The Prisoner

By Kaethel <Kaethel@wanadoo.fr> & Wendy Richards  <wendy@lcfanfic.com>

Rated PG

Submitted May 2003 ______________________

This story was written and posted earlier this year, in  honour of a very dear friend of ours, LabRat, on her  birthday. We'd like to thank Kristen (minimunch3) for  suggesting the idea on which we based this premise back on  Zoomway's Message Boards last year  (http://www.zoomway.net/cgi- bin/boards/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=12;t=000431).   Thanks also to all the readers who commented on this story  when we posted it. Their enthusiasm and support is always  very much appreciated, and encourages us to keep writing  together. :) And last but not least, we would like to thank  Julie Gibson for editing our story for the Archive.

We hope you enjoy The Prisoner as much as we enjoyed  writing it! Feedback is, as usual, extremely welcome. :)

Wendy and Kaethel :)

______________________

~ The Prisoner ~  By Kaethel and Wendy Richards

Clark was lying on his side, curled up in a ball in the  centre of his jail. Every move sent shooting pain through  his muscles; every breath tore his lungs apart. How much  time had passed since Luthor's last visit? Minutes? Hours?  Days, maybe? Darkness had claimed and released him several  times already, but the pain was always the same when he  woke from the state of semi-consciousness. The dizzying  glow of the Kryptonite gave the cellar an even bleaker  atmosphere, and he longed for the end of his suffering.

Death would come; he knew that now, and accepting it had  become easier than struggling for life. Luthor had made his  plans very clear; if the Kryptonite didn't suffice, the axe  hanging over the stairs would finish the job. And Lois  would be married to a monster.

Lois. For a short moment, physical pain subsided as Clark  thought about his vibrant partner and what they'd shared  for almost a whole year. She'd kept him fighting for a long  time, but he knew now that even if he got out of here  alive, it would be too late to prevent Lois from doing  something irreparable.

And the last time he'd seen her... He forced the thought to  falter, in vain. Her last memory of him would be the  bitterness and jealousy he'd displayed during her  engagement to Luthor. She was going to marry a man he  hated, and their friendship would be forgotten even more  quickly than it had bloomed.

If only he hadn't been so stupidly proud! If only he hadn't  rejected her when she'd confessed her love to his alter  ego! He could have told her the truth and trusted her to  love him for who he was and not just for what he was. And  maybe they would be together now. He'd given up on her too  quickly. He was paying the hard price now.

He should fight against the pain, try one more time to  break the steel bars holding him prisoner. He rose to his  knees, and his upper body swayed in sync with the room  around him. Instinctively, his hand reached for the nearest  bar for support. The hollow scream that followed resonated  in the empty cellar.

As he collapsed to the ground, his last thought was for the  woman he loved and the precious time he had wasted... His  eyes blurred, and he finally gave in to the enticing pull  of unconsciousness.

*********

Lois pulled at her wedding gown with jerky movements. What  had started as a stroll to relax from the tension  threatening to overwhelm her was turning into a very boring  walk in a maze of corridors. No way around it; she was  lost. How did Lex manage to find his way around LexCorp?  She doubted that she would ever be able to walk around  without a map, even after years of living in this building.

She hadn't dared try to open the doors spanning the  corridor. The discreet but nonetheless visible lights of  the security system were enough warning that pressing any  handle would set the sirens howling and attract the  attention of the whole building. She didn't want that now;  she needed to be alone with herself, probably for the last  time in her life.

She was getting married. And while the thought should fill  her with happiness and excitement at the prospect, she was  trying hard to escape a fate that she'd chosen for herself.  Lex was right for her. He loved her, and she l... liked  him. He was a pleasant, cultivated and charming companion.  Just because Clark hated him, there was no reason at all  that she should start believing her former partner's  nonsense.

Lex was nothing Clark had accused him of being. She'd  thought that Clark would at least try to be fair, but  instead he'd kept accusing her of being blind, as if she  was missing an important detail that would make her see Lex  the way her partner saw him. It was impossible. It was her  job to look beyond the exterior that people liked to  display and dig up buried secrets. She couldn't claim that  Lex wasn't an open book, but she believed he was honest.  And she was certainly not hiding herself from the truth and  avoiding searching for flaws in her fiance!

She stopped her march and eyed one of the closed doors.

No. She didn't *need* to see what was in those numerous  rooms. LexCorp was the largest company in Metropolis. It  made sense that Lex would have a high-tech security system  to protect his... storage rooms.

There was nothing wrong about securing storage rooms.

He'd managed to make her paranoid. "Gee, thank you, Clark."  She hadn't spoken loudly, but she tensed anyway as she  heard her voice in the silence of the corridor. Annoyed  with herself, she gave a challenging glare to the nearest  door. She'd prove him that there was nothing about Lex that  could compromise her liking of him.

She studied the digital panel thoughtfully. It wasn't the  type of thing that ever scared her in investigations. Even  the most expensive security system had flaws. She was  tempted to try a code, but how would she explain her  actions if it set the alarm off? Lex would certainly not  appreciate her snooping around his stuff.

Since when did she care?

She shook her head to get rid of the thought. Whatever. It  wasn't a good idea, period. There were subtler ways to open  that door. Her gaze rested on the panel under the digits.  It was probably hiding the electric system powering the  whole thing. Too bad she didn't have a nail file; this  once, her carefully manicured nails would have to do.

She worked on it for a while, careful not to touch the  digits above. A broken nail and a few swear-words later,  her efforts were awarded when a piece of plastic fell to  the cemented floor. Cheap material. So much for expensive  systems.

But now wasn't the time to rejoice in premature victory.  Jimmy had taught her everything she knew about deactivating  security systems. If she remembered correctly, if she  unplugged the red wi... no, the black one. Oh, for Pete's  sake! She hadn't reached her position as the head reporter  of what used to be the greatest newspaper in the city  without taking risks. Grateful that Clark wasn't there to  accuse her of recklessness, she chose one at random,  pulled, and winced as she waited for the verdict.

Click.

The door opened on a flight of stairs, and she released the  breath she'd been holding. She walked carefully down the  wooden steps. The room below wasn't in complete darkness,  but it wasn't lit either, as if the light came from a  greenish glow of...

