By Lara-Elaine Koch (73764.2611@compuserve.com) or (Lois95@aol.com)
Summary: An old flame of Lois', who was imprisoned as a result of one of her investigations, returns for revenge, and Lois turns to Clark for help.
This is the second story I have sent in, again all comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated, you know the deal. Thanks
***
Lois Lane sat at her desk, doodling on her notepad. She really wasn't looking at anything, until her eyes wandered over to Clark. His legs were propped up on a file cabinet, and he was playing with a paper clip. He saw her looking at him.
"Slow news day, huh, Lois?" He asked, smiling.
"It hasn't been this slow for what seems like an eternity. Lately it seems like every day we had a new criminal to deal with." She replied, in that tone of voice that for Lois meant she was going to scream if something didn't happen soon. But she was right, they had that big deal with Lex Luthor, the Prankster, Intergang, Dr. Leit, and then Lex Luthor again. Every day they were on the go. Today everyone had nothing to do. Everyone had written their articles for that day, and unless something drastic happened, they were home free.
"C.K… watch out!" Jimmy cried, as he came flying towards the file cabinet Clark had been leaning on. It took Lois a minute but she finally realized he was on rollerblades. Clark jumped up and helped Jimmy come to a halt.
"Jimmy, what are you doing?" Lois asked, getting up and walking over to her two co-workers, a slight smirk on her face.
"Well, I was out getting some pictures for Karl from Travel, and I thought I would break these babies in." He replied, taking Clark's chair and sliding the blades off. "You know, guys, it wouldn't be a bad idea if you two looked into getting a pair. It's a great date, getting out there and rollerblading… or maybe not." He stopped short when he saw the looks the couple were giving him. They both returned to what they were doing before— absolutely nothing.
"Clark, Lois, Jimmy. If you guys want to hit the road early, you can. If something life shattering breaks I'll call you." Said Perry White, the graying editor in chief. The three nodded.
"Clark, want to stop for lunch?" Lois asked, and Jimmy and Perry exchanged knowing looks. The young couple had begun a shaky relationship, but to everyone's relief, it seemed to be going in the right direction.
"Uh… sure Lois." He replied, wielding that boyish smile that no one could seem to resist, not even Lois at the time. They got into the elevator, a conversation starting.
"Those two are something else, Jimmy said, and nothing he could say could make Perry believe otherwise.
***
"So, Clark… umm… uh…" Lois said.
"Even the conversation is slow today, huh?" Clark replied, as they sat down at an outdoor cafe.
Lois nodded. "I'm just worried that this isn't just a lull in the news." She was about to go on, but Clark filled in the rest.
"You're afraid that this is the lull before the biggest event in the century." He smiled.
"Yes—"
"Help! Help! My baby! He's choking!" Screamed a woman at a nearby table. Her young son, who was maybe a year, a year and a half old, was grabbing his throat and gagging. Clark knew he had no time to save the baby as Superman, so he rushed over to the child, and laid him on the ground. He opened his mouth and fished the piece of hamburger out. Lois was squatted down next to him, putting her phone back in her jacket.
"The paramedics are on the way, she said.
Clark nodded, and felt the boy's pulse. It was very faint. "He's stopped breathing." Clark said, and started to give mouth to mouth resuscitation. Soon he gasped for air, and was breathing again. Clark sighed and leaned back onto a table. "He'll be okay." He said, and the woman nodded, not able to speak. She pulled her son to her, and started to rock him. The paramedics arrived a few moments later, where they then whisked the mother and her son to the hospital.
"Wow Clark, that was— nothing short of amazing." Lois said, as they paid for their lunch and left, their destination not yet determined.
"It was the same thing you would have done, right?" He asked, and Lois gazed at him wide eyed.
"Of course! It's just that you acted so quickly. You have amazing reflexes."
"Thank you. I'd like to think so. So, where are we going?"
"Well, I doubt we would be able to get this into the paper, and anyway we would have to get consent from the mother, whose name we didn't even find out. So why don't we just walk for awhile. That is, unless you have plans—" She asked, and Clark quickly shook his head.
"No.. no… I don't." He said, his voice suddenly sullen. Lois knew that his thoughts wandered to Mayson, who had just died recently. Mayson and Clark were good friends, and Lois knew that Mayson wanted more than that. She also knew that Clark liked Mayson, which of course caused a lot of tension between the two successful women. But… in the end they had both gotten through it, although Lois could tell Clark still thought about it sometimes.
"Well, then, let's just have a nice, relaxing afternoon. Maybe we can even look into those rollerblades Jimmy was talking about." Lois said, and Clark had to laugh at how serious she looked.
***
Lois sighed and opened the door to her apartment. She and Clark had walked the entire afternoon.
