table of comments Sorry it took so long to get this up. Lack of inspiration and laziness are to blame. Thanks for everyone that kept up and commented along the way. Hope to hear from everyone when I get something new.
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The dark surrounded him; cold, all-consuming. The unbearable pain leaked into his soul. Death… he could see it calling him. To him it was real. It was as substantial as any person had ever been, and it wanted to take him under.
From somewhere off to the side, he heard voices calling to him. They repeated his name over and over, keeping him from drifting toward that monster that wanted to take him away forever. They said his name and two other words he hadn't heard in so very long
Home… What was that? 'Where' was that? He didn't have one of those any more. Home had disappeared for him a long time ago.
Love… Definitely something that didn't exist. There was no love in the world.
But wasn't there? Wasn't there love? Wasn't that what saved him? And home?… Hadn't he found that? Hadn't he discovered he'd had those things all along? That they'd been waiting for him to reclaim them.
The dark figure at the end of the corridor laughed and told him he was only dreaming. None of those things were real. He was dead. He'd died in that cold, stone room. Even if his body breathed again, his spirit never would. His solitude, engineered by the evil plotting of Lex Luthor, and his own terrilbe thoughts that had become his only companions in that terrible place had destroyed that spirit. *It* was gone. *He* was gone. Without his spirit, he was nobody.
"Don't listen to those things, Clark," came the soft feminine voice at his side. "They're wrong. Your spirit lives. It's something that could never be taken from you as long as you refuse to allow it. Death didn't win, Clark. And neither did Luthor. He locked you away to get the girl…" She laughed softly. "Ironic, isn't it? The girl remained true to her heart. She kept *your* spirit alive within her. Please. Come home. And… there is love. *I* love you. Clarry loves you. Your parents… Clark Kent, you are, have been, and always will be loved."
He could feel it now. The cold was being replaced by warmth. The pain was fading and death started to scream.
Clark awoke with a jolt. His eyes roamed the room a moment before lighting on the woman that sat in the chair in front of the window.
She noticed he was awake and put her papers down and looked at him. "Hey, sleepyhead."
Clark stared at Lois for a moment without speaking, causing her smile to fade. "Clark, are you all right?"
After a moment, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them, he was smiling. "I am now."
Lois rose from the chair and made her way to the bed. "Bad dream?"
"It was, but my heroine saved the day." He smiled and leaned forward to kiss her lips.
Lois smiled back. "Dan called." She watched as the smile faded from Clark's face. "The warrants will be ready by ten."
Clark glanced out into the brilliant morning sun before he spoke again. "It's finally over." It had taken nearly two weeks to secure enough evidence to satisfy the judge who was making a lot of demands before he issued a warrant Every detail had to be in place before the chief justice would think of moving against one of the richest men in the world. Finally satisfied the crime lord would not simply worm his way out of the arrest warrant, the papers were issued.
Lois reached out and held his face to turn his head back to her. "It's over," she agreed with a whisper.
Clark's eyes filled with tears before he collapsed into Lois' arms. "You don't know how very sorry I am for leaving you all this time."
"Clark, what happened was not your fault. Can't we just admit it's something we can never change and move on? You're here now. Let's not waste another moment of our time together."
Clark knew she was right. They'd discussed this many times over the last two weeks. Both knew there would always be a part of them that wonder what could have been. But the past was behind and all they could do was move forward. A whole new life lay before them and Lois had taught him that he could face anything as long as he believed in himself. He'd told her that he could face as long as he had her.
He drew back to look at her. "You're right. We've had enough time taken from us." He kissed her again before moving to get up.
"Where are you going?"
"I told Clarry we'd get a haircut when we brought Luthor down. I need to shave and get a new pair of glasses. No one will believe Clark's really back unless I look the part."
"You're ready to come all the way back?"
"Lois, I may never be all the way back, but I am ready to announce to everyone that Lex Luthor was unable to break me. That's something I've realized the last couple of weeks. He nearly killed me. He took away my life as I knew it. He separated me from you. But he could never break me."
Lois let her lips spread into a slow grin. "That's the man I knew was hiding in there."
Clark winked at her before he went to find his son. They had a lot to do before ten o'clock.
~^~^~^~^~^~^~
The climb to the top is always so much more enjoyable than the fall from grace, as Lex was finding out. Nigel had just informed him that LexCorp would fold by summer's end. He would be no more. He might have a tidy sum tucked away for a rainy day, but not enough to save him and what was money without power?