"Oh God..."

There was a cage. She wouldn't have believed it if it  hadn't been there, right at the bottom of the stairs. It  was green and glowing, luminous in the darkness of the  cellar-like room she'd stumbled into. And in the pale light  of the glowing bars she could see a flash of red.

Red. A particular shade of red she recognised.

It couldn't be... could it?

Her heart in her mouth, she ran down the stairs and over to  the cage. And then, falling to her knees, she saw that  she'd been right.

"Superman?" she whispered, taking in the man who lay  crumpled on the floor. The proud Superhero she'd admired -  and loved - for so long, the man she'd last seen in her  apartment when he'd insulted and rejected her cruelly, was  a prisoner in this cage.

Questions whirled in her head. Whose cage? This room was in  Lex's building. Had *he* done this? Could he possibly have  done this? Was Clark right after all?

*How* could anyone keep Superman prisoner?

And... and he was so still... his face was contorted in  agony. His eyes were open, staring unseeingly upwards.

*Was he dead*??

<No... no, he can't be! He can't be!> Lois screamed  inwardly.

"No... no... not Superman..." A lump swelling in her throat  as the tears which had threatened all morning finally  started to fall, Lois reached for the door of the cage and  rattled it. Hard.

It didn't budge. It was firmly locked.

She tried again, tears now falling freely. She had to get  in there - she had to rescue him! Even if he was... dead...  she still needed to hold him, to touch him. To reassure  herself that there was nothing she could do for him. And...  to kiss him goodbye...

Frustrated, grief-stricken, she kept shaking the bars. The  lock was strong, and she had nothing which she could use to  pick it.

Then a low moan from the floor made her heart leap. She  whirled around, to see that Superman had moved very  slightly; his head was turned partially towards her, and  she could actually see his chest moving faintly.

"You... have to... torture me further..." The words emerged  in a jerky hiss, as if even speaking was painful for the  man in agony on the floor.

*She*? Torture him?

"Just... go, Luth...or..."

*Luthor*? Then it was Lex who'd done this!

"Superman!" she called urgently. "Superman, it's me. Lois.  How can I get you out of here?"

There was a pause. Then a hesitant hiss, "Lo...isss?"

"It's me. Help me - I don't know how to get you out! Don't  you have your powers?"

"Kryp...tonite," he mumbled. "Key... Luthor left key... on  wine cask..."

Lois spun around, looking for the cask; directly behind  her, and clearly within sight of the man in the cage, were  three casks, and on top of one of them a large key rested.  So Superman's torture had been even worse: imprisoned,  close to death, and yet able to see the means of his  release... just unable to get to it.

Lex was a monster!

And... Kryptonite? It really existed? She'd always assumed  that Trask had been delusional, that the mysterious rock  he'd been convinced could kill Superman had been an  invention of his conspiracy-theorist mind. When she and  Clark had named it, she'd thought it was all a joke. And  now... it was real. And, by the look of things, it really  could kill Superman.

Her hand shaking, she fitted the key in the lock and turned  it. The door swung open.

Superman tried to raise one hand towards her, but it fell  limply to the ground. She could see by the unfocused glaze  in his eyes that he was close to unconsciousness, probably  not for the first time. She had to get him out of there!

Hurrying to his side, she rested the back of her hand  against his forehead. It was damp and sticky. His hand,  when she touched it, felt clammy. This was bad.

About to catch hold of his shoulders and drag him out, Lois  hesitated. Dropping to her knees beside him, she bent over  him. Time was of the essence, she knew - but if he  survived, she would never get the opportunity again. She  knew that. He would never let her.

Gently, she covered his lips with her own, taking one final  kiss from the man she loved.

********

The lips in his dream were soft and sensual, the kiss one  of the sweetest he had ever experienced. They tasted and  smelt of Lois; her indefinable essence and uniqueness.

That was why he had to be dreaming. After all, she was  getting married. She was probably saying her vows right at  this moment... marrying another man. Marrying Lex Luthor.  His murderer.

Luthor...

Yes, he was dreaming. Or dead...

Hands gripped his shoulders as those lips left his - he  groaned in protest at their removal. Even his dreams were  disappointing him now. But then, a dying man didn't get  many choices.

"I'm sorry, Mom, Dad..." he murmured through dry, cracked  lips.

"Superman?" It was Lois's voice, the one he thought he'd  heard in his dream. She was still here; she hadn't left  him. Now, if only this dream could last until he finally  slipped into dark unconsciousness - he could lie here and  imagine that she really was holding his hand in hers, that  she really was speaking to him, touching him. Loving him.

"You have parents?" Her surprised tone made Clark frown. Of  course he had parents - she'd met them! But speaking was  too painful, required too much effort. And anyway, this was  a dream, so there wasn't much point.

"Come on," she said, with what sounded like some effort.  "We have to get you out of here!"

Her intentions became clear to him when he felt the cold  floor slide under his body. He wanted to help her but felt  too weak to do more than let himself be dragged out of the  hell in which he'd been locked for too long.

He heard her hiss and swear behind him, but the buzzing in  his ears increased and blocked the meaning of her words.  The room was spinning again, and he felt nauseous. He was  tempted to beg her to leave him there, but no word escaped  his mouth. Even if they had, he doubted she would have  listened anyway, and so he closed his eyes, willing the  ordeal to be over at last.

When he opened his eyes again, he was propped up against a  wine cask and, though still feverish and dizzy, at least  the pain seemed to have subsided a little.

He heard a voice somewhere above him. She was out of  breath. "This won't do. I'll never manage to drag you out  of here at this speed."

Lois.

"You know," she hissed, "with that body of yours, no-one  would ever suspect that you weigh a *ton*!"

Lois had come for him.

"Not to mention we need to find a way to get you out of the  building without attracting anyone's attention."

Lois was trying to save him.

"Can you move?"

He shook his head. Moving? When his surroundings stopped  their wavy movement, maybe he could think about it.

"Superman!" Lois knelt in front of him, and a warm hand  clasped his cold one. "Superman, you need to help me. I  can't do it without you."

