A/N: Thank you for following this story! Thanks to guest reviews; Isa, Chewbie and Alison. Reviews are like payment in gold! So many people liked how I had brought Lex into the story, and I thank you for taking the time to let me know. Those comments really do matter!
Thanks also to VisAVis2 for beta-reading this chapter.
Enjoy!
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Chapter 14.
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He was flying. The sensation was amazing as he soared through the clouds. He had a purpose. The crystals contained knowledge no mere human could comprehend. Lex Luthor was fooling himself. He would never be a god among men. Such pride and arrogance existed within the flawed human race. It was his job to fix it, change it.
The mansion came into view, and he slowed down, hovering above it. Men - always lusting for power, a power only ever derived from greed with a will to control. It had to be stopped. Lowering himself till he was in line with the large arched window of the library, he watched Lex pace the floor. Lex Luthor would never be his equal. He was Kal-el, the last surviving Kryptonian, and it was his destiny to rule this world.
Lex turned towards the window, his eyes sought his. A slow, knowing, malicious smile hovered on his lips. 'The world will belong to me – Clark Kent.'
He was suddenly falling, building momentum as he struggled to control his fall into darkness.
Focus – he had to focus. There was a sudden flash of brilliant white light.
Clark woke up with a start, heart pounding in his chest. It took a moment to get his bearings as he slowly sat up. His eyes took in the familiar surroundings of the lounge room. Shelby slept on the sofa. His mom wouldn't be happy about that. The images in the dream were so vivid. It was him in the dream, and yet – it wasn't.
What – what was that all about?
His eyes fell to the digital clock. It was two in the morning.
'Kal-el … Kal-el … '
The sharp ringing in his head felt like a dozen penetrating needles jarring his brain. The voice was in his head, but it appeared to come from the ship.
Grabbing his crutches, Clark stumbled outside to the storm cellar.
The space ship hummed with a life of its own as he descended the stairs. It was emitting a brilliant, bright gold light.
'Fear not Kal-el. I am Jor-el, your father. I am his memory, his will. I am to fulfil his promise and guide you all the days of your life. You are the last son of Kyrpton. You come from a long lineage of the noble house of El, meaning of the star. When you travelled through the cosmos, you carried the hopes and dreams of your people. They now live through you, Kal-El. Once you restore your powers, it is time.'
Clark blinked. "Time for what?"
'Time to accept your destiny.'
"I don't know what you have in mind for me?"
"You must not let the crystals fall into the wrong hands, Kal-el. The crystals are meant for you.
"I know Lex Luther has two of the crystals, he's looking for the third one."
"Soon everything will become clearer to you, Kal-el. You will find the crystal of water, unite the three pieces and re-build the fortress."
"I am trying."
'You must not fail. Once the fortress is re-built, you must commence your training. Only then will your destiny be fulfilled.'
Commence his training – fulfil a destiny he knew nothing about. "What if I don't?"
'You have no choice, Kal-el.'
The spaceship went quiet, the room darkened. Clark stood there, not knowing what to think, but the growing sense of unease felt like a rock in the pit of his stomach. He had no choice? Everybody had a choice – but then he wasn't like everybody else. And what of the dream? What did that mean? Was it a warning of what could happen if Lex Luther had all three crystals?
Shivering in the cold night air, Clark turned around, heart heavy. He made his way to the steps and much to his astonishment, Lois stood there.
He stopped dead in his tracks, eyes widening. "Lois – what are you doing here?"
There was a look of hesitation mingled with guilt on her face, as if she was trespassing.
"I came down to get a glass of water and you were not in your bed. It didn't take much to figure out where you had gone."
"How much of it did you hear?"
"I couldn't hear anything, Clark, but it was obvious you could, given the troubled expression on your face."
He sighed deeply.
"Daddy Dearest again?"
He nodded. "His name is Jor-el."
"What's with the el's."
"Apparently I come from the noble house of El."
"Oh, so you're not just any average run of the mill alien, you happen to be a noble one too."
He managed a smile. Trust Lois to make light of it, but he could also detect the worry behind her sarcasm.
"What did he want this time?"
