DISCLAIMER: I claim none of the characters. They are all DC's; a good majority of the characters are from the Superman comics, but there are a few of them from the Supergirl comic series. In short, they're not mine; I'm just borrowing them. I'll return them, I promise!
- - - -
“Okay,” Lois said as she sat cross-legged on the king-sized bed in the large hotel room. She had changed into a pair of cotton pants and a loose-fitting shirt, and her laptop in front of her. Clark, having changed into a pair of cotton sweats and a tank top, was busy putting their clothes away in the dresser drawers. After he finished he came over and sat beside his wife.
“Alright,” he said. “Let’s see what we can find out about Lex.” He had been hoping for a chance to relax with Lois, but she had wanted to start in on their investigation; Clark secretly wanted to as well, so he wasn’t too disappointed.
Lois began typing, bringing up different windows, trying to access different kinds of information, but everything kept bring up the same ‘Access Denied’ popup. “Great,” Lois muttered. She shot her husband a smile, handing him the laptop. “Here, Mister Superspeed; you give it a shot.”
Clark smiled and kissed her before taking the laptop. Typing at superspeed, he tried accessing every account and database that he knew of, using every bypass code he knew, but he got the same results as Lois. “Sorry,” he replied, looking somewhat upset. “Whatever Lex is hiding, he’s got it behind some pretty intensive firewalls. I can’t access them.”
“What about Jimmy?” Lois asked.
“What about Jimmy?”
Lois replied, “I know he and Linda are working on their story, but Jimmy’s a whiz at computers; even more than Linda. If anyone could get the information we needed, it’d be him.”
Clark nodded and reached for the phone. He dialed Jimmy’s number and waited . . . and waited. After five rings, Jimmy’s voice mail picked up:
“Hi, you’ve reached Jimmy Olsen. I can’t take your call right now. Please leave a message, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
Clark pressed zero, transferring the call to Perry’s office. He heard a couple of rings before Perry picked up.
“What?” he asked gruffly.
“Perry, it’s Clark.”
“Clark, you’re in Australia already?”
“Uh, we, uh, talked with Superman, and he found out what we were doing, so he gave us a lift to save us time in our investigation.”
“Oh. Well, that was nice of him. And how is the investigation going?”
“We’ve hit a dead end. We need Jimmy’s help. Do you know where he is?”
“Well, actually, he left,” Perry replied slowly, not sure if he should tell Clark what was going on.
Clark furrowed his eyebrows. He could sense his boss’ reluctance in bringing up Jimmy, and he knew immediately that something had happened between Jimmy and Linda - and it wasn’t good. “What happened?”
“To be honest I don’t know, Clark. But Jimmy looked like he was a permanent resident of Heartbreak Hotel. I mean, he looked absolutely devastated, so whatever happened between him and Linda was not good; he looked like she had just told him to hit the road.”
Clark shared a troubled look with Lois, something she picked up on immediately. She mouthed ‘what,’ but he shook his head slightly. “Do you know where he went?”
“Don’t have a clue,” Perry replied. “And Linda’s gone as well.”
Clark sighed. It was all he could do to not fly back to Metropolis and find out what was going on himself, but he knew he couldn’t. “Thanks, Chief. Uh, when Jimmy comes back, could you have him look into a few things for us?”
“What do you need?”
“We’ve hit firewalls; we can’t access any databases that might give us any clues as to who Lex really is. We need Jimmy to see if he can access the information for us: birth certificates, computer records, payrolls, property tax records, that sort of thing.”
“I’ll see what I can do. In the meantime, I’d look into those people who claimed that Lex was a saint. Check out their stories, make sure they gel, okay?”
“You got it.” Clark hung up.
“Jimmy and Linda having more problems?” Lois asked.
Clark nodded. “I think Linda broke up with Jimmy; that’s what Perry thinks.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Lois replied. “Why on earth would she -” She stopped in mid sentence and looked at Clark. “You don’t think it’s because of Lex, do you?”