*********

It would never work. He'd barely spoken a word since she'd  found him, and even getting him out of the cage hadn't been  enough for the effects of the Kryptonite to wear off. She  tugged at his hand. "Superman, wake up!" The hand limply  fell back against his thigh when she let it go.

"Superman, can you hear me?"

And Lex could arrive any minute, she was temped to add.

Lex.

If she'd ever suspected... Clark had warned her, but she'd  never wanted to listen. And if it hadn't been for the  challenge of proving that he was wrong and she was right...  She didn't dare think of the consequences. There would be  time for it later; right now, all that mattered was to get  Superman out of here before they were found.

She was about to hiss his name again when a pair of dark  eyes fixed her. He was immobile, but he'd raised his head  towards her and didn't stop watching her. She almost  squirmed under the intensity of his gaze.

"Superman, you're awake!"

His voice was calm when he spoke, but the coldness wasn't  disguised. "So... you married him."

*********

A bucket of cold water wouldn't have got him out of the fog  better than seeing Lois in her wedding dress. The physical  pain suddenly seemed ridiculous compared with what the  confirmation of Lois's decision did to his heart.

She'd married Luthor. She'd actually gone through with the  wedding, stood at the altar with him, and married the man.

And so before he knew what he was doing, he was broaching  the subject with her, as if it would change anything to the  truth.

<Oh, Lois, how could you?>

<How could you do that to yourself?>

<How could you do that to... me?>

She stood before him, rigid and challenging, and he half- expected her to cross her arms and give in to her anger.  She had no right to be angry. She knew how he felt about  Luthor, and most of all she knew how he felt about her. She  could accuse him of being jealous, of not granting her the  happiness she deserved. How could she even think she would  be happy with Luthor?

She opened her mouth to speak, and he closed his eyes,  bracing himself for the rant.

"Superman! What a... surprise!"

The voice was pleasant, but the harsh planes of the face  stepping out of the shadows denied all sign of  friendliness.

"Lex!"

Clark turned to Lois upon hearing her gasp, and was taken  aback by the look of sheer terror that flickered in her  eyes. It only lasted for a second, but she hadn't been able  to hide it quickly enough. He'd never seen her so  frightened before, and although she'd managed to compose  herself, she couldn't fool him.

Why was she scared? he thought uncharitably. She'd married  the man. Certainly she wasn't worried about him finding her  in his wine cellar. As his wife, she had a right to wander  around, didn't she?

He squashed the thought almost as quickly as it had  intruded his mind. Lois had probably just realised that her  husband wouldn't tolerate certain things, and that these  things included the snooping into his personal business.

Luthor nodded to his bride, acknowledging her with a smile.  "Lois. So that's where you were. I've been looking for you,  my dear."

"So have I," she replied dryly, and Clark admired the  confidence she displayed.

But Luthor ignored her and turned towards him again.  "Superman, I'm hurt. I thought the accommodation would suit  you."

"Luthor... You monster!" Clark rasped, trying to keep  Luthor's attention directed away from Lois. Just because  she'd been idiotic enough to marry the man, that didn't  mean that he wanted to see her suffer.

"Superman, Superman... What ingratitude! When all I was  trying to do was give you a little peace and quiet!" Lex  said, his tone light. Clark wondered who he was trying to  fool. But then, Lois had been blind to his faults all the  way along - why should anything change now?

"You were trying to kill me!" Clark said, his voice  stronger now that he was out of the cage and several feet  from it.

Luthor ignored him, turning to Lois. "Can you believe  this?" he said, sounding mildly irritated. "The man's  obviously deranged. That's why I had him down here, you  know. For his own protection, and that of other people. A  contact of mine found him last night - he seemed to have  gone quite mad. He was actually attacking an innocent  citizen. Anyway, fortunately the boffins at LexLabs  coincidentally discovered a substance which tranquilises  Superman, and using that we were able to get him here. It's  very concerning, actually. Can you imagine what he could do  to people if he were allowed to go free in his current  condition?"

"Oh, is that what the cell's made of?" Lois asked, sounding  interested. Clark frowned and squinted up at her. What was  she doing?

"Yes; it's coated with the substance. It's just a little  bit radioactive; that's why it glows," Luthor explained.  "Completely harmless to humans, of course."

"I see," Lois said thoughtfully, moving away from Clark and  towards the cage. "It's certainly ingenious, Lex. How did  you manage to coat the bars with it? At least, I assume  that the bars aren't entirely made of this... substance,  whatever it is?"

"I believe it's called Kryptonite, my dear," Luthor said,  walking towards her. Clark watched the two of them,  puzzled. He wasn't sure just how much Lois knew about what  was going on; he had vague, dreamlike memories of her  talking to him and him telling her that Luthor had  imprisoned him, but he wasn't convinced that they were  real. Whose side was Lois on? Was she really as completely  taken in by Luthor as she appeared? Would she actually  betray *Superman* to him?

And as for Luthor himself, the man was no fool. If Lois  really was playing some elaborate game to try to establish  her innocence in the scenario Luthor had walked in upon,  would he believe her? Clark wouldn't bet on it.

Lois was standing in the doorway of the cage now; Clark  could see her clearly in the light from the open doorway.  She was fingering the bars, and he felt himself wince and  cringe inwardly as he watched her, imagining what even the  faintest touch of the toxic, abhorrent substance would do  to his own fingers.

She smiled up at Luthor, moving away from the cage door as  Luthor moved nearer to her, and Clark felt pain course  through him again. "I thought Kryptonite was a rock... some  sort of meteor?" she said questioningly. "How did you  manage to get it like this?"

"Oh, the scientists managed to crush it and make a paste  from it. It's a little like a very viscous paint. It wasn't  difficult, or so I'm told."

"You're a genius, did you know that?" Lois said, shaking  her head as if in admiration. Clark pulled a face and  looked away.

When he glanced back again, somehow unable to ignore the  two of them even though watching Lois with *him* was  agonising, Luthor was stroking one of the cage bars. "Even  if I do say so myself, it was rather a brilliant idea," he  said smoothly. "After all, as much as we all admire the  good that Superman does, the man does need a rest  occasionally. That's plain now - we've seen the  consequences of not letting that happen. Would you believe,  my dear, that the man even threatened me!"

