out.

Clark made a nervous motion to adjust his glasses, and then realized that they were missing.

His eyes grew wide and there was no mistaking the panic on his face. "Lois? Have you seen my glasses?"

Albert gave him a piercing look, and then he nodded. "Here. Maybe my reading glasses will help?" He pulled a pair out the breast pocket of his coveralls.

"Thanks." Clark put them on. No one said a word about the fact that one lens was cracked. The frames were smaller than the ones that Clark normally wore, but they did the job.

"Why did you come?" Clark asked them seriously.

"To save you -- Isn't it obvious?" Lois said sarcastically.

Clark gave a gentle smile his eyebrows raised. He was still wearing a white cotton gown that covered him to his knees. It left his arms and calves bare, exposing his fine musculature. It seemed at odds with the glasses, but it was oddly sexy too.

"That's a good look for you, Kent."

Clark blushed as if realizing only then that he was no longer wearing his usual garments.

"Leave the poor boy alone, Lois." Albert admonished. "Let him have some dignity." He turned back to face the wall. "Come here. I think I found something."

A small ray of light streamed through an indentation in the wall. "It's a window. It's been covered with black paint. See. I chipped a bit of it away. The glass looks pretty thick." Albert said.

Lois and Clark met each other's gaze in the dim glow. They might not have anything to break it with, but it was sunlight. Lois ran her nail across the paint, widening the opening so that they could see that it faced a pair of dumpsters in a back parking lot. The lot was empty.

Lois grabbed Clark's hand and put it into the light.

"What is it?" Albert asked.

"My hands are cold." Clark answered, his facial expression was innocent, but Lois could see the amusement dancing in his eyes.

"You'd get warmer much faster if you went over to the autoclave/ crematorium." Albert said dryly.

Clark uneasily eyed the over-large device that seemed to be the sole purpose of this room.

The doors opened and the room flooded with artificial light. Lois tensed, feeling as if her muscles had turned to stone. It was time. He had come back. Her eyes widened and she searched the newly illuminated room for inspiration for their escape. It was hopeless; the room was empty.

She glanced at Clark, wondering if his hearing had recovered enough so that he could perceive the frantic beating of her heart. Lois tried to hide her panic, but Clark must have seen it cross her features. He touched her arm in an unconscious gesture of comfort, and then Clark stepped protectively between her and the open doorway.

Peter stood in the entry pointing a gun at them. "So should I kill them now? Or do you come with me?"

Lois nodded to the pale man with the dark eyes watching them from the doorway. She said, "Give me just a moment."

Lois clutched at Clark, digging her nails into his arm. He didn't wince; he just met her gaze in concern. She looked at the blood welling in the tiny crescent shapes she had created in his skin with dread. If she could do that sort of damage so easily, Clark was far from recovered.

Her lips twitched and she gave Clark an apologetic look.

She could see the dawning comprehension on his face. There was fury in his eyes. It made her fear that he would do something that would get himself killed.

"No." He moaned.

Lois said too low for Peter to hear. "I can stall him. You need to stay here and come only when you're ready. Understand?"

He grabbed her arms tightly, a steely look crossing his face. "You can't honestly believe that he's going to just let us walk out of here alive." Clark's voice broke. "I will not let you go with that man."

Peter's voice said mockingly, "Just let me know if you changed your mind, sweetheart. I have more than enough bullets for everyone here."

Lois pretended not to hear him. She hissed at Clark. "You have no choice. You've saved me so many times. Now, let me do what I can to save us."

"Not like this. God, Lois. Do you know what he wants? Do you have any idea . . ." His eyes were wide, growing desperate.

"But at least there is a chance that we'll survive. You just need a little more time. We'll all die if you get killed. It only takes one bullet, Clark. What hope do I have of avoiding him then?"

She squeezed his hand, willing him to let her go. "Please Clark. Let me go. Do this for me."

Clark ground his teeth in frustration, wondering how far he would get before Peter's bullets brought him to the ground. Lois was right. If he died now, he would not be able to save her.

Lois took a step back, her gaze fixed on Clark's face. The fury and frustration written into every line of his body broke her heart. Albert stepped forward and put his hand on Clark's arm, restraining him. Lois turned and walked out of the room without a backward glance.

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