"Oh, my feet!" She moaned and sat down on her bed.
"Would you like a massage?" asked a voice.
"Huh?" Lois said quickly, and jumped to her feet. It was times like these when she was thankful she knew martial arts. She got into a defensive position.
"Why, Lois, I would think that even after all these years you would remember the voice of…" He stepped into the light. "Your first love."
"Jason?" She asked, dropping her hands.
"That's right." The man replied.
Lois gasped and stepped back. The man came a little closer.
"What are you doing here? How did you get into my apartment?" She asked.
"It's not that hard. You pick up a few things in prison." He replied, and pulled a knife on her. Lois gasped again, and her hands shot up once more. He was too quick for her, and before she knew it, the knife was at her throat. "Remember prison, Lois? The place that you sent me? You had no pity on your first love. All I did was deal a few drugs. I had to! How else was I going to get money? I needed the money! I needed it to buy things for you! To make you love me again!" He said. Lois could tell he was really upset now. He tightened his grip on her neck. She knew there was no way out. She could either stay there and get killed, or call for help.
"Superman! Superman He-!!!!!"
***
"Yes, Mom, I'll be there next weekend. Yeah, Dad, we'll paint the barn. Uh-huh." Clark said, on the phone with his parents. All of a sudden his hearing picked up a faint cry for help. The more he listened he realized it was Lois.
"Mom! Dad! It's Lois! She's in trouble. I have to go!" He cried, hanging up the phone. Within the next few seconds he was at the window of Lois's apartment. Lois always kept the window slightly open at night, she said it was for air, but Clark knew it was a welcome mat for him. He quickly opened the window and flew in.
"Lois!! Lois, where are you?" He said, changing his voice quality slightly, so he wouldn't sound so much like Clark. He heard a slight moan, and it lead him into her room. He saw her lying by her bed, and saw that her arm was blood stained. He rushed to her side and lifted her onto the bed.
"Lois?" He whispered, and she came to. She looked into Clark's eyes.
"Superman?" She asked. He nodded. "Jason— he came back. He tried to kill me—" She continued, and then passed out again from the pain. Clark took her to the hospital, where they told him that she had gotten a gash down her arm caused by a small pocket knife, and that she would be in the hospital for at least a week. Clark said little, trying to contain the rage that filled him. When he left he flew around Metropolis for awhile, trying to hear anything that could help him find the person that did this. If he ever did find him— "wait, Clark, calm yourself. Just calm down. You know how you feel about Lois, but the way to get through this is not violence," he thought, "Just do what you did when Mayson died. Be the best superhero you can be."
***
"Hello?" Perry White's sleepy voice filled the phone. It was midnight, and he had been asleep for a few hours.
"Perry? It's Clark. Sorry to wake you up," Clark replied. Perry knew if Clark was calling him this late, it had to be something serious.
"No, Clark, no problem, what is it?"
"It's Lois. Superman came to my apartment and told me that he brought Lois to the hospital. There seemed to be an attempt on her life."
"What!?" Perry cried into the phone. "Is she all right?"
"It seems that whoever did this tried to stab her, but missed. The knife cut her arm up pretty badly, but she'll be able to come back to work in a week or two." He answered. He felt the anger start to fill him again, but this time he was able to control it more easily.
Perry let out a little bit of air. "Clark. I want you to drop anything you were working on and jump on this like it was the last bit of food in the world."
"I'm already on it, Chief."
"And, Clark… if you need to talk… I'm there for you."
"Yeah. Thanks, Chief. Listen, get back to bed. I'll see you sometime tomorrow."
"Just drop by if you want to let me know how she's doing. You don't have to come into work. Bye, Clark."
"Bye, Chief." Clark replied, and put down the phone slowly. He called Jimmy, who was evidently in pain from his little rollerblading excursion. He spent the rest of the night trying to put clues together. The next morning he decided to call Lois's sister, Lucy. She had heard about the accident, but surprisingly didn't sound upset.
"Lucy, do you remember anything about Lois's first boyfriend?" He asked.
"Jason McCleaver? Yeah, I remember him. Mom and Dad loved him. They kept saying how sweet he was. He was a few years older than Lois, I think he was seventeen and she was fifteen. They didn't last too long. He said he couldn't put up with her. I wasn't surprised."
Clark rolled his eyes. "Thanks. B—"
Lucy continued. "The next thing I remember hearing about him was when Lois caught him in one of the Colombian Drug Scandals. It was her first big story. They put him away for about five years. But I think he's been out for awhile. Why?"
Clark sighed. Lucy was sometimes very helpful, even if she was kind of an airhead.
"I — I mean Superman told me," He said, hoping that Lucy didn't notice the slip, "that Lois mentioned the name Jason and that he came back and tried to kill her."