"That's terrible!" Lois exclaimed, sounding shocked.

"Oh, I was perfectly safe," Luthor said reassuringly. "The  Kryptonite, as I said, acts as a tranquilliser."

Lois stepped towards Luthor and, to Clark's horror, reached  up and put her arms around his neck and hugged him. "I'm so  glad!" she exclaimed.

Then things happened very quickly. Clark saw Lois's knee  come up, even encumbered as it was with her frothy wedding  dress. Luthor gave a guttural moan, and then Lois shoved  his shoulders hard. As he fell backwards into the cage,  Lois pulled the door sharply to, then locked it. She  dropped the key down inside the neckline of her dress, then  hurried away.

"Lois! Lois, what are you doing?" Luthor protested,  scrambling to his knees and rushing over to grab the bars.  "Come back here at once! Open this door!"

"Not on your life!" Lois yelled. "Come on, Superman - we're  getting out of here!"

********

He'd been tricked like a beginner!

Lex paced back and forth before the door of the cage he'd  had built for his worst enemy. The *locked* door. And he  was inside a jail that had brought him almost to one of his  biggest victories.

Nigel had been right, after all. Giving in to his  fascination for Lois Lane had been his worst mistake. He'd  isolated her from the disturbing influence of her friends  and colleagues, drawn her to him when she needed his  comfort, offered her power and wealth... and she'd still  eluded him at the last minute.

He'd been so sure that he'd succeeded, that she'd well and  truly fallen in love with him, enough to deny her former  attachment to the idiotic do-gooder. Self-confidence could  be quite an enemy. So certain of his success he had been  that he'd failed to be careful of what she claimed and how  she behaved.

Not that he'd ever entirely trusted her. Trust was, after  all, far too dangerous these days. People turned you over  for the sake of a few million dollars... or even the call  of their conscience. And when he'd seen her standing there,  in front of a free Superman, he'd been sure that she had  something to do the situation. Surely the superhero  couldn't have got out of the cage by himself, as weak as he  was.

Lois, though, had been more skilful than he'd expected.  She'd manoeuvred around his anger and surprise, flattering  his ego and astonishing him so much by her curiosity about  his getting rid of Superman that he'd wanted to believe  her.

What a fool he'd been!

And his foolishness had led him to be locked in his own  cage, like a complete, utter rookie.

He shook his head and his lips quirked in a small smile.  Lois had won this time, yes. Lois, and her damned flying  boyfriend. But he'd wipe that arrogance off their faces  soon enough. There was nothing they could prove, or at  least nothing that a good lawyer couldn't skirt around.

This little incident, as humiliating as it was, would be  only a glitch in his business a few months from now.

*********

When Clark woke, his head was throbbing and his limbs  aching. It wasn't a sensation he was familiar with, but it  reminded him of what his college mates had called a  hangover. The thought seemed out of line with his  situation. Whatever had happened to make him feel so dizzy  and weak, alcohol hadn't played a part in it.

He blinked a few times and ignored the tingling feeling in  his eyes when they adjusted to the bright light inundating  the room. He was on a bed, in a room that wasn't his, and  he was...

Naked?!?

He came to full wakefulness in the space of a second,  swinging his achy legs to the side of the bed, and  breathing in relief the blue spandex of his tights  testified that he was dressed from the waist down.

So he was here as Superman.

And he was feeling weaker than he'd ever felt.

Kryptonite. It was the one and only answer.

"You're awake?"

Lois. Of course, Lois. In his state of half-slumber, he  hadn't realised that he was in her apartment. But what was  he doing at her place, as Superman, and without powers? He  reached for the quilt in a subconscious gesture and covered  his chest.

Her eyes briefly flicked to his torso, then back to his  face. "I made breakfast."

He tried not to look frightened and focused on what was  important instead. "How long have I slept?" <What am I  doing here?>

She winced. "You haven't done more than growl for an  occasional glass of water since yesterday."

He thrust his arms into the sleeves of his costume, holding  back a wince against the strain it put on his muscles.  "Kryptonite?"

She seemed puzzled for a second. "I'm not sure how your  body works, Superman... if it's a poison that can be  eliminated naturally, or something else. You refused to be  taken to a hospital yesterday."

He nodded. The fewer people who knew about his  vulnerability to the deadly rock, the better. And he  remembered from his first encounter with Kryptonite that  recovery was slow but steady. "What happened?" he finally  asked. Bits and pieces mingled in his foggy mind and he  couldn't reconstitute the full story of what had got him  near Kryptonite.

Lois lowered her head, and he saw her heave a deep breath  before she spoke. She explained everything. How she'd found  him locked in a cage whose bars were glowing with a strange  green light, how she'd freed him from his jail, how Lex had  arrived before they could escape, and finally the way she  had trapped him in his jail.

She kept her eyes to the floor throughout her story, and  paused only when she was done.

He didn't know what to make of her attitude. Everything was  clear in his head now; her explanation had jogged up every  memory of yesterday's event. But one thing remained both  mysterious and painfully certain: chances were that Lois  was already married to Luthor. She'd probably taken  advantage of the crowd at whatever wedding reception was  planned to make an escape, God knew how. But whatever  reason had been for her visit to the wine cellar, she was  wed to a monster.

He glanced at her left hand and was slightly relieved not  to find a ring there. At least she'd taken it off her  finger when she'd found out who Luthor really was. But it  was too late.

Too late.

He'd lost her.

If only he'd handled things differently, he thought  miserably. It was all crystal-clear now: the way he'd  behaved as Superman, the things he'd said to her, had sent  her running into Luthor's arms. It had to be what had done  it. After all, hadn't she told him, as Clark, that she  hadn't made up her mind about Luthor's proposal, that she  needed to speak to someone else - Superman - first? Hadn't  she told Superman that she had some decisions to make? And  that she was in love with him?