“Why would she even think about giving him the time of day?” Clark asked, bothered by his wife’s suggestion.
“Because he’s been paying attention to her,” Lois replied. “The flowers, asking her out for dinner, the compliments.”
“Lois, Linda wouldn’t fall for a guy like that; she knows better.”
“Does she?” Lois asked seriously. “Clark, she’s not like other girls; she’s never dated before. Remember what her romantic life was like before she came here? Non-existent. She was a Kryptonian noble; she was already married; she didn’t have the luxuries of dating.” She sighed. “She doesn’t know about the ‘rules,’ Clark. She doesn’t know that Jimmy’s avoiding her because she’s lying to him. All she knows is that he’s pushing her away.”
“You think she would go jump into the arms of a stranger just because of that?” Clark asked, getting slightly defensive.
“A lot of Earth girls would in that position,” Lois answered honestly. “Especially if the guy is charming or has a lot of money.” She shrugged. “I did it with Lex when I was mad at you.” Clark gave her a look. “I know, not a good example, but it’s the only one I could think of.”
“Well, for someone who wanted me to stay out,” Clark said, “you’re not doing a good job.”
Lois reached over and rubbed his shoulders. “Clark, I’m not trying to freak you out; I’m just concerned for Linda and Jimmy, and I’m tempted to renege on what I said earlier, but we can’t. We can only hope that things will work out, and that Linda and Jimmy won’t do anything they’ll regret.”
“They better not,” Clark muttered. “Otherwise, I’ll . . . I’ll hang them upside down and shake some sense into them - a thousand feet above the city.”
Lois smiled and kissed his cheek. She loved it when his protective side came out - made him very sexy. She nibbled his ear, rubbing his shoulders. “You know, since it’s the middle of the night, and Jimmy probably won’t be calling us for a few hours, what’s say you and I forget about Lex and Linda and Jimmy and everything else, and do some bonding?”
Clark glanced over at his wife, his eyebrows slightly raised, a slow smile spreading across his face. He gently pulled Lois into his lap, absorbing her small squeal of surprise as he pressed his lips to hers.
- - - -
Night had fallen as Linda looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was dressed in a green velvet, strapless gown with a pattern of glitter spiraling down from the top, a matching short jacket that fell just below her ribs, and matching heels. Her hair was styled in a French roll, and she wore no jewelry, save for one small silver chain with a tiny, silver, heart-shaped pendant around her neck. It had been a gift to her from the Kents and Clark and Lois shortly after her arrival on Earth, and it was something she kept with her at all times. She fingered it softly as she looked at it in the mirror, part of her wondering if she was doing the right thing.
She didn’t have much time to dwell on it, because someone knocked on her door at that moment. She glanced at her nightstand clock - it was a quarter to seven. She grabbed the matching clutch - containing a stick of clear lip gloss, a tape recorder, her apartment key, a pen, her memo book, and some tissues - and walked quickly to the front door, her heart pounding. She stopped and took a deep breath before reaching for the knob and opening the door.
Standing on the other side was a man dressed in a limo driver’s uniform. He appeared to be around Clark’s age, with light brown hair and brown eyes. Expecting to see Lex instead, she didn’t bother hiding her surprised expression, something the drive noticed.
“Something the matter, Miss Lee?” he asked with a cockney British accent.
“I, uh, I thought Lex was, uh, going to be meeting me,” Linda replied slowly.
“Mr. Luthor sends his apologies,” the driver said, “but ‘e was taking care o’ some last minute arrangements on the terrace.”
“Oh.” Linda accepted that then smiled at the driver as she extended her hand. “I’m Linda.”
Now it was the driver’s turn to look surprised. He hesitated, then he extended his hand as he smiled. “Roderick,” he replied, shaking her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Linda. Are you ready to go?”
