Note: I know I indicated this chapt would be the Clark POV, but I'd rather show his feelings than tell it. Also, figured we needed to get back to a little bit of action, so…hope you all enjoy! Thank you so very much for the support and feedback. It means so much more than you know! :)
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Chapter 7
Breaking News: Unexpected tornado hits Gotham City. Strikes and disappears without warning. Meteorologists calling it an anomaly.
Bruce Wayne watched as the anchor of Gotham City's premiere local news station, Arthur Pace, broke into regularly schedule programming to deliver an unusual bit of information to the unsuspecting citizens of Gotham City.
"We are receiving reports that an apparent tornado hit Gotham City about an hour and a half ago. For more details let us turn to our on site reporter, Chad Winter. Chad, what do you know about this afternoon's events?"
The camera flashed on to an overly toothy male with a bad suntan and bleached hair. "Well, Artie, I can tell you more about what we don't know. Which is a lot. We had no indication of any kind that a major storm was heading our way and honestly, the way it acted, we're not even sure it was a tornado."
"What do you mean by 'the way it acted'?"
"It appears that, without warning, it hit just the center of downtown wreaking havoc in one central location." Pictures flashed behind the flamboyant reporter's back. "Billboards were destroyed. Newspaper stands were uprooted. Benches splintered to bits. There are even crater-like holes in the pavement." The reporter paused to throw in an extra bit of sensational news. "Ironically enough, only billboards with Bruce Wayne's image were destroyed."
A picture appeared. A close up of a billboard with half of Bruce's face missing. Another with his name wiped out with pinpoint precision. Still another, of a mouthless Wayne spouting printed words about Wayne Industries striving for 'security, trust and permanence' for the people of Gotham.
"How astounding." Arthur responded with the expected hint of surprise. "Sounds like this tornado has a vengeance against the head of Wayne Industries."
"It does indeed." Winter agreed. "And, though there were reports of earthquake like tremors, no other damage was indicated. And just as amazingly, no one was hurt."
"Yes, that is very good news." Arthur returned an obligatory sigh of relief. "And so, did this anomaly with a vendetta hit one spot then disappear?"
"Actually, no." Chad continued, knitting his brows together in overly exaggerated concern. "There is a path of craters from central Gotham to the outskirts of town. The…anomaly…appears have headed in the direction of Wayne Manor."
"Wayne Manor?" Though his lips were tuned downward, Arthur couldn't hide the glint of joy in his eyes. Anything that could cut down the elite of the city was, in Arthur Pace's eyes, not a bad thing.
"Yes, and we've just now learned that a very large and erratic swathe has been cut through Wayne Forest. The damage is…" He indicated an aerial shot behind him of the forest. For once, the media got it right. Then again, 'large' and 'erratic' were so clearly the correct terms to use, they would have been idiots to have missed it. "…well, I'm sure you can see."
"Yes, I certainly can." Arthur Pace responded. "It seems Mr. Wayne not only has a wedding to plan, but a forest to replant and an angry storm to stop…"
The rest of the report quickly denigrated then to the equivalent of a gossip show with no relevant news to offer. With steepled hands and eyes narrowed, Bruce uttered one word.
"Interesting."
He wasn't at all surprised when, only a few minutes later, Alfred entered the study with an announcement. "Master Bruce, he's here. Clark Kent, I mean. And…he's demanding to see Miss Lois. He is, might I add, in person…quite…impressive."
Bruce contemplated the news in silence. If he hadn't been sure before what this new 'anomaly' in Gotham was, he was sure now. And it appeared their latest tornado had a name and a manner that even caused Alfred's usually unshakable voice to lilt with admiration. He was, as stated, clearly impressed.
"Master Bruce?"
"Yes, Alfred, I heard you." Bruce pushed himself out of his chair and turned to face his butler with a quiet command. "Bring him here to the study, wait ten minutes, then fetch Miss Lane."
"Shall I tell her, sir? That she has a visitor."
"No. Tell her I need to speak with her."