"Much the same thing. I can't let the crystal's fall into the wrong hands. I'm the last son of Krypton. Once my powers are restored, I have to commence some training at the fortress and accept my destiny."
She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, is that all," she quipped with a slight catch in her voice. "We talked about this before, just get the crystals from Lex. I don't see why you have to commence training."
His troubled gaze met hers. "I might not have a choice."
"Everyone has a choice, Clark."
He shook his head. "I'm not like everyone else, Lois."
She stepped closer, her eyes clouded with concern. "Well - what is he exactly, just a voice and nothing else."
"He's like Jor-el's memory, some kind of artificial intelligence I guess."
Lois moved past him, towards the ship. "How does that even work?"
"Don't touch it, Lois," he warned.
"Why?"
"I'm not sure if I completely trust him."
She turned to face him, a frown denting her smooth forehead. "How much power does he have over you, Clark?"
His eyes swam with uncertainty. "Telepathy – He can mentally communicate with me," he paused, wishing he had the answers. "I don't know what else."
A lengthy silence fell, which unnerved him. He watched her closely, trying to read her expression.
"You've gone quiet, that's not like you."
Her gaze met his. He noticed the apprehension flickering in her eyes.
"I don't want you to change," she murmured. "I mean I want you to have your powers back – but nothing else has to change, right Smallville?"
"Of course not. I'll always be me."
Sudden relief crossed her face. Her concern was something that also bothered him; would he change?
He slipped his hand in hers. "Let's get out of here."
"Spring is in the air," Chloe chattered, as they strolled down the school corridor, "And the Prom is only two weeks away."
Lois spied Lana out of the corner of her eye. Judging by the sudden tilt of her head, she wanted to tell her something. Lois glanced at Clark, who never left her side. She shot Pete a 'distract Clark' look.
All part of the plan of course. Pete's role was to distract Clark whenever Lana needed to talk to her.
"Hey, Clark, there's something I want to show you."
Pete took him by the arm. Chloe disappeared into the Torch, Lois gave Lana the thumbs up before following Chloe.
The three of them huddled in the corner. "I know what Chad has planned," Lana whispered.
"How did you find out?" Chloe asked.
"You know how Tracy has been pretending to be interested in Chad?"
Lois nodded. "Yeah, how's that going."
"Chad asked her ask."
"Poor girl," Lois muttered.
"Well it's paid off, because she overheard Chad talking with Brett last night, and they were discussing what they were going to do with you."
"And?"
"It'll happen on the night of the Prom," Lana whispered. "That's all I know so far."
Hearing footsteps approaching, Lana glanced furtively at the door. "I better get going before Clark and Pete return."
"Thanks Lana," Chloe said.
Lana smiled. "You're welcome."
She exited the door and Lois turned to Chloe. "What do you think he has planned?"
Chloe bit down on her lip. "Who knows, but maybe it isn't good. We should tell Clark."
Lois raised a protesting hand. "Oh no, farm boy doesn't need to know."
Chloe raised an amused eyebrow. "Farm boy." Her curious gaze met his. "So you and Clark – are you two going steady."
Lois shook her head. "No - you know I don't do the whole boyfriend, girlfriend thing."
"So you just happen to be best friends living in denial?"
Trust Chloe to ask. She really didn't want to hurt her cousin, but she couldn't lie to her either.
"We're not living in denial, we do really like each other," she paused, probably love was the right word in all honesty, but she couldn't tell Chloe that.
"Has he kissed you?"
She let out a slow breath. "Yes."
Chloe blinked, a range of different emotions crossing her face. It hurt to see it.
"I'm so sorry, Chloe. I hadn't meant for any of this to happen, I mean if you'd told me back in the summer holidays that I would fall for Clark Kent, I would have laughed my face off."
"I should have seen it then," she murmured, slowly moving to her desk.
Lois could tell she was trying to put on a brave face. She felt so awful.
"You loved teasing him so much."
Making her legs move, she positioned herself in front of Chloe's desk. "It snuck up on me."
Chloe frowned. "I'm surprised you haven't headed for the hills yet. It's not like you to get serious with a guy."
