Nemesis

By Georgia Walden

It was a typical spring morning in Metropolis. Traffic surged
through the streets, people crowded the sidewalks, and a playful
April breeze carried the sounds and smells of the city to every
one of its nine million inhabitants. The sun, obscured by clouds
promising a shower later in the day, broke through intermittently
and touched the windows of tall buildings, turning them into
walls of light. At the base of the most glittering skyscraper, a
group of smartly dressed men and women stood and watched as Mayor
Perry White snipped a ribbon that hung across the entrance.
Photographers and a TV crew from GBS recorded the moment, while a
few print journalists, looking bored, took notes.

"It is with great pride and pleasure that I officially dedicate
this magnificent building, Lex Tower. May it always stand as a
symbol of the contributions its owner and namesake has made to
our city. Ladies and gentleman - Mr. Lex Luthor!"

The mayor kept his professional politician's smile firmly in
place as the small, but very select crowd applauded his words.
The television camera followed Lex Luthor as he stepped forward
to shake Perry's hand. He smiled modestly, but inwardly he was
feeling the elation of a man who had realized a lifelong dream.
These people were the social elite, the old money and the rising
stars of Metropolis, and they were here to acknowledge what he
had always known. Lex Luthor was a man destined for greatness,
and before he was through, everyone in the world was going to
know it too.

"Thank you, Mayor." Lex noted that Perry White's smile didn't
reach his eyes, but at the moment, he didn't care what some minor
political hack thought of him. Lex knew he could make or break a
thousand mayors, but not today. He continued, "Not only does this
building, Lex Tower, takes its place in the record books as the
tallest building in Metropolis, but I also have the satisfaction
of knowing that many thousands of people were provided with work
during its construction. The companies that will use its offices,
the restaurants, shops, and all the ancillary businesses that
will keep it running, will employ many more for years to come.
This is what I want - to be a part of what makes Metropolis the
greatest city in the world."

The crowd applauded again with even more enthusiasm, and Lex's
smile widened as he looked at each face beaming at him with
admiration. His gaze traveled from one to another, coming to a
halt at a face that wasn't beaming - that wasn't looking at him
at all, for that matter. His eyes chilled with recognition, but
his smile didn't waver. There was one person in Metropolis who
didn't think Lex Luthor was the most superior being on the
planet, but he had plans to change that, and soon.

At Perry's insistence, Lois had accompanied him to the dedication
ceremony but she wondered for the umpteenth time why he really
wanted her there. She couldn't write speeches, and she had no
patience for protocol. She was an excellent researcher when the
subject interested her, but she suspected it was all just an
excuse for Perry to keep her close and give her something to do.
But building dedications, she thought, give me a break. Her
attention had wandered when Luthor had made his little speech -
she knew boilerplate when she heard it. The man was supposedly a
shark in business; she vaguely recalled his name coming up in her
investigations over three years ago, but if he wanted everyone in
Metropolis to think he was a great philanthropist, fine. Perry
had said Luthor wanted to meet her, and this ceremony was a
perfect opportunity, but right now, she had more important
matters on her mind. Clark was getting together the Planet's
material on her weapons sales story, and was supposed to meet her
for lunch to get started on the investigation into her African
"adventure."

Lois smiled to herself. Clark. No matter what she was doing,
somehow her thoughts always seemed to come back to him. She'd
said she wanted to try dating, and he'd taken her at her word.
For two weeks he had called her at City Hall every day, asked her
out for lunch, or dinner - whenever she was free. He didn't often
manage to stay for the whole meal, most times only making it back
in time to share her dessert. They had gone to a couple of movies
and baseball games, and had even seen the end of one of each. The
best evenings were when they stayed in, watching videos, eating
popcorn, and talking, though Clark usually got called away for a
while. Clark was always so anxious when he had to leave, and
tried to get back as quickly as he could. He didn't say so, but
she could tell he was worried about her reaction to all the
interruptions. Though she hadn't told him all the intimate
details, he knew she'd been abandoned more than once by a man
she'd trusted, beginning with her father. Flowers arrived daily,
signed only with the initials C.K.; she suspected they were
apology bouquets. She really ought to tell him they weren't
necessary. It wasn't the leaving that had upset her most about
the men in her past - it was the not coming back.

"And now, friends," Lex was continuing, "let's go inside and I'll
give you a first look at my greatest accomplishment." With a
flourish of his hand, he motioned the mayor and his entourage
through the doors and into the enormous lobby of the building.
Lois hung back, leaving Perry and Jack to handle the polite
oohing and ahhing, but she was unwillingly impressed with the
luxurious decor. The marble and steel had been softened with
plush carpets and real plants, and a mixture of artwork -
impressionist paintings and modern sculptures - filled the space
with color and texture.

Lex murmured something into Perry's ear, and the mayor nodded. He
turned to search the crowd, finding her and motioning her over,
but before she could start toward them, there was a whooshing
sound behind her.

A flash of red and blue flickered in her peripheral vision, and
just like that, Clark was there beside her, straightening his
sober blue-striped tie, and adjusting his glasses. He grinned at
her, and what had been a very dull morning brightened. She smiled
back.

"Hi. Sorry I'm late - train derailment up the coast. I saw it on
TV just as I was leaving the Planet. No deaths, thank goodness,
but it took a while to clean up the mess. Are you about finished
here?" He looked at the crowd of people milling around the lobby,
their chatter a mere well-bred hum in the high-ceilinged room.
Lex and Perry were now posing for photographs in front of one the
sculptures. It looked remarkably like a piece of the train
wreckage he had just left. "That story should knock this little
Luthor love-fest off the front page," he added with a slight edge
to his voice.

"Well, for you, that almost qualifies as character
assassination," Lois said with surprise. "Not that I disagree,
but Luthor seems like a typical, if unusually successful,
businessman to me. What's he done to get your attention?"

"Nothing." Clark shoved his hands into his coat pockets, and
shrugged at her doubtful expression. "Really. He's done nothing
at all, and I've only met him once - about two years ago, at a
party Lana dragged me to." He winced inwardly at the mention of
Lana, but Lois seemed unperturbed. He sighed. Most women, if they
were seriously interested in a man, would be at least a little
jealous of an ex-fiancee. At least he thought so, but what he
didn't know about women would fill an encyclopedia. "Luthor was
hosting a charity campaign - Metropolis Children's Fund, all very
praise-worthy, but he seemed, I don't know, a little too smooth
to me. He'd appeared out of nowhere, no one knew anything about
his background, just that he had a lot of money. Lex Luthor is a
man with no past, no real friends or allies in Metropolis, yet a
major part of the city's economic success is directly dependent
on him. When Tempus showed up last year the whole city turned
into an armed camp and he seemed to fade into the background. Not
a supporter, but not on Perry's team, either. Then boom, Tempus
is taken out, Perry gets elected, and Lex Luthor is suddenly the
most influential man in town. It just makes me uneasy."

"Boom, Tempus is taken out?" Lois giggled at the offhand
description of one of the most traumatic events of his life.
Clark smiled at the sound. He loved it when she did that.

BOOM! The sound of an explosion was still reverberating as Lois
found herself out of the lobby, and across the street, pressed
between a wall and Clark Kent. For a moment his body curved
protectively around her, his cheek pressed against her hair.
Through the ringing in her ears, she heard him say, "Stay put,"
and then he was gone. She stared across at the entrance to Lex
Tower. Smoke billowed through the gleaming glass and brass doors
standing open. Perry, Lex, all the people who had been in the
lobby stumbled out into the street, coughing and shaken but
unhurt, followed at last by Superman. The Chief of Police, who
had been an invited guest, was already giving orders to the men
who had accompanied him. They scattered into the surrounding area
quickly. One uniformed officer, who had been on traffic detail
outside the building, pulled out a notebook and began questioning
Superman. Lois started across the street. If she didn't move
quickly, they would have the site closed off, and she wanted to
find out what had happened. Stay put, indeed!

Clark sighed when Lois stationed herself at his elbow and smiled
brightly at the officer.

"Lois, we've just had a bomb explode here. I don't think there's
any danger - but I only had time for a quick sweep inside.
Couldn't you please wait a little further away?" The policeman
waited for Lois's response with a slightly amused expression.

"No. I couldn't. What happened? Could you tell what kind of
explosive it was? Street crime and gang violence have been on the
decrease; are you sure it was a bomb, and not some accidental
thing? Who would want to bomb Lex Tower? Or was it the people,
not the building who were the target? It doesn't look like anyone
was hurt. A warning of some kind, maybe?"