"Uh-huh." Lucy said. "Listen, Clark, I really have to go. Sorry. Hope what I said helped."
"Yeah. Thanks a lot Lucy." He replied, and hung up the phone. He really needed to see Lois, so he went down to the hospital.
***
"She's still a little dazed," one of the nurses said, "But she's well enough to talk." She opened the door to her room, and Clark crept in. Lois, unsurprisingly, looked very agitated, like an animal kept in a cage. But she also looked very scared and hurt. Her face brightened when she spotted Clark.
"Clark!" She whispered, trying to prop herself up. Clark stopped her.
"Lay down. You need rest." He said, walking over and taking her hand that was not wrapped up. "Superman told me what happened. I came as soon as I was able. How are you?"
"As well as the next girl who was almost killed. Oh, I must look terrible!" She cried, her voice still barely audible. Actually, to Clark, Lois would look beautiful if she had been in a wind tunnel. But Clark just smiled and shook his head.
"No, Lois, you look fine. Now, do you remember anything about last night?"
"Actually, Yes. Well, I had just come home, and was about to go to bed, when he scared me half to death. He got into my apartment somehow. The next thing I knew he had a knife at my throat. I tried to get away, and it just sliced my arm open. What luck." She said, smiling faintly. Then her face dropped. "Promise you'll catch him, Clark? I'm really scared," came a faint whisper. This was not like Lois, to show that she was scared.
"Lois, you know that I'll work day and night to catch him. I won't let him hurt you again." Clark replied, rubbing her hand. Again Lois smiled, and started to doze off. Clark left as quietly as he entered, and went to the Daily Planet.
"Hey, C.K.," Jimmy said, limping over to him. "How's Lois?"
"She's awake, and she can remember what happened. But I can tell that she wants to be up and about, solving this."
"That's our Lois." Jimmy said.
"Yeah… but she is scared. And I'm going to need your help to get this Jason person off the streets." Clark replied, and Jimmy nodded. Then he went over to pick up the ringing phone on Lois's empty desk.
"Hello? Yeah, he's here. Clark? It's a woman on line two who wants to talk to you." Clark nodded and picked up the phone.
"Hello?" He said.
"Mr. Kent? Hi, my name is Raegina McCleaver." came a nervous voice through the phone.
"I know that name. But from where?" Clark thought. "Hello, Ms. McCleaver. What can I do for you?" Clark replied, sitting down in his chair.
"You saved my son yesterday. I just wanted to thank you. My husband, Jason, also thanks you. He's been out of town for a few days, but he called this morning. Gregory thanks you, too, I'm sure."
"Jason McCleaver!? Your husbands name is Jason McCleaver? Mrs. McCleaver, would you mind if I came over your house?" Clark asked quickly.
"No, no, of course not. I live at 541 Deaylo Street."
Clark scribbled the address down on a piece of paper. "Thank you. I'll be over as soon as I can get there," he replied, and hung up. "Jimmy!"
"Yeah, C.K.?"
"I don't think we'll have to look much farther to find our Jason McCleaver," he smiled, holding up the address.
***
"Mr. Kent, welcome," Raegina said, opening the door. She was holding Gregory in one hand, and a basket of laundry in the other.
"Hello, Mrs. McCleaver. This is my— partner, Jimmy Olsen," he replied, stepping into the small apartment. Jimmy smiled, and then turned to Clark.
"Partner?" he whispered.
"We don't want to make any connections to Lois just yet." Clark answered. Raegina led them to a small living room, and offered a seat.
"Would you like something to drink?" She asked, putting Gregory in a playpen.
"No, thank you. Mrs. McCleaver, could you tell us about your husband?"
"Of course. What would you like to know?"
"What does he do? Do you know what college he went to?"
"He went to Harvard. He's a computer programmer. Why, Mr. Kent, do you know him?"
"In a way," Clark replied. He hated to think that the man that this kind woman married tried to kill Lois. "We have reason to believe that your husband tried to kill my gir— I mean, my other partner."
All the color left Raegina's face. "What!? What ever led you to believe that?"
"Did you know that your husband spent some time in prison on the charge of dealing illegal drugs?" Jimmy asked, jumping in.
"What? He never went to jail!" She cried.
"Yes, he did, Mrs. McCleaver. His first girlfriend, Lois Lane, wrote a story in College that exposed him as part of the 1987 Colombian Drug Scandal. He was put in jail for five years." Clark handed her some papers that proved what he was saying. Raegina was starting to hyperventilate. Jimmy walked over to a nearby window and opened it.
"He never told me! How could he not tell me! I always thought we had no secrets!" she whispered, staring to cry. "Anything else I should know? I bet he's not a computer programmer, either is he!"
