After helping the Carmichael's repair the damage to their farm; Clark, Lois and his parents joined Lionel late the next morning, with a briefly furloughed Lex Luthor, at the Smallville Cemetery.

It wouldn't have bothered Clark not to go, but as Lois gently reminded him they were going for Lionel's sake; not for Lana or Lex. And with his parent's accompanying them to the gravesite, Lionel's obvious gratitude for their presence there made the whole ordeal more bearable.

It was evident to Clark that Lionel had cared for his daughter-in-law; to see him so somber as the minister held a brief service. The good Reverend in turn was flummoxed at the almost joyful demeanor of the new widower and it seemed as though he tried not to glare at Lex's lack of respect.

"Au revoir, Mon Cherie." He openly laughed, holding a hand out to his father who reached into his breast pocket, pulled out a wedding ring and set it in his son's open palm. "And you can take thiswith you."

He dropped it without care on top of the polished mahogany coffin, already lowered into the ground, and the sound cracked in the unusually cold air before bouncing off into the soft dirt.

Clark reflexively grasped for his own wedding ring and held on to it possessively.

"Alexander, have some respect." He heard the quiet admonishment from Lionel. "The girl is dead."

"You think I should behave like a grieving husband?" Lex fixed an insolent look on his father before his predatory gaze found Lois and she tucked herself behind Clark and reached for his left hand and he took it firmly in his. "Now if I'd lost a prize like her, I would be grieving."

He wanted so badly to say something, to shut him up, but to do so in this solemn place would be to embarrass both Lois and Lionel; so Clark reluctantly refrained. He respected Lionel too much and while Lex insisted on making an ass out of himself, he wasn't about to.

Lois leaned up and whispered in his ear. "Thank you, sweetheart."

She must've sensed what was going through his mind and concerned he would do just that.

"All right, Luthor let's go." A prison guard had been standing descreetly away from the service, but stepped forward as soon as Lex shot his mouth off; a pair of handcuffs at the ready and quickly snapped on his wrists. "You've bothered these good people long enough."

"Have some sympathy, Officer." He fixed Lois with a lingering glance for a moment more before he schooled his features into a grieved expression and looked at the guard. "I've lost my dear wife."

"Sure you have." He grabbed Lex by the arm and with a respectful nod to Lionel, marched Lex none too gently back to a waiting unmarked car. "And I'm Eleanor Roosevelt."

"Are you all right, honey?" Mom cast a worried eye on Lois. "You look a little pale."

"I apologize for my son's boorish behavior, my dear." Lionel shook his head and watched Lex being put into the prison vehicle and driven away. "I had no idea he harbored such thoughts about you."

"I didn't either." Lois remarked and Clark could feel her body trembling against his. "He always behaved like such a gentleman."

"I'm afraid he learned that unfortunate deception from me." He sighed. "I'm being made to pay for my wicked past through my wicked son."

"Every man has to take responsibility for his own actions, Mr. Luthor." Dad spoke up. "You did and now your son has to, but he's the only one who can decide whether he will or not. You can't make the choice for him."

"Very true, Mr. Kent," Lionel acknowledged. "And thank you."

"I think all parents would like to go back and change something about the way they raised their kids after they've left the nest." He shrugged and seemed a little embarrassed. "I certainly would never speak for Martha, but I can think of a few occasions I'd handle differently."

"I can think of more than a few." Lionel sighed and shook his head sadly. "A child's formative years are the most important and Lillian cautioned me to that more often than I'd care to admit. But I was bound and determined Lex would be molded in my image." He glanced dejectedly at the gravesite and then at Clark and Lois. "I even held out some hope Lana would be his salvation. Lex must have been much more charming than usual to attract the attention of such a shy girl."

"Lana?"

He smiled faintly at the disbelief in Lois' voice. "I understand how difficult it must be to see it now. But when Lex first brought her to the mansion, she was a very sweet young girl. It was his callous disregard of her that made her change."

"How did they meet?" Mom asked him, looking genuinely curious.

"I don't really know because neither was particularly forthcoming with that detail." And he frowned. "But knowing my son as I do, he probably saw a girl he thought he could bend to his will."

"Did he force himself on her?" Dad's expression was thunderous; reflecting a father's outrage at the treatment of a child.