The policeman looked back at Superman expectantly. Clark frowned
repressively at Lois, but the corner of his mouth had kicked up
slightly and his eyes were warm with affection as he looked down
at her. "Lois, take a breath. I was just telling Officer Ray here
- "

"Lois, honey, are you all right?" Perry joined them, trailed by
Jack, a bodyguard, and Lex Luthor. Perry looked anxious and
disheveled. The only sign that Luthor had been within feet of a
bomb exploding were a few flecks of dust on the sleeve of his
perfectly tailored two thousand dollar suit.

"I'm fine, Perry - Superman whisked me out of harm's way," she
reassured him. "I'm just trying to get a fix on what happened
here."

"As am I, Miss Lane," Lex interjected smoothly, moving a step
closer, and glancing at Perry with a lift of his eyebrow.

"Oh, ah, Lois - this is Lex Luthor. Lex, Lois Lane, best reporter
who ever worked for me - no offense, Superman - now my personal
assistant. She's like a member of my family, Lex," Perry added,
and Clark narrowed his eyes at the emphatic tone. Lex had taken
both of Lois's hands in his, and was gazing at her intently.
Clark cleared his throat and edged a little closer to Lois. His
hand trailed casually down her back, and he could hear her
heartbeat accelerate in response to his touch. She leaned back
into his hand as she spoke and he smiled slightly at the hint of
breathlessness in her voice.

"How do you do, Mr. Luthor. You seem to have attracted more than
the media to your little ceremony this morning." Her words were
punctuated by the noisy arrival of a fire engine and two more
police cars.

"I've always had a taste for the dramatic, Miss Lane, not unlike
yourself, though this was perhaps just a little over the top,
even for me," Lex replied, with a self-deprecating smile. "Perry
has told us all about you, and I've seen your picture, but it
failed to do your beauty justice." Lex lifted Lois's hand and
kissed it, never taking his eyes from hers. Lois stared back, and
Clark felt her tension through the hand he still held pressed to
the small of her back. The short silence was finally broken by
Lex. He flicked a glance at Clark. "You were on the scene. Were
you perhaps distracted by something, or...someone...and didn't
hear the bomb in time? Or was this one just a little too large
for you to... er, swallow."

Clark ignored the sneer in Lex's voice, and replied evenly,
"There was nothing to hear, Mr.Luthor. Until the blast itself, of
course. A small amount of plastic explosive, a detonation device
triggered by remote control would be my guess - but we'll have to
wait for the forensics report."

"Yes, of course," Lex turned back to Lois, apparently dismissing
the subject. "Miss Lane. Lois, if I may. I hope you'll be
attending the formal ball here Friday evening. The mayor and all
his staff were invited. The damage to the lobby should be
repaired by then. I refuse to let anything spoil the inauguration
of the Lex Tower ballroom, and it would be even more special if
you agree to give me the first dance."

Lois laughed a little nervously, withdrawing her hands. "Thank
you, Mr. Luthor - Lex. I'd already planned to attend. With Mr.
Kent." Lois looked back over her shoulder at Clark, and he
immediately responded to the "Back me up" message in her eyes.

"That's right, Mr. Luthor. We'll both be there. Perhaps by then,
we'll have some information about what happened this morning. I
plan to give the matter my undivided attention."

Lex nodded, and for a flash, the look he gave Clark was one of
cold dislike. "Well, then, Mr. Kent. I'm sure we all have nothing
to fear. Not with ...Superman on the job." With a charming smile
for Lois, and an abrupt lift of his hand to Perry, he left.

"Well, that was...interesting," Clark said slowly. He turned Lois
to face him. "You have a burning desire to dance with Lex Luthor?
I thought he was just a typical businessman."

"I'm not sure what he is, Clark. But one way to find out is to
cultivate his acquaintance. He seems to like me, don't you
think?" She slanted a look at him from under her lashes.

"Too much, if you ask me," he muttered, but she just continued to
look up at him. He squeezed her shoulders, and then surrendered
with a little huff of laughter. "Oh, all right. I guess it won't
do any harm to go to this party, if you really want to.
Just..don't encourage him, okay? We can find out what we need to
know with good old-fashioned research. Right, Perry?"

Perry had been watching the scene with a worried frown, but he
dredged up a smile at Clark's words. "Sure, son. No substitute
for legwork and research."

"Exactly!" Lois beamed. "Legwork is just what I had in mind. Do
you own a tux, Clark? I think you'd look gorgeous in a tux." She
patted his cheek and turned to Perry. "Clark and I need to get
started on this bomb story right away, Chief. You don't need me
at City Hall - I'm taking a salary under false pretenses.
Besides, I'm bored out of my mind there, and Clark has so much to
do already. I'll help him write up the eyewitness stuff for the
evening edition, and then we can start digging into background.
If someone doesn't like Lex Luthor, besides Clark," she shot him
a mischievous look, "I'd like to know why. This could be the
story that gets me my job back at the Planet."

Perry sighed and nodded. "Go ahead. I couldn't stop you even if I
wanted to, and heaven knows, I understand how you feel. How I
ever let Alice and Olsen talk me into goin' into politics, I'll
never know. Anyhow, if you're with Superman, I guess you can't
get into too much trouble. Right?" Perry motioned to the young
men who had been hovering discreetly in the background, and one
of them signaled to a waiting limousine. Perry leaned forward and
kissed Lois on the cheek. "Be careful, honey," he whispered.
"You've got two very powerful men lookin' at you like you hung
the moon. Even without bombs, that's an explosive situation."

"Don't worry, Perry," Lois murmured. "I'm only looking back at
one of them, and his suits don't come from Savile Row."

Perry chuckled and with a final wave walked to the curb and
entered his car.

The policeman who had been questioning Clark reclaimed their
attention. "I guess I'd better get back to the precinct to type
up my report, Superman. If you find out anything more about the
explosion, we'd appreciate it if you shared the information with
us - *before* you and Miss Lane put it in the Daily Planet."

"And you'll do the same for us, won't you, Officer?" Lois put in
before Clark could answer. "Share and share alike?"

"Come on, Lois, let's go. I promised you lunch, how do you feel
about Italian?" Clark asked with a grin. He nodded to the
policeman. "I'll - *we'll* be in touch."

Officer Ray watched as Superman lifted Lois Lane into his arms,
and began rising slowly into the air. When they were several
hundred feet above the sidewalk, he wrapped his cape around her,
and darted up and out of sight. The officer shook his head in
wonder. The lady acted as though being flown around by a guy in
tights was as normal as taking a cab. Ah, why should he be
surprised? After all, this was *Metropolis*.

***

"You incompetent fool! You assured me that your carefully planted
charges would only topple the sculpture, and that it would fall
*exactly* where I wanted it to. Your stupid miscalculations
almost got *me* killed and completely missed the target! Not to
mention the costs of repairing the lobby. You're fired,
Josephson." Lex listened for a moment to the voice on the other
end of the telephone. "The balance of your pay? Don't be absurd.
You completely bungled the job. I suggest you get out of
Metropolis and stay out." Lex broke the connection and pressed
the button to switch to another line.

"Prepare the standard termination contract for Mr. Josephson. I
believe he can be found at the Cozy Moments Motel." Lex's voice
dropped to a gentle murmur, no trace of his former anger left.
"Don't waste any time, he won't be there long. Yes, I'm sure you
do understand, my dear. That's why I pay you an obscenely large
salary - for your understanding."

Lex pushed back his chair abruptly and crossed to the large
window to stare out at the city. The sight of Metropolis so far
beneath him never failed to give him a thrill of pleasure. There
was a rap on the door. Felice, his personal assistant, strolled
in, a cool self-satisfied smile on her face. She was a statuesque
brunette with the glossy perfection of a haute couture model.

"The matter is taken care of, Lex. I'll send the usual fee to
Jonas as soon as I receive confirmation of Josephson's
"departure." Is there anything else?"

Lex didn't turn around. "No, Felice, that will be all - no,
wait." He whirled on his heel. "Dismiss my driver. I'm taking the
Jag out for a little run. I won't be needing you or anyone else
for the rest of the day."

Felice nodded and left the office. Lex strode to the door leading
to his private elevator with a slight lift of his spirits.
Perhaps some time behind the wheel of his newest toy would
distract him from this morning's setback.

***

Clark balanced a large pizza box, a white bag, and a bottle of
wine and dug into his coat pocket for his key. As he opened the
door, the bag slipped from under his arm. In a move too quick for
the human eye to follow, he caught it and clamped the top between
his teeth. Lois stood beside him, her arms filled with file
folders, thick with clippings and computer printouts.