Linda nodded. She left the apartment, and Roderick waited while she locked the door, then she followed him out of the apartment and over to a long, black limo that was parked by the curbside. He opened the back passenger’s door, and Linda climbed inside. Roderick closed the door, walked around to the driver’s side, got in, and started the car up. In a few moments, the limo pulled away into traffic.
About ten minutes later, the limo pulled up beside the LexCorp building. Roderick got out, walked around, and opened Linda’s door. The young woman climbed out and instinctively looked up. The LexCorp building had been something she’d seen mainly from above during her flights around Metropolis; it looked much taller when she stood at the bottom looking up.
“You’re not scared o’ heights, Miss, are you?” Roderick asked.
Linda had to work hard at not laughing. “No, it’s just . . . taller than I thought it would be.”
Rodney nodded in agreement, then gave her a small nudge towards the building. “’e’s expecting you, Miss. Better not keep ‘im waiting. ‘e’s on the terrace. It’s the button in the elevator marked T.” Linda gave him a smile before walking into the building. She made her way down the corridor to the elevators and pressed the up button. The elevator doors opened, and she walked inside, pressing the T button. She was getting a little nervous as she rode up, but by the time the elevator stopped and the doors opened, she managed to regain her confidence again. She stepped out and looked around.
The terrace was very impressive, even for someone who was used to regal and stately. It was large, decorated mainly with plants and flowers of all different varieties. Soft, classical music was playing from a multitude of small speakers hidden behind the large ferns. The flooring itself was a decorative stone, and railing on three of the four sides was in wrought iron. The lights from the city gave off enough light to see perfectly, but there were still a large array of beautiful candles - all of them matching, white with gold ornamentation - adding a soft, relaxing glow. Two modern-looking iron chairs and a matching table with a glass top were situated in the center. The table was set for two with fine plates, silverware, and wine glasses. Two lit candles in the center - matching the other candles exactly - completed the array.
Lex was standing on one side of the table, dressed in a pair of tailored charcoal pants, dark loafers, and an off black, buttoned-down shirt. He was talking on his cell phone while pouring wine into the glasses with the other hand. Clark had told Linda to made it a point never to listen to other people’s conversations, and she followed that rule judiciously - for the most part; she didn’t listen in on Lex’s conversation as she looked around and admired the beautifully arranged flowers, taking in the mixture of the intoxicating fragrances.
Lex finished his call after a few moments and put his phone on the table. He glanced up and noticed Linda standing there. He was momentarily startled, almost spilling the wine, but he quickly smiled and put the top on the bottle, setting it and his phone aside on an iron end table.
“Good evening,” he replied as he came over. He took her hands and looked her up and down appreciatively. “You look . . . absolutely exquisite.”
Linda blushed slightly, ducking a little. “Thank you,” she replied. Lex leaned over to kiss her, but she pulled her head back. She glanced up, noticing his smile had faded a bit. She hadn’t meant to upset him; she just didn’t feel right in kissing him, even though she couldn’t really explain why it would be bad if he did. “I’m sorry, Lex. I just . . . don’t kiss before dinner; it’s a rule I have.”
Lex nodded, looking a bit amused. “Have you always had this rule, or is this because of some recent event in your life?” She didn’t answer as she turned her head, her expression darkening a bit. Lex immediately looked apologetic. “I’m sorry Linda; I didn’t mean to drudge up anything unpleasant.”
Linda smiled a bit. “You have nothing to apologize for, Lex.”
Lex motioned to the table behind him. “Shall we?” He led Linda over and pulled her seat out, pushing her in after she was seated. He took his place in the other chair and raised his glass. “A toast.” Linda hadn’t had much experience with wine, but it didn’t stop her, so she raised her glass. “To . . . beauty, in all of its forms, especially for those right in front of us.” He stared at her knowingly, holding her eyes, as he softly clinked her glass.
Linda just stared for a moment, temporarily mesmerized as Lex held her gaze as he sipped his wine, but she blinked, shaking herself out of the trance. She took a sip of her wine, then immediately felt like she was going to gag; she quickly spit the wine back into her glass. She sputtered a bit, grabbing her napkin and wiping her mouth, her cheeks a bright red.