"Damn!" he swore as he threw a file across the room. If only that sniveling brat of Devon's had merged with him. There was wealth in number and the Devons, Luthor reluctantly admitted, had a lot of numbers. But not only had that pompous bastard refused to join with him to form the wealthiest empire the world had ever known, Devon had further irritated him by moving in with Lois Lane. It appeared the couple was indeed going to get married. And to make matters worse, Lex hadn't seen Dan once to ask what was going on.
Nigel had done some investigating for him and discovered Lane and Devon were playing house. However, attempts to contact Scardino had been unsuccessful. That had made Luthor question the man's true motives. Sure, the rouge agent had served his purpose well over the years. Luthor always knew exactly what Lois was nosing into so that he could remain just one step ahead of her. But now, with this announcement concerning Devon, Lex couldn't help but wonder what was really happening.
He turned to look out the glass doors of his office at the city that stretched out beneath him. He'd always liked knowing others had to look up to him. Power, control, being able to manipulate people-that was what Lex enjoyed most in life. One such person he'd lived to control was Travis Devon. He couldn't contain a snide smile as he thought of that one. That had been one of his major triumphs and the old man hadn't even known what he had done to him. Belinda Devon had been a beautiful woman and Lex could never resist a lovely woman, especially one who belonged to a rival.
He'd sampled her various talents often. Together, they'd carried on an affair behind her husband's back. But the ultimate slap in the face had come about when Belinda found herself pregnant. Lex had been adamant the child was his and not Devon's. At the time, he'd wanted her to leave her husband and come to him, but the silly woman had refused. So, Luthor watched sullenly as the richest couple in the world started 'their' family.
Yet Belinda hadn't been able to refuse his advances and over the years, more stolen moments were indulged in here and there, but Lex had eventually grown tired of the game and told Belinda she'd only been an itch he'd scratched. He'd also had a change of heart and gone on to tell her that the child had to be Devon's because any seed he'd spawned would have surely been a boy. After all, Lex had moved on to other more interesting conquests and the last thing he'd wanted was to be saddled with a paternity suit. It hadn't been his fault that the stupid female hadn't understood the rules of the game, Lex reviewed with an evil smirk. The rejection had taken a tragic toll on poor Belinda, and sadly she'd committed suicide, leaving Travis and her young daughter behind.
Strangely enough, years later fate had played a hand in the game between the two rival billionaires when Lex had met the daughter that Belinda had delivered so long ago. The young woman had her mother's looks and, once again, he'd found himself attracted. The fact that this female might share his blood didn't really occur to him -- he'd dismissed that idea long since -- and the challenge of entrapping the girl just as he had her mother appealed to his perverted sense of humor. And history had repeated itself. The young woman had succummbed to Lex's charms, completely unaware of the past involved.
To further torment Devon, whom Luthor had grown to loath, he'd had no scruples about using the daughter to get at the father. Cruelly, he'd informed the girl about his affair with her mother and resurrected the question that she might even be *his* daughter, inferring that the two of them may have indulged in incest.
It was all too much for the girl. She'd been so upset when she'd run from him that on the drive up to Maine to seek consolation from the only 'Daddy' she'd ever kwown, the poor little rich girl had had a car accident. They'd rushed her to hospital and Devon had spared no expense to save the life of the only family he had left. There had been the need for a blood transfusion and because of a rare blood type, it had finally been proven that Devon was indeed the girl's father, despite Luthor's allegations. But even Devon's billions hadn't been enough to save her, and the girl died within a couple of days, making the whole situation so perversely comical... at least, to Lex.
Lex continued to laugh humourlessly as he thought of yet another life he'd ruined. Clark Kent had been a challenge that he'd proven fairly easily that he could overcome and getting rid of Superman in the process had been an added bonus. Lex was especially proud of that little task. He might not have won the girl, but knowing she suffered… all in the name of love, was so gratifying.
<<The name of love… how ironic!>>
He'd never believed in such nonsense. There was only self-preservation and power.
Enough! He had too many things that demanded his attention. There was no sense wasting time on the likes of a nobody like Clark Kent. The pitiful man was gone and so was his alien friend. Travis Devon was gone as well. He'd died a lonely man, without the knowledge that another man had crossed into his territory and stolen the only people he cared about.
Or had he known? Devon's brat had died about a year ago, the same time all of his troubles had started. Was it possible the girl had lived long enough to tell her father the information Luthor had relayed to her? That would explain this plot against him to bring down his empire. Devon and son must have set all of it up to get revenge on him!
