Rules of Guilt
Folc4evernaday
Chapter 1
***
“Wow.”
“Yeah,” Lois said, taking a sip of her coffee.
“Wow,” Lucy repeated.
Lois looked up at her sister who was staring back at her expectantly. “You said that already, Luce.” She let out a defeated sigh, glancing around the semi-crowded coffee shop she’d met Lucy at this morning.
She and Clark had gotten back home yesterday evening and Lucy had still been in class. This was the first chance she’d had to see her and catch up on everything that had been going on since Christmas. Lucy had been holed away studying since the new semester had started.
Lucy took a sip of her coffee, toying with the paper label on her cup as she asked, “So, what did you say?”
“I said I’d think about it,” Lois grumbled uneasily, burying her head in her hands. “I feel like a complete idiot. I mean I didn’t even realize what was happening until he pulled out the ring and…” She groaned, shaking her head, “I’m a moron.”
<<"I love you, Lois. I always have and I always will. I told you before I want forever, and I want it with you.">>Lucy set her cup of coffee down and shook her head, “You’re not a moron you were just...surprised.” Lois wasn’t sure if she should take the skeptical tone in her sister’s voice to heart. She let out a low grumble as Lucy continued, “Look, you’ve been through a lot this past year. I’m sure Clark understands that.”
“I know he does,” Lois sighed, running a hand through her hair, “but that’s the problem right there.”
“What?” Lucy asked, not following her train of thought.
Lois met her sister’s gaze with an exasperated breath as she explained softly, “He understands and he gets me and I
really love him, but…”
“But what?” Lucy prompted, reaching her hand over to grab Lois’ hand. “What’s the problem? He seems like a great guy and you guys seem happy. He’s not pressuring you for an answer so what’s the issue?”
“Me.” Lois frowned, shaking her head. “I’m the problem. Every relationship I’ve had has ended up on the list of federal disasters.” She scowled as she added bitterly, “Especially my last one with Lex.”
“So that’s what this is about,” Lucy said suddenly, scooting her chair over to put an arm around her. “Lois, what is Lex’s favorite color?”
“What?” Lois wrinkled her nose at her, uncertain what she was talking about. “I don’t know.”
“Favorite food?” Lucy prompted carefully.
“I don’t know.” Lois could hear the bite in her own voice as she glared at her sister.
“Okay, what’s Clark’s favorite color?” Lucy prodded, looking at her with a smile.
“This is ridiculous.” Lois shot back. Lucy gave her a ‘Come on’ look and she sighed, “Fine. Blue.”
“Favorite food?” Lucy asked with a grin.
“Kind of hard to pick.” Lois sighed, “He seems to like pasta and rice dishes a lot though.”
“I rest my case.” Lucy said with a proud grin.
“Your case?” Lois looked at her exasperated.
“You’re afraid of getting hurt again,” Lucy explained. “Lex hurt you in a bad way but you can’t compare what he did to Clark. You know Clark. He knows you. He’s giving you the option. So, think about it, sis. Really think about it.”
“I have,” Lois said, glancing over at her sister with a sigh. “Believe me, I’ve done nothing but think about it. It’s just…”
“What?” Lucy asked.
“I wanted to say yes. Believe me, you have no idea how bad I wanted to, but Luce...This is forever. I mean, I love him but what if it’s not enough? Look what happened to mom and dad. They hate each other.” Lois looked down at her coffee, stirring it with the small white and red straw as she spoke, “ I just don’t think I could go through that kind of heartache again.”
“Yeah, but mom and dad had a different kind of relationship than you guys have or...anyone has for that matter.” Lucy gave her a wry expression. “Besides, are you really going to let a great guy slip away because of how screwed up our parents are?” Lois groaned, uncertain how to respond and Lucy tightened her arm around her. “I think you need to do less thinking and a little more talking...
with Clark.”
“We’ve kinda been avoiding the subject.” Lois said guiltily, “Or at least I have.”
“Well, maybe it’s time to stop.” Lucy pressed, giving her a tight hug.
“You sound like you’ve gotten pretty wise these past few months.” Lois smiled at her.
“Therapy. Lots and
lots of therapy.” Lucy smiled back at her. “Dr. Friskin’s really helped me sort through a lot of stuff with Johnny and with mom and dad.” She was quiet for a moment and then added, “Lois, I just want you to be happy. If Clark makes you happy then take a leap of faith. Sitting here fretting over his proposal and avoiding it isn’t going to get you the answers you need though. Sit him down and talk to him. You guys have the advantage of being able to talk to one another about anything because you were friends first. So
talk.”