"Lex would never be that incautious." Lionel shook his head. "I imagine he took his time and gradually eased her misgivings about it by making her believe he was wooing her. When he finally got what he wanted and Lana found herself in a delicate condition, she did what any girl in such a situation would do."

"Lana didn't trap him." It was Lois' turn to sigh and Clark felt her cheek rest against his shoulder. "She was damaged goods because of him."

"The poor girl came to see me when she found out about the child and asked for my help because he refused to do the honorable thing."

"What a prince." Lois snorted in contempt.

"I told him if he didn't do the right thing by her, I wouldn't hesitate to inform the Lowell County Sheriff's Department about the illegal activity being conducted in his clubs."

"I wish you had." Clark commented and Lionel smiled at him.

"I also told him I would get every girl he'd compelled into the flesh trade to testify against him. Several of them had already assured me they would."

"So that got him to the altar?"

"A Justice of the Peace at the Lowell County courthouse," He smiled softly at the mahogany coffin. "He's never forgiven me for it, but at least my grandchild would have had the Luthor name."

He would have had Lex Luthor for a father, too; Clark couldn't stop the uncharitable thought and his eyes met Lionel's as though the older man had heard, because he nodded.

"Why don't we leave now and go back to the farm?" Mom gently offered. "We were planning on having lunch before Jonathan and Clark started on the repairs to the barn and the house."

"I appreciate the kind offer, Mrs. Kent; but I feel as though I'd be imposing." Lionel demurred with a shake of his head.

"Nonsense," Dad chimed in. "Sam's coming to give us a hand, so one more for lunch wouldn't be an imposition."

"I will, but only if you allow me to assist."

"You?" Lois' voice held a note of surprise and Clark had to squelch the urge to smile.

"Yes, me," He raised an imperious eyebrow at her and then chuckled. "It's been quite a few years since I've swung a hammer, but I was very adept as a lad."

"Then you've got yourself a deal." Dad stuck his hand out and Lionel shook. "More hands mean less work for all of us. Thank you, Mr. Luthor."

"You can thank me by calling me Lionel, please." He smiled at Clark's parents. "The both of you."

"Fair enough," Mom agreed. "But only of you call us Jonathan and Martha."

"I would consider it an honor." He then shook the hand of Clark's mother to seal the deal. "I'll drive out to the farm as soon as I get into a change of clothes.

"We'll be looking for you in, say, forty-five minutes?" She asked.

"I'll be there."

Later that afternoon when the work was complete, Lionel invited Clark's parents and Lois' father to dinner at the mansion as a thank you for accepting his help as part of the work detail. He'd extended the invitation to Clark and Lois as well, but his mother deftly stepped in and suggested that the younger Kent's might stay behind.

"Your day was interrupted because of the twister, so with us out of the house again, you can finish what you started."

Clark's gaze locked with Lois's across the table and then he dipped his head to hide a smile when she blushed at Mom's lack of guile. If she'd known what they'd been up to, she would have been the one blushing.

"With all the help you've both given the last couple of days, I think you deserve it." Dad put in his two cents and didn't bother to hide his grin because he probably did know.

"You're only young once, you know." Sam had his say and chuckled.

"Thanks for the information, Dad." Lois frowned at her father. "I never would have known otherwise."

Sam grinned as well; knowing better than anyone, even her husband how to get a rise out of his daughter.

"With that settled," Mom reached over and gently rubbed Lois' shoulder, soothing her ruffled feathers with a smile. "Lois can help me clear the table, while you gentlemen get cleaned up."

"That's my cue to leave then." Sam pushed himself away from the table and stood up. "I need to get back to my quarters and I'll clean up there."

Lionel followed suit and with the agreement of the older Kent's and the General, set a dinner hour with a cocktail hour beforehand. "With unexpected dinner guests, I think it's best. André can get quite excitable with last minute changes to the dinner arrangements. But with a later dinner time and cocktails to start, he shouldn't have cause for a fit of the vapors."

"Temperamental, is he?" Lois' father shook his head with amusement. "He should meet our cooks on base; they'd knock the vapors right out of him."

"I may take you up on that." Lionel replied somewhat seriously. "It could make things a little less volatile in the kitchen."