"And if she is unwilling given the…" Alfred chose his word carefully. "…information she's just received?"
Bruce crossed to the bar and poured a glass of amber liquid. A tremor slipped through his hand. "Tell her I normally wouldn't bother her at such a time, but it would be a special favor to me if she would accompany you."
"Sir, do you think it wise to let him see her at this important juncture?"
"It really isn't my choice." Though Bruce replied drolly, the impatient hitch of his shoulders indicated he was feeling the gravity of the moment. The turn of events.
Alfred pushed his luck. "But, sir, now is a delicate time for Miss Lane. Perhaps you should speak to her first. Prepare her. Maybe even secure her affections…"
Bruce's sharp, staccato sigh filled the room. He replaced the decanter with a thud. "Alfred, no one can stop destiny. I have, however, had a little luck in delaying it. And right now, I'm in the mood to tempt a little Fate. Bring Kent to me. Wait ten minutes. And fetch Miss Lane."
Knowing a closed discussion when he heard it, Alfred's reply was unusually timid. "As you wish, sir."
"Oh, and Alfred." Turning, his fixed his fatherly servant with a commanding gaze. "Leave no doubt in Mr. Kent's mind he'll be meeting with Lois upon entering this room."
"As you wish." Alfred affirmed again, bowed slightly then backed out the door to follow his latest command.
Bruce gulped down the fiery liquid and set the glass back on the tray before turning to face the door through which his rival would enter. A feral grin tilted his lips. "Alright, Mr. Kent. Let's see what you're made of. And just how deep your love for Lois Lane goes."
--
That a determined, semi-calm Clark Kent was standing in the massive foyer of Bruce Wayne's ancestral home was a miracle.
After seeing the article with Lois' name tied as firmly to Wayne's as Bruce's arm was around her waist, Clark--for lack of a better word--flipped out.
The damage, already sited by the news station, was limited only by the smallest of voices in his head reminding him his strength was meant to help, not destroy. If Jonathan Kent had told his son that only once throughout his young life, it might not have stopped him. Or even slow him down. As a repeated mantra, it had done it's duty and curtailed the damage of Clark's desperate spiral into overwhelming despair.
The trip to Wayne Manor only deepened his anguish and spread the agitated hopelessness from his heart to every part of him. Such exquisite beauty. Such wealth. Immense open spaces protected behind a massive stone wall. He could take her anywhere she wanted. Give her every heart's desire. Everything she deserved. She could live an extravagant life. A good life. One without danger at every step. One without worry and fear and…
Somehow he found his way back to town, to a phone booth, and placed a call.
"I'm coming home."
"What? Why?" Chloe's voice jumped an octave.
"It's no use, Chloe. She's…getting married." Head in his hands, Clark's voice broke on the last word. On the ground, with his back against the glass wall of the phone booth, Clark seemed small. Felt small. "To Bruce Wayne."
"So?"
His eyes flashed with emotion. His voice tightened. "Do you even know who he is, Chloe?"
"Of course, I know who he is."
"And you think that isn't an issue?" Irritation driven by intense insecurity flared. "He's…he's…everything a woman like Lois would want. He's rich and handsome and smart and powerful and…and…how can I even DARE to compete with THAT?"
"You don't have to. Clark, Lois doesn't care about any of that and you know it."
Clark harshly cut off her reassurance. "No? He's Oliver to the max, ok? We all know how much she loved him."
"Clark, Lois loved Oliver because he's Oliver. He's brave and good and because he tries to do the right thing." Chloe countered gently. "And if there's one guy in this triangle that describes, it's you."
"No. I know her." Shaking his head, Clark felt the weight of his own realization crashing down on him. "She would have never said yes, if she didn't…love him." Those words were the hardest he'd ever had to say. "I'm…I'm coming home."
"So, that's it. That's your response to some article in a gossip column. You're just going to give up without even talking to her." Chloe sounded as disgusted by his reaction as Clark felt by the crumpled article at his feet. "Well, I've gotta say, Clark Kent, if that's all you've got, Lois is better off without you."
