To Protect and Serve II - The Return of a Superman
An Elseworld's Story
By Tank Wilson tankw1@aol.com
Rated: PG-13
Submitted: December 2004



Author's note:  This is the sequel to my earlier 'To Protect and 
Serve'  (hence the designation TP&S II, clever huh?).  It would 
be most helpful to be familiar with the other story before 
reading this one as there are references and general continuity 
set-ups that were presented there in this story.  

All trademarks and copyrights are assigned to their respective 
owners.  I make no claim against any of them.  Any additional 
comments or feedback can be directed to TankW1@aol.com



CHAPTER ONE

Detective Sergeant Lois Lane stared out the window of the 
unmarked squad car.  She and her partner Bill Henderson were on a 
classic stakeout.  A typical, boring, waste-of-time, stakeout.  
Lois was not only bored, but she was fidgety.  She wanted to 
leave.

Lois turned to her partner.  "So, what do you say?  If Baker 
doesn't show in the next fifteen minutes I say we call it a 
night." 

Henderson glanced at his watch.  "It's only eight-thirty, Lane.  
You got a hot date or something?"  He smiled when he noticed a 
slight blush creep across Lois' cheeks.  "So that's it, is it?  
I've only been back from my vacation for a week, yet you can't 
wait to dump me for some muscle-bound amour du jour."

Lois rolled her eyes.  "Oh, come on, Bill.  I see you more hours 
of the day than any other human being on the planet.  As 
thrilling as that is for me, I do need time away, if only to 
reconfirm that there are other people in the world besides you 
and the scum of the earth we have to deal with."

Henderson shook his head and let go a hefty sigh.  "Now I'm 
really hurt."  He turned toward her, his face schooled in a look 
of mock seriousness.  "Okay, come clean.  Who is he?  It's that 
Kent guy, isn't it?"  Lois' brow went up.  "Oh, come on.  It's 
all over the department.  He's been seen picking you up several 
times over the past few weeks."

"You people need to get lives of your own."

"Ah hah!  I've struck a nerve, haven't I?"

Lois shook her head at her partner's antics.  "You never like the 
guys I date."

Henderson shrugged.  "So what's not to like about Kent?"

She grinned.  "Well, he's handsome, cultured, charming, and he 
dresses better than you."

"You forgot wealthy."

Lois shook her head again.  "He's not wealthy, but he does have 
abs to die for."

Henderson raised his brow.  "My, aren't we shallow?  You're just 
after this poor schlub for his body."

Lois allowed a dreamy look to come over her face.  "Yeah, but 
what a body."

Bill clucked his tongue as he shook his head disparagingly.  "You 
always go after the pretty boys.  Didn't Luthor teach you 
anything?"

Lois snapped to attention at the mention of Lex Luthor.  "Don't 
mention that animal's name in the same breath with Clark."

Henderson held up his hands in surrender.  "Hey, take it easy, 
partner.  I was just kidding."

Lois leaned her head back against the seat and sighed.  "I know, 
and I'm sorry I reacted badly.  It's just that Clark is really a 
sweet guy, and I don't like it when people compare him to Lex."  
She rolled her head so she could look at Bill.  "You were right 
about Lex, and I'm sorry I didn't listen to you.  I should have.  
You're my best friend, and I should have known that you really 
did have my best interests at heart."  She paused to take a 
breath.  "But believe me when I say Clark is nothing at all like 
Luthor.  I'd swear he's the most caring man I've ever met."

"Hey, you've really got it bad for this Kent guy, don't you?"  
Lois spread her hands and shrugged.  "Please don't tell me that 
Mad Dog Lane is in love?  The shock to my system would probably 
kill me."

Lois shook her head but smiled at her partner's wisecrack.  "Come 
on, Bill, you know me better than that.  I doubt if I'd know what 
love was if it bit me on the butt.  We've only had a few dates, 
so I can't really say what I feel.  Clark's a good guy, and I 
think we're on our way to becoming good friends, but love?   Lois 
leaned back into the cushion of the seat.  "I'm just happy to 
take things as they come.  Maybe someday... who knows?"

"So, if this guy's so great..."  Lois noticed the mischievous 
gleam in her partner's eye.  "What's he doing hanging with you?"

"I have no idea."  They both broke out laughing.

Once the two detectives finally stopped laughing, Lois gave her 
partner a warm smile.  "So, I've never known you to take a 
vacation before.  Where were you for the last few weeks?"  

"Did you miss me?"  He grinned and winked at her.

Lois snorted.  She was about to make another wisecrack when 
suddenly she decided not to.  Instead she chose to speak her 
mind.  "Yeah, actually I did.  You're the best partner I've ever 
had, Bill, and I felt a little lost without you around."  She let 
a slight grin sneak back onto her face.  "Besides, guys like 
Jenkins and Palmer are no challenge for me.  When it comes to 
verbal sparring, those two are totally inept."

Henderson nodded, as if commiserating with her.  "Yeah, the 
Academy is really falling down in that regard."  Just then a soft 
ring came from Bill's pocket.  "Hold on."  He reached in and 
pulled out a cell phone.

Lois watched her partner as he listened to whatever was said on 
the other end of the call.  He didn't say much.  A couple of 
grunts and an 'okay, bye' was all she heard.  "So what was that 
all about?"  She asked, when he put the small phone away.

Henderson waved off her interest.  "It was nothing.  It's 
personal."

"Ooh, getting mystery personal calls at work now, eh?"  Lois 
reached out and slapped him on the arm.  "Anyone I know?"

Henderson suddenly looked away and stared out the front 
windshield.  "You know, you're right.  There's nothing going to 
happen here tonight.  Let's pack it in for the night."  He 
reached down and turned the key.  The engine sprang to life, and 
with a squeal of the tires and a spray of loose gravel, the car 
leapt forward and sped off toward the main highway.

Lois was stunned by her partner's sudden shift in attitude.  
Obviously something about that call upset him.  Being who she 
was, every curious bone in her body screamed at her to find out 
what it was.  Ask him.  Badger him.  Do whatever it took to get 
him to tell her.  That's what she wanted to do, but she didn't.  
They were friends, and she respected his privacy.  If it were 
something that he felt she should know, then he'd tell her.  
Until then, she'd just have to abide by his decision.

Of course, she was going to be up all night wondering about it.

******************

Clark stared at the screen of his home computer.  He'd been to 
Arianna Carlin's latest press conference earlier in the day and 
had come home to write his article rather than having gone back 
to the Planet.  He was looking for the hook for the story, but it 
was eluding him.  

It had been the third press conference she'd held since Luthor's 
death.  The first one had been to address the revelations that 
had come out during the whole sordid Boynton affair that had led 
to Lex's eventual downfall.  She had denied any knowledge of 
Lex's dealings, citing the fact that she hadn't had any contact 
with Lex for at least five years.  Not since their less than 
amicable divorce.  Of course, then came the second news 
conference.  The one where she had dropped the bombshell.  
Apparently, her and Luthor's divorce was never properly filed.  
Legally, she was still Lex Luthor's wife.  Which made her, 
suddenly, the third richest person in the world.

Today's press junket had been to announce her taking over as CEO 
of LexCorp and to outline some of the changes she planned for the 
direction of Luthor's holdings.  She had introduced several 
people who would now be running many of the operations of the 
various companies under the LexCorp banner.  The police's 
investigation into Luthor's dealings had led them to many of his 
subordinates.  The arrests had decimated the upper levels of 
LexCorp management.  Clark had to admit that all of Arianna's 
chosen came to the dance with impressive credentials.  

It should be an easy story to write.  A lot of information was 
given out and Ms. Carlin had outlined many potentially exciting 
and far-reaching changes that her new management team was going 
to be implementing.  Clark could fall back on enumerating those 
items and let the article be a laundry list of Arianna's plans.  
But that didn't say what he wanted to say.

Luthor had long used a heavy involvement in charities and 
humanitarian foundations as a public shield for his true 
activities.  Now that they were no longer needed to provide him 
the thin veneer of respectability, Clark had wondered what would 
become of many of those charities.  Even though they had been 
funded by an amoral criminal, they had done a lot of good.  He 
was glad to hear that Arianna intended to expand LexCorp's 
participation in humanitarian endeavors.  He supposed he could 
focus on that aspect of the conference.  But he rejected that 
also.  

He couldn't put his finger on it, but the whole thing seemed 
too... too pat.  Arianna as the cast off ex-wife, who was the 
unwitting dupe, Clark could believe... if it had ended there.  
But with the paperwork mix-up that led to Carlin being revealed 
as still the legal Mrs. Luthor, it just was too convenient.  And 
now, in such a short time, she had new players and new plans 
already lined up and ready to go.  She was either incredibly 
gifted when it came to business, or she had more time to prepare 
for this than was apparent from the events as they happened.

Clark had no reason to suspect Arianna Carlin of anything but 
being the unexpected recipient of some good fortune and wanting 
to do her best.  On the surface her motives seemed pure and well 
intended.  But he couldn't help but wonder about her.   After 
all, she had readily admitted that she did love Lex Luthor at one 
time.  Was she really that innocent back then?  Was she really 
that ignorant of his true nature?  Or had she learned more than 
she let on?

There was no denying the woman's individual success.  She had 
risen to her own fame and fortune as a best-selling author and 
syndicated pop-psychologist whose columns ran in most of the 
major papers in the country.  All this success had come after 
being discarded by Luthor.

Had the experience spurred her to achieve on her own?  Or had she 
learned some of her husband's less ethical means of manipulation 
and motivation, and applied those teachings to further her own 
career?

Clark was driving himself crazy.  He had no proof.  He didn't 
even have any real reason, beyond a 'feeling', to suspect that 
Arianna Carlin was anything but what she seemed.  He needed to 
take a break.  

As if in answer to his thought, there was a knock on the door.  
Glancing at the clock as he rose, he wondered who would be 
knocking on his door this late, and what it was they were 
selling.

He opened the door and was surprised to see who was standing 
there.  "Lois?  I didn't expect to see you.  I thought you said 
you would be working late?"

He could see the hesitation in her face.  "Ah, well, we knocked 
off a little earlier than expected, and well, I just thought... 
but if you're busy, I can go.  It's no big deal."

Clark chuckled.  "No, come in, please.  I'm glad you stopped by."  
He closed the door as she stepped in.  "And I'm especially glad 
that you feel you can stop by without a prior invitation."

She stared at him, as if measuring his words.  "Well, you did say 
I could stop by anytime."

He smiled as he guided her toward the living room.  "And I meant 
it.  So, what happened that allowed you to cut out early 
tonight?"

"I'm not really sure."  She frowned after saying it.  "It was a 
stakeout that was going nowhere, and I know I mentioned the idea 
first, but Bill is usually a stickler for 'following through' 
with things." She'd used her fingers to make quotes signs.  "Yet 
he was the one to call it a night."

Clark sat down on the couch next to her.  "Bill's your partner, 
right?"

She nodded.  "Yeah, Bill Henderson.  You've met him a few times, 
but he's been on vacation for a while and has only been back for 
about a week."

"So, where did he go?"  

Lois raised a brow at Clark.  "You're drifting off track here, 
Kent.  But the weird thing is... I don't know.  He hasn't 
mentioned anything about his vacation to anyone at the station, 
not even me.  I don't know where he went and what he did."  She 
shrugged her shoulders.  "He's always been a private sort of guy, 
but we've been partners for a while now and he usually tells me 
stuff."

Clark's shrug mirrored Lois'.  "Maybe it was something really 
personal that he doesn't want to share?"

"It was a vacation, not a secret mission for the C.I.A.  And 
there was something else that was odd.  He got a phone call while 
we were on the stakeout.  I couldn't make out anything as he 
mainly just listened, but it was right after that he decided we 
should call it a night."

Clark leaned back into the plush cushions of the couch.  He 
almost smiled.  He could see the curiosity burning in Lois.  She 
wasn't used to being out of the loop and didn't like it when 
secrets were kept from her.  The two of them hadn't really gotten 
into their own 'discussions' yet.  The one about his behavior 
with her concerning Superman and his reluctance to share 
everything with her about it.  For that he was glad because he 
really didn't want to get into an argument with her, but he knew 
the time was coming.  Probably soon.

"So, he got a personal call," Clark said.  "Does it really have 
to be something sinister because he doesn't choose to share it 
with you?"

Lois glowered at Clark.  "Are all you men alike?  Why is it you 
have such a problem with something as simple as the truth?"

Oh, oh, Clark thought.  He'd stepped in it now.  After just 
thinking how nice it was that he hadn't had to deal with their 
own trust issues, now it looked like his comments were going to 
bring them back to the surface.  "Not all men are alike, Lois.  
No more than all women are alike.  I'm sure you've had secrets 
you've kept from people before.  Things you didn't want to tell 
your parents, your sister, even your partner."

"This isn't about me."  She stared at her hands.  "But to answer 
your question, no, I've never lied about anything that I thought 
was important."
She sighed.  "Maybe it's me.  Maybe I'm not the kind of person 
that people want to trust."

Clark reached over and used a finger to turn her face toward his.  
"Don't be ridiculous.  People may be a bit wary at first just 
because you're a police officer.  But I have to believe that once 
someone gets to know you they'd see they could trust you."  Clark 
hesitated for only a moment, even though he knew what his 
admission would bring.  "I know I do."

She bit down on her lower lip.  "Do you really?"

Clark shifted his position on the couch so he could face Lois 
directly.   He'd been dreading this conversation, only because he 
didn't want to upset her.  He hadn't felt that he'd done anything 
wrong under the circumstances, and he wasn't about to back down 
on that.  But he knew that Lois wouldn't necessarily see it that 
way.

"Look, Lois, I know you feel some level of hurt that I kept my 
full identity from you.  For that I'm sorry, but I won't 
apologize for my actions.  At the time, I felt it was the best 
course of action."

Lois' mouth firmed into a hard line before she spoke.  "Setting 
aside for the moment that you were withholding crucial 
information on an ongoing criminal investigation, you expected me 
to take your word about certain things but weren't willing to 
give me all the facts to base my decision on.  I was supposed to 
trust you, but you obviously didn't feel the same way toward me."

