A.N: Some people felt that Lois's actions were OOC in the last chapter, and even though she'd never protect a criminal, I do believe she'd protect a friend. And John Corben was a friend at the time. Despite Chloe's actions in s8, she still loved her cousin and wanted to knock some sense into her, but she wouldn't have turned her back on her. The way I interpret Lois Lane, is a person who's passionate and completely loyal to her friends, no matter what they do wrong. That's how I wanted her to come across in the last chapter. But don't worry, that won't last long... John Corben is destined to be a villain after all :-)

Chapter 13

She looked up when there was a knock on her bedroom door.

"Come in", she called out quietly.

Clark poked his head inside cautiously.

"May I come in?"

"Yeah", she nodded sitting up, "What's going on?"

"John just called me", he said stepping in to the room, "When he went to arrest Corben, he was no longer there…"

"And the stolen jewels", she asked.

"They were there", he nodded, "They matched prints to him."

She nodded.

"So they're looking for him then", she stated.

"Yeah", he said, "Do you have any idea where he'd go… to hide?"

"No", she shook her head, "Sorry…"

"Don't worry about it", he smiled, "I'm going to join Oliver on a patrol tonight… will you be okay alone?"

"I'm a grown woman Clark", she smirked, "I know how to dial 9-1-1…"

"Or you can just dial me", he said softly, "I'd get here faster than the police…"

"You are my 9-1-1 call", she smiled softly.

"I'll be back as soon as I can", he said softly and turned to leave.

"Clark?"

"Yeah Lois?"

She stood up from the bed and walked up to him placing her hands on his shoulders and leaning in closely. He gasped softly. She leaned in and kissed his cheek softly.

"I'm sorry I lied to you", she said.

He smiled.

"It's okay", he said, "You were trying to protect your friend…"

"Be careful", she smiled.

"I always am", he said and winked before super speeding away.

"Good luck, Smallville."

~*~

He watched from the porch as she poured herself a glass of milk. She was wearing her pajama shorts and a tank top. It was turning him on to no end. He watched in anticipation as her shirt lifted when she reached for a cabinet for a plate to place her snack.

He watched her as she sat down and began to eat.

He smiled when a plan formed in his head.

~*~

Lois peeked around the corner of the kitchen when she heard a knocking on the front door. She wondered who would be at the farm this late. Clark still wasn't back yet.

She walked toward the door and opened it slowly stepping outside into the cool night and wrapped her arms around her bare skin.

She didn't see anyone or anything and shrugged turning to walk back inside when she was attacked from behind. Her attacker placed a cloth with Chloroform over her mouth and Lois struggled at the first whiff she got. After a few seconds of merciless struggle everything went dark and she fell limp in his arms.

~*~

She awoke to feel herself sitting on a cold wet ground with her hands tied to a pipe. She effortlessly stood up and tried to pull her hands through the small holes.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you…"

She gasped and turned around to see her attacker walking toward her.

"John", she asked, "What the hell?"

He walked up to her in blind rage and held her chin in his hand.

"What the hell? What the hell? WHAT THE HELL?!"

Her eyes widened.

"I'll tell you what the hell", he said forcefully dropping her chin and pointing in her face, "You betrayed me. You turned your back on me. You turned me in."

"John", she tried, "I'm sorry…"

"The ironic part is I wanted to give you the world, Lois", he said, "I could see myself spending the rest of my life with you…"

"John please-"

"Now, if I can't have you… No one can…"

He started walking away leaving her in the dark.

"I'll see you real soon, baby, I've got to go kill your boyfriend."

She watched him walk away and felt a tear trickle down her cheek.

~*~

Clark super sped into the farm house and searched for her.

"Lois", he called out.

He watched Shelby trudged over to him, defeated and upset, and crouched down to pet him.

"What is boy", he asked, "Where's Lois?"

He heard the dog whimper and looked up in utter fear.

"Lois", Clark called out one more time before super speeding through the house and barn. He searched a mile in each direction of the house just in case.

He stopped in his drive way again looking to see her car still parked where it was when he left, meaning she hadn't gone in to town.