"My hero," she said with an exaggerated sigh, and laughed at his
mock frown. "We could have sent out for pizza, you know. It
wasn't necessary for you to fly to Rome for it."

Clark considered her comment, and then shook his head. "Nope, I
promised you Italian for lunch, and Italian it is." He smiled and
added, "I spent so many years not using my powers except in
emergencies, trying to keep a low profile. I'm kinda getting a
kick out of indulging myself now. And you."

His eyes held hers for a moment, and the warmth in them was
palpable. Her skin heated in response and she took a step
forward, then stopped.

"Oh, no, you don't, Clark Kent. We're here to work, remember. We
filed the bomb story and now we're going to start reviewing these
notes. Somewhere in this stuff has got to be a clue. Something I
missed before."

They had entered Clark's apartment while Lois was speaking, and
Clark began to lay out their lunch on the small table in front of
the window. The authentic Italian pizza was still hot, and Lois
sniffed at it appreciatively before dropping her armload onto the
sofa. She went into the kitchen area, and opened the cabinet
where the dishes were kept. Clark rummaged in the utensil drawer,
finally bringing out the corkscrew. He began opening the wine.

"Lois, are you absolutely sure that what happened to you in the
Congo was connected to your story? It's a dangerous spot - maybe
you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. And you said
yourself that everything is pretty hazy. You were in a coma a
long time, some memory loss is normal with that kind of trauma."
The thought of Lois bludgeoned and left for dead in a wilderness
gave Clark a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. What if she
hadn't survived? What if she'd survived but hadn't remembered
Metropolis was her home? God, what if he'd never met the other
Lois and had married Lana? He gave the corkscrew a savage twist
at the thought. He refused to even consider *that* possibility.

"I don't remember everything, but I do know what my attacker
said. I was lying there, and I guess he thought I was dead, or
near it. He was going through my bag, and my pockets, and taking
everything that could identify me, I suppose, in case my body was
found before the animals finished me off. And he was talking."
Lois's voice was matter-of-fact, as though she were describing
something that had happened to someone else long ago. She took
the now open bottle and started pouring the wine as she spoke.
The sick feeling in Clark's stomach grew.

"He said - 'That'll teach you to keep your long reporter's nose
out of other people's business. Metropolis will be a lot better
off without your meddling.' That seems pretty unambiguous to me."
When Clark didn't answer immediately, Lois looked up from the
glass she was filling. She put down the bottle and went to him
with a little sound of concern.

"Oh, Clark, don't look like that." She brought his face down to
hers, and kissed him slowly and thoroughly. They were both
breathing a little heavily when she leaned back into his
encircling arms. "It's over, I survived. That's what matters, and
I don't want you to think about it any more. "*I'm* not going
to." She smiled. "But if we ever run into that guy, I have
definite plans for him."

Clark's smile in response was a little grim. "Yes. So do I."

Lois kissed him again, quickly this time, and stepped out of his
embrace. "Well, okay. You can hold him. I'll do the rest." Her
teasing glance over her shoulder was irresistible, and Clark
shook off his dark thoughts and joined her at the table. Somehow
Lois made living on the edge of disaster seem as normal as -
well, as normal as flying to Rome for pizza.

***

The parking garage was shadowed and quiet in the section reserved
by LexCorp for the owner's personal fleet of automobiles. Lex's
footsteps echoed as he approached the black XKE and unlocked it.
As he pulled on the handle to open the door, a man stepped out
from a concrete pillar on the far side of the car. He was short
and stocky, with a bald head, and a small dark beard that curved
around his mouth. His brown suit was well-tailored, but rumpled
and stained.

"Hiya, Mr. Luthor." The man grinned ingratiatingly. He had very
large, slightly yellowed teeth. "I was hopin' you'd be comin'
down soon to try out this beauty. You're a hard man to see - in
private, I mean."

"Why the melodrama? If you want to speak to me alone, you can
call my office for an appointment," Lex replied impatiently. "But
if you're looking for a handout, don't waste your time or mine."

He opened the door, and set his foot inside, preparatory to
sliding into the driver's seat. The man held up a manila
envelope, thrusting it at Lex.

"Take a look at this, Mr.Luthor," he said. "Then maybe you'll be
interested in what I got to say."

The man slid it across to Lex and he picked it up. It was very
light. He lifted the flap and turned it upside down. A photograph
clipped from a newspaper fluttered out and landed on the car's
roof. It was a familiar picture - Lex recognized the face
immediately. Tempus, that mysterious figure who had for a time
threatened to become the kingpin of Metropolis. The shot had been
taken during the confusing altercation in the GBS television
studio. Tempus was holding a rock in his hand, brandishing it at
a figure that lay on the floor, writhing in pain. Lex frowned at
the photograph. He knew what everyone else did about that day -
the rock had somehow been hurting Superman until the strange
woman who had claimed to be Lois Lane had tossed it into the
crowd.

Lex looked at the man. "And the point of this is...?"

"I know where the green rock is," he replied simply. "You
interested now?"

Expressionlessly, Lex stared at the news photo, and then at the
man. It was a scam, he thought. Someone had heard he was not...
happy about the arrival of Superman, and was trying to capitalize
on it. But what if it wasn't a lie? he thought with rising
excitement. What if this dirty little man knew something?

"Perhaps," Lex said non-committally. "Anyone can *say* they know
something. Do you have it with you?"

"Nah, I ain't that dumb." The bald man's large teeth showed
briefly in a cocky grin. "First we deal, then I bring it to
you."

Lex eyed him narrowly, and then shrugged. "How much?"

"Two hundred thousand, cash, and a promise you'll forget you ever
saw me."

"That seems a rather small sum to ask for such a unique item,"
Lex said. The man's answer was tinged with bitterness.

"The rock's worth nothin' to me, Mr.Luthor - all I want is to get
out of Metropolis without attracting anybody's attention,
especially Mr.-Almighty-Superman," he said, and Lex heard the
ring of truth in his words. "I been hidin' from the cops since
the boss disappeared. No one will hire me. My face was plastered
all over TV that night - I just want to get as far away from this
place as possible. And for that, I need money. So, are you
interested?"

"How do you come to have this rock"? Lex asked. "According to all
reports, it was confiscated by the police and sent to Star Labs
for study and safekeeping."

"Most of it was," the man agreed. "When the dame threw it away,
it broke into a bunch of pieces. The cops thought they had 'em
all, but I managed to pick up one in the confusion. I thought it
might come in handy sometime."

"So it's not the whole thing." Lex frowned. "That's
disappointing. Perhaps it's not worth two hundred thousand."

"It may not be big, but it's the only bit of that green rock that
ain't locked up tight, Mr. Luthor. And it could be all yours."

"I still need to see the item, Mr. ah -?" Lex was still cautious,
but there was something about this ridiculous creature's story
that seemed genuine. And if he was on the level, he was right.
That little bit of green rock represented unimaginable power in
the right hands. In *my*hands, he thought with savage
satisfaction.

"Johnny Domo," the man replied. "The boss used to call me *Major*
Domo - I dunno why. He'd laugh and say it was a "private joke" -
the boss was always sayin' stuff that didn't make any sense. I
didn't care. He paid real good and everything was goin' great
until that jerk in the tights showed up."

"The item, Mr. Domo?" Lex repeated sharply, and the man snapped
to attention at the tone of command.

"Right. Do we have a deal?" he asked, and at Lex's nod, Domo
grinned happily. "Can you get the money by tonight?"

"Yes," Lex said in sudden decision. "I can meet you back here at
midnight. Bring the rock and we'll make the exchange. Simple and
direct, agreed?"

"You bet," Domo said, and thrust out a grimy hand. "But not here.
We make the swap on my turf. Hobbs Bay, Dock 51."

Lex stared at him for a moment, ignoring the proffered hand. What
harm could it do to meet there? It had been a lot of years since
he'd skulked in the shadows of Suicide Slum near the river, but
he was still quite capable of taking care of himself. And if
there was even a small chance that he could obtain a weapon
against Superman - no risk was too great for that.

"Agreed. Hobbs Bay at midnight."

***

Lois groaned and flopped backwards onto Clark's couch. The floor
around her was covered with discarded files, and she threw
another one down onto the pile with a sound of disgust. Clark
looked up from the printout he was scanning.

"What?" he asked, but then, seeing her drawn expression, got up
from the kitchen table and sat down beside her on the couch.
"You're exhausted," he said, and began to massage her shoulders.
"Time for a break. You want some coffee, or something to eat?
There's cannoli left."