Clark clenched his fists.  "Come on, Lois.  What was I supposed 
to think?  I didn't know you as anyone except Lucy's sister, and 
the woman who was dating Lex Luthor.  True, you were, and are, a 
member of the Metropolis Police force, but then Luthor, to all 
intents and purposes, was the city's greatest benefactor.  I 
couldn't take the chance that you and he weren't..."

"Weren't what?  In cahoots?  The king and queen of crime in 
Metropolis?"

Clark spread his hands wide.  "Truthfully - yes, that's exactly 
what I couldn't take the chance on."

Lois glared at Clark for several moments, then her expression 
began to soften.  Finally she sighed and allowed herself to flop 
against the back cushion of the couch.  "You're right, you didn't 
know me.  But after you did tell me about your encounter with Lex 
on the pier, and I was convinced that Luthor was the bad man you 
said he was, why couldn't you have told me then?  We were working 
together on exposing him.  Why did you continue to insist that 
you'd merely been a witness to the attack rather than the victim?  
Why did I have to find out up in Luthor's penthouse?"

Clark stared hard at Lois.  Conflicting thoughts were running 
through his mind.  Exactly why had he hesitated, even after he 
knew that he and Lois were on the same side?  Had he been afraid 
that she still might be in Luthor's pocket?  No, that was 
ridiculous.  Her concern for her sister was genuine, and once she 
believed the links to Luthor that he showed her, Lois held back 
nothing in her subsequent investigation of the mine and its 
connection to Lex.  

And what about her admission that Luthor had abused her?  She 
certainly wouldn't have had to tell him about that, yet she did.  
She'd trusted him enough to bare her shame to him.  But he still 
hadn't come clean with her.  Something had continued to hold him 
back, and suddenly, like a shot to the head, he realized what it 
had been.  At the time he would have said it was just caution, 
but the truth was more personal than that.

"Clark?"  Lois looked at him expectantly.

"Lois," he began.  "We've only known each other a short time.  
Even so, in that time I think I've come to understand some things 
about you.  I respect and admire you as a professional, and as a 
person.  You are dedicated and loyal to your job and your 
friends.  You have an incredibly strong sense of right and wrong, 
and are committed to redressing those wrongs whenever you come 
across them."  Clark allowed himself a small, shy smile.  "You 
don't give your trust easily, but when you do, it's total.  And 
you expect the same back.  I didn't give that to you, and I'm 
sorry."

Their eyes met.  "Do you know why you didn't?" she asked.

Clark dropped his head and sighed.  When he managed to meet her 
eyes again, it was with a look of embarrassment.  "I think so."  
She gave him a quizzical look.  "I didn't want your pity."

"What?"  She shook her head in confusion.  "I don't understand."

"Being Superman was an incredible rush.  Having those 
unbelievable powers and being able to help so many people was a 
gift.  A gift that I was thankful for.  But, still, Clark Kent 
was who I had always been.  Superman was what I could do.  But 
Superman was gone.  The powers were gone.  Only Clark Kent was 
left.  I didn't see any point in telling you because I didn't 
want your feeling sorry for me because I wasn't Superman 
anymore."

She reached over and took one of his hands in hers.  "But I do 
feel sorry for you.  I'm sure it's very hard to adjust to being 
normal after all those years of having incredible powers.  That's 
not something you can just forget after a few days.  But mostly, 
I feel sorry for this city, and the rest of the world, because 
they've lost a hero and a selfless benefactor.  I mourn the good 
that you would have been able to do that might not get done now.  
And I feel for how that must make you feel.   But I don't pity 
you."  She gave his hand a squeeze.  "Never mistake my sympathy 
for your situation with pity.  From what I've seen, Clark Kent is 
a pretty formidable person in his own right.  He has all the 
compassion and caring for others that Superman ever did, and he 
still uses all his resources as a crusading reporter to fight the 
good fight, even though he has been dealt a blow that would have 
destroyed most lesser men."

Clark felt a slight lurch in his heart at Lois' words.  The more 
he got to know her, the more incredible he found her to be.  He'd 
been instantly drawn to her from the first moment he laid eyes on 
her, but he hadn't known why.  But now he was beginning to 
understand.  Her every action, and deed, just confirmed and 
reinforced those initial feelings.  It was obvious to him that 
she was the woman he was meant to be with.  He just hoped that 
over time he could convince her of that.  And in order to do 
that, he'd have to stop wrapping himself up in his own 
obsessions, and be willing to share everything with her, no 
matter what.  She demanded, and deserved no less.

"Thank you, Lois," he said.  "I really appreciate your being so 
understanding about this."

She shrugged and gave him a slight grin.  "Well, what can I say?  
I'm just a darned nice gal."

Clark grinned back at her.  "Yes, you are.  And, hopefully I 
won't make the mistake of ever forgetting that in the future."

"Just see that you don't."  Lois stood and began to move toward 
the front door.  "It's late, and I imagine we both have busy days 
tomorrow.  I'd best be going."

Clark walked her to the door.  She seemed to hesitate.  "Lois, 
are you doing anything this Friday night?" he asked.

"I don't think so?  What do you have in mind?"

"Nothing yet, but I'd just like to see you.  I'm sure we'll be 
able to figure something out before then."  

She shrugged.  "Sounds like a plan?"  She grinned.  "A feeble 
one, but a plan none the less.  Pick me up at eight?"

Clark smiled as he reached down to open the door for her.  "Eight 
it is."  

They stared at each other for several moments, neither quite sure 
how to end the evening.  Finally Clark used his finger to tip 
Lois' chin upward as he leaned down and gave her a quick, gentle 
kiss.

"Good night, Lois."

"Good night, Clark," she replied.  Once the door was closed she 
couldn't help using her finger to trace where his lips had met 
hers.  A shy smile spread across her face as she moved down the 
street.

****************

Henderson leaned against the crumbling brick and stone of the 
abandoned building.  The alleyway was drenched in darkness.  The 
nearest streetlight that still worked was two blocks away.  The 
stars twinkling brightly in the clear night sky and a half full 
moon offered the only light.  There were no colors, only varied 
dark shades of gray.  He hated meetings like this.

He'd been hanging around the alley for nearly an hour and was 
getting ready to leave, when a large shape detached itself from a 
recessed alcove in the building on the other side of the alley.  
The figure was cloaked in its own shadow, and even though 
Henderson couldn't make out any features, he knew whom it was he 
was meeting.

"You know all the best places, St. John."  Bill didn't even try 
to temper his sarcasm.

"Ah, yes, ever the laconic policeman."  The figure may have been 
unrecognizable, but the voice was a dead giveaway.

"So, what's the deal?  Why this meeting?"

The large shadow shifted slightly.  "Well, let's just say we were 
concerned.  We haven't heard from you in quite a while."

Henderson shook his head, not knowing if St. John would even see 
it in the darkness, and not caring.  "I've been on vacation.  
Besides, I've got nothing more to say to you.  I've done what I 
said I would.  I helped you take down Luthor.  That's all I ever 
signed on to do.  What you and the suddenly restored Mrs. Luthor 
do now, I couldn't care less.  Keep your noses clean while in 
Metropolis, and you can try to rule the rest of the world for all 
I care."

He couldn't be sure, but it almost sounded like a chuckle coming 
from the dark bulk in front of him.  "My good inspector, you 
aren't really that naive, are you?  You don't really believe that 
we would allow you to walk away, now, do you?  That wouldn't be 
good business now, would it?"

Henderson wasn't naive; he knew that once you made a deal with 
the devil, no matter what your motives might be, you didn't just 
walk away at your own convenience.  That didn't mean that he 
couldn't try.  After all, if he could convince St. John that he 
would be of no further use to them, they might not feel it worth 
their time or effort to keep him 'in the fold' so to speak.

Henderson reached out toward the figure, but St. John stepped 
back out of his reach.  "I know you're paranoid; it's in your 
nature.  But, you have to know that I can't really say anything.  
It would ruin my career if my involvement got out.  You can trust 
me not to say anything.  Just take your spoils and leave me 
alone."

The hat topping the shadow that was St. John moved back and 
forth.  "I don't think you understand the situation.  We still 
have need of your services.  You've been paid handsomely for your 
past service, and you will continue to be paid well.  There are 
bound to be situations where a man in your position could be of 
use to us."

Here it came.  Knowing that he'd probably have to deal with this 
situation eventually didn't make it any easier to face.  It was 
like trying to swim in quicksand.  The more you struggled to get 
out, the more it pulled you in deeper.  He wasn't quite sure what 
he was going to do, but he had to make Nigel realize that, even 
after what he'd done, he had his limits.

"Look," he began.  "My reasons for agreeing to help you and Ms. 
Carlin take down Luthor are my own, and none of your business."  
Henderson ran a hand through his hair.  "I can't undo what I did.  
I've compromised my ethics for a goal.  A goal that I thought 
more important than my own personal values.  But make no mistake, 
St. John, I'm not going to become your personal stooge in the 
police department.  Don't try to blackmail me, Nigel.  I'll call 
your bluff and take my chances.  If you're smart, you'll walk 
away from this partnership.  Let it end now."

St. John, still unreadable in the dark allowed several moments of 
silence to pass between them.  Finally, the cultured accent broke 
the stillness.  "I see.  While I'm disappointed in your attitude, 
I think we might be able to come to an accommodation.  I can put 
to rest your concerns about our intentions in Metropolis.  We 
don't plan to 'crap in our own yard' as they say.  Our ultimate 
goals are much more far-reaching than that."  The big man circled 
to the other side of Henderson.  "But I still see one potential 
problem.  There is still one person, who was close to Lex, who 
could be a possible thorn in our side.  Take care of this and you 
can consider our relationship equitably terminated."

Bill suddenly felt a chill and had to suppress a need to shiver.  
"What are you talking about?"

"It's simple really. Detective Lois Lane is too nosy for her own 
good.  She had a relationship with Luthor, and that makes her an 
unacceptable risk.  We don't want her asking any of the wrong 
questions."

Henderson nodded.  He'd expected something like this.  "Okay, 
she's my partner.  I can keep a close eye on her and make sure to 
steer her away from anything that might lead her back to you... 
and me."

He heard that chuckle again.  "Once again, you misunderstand us.  
We don't want your partner watched... we want her eliminated.

CHAPTER TWO

Lois lay in her bed staring up at the ceiling.  Well, she was 
staring into the darkness above her, which eventually would have 
ended at her ceiling.  She'd been tossing and turning all night.  
Her head literally ached from the jumble of thoughts and feelings 
that kept flitting in and out of her mind.  

She'd been fretting over Bill's secretiveness.  Why wouldn't he 
tell her who called?  Why hadn't he shared any of his vacation 
stories with her?  They were best friends; they always shared 
everything.  Well, not everything.  She certainly couldn't tell 
him about Clark's secret.

She sighed as that thought drove her mind back to Clark.  She was 
confused when it came to Clark Kent.  They had been dating for a 
few months now.  Ever since Lucy had met up with that Mac guy 
from the Boynton lab and had left with him for California.  
Apparently he had family there and much better job prospects than 
he would've had here, considering he had been employed at one of 
Lex Luthor's illegal secret labs.  Not that he'd known it at the 
time.  He was largely responsible for Lucy's escape from the 
place and they had fallen in love.  Lois didn't believe in love 
at first sight and was uncomfortable with Lucy running off with 
this guy, having only met him, and under dubious circumstances at 
best.  Still, Lucy was an adult and she made it clear that her 
decision on the matter was not up for debate.

Lucy had worked with Clark, and he and Lois had met on that 
particular case.  It had also been the case that had led to 
Luthor's exposure as Metropolis' most notorious crime boss.  A 
fact that had shaken Lois more than she cared to admit.  She'd 
been dating Lex at the time, and it had been a humbling 
experience to have misread his true character so badly.  Her only 
consolation had been that she and Clark were largely responsible 
for his downfall.

Clark had known all along that Luthor was an amoral criminal, but 
he had the advantage of a first hand encounter, if you could call 
it that.  Luthor had tried to kill him.  Actually Luthor had 
tried to kill Superman, but Clark was... or had been Superman.  
Whatever Luthor had done to him had destroyed the Man of Steel's 
powers.  Clark hadn't been killed, but for all practical purposes 
the hero had been.  With no more powers, there was no more 
Superman.

It was still quite a bit to take in for her.  That the caring, 
funny guy that she'd been having such a good time dating had 
actually been the idol of millions was daunting.  That a nearly 
all-powerful being from another planet found her attractive and 
interesting enough to spend his time with was almost scary.  

The thing was, she didn't see him as Superman.  She'd never had a 
lot of contact with the super hero so she didn't have a history 
to compare the two sides of the man with.  She only saw the 
wonderful, sensitive man that was Clark Kent.  She had to admit, 
that given a choice, she would've preferred Clark to Superman 
every time.

A quick stab of guilt flashed through her.  What if the powers 
came back?  She knew that the world had lost a great deal when 
their hero disappeared.  But Lois couldn't help hoping that the 
powers would never come back.  She liked Clark the way he was.  
She didn't think she would want to have to compete with the rest 
of the world for his attentions.  If their relationship continued 
on the path she suspected it was going, she wasn't sure it could 
survive the reintroduction of Superman.  She didn't think she 
could share him with millions.  

Lois' eyes, which had drifted shut during her musings, suddenly 
popped open.  Whoa!  When had her thoughts about Clark turned so 
serious?  He was a nice guy, but how well did she really know 
him?  The fact that he used to be Superman should be a pretty 
good character reference, but what else?  He was handsome, 
polite, funny, charming, and witty.  But then, so had Lex been.  

She shook her head in disgust for the unworthy thought.  
Comparing Clark to Lex was a fool's errand.  Whereas there might 
be some similarity on a superficial level, Clark was the most 
compassionate and caring individual she'd ever met.  So, what was 
the problem?  

The problem was her... and the problem was Lex.  She'd been 
burned badly by Luthor.  She'd thought that he was every bit the 
near perfect man he pretended to be.  If she could have been 
fooled so badly by one man, could she trust her feelings about 
another?  No, it would be best to take things slowly.  Control 
her raging hormones and get to know the man, the real man, better 
before she unlocked the cage around her heart.

Lois rolled over and looked at the small alarm clock on her 
nightstand.  It blinked its annoying message at her.  She groaned 
as it registered on her brain that it was nearly four a.m. and 
she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep yet.  