"We're not sure yet, but we're going to find out as soon as possible. Mrs. McCleaver, can you promise me that you will not mention any of this to your husband?" he asked, kneeling next to her.
"Y—yes, I promise. Will you let me know if any new information turns up?" she sobbed.
"Of course." Clark answered. As they left the apartment, Jimmy sighed and turned to Clark.
"So— where to?"
"I want you to get any information you can. Get the name out to everyone we know on the street. We'll meet back at the Planet in an hour, all right?" Clark said, and Jimmy nodded. "I've got to see Lois."
***
"He got married?" Lois cried in disbelief. "And had a son!?"
"Yep." Clark answered, sitting in a chair next to Lois's hospital bed.
"I can't believe it! Doesn't she know what a cretin he is? What a— ow!" Lois said. She was one for gesturing with her hands, and she brought her bad arm up sharply.
"Are you all right? Do you want me to get a doctor?" Clark asked, jumping up.
"Clark, sit down, I'm fine." Lois said, taking his hand and pulling him back into the chair. She didn't let go. "I've done it about twenty times today alone. I'll be fine. Listen, I—" Lois was cut off by a nurse entering the room carrying a huge basket of flowers.
"This is for you, Miss Lane. And how is the arm?" The nurse asked.
"Its actually getting better— maybe I can leave sooner?" Lois replied slowly.
"You know you cannot leave until your wound is completely closed," he turned to Clark. "Maybe you can talk some sense into your girlfriend. She's been wanting to leave since the day she got here."
"Oh, I'm not his—" Lois said, but then looked down at her hand, which was still in Clark's. She turned to look out the window.
"Thank you," Clark said, and the nurse left. "Well, who are the flowers from?" He asked, and picked the card out. "To Lois— get well soon— Dan." Clark put down the card and looked around the room. He still didn't like the guy, no matter what Lois said about him. So he didn't push the matter any further.
"Clark, mind if we talk?" Lois asked, hesitantly. She was worried that he would dart away again, like he always did.
"Sure, what's up?" He replied.
"I don't want you to think that you have to solve this Jason thing. If you want to work on another story, I'm sure someone else would take over for you." Lois said.
"That's not what you wanted to say, was it?" Clark replied.
"Well, no. I was actually going to say that I didn't want you to do this. I don't want you to get hurt, Clark." Lois said, looking him right in the eyes.
"I won't get hurt, Lois. You and I have done much worse things than this. I really want to catch this guy. And give him what he deserves for doing this to you." Clark replied. They both looked at each other with such an unconditional love, like they always had. Neither one of them could see how deep it ran, though. Clark reached over and brushed her hair away from her face.
"Oh, Clark, thank you," Lois replied. "You don't know how much it means to me." Clark nodded and leaned over to kiss her. He didn't want that moment to end, he never did when he was with Lois. But, as always, someone came barging in.
"Hey guys—oh!" Jimmy cried, walking into the room. He turned right around when he saw what was going on.
"Come on in, Jim," Lois replied, coming up breathless from the kiss, her cheeks flushed. Jimmy, blushing himself, walked over to the bed.
"Hey, Lois. How's the arm?"
"Getting better. I can actually feel it now," she smiled.
"What's up? I asked you to meet me at the Planet in an—" Clark looked at his watch. He had been there for over two hours. "Oh, sorry."
"Its OK, C.K. Anyway, Jason is a computer programmer. At Hyel Computer Corporation."
Lois looked up at Jimmy sharply. "Hyel! But that's the place that… no.. that was Jewel Corp."
"They changed their name. It is them," Jimmy finished. "I know, they used to be called Jewel Corp. Now its Hyel They design computer systems for pharmaceutical companies and hospitals, like this one. Did you know that this hospital is completely computerized? The computers even make the medicine. Must cut down on the payroll a lot."
Lois nodded. "They caused that big uproar with the hospital's computer systems. Four people died from mixed up medicines and such. Well, looks like Jewel didn't shut themselves down completely."
"Do you have any idea what they're doing?" Clark asked.
"Besides changing their name, no… but I think it has something to do with medicines. I found this in their dumpster." He handed a slip of paper to Clark. He looked it over. It was copy of a bill that was sent to a pharmaceutical company for computer systems.
"And so what does Jason have to do with this?" Lois asked, after grabbing the paper from Clark and looking it over herself.
"From what I can see, he's running it."
"Running it?!?" Lois and Clark cried simultaneously. "But that would mean—"
"That if he has such a big grudge, whoever has these systems better be ready for some major law suits."
"Oh, no," Lois whispered. "So he can get control of the systems, and mess things up pretty badly."
Clark nodded and took her hand. She looked ready to cry again.
"Well, I'd better get back to the Planet or the Chief will have my head. I'll be back tomorrow to see how you're doing, Lois. Bye, Clark," he said, and he walked out the door. Clark turned back to Lois.