"Clark - isn't just any guy," she quickly said without thinking. She inwardly groaned. "Plus I need to graduate high school. What happens after that …?"
What would happen after that? She had been so caught up in the moment, caught up in Clark being from another planet, helping him get his powers back that she hadn't considered the – afterwards. And what would happen – after Clark's powers were restored? Gut feeling told her that it wasn't far away, after all Jor-el had told Clark that everything should become clearer to him soon. A week had passed since his chat with Jor-el in the storm cellar. Lois remembered seeing the small space ship bathed in a strangely beautiful golden light. She had been mesmerised. She knew Clark was communicating with the ship by the expression on his face, even though she couldn't hear a word. She could hear what Clark had said, and the words he had uttered in the storm cellar had played on her mind ever since. I don't know what you have in mind for me? – What if I don't want to? Lois knew that it had to do with the training Jor-el wanted Clark to do? Clark had pretty much told her that, but what bothered her the most was Clark saying to her, 'What if I don't have choice?'
And what if he didn't? Could Jor-el actually force Clark to do it? Did Jor-el have that sort of power? Lois didn't know what she made of this so called Artificial Intelligence. But she did have the sinking feeling that it wasn't at all concerned for Clark's human side. Clark was sent here for a purpose, he would be a god among men, and that thought bothered her. Not that she told Clark any of this, but for all they knew, this Jor-el could have ulterior motives of his own.
"Earth calling to Lois," Chloe spoke, breaking into her train of thought.
Lois blinked, and fought the urge to tell Chloe everything. It would be so nice to share it with someone. Clark had forbidden her to say anything to his Mom. He was very protective over her, another endearing quality about him that was also kind of annoying.
"What are you going to do after high school?" Chloe asked.
Lois leant against the desk. "I have no idea?"
She already knew Chloe had been accepted into Met U to study journalism. Pete had done a complete turnaround, deciding to become a cadet in the Air force. He wanted to fly planes. He had sent in his application last week and was waiting to hear back.
"Neither does Clark, you two do have that in common."
"Have what in common?" Clark asked as he entered the room with Pete.
"Your lack of plans for after high school."
Clark rested his crutches against his desk.
"So, what are you going to do after high school, Clark?" Chloe asked.
Lois noticed the slightly guarded look on his face.
"Probably run the farm," he began, sitting down on his chair, "Try and get some paid work helping out on other farms to bring in some money."
Or end up commencing training at his father's fortress. Her eyes met his, a shared understanding passed between them. It wasn't what he wanted, but he really might have no choice about it.
"Sounds riveting," Chloe muttered with a shake of her head.
"Are you serious, man?" Pete exclaimed. "You really want to be stuck running a farm your whole life?"
"What's wrong with that?"
Pete shook his head. "Nothing, if that's what you want. But not me, I'm out of this dusty, boring town soon as I finish high school. Become an officer and hopefully see some action; defend my country."
"My father would be proud of you, Pete," Lois remarked, dryly. "Serving your country and all."
Pete shot her a sardonic glare.
"What about you, Lois? What are you going to do after high school?" Pete casually asked.
Lois picked up the stress ball on Chloe's desk.
"If my father has his way," she began, her eyes drifting back to Clark, "He'll be shipping me off to join the Marines." It was kind of ironic, she mused, both her and his father, leaders, military men in their own way.
"But you're not," Chloe interjected.
"Of course not. Can you imagine me taking orders?" she scoffed.
Chloe let out a laugh.
"So if we were to meet up in five years at the Homecoming, Pete would be an officer in the Air force, and me," a smile crossed her face. "Hopefully a Pulitzer award winning journalist, and Clark Kent the farmer."
Clark Kent saving the world, Lois wanted to say, but didn't.
Chloe glanced at her. "And who knows what Lois Lane will become?"
There was a cryptic message in her words, Lois picked up on it. Chloe unable to imagine her being content with being just a farmer's wife. And Chloe was right, but then Clark was never going to be a farmer. A sudden wave of unease hit her. The future – it was sort of scary.
"Just don't end up in prison, Lois," Pete quipped.
She threw the stress ball at him. Her gaze met with Clark's, she could see the same doubt and uncertainty reflected in his eyes.
