Disclaimer: DC/WB Entertainment owns these characters. No profit of any kind is being made from this story. This is strictly for my own amusement.
Author's Notes: Well, I'm back from vacation with an update. I had a wonderful time in Myrtle Beach with my family. But now it's back to writing! In this next chapter, Lois and Clark have a disagreement; the President has an announcement, and later, Clark has an unexpected question for Lois. Please read and review. Thank you!:D
~o~o~
Chapter 9: Yeah, It's Crazy
Lois' apartment, the next morning:
Clark hadn't slept most of the night, but he had made up his mind to accept Luthor's offer to get rid of Superman. Although he had initially rejected the offer out of jealousy and pure hatred for the man, he would get to the bottom of Luthor's schemes.
After telling Lois his stunning plans, he stood back and watched her get ready for work but decided to keep his distance. He could clearly see that she was trying really hard to keep her temper in check. She took a shower, brushed her hair until it shined, brushed her teeth and got dressed.
There was one good thing out of all of this. Clark had decided to accept the President's pardon. She had called her Father earlier this morning to give him the news.
Clark was ready and waiting for her. "Lois, we should talk about this."
"What's the point?" She asked while getting her coat from the closet. "You've already made up your mind."
"No, I haven't made up my mind. I wanted to see." He hesitated.
"You wanted my opinion; well you got it. Don't do it."
He sighed. "Is this our first fight?"
She shook her head. "I suppose it is," she replied not looking at him.
He came closer. "I'm sorry, Lois, but it's the only way to find out what Luthor is up to. By being there at LexCorp, I can keep an eye on him. I don't see why you're so upset. I thought you would be thrilled."
"Thrilled?!" She almost yelled. She dropped her things and stared at him. "Clark, Lex Luthor is insane. He kidnapped me, tied me up and tried to do whatever his warped mind could come up with, and now you want to go over there and spy on him, but I don't see the point. You said it yourself; you can't be killed, so why are you really doing this?" He was silent. "Well, tell me."
He turned from her and tried to explain how he truly felt. "I need to know if there's any way that I could be killed. I need to know just in case." He turned back to her and it was if she could read his mind.
She frowned. "Just in case of what?" She shook her head. "Don't say it."
"In case it happens; we need to prepare ourselves."
"You sound as if you've given up."
"No, I haven't given up. If Luthor does come up with a way to get rid of me, then I'll alert the authorities. There are no laws against killing me, as far as I know, but if he does, well, he'll probably get away with it. So, I have to stop him somehow, and the only way to do that is to be there in the beginning."
Lois wasn't entirely convinced, but she did see his point. "And what if you come in contact with some type of virus or pathogen that you don't know about, and you get sick and." She couldn't finish.
He pulled her close and stroked her hair. "Honey, please don't think that way."
"I can't help it, Clark. We just found each other." She pulled him closer. "Do you know how rare it is to find love; to find that one person who loves you no matter what, and you love them in return?" Eyes shining, she looked him in the eye. "Do you?"
He touched her cheek. "Of course, I do."
"Then, please don't do this," Lois begged him.
He dropped his hand. "I'm sorry, Lois, but I need to do this. Please try and understand," Clark begged hoping she would follow eventually.
She sighed, turned from him, grabbed her things and left. Dejected, head down, he followed her.
~o~o~
A little while later, Perry's office at the Planet:
After Clark explained his plan, Perry could see his point, but he was also concerned. "How many hours are we talking about Kent?"
"A few days, I think. I got the idea that Luthor had already started on something."
He watched him closely. "I can't imagine that Lois is happy about this."
"No, she isn't happy at all."
"I don't blame her, Kent." Perry turned to the window. "Since Superman arrived, she's been preoccupied with him." He turned back to him. "Sorry, Kent, but that's just the way things are."
"I know that, Chief and I've accepted that, but Lois needs to understand that I'm doing this to stop Luthor and help Superman as well. I don't see why she doesn't understand that."
"Giving you a hard time, is she?" Perry asked.
"Yeah, she doesn't want me anywhere near Luthor, let alone work with him."
"I'll talk to her," Perry said.
"Would you, Chief; that would mean a lot?"
"No problem."
Clark stood up and shook his hand. "I'll be in touch."
~o~o~
Clark left Perry's office, went to his desk and gathered his things. Lois watched him out of the corner of her eye, but didn't say a word.
