Chapter 12

Lois, after sleeping most of the plane ride to England, exited out of the cab and looked at the small castle Lex and Lana were now occupying. Oliver had offered Lois personal security guards and they flew with her on the plane, but she demanded to go by herself to see Lana. She felt very pregnant and slightly nauseous, but that wouldn't stop her from doing what she flew across several states and an entire ocean to do.

Ringing the doorbell, she waited until a woman that she'd never seen before answered.

"Is Lana Lang available?"

The woman had only edged the door open enough for her head to stick out as if she was trying to keep herself and the mansion away from the outside world. "Can I tell her who's asking for her?"

"Yeah, Lois Lane?"

Instantly the woman's eyebrows sank and her mouth hardened.

"Lois Lane," she repeated, now opening the door and stepping out. "I finally meet the arrogant reporter trying to take out Lex. What's it take for you to gear up the nerve to stand outside his house and bother Lana Lang?"

"I'm sorry, you are?"

"Mercy Graves. I've read your reports. You are quite talented but no matter what tabloid-fashion lies you write, you will never stop Lex from the good he's doing around the world."

Lois blinked several times in utter shock.

"Be still my heart," she replied as calmly as she could. "I don't know if you're his butler or his chef but you know nothing—"

"Lex saved me. I know him like no one else."

"Oh how wonderful for you," Lois replied sarcastically. "I'm sure Lana is thrilled about that. Speaking of which, is she here?" she said, walking up the steps and trying to push past Mercy.

"Oh no," Mercy said, pushing Lois back with incredible force. "You're not going anywhere near Lex or anything he values."

Breathing through her nausea, Lois swallowed her anger.

"You don't own Lex, or Lana, or this mansion. I'm not here to see Lex or bother any of his precious belongings. Let me by or ask Lana to come through to me. I have two babies inside me, one climbing up my ribcage, but I can still scream. Don't push me."

"What is going on?" a third voice asked, emerging from inside.

"Lana?" Lois asked.

Mercy, rolling her eyes, stepped aside to let Lana see who it was.

"Lois," Lana exclaimed, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Are you really going to give her your time?" Mercy asked, annoyed.

"Don't you have a dish to wash or a phone to answer?" Lois asked Mercy.

Mercy didn't move. Lana watched her glare at Lois.

"It's okay, Mercy. I know Lois."

"If you don't know by now what Lois's endgame is, you need to think about it," Mercy told Lana.

Lois, trying to refrain from throwing up, kept her mouth shut.

"Thank you, I can handle this," Lana replied.

Mercy reluctantly walked away. Lana leaned against the doorway, resisting a smile along side Lois as they bonded over the mutual dislike of Lex's employee.

"Where did you find her?"

"I didn't. Lex did."

"You must be exhausted."

"Lois, what are you doing here?" Lana said, no longer enjoying the bonding experience.

"Yeah, I suppose I need to answer that. I came to see you. Do you think we could get some lunch somewhere? I've been flying for ten hours."

"You came here to ask me out to lunch?"

Lois couldn't take it anymore. She rolled up her sleeve and revealed a bracelet with a tiny button on the inside to which she pressed down on.

"What's that?" Lana asked.

"I'm activating this. It's a bug killer or an anti-eaves dropping device. Whatever you'd like to call it, that's what it is."

"Where'd you get it?"

"Doesn't matter, we don't have time for that. Lana, I know you will never reach a day where you don't hate me. I accept that and I understand it. But I have four minutes to convince you to leave Lex Luthor's new mansion and talk to me out in public where there are fewer video cameras and bugs that can record your every movement and conversation."

"And why should I trust you? Why shouldn't I let Mercy, insane as she may be, slam the door in your face?"

"Because you love Clark. You want him to be alive. No matter how badly he's hurt you, no matter how much pain he's caused you, you two have had seven years together and nothing I could do will ever erase or replace that."

Lois exhaled, not used to begging.

"So please, don't say anything more about how I got here or why I'm here. Not in front of or on the grounds of this mansion. Let's get out of here, together, and I will tell you what's going on, and why I'm here."

Lana stayed where she was.

