A/N: Here it is at last, the rest of part 12. So sorry for the wait! I hope y'all enjoy, at least. 
Part 12-A **********
Part 12-BHe'd brought it on himself.
Clark had known what could happen when he violated the injunction, but he'd just had to save the people on board that train. In the end, he couldn't really blame the people of Metropolis for wanting him gone He was, he had to admit, a little hurt that Michel had already vanished without even saying goodbye, but maybe it was for the best; there wasn't really anything the man could say to him except "I told you so".
He sighed, methodically cleaning out his desk and putting his belongings into a large box. Part of him wondered if the other man had been right, after all. Clark was certainly going to miss Metropolis, and the Planet, and--
"Where've you been?"
He turned, surprised to see Lois still at her desk. She sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, and gave him her best Mad Dog Lane glare.
"Lois," Clark breathed. He was going to miss her, most of all.
"I've been trying to find something,*anything* to help Superman," she said pointedly, and for the first time, Clark saw the physics textbooks littering her desk. His heart clenched. She really hadn't given up on him, had she?
"It's late, Lois," he told her, gently. "Why don't you go home now."
"Because there's no *time*!" she insisted. "Here, you take these..." She tried to hand him some books, all the while babbling instructions about maps and computers. It took him a while to make her understand that he wouldn't be helping her save her beloved hero...because he was leaving.
Once the truth clicked, she gaped at him, looking absolutely betrayed. "You were going to leave without even saying goodbye," she accused.
The words sent a pang through his chest, although they weren't entirely correct. He'd written his farewell letter the night before, and so he gave it to her now. He studied her face, committing every line and curve to memory, then bent and kissed her. Surprisingly, she didn't pull away. When it was over, he looked into her eyes, opened his mouth to say goodbye...
...and was cut off by a very loud, very colorful French expletive from the computer room. Was that Michel?! Clark's eyebrows rose into his hair.
Sure enough, Michel burst out of the computer room, holding two maps. Jimmy followed, hot on his heels. "We've got to find Clark!" Michel exclaimed, then stopped short about two feet away from him. "Oh! There you are. Thank goodness. Where were you?" He glanced down at the box in Clark's arms. "What is that box for?"
"Michel?!" Clark sputtered. The other man looked rumpled and unshaven. Had he been here all this time?!
"Dr. Renaud showed up a couple days ago," Jimmy explained. "We've been trying to figure out what's been causing the heat."
Clark stared at Michel.
"Did you find anything?" Lois asked them.
"As it happens, yes," Michel replied, whipping around to face her. "It would seem that...Superman's detractors were wrong." A light blush colored his cheeks.
Clark gaped at him. "Are you saying--" he began, but was cut off when Lois suddenly threw her arms around Michel.
"I knew it!" she shouted, squeezing him tightly and Good Lord why did this crazy American woman keep doing that?!
Clark blinked in confusion.
"Thank you, Dr. Renaud!" Lois continued before Clark could open his mouth to speak. Michel seemed a little disoriented when she finally released him. "So, what's really causing the heat?" she asked.
Michel cleared his throat and took a step back from her. "Well, that is the bad news," he said, once again turning to Clark. "How familiar are you with the element Polonium?"
TBC...