And he'd rejected that love - cruelly. He hadn't even had  the kindness to let her down as gently as she'd let him -  Clark - down in the park. Though her rejection then had  been followed, of course, by her request for him to contact  Superman, and he'd have had to be stupid not to know why  she'd wanted his alter ego. That had hurt. His sense of  self-worth as Clark had been injured, and he'd wanted to  strike back.

Well, he'd struck back. And as a result, the woman he loved  was married to the one man he called enemy. The man who had  tried to kill him - and who had almost succeeded.

Clark grimaced.

"Superman?" Lois said, sounding concerned. "Are you still  in pain?"

He shook his head. "Not really."

"Well, come and have breakfast," she urged him. "Well,  that's if it's still warm... I mean, I cooked eggs and...  and made waffles. You know, the sort that go into a  toaster... well, I can't exactly burn those, can I? I burn  most things in the kitchen, you see. But maybe Clark's told  you that..."

Clark recognised the classic signs of nervous Lois, and he  stood and reached out to touch her lightly on her arm.  "Lois. It's okay, really. I appreciate your cooking  breakfast, and even if it's gone cold I can take care of  that."

"You... can?" She gave him a puzzled look.

"Well, I should be able to." He gestured to his eyes. "Heat  vision. Comes in handy sometimes." As long as his powers  had returned sufficiently to allow him to do it, of course  - and since he was still suffering aches and pains, there  was no guarantee of that. Oh well, he could try anyway, he  supposed, smiling wryly to himself.

"I guess..." Again, the nervousness was there in her voice,  and he wondered why. Was she unhappy about having him here  in her apartment after what he'd said to her that dreadful  night?

Or... was she afraid that her *husband* was going to come  looking for her? Worried about what would happen if Luthor  found Superman in her apartment? Scared that Luthor would  punish her in some way for wrecking his plans and for  humiliating him?

Luthor... He had to do something about that man, and not  just to protect Lois, either. But first, he had to reassure  Lois that he wouldn't let anything happen to her.

In the kitchen, he let her pour him coffee while he applied  his own patented heating method to the food. To his delight  and relief, it worked. His powers were returning! Even  though they had before, after his previous exposure to  Kryptonite, he hadn't dared take it for granted.

Once they were both sitting, he took a deep breath and  said, "Lois, what about your husband?"

She stared at him, the piece of waffle on her fork falling  back to her plate as her hand seemed to lose its grasp on  the silverware. "My... husband?"

*********

Her *husband*?

What was Superman talking about? Was he still sick? He was  delirious - he had to be! Why else would he...

But then she took a sharp breath as she remembered. Just  before Lex had arrived in the cellar and scared the life  out of her because she hadn't known how she was going to  talk her way out of things and still rescue Superman, he'd  said to her...

<So... you married him.>

She'd been wearing her wedding dress, of course. And he'd  thought it was after the wedding, not before it.

"Superman, no!" she said immediately. "I didn't marry him!  The wedding hadn't started when I found you... I'd gone for  a walk because..."

She hesitated, then decided that she might as well tell  him, even though he'd made it clear that he had no interest  in her personally. After all, who else could she tell? Not  Clark - her ex-partner had made it clear that he was also a  former friend. She'd called Clark dozens of times over the  past almost twenty-four hours, leaving messages on his  machine each time, and he hadn't returned a single one of  her calls. She knew that he hadn't turned up to the  wedding; Perry and Jimmy had told her afterwards that they  hadn't seen him since the previous day. He'd worked with  them, they'd told her, in gathering evidence against her  fiance, but he hadn't been there for their last couple of  meetings.

The partner she'd realised too late that she cared for had  walked away without a backward glance.

"Because...?" Superman prompted.

Lois ducked her head, staring down at the breakfast she no  longer wanted to eat. "Because... I'd been having second  thoughts about marrying Lex. I knew I didn't love him, but  when I accepted his proposal that didn't seem to matter. I  mean, I liked him and we seemed to have a lot of interests  in common. And the man I'd thought I loved... well, he  didn't want me."

"Me," Superman said, sounding almost ashamed.

Lois nodded, not looking at him.

"Wait a minute..." Superman said, sounding surprised - and,  she thought, almost chagrined. "*Thought* you loved?"

Lois bit her lip. She hadn't meant to let that slip... But,  on the other hand, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. After  all, if Superman thought she was still crazily in love with  him, wouldn't it affect the way he treated her? Even though  she'd been badly hurt after he'd left her that night, she'd  admitted afterwards that in a way she might have deserved  what he'd said - especially if he'd seen what she was doing  as pitting him against Lex, a man she now knew he'd viewed  as being far from admirable.

During the period of her engagement, during which she'd  been virtually cut off from all her friends, she'd had time  to think long and hard about what really mattered to her.  And she'd come to some surprising conclusions, conclusions  she'd been in denial about for far too long.

Yes, she should tell Superman. After all, who else could  she tell? Not her mother; Ellen Lane was virtually refusing  to speak to her, after what she'd seen as the total  humiliation of waiting outside the temporary chapel for a  daughter who'd failed to turn up - and a groom who'd  absented himself as well. The subsequent arrest of the man  who'd almost become her son-in-law had added to her  mother's embarrassment, and Lois's complete disappearance  hadn't helped.

"I was wrong, Superman," she said quietly. "I... thought I  was in love with you. And... and I am very attracted to  you. But you were right. I... I really don't know you. And  I guess it's hard to have a real relationship with someone  you only see occasionally. I mean, we've talked more this  morning than we have all of the other times I've seen you  put together. So... well, I guess what I'm saying is that I  came to my senses. About a lot of things."

"I'm glad," Superman said softly, and his hand covered  hers, gently squeezing. "I care about you, Lois - a lot.  And I owe you my life. But you're right - we can't have  that kind of relationship. Apart from anything else, you'd  be in too much danger. I'd like it if we could stay  friends, though."

Lois nodded. "I'd like that too. I... I guess I don't have  too many friends left at the moment."

She saw the surprise on Superman's face. "Of course you do,  Lois! You have lots of friends!"

She shook her head. "I never had that many - and I realised  over the last day or so that I'd pushed most of them away  because of my relationship with Lex. Perry and Jimmy and  Jack might have come through for me - though I think they  did it for the paper, not for me - but Clark - "

"Clark?" Superman interrupted, his tone startled.