“I am so sorry,” she replied. She put her glass down, but it tipped over, spilling burgundy liquid all over the table. She was horrified and immediately began mopping it up.
Lex watched her for a few moments, very amused by her antics, but it didn’t last long. He turned his head towards the interior of his building. “Carl!” he called out. A middle-aged man, in a butler’s uniform, emerged from inside the building stepped in and helped right the glass and mop up the mess. He left with the glass and napkins, returning a few moments with another glass and clean napkins before making his way back inside.
“Shall I pour some more wine?” Lex asked, reaching for the bottle.
“No,” Linda replied, still embarrassed by her clumsiness. “I don’t . . . I don’t drink, Lex. I’m sorry.” And she just remembered something else. “Besides, I’m not really legal.” What was with her memory lately?
Lex smiled charmingly. “But we are on private property.”
Linda looked up and stared at him for a few moments, then cursed herself for automatically thinking that Jimmy would look better in that outfit than Lex, though the shirt would be softer and the pants would be black, not charcoal. She mentally pushed Jimmy aside and smiled at Lex. “It’s tempting, Lex, really, but I’m going to have to decline.”
Lex put on his best smile, doing his best to keep his composure. “Maybe later,” he replied, just as Carl came out, carrying two plates. He set them down in front of Lex and Linda then left.
Linda glanced down. On the plate was something that she recognized easily, but found it quite disturbing they were on her plate: escargot. She glanced up and was a bit horrified to see Lex eating them. “You’re eating them?” she asked.
“Of course,” Lex replied. “They’re a delicacy in many parts of the world.”
“They’re snails,” Linda countered.
“They’re really good,” Lex said, holding up a snail. “Just try one; I promise if you don’t like them, you don’t have to eat them.”
Linda glanced down uneasily at her plate. She suddenly felt an extreme wave of nausea as she looked back up at Lex, but it wasn’t from the snails. She didn’t belong there - not with the snails or with the wine or especially Lex; she couldn’t convince herself any longer.
“I’m sorry,” she said as she grabbed her clutch from where she set it on the table and got to her feet. “I’m sorry, Lex.” She headed for the elevators.
Lex looked confused as he got and followed her. He caught up with her as she waited for the elevator. “What is it?” he asked. “Did I do something wrong?”
Linda shook her head. “No, it’s not you; you’ve been everything you said you were going to be, Lex: the perfect gentleman. I just haven’t been the perfect lady, and I don’t belong here.”
Lex gently grabbed her upper arms. “Linda, no one’s asking you to be perfect. Just be yourself. You are a beautiful and intelligent woman. That’s what makes you so attractive.”
The elevator pinged and the doors opened. Linda stared up at Lex. She tried to convince herself to stay, but it wasn’t working. She looked genuinely apologetic as she gently pulled free of his grip and stepped into the elevator. She pressed the button for the first floor. “I’m sorry, Lex,” she said as the doors closed.
Lex stayed there a few moments, seething silently, before he walked back over to the table and sat down. Any trace of sincerity was lost, replaced by annoyance and anger as he slowly reached for his glass. He stared at it silently for a few moments before angrily throwing it aside. The glass smashed into the wall, shards falling to the ground.
Lex hated it when his plans didn’t go as he wanted them too, and it had taken all of his restraint not to throttle Linda as she stepped on the elevator; it would have been simple and easy to do - no witnesses. But his thinking quickly changed as he realized that his prize - getting revenge against Clark Kent - was more rewarding if the pawn wasn’t too easily attainable. A disturbing smile slowly spread across his face as he sat leaned back and pondered a new game plan. He knew Linda was still pining for that pathetic excuse for a photographer, Jimmy Olsen, and Lex knew that he had to be dealt with. He reached for his cell phone and dialed a number.
(End of Chapter 8)
