Episode 2: FOR THE GOOD OF THE CHILD
By Chris Mulder (mulders@mindspring.com)
Edited by Peace and Kathy Brown
Previously on Lois & Clark
Episode 1--"Strained Relations" ...
Friday, November 6, 4:30pm
"My goodness, Clark, I had no idea that going back to work would be this
exhausting!" Lois collapsed into the passenger seat of the Jeep.
Clark smiled sympathetically from his side of the vehicle. "Well, it's been a
busy week, what with the election and all." He started the engine and
maneuvered them out of the Planet's parking garage and onto the city streets.
"Next week should be better, especially if Laura skips a nighttime feeding
again."
Lois groaned agreement. "Sleep is wonderful. I think I was more addicted to
those little daytime naps than I thought."
"Well, she'll get better at night, and you'll get used to work again. I thought
the flex-time schedule worked pretty well, don't you?"
"Yeah, actually, I do," Lois admitted, brightening slightly. "I got my four
days in, anyway. Did you?"
"Well, I owe Perry a few more hours tomorrow, but that's because of Superman
distractions. I can go in first thing in the morning, and then we'll have the
rest of the weekend together."
Lois shrugged philosophically. "It'll give me a chance to reconnect with Laura,
I suppose. I mean, it was great to be back at work, but I was amazed at how
much I missed her this week. It'll be nice to just hang out with her for a
morning."
Clark chuckled. "There you go, then."
They rode in companionable silence for another block before Lois voiced the
question in the back of her mind. "How are you doing, with Superman
distractions, I mean?"
He sighed. "Not too badly. It's hard to ignore a call for help, but they don't
really always need me, anyway -- not as much as my family does. If I wanted to
be Superman full time, I should have given up on being Clark Kent a long time
ago, and I can't do that, so ... I just have to try to find a balance." The
light changed from red to green, and Clark's mood with it. "And speaking of my
family ... how do you think Laura's doing with her grandmother?"
Lois laughed, allowing the subject to be changed. "She's a champ. Mother did a
great job as far as I could tell, and she seemed to be enjoying it, too -- she
said she and Laura walked around the neighborhood a few times, and got to say
hi to some of the neighbors, which is more than I managed in two months of being
home." She grinned. "I guess I'm more of a homebody than I thought."
"It's called cocooning, Lois," Clark informed her in his mock-professor tone.
"The trend of the nineties."
"Well, what a relief to know I'm trendy," Lois murmured, idly watching the flow
of traffic in the darkening streets. "It feels like a cocoon when it gets dark
this early."
"It's just the change of the seasons, Lois; perfectly normal."
"If you say so, Farmboy," she teased him, starting to recover from the stress of
the workday.
"I do," he affirmed, with a grin in his voice as he turned the Jeep onto their
street. "Before you know it --" He broke off suddenly, peering ahead intently.
Lois looked ahead and felt her stomach clench in fear. Red and blue lights were
flashing, strident in the gathering dusk. "Clark, which house are they at?"
He shook his head. "I can't tell. I'm sure it's not ours."
Lois heard the doubt and fear in his tone and was not reassured.
As quickly as safety allowed, Clark parked the Jeep, and Lois was out of the
door almost before the engine cut off. Clark caught up with her immediately,
holding her hand for support as they hurried towards their townhouse.
"Oh, God, Clark," Lois breathed, "our door is open, what happened??"
He shook his head grimly. "I can't tell, but I can hear Laura whimpering, so it
can't be too bad."
Lois vaulted up the front stairs, bursting into her living room, expecting the
worst. What she saw seemed like a nightmare. The room seemed full of people,
but the first sight she could make sense of was one that was all too familiar:
her mother, passed out on the floor, an empty bottle beside her. Not again,
Mother! Flashes of innumerable prior occasions flooded through Lois' mind, and
she reeled from the shock and outrage.
Clark steadied her, and she tore her eyes away from the figure on the floor to
search for her baby. There she was, across the room, being held by a woman
Lois did not know. She started forward, but was stopped by a uniformed
policeman.
"Hold it, ma'am."
"What happened here?" Clark demanded, finding his voice at last. "We're the
homeowners, that's our baby ... what's going on?"
The officer looked at them disapprovingly and shook his head. "A neighbor heard
the baby crying and called us in. Clear-cut case of neglect."
Lois again moved to cross the room and reclaim her child, but the officer
tightened his hold on her arm.
"I'm very sorry, ma'am," he intoned in a voice that sounded more bored than
regretful, "but until this is settled, I'm afraid Social Services will have to
take custody of the baby."
... and now, the conclusion.
******
Teaser
******
Lex Luthor stood at the window of his office, looking out over night-time
Metropolis. Silently watching him was his lieutenant-for-now, Enrico O'Reilly.
From bitter experience Enrico had learned that Luthor disliked interruptions
when he was thinking. He'd also learned to gauge his employer's mood by the way
he puffed on his cigar. Or, perhaps it would be more precise to say that he'd
tried to interpret Luthor's mood that way. As often as not, though, he'd
gotten the uneasy impression that Luthor was letting him think just what he'd
wanted him to think. Even after all this time, it was ... eerie.
"I saw the news reports," Luthor said finally, his voice almost without
inflection, "but I did not see you. Very wise." Now he turned to face Enrico,
looking at him for the first time since he'd entered the room. "It must have
been cold ... standing outside the Kents' all this time. Would you like a
drink, Enrico?" he added, gesturing towards the decanter and glasses on his
desk.
Enrico looked at Luthor, at his smiling lips and his cold eyes--eyes that were
colder than the November night--and decided that, after what had happened
already today, he didn't want to drink anything from a bottle Lex Luthor had
had his hands on.
"No," he replied, perhaps a little too brusquely, because Luthor's eyebrows went
up a fraction. "No, thank you, sir," Enrico amended reluctantly, deference and
defiance equally blended in his posture and voice.
Luthor smiled again, pleased to have been able to put the other man through
another emotional hoop. He knew what Enrico thought of him, but he didn't
care.
Enrico, at the moment, was furious. The old devil! he thought. How dare he
treat me this way! He would have loved to have punched his face in for him,
but he well knew that was impossible. At least for now. Enrico had learned
quite a lot from Luthor, but he was hardly grateful for the lessons. Rats in a
maze are seldom grateful for the lessons learned there, either.
Luthor, having tired of Enrico baiting, had returned to the original topic.
"The news reports were quite thorough. I am very disappointed in the lack of
efficiency of our child welfare system in this city, Enrico. Remind me to do
something about that someday."
"Yes, sir," Enrico responded, as one used to being in the chorus.
"After all, the children are our future."
"Yes, sir."
"I find it appalling that that poor child wasn't placed in protective custody
immediately. Appalling."
"Hmm," was all the response Enrico made. He was tiring of this game. Luthor
could play the philanthropist to his heart's content in public, pretending that
all he wanted was what was good for some kid, but Enrico had learned his true
credo: take no prisoners, accept no partners, show no mercy. And, having been a
first-hand witness to many of Luthor's least pleasant activities these past few
months, Enrico wasn't fool enough to think that just because he was currently
on the payroll he could count on collecting retirement some day.
"It's also deplorable," Luthor continued, "that Metropolis's most notable
citizens, such as Lois Lane and Clark Kent, are capable of neglecting their own
child. If I weren't certain that their guilt would be proved eventually, I
might become cynical."
This time Enrico didn't respond at all, but it wasn't necessary. Lex was
standing, gazing into space and pulling on his cigar in an abstracted manner,
no doubt contemplating the vision of a world with a cynical Lex Luthor in it.
He enjoyed these visions, wherein he played the central role, nearly as much as
he enjoyed the sound of his own voice ... or getting his own way.
And, since getting his own way was never far from his thoughts, it wasn't long
before he was back on track. In one of those abrupt changes of mood, which
could always disconcert his underlings, Luthor suddenly directed a piercing
stare at Enrico and asked, in a warning tone, "You did follow my instructions to
the letter?"
"Y-yes, of course," Enrico stammered slightly, and hated himself for doing so.
Luthor had that effect on people. Even someone who was feared by others, as
Enrico certainly knew he was, could, in Lex Luthor's presence, abruptly find
themselves without control over their voices, sweat glands, and guts.
Trying to reclaim what he knew was his rightful part in this plan, Enrico
hastily recollected his nerves from the four points to which Luthor's
accusation had sent them. It gratified him to realize that that exercise was
getting easier each time he performed it. Someday *he'd* be the boss around
here! "I still think it was a mistake not to ice that dame," he stated
challengingly.
Luthor sat down at his desk and casually glanced up at the other man. "And
which 'dame' would that be, Enrico?" he replied urbanely.
Why is it, Enrico thought bitterly, that I can never feel as though I'm looking
down at him? That was a quality that Enrico both admired and hated about his
boss--his ability to inspire and control at one and the same time. There was a
subtle ruthlessness--a cruel cunning--about Luthor which was unlike anything
Enrico had encountered during his climb up the criminal corporate ladder. He
wanted that for himself, and once he had it, then ... "The dame who sucked up
to the grandma for us."
"Ah, I see ... that dame. I was afraid that you were referring to Mrs. Lane."
"Her? No ... 'though that might have been a good idea. What if she remembers
something?"
"She won't. I've told you. The drugs that the young 'dame' so obligingly
administered for us, induce short-term memory loss as well as make the victim
highly suggestible. As long as you didn't deviate from the plan." Once again
he fixed his paralyzing stare upon Enrico, smiling when that young man
decisively shook his head. "Then ... we have nothing to worry about."
Enrico wasn't so sure he had the same faith in these drugs that Luthor had, but
then it would be *his* face and not Luthor's that Mrs. Lane might possibly be
able to remember. Knowing as much about his boss as he did, Enrico had more
sense than to believe that anyone would come to his aid if this, or any other
plan, went disastrously awry.
"And, " Luthor continued smoothly, "as for the young woman who assisted us,
we'll keep her on hold for a bit longer. She's the mainstay of our contingency
plan in case something goes wrong. Pawns are to be sacrificed, Enrico, as I've
told you before, but not indiscriminately, and only when the time is right. She
is safely tucked away, as we discussed?"
Enrico nodded.
"Good. We have a busy weekend ahead of us. I want to know the instant they
have selected a judge for the hearing."
"Yes, sir." Enrico hoped this latest plan would work. The recent failure to
reacquire Amalgamated Transport had angered Luthor, but Enrico suspected that,
for whatever reason, this plan to get his hands on Laura Kent meant even more
to him. He did not want to think about the consequences if this failed.
Once again he found himself wondering why Luthor would want Lois Lane and Clark
Kent's child. He'd heard that Luthor was supposed to have been in love with
Lois Lane at one time--but why take her child by another man? Unless ...
Was it really Lex's child? Or, possibly the child of the clone of Lex? Trying
to do some rapid calculations in his head, he nearly missed what Lex was saying
to him.
"Not having second thoughts about anything, are you, Enrico?"
Enrico's cheeks lost a little color, but he maintained eye contact with the
other man in spite of it. "No, sir."
"Good. It's wise to remember there is only *one* nonexpendable piece on the
board, *Mr.* O'Reilly."
Yep, the old devil was definitely twitching his tail tonight. Thank goodness he
didn't have to sleep with him! All he had to do was work for him.
He paid special attention over the next few minutes as Lex outlined for him his
various duties for the next day. It was a good thing he wasn't especially
squeamish.
As soon as he was finished, Lex signaled to Enrico that he might leave and he
complied, anxious to write down his instructions before he forgot them. Enrico
had concluded some time ago that keeping Luthor in ignorance of his true
intentions would necessitate taking on some duties he despised, such as tasks
more regularly assigned to a secretary or valet. If that meant writing orders
down so Luthor wouldn't have to repeat himself, then he would do it ... for
now.
Another taboo Luthor rarely tolerated was having his orders deviated from, which
is why Enrico had neglected to relate to him every single detail of his time in
the Kent townhouse. It had seemed like a good idea at the time-- erasing that
message from the answering machine--but now he was having second thoughts.
Luthor hadn't ordered it, but then Luthor couldn't have known that Kent's
parents would call while he was in the house. As he'd listened to Martha
Kent's happy voice coming over the machine, he'd known a sudden compulsion to
make sure her son never heard it. Why should he hear that his parents were
having a good time with some new people they'd just met? Let him worry about
them a little, Enrico had thought with glee. Serve him right.