"Clark's... I don't know where he is. He's still not  speaking to me, though. I really blew it with him," she  said sadly. "And... oh, god, this is so ironic, and I  probably deserve it after the way I treated him, but... Oh,  Superman, I'm in love with him!"

She sniffed, and a tear fell, unbidden, onto her plate.

********

She was in love with Clark.

She was in love with... *him*. Him!

He wanted to shout, rush to her at once and hold her  tightly to himself, tell her who he was and that her  feelings were reciprocated, lift her off the ground and  whirl around in a dance before he joined his lips for a  kiss...

He remained seated at the table and stared at his hands.

Lois, his beautiful Lois, had confessed to Superman that  she was in love with Clark... and that she was hurt that  he'd turned his back on her. And even though she tried to  conceal her tears, he couldn't ignore them. Yet he felt  unable to stand up and wrap his arms around her. What sort  of comfort could he offer when he was the cause of her  sorrow?

He looked up at her, guilt-stricken, and was about to offer  an apology and an explanation when she spoke again.

"You must think I'm unstable, going from one man to another  like that. Declaring my love to you, almost marrying  another one, and finally realising that I love a third one.  Oh no, don't try to spare me," she added when he shook his  head mutely. "I sound shallow even to myself."

"You're not shallow."

"And yet you claimed I was."

He hadn't! He most certainly hadn't claimed she was  shallow! Thought it, maybe... for a few hours. But he'd  blamed himself for even letting the idea tempt him.

"When I confessed my feelings," she explained, and he could  see that she was more exasperated than upset now.

"I meant what I said." He knew that he sounded defensive,  but he couldn't help it. "I shouldn't have been that blunt,  though."

"The meaning was the same, Superman." Tears had been  replaced by a glint of pent-up anger. "Blunt or not, you  wouldn't believe that my feelings for you were genuine."

Okay. He had indeed said that. "And I was right."

"A moot point!"

He rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Lois, you're so..."

She fixed him with quirked eyebrows. "So what?" she  prompted defiantly when he trailed off. "Right? Correct?  Accurate? Spot on?"

"Exasperating!"

"And you're so aggravating, Clark!"

He gasped. She knew. How did she know? How *could* she  know? And when had she discovered who he really was?

"Superman, I meant Superman," she corrected hurriedly,  apparently oblivious to the sweat pearling on his forehead.  "Gee, sometimes you sound so like him that it's hard to  know who I'm talking to."

A slip of the tongue? Could it really be just that? Or was  she trying to cover up an unintentional revelation? Could  she know about his secret and be keeping her knowledge to  herself? And why?

He realised that she was fixing him intently, and squirmed  under her inquiring gaze. Something was dawning in her  eyes, and he held back a wince as he anticipated the  upcoming explosion.

It didn't come.

But when she finally spoke, the strained calmness of her  voice made every muscle in his body tense.

"Clark?"

*********

It was amazing how equally annoying Clark and Superman  could be. No wonder she'd called him by her best friend's  name, when he was making the same type of patronising  comment that could come right out of Clark's mouth. He'd  gasped loudly, and she had been jolted out of the tirade  that she'd prepared so carefully.

But as she corrected her mistake with a blush, feeling  self-conscious at having spoken to Superman so carelessly,  she frowned upon the raw fear on his face. It was an  expression that was so out of place for a man who  challenged the greatest dangers on a daily basis. But  calling him Clark had made his face so pale that she'd  wondered if he wasn't about to faint. She'd been ready to  blame it on the Kryptonite, but his quick recovery had  coincided with her correction, and suddenly the wheels were  turning in her mind, faster for her to stop a disturbing  memory from entering her mind.

<I'm sorry, Mom, Dad...>

<You have parents?>

He hadn't replied. He'd drifted back to unconsciousness,  and she'd promptly forgotten about the incongruous  revelation. Until now. Until an idea that seemed so utterly  farfetched that anyone would laugh about it if she voiced  it aloud formed at the back of her mind.

<Lois, there are things you don't know about me. Things you  may never know.>

<I have been in love with you for a long time.>

<If you were an ordinary man, leading an ordinary life, I  could love you just the same!>

<I wish I could believe you. But under the circumstances, I  don't see how I can.>

God. Oh, God... It couldn't be! It *could* not be!

She blinked, willing the dreadful fantasy which she already  knew was the truth to go away. But the man sitting at her  breakfast table, the angle of his jaw so very familiar, his  hair ruffled and his brown eyes gentle, wasn't only the  superhero who had swept her off her feet with a dream-like  flight on the first day of his arrival.

He wasn't only the man she'd looked up to, the man who had  made her believe that there was hope in this world, the man  who had brought that very same hope with every rescue he  performed.

Why hadn't he told her? Why had he let her make such a fool  of herself, so many times?

In the unsure expression now plastered on his face, an  expression which looked incongruous on the visage of the  man in the blue and red costume and yet was so typically  Clark, she could also see a man whom she'd treated with  contempt and superiority and yet who hadn't turned his back  on her like anyone else would have, a man who had opened  her heart to friendship and... and love.

Love.

"Clark?"

"Lois... what...?"

Now that she'd spoken, he looked panicky. As if he was  about to turn and run any second. As if he was terrified  that she was going to scream at him, or rant and rave, or  tear him limb from limb.

And, she had to admit, these would have been distinct  possibilities - had she not seen the look on his face, and  had she not just forcibly confronted her attitude towards  Clark in both his guises.

If he had deceived her, she hadn't exactly behaved  perfectly either, had she?

She'd been so appallingly shallow. She'd rejected the best  friend she'd ever had, the man she'd realised, too late,  that she was in love with, in favour of a caped Superhero  she barely knew, and then in favour of a man she'd  discovered too late was a master criminal.

"Lois, I... uh...I... I'm not really sure what to..." Clark  said, clearly fumbling for words. She glanced up at him  again; his expression was miserable and in his awkward gaze  she could see that he expected her to be angry.

