Hate Myself For Loving You
Folc4evernaday
Chapter 3
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Albie Swanson put his car in park before jumping out of the driver’s seat and heading to the entry to the Gables estate. A soft beep came from his pocket, and he paused a moment to check the handheld device. A breath escaped his throat, coupled with anxiety and relief. The Medical Examiner had finished with his part. It was only a matter of time before the shipment was made.
A soft whine from the door caught his attention and Albie shoved his hands in his pockets and looked up, meeting the stern gaze from Stanley Gables. “You’re late, Albie.”
“Just a minor hiccup, Mr. Gables,” Albie stammered. “Nothing to worry about.”
“Let’s hope not,” Gables responded with a grunt, pointing to the short flight of steps behind him. “We have a lot of work before Mr. McCarthy’s arrival.”
“Of course, Mr. Gables.”
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Mayson felt her throat go dry as she stared at the duo standing in her doorway, uncertain how to respond to the sudden presence of Lois Lane and Clark Kent. Their presence did nothing to calm her current mood as she contemplated slamming the door in both of their faces. Manners, however, kept her from indulging in such a rude gesture.
What were they doing here? Were they there to gloat? Shove their romance in her face as if last night hadn’t been bad enough?
Mayson let out a short puff and grunted as she pulled the door back to open. “Well, look who finally showed up to give their statement.”
Lois glanced toward Clark and then back at Mayson, “We heard what happened last night.”
“Are you all right?” Clark asked, following Lois into Mayson’s office.
Mayson shrugged her shoulders, uncertain how to respond to what she viewed as a false sense of concern coming from the duo. Her jaw tightened, and she sharpened her pose, “I’ll be fine once I get this case ready for the DA.” She jutted her chin out and added, “Not every day an Intergang lieutenant is brought up on charges. Would be nice if we could get them to stick.”
“We did come by last night,” Lois spoke up, attempting to excuse their absence.
“Well, obviously, we missed one another.” Mayson walked to her desk and rummaged through the desk drawer looking for a few copies of the form she was looking for. She turned to the pens in the coffee mug on her desk and grabbed a few then thrust them in Lois Lane’s direction. “Try to write neatly and leave out any illegal activities that may have led you to Lucky Leon’s warehouse. I can only juggle so many federal investigations at a time.”
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Lois finished writing up her statement, uncertain what to make of the icy tone coming from Mayson. Sure they had been a little later than they should have last night, but they had tried to find her. Surely she had to understand it wasn’t personal. There was a burning car in the middle of the street.
Lois placed the statement on the desk and pushed it toward Mayson, “Everything’s there. Jimmy’s tip to the warehouse and Superman dismantling the warheads when they went haywire.” She let out a long breath, “While we’ve got you here, would you mind answering a few questions?”
Lois felt the arctic blast coming from Mayson as she stared in her direction with daggers in her eyes. Lois stole a quick glance in Clark’s direction, wondering momentarily if he was receiving the same cold welcome from Mayson.
“Sorry, I’m out of state secrets this week.” Mayson reached over to grab the papers. “And I really don’t have time to get pulled into one of your investigations which will most likely end up with someone doing something illegal to get the scoop.”
“Now hold on a minute, Mayson,” Clark cut in. “We’re just trying to help get to the truth about what happened last night.”
“What happened last night is some drunk hit my car, and it blew up.” Mayson snorted. “I’m sure the police have everything under control.” She said, tightening her jaw as she folded her arms across her chest, challenging Lois and Clark to convince her otherwise.
Clark quickly stepped in, “We appreciate our timing isn’t great, and we’ll try not to take up too much of your time, Mayson. We just want to get to the truth.”
“Truth?” Mayson almost sneered out, and Lois exchanged a perplexed expression with Clark before jumping in.
“Your car bombing,” Lois ventured carefully.
The tension in the room was palpable. Lois tapped her thumb against her notepad, alternating her weight from one foot to another, trying to read where this uncharacteristically hard tone was coming from. For the most part, the ADA had a history of working with her, and Clark willingly on cases like this. One would think she would welcome the help, but at the moment Mayson was anything but forthcoming with them. A trait Lois rarely found in the ADA with Clark around.
“Right,” Mayson jutted her chin out and let out a mocking laugh. “I guess the big story is how I happened to outsmart my car bomber. ‘How does the lowly assistant deputy District Attorney escape the jaws of death?’ There see, I even coined the front-page article for Perry.”
Lois opened her mouth to respond, but Mayson quickly cut her off. “I appreciate the friendly drop-by, but I’m fine. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to figure out who is behind this without tipping the guy off and printing it in the next edition.”
