The next day Lois sat at her desk feeling the pressure of Lex Luthor gaining on her and she wanted to purge him from her life. She pulled up the photos on her computer of all the people she had that he had possibly and definitely held a hand in terminating. She still had Wesley's file. Staring at it she breathed deeply.
"Wesley," she whispered.
Having ripped off a few of Chloe's hacking skills, she grabbed her flash drive and left for Lex's place. She had to be free of him by the time her children were born. He poisoned everything he touched and she was tired of it.
Lois remembered the long conversations with Lana about him before she realized the depths of his neuroses. Lana had to find out the hard way and she'd be damned of she had to. She knew enough.
Parking far away from his house she walked several blocks without carrying anything. Her flash drive was tucked in her pocket and she concentrated on getting in without causing any disruptions to the Luthor estate.
Having done this before she made it into his office yet again, this time prepared to get what she came for. Lex seemed to be nowhere in sight, so she felt a little less nervous about taking a look around. Going over to his desk, she skimmed his drawers finding neat stacks of papers that she fussed through until she found a remote control. Taking it out, she slid her fingers over the buttons gently pushing them, awaiting a response.
Almost immediately the door to her left opened, revealing a secret room.
"Oh Lex, what did you do?"
Setting the remote back on the desk she walked to the room, not thinking twice before entering it. Walking inside the room, she felt a pain tear into her belly and she hunched over, grabbing a shelf flooded with green rocks. She cried out, knocking a rock onto the ground, landing on the floor.
"Help me!" she cried out, unable to move.
She breathed in, which only caused her more pain as she felt her stomach clamping. She reached her arm to the door and tried to get a good grip on it to pull herself out. She was finding it nearly impossible to stay conscious as she felt the beads of moisture collect over her body.
She closed her eyes but continued deep breaths. She didn't know how long she was in there, but just as she was about to close her eyes completely, she heard footsteps. Blinking her eyes open she called out again.
"Hello?" she rasped.
The cramping started when she tried to speak and she cried out in pain.
"Lois?"
"Lana? I'm in here!"
Lana rushed into the room to see Lois on the floor with kryptonite all around her. Lois had just enough strength to lift her head and beg Lana for help.
"Look, I know what I did to you but I'm going to die if you don't get me out of here. Please, help me."
Lana looked down at her new rival, holding her pregnant stomach and writhing in pain. Lois may not have understood exactly what was happening to her, but Lana knew. Lana could just shut the door and let it all be done. Lex hadn't been expecting her. She could destroy the security footage and be free as day.
"Lana!" Lois called to her. "Please, my babies!"
"Babies?" Lana asked.
"Yes, I'm having twins!"
Chloe hadn't told her. In all these days Chloe hadn't told her. Lois saw these thoughts splash over Lana's face.
"Lana, think whatever you're thinking later and help me out of here!"
Like a knee-jerk reaction Lana went into rescue mode.
"Okay, come here," she replied, throwing the fallen pieces of kryptonite from Lois as fast as she could.
"This is affecting my babies. I'm sure of it. Help me."
"I will! Grab onto my hands," Lana demanded gently, taking a strong grip on Lois's hot hands and pulling with all her might, dragging her out of there.
Lois cried out in pain until she felt the cool air and could breathe more easily again. Some of the rocks had fallen when she'd broken the shelf and they were still close to her.
"Please get this stuff away from me."
Lana nodded and gathered the rocks, putting them back in the room they were in before. Lois passed out on the floor, exhausted from the pain. Lana saw the remote on the table and with a few buttons she erased the last twenty minutes and killed the cameras in the room. She hadn't been Mrs. Lex Luthor for nothing.
"Lois?" Lana asked, coming down to the ground to help her.
"Help me, please," was all she could say.
"Oooh, okay easy," Lana said to her. "Okay, don't move. Just give me your cell phone, I'll call an ambulance."
"I don't have a phone on me," Lois muttered, clenching her teeth.
"That's alright. Try and breathe, Lois. Can you walk?"
"Not yet."
Lana knew Lex would be home any second. She didn't have her own cell and he would find out they were there if the ambulance came onto the property anyway.