"For Clark," Lois pushed.

"Is he ever going to be the one who sees me himself or is it always going to be your very pregnant self that I get so I'm reminded of what happened between you two while I was at home?"

"Like I said, I will tell you everything. Two minutes. Can we get out of here?"

Lana hesitated.

"I'll get my purse. You can come in."

"No thanks, I don't need to be screamed at by your lovely chauffeur. Though, we can take a cab, right?"

"I have my own car, I'll drive."

Lois quenched, how would she not talk about Clark in the car? Five minutes later she was trying her ass off.

"Thank you. How far is the nearest place?"

"Don't worry about it. I'm not taking you for a drive through the city."

Lois looked behind her to see if she could see Oliver's security behind them. Like any good protection, they knew how to remain hidden.

"What?"

"Nice car," Lois commented intentionally.

"A charitable divorce settlement will buy you a lot."

"Didn't you use all that up creating Isis? I mean, I'm glad if you've found someone to be happy with. After all, as I recall the last time you were considering Lex we talked for hours, but doesn't the whole faking pregnancy thing take more than a nice new car to fix?"

"Considering you're pregnant with my boyfriend's children, maybe you shouldn't judge who I'm with."

"It's your life."

Lois leaned back against the seat, breathing in and out.

"Are you alright?" Lana asked.

"I'm fine," Lois said quickly.

"You can tell me, you know. You don't have to spare my feelings just because you're the one who's pregnant and I'm not."

"They're just…there are two of them and they're having a hard time sharing room. A glass of cold milk will help."

"Well, we're pulling up."

Lois noted that in a place with no parking, Lana went ahead and parked there anyway. Obviously she was enjoying the power of being connected to Lex again. Lois carefully unbuckled her seatbelt and tipped herself out of the car. Sitting down in the small café, she picked up a menu after ordering milk and water from a very cute British waiter. It pissed her off that even when she was pregnant he still looked at her breasts.

"Well, here we are, away from Lex's house, away from anything he could've put a bug on; unless you'd like to scan my clothes. Did you bring something to do that with?"

Lois wanted to give Lana hell. Despite what she'd done, she wanted to get Lana's word that no matter how great Lex might be in bed that they still wouldn't endanger Clark's life. Lois was beginning to lose her patience, though, and the guilt was no longer making her feel like she needed to go through all of Lana's pettiness.

"Lana, did it ever occur to you that it might be for your safety too?"

"I know what I'm doing this time."

"You knew what you were doing last time!"

"Lois, just tell me what you came here to tell me and spare me the lecture. You are no woman of virtue."

Lois exhaled calmly. "You know where Clark is."

"I'm sure I could make an educated guess."

"Clark and Lex are no longer chummy. If you'd like to put it that way, and whatever you now believe about Lex, however noble he may be to you, I'm asking you to not tell Lex where to Clark is."

Drinks arrived. Lois drank her milk quickly, getting a milk mustache.

"Have I yet?"

"I have no idea what you've been doing. He could be off trying to find Clark for all I know."

"Well then he'd be looking in a very strange place."

"You mean you…you've been leading him off track?"

Now it was Lana's turn to be frustrated.

"Why can't you ever just leave Lex alone? This move has been good for him. I want him away from Smallville and his business in Metropolis and Lionel and ALL of you. You bring him down, you make him obsessed with things I'm trying to break him free of."

Lana tried to get up but Lois put a hand on Lana's.

"Lana, wait!"

"What? Why are you so desperate? You know that I'm trying to help someone too. I'm trying very hard to get inside of Lex and see if there's anything left to save and while you, you who got pregnant with the man I loved more than anything are flying on your ex-boyfriend's jet to lecture ME on whether I'm being loyal enough to Clark!"

"Don't, don't do this, Lana."

Lana took her hand back, getting out some money for Lois.

"Here, it's on me. Have a meal before you get back on the plane. Go home, pick out baby names, love the man that's away and await his return. Do that and nothing else. I've got my own life to lead and it has nothing to do with yours."

She watched the dark haired girl leave her sight, but for the plane ride home she couldn't get Lana or Mercy out of her head.

~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~