***
Mayson Drake looked at the small blue capsule in her hand with a frown. She set it down in the small plastic bag it had been in before. If this information she’d received from Anita Rogers was accurate then Metropolis was in a lot of danger.
She reached for the phone and began to dial, waiting for the operator to connect. “Yes, I’d like to speak to Agent Richards. This is Mayson Drake with the Metropolis New Troy District Attorney’s Office.” She waited for the line to be transferred and then heard the familiar voice on the other line.
“Ms. Drake? It’s been quite some time.”
“Yes, it has, Andy,” She leaned back in her seat. “You heard about the threat?”
“Intergang placed a mark on your head,” Andy responded with a grim tone. “Seems you’re barking up the right trees.”
“Well, I’ve definitely stumbled onto something but I’m going to need your help.”
“I’m listening…” He ventured.
“How soon can you have a DEA Agent down here?”
“Within the hour. Why?” He asked.
“I’ll explain more when your agent gets here, but we’ve got a serious problem. A drug being given to inmates. Intergang’s found a unique way to break them out of prison.”
“I’ll have my best guy on the plane within the hour.” He said.
“Thanks, Andy,” Mayson said, hanging up the phone.
***
Marriage.
It felt like it was this looming cloud hanging over Lois, ready to downpour on everything. She couldn’t think. She couldn’t sleep. All she could think about was the question Clark had asked her this weekend. He claimed to understand that she needed time, but she still wasn’t sure. He hadn’t brought it up after his proposal. They’d had an enjoyable weekend together and much needed escape from Metropolis after Lex Luthor’s rise from the dead. But in the back of her mind, all she could focus on was the question he’d asked.
She stepped into the newsroom, her coffee from the coffee cart in hand as she made her way to the desk. The usually upbeat bullpen appeared to be in a quiet lull. Her conversation with Lucy still replaying in her mind. She was right. She knew she was right. The only way to get rid of the doubts and fears plaguing her mind was to talk to Clark, but starting that conversation seemed nearly impossible.
She took her seat at her desk and started her computer up, preparing to dive into the follow-up on Lex Luthor’s arrest. There was still no sign of Gretchen Kelly or Nigel St John from what she’d been able to gather from the news circuits in Hawaii. The mystery of how Lex had risen from the dead remained but she was sure Gretchen Kelly was connected somehow.
<<"I love you, Lois. I always have and I always will. I told you before I want forever, and I want it with you.">>She spotted a single long-stemmed rose on her desk with a note attached to it that read simply,
‘Love Clark’ She sighed, setting the note down and reaching for her coffee to take another sip. She glanced across the aisle, noting the absence of her partner. She scanned the newsroom and spotted him in Perry’s office with a worried expression on his face. Intrigued, she stood up from her desk and walked to the editor’s office to find out what was going on.
Upon seeing the serious faces on both Clark and Perry’s faces she tried to lighten the mood with a joke, “Who died?”
“Raul Borges,” Perry answered glumly, pointing at the door. “Close the door.”
“Raul who?” Lois asked, closing the door behind her.
“The guy they think Jimmy killed this weekend,” Clark said in a solemn tone.
“What!?” Lois exclaimed in surprise, “That’s ridiculous!”
“That’s what I said.” Perry countered with a grunt.
“Mayson and Bill Henderson are giving him seventy-two hours before they officially charge him,” Clark explained with a resigned sigh.
“Which is why whatever you two are working on is going to have to take a backseat. I want this to be your number one priority.” Perry handed her a file to go over. “This is everything we know. Your job is to find out who’s behind this and why.”
“You got it, Chief,” Clark said, placing a hand on her shoulder as he spoke.
She looked over her shoulder at him, meeting his gaze as they headed back into the bullpen together. She hadn’t seen him since last night when he’d brought her back from their tropical vacation. Had it really only been three days ago that they were celebrating Lex Luthor’s arrest and preparing for a long weekend away together? It felt so long ago. So much had changed between them.
“So, where do you want to start?” She asked as they approached her desk.
“I guess we should start with Lucky Leon,” Clark said, pointing to the file in her hand. “Talk to him and go from there.”
“Yeah, we should probably talk to that housekeeper too. Find out if she left anything out when talking to the police.” She said, grabbing her purse and coat, “Let’s go.”
“After you,” He gestured for her to lead the way to the elevator.
“Right,” Lois nodded, heading toward the steps leading up to the elevator.