Well, it was done now, and he couldn't undo it. Luthor would never know anyway,
so what difference did it make? Enrico exited the office nonchalantly, and
without unseemly haste. He had his dignity to maintain.
Lex remained in his office for a few more minutes, tidying up his desk. Things
weren't going exactly as he'd planned, but he still believed in his ultimate
victory. There would be a hearing, so all was not lost. Witnesses could be
bought, judges could be bribed or coerced, evidence could be fabricated--Luthor
had great faith in the justice system.
By now the elder Kents would have called their son and left the message that
they were going to visit some remote sites with a couple of new-found friends.
That would let Clark know his parents wouldn't be readily available to him.
Just one more little irritant to add to Clark Kent's pile of worries. The
thought of it made Luthor smile appreciatively.
Luthor picked up his cigar and puffed on it contentedly. He thought he'd go to
the den, pour himself a drink, sit in his favorite chair and watch the 10
o'clock news. They were bound to be playing the footage of the hubbub outside
the Kent townhouse again, and he had rather enjoyed watching it before. He left
the study, exiting by the same door as his henchman.
Neither man suspected that they'd had an audience.
In the library, which connected to the office, sat Beth Luthor, still numb from
what she'd overheard. When Lex had asked her a couple of months ago if she'd
like to have a child, she'd been elated, until that is, she'd found out he'd
wanted to adopt rather than try to have a child of their own. That had been
devastating. After what she'd just heard, she was alarmed. So, this was Lex's
idea of adoption, was it?
And, if he got what he wanted--Lois Lane's child--what then?
Once he had this small part of his lost love, and with his former empire being
rapidly rebuilt, would he even need a wife anymore?
There was, after all, only one nonexpendable chess piece on the board.
[End of teaser]
******
[Part One]
In another part of town, Lois Lane was having a terrible time getting her
daughter to stop crying. Nothing had worked: not nursing, changing her diaper,
rocking her or singing to her, which had left Lois only with pacing back and
forth while patting Laura's back. Woman of action that she was, she wanted to
be doing something, but all she was able to do at that moment was walk a fussy
baby around.
All? Had she thought, "all?"
"Oh, Laura, honey, Mommy didn't mean that. You're the most important little
girl in the whole world. I love you, sweetiepie. I just wish I knew what was
wrong so I could fix it. Does your tummy hurt?"
Laura's only response was to wail even harder.
Just then Laura's daddy came into the room. He, like Lois, was dressed for bed,
and he carried a cup of hot tea for his wife. Decaf.
"Here, Lois. You take this, and let me take Laura for a while."
"I don't know what I'm doing wrong, Clark."
"Probably nothing, honey."
"Then why can't I soothe her? I always could before ... eventually. And I'm so
worried that if I can't soothe her, the Social Services people are going to
burst back in here and--"
Clark watched in dismay as the second of his two girls started crying. He put
the tea cup down on the bedside table and then reached to take Laura. "Maybe
she's overtired, Lois. This day has been hard on her, too. She may be picking
up on your anxiety a little."
Lois handed the baby to Clark and tried to stop crying, but it wasn't easy as
she recalled what they'd come home to a few hours before: the ambulance, police
cars, curious neighbors and onlookers, the TV cameras and that obnoxious woman
from Social Services, Ms. Bailey. Her mother had been put on a stretcher and
wheeled away, barely conscious and babbling unintelligibly. Sam had driven up
as they were loading his ex-wife into the ambulance, and had run into the
townhouse only long enough to find out if Lois and Laura were safe before
running out again to drive to the hospital. He'd seen the empty liquor bottle
on the floor, and the pained look on his face had kept Lois from telling him
that some of the people in their overcrowded living room seemed intent on
taking away his grandchild.
Thank heavens for Inspector Henderson. He'd heard the call on his scanner and
had come over to see if he could help. It was largely because of him that
they'd been able to maintain custody of Laura--well, him and the more sane
social worker who was Bailey's associate. There was going to be a hearing
though, to determine their fitness as parents, and Lois was terrified.
"It will be all right, sweetheart."
Lois felt Clark's arm come around her and looked up at him. He must have been
watching her and guessed what she was thinking. She could see her own fear
reflected in his eyes, so it probably hadn't been a difficult guess for him.
This situation was bound to be uppermost in both of their minds.
"How could Mother do something like this, Clark?"
"I don't know Lois. Maybe--"
"I thought she loved Laura. I thought she could be trusted with her. Why?
Why, after all these years of being sober would she do this? Especially when
things were going so well. There's no reason why she--"
They stared at each other. The same doubt in both of their minds. Why?
"Let me see if I can get Laura settled and then we'll talk."
"Okay."
Clark carried Laura next door to her room, murmuring softly to her and stroking
her back. She was really upset, poor little thing. He could feel his own
emotions building up within him, and forced himself to calm down so he could
help his daughter.
Holding her next to his bare chest, he used his ability to control his vital
signs in order to slow his heart rate and respiration. His voice, deeper than
Lois's, created lower vibrations, and he was able to float rather than walk for
a gentler sense of movement. He kept this up for a few minutes and was pleased
to see that Laura was responding. Her cry carried less conviction than before
and he could sense that she was listening to him now.
Deciding it was time for the next step, he floated up a little higher and
gradually laid back, as if he were stretching out to go to sleep on a cushion
of air. Hovering there, he began to rock back and forth slightly, still
stroking her back and talking to her softly, until he felt her tiny body relax
against him. She moved her head restlessly once more then, finding just the
right spot on her daddy's warm chest, she settled herself for sleep.
Clark heard her sigh sleepily, and felt her snuggling into his chest, and once
more he experienced that knife-sharp feeling of love he had for this wonderful
little person who was his daughter. It never failed to tighten his chest, or
bring tears to his eyes, and always amazed him that joy and pain could be
combined into the same emotion and in such perfect proportions.
No one ... *no one* was going to take this child away from him and Lois. It
wasn't going to happen, and he told Laura so.
"Don't worry, little one," he told her softly. "Everything is going to be all
right. Your mommy and I love you very much and we're going to make sure we all
stay together. We're a family now, the family I've always wanted, and we won't
let anyone separate us, sweetheart."
"No, we won't."
Clark turned his head in surprise. There was Lois standing in the doorway,
watching him. He'd been so involved with Laura that he hadn't heard her
approach. She walked forward now, and stood next to Clark. He floated upwards
a little so Lois could see into Laura's sleeping face. She reached out and
placed her hand on his where it lay on their child's back. A look passed
between them, and a renewed resolve and commitment was agreed upon without
either of them having to say a word.
They put Laura into her crib, after Clark had first pre-warmed the sheet with
his heat vision, and then stayed awake for another couple of hours talking over
what had happened, and what they were going to do about it. One thing they
decided on right at the beginning was that Laura would be with one or the other
of them at all times until this was resolved.
******
The next morning they found some reporters waiting outside their townhouse.
"Great!" Lois grumbled. "This is just what we needed."
She didn't want to feel as though she were under siege, so she told Clark she
and Laura would go with him to the Daily Planet. "If I stay here, the phone
will be ringing constantly, not to mention the doorbell. Besides, we're
probably safer at the Planet." Seeing the worry on his face, she gave him a
hug. "I know it's not the weekend we'd planned on, but at least we will be
together."
That being decided upon, he helped her pack what she'd need for herself and the
baby.
They made it to the car, thanks to a little judiciously applied super strength,
which enabled them to forge a path through the throng. Clark stood between
Lois and the other reporters while she buckled Laura into the carseat. He was
pleasant to them, but firm in his assertions that all this would be cleared up,
and in their favor, then asked them to let him and Lois get to their office in
peace.
"I'm sure that none of you would want to risk a child's life by driving
recklessly," he said with conviction.
Lois wasn't so sure about that, but Clark's words did seem to have appealed to
the better natures of most of the reporters, for they were able to drive to the
Daily Planet, if not without an escort, at least without harassment.
All this made Lois glad that she and Laura were going to stay within the
fastness of the Planet.
"They can't get to me in here, Clark ... or Laura, either."
They were standing in the smaller of the two conference rooms, where Perry had
said Lois could set up shop for the time being. Clark was helping her move
some of her stuff in there.
"I can have privacy in here to nurse her and take care of her, and still get
some work done. I'm going to stay on the trail of these companies that Lex
used to own. I know there's something going on there, and maybe that's why--"
She broke off, suddenly unable to continue. The memories of yesterday were too
bleak. Clark put his hands her shoulders to comfort her, and she tried to
smile for him. "I'll be okay, Clark. I don't know why I get so weepy so
quickly these days. I guess being a mom will do that to you."
"Being a dad can do that to you, too," he told her and, as she looked more
closely at him, she could see a moistness in his eyes as well.
They leaned towards each other, and their foreheads touched--a wonderfully
comforting gesture which meant a great deal to both of them. A knock on the
door interrupted them. It was Jimmy, ready to set up a computer for Lois.
"Some things never change," Lois murmured, with a smile and a small sniff. She
reached up to wipe the corner of her eye, and Clark kissed her forehead before
going to open the door for their young friend.
"Thanks for helping us with this, Jimmy," Clark told him.
"No problem, CK. The Chief let me have Wednesday off so I could work on Penny's
car. I'm making up time just like you are."
A few minutes later Clark signaled to Lois that he needed to slip into something
more suitable for flying. She smiled at him and blew him a kiss. Oblivious to
this, Jimmy chatted on, enthusiastic about the play he and Penny had been to
the night before, with Mr. and Mrs. Barnes. "I think her parents are really
beginning to like me. Were you nervous when you first met Lois's parents, CK?
... CK?"
******
Superman was pretty busy all that day, but not too busy to pay a visit to an old
friend, Constance Hunter. Her law career had taken an upward swing after her
successful defense of Superman in that lawsuit brought by Calvin Dregg. He'd
kept in touch with her since then, and knew that success hadn't changed her
much, beyond giving her more self-confidence. She was still the same caring
and honest person that she'd been when he'd first met her, so he wasn't
surprised when she promised to help his friends, Lois and Clark, in their
upcoming custody hearing.
Jimmy, once he'd gotten the excitement of the previous night's date out of his
system, had offered to help, too. Several Planet staffers, as a matter of
fact, made it a point to tell either Lois or Clark that they wanted to help, or
were thinking of them, or would be glad to testify on their behalf. It made
both of them feel good to know they had such faithful friends.
Perry had offered the use of the not inconsiderable resources of the newspaper,
as well as his own support. There had been no hesitation at all on his part
when they'd asked him to be a character witness. He'd been at their home
several times and had seen them often with Laura.
Clark was extremely busy, what with various rescues as Superman, his newspaper
assignments, and a conference call with Lois and Constance Hunter, but he was
still able to spare a thought or two for his parents. They would certainly
want to know what was happening, but he wasn't exactly sure where they were.
The last word he'd received from them had been from South Dakota, but that was
nearly a week ago now. They could be anywhere by this time, and he didn't want
to leave Lois and the baby long enough to go searching for them. At least, not
yet. If things began to look really bad, then he'd find them and bring them
back to Metropolis. For now he had all he could do to keep up with all the
calls for Superman, and give Lois what help he could with both Laura and their
investigations.
During their talk the night before, after they'd gotten Laura to bed, they'd
discussed various scenarios. Every possibility they could think of, from this
actually being the result of Ellen's falling off the wagon, to the idea that
one of their old nemeses might be trying to get back at them, was looked at from
every conceivable angle. It had been very difficult to stay focused, knowing
that if they guessed wrong they risked losing something more precious to them
than their own lives--Laura.
They decided that they should wait to hear what the doctors had to say about
Ellen before jumping to any conclusions. About what she might have done, or
not done. Lab reports would tell them if she'd actually gotten drunk. It had
not been possible to get anything coherent out of her the evening before, so
they were waiting for a chance to talk to her about what had happened. Lois
didn't want to believe that her mother would jeopardize Laura's safety by
taking up drinking again but, as she pointed out to Clark, if someone had
drugged Ellen why hadn't they just taken what they'd wanted? As far as they
could tell, nothing had been disturbed. The police had said there was no sign
of forced entry and, except for a baby who'd been left crying in her crib for
far too long while Grandma was passed out on the floor, everything in the house
had looked normal.