How well he knew her! That was her all over, wasn't it:  quick to anger, jumping to conclusions on, sometimes, quite  flimsy evidence. Always convinced that she was right and  that disagreements or misunderstandings were someone else's  fault. Oh yes, she'd learned a number of lessons about  herself over the past day - well, really over the past few  weeks.

She'd been so angry at Clark and the others for abandoning  her. Yet she'd never stopped to think *why* they'd walked  away; why they didn't keep in touch and why they didn't  want to come to her wedding. Finding out that Clark had  been right about Lex all along, and that Perry and Jimmy  and Jack had felt the same way, had been one of the factors  causing her to reassess her behaviour, but not the only  one.

It had finally dawned on her what a lousy friend she'd been  to everyone. She'd been the one who had walked away, not  everyone else. She'd abandoned them. She'd made it clear by  her actions - going to work at LNN, getting engaged to Lex  Luthor - that she'd moved on. She hadn't made any attempt  to find out what any of the Planet's former news team were  up to, or even whether they were okay. She'd made a couple  of half-hearted attempts to stay in touch with Clark, that  was true - but she'd completely failed to appreciate the  depth of his pain. Jack, typically blunt, had pointed that  out to her the previous evening when, Superman fast asleep  in her apartment, she'd called the young former gofer, who  was staying at Perry's Metropolis home with Jimmy.

She'd hurt Clark, Jack had said harshly. So why couldn't  she just leave him alone so that he could get over it? Move  on, start a new life and forget her?

It was no wonder that he wasn't expecting anything other  than coldness or anger from her.

And, now that she thought about it, it was no wonder that  he hadn't told her before.

Why should he? Considering the way she'd treated him as  Clark, and the way she'd fawned over Superman, it was a  wonder that he'd even wanted to be her friend. And, now  that she knew the true identity of the man she'd thrown  herself at in this very apartment mere weeks earlier, it  was no wonder that Clark had been desperately hurt... no  wonder that Superman had spoken so coldly and insultingly.

She needed to be a better friend than she had been in the  past. She *could* be a better friend.

Getting to her feet, she crossed to stand beside Clark, who  was now gazing down at the table and his unfinished  breakfast. He gave her a quick glance from under his  lashes, and she gained the impression that he wished he  could simply fly off without a word.

What an indictment of her own behaviour!

"Clark," she said softly, putting her hand on his shoulder.  "We need to talk."

He sighed deeply. "I guess we do. Uhh..." He got to his  feet and turned to face her, his expression solemn. "How  did you figure it out?"

Lois shrugged, giving him a wry smile. "I guess I finally  remembered that I am an investigative reporter."

"Ah." Clark smiled slightly, but his tone was still unhappy  as he continued. "You never really did try very hard to  investigate me, did you? I know I've made so many mistakes,  slip-ups, over the past year - there were lots of times  that I was terrified you'd figure it out."

"Don't remind me!" she said ruefully. "The story of a  lifetime was right under my nose all along, and I missed  it."

Too late, she saw the sudden alarm on Clark's face.  Hastily, she grabbed at his arm. "Clark, no! I wouldn't...!  Well, I might have in the beginning, but not now! I know  what it would mean for you," she assured him quickly. "Your  secret is safe with me."

"Thank you, Lois," he said quietly. "Uh... I guess I have a  lot of explaining to do. And that you want to yell at  me..."

"Clark, I don't," she said, interrupting.

"You don't?"

Lois shook her head. "I think I understand why you didn't  tell me before. And a lot of other things, too. I haven't  exactly been the kind of friend to you that you've been to  me, Clark. And that makes me pretty ashamed."

Suddenly his hands were on her shoulders and he was looking  down at her, a familiar, warm expression in his eyes.  "Lois, you've been a great friend to me in ways you don't  even realise. There wouldn't even be a Superman if it  wasn't for you. Don't ever sell yourself short!"

"There wouldn't?"

Clark shook his head, his eyes now dancing with amusement.  "No way. But I'll tell you all about that later. Right  now..." He hesitated, biting his lip, and his expression  became unsure again. "You said something a while back...  Lois, did you mean it? You... love... me?"

What had she done to him? A memory flashed into her mind,  from their first week working together. They'd been working  late one night, and there'd been a moment when the  atmosphere had been thick with sexual tension. He'd given  her a steady, openly admiring look, and she'd known that he  was on the point of turning the conversation even more  personal - or maybe even trying to kiss her. And then a day  or two later he'd actually asked her out. On both occasions  she'd slapped him down pretty thoroughly, but he'd  certainly shown confidence in his approaches to her.

Now, though, he was acting as if he expected to be  rejected. As if he couldn't believe that she could possibly  love him.

What had she done to him? Just what sort of person had Lois  Lane become?

"Yes, I love you, Clark," she said quietly. "More than I  ever knew I could love anyone. I know I don't deserve you,  but is there any hope that you might love me back?"

*********

She was asking him to love her back! Clark thought his  heart would burst with joy. Finally, finally, he'd got what  he'd been pining for all these months. Loving Lois from  afar, knowing that she didn't return his feelings, had been  sheer torture. And now, a few hours after he'd thought he  had lost her for good, seen her married to another man, she  was closer to him than she'd ever been before.

She loved him.

*Loved* him.

He closed his eyes and savoured the moment, wishing that he  could commit every detail of it to memory. He wanted to  remember all his life this precise second, when everything  had changed for Lois and him.

"Any hope, Lois?" he said huskily, his joy barely  restrained. "Don't you remember what I told you six weeks  ago?"

She lowered her head and flinched. "I wouldn't blame you  for changing your mind."

He reached for her hand. "There are some things that can  never change. That will never change. The way I love you is  like that, Lois," he assured her softly. "My love is  forever. Because... because it just is. I've loved you  since the first day I saw you. And I've hoped, longed that  some day you'd feel the same about me."

"But that's just it, Clark. You're so sure that you love  me, that you will *always* love me. And me, I'm so unstable  that I can't even rely on my own common sense to be sure  that my feelings for you are as real as yours for me."

