Previously - Chapter 28 ***
Chapter 29 ***
Lex locked the door despite knowing they would be unable to leave. Clark was in no position to go anywhere, fortunately, and though Lois would argue, she lacked the ability to get him out of there on her own. But he could not afford to take any chances.
Already someone had let him down. The device he’d had made especially for this was supposed to be placed in the cabinet, but the phrase, ‘If you want something done right, you better do it yourself,’ seem to apply here.
The two houses, this one and the chateau on the bluff, were connected by a long, mostly finished tunnel. That feature, along with several other secrets in the chateau, along with the view were his motivation for procuring the two as his own. The tunnel came out in several places in this house. Perhaps the person whose job it was to stash the device placed it in one of the other rooms.
The first room he checked did not have cabinetry large enough to hold the weapon. He was pleased, however, to find that it was the room where that stored Dr. Hightower’s supplies. In anticipation of performing the procedure on Lois once again, he selected a prefilled syringe and tucked it into his pocket.
He checked two of the other rooms that featured an entrance to the tunnel before finding in the third the weapon he would use to kill that wretch. It was a large device, larger than he would have liked, but Montgomery had affixed a strap to it that he put over his shoulder. He made a mental note to make the person responsible for this flub to suffer for his inadequacies before heading toward the door.
He stopped abruptly before leaving the room and decided that approaching from an unexpected direction may be of some use, especially if Clark had recovered any. Even as a child, Lex had learned that it is always best to increase your advantage, even if only slightly. He made his way through the passage to the tunnel and then back up the stair well.
An unexpected voice caught his attention as he started up the steps causing him to pause. Hoping he hadn’t been noticed, he listened in.
“I followed the passage you went through until I found it locked. After I jimmied the door open, I found the house empty.”
Ferguson. Of course, he would be there. He was responsible for making sure that Clark arrived. Albeit late. At least he could be counted on to follow through even if not on time. Lex considered himself lucky as he took the next few steps.
“When this all started I was worried about what Luthor would do when he figured out I helped Lois’s memories come back….”
Whatever Ferguson said next, Lex didn’t hear. Stunned by the shocking realization, he stood motionless, narrowed his eyes and watched Scott walk toward the staircase. In the blink of an eye, he came to a decision and quickly and quietly ascended the remaining steps. Pulling the syringe from his pocket, he readied it and was relieved when Ferguson turned just before Lex revealed himself.
“Let’s head out this way. Luthor won’t—”
Lex made no effort to help the man. He didn’t watch Scott crumple to the floor. Instead, he watched the expressions on his least and most favorite persons change as they realized what had happened.
His dislike of Clark was so strong he could taste its bitterness in his mouth and his nose wrinkled at the unsavory flavor. He aimed the gun at him and laughed when Clark put himself in front of Lois. Ever the protector, he would be powerless to stop what was coming.
“You have taken her from me for the last time,” Lex said coolly as they both backed into the center of the room. “I realize that the moment all this began, really truly began, I should have done away with you when I had the chance. It would have been easy. You were an unconscious heap when you were pulled from the water. Weak. Helpless. But instead, I was selfish. I wanted to see you suffer and I did. It was glorious for these last two months. Not only,” he emphasized, “were you a bumbling idiot filled with self-pity over something that never happened, but I,” he smiled and sought Lois’s eyes over Clark’s shoulder, “I reaped the rewards.”
“You monster!” Lois spat at him, moving to step around Clark. Clark stopped her with his outstretched arm, preventing whatever action she would have taken against him.
“Lois, everything …
everything I do is because I
love you.” Lex paused as he looked into her eyes.
“Love is a word you’ve only heard,” she sneered, “and can’t begin to know the meaning of.”
Her words cut through him. She couldn’t possibly understand it right now. All she could see was the animal she believed him to be, but he’d proven to her before that he was worthy of her love and she had freely given it. He was determined to have again what he’d lost and not even her angry face would stop him.
“But, I must,” he began. “You never doubted my sincerity even once.”
***
Lois watched as Lex came further into the room, a bruise expanding on the cheek she had planted her heel into earlier. He kept the gun aimed at Clark. It was large enough to require a strap, making Lex look like he belonged in some sort of action movie. Lex’s steely eyes and wicked smile made her blood run even colder than it had when she realized he carried the weapon with him. Those cold eyes left no question that he was intent on killing Clark. And given all that had transpired to get them to this point, she knew he had the capability.
“Love does not boast,” Clark surprised her by saying. “and it is not proud or self-seeking.” he turned to look directly at her. “Instead it is patient and kind, rejoices in truth. And always protects.” He turned back to Lex. “What have you done that is so loving?”
“I have nothing to prove to you, Clark,” Lex taunted. “I had her love once and I shall have it again. But there is something I want you both to know before I end this.” The corners of his mouth slowly stretched higher.