"Lois, get in here!" Perry screamed from his office door.
She stood up. "Coming, Chief!"
"Lois?" Clark asked, hoping to get a goodbye, at least.
She turned to him. "Well, I see you're leaving?"
"Yes, and I wanted to," he hesitated.
"Say goodbye?" she whispered, trying to hold it together. He wanted to kiss her goodbye. Lois could see it clearly. She gave in, and whispered, "Get over here!"
He came over and pulled her close. "Don't worry, Ok? Everything is going to be alright."
"I do believe you; don't ever doubt that," she whispered fervently.
He pulled away, leaned down and kissed her sweetly. She couldn't help herself and kissed him back. After a moment, he pulled away. "I'll call you later?"
"Sure, call me later."
He squeezed her hand, and then he was gone.
Perry came over to her. "Lois, he knows what he's doing."
She watched the elevator doors close. "I don't think he does."
~o~o~
A little while later, LexCorp Tower:
Sitting in Luthor's office, Clark decided that a mild-mannered impression would suit this assignment, so he decided that apologizing would be a good idea. Once they were seated, he said, "Mr. Luthor, I wanted to apologize for my outburst yesterday."
"Well, I must say that I was taken aback by your attitude. Superman needs to go away and I'm sure it wouldn't hurt your relationship with Ms. Lane."
"You're right, with him gone, well."
"I'm glad you saw reason. Now, before we begin, have you any experience with human anatomy?"
"Yes, actually, I took premed courses in college. I even thought about being a doctor at one point."
"Really, that's wonderful news." Lex was impressed.
"Yeah, but I met Lois a few years ago and well, she asked me to come to Metropolis and be with her and well, the rest is history, as they say," he said and shrugged seeing no need to elaborate.
"Oh, I completely understand, believe me. She's quite a lady."
Clark silently counted to ten. "Could I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"How did you gain access to her apartment? I saw the police report."
Clark's jealousy was showing. Lex understood. "Well, I do own that building and I have access to all of my tenants."
What a sicko, Clark thought. "I see, well, I had to ask."
"No problem; I thoroughly understand." He stood up. "Shall we get started?"
"Of course." Clark stood up and followed him.
In the elevator after Lex had entered an individual access card, he had a question. "I wouldn't imagine Lois or Perry is happy about you being here. Did they give you a hard time?"
"You could say that," he replied being evasive.
Lex chuckled. "Lois is a bit stubborn and Perry, well, he has this idea about truth and justice or some such foolishness."
Clark didn't know what to say. "Some people," he said and let that hang.
"We're here," Lex announced and stepped off the elevator.
~o~o~
Lex's lab, located on the entire ninth floor of the Tower:
It was a massive area. Clark was frozen in place. He was hesitant to enter the lab. Lois was right. Who knew what type of virus or another airborne pathogen could be in this place? He hadn't caught anything yet. He made it through grade school, high school, and college without any problems at all. In fact, he hadn't been sick a day of his life.
"Are you coming?" Lex asked realizing what he must be thinking. "Here, put these on, just in case." He handed him protective gear.
"I'm right behind you." After he had pulled on his gear, Clark stepped inside, and there were various scientists wearing lab coats working on something. "What are they working on?" Clark asked. The men were also wearing masks, protective clothing, and gloves.
"A few things we came up with, just a few basic illnesses that affect infants. You see, Superman has been here for thirty-three years and we don't know if he has ever been sick. So, we decided to start in the beginning."
"Do you mean childhood diseases?" Clark asked and frowned.
"Yes, nothing too elaborate, say leukemia, but asthma, cold, or even the flu might affect him, but a cocktail of those viruses that are fairly prevalent in children could be used to make him sick, and he may never recover."
"I don't understand; Superman is invulnerable; he can't be killed."
"But he can be incapacitated. He could be so sick that he can't do anything, but wither and die; hopefully," Lex said.
Again, Clark counted to ten. He supposed he would be doing that a lot during this assignment. "Just show me what you've done so far."
They headed over to one scientist. Lex introduced them. "Alex, show Mr. Kent your findings."
Alex picked up a petri dish and explained. "This virus cocktail was our first attempt. It won't work. Strong antibiotics would kill it instantly. You see our problem, Mr. Kent. We don't know Superman's DNA, even if his blood is, in a way, similar to humans. We're sort of working blind here."
