Barbarians at the Planet – Matchmaker Style
Rated – PG-13
Previously:
Seeing her enter the elevator and the doors closing her tail dived into the stairwell. He ran up one flight and stuck his head out through the door and checked the elevator. The doors were closed and there was no one in the hallway so he hoofed it to the next floor.
When he checked that floor the results were the same. What he hadn't seen was the woman that boarded the elevator on the third floor. She was dressed in a dark green dress that reached her knees and had a matching floppy green hat on her head, covering her dark tresses.
As soon as the doors were closed the newcomer removed her hat and placed it on Lois's head. Then she quickly unzipped the green dress and removed it like a robe and handed it to Lois who quickly donned it. Lois removed a black patent leather purse from her taupe bag and handed the now empty taupe colored bag to Lucy. Lucy was now wearing a short red skirt and a sleeveless blue top. She threw the strap of the bag over her right shoulder and Lois corrected her, "Left shoulder, Sis."
Lucy moved the strap and gave Lois a quick kiss on the cheek. She said, "You and Clark have some fun. I'll lead this flunky a merry chase."
Lois returned her sister's kiss and in a heartfelt tone said, "Thanks, Luce. We owe you, big time."
Before the doors opened, Lucy was able to say, "I don't know how much longer your investigation is going to take, but take your time. I like having Clark around. He cooks my meals and does the cleaning. You're soooo lucky to have him. I'm jealous."
Just then the doors opened to the fifth floor. Lois and Lucy both stepped out. Lois moved to the other elevator and pushed the down button as Lucy sauntered off down the hall.
Lucy was half way down the hall when Lois's shadow exited the stairwell, huffing and puffing from the exertion. Spotting Lucy down the hall he started to walk, as inconspicuously as he could, after her. He passed within a couple of feet of Lois and as he did, the elevator doors opened and she stepped in. He didn't give her a second glance as he proceeded down the hall, his eyes on Lucy's back.
Lois took the elevator to the ground floor and exited the building. She walked two blocks to the Daily Planet and took the elevator to the top floor, bypassing the newsroom floor. Exiting, she headed for the stairwell to the roof. As she stepped out onto the roof, Superman was there waiting for her. With a suppressed squeal she threw herself into his arms. He picked her up and immediately took off, straight up until they were out of sight from the ground. Once they were at altitude he headed for Smallville.
A few minutes later they landed in the front yard of the Kent farm house. Clark spun into jeans and a top and they went in.
Martha was the only one in the house at the time and seeing Lois threw her arms around her in a warm hug which Lois returned. Martha said, "Lunch will be ready, shortly. Clark, your father is in the barn. Why don't you go see how close he is to coming in."
Nodding in understanding, he turned and headed for the barn. He knew that his mom wanted some time with Lois.
As Clark exited, Martha pulled Lois down on the sofa and asked, "How much longer is this investigation going to take?"
"Oh, Martha, I hope not much longer, but who can tell. Luthor is trying to court me, but I haven't been able to get into his office to look for evidence yet. The worst part is being away from Clark so much. When we leave here, we are heading to the island for some R and R. We need some uninterrupted time together. I see him frequently at Lucy's, but it's just not the same. You know what I mean."
"I understand, dear. I can just imagine being away from Jonathan like that and I don't like it. The two of you *need* to be together."
"What makes it worse is I have to put up with Luthor's advances. It's hard walking that line. Keeping him interested, but keeping him from crossing the line. If he did, Clark would blow the whole deal and we'd lose all of the gains we've made. A few days ago, Luthor took me to Italy for dinner." Lois started to chuckle. "We were out over the Atlantic and we were about to drink some wine. Just as Lex was bring up his glass there was some turbulence, caused by you-know-who and he spilled his wine all over his shirt." Lois was now laughing outright. "It was all I could do not to laugh even though I knew what had happened."
"Well, I just hope you can wrap this up soon so that things can get back to normal."