He could tell from the way she looked at him and the slight  tremor in the words rushing out of her mouth that her fears  couldn't be soothed in a heartbeat. He wanted forever with  Lois, but it would probably take time for her to see that  her problems with relationships in the past weren't her own  fault. She needed time. And he wouldn't give up. Someday,  very soon, he vowed silently, she would be more confident,  and whatever she decided about them, she wouldn't regret  it. Squeezing her hand gently, he took half a step closer  to her.

"I'm not going to propose," he said as he gently tugged her  into the circle of his arms. Then he added with a wink,  "Not yet anyway."

She smiled, but her body didn't relax against his. "Good. I  think I won't want to talk about marriage for some time  after yesterday. Speaking of which," she hurried on before  he could reply, "Lex is under arrest. Perry and Jimmy  brought every single piece of evidence they had against him  to the police. I think we won't hear from him for a while.  Thanks to you."

"Lois..."

"They told me you'd pretty much organised the  investigation."

"That's not exactly true. Lois..."

"Some reporter I am, huh? You were right all along, Clark.  I should have investigated Lex as soon as I first met him.  The Planet would still be there if I'd looked a little  beyond the exterior and - "

He reached up to cradle her face in his palms. "Lois," he  said softly. "Stop talking."

Listening to her, he had suspected that she would gladly  talk for ever about the details of Luthor's arrest, if it  would save her from an intimate conversation with him. That  was his Lois, all right - so afraid of her own emotions, of  taking a chance, that she hid behind things which didn't  matter.

But this time he was determined not to let her.

It wasn't as if he'd be imposing his will on her, after  all, he reasoned: she'd just told him that she loved him  too.

So maybe this was the moment to act a little more  decisively... the way he wished he'd acted that day in the  park.

He kissed her, his lips covering hers tentatively, but  quickly becoming confident. She received his kiss  passively...

Maybe she didn't love him after all? The thought came into  his mind with the force of a flood of iced water, and he  almost let go of her.

Maybe she just didn't want him the way he wanted her?

But then she clung to him, and he had his answer. Her arms  came up to slide around his neck, her fingers tangling in  his hair. And suddenly, with a soft moan, her lips parted  beneath his, and she was kissing him back with a passion  and intensity he'd only dreamed of.

Her hands slid down his chest and pushed him back against  the counter, catching him off guard. Deliciously trapped by  her slender body, he let her explore him with gentle,  unhurried movements. Their kiss ended on a mutual sigh, and  they kept their arms around each other as they cooled down.

Frustration and relief battled in Clark's mind as he tried  to control the erratic beating of his heart. Kissing Lois  went beyond anything he'd let himself fantasise about. He  wasn't sure he could have stopped the encounter at that if  she hadn't ceased the torturing caress of her lips against  his.

She yawned against the side of his neck, and he remembered  that she hadn't mentioned getting any sleep last night. She  had probably stayed by his side all night, catering to his  every mumbled wish.

"Lois, you need to rest. I won't even ask if you managed to  get any sleep since yesterday."

"A little. Enough to wonder what went through my mind when  I bought those sofas of mine."

He chuckled, remembering the few nights he had spent at  Lois's apartment. Floating had seemed less of a risk than  breaking his back against the uncomfortable cushions of her  loveseats.

"Go to bed, then. I should go home." He didn't want to. He  wanted to stay with her and never let her go. He wanted to  hold her and kiss her again. He tightened his arms around  her.

She raised her head from his shoulder and looked him in the  eye, but didn't pull away. "It would be more...  reasonable," she said, though he heard the reluctance in  her words.

"And we're going to be reasonable." He willed himself to be  firm, but knew that he was failing when she grinned and  playfully kissed the side of his mouth.

"You know, reasonable isn't something I'm very good at."

"And you've spent the past year corrupting me."

"Did I succeed?"

"Oh! Masterfully." He grew serious again. "Lois, don't take  this the wrong way, but would you let me stay? Not for what  you think, but just to hold you?"

She didn't answer him immediately, and he feared that he'd  said the wrong thing, that he'd scared her, that he'd  already lost her. He dropped his arms from her waist.  "Lois, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I guess I  can't - "

"Clark, I want you to stay."

" - control my feelings for you and I guess that the past  few weeks made me even more aware of how empty my life  would be if I lost you... What?"

"I want you to stay," she repeated.

"You want me to stay?"

"Please. If you want to, that is. I know it's not exactly  fair to you, but - "

He cupped her cheek and smiled tenderly at her. "Lois, I  don't feel ready to take such a big step either. Even if  part of me wants to throw caution to the wind."

She covered his hand with her own and dropped a kiss on his  palm. "Me too. But it feels right. Loving you feels right."

Together, hand in hand, they moved back into the bedroom.  They paused beside the bed, just a little awkward, though  even that felt right to Clark. After all, he knew  instinctively that sharing a bed with a man wasn't  something Lois did very often either.

She disappeared into the bathroom, leaving him to change  into the oversized T-shirt she'd found for him; ten minutes  later, they were lying side by side in her large bed. The  distance between them was perhaps a few inches, but even  that was far too great. Clark slid towards Lois, tugging  her gently into his arms; she responded by snuggling up to  him and resting her head on this chest.

"Mmm... this is nice," she murmured, her voice sleepy but  happy.

"Nice doesn't begin to describe it," Clark assured her,  dropping a kiss on her forehead.

"Better than Lex's hospitality, huh?" Lois teased, but then  she fell abruptly silent. No doubt remembering what a  narrow escape she'd had, Clark reflected. It had to have  been a shock for her to discover just what her fiance was  capable of. But at least she'd found out before it was too  late. If she'd already married him... well, it didn't bear  thinking of.

He'd had a narrow escape himself - just twenty-four hours  earlier, he'd been huddled in that cage waiting to die. And  now, now he was lying in the arms of the woman he loved.

Blissful.

All his dreams come true.

And, he thought, gazing down at the woman he adored, who  was now fast asleep, there was even better to come.

The rest of their lives - together.

~ The End ~

Kaethel@wanadoo.fr wendy@lcfanfic.com January 2003

Table of Contents

The Prisoner

By Kaethel <Kaethel@wanadoo.fr> & Wendy Richards <wendy@lcfanfic.com>