She was startled when the phone rang, the sound echoing 
unnaturally loud in the quiet of the early morning.  Perplexed 
she reached for the receiver and picked it up.  "Hello?" she 
managed to croak.

"Lois? This is Bill. I need to see you."

*******************

Clark sat in the moonlit cast shadow of the Daily Planet's famous 
globe, gazing out at the luminous splendor that was Metropolis at 
night.  He knew it was quite late, but he couldn't sleep.  He 
often found himself coming up to the roof of the Planet building 
just to look out over the city.  It was the closest approximation 
of the views he'd gotten used to when flying over the city.  He 
didn't fly anymore, but he could still appreciate the beauty and 
the life of his city from above.  Sometimes it had a calming 
affect on him, but tonight it didn't seem to help.

He was confused.  The last few months had been a whirlwind of 
emotional conflict for him, and at the center of it was a certain 
dark-haired police officer.  Detective Sergeant Lois Lane was an 
incredible woman, and if Clark wasn't careful he could easily 
fall head over heels for her... that was, if he hadn't already.  
He had to admit that he found her beautiful, exciting, 
intelligent, passionate, and the most amazing woman he'd ever 
met.  But did he really know her? 

Their initial encounters had been intense.   Worry for her 
sister, coupled with his insistence that Lex Luthor, a man she 
had been dating, was the root of all evil hadn't led to a great 
deal of trust between them.  Add in the fact that she'd known he 
was hiding something from her.  It was surprising that she hadn't 
arrested him right then and there.  But they had put aside their 
personal differences for the sake of Lucy and had eventually 
grown closer because of the forced intimacy the investigation had 
required.

There was no denying Lois' determination and passion for her 
convictions.  Once she was convinced of Luthor's true nature, she 
threw herself into the investigation with both feet and a total 
disregard for any negative personal consequences.  But then, that 
was the way she approached all her cases.  It was a wonder the 
woman was still alive.  He'd gotten her to admit that she'd been 
wounded in the line of duty three times in the last five years.  
The sudden thought of Lois being killed sent a cold chill through 
his soul.  The thought of anyone dying was anathema to Clark, but 
in the case of Lois, just the possibility sent him into a panic.  
Especially now that there was no longer a Superman to rush in and 
save the day.

Clark approached the low wall that rimmed the roof of the Planet.  
Leaning his arms on the concrete top, he gazed out over the city 
as if searching for something.  A sigh escaped into the predawn 
quiet.  Superman.  The hero of Metropolis, and the idol of 
millions.  Where were the cheers and the accolades now?  

Superman had been gone from the scene for over six months now.  
In the first few weeks there had been quite an uproar about it.  
People wondered where he was, what had happened, and if he was 
ever coming back?  As the weeks progressed the furor died down.  
The Man of Steel was presumed dead, and people got on with their 
lives.  

Clark watched the first rays of the coming dawn begin to stain 
the waters of Hobbs Bay.  He turned and headed back to the roof 
access door.  It hadn't taken the citizens of Metropolis and the 
rest of the country, for that matter, long to forget about 
Superman.  He wasn't sure what that said about the impact he'd 
made in their lives.  Maybe it didn't say anything.  People have 
to face decisions and events that affect their lives everyday.  
The smart ones adapt to the changes and move on.

Maybe it was time he did so, also.

********************

"Hang on, I'm coming."  Lois wrapped a robe around her as she 
moved from the bedroom toward the front door.  There had only 
been a couple of sharp knocks, but she knew who it was.

Without further comment, she pulled open the door and stepped 
aside as her partner, Bill Henderson, walked into the apartment.  
She closed the door and followed him into the living room.  
Sitting on the edge of the couch, she watched as he paced a 
circle like a caged cat.  She waited in silence for him to speak.  
Finally he stopped.  He looked at her, his eyes conveying a 
sadness she'd never seen from him before.  "I'm sorry, Lois."  

She returned his gaze.  Hers betraying her confusion.  "I don't 
understand?  What are you sorry about?"  The look on her 
partner's face was beginning to scare her.  "What is it?  What's 
wrong, Bill?"

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as if trying to compose 
himself.  "I've managed to get myself into some trouble, and I've 
unintentionally dragged you into it."

Lois patted the cushion next to her, inviting Bill to come sit 
next to her.  He remained standing where he was.  "Come on, Bill, 
we're partners.  All for one, one for all.  You know.  Whatever 
trouble you're in is my problem too.  I'm your friend.  Talk to 
me."

He shook his head sadly.  "After today, I don't think you're 
going to want to be my friend anymore."  He began pacing again.  
She let him, content to wait for him to talk.  "I went way over 
the line this time, partner.  I was arrogant and stupid.  I 
thought I was clever enough to play with the bad guy's matches 
and not get burned.  I was a fool, and I've put you at risk too."

Lois' head was swimming.  "Slow down.  You're not making any 
sense."

Henderson slowly sat in the chair opposite the couch.  He stared 
down at his hands for a few moments before raising his head to 
meet Lois' troubled gaze.  "A few months ago I was approached by 
Nigel St. John.  Nothing too overt, or obvious, just a feeler.  
Somehow he'd known that I wasn't enamored with his boss and 
wondered what I'd be willing to do to bring Luthor down."

"Lex?"  Lois shook her head.  "Why would he think you'd want to 
bring down Lex?"

"Because I did."  He grimaced and studied his hands for a moment 
again.  "Ever since Luthor burst onto the scene as this big 
philanthropist billionaire, I've never trusted him."

"Bill, you don't like anybody who has money or power."

"Yeah, but this was different."  He shrugged.  "I don't know; 
there was just something about the guy that set off all my 
alarms.  At first I looked into his dealings pretty closely.  
There were hints here and there, but nothing concrete.  Nothing 
one could hang a decent accusation on."  He sighed.  "So, I 
forgot about him.  I knew he was dirty, but there was nothing I 
could do, so I ignored him and just went on with my job.  That 
is, until..."

"I started dating him?"  Lois reached out her hand to him, but he 
didn't seem to see it.

"Yeah."  He stared at her.  The look of longing in his eyes was 
so intense Lois had to look away.  "Suddenly it became very 
important to me that I expose Luthor for the criminal that I knew 
he was."  Lois could hear the frustration in Henderson's voice.  
"I spent weeks - months, trying come up with something - 
anything, that would cast Luthor in a negative light.  But he was 
too careful.  Not even a parking ticket."

He flopped back into the chair.  "My sideline investigations must 
have been noticed because a few months ago St. John approached 
me.  He was soliciting my help to bring Lex Luthor down."

Lois was still confused.  "But why?  Nigel worked for Lex."

Henderson shrugged.  "Why else?  Greed.  He and his new partner 
had a plan to expose Luthor, leaving his wealth and his empire 
behind for the taking.  But they claimed to need my help."

Lois spread her hands as if inviting an explanation.  "So...  
what?  You went to the Chief and set up a sting operation?  How 
come you didn't tell me?"

He shook his head.  "No, I didn't go to the Chief.  I couldn't 
trust him.  I knew that Luthor had a lot of guys in his pocket.  
Chief Andrews could have been one of them."  A sad smile crossed 
his face.  "You?  I was supposed to tell you?  Crap, Lois, you 
were going out with the guy.  Why do you think I was willing to 
go cowboy on this?"

Lois sucked in a breath.  "I knew that you never really liked 
Lex, but I just figured you were playing big brother.  You never 
liked any of my dates."

His chuckle was hollow.  "That's because you always dated 
creeps."  He held up his hand to keep her from responding to his 
observation.  "Lois, believe it or not, I do care about you, and 
I just couldn't see you and the slime together any longer.  At 
best it could only lead to heartache, and at worst, it would have 
destroyed your life."

Lois had to fight back a tear that burned at the back of her eye.  
She'd always known that Bill cared about her.  Heck, she cared 
about him.  He was her best friend.  But she had never figured 
he'd go to such lengths.  Were his feelings for her more than 
just those of a friend?  That line of thought just confused Lois 
more.  She and Bill had tried the dating thing and it hadn't 
worked out.  Both of them had acknowledged that they were just 
meant to be friends... hadn't they?  

She forced her mind back to the present.  "So, what's changed 
now?  Why are you telling me about this now?"

Bill dropped his head, not looking at her.  "Because it's no 
longer just my problem.  You're in danger... because of me."

Lois folded her arms across her chest.  Her voice was calm and 
level.  "Explain."

He sighed again, then met her gaze.  "As I said, I was arrogant 
and stupid.  I thought I could dance just the one dance with the 
devil then leave the ball.  Compromise my normal ethics for the 
greater good, so to speak.   I should have known better.  They 
don't want to let me go."  He spread his hands and arms in a 
gesture of helplessness.  "I told St. John that I wanted nothing 
more to do with them, but he threatened to expose my true role in 
the Luthor investigation."

Lois was appalled by what she'd been hearing, but this was still 
Bill Henderson.  He was still her partner and best friend.  "So, 
go to the Commissioner.  We've all gone cowboy on occasion.  Use 
what you know to bust St. John and his new cronies.  I'm sure you 
could work something out.  I'll help you."

His smile held just a hint of the man she had known for so long.  
"Of course you would.  But you don't understand.  I was so 
desperate to bring Luthor down that I crossed lines that 
shouldn't be crossed.  I'm not going to say that, in hindsight, 
I'm not ashamed of some of the things I did.  Even so, given the 
same circumstances, I'd do it again, but I'm not ready to go to 
jail for them."

"What kind of lines?  What did you do?"  Lois was very curious, 
but even more, she wanted to help her friend.

He shook his head.  "No, it's best you don't know.  I don't want 
to involve you any more than I have to."

She frowned at his refusal to share but didn't push it.  "So what 
are you going to do?"

"I'm going to disappear."  He took another deep breath, gathering 
the courage to continue.  "That vacation I took was a scouting 
mission.  I was checking out a few places where I might become 
just another anonymous tourist who decides to stay for a while."

Lois was very distressed by what she was hearing, but she was 
still confused.  With her brow furrowed, she sought out his eyes.  
"So..."

"So why am I telling you this now?  Why am I making you an after 
the fact party to my indiscretions?"  She nodded.  "Because you 
have to know.  I couldn't just disappear and not let you know 
why.  You deserve to know the truth.  Also, I had to warn you of 
the danger you're in."  Her look of sympathy changed to one of 
puzzlement.  "St. John gave me one way out.  They would leave me 
alone if I did one last thing for them."

"What was it?"

"For some reason they feel you are a threat to them.  I'm 
supposed to kill you."

Lois seemed to shrink back into the couch cushion.  "Oh."  She 
bit on her lip.  "You aren't going to... are you?"

He shrugged.  "Well, look at it from my standpoint, Lois.  It is 
my way out of this mess."

"Bill!" He laughed, probably for the first time in weeks, as she 
reached over and punched him.  "Seriously, though, what are we 
going to do?  I still think we need to take Nigel down and claim 
you were under deep cover."

Henderson shook his head.  "Won't work.  Who authorized it?  No 
one is going to let me get away with this as a solo operation."

Lois stared at her hands, thinking furiously.  "How about we go 
to the Commissioner with the idea that we suspect Nigel of taking 
over Luthor's criminal empire.  Tell him you have a way to 
infiltrate Nigel's organization.  Get him to authorize the 
investigation.  No one has to know that you're already on the 
inside."

He reached out and grabbed her hands, which had begun to flail 
about.  "Lois, calm down.  I appreciate your willingness to help.  
But I can't let you get involved in this.  It could adversely 
affect your career."

She shrugged.  "Too late, I'm already involved.  I'm your partner 
and your friend.  I'm not going to let you face this alone.  Part 
of the reason you're in this fix is because of a misguided desire 
to protect me.  What kind of friend would I be if I let you down 
now?"

Henderson rose from the chair.  "Listen, Lois, I don't want you 
to get anywhere near this.  I only told you about this because I 
think you're in danger.  If I just disappear, and you stay away 
from Nigel and his enterprises, I hope they'll just forget about 
you."

Lois shook her head sadly.  "You don't really believe that do 
you?"

His head dropped.  "No, but I don't know what else to do."  He 
sighed.  "Just promise me you'll stay away from St. John."

Lois scrubbed her hand through her hair.  "Bill, you've told me 
that Nigel has taken over Luthor's criminal pursuits, at least 
some of them.  How can I stay away from him if I know he's one of 
the bad guys?"

Henderson stared at the ceiling and sighed.  "I knew this was 
going to be a bad idea."  He moved toward her front door.  "Lois, 
I'm sorry about all this.  Please, stay away from St. John."

Lois followed him to the door.  She placed a hand on his arm, 
holding him from leaving.  "Promise me you won't leave just yet.  
Give me a chance to come up with something.  *We* can come up 
with a way out of this.  You don't have to throw your career away 
over this."

His smile for her was melancholy.  He reached out and stroked her 
hair.  "Don't worry about me; I'll be fine.  Take care of 
yourself, kid.  Watch your back.  I'm sorry I put you in danger.  
And I'm sorry I won't be there to help protect you."  He let 
himself out the door and started down the hall.

Leaning her head out into the hallway, Lois pleaded with her 
friend.  "Bill, don't do this."

He looked back at her.  "Hang onto Kent.  He seems like a good 
guy."  He turned and quickly moved down the hall and left her 
building.  

Lois thought about running after him, but didn't want to draw the 
attention to them.  It was early, and she didn't want to risk 
waking any of her neighbors.  She just had to hope that Bill 
would think about what she'd said and not disappear just yet.  
She hoped that he'd come to work, and she'd get a chance to talk 
some sense into him.   

Closing the door, a shaken Lois Lane began to get ready for 
another day.  A day that might just change her life 
significantly.

********************

Clark felt a little foolish leaving the Daily Planet building 
when he was just going to have to return within a few hours.  The 
first rays of the dawn hadn't yet been able to broach the barrier 
of the taller buildings, but the sky had turned from the black of 
night to the gray of impending day.  He'd only gotten a few 
blocks from the Planet when he heard a commotion coming from the 
alley he'd just passed.  Stopping and retracing the few steps 
necessary, he peered into the still heavy shadows of the urban 
canyon between the two tall monoliths of commerce. 

What he saw brought him instantly to anger.  A group of young 
toughs were pushing an elderly lady around.  They were laughing 
as they pawed through her purse, and taunted her, as she begged 
for them not to hurt her.  