“Mayson, you have to know Lois, and I would never do that!” Clark admonished before Lois could form a response of her own.
“Maybe not, but I really can’t take any chances.” Mayson pointed to the door. “I’ll see you around.”
Not needing any further encouragement, the duo quickly exited, bewildered by the ADA’s behavior. As the door shut behind them, Lois turned to Clark, “What do you think that was about?”
“I don’t know. I guess we get to the bottom of this without Mayson’s help.” Clark said with a defeated sigh.
“So less than twelve hours later we magically become persona non grata,” Lois mused aloud.
“She did just have her life threatened,” Clark pointed out.
“Yet is holding out on any information to help bring that person to justice.” Lois snorted as they made their way out of the District Attorney’s office and stopping in the lobby. “She just insinuated that we were no better than the bottom-feeders that print stories about Elvis’ Love Child. I’m not going to just brush it off as stress.” Lois fumed, crossing her arms over her chest. “We might push the boundaries, but I would never …”
The chirping of Clark’s mobile kept her from finishing her thought as Clark pulled the phone out to answer it. “Clark Kent.”
His forehead creased with anguish as he responded to the caller, “When was this?” A moment later, she nodded to Lois and whispered, pulling the phone away from his face, “Prisoner just dropped dead in the middle of the visitation room.” He then turned his attention back to the caller, “Yeah, tell Perry we’re on our way.”
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Christopher Gomez buried his hands in his light-weight jacket as he jogged to the crosswalk leading him to the parking garage of his apartment. He took a quick look over his shoulder to check for traffic when the white led lights lit up on the sign to read ‘Walk’ and caught a quick glimpse of a man that looked eerily familiar. He tucked his chin down into the collar of his jacket and made his way into the crosswalk as swiftly as possible.
He didn’t even bother looking behind him to see if the familiar stranger was behind him. He knew that face. What he didn’t know was whether the mysterious man knew what he had done. He searched his pocket for his phone as he raced toward the entrance of the parking garage and dialed the speed dial for Mayson Drake’s office. Before he heard the first ring, a sharp pain bolted through him, and he let out a blood-curdling scream just before a hand clasped over his mouth.
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Clark held his hand up over his brow, looking at the dreary-looking building in front of him. “Jimmy said the medical examiner already left for the day, but we can talk to the ME’s assistant.” Clark pointed to the small building connected to the prison through a short bridge a few floors up.
“I guess we should get going,” Lois said, readjusting her bag on her shoulder. “Odd timing for the M.E. to just bolt.”
“Yeah,” Clark agreed, following Lois up the steps. “One would think he would stick around, but …” Clark blanched as the screams for help from across town reached his ears.
“Help Superman!”
“But what?” Lois asked, giving him a strange look as he took a few steps back from her.
“I, uh, just remembered I was supposed to…walk my neighbor’s cat this week, It’s an emergency. He has, um, allergies.” Clark said lamely, mentally kicking himself as the words escaped his mouth. It was too late to save face now. He rambled a lame, “I’m sorry” and ran for the nearest alley to tend to the distress call.
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Lois watched Clark disappear, running away from their latest lead to …walk his neighbor’s cat. The ridiculous excuse was almost laughable if he hadn’t been running away from her when he gave it. She turned on her heel, stomping up the concrete steps. Her eyes burned red with fury, daring anyone to challenge her as she tore the door leading to the lobby of the prison open and slammed her press id on the counter for the officer.
“Lois Lane, Daily Planet.” She gritted out at the unsuspecting officer. “I have an appointment with the M.E.’s office.”
The officer scribbled her name down on the clipboard and then pointed to the line for her to sign on before buzzing her through. She raised her shoulders a few times, mentally preparing the questions she planned to press the M.E.’s office for. Clark obviously had better things to do than help run down leads on this story. He wanted to walk his neighbor's cat? Fine! He could walk it all afternoon for all she cared.
She reached the end of the hallway and opened the door with a sign hanging from it that read 'Medical Examiner.'
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“Sir?” Clark tapped the man on the cheek, trying to stir him to consciousness. He looked up at the boy that couldn’t be more than twelve that stared on anxiously, waiting for a sign the man in front of him would be all right. ‘Maybe he was a friend or family member,’ Clark wondered to himself.
A frantic cry came from the man when his eyes flickered open, and he let out a short gasp, “Wh-where is he?”
“Where is who?” Clark asked, placing a reassuring hand on the man’s shoulder.
“He…”
“Sir, just take a breath. Everything’s going to be fine.” Clark soothed, pointing to the young boy a few feet away. “You were attacked, but thankfully, this young man was able to call for help…”
The man sat up, patting his jacket with a scowl, his eyes widened, and he turned back to Clark, “You don’t understand. They have it now. I’m not safe!”