"So do I. I think we're getting close."
And now:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Chapter 3
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Early Monday morning, Mrs. Cox received a call from one of her operatives, "Report."
"This is Baxter. I … I …"
Irritated by his hesitation, Mrs. Cox barked, "Spit it out! What happened? Don't tell me you lost her."
"Well, yeah, but it wasn't my fault. Somehow I started following the wrong dame."
"Come in. I'm not making this report."
She heard a loud gulp before he said, "Do I hafta?"
"Yes, this wasn't my error. I'm not taking the flak for you."
There was fear in his tone as he replied, "All right, I'll be in shortly." He hung up.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Twenty minutes later Baxter entered the office where Mrs. Cox had her desk.
As soon as he entered she stood and said, "This way," as she sauntered to the door to Lex's office.
When they had entered, she said, "Baxter is here to report."
"Okay, let's hear it. What did she do this weekend?"
Baxter was sweating as he said, "I don't know."
Lex was skeptical and asked, "Oh, she never left her apartment, all weekend?"
"No, she left … She took a cab downtown. I followed her into a building. She got on the elevator and … she disappeared."
Lex was irritated and concerned. "She isn't a magician. She couldn't just disappear. Did she ‘make' you?"
"I don't see how. I hung back in traffic. I made it into the building while she was waiting for the elevator, but I wasn't able to get on the elevator with her."
Lex was losing his patience with this obviously incompetent bumbler. "Okay, she was on the elevator. Then what happened?"
"I took the stairs. When I got to the fifth floor I saw someone dressed just like her walking down the hallway so I followed her."
Impatient to get to the end of the story, Lex prompted, "And?"
"And it turned out to be some college co-ed going to a class. MetU rents a conference room in that building for summer classes. She was there for the lecture. I figured that Lane must have gone up further so I went back to the lobby to wait for her to come down. She never did. I waited for hours. I saw the co-ed leave when her class was finished, but no Lane."
Lex lost what patience he had remaining and shouted, "Of all the incompetent … she obviously made you and doubled back. While you were on your wild goose chase she left the building. Get out of my sight."
Baxter beat a hasty retreat. Once he was gone, Lex said, "Pay him off and send him on his way. Get someone more competent to take his place."
Lex selected a cigar from his humidor. Mrs. Cox took it from his hand and putting it between her lips, lit it for him and then handed it to him.
He puffed on it thoughtfully for a few seconds before he spoke. "In the plane, Lois said that the Planet was her life, now that Kent was gone and the staff was her family, along with her in-laws, of course. We can discount the in-laws, they aren't local, but we will need to do something about the rest. I want to force her to be dependent on me instead."
"How, Lex?"
"I've been working on that. I think that first we need to provide some proof that Kent is dead. Perhaps an unrecognizable body with some of his clothing, something. Then we can demand that Kent be declared dead. I've also been working on eliminating, Superman as a source of support for her. Soon she will be totally dependent on me and then she will be mine."
"There could be the problem of dental records, that kind of thing."
"Research. Find Kent's dentist. Get a copy of the record. We'll substitute."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The previous weekend.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
After lunch, Lois and Clark took the suitcases that they kept at the farm and headed for the island.
When they landed, Clark eased her to her feet, reluctant to finally let her go. Holding her in his embrace he said, "I don't know how much longer I'll be able to do this. Seeing you with Luthor just drives me crazy. You're my wife and we should be together."
"I know. I miss you, too. I miss waking up to the feel of you spooned against me." Her arms drifted up around his neck as she was speaking. She stood on tip-toe and put the period to her statement by kissing him.
Lifting her back up, he carried her into their bungalow and her feet didn't touch the floor until they were in the bedroom. They hadn't even broken the kiss for the entire distance.
