Collateral Damage
Folc4evernaday
Part 6
***
“Clark!” Lois shrieked as Clark scooped her into his arms, carrying her into their room. He carried her to the bed and gently laid her down and dropped their luggage on the ground by the bed. Lois sat on her knees and linked her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.
She found his mouth on hers a moment later. The gentle tug on her lip elicited a moan of approval from her. She linked her arms around his neck, encouraging their embrace to continue. “We're supposed to be working.” She argued half-heartedly as she worked on the task of unbuckling his belt and loosening his tie.
“We are.” He grinned at her in between kisses, “Working on perfecting our communication skills.”
Lois laughed with delight as he pushed her back onto the bed and covered her body with his. He shrugged off his jacket and vest. His shirt was soon to follow. Her blouse soon found its way to the floor. “Clark, yes...” she murmured against his lips. She reached down to caress him through the soft fabric of his slacks. He moaned in approval, tightening his arms around her.
***
“Good afternoon, sir, how may I help you?” the front desk receptionist asked as a tall man in his mid-thirties approached the desk.
“I'd like to get a room.”
“Certainly any special requests?”
“Yes, I'd like to near a friend of mine that’s in town for the convention.”
“Who is your friend?”
“Lois Lane.”
“I don't see a Lois Lane here, sir.”
“It might be under her husband's name. Clark Kent.”
“Okay, and your name, sir?”
“Leslie Luckabee.”
“I’m sorry, sir, but that entire floor is booked solid. I could get you something in our Presidential suite?” she suggested.
“Are you sure there isn’t any way you could move some people around?” He shot her a megawatt smile causing her to blush.
“Um, maybe there’s SOMETHING I can do…” she began.
“Thank you.”
“Okay, you're all set. Enjoy your stay.” She handed him the keys to his room.
“I will.” He took the key and headed towards the elevator. “That was almost too easy.” He muttered to himself.
***
Jimmy stared at his screen in disbelief. “Oh, my God, I've got to get this to Lois and CK. I've got to warn them.”
“Hey, Jimmy, have you seen Leslie? I've been trying to find him all day. He said he'd help me improve my writing approach.” Ralph said, walking up to his desk.
“Uh, no, Ralph, sorry. Listen, have you seen Lois and CK? I need to talk to them.”
“No.” Ralph took a bite out of an apple as he spoke. “They left like a couple hours ago for Atlantic City; some big convention.”
Perry walked by the two of them and scolded them gruffly, “What is this social hour? Get to work!”
“Sorry, Perry, I'm just looking for Leslie,” Ralph responded.
“He went up to Atlantic City; said he wanted to meet the movers and shakers of the media industry,” Perry responded nonchalantly.
“Oh, no,” Jimmy muttered. “Chief, I've got to go.”
“Go? Where?” Perry asked confused.
“I've got to warn Lois and Clark; this can't wait.”
“What the Sam Hill is going on?” Perry asked, noticing the look of distress on Jimmy’s face.
“I don't have time to explain. Please just trust me. I have to get to Atlantic City.” Jimmy pleaded.
Perry had always had a soft spot for Jimmy. He saw the desperation in Jimmy's eyes and conceded, “All right. I don't know what this is about, but you're going to tell me when you get back. I'll have Lori in Travel get your itinerary arranged. Go pack!”
“Thanks, Chief.” Jimmy hugged Perry and headed towards the elevator.
“Jimmy, I thought I told you never to hug me!” Perry warned.
“Right, Chief.” Jimmy entered the elevator and disappeared behind the doors. He just hoped he wasn't too late.
***
“Mmmm, I don't want to move.” Lois murmured against Clark's chest.
“I know what you mean.” Clark chuckled.
“You know it's weird. Whenever we make love I feel fine. I don't feel rundown or tired or anything, but whenever we go a few days without making love I start to feel really tired and weak.” Lois lazily traced patterns on his chest as she thought out loud. “Why do you think that is?”