“Who has what?” Clark asked.
“Resurrection,” the man whispered in a harsh whisper.
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Mayson shifted in her chair, uneasily as she tapped her fingertips on the desk in front of her. The longer she thought about it, the more her blood boiled.
He didn't even have the decency to apologize for running out on her yesterday. 'Of course not. She was there.' Mayson thought bitterly.
Lois Lane had been an annoyance that she thought could quickly brush off. But she hadn't given her enough credit. Months of watching Clark be pushed aside and compared to Superman. Why he put up with it, she couldn't understand. Until now. She had let her guard down around Lois. Thinking she wasn't a threat. The investigative reporter fawned over Superman like a lovesick cheerleader. She never thought Lois would turn her attention to Clark.
But she had.
The memory of Lois Lane digging her claws into Clark last night left a bitter bile in her throat. A hard blow and an even more painful reality for her to face. Lois hadn't played fair. She hadn't even been playing the same game as Mayson. Now the question remained on the table of what she was going to do about it.
She stood up, pacing around her office before stopping in front of the board that had been pushed against the wall. Her hand clasped on the corner of the board, turning it on the creaky wheels to face her. The colorful images and frantic late-night scribblings latched onto her brain with a vice-like grip.
<<“Just tell me. Look, Clark, I’m a lawyer. I know you’re hiding something. Something that’s keeping us apart.”
“What is it? I can deal with it.”
“It's not that easy.”
“If it's Lois, just say it.”>> Her anger simmered as she stared at the image of herself with Clark at the charity ball from earlier in the year. They had been happy. Everything had been perfect.
<<“Mayson, I like you. And I like Lois”>>Her attention moved across the board, catching glimpses of Clark with Lois Lane. Marketing campaigns and public events that promoted the partnership pushed the duo together again and again. Mayson’s eyes glinted with icy daggers as she stared at the smiling image of Lois Lane with her hands wrapped around Clark Kent.
A cold expression washed over her, and she reached for the pen tucked neatly in the pen holder above the board. Without warning, her hand moved at a frantic pace stabbing at the glossy image with the tip of her pen until there was no way to tell who was in the photo. She smiled, turned her attention back to the photo of herself and Clark and wrote below in all caps, 'FOREVER.'
"Ms. Drake?"
Mayson jumped up, pushing the board back against the wall and turning to her assistant. "Yes?"
"Sorry to bother you, Ms. Drake. You received a message from a Gordan Charlie." Mary handed her the message.
Recognition crossed Mayson's face, and she nodded. It was the code name he Christopher Gomez was supposed to use if he felt his cover had been compromised. She reached for her things, preparing to gather them up as Mary pressed for more information.
"I don't have a Gordon in your files anywhere."
Mayson shrugged, "Old friend. I'll be back later."
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Resurrection.
The word played through Clark’s mind as he flew through the sky on his way back from the hospital where he had helped escort Christopher Gomez. The story seemed too bizarre to be true, but if his time in Metropolis had taught him anything, it was the more outlandish the tale, the more likely it held truth to it.
He’d have to talk it over with Lois and…
Before he could finish his thought, his mind flashed back to the expression on Lois’ face when he had inadvertently inserted an entire shoe store in his mouth with the excuse he had given her. Just hours before he had been talking her down from the doubts that had begun to form and then he ran off and left her to finish an interview he’d set up with a God awful excuse that rivaled his
‘Cheese of the Month’ fiasco a few months before. He wasn’t sure how he was going to dig himself out of the hole he was sure to be in with Lois, but he knew he better think of something quick.
He landed just behind the parking garage where Lois had parked earlier, looking for her car. Unsurprisingly, he found her parking spot occupied by a teal four-door sedan. He let out a defeated sigh.
‘So much for finishing the interview,’ he thought to himself, heading toward the exit where he had flown in. Given he missed the interview with the M.E.’s office, he couldn’t be sure where Lois would have gone afterward but if he had to guess the Planet would most likely be the next stop for her. Now if he could just come up with something to say to her.
His ability to find the right words seemed to be a trend lately. His mind wandered to earlier in the day at Mayson’s office where the ADA had met them both with hostility. He knew her outward hostility was meant for him after running out on lunch the previous day. Still, her behavior seemed so out of character to him. Though he wasn’t sure what would be considered a reasonable response given the fact that someone
had just tried to kill her.
In retrospect, they should have gone to Mayson first thing this morning. He had every intention of reaching out to Mayson after the car bombing. Not only to check on her well-being but to address the ambiguous way things had been left between them over lunch yesterday.
