Rules of Engagement
Folc4evernaday
Chapter 7
***
Lois took a deep breath, counting to ten as she prepared to enter the dining hall at the Country Club, uncertain what condition the room would be in when she entered. Would her parents be at each other’s throats? Would they be making snide remarks with ice in the air all evening?
“You’re stalling.” A familiar voice said from behind her.
She turned and saw Clark standing there in a charcoal suit as he reached out to pull her to him. “That was fast.” She commented, looking at the time. “Everything go okay?”
“Perfect.” He said, leaning in to kiss her. “You look great.” He complimented, looking briefly over the short black dress that came to her knees with the three-chord straps accented with a silk bow on each shoulder.
She smiled her thanks, toying with his tie playfully, “You look pretty good yourself. What if we just ditched dinner and went somewhere else? They probably wouldn’t notice if we didn’t show up.”
“Lo-is…” He chastised offering her a comforting smile as he placed an arm around her shoulders. “Come on, it won’t be that bad,” He said, opening the door for her.
“Just remember I offered a way to retreat and avoid this whole mess.” She said playfully as he followed her into the dining hall. Across the room, she spotted her mother with an annoyed expression on her face. She grimaced, uncertain what could be bringing a sour mood over her given her dad’s absence from the table until she spotted him. Dan Scardino was sitting at the table with her mother.
“Oh, no,” She groaned aloud when she spotted the DEA Agent sitting across from her mother. “What is
he doing here?”
“Let’s find out,” Clark said, his face was equally irritated as they approached.
“I’m telling you hospitals are feeding grounds for drug-addicts…” Scardino was saying when they approached.
“Agent Scardino, I didn’t know you were a member,” Lois said, taking the seat next to her mother as Clark pulled up a chair between her and Scardino.
“Oh, I’m not. I actually came here for you.” He said, flashing a smile to her.
She caught a glimpse of the annoyed expression on Clark’s face as he rolled his eyes at Dan and the stern look her mother was giving. How in the world Dan Scardino had managed to weasel himself inside her mother’s country club was beyond her. Right now she just wanted to get rid of him before her dad made it to the table.
“For me?” Lois looked at him uncertainly.
“Sorry, I’m late.” The voice of her father came from the other side of the table. A frown crossed his face when he approached and realized that Dan Scardino was in his seat.
Thankfully for Scardino, he seemed to realize his misstep and quickly stood to his feet. “Sorry about that, sir.” He cleared his throat. “Just catching up.”
“Friend of yours?” Her father looked at her mother.
“No.” Her mother said between gritted teeth.
She caught the disapproving look her mother shot at her and sighed, running a hand through her hair. How long had he been here?
Clark chose that moment to intervene. “Agent Scardino was helping us with a story we were working on this week.”
“Ah,” her father grunted, looking at him with a frown. “And you’re chasing down leads here?”
“Well, I just wanted to catch your…” He seemed to think better of his choice of words and quickly corrected himself. “Uh, Lois,” he finished lamely, glancing around the table as he added, “up on the latest...”
‘The latest what?’ Lois mouthed to Clark who shook his head with a shrug. Though part of her was curious what Agent Scardino could have that would warrant a trip down here to update them. The other part wondered how in the world he knew where to find them and why he hadn’t bothered to call either her or Clark’s mobile phones if it was that important. Before she could entertain that thought, her father quickly cut in putting an end to the conversation.
“Whatever it is I’m sure it can wait.” Her father frowned as he removed the glass of water in front of him and handed it to Agent Scardino. “Do me a favor and have Richard bring out a clean table set would you?”
Lois caught a defeated expression that crossed Agent Scardino’s face before he nodded and muttered, “Right.” A part of her almost felt sorry for the guy. She knew all too well how hard it was to handle Sam Lane as his child let alone as an outsider.
A look crossed her mother’s face, and she quickly excused herself, “Mr. Scardino, I’ll walk you out.” She offered, getting up from the table. She turned back to them before leaving and added, “I’ll have a half and half tea. Little ice with a slice of lemon on the side. Chef’s special. Carbonara. The sauce on the side.” With that she followed Dan Scardino toward the exit, grabbing him by the elbow and pushing him along.
“She never changes, does she?” Her father remarked, watching the two of them leave.
Lois forced a smile, deciding it best not to respond to the subtle dig her father had laid out toward her mother. Clark seemed to pick up on the uncomfortable tension and reached beneath the table to squeeze her hand. She turned to him, offering a grateful smile.
“So, I hear congratulations are in order?” Her father prompted, offering a smile. “I guess things have changed quite a bit in the last year.”