"Jonathan and I will walk you out while Clark helps Lois clear the table and then she can take him upstairs to get washed up." Mom smiled at them before she and Dad walked with Lionel and Sam to the front door.

"And maybe you can scrub my back, too." He suggested quietly in her ear as he watched the foursome step outside and Mom closed the door.

"Not with your parent's still here." Lois shook her head and then leaned up to kiss his cheek. "If it's all the same to you, I wouldn't mind a quiet evening in front of the fire listening to Bob Hope."

Lois was turning down the opportunity to make love in an empty house? "Is everything all right?"

She laughed softly as she tucked her hand through his arm and he pressed it against his side. "We're fine, I promise. And it's not that I don't want to take advantage of your parent's leaving us here alone, again. But after everything that's happened in the last couple of days, especially with Lana, it just wouldn't feel right. Do you mind?"

He did, but Clark wasn't about to tell her that. She had her reasons and to ignore them so he could satisfy the perpetual need he had to be with her would make him a heel of the worst sort; and the Neaderthal she'd once accused him of being. So instead, he shook his head and fibbed. "Of course not," And then he frowned. "What I still don't understand is why she didn't go down into the cellar like Lionel told her to."

"Maybe because he told her," Lois shrugged and pressed her cheek to his shoulder. "Or maybe she thought the mansion would be out of the twister's path so she wouldn't have to."

"You know, as difficult as she made things for us-"

"And for you," She interjected.

"And for me," He conceded. "I couldn't understand why she would stay in a marriage with Lex after she lost their baby." He squeezed her fingers gently. "But after today, I think I have an idea."

"Lionel."

She had a disconcerting habit of reading his thoughts.

Clark nodded and dropped a kiss in her hair. "He was the closest thing to family, to a father, she had. And she was the closest thing to a daughter he had. So he looked after her and did what he could to try and blunt Lex's treatment of her."

"It would explain why she hung on so tightly to you." Lois looked up at him and her gray eyes were full of compassion and caring he wasn't sure Lana Luthor deserved. "You gave her attention she wasn't getting from him."

"I never gave her my heart." He didn't want Lois to ever doubt it.

"Oh, I know that." She put her hand on his chest, over his heart. "I never thought otherwise; even before we were an us."

"You know, I did get glimpses of the girl Lionel was talking about earlier, but it still doesn't change the fact she was a very unlikeable person."

"But now, at least we have a better idea why." She sighed. "But even with her gone, we still have one problem."

"What's that?"

"The shooter hasn't been caught, so we still don't know if Lana even contracted him."

She was right. "I've got a contact at the Metropolis Police Departrment, Lieutenant John Jones, who's been doing some nosing around for me. I'll call him in the morning to see if he's been able to find out anything."

"I thought you had a meeting with Lex tomorrow."

"I do." He nodded in the affirmative. "And if I didn't think he might give me some useful information, I'd tell him to pound sand."

"Just don't let him get the better of you." Lois advised him with a stern look. He could see her using that look on their child when he or she had gotten into trouble for something because if they turned out anything like his wife, trouble would surely find them. "If what happened at the cemetery today is a prelude, who knows what he might say tomorrow."

"I thought of that, too."

"If he does, because I'd be surprised if he didn't, please don't take the bait."

"Even if he says something about you?"

"Especially if he says something about me, because he knows I'm your soft spot."

He didn't like being asked to make that pledge to her. "I'm your husband, Lois and it's my job to defend you, to defend your honor."

"Honey, I don't give two hoots what he thinks of me and I love you because you do." She rewarded his gallantry with a warm, damp and lingering kiss and he felt his face flush in pleasant surprise. But still-

"Lois, you don't know what you're asking."

"Yes, I do." She grasped his arm firmly. "So don't do anything rash tomorrow."

"Anything rash?" He grinned at her earnest request. "By that you mean, not beating the stuffing out of him?"

She leaned up to give him another lingering kiss and Clark wished they could see things differently more often because he enjoyed the method of persuasion she employed. "Be the straight-arrow, by-the-book G-man I fell in love with."

"That's a tall order, Mrs. Kent." He loved calling her that.