As far as the idea of this being some kind of revenge by one of their previous
adversaries, well, what was the point? Again, nothing had been disturbed. The
baby hadn't been harmed or kidnapped, just hungry and wet. The police, on
Henderson's recommendation, had also looked for any explosive "calling cards"
which might have been left behind, but the search had turned up nothing. Nor
had the house been bugged. It made no sense.
And then there was Luthor.
They'd been investigating the companies that had once been part of LexCorp, and
were reasonably sure Luthor had had something to do with the recent labor
problems at Amalgamated. Could that be the reason for all this? If so, what
had Luthor hoped to gain? Embarrassment for Lois and Clark, or had he wanted to
scare them? Was it some kind of show of power--a demonstration of how easily
he could gain access to their home and child? Was it a warning: mess with me
and I'll do something terrible to someone you love? Were they getting too
close?
Too close to what? To finding out for sure that Lex Luthor was intent on
rebuilding his empire? But there was nothing wrong with that--unless his
methods were criminal. Or was it something else? A secret he might be ready
to kill to protect, perhaps? The Lex Luthor they'd battled before would have
had no compunction about killing for any reason he'd deemed suitable. If that
Lex had truly been a clone, an evil clone who was now dead, then maybe the
threat wasn't from that direction. However, if there had never been a clone,
then the Lex they were now confronting was the same Lex who had kidnapped Lois,
tried to kill Clark, and knew that Clark Kent was Superman. That Lex would
know that Superman now had a child. Every time Clark thought about it, chills
went up and down his spine.
There were so many reasons why an evil man like Lex Luthor might have designs on
Superman's child: revenge, malice, a desire to cause suffering, were just
three. Also, it was true that Luthor had financed some cloning experiments--
he'd shown everyone proof of that when he'd been spinning his tale of the evil
clone he'd claimed had held him prisoner--which made Clark suspect that it had
been Lex who'd once made the Superman clone. Did he perhaps want to try that
again, using Superman's child this time? But, if he did, why hadn't he
kidnapped Laura while Ellen was incapacitated? Again, it made no sense.
The suggestion of cloning as a motive had given Clark nightmares. Even though
it had been only one of the scenarios he'd thought of, it was one that could
touch him on a very intimate level. When he'd been a child, there had always
been the threat that if people had found out about him, he might be taken away,
put in a laboratory, and experimented upon. Once he'd become invulnerable
those fears had receded, and he'd been cautious more because of wanting to
shield his parents, than through any sense of personal danger.
Laura wasn't invulnerable, however. She was completely helpless, and the
thought of her in the power of someone like Luthor made Clark physically ill.
Last night, when his nightmares had awakened him, it had taken every ounce of
will power he possessed not to wake up Lois so she could convince him he was
being ridiculous. He was too much afraid that he wasn't being ridiculous at
all, and discovered that there was a new level of fear he hadn't, until that
moment, experienced. It was very tempting to think about scooping up both Lois
and their daughter, and flying off to some remote spot where they could hide
from the world. But in his heart, he knew they couldn't hide from their
problems, so he'd contented himself with moving closer to his sleeping wife and
then lying awake, listening to her heartbeat and Laura's.
With the light of day, some of those fears had receded, but they hadn't
disappeared. He kept them to himself, however, knowing that Lois had enough to
deal with, and not wanting to scare her further. When he wasn't being
Superman, or working on one of the stories Perry had assigned to him, he would
check on Lois's progress in the Conference Room. Getting a chance to see Laura
so often was a nice added bonus.
It was during one of those visits, towards early afternoon, when he was walking
Laura and trying to get a burp out of her, that Sam Lane stopped by to see
them. Lois was still rearranging her clothes after feeding Laura, but Sam
didn't seem to notice. They could tell he was tired, and upset, and quickly
offered him a chair and a cup of coffee. He accepted the chair, but waved
aside the coffee.
"If I drink any more of that stuff, I think I'll be sick."
They let him catch his breath, and his thoughts, while Clark walked Laura and
Lois returned to her half-eaten lunch.
"Well, Princess, the good news is that your mother will be fine, physically."
Lois and Clark stopped what they were doing, both alarmed by the worried tone in
Sam's voice.
"What do you mean, Daddy? Is Mother ...?"
"Your mother is delusional."
"Well, Daddy, I know Mother can be a bit irrational at times, but--"
"She's refusing to admit that she was drinking. It's classic alcoholic
behavior: denial of a problem, denial of the behavior itself. She's even said
there was someone else in your house who must have given her something to knock
her out." Sam put his hands up to rub his tired eyes, discouraged beyond words.
Things had been going pretty well between him and Ellen. This was a terrible
blow to him, and he couldn't help but wonder if he was the cause of her return
to drinking. Had he done something to make her want to climb back into a
bottle?
At the mention of this mysterious "someone else" Lois raised hopeful eyes to her
husband. Clark had suspected that she was hoping for some kind a miracle--
hoping for some proof that Ellen hadn't been drinking. Her look told him he
was right, and his heart sank. He was afraid she was going to be disappointed
and hurt.
Lois got up from her chair and went over to put an arm around her father's
shoulders. He was usually so good at distancing himself from problems, that
she was concerned to see him so distraught. "I'm sure things will be all
right, Daddy."
"What did the doctors say, Sam?" Clark asked gently.
"Oh, they say she'll make a full recovery, eventually. They want to keep her
for a couple of days, because, well ..." His eyes dropped away from Clark's,
down towards the table. His face looked suddenly older, his tone of voice
defeated. "They found alcohol in her system."
"Oh, Daddy! No!"
"I had figured there would be," Sam continued, "because I could smell it on her,
but ... I guess ... I was hoping for ... a miracle."
Lois leaned down to kiss his forehead. "I know, Daddy. Me, too."
She stayed by his side, with her arm across his shoulders, but neither spoke for
a while. Clark watched them silently, and even Laura was quiet, gazing at her
mother with the wide-eyed look of infancy.
Finally Sam came back from whatever thoughts he'd been indulging in, and looked
up at his daughter. "She was sleeping when I left ... I don't want to be gone
too long, but I wanted you know how she's doing. I called your house, but
there was no answer. I figured you'd be here."
"Good figuring, Daddy." She smiled at him, and got a brief smile in return.
"I'm glad you came by. We were wondering about Mother."
He reached up to take one of Lois's hands and squeezed it gratefully. It was
apparent that he was regaining some of his normal balance. Talking about Ellen
must have helped.
"We'll get through this, somehow. The first thing is to get your mother feeling
better and out of the hospital. The alcohol didn't react well with her regular
medicines, so it may take a couple of days to get her back on her feet."
"But, you're sure there won't be any permanent damage?"
"Yes. Of course. I asked a couple of specialists to check her over, too, just
to be on the safe side. This kind of thing isn't exactly my field, you know."
"I know," Lois replied with a smile, thinking of some of the odder "fields" that
were his.
"I see you've brought Laura with you today, Lois." He released her hand and got
up to walk over towards Clark. "How about coming to see your Grandpa, little
one?"
Clark relinquished his daughter to her grandfather, meeting Lois's eyes as he
did so. They had to tell Sam what was happening, even though they hated adding
to his worries.
"Sam ..." Clark's voice trailed away, as he sought for a way to break the news.
"What's that, Clark?" Sam replied, absentmindedly. He was busy making funny
faces at the baby, and didn't appear to have noticed the warning note in
Clark's voice.
"There's something we have to tell you."
[End of Part One]
******
[Part Two]
When Jimmy entered the conference room some ten minutes later, it seemed to him
that Dr. Lane had been crying. That wasn't too surprising. He didn't know
what he'd do if his former wife were responsible for one of his kids losing her
child. He'd probably cry, too.
The other adults in the room paid him scant attention as he went about arranging
the file folders, faxes, and computer printouts he'd brought with him. It tore
at his young heart, watching Sam Lane holding and caressing Laura as if he'd
never see her again. Jimmy's own grandfather had died when he was five years
old (he'd never known his dad's father), but he could still remember some of
the fun things they'd done together. It wasn't right ... what was happening to
Lois and Clark and baby Laura. Maybe there was something he could do to help.
He gathered from the conversation that Ellen Lane had said she'd never touched
any alcohol. Rather, she claimed there had been a woman in the townhouse with
her, and that she must have drugged her ... maybe with some lemonade. Lois and
Clark were saying there had been no sign of anyone else having been there,
however, and no sign of lemonade having been drunk either. In fact, the only
evidence of liquid refreshment of any kind had been the empty bottle of Scotch
on the floor. Lois and Clark weren't sure what to believe, and Jimmy thought he
knew why.
They were too close to the story, which was understandable. He, on the other
hand, could be less emotionally involved, and therefore more detached, just as
the Chief had tried to teach him. His recent success with the labor dispute
story had certainly bolstered his confidence in his ability as a reporter, and
he wanted to use these new skills of his to help his friends. First, though,
he'd have to clear it with the Chief.
Jimmy exited the conference room quietly, and scanned the Pit for Perry. Not
seeing him there, he walked over to his office. Sure enough, there he was,
blue pencil in hand, and a frown on his face as he labored over some reporter's
copy. Fearing that this might not be the best moment he could have chosen to
pitch his idea, and yet not wanting to wait too much longer, Jimmy decided to
forge ahead.
To his relief, and surprise, Perry listened with quiet attention while he
related his theory.
"So you see, Chief, if I can find that woman, maybe we could prove that Mrs.
Lane was telling the truth."
"That's good, Jimmy, but how? You don't have much of a description: young,
slender and blonde. There are six or seven women right here in this building
who fit that description."
The Chief had a point. Still, though, he wanted to do something. He had
another idea ... "Chief, what if I could find somebody who saw her go into
Lois and Clark's house? That would work, wouldn't it?"
"Yes," Perry admitted. "Yes, that would work. Good idea, kid. It's the kind
of thing the police would normally do, I guess, if they suspected foul play.
However, they've got too much on their hands right now as it is, with all these
recent murders. You know, they found another one this morning. An old man this
time ... shot in the head, point blank, and left on the back steps of the 15th
Precinct. If they don't get a handle on this soon, there's going to be a
panic."
"That's terrible, Chief. They don't have any leads yet?"
"Not enough leads apparently," Perry replied dryly. He was silent for a moment,
looking down at a copy of the police report from the latest murder. What in
the Sam Hill was happening in his town? He looked up at Jimmy again. "You go
on and see what you can find out in Lois and Clark's neighborhood, son. Keep me
informed."
"Yes, sir, Chief. Thanks!"
Jimmy left Perry's office, practically floating, he was so happy and excited to
have had his idea approved. He stopped at his desk long enough to collect his
jacket, a notepad, pens, and his camera. At the last moment, he thought of
something else, and picked up the phone to call Penny. The two of them were
supposed to go out tonight, but there was a chance he'd still be working, so he
wanted to warn her.
When she heard about his plan, though, nothing would do but for her to come with
him. Lois and Clark were her friends, too, and she wanted to help them in some
way that would repay them for all they'd done for her father. The temping
she'd been doing at Amalgamated had ended the week before, so there was only her
class schedule to work around, and she didn't see any problems with that.
Now Jimmy's cup was full to overflowing, and he jog-skipped his way out of the
newsroom and down to the parking garage.
******
In the conference room, Sam was getting ready to leave. He gently extricated
his pen from Laura's grasp before handing her back to Clark. He'd had quite a
job preventing her from putting it in her mouth. She could be pretty stubborn
when she wanted to and, he thought with a smile, he couldn't imagine how she'd
acquired *that* quality.
"I'd better get back to your mother now, honey. I'll see if I can't get a
better description of this woman from her. If we can prove that there was
someone else there then we'll all be in the clear."
He gave Lois a hug, waved to Clark and Laura, and left. Lois and Clark were
quiet for a while after his departure, then they seemed to snap back to the
present, and the task at hand. There was all this new stuff that Jimmy had
brought in to go through, and they both sat down to make a start on it, knowing
from long experience that work would help.
It was quite a morass--the intricacies of the old Lex Luthor empire--and they
sensed that they'd barely begun to scratch the surface. Luthor and/or his
lawyers had had a positive genius for burying companies and their assets under
miles of phoney paperwork. Memories of some of the secrets that had come out
during the reading of Luthor's will made them suspicious of any possible
connections. Lois had been able to trace the family tree of Amalgamated
Transport, which had helped them save that company, but Luthor had controlled,
or been rumored to have controlled, dozens of other businesses and utilities.