Clark knew Lois was up to something, and that something would, no doubt, land her in trouble. She was supposed to be finishing up at the Talon at nine that night, and it was already 11.00pm, so where was she?
"I'm sure she is fine, Clark," his mom reassured, yawning.
He watched her get up from the bench, place her reading glasses back in their case.
He didn't feel reassured. It was Lois, and his Mom wasn't aware of her reckless side.
"She's not answering her phone."
"I'm sure she will be home soon. Any way I'm heading off to bed."
She gave him a quick hug. He watched her walk up the stairs. Once she was out of sight, he grabbed his keys from the bench. "I'm going to look for her," he muttered under his breath.
It felt great being able to drive a car again; such freedom. He'd never take the simple things for granted again.
He was just about to open the door when Lois walked in.
"Oh, hey Smallville, where are you going?"
His jaw clenched. "Looking for you. Where have you been?"
She slowly placed her bag on the bench, frowning. "I was talking with Lana."
"About Chad?"
Smiling in an annoyed way, she turned to him. "We talked about you all night long, Clark. How great you are, how cute you are. How clever you are."
He shot her a sardonic smile. "Oh, ha - ha."
"Lighten up, Clark. You know I can take care of myself."
"It's a bit hard not to worry, when a certain footballer threatens you on a regular basis."
She shrugged. "He isn't the first, and he probably won't be the last."
He loved a lot of things about her, but he wished she had less of a penchant for getting in trouble. He somehow had the sinking feeling that her whole life was going to be like that. Maybe Pete wasn't so wrong when he had told her - 'just don't end up in prison', or maybe it should be, 'just don't end up dead.'
"If anything happened to you, Lois," he began.
Her face softened. "It won't. I'm still here."
"You're only 18."
She frowned. "You're beginning to sound like my father."
He closed his mouth, scowling.
"Oh, by the way I saw your buddy, Lex Luthor."
His eyebrows shot up. "Where?"
"I was taking the trash out to the bins in the back alley when I saw his car."
"And," he prompted.
"I investigated."
He gritted his teeth. She did what?!
"Don't worry, Smallville. He didn't see me."
But what if he had?
"He was talking to some freaky looking man who twitched a lot. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I did catch a couple of words."
Curiosity aroused, he had to ask. "Like what?"
"Green rocks."
He slowly raised his gaze, locking it with hers.
"I think Lex has an obsession with anything alien."
"I've already figured that out."
Apprehension flashed in her eyes. "An obsession that also includes you."
Where was Lois going with this?
"I think he knows, Clark?"
The dream from the other night came back to mind, and he shivered. "It's only a hunch though, he has no concrete evidence."
"But he's looking for it," she sighed deeply. "Anywhere he can."
Her troubled gaze raked over him. "I don't think it's me you have to worry about."
Lex had a way of lingering in his everyday thoughts. Clark was disturbed by his presence in Smallville. In part he really wanted to believe Lex was a good guy. He had enjoyed their friendship in his freshman year. He had been so young and naïve then, willing to trust anyone. But that changed the night his father died, with the threat of Roger Nixon wanting to expose him. His father had been right all along. He couldn't trust anyone in a position of power, and Lex Luthor may not be all powerful yet, but his father was.
Lex approached him in the name of friendship. He had a habit of calling in whenever he felt like it. If it weren't for his fascination with everything alien, Clark would feel more reassured that Lex was honest. But he knew better. Lex was merely checking him out, waiting for a moment when he would slip up, or reveal some titbit of information that would confirm to Lex that he was different. Lex's friendship was a façade. Clark felt as if he were being investigated. It left an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach. For now it didn't matter, because he didn't have his powers, but if he did ever get his powers back – then what? It would be even harder to hide who he was. As for the crystals in Lex's possession, Clark was biding his time. There wasn't much he could do about it yet. He knew Lex still hadn't found the third crystal. He knew this, because the crystals had a way of communicating with him. They hummed when not under threat, but soon as a human hand touched them, he could hear the sharp ringing in his head. And there had been no sharp ringing in his head since he'd first laid eyes on them in Lex's office. They had only shrilled when Lex touched them. How that worked, Clark had no idea, but over the last few weeks, and ever since he'd opened the space ship, his intuition had dramatically increased.