Clark quickly rushed into the alley.  "Hey, leave that lady 
alone.  Give her back her bag.  What's wrong with you kids, 
anyway?"

The largest of the group of four turned to face Clark, a sneer on 
his face.  "Hey, look guys, grannie has a hero."  He stepped 
closer to Clark.  "Is that what you are... a hero?"  His friends 
laughed.

Clark ignored the fellow and went over to help the elderly lady 
back to her feet.  "Are you all right, ma'am?"

She gave Clark a weak smile, then he saw fear reflected in her 
eyes.  He turned in time to see the same bigger youth launching a 
fist toward him.  Clark sidestepped the main force of the blow, 
but it caused him to stumble a bit.  The young tough followed it 
up with another punch, which landed solidly in Clark's side.  
This drove him to one knee.

"Hey, hero.  You don't look so heroic now, do you?  Maybe you 
need a lesson in minding your own business."  The fellow tried to 
lash out with his booted foot.   Clark managed to catch the foot 
and with a grunt shoved back causing the young hoodlum to fall 
flat on his butt.  That didn't set too well with the fellow.   

Clark stood.  Even without his powers he was still a large, well-
built man, but he had no real experience at fighting.  Especially 
street fighting.  Also, it was one against four.  As it turned 
out there were only two good things that came out of the 
situation.  The woman was able to get away while the street punks 
were focused on Clark.  And they didn't feel any need to use more 
than their fists and their feet to deal with 'grannie's hero'.

After a few minutes of 'fun', the young thugs got bored and left 
Clark lying battered and beaten in the alley.  It wasn't starting 
out to be a good day.

CHAPTER THREE

Nigel St. John let himself into the penthouse of LexTower, a 
practice he had long been accustomed to.  Only this time the 
occupant of the luxurious office/apartment complex wasn't the man 
for whom the building was named.  This time he was greeted by a 
beautiful woman.  

"Ah, Nigel, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"  She 
gave him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.  It was 
obvious to St. John that, even though they'd been partners in the 
dethroning of Lex Luthor, she still didn't trust him completely.  
Not an unwise precaution.

He inclined his head toward the dark-haired, impeccably dressed 
woman.  "Just thought I'd pop in with an update on our *other* 
project, Mrs. Luthor."

She waved a hand at him in disgust.  "Please, don't use that 
name.  I have to deal with that all day long.  It makes me feel 
like I'm still in some stuffy boardroom.  I think, as partners, 
you can call me Arianna.  Or, if you must be formal, Ms. Carlin."

"As you wish."

"So, what's the latest word from the redoubtable Dr. Mamba?"

Nigel allowed a slight smile to tweak his lips.  "It seems that 
our good doctor has finally made his breakthrough.  He has a 
fully realized subject and is, as we speak, working on the proper 
indoctrination."

Arianna Carlin licked her lips in avarice expectation.  "How 
close are we to... deployment?"  She grinned at her own 
cleverness of words.

St. John was able to restrain himself from rolling his eyes.  The 
woman could be quite trying at times.  "We will soon be in a 
position to begin covert testing, then we can move to more - 
rigorous tests."

"What about Henderson?  I understand he is balking.  Was he ever 
in our camp?"

Nigel allowed himself a dry chuckle.  "I think our good Inspector 
never felt that he was actually one of us.  He fooled himself 
into thinking that he was in control of his situation and was 
merely using us to achieve what he felt was the greater good."  
He strolled over to the elegant french doors that led to the 
large balcony and gazed out over the city.   "It's a common 
failing of those who are confident in their own abilities when 
they undertake what they think is merely an undercover 
operation."  He paused, adding a dramatic effect.  "They refuse 
to see that they have actually become what they thought they were 
only pretending to be."

Arianna was clearly confused.  "I'm not sure what you're saying?  
I would have thought Henderson too smart to think he could just 
pretend to help us, just to get Luthor out of the way, then turn 
around and go back to being a normal street cop.  Is he with us, 
or not?"

"I'm afraid the Inspector has a weakness.  For all his bluff, 
tough-guy image, he cares about people.  And in this case, I'd 
venture it was one particular person that he was most concerned 
about.  That weakness made him stupid.  He ignored what would 
normally be clear to a man of his experience and instead allowed 
himself to be seduced by his faith in his ability.  That he would 
be able to somehow avoid what would be the normally obvious 
result of such a deception."

"So?  You're saying that he's not with us?"

Nigel shrugged almost imperceptively.  "He's a bright fellow.  
I'm hoping he realizes that there is no way out of his 
predicament except for the one that I've offered him."

Arianna frowned.  "Do you think he'll do that?"

St. John shook his head.  "No.  But I'm prepared to deal with 
that eventuality if it turns out I must."  A feral smile creased 
to older man's lined face.  "Who knows?  Perhaps, Henderson will 
prove to be of value in a completely different manner before we 
are done with him."

Arianna stared, bewildered, at the implacable Englishman.

************************

Lois walked into headquarters yawning.  She was very tired.  
Funny, she wasn't able to get any sleep all night long, but now, 
if she'd just allow herself to put her head down on her desk, she 
knew she'd be out in seconds.  Stifling another yawn she glanced 
over at Henderson's desk.  He wasn't in... yet.  She bit her lip.  
Please just let him be late, she thought.

"Lane!  My office."  Chief Andrews leaned his corpulent body out 
the door of his office, made his pronouncement, then disappeared 
back behind the frosted glass.  Lois glared at the partially 
closed door.

She didn't like Andrews.  He was a pig of a man in more ways than 
just his bloated physical stature.  He had beady eyes that never 
seemed to look straight at you, and his whiny voice grated on her 
nerves.  She'd never really thought that Andrews might have been 
on Luthor's payroll but her gut instinct had always told her not 
to trust the man.  So it wouldn't have surprised her if she found 
out that he was dirty.

"Yeah, chief?" she asked as she entered the small, cluttered 
office.

He barely looked up from his desk.  "I need you to look into an 
increase in gang activity near downtown."  He threw a folder to 
the far edge of his desk toward her.  "It seems that muggings and 
general harassment are on the increase.  See what you can find 
out."

Lois picked up the folder and nodded.  "We'll get on it as soon 
as Bill gets in."

Andrews finally looked up at her.  "Henderson called in sick.  
You can go solo on this for now.  Just don't get yourself into 
any potentially dangerous situations until you can secure 
backup."  He cocked a brow at her.  "Our health care premiums are 
going through the roof as it is."

"Well, I wouldn't want to cause the department any undue 
financial burden by getting injured or killed."

Andrews absently nodded.  "Good."  He shuffled a few papers 
around on his desk.   "I guess some reporter was mugged near the 
Daily Planet early this morning.  You can start there."

Lois felt a quick chill come over her.  "Do you have a name?"

"No, but apparently this fellow came across a lady being hassled 
by a gang of young punks and decided to play the hero.  The lady 
got away and called the police, but the hero got himself beat up 
for his efforts."  Andrews looked up.  "Lane?"  There was no one 
in his office.

Lois was out the door and into her car within a minute.  She 
started the jeep and was headed for downtown, and the Daily 
Planet.  It had to be Clark.  Who else in this city would put 
themselves at risk for a stranger?  

As the blocks sped by she could only hope that Clark hadn't been 
hurt too badly.  Andrews hadn't said anything about the man being 
hospitalized, just beaten up.  Lois could just see Clark rushing 
to the aid of some poor beleaguered woman.  It was what he'd been 
doing as Superman for years.  But he wasn't Superman anymore.  He 
couldn't waltz into a situation like that and expect to be able 
to subdue a bunch of street hoods like he'd always been able to 
when he had his powers.  Even a police officer wouldn't have 
entered that alley without drawing their weapon.  

But this was Clark.  And even after a few months Lois could see 
that it was the man behind the spandex who'd made Superman who he 
was, not the powers.  The powers just made it easier for him to 
be who he was.  So, of course, if he saw someone needing help, he 
had to help.  It was an instinctive reaction.  

Once again, Lois felt a stab of guilt over her selfish wish that 
the powers never come back.  That if Clark was the one, then she 
would never have to worry about sharing him with the rest of the 
world.  She wasn't sure if she was strong enough, or giving 
enough, to endure such a situation.  Could she even manage to 
hold onto a man who was adored by millions and could have the 
pick of any woman he wanted?  Did she even want to try?

Lois finally pulled into a visitor's spot in the Planet's garage, 
and was out of her vehicle in a manner of seconds.  Riding the 
elevator up to the newsroom on the fifth floor, it finally dawned 
on Lois that she should have just called Clark first.  He might 
not even be there.  If he was too badly hurt he could be in the 
hospital, and if he wasn't hurt badly at all, he could very well 
be out on some story.  She'd look pretty foolish bursting into 
the reporters' bullpen, all worked up, only to find him gone.

Glancing at the indicator, she saw that she had three floors yet 
to get a handle on her emotions.  She closed her eyes and 
practiced some breathing exercises she'd learned in her Tae Kwon 
Do classes.  It seemed to help because when the elevator 
announced her arrival at the fifth floor, she was able to step 
off the car and onto the floor with her normal professional 
demeanor intact.

She took another deep breath as she spied Clark sitting at his 
desk working at his computer.  She was just going to walk up to 
him all professional.  Just interviewing another victim.  She 
could do it.  With another breath she began to move down the ramp 
toward his desk.

She couldn't do it.  Sensing someone coming up behind him, he 
turned to face her.  "Oh, Clark!"  She immediately forgot all 
about her stoic, professional attitude.  

He had a black eye and numerous scrapes and bruises about his 
face.  Why would anyone want to damage that gorgeous face?  The 
backs of his hands also contained evidence of abuse.  She was 
afraid to think what might be hidden under his shirt.

"Lois," he said, surprised.  "What are you doing here?"

With a resigned sigh and a sad shake of her head, she sat on the 
corner of his desk.  "There's been an increase in gang related 
assaults in the downtown area lately.  Heard anything about it?"  
She reached out and gently caressed a particularly nasty looking 
bruise under one eye.  He flinched from her touch.

"Well, as it just so happens, I might be able to provide you with 
a bit of information."  Clark glanced back up the ramp.  "Where's 
Bill?"

Her mouth drew tightly into a straight line.  "Is there somewhere 
we can talk... in private?"

He nodded toward the conference room.  "We can have some privacy 
in there."

The suddenly grim couple moved quickly to the conference room.  
Once inside, Clark drew the blinds and closed the door.  Lois sat 
in one of the chairs.  He sat in one next to her.

"Okay," she began.  "First off, I am investigating these 
assaults, so if you would please give me a rundown on what 
happened."

While Clark gave her his account of the events that morning, 
Lois' heart ached to see the obvious signs of the beating he 
took.  She was right to fear what she couldn't see also.  Once he 
began to describe the cracked ribs and bruised leg muscles it was 
all she could do to keep from tearing up.  

"So, have you called your folks yet?" she asked.

He shook his head.  "No.  They're still pretty busy with that new 
store.  It's a new experience for them, running a general store.  
I didn't want to bother them right now."

Lois raised a brow.  "Uh, huh.  I see - so, when you talk to them 
in a couple of days and your mother asks why you are wheezing 
when talking to her you can just say... Oh, did I mention that I 
got the snot beat out of me the other day?  Nothing major, just 
some broken bones, major cuts and contusions."

"Lo-is."

"Don't use that tone with me, Kent."  Her sympathy had morphed 
into righteous anger.  "What where you thinking?  You could have 
been killed.  Still playing the hero?"  She lowered her voice.  
"Clark, you are not Superman anymore."

"So, what was I supposed to do?  Just turn my back on the poor 
woman and let those young hoodlums have their way with her?"  His 
own frustrated anger was now coming to the forefront.  "I just 
did what any other normal individual would've done... what you 
would've done."

"No, a normal, rational-thinking individual would have called for 
the police.  And me?  Clark, I'm a trained police officer, it's 
my job to know how to handle situations like this.  Besides, I 
have a gun."

Lois could see Clark mentally counting to ten.  The tenseness in 
his face began to lessen, and finally he dropped his head.  "I'm 
sorry, Lois, but I'm just not made that way.  I can't turn my 
back on someone in trouble if I can help."

She reached over and took his hand, giving it a squeeze.  "Of 
course you can't.  But you have to be more careful.  You're not 
indestructible anymore."

"I know."  He looked up at her, his face brightening.  "But you 
know what?  I really am feeling a lot better than I did this 
morning.  It doesn't even hurt to breathe anymore."

A quickly suppressed flash of fear surged through Lois.  What if 
his powers were coming back?  She pushed that thought down.  She 
didn't want to wrestle with that dilemma just now.  She had too 
many other things on her mind.  Apparently, Clark was able to 
sense that because he took her other hand in his and returned the 
comforting squeeze she'd given him moments ago.  

"What's wrong?  Where's Bill?" he asked.

"Out sick," was her terse reply.

"Is he?"

She dropped her head as a strangled sigh escaped despite her best 
intentions not to let it.  "No."

She could feel his eyes on her.  "Lois?"

She really wanted to tell Clark.  Have someone to share her fears 
and concerns with.  But did she have the right?  After all, it 
was Bill's problem.  Well, Bill's and hers.  She wanted to help 
him.  She offered to help him, but he shut her out.  Truth be 
told, she wasn't really sure that there was a way out for Bill.  
She'd been racking her brain about it since he left her place so 
early this morning.  She'd not been able to think of a way out 
that didn't put Bill's career and freedom in jeopardy.  She 
wasn't really sure exactly what Bill had done to put him in such 
a fix.  He probably wouldn't have ever brought the subject up if 
it hadn't been for his concern for her safety.

Her safety?  Wouldn't that be a reason to confide in Clark?  Bill 
had warned her that St. John would likely be out to eliminate 
her, and since it was looking more and more like her partner 
wasn't going to be around to watch her back, she needed someone 
else to do that.  Clark could do that... couldn't he?

She looked up and was immediately struck by the obvious concern 
she saw in his eyes.  The man had been Superman for crying out 
loud, if she couldn't trust Superman, whom could she trust?  
Apparently not her best friend and partner, anymore.

Seeing that the blinds had been drawn and the door was firmly 
closed, Lois sighed again, then in a soft voice began.  "Bill 
came to see me this morning..."