"I'd better get back, too…" he said, and Lois' eyes widened.
"No! Clark, stay with me, please? I'm really scared."
So that was what he did. He stayed with Lois the whole night, talking about everything. She seemed to avoid talking about Jason at all, but he eventually pried it out of her.
"Well… there's not much to tell. We met in high school, he was the lead quarterback on the football team, and, of course, what could I say but yes when he asked me out. I thought I was in love with him. But, one day he just said he couldn't put up with me any more and left."
"Kind of like Claude?" Clark asked, shuddering at the mention of the louse that broke his love's heart. She nodded.
"Now you see why I was so nervous about starting a relationship with you."
"You know I would never leave you," he said.
Lois nodded. "I know that now, Clark. Anyway, about a year later I was an intern for the Metropolis Post, and my mentor was working on this story on one of the Colombian Drug Scandals, and so I wanted to prove how good I was to him, so I went out one day to search for clues. I was hiding in this alleyway when I saw Jason and this other man discussing everything about it. I heard every single detail, and I ran right back to the post and wrote a story. He was caught, and put in jail. You know the rest."
Clark nodded now. "Yes, and you need rest. I'll be here when you wake up, don't worry."
"Thank you, Clark. You're the best," she said softly. He rubbed her hand softly and watched as she drifted off to sleep wordlessly. He reveled in her beauty for awhile until he himself fell asleep.
***
"Did you take care of that business that you so seemed to want to take care of?"
Jason nodded. "Yes, like it's any of your business, Lyle." He walked over and sat down. "So, what do you want?"
"You know what I want. Did the hospital accept our proposal?" Lyle lit up a cigarette.
"Hook, line and sinker. They'll be getting the shipment by the end of the week."
"Splendid! And you'll make sure our little 'accidents' do not connect to us in any way?"
"Don't you ever trust me? Of course!" Jason stood up and walked over to the window. Lyle stood beside him and blew smoke in his face.
"Good. We paid our debt to society, now society is going to pay its debt to us."
"Yes, especially Lois Lane."
"What is this with you and that stubborn little reporter?"
Jason sighed. "My wife has no idea about my past. I have to kill her now before I'm living the movie True Lies."
"Yes, I see your point." Lyle bent down and lifted his glass of brandy to Jason.
"To Hyel Computer Corporation. May it live long… to make sure other people don't."
***
Lois was flying, although not in the arms of Superman. She was flying by herself, toward a light. When she finally landed, she was on a roof of a building somewhere. She looked down at her arm and gasped. It was covered in blood. She looked up and gasped again. There was Jason McCleaver, on a giant throne, surrounded by red smoke.
"You think you can tame me by putting me in jail, Loey. Well you're wrong. I'm going to get you. And if you think you can bring me down, I'll let you know you're going right down with me!" he laughed wickedly and jumped off the throne, thrusting a pitch fork at her. She screamed.
"Clark! Clark! Help!"
"What, Lois, what is it?" Clark asked. He opened his eyes and looked over at her. She had broken out in a cold sweat. Her eyes were still closed, but she was thrashing her good arm around. He took hold of her arm and brought it down. She opened her eyes.
"Clark! He was there! He was going to kill me! He was going to kill me.. he is going to kill me.."
"Shh.. Lois, calm down. I'm right here. He's not going to kill you. I swear. Now, take deep breaths. I'm right here," he repeated. Lois took a deep breath and let it out. It seemed to calm her down. Her arm relaxed and the wild look in her eyes subsided. Clark brushed her face, trying to let the already sleeping half of her take over.
"Oh, Clark, he was going to— Superman… oh, Clark, Mayson, oh, Clark, not Dan. Oh, Clark.. I love you."
Clark smiled softly. It was always nice to hear those words from Lois. Even if he only got to hear them when she was delusional.
***
"Hi, Honey!" Jason called as he walked in his front door. His son ran towards him. "Hey, Greggy! How's my boy?" His wife came out from the kitchen, her eyes very red and puffy.
"Rae? What's the matter?"
"Nothing.. oh, my great aunt's dog died today."
Jason gave her a strange look. "Oh, honey, I'm sorry," he said, giving her a hug. "And I'm really sorry, but I just dropped by to tell you I have to go away."
Raegina looked up at him from behind her eyelashes. "Why? Where?"
"Nowhere. I just have to camp out at the job for a few days. We're delivering a multi-million dollar package to the hospital and I want to be there in case any problems arise."
She sighed and took Gregory from his arms. "That's all right. We'll have some time together when you get home."
"Yes. What do you say, we'll take a trip, as soon as I get back. Pack your bags for the Bahamas!"