Ten weeks had passed since the surgery. Clark was making good progress. His range of movement was now at 90. He was allowed to walk without the brace, for short distances. He still used the one crutch, and wore the brace to school. His knee would be unstable till he had the ACL repaired, but he felt better than he had in a long while. He almost felt human again. Which was kind of ironic.
It was now late March, and everyone was talking about the Prom, along with graduating, which was less than two months away. Pete had heard back from the Air force. He'd been accepted, and it was all he talked about. It sometimes seemed everyone's life was moving ahead, except his own. His remained in static, but also filled with a heap of uncertainty. The only constant was having Lois. How lost he would be without her.
"You are going to the prom with me, Clark. You don't get a say in it," she had told him the other day.
"Do I get to see you in a dress?"
She had turned to him smiling. "Of course."
He had grinned back in return. "Then I'll be there. Hey, but Lois, there will be no alcohol."
The mischievous smile she shot his way didn't surprise him. "Hmm, not if I have anything to do with it."
Lois had been true to her word. She brought a dress, not that he'd seen it yet. She was taking forever to get ready for the Prom. He paced the hallway, outside the bathroom door. How long did it take?
"We are going to be late, Lois," he eventually complained, knocking on the door.
"Relax Smallville."
He rolled his eyes. She had been saying that for the last half an hour.
She eventually emerged. Clark couldn't take his eyes off her. Was it really her? She looked – beautiful. She was wearing a jade coloured, figure hugging dress that fell to her ankles. Her short brown curls were held at bay with a diamond hair clip.
"Careful, Smallville, you'll catch flies," she quipped.
He shut his mouth and swallowed. He couldn't recall her ever looking so feminine.
"You don't think it's too much?" she asked.
He shook his head. "Um – no – you're …." His eyes fell to her lips. "Beautiful."
A shy smile flickered on her very kissable lips. Which was odd. Since when was Lois ever shy?
"Hmm, well you don't scrub up so bad yourself."
She took the few steps towards him, till their faces were only inches apart. He breathed in the scent of her perfume. His fingers itched to touch her.
"You even combed your hair, Smallville," she teased. "I'll enjoy messing it up later."
Heat flooded his face. "Same," he smiled.
They leaned in towards each other, their noses lightly brushing against each other. It was pure torture. If she didn't stop soon, then he wouldn't be able to help himself. He wanted to kiss her so badly, but she pressed a finger against his lips.
"Save it for later. We have a Prom to attend."
They caught up with Chloe and Pete at the front of the school. Lois couldn't help the nervous anticipation that took hold. Tonight was the big night, hopefully it all went to plan and nothing would go wrong.
Chloe blinked in disbelief when her eyes rested on her.
"Wow, Lois," she gasped. "You look amazing."
"Yeah, you actually look like a girl for a change," Pete quipped.
She resisted the urge to elbow him, and noticed the way Chloe's eyes swept over Clark. She ignored the tiny stab of guilt, it had been her companion way too often these last couple of weeks. She hated knowing that she was hurting the one person that meant so much to her.
"You're looking pretty amazing yourself, Chloe."
But the compliment almost sounded hollow in her ears, not that she didn't mean it, just that Clark had eyes only for her, and never Chloe. And that is what Chloe had always wanted.
Looping her arm through Chloe's, Lois announced. "Let's get this party underway."
Pete eventually managed to drag Clark from Lois' side. Lois then took the opportunity to meet up with Chloe and Lana. They hid out in the girl's change room.
Lana attached the bug to Lois' bra.
"We'll monitor you from the Torch," Chloe informed. "And Lois."
She looked into Chloe's concerned gaze. "If we think you are in any kind of danger we will contact the sheriff immediately. Clark would kill me if anything happened to you."
"Don't worry, cus. I think he kill me if he got whiff of what I was about to do."
"This isn't a joke, Lois."
She sighed. "You know me, I always joke when nervous."
Chloe gave her a quick hug.