She appreciated the fact that Clark didn't interrupt her while 
she told him of Henderson's visit early that morning.  She gave 
him a capsule version of what Bill had told her, but she 
conveniently left out the part where St. John wanted her dead.  
Why confuse things with side issues.  The important thing was 
that Bill was in trouble.  She had a hard time reading his 
expression as she related her story.  It wasn't until she'd 
finished that she knew what Clark was thinking, and it was far 
from what she'd expected.

He frowned.  "Lois, I know he's your partner, but you have to go 
to your Chief with this."

Lois was stunned by Clark's comment.  "Are you kidding?  Andrews 
has probably been on the take since he got the job."

"Then you have to go to the Commissioner.  Lois, you can't 
seriously condone this.  Bill conspired and collaborated with 
known criminals in the commission of who knows how many 
felonies?"

"Don't be silly.  He was trying to help bring Luthor to justice.  
I'd think you, of all people, would appreciate that."

Clark expelled a breath of frustration.  "He wasn't trying to 
bring Luthor to justice.  He was trying to bring Luthor down, 
regardless of the methods, or the outcome."

Lois was beginning to get angry with Clark's attitude.  "Don't be 
naive.  Undercover policemen rarely have that much control over 
the final outcome of their investigation.  If they can build a 
case that will stand up in court, wonderful.  If the bad guy is 
brought down by his own actions or the actions of others not 
within his control, oh well.  We still have eliminated the 
threat."

Clark rolled his eyes.  "Now who's being naive?  Trading one bad 
guy for another doesn't solve anything.  And why do you insist on 
calling this an undercover operation?  You said that Henderson 
told you he had no official sanction for this.  He'd decided that 
his goal was more important than due process and the law."

A very unladylike snort exploded from Lois as she rose from her 
chair.  "So now you're all gung-ho about the letter of the law.  
Funny, a few months ago you had no problem ignoring the law.  I 
guess Superman employs a double standard."

Clark stood and faced Lois.  "It's not the same thing and you 
know it."

"Do I?"  She turned her back on him and stalked to the door.  
Once there she stopped and faced him again.  "All I know is that 
my partner, and the best friend I've ever had, is in trouble.  
He's in trouble because he was concerned for me.  He may not want 
my help, but he's going to get it, and in doing so I'll probably 
be putting myself in more than a little danger.  I just thought 
you'd like to help him... and me."

She grabbed the knob.  "Bill Henderson may not be the paragon of 
virtue that you are, but he was willing to put his career, and 
his life, at risk because he cared what happened to me.  
Apparently, your personal ethics are more important to you than I 
am. "  Lois yanked the door open.  "It's good to know these 
things."  

"Lois!"

She ignored him as she stormed out of the conference room, up the 
ramp and jabbed aggressively at the elevator button.  She could 
hear Clark hurrying up the ramp after her.  The elevator chime 
announced its arrival and the doors parted.  She stepped in and 
punched the down button.  She looked up to see the doors slide 
closed in Clark's face.

*************

It wasn't all that late, but the room was dark.  The blinds were 
all drawn, and no lights were turned on.  Bill Henderson sat in 
one corner of the room in an old chair.  It was his favorite 
chair.  One that he'd had since his college days.  It was lumpy, 
badly worn, ugly - and the most comfortable chair he'd ever 
owned.  Luckily, being single, he'd never had to make an 
aesthetic choice as to whether he should keep the chair or not. 

It didn't match any other piece of furniture in the apartment, 
nor could it even remotely be considered a classic design.  It 
was just old, but it was his favorite chair to sit in.  
Especially when he needed to be alone to think.

How had things gotten so far out of control?  How had he allowed 
things to get so messed up?  He'd always considered himself to 
have been a good cop, but that was in the past.  Good cops didn't 
do what he'd done, even if they thought the ends justified the 
means.  Like he'd told Lois earlier that morning; he wasn't proud 
of what he'd done, but given the same circumstances he'd probably 
do it again.  He'd do it again for her.

He shook his head.  A meaningless gesture, being alone in a dark 
room.  If only there had been another way.  But he'd been 
reviewing the past months in his head all day, and he just 
couldn't see where he could have passed up the opportunity that 
St. John had given him.  Not, and have been able to effect the 
desired goal so quickly. 

He certainly could have continued on the course he'd been on: 
Plugging away, using normal police procedures and methods, and 
continually coming up against blank walls and dead ends.  Luthor 
was a savvy criminal, a master, actually.  And, as was often true 
in the cases of brilliant leaders, it took betrayal from the 
inside to bring them down.  But in the end, Luthor had been 
brought down.  Even if Lois hadn't been forced to shoot the man, 
the evidence that he, along with St. John and Carlin, had managed 
to put in Lois and Kent's hands would have been more than enough 
to put Luthor away for the rest of his life.

But what now?  Luthor was gone, but problems still remained.  
Problems that he knew he'd have to deal with.  Problems he was 
willing to face... alone.  But the devil wasn't done with him.  
Complications had to be added.  Lois was involved now.

This whole unfortunate mess was a result of his feelings for his 
partner.  He could tell that she had been surprised by his 
confessions this morning.  That some of his true feelings for the 
woman had, inevitably, slipped out.  They had always been 
friends.  In fact, Lois had many times told him that she 
considered him her best friend.  But it could never be more than 
that.  

They'd actually tried the dating thing a few times, but it never 
seemed to work out.  Aside from their jobs, the two of them 
really had little in common.  They'd spend the day together, 
under high stress conditions, only to take the job with them on 
their dates.  There was never any down time for them.  They had 
both agreed that more than friendship just wasn't in the cards 
for the two of them.

Lamentably, that didn't alter his feelings for her.  Lois might 
have been able to immerse herself in 'just' a friendship, never 
having emotionally gone beyond that.  But for him it was too 
late.  He was already in love with the woman.  It didn't matter 
that he realized they weren't compatible on a romantic level.  
The heart seldom consults the intellect on such matters.  Lois 
Lane was his partner, his best friend, and he loved her.

He'd long ago known that he'd give his life for her, so 
compromising his ethics and risking his career to save her from 
the dangerous machinations of a man like Luthor had been a no-
brainer.  He'd seen his chance to rescue her from the clutches of 
a man he knew had the power to destroy the woman that Lois had 
been, and would be, and he took it.  The consequences to him were 
of little importance.  He was strong.  He would survive... 
somehow.

Only Lois wasn't out of danger.  She was still caught up in the 
tangential web of intrigue that he'd managed to spin, and it was 
up to him to get her free of it.  He wasn't stupid.  He knew that 
running away wouldn't solve anything.  St. John hadn't managed to 
orchestrate the recent coup by not paying attention to the 
details.  He was too thorough.  He didn't leave potential 
problems unanswered.  If Nigel St. John had gotten it into his 
head that Lois Lane was a potential problem, she would be dealt 
with.  The only advantage he had was that St. John thought that 
he was currently considering providing that solution.

No, just warning Lois and disappearing wouldn't resolve the 
dilemma.  St. John was more than likely to just hire someone else 
to take care of the situation.  Or he was quite capable of 
handling the problem himself.  Only Lois' death would satisfy the 
man, and that was something that he couldn't allow.

He reached over and picked his service revolver up from the 
coffee table in front of him.  A quick flick and spin of the 
cylinder confirmed that the gun was fully loaded.  Something he 
could tell even in the dark.  He'd already crossed the line this 
far; would it really be that hard to take the next step?  Could 
he... for Lois?

He set the revolver back down on the table and reached for the 
phone sitting next to it.  It was a special number.  Very few 
people had it.  It was answered by the second ring.

"St. John?  This is Henderson.  I've been thinking about your 
offer.  You know that Lane is my friend and I'd really rather not 
see her killed...  I know, but I think I have come up with an 
alternative solution to the problem.  All I ask is that you hear 
me out... No, not over the phone.  We have to meet."

Bill Henderson sat silently as instructions were given to him 
over the phone.  He didn't bother to respond, he merely listened, 
then hung up when St. John was finished.  

Allowing himself a sigh, he pulled himself out of the chair.  He 
was under no illusion as to the outcome of this coming evening.  
As many, if not more, things could go wrong as could the way he 
intended.  Not one to put all his proverbial eggs into one, 
somewhat flimsy, basket, Henderson had one more stop to make 
before he met with St. John.

CHAPTER FOUR

Clark sat at his desk, staring blankly at his computer screen.  
There was no way he was going to get any more work done today.  
He shut off his computer in disgust.  Glancing at the clock on 
the wall, he shrugged.  He might as well head for home now. 

He couldn't believe how stupid he'd been earlier.  Whatever 
possessed him to argue with Lois like that?  While it was true 
that he'd been appalled by what Lois had told him about 
Henderson, still, he shouldn't have gone off on her like that.  
He knew how Lois felt about her partner.  Of course her first 
instinct would be to defend and protect him.  Her loyalty to her 
friends was one of the wonderful characteristics that Clark loved 
about Lois.  

That wasn't to say that he could easily turn a blind eye to what 
she'd told him, but he could have been more tactful and sensitive 
to her feelings.  He should have really talked to her.  Found out 
exactly what she felt about Henderson's actions.  She clearly 
couldn't condone them... could she?

Clark entered the cab he'd hailed and settled into the seat in 
the back.  After giving the cabby his address, he let his mind 
snap back to his problem with Lois.  She'd clearly been worried 
about Bill.  And she'd mentioned that he and she were both 
probably in danger.  But she hadn't really gone into exactly what 
Henderson had done.

Even though Lois had tried to underplay it somewhat, it was 
obvious that her partner's motivation had been a concern for her.  
He'd been worried about her relationship with Luthor.  Clearly 
he, like Clark, didn't have too high an opinion of Lex Luthor.  
But to have put his career in jeopardy, he must've either been 
really sure of Luthor's true nature, or he cared much more about 
Lois than he let on.  It was like the proverbial light bulb going 
on over his head.  It was so obvious.  Bill Henderson was in love 
with his partner, Lois Lane.

Clark took a deep breath.  It was time to try and examine what he 
knew with a more rational frame of mind.  Just what did he know 
about what Henderson had done?  Lois hadn't gone into any 
details.  It sounded like she didn't really know.   Apparently 
Bill hadn't given her any details.  He'd just told her that he'd 
gone too far to be able to 'come clean' with the department 
without serious consequences.  Most likely in the form of prison 
time.  Prison, to a cop like Henderson, was literally a death 
sentence.

Clark didn't know Bill Henderson very well.  He only had a few 
meetings and Lois' perspective to go by, but what he had gleaned 
over the months was a picture of a solid career cop.  A person 
who took his job seriously and was good at it.  So to have done 
whatever it was that he'd done, he had to have felt the threat to 
Lois' well being was very real.  In an uncomfortable turnaround 
thought, Clark wondered if he too wouldn't have been willing to 
compromise himself for Lois' sake.  He knew first hand what a 
slime that Luthor was.  And he certainly, over the last few 
months, had come to care a great deal about Lois.  Make those 
months, years of close association, and he could see where a man 
might be tempted to decide that expediency over ethics was a 
viable course of action.  He couldn't agree with Henderson's 
choice, but he might be able to understand it.

Again, though, it came back to what had Lois' partner actually 
done?  Tampered with evidence, surely.  Whether he'd given St. 
John privileged information, or planted some things he'd received 
from Nigel where Clark and Lois could find it, he wasn't sure.  
Probably both.  Obviously Henderson had conspired with St. John, 
and then protected him from any associated guilt when Luthor was 
exposed, but was there more?  

On the surface it didn't seem like it was all that much, or so 
terribly damning.  Certainly, several felony-level crimes had 
been committed, but it wasn't as if he'd killed anyone... had he?

Clark shook his head to clear the confusion.  He just didn't have 
enough information, and he suspected Lois didn't either.  She saw 
a friend in trouble and her first reaction was to help him.  And 
that should have been Clark's first reaction too.  

Lois was very important to him; he knew that.  In their short 
time together she'd been able to reach places deep inside him 
that no woman had ever been able to before.  It was as if she was 
meant to be a part of him.  That she filled a hole in his being 
that he never knew existed.  Yet when she came to him for help he 
lashed out without thinking.  Even if he thought that the only 
reasonable way to help Bill would be for him to turn himself in, 
or even for Lois to do so, he should have come at it from a 
different angle.

It was clear that Lois was more concerned about her partner's 
wellbeing than in the laws that he might have broken.  She wanted 
to help him, and that was the tack Clark should have taken.  
She'd mentioned that Henderson's motivation had been worry and 
fear for her.  So he should have seen that there was a component 
of guilt in Lois' desire to 'save' her partner from the mess that 
he'd gotten into.  

Clark paid the cabby and stepped out into the beginnings of a 
gentle rain.  No, it was clear to him now that he'd failed Lois, 
and he had to try and set things to right.  He had to talk to 
her.  Give her a chance to tell him what she was feeling and what 
she was thinking.  Did she have any ideas as to what to do?  He 
wouldn't be compromising any of his own ethical beliefs just by 
hearing her out.  He owed her that much.  

She had also pointed out that he wasn't above a bit of law-
bending when it served his own purpose.  He knew that the degree 
of what he'd done and what Bill had done were miles apart, but it 
still made him look hypocritical.  It was always easier to see in 
black and white when it was someone else.

Clark opened the door to his apartment and flipped the light 
switch as he entered.  He stared at the phone over on the wall 
next to the kitchen.  He would call Lois, apologize, and hope she 
would give him a chance to come over so they could talk.  And 
this time he would really listen.  He would listen and volunteer 
his ideas merely as that.  Suggestions which she could decide for 
herself whether they had merit or not.  

He could argue for the most reasonable course of action, but in 
the end he would support whatever decision she'd make.  It was 
what you did when you loved someone.  

A small smile crooked the ends of Clark's mouth.  Yes, he loved 
Lois.  There was no more need to pretend.  Their relationship 
might still be in the early stages, but that didn't mean that he 
hadn't already fallen for the remarkable Lois Lane.   Suddenly he 
felt a kinship with Henderson and wondered if even Luthor had 
succumbed to amazing Ms. Lane during their time together.

Of course, it might be all well and good to finally admit that he 
loved Lois.  He still had the problem of getting her to even talk 
to him again.  With more than a bit of trepidation, Clark reached 
for the phone.