"Lex!" she shouted out, trying to gather Lois up off the floor.
"What are doing?" Lois panted in agony. "You're calling the man who has a room full of that stuff that did that to me."
"He's studying it but he doesn't know what it does. We don't have time to argue this. He needs to get you an ambulance-LEX!"
Lois adjusted herself into Lana's lap and began breathing in and out to try to deal with the cramping.
"I can't lose these babies," Lois repeated.
Lex burst through the doors hearing Lana in distress. Stunned, it wasn't his former wife but her new rival who needed assistance. Bending down he looked at Lois who could barely get enough energy to hate him in the moment.
"What happened?" he asked, concerned, instantly trying to aid Lois.
"I found her on the floor in pain. She's having pains in her stomach and she's afraid it's affecting her babies. We need to call an ambulance, Lex."
"I've got a better idea," he said reaching his arms beneath Lois's quivering body and lifting her up into his arms.
"Don't hurt me," she pleaded, and if she'd been any stronger she would've told him to go fuck himself.
Tears were streaming down her face, half in pain, half in fear. Lex Luthor carried Lois Lane outside to his limo where he tucked her into the backseat, climbing in afterwards with Lana.
"Smallville Medical Center," he told the driver.
Lois crossed her arms over her stomach and Lex placed Lois between his legs, holding her as still as possible.
"Okay, what happened?"
"I found her lying on the ground and I called for help," Lana told him.
"It hurts," Lois breathed.
"Here, take my hand," Lana said.
"Thank you," Lois said, taking it and squeezing hard.
Lex gave her some water.
"Drink this slowly. We'll be there shortly."
"Do you feel like you're bleeding any, Lois?" Lana asked.
"If I am, it's very small amounts. But if you hadn't been there…"
"I was. And the doctors have lots of help they're going to give you. Everything's going to be fine."
"Do you want me to call Clark?" Lex asked.
"Yes, call both Clark and Chloe and have them meet us there," Lois moaned.
"Lex, she might be more comfortable that way but she needs a seatbelt," Lana said.
"You're right. Lois, I'm going to move you now, easy," Lex said.
Lois swallowed the water in small amounts. "The pain is beginning to ease," she breathed, not sure how she felt about these two being so nice to her.
Lex gently pulled Lois fully up on the seat beside him and buckled her securely but then allowed her to lean on him.
"Give me that hand-towel," Lex said to Lana who sat across from him.
She did and he dipped it in the bucket of ice that held the champagne.
"Entertaining someone?" Lana asked.
"Do you care?" he replied, placing gentle dabs on Lois's face to revive her. "I don't see any blood. You said she's having twins?"
"Yes, news to me too."
"Well, I'm no doctor but I have no idea what happened."
Lois eyed him with anger. "Tell me you'll do the right thing for once in your miserable life and really take me to a hospital."
"Where else would I take you?"
"God knows," she coughed.
"Don't decide I'm the devil without having all the facts."
"You are the devil," Lois replied softly.
Lex sighed, still dabbing her face with the wet towel.
"What were you doing in my house?"
"Lex, now's not the time to interrogate her," Lana said.
"I'm trying to distract her."
"No, you're not. Let her be, Lex."
Lex agreed momentarily and got out his cell phone, getting a hold of Clark. Somehow, Lex knew Clark would be there before they arrived. Pulling into the emergency section of the hospital, Lex unbuckled Lois and gently gathered her from the car. She seemed much better, though Lex insisted that she stay very still. Lana and Lex got her medical attention and met up with Clark immediately.
"Where is she?" Clark demanded.
"They're working on her," Lana said.
"How is it you always manage to be here so quickly?" Lex asked suspiciously. "And where's Chloe?"
"She'll be here soon. What happened to her?"
"I found her on the floor. I didn't have my cell so Lex offered to drive us here. He assumed it'd be faster than waiting for an ambulance and I couldn't disagree, Clark."
"What if she was denied medical attention that could've helped her?"
"Clark, we got her here faster. She is receiving medical attention."
"You just…found her on the floor?"
"I came to see Lex about organizing an event and I found her in pain. I called out for Lex and he brought us to the hospital."