“I don't know.” Clark kissed her head lightly, “It could be because of hormones or it could be a side effect of the Preeclampsia or even a part of a Kryptonian pregnancy. We don't know what we're dealing with here.”
“So, I guess it was a waste of time to bring that negligee…” Lois teased him.
“No, we can try that later.” He promised, wrapping his arms around her.
“What time does the first lecture begin?” Lois asked.
Clark looked at his clock, “In about half an hour.” He grimaced, “I guess we should get ready.”
Lois groaned, “Come on, not every one of us moves at super-speed.”
Clark wiggled his eyebrows at her, “I don't do everything at super-speed.” He argued. Then to prove his point he pulled her into his arms once more and kissed her.
“Mmmm,” Lois moaned. “I have to get dressed,” she argued as she felt his hands wander up and down her body.
He sighed, making his disappointment evident, “I know.”
“You can take a shower first. Since it only takes you...” Clark disappeared before her eyes and was back a few seconds later fully dressed and his hair slightly damp from the shower, “...a few seconds.” she finished. “I'll be out in a few,” she called over her shoulder as she headed for the bathroom.
“I'll be right here,” he replied with a smile. He proceeded to tidy the room up a bit and unpack their luggage. He was interrupted by a knock at the door. He got up and answered the door. On the other side of the door, he found Leslie Luckabee. “Mr. Luckabee? What are you doing here?”
***
Jimmy sat on the plane nervously tapping at the tray next to him. Lex Luthor's son. He still had a hard time wrapping his mind around the concept. Leslie seemed like an all right guy from the outside, but he wasn't who he appeared to be. He didn't exist. Leslie Luckabee didn't exist. Lex Luthor Jr. existed.
He had to warn Lois and Clark. He didn't know if they suspected anything was off with Leslie—err, Lex—He had to figure out what to do. He had to find Lois and Clark and tell them about Lex Luthor's son. He knew the Chief had taken a liking to Leslie, they all had, but he wasn't what he appeared to be. Why would someone change their name and pretend to be something they weren't unless they had something to hide?
***
“Hello, Clark, I decided to come down to the convention myself as well. I wanted to meet some of the movers and shakers of the media industry. I was hoping you and Lois would be able to introduce me to more of your contacts.”
“Uh, sure.” Clark was a bit uneasy with the fact that Leslie had just approached their hotel room rather than calling the room. He still couldn't shake the uneasy feeling he had about the man. He had a charisma about him, but there was something off about him. Something untrustworthy—fictitious about him.
“Have you and Lois settled in okay?” Leslie asked.
“Uh, yeah, we're just unpacking,” Clark explained hesitantly.
Leslie noticed Clark still hadn't opened the door all the way and he obviously wasn't going to invite him inside. “Well, I'm across the hall if you need anything. I'll meet you both downstairs in a few?”
“Sure.” Clark nodded hesitantly. He still wasn't letting Leslie into their hotel room. He didn't care who the man was. The owner of the Daily Planet or not; it just wasn't right for him to be inside their hotel room. He watched Leslie leave then shut the door behind him.
“Who was that?” Lois asked, stepping out of the bathroom in her towel. He smiled at the sight before him. Lois' figure was still pretty slender but the evidence of the life growing inside of her was still evident by the medium sized bump on her abdomen. She had her qualms about the weight gain, but he thought she was beautiful. She was carrying his child. The very idea of it made her even more sexy to him.
“Leslie.” Clark responded hesitantly, “He said he wanted us to introduce him to some of our contacts.”
Lois crinkled her nose. “That's odd.”
“Yeah. Oh, and get this. He's across the hall from us.” Clark added annoyed.
“What?” Lois asked in disbelief.
“It could be a coincidence.” Clark began, giving Leslie the benefit of the doubt.
“Yeah right,” Lois muttered under her breath. “Something isn't right here,” Lois remarked. She could feel a chill run down her spine as she spoke. “This convention is normally allowing only two U.S. Papers a year, yet now it's allowing three. Then they're allowing Leslie to come along as well, and how did he end up in a room across the hall from us?”