"Well you're a tall man, Agent Kent." She smiled at him for a moment and sobered again. "Just promise me."

He got his arms around her waist and pulled her close against him to reply just as seriously. "I promise." And because he'd given her his word, Clark thought he deserved a reward. "I think I should get a kiss for that."

"Oh, honestly," Lois shook her head with a soft smile and proceeded to give him what he wanted. But apparently she wasn't finished when she leaned up close to his ear and her warm breath warmed his body. "Help me clear the table and I'll consider scrubbing your back for you, parents or no parents."

"Really?" He leaned back to see if she was serious and saw a coy smile and her bottom lip caught between her teeth; she was.

In 'two shakes of a lamb's tail', as Grandma Kent would have said, Clark and Lois had the table cleared, the dishes stacked neatly in the sink and were practically running up the kitchen stairs hand in hand, as his parent's came back inside.

"Don't take too long." His mother's amused voice followed them. "Your father still needs to clean up before we go."

He hustled her into the bathroom and closed the door with a soft click, so his parent's wouldn't know how eager he was to get his wife in the shower with him, just where they'd had to leave off before the twister hit. He turned the water on, adjusted the taps and satisfied it wasn't too hot, he faced Lois and she blushed.

"Clark?"

"Yes?"

"What I said down there about not feeling right about making love?" She skimmed his open flannel shirt off of his shoulders and he shrugged it to the floor.

"Yes?" Don't smile, Clark.

"I changed my mind." She had the edge of his tee shirt in her hands and tugged it up toward his head. He lifted his arms to help her lift it off and then reached over her shoulders to loosen the collar buttons at the back her dress. With a casual lift of her shoulders, the loose dress whispered to the floor.

He'd hoped she would.

And faster than he thought would be possible, after placing a bathmat on the bottom of the tub so there would be less chance of Lois slipping, the rest of their clothes were discarded and they picked up where they'd been forced to leave off. But this time, their pace was anything but leisurely as she launched herself into his arms, wrapped her legs around his waist and thrust impatient hands into his wet hair as her lips sought out his.

"Lois." He whispered her name in between heated kisses and roaming hands. "Not here."

"Why not?" She kissed his chin, his nose, and his cheeks and then covered his lips with hers again, pressing her breasts into his chest insistently. "You made sure we won't slip."

"That's not why I did it." He kissed her shoulder and then grazed his lips up her neck and nuzzled her ear. He honestly hadn't, even though his manhood was certainly all for it. But since they had a baby to consider, a baby that was currently residing inside his wife, Clark wasn't about to take any chances. So he, very reluctantly, loosened her hold around his neck and looked her in the eye. "This still isn't a safe place for that. So be a good girl, get down and scrub my back."

"That's the second time in two days you've told me what to do, handsome." He couldn't quite tell if she was irritated with him or ready to kiss him. "I like it."

"I'd like it if I could finish my shower." He replied and ran a hand down to her backside and kneaded the firm flesh. "Dad still needs to get in here."

"If I'd known you'd become so bossy after we got married, I might have reconsidered accepting your proposal." She feigned a frown and he thought she looked adorable.

"No you wouldn't." Clark shook his head and kissed her cheek. "Because I think it's fair to say you can't live without me."

"Are you so sure about that?" An eyebrow went up in question.

"Yes." He replied and the next thing he knew, Lois slipped out of his arms and stood in front of him, her hands on his chest. "And I'm certain I can't live without you."

"I know." She gave him with a winsome smile that bode well for a romantic evening.

With that said, she scrubbed his back as she said she would while he took care of everything else. And when he was all cleaned up, turned off the taps and reached for a couple of towels. He made a cursory rub of his hair before securing the towel around his waist while Lois dried her hair and wrapped herself in her towel.

He stepped out of the tub and held his hand out to her to help her out and he grinned as they each picked up their clothes and shoes and he opened the bathroom door. With a quick check up and down the hallway, he took Lois's hand and they made a dash for their bedroom. As they passed the top of the kitchen stairs he called down to his parents. "Bathroom's free."

"I hope you didn't use all the hot water." Clark heard the rustle of a newspaper and his fathers laugh.

"We tried not to." Lois called down with a giggle as she and he got to the bedroom door. "Have a nice evening."