Before he could pick up the receiver and push the buttons to the 
now familiar number there was a knock on his door.   Thinking... 
hoping that it might be Lois, Clark moved quickly back to his 
front door.  To say he was surprised would be an understatement.  
But it wasn't an unpleasant surprise.  Perhaps he'd have some of 
his answers from the source itself.  

Clark stepped back and allowed Bill Henderson to enter.

The tall, slender detective looked about the small, neat 
apartment.  "If I didn't know that Lane had the hots for you I'd 
think you were gay."  He cocked a brow at Clark.  "You're not, 
are you?"

Clark had to smile.  He'd only met Bill Henderson a few times, 
but the man always came off fairly informal, but direct.  "No, I 
definitely like women... or one particular woman."

"Good.  I've talked to some friends over at the Planet and they 
tell me that you're a stand-up guy.  Good reporter, too.  
Probably one of the best investigative reporters in this town."  
He walked over and sat down on the couch.  

Clark followed, bemused by Henderson's directness.  "It's good to 
know that," the inspector continued.  "Lane deserves the best."

Clark took the chair opposite the couch.  "What's this about, 
Bill?  Checking out the boyfriend?"

Henderson leaned back against the soft cushion and gave Clark a 
wry grin.  "You know, if I had the time, I might just get to like 
you, Kent.  Yeah, something like that.  Lane is a special woman.  
I care about what happens to her."

"So, what do you want to know?"

"Do you love her?"

"Yes.  Do you?"

Henderson raised his brow.  "This isn't about me."

Clark leaned forward.  "I think it is.  Do you know how much your 
shutting her out is tearing Lois apart?"

Henderson's gaze grew wary.  "She told you I was shutting her 
out?"  Clark nodded.  "I take back what I said.  I don't think 
I'm going to like you after all.  Just what has she told you 
about me?"

He wondered how much of what he knew he should reveal.  Not that 
he knew all that much, but Lois had obviously confided in him 
information that Bill had given her in confidence.

"I know enough to understand that Lois feels her best friend is 
in some sort of trouble because of her.  And it's tearing her 
apart to not be able to help him.  That he doesn't trust her 
enough to let her help him."

"She tell you that?"

Clark waited a few moments before answering.  "Yeah, but she 
didn't really have to.  I could see it in her actions and words.  
She's beside herself with worry.  She feels your problems are her 
fault, and she needs to help you.  If not only because she loves 
you as her best friend, but for her own sense of guilt."

Henderson snorted.  "She thinks too much.  My problems are my 
problems.  She's never liked it when I've had to keep her out of 
the loop on anything."  He rolled his eyes.  "You better learn 
now that Lois doesn't appreciate being on the outside of 
situations."  The smile was one of amusement, but Clark could see 
the weariness in his eyes.  Bill Henderson hadn't been sleeping 
much lately.  "If you have any secrets you're thinking of keeping 
from her, you best forget that now."

Clark had to bite down on his lip.  "I'll keep that in mind.  But 
you still have answered my question.  Do you love her?"

His chuckle was soft and ironic.  "You don't have to worry about 
me horning in on your action, Kent, if that's what has you all 
hot and bothered."  He sat up straighter and met Clark's eyes.  
"I'm sure she's mentioned that we dated a couple of times early 
on.  Didn't work out.  We're just partners and friends."

"Sure.  But I'm not worried about anything like that."  Clark 
held Bill's gaze.  "Let's quit dancing around here.  Why are you 
here, Bill?"

Henderson stared at him for several minutes, as if sizing up the 
man sitting across from him.  "Okay, cards on the table.  You 
already have been told that I've gotten myself into a bit of 
trouble.  It's something that's probably going to force me to go 
away, for a while at least.  I don't want Lois getting herself 
wrapped up in it.  It could be dangerous for her."

"And it's not for you?"

Bill waved off Clark's concern as if it were irrelevant.  
"Doesn't matter.  What I've gotten myself into is not something 
that anyone else can fix.  I have to deal with it by myself.  
There's nothing to be gained by involving anyone else.  My mess, 
my consequence."  For the first time that evening, Henderson look 
worried.  "But I do need to know that if I, for some reason, am 
not going to be able to be around for a while, that Lois has 
someone who can watch her back.  Someone who can be there for her 
when she needs a hand to hold or a shoulder to cry on."  He took 
a deep breath.  "Is that you, Kent?"

"I love her."  It was a simple statement, but it was also the 
answer to any of Henderson's questions.

"Good.  If things go the way I've got planned, this whole thing 
could be over by tomorrow.  But there's always a chance that it 
could go sour.  The best laid plans and all that..."

Clark shook his head.  "I don't like the sound of that.  Why do I 
think that you're only going to be adding to whatever trouble 
you've gotten yourself into?  What are you planning to do, Bill?"

"Best you don't know, Kent.  Just accept that it's something that 
I feel I have to do."

Clark couldn't shake the feeling that Henderson was heading for 
even more serious trouble.  "Two wrongs won't make a right.  You 
can't take back what you've done, but compounding a mistake by 
committing another mistake isn't going to help.  Don't take this 
so far that you'll never be able to come back."

Henderson frowned at Clark.  "What would you know about it?  You, 
who live in such a nice, neat, black and white world.  Don't 
lecture me, Kent.  You don't have any idea what I've done or why, 
so don't pretend that you do."

Henderson stood, but Clark quickly rose himself and placed a hand 
on the man's arm.  "Don't do this, Bill.  Don't do this to Lois."

Henderson slowly pulled his arm out of Clark's grasp.  "I thought 
you'd understand?  I have to do this... for Lois."

Clark felt helpless.  Short of tackling the man and hog-tying 
him, he didn't know what to do.  The resolute look on Henderson's 
face told him that there was going to be no changing the taciturn 
inspector's mind.  As he watched the man step through his door 
and move quickly out to the street, Clark could only hope that 
his apprehension over what Bill had planned would prove to be 
wrong.  But he doubted it.

**********************

Lois turned the collar of her ragged jacket up against the cold 
breeze and the rain that was starting to fall.  Typical.  Why was 
it that whenever she went on outside stakeouts it rained... or 
snowed?  She was dressed in torn and dirty jeans, a sweatshirt 
several sizes too large that hadn't seen a washing machine in a 
long time, and a threadbare former Metropolis High School letter 
jacket with no snaps.  It was her street person outfit.

She'd purposely not washed her hair that morning and it was now 
quite lank and greasy-looking.  She'd also stuck an old baseball 
cap, with a torn bill, on her head, which caused many of the ends 
of her short hair to stick out at all angles.

All the extra dirt and grime she'd smeared on her face had been 
pretty much for nothing since the rain was washing it off.  Well, 
after it turned it to mud first.  She silently cursed her luck.  
She should have worn another shirt under the sweatshirt.  The 
rain-dampened jacket soaked through to the shirt and was giving 
her a chill every time the ever-strengthening wind struck her.  
Worse was the fact that if the weather got too bad, the gangs of 
punks she was trying to find probably wouldn't be out and about 
tonight.

Keeping in character, Lois huddled next to a large dumpster deep 
in an alley that, from her investigation of gang activity, seemed 
a likely prospect.  She figured she'd hang around for about a 
half an hour to forty-five minutes then move on if nothing 
promising materialized.  Of course, that meant that she had time 
to just sit and think.  Alone and thinking while being physically 
miserable as well.  A real good combination.

Trying to pull the small knit collar closer with one hand, Lois 
silently cursed the weather, then turned her curses to men in 
general, and certain men in particular.  Why did she have such 
lousy luck with men?  Why did they all have to be such 
disappointments?  She was beginning to think that she didn't know 
how to find a decent man.  That she was destined to be alone and 
friendless the rest of her life.

She angrily wiped the rain off her face and shivered against the 
ever-cooling breeze.  Frowning she had to admit that she was 
being just a bit melodramatic.  She certainly couldn't put Bill 
or Clark into the same category as a hormonal college pseudo-stud 
like Paul, or a first-rate slimy Lothario like Claude.  Lex, on 
the other hand, was the epitome of bad judgment.

But Bill had more than proved his friendship over the years, and 
his recent actions had only just confirmed the way he felt about 
her.  He'd basically thrown away his career for her.  So why 
couldn't he see that she was just trying to be a friend back by 
helping him?  Why did he have to go all macho-noble on her and 
take it all on himself?  If he would just talk to her.  Tell her 
exactly how deep he'd gotten involved, she was sure they could 
figure a way out of it.  He'd risked everything for her benefit.  
Didn't he see that, under those circumstances, she'd want to help 
him?  That she had to help him?  What kind of friend would she be 
if she weren't willing to risk equally in helping him than he'd 
done for her?

A frown pulled at her face.  She had been surprised to hear just 
how much Bill Henderson seemed to care for her.  She'd supposed 
that he considered her his best friend, like she did him.  But 
for him it seemed like more.  It was almost as if he loved her.  
Well, was that so unbelievable?  She loved him too.  He was her 
best friend.  Clark was the only other person in her life, 
besides her sister, that she'd ever had such deep feelings for.  
And with Clark it was different.  She shook her head.  She wasn't 
going to think about Clark right now.  She would get to him 
later.

Did Bill think of her as more than just a good friend?  Even a 
best friend?  No, that was ridiculous.  They'd tried dating, and 
both of them realized that they just weren't romantically suited 
for each other.   Bill knew that.  He was actually the first one 
to say it out loud.  Lois had been afraid to voice her 
reservations for fear that it would ruin their friendship.  It 
was their friendship that she treasured the most.  Love was an 
overrated emotion.  Her parents had been in love, and now they 
didn't speak to each other.  Love was something that Lois felt 
she could live without if she had to.  She wasn't sure how she 
would be able to live without her friend.  But now it looked like 
she was going to have to learn since it seemed as if Bill had 
abandoned her.

That left Clark.  If ever there was a man who would be able to 
convince Lois that being in love was something to be desired, it 
would have been Clark.  Not even during the best of times with 
Lex had Lois felt the stirrings deep inside that Clark seemed to 
bring forth.  The last few months had been wonderful for Lois.  
Her life had seemed nearly complete.  She had a job she loved, 
with her best friend as her partner, and she was seeing a 
wonderful man who just might've been the one to convince her to 
take the plunge relationship-wise.  But that was yesterday.  
Today her life was crap.

Today her partner and best friend was on the run, leaving her to 
face the possibility of powerful criminals wanting her dead.  So 
whom did she turn to?  The only other man in her life.  The man 
who was supposed to teach her how to love again.  Only she found 
out that his personal ethics were more important to him than she 
was.  Damn his Superman morality.

You come into this world alone, and you go out of it alone.  For 
Lois, it looked like she'd be spending most of the in between 
time alone also.

She started to uncurl herself from her protected refuge, thinking 
that it might be time to move along to someplace else, when she 
suddenly heard a noise deep in the alley, behind the building 
itself.  She rose quietly and moved closer to the sounds.  
Perhaps the gangs were operating tonight in spite of the weather.

She crept silently up to the corner of the building and crouched 
down behind some discarded boxes.  She could hear voices now but 
couldn't quite make out what they were saying.  It was only two 
people, of that she was sure.  Both were male, and one of the 
voices sounded agonizingly familiar.  If only she could get 
closer!

Taking a deep breath, Lois inched her way along the wall until 
she was right at the edge of the building.  The argument, for 
clearly that was what it was, was happening not that far away 
from her present spot.  The rainfall and the noise the wind made 
as it whistled through the brick and mortar canyons made it hard 
to hear.  She couldn't make out any individual words, but the 
tone of the conversation was less than congenial.  

Taking another breath, Lois steeled herself to take a peek around 
the corner.  She was counting on the fact that the two men would 
be concentrating on each other too much to notice her peering 
around the crumbling brick.  With one last intake of air, she 
thrust her head around the corner.

What she saw and heard caused the blood to freeze in her veins.  

*******************

Henderson slouched against the weathered bricks of the dark, 
crumbling building.  He looked up as droplets of rain began to 
fall.  Typical, he thought.  He turned his collar up and pressed 
himself tighter to the abandoned structure.  Why did meetings 
always have to take place in dark, deserted alleys?  Why couldn't 
they meet at a nice cheery restaurant with a four star rating?

Of course, he had to admit that tonight a dark deserted alleyway 
fit his purpose just fine.  He didn't think that he'd be able to 
gun down a man in cold blood in a restaurant full of people.  
Even someone as deserving as St. John.  

His hand slipped into his pocket once again to feel the cold 
comfort of the steel revolver there.  He hadn't bothered with a 
silencer.  Despite what the movies and television might depict, 
it wasn't that easy to get one.  Not for a cop.  It wasn't like 
he could just check one out of the police armory.  The paperwork 
needed alone was a deterrent.  That and the desire to leave no 
discernible trail that would lead back to him.  

Also, he couldn't go out and purchase one from a gun dealer.  
Again, paperwork and background checks would leave too much of a 
trail back to him.  So he was left with just his service 
revolver.  While it was true that ballistics could be traced back 
to his gun, he'd just have to find a way to 'lose' it, so it 
wouldn't be available for comparisons.  Just an ordinary .38 with 
no silencer, but then he wasn't really worried about the noise of 
a gunshot here.  It wasn't like gunfire was all that uncommon in 
this part of town.  Even if someone heard anything, he'd be long 
gone before any authorities could answer the call.

He pulled his hand out of his pocket.  He had to appear totally 
in control, give St. John no reason to suspect him of anything 
untoward.  Henderson looked around, his eyes adjusting to the 
ever-increasing darkness.  The shadows were deep, but the ambient 
light of the huge metropolis allowed for a city that was never 
completely black.  Colors washed out to shades of gray, but he 
could easily identify what each piece of left behind debris that 
littered the alley was.

He felt the presence before he saw it.  He was surprised that the 
shape coming out of the shadows came from behind him, deeper into 
the alley.  How had St. John gotten by him?  Had the man been 
there all this time?

Within a few more steps he could see that it wasn't Nigel St. 
John.  In fact it looked remarkably like...

"Superman?"

The cape swirled in the increasing breeze.  "Hey.  Henderson 
isn't it?  How's it hanging?"

Bill stared in utter confusion at the Man of Steel.  "What are 
*you* doing here?  Where have you been?  Everyone thinks you're 
dead."

The tall man smirked.  "The reports of my death... you know the 
saying."  Henderson noticed an intense look in the superhero's 
eyes as his gaze swept him from head to toe.  "I don't think your 
gun will do you much good here."