When she finally broke the kiss, she sighed a deep sigh and said "I hope this investigation ends soon. I want my husband back. These times together are so few and far between." She reached behind his neck, grasping the tab of the hidden zipper and sliding it down. Grabbing the gap at the neckline, she pulled the spandex off his shoulders. As she eased the spandex down his arms, her fingers trailed down them making a light contact which left arms burning.
Once his top was off, he wiggled out of the cape harness and allowed it to fall to the floor. As he kicked it aside, she reached out with her hands and placed her palms on his chest. She kept her eyes on his face as she moved her hands over his pecs. His eyes were closed and his breathing began to deepen. Everywhere her hands touched him his skin felt like it had been bathed in liquid fire. He couldn't believe that she didn't appear to be feeling the same thing, but she continued to slide her hands over his skin.
Their contact had necessarily been limited because of being undercover, which only made this time away the more special. When she was finished exploring his chest, her hands made their way under his arms and onto his back. She pulled him into a fierce hug with her cheek pressed into his chest. The pressure of the hug served to force all of the air from his lungs. The sleeveless top she wore allowed her bare arms to circle his body in what felt like a ring of fire and he gasped. They stood there, unwilling to move, to break the spell.
Holding him, she whispered against his chest, "I've missed you, I've missed … us."
Finally willing himself to move, he brought up his hands and cradled the sides of her face, tilting it so that he could bend his head down and reach her lips. The contact seared his lips, but he couldn't pull away. Her lips were fire and ice, sweet as honey and as addictive as heroin. He couldn't get enough. He slid his tongue across her lower lip, seeking access. She parted her lips and allowed his tongue to explore all of the crevices of her mouth. She tasted like sweet tea and chocolate. His heart rate started to climb and his super-hearing locked onto her heartbeat and he realized that they were beating in synchronicity.
She obviously felt the same way because she clung to him like she was a drowning person and he was her life preserver.
By the time they broke the kiss, they were both gasping for air. For someone who could hold his breath for twenty minutes or more, it always amazed him that kissing Lois Lane still left him breathless. Once their breathing and heart rates had returned to something like normal, they stepped slightly apart. Not far, just enough that she was able to use her hands and arms.
He drank in every movement as she crossed her arms, watching the slow climb of the fabric reveal her body an inch at a time. She lifted it over her head until it hung limp from the fingertips of one upraised hand for several seconds before she allowed it to fall to the floor on top of his cape, finally exposing her barely covered breasts. The lace of her bra enhanced rather than concealed her breasts. Her nipples were pushing hard against the material.
She released a little squeal of delight as he stepped closer; he picked her up so that her breasts were level with his questing mouth and tongue. Her arms drifted up and loosely wrapped around his neck. He held her body securely against his as she arched her back, tilted her head and sighed again as his lips closed over one hard little bud. He could feel her entire body quiver with the contact. He sucked the nipple, lace and all, into his mouth, biting down lightly with his teeth, applying the slightest bit of pressure, and her legs came up and around his back, hiking her skirt up to her hips. Her arms unlocked from where they had been around his neck, flinging them out to the sides, and she leaned back, secure in the belief that he would support her, no matter what. Moving from one breast to the other, he made sure to give each nipple equal attention. Her guttural moans told him that she was enjoying what he was doing. Shifting his hands so that he was using one to support her, he used the other to release the front closure of her bra. When he did that, the two sides fell away, removing the last barrier between them. His tongue flicked out and circled the breast, tracing the circumference in ever decreasing circles until he was circling the nipple itself. By this time, the nipple was puckered and hard and begging to be sucked and he obliged. Her little moans of pleasure drove him on.
Gently he moved them to the bed and bent over to lay her on it. When she was lying down, she released her legs; he took his mouth from her breast and stood over her. He placed a hand on either side of her head and leaned in. Looking into her eyes, he started to question the wisdom of what they were doing to forward the investigation, being separated from one another when all he wanted to do was to be with her all of the time. It was hard enough watching her put herself in danger before they got close, but now … now that they were married, it was that much harder. Speaking softly, he said, "I never knew that I could love someone as much as I do you. There's no one else, no other woman in this entire world that even comes close." Slowly he closed the distance until their lips were in contact once more.