It would take time to trace the current status of them all, even assuming that
they could identify them.
They had started putting together a chart to help them track companies and their
CEO's when Clark heard another call for help. Laura was just dozing off in his
arms, so he couldn't jump up as quickly as he normally would. He did hand her
to Lois as fast as possible, though, and after a brief kiss for each of his
girls he sped out of the room.
Lois looked down at a sleepy-eyed Laura, and whispered to her, "Well, pumpkin,
looks like it's up to you and me. Let's see ... do you think LexComm was
completely divested, and its assets divided up among the other major carriers?"
Laura yawned and stretched briefly before settling herself for a nap.
"That's what I think, too," Lois said, glad to have her opinion substantiated.
******
"Your husband has done so much good for Metropolis, Mrs. Luthor. You must be
very proud of him."
Beth could only stare at the well-meaning matron beside her. She and Lex were
attending yet another fund raiser-- this one for a special Pediatric Trauma Wing
at Metropolis General Hospital. Lex had been his usual suave and gracious
self, greeting everyone with a smile and a handshake, or a kiss on the hand for
certain highly-placed ladies. Everyone, it seemed, wanted to touch him or get
near him. They all wanted to bask in the glow of Metropolis's golden boy.
This was certainly a change from a few months ago, just after Lex had reappeared
in Metropolis. People had been reluctant to accept him at first, wary after
the clone business had been revealed. It had taken time, patience and a great
deal of money, but he'd overcome many of their fears and uncertainties about him
to the point where the Luthors were accepted as part of the city's upper crust
again. There was scarcely a day now when they didn't have some social,
political or charitable function to attend. And when they weren't at someone
else's gathering, they were hosting one of their own. Lex's abundant charisma
had once again come to his rescue, putting him back on the guest lists of
anyone who mattered in Metropolis. That's how they'd gotten invited to this
hospital function: charisma and cash, and plenty of both.
All that was necessary to be somebody in this town, Beth thought bitterly, was
to charm people and throw money at them; they'd fall all over themselves trying
to please you. Anyone would think Lex had single-handedly built the hospital
the way people were fawning over him. In fact, today it seemed that Lex could
do no wrong. Every word he uttered, every pronouncement he made, was greeted
with enthusiasm, or outright applause. And every time he talked about what was
owed to children, or held forth on how children deserved to be treated, Beth
wanted to vomit.
She'd watched from the across the room as Lex's greasy gofer, Enrico O'Reilly,
sidled up to him and murmured some brief message into his ear. Whatever little
plot they were hatching this time must have been proceeding well, if Lex's
expression was anything to go by. Or maybe this was an update on the Laura Kent
venture.
Beth felt another wave of nausea at that thought. Ever since that business with
her uncle and the letter, she'd noticed small changes in Lex's behavior towards
her. Images from the tale of the fox and the scorpion had begun to pop into
her head at odd moments, and even intruded into her dreams. She knew, none
better, what Lex's true nature was, yet she'd committed herself to a life with
him, hoping that love would change him ... but suspecting it would not.
The scorpion had not changed his nature, even though failing to do so had cost
it its life. Would Lex be able to go against his nature in order to give the
two of them a life together? That had always been the question. Her love for
him, or what she had thought was love, had made her want it to be so. Even now,
at odd moments, she could still feel something for him. Maybe it was love.
Even now. But what she was also feeling, in greater amounts and with greater
frequency, was fear, revulsion and a desire to run.
But, how does one run from the devil?
She wasn't sure that was possible. All these months of living with Lex had
heightened her sense of self- preservation, however, so she continued to smile
and play the part of the dutiful corporate wife. It wouldn't do to let him
know ... to let him even suspect that she wasn't completely unaware of his
intentions towards the Kents' baby. And as far as actually doing anything to
stop him ...?
She couldn't risk it. If he found out--!
She shuddered, and quickly suppressed it before anyone could notice. If he
found out, her life would be forfeit, of that she was absolutely certain. On
the other hand, if he succeeded, her life might still be forfeit. If only she
could think of something ... something that he couldn't possibly trace back to
her.
Her hand was shaking and she took a couple sips of her drink to steady herself.
Face it, she told herself sadly, there's nothing you can do. You've made this
bed, and now you must lie upon it.
That's where she was ... in bed, if not with the Devil, then certainly with his
most ardent disciple.
******
The wheels of the gods may grind slowly, but not so the wheels of Metropolis's
Child Protective Services agency, and certainly not when they are being well
greased.
The senior attorney for the agency, Charles Tregor, wasn't particularly
surprised at the number of calls his office received about the Kent case,
especially since the TV news had been broadcasting the story for two consecutive
days. High profile cases always brought out the loonies. However, a couple of
these "loonies," had actually amounted to something.
In his office that Monday morning, it had been hard not to get excited about
this case. With the evidence piling up against the Kents, and the public
interest growing due to the continued media coverage, he began to wonder if this
would be the one to give him a leg up into a four-star law firm. He was tired
of being a public servant and squandering his considerable talent fighting the
demon of child abuse. Nothing ever seemed to change, except perhaps to get
worse, and for a long time now he hadn't felt as though his abilities were truly
appreciated. He wanted out, and he wanted up, but the all-seeing eye of the
media seldom shone into the darker corners of child custody battles, unless the
people involved were well-known.
Well, the spotlight would be shining on him now, and if he didn't take advantage
of this opportunity, then he was a fool.
The phone rang. It was his wife, reminding him that their daughter's piano
recital was scheduled for that evening, and he knew a brief qualm about what he
could be doing to the Kents if he were wrong.
On the surface they didn't seem like the type to neglect a child, but in his
line of work he'd seen plenty of people who didn't seem like "the type." If
Lois Lane and Clark Kent were truly neglecting their daughter, then they didn't
deserve to keep her. He needed to remember that, if he should ever feel himself
weakening again. Besides, he now had two witnesses ready to testify against
them.
In the end, it didn't matter who the parents were, or how famous they were--what
mattered was what was best for the child.
For the good of the child--that's why he was doing this. Having convinced
himself that his conscience was clear, he got back to work.
******
"The hearing is set for Wednesday," Constance Hunter informed Lois and Clark
when they arrived for their 11 a.m. appointment. Constance had approved of
them bringing Laura along, saying she wanted to meet all three of her clients.
"Child Services isn't letting any grass grow under their feet on this one. I've
learned that Charles Tregor will be handling their case. I've met him a couple
of times before, and I've heard a rumor that he'd rather be in private practice
instead of public service, but he seems all right--for a lawyer."
Lois and Clark could spare a slight smile for that weak joke, but they'd had a
worrying weekend, and weren't really in the mood for humor. Lois had visited
Ellen in the hospital Sunday afternoon, and had come away frustrated and
despondent. Ellen still insisted she hadn't been drinking, and had begged her
daughter to believe her. Lois wanted to believe her, and had even told her
mother that she did, but her reporter's hard head wouldn't let her.
Nothing Ellen had said made any sense, unless one decided that she *had* been
drinking and just didn't want to admit her mistake. But why, for godsakes,
Lois had asked Clark later, would a total stranger come into their home, drug
her mother with spiked lemonade, then clean up all evidence of the lemonade and
leave an empty Scotch bottle on the floor? Her father must have been right--
Ellen was delusional.
Ellen, however, was ready to swear on a stack of bibles that she hadn't drunk
anything but lemonade. She also said she'd mentioned this unknown woman to
Lois and Clark before, but neither one could remember her having done so.
However, as Clark pointed out to Lois, both of them had kind of gotten into the
habit of not paying the strictest of attention to absolutely everything that
came out of Ellen's mouth--there just weren't enough hours in the day for that.
It was possible, Lois had conceded, that Ellen might have said something to them
about a woman who had stopped to compliment her on her "precious" grandchild
when she'd taken Laura out in the stroller, but since they couldn't remember
that particular monologue, that clue was a dead end.
Nor had the weekend been any easier for Clark. He'd divided his time between
worrying about Lois and Laura; flying to various rescues, while worrying if
Lois and Laura would be all right until he got back; wondering where his
parents were, and if Lois and Laura would be all right during the time it would
take him to look for them; and worrying about all the rescues he couldn't get
to when Lois was at the hospital and he was taking care of Laura.
And now the weekend was over, and here they were just a couple of days away from
potential disaster yet again, so it wasn't surprising that they had little time
to spare for jokes.
"How do things look for us, Ms. Hunter?" Clark asked.
"Please call me 'Constance,' she told them with a smile. She could hardly blame
them for wanting to get to the point. Laura was an adorable child--dark hair
and eyes, lovely skin and a winning smile. She certainly didn't look
neglected.
"Thank you," Clark said. "And you don't have to be formal with us, either.
'Lois and Clark' will be fine."
"All right. Then let's get down to work." She picked up some official looking
documents from her desk and handed them to Lois and Clark. "I'd say things
look good. I have depositions from your pediatrician and the neighbor you said
did some baby-sitting for you a couple of times. I've also spoken with Perry
White, James Olsen and Penelope Barnes. All of these people have agreed to
testify on your behalf. Still no word from your parents, Clark?"
Clark shook his head. "I'm afraid not."
"Well, it will probably be all right any way. These other people will be good
witnesses. With the exception of the pediatrician, they've all been to your
house--sometimes arriving unannounced--and say they can attest to your care of
Laura."
At the sound of her name, Laura turned her face to Constance and smiled. The
attorney found herself smiling back, and addressed her next remarks towards the
baby. "And once the judge sees how normal and healthy this little cutie looks,
well ... it will be an open and shut case, won't it, Laura?"
Laura grinned even wider, then hid her face against her daddy's jacket. She had
only begun to interact with other people in the last month, and so this was
still a new game for her. The adults laughed at her expressions, relief
intermixed with the humor.
Clark and Lois stayed for nearly an hour, while Constance outlined for them what
they could expect to encounter during the hearing. It would take place in a
small courtroom, and there would be no jury, just the judge. The basic
procedure was similar to a criminal case in that there would be witnesses sworn
in and questioned by each attorney, but there would be no reporters allowed and
the witnesses had to wait in an anteroom until they were called. Also, the
judge had been informed that Lois was nursing, and so allowances would be made
for extra "feeding" breaks for Laura's sake.
"What about the judge?" Lois asked. "What's he--or she--like?"
"His name is Judge Pender, and I don't know much about him, I'm afraid. About
all anyone will say is that he's 'all right,' so it's not possible to make a
guess based on that. I've checked his record. He's had a few more decisions
overturned than the average, but so have some other judges I've been up before
and they were honest enough."
Lois and Clark exchanged worried looks. "And if he isn't?" Clark asked.
"If he isn't, he still has to make his rulings based on the case presented
before him. Anything else and he risks disbarment and possible imprisonment.
Let's not borrow trouble. I know you're concerned and it's understandable, but
believe me, if I get one whiff of any trouble, I'll move for a mistrial."
They agreed, and Constance brought up another topic that she wanted to discuss
with them. "By the way, I've learned--through the grapevine--that your Ms.
Bailey is not universally liked at Child Services."
"She's not *our* Ms. Bailey," Lois interrupted, just barely keeping the disgust
out of her voice.
"What I meant was she certainly seems to have latched on to you two. Don't you
find it odd that she's appeared whenever you've had dealings with Child
Welfare? There are, after all, dozens of other caseworkers in that division of
Social Services. What are the odds that the three of you would keep bumping
into each other like that?"
Lois and Clark looked at each other in surprise. It did seem peculiar now that
Constance had mentioned it, but they'd been too harassed and worried to have
given it much thought before.
"At any rate," Constance continued, "I'm looking into the possibility that she
may have some hidden agenda in all this. She has a fairly good record,
apparently, but it's uneven. We may be able to use that if we can show that
there was no real cause for her intervention in this instance, but it may not be
necessary to go that far. In my opinion, we have a good case, and add to that
the fact that Laura wasn't immediately removed from your care-- which I've since
discovered is rather unusual--and I think we have a *very* good case.