"Wait here with Lana while I duck out to the Torch," she instructed. "We need to make sure this is working before you go anywhere."
Chloe disappeared. Lois stood there awkwardly with Lana. "Sorry to ruin your Prom night," she said at length.
Lana shrugged. "It's okay. I just want to get payback on Chad, and stop him before he hurts anyone else, but Lois, you need to be careful."
She nodded. "I've been in worse predicaments."
Lana gave a slow smile. "I think I now see why Clark likes you so much."
"In what way?"
"You challenge him."
"Oh." A compliment from Lana, she didn't know what to say, small talk was in order.
"It seems everyone has grand plans for after high school, what are yours?" she asked.
"I'm going to study Archaeology."
Lois raised an eyebrow. It was the last thing she'd expected the petite cheer leader to do.
"I like old things," she explained.
Chloe returned. "It's all good to go."
With the girl's final blessing, Lois left the gymnasium feeling anxious and nervous. It had all sounded good in theory, the planning was the easy part, but now that the moment had arrived, Lois couldn't help silently chiding herself. 'What are you doing?' Could she pull this off?
Grabbing her hand bag, Lois casually strolled out of the change rooms. She hoped Pete was doing his job and keeping Clark distracted, because it would only be a matter of time before he'd start wondering where she was.
She walked down the now empty corridor of the school. Why were schools always so creepy at night?
She expected Chad to make an appearance at any time, and he did. He smiled in his sick, sinister way. Whatever misgivings she had, she buried them. It would be all right. Chloe and Lana were recording everything she said. If anything bad happened, they would be there.
"What a surprise," she muttered, her eyes darting from Chad to Brett. "Are you the side kick?"
"Shut it, Lane."
She closed her mouth, and the next thing she knew, someone had shoved a cloth over her mouth. Darkness claimed her, and she silently cursed.
Lois woke up when the truck came to an abrupt halt. Groggily, she attempted to sit up. Why couldn't she move her hands? Glancing down at them, she noticed they were tightly bound with what looked to be duct tape.
Chad and Brett were not in the truck.
"I hope you can hear me, Chloe," she whispered. "I'm in Chad's truck and we've stopped somewhere."
She peered out the window. The door was yanked open, Chad's cheery face met hers.
"Ready for some fun, Lane?"
"Depends on what you call fun," she muttered.
He pulled her from the truck. Her eyes scanned the environment.
So it was Hobson Pond's Chad was taking her too. Why there of all places and then the penny dropped. It was where she and Clark had shared their first kiss. It was where Clark's father had died, and it was where Chad had smashed Clark's knee cap. Just the thought of it, infuriated her.
"Hobson Pond's," she said out loud. "You're a sick bastard."
Grabbing her by the arm, Chad pulled her towards the cordoned off rubble site. Why the crypt? She hated that place. Only bad things happened there. Brett was walking on her other side, she glanced at Chad. She had to get him talking, they needed the evidence.
"So wasn't shattering Clark's knee cap enough for you?"
"He had it coming," Chad returned.
"He's been to hell and back with the pain – because of you."
"It's nothing to what I'm going to put him through tonight, and you too."
Just how far would Chad go? She had put him down to being nothing more than a typical cheap lowlife, but there was something very sinister behind his threats. It unnerved her.
But it would be okay, she reassured herself. Pete would look after Clark. She would incriminate Chad. It would soon all be over.
Forcing her to sit down, Brett proceeded to duct tape her ankles together.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked. "Haven't you hurt Clark enough?"
He gave her one, long, sinister look. "I'm sure your boyfriend will be here soon enough to rescue you."
Don't look at the graves Lois, she silently told herself, don't even think about them. So what if there are dead bodies in the ground. They are dead. There was no such thing as ghosts. She just had to wait it out.
Lana would come to her rescue soon enough. Chloe should have recorded her conversation with Chad. And they were taking the smug bastard down. Now they had evidence on him, a confession. He was toast.
"Lois!" Clark called.
What the hell! Pete was supposed to be keeping him out of this?!
"Lois!"
She could hear the panic in his voice.
"I'm here, Clark," she called back.