“I don't know, but we've got to meet him downstairs in a few minutes, so let's paste on a smile and introduce him to a few key people. Hopefully, he'll be on his way and leave us alone the rest of the time.”
“Yeah right,” Lois muttered under her breath.
***
“Here's the plan. We're going to hit Metropolis hard and all at once. It's time they realized who was in charge.” Angela ordered as she paced around the room. “Remember, if you fail; don't come back here, and you better forget you ever saw this place.”
***
“Excuse me, sir? Sir? Are you a member of the convention?” the clerk asked as Jimmy tried to push his way past the hostess.
“I'm looking for Lois Lane and Clark Kent. They're friends of mine. I have important information for them regarding...a story they're working on.” Jimmy recited frantically.
“Sir, this is a black tie event. You can't go in there without a tuxedo.”
“But it will just take me one minute. Please?”
“The tuxedo rentals can be found across the street.” She pointed to the shop across the street from the hotel, towards the main entrance.
***
“I will be so glad when this guy shuts up,” Lois whispered to Clark. They had been listening to Randal Scavo discuss how great American news was compared to the European news. A majority of the crowd was getting anxious and many were offended by his statements.
“Where does this guy get off?” Clark whispered back.
“I don't know.”
The movement on stage distracted them from their conversation. “I'd like to introduce you all to a new member of our board, Mr. Leslie Luckabee.”
“Thank you, Mr. Scavo, I feel privileged to be welcomed into your community so graciously.” Leslie began. “It is a true honor.”
“Don't listen to him! He's a FAKE!!!” Everyone's heads turned to see Jimmy Olsen standing at the entrance, pointing at Leslie Luckabee. His hair was disheveled, he wore a cheap tuxedo and two guards stood behind him with an angry look on their faces. He had apparently slipped past security.
“Get him out of here!” one of the hotel managers ordered. Lois and Clark jumped up towards Jimmy, trying to diffuse the situation. Jimmy continued screaming hysterically as he fought the guards.
“He's a fake! He's not who you think he is!”
“Let him go!” Clark argued with one of the security guards.
“Turn around, son, you’re coming with me,” the security guard pulled Jimmy out of the room. Lois and Clark watched in horror as two police officers approached them and took Jimmy into custody.
Leslie watched the scene unfold with a smile. It couldn't have gone better. Jimmy had apparently figured him out, but he wouldn't be causing him any more grief. He'd make sure of that. The manager of the hotel approached the stage, “I apologize for this outburst, ladies, and gentlemen, it won't happen again. Please proceed to our ballroom where you will find a full buffet along with music and dancing. We will pick up with the lectures tomorrow.”
Everyone made their way toward the ballroom, leaving Lois and Clark behind to think. “What do you think Jimmy meant by that outburst?” Clark asked.
“He said 'He's a fake' and he kept pointing at Leslie,” Lois remarked.
“I think we need to look into Leslie Luckabee's background ASAP,” Clark muttered as they headed toward the ballroom.
“How long before we can make an exit without being too obvious?” Lois whispered in his ear.
“An hour?” Clark responded breathlessly. “But you need to EAT.” Clark pointed at the line. “I know how you get when you get hot on the trail of something, but remember; you HAVE to keep your strength up.”
“I know.” Lois sighed. “We've got to find out what Jimmy knows.”
“I’ll see if I can find him…” He was about to say something, but his super-hearing picked up several sirens.
“What is it?” Lois asked, recognizing the expression on his face.
“I gotta go,” Clark whispered. He kissed her lightly then headed towards the exit. Lois sighed then headed towards the buffet. She contemplated just skipping dinner and starting the investigation into Leslie's background, but the growling of her stomach made her think better of that choice.
“Hello, Lois,” a voice behind her interrupted her thoughts. She looked up to see Leslie Luckabee looking at her. “Where is Clark?”
“Oh, he went to go check on Jimmy,” Lois replied sweetly.
“Well, maybe I can take advantage of his absence,” Leslie replied eying her critically. “I could use this time to take advantage of you.”