"You, too," Mom called back up and he could hear the amusement in her tone as he urged Lois inside the room and closed the door behind them.

With firm, dry flooring underneath their feet and their towels discarded in a damp heap, Lois jumped back into his arms and proceeded to kiss him senseless. He had the presence of mind, just barely, to walk them to the bed and when he felt his shins bump the side of the mattress he broke their kiss only long enough to make sure he dropped her safely into the middle of the bed before the momentum of her weight carried him down after her.

He caught his own weight on his forearms as she wasted little time in pitching her hips up against his, her patience for the delay at an end. The insistant call of her body to his had him slipping inside moments later and they quickly found their rhythm; as they always did.

And when he promised her that they could still be downstairs in time to listen to Bob Hope as she'd wanted to, she gave him a puzzled look.

"Bob who?"

Clark couldn't help but wonder the next afternoon, as he waited for Lex, if his need to make love to Lois so often was natural. And as he sat in the cramped and stuffy visiting room at the Kansas State Penitentiary, his mind wandered back to the previous evening.

They'd never made it downstairs to listen to Bob Hope's Pepsodent Show or heard his father come upstairs because they'd been so focused on each other.

He further pondered if their intimacy would have been as passionate if she weren't having a baby. Not just because her body was changing everyday and the evidence of her condition becoming more pronounced, but because there was going to come a point toward the end where they wouldn't be able to make love.

Dr. Francis had forewarned them of this during Lois' last checkup.

They'd been sitting in his office as he assured them both that mother and child were fine and then in his usual blunt manner asked them if the physical changes in Lois had affected their lovemaking.

Clark felt the rush of heat to his face as Lois carefully studied her hands resting in her lap, her own face flushed. It was one thing to be told about her condition and the health of their baby, but they were always caught off guard when he querried them about their love life.

'I certainly don't ask this to embarrass you." His tone was serious, almost clinical. "But I have found that the more information expectant mothers and their husbands have about how their lives are effected by a coming baby, the whole experience is a much more fulfilling one for the both of them.'

They glanced at each other and Lois shrugged, leaving the talking up to him; and he didn't know how to begin.

The doctor could see their discomfort and stepped into the breach, to help.

'I spoke to Mrs. Kent previously about how the changes she's going through could effect your marital relations.' He offered to them delicately and Clark appreciated his consideration. 'I told her it could hamper them or accelerate them.'

How could he tell Lois's doctor that they made love every chance they got? 'We-' He started haltingly and stopped to clear his throat. 'Our-' He cleared his throat again. 'We're not sure if it's because of that, or because we're newly married.'

'Accelerated?' He guessed correctly and Clark could only nod.

'Mr. and Mrs. Kent, I understand how awkward it is for you to talk about this, but it shouldn't be. You're both young and healthy and obviously very much in love and frequent intercourse is a natural part of married life. So having said that, you need to understand there will come a point near the end of the baby's gestation, Mrs. Kent where it would be inadvisable to continue.'

A look of surprise and dismay passed between the two before they faced the doctor, to hear his explanation.

'I know it doesn't seem possible at the moment, but by the seventh month or possibly even the eighth, it all depending on how large the baby gets and how you're feeling of course, relations could become uncomfortable.'

'Even with the suggestions you gave me?' Lois asked, clearly dismayed.

'You've discussed it with your husband?' He asked her in return.

'We've actually tried it.' Clark answered, his voice cracking in mortification at having to admit it.

'That's good.' Dr. Francis, on the other hand, was unfazed. 'But you have to understand, even that has its limits. Mr. Kent, if you can't support her weight comfortably later on, then it won't be an enjoyable experience. But for now, you can continue on as you were.'

And they did; often and repeatedly.

A hand on his shoulder brought Clark around from his reverie and he looked up to see a guard standing next to him. "Agent Kent, they're bringing Luthor down now and we're all set."

"Thank you, Sergeant." He nodded in acknowledgement. "And if you wouldn't mind calling me Mr. Kent when he gets here, I'd appreciate it."

"He doesn't know you're FBI?" The officer asked quietly.

"As far as I know he doesn't and I'd sure like to keep it that way." He requested.

"Yes, sir."