"See, despite what you may think, Clark, I am not the enemy."
"We'll see," he retorted.
Clark left to go find Lois's doctor.
"You expect me to believe you came to see me to discuss colliding event schedules for a social event?" Lex asked Lana.
Lana arched her back trying to stand tall for Lex. He would never make her feel weak again.
"Believe what you want, Lex."
"It's getting harder, isn't it?"
"What?"
"I don't know what Lois was doing at my place, but whatever the reason, you were there because you needed a reason. You needed a reason to see me. You may hate me. I'm sure you always will and perhaps with good reason, but that still doesn't change a thing."
And with that, he walked away.
Lana tried to shake him off, the leftover feelings that she couldn't quite decipher stirred inside her as she went in search of Clark. She found him outside of Lois's room waiting for her doctor to come out. She stood beside him as waited impatiently.
"So what really happened?"
"She was exposed to green kryptonite. Clark I-I tried to get her away from it as fast as I could. She felt a little better after I got it away from her but I think it really affected her baby-babies."
Clark's heart sped up in fear.
"Hey," Lana assured. "Don't worry. Don't you usually have to sweat it out? Just give them time. They'll be okay."
"What the hell was she doing in that room at Lex's?"
"I don't know."
They were silent for another moment. The question of their conversation from weeks earlier pounded in Lana's curiosity.
"What about Jor-El? Have you talked about it with her?"
"No."
"So…you haven't even told her?"
"Lana, this isn't something I feel like discussing with you right now."
"You have to do it, Clark."
"I can't! You were the one who didn't want me to!"
"Clark-"
"Lana!"
They were interrupted by Lois's voice behind the curtain.
"I'm okay! Thank you but I'm alright!"
Clark couldn't take it and he opened the curtain and saw her lying in a bed hooked up to IVs.
"Clark!" she cried out.
He rushed to her, taking her hand and kneeling beside her.
"How do you feel?"
"Better," she said. "Much better. But I've never been so scared in all my life."
"What were you doing at Lex's?"
Lois rolled her eyes. "Being stupid. Clark, I could hear you and Lana. Pieces of it, anyway. Lana?"
She saw Lana walk towards them.
"What is it? What's going on?"
"Nothing—"
"Clark," Lois warned.
Clark and Lana looked at each other with guilt and Lana spoke up first.
"You remember the day Chloe first announced you were pregnant."
"How could I forget?" Lois responded sarcastically, adjusting herself on the pillows.
"Clark and I were having an argument that day about Jor-El. Jor-El has been sort of…demanding that Clark go to his Fortress of Solitude for an extended period of time to train him to use his powers. Clark and I had been arguing about that for some time. Jor-El is relentless and Clark does want to learn."
"Correction, wanted."
Lois looked back and forth between Lana and Clark, not having any idea what to say with the two of them there together knowing far more about this than she did.
"Lana, could Lois and I have a moment?" Clark said.
Lana, once again frustrated that she was unnecessary and no more useful than a piece of discarded clothing left them alone.
"Lana!" Lois called after her. Lana looked back briefly. "Thank you," she said sincerely.
Lois's heart filled with terror as she feared losing Clark like she did Oliver. But Oliver didn't compare.
"How long would you be gone?"
"I don't know, a long time. It was something that he felt necessary to reach my full potential and it was something I wanted to do so that if a bus full of people were in trouble, I could save them. So that if I wanted to travel around the world to make a difference, I could. But now I know I can't do it."
"Because of me, right? Because of what I said to you the first night we were together. About Oliver."
"No, because we're having children and I don't want to miss a second of the pregnancy or their lives."
"Clark, while that's lovely and looks good on paper, you're not just a father. You are a hero. This is a definite part of your life. You should at least follow up with Jor-El and see how long this will take. Don't hold back who you are because of something I said in a moment of pain."
"I don't want to go. I don't want to be in a place where I'd be away from you or this," he said with a hand on her stomach.
"You have to go to him and see. What are you going to do? Go when they're two or three? Ten years down the road? You have to take the opportunity when they're still growing inside me. I can be pregnant on my own."