“Excuse me?” she stepped away from him hesitantly.
“Your contacts and good name. Clark did promise me you two would introduce me to some of the movers and shakers of the media.”
“Oh, right,” Lois replied. She eyed him warily as they got their food. She wasn't sure what Leslie was up to, but she knew she had to keep an eye on him.
***
Clark followed the sirens and found the source to the alarms. Metropolis was in a chaotic state. The police were everywhere. Bank alarm after bank alarm rang in his head. He sighed, this was going to take a while to get under control.
***
Later that evening, Lois and Leslie made their way to the lobby, heading towards their respective rooms. “So, tell me, Lois, what's it like working at the Planet with your husband day in and day out?” Leslie asked as they made their way towards the elevators.
“It's fine. Clark and I are partners in everything we do.” Lois responded. The elevator came and they stepped into the elevator. Lois made sure to keep as much distance from Leslie as possible. She had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that something wasn't right. All evening her stomach had been in knots. She hoped Clark had come back already.
“He's a very lucky man,” Leslie responded with a smile. “An intelligent and beautiful woman with a child on its way. It's quite an extraordinary feeling when you find that special person.”
“Well, I'm a lucky woman to have found such a wonderful man,” Lois responded, unsure of what Leslie’s motives were.
“Yes.” He responded. “You're both very lucky,” he whispered.
They stepped off the elevator and Lois hurried to her room. She noticed Leslie standing behind her when she opened the door. “What are you doing?”
“My mother taught me to always walk a lady to her door.” Leslie smiled.
“Mr. Luckabee, you might want to lay off the liquor. If I didn't know better I'd say you were trying to come onto me.” Lois narrowed her eyes, laughing lightly as she spoke.
“What if I am?”
“What?” she asked, anger piercing through her as she realized what his intentions were. Before she could respond further she felt his arm tighten around her as he leaned towards her. She could smell the booze on his breath. . She struggled to push him off, but she found her arms restrained by his arms. He pushed her back against the door as she struggled against him, attempting to push him off of her. She struggled against him. “Get OFF OF ME!!” she screamed.
“Now is that any way to talk to your boss?” he asked. He moved his hand up her thigh and Lois took advantage of the movement and proceeded to knee him in the groin. He rolled over in pain.
“DON’T YOU EVER TOUCH ME AGAIN!!” She ran into the room, locking the door behind her as she leaned against the door in relief. She listened carefully to make sure he wasn’t going to try anything else then sank to the floor in tears.
“You’re okay…You’re okay…You’re okay…Lois, pull yourself together…” she whispered to herself as she began practicing the breathing exercises Dr. Pierce had taught her.
***
“I've found it.” Mr. Smith exclaimed over the phone.
“Really? Any idea what the secret Lex had spoken about is?” Leslie asked.
“No, I'm trying to restore the recording as we speak.”
“Very well. Let me know once you find out.”
“Of course, Master.” Mr. Smith hung up the phone. He stared at the wall before him. A photograph of Lois Lane and Clark Kent was posted on the wall along with a publicity shot of Superman. “You will pay.” He muttered. He threw a dart at the pictures and smile when it struck the face of Lois Lane.
***
“Superman!” Jimmy was surprised to find the Man of Steel in his holding cell.
“Hi, Jimmy, how are you doing?”
“Terrible,” Jimmy muttered. “I was trying to warn Lois and CK about Leslie Luckabee.”
“What about him?” Clark asked in concern.
“Leslie Luckabee doesn't really exist. His real name is Lex Luthor Jr.”
“WHAT???”
“Superman, you've got to get me out of here. I only found this information out by hacking into some of the government sites in Australia. Lois and CK won't be able to find this out until it's too late. Something about this doesn't feel right.”
“Anything that has to do with Lex Luthor doesn't feel right, Jimmy. I've already explained to the police that you were wrongfully arrested. You didn't break any laws. I think the owner of the hotel was just trying to save face.”
“That or Mr. Luckabee set him up to it.”
“That too.”
***
“Clark...” Lois murmured in her sleep as he slipped into bed.