Looking relieved, Lois and Clark thanked Constance for her time and got ready to
leave. It would soon be time to feed Laura again, and she was beginning to get
restive. While they were putting on their coats, the phone rang. Constance
excused herself in order to answer it. At first the Kents' attention was all on
their daughter, and getting her bundled up against the cold, but when Constance
waved a hand in their direction, they stopped what they were doing and
transferred their attention to her.
She listened to the person on the other end of the line for a couple minutes
more before thanking him, or her, and hanging up the phone.
"That was someone who works at Child Services--my contact, I guess you'd call
him," Constance said. "He's been helping me with the preparations for this
case, and ... that's not really relevant at this moment. I'm sorry. I'm not
good at breaking bad news."
She paused for a moment. Lois and Clark reached for each others' hands without
having to think about it.
"He's just learned that Child Services has two witnesses who will be testifying
against you at the hearing."
[End of Part Two] ****** [Part Three]
"Witnesses! What in the Sam Hill kind of witnesses could they have? Judas
Priest, if this isn't the damnedest thing I--!"
"Chief, please keep your voice down," Clark pleaded, "or you'll wake up Laura."
Perry took a moment to get himself under control, but the other people in the
room could tell by the way his eyes flashed and his jaw worked, that he was
still very upset. "I'm sorry, Clark," he managed to say finally, "but this has
got me so worked up, I don't know how loud I'm talking, and that's the truth."
He was sitting in the living room of the Kents' brownstone; he and Sam Lane had
come over after receiving worried phone calls from Lois and Clark.
"That's okay, Chief. Believe me, I understand."
Sam was pacing slowly back and forth in front of the fireplace, one hand in his
pocket and the other worrying his moustache as he thought over what his
daughter and son-in-law had told them. They were all trying to wait until Lois
could come back downstairs after putting Laura down for her nap, but it was hard
not to talk about this new setback, and impossible not to think about it.
"Do you have any idea at all who these people might be, Clark?" Sam asked.
"None at all, Sam. We won't know until the day of the hearing. All we know is
that they claim to have seen us neglecting Laura."
"Neglecting how? That's not much to go on, which means there's also no way to
prepare a counterattack."
Clark could only shake his head.
"Well, this is just ridiculous," Perry said in disgust. "Whoever these people
are, they must have a grudge against you or be trying to grab some cheap
publicity because I've seen you two with that baby girl, and there ain't nobody
can convince me you're not taking care of her as you ought to be."
"Thanks, Chief."
"Perry's right, Clark. The witnesses Ms. Hunter is collecting should be good
enough to counter anything those other two might say. I'm sure everything will
work out all right."
Clark ran his hand through his hair; a gesture of worry and frustration that
he'd had to resort to more times than he'd like to think over the past couple
of days. "I hope so, Sam," he replied fervently. As soon as he'd said this, he
turned his head and looked towards the stairs, causing the other men to glance
that way, too. It was another moment or two, though, before Lois came into
view. Perry and Sam exchanged knowing looks over how connected the young
couple was; often finishing each other's sentences, almost as if each knew what
the other was thinking, much to Perry's secret amusement, and Sam's secret
envy.
As soon as Lois was downstairs, she walked right into Clark's arms for a hug.
"She's asleep ... at least for now," she told him, worry and sadness behind her
smile.
He held her for a moment more, needing her nearness as much as she needed his,
then taking her hand, he led her to the sofas, where Sam and Perry were waiting
for them.
"It seems to me, kids ..." Perry began, but he was interrupted by a soft knock
at the door. "Who in the Sam Hill could that be?"
Lois and Clark looked at each other and said, "Jimmy."
Actually it was Jimmy and Penny. They had noticed Lois and Clark's car parked
in the street when they'd arrived to continue their quest of interviewing all
the neighbors, and had stopped by to see if everything was all right. Like
Perry and Sam before them they were stunned to hear the news about the two
hostile witnesses.
"That's terrible, CK ... Lois. What are you going to do about it?"
"We were starting to discuss it when you got here," Lois told him. "Thanks for
remembering not to use the doorbell, by the way. I just got Laura down for her
nap right before you came."
Penny nudged Jimmy and he blushed. "Well, to tell the truth," he admitted, "it
was Penny who remembered. I was aiming for the doorbell when she practically
tackled me."
Penny gave him a small push in protest, which he exaggerated into something much
bigger. "See! Just like that!"
Everyone chuckled over their antics, but it wasn't long before they were back on
the topic of the upcoming hearing.
******
Lex smiled as he slipped another piece of popcorn into his mouth. He was
enjoying himself hugely today. Even though there was a chilly breeze, the sun
was shining, he had the place to himself, another one of his former holdings
had rejoined the LexCorp fold, and by now Lois and Clark must have heard about
the two hostile witnesses. Warm and snug in his $800.00 coat, Lex revelled in
his moment, anticipating his ultimate triumph.
The skill with which he had set up Lois and Clark--especially Clark--was the
kind of maneuvering he most admired about himself. He loved to create mazes
with more dead ends than passages, and from which there was no escape. It was
delightful to picture Clark/Superman working his way through this particular
maze ... feeling the walls closing in around him ... growing ever higher, the
passages more narrow. The only fly in his ointment was the thought that Clark,
dull superhero that he was, could scarcely appreciate the subtleties of the maze
wherein he was trapped.
If Clark allowed The System to do its work, he was going to lose his child. If
he defied The System and took the child into hiding, he'd lose the
effectiveness of his secret identity. How could Superman continue to be the do-
gooding, interfering nuisance he now was if he were busy being Clark Kent,
fugitive father from justice?
Luthor almost laughed out loud at that idea. Ah, yes! Superman, on the lam!
It had a nice ring to it, he thought.
He chewed on another mouthful of popcorn and moved to the right a little bit to
get a better view. Things just couldn't be better. Either he got the child,
or he got rid of Superman ... he couldn't lose! A nice added bonus would be to
have some revenge on Lois for the part she'd played in his downfall. He had
wanted to give everything to her and instead he'd lost everything because of
her ... because of her refusal to kill that ... that *thing* in tights! Well,
now she was about to lose everything a mother cares most about--her child. It
would serve her right, too.
He felt something stir inside him, but he resolutely swallowed it down, along
with the last of the popcorn. He cared nothing for Lois Lane, or her child.
All he cared about was winning, and getting back what was rightfully his. This
town had been his until "Super"man had appeared, and it would be his again. And
all he had to do was use Clark's own code against him. It was so laughably
simple, too!
His hand-picked "foster parents" were standing by, ready to take custody of the
child the instant the court ruled in his favor. Their spectacular deaths would
be an unfortunate, but necessary, part of the plan because everyone must
believe that the child had died with them. With the child totally under his
control, and any trail which might lead back to him destroyed, he'd be able to
sit back and watch as a pair of grief-stricken reporters tried to carry on. And
if they couldn't, then so much the better. People had gotten divorced before
over more minor problems than that.
On the other hand, if Clark did surprise him by defying the judge's orders and
fleeing the city with Lois and the baby, then he would still have won. Clark
Kent and Lois Lane would never be able to live and work in Metropolis again,
which meant Superman wouldn't be able to be the city's full-time superhero any
more, either. Lex thought he knew Clark well enough to believe he wouldn't
defy the court order, however. Look at how badly he'd handled that whole
sordid business of Lois's murder trial the year before! Lex was certain,
although he had no proof, that Clark, in his guise as Superman, had broken Lois
out of jail, but ... when had he done it? Not until after she'd been
convicted, and the state's attorney was shooting off his mouth about the death
penalty.
No, good ole Clark would be hoping for vindication by the court and so would
wait, thinking the child would be safe ... and he would think that until it was
too late.
What a waste, Luthor thought yet again, that such powers had been bestowed on
that dullard!! If he, Lex, had had such powers, and the love of his life had
been in peril, would he have tolerated her imprisonment for one instant? He
would not! Of course, if Lois had had the good sense to marry him, she wouldn't
have gotten into that situation in the first place, because he'd have put a
stop to that reportering business just as soon as she was legally his.
His brow creased as he thought of this, but he wouldn't let himself stay gloomy
for long on such a glorious day. That was in the past, and his future was
looking brighter with each passing hour. He might not be able to get
superpowers of his own, but he could make damn sure that someone else didn't
enjoy theirs.
Signalling to Enrico that he was ready to leave now, Luthor discarded the empty
popcorn container in the nearby trash receptacle. "Help Keep Our City Clean"
read the hopeful sign on the side of the can.
"Clean ... and superhero free," he remarked, to no one in particular.
"What?" Enrico asked, not having heard his boss's low-voiced quip.
"Oh, nothing. Just thinking out loud." He smiled now, noticing, even through
the dark lenses on his sunglasses, how pale the other man was. These little
jaunts were not to Enrico's liking, Lex knew, but they served a purpose. As
ambitious as Mr. O'Reilly was, it was essential for him to be reminded, on
occasion, just who the alpha male was in this operation.
There were certain advantages to being rich and powerful, not the least of which
was being able to get into places during times when ordinary people could not--
like the Metropolis Zoo on Mondays, when it was closed to the public. Some
money, discriminately applied, a discrete phone call or two, and the thing was
arranged.
As he strolled away from the lions' enclosure--purposely keeping his pace much
more leisurely than Enrico would have liked--Lex savoured once again the thrill
of watching the lions make a kill. Yes, "Spot" or "Rover" or whatever the
unfortunate creature's name had been, had given him, and the lions, an
exhilarating bit of sport. If only he could throw a powerless Superman in
there. Now that would be something indeed! Except, he rather enjoyed the
notion of killing Clark himself ... someday. After he'd taken everything else
away from him. Then ... ah, then. It was delicious to think about "then."
"You know, Enrico," Lex observed congenially as they approached the limo, "all
this fresh air has given me quite an appetite."
Enrico still looked a bit green around the edges, and so made no reply.
"I think I'm in the mood for something special tonight. Tell the chef I'd like
Cornish hens for dinner. Roasted." He paused, and smiled a secret, wicked
smile. "With *giblet* gravy."
"Yes, sir," Enrico managed to utter, his expression wooden as he seethed over
Lex's treatment of him. He held the door so Lex could climb into the car
wondering, even through his anger, what was it about the word, "giblet" that
could make the other man laugh.
******
Tuesday morning dawned bright and clear, with the sky turning that deep, vibrant
blue that one can see only in the Fall. The air was cold, but not yet the
bitter cold of winter, and the people of Metropolis were already gearing up for
the holiday season ahead. Halloween decorations had given way immediately to
the green and red of Christmas, leaving poor Thanksgiving in evidence only in
classrooms and card shops.
Lois and Clark were barely aware of the bustling in the streets, however. They
were at the Planet as early as their care of Laura would allow, trying to let
work distract them from their imminent day in court.
Lois, especially, had plunged into her quest to nail Lex Luthor for the recent
labor unrest, and whatever else was wrong with Metropolis, if she could
possibly do it. Perry and Clark were worried about her and tried to distract or
help, each after their own fashion: Perry by bringing an encouraging progress
report for the on-site day-care facility, and Clark by giving her a flowering
plant for her desk, to replace the dead one he'd thrown out.
She'd smiled, and thanked them, and gone right back to work. Her requests for
information had kept both Jimmy, when he was there, and the Research Department
hopping.
Ellen had been released from the hospital Monday afternoon, slightly more
coherent, but no less adamant about asserting her innocence. She still
couldn't give a detailed description of the woman she claimed had visited her on
Friday, but her repeated accounts of the events of that day began to have a ring
of truth about them. If she'd been lying, it would have been much harder for
her to keep her story straight during succeeding tellings. There were strange
gaps in her memory, however, which made it extremely frustrating both for her
and her listeners. Sam decided to do a little investigating of his own--into
what kinds of drugs, or combination of drugs, could have caused these effects.
Jimmy, and Penny when she could spare the time from her classes, were continuing
to interview Lois and Clark's neighbors. So far they hadn't turned up much,
but there were a handful of people they hadn't yet seen. One person had
thought he'd seen a young blonde woman jogging in the neighborhood a time or
two, but when asked to further describe her all he could remember was that
she'd worn purple jogging shorts. Short, purple jogging shorts. He remembered
that particularly, he said, because he had wondered how she could be out in that
outfit when it was as cold as it had been. From the reminiscent smile on his
face, he'd been wondering more than just that, but neither Jimmy nor Penny
thought it prudent to point that out.