He spun around, his eyes widening. "Lois."
"Just stay there, Clark …"
He was already over the fence, and walking towards her, leaning on his crutch. She inwardly sighed.
"The ground is unstable."
"I don't care. I'm not leaving you there," he muttered.
He was a sight for sore eyes, even though she worried. If Clark was here that meant Chad wasn't far behind.
"Chad did this to you?" he began, once he reached her.
She could see the flash of anger in his eyes, as he took in her duct taped wrists and ankles.
"You need to hurry, Clark."
"How am I going to get the tape off?"
"In my bag." She gestured with her to head to where her bag lay on the ground. "I have a pocket knife in it."
He went to retrieve her bag. "Pete was supposed to be distracting you."
He frowned. "What do you mean, Lois?"
All they needed was Chad's confession, but obviously Chad had gotten to Clark.
"Pete was with me, then he was gone …"
"And don't tell me, Chad, was there."
He nodded. This was a complication they hadn't anticipated. But it would only be a matter of time before Lana and Chloe were here to rescue her; she hoped.
Pulling the pocket knife out of her bag, he hobbled back to her. His eyes met hers. "What do you mean Pete was supposed to be distracting me?"
"I knew what Chad was going to do," she began, her voice broke off there when she spied the cowardly bully.
Oh crap.
"Kent and Lane," he spoke, loudly. "My two favourite people."
"Put the knife in your pocket, Clark," she whispered.
Flicking the blade back in place, he quickly slipped it into his pocket. Chad, along with three of his friends had climbed over the fence and were quickly approaching. Clark frantically raked his mind on what to do, but before he could react, he found his arms pinned behind his back.
Lois shot him a warning look. 'Don't do anything,' she silently mouthed.
"You hurt her, and you'll have me to answer to," he growled.
Clark and his friends merely laughed. "As if you are in a position to do anything, Kent."
He could feel white hot rage bubbling beneath the surface.
"We just wanted to have a bit of fun with your girlfriend," Chad continued, turning to Lois. "While you watch on, powerless to do anything about it."
A cold chill crept through him. But Lois stood there, eyes defiant. Chad's face hardened, reaching out a hand he roughly grabbed her by the hair.
Clark struggled to break free. "It's all right, Clark. He's just bluffing."
"Yeah, listen to your girlfriend, Kent, before I'm tempted to smash your other knee cap," he jeered. "And I'm not bluffing."
Clark hated the way his lustful gaze raked over Lois' body. He wanted to kill him. He would kill him if he did anything to her.
"I must admit, Lane. You do look ravishing in that dress."
Clark didn't like the predatory look in his eyes. What was he going to do to her? It was like his worst nightmare. Chad ran his fingers across her breasts. Anger flared, quick and potent.
"I bet you would be something else beneath the sheets, having sex with Kent."
"Just say it, you bastard," she hissed. "What you plan to do to me?"
Why was Lois goading him? "Oh, you'll know soon enough."
Clark's heart was thudding in his chest. Surely Chad wouldn't be as stupid as to …
"Take her dress off," he ordered.
Brett stood there, hesitantly for a moment. "I don't know about this, man."
"Just do it!"
Clark's stomach heaved. "Don't do it, Brett."
Letting go of Lois, Chad approached him, hate burning in his eyes. "I'm warning you, Kent. I won't hesitate about taking you down again. I'm sure you don't want to spend your whole life with two bung knees."
Clark glared at him. If it meant directing Chad's rage at him instead of Lois, then yes.
"Leave it, Clark," Lois called out. "Please."
He saw the pleading look in her eyes. Did she really think he could do that?
"If you won't do it, Brett, then I will," Chad continued, turning away from him.
Clark watched on hopelessly as Chad unzipped the back of Lois' dress, yanking it down over her shoulders. Her dress fell to her bound ankles.
She stood there, shivering in her lingerie. Yet, she still held her head high.
"Wow, you do have an amazing body. Kent's one lucky man."
He struggled, once again, to get free. If he only had his powers, Chad would be lying in a ditch right now.
In horror, he watched Chad's hands circle her narrow waist, his own internal rage intensifying. Chad's hands tightened around her waist, tears sprung to her eyes. Clark felt his stomach roil. He was hurting her.