Things felt unresolved, to say the least when it came to Mayson. Especially after the painfully awkward lunch he’d been forced to partake in and his abrupt exit he knew he owed her an apology. He owed her more than just that, though. He owed her the truth. The truth about where he stood. Mayson had hinted –
more than hinted – at the possibility or a relationship beyond friendship. A few months ago, he’d actually been tempted, but when it came down to it, he knew it wouldn’t be fair to Mayson.
So soon after Lois’ rejection and the fallout after Lex Luthor’s death, the attention he received from Mayson had been a welcome change. Yet try as he might he couldn’t rationalize pursuing anything beyond friendship with Mayson. A point he found himself at impossible odds with himself in articulating to her. A problem that seemed to multiply the longer he drew out the inevitable.
<<“I want you to know I was really humiliated when you stood me up... and I still think it was a rotten thing for you to do, but I've met your parents now, and spent some time with them, and they are such wonderful people that I'm willing to assume that any son of theirs wouldn't do what you did. And that this weekend was some kind of misunderstanding. I won't ask you for an explanation, and I won't you out again, but if you want to ask me, I probably won't say no.”>>The turning point for him had been when he had inadvertently agreed to a weekend away with her when his attention had been elsewhere – focused on Lois finding herself in trouble once more. His misstep had left him in the awkward situation of relying on Lois for help after being blinded by her attempted kidnappers. He had been forced to remain quiet when Jimmy and Lois had incorrectly assumed his absence meant he had left for the weekend invite he hadn’t been paying attention to.
<<“Mayson, I like you. And I like Lois”>>The invite had been a wake-up call for him. He had been kidding himself, thinking that maintaining a platonic relationship with Mayson and continuing the friendship when he knew she wanted more wouldn’t end in heartache. It had been the push he needed to pull his head out of the sand. He had quietly pulled back, ensuring he wouldn’t be caught in a situation that could be misconstrued as anything other than a professional relationship with Mayson.
<<“Just tell me. Look, Clark, I’m a lawyer. I know you’re hiding something. Something that’s keeping us apart.”
“What is it? I can deal with it.”
“It's not that easy.”
“If it's Lois, just say it.”>> Yesterday he had been very close to finally setting the record straight with Mayson and making his feelings known, however, like always timing got in his way. He had the perfect opening to finally tell Mayson he wasn’t interested in anything more than friendship with her. He hated to hurt her. He cared for her, but he could never give her what she was searching for.
His mind flashed back to the conversation he’d tried to have with her over lunch, mentally reprimanding himself for allowing things to continue this long without sitting Mayson down. He had thought the distance he had put between them after her invitation for a weekend away would be enough to get his message across without having to say the words and deliver the emotional blow that he dreaded. Hurting her was the last thing he wanted to do, but it seemed it was the only way he would be able to spare Mayson any further pain.
<<“Mayson, I like you. And I like Lois”>>Try as he might over the last few months, he couldn’t deny the connection that had been there between himself and Lois. Where on the one hand, Lois had pushed Clark to the side, forever it seemed only able to see him as a friend while at the same time adoring his alter-ego with open arms. With all her faults when it came down to it, she accepted both sides of him –even if it wasn’t the way he wanted. Superman with all his abilities and she even gave him the benefit of the doubt when no one else would.
<<“You’re not flying around with a big 'S' on your chest, bragging about what a hero you are...”
“You heard Superman brag?”
“Not in so many words...”>> The same couldn’t be said for Mayson. Though she adored Clark in the same way, he wished Lois would she openly despised his alter-ego. Only recently had her animosity toward him begun to soften, trusting him to help aid in the search for Dianna Stride. It wasn’t exactly the foundation you sought in a relationship when hiding the fact that you are in fact, an alien from another planet.
<<“Do you love her son?”>>Out of nowhere, it seemed, his father’s words popped into his mind, reminding him of the conversation last year that had led him to confess his love for Lois. With it came the guilty conscience of still not being completely honest with Lois when they were on the cusp of something that required trust from both of them.
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Dr. Jenet Klyburn, lead scientist at STAR Labs, held a report in her hand and glanced up at the lab tech with a questioning gaze. Her greenish hazel eyes glistened behind her spectacles as she ran a hand through her auburn colored locks.
“How many people worked with you on this?”
“Just myself,” the tech responded carefully.
“Good,” Dr. Klyburn replied, setting the report down. “Run the test again before you file your report. If what you say is correct, we’ll need to contact the DEA.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” he nodded, taking the report from her.
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TBC...
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