<<"I know there are probably a thousand reasons why I should just stop there…”>>Marriage. The word continued to loom over her like an anvil as she climbed the steps in front of her. All weekend they hadn’t talked about it. They hadn’t said anything, but she knew he was thinking about it too. How could he not? It was all she seemed to be able to think of.
<<“Lois Lane, will you marry me?”>>
<<“Just think about it, okay?”>>They reached the elevator and she reached over to press the call button. She felt a slight blush cross her cheeks as she recalled the last time she and Clark had been in the Daily Planet elevator together. She glanced back at him, noting the fact that he seemed engrossed in the file he was flipping through while they were waiting.
<<“You’re not fine. I’m not fine. This is not fine.”>>The elevator chimed, announcing the arrival of the car and they stepped inside. He closed the file in his hand and reached over to press the button for the lobby. How had things changed so drastically between them in just three days? A little over seventy-two hours ago they’d been unable to keep their hands off one another now there seemed to be this uncomfortable wall between them—neither one wanted to say what they knew the other was thinking.
“So, anything interesting?” she asked, pointing to the file in his hands, hoping that the distraction of the investigation into Raul Borges’ murder would help. As it was they both seemed to be having a hard time finding a way to talk to one another. Though she knew Clark was concerned about Jimmy—she was too. It didn’t feel the same. Nothing felt the same.
“Whoever’s behind this seems to be going out of their way to frame Jimmy.” Clark frowned, “I just can’t understand why.”
Lois nodded, “I’m sure we’ll get to the bottom of it.” She let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding, “We always do.”
“Yeah,” he flashed her a smile and moved to cup her cheek. “I guess we do.” She felt a flutter in her stomach as he leaned closer, “First time you didn’t beat me into the office this morning.”
She grinned back at him, fingering the lapels on his jacket, “I guess I was recovering from this weekend.”
His eyes twinkled as he prompted, “Recovering, huh?” His mouth twitched into a half-smile and he leaned in to kiss her. She sighed against him, feeling her body relax against him as his lips caressed hers, lingering for a moment more before pulling away.
She met his gaze, reaching up to stroke his cheek, “Thank you for the rose.” She bit her lower lip uncertain if she should bring it up. It was all she could think about right now. “What’s the occasion?”
“Does there have to be one?” He asked, brushing his lips against hers before pulling away with a smile.
“Well, no,” She grinned back at him shyly. “It’s just usually when a guy gives a girl flowers there’s a reason behind it.”
“Well, I saw them at the florist this morning and I thought you’d like one.” He whispered.
“Okay,” She whispered, still uncertain if there had been an ulterior motive to the rose on her desk. All she seemed to be able to do since Friday night was think about that question he’d asked her. It had been perfect. He said all the right things and done all the right things but given the recent reminder of just how bad her judgment could be she was scared to take that leap of faith. She knew she loved Clark. She loved him more than she thought she could love anyone, but was it enough? Was she capable of loving someone that much...forever?
She twisted her mouth for a moment and added, “I know you think I'm not thinking about it. Just because I'm not talking about it doesn't mean I'm not thinking about it.”
“I didn’t say anything.” He argued with a shrug, releasing her from his arms. “Is that why you’ve been acting so weird this morning?”
“I have not been acting
weird.” She countered half-heartedly, meeting the ‘yeah right’ expression on his face with a lighthearted scowl, “Okay, maybe I was. It’s just...this is big and I…”
“Lois... Getting married's a big step.” He began carefully, “I said I'd wait. I
will wait.”
She twisted her mouth, watching him carefully before responding, “I'm glad you understand.”
“Of course.” He grinned back at her before adding with a light chuckle, “Now, if I were the paranoid type, I might think you'd been avoiding the whole thing.”
“Avoid it?” She let out a soft giggle, “No, of course, I’m not trying to avoid it I…” The elevator chimed and she pointed, “That’s our floor. We should get going.”
She heard Clark chuckle behind her, “It's... great you're not avoiding it, Lois. It makes me very, very happy to hear that.”
She was about to shoot him a look when Jimmy walked into the lobby and approached them with a depressed expression on his face. “Hey, Jimmy,” She gave him a sympathetic look, “How are you doing?”
Jimmy slumped his shoulders with a sigh, following them to the corner of the lobby away from prying eyes and ears, “How do you think?” He shook his head, “I just had my first meeting with the lawyer Perry found.” He let out a snort of disgust, “Man, I don’t know how I’m going to afford this. Even if I do manage to clear my name there’s no way…”
“Jimmy, I’m sure there’s something that can be done,” Clark reassured him, placing a supportive hand on his shoulder. “In the meantime, Lois and I are going to look into this and see what we can find out.”