No more dead bodies had been found in inconvenient locations, but Perry was
still keeping this a front-page issue. No one, least of all the Daily Planet,
wanted to return to the way things had been when Intergang had moved into town.
There was concern that another crime organization was gearing up, and Perry's
editorials had been hot on that topic, which had made the politicos sit up and
take notice. Henderson hadn't cared for the publicity being aimed at his
department, but he had suddenly received the extra money and manpower he'd been
begging for for the past eight months, so he was able to see it as a mixed
blessing.
Clark was having to use all his powers just to keep up with everything, and he
still hadn't heard from his parents. He told himself that they were fine, that
they could take care of themselves, and that they were probably just in an area
with limited cell phone reception, but he was worried about them nonetheless.
However, with having two jobs, plus wanting to be available for his wife and
daughter as much as possible, he wasn't able to slip away to look for Martha
and Jonathan.
Perry had added to his load by turning over the story of the murder
investigations mostly to him.
"Clark, no one is getting anywhere with this, so I want you to take a look at
it. You and Lois have pulled some rabbits out of hats a few times when the
rest of us didn't know there was a hat, let alone a rabbit. I sure would like
to nail whoever is responsible for all these shootings."
He'd handed over an 8-inch stack of folders, papers and photographs to Clark.
"This is what we've got so far, and I'll make sure the Research Department
delivers any updates to you pronto. I've got Paul and Janie working on it,
too, with their city and homicide connections, so you should talk with them as
soon as possible." He paused for a moment, as if choosing his words carefully.
"I'm sorry to dump this on you now, Clark, but you are one of my best people
and, well ... this has got to be stopped."
"I know. Chief. It's all right." He'd taken the stack to his desk and started
going through it. Perry was right. This had to be stopped. Eight murders in
as many weeks was unthinkable.
In addition to all this, he'd been pursuing a side investigation of his own.
His fears about abductions and experiments and cloning, had made him rethink
the alleged Lex clone business. It occurred to him that if he could prove the
non-existence of the clone, then Luthor would be exposed for the criminal he
truly was, and be one less threat to him and his family. With that in mind,
he'd begun accessing all the information he could find on cloning, digesting it
at super speed, and had also contacted Dr. Klein and Dr. Hubert for their help.
It had taken some doing to locate Dr. Hubert because he'd gone into semi-
retirement following the upheaval from the murder of his friend and colleague,
Dr. Winninger. Clark had managed it, however, and found the good doctor
willing to help. It had seemed just possible that Dr. Hubert might, because of
his knowledge of the rain forest's ecosystem, have access to more information
about the Dopple Buffo frog connection to cloning. Somewhere, Clark believed,
there had to be something which would show him a crack in this public image Lex
had created. If nothing else, maybe Luthor would hear that he was looking into
cloning and get nervous. Clark wouldn't mind making Luthor nervous for a
change.
Everyone who would be appearing in court the next day, with the exception of
Constance and Ellen, met at Lois and Clark's house on Tuesday night to share
what information they had and bolster each others' spirits. Ellen couldn't
come because she'd been subpoenaed--just as she'd been getting into the car to
go to Lois's house, no less-- as a witness for the prosecution. Constance,
apprised by phone of this not entirely unforeseen circumstance, had then
recommended that Ellen, because she was now a hostile witness, stay away from
the others until after the hearing.
Constance had been invited for the pre-hearing gathering and planned to attend,
but in the end wasn't able to because there was still so much she wanted to do
to be prepared for court the next day.
"I'm sorry, Clark," she told him when she phoned, "but I've had so many
interruptions today that I'm going to have to work tonight. Please feel free
to page me, if you have any questions though, and I'll be glad to answer them."
"Thanks for calling, Constance, and thanks for everything you're doing to help
us. We appreciate it very much."
"You're very welcome. I'll see you in the morning."
As she hung up the phone, her eyes lighted upon the fax she'd gotten that
morning. A major west coast-based firm was looking for well-respected lawyers
to head up the legal departments of their eastern divisions. Her name had come
up. If she was interested, they would like for her to attend a luncheon to be
held that day, to meet other department heads and discuss possibilities. She'd
been astounded, first by the offer itself and then by the suddenness of it all.
This couldn't be for real!
But it was. There had also been a phone call from a gentleman with a wonderful
voice who wanted to know if she'd received the fax.
"Yes, I did."
"Good. Good. We are very sorry for contacting you at the last minute like
this," he apologized in smooth tones. "I know this must look like we're not
very organized, but I assure you that that is not the case."
"Of course not."
"The problem is that our company's Board of Directors has decided that these
positions must be filled by the end of the year. Some of them are in
Metropolis this week for our east coast regional conference and would like to
meet with as many of the best lawyers as possible. If you pass muster, we can
have you on a plane by tomorrow for a more formal interview."
"Tomorrow! I can't. I have a case in court tomorrow."
"Surely you could find a replacement, Ms. Hunter," his persuasive voice making
it all sound so reasonable. "This is a wonderful opportunity for a lawyer of
your caliber. Let me tell you about the salary and benefits."
Constance's eyes had widened at the numbers and other tantalizing information
which poured into her ear over the phone line.
"I'm sorry, Mr. ... Helms," she'd interjected at the first opportunity," but as
much as I'm flattered by your offer--and believe me, I'm flattered--I can't
accept it."
"But, Ms. Hunter, by coming to the luncheon you are not obligating yourself to
anything. We just want to meet you and discuss our ideas with you. At least
say you'll come to the luncheon. I can send a car to pick you up."
It had been so tempting, and his voice was so wonderful--almost hypnotic the way
he could make the unreasonable sound reasonable--that she'd almost given in.
"I can't. I am terribly sorry, Mr. Helms, but I can't."
"I'm sorry, too, Ms. Hunter, for I was looking forward to meeting you. I've
heard so much about you."
This was all great for a girl's ego, but Constance had held firm on her refusal.
Eventually he had hung up, taking his beautiful voice and his incredible offer
with him. The kind of law office he'd talked about was no doubt what many
lawyers dream of, but Constance had gone into law with different goals in mind
and though she could admit to a slight pang of disappointment that she'd never
get rich doing what she did, she also knew she'd made the right choice.
There had been other interruptions: a woman who begged Constance to handle her
case, saying she was desperate; and a man who wanted to sue his next-door
neighbor for causing him, he said, "extreme mental anguish." Yep, it had been
quite a day.
In spite of all this, she'd been continuing, through her legal connections, to
work on improving the case for Lois and Clark, and Laura. The more she dug,
the more she learned ... about the inner workings of the Social Services
Department, and the Child Services Division, as well as who knew whom, who was
truly interested in what was good for the kids, and who was just biding their
time while collecting their paychecks. Still, though, she felt she needed
something else to fall back on, just in case these mysterious witnesses were out
for no good.
As Superman had once said about her, she could understand wickedness, such as
greed, but she didn't want to be a part of it, which made her an excellent
ally. She worked late into Tuesday night, going through everything her
contacts had gotten for her, and researching law books looking for precedents to
cite. And, in the end, the break she needed came in the guise of a phone call.
A phone call she almost didn't take.
The voice on the other end was muffled. Impossible to say whether it was male
or female. The fear, however was unmistakable. The voice gave her a name, and
a place to look, and then it was gone. She sat for a moment, the dead receiver
in her hand, pondering what she'd just heard. Then pushing the button to clear
the line, she made a phone call of her own.
******
At four a.m. another body was found.
[End of Part Three]
******
[Part Four]
The Juvenile Courts section of the Justice Building was a grim and somber place,
which made Lois shiver as she carried her child through its portals and into
its marble and panelled halls. Clark noticed it, despite her best efforts to
conceal it from him, and he quickly shifted the diaper bag and briefcase he
carried to his other hand so he could put an arm across her shoulders. She
made a sound, almost like a moan, deep in her throat, but it could still be
heard by him. The pressure of his arm brought her to a halt and she looked up
at him, with wordless horror in her eyes.
Instantly, he put the bags down so he could wrap both arms around her, creating
an oasis for the three of them amidst the bureaucratic desert which surrounded
them. "Lois ... my love," he whispered to her, his voice ragged with emotion,
"I won't let them take Laura from us. No matter what happens, we won't lose
her. I promise."
"How can you promise that, Clark? We don't know what's going to happen."
"Because, if I have to, I'll pick up both of you and fly out of here, right in
front of the judge and the lawyers and everybody."
"You'd do that? But what about Superman? It's been hard enough for you these
past few weeks, not being able to respond to emergencies when you're watching
Laura. How could you give up being Superman all together?"
He took a deep breath. "So, maybe that wasn't the best idea I've ever had, but
I won't let anyone break up our family. I can get us out of here if I need to,
Lois."
She leaned closer to him and put her head on his shoulder. Between them Laura
slept peacefully in her mother's arms, blessedly unaware of the possible
consequences of this day.
"I think that what we have to do now is to believe that things will turn out all
right. We've got all our friends pulling for us, and Constance is doing
everything she can for us. We're good parents, and we're going to prove it."
She nodded, her head still sheltered against his shoulder, then kissed Laura
before looking up at him. "I love her so much, Clark," she murmured simply,
haltingly, as if she could barely get out the words.
"I know, sweetheart," he replied, his heart breaking to see her so distressed.
If his own death could have spared her this, he would gladly have offered it
up. But here he was, the most powerful being in the world, and he couldn't do
anything at this moment to ease her pain. The one time above all others that he
wished he could use his speed or his strength, or any of his other powers, to
make things right for his family, and all that was useless to him now. There
was nothing he could do. Nothing beyond holding her, and he didn't see how that
could be enough. "I love her, too. And you," he added, kissing first Lois and
then Laura.
Lois stood in the sanctuary of his embrace a few moments more, then took a deep
breath and straightened up, moving a little out of Clark's arms, letting him
know that she was as ready as she'd ever be to proceed.
She waited while he picked up the bags again, then reached for his hand. "I
don't know what I'd do without you, Clark," she said, the love she had for him
plain in her eyes. "You always seem to be rescuing me."
Holding Lois's hand, he felt his heart swell with happiness, in spite of his
worries. He'd been able to help her! Somehow, he'd been able give her what
she'd needed. Just him--no super stuff needed, either. She was strong again,
and he no longer felt powerless.
He'd thought he was helping her, but it turned out that they were helping each
other.
Hand-in-hand they moved further into the building, heading for the elevators and
the hearing rooms upstairs. About half way there Constance came up to them.
"I've just heard that we'll have a different judge than we thought we would.
Judge Pender is very sick, and had to be rushed to the hospital at ten last
night."
"What's wrong with him?" Clark wanted to know.
"They're not sure, apparently. It might be his heart."
"Who's the new judge?" Lois asked, her tone getting increasingly worried with
each new sentence. "What's he like? I don't like this last minute change. It
could be a set up of some kind."
"Set up?" Constance repeated. "I haven't uncovered anything that points to a
plot or conspiracy of some kind. Have you?"
Lois and Clark looked at each other, then shook their heads. If there was some
kind of conspiracy, it was well obscured. They always came back to the same
question: if the point of this exercise had been to take their child away, then
why hadn't Laura been taken?
"Okay, then this is just one of those things. It happens. Now, about this new
judge--"
The clock on the front of the building suddenly began to chime, a reminder that
time was slipping away from them.
"Come on," Constance told them, "I'll fill you in on the way to the hearing
room. We'll have time for you to get Laura settled before things get started."
They moved towards the elevators once again, talking amongst themselves, their
minds completely occupied with the upcoming hearing.
None of them noticed the person who'd stood watching from the corner of the
lobby.
******
"This is the *worst* day of my life!"
"Ellen, honey--" Sam tried to console her, while trying to unlock Lois and
Clark's front door. Her time on the witness stand had been physically and
emotionally draining for her, and so he'd insisted that she get some rest.
Since Lois and Clark's brownstone was closer than both her place and his, they
had come here.
"You can't make me feel better, Sam. All I want to do right now is have a
helluva good cry and maybe hit something. Preferably that prosecuting
attorney."
By now Sam had the door unlocked and was holding it open for her. Once she'd
passed through, he bent to pick up a manila envelope that had been leaning
against the door. It was addressed to Clark and stamped with the words, "Daily
Planet Research Department" and "Courier."