Her arms came up and her hands twined in the hair at the back of his head, pulling him in tightly as if desperate to increase the strength of the contact and to hold it longer.
He had lowered his face to hers, but as the kiss lingered he lowered his chest until it was in contact with her breasts and he could feel her nipples digging into him.
She moaned into his mouth and he almost came unglued. The need that he felt, the emptiness that could only be filled by her … her presence in his life. He knew that he wouldn't be able to continue if she wasn't there. If something happened, he would be lost and he would never forgive himself. That fear, the fear of losing everything that meant anything to him in life drove his need, his need of her. Without breaking the kiss, he reached to the side of her skirt and ran the zipper down.
She wiggled her hips as she shimmied out of her skirt. When it was around her ankles, she kicked it off and lay back, wearing nothing save a lacy pair of bikini panties.
He pulled back and marveled once again at her beauty. Her doe eyes were dark pools and for a moment he lost himself in them. She impatiently reached for him and pulled his mouth back to hers for another lingering kiss.
When they broke the kiss, she pulled him down beside her and knelt next to him. She started pulling his trunks and tights off of him. When she reached his boots, he removed them at super-speed and lay back down so that she could finish what she had started.
When all he had on was a set of briefs, she started running her hands over his legs and abdomen the way she had his chest.
Once again, her touch was like liquid fire and when she reached for his briefs and started to pull them off of him, he felt like he was about to explode.
To keep that from happening, he rolled her over onto her back and knelt next to her. It was his turn and he slowly slid her panties down her long slender legs. Once he had thrown them aside, he stroked his hands, gently, tenderly up her legs. As his hand approached the top of her thighs, she groaned and spread her legs, inviting him to touch her most sensitive, most intimate parts.
Shifting his position so that he was kneeling between her legs, he moved so that he could run his tongue up the inside of her thigh. Her moan of pleasure and the quiver he felt as he neared her center with his tongue told him that she wanted him to continue. Before reaching the juncture of her thighs though, he stopped and did the same thing to the other thigh. He teased her by licking the soft, sensitive skin of her inner thighs as she strained to open them farther for him. After a minute of this teasing, she signaled that she had had enough.
This started a period of marital intimacy.
When he could finally move, he started kissing first her forehead, then her eyes and cheeks, every square inch of skin that he could reach without moving away from her grip on him.
Slowly their breathing and heart rate started to moderate, finally returning to normal. Raising his head, he looked into her eyes and said, simply, “I love you.”
She smiled and said, “I love you, too.” She took a deep breath and let out a contented sigh before she said anything else. “Wow, what got into you?”
“I don’t know, but I think I need to talk to Perry.”
She gave him a quizzical look and asked, “What about?”
“Would you believe … Elvis’s music?”
She was surprised and even more curious, “You’ve GOT to be kidding me. Elvis’s music? Okay, I’ll bite. Why?”
“One of his songs comes to mind. I think I can now identify with it.”
“All right. Which one?”
“I need to know where Elvis got the lyric for ‘Burning Love’. I think I just lived through it. Unless you’re wearing some kind of new Kryptonite perfume, that’s the only explanation. I don’t know how or why, but I just felt like I was on fire the entire time.” He modulated his voice in an attempt to imitate Elvis as he sang, “Just a hunk, a hunk of burning love.”
She said, “Get outta here.”
He replied, “No, really. You know, it was one of his favorites. Check out the lyrics.”
“Don’t tell me you have them memorized.”
He gave her a sheepish grin and said, “Eidetic memory, remember?”
“Oh, yeah, I forgot.”
He separated from her and stood next to the bed. Adding arm and hand motions like he was holding a microphone and swinging his hips the way Elvis did, he started to sing in earnest. He might not have been as tuneful as Elvis, but what he lacked in vocal quality, he made up for in dance.