She stepped closer to Clark and slipped her fingers into his hand. As he squeezed her hand in return, she braced herself to hear whatever Lex would throw at them.
“Tell me, Clark,” he said casually, as if starting a conversation between friends, his eyes set on Clark’s. “When she found you, did she tell you she’s carrying my child?”
Standing behind Clark made it difficult to gage his reaction, though she felt his hand stiffen in hers. She hadn’t been able to get close enough to Clark to do any more than sing to him from a distance before Lex had kidnapped her.
“It’s not true,” she denied, pulling Clark’s stiff hand in an effort to get him to look her way. He turned his confused eyes to her. She shook her head vehemently as he searched her face.
“Oh, but Darling, it is true,” Lex said simply. In her periphery, she saw him step closer but kept her gaze fixed on Clark. “I’ve watched your symptoms for a while now. I wasn’t at all surprised when you told me the day after our anniversary.”
“No,” she asserted. “He’s lying!” Lex lowered the weapon a tiny amount and Lois saw an opportunity. If she could just get Clark to see it, too, they might be able to get the gun from him. Sending messages with her eyes, she prayed Clark would understand what she meant.
“Really?” Lex asked. “And how do you explain your moods? The morning sickness?”
She looked from Clark to the weapon and back, widening her eyes at just the right time. She was relieved when she saw the faintest of nods from Clark. “When I realized what was going on,” she started, “I was repulsed by you and ashamed at what I had allowed to happen. I was disgusted by myself and every time you did or said anything I was overwhelmed by it. But I was afraid and I couldn’t have said the real reason why I was behaving the way I did. It was the first thing that came to mind.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
It was the truth. She hoped Clark would see that in her eyes. But there would be time later for them to work this out. There would be much to work out…
A squeeze from Clark’s hand brought her out of her thoughts.
“Either way,” he said, looking directly at her, “she’s mine now.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lex take another step forward, putting himself nearly beside Clark. Clark tilted his head slightly away from Lex. As she realized what he his meaning was, time slowed down.
She took a step away as Clark released her hand and lunged sideways toward Lex, his hand coming up to knock the gun away. Lex’s eyes were on her, but as he caught sight of Clark’s movements, he stepped back and swung the barrel of the gun in Clark’s direction.
***
His first move ineffectual, Clark’s other hand came from behind and slammed downward on the gun. Clark continued through the motion, dragging the gun as well as Lex toward the ground, slamming the barrel of the gun into the floor.
A thunderous crackle sounded, and a blinding golden flash filled the room for a split second as the barrel of the gun split open and pain once more gripped Clark. Falling backward to lean on the couch behind him, he was then assaulted by what could only be an alarm wailing. Unable to tell where the ear-piercing sound came from, he looked around the room to see Lois crouching beside Scott before coming back to meet Lex’s eyes head on as red and green sparks flew from the damaged weapon he still held. The widening of Lex’s eyes told Clark that something was very wrong, and, with an angry growl, Lex pulled the strap from his arm and ran toward Lois.
Clark squeezed his eyes closed and focused all of his energy on ignoring the all-encompassing pain. The malfunctioning weapon continued its noisy protest and, despite the fact that he wanted nothing more than to relax into the pain until it subsided, Clark pulled himself up and stumbled toward the window.
The sun peaked just above the horizon, glinting off of the snow and casting a faint glow in the room. Using his elbow, he shattered the glass of the window and cleared the shards still protruding from the frame. The cool air rushing in recharged him and he turned to see Lex dragging Lois toward the locked door as she fought to free herself from his grasp.
When he was but a few steps away, Lois freed her arm and turned to him, fear in her eyes. He reached for her and took her hand as Lex grabbed her arm.
“The window!” Clark shouted over the racket of the weapon and its alarm. Mercifully, Lex relaxed his grip and followed them to the window where Clark did his best to help Lois through.
Once outside, she turned to him with pleading in her eyes.
“Run!” Clark yelled to her. “Go! I'm right behind you!”
And for once she listened.
But he wasn’t right behind her.
Scott was still in there.
Turning, he ran into Lex who said something he couldn’t make out. Surely adrenaline served as the source of strength he suddenly felt filling him and, grabbing Lex by the arm and dragging him along, he reached Scott’s still limp body that had fallen behind the couch.
They awkwardly worked together to lift Scott, and with Lex shouldering his right side and Clark on his left, they went for the open window. An increase in the volume of the terrible sound coming from the machine warned of its impending destruction with little time to prepare for it.
The ensuing explosion was deafening.
The blast propelled the three of them through the window, tearing them from each other. Clark twisted his body around to see a colorful fireball expanding exponentially from the gun as it split into pieces, flinging him along with debris out into the cold morning.
***
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