As the sergeant stepped back behind Clark, to monitor the visit, a loud buzz echoed in the visiting room before he heard the clang of metal doors and then the opening of another. "Prisoner on the deck."

And sporting the same insufferably smug smile he'd had at the Smallville Cemetery, Lex sat down on the other side of the wire partition, separating prisoners and visitors. He was accompanied by another prison guard who took up a similar position behind him. "What a pleasant surprise."

He wasn't about to exchange pleasantries with a man who'd had no compunction about coercing women into prostitution in order for them to keep their jobs. "You called this meeting, Luthor so let's get it over with."

"How is that gorgeous woman who keeps your bed warm?" His eyebrow lifted with a patrician air. "Do you satisfy her enough to keep her there?"

Lois had warned him.

"Lionel said you had some information that would help me track down the fellow who shot at Lois." Clark cut to the chase. "If you can help me, I'd like to hear it. But if this was just a ploy to get me up here, for whatever cat and mouse game you want to play, you can go to hell."

"I'm already there, Kent." His tone was bored, insolent; much as it had been the day before.

"Living like Al Capone more like." Clark replied. "I don't imagine the other prisoners take too kindly to that."

"The Luthor name has influence, even in here." He said, as though it explained everything. "They may not like it, but they'll do it because I pay them."

How? Had he smuggled money into prison? Searches were much too thorough to miss something as easily detectable as cash. His confusion at Lex's statement must have shown because he laughed. "Don't over think it, Kent. You'll never find out how and they'll have to take me out of here in a box before I tell you anything."

He didn't have time for this. "The information?"

"Yes, well; down to business I suppose." He sighed, sitting back in his chair.

"And the sooner the better," Clark heard the low voice of the sergeant behind him as he shifted his stance.

He couldn't agree more.

"I'm giving you one more opportunity, Luthor before I walk out of here." Clark stood up, his arms folded across his chest. "I've got a job to get back to."

"And which job would that be?" Lex grinned knowingly and Clark's heart skipped a hard beat while his stomach turned over. He couldn't possibly know, could he? "Clark Kent, mild-mannered newspaper reporter for The Daily Planet or Special Agent Clark J. Kent, hot shot G-man for the Federal Bureau of Investigation?"

He knew, but how?

"Conrad Burke has a loose tongue when plied with enough liquor, as you well know and he told me during one of our conversations he had a well-placed contact inside the FBI. Knowing he was going to be investigated, and after generously greasing his contact's palm, he was told that a local boy, that would be you, who'd gone to work for the Bureau was being sent home to the local field office to initiate the investigation against him and his dealings with me."

"And?" Clark wasn't about to confirm anything as he sat back down.

"And quite simply, the fellow I hired was supposed to take care of you and Lois Lane. Between her snooping and your investigation, I was looking at serious prison time. But with the both of you out of the way, I would have gotten away scot-free and my father wouldn't have had the leverage to force me into that sting operation.

"That night, as it so happens he went wide shooting at you. And he missed her only because you pulled her out of the way." He frowned, an honestly frustrated frown.

'I'm fine, except for the fact that someone shot at you.'

He shook his head. 'I don't think those shots were meant for me.'

"It was you who called her." Clark knew the voice he'd heard that night sounded familiar. "So you figured you'd scare the hell out of her to get her to stop cooperating and get Burke to use his contact to stall my investigation so you could go on as you had been."

"That was the general idea." He nodded. "But I hadn't counted on the influence Dad still had in Washington, so the whole thing ended up being moot anyway. But it seemed to work out quite well for you in the end, though didn't it? You get to bed that voluptuous songbird every night."

He certainly did.

But at that particular moment Clark Kent, FBI Special Agent had Lex backed into a corner and he was so full of himself he didn't realize it. His arrogance in bragging about the night Clark met Lois not only just got Alexander Luthor an attempted murder charge added to his prison sentence, but the further charge of attempted murder of a federal agent. And with the added federal charge, he could very well be transferred to Leavenworth.

"Are we through here?" He examined his fingernails again and looked at Clark. "I don't want to miss Perry Mason."

"You're going to need him, Luthor." The guard behind Lex spoke up. "You just got yourself more prison time because you've confessed to two counts of attempted murder, one of them of a federal agent."