“Thanks, guys,” Jimmy managed a weak smile. “I just can’t understand any of this.”
“We’ll get to the bottom of it,” Lois reassured him.
Jimmy flashed his best smile at them both, “I know you will.” He let out a sigh, “Listen, I’ve gotta get going. I promised the Chief I’d update him.” He pointed to the elevator.
“Okay, we were just on our way to talk to Lucky Leon and Borges’ housekeeper,” Clark said, pointing to the door. “We’ll catch up later.”
Jimmy smiled weakly at them as he stepped into the elevator. “You’re the best.” He gave a final wave before the elevator doors closed.
Lois sighed, turning to look back up at Clark, “You think he’s going to be okay?”
“Would you be?” He asked, shaking his head. “I think the sooner we get to the bottom of this the sooner Jimmy will be able to get a good night’s sleep.”
***
Clark glanced up at the wall-length windows on the front of the building that read, ‘Lucky Leon Inc’ and shook his head when he saw the cheesy billboard sign pointing to the back of the building, advertising the ‘Desk Friend.’ He made a face, pointing at the billboard, “Think this guy goes overboard with his advertising?”
Lois let out a soft giggle, “I’m sure, but it doesn’t seem to have hurt him any.” She gestured to the spacious office as they reached the top step.
“Still, you gotta wonder who comes up with these ideas.” Clark pointed to the models on display as he followed Lois inside the empty lobby. One display read, ‘Desk Friend’ and another ‘Shower Friend’ with a picture of a model in a bikini behind the display.
Lois groaned, “What is it with women in bikinis and advertising?”
Clark quickly diverted his attention elsewhere to prevent her from going on another tirade, “This one’s new.” He pointed to the display that read, ‘Golf Friend.’ There was a cardboard cutout of Tom Lehman behind it.
“Golf Friend?” Lois read the sign aloud with a roll of the eyes, “Of all the cheesy…”
A loud voice with a strong Russian accent interrupted her sentence, “Yes, may I help you?”
Clark suppressed a chuckle when he noticed Lois clamp her mouth shut turning to face Lucky Leon himself. “Mr. Leon, is it?” Clark pointed to the poster on the wall behind him, “I recognized you from your ads. I’m Clark Kent. This is my partner, Lois Lane. We’re with…”
“The Daily Planet. Yes, yes, I’ve read your work.” He nodded, taking a bite of his apple as he motioned for them to follow. They followed him into his office and watched as he made a beeline for his desk, snatching a piece of paper off the pad.
“We're sorry, but there wasn't any secretary around,” Lois said, pointing back at the Lobby.
“Yes, it’s no problem. Please sit.” He pointed to the chairs in front of his desk. He then plucked an orange from the fruit bowl in front of him. “Would you like an orange? They're only sixty-nine cents a pound. Please, take as many as you want!”
“Uh, no thank you.” Lois interrupted, shaking her head, but Leon continued to talk.
“When I was a boy, back in the Ukraine, I saw them only on holidays; and then I had to share with my sister.” Leon flashed them a smile.
Clark forced a smile back but noticed the slight hike in Leon’s heart rate as he spoke. What could he possibly have to hide? He cleared his throat, trying to steer the conversation on the topic at hand, “Um, we'd like to ask you a few questions about a customer of yours... Raul Borges?”
Leon ignored the question and grabbed a banana from the bowl, “Or how about a banana? I was twenty-five before I tasted my first one. Now I'm an addict!”
“Mr. Leon…” Lois interjected with a forced polite smile.
Leon placed the fruit back in the bowl and smiled at her, “Oh, I apologize, but this truly is the land of plenty!” He pointed to the pictures of on the wall behind him. One was of the new looking factory and the other was of an old small one that looked to be run down. “Five years ago I started in a rundown factory. Now I have one ten times as large! However, I'm afraid I don't know your Mr. Borges. Fortunately, we have a lot of customers.”
Clark exchanged a look with Lois and she nodded, “Yes, well, this one is dead. The police believe he may have been murdered by an employee of yours... Jimmy Olsen.”
Leon looked up in surprise, “Have they caught him?”
“They’re still investigating,” Clark explained evenly, noting the slight hike Leon’s heart rate took at that information.