"What if we could get his DNA?" Lex asked.
Clark frowned not liking this conversation. "How would you do that?" He asked.
"We'll find a way," Lex replied firm in his belief.
Minutes later they were interrupted by a phone call from his assistant. He hung up, not happy about it. "Jane says we need to turn on the news. The President has issued an Executive Order, apparently about the alien." Lex sneered and turned on the overhead monitor.
The President's Press Secretary took the podium. "Ladies and gentlemen, I have an Executive Order signed by the President moments ago concerning Superman's apparent involvement with the disappearance of General Zod."
A few murmurs could be heard. Lex turned up the volume. "This is it. Superman is going down." He was actually giddy with excitement.
Clark hid a grin. The Secretary continued.
"Effective immediately, a full pardon for Superman has been signed into law. There is no mystery; Superman killed General Zod during a battle over Metropolis. The President has been aware of this development from the beginning. Superman has saved countless lives since he revealed himself months ago. If there was a debt, it has been paid in full. Therefore, he will not be arrested nor will there be a trial. The President, as well as the entire Planet, was on high alert when General Zod made his ultimatum when he first arrived on this Planet. As soon as the world engines began their assault, his intentions were made clear. Therefore, Superman has been pardoned and it has been accepted. There will be no retaliation or extortion against him of any kind.
~If there are any questions, please consult the Press Release distributed before this conference. Thank you all for coming." He left the podium.
Lex was so shocked, his jaw was slack, but then it worked as if he wanted to say something, but nothing was coming out.
Alex was worried. "Mr. Luthor?" When he was silent like this, who knew what he was thinking or planning. The other scientists had stopped working during the whole announcement. No one said a word.
Clark wondered how this would affect Luthor's plans to destroy Superman. Would he stop this insanity or not?
Someone switched off the monitor. Lex snapped out of it. "Now, as I was saying."
Alex was confused. "But the President said," he started not feeling right about all of this.
"I don't care what he said. Superman needs to stop."
Clark stiffened. There must be something he could say to stop this. "But Mr. Luthor, surely you can't go ahead with this. I mean," he stopped when Lex turned to him.
"And give me one good reason why I shouldn't. Superman can commit murder and the President gives him a free pass."
"That's not exactly what happened," Alex said which got a glare from his boss.
"You answer to me. Now get to work on those viruses. I will get his DNA; count on it." He turned on his heel and walked out. "Come with me Kent."
Clark followed him.
Once back in his office, Lex was pacing back and forth. He got an idea. "So you're a doctor?"
"Well, no, not officially," Clark replied and wondered what he was thinking.
"There are other ways to get DNA, like saliva, hair, sweat, and even tears."
Clark frowned. "Yes, that's true. What are you thinking?"
"Superman must have a home somewhere. I mean, he isn't flying around all the time. Even I've noticed that. Where does he go all day; what is he doing half the day?" Lex was thoughtful.
"Good questions, Mr. Luthor."
"Please call me Lex, and may I call you Clark?"
Clark cleared his throat. "Of course, Mr. I mean Lex."
Lex chuckled. "You're a strange one, Kent. Where are you from?"
"It's a small town in the mid-west; you wouldn't know the name."
"You're probably right." He paced again. "I've been working on a few things and ever since that fiasco with Rourke, well, maybe I could come up with a way to track Superman, you know his movements. I would take some time to calibrate a drone, but it may work."
"And then what?" Clark asked getting extremely worried.
"We find out where he goes most of the day, where he spends most of this time, and then we can get his DNA from his hair probably. A hair follicle would definitely do the trick."
"Yes, hair would definitely work," Clark felt the need to say.
"Excellent." Lex watched him closely. "You know, Clark, I kind of feel bad for you."
He frowned. "Why?"
"I mean, Lois is obviously smitten with the alien and sorry to bring this up, but how do you handle that? It made me a bit crazy to think well, maybe her and him?" He let that hang.
Not that again, he thought. "No, Superman is just a friend; that's it."
"If you say so," Lex said and shrugged, not believing him.
"I do say so," Clark said firmly and reined in his temper.
"It was just a thought; no hard feelings." He returned to his desk. "I think we moved forward today. It's been weeks since we started the virus project, but we'll put that on hold for now. Once we acquire his DNA, then we'll go from there. As soon as the drones can be calibrated, I'll be in touch." He stood up to shake his hand.