Bill shrugged, hiding the feeling of unease that was stealing 
over him.  "I'm a cop.  I never go out unarmed."

Superman's brow rose.  "Even when meeting a friend?"

Henderson tried to step back but ran up against the hard brick of 
the building.  "St. John is no friend, and what do you know about 
that?  What is it you want, Superman?  Why are you here?"

The idol of millions reached out, grabbed Henderson by the lapels 
of his coat, and raised him off his feet as if he were no more 
than a child's doll.  "I come with a message.  No deals, no 
changes in the plan.  Lane dies... or you do."  He hoisted him a 
bit farther upward.  "So, what do you say... cop?"

"Who are you?"  Henderson squirmed in the steely grip.  "Superman 
would never work for a man like St. John."  His voice rose in a 
combination of anger and terror.

The Metropolis Marvel tossed Henderson into a nearby garbage can.  
The noise went unnoticed.  Striding over, he stuck one finger 
under Bill's chin and lifted the one hundred and eighty pound 
policeman off his feet.  "Oh, I'm Superman all right."  An 
invulnerable fist smashed into the brick wall next to his face.  
"I'm just not *your* Superman."  Allowing Henderson to fall to 
the dirty pavement at his feet, the superhero stepped back and 
favored the beaten man with a look of scorn.  "So, what's it 
going to be, cop?  Do as you're told and kill Lane?  Or should I 
just save us all some time right here?"

Henderson couldn't help but cringe away from the intimidating 
presence of the larger man.  "I don't get it.  Why do you want 
Lane dead?"

The spandex clad hero laughed.  "I couldn't care less.  The boss 
wants her dead, so dead she has to be."

"But I told St. John that I had a solution to the problem that 
didn't require Lane's death," he pleaded.  "There's no reason to 
invite the extra heat that killing a police officer would bring.  
He has to listen to me."

"No, he doesn't."  Superman reached down and, grabbing him by the 
face with one hand, lifted Henderson back to his feet.  "No more 
stalling.  It's time to answer the sixty-four thousand dollar 
question.  Lane... or you?"

Henderson could feel his heart racing.  What was he going to do?  
He was no match for Superman.  How St. John managed to get the 
Man of Steel under his control he had no idea.  One thing was for 
certain.  This Superman, whether the real article under some sort 
of mind control, or some incredible doppelganger, had all the 
power of the original.  Henderson was left with no choice.

He held his hands up in front of him and was subsequently dropped 
to the pavement below.   "Okay, okay, I'll do it.  I'll get rid 
of Lane for him."

Superman stared at the nervous cop for a few moments and 
chuckled.  "Wrong answer."

"What?"  Henderson was even more confused, and more afraid.

"Let me rephrase that."  The superhero turned away, as if 
pondering his next words.  Turning back Henderson could see the 
evil grin on the man's face.  "The words were correct, but I 
found the sincerity lacking."

Henderson backed up until he was up against the hard brick of the 
building wall again.  "Look, I don't know what you want me to 
say.  I said I'd kill her.  What more do you want?"

Superman shrugged.  "Honesty?"  He laughed again.  "Poor 
Inspector Henderson.  You just don't get it, do you?  I've got 
the super hearing too, you know.  I can hear your heart pounding 
away like a jackhammer.  It's better than a lie detector."  He 
shrugged again.  "So, you see, it doesn't matter if you tell me 
you'll eliminate Lane if you don't mean it."

Henderson began to reach into his coat pocket then let his hand 
fall limply to his side.  It was over.  His bluff had been 
called, and there was no way his gun was going to do him any good 
here.  "What are you going to do?"

The sneer on the face of the hero was mockingly cruel.  "I 
suppose I could easily kill you right here and leave your corpse 
for the rats to feast on, but where's the fun of that."  Superman 
reached out and, grabbing a fistful of Henderson's shirt, lifted 
him off his feet.  "Ever met an active volcano up close and 
personal?"

The bogus superhero's laughter echoed hollowly off the 
surrounding brick walls as the two men disappeared into the air.

***********************

"Bill? Bill!"  Her voice trembled and cracked.  "Clark?"

CHAPTER FIVE

It was raining hard now as Lois lurched and stumbled along the 
sidewalks of Metropolis.  She was barely conscious of her 
movement as her mind continued to torture her with the images of 
the horror she'd witnessed.

She hadn't been able to move, so stunned was she by what she'd 
seen.  It was a shock to find out that the two people she'd heard 
at the other end of the alley were her partner Bill, and... 
Superman.  But there wasn't any Superman.

When she'd finally peeked around the corner, the argument between 
the two men was just about over.  She had been able to see the 
fear in her friend's eyes and the sneer on the face of 
Metropolis' resident hero.   She'd just been able to hear 
Superman threaten to kill Bill by dropping him into a volcano.  
Then, in a blur, they had vanished into the air, vile laughter 
ringing in her ears.

Lois' legs were like silly putty as she forced herself over to 
the spot where moments ago her partner had stood facing the Man 
of Steel.  There was nothing.  No indication that a man had been 
standing there just seconds ago.  No evidence that a kidnapping 
had just happened and a murder was about to take place.  Bill 
Henderson was just... gone.

A chill had run through her body and she began to shake.  A 
single inarticulate cry erupted from her mouth as she fled from 
the alley and into the streets.

Somewhere deep in the back of her mind she knew she was in shock.  
She couldn't stop her body from shaking, but she couldn't force 
her thoughts away from the continuing replay of the terrible 
scene she'd witnessed.  It was all she could do to keep putting 
one foot in front of the other without falling over.  

Zombie-like, she continued on.

*****************

Clark had been upset that no one had answered at Lois' when he'd 
called earlier, and again just recently.  He knew it didn't mean 
anything ominous.  She was probably just either working, or out.  
It was obvious that she'd been really worried about her partner, 
and after his recent visit, Clark figured she had even more 
reason to be than before.  Maybe she'd finally tracked him down.  
Found him before he had a chance to do whatever he was planning.   
Maybe she was talking some sense into him.  It was possible, but 
not likely.  

Clark had an uneasy feeling.  It was obvious from his actions 
that Henderson was planning something dangerous.  Why else would 
he come over to make sure that Clark was going to be there for 
Lois if she needed him?  It sure sounded like someone who didn't 
plan to be around in the future.  And now he couldn't get a hold 
of Lois either.  He didn't like it.  He didn't like it one bit.

In the old days he'd just spin into the spandex and take a cruise 
around the city until he found her.  He could've then, from a 
distance, seen that she was fine and she'd have never known he'd 
been worried about her.  

But this wasn't the old days.  Superman didn't fly around the 
city any more.  So, his choices were to go out and aimlessly 
wander about the city with no clue, or sit home and worry, 
waiting to see if she called.  He didn't care for either choice.

Suddenly there was a weak knock on his front door.  Instantly he 
knew it was her, and he rushed to answer it.  He was stunned by 
the vision that greeted him upon opening the door.

Lois was standing on his stoop, soaked to the skin in the now 
pouring rain.  She was dressed shabbily and she was visibly 
shaking.  The look on her face scared him the most.  Her eyes 
appeared glazed, as if her sight were focused on something that 
wasn't part of the real world.

"Lois!  Omigod, what's wrong?"  He ushered her into the 
apartment.  She didn't seem to know he was there.  "Let me help 
you out of these wet things."  He began tugging at her outer 
jacket.  "You'll catch your death."

At the word 'death' she perked up and finally was able to focus 
on Clark.  His heart ached.  She seemed so lost.

"Bill's dead."  Her voice was a flat weak monotone.

A chill of dread raced through Clark's body.  "Oh no!  Lois, what 
happened?"  He prodded her farther into the living room, pulled 
the afghan off the couch, and using it like a towel, began to rub 
her down with it.

"He was killed."  Her gaze slipped away from Clark and seemed to 
wander about the room.  The emptiness of her stare nearly broke 
Clark's heart.  Finally her gaze found its way back to Clark.  
Her veiled eyes met his concerned ones.  "He was killed... by 
Superman."

******************** 

Lois was standing, naked, in the middle of a small, white-tiled 
room.  She wasn't sure how she'd gotten there, and it took her a 
few moments to realize that she was in a bathroom.  In fact, she 
was in Clark's bathroom.  A pile of wet clothes was lying in one 
corner next to the tub and shower.  She had a large soft towel 
around her shoulders and it felt wonderful.  It was nice to 
finally feel warm again.

She spied a neatly folded sweatshirt and sweat pants on the 
turned-down toilet lid as her mind gradually became aware of her 
situation and her surroundings.  She clamped down hard on her 
thoughts before the memories could come rushing back and threaten 
to overwhelm her again.  She forced herself to stay in the here 
and now.

Draping the towel over the edge of the bathtub, she reached for 
the warm, dry clothes that Clark must have provided.  The pants 
were absurdly large on her, but the waist had a drawstring and 
she was able to cinch it tight enough so they wouldn't fall off.  
She rolled the legs up until they were just below her knee.  The 
sweatshirt was also large, but it was soft and comfortable.  It 
hung down to below her butt, the neckline plunging to an almost 
indecent depth.  She rolled the sleeves up.  A small smile found 
its way onto her face when she saw the pair of thick woolen socks 
that had also been provided.  They caressed her cold-numbed feet 
like a pair of favorite old slippers.  Leave it to Clark to have 
thought of those.

A shiver ran through her body, but she was able to keep it from 
manifesting into a full-blown attack of the shakes.  She knew 
she'd been in a state of shock and probably still was, but felt a 
little more in control now.  She glanced at the closed bathroom 
door.  She wasn't really looking forward to leaving that ceramic 
sanctuary just yet.  She knew she had to go out and explain 
everything to Clark, but that would just bring back the horrible 
memory of what she'd seen, and that she wasn't looking forward to 
doing.  

She stalled a few more minutes trying to comb out the tangles in 
her hair, absently thinking that she needed to make an 
appointment to get in for a trim.  Finally, realizing that she 
could put it off no longer, she turned and faced the door again.  
With a sigh, and a firm set to her lips, she took a step and 
reached for the knob.

*************

Clark paced about his living room like someone caged.  He'd been 
appalled at Lois' condition when he'd first opened the door to 
her.  She'd been dressed in old ragged clothes.  A disguise of 
some sort, he guessed.  But she'd been soaked through to the skin 
by the rain and was shivering from the cold.  But that wasn't 
all.

Something terrible must have happened.  She'd been clearly in a 
state of shock.  Her gaze had been unfocused and she didn't even 
seem to know exactly where she was.  Then, something he'd said 
had triggered a reaction in her because she looked squarely at 
him and said something nearly incomprehensible.  He could swear 
she'd said that Bill Henderson had been killed by Superman.  
Before he could even express any shock or surprise of his own, 
she'd collapsed in his arms.

Knowing that she could be in serious danger if he didn't get her 
out of those wet clothes and warm, he'd carried her into the 
bathroom.  Quickly stripping the wet clothes off her, he turned 
on the shower and helped her into it.  Allowing himself to get 
soaked, he held her up in the warm spray until she regained 
enough of her senses to be able to stand on her own.  He then 
left her to finish without his assistance, hoping that she'd 
forgive him the liberties he took in taking her clothes off.  At 
any other time holding a naked Lois next to him would have been 
the definition of heaven, but he was much too scared for her to 
even have it register.

Changing into dry clothes himself, he pulled out a pair of 
sweatpants and sweatshirt for her.  He also grabbed a pair of 
thick athletic socks.  Noting that she was still in the shower, 
he slipped in and laid the dry clothes on the toilet seat. 

After that he'd begun pacing, which was what he was still doing.  
Her words hadn't made any sense.  What had happened?  Was 
Henderson really dead?  Why did Lois think that Superman had 
killed him?  She knew there wasn't a Superman anymore.  And what 
did this have to do with what Bill had hinted at when he'd been 
there earlier?  Had he been planning to meet with Superman?  But 
there wasn't a Superman anymore.  He knew that all his jumbled 
thoughts would become sorted out once Lois came out of the 
bathroom; at least he hoped that they would be.  But that didn't 
stop his mind from its confused conjectures.  

Suddenly, he heard the knob on the bathroom door begin to turn.  
He hoped that she was all right.   She'd really put a scare in 
him.  

When the door opened and she came out, he could feel the burn at 
the back of his eyes.  She looked so small and forlorn, drowning 
in the sweat clothes that were so much too big for her.  She 
walked over to the sofa and sat down.  She bit her lip as she 
looked at him.

"Do you have anything warm to drink?"  Her voice was quiet, but 
relatively calm.

Clark glanced up to see that the pot of water he'd started 
heating earlier for some tea was still on the stove.  The burner 
had been turned down low, but it was probably still hot enough so 
he hurried over to make her some tea.  

As he worked in the kitchen, he repeatedly glanced over his 
shoulder at her.  She just sat on the couch, hunched over, with 
her arms resting on her thighs, staring straight ahead.  He was 
beginning to worry that she might slip into some sort of delayed 
shock.  She must have been through something truly awful.  

He poured her a cup and brought it over.  She favored him with a 
weak smile as she gratefully took the cup.  After a few sips, she 
set it down and looked at him.  Clark had taken a seat in the 
chair across from her.

"I suppose I wasn't making too much sense when I came to your 
door earlier," she began.  

Clark gave her an encouraging smile.  "Take your time.  I'm not 
going anywhere."

"Really?" she said with an almost laugh.  "I'd imagine you'd be 
nearly bursting wondering what I was yammering about when I first 
came in here."

Clark stretched his hands in the universal gesture.  "I'll admit 
that my curiosity has been piqued."

"I'll bet."  Lois closed her eyes and sighed deeply.  Placing her 
hands on her knees, she met Clark's eyes and began her story.

Clark's emotions ran the gambit from worried irritation at Lois' 
solo 'undercover' investigation to stunned horror at her 
description of the 'Superman' she saw and the abduction of Bill 
Henderson.  He was also amazed that she was even able to sit 
there, calmly, telling him about the tragic events she'd been 
forced to witness just hours earlier.

"I want you to know that I never thought that the... the person 
who took Bill was you."  Clark cocked a brow at her.  "Well, 
maybe in the first confused minute or two I wasn't so sure.  But 
it didn't take long for me to realize that I know you well enough 
to know you could never do anything like that."  She sniffed back 
an errant tear.  "You could never kill anyone."