Just as Luthor was about to focus on the files on his desk again, the doors swung open. Lex looked up to see Dan Scardino.
Dan. Just the man I've been looking for.
Dan grinned widely at him. "Have you? That's good because I have an update for you..." he finished as he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket with a flourish. "Lex Luthor, you're under arrest."
"What?" Lex rose to his feet and snatched the paper from the man's hand.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Dan Scardino, DEA."
Lex stared at the man for several moments. He'd been told this worthless twit had been kicked out of the agency for using excessive force. Scardino was supposed to be a good cop gone bad. That's why he'd been hired.
Dan moved around the desk toward Lex as he pulled a pair of handcuffs from his pocket. "Cooperate and this will be much easier."
Lex glanced at the paper, then the cuffs. He snorted and tossed the warrant to the desk. "Don't be ridiculous. Lex Luthor will not live in a cage."
"What's the matter? Think you're too good for it?"
Lex slowly turned towards the source of the new voice. As his eyes settled on the figure who entered the room they widened in shock and he stumbled back into the chair, landing with a thud onto the cushions, his obvious disbelief showing all too well. There, right before him, was a ghost from his past. The tall, dark-haired man looked almost exactly the same as he remembered. His short hair was styled in the familiar way it had always been. A pair of glasses set on his nose, while a loud tie finished off a GQ type suit the man seemed to fit into perfectly.
"What's wrong, Lex?" the voice asked.
"I… I… you're dead!" Maybe a little smaller than Lex remembered, but definitely alive.
"No. You may have wanted it, but it didn't happen."
Lex's eyes shot from the DEA agent back to the ghost before him. He'd had this man killed. How in the hell did he end up here? Once again, he shot to his feet. "But I ordered your death! This is not possible!"
Dan smiled as he reached for Luthor's arm. "You ordered who's death, Lex? You've killed so many."
Lex snatched his arm away from Dan. "Don't be a fool, Scardino! You know perfectly well who I mean."
"You mean, Kent there? Clark Kent?"
"Yes, you idiot, Kent. He was supposed to be dead! I was assured he was dead!"
Clark took a step toward Lex. All the pain and misery swirled in a horrible haze around his heart. "I was dead. For nearly ten long years I was dead. You ripped me from my life, from my family, from everything I had. And for what? The price of your bruised ego? I'll bet it burns a hole in you a mile wide every time you see Lois Lane and *my* son."
Lex launched himself at Clark, but the younger man ducked aside and, grabbing Lex, pinned him to the wall, in almost the exact way he'd done in the restroom of a restaurant as another man recently. For a moment, he could have sworn Luthor connected the two events. He held him there with his forearm across his chest. "How did it feel, Luthor? To know you'd gone through all of that trouble and she still wouldn't budge?"
"I didn't want her… not after I learned she carried your bastard!"
Clark's arm moved up to press more fully against his neck. "Watch your mouth! I've been locked up far too long to be sane." His eyes bore into Lex's.
Luthor recoiled at the muderous expression in Clark's stare. Yet, he almost felt like a proud papa. He'd created this new man from nothing. That was an accomplishment!
He smiled suddenly at Clark. "Try it, Kent. It feels liberating. Let the *real* man out."
"I did, but you're not worth it! I didn't let you break me. I came home and reclaimed the girl. Unlike you, she's agreed to marry me. Even after you went through the trouble of locking me away for a decade," Clark whispered. There was still that tiny part of his soul that wouldn't allow Lex to have the last laugh.
"Ah, but that's where you're you're wrong. She's moved past your memory and onto another..." Suddenly everything that had been said sank in. Kent had just said 'she's agreed to marry me.' And Conner Devon said he was going to marry Lane. Lex narrowed his eyes at the man holding him against the wall.
Dan understood immediately what had passed through Luthor's mind. "Oh, by the way, Lex, have you been properly introduced to Conner Devon?"
That wiped the remaining smile from Lex's face. "I should have killed you myself!" he spat at the man before him. He should have known Lois Lane would never have taken up with a virtual stranger when she wouldn't have anything to do with him. Devon had all but told him who he was when he'd said he and Lois had been friends for a long time. Why hadn't he paid more attention? How could he have been so careless? So stupid? He'd been beaten by his own carelessness.