“You gonna set me on fire
Your kisses lift me higher
With burning love
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
I feel my temperature rising
Burning, burning, burning
With burning love
Burning love
Burning love
I'm just a hunk, a hunk of burning love
Just a hunk, a hunk of burning love”
She was giggling like a schoolgirl as he stood before her, swinging his naked body around.
He was watching her and saw that she was distracted by his movements as he did. The smile on her face told him that she enjoyed his performance anyway and she clapped when he was finished.
“See what I mean?”
He returned to the bed and as they cuddled Lois said, in a dreamy tone, "You know, I needed that. We have had to go so long in between. I want my husband back. I need you in bed with me every night."
"I don't like it any more than you, but we need to complete this or all we've gone through to get to this point will have been wasted."
"I know, but I don't have to like it." She pulled his hand up and kissed his knuckles before she continued, "I do think we are getting somewhere." She pulled back somewhat and looked him in the eyes, "It was you, wasn't it. You shook the plane so that he spilled his wine."
Clark smiled and said, "Guilty as charged."
"I thought so. I almost laughed outright. He was so mad …"
"Sometimes it just drives me crazy with what we are having to do."
"Well, I think we are getting somewhere. He asked me to marry him."
"What did you tell him?"
"That I'm already married, what else?" She yawned and said, "I think I'm going to take a little nap. What are we going to do for a encore?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I thought we might go to Hawaii and see a movie and have dinner then come back for more quality time."
In a sleepy voice, she said, "Sounds good to me," before she yawned again and then cuddling more tightly against him drifted off to sleep.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Lois and Clark had landed in a secluded alley; Clark had spun into casual clothes and was wearing sunglasses as was Lois even though it was late afternoon. They found a movie theater and decided to go see the feature which was a Mel Gibson movie. Clark knew that Lois had a ‘thing' for Mel Gibson and was willing to cater to her likes. This was different from his usual films being a takeoff on a TV series, "Maverick" about a wandering gambler. They both enjoyed the movie which was a light hearted romantic comedy.
After the movie they had headed for a restaurant. They had been playing a game as they strolled along. When they entered the building that housed the restaurant on the top floor they made their way to the elevators. As they crossed the lobby, Lois asked, "How many is that?"
Clark smiled and said, "Six."
Lois made a sour expression and then made a recount, counting on her fingers as she rattled off the names, "Dancer, Prancer, Comet, Blitzen, Dasher, Cupid ... Donner ..."
Clark's smile broadened. He knew he had her, "That's seven. One more."
Lois, trying to get an idea by repeating the last, said, "Donner …"
Clark gave her a few seconds and then said, "You're stuck."
Refusing to admit defeat, she snapped, "I am not stuck!" Realizing what she was doing she started to feel bad about her attitude and then admitted, "You're right. I'm stuck."
"What was the wager again? It was five bucks, wasn't it? ‘Bucks', get it?"
She snorted at his joke and said, "Okay, okay. Tell me the name."
He put an arm around her waist and looking into her eyes gave the answer a double meaning, "Vixen," and then kissed her.
As they approached the elevators, Clark noticed a man standing directly under a ‘No Smoking' sign with a cigarette in his mouth about to strike a flame to light it. As he did, before he had a chance to bring the lighter to the cigarette, Clark used a puff of super-breath to blow out the flame.
Lois grabbed his lapels and said, "Double or nothing."
Clark smiled and said, "Okay." He thought for a second and then challenged, "The seven dwarves."
Lois smirked and said, "You're on. Piece of cake."
As she started to ponder the answer, Clark used another puff of super-breath to blow out the lighter again just as the man was bringing it to the cigarette.
Acting like the official timekeeper, Clark said, "Go."
Lois happily started rattling off the names, "Happy, Dopey, Doc, Sneezy, Sleepy, Grumpy ..."