Lois let her head drop forward, and relaxed into the motion of
Clark's hands. "Mmmm, that feels wonderful," she murmured. "And,
no," she added, "I don't want any coffee, or cannoli, or to take
a break. I want to *find* something." Her tone was fretful, and
Clark bent and kissed the back of her neck.

"I know. And we will. But it's been hours and you're too tired to
see straight, so take a break, please, and then we'll start
again, when you've rested." His lips trailed across to the spot
where her neck curved into her shoulder, and then up behind her
ear, and Lois shivered at the sensation. She smiled and closed
her eyes, savoring the delicious uncoiling of tension in her
muscles and the rise of a different kind of tension in the wake
of Clark's touch.

"Just for a little while," she agreed, but then abruptly sat up
straighter, placing some distance between them. "I think I would
like some coffee after all," she said brightly, "and then let's
go over these company records again. I just know there's
something there I'm not seeing." Clark sighed. The yielding woman
who had melted against him had turned back into Lois Lane, Ace
Reporter, in the blink of an eye. And people called him a
quick-change artist, he thought wryly.

"Coffee coming up," he said, getting to his feet. Lois watched
him pour out two cups from the pot they had made earlier. He
lifted his glasses and stared intently down at the cups. Steam
began to rise and the aroma of warm coffee filled the room. He
brought the two cups to the couch and placed hers into her hands,
setting his down on the table in front of them. Dropping
cross-legged to the floor next to her, he picked up one of the
discarded files. It was labeled OFF-SHORE HOLDINGS. "What's
this?" he asked, flipping through the stack of papers inside.

"The weak link in any illicit operation is the point at which
money changes hands," Lois explained. "Off-shore companies are
often used as fronts for money laundering - these were the ones
I'd marked as particularly suspicious. Sudden shifts of large
sums for no clear reason, names on the official paperwork that
don't match up to actual people, that sort of thing."

"I'm impressed," Clark said sincerely. "But you came up empty?"

"I never finished checking into all of them. I had just put out
some feelers when I got a very solid lead from one of my sources
that led me to the African connection, and Perry agreed to the
Planet bankrolling a trip. The rest you know. I was followed from
the time I got off the plane. I never got a chance to even
*start* investigating."

Clark looked thoughtful. "Hmm, interesting - the sequence of
events, I mean. You start asking questions about these off-shore
companies, and suddenly get a tip that takes you halfway around
the world. And when you get there, you're met by a killer who
knows who you are and what you're doing." He handed Lois the
paper with the names of the companies. "Which one of these had
you been asking about?"

Lois stared at him, her expression of frustration gradually
giving way to appreciative understanding. "Clark, you're right.
That *was* awfully convenient, wasn't it? Let me see," she took
the list and scanned it quickly, "there were two or three good
possibilities, but the most likely was this one." She pointed
halfway down the page. "Theroxull, Ltd, - a holding company for a
group of foreign investors, identity unknown."

"Theroxull?" Clark looked at the name, and then laughed. "Lois,
don't you do anagrams?" he teased. "It could just be an amazing
coincidence, but that name would sure set off alarms for me."

"Anagrams? What - ?" Lois frowned down at the paper, and then her
eyes met Clark's with amazed delight. She launched herself at him
with a whoop. He grinned and caught her easily, easing backwards
until he lay flat on the floor with Lois sprawled on top of him.
She kissed him, and then crossed her arms on his chest. "Anagrams
- the arrogance of the man," she said, but she was smiling.

"It's not a crime to be arrogant, Lois," Clark reminded her.
"It's just a possibility to be checked out. There's no proof that
he's done anything except make a great deal of money he doesn't
want to report to the government."

"Maybe," Lois said thoughtfully, then suddenly stopped, with an
arrested expression. "But if he is the one, that throws a
different light on the explosion this morning. You say the amount
of explosive was small, the effect very localized. There was a
lot of broken glass, but nothing was really destroyed but that
hideous sculpture. Why?"

"Metropolis has an art critic that takes his work very
seriously?" Clark suggested, and Lois punched him lightly in the
chest.

"Idiot," she said. "Then why stop with one? The lobby was
littered with them. No, seriously, what was special about that
particular piece? Lex and Perry were being photographed near it,
he had just motioned me to come over, too. Luckily, you and I
were talking, or I might have been crushed when it fell."

There was a moment of charged silence, as they both considered
that, and then Clark said, in the tone of one who was trying to
convince himself, "There are easier ways of killing a person than
making a hunk of metal fall on them."

"True," Lois agreed. "But oh, Clark," she said, with an excited
wriggle, "I can't wait until Friday. I have a lot of questions
for Mr. Lex Luthor. I have a feeling this is a real breakthrough.
And so do you," she tapped him on the chest again, "don't you?"

Clark had a rather strained look on his face as he answered
tightly, "Yes, Lois - I definitely have a feeling."

Lois stilled as she realized what he meant. She blushed, but
didn't move. "I guess I should get up," she said quietly. "I
didn't mean to, that is, I wasn't - "

"It's okay, Lois," Clark said. "I understand. Sometimes things
just happen. No, don't get up, not yet," he said, when she began
to pull away from him. "I like just holding you, okay?"

Lois smiled a little mistily. "Okay." She laid her head on his
chest and relaxed against him once more. She really was tired,
she realized. His hands stroked reassuringly up and down her
back, and the soothing movements coupled with the steady thump of
his heartbeat in her ear soon lulled her to sleep.

***

The area was deserted when Lex arrived on foot at five minutes to
midnight. He had worn dark clothing, a wide-brimmed hat pulled
low over his forehead, and a black silk scarf wrapped high around
his throat. He slipped from shadow to shadow as quietly as the
street thief he had once been. He sensed movement in some of the
alleys and darkened doorways he passed, but no one accosted him.
Aside from the occasional rustle of a scurrying rat, the rhythmic
lap of water against the stone and wood of the dock was the only
sound. He stopped near the sign which identified Dock 51. Johnny
Domo emerged from an alley as soon as Lex halted at the water's
edge.

"Is that it, the money?" he asked eagerly, his eyes darting to
the small satchel Lex held in his left hand.

"Yes, Mr.Domo, it is indeed," Lex said smoothly. He opened the
bag to reveal the neat stacks of bills inside. "I've done my
part. It's your turn now."

Domo drew a jeweler's ring box from his pocket. He flipped back
the top and held it up slightly. A small irregularly shaped
sliver of green crystal lay on the velvet, barely visible against
the black. "It don't look like much," Domo said, "but when the
boss held it close to Superman, he went down like he was shot. He
had a pretty big chunk, though," he added warningly.

Lex stared at the unprepossessing bit of mineral. His mouth
curved with satisfaction. "Yes, I remember,' he said, and his
eyes gleamed with anticipation. "For what I have in mind, this
piece will do very well." He reached for the box, but Domo held
it just out of reach.

"The money, Luthor," and Lex nodded. He proffered the satchel
with one hand, and held out the other, palm up. The exchange was
made, and Lex tucked the small box into his right pocket. As soon
as Domo had the satchel, he turned to go. "A pleasure doin'
business with you, Mr.Luthor. Remember - you never heard of
Johnny Domo."

Lex smiled, and withdrew his gloved hand from the pocket in which
he had just placed the box. The nine-millimeter semi-automatic he
now held was pointed directly at Domo. He fired twice, and
reaching out, deftly caught the bag before Domo's lifeless body
hit the ground. Lex prodded it with the toe of his elegant shoe,
and then bent to roll the body over and into the waters of Hobbs
Bay. He tossed the gun in afterward, and stepped back.

"Never fear, Mr.Domo. I can assure you that neither I nor anyone
else will ever hear of you again." He chuckled, and swinging the
satchel jauntily, walked briskly away.

***

Lois stood in front of the full length mirror on the closet door,
and studied her reflection with a critical eye. The shimmering
black dress was simple, a plunging V-necked halter design. The
bodice was tight fitting; the skirt fell straight to the floor,
flaring a little at the bottom. The very high heels of her
slingbacked shoes emphasized the long sleek line even more. She
turned slowly, looking over her shoulder. The dress had no back
at all. She thought about dancing with Clark, his hand on her
bare skin, and smiled wickedly in anticipation.

There was a light tap, and Lois whirled and crossed to open the
bedroom door.

"Hi, Alice," she greeted the woman who stood outside, "come in
and tell me what you think. I can't make up my mind how to do my
hair."