Clark nodded, grateful for her words.  "And I don't have my 
powers anymore either."

She bit her lip.  "That, too."  She ran her hand through her 
hair, mussing up the smooth careful style she'd spent so much 
time trying to achieve.  "Which leaves us with a serious problem.  
There's someone out there with Superman's powers... killing 
people."

"We don't know that Bill is dead.  You never saw this... person, 
actually kill him."

She bit on her lower lip as a tear rolled down her cheek.  "He 
said he was going to have Bill get 'up close and personal' with 
an active volcano.  You do the math."

Clark had been watching Lois all during her recitation.  Her body 
was wound tight like a coiled spring.  She had continued to 
clench and unclench her fists, alternating between that and 
wringing them.  He could see that she still had trouble 
controlling her voice, even though, to the average person, she 
would have sounded completely in control.  She was on the edge.  

He got up from his chair and she watched him as he came over and 
knelt down in front of her.  He took her hands in his.  "It's 
okay, Lois.  You don't have to put on any brave front here.  You 
can let it go."

She frowned.  "I don't know what..."  Her eyes suddenly began to 
glisten.  A deep shudder wracked her slender frame.  "He's gone, 
Clark.  He's really gone."  She tried to look away, but he knew 
that she couldn't hold on any longer.  "I'll never see Bill 
again."  Tears began to flow in earnest as Clark drew her to him.  
A tear snuck out of his own eye as he held the sobbing woman 
tightly to his chest.

*******************

Arianna Carlin-Luthor pulled the large brim of her hat lower to 
help obscure her face and adjusted the sunglasses that weren't 
needed for their normal purpose since the sky was overcast.  It 
had become quite a burden being the suddenly reestablished widow 
of the late, but not lamented, Lex Luthor.  Her privacy had 
become non-existent.  Due to the splash that had been made when 
it was discovered that her long-ago divorce from the billionaire 
had never been final, she was instantly recognized anywhere she 
went.  If she ever did want to go out, alone, and not be 
bothered, she had to go in disguise.

Of course, there were compensations for the loss of her privacy.  
Mostly, she had access to so much money now that she didn't 
really need to go out anywhere.  Practically anything she might 
need or want could be brought to her.  She had staff, aides, and 
dozens of hangers-on just waiting for the chance to do her 
bidding.  So, normally, it wasn't so bad to be the famous widow.

But there were a few occasions when her fame was less than 
convenient.  Times, such as now, when she had to meet with people 
it was best not to draw attention to.  Nigel was good at coming 
and going with a minimum of risk to their 'arrangement'.  He'd 
been Luthor's aide and so had become somewhat known around the 
offices of LexCorp and the boss's private suites, yet was never 
obvious or obtrusive about it.  It was also generally known that 
St. John had been retained to help Arianna and the new board of 
directors in their transition of rule over the vast Luthor 
empire.  At least, that was the official story.

It was the other man that she was to meet with that complicated 
matters.  Mamba was still a wanted fugitive from justice.  When 
the plot to take down Luthor had been devised it had necessitated 
the exposure of the secret lab outside of Boynton.  This had 
compromised Dr. Mamba, who was too well known by many of the 
lab's complement of researchers and general staff as the head of 
the facility.  He couldn't very well plead ignorance of the 
actual work being done there, as could a large percentage of the 
staff that had been rounded up during the initial police raid.  

So Mamba had been forced to flee to the safety of another secret 
lab located in Switzerland.  But he'd made sure he had certain 
valuable notes and specific DNA cultures in his possession when 
he left.  The first lab might be gone but the research went on.  
And apparently, very successfully.

So now Arianna found herself forced to make a clandestine 
rendezvous with her other co-conspirators in this little 
restaurant on the west side of town.  Not one of the high-class 
places she was used to, but hardly a dive either.  It only took 
her a minute to find the table occupied by Nigel St. John and 
another man wearing sunglasses and sporting a moustache that 
hadn't been there when last they met.  Obviously, Mamba, had felt 
a disguise was necessary also.

Neither man made any move to stand as she approached the table 
and slid into the unoccupied seat.  "So, gentlemen, I take it 
from the urgency of this meeting that you have some news?"

A slight smile cracked the normally stone-like expression on St. 
John's face.  "We just thought it would be prudent to inform you 
that you'll soon be hearing some remarkable news in the general 
media."

Arianna wasn't stupid.  She could guess what that news was going 
to be, just not what direction it might take.  "I gather, from 
Dr. Mamba's presence here, that our project has been successful?"

Mamba's smile was more of the self-congratulatory type.  "Beyond 
our wildest dreams."

"That is good news."  Her smile was one that she usually reserved 
for her clients.  All on the surface, nothing underneath.  "So, 
have you had time to look into our  *other* problem?"

Nigel waved his hand dismissively.  "Already taken care of.  No 
need to worry your pretty little head over it."

Arianna's eyes narrowed as she glared at the former Luthor 
factotum.  "Don't ever make the mistake of thinking that there 
isn't a brain behind this face.  I didn't get my doctorate on my 
looks, nor am I foolish enough to think that either of you 
actually thinks of me as an equal."  Her hands clenched into 
fists under the table.  "Get one thing straight,  *boys*, you 
need me more than I need you.  I'm the one controlling the Luthor 
fortune now, and if you want to keep getting your pieces of that 
sizable pie, you'd better treat me with a little more respect."

Nigel inclined his head.  "Sorry, Miss Carlin.  No offense 
intended.  But if I may?  A bit of advice."  He raised his head 
until his grey-eyed gaze met hers.  She shivered involuntarily.  
"Never make a threat you aren't willing, or able, to back up."

Arianna jerked back in her seat as if she'd been slapped.  Mamba 
put out a hand.  "Enough bickering," he said.  "Let's just tell 
her what we came to tell her and get out of this place.  I feel 
too conspicuous."  

"Very well," Nigel acquiesced.  He turned back to her.  "We have 
decided that our villa in Switzerland is too far away to act as a 
base of operations.  After all, it has always been our intention 
to implement our plan here in the States.  It just makes sense 
that we find a more convenient place to work from."

Arianna spread her hands out, inviting St. John to elaborate.  
"So?"

"We're going back," Mamba interjected.

She could see by the look on Nigel's face that he was enjoying 
her confusion.  "What the good doctor means is that there is a 
perfectly good laboratory set up just a few hours outside of 
Metropolis that isn't currently being used.  No sense in letting 
it go to waste."

She gasped at their audacity.  "You don't mean the old mine 
site?"  Nigel merely nodded.  "But... but... that's been exposed.  
The police and the feds know about it.  They've shut it down and 
locked it up."

"The authorities may have crawled all through the place, 
collecting all the data and information that we wanted them to 
have months ago.  But I hardly think they give it much thought 
anymore."  He shrugged almost imperceptively.  "I imagine they've 
put a nice padlock on the front and back doors to the facility.  
Maybe they've even posted a guard out front, but there are other 
ways to get in beside the front door."

"Aren't you concerned that someone will notice?" she asked.

Mamba shook his head.  "No, the only risk of being noticed is if 
we are seen coming or going, and we won't be.  The facility was 
purposely built sound-proof, so no one on the outside will have 
any reason to suspect there is anyone on the inside."  This time 
it was Mamba who shrugged.  "Besides, we are not talking about a 
fully staffed research facility anymore.  Just a place we can 
call home, while we continue with our project."

Arianna was still unconvinced.  "What if someone decides to come 
in, for what ever reason?"

This time it really was a smile on St. John's face.  "I have some 
ideas in that regard.  We'll just have to provide some 
discouragement."

CHAPTER  SIX

Lois woke to the smell of fresh coffee.  She was momentarily 
disoriented as she took in her surroundings and the bulky sweat 
suit she was wearing.  She pushed back the coverlet that had been 
draped from her legs to her shoulders.  She was on a couch, but 
obviously not hers.  Hers was nowhere near this comfortable.  The 
enticing smell of the coffee forced her mind to engage as she sat 
up.

She was still at Clark's place.  She glanced over to the kitchen 
area and noticed his broad back bent over the stove, as the sound 
of something frying poked through the cotton wool that was her 
brain.  She stood, the heavy socks feeling good against her feet, 
and with a purpose moved toward the kitchen.

Clark turned.  "Hey, good morning.  Breakfast will be ready 
soon."  His look changed to one of deep concern.  "How are you 
doing?"

Lois opened her mouth, then shut it.  She had been going to say 
'fine', but that wasn't true.  As the fog cleared, and she 
remembered more and more of what took place the night before, she 
realized that she wasn't fine.  She was a long way from fine.  

She was a cop who had witnessed a major crime, yet she hadn't 
reported it.  She couldn't.  The worst part of it was that it had 
happened to her partner and best friend, yet she had no legal 
recourse.  Bill was gone, and there wasn't a damn thing she could 
do about it.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully.  

Clark began to put plates on the small table.  "Well, eat first.  
We'll work out what has to be done later."

Automatically Lois went over to the cupboard drawer and began to 
pull the needed silverware.  Leave it to Clark to order 
priorities with food at the top of the list.  Actually, she knew 
that breakfast was Clark's way of allowing her to put off dealing 
with yesterday.  Give her some time to figure things out before 
she had to take some action.  She knew that he'd sit there 
quietly, too.  He'd let her initiate the conversation, but he'd 
be there for her.  Too bad he hadn't thought that way when they'd 
had their argument yesterday.

"Smells good.  What's cooking?"

"Nothing much, just some eggs and toast.  I've got some fresh 
strawberries in the fridge if you'd like."

She smiled.  "Sounds great.  Smells great, but first..."

He answered her smile.  "Some coffee?"

She nodded and accepted a cup of the steaming brew from him.  She 
made her way to the table and sat in one of the chairs; just 
staring at him while he dished up their eggs and brought over a 
jar of preserves for the toast.  She began spreading some of the 
sweet confection on her toast as he went back and pulled a tub of 
strawberries out of the refrigerator and set them on the table.

She watched as he slathered his eggs in Tabasco sauce and dug in 
with a gusto she always found entertaining when they'd dined 
together.  Idly, she wondered if he'd eaten like that when he was 
Superman.  The thought of Superman brought all the bad memories 
of the night before crashing back, and she suddenly lost her 
appetite.

She could see him watching her, warily, as if she was some 
delicate piece of crystal balancing on the edge of a shelf, just 
ready to fall and shatter into a thousand shards.  The trouble 
was, she felt like that.  She was still numb.  The impact of what 
had happened hadn't hit her fully yet.  She'd told Clark what 
she'd seen last night, then had broke down, sobbing, in his arms.  
She didn't know how long she cried, nor how long he'd held her.  
She had only hazy memories of him laying her on the couch and 
covering her with that small spread.  Her next coherent memory 
was waking up several minutes ago.

The numbness was actually a blessing of sorts.  Dealing with the 
death of her partner was going to be difficult.  Already there 
was an ache in her heart and a knot in her stomach every time she 
thought about it.  And she couldn't help thinking about it.  Bill 
had not only been her work partner, he'd been her best friend.  
The thought of never hearing him crack wise over something she'd 
said or done, of never being able to count on him to back her up 
when she needed it, of never seeing him again.  It was just too 
much to bear.  How was she going to be able to do it?

"What am I supposed to do?"  She sighed, and used her fork to 
push her eggs around the plate.

She could see the hard set in Clark's lips, then his expression 
softened.  "Look, Lois, I apologize for being such a jerk 
yesterday.  You came to me for help, and I got all righteous and 
moral on you.  It was obvious that you wanted to help your 
friend, that you felt an obligation to that friendship.  And 
instead of talking to you and trying to understand where you were 
coming from, I just went off on you."

Lois shrugged.  "It's okay."

Clark shook his head violently.  "No, it wasn't.  I care very 
much about you and what happens to you.  That should have been my 
first concern.  'How can I help you?' That should have been the 
first thing out of my mouth.  My behavior was inexcusable."

Lois allowed herself a slight, sad smile.  "You're right.  It 
was.  But I can see where you might have been worried that I 
hadn't thought this through.  That, by protecting Bill, I might 
be getting myself involved in whatever illegal activities he'd 
gotten himself into."  She paused long enough to take a sip of 
her coffee.  "But I knew all that.  I knew what I could, 
potentially, be getting into.  But it didn't matter.  Bill was my 
friend, and he'd put himself on the line for me.  Could I do any 
less?"

Clark stared down at his own half-eaten plate of eggs.  It looked 
as if his appetite seemed to have suddenly left him too.  "No."

"Well, it's all moot now.  Bill is dead, and I don't have a clue 
as to what I can do about it."  

Clark's brow furrowed.  "I don't follow you."

Lois spread her hands wide in a gesture of frustration.  "Think 
about it.  What am I going to do?  Who is going to believe that 
everyone's favorite superhero has come back from the dead just to 
kill my partner?  Besides, I can't exactly report a murder.  
There's no body.  I doubt if *Superman* is going to tell us which 
volcano he dumped Bill into."

Clark's head snapped up. "Lois, we both know that it wasn't 
Superman."

"No?"  Her voice asked the question before her words.  "Sure 
looked like the Man of Steel to me.  Where do you think those 
powers came from?"  She stood and began to walk back to the 
living room.  Clark followed.

"It came to me just now," she continued.  "I know that the man I 
saw kill Bill wasn't you... but who was he?  Then it hit me.  
What was going on at that lab outside of Boynton?  What was the 
project that Luthor had to keep so secret that it led to his 
downfall when it came out?"

She could see by his expression that Clark was following her 
lead.  "The cloning experiments."

She nodded.  "Exactly.  I remember Mac telling us that most of 
the workers and researchers thought they were doing legitimate 
medical cloning experiments.  That their efforts, though highly 
controversial, were still above board."

Clark nodded.  "But you don't think so."

"We're talking about Lex Luthor here."

"True."

Lois began to pace.  "Follow along with me here.  What if the 
whole purpose of that facility wasn't just to perfect cloning 
techniques for future medical use, but to perfect cloning 
techniques for a specific purpose...  or to produce a specific 
clone?"

"You mean a clone of Superman."

"It makes sense.  I saw Superman, complete with super-strength 
and the spandex suit, fly off to kill my partne