“That's what's great about America, innocent til proven guilty. Back where I come from, it's shoot first, search for evidence later.” Leon flashed them a broad smile, “But what about Raul Borges?”
Clark nodded, “Yes. Since Raul Borges was murdered we were hoping you might be able to share any records you may have on him?”
Lois flashed a pleading smile, “Yes, unfortunately, the house he was renting didn’t keep records and the housekeeper didn’t speak English very well.”
Leon nodded his understanding and shrugged, “Quite frankly, I don't know what information we might have that can help. But I can make a copy of what we have. Wait just a moment.” He stood up and headed into the lobby, calling over his shoulder, “Oh, and try the kiwi fruit. Delicious!”
Lois watched him leave then bolted out of her chair to look at the notepad on Leon’s desk. “Lois, what are you doing?” Clark asked, looking over her shoulder.
“Here. Read it.” She handed it to him.
“What?” He looked at her in surprise.
“You know,” She pointed to his glasses motioning for him to scan the paper.
“I don’t even know what I’m looking for.” He pointed out.
“Just give it a little buzz-buzz and take a look.” She shrugged. “I’ve seen you do it a hundred times.”
He lowered his glasses and muttered, “Just for the record buzz-buzz is not exactly the right term to be using when referring to x-ray vision.”
“Fine.” She shrugged, “Scan it. X-ray it. Whatever. Just tell me what he had on that paper.”
“Why do you insist on snooping on everyone we interview?” He sighed as he lowered his glasses to scan the pad. “First the housekeeper …”
“She had a weird look.” Lois retorted. “I’m trying to help Jimmy. Besides, you saw how quickly he grabbed that paper. He didn’t want us to see whatever he was writing.”
“Okay, yes, I’ll admit he seems a bit...squirrely but that doesn’t mean…” He stopped when he saw the note he’d uncovered, ‘Arrive 1:15 pm. Route 128’ and jotted it down, tearing the paper from the pad and handing it to her.
“Thank you,” She leaned up to kiss him.
He shook his head, “I’m not going on a wild goose chase. We need to…”
“Ms. Lane…” Leon’s voice from the doorway caused them both to jump. Leon was holding a long printout in his hand shaking his head, “I see that neither you nor Mr. Kent have ever ordered any of my products.”
Lois quickly shoved the paper in Clark’s hand from behind and lied, “But I've been meaning to. The, uh, 'Golf Friend'; is this new?” she pointed to the setup Leon had in the corner of his office.
“Yes. It's my latest. Go ahead, take a swing. I know, they seem incredibly tacky, but... they work!” Leon flashed her a smile.
Lois took the golf club Leon handed her and took a swing. Clark turned to Leon, “And you design all of these?”
“Every last one of them. I love it.” Leon said proudly, handing the printout to Clark, “Now as to Mr. Borges…” he pointed to the printout, “He ordered one Desk Friend, for thirty-nine ninety-five, eight days ago. Not the top of the line, but our best seller. Paid by credit card. But that's all he's ordered, and he hasn't bought from us before.”
The electronic voice from the Golf Friend shouted, “Hey, who let Greg Norman in here?!”
Leon made a face and Clark smiled, “Thanks. Sorry to trouble you.”
“Not a problem,” Leon said, waving them toward the door. “And if you have any more questions, feel free to call.”
They made their way out the door and Lois turned to him, “Quick! What’s he doing?”
Clark turned around and scanned the now-closed office door and saw Leon press a button to reveal a wall of television monitors with different people on it. “I’ll meet you in the car.” He said pointing to his ear. She nodded and he began to listen in.
“Progress report?” an elderly man on the first screen requested.
“Lane and Kent just left. So far they’ve done just as I predicted. It's all going to work out, trust me.” Leon said.
“We trust no one.” The man said.
“You want me to pull the plug? No problem. Then you won't get the shipment and you can forget about holding the world hostage!” Leon threatened menacingly.
“No one backs out of an Intergang deal.” the man warned angrily.
“Then leave me alone!” Leon shouted.
“We don't even know the details of how you're going to do it!” the man argued.
“Simple. I'm going to get Lois Lane to trick Superman into stealing the shipment for us.” Leon responded with a laugh before hitting a button on the remote in his hand.
“That’s what you think,” Clark muttered to himself. He debated for a moment if he should have Superman make a visit to the factory then decided clearing Jimmy’s name was more important. At least now he knew for sure Lucky Leon couldn’t be trusted and what his plan was. He just had to figure out how to stay one step ahead of him so he and Lois didn’t fall into his trap.
***
TBC...
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