"Oh, Jay, that sounds great!" Raegina cried, trying to sound as happy as she could. So Jason ran into their room, grabbed some clothes, and left. As soon as he was down the street, Raegina called the Daily Planet.
"Hello?" Jimmy answered.
"Jimmy? This is Raegina McCleaver. May I speak to Clark?"
"Oh, Mrs. McCleaver, he's visiting Lo— a friend in the hospital. I can give you the number, if you want."
"Oh, yes, please, I really need to speak with him," she said quickly.
"Okay. It's five five five oh seven six four, extension eighty seven. Got it?"
She finished writing the number down on a piece of paper. "Yes. Thank you, Jimmy."
"No problem, Mrs. McCleaver."
***
"Hello?"
"Mr. Kent? This is Raegina McCleaver, Jason's husband?"
Clark sat up straighter in his chair. Lois turned and looked at him. "Mrs. McCleaver?" she mouthed. He nodded.
"Yes, Mrs. McCleaver?"
"Jason was just here. He said he had to stay at work for a couple of days because they were delivering a shipment of computer products or something. He had to make sure nothing is wrong."
"Oh, thanks for letting us know."
"Now, like you promised, tell me what you have found out about him."
Clark sighed, and told her everything. She started to cry on the other end.
"Oh.. I can't believe this. Mr. Kent, please, catch him. I don't want him to hurt your girlfriend!"
"Oh, uh, she— all right, Mrs. McCleaver. Now. Go and get some rest. And make sure to let me know if Jason contacts you again, all right?"
"All right. Good-bye, Mr. Kent," she said, and hung up.
"Well?" Lois asked wide-eyed. Clark laid the phone back down in the cradle and looked at her.
"Jason is supposedly staying at work to look over a shipment of equipment that is to be delivered here tomorrow."
"But—"
The phone rang, and now Lois leaned over an picked it up.
"Hello?" she asked into the phone. She lost all emotion in her face. Clark zeroed in on the conversation.
"—Life as you know it is over." Lois dropped the phone.
"What? What was it, Lois?"
"It was Jason. It was a death threat," she replied, barely audible. She grabbed Clark's hand.
"It's the computers. They're going to change your medicine. Put something deadly in it," he said. He's jabbed his finger into the nurse's call button. A nurse ran into the room.
"What? Is she OK?" the nurse asked.
"Yes, sir, she is. Is she well enough to go home?"
The nurse walked over and picked up her chart. "Well, her wound is almost completely closed. How does it feel, Miss Lane?"
"Good!! Very good!" she cried. Clark shot her a "be subtle" look.
"Well, then. I'll just have to check with the doctor, get you some medicine, and you'll be on your way!" she smiled, and walked out the door.
Lois grinned. "Ooohh, so I won't get the Hyel Corp. medicine."
Clark nodded. "We'll swoop by your apartment, get your things, then go back to mine. What do you want for dinner?"
"Wait, back up a minute. Your place?"
"Yes, my place. No arguments."
"No! No, I don't have any. Not at all," she replied.
"Good."
***
"So Lois is doing OK, Mom."
"That's great, honey. Are you any closer to getting this Jason person?"
"Yeah, we're real close."
"Good, son," came the voice of his father. "So, where is Lois now?"
"Right here. She fell asleep in the car, so I carried her up here. She's laying right on me now, I don't want to move her, she needs her sleep."
"You two have this thing with sleeping and the couch," his mother said, smiling.
"I don't mind, Mom," Clark replied, smiling himself.
"I'm sure you don't, Clark. Now you get her into bed. We'll talk to you tomorrow."
"Bye, guys."
"Bye, son," his parents replied, and hung up.
He looked down at Lois curled up on him, her one arm tightly wrapped in a sling, and the other one around his neck. He really didn't want to jostle her, so he lifted off the couch and glided her into his bedroom. He lowered on to the bed and started to pry her off him, when she stirred.
"No, Clark. Stay here. I need you."
So he did. He fell asleep with Lois' head on his chest. Neither one knew that the other fell asleep with a smile on their face.
***
"Lois Lane was discharged this evening, sir," the nurse said. Jason cursed inwardly.
"Oh, that's too bad. I really wanted to see how she was doing. Well, looks like I'll just have to drop in on her later."
"Will there be anything else, sir? I should really check up on the patients," the nurse replied.
"No, ma'am, not at all. I myself have to check up on the installation."
Jason strode down the hallway. He entered the huge computer center of the hospital. Lyle was seated in front of one of the computers.
"Ahh, Jason, who shall we kill first? An old man? A child? What do you say, pick a number," he said, running the mouse down a list of names.
"Lois Lane went home," Jason replied.
"Aw, that's to bad, Jasee! Looks like you'll have to find another way to dispose of your good friend. Poor baby."