"No," he said, shaking his head.
"Clark," she said firmly. "This is important. Go to him. Go to your father."
"He's not my father."
"Fine. Whatever Jor-El is to you. You need to pursue this."
He let out an angry sigh.
"I'll talk to him."
"That's all I'm asking."
Chloe rushed in at that moment.
"Hey! What happened?"
"I have an errand to run," Clark said standing up. "Would you promise me you'll stay with Lois?"
Chloe nodded. "Of course."
Clark caressed Lois's face.
"I'll be back. I'll always be back."
She bit her lip to hold back the tears. If she cried he wouldn't do it. She held his hand until he let it go. She watched him leave. Chloe came over and sat beside her.
"Lana says you were exposed to kryptonite in Lex's house?"
"Yeah, not my brightest move."
"Lois," Chloe sympathized. "Are you still in pain?"
"They did an emergency ultrasound and everything looks fine. Then they stuck all these IVs in me and I finally told them to leave me alone. I wanted to see Clark."
"So where did you send Clark to?"
"The Fortress of Solitude to see Jor-El. Apparently he's supposed to be training with him for a really long time."
"What? Now?"
Lois ran her fingers through her hair with frustration.
"I have no idea."
"Wait, one thing at a time. The doctors think your babies are going to be all right?"
"As far as they can see. I feel much better. Like it wears off. But I'm telling you Chloe, it was like I was dying, but through them. They were dying inside of me and I could feel their pain."
Chloe took Lois's hand.
"It's going to be fine."
"I don't know. I just sent Clark off. I can't keep him from doing what he needs to do. If there's a plane crashing and he can save it, how can I be so vain as to stop him?"
"You're not vain."
"Lois?"
They both looked to see Lana.
"Yeah?" Lois asked, sitting up against the pillows.
"You sent Clark off?"
"Yes, to get more information."
Lana nodded.
"I get that you are with him now but I was with him for seven years. I loved him more than I ever loved anyone or anything. I was the one who held him while he slept and loved in the hardest moments and in one breath you took that all from me. I know we weren't best friends but we had our moments. I saved your life the first time we met. You talked to me about Lex and made me understand things no one else did. You make people think things, Lois. Do you understand that?"
Lana felt the fury towards Lois tumble out of her. Chloe stood up.
"Lana, maybe this isn't the time—"
"You think you're this strong woman," she continued ruthlessly. "You think you're this post-feminist icon but in reality you're nothing more than a child who steals another woman's man when she's lonesome."
Lois tried to take it with dignity but she felt the tears prickling the more Lana went on.
"You took something that wasn't yours to take and you just keep asking. Then you try and make yourself the hero and it's false. I will never forgive you and I will always look at you and see you pregnant and know that these children—"
"HEY!" Chloe said.
Lois's mouth trembled as she silently cried.
"She nearly lost those children," Chloe said. "Lana, please. You have every right to be angry but yell at her when she's not in a hospital bed."
"She put herself there," Lana replied, leaving.
Chloe wanted to go after her best friend and comfort her cousin at the same time. Lois won, of course. She was pissed off at Lana for endangering Lois's unborn babies. Chloe sat down, trying to comfort her cousin.
"Don't," she told Lois.
"Don't what? Think she's right?" Lois asked.
"Okay, so maybe you got pregnant when Clark wasn't exactly free as a bird but you did it once. You made a mistake. People make mistakes. You can't beat yourself up about it forever."
"She held my hand in the car. She helped me. I almost forgot I hurt her that badly."
"She lost Clark."
Lois nodded. "I may know what that's going to feel like. I shouldn't say this because I'm pregnant but I may regret…all of this."
"No," Chloe said. "Why would you say that?"
"Because of who Clark is. I tried so hard to believe he was different. And he needs this destiny. He is this destiny. He deserves to have it and so does this planet. I shouldn't stop him."
"But it doesn't mean that you two still can't have the same life. He just needs to train to develop all his powers. And that'll be hard but once he's done with that he'll be with you. Think about that. He's left his farm for you. You two are moving soon. He's left everything for you."
Lois nodded.