"You should have.... Because the past always has a way of jumping up to bite you. A fine old man told me that some months ago. You might remember him... Travis Devon. He gave me a message for you, Luthor. He said, and I quote, 'to be truly successful in a veangeful endeavor, make sure to add as much irony as possible.' I think he achieved success, don't you? It's a pity he isn't here to watch 'his son' make you squirm! Clark jerked the man away from the wall and shoved him toward Dan. "Get that filth out of here!"
"My pleasure." Dan reached forward and roughly cuffed Luthor, who was, by now, completely and utterly stunned. He held up a small recorder when he was done. "And thanks for the extra ammunition, Luthor. It'll come in handy."
Clark let out the breath he'd been holding as Dan shoved Luthor through the door. He heard another officer start to read the man's rights to him. Those were some of the best words he'd heard uttered in years. He took a final look around the office of the man that had tried to bring him down.
"You didn't win. You didn't beat me," he told Luthor just before the officers led their prisoner away.
Lois stood in the hallway as Luthor was led out. This time his expression of disgust made her smile. Her decade long battle to beat this man at his own game had finally come to an end.
Her eyes slowly shifted to the man that now made his way into the corridor. To her it looked as if years had been lifted from his features. The gray may have still touched the hair at his temples, but the dull light in his eyes seemed to be getting brighter by the second. She opened her arms to accept Clark as he came to her with a brillant smile. A few moments later, they drew back to look into one another's eyes.
"We got him," Clark whispered.
"We got him," she confirmed before kissing him softly.
~^~^~^~^~^~^~
Time stood still as Clark cupped Lois' face in his hands. He slowly lowered his lips to hers in the first expression of their love as a married couple. He drew back several moments later to smile down at his beautiful wife. After a brief moment, they both reached down to take a hand of their son in each of theirs before they turned to face their clapping and cheering guests.
Clark Kent had come home. Following the arrest of Lex Luthor, Clark announced to the world that he was alive and well. He'd done so only after reacquainting himself with his former boss and friend. Both Jimmy and Perry were shocked beyond belief, but just as happy to have him back as his family had been. When the official announcement of his return was made, the world was stunned. Not only that Lex Luthor had been responsible for such a horrible act, but also because Superman had been sacrificed in order to achieve it.
Lois and Clark had had many heartfelt discussions about the return of the superhero. Along with the younger Clark and his parents, Clark decided to leave the hero in his forced exile for the time being. Superman's return alongside that of Clark Kent's just might prove to be too much of a coincidence, and , besides, it was felt that Clark's healing was much more important than resurrecting Superman.
To start that process was the extremely overdue wedding of Lois and Clark. They'd taken their vows in the twilight on the last day in May, with their son standing with them, just as they'd discussed. They would spend the rest of the summer getting to know each other and learning how to be a family. Edward had been retained to oversee business at Port Royal and Dan was entrusted to make sure Lex Luthor would forever remain the ward of the state of New Troy inside the confines of a prison cell.
As Clark started to receive congratulations from their guests, another section of his heart was mended. The sweetest words he'd heard, up until today, had been the name of his son. But the introduction of Mr. and Mrs. Clark Kent and 'son' was just as sweet.
He smiled over at his wife. She was truly incredible. It overwhelmed him each time he thought of how she'd kept him close to heart, even though she'd believed him to be dead. Even when he'd admitted that he'd never be able to stay away from her, he'd never dreamed this moment would be taking place, especially just weeks after he'd come home.
She turned and flashed him a smile and he had to close his eyes to savor the moment. The soft drum of his son's excited heart filtered into his very being. Lois' happy and just as equally excited heart raced to match his own thrilled pace. He sighed and let the quiet thumps sooth his battered soul. Slowly another sound filtered its way through and Clark's eyes shot wide open.
Lois watched him and smiled even brighter. She knew exactly what he heard. Just two days earlier she'd discovered their family had been enlarged. Lois had wanted to tell Clark later tonight; offer up this newest expression of their powerful love as her wedding gift to her husband, but it appeared he'd listened a little too closely. No matter. This was their special gift, one she couldn't be happier about. She reached over and squeezed his hand tightly. "Welcome home, baby," she said softly.
Clark smiled through tears. He was home. He was really home. He closed his eyes to listen once again to the sounds he knew now were his spirit healing. From a cold, dark hole in the middle of a rock called Purgatory to a pristine beach under brilliant stars on the coast of Maine… Clark Kent had endured years of pain and misery, his own private hell, to get here. But with a strength only known to a super man, he had not been broken. And through it all, he'd made it home.
END