He looked down on the porch when he climbed up the steps to go into the house and found it. A cloth casually left behind. He picked it up and sniffed it smelling Chloroform and closed his eyes.

He super sped in the direction of Metropolis toward Watchtower and arrived haggardly.

"Clark", Oliver looked up from the monitors, "Didn't you just leave… What… you miss me already?"

"Lois is gone", he said stretching his hand to hand Oliver the cloth, "it's Chloroform…"

"Are you sure", Oliver asked looking down at the piece of cloth.

"I'm sure", he nodded.

"Zod never needed to use this stuff", Oliver said slowly, "He just used brunt force…."

"This wasn't Zod", Clark said slowly looking at his friend, "This was John…"

"Jones?"

"Corben", Clark clarified.

"I thought he was-"

"He's alive and well", Clark said, "Saw him with my own two eyes in my barn last night and in his apartment with all the stolen jewels today…"

"Clark… so tonight… that's the thief we were looking for?"

"I've already told Jones", he said, "But Corben was gone before John and his department could pick him up… I think he's got Lois…"

"Why would he have Lois?"

"I don't know", Clark said shaking his head, "But I feel like there's not much time, Oliver… we need to get the team together now…"

"Alright", Oliver said nodding, "I'll call Bruce, Victor and Dinah…"

"I'll call Chloe, Jimmy, AC and Bart", Clark nodded turning to leave with cell phone in hand.

"Clark", Oliver called out causing the tall man to turn around, "We'll find her. She's going to be fine."

Clark nodded.

"I know…"

~*~

Lois shook from the cold and her lack of clothing. She wished she'd worn a t-shirt and jeans but the bastard caught her before going to bed. She tried to get herself loose from the cuffs again and hissed when all that did was cut through her wrists even more.

"They're secured; you're not going anywhere…"

"John", she called out softly.

"I'm right here", he said stepping closer.

She gasped at the sight. Gone was the steel piece around his chest and most skin tissue surrounding.

"What happened to you", she asked calmly.

"Apparently, skin rots", he said walking toward her, "especially dead skin…"

"Oh God", she gagged seeing the insides of his chest.

"Don't be so disgusted, Lois", he sneered.

"When Clark finds me-"

"When he finds you", John laughed, "I'm counting on it…."

"Good, then I hope you're ready for the beating of your life", she glared.

"Oh I am", John smirked, "But this time he'll have a tragic death that even he can't come back from."

John stepped closer to her and that's when she noticed it; the piece of rock in his chest.

"What is that", she asked.

"This", he asked pointing, "My life force."

He shrugged.

"The professor said something of it being made of meteor rock or something like that", John shrugged.

"From Smallville", she asked.

"Yeah", he nodded.

"Oh my God", she closed her eyes and repeated softly, "Oh my God…"

"What", he asked.

She shook her head and he grabbed her chin to keep her head still.

"What", he asked angrily.

She spit in his face shocking him.

"You monster", she glared.

John back handed roughly with his steel hand. She began to bruise on the cheek.

"I'm sorry", he said smoothing her cheek and petting her, "I'm sorry."

She tried withering out of his grasp.

"Stay away from me", she said pulling away.

He watched her in horror as the bruise got darker and nastier shade of green and yellow. He stepped back from her.

"I'm sorry, Lois", he said seriously and walked away from her.

She cried softly when he left, hoping and praying that Clark never found her.

~*~

"So where would he go", Chloe asked aloud.

"He'd have to go underground", Jimmy said, "Here's the background check, Bright Eyes."

She took the folder from him and smiled.

"Thank you", she said softly and looked through the pages, "No family…. Clark, he's on his own."

"The only person he knew in Metropolis, even briefly was Lois and… Perry…"

"And Jimmy", Chloe said slowly.

"So who's unaccounted for in this picture", Bruce said, "Jimmy's here, Lois is with him so that leaves…"

"Perry", Clark nodded walking toward the door, "I'll go warn him… you guys keep looking…"

"Clark", Chloe said, "Be careful… this guy's more dangerous than we thought…"

He nodded.

"I will", he smiled sadly and then gestured to the team, "Keep looking…"

She nodded as he super sped out the door.