"But he knew about this and he didn't tell me."
"Well, obviously he didn't think he was going to do it. So it didn't matter. You're now the one pushing him to do it because you think it's right. And I'm proud of you for that."
"Yeah, give me a gold star. I was just finally getting to the place with the house and the baby pictures and the phone calls from my father and Mrs. Kent and I thought…I mean I really thought finally, maybe I wouldn't be doing this alone."
"Clark would never go away forever."
"He and Lana wouldn't have been fighting about it if it weren't for a really, really long time and right now, with a pregnancy, with children, everyday something new happens. I will never be able to duplicate these memories for him if he leaves. But he has to. I don't want them to not remember him. I have to let him go right now. Before we even move in."
"Are you sure? Right now? In two weeks, don't you find out what the genders are? Don't you at least want him to know that?"
"Give me your cell, lemme make an emergency appointment with her."
"Aren't you supposed to not use cell phones in a hospital?" Chloe asked, getting it out.
"They'll have to live," Lois replied, taking it and dialing her obstetrician.
Thankfully, Lois's doctor had given her emergency cell number in case anything went wrong. Lois informed her they needed to schedule that appointment tomorrow or the next day, and if the results weren't as accurate then they'd just have to live with it. Her doctor was very understanding and made two possible squeezed in appointments.
Chloe took the cell phone and put a hand on Lois's shoulder.
"Lo, come on, it's gonna get better."
"Could you do me one last favor? And it's the biggest favor of all?"
"What?"
"Get me out of here, take me home and then heal my babies? Just a little bit. Nothing like what you did to me last time. I promise I'll take care of you. You just need to rest, right?"
"Yeah, the side effects make me die…literally, but if it's just a little, then it's just wildly uncomfortable for a short amount of time. But for your babies, of course."
"I promise to stop long before anything approaching death happens to you."
Lois pushed a lock of Chloe's blonde hair out of her eyes.
"Let's go."
Lois took her IVs out, trusting Chloe, and when the doctors ordered against her leaving she flatly told them she knew what she was doing. Chloe got Lois delicious take-out and took her back to the Kent's farm.
Preparing to touch Lois, she gave Lois her healing ability and Lois felt everything heal inside and then covered Chloe up on her couch to recover. It scared Lois that she could harm Chloe like this but her babies were her first priority. She knew her cousin would be fine. It seemed that Chloe might even be learning to control it.
At the Fortress of SolitudeClark barely felt the cold as he entered the depths of the caves.
"Jor-El!" he called out.
"My son, you've returned."
"Only for a minute, I need to ask favors of you."
"You can ask."
"Before, when we'd talked about this training, we never got around to discussing how long it would take."
"Three years for it."
Clark shook his head.
"No, no that's not possible anymore. Lois is pregnant. We're having children of our own being born. I cannot miss them being born."
"You cannot have everything Kal-El. You must choose your path. Though I've told you before, not following through on your mission would bring only harm to you and your loved ones."
"Don't double talk me. I know there are dangers back on Earth. Surely you can find a way to teach me. Can't you lessen the time, or bend time in this place?"
"Why would I do anything—"
"Because I need you to, that's why. I'm willing to be here everyday, for however long you need me as long as Lois doesn't feel it; as long as they don't feel it. So that on the day my children are born, I am there. Do it to me, but not them. Just tell me there's a way."
"There is. There's always a way, Kal-El. But you're correct in that you cannot leave. You will feel the three years. Everyday you will feel it. You won't see her grow with your children, living in your new house. All of that you will miss. And if I let you go when she has the children, there will be a condition."
Clark clenched his angry fists.
"What?"
"You have to bring my grandchildren to me."
"My children will live their own life and have freedom," Clark said firmly.
"I will see them. That's what I demand."
Fear of what Jor-El might do rose inside Clark. He wasn't naïve or careless with his unborn children. He feared something larger was coming and his family's safety came first. Jor-El was willing to help him with that. Clark would fight Jor-El to the end on anything he thought he might do with the children.
"Can Lois come too when I let you see them?"
"Granted."
"We have a deal. Alright. Give me forty-eight hours."
~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~