The look of astonishment that rushed across his face made Clark want to laugh; but just as quickly, the look of surprise became smug. "You can't prove it."

"You just admitted to three witnesses, one of them the intended target, that you contracted someone to kill two people." Clark leaned forward, his forearms resting on the table in front of him.

"And if you'd bothered to pay attention to the warnings when you walked in here," The guard behind Clark pointed to a sign over his shoulder and indicated another behind Lex's. "You would have kept your trap shut because all conversations in the visiting room are monitored and recorded."

"This means we have, in your own words, a confession to arranging the attempted murder of me and my wife." Don't gloat, Clark.

"She wasn't your wife at the time." Lex seemed sure he had the upper hand.

"True," Clark answered curtly. "But she is now."

"This is entrapment." His calm veneer slipped. Lex may have been an arrogant ass, but he wasn't stupid.

"Nothing was coerced, Luthor." The guard behind him smiled. "You provided the information all on your own."

"I want my lawyer." He fixed Clark with a steady look before he stood up. "I'm done talking."

"What about the shooter?" Clark also stood.

"I've told you all I know, Kent." Lex shook his head as though to say, 'Poor sap.' "Guard, I'd like to go back to my cell now."

"Are you sure about that?"

"About telling you all I know or wanting to go back to my cell?" He chuckled and Clark wanted to reach through the partition and throttle him. But he'd promised Lois he wouldn't do anything rash, even if provoked. But as it turned out the guard escorting Lex, chided him.

"Don't be an ass, Luthor; just answer the man's question."

"I've told him everything I know, so I'd like to go back now." He repeated, visibly annoyed. "And get my lawyer up here, yesterday."

"You can call him yourself on the way back to your cell." He was told before taken by the arm and lead out of the room.

Clark sighed as he was escorted out of the visitor's door and down the hallway to the visitor's desk, where he would sign out and turn in his pass. And when he got home, he was going to indulge in a long, hot shower to try and wash off the past hour.

While he'd gotten the closest thing to a confession he was going to get as to what happened to Lois and him that night a year and a half ago, he still wasn't any closer to finding the fellow who was hired to carry out the order.

He might never be found and Clark was probably going to have to accept it.

"Hey, Duke! Gate Four, we've got a visitor going out." The guard stopped and held out his hand, which Clark took in a firm grasp and the two men shook hands. A loud buzz reverberated through the corridor as the gate unlocked with a metallic click. "It was nice meeting you, Agent Kent. We don't get many of you FBI boys here too often, we mostly see fellows from the KBI."

"This visit wasn't strictly business." Clark told him as the gate opened and he walked through before it was closed again, the guard on the other side.

"Luthor is rotten to the core, that's for sure." He nodded his understanding. "He doesn't know it yet, but we're moving him to solitary later this afternoon because someone in here thinks he is, too."

The unexpected news got Clark's attention. "Attempts have been made on his life?"

"A few; so far we've been able to put the kibosh on them before anything gets carried out, but-" The guard frowned and shook his head. "He seems oblivious to the fact there's a pecking order here."

"He's not oblivious, he just doesn't care."

"Well, it's going to get him killed, so that's why the warden decided to move him. We'd like Mr. Luthor to finish his extended stay with us alive and healthy so we can walk him out of here on his own two feet, not driven out in a hearse."

"After what he said this afternoon, he'll probably be staying with you a lot longer than he anticipated." Clark indulged in a laugh and it felt good.

"As long as it's solitary confinement, I won't mind." The guard laughed as well before he turned and walked back up the hall, whistling. He laughed again, because unless he missed his guess, the good sergeant was whistling "Mairzy Doats".

And as he turned in his visitor's badge, walked out of the prison and pulled in a deep breath of the clean, fresh air when he got outside; he found himself humming the same tune, too as he walked to his car:

Mairzy doats and dozy doats
And liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?
Yes! Mairzy doats and dozy doats
and liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?

If the words sound queer
And funny to your ear,
A little bit jumbled and jivey
Sing "Mares eat oats
And does eat oats
And little lambs eat ivy"

Oh! Mairzy doats and dozy doats
And liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?

The day hadn't turned out so badly after all.

TBC soon, I hope.