Clark stood up, but hesitated but only for a moment. "I'll look forward to it."
Once in the elevator, Clark felt as if he might be sick to his stomach. At least he knew now what he was up against. And once Lois's Father knew what Lex was up to, they would put a stop to it.
He truly hoped so.
~o~o~
Meanwhile, back at the Planet:
Lois was at her desk, hoping to concentrate on her story. Her phone rang. "Lois Lane, Daily Planet."
"Hi, Lois, how are you?" Sam asked.
Lois picked up on something. He rarely called her by her full name. "I'm doing alright, considering." Silence for a moment. "Daddy, what's wrong? I saw the White House news conference."
"It's nothing to do with that, not directly, but I just found out something. I'm in shock."
"What is it, Daddy? Is it about Superman?"
He sighed heavily. "General Zod's body was not cremated. They kept it to experiment on him. I'm sick about this."
Lois was stunned. "And you knew nothing about this?"
"No, I had no idea. If I did, believe me, I would have told you about it sooner."
"I can't believe this."
"I'm sorry, sweetie, but I thought you should know. I wish I could stop it, but it's out of my hands."
"I understand Daddy, but what am I supposed to say to Superman? I mean, the President's pardon may seem like some type of deal to him."
"I don't think he'll feel that way," Sam thoughtfully said.
"I hope you're right Daddy. You know I had a difficult time convincing him to accept it in the first place."
"I'm sorry sweetie." He said it again.
"Bye, Daddy." She hung up and looked up and Clark walked in.
How could she tell him about this? But he had to know. "Lois, I." He was upset, but she also looked as if she had lost a friend. "What is it?"
"We need to talk." She glanced at her watch and it was almost quitting time. "Give me a minute to finish this, and then we'll leave."
"Alright, let me check on a few things first." He went to his desk and logged on. There were a few messages from Lex updating him on the virus and drone projects. He felt like gagging, but he had no choice now. He had to stop Luthor and this was the only way.
After a little while, they left the office for the day.
~o~o~
Lois' apartment, a little while later:
Once inside, Lois headed straight for the kitchen. Pulling out a wine bottle; she held it up her meaning clear.
"No thanks, I need a clear head."
"Does liquor affect you?"
"No, not as far as I know. I've never needed to get drunk."
"Clark, I'm not getting drunk; it's just a glass of wine."
He sighed; he hadn't meant to upset her. "I'm sorry, Lois."
"What are you apologizing for?" She thought about it. "Wait a minute; don't tell me you regret hooking up with Lex."
"We're not hooking up."
"Sorry, wrong choice of words," she said and poured the wine and took a sip. "Let's sit down. You have something on your mind and so do I."
They sat down on the sofa. "Do you want to go first?" Clark asked.
"No, you go first," Lois replied and took another sip.
"Lex…" She interrupted.
Her eyebrows rose. "Oh, it's Lex now?"
"Yes, it's Lex now. He has these scientists working on a virus cocktail to infect me and he's also working on a drone to follow me around to get my DNA."
"Good Lord, I can't believe him. He's going to ignore a Presidential Executive Order. Sounds like something he would do."
"There's more; he told me that he owns this building and that's how he got access to your apartment."
"Wow, I didn't know that. The management company never said a word."
"Are you going to move?" He thought about it. "I know, you could move in with me. I have two bedrooms in case my Mom visits; I could cook for you; you could have an office and." He stopped at her expression.
"Whoa, slow down Mr. Move in with Me, Kent."
He bowed his head. "Sorry, I got a bit carried away."
She put the glass down and went into his arms. "Now, ask me again."
He clutched her to him tightly. "Would you like to move in with me, Ms. Lane? I'm an excellent cook. We could share expenses, share a ride to work and."
"Clark, we already share a ride to work," she said and giggled.
"What about the cooking part? You wouldn't have to lift a finger."
"Ummm, that is tempting."
"Will you at least think about it?"
"Of course I will." She pulled away and now for the truth. "My turn."
He braced himself. "Go ahead."
"Daddy called."
"What is it now?"
"General Zod wasn't destroyed. He's being experimented on."
He should have been shocked, but he wasn't. "I'm not surprised."
"It's awful, but Daddy had nothing to do with it."
"I believe you, honey."
"It's strange that the President would give that Order and then keep Zod's body to do God knows what to him." Lois was getting worked up.
"Lois don't worry about it."