Alice White stepped into the room and looked Lois up and down.
She was an attractive woman in her early fifties with ash blonde
hair and a voluptuous figure, but Lois seldom thought of Alice in
terms of her looks. When her husband had brought his newest and
youngest reporter home for dinner one evening, Alice had seen the
lonely girl beneath the brash exterior, and had treated her like
a daughter. Lois loved her.

"Lois, you look stunning. Even a Superman couldn't resist that
dress," Alice laughed. "Not that I've noticed Clark putting up
much resistance to you any time." She walked around Lois and
studied the effect from the back. "Hmm, I think you should wear
your hair up. Simple and sophisticated, like the dress, but with
a few wisps around the face. And these," Alice held up a pair of
earrings, "will be the perfect final touch."

Lois took the earrings with a cry of delight, and immediately
began to put them on. "Alice, do you mean it? Real diamonds - are
you sure Perry won't mind if I wear them? I remember when he
bought them for you - your twenty-fifth anniversary, wasn't it?"

Alice laughed again. "Of course he won't mind. Perry's so happy
to have you safely home - he'd probably give them to you if he
wasn't afraid of what I'd do."

Lois laughed with her. It was a standing joke in the White
household that big, blustery Perry was afraid of his wife. Lois
swept her hair off her neck, holding it in an untidy twist on top
of her head with one hand, and assessed the effect in the mirror.
Yes, Alice was right - with the dangling earrings, the hair
should definitely be up.

"Thank you, Alice. They *are* perfect," Lois said simply, and
then turned her attention to the older woman's appearance.
"You're looking very elegant yourself. I love that color on you."
Alice was in aquamarine silk that matched her eyes.

"Perry and I will be leaving soon, dear. Are you sure Clark is
going to pick you up? We'd be glad for you to ride to Lex Tower
with us in the official limousine. Perry claims not to enjoy the
pomp and circumstance of being mayor, but you know he'd love
making an entrance with two women on his arm."

Lois smiled but shook her head. "No, thanks. Clark promised he'd
be here, and barring an earthquake in China or something, he
will." Lois's smile faded, and she turned to Alice with a
thoughtful frown.

"Alice, do you think I'm crazy to get involved with someone like
Clark?"

"What do you mean, Lois, 'someone like Clark'?" Alice asked. At
Lois's stunned look, she added hastily, "I mean, I know he's an
amazing creature- literally one of a kind - but I still think of
him as that polite, quiet young man I first met."

Lois sat down at the mirrored vanity table, and began pinning up
her hair, but her expression was still thoughtful.

"Tell me about him," she urged. "It's hard to imagine him living
like that - hiding all the time. He must have been so lonely."

Alice sat down on the edge of the bed behind Lois. "Yes, he
probably was. But," she added acidly, "he did have Lana."

Lois wrinkled her nose. "Clark's mentioned her. You didn't like
her?"

"No, I didn't. Perry and I grew quite fond of Clark after he
began working at the Planet - you know how Perry is - his young
reporters are his children." Alice's voice trailed away, and she
seemed lost in memory. Lois waited. She knew about the son who'd
died long ago. When Alice got that faraway look on her face, she
was thinking of Jerry. After a moment, Alice went on. "Clark was
such a dear, but so self-contained. Now we know why, but at the
time, I just thought he was shy. And then Lana came home to
Metropolis. They'd known each other back in Kansas when they were
children, lost touch when her parents moved here, and then the
two of them attended college in different states. Clark seemed
pleased when Lana reappeared, but I always felt there was
something missing there. I can't say I was sorry she broke the
engagement. I thought Clark could do much better for himself,
even before I knew he was Superman." Alice smiled at Lois in the
mirror. "And he has."

Lois's answering smile was grateful, but fleeting. "There speaks
a very partial observer," she said wryly. "I wish I was as sure."
Lois turned away from the mirror and faced Alice. "He says he
wants to marry me. I never thought I'd be any good at marriage
with anyone, much less...well, someone like him. I just don't
know, Alice. Don't you think he needs a really special kind of
wife?"

Alice looked astonished. "Is this the Lois Lane I've known for
nearly ten years? The youngest Kerth Award winner in history? The
"never give up, never give in" Lois Lane who charges through life
demanding that things go her way?" Alice's mock surprise softened
to an affectionate smile. "I'd say you're very special."

"Alice! Aren't you ready yet?! The car's waiting, let's shake a
leg!" Perry's booming voice easily traveled up the curving
staircase to the second floor, and Alice stood, smoothing out her
skirt.

"I'm coming!" she called, and patted Lois on the shoulder as she
walked by her to the door. "We'll see you at the ball, dear. And
don't worry, I'm sure it will all work out. Just trust yourself,
and Clark."

Lois looked back into the mirror. Squaring her shoulders, she
lifted her chin just a bit, and smiled brilliantly. Alice was
right, she thought, this isn't like me. There's nothing I can't
handle if I set my mind to it. Including Mr.Clark Kent, AKA
Superman.

***

They were only a little late. Not an earthquake in China -
flooding in the Midwest, but Clark had managed to get home,
change to his tuxedo, and arrive on the doorstep of the mayor's
mansion by 8:30. The look on his face when she opened the door
was worth the small wait.

"Lois. You look," Clark's hands lifted in a helpless gesture,
"fantastic."

She smiled and reached out to smooth the pleats of his white
shirt. "Thank you. And you look just the way I thought you would.
Gorgeous."

She turned away to get her coat, and heard a gasp as Clark got
the full effect of her dress from the back. Suppressing a
satisfied grin, she handed him the coat, and he helped her into
it, lingering a little at the task of drawing the sleeves up and
over her bare shoulders.

"All right," she said briskly, and took his arm. "Let's go see
what Lex Luthor has to say for himself. I have a feeling this is
going to be an evening to remember."

***

He had been working the crowd for nearly an hour, moving from
this wealthy businessman to that influential politician with a
smile and a personal word for each one, but Lex knew the moment
Lois and Clark entered the room. He immediately signaled the
orchestra to switch from unobtrusive background music to the
seductive rhythm of a romantic Gershwin tune, and headed straight
for the couple standing in the wide doorway.

"Lois!" Lex was there, reaching for her hands. "You look
beautiful." His welcoming smile cooled as he looked at Clark.
"Kent."

Clark eyed Lois's hands held firmly in Lex's and his jaw
tightened, but he managed a curt nod. "Luthor."

Lois had noticed the small muscle that flexed as Clark clenched
his teeth, and hurried into speech. "Lex, the ballroom is
stunning - and you must be gratified by the turn-out. Is that
Senator Morris over there?"

"Yes, it is," Lex said with an indifferent shrug. "Come, you
promised me the first dance." He led Lois out onto the floor
without waiting for a response, and Lois followed, casting an
apologetic look over her shoulder at Clark. He nodded and shoved
his hands in his pockets, but she could see that little jaw
muscle was still dancing like crazy.

Lex tried to pull Lois close, but acknowledging her resistance
with a sardonic smile, gave up and made small talk as he steered
her through the shifting crowd of dancing couples. When they
reached the opposite side of the large room, he stopped before
the door leading out into the hallway that connected the ballroom
with the lobby of Lex Tower. Ignoring Lois's questioning look, he
led her into the hall and over to a narrow unmarked door. Lex
inserted a key into a lock beside it and when the door slid open,
gestured Lois to precede him into the small elevator. She shook
her head.

"What's this, Lex? You're not abandoning your guests already, are
you?" Lois glanced back into the ballroom. Clark was nowhere in
sight.

"You're the only guest I'm interested in right now, my dear," Lex
said. "I thought perhaps you'd like to be the first reporter to
see the penthouse. I personally supervised the decorating - it's
my sanctum sanctorum. Interested?"

Lois tried to read Lex's expression. Was this just a slightly
more refined version of "come up and see my etchings" or was
there something else behind his sudden attraction to her? Only
one way to find out. She had wanted to ask him some questions
about his past - what better time?

"Of course, Lex. I'm very interested...in what you've done," Lois
replied, and stepped into the elevator. He followed and the door
closed quickly and silently behind them.

***

Clark grimaced and pushed his glasses back into position. He had
been discreetly following Lex and Lois as they danced away from
him and out into the hall, but when the elevator door closed, his
view was abruptly cut off. There might be a perfectly innocent
reason why that area was constructed with some kind of lead
alloy, but somehow he didn't think so. He cocked his head
slightly and focused his superhearing toward the floors above,
but there were so many competing sounds nearby, it was difficult
to discriminate the one distant voice he wanted to hear.