"Who does he think he is, trying to make me sound like some kind of deviant or-
or criminal, or something?"
Sam followed his ex-wife into the living room, watching her as she paced about,
venting her frustration and anger. She dropped her purse in the vicinity of a
table, not bothering to see if it found its mark, nor seeming to care when it
missed and fell to the floor. Her coat had slightly more success, although half
of it, too, wound up on the floor. He went behind her, straightening or
picking up her belongings, then placed the Daily Planet envelope and Lois's key
ring on the coffee table beside Clark's other papers.
Ellen was continuing her tirade. "He took everything I said and twisted it
around to the point where I was made to look like a liar, and my daughter like
some stupid, heartless female who would leave her child with anyone so long as
she can pursue her career without interference. We all look like idiots or-or
child murderers, and ..."
Suddenly she stopped and turned to face him. He could see the anguish in her
eyes and reached for her before she could finish the rest of her sentence.
"... and Lois and Clark are going to lose that baby and it will be all my
fault!"
Holding her, he walked with her over to one of the sofas and pushed her gently
down onto it. He didn't know what he could say to comfort her, so he just held
her and let her cry.
"Lois w-will never speak t-to me a-again," she sobbed.
"Sure she will, Ellen."
"Why should sh-she?"
"Because she's your daughter and she loves you. Besides," he added, trying to
reassure her, "your testimony was only one little part of the hearing, Ellen.
We can't know what the judge thought of it, either. She's got to be used to
the tricks lawyers play by now."
Her crying had slowed, and she was looking around for a tissue. Sam handed her
his handkerchief.
"And another thing," he added, "when I was here last night, Lois and the rest of
them all had lots of plans for what they could say and do today."
Worried yet hopeful, she wanted to know what they had planned.
"Well, Penny, Jimmy and Perry are all going to be testifying. Dr. Klein is
still helping me with the drug searches. And don't forget the pediatrician,
not to mention that Jimmy has only two more neighbors to interview. He's going
to try and do that when the hearing breaks for lunch."
"That's a longshot and we both know it," she interrupted glumly, focusing in on
the last thing he'd mentioned.
"Hey, longshots have come in before." He gave her a quick hug and then moved to
stand up. "Come on, I brought you here so you could rest. Do you want
anything to eat, or some tea or--"
"No, I'm not hungry, and I don't think I could rest right now either. You'd
better get back to the courthouse; just promise that you'll call me the minute
you know something. I'm going to straighten things up a bit and then maybe
I'll feel like resting. This place looks like they left in a hurry this
morning," commented, glancing around her at the cups, glasses, papers, file
folders and pens which seem to be on every available surface.
"Actually," Sam observed, "I think most of this is from last night. At least, I
think it is. Clark was working when we arrived. All of this is for a story
he's doing." He stood beside her as she began organizing things--putting the
dishes at one end of the coffee table and sliding the piles of papers towards
the other end--and thinking that Clark probably wouldn't like having his stuff
rearranged. "I really think you should take it easy, Ellen."
"I can take it easy later, Sam. I feel better having something to do. If you
could just get a tray from the kitchen for me, I can collect these dishes and
wash them up for Lois."
Recognizing a lost cause when he saw one, Sam gave in and went to fetch the
tray. He had his hands on it when he heard Ellen shout out his name.
"Sam! Sam, come here!"
He came running. "Ellen, what in the world--?" She was looking pale and
excited, and shoved some papers into his hands the moment he got close to her.
He could see that a Research Department envelope was among them and started to
chastise her. "Ellen, you shouldn't have opened--"
"I didn't. I wouldn't--! Who do you think I am? Lois? No, it was already
opened. That's not important. Look at this photo."
A quick glance in the direction of the coffee table showed him that she was
telling the truth. The envelope he'd put there was still lying there,
unopened. Now he looked at the stack she'd handed him and thought he saw the
problem. "Ellen, I know this must have been upsetting for you. These are
photos from those murder cases Clark is working on. Here, let me put these
away so you--"
"No, Sam! Look at this woman. She's the one."
It was beginning to get through to him what she was saying. He looked up to see
Ellen nodding and grinning at him in anticipation. Her eyes were tearing up
again at the thought of being able to prove her story was true.
"Are you sure?
"Of course I'm sure. I keep telling everyone that I've seen her three or four
times, but no one believes me. Here's the proof that I wasn't making it up.
She-she's real. *She's* the woman who was here with me last Friday." She
pulled the photograph from his hand and grabbed her purse and coat. "So," she
asked him impatiently, "are you going to drive me to the police station or
not?"
******
Lois and Clark listened while Perry was sworn in as a witness for the defense.
It had been a long, wearying day for them, full of emotional highs and lows.
The state had come out swinging. In his opening remarks, the attorney for Child
Services, Mr. Tregor, had pointed out that, as a long-time alcoholic, Ellen had
had no business being put in charge of a child at all, and that Lois and Clark
had shown poor judgement by allowing her to stay with Laura. Then he'd begun
calling his witnesses.
Ms. Bailey--Ms. Gladys Hortense Bailey--had testified about what she'd found in
the Kent townhouse on the evening in question. Tregor had had some problems
keeping her on track, because she seemed to want to wander off into her own
personal opinions of Lois and Clark. That tendency did lessen her professional
image somewhat, but there was no doubt that her description of the crying baby
and the stuporous grandmother had painted a damning picture.
Then it was Ellen's turn. She had tried her best, but Tregor had been able to
fluster and confuse her to the point where her testimony had done more harm
than good. Later, under Constance's more gentler handling, Ellen had been able
to give a more coherent account of herself, which made it easier to see why Lois
and Clark would have left Laura in her care. It was pointed out to the court
that Ellen had been an outstanding nurse and was now in a position of trust
with the Superman Foundation.
When Constance had concluded her cross examination, Tregor had stood back up to
ask Ellen two more questions. "Are you, or are you not, an alcoholic?" There
was, unfortunately, only one answer to that.
"And wasn't alcohol found in your bloodstream, Mrs. Lane?"
There was only one answer for that as well.
Constance had countered with a final question of her own. "Mrs. Lane, would you
please tell the court how long, before this alleged incident, you had refrained
from drinking alcoholic beverages?"
"Six years and ten months," Ellen had replied, her voice trembling and her eyes
brimming with tears.
"Thank you, Mrs. Lane. I have no further questions for this witness, Your
Honor."
The hearing had recessed at that point to give Lois a chance to tend to Laura,
and for Constance to give her clients a pep talk. It was early in the day.
They shouldn't let this one partial set-back discourage them. It wasn't over
'til it was over.
They listened, and thanked her, and tried to draw heart from her words, but
handing Laura back to the aide assigned to care for her while they were in
court was a reminder that, at the end of the day, they might be told to hand
her over to foster care, and for a much longer time.
Constance had already told them about the phone call she'd received the night
before, but the private detective looking into it for her hadn't been back in
touch, yet. It would give a motive for Ms. Bailey's extreme actions as well as
her persistent butting into Lois and Clark's private lives, but it wasn't the
kind of evidence that any of them was comfortable using. They'd all agreed,
however, that if necessary, they would use it and anything else they had to, in
order to protect Laura.
When the hearing had resumed, the two "mystery" witnesses had made their
appearances. They turned out to be people who claimed to have seen Lois
leaving her baby alone in a parked car while she'd run into a store, and to
have overheard Lois and Clark arguing while the baby cried in her stroller.
Tregor had managed to intimate that these instances were probably just the tip
of the iceberg and that these two well-known reporters--reporters who must work
incredibly long hours to be able to get all the exclusives they do--weren't
taking their parenting duties seriously.
Child Services, Tregor asserted, wasn't advocating permanent removal of the
child from the home, but rather they believed that Laura would be better off in
a foster home while the parents were attending court-mandated classes and
therapy sessions. The days were past when Social Services would try to keep a
family together no matter what. What mattered--what should always matter--was
the good of the child.
"It's like he's running for office or something," Clark whispered to Lois.
Constance, for her part, had made each witness go over every part of their
testimony again. They stuck by their stories, but she was able to trip them up
a bit over a couple of the details. Enough, anyway, to cast some doubt over
their testimony. Mr. Tregor asked them again if they were sure it had been Lois
and Clark whom they'd seen. They each said yes, one of them, this time, with
just a trace of hesitancy in her voice. The State rested, and it was the
Defense's turn.
Dr. Langdon, Laura's pediatrician, stated that Mr. and Mrs. Kent had always kept
all the necessary "well baby" appointments, and that Laura was the picture of
health, with no evidence of neglect.
The neighbor who had stayed with Laura while Lois and Clark had gone out a
couple of times, said that she'd never noticed anything that would be a cause
for alarm: the baby's things were all clean and just as they should be, and
Laura herself seemed to be a healthy, happy little girl. "In fact," she
asserted, "I wish I could sit with her more often, but I have grandchildren of
my own, you see, and I also like to take trips with my friends. We went to
Niagara Falls in June."
When the judge adjourned the hearing for lunch, Sam--rather surprisingly--hadn't
yet returned from driving Ellen to Lois and Clark's house. Perry and the
others were still waiting for their turn in the witness stand, and listened
anxiously to the progress report given by Clark. Jimmy, after hearing how
things had gone so far, was even more determined than ever to try and interview
the two remaining neighbors on Hyperion. He'd dashed off, forgoing lunch, but
vowing to return in time for his turn as a witness. Constance had gone to her
office for a while, to check on something, so that left Perry and Penny to take
a subdued Lois and Clark out for a bite to eat.
With the best will in the world, neither Lois nor Clark could tell the other two
which way the judge seemed to be leaning. She was the most poker-faced woman
Lois claimed to have ever seen. "All she does," Lois said gloomily, "is look
over the top of her glasses at people, and take notes. Lots of notes. She
spends so much time looking down at her notes, that you can't tell what she's
thinking."
"Constance told us that Judge Rice is considered to be kind of tough, but fair,"
Clark added, trying to be as positive as he could.
"I hope she's right," Lois muttered.
At two o'clock the hearing had reconvened. Penny had been summoned and had told
of stopping by the Kents' house a few times with her boyfriend, Jimmy Olsen.
She'd never seen Lois or Clark be anything but good parents to Laura. Then
Jimmy's name had been called.
"The Defense calls James B. Olsen to the stand, please."
No Jimmy.
Lois leaned over and whispered to Clark, "Wouldn't you know ... the one time we
*want* Jimmy to pop into a room, he's no where to be found."
After a brief consultation, it was decided to skip Jimmy's testimony for the
time being, and move on to the next witness, Perry White, Chief Editor of the
Daily Planet. He was a good witness; not nervous as Penny had been or
meandering like Ms. Bailey, but direct and to the point, answering the questions
Constance put to him in a voice full of conviction. If his expression softened
when he mentioned Laura, then so much the better. It showed the depth of his
feelings for that little girl. Surely someone who cared that much for the child
would want what was best for her.
Then Mr. Tregor got up to cross examine. His technique was quite different from
Constance's. His first few questions were asked in a rapid-fire manner, barely
giving Perry a chance to answer. As a method of unsettling a witness, it was
superb: The Daily Planet was a great newspaper. He was sure that Mr. White must
be proud of the work they do there. Wouldn't he say that reporters--if they
want to get good stories--have to work incredibly long hours? Wouldn't it be
fair to say that it's difficult to have a good family life under such
circumstances? Mr. White, isn't it true that your own family life suffered
because of your work?
"Objection!" Constance's voice rang out.
"Sustained. Mr. Prosecutor, let's not badger the witnesses today, understood?"
"Certainly, Your Honor. I was only trying to show that reporters, who are as
good at their jobs as Mr. and Mrs. Kent obviously are, might have a difficult
time being good parents, too."
"You are allowed to make your points, Mr. Tregor, but you can't do it-- in my
courtroom--by badgering witnesses. Have I made myself clear?"
"Perfectly clear, Your Honor."
"Then proceed."
Mr. Tregor reached up to straighten his already perfectly straight tie, and
thought about his next move. "Mr. White. Would you say that a reporter's job
is a dangerous one? When I think of some of the stories Clark Kent and Lois
Lane have written about, I'm impressed at their courage: Intergang, terrorists,
deranged scientists--"
"Now just a minute here! Surely you're not trying to say that Lois and Clark
would ever endanger their child, or anyone else's for that matter, just to get
a story!"