“Shhh, go back to sleep.” He whispered.
Lois sleepily nodded as she curled up into his embrace, sighing in contentment in his arms. “Missed you.” She whispered before falling asleep.
Clark gazed down at her and saw her face was tear-stained. What on Earth could she have been crying about? Clark tightened his arms around her. He hadn’t meant to be gone that long, but the criminal element wasn’t taking any breaks tonight. There had been heist after heist along with about a dozen hostage situations as well as several hundred minor crimes all at the same time. It was exhausting. He had been able to catch a majority of the criminals; only a few had gotten away. He hoped this was just a coincidence. He didn’t look forward to a repeat of this occurrence.
“I love you.” He whispered to his sleeping wife. He gazed down at her sleeping figure in his arms. She looked so peaceful. He slid his hands down her body to rest on her abdomen. It still amazed him; how quickly their lives had changed in the last few months. Lois and he were going to be parents. Their child was growing inside the woman he loved. It was a dream come true. From the moment, he had met Lois Lane he had fallen completely in love with her.
He couldn’t imagine his life without her. It scared him to think that carrying their child could be dangerous to Lois. She decided to take the risk. They had found out that the preeclampsia wasn’t something that had been caused by him but something that just was. He wasn’t used to feeling this helpless. He kissed Lois good night once more before drifting off to sleep once more.
***
The next morning, Lois lazily stretched her arms out as she awoke. She smiled up at the sleeping figure of her husband. He held her body close to his; his hands rested on her abdomen where their child was growing. She placed a hand over his. “Good morning.” He whispered in her ear. The soft breath against her neck sent a shiver down her spine.
“Morning.” She turned in his embrace to face him and gently reached out to caress his cheek. “I missed you last night.” She knew she needed to tell Clark about Leslie.
“I’m sorry, baby; I don’t know what was going on out there. Every time I turned around there was another hostage situation or another bank robbery. I was going nonstop for several hours. It was after two when I finally got back.” He explained.
“That’s okay. I know you would have been here if you could have.” Lois sighed and rested her chin against his chest.
“What’s wrong?” Clark asked, noticing the tone in her voice.
Lois wasn’t even sure how to tell Clark about what Leslie had done last night. She had been so upset. The very idea that he had kissed her…let alone tried to touch her made her skin crawl. Clark was the only man allowed to touch her like that.
Clark sensed her hesitation; he wasn't sure what was wrong, but he knew Lois would tell him when she was ready. He pulled her close into his arms and felt her sigh in relief as his arms tightened around her waist.
She leaned up against his frame and kissed him lightly, “I missed you last night.” she whispered before capturing his mouth once more. A moan escaped from his throat as she deepened the kiss, running her hands up and down his chest in anticipation.
“Lois..” he moaned. His earlier concerns about her earlier behavior had vanished as he concentrated on the motion of her hands against his skin.
A moan escaped her lips, the feeling of his hard frame pressed up against her body sent chills down her spine. Her arms linked themselves around his neck as she explored his body more thoroughly. The feel of his hard muscles against her skin; the warmth of his breath against the nape of her neck; the unmistakable feeling of his muscles pressed against her. “Clark..”
***
“When are we going to get rid of him?” Angela hissed over the phone, “I have been dealing with that overgrown boy scout for years. I am sick of him flashing his cape where it doesn't belong. I want him taken care of!”
“Patience is a virtue, Ms. Cross. We can't be sloppy about this. Superman will have his day.” Mr. Smith replied coolly. “Soon Metropolis will feel the wrath of revenge upon them. They will regret turning their backs on Lex Luthor.”
“Well, it can't happen soon enough as far as I'm concerned,” Angel muttered. She hung up the phone, not giving Mr. Smith a chance to retort. She then turned to one of her henchmen, “We need to head back to Metropolis. Intergang's resurrection will require a hands-on approach. I can't very well manage everything from here, now can I?”
“Very well, Ms. Cross. Your plane will be ready within the hour.”
***
TBC...
Part 7 next.
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