"Stop it!" he yelled in desperation. "You've had your fun, let her go!"
Chad removed his hands from her waist. "I'm not done yet, Kent."
He pulled out a phone from his pocket. "I need some photos of Lane being subservient."
Forcing Lois to her knees, Clark's heart thudded painfully in his chest. He'd never felt so useless. He could even protect Lois.
"This should look good on facebook."
"Yes, it will," Lois purred.
Clark gazed at her confused. Then her face hardened as she glared at Chad.
"You really are incredibly stupid."
The same confusion crossed Chad's face.
"It'll make great evidence when it comes to your court case."
"Who is going to know …"
Lois raised an eyebrow. "Look a little closer at my bra."
Chad's eyes dropped to her bra, then shot quickly back to her face.
"You're wired?!"
Lois smirked at him. "Yeah, did I forget to tell you?"
"You bitch!" he exclaimed angrily.
"If I was you. I'd hightail it out of here before the cops arrive."
Clark didn't know whether he felt relieved or not. The cops weren't here yet, and an infuriated Chad wasn't a good thing. He could only watch on in horror, as chad raised a hand, striking her hard enough across the face to send her flying to the ground.
"Lois!" He yelled. "You bastard!"
"Shut it, Kent. I'm not done with her yet."
The rage hit full peak, like a rush of adrenalin, and Clark broke free. Turning to the guy that had been holding him from behind, he aimed a fist at his head, sending him reeling backwards. Then he turned his fury to Chad. Their eyes met. "Go on, Kent. What can you do?"
Clark took a step forward, when the ground beneath them began to rumble. Taking the opportunity at Chad appearing distracted, he flung himself at him with all the strength he had. They went crashing to the ground, but it was a fight he couldn't win with his damaged knee. Chad was always going to have the upper hand. Chad managed to shove him off, slamming him hard to the ground. Clark lay on his back, winded. He looked up at Chad's smug face.
"Guess I'll leave you two to await your fate. This place is going down."
Chad turned away. Clark's eyes fell on his phone. Gingerly sitting up, he snatched the phone and shoved it in his pocket before Chad saw it.
"Let's get out of here!" Chad yelled.
Clark's thoughts were suddenly taken up with Lois. He had to get her out of here. Struggling to his feet, he stumbled over to her. She had managed to sit up, but her wrists and ankles were still bound.
"Clark, get out of here – there's no time."
Her face was streaked with dirt and tears.
"I'm not leaving you."
Helping her to her feet, the ground began to shake. "Clark – no," she gasped. "You – have a destiny – you have to go."
Ignoring her, he pulled the knife out of his pocket. "Not without you." Taking her bound wrists, he tried cutting through the duct tape.
"Listen to me, Clark!"
"No!"
She had never seen such fierce resolve on his face before. For a moment she caught a glimpse of the powerful person he could one day become, a god among men. It made her shiver.
Freeing her wrists, he shoved the knife in her hands. "You'll have to do your ankles. I can't bend down."
Hands shaking, she bent down and started slicing at the tape. Her head was pounding. Her face throbbed where Chad had hit her. She tried concentrating, but the trembling ground didn't make it easy.
"C'mon, you bastard," she muttered through gritted teeth.
Finally she had cut through. "I've got it."
She straightened up. Clark's hands gripped her by her arms. She could see the longing, mixed was sadness and desperation in his beautiful eyes. "You have to run, Lois."
Oh no, no, no. She flung her arms around him. "Where you go, Smallville, I go."
The ground beneath them gave way. Clark wrapping his strong, protective arms around her was the last thing she remembered before they fell into darkness.
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A/N: Sorry about the evil cliffie! I don't do them often and I hadn't planned to end the chapter here. I had written scenes after this one, including the one I know you have all been waiting for. However, it still needed a lot of work and the chapter was getting ridiculously long! The good news though, is that I've already written half of the following chapter. Bad news - I have a REALLY busy week. I'm still hoping to get the next chapter up by the weekend, but I can't promise it.
Love to know what people think! Thanks for reading!
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