"Shut up. I'll get her, you know that. I have gotten everyone else that has ever stood in my way!"
"Why, yes, Jason, I know that. I have no doubt that you will "get her" as you put it. Just do it quickly. We want to get as many people as we can before they figure us out."
Jason nodded and exited the room. He made his way to Lois' apartment, and entered effortlessly.
"Why, Lois, I would think with all the death threats you must get, you would put better locks on your doors! I've entered twice with no trouble at at!!"
He searched the whole apartment, and found nothing. He angrily picked up a picture and was about to throw it, when he looked at it. It was a picture of Lois and Clark at the Smallville Corn Festival. Jason grinned toothily.
"Aw, how cute! Little Loey's got a boyfriend! What the hell, I'll kill him, too. I know their going to catch me anyway." He lifted up the picture and laughed. "You're going down, little Miss Lois Lane!"
***
"Lois? Hi, how are you?" Clark asked. He was calling from his cellular phone from a small diner in town. Jimmy was seated across from him, looking at some photos.
"Doing better. So, what have you gotten?"
"Do you remember reading anything about a Lyle Browne?"
"Lyle Browne? Yeah, wasn't he killed in one of those jail riots?"
"That's what they said. Jimmy, here, has discovered something else," he smiled and handed the phone over to him.
"Hey, Lois. I was going to drop by last night to see how you were doing. I was sitting in my car when I spotted Jason coming out of the hospital, followed by another man. I took some pictures, and when I got them developed I recognized the man. It was Lyle Browne."
"What was he in for?" Lois asked.
"Hacking into the National Defense Systems. He only had six months, but rumor had it he was one mean and nasty guy who did not take well to steel bars."
Lois sighed. "Thanks, Jim. Can I talk to Clark again?"
"Sure, hold on," Jimmy replied, and handed the phone back to Clark. The first thing he heard when he put the phone up to his ear was Lois sigh.
"What?" he asked.
"Where do we go from here?"
"Well, we have to warn the hospital, then call the police and have them arrest our good friends Jason and Lyle. I'll go down to the police station."
"And then you'll come home?" she asked. "Gawd, I sound like a wife."
Clark laughed. "Yes, dear, I'll be home in time for dinner."
They said their good-byes and then Clark and Jimmy split up, Jimmy was to go to the hospital and Clark the police station. The police thanked him for his information and put out a warrant for Jason and Lyle, although everyone was reporting back empty. After checking in with Jimmy, Clark sadly returned to his apartment.
"Honey, I'm home!" he called playfully. Lois, who was seated on the couch, smiled at him.
"So, how'd it go?"
"The hospital has dissembled the computer system. Only one person got sick from medicine produced the from the computer, an elderly man. But they fixed that. Anyway, the police put a warrant out for him."
"Haven't they found him?" Lois called after him, as he walked into his bedroom, that worried look creeping into her eyes. Clark, who had changed into jeans and a tank top, sat down next to Lois.
"No, but I'm sure they will. Lois, you're with me, and how many times do I have to tell you he won't hurt you?!" Clark replied, half smiling. Lois smiled slightly.
"Oh, you're right, Clark. You would never let anything happen to me. That's why I love you so much."
The word came suddenly, and neither one of them seemed to notice it. It felt very natural. He gently bent towards her and kissed her softly, being wary of her arm. Lois pressed into the kiss, making it grow deeper. After a few seconds she pulled back slightly, so her lips were barely brushing against his.
"I meant that."
"I know," he replied, kissing her again. "And, Lois.. ditto."
She smiled, looking into his eyes. Clark had always been a sucker for Lois' eyes. They were so deep and soft, and she could say a thousand words by just looking at him. He loved it the most when she was happy, like she was now. Her eyes just seemed to glow.
"You have the most beautiful eyes, you know that?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her back and pulling her closer to him. "You have the most beautiful everything."
"You're not to shabby yourself, Mr. Kent," she replied, brushing her hand through his hair, away from his face. He wanted to pull her even tighter, but he didn't want to hurt her arm.
"This arm is kind of in the way, isn't it?" she said, and Clark nodded. "Oh, well.. I'm sure we can find some way to get around it," came the last words spoken that night. Much later they were both asleep on the couch, a Mel Gibson movie still playing in the VCR. Suddenly Clark picked up something, like someone was breaking into his apartment. It must have been louder than he thought, because Lois woke up, too.
"What's that?" she whispered.
"I don't know. Let me go see," Clark replied, getting up and shutting off the television. He crept up to the door. He put down his glasses and saw a man trying to break in. He was about to open it when he heard a shriek. Swirling around, he saw that Jason had his arm around Lois' neck.
"Come on, Clarkie, come and get your girlfriend!" he called.