Clark smiled, it appeared that once again, he had her, "That's six."
In a small voice, Lois offered, "Sleezy?"
Clark shook his head and started making a tick-tock sound of a clock.
She was getting desperate so she started listing names in hopes of hitting on it, "Dippy, bippy, sloppy, wheezy ... Joe, Steve ..."
Seeing the man lifting his lighter again, Clark blew out the flame once again.
The man thinking that the problem was with his lighter started shaking it in bewilderment.
Just then the elevator arrived.
Clark said, "Time's up."
Lois stood on tip-toe and kissed him, "Much as I hate to admit it, I'm stumped. Tell me. Tell me."
Before Clark could answer they boarded the elevator. As they did, Lois spotted the man with the cigarette in his mouth. She snatched it from his lips and snapping it in two dropped it into a waste receptacle. Accosting him, she pointed at a ‘No Smoking' sign and accused, "Can't you read?"
As the elevator started to move, Lois moved into his arms and whispered, "Tell me. Who did I miss?"
Clark turned them around so that she was standing in a corner and he was between her and the man with the cigarettes before he leaned in and whispered in her ear, "It's obvious."
She nibbled on his ear before she said, "Not to me."
He whispered in her ear, "Bashful," and then nuzzled her neck.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
After dinner they returned to the island and made love several more times before falling asleep in each other's arms.
The rest of the time on the island was spent either in the water, on the sand or in bed together. They had a very enjoyable weekend.
Sunday night as they were cuddling, Lois asked, "How much longer do we have to do this?"
"We are making progress with Toni, Miranda and Nigel. They are the main witnesses. The other's just put the noose around Nigel's neck. That's what is making him talk. The deal of reducing their sentences to time served and the witness protection program for Toni and Miranda was enough for them. As I thought, Lex was actually the one behind the ‘Toasters'. He provided the technology. Lex commissioned Miranda to create the pheromone compound. We are getting the information we need, but it's a slow process. Nigel keeps adding conditions. Every piece of info he gives comes with a new condition. We need to go through with this until we have an iron clad case. We can't afford to miss crossing any ‘t's or dotting any ‘i's with this one. Once we put him away, it has to be for good and all."
"As long as we can have these occasional weekends, I'll put up with it. The problem is that Lex is watching me with an eagle eye. If it hadn't been for Lucy's help I don't know if I'd be here right now."
"Maybe next time I should just pick you up from the roof of the Planet at the end of the day."
"If we did that, Lex would be even more convinced that I am dallying with Superman. He accused me of that, you know. Switching my affections from Clark to Superman as soon as Clark was out of the picture. Seriously, he sees you as his principle rival for my affections."
"Maybe that's what we need to push him to the edge."
"Are you sure that's wise? He can be dangerous."
"What can he do to me?"
"Remember that green rock that Trask had?"
"Yeah, but I got rid of that."
"Where there's smoke there's usually fire. How can we be sure that was the only piece there was. What if he got hold of more? He could seriously hurt or even kill you." There were tears in her eyes as she finished.
He put his fingers under her chin and lifted it so that she was looking at him as he said, "Hey, none of that. You have memories of us together and a baby, remember? According to Herb it will take a while so Luthor isn't going to kill me."
"What if ... What if these memories aren't really mine? He made a mistake and gave me memories of a time after we had a child. What if that error was compounded by those memories being from another Lois. The one he told us about." She was becoming visibly upset.
"He told us about several others."
"There, you see what I mean? These memories could be from any one of them." Her upset was increasing as was the tone of her voice.
"Honey, we are just going to have to trust that they are really your memories."
She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest as she finally got her emotions under control and sighing said, "Yeah, I really hope that they are. It is a comfort. The problem is that he might not succeed, but he can still try. I remember what you went through in Smallville. I hate the thought of that. We will need to be extra careful. Okay, I can do this."
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