“Almost two.” Lois corrected, smiling at Clark before turning back to her father, “Yeah, you could say that.”
***
Ellen had had enough. She had seen the look a few days ago, and she’d seen it again tonight. She wouldn’t be doing her job as a mother if she let it stand. Though her daughter and future son-in-law appeared to be oblivious to Dan Scardino’s intentions she was not.
She had stood by and said nothing with each nurse or assistant that had been hired at her husband’s firm then when things got rough at home she’d lost her family to that look. That adulterous, no respect expression. She knew people like Dan Scardino all too well, and she wouldn’t stand by and do nothing.
“Mr. Scardino, might I have a word?” She called after him as he set the glass of water down on the table in front of him.
“Me?” He looked at her in surprise.
“Yes, you!” She practically hissed as she took him by the elbow, forcing him away from her daughter’s table. “I think it’s time you find a new hobby.”
“Pardon?”
“My daughter is
not on the market. She is never going to
be on the market. So you can get that thought out of your head right now. I know people like you, Mr. Scardino. Those too lazy to try at a real relationship. Those that think they can float through life on their looks and take what doesn’t belong to them. Well, I’ve got your number.”
“Now hold on a minute. I’m not doing anything…” He began to argue.
“Oh, yes, you just happened to show up at this club to talk to my very engaged daughter about a case? I don’t think so. I wasn’t born yesterday. I know your type. I know it very well because I watched my family fall apart because of people like you.”
“I’m sorry, but that is not what I’m…”
“She’s happy. She’s really
really happy in an almost-makes-your-teeth-hurt kind of way. She’s found someone that can take her at her worst and bring out her best. That’s not an easy task.” Her eyes narrowed as she went in for the jugular.
Ellen’s voice hitched a few octaves as she growled angrily at the man in front of her. The rage and hurt she’d suffered came to a boil as she confronted the man she knew to be nothing more than a menace. She would not sit back and do nothing. “I will not stand by and watch you try to take that from her. I won’t stand by and watch you try and manipulate your way into my children’s lives. You will stay away, Mr. Scardino. You will stay far, far away because if you don’t, I’m going to get on the phone with a lot of very important people that I've worked with for the last twenty-five years and make sure you do stay away.”
She reached for his collar and whispered in a menacing tone, “Maybe you get fired. Maybe you get transferred. Maybe you can’t get promoted for the rest of your career. Either way, it makes no difference to me as long as you stay away from my family. Are we clear?”
“Crystal.” He swallowed hard, eying her with apprehension as he readjusted his collar.
“Good.” She patted him on the shoulder. “I'm so glad we could have this talk.”
***
Clark sat across the table from Sam and took a sip of his iced tea and listened as the waiter went on about the specials for dessert. Ellen had been unusually quiet after her return earlier. He wasn’t sure if it was from the tension between herself and Sam or if it was something more, but he decided not to press the issue for Lois’ sake.
“No thank you.” Sam waved him off. The waiter nodded, taking the dessert display with him and disappearing into the crowd.
Sam turned back to him and Lois, “So you were saying something about a destination wedding?” He set a worn out black notebook on the table with a pen.
Clark nodded his agreement, allowing Lois to take the lead on answering. For the most part, dinner had been pleasant, exchanging introductions and anecdotes from the previous year and giving the abbreviated version of how he and Lois had started seeing each several months ago. Surprisingly both Sam and Ellen had gotten through dinner without the dreaded arguments Lois had been assuming would happen because they always happened.
“Something along those lines,” Lois said, taking a sip of her cream soda. “Our schedules are so hectic and crazy we thought having a destination wedding would give us the opportunity to recharge and plan a wedding we both love with the people we love most.”
“Given that Superman’s agreed to help fly the guests out that cuts down on a large chunk of the cost,” Clark added, placing an arm around her shoulders.
“Sounds reasonable.” Sam nodded, tapping his hand against his chin, “But exactly how small is a small guest list?”
“Ten.” Lois supplied.
“Ten?” Ellen and Sam practically choked out.
“Ten.” Clark agreed, sharing a smile with Lois.
“That’s….
tiny.” Ellen began to stammer.
Lois quickly cut her off, shaking her head as she smiled dreamily back at him, resting her head on his shoulder. “We found the perfect place. It’s in Hawaii. A little hill off the coast of Molokai.” She gave a dreamy expression as she spoke. “It’s perfect.” After the idea of a destination wedding had come up a few nights ago, they’d talked about where and when until they’d come up with the perfect place.
“I see,” Sam said carefully. “And when exactly were you planning on doing this?”