"You know, Jason, your company is no more.. and there is a warrant out for your arrest. I wouldn't do anything to her if I were you. You've already committed over seven murders."
"Ah, but you see, when they catch me, I'll be facing death. Why not get in two more before I die?" he replied slyly. He heard the door swing open. He turned around fast enough to stop the other man, who he realized was Lyle, holding a rather large knife and lunging at him.
"No!!" screamed Lois.
Clark lifted Lyle right up off the floor and tossed him over the railing and onto the couch.
"You're the strong one, aren't you, Clarkie!" Jason smiled, tightening his grip on Lois' neck, and grabbing her bad arm. She groaned in pain, closing her eyes.
"Let her go!" Clark cried, trying to be civil. Jason shook his head.
"Uh-uh."
Clark growled and ran for Jason, using his super- speed. He took hold of his neck.
"I said, Jason, let her go!"
He relieved his grip on Lois, who collapsed onto the floor. He checked on her, and she was breathing. She opened her eyes and sat up.
"Tell, me, Clarkie," Jason asked, "why did you risk your life to save hers? Why did you think you could defeat me?"
"Because, Jason," Clark replied, walking over to her and helping her up. "Love conquers all. Everything. Even death."
"You really love her, don't you, Kent?" Jason asked.
"Yes, Jason. I'm surprised you didn't know what you had when you had it."
***
"Thank you, Mr. Kent," one police officer said, when the police showed up to take Jason and Lyle away.
"No, problem, ma'am," he replied.
"Is your girlfriend going to be all right?" she asked, looking over at Lois, who was asleep on the couch. Clark looked over at her.
"Oh, she'll be fine. Good-bye, officer," he said, and the officer left. Clark walked over to Lois and knelt by her.
"Is he gone?" Lois asked softly. Clark was surprised that she was awake.
"Yes, he's gone. I feel so bad for his wife, she was suck a nice lady. And they had an adorable son."
"I don't know how such a nice woman could marry such a creep like that," Lois replied, her eyes still closed.
"Well, you did date him. It's just like Lex, Lois. He led a double life. One, his home life, and another, his business life."
"Like True Lies," Lois smiled.
"Yup, exactly like True Lies," he replied, kissing her softly, thinking of his own secret he held.
***
By next week things were relatively back to normal. Lois was back at work, albeit her arm still in sling. They had written their story on the Hyel Corporation, and Perry spent most of his days saying how it was going to win the next Kerth Award. Lois and Clark's relationship had gotten over a large bump, they both knew how they felt for each other. Jason and Lyle were expecting trial next month, and Lois, Clark, and Jimmy were scheduled to testify. Everything was going pretty well.
"Mr. Kent?" came the quiet voice of Raegina McCleaver. Clark looked up at her. She was holding Gregory in one hand, and an envelope in another."
"Hello, Mrs. McCleaver? How are you doing?" he asked. Lois peered over the glass separation at them. He motioned for her to come over.
"Great. I'm doing great. Jason and I are officially divorced. No, Mr. Kent, don't say you're sorry. I'm not."
Lois arrived at Clark's desk and thrust out her hand.
"Hi, I'm Lois Lane," she smiled. Raegina's eyed wandered to the sling on her arm. She shook Lois' hand
"Oh, you're Mr. Kent's girlfriend. I'm really sorry for the horror that you went through."
"Same for you, Mrs. McCleaver. I'm doing a lot better now."
Raegina smiled. "Oh, Mr. Kent, this is for you." She handed him the envelope. He opened it, and inside was a gift certificate for two for dinner at that cafe that Clark had saved Gregory at.
"Thank you, Mrs. McCleaver, I'll be sure to use this as soon as possible. And how are you, Gregory?" he asked, tickling the young boy. He giggle and buried his head in his mother's shoulder. The three adults smiled.
"Well, I have laundry to pick up. Thank you again, Mr. Kent. Maybe I will drop by again sometime."
"You would be welcome any time," he replied.
"And Lois, I hope you recover soon."
"Thank you, Mrs. McCleaver," Lois replied, smiling. Raegina left, and Clark turned to Lois.
"Want to take advantage of this certificate?" he asked. She nodded. So they went and shared a very nice dinner, then went strolling in the park.
"Clark," Lois asked, taking his hand as they walked. "What was that thing you said to Jason before the police came?"
"What? Love conquers all?"
"Yes, that. I like that. Where did you hear it?"
"Nowhere, I made it up. And it is true, love does conquer all," he replied.
"Yes… it does," Lois said softly, leaning over and kissing him. And she was right, love does conquer all. They stood there in the park, reveling in the love that consumed both of them. Their love would conquer everything that should come up in front of it. They would get through it. Together.
THE END
(remember to send comments or suggestions, please!! :)
(conquer.txt)