"How can you say that? If Zod's DNA is being used in some nefarious way, we need to stop it."
"Lois, there's something you should know about Zod."
She frowned. "What should I know?"
"He came here to get the Codex." At her frown he continued. "The Codex is embedded within me. My Kryptonian father placed it inside me before I was sent here."
"Oh my god, so that's why he attacked us and tried to kill you?"
"Yes, that's the reason for all of this. I feel sometimes as if all of this was my entire fault; if I had just died, then…"
"Good lord, Clark, please don't talk that way. General Zod was intent on killing everyone not just you. You did the right thing, but now we have to stop those tests."
"But how; how can we stop it?"
She thought about it for a moment. "Well, the power of the press, maybe, I don't know; write an article; tell the world. Let public opinion have its way with this mess."
"But Lois, if we write an article, Lex will know about Zod's DNA. It's not mine, but it may as well be mine."
"I forgot about that. Dammit, Luthor!"
He touched her shoulder. "You're right; Luthor is the one who needs to be stopped. He's the key, not Zod," Clark said sure in his assessment of the situation.
She sighed and went into his arms. "You're right, of course."
He pulled her close under his chin. "Don't you just love our life?" He chuckled hoping to make light of their crazy life.
She smiled, but then it got the better of her. She sniffed.
He squeezed her tighter. "Honey, we will work this out. Please don't worry."
She pulled away, wiped the corner of her eye, but she had made a decision. "I'll give notice tomorrow."
Smiling, he then lifted her chin, leaned down and kissed her deeply, slanting his lips across hers.
Lois sighed and kissed him back, her hands in his hair, moaning when his tongue met hers in joyful reunion.
~o~o~
Moments later, before things had gone too far, there was a knock at the door. "Lo, are you home?"
"Daddy?!" Lois jumped up, and silently pointed Clark toward the bedroom. Clark wondered if her Father knew the truth about him.
"I'm coming!" She straightened her blouse, which had come undone. She opened the door. "What a surprise!"
"Hi, sweetie, sorry to come by without calling, but I had to talk to you about something that's been bothering me."
"Come in, please." He sat down. "Do you want a glass of wine or?"
"Wine is fine, thanks, honey."
Once they were both seated, Lois was beginning to worry. "What is it?"
"It's about Superman."
She frowned. "What about him?"
"Are you involved with him?"
She was stunned for a moment. "What; no, you know about Clark and me. I told you about him."
"I know, but."
"Daddy there is no but. Clark and I are in a serious relationship."
"But you do care for Superman, don't you?"
"Daddy, everyone cares about him." She paused to gather her thoughts. "He's brave, humble, selfless, and he's a decent person."
"All the things you've been searching for." He cocked his head to the side. "He's not unattractive." He sipped his drink not looking at her.
"He's more than just a handsome face; you know me better than that."
He sighed. "I'm sorry, Lo, but I had to know. There's a lot going on with him, with the President, General Zod and."
She took his hand. "Daddy, look, we're just friends; that's all."
Sam was so relieved. "You've eased my mind, sweetie." He kissed her cheek. "I'll say goodnight and thanks for the wine."
"Goodnight, Daddy." She escorted him out.
After she had shut the door, Clark came out with his hands on hips. "What was that all about? Why did you think it was necessary for me to hide from your Father?"
"You don't want to know." She picked up her glass and headed to the kitchen to get more wine.
He followed her. "What do you mean exactly?"
She topped off her glass. "Daddy is very overprotective." He frowned. "I'll introduce you soon, but just not right now."
Clark was confused. "But why not; he knows about us?"
"Clark, my Father is a Four-Star General in the United States Army. I don't think I need to say anymore." She raised an eyebrow.
Clark cleared his throat. She did have a point. There truly is no rush.
She raised her glass, gave him a 'see what I mean' glance then downed her drink in one gulp. She poured another.
Getting drunk does have its appeal.
TBC!
~o~o~
Song Inspiration: Fire We Make, Alicia Keys ft. Maxwell.
A/N: *giggles* Well, the Clark and Lex scene played out Ok, I think. Although you could look at it with a bit of humor, but I wanted to make it clear that it is a dangerous situation, hence Clark and Lois' disagreement about him spying on Lex. I could see Lois' point, but Clark had a valid point too. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Now tell me what you think. Thanks for reading everyone. Reviews/kudos is love.