His head snapped up. His eyes flashed with anger. His teeth clenched. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I thought you said you loved Lois."
"I do!"
"Then fight for her, Kent." Chloe urged. "Have you learned nothing from the Lana debacle? How much time did you waste, Clark, denying your feelings, hiding yourself? Thinking you weren't good enough for her?"
His heavy sigh ended in a tempered answer. "Too much."
"Exactly." Chloe punctuated her assessment with a jab to the air that Clark couldn't see. "And now, with Lois, it sounds like you don't even have half of that to play around with. And if you don't step up now and Lois does this, I promise you, Clark, she'll be lost to you forever."
"I can't…" Eyes squeezed shut, he pulled in a shaky breath. "…I can't lose her. Not now that I know what she is to me."
"Then do something about it."
"God, Chloe, she's…she's getting married." The agony in his moan was physically gut-wrenching. There were so many questions in that moan. So much insecurity. And intense pain. It was like Lana and Lex all over again, only a hundred times worse.
"To a man she barely knows." Chloe interjected. "Why do you think that is, huh?" When he didn't answer immediately, Chloe sighed. "Think, Clark. You do know Lois. Probably better than anyone. Why would she agree to marry a man she met a month after the girl you've loved all your life walks back into it?"
Clark swallowed hard. "To protect herself."
"From?"
His voice was shaking. "Being hurt."
"By?"
"Me." It was the barest of whispers.
"Because?"
There was a long pause. He was battling with himself. Fighting his own insecurities. His own doubts. Embracing the memories of moments too profound to ignore.
"She does love me. Just like she said."
"Well, that's certainly the working theory." Chloe quipped in agreement. "And right now, she's trying to protect herself by building a wall between the two of you that's so high and so thick you'll never get through. Now, are you gonna sit on your butt and let her get away with it? Or are you, for once in your life, going to reach out and grab what you want, Clark?"
"What if…" Years of fear and rejection spilled into each word. "…I'm wrong. What if I'm not what she wants?"
"Then you deal with it. Somehow, Clark, you find a way to let her go." Chloe shot back, not unkindly. "But there's no point in even going there, until you know for sure."
There was another long pause. Another battle. Another victory.
"Oliver did say to listen to her heart not her words." Clark offered hopefully.
"Smart man, that Oliver Queen…"
He stopped long enough to get a new cell phone. He didn't know why, but gut instinct told him he would need it.
A half hour later he gut was proven right.
For the rise and fall of confidence is a funny thing. One minute, one memory of one night can make you feel like you can take on the world. The next, that same memory can send you plummeting to the very ground you'd not only covered, but conquered and somehow let slip away.
The sight of the grand estate sent renewed doubts shooting through him. What was he thinking? What did he have to offer her? Who was he compared to a man like…
Without finishing that thought, he dialed the familiar number and didn't wait for her questioning answer to launch. "He said she was coming home tomorrow."
"Who?" Chloe asked.
"Oliver."
"When?"
"Earlier. When he called to tell me he found her."
"Tomorrow." Chloe repeated, her mind shifting into overdrive.
"Yeah. He said I should…just go home and wait for her. He sounded like he'd talked to her and knew what was going on. Maybe I should just…"
"Not a good idea." Chloe cut him off.
"Because?"
"Because she'll have her story in place by then. And her guard up." Chloe surmised based on past experiences. "No, Clark, if you really want a shot at this, you have to catch her by surprise. You have to make the first move."
"I know." She heard his hard swallow. "That's why I'm standing outside Wayne's mansion right now. Security has already alerted them they have a visitor."
"Well, then why did you…"
"I just needed to hear someone else say it."
Chloe chuckled suddenly. "Clark Kent, you are becoming as unpredictable as Lois."
"Pray I keep that up. It may be my only chance at getting her back." His eyes hardened with determination as the ornate metal gate swung open. "Gotta go. It's showtime."
Tbc…