"Clark! Glad you made it, son - where's Lois?" Perry's voice
behind him rose above the chatter of the crowd, and Clark winced
and immediately stopped trying to hear beyond the normal range.
He turned and greeted his former boss and the woman beside him.

"She's with our host, Perry. Hello, Alice," he added with a
smile. "You're looking very nice this evening. Having a good
time?"

"I always enjoy the chance to dress up and dance with a handsome
man, Clark. One of the perks of being the mayor's wife, you
know," she said with a twinkle in her eye.

Clark laughed appreciatively, but his mind had already returned
to the couple upstairs. "Alice, Perry, if you'll excuse me, I,
ah, I think I hear someone who's in trouble." He turned and was
halfway across the ballroom before they could answer.

Perry shook his head sympathetically. "No time off for Superman,"
he said. "I hope Lois knows what's she's getting into."

Alice smiled serenely. "Oh, I think she'll cope, dear. She always
has." She threaded her fingers through his and looked up at him
affectionately. "Now, handsome, about that dancing..."

***

Lex flung open the double doors which led onto the balcony, and
threw out one arm in a theatrical gesture. "Behold, Metropolis at
my feet," he said. "And yours, too," he added with an odd
intensity. Lois laughed, but when he didn't join her, she gently
disengaged her arm from his and stepped away from him, looking
out over the city sparkling beneath them. It was a spectacular
sight, but she was too uneasy to admire it.

"I'm serious, Lois," he continued. "I have a great deal to offer
the one special woman in my life, and though we've only recently
met - I knew the moment I saw you that you could be that woman."

She took a deep breath and faced the man beside her. "Lex," she
began, "I don't quite know what to say. It's very flattering, but
I don't want to mislead you. I wanted to talk to you alone
because I'm interested in your *story* - your phenomenal rise. I
was hoping you would tell me about yourself," she paused,
searching for the right phrasing, "and how you put together your
empire in such a short time." Lois studied Lex's face, trying to
read how he was taking what amounted to a brush-off *and* an
interview at the same time. He was looking down, staring at the
large signet ring on his right hand. He rubbed the raised surface
with the index finger of his other hand, and Lois saw the design
was made up of two intertwined "L" 's - gold on a shiny black
field of onyx. Lex looked up suddenly, and catching the direction
of her gaze, held up the ring closer for her to see.

"My new ring - do you like it? I just had it made to very
particular specifications," he said with a wolfish grin. He
seemed unaffected by her rejection of his startling declaration.

"Mmm," Lois said, grateful for the change of subject. ""It's...
impressive."

"You have no idea, my dear. But, it's not my ring you asked
about, was it?" With another rapid change of mood, Lex was now
brisk and business-like. "What you really want to know is how I
made my fortune. Isn't that right?"

"Well," Lois said, with a small relieved laugh, "in a word, yes.
I've been doing some research on you, and it's hard to figure out
just where your original stake came from. For instance," Lois
tried for a casual tone, "I believe you were involved with a
group called Theroxull, Ltd. Just what exactly does that company
deal in?"

Lex went very still, then laughed softly. He brushed the back of
his hand gently down Lois's cheek and she flinched at the feel of
the ring's rough surface against her skin.

"Ah, Lois. So lovely, so single-minded, so...transparent." He
sighed. "You were asking questions about Theroxull nearly four
years ago. I'd hoped you'd forgotten all about it by now. So much
has...befallen you... in the interim."

"I don't know what you mean, Lex," Lois said, but her feeling of
relief had vanished.

"Oh, I think you do," Lex replied easily, and taking Lois's hand,
he led her back into the large combination sitting room/office.
The only light came from a lamp on a low end table next to the
couch.

"Sit down, my dear. I'm going to tell you everything you want to
know."

Lex seated Lois in a high-backed wooden chair, and took up a
position directly in front of her. Despite his pleasant manner,
Lois's uneasiness increased. There was danger in the room, and
for the first time, she doubted her decision to question Lex
alone.

Lex sat also, in a matching chair directly across from Lois.
Steepling his fingers beneath his chin, he considered her
thoughtfully.

"I wonder...if I had approached you in the beginning,
Lois...courted you," Lex said, "would you have been more
receptive? Could I have diverted you then from prying into my
personal affairs? Tell me, would you have been charmed enough to
look the other way while I amassed a fortune selling high tech
illegal weapons to anyone with the money to meet my price?"

Lois opened her mouth to answer, but Lex rolled on, still
speaking in that musing tone that frightened her more than if he
were raging.

"No, don't bother to lie, my dear, I can see the truth in your
eyes. You wouldn't have compromised yourself, not even to become
the consort of the richest man in Metropolis. I suppose it was
just as well I didn't meet you then - I would have been tempted
to try, and that would have been dangerous for me. You've proven
annoyingly hard to dispose of, and later there still would have
been...*him*. But, no matter," he shrugged, "I'm going to remedy
all that tonight."

"So it *was* you all along," Lois said. "You sent someone to get
rid of me in Africa, and the bomb at the dedication - that was
for me, too. Just because I was asking too many questions." Lex
inclined his head, and Lois felt a chill at his easy admission.
Why was he being so cavalier about her knowledge? "So what are
you going to do now, while the ball is going on downstairs? You
can't just disappear in the middle of the evening like this -
your guests are probably wondering where you are. And Clark -
Clark will be looking for me. You don't want *him* up here, do
you? He tends to be a bit... protective." The warning was clear,
but Lex merely smiled.

"Yes, he's revoltingly conventional, isn't he? The two of you are
quite a matched pair. But you mistake the matter if you think I
don't want him here. Au contraire, my dear - I'm *counting* on
his flying to the rescue. That's why *you*'re here - to ensure
his presence."

Lex held out his right hand and Lois stared in bewilderment at
it. He passed his thumb under the ring finger, and the
monogrammed onyx setting flipped up to reveal another stone
beneath. Lex detached the outer covering and put it in his
pocket.

"I knew when that arrogant meddler appeared that he was the only
true obstacle to my goal, and thanks to a...former
associate...I've found a way to neutralize him. Then I'll deal
with you, but nothing baroque this time. Simplicity is the mark
of true genius, don't you agree? "

He held the ring up, and Lois could see a glint of color as the
newly revealed stone caught the dim light.

"Nothing can hurt Superman," she said scornfully, but then
realization hit. Though she'd only heard about it from Clark, she
knew what that glimmer of green meant.

"I see you know what this is," Lex said, approvingly. "Good. I
won't have to go into any tedious explanations." He got up, went
over to the massive desk, and reached behind it. A panel slid
silently out of the wall, blocking the doors to the balcony.

"I designed these apartments especially with our young superhero
in mind," he explained. "An alloy in the walls to block his
vision, heavily reinforced to slow him down in the event he
decided to come *through* them, and soundproofing." Lex looked
around the room with satisfaction. "I wouldn't have been able to
keep him out forever, but I did want to make things difficult for
him."

"I won't help you," Lois said quietly. "You were right about
that. I may not be able to stop you, but I won't do anything to
put Clark in danger." She swallowed, and went on, putting into
words the fear that had been growing since Lex had blithely
admitted his guilt. "Not even if you threaten to kill me. I won't
call for him." I can do this, she thought. I've survived worse
situations, and I can get through this. She measured the distance
to the elevator, and tensed her body in preparation for her
move.

"I've turned off the soundproofing temporarily," Lex went on, as
if she hadn't spoken. "I'm sure Superman," his mouth twisted on
the name, "is, as you say, even now trying to locate you. Let's
give him a hint, shall we?"

Lois surged to her feet, dashing past Lex, and reaching the door
of the elevator, pressed the button to open it. Nothing happened,
and she looked back at Lex who had made no move to stop her.

"Waste of energy, my dear," he said mildly. "I locked the
elevator controls when we came up. The only way down is the fire
stairs," he tilted his head to a door on his right, "and you'll
have to come past me to get to them." His eyes gleamed with
amusement. "Or you could just scream."

"No," Lois said flatly.

Lex sighed. "Very well." He came toward her and Lois turned to
face him, her back pressed against the smooth metallic surface of
the elevator door.

***

Clark stood in the hallway where he had last seen and heard Lois.
He had removed his glasses and was gazing in frustration up at
the ceiling. No matter which way he turned, his ability to see
stopped at the one hundredth floor, the penthouse. He had tried
listening again, too, straining to locate the one voice, the one
heartbeat that would lead him to Lois, but there was nothing. How
could she have entered that elevator with Lex and suddenly become
invisible to his powerful senses? A floor specifically designed
to hide from his eyes spoke of long-range planning. Clark frowned
and whirled in sudden decision. He had to find out what was going
on up there. He headed for the main entrance of Lex Tower,
loosening his black tie as he went. A few seconds later, Superman
hovered above the balcony of Lex Luthor's penthouse apartment,
staring in disbelief at the blank wall that barred the entrance
to the interior.