Lois shared a look with Clark. “Well, we were hoping to be spontaneous and find a weekend when everyone was available.”
“But…” Her mother began to argue but quickly closed her mouth.
Clark tightened his arm around her as he spoke. “We don’t need to turn this into a huge affair. Just everyone important to us there to share this moment with.”
“Simple.” Lois agreed looking back at her parents. They exchanged a look for a moment before her father sighed, pulling out a notebook.
“How about next weekend?”
***
Lois let out a low moan as her fiancé’s lips pressed against hers. Her hands wandered up the front of his dress shirt as the door frame to their apartment door hit her back. “We should go inside.” He murmured against her.
“You’re the one with the keys.” She reminded him, linking her arms around his neck as she nipped at the sensitive skin of his jawbone. The sound of the door lock clicking to release the lock and the doorknob turning reached her ears, and he pulled her to him, opening the door. He lowered his glasses and looked behind her.
She turned just in time to catch him lighting the last candle sitting on the coffee table in the living room. A smile spread across her face, and she turned to look at him, “What is this?”
He tightened his arms around her waist, pulling her to him as he walked with her inside the apartment now illuminated in candlelight. “I figured you might need a distraction after tonight so…I thought an evening at home with no distractions was needed.”
“No distractions?” She countered, drawing an imaginary ‘S’ emblem across his chest. His eyes wandered down to the short black dress she wore before returning to meet her eyes.
“No, I had a talk with a certain superhero, and he and I agreed that he should take the night off.”
“Really?” Her eyes sparkled as she smiled, leaning in to kiss him, toying with the collar to his shirt as she responded, “You know if you keep spoiling me like this I might get used to it.”
He chuckled against her as he walked with her further and further into the apartment. “And the problem with that would be…?”
“Nothing I guess.” She grinned back at him. “You’re just full of surprises, Clark Kent.” She reached up to brush a stray curl that had fallen across his face. “A surprise romantic gesture without an occasion or reason is something to get used to I guess.”
He moved his hand to brush a lock of hair out of her face, “The occasion is I’m in love with my gorgeous fiancée, and we’re getting married.” He whispered in her ear, running his hands up and down her sides, pushing the fabric to her dress further and further up her thighs.
“Next weekend.” She purred, running her palms over his shoulders. She gasped in surprise when he floated them a few inches above the floor, moving his hands to her waist.
She felt a shiver run down her spine from the heat of his breath against hers. Her hands ran up his chest, feeling the fabric of his dress shirt against her palm as he leaned into her. He floated them to the bookshelf and grabbed the remote off the shelf, pressing a button with one hand and then returning his attention to her as the soft chords filled the room. “May I have this dance?”
***
<<“Jimmy, stop!”
“Superman, what happened?”>>Jimmy rubbed his temples, trying to will the image out of his brain. Ever since his last visit with Dr. Klein, the image of Clark and Superman kept merging together. He couldn’t understand it.
<<“Jimmy, stop!”
“Superman, what happened?”>>***
The prison guard tapped his baton against the metal door, performing the nightly check of the inmates. “Thirty-nine!” He called out. The sound of the inmate inside moving could be heard. The door hatch opened, and two wrists came out. He placed the handcuffs across his wrists and opened the door.
“Safety check!” He called out, motioning to the guard behind him. A glint in his eyes shone as he entered the cell and began searching for the contraband he knew the inmate to be in possession of. Inside the toilet, he pulled out a small plastic bag filled with white powdered substance and smiled in satisfaction to himself. “Green, that’s going to be two weeks in the hole. You should know better than that.”
“That ain’t mine!” He called out as the other guard carried him down the hall to where the ‘Hole’ was. The guard then turned his attention to his next victim. He tapped his baton on the door and called out. “Forty-one!”
Nothing.
He tapped his baton on the door once more. “Forty-one!” He banged on the door before adding, “Luthor, get your sorry ass out here. I don’t have time for your theatrics!”
Nothing.
He turned to the other guard standing to his left and nodded, “Open it up!”
He tapped his baton in his hands, ready to handle whatever Lex Luthor had to throw at him. The door opened, and he prepared himself to throw the maggot to the ground and show him what for, for delaying his nightly roll call.
“Hodge, I don’t think he looks too good.” The other guard spoke up as he stepped to the side of the now open door.
“Oh, he’s faking that miserable…” He stopped when he saw the pale bluish tone to his face and glassy eyes. “Oh, for the love of….!” He looked up and directed the other guard, “Sound the alarm now.”
A few minutes later the siren went off, and everyone began to scramble.
Lex Luthor was dead.
***
~The End
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