Previously - Chapter 27 ***
Chapter 28 ***
Deep breath, she thought.
It’s over now. Lois calmed herself while she stood at the window.
It had been in her wedding rings. Lex had put kryptonite in her wedding bands. She shouldn’t be surprised. Had it been in there the whole time? If it had been, she was lucky she had removed them that first day they were in Columbia or she never would have been able to get as close as she had to Clark.
The rush of memories that assailed her moments ago brought back an incomplete picture of what had happened, but she knew Clark’s powers had somehow been disabled. Removing the kryptonite from the room would not solve that problem, but it would help.
It was the only thing that weakened Clark. Each exposure reduced him to a writhing infant, powerless and weak, and with it, pain consumed him. And that was certainly what had just happened. But exposure to it wasn’t how his powers were disabled for these months they were apart. How had Lex done it? Did he still have more kryptonite on him now? She would have to find it and get rid of it as well.
She heard movement behind her and assumed it was Clark but was surprised to instead hear Lex. “This is far from over,” he said in a voice she hardly recognized.
She whipped around and found him hunched in the doorway that led to the rest of the house, leaning on it for support, glaring at Clark. His eyes shifted to her. Anger seethed from them before he stepped back and pulled the door closed.
The click of the lock echoed through the room. Lois stood there unable to move, shocked. The mistake she made was opening the window. Of course, the cool air had revived him. And now she couldn’t begin to guess where he went or what his next step would be.
She stared at the closed door a moment longer, that malicious look burned into her memory. This side of Lex was new to her, but she couldn’t be certain with her memory riddled with holes as it was. All she could remember at this point was love and caring strangely mixed with manipulation and control. But now it was as though something had snapped in him. Had she ever seen him lose control like that before? Had this rage always been there, lurking beneath the surface?
She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding and prayed she would have enough resourcefulness to escape this nightmare before he returned.
She quickly made her way to Clark, kneeling at his side. He hadn’t moved from his sprawled position on the floor and lay there with his eyes closed, breathing slowly and evenly, his face just beginning to swell under the red marks left by Lex’s fists. Relief at having this moment to be alone with Clark washed over her.
“Clark,” she whispered, gently caressing his face with her hands.
Inhaling deeply, as if relaxing at her touch, his right hand came up to cover hers. “Lois,” he breathed. His fingers wove between hers as he turned his head and kissed her palm in an intimate gesture that melted her.
“We have to get out of here.” Moving her left hand to his shoulder, she felt him shaking. “Can you get up?” she asked.
Without releasing the hand he still held to his face, he used his free arm to assist him in sitting up. As soon as his weight was balanced, that free arm came up around her waist, and he pulled her tightly to him. His right hand released hers and gently embraced her neck. He kissed her as if he wasn’t sure he’d ever get to kiss her again… the way he kissed her before Superman left.
***
His splintered memory of her confused him but he was unable to stop himself from pulling her into this embrace, pressing his lips to hers. And this, the feel of her, this was real. Despite all his doubts, the jumble of conflicting beliefs, there could be no denying it.
In his arms was where she belonged.
She pressed into him and her soft sob escaped between them. When he pulled back, her eyes were filled with tears and he brushed away the one that escaped with his thumb. Such passion and such sadness in her eyes tore at him and he was still powerless to do anything about it.
She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, gently, lovingly. “Are you okay?” she murmured against him. This amazing woman that drudged up every unpleasant feeling was affectionate and worried about him. How had he been so worried?
A noise from the stairwell behind them startled them both. Clark tensed, expecting the worst, and protectively shifted Lois away from the threat as he turned.
There, leaning in the doorway, standing a few steps down, was Scott. His breaths came fast and relief flooded his face as he quickly glanced around the room. Immediately, Clark relaxed.
“Scott!” Lois nearly squealed, and Clark smiled at her excitement.
“Where’s Luthor?” he asked hurriedly.
“I don’t know,” Lois answered as she stood up.
Coming into the room, Scott hastily checked the door, finding it locked and began peering through the windows at the lightening sky. “Are you guys okay?” he asked as he turned to face them.
Clark lifted himself from the floor to sit on the arm of the couch near the door to the stairwell. Even after only a few minutes away from the kryptonite, he felt somewhat better. No longer in excruciating pain, at least. Lois came to stand beside him, infusing strength into him with her touch.
“For now,” he answered. “How did you find us?”
“I told you I’d come in if you hadn’t come back out in twenty minutes.” He began looking in the drawers and cabinets as he continued his explanation. “I followed the passage you went through until I found it locked. After I jimmied the door open, I found the house empty.” He paused to look at them. “When this all started, I was worried about what Luthor would do when he figured out I helped Lois’s memories come back. So, I put trackers in all of her shoes.”
“Brilliant,” Lois stated.
Scott huffed. “We’re not out of this yet.”
“No, we’re not,” Clark agreed.
“I can drive us straight to the police. They’ll take some convincing, but with the three of us, it ought to be enough to at least get an investigation started.” Scott began walking back toward the doorway through which he’d just entered. “Let’s head out this way,” he began, indicating the stairway while turning to face Lois and Clark. “Luthor wont—”
His sentence was cut short. Clark watched helplessly as a syringe was quickly raised and, before he could react, plunged into Scott’s neck. As his body crumbled to the floor, Clark froze.
There, blocking their intended exit, stood Lex Luthor, crouched over his victim like a coiled cobra waiting to strike.
***
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