***

Inside the dimly lit room, Lois pushed down her panic and tried
to think. Lex's leisurely approach seemed like a taunt,
emphasizing her helplessness. She began to slide sideways, edging
along the wall until she reached the corner occupied by a plant
stand. On it was a luxuriant dieffenbachia in a brass urn. She
darted behind it and gave a shove - the stand tottered and fell
onto the carpet with a thud, the urn spilling potting soil as it
rolled. Lex sidestepped the mess easily and kept coming.

"This is foolish, Lois - you're just postponing the inevitable,"
he said, with a reproving look.

Lois continued moving to her left. Her foot bumped against one of
the massive firedogs in front of the ornate fireplace which took
up much of the space on the side wall, and without taking her
eyes from Lex, she reached out blindly to grasp the poker in the
rack beside it. She brought it up with a grunt - it was solid
iron with a shiny brass handle.

"Stay back," she said breathlessly. Lex laughed, reaching for the
poker, and Lois swung it like a baseball bat, putting the whole
force of her body behind it. The sickening sound of metal hitting
flesh was masked by Lex's scream of pain. His face contorted with
rage, he lurched toward Lois, and lifted his uninjured arm. She
raised the poker again to ward him off, but his backhanded blow
knocked her sideways, and she crumpled to the floor without a
sound.

Outside, Clark had heard Lex's cry, and immediately arrowed his
body toward the balcony, arms outstretched and hands fisted. He
crashed through the metal, tearing a hole in it and casting the
broken pieces to one side as though they were paper. His momentum
brought him into the center of the room so quickly Clark was
behind Lex before he could turn to face him. He placed both hands
on Lex's shoulders and wrenched him around angrily.

"What have you done to her, you -!" He was so angry he barely
noticed Lex's gasp as his left arm was jostled. Lex grinned,
despite his pain, and made no attempt to escape from Clark's
hold.

"Why, Superman, how kind of you to drop in," Lex said with
spurious cordiality. "The party was getting a little dull without
you."

Clark withdrew his hands with a sound of disgust, and then to his
amazement, staggered as an acute dizziness hit him. Oh, no, he
thought, that's impossible. How can I be feeling like this here,
now? Even as he formed the thought, his vision blurred, and he
felt the weakness in his muscles that he had experienced only
once before in his life. His breathing became labored, but he
forced himself to concentrate on the man before him. Lex was
watching him, wary but expectant, and Clark understood.

"You have kryptonite," he said, and began to back away. Lex
followed, reaching out with his right hand to stop Clark. His
grip was firm, and Clark tried but failed to shake it off. He
eyed the ring stone with dismayed recognition.

"Oh, please, Sup - , I mean, *Mr. Kent*," Lex smiled with
amusement at his own words, "don't leave us now. This little
gathering is finally becoming interesting." He shoved Clark into
a chair, and stood over him, careful to keep the ring between
them.

"This is insane, Lex," Clark gasped, wincing at the shooting
pains that had invaded every limb. "How do you expect to get away
with it? You can't just make Lois and me disappear in the middle
of a charity ball without people asking questions."

"I'll deal with the problem of damage control afterwards," Lex
snarled. "For now, I just want to watch you suffer. Suffer and
die."

Clark barely heard the sadistic reply. He could feel the weakness
growing; he had to act soon or he wouldn't be able to act at all.
Turning his concentration inward, he willed himself to ignore the
pain and focused all his energy on making his body respond. Lex
had relaxed his watchfulness as he enjoyed his moment of power,
and now brought the ring hand up to support his injured arm.
Clark bent his head and rammed it into Lex's midsection, forcing
him backward with the unexpected move. He pushed himself up and
out of the chair and grappled with Lex, but couldn't muster
enough strength to hold him in place. They staggered around the
room like two drunken dancers, until Lex broke free and turned
toward the elevator. Clark dropped to his knees, his gaze fixed
on Lois's face. She lay near the fireplace; her eyes were closed
and there was a cut on her cheek, as though she had been struck
by something with a sharp edge. He couldn't tell if she was still
breathing. The agony of seeing her there, hurt and unmoving, was
worse than anything his body was experiencing.

Clark lurched to his feet and with a surge of strength grabbed
Lex from behind. With both arms wrapped around Lex's body he
dragged him backwards. Their stumbling brought them to the
opening Clark had punched through the wall, and they fell
together through it and out into the balcony. They strained
against each other, silent except for the rasping sounds of their
breathing and their grunts of pain. As they neared the railing,
Clark blinked to clear the mist from his eyes. Lex suddenly
relaxed in his grip, then twisted, in an attempt to catch Clark
off guard, but he had underestimated how much strength his
opponent still possessed. Lex lost his balance and with one short
yelp of surprise and fear, toppled over the waist-high wall.
Lunging after him Clark made a desperate grab and managed to
catch his right wrist as he fell. He grimaced at the agony in his
shoulder and fought for steadier footing. Behind him, he heard a
moan, and chanced a look back. Lois was sitting up, feeling the
side of her head where Lex had struck her. Despite the pain, he
felt a fierce joy at the sight. She was alive - hurt, but still
alive, and nothing else mattered.

"Lois, can you help me?" he gasped. "I'm really weak - I'm not
sure I can hold him very long."

Lois got to her feet and walked a little unsteadily to him. Lex
hung from Clark's hand, his face a pale expressionless mask. He
stared unblinkingly at the wrist Clark held. His other arm was
dangling uselessly. She must have broken it when she hit him with
the poker, she thought with a sense of detachment born of shock.
He had not uttered a word from the moment he had gone over the
wall He looked up at Lois's face peering down at him and made a
noise, the frozen mask twisting into life. He was laughing, she
realized, a gasping, strangled sound just on the edge of
hysteria.

"Indestructible Lois," he said. "I should have recognized... my
beautiful Nemesis..."

Lois ignored him. "Do you think you can pull him up enough for me
to get a grip on his jacket?" she asked, leaning out to gauge the
distance. The moon had risen sometime in the last hour and its
cool light poured down on the balcony, illuminating the scene.

"Lois, he's slipping," Clark whispered, "and I'm getting weaker
by the second." His voice cracked and Lois's gaze flew to the
white-knuckled hand that Clark held so tightly. The beautiful,
poisonous glow of the ring on Lex's finger seemed to pulse and
expand, casting a sickly green reflection on the hands of both
men.

"Oh, god, Clark, of course you are," Lois breathed. "As long as
he's wearing that ring, you'll never regain your strength. If you
don't get away from it, you could die."

"Yeah," Clark managed a weak smile, "kind of ironic, isn't it?"

Lois looked at Lex again. He was staring at the ring with dawning
comprehension. He began to struggle, vainly trying to bring his
body closer to the building, to get a toehold on the slick
surface only inches away.

"Don't move, Lex," Clark said sharply. "It makes it harder to -
ah, no! - Lex!"

Lex's movement had caused Clark's hand to slide, and the ring now
dug into his palm. A piercing pain, stronger than all the rest,
shot sharply through his entire body. He jerked upward
reflexively in a last desperate attempt to bring Lex closer, but
it was not enough. Lex slipped from his grasp soundlessly,
dropping and disappearing into the dark long before he reached
the concrete 1300 feet below.

The balcony was eerily silent - only Clark's strained breathing
broke the quiet. He sank to his knees, wrapping his arms around
himself as though he were cold. He shuddered once, and lifted his
eyes to Lois and she knelt before him, her hands going to his
face, cupping his cheeks gently. His look of sick self-reproach
cut through her muddled feelings of horror and relief like a
knife.

"No, Clark, stop that," she said firmly, her no-nonsense tone at
odds with the soothing motions of her hands stroking his face and
neck, curving around his shoulders and gently kneading them. "You
did your best to save him. You know you did. If he hadn't been
wearing the ring, you'd have been able to, but he *was* wearing
the ring. He was wearing it because he hated you and wanted to
kill you." Her eyes misted with tears, but she smiled at him,
that sudden brilliant smile that was like sunlight breaking
through clouds. "And you *still* tried to save him."

Clark's breathing eased. She felt the tension gradually ebbing in
his shoulders, and saw the clouded look of pain in his eyes begin
to fade. He smiled back at her.

"Lois, when I saw that he'd hurt you, I didn't care what it took
to stop him, or what he did to me. No, I didn't want him to die,
but the most important thing was to keep you safe. It's -
frightening - to love someone like that."

"Frightening?" Lois looked a little hurt by the word. "That's not
a good thing," she said uncertainly. "Is it?"

He lifted a hand to her face, his fingers brushing softly down
her cheek. "Sure it is." His crooked grin was reassuring. "It's a
wonderful thing. The bad thing would be if you didn't feel the
same way."

"Oh, Clark." Lois slid into his arms and settled against him with
a wordless murmur of pleasure. "I do feel the same. Lex wanted me
to call for help, to bring you here, but I couldn't do that. I
wanted to keep *you* safe." She kissed the hollow of his throat,
then his chin and the line of his jaw, her lips open and urgent
against his skin. He gathered her more tightly to him, and his
mouth closed over hers with the hunger and reverence that she
remembered from the night they met. He always kissed her as
though it were the first time, she thought wonderingly. Or as if
it might be the last.

Clark ended the kiss reluctantly, burying his face in Lois's hair
for a moment, and then looked up. The sky was clear and
star-filled; he wished he could be up there now, floating, with
Lois. He cocked his head slightly and got slowly to his feet,
pulling Lois with him. She shook out the crumpled folds of her
dress, and smoothed her hair.

"Someone must have called the police," he said, taking her arm.
"I hear sirens heading this way." They re-entered the apartment,
crossing to the elevator. He stared at the control panel, and a
few seconds later a small hole appeared in the metal plate. The
door slid open and they stepped inside. "We'd better get
downstairs and let everyone know this party is definitely over."

***

Inspector William Henderson stood on the sidewalk at the entrance
to Centennial Park, hands in his coat pockets, watching Lois and
Clark approach. They were walking slowly, heads bent toward each
other, completely engrossed in their conversation.. As they came
nearer, Clark laughed at something Lois said, and lifted her hand
to his lips. For a moment they just stood there, smiling at each
other. Henderson's years as a Metropolis cop had made him a
cynic, but his usually saturnine expression lightened at the
sight. He nodded a greeting when they finally noticed his
presence.

"Inspector Henderson," Clark said, with a puzzled frown. "I
didn't expect to see you again before the inquest. Did you have
more questions?"

Lois wasn't so polite. She'd known the inspector for years, since
her days as a rookie crime reporter. "You had us at police
headquarters for hours that night, Henderson. Can't the police
handle the rest without Clark's help? Or have you gotten so
dependent on Superman - "

"Lois, I'm sure the inspector has everything under control,"
Clark broke in hastily. "And I'm always glad to help the
authorities," he added with an admonishing look. She rolled her
eyes.

"Yes, you are," she said, "but there's such a thing as pacing
yourself, you know! You can set priorities -"

Henderson grinned. "Same old Lois," he interrupted, but there was
no malice in his voice. "Always in charge. Well, you can pull in
your claws for now - I'm here with some good news. After due
consideration of all the facts, it has been decided that no
formal inquest will be necessary. Luthor committed suicide - you
were too late to save him - end of story."

Clark looked relieved. "In a way, that's the truth," he said
quietly. "He died because of the ring."

Henderson frowned, and cleared his throat. "Yes, well, uh, the
ring. I have some not-so-good news about that. We still have no
idea how Luthor got hold of the rock. None of the kryptonite is
missing from Star Labs. >From the ring covering we found in
Luthor's pocket, we *were* able to trace the guy who made it for
him. Leo Osterman - "jeweler to the mob" - also a fence, you
probably remember him, Lois. Claims he had no idea what the green
stone was, and Luthor wasn't the kind you asked questions. But
the ring itself..." Henderson looked a little embarrassed. "We
can't find it."

"What!?" Lois and Clark spoke together, and Henderson threw up
his hands.

"I don't know how, but between the time the body hit the pavement
and the meatwagon got there, the ring disappeared. It was dark,
the streets are full of petty thieves who wouldn't think twice
about robbing a corpse, so..."

"So somewhere in Metropolis, there's a piece of kryptonite, and
we don't have a clue where to look," Clark finished. Lois gave
him a worried glance, but he seemed more resigned than upset.

"I'm afraid so," Henderson said. "Maybe we'll get lucky, and
whoever took it has no idea what it is."

"Maybe," Clark said, but he didn't sound too hopeful. "But it's
all in the police report..."

Henderson nodded. "Yeah. I wish I could say it will stay
confidential, but...well." He shrugged, then stuck out his hand
to Clark. "Good luck." He lifted an eyebrow at Lois. "You, too,
Lois. You deserve some."

Surprised at his words, Lois watched Henderson walk away, then
turned to Clark.

"You said you wanted to walk in the park after breakfast," she
said, gesturing to the stone pillars that marked the entrance.
"Here we are."

Clark took her hand without answering, and they stepped off the
sidewalk and onto the tree-lined path. It was not quite nine, but
the day was already warm, and the shade was welcome.

"Okay," he said, "you've been dying to tell me something ever
since I picked you up this morning. What is it?"

Lois stopped and faced him, her face bright with excitement. "Oh,
Clark, it's wonderful! Mr.Olsen - only he wants me to call him
*Jim*," she laughed, "called me last night and offered me my old
job at the Planet! He's really anxious to get the scoop on the
Luthor debacle, and he's willing to pay very well for my
exclusive report, whatever I'm free to tell, of course.
Afterwards, I can choose my own stories - I'll have the full
support of the paper on any investigations - the whole nine
yards! And the best part," she gave him a quick kiss, "is that
we'll be working with each other. Isn't that great!?"

Clark laughed and hugged her. "Yes," he agreed. "Lane and Kent,
finally together at the Planet, and all's right with the world."

Within the circle of his arms, Lois acknowledged the truth of his
words. As long as they were together, no matter what else
happened, all *was* right in their world.

Clark's hands moved caressingly over Lois's back, and he began to
sway back and forth in place, humming under his breath.

"Clark, what - ?" Lois began, then relaxed against him, as she
recognized the melody. "They were playing that song," she
murmured. "Before everything went crazy. It was always one of my
favorites."

"I realized this morning that you and I got all dressed up and
went to the ball," he said, "but we never got to dance with each
other. I'd been looking forward to holding you, especially in
that dress," he grinned down at her, "and it didn't happen. So,
-" he twirled her around on the pathway, "I thought we'd make up
for it now." He started humming again, and Lois sang along in a
low voice: "It's very clear, our love is here to stay; not for a
year, but ever and a day..."

They danced along beneath the trees without meeting anyone else
until they reached the open area around the fountain.

"Clark." Lois stayed in his arms and tilted her head back to look
at him. " Maybe this isn't the right time or place, but I have to
tell you now."

He looked bewildered at first, but then he thought - he hoped -
he understood. He smiled encouragingly.

"I believe our love "*is* going to last," she went on. "I'm as
sure of that as I've ever been of anything. I know there are no
guarantees in life, but I also know that I'm never going to love
anyone as much as I love you."

Clark swallowed hard. "That's exactly how I feel," he said.
"So...are you saying you'll marry me?"

Lois eyes met his and they were sparkling with love and tears.
"Yes, Clark, I will."

"Lois." Clark could only say her name, and then he was kissing
her, lifting her off her feet with the gentle strength that he
controlled so effortlessly. When the kiss ended, Lois saw that he
had taken them straight up into the air, and they were floating
high above the treetops. The sun was warm; a slight breeze
ruffled Lois's hair as they drifted.

"Now, that's dancing," she said dreamily, and wrapped her arms
more tightly around his neck. "I could stay like this with you
forever. But," she went on regretfully, "I suppose we should get
back down to earth. There's a lot to do - my new job, and I don't
want a long engagement, do you? I'll call Alice, and Perry, and
-"

While she was speaking, Clark put one arm under Lois's knees,
lifting and cradling her. He looked at her apologetically. "I'm
sorry, honey. I really hate to do this, especially now, but
Superman has a meeting with the Citizens for a Safer Metropolis
at ten, which Clark Kent is supposed to cover for the paper. I've
got to go."

Lois sighed, but nodded in understanding. She brushed her mouth
against his, and said, "It's all right." Her lips curved in a
small secret smile. "You always come back. Why don't you drop me
off at the Planet on the way? I'll see you there afterwards. We
can have lunch and start making plans."

Clark laughed and kissed her once more, as he turned them toward
the Daily Planet globe which gleamed in the distance. "Whatever
you say, Lois. Whatever you say."

THE END