"No, of course not, although that's an interesting point you've brought up.
However, what I was referring to was how much personal danger they must be
subjected to in order to get the kinds of headlines that they do."
"Well, there is a certain amount of danger involved, but they're real pros and
don't put themselves in danger just for the heck of it. They're not Evel
Kneivel, for pete's sake!"
"No one is implying that they are, Mr. White. But, since they are involved in
such potentially dangerous work, such high stress work, wouldn't it be fair to
say that that same stress might manifest itself in ways that are--"
"Now hold on there, buster!"
"Don't you think that they might, understandably, need some help in handling
that stress? That they can't be the parents I'm sure they want to be because--
?"
"Why you--!"
Judge Rice pounded her gavel. "Order, please! Gentlemen, I see no reason to
shout. We are none of us deaf."
Both men began to speak at once.
"Judge, I--" "Your Honor--"
She pounded her gavel again. "I believe, Counselor, that you had asked Mr.
White a question. I would like to hear his answer." She turned her attention
to Perry. "Mr. White, would you like the court recorder to read the question
out to you?"
"No, thank you. I remember the question. That rascal," he said, pointing to
the prosecutor, "was asking if I thought Lois and Clark were being good parents
as well as good reporters."
"Very well. Please proceed."
Tregor appeared to be weighing the pros and cons of arguing with a judge, but
then he bowed slightly and stepped back towards his table, giving the floor to
Perry. Unnoticed in all this commotion, Constance's secretary quietly slipped
into the room to hand her a large envelope.
"Thank you, Judge." Perry cleared his throat slightly, using this time to get
his thoughts together. He was still angry at how Tregor had tried to
manipulate him, but all his years of editing for a deadline came to his aid, and
in less time than anyone could have thought possible, he was master of himself
again and ready to do battle.
"Yes, it's true that Lois and Clark have gotten a lot of exclusives for the
Daily Planet. But, if anyone thinks that they do what they do just for the
headlines, then that person would be wrong. It's not just about headlines.
It's about searching for the truth. It's about being a voice for people who
have no voice, and about trying to make the place you live in a better, safer
place for everyone. It's about caring and commitment, even when it may seem
like no one else cares if you have a commitment."
Perry paused for a moment, and Tregor opened his mouth as if he were going to
ask another question, but he caught the judge's warning glance, and wisely
changed his mind.
"Lois and Clark are the best reporters it's ever been my privilege to work with.
They are dedicated and hard- working, and yes they have put in some long hours,
and they have put themselves in dangerous situations before. But ... and this
is a big 'but,' they are also the best parents I've seen in a long time. Lois
there has been fighting for an in-house day-care facility in the Planet
building. They have both decided to work reduced schedules while Laura is so
young so that they can spend more time with her.
"As far as that stress thing goes ... well, if there's anyone who knows about
stress and how not to handle it, it's me. I've done a lot of things wrong in
my life, not the least of which was burying myself in my work when I should
have been spending time with my family. Maybe Lois and Clark have learned from
my mistakes, or maybe," he stopped long enough to smile in their direction
"they're just plain smarter than I was, but whatever the reason, I'd say
they're doing all the right things. Now, I don't know what happened in their
house last Friday afternoon, but I do know two things for sure: that they love
each other and they love that little girl."
Perry stopped and, taking a deep breath, relaxed back into his chair. Lois and
Clark smiled at each other, relieved and grateful to Perry for what he'd just
said. Surely, this would help to turn the tide in their favor. Mr. Tregor,
getting a nod from Judge Rice, stepped forward again.
"Mr. White, I have listened very carefully to all that you have said, and I can
truly appreciate that you care for this young couple before us here today. I
can also see that you care very much what happens to Laura Kent. I think we
all do, and that's why we are here. Having said that, I must point out that
none of this changes the fact that the Kents allowed a woman with a history of
alcoholism to watch over their child, and that because of it the child was left
unattended while that same woman--the child's own grandmother--drank herself
into a stupor." He paused, allowing that seemingly indisputable fact to hang
in the air, then added. "I have no further questions for this witness, Your
Honor."
Into the heavy silence, the judge thanked Perry for his time and told him he
might step down. She then turned towards Constance. "Counselor, will you call
your next witness?"
Constance stood to address the court. "Actually, Your Honor, I was going to ask
for a short recess. Mrs. Kent needs to feed the baby again."
As if on cue, the distinctive sound of a baby's cry could be heard getting ever
closer, and then the door to the courtroom opened just far enough for the aide
to peer around its edge.
The judge smiled. "It would seem that we are in recess, ladies and gentlemen."
She banged the gavel, but not too loudly, and exited into her own chambers.
Once they had moved into the small interview room down the hall, which Lois had
been using when she needed to feed Laura, Lois and Clark turned worried faces
toward their lawyer.
"That Tregor is hanging on to mother's alcoholism the way I hang on to a story.
He's not letting up. What are we going to do?"
Clark had been holding Laura while Lois draped a small blanket over one shoulder
and the front of her blouse. Now he handed the baby to his wife. "The
envelope that arrived during Perry's testimony ... is that what I think it is?"
Constance nodded. "It is, and it could deal a real blow to their side. So we
need to decide what to do. I can put each of you on the stand as soon as we
reconvene, or we can start with this." She laid the envelope down on the table
between them. "Strategy-wise, I think it would be better to use this first,
then put Clark on the stand, then Lois. Lois, you, as the mother, will carry a
lot of emotional weight with the judge. It would give us a good, strong
finish." She pulled out a chair and sat down. "Let's plan our next step."
******
Back in the hearing room once again, with the shadows lengthening as the day
drew to a close, Judge Rice addressed them, "It's getting late, ladies and
gentlemen, and I know we are all getting tired. However, I think we have time
for one more witness." She nodded to Constance. "Counselor, you may proceed."
Constance rose from her chair. "Thank you, Your Honor." She looked over at
Lois and Clark, as if to see if what she was about to do still had their
blessing. They both looked unhappy, but grimly determined, and nodded for her
to continue. "I would like to re-call Ms. Gladys Bailey to the stand."
Mr. Tregor turned quickly to his two assistants, a question in his eyes, but
they could only shake their heads. They didn't understand this tactic either.
The request for Ms. Bailey's presence was relayed to the anteroom, but before
she could respond, the door to the hearing room suddenly burst open and an
extraordinary number of people poured into the room: Inspector Henderson, Sam
and Ellen Lane, Jimmy with an unknown person in tow, Perry, Penny and even Dr.
Klein were all there and all talking at once. The attorneys, assistants,
defendants and court personnel were all on their feet, astounded by this
untoward interruption. Only Judge Rice kept her seat, observing and listening,
but keeping her gavel ready, just in case things really got out of hand.
Clark, glancing her way, thought he saw a twinkle in her eye, and was heartened
by it. So, there was more to this lady than just toughness!
"We have new evidence, Your Honor ..."
"... and then I found Mr. Chase. He's been out of town ..."
"There was this photograph of the woman who ..."
"And our investigation turned up an address where she had ..."
"... the combination of these drugs would render someone helpless to resist ..."
"... a suicide note and a bottle of pills, Your Honor."
"... he saw the blonde woman knocking on Lois and Clark's door."
"She apparently killed herself out of remorse for what she'd done."
The several individual tales came to an end, gradually petering out like a round
sung by a classroom choir, and they all looked at the judge expectantly. She
took a moment to carefully place her gavel back on its stand before folding her
hands in front of her and facing the assembled crowd.
"Everyone take a seat, please." She noticed Ms. Bailey hovering undecided near
the door, and motioned for her to come into the room. When everyone was
settled again, she pointed at Henderson. "You are Inspector Henderson, of the
Metropolis Police Department, is that correct?"
He came forward. "Yes, Your Honor, I am."
"Good. Now, can you give a clear account of what everyone was so
enthusiastically trying to tell me just now?"
"I will certainly try to, Your Honor." He then proceeded to explain how Sam and
Ellen Lane had brought in the photograph of the woman they said had been in the
Kents' house last Friday. Unfortunately, the young woman in question was now
dead, a victim, it had first been thought, of the same person who'd been
murdering so many of Metropolis's citizens over the past few weeks. However,
subsequent--and very hurried--investigations had turned up an address for her,
and there they'd discovered notes which explained why she drugged Ellen Lane.
Apparently, she had planned to take the Kents' baby, but panicked when Mrs. Lane
became unconscious. Pills were also discovered in this young woman's apartment
which could incapacitate a victim as well as make them powerless to prevent
anyone from making them do anything ... such as drink something they wouldn't
ordinarily have drunk. In addition, Jimmy Olsen had finally tracked down a
neighbor of Lois and Clark's who had seen the young woman enter the Kents'
townhouse on Friday afternoon. This man had been out of town on family matters
and had only just returned today.
"Thank you, Inspector. You may sit down. Ms. Hunter, do you still wish to
question Ms. Bailey?"
Constance looked to Lois and Clark, seeing the answer to that question in their
eyes. "No, Your Honor, in light of this new evidence, I don't think that will
be necessary now."
"Do you wish to call any other witnesses?"
"Just one, Your Honor. Lois Lane Kent."
There was a hush in the courtroom as Lois was sworn in. Constance, aware of the
tension in the air, didn't wait long before asking her questions. "Mrs. Kent,
for the record, do you love your daughter, Laura?"
"Very much."
"Would you ever do anything to deliberately harm her in any way?"
"No. I would not."
"Did you ever leave your child alone in your car while you went into a store?"
"No. Never."
"Did you ever neglect your child in order to pursue your own interests," a
slight smile appeared on Constance's face, "such as arguing with your husband?"
"No. We never did anything like that. We wouldn't do anything like that."
Constance nodded for her to continue.
"Clark is the best person I know. He's a wonderful father, and a wonderful
husband. We wanted this baby very much--had even been afraid we might not be
able to have children--so there is no way that we'd neglect her or hurt her."
Lois's voice was trembling slightly now, making her look to Clark as if for
support, and he didn't fail her. His eyes were moist, but on his face was a
look so expressive of the love he had for her, and faith he had in her, that
anyone who saw it could not fail to believe in their rightness as a couple. Not
taking her eyes off of him, but addressing everyone in the room, she said,
"Laura is a part of us ... a part of the love we have for each other. We could
never do anything to harm that."
Constance let the room grow silent, then she looked towards the bench and knew
the judge had seen what she'd wanted her to see. She turned to the prosecutor.
"Your witness, Mr. Tregor."
He thought about it for a moment, then shook his head.
"You may step down, Mrs. Kent," Judge Rice stated.
"Your Honor," Constance announced, "the Defense rests."
"Very well, Ms. Hunter," the judge replied. She took a moment to arrange the
papers on her desk, and to remove her glasses. Folding her hands in her
customary gesture, and making sure she had everyone's attention she continued,
"I want to thank the attorneys on both sides, and also to extend my appreciation
to the witnesses for everyone's efforts today on behalf of young Laura Kent.
As Mr. Tregor has so ably pointed out, that is what we are all here for ... the
good of the child.
"I have listened attentively to all the evidence presented today, and everything
that has been said, denied, contradicted or substantiated. It all comes down
to one thing: are Clark and Lois Kent being good parents to their daughter,
Laura, or are they neglecting her? This has been an interesting case, and not
just for the dramatic, last second rescue efforts by Mr. and Mrs. Kent's own
personal cavalry."
There was a low murmur of laughter at this sally, but most of those present were
too keyed up with suspense to be able to fully enjoy it.
"And, while I enjoy drama, I must say that the evidence they brought, although
most interesting and informative, did not actually change my opinion on this
case."
Lois and Clark turned to each other with frightened eyes and held hands a little
tighter, while many of the others began whispering to each other, and Mr.
Tregor began to look pleased with himself once again.
Judge Rice held up a hand for silence, and the whispering died down. "It has
been pointed out that Mrs. Lane is an alcoholic and that Mr. and Mrs. Kent
should not have left their daughter with her. That by doing so they were being
neglectful, and should therefore be made to place their child in foster care.
With this opinion I must say that ..."
Everyone seemed to hold their breath.
"... I do *not* concur."
The room erupted in shouts of joy. Lois and Clark hugged each other and
Constance, as did Sam and Ellen. Henderson and Perry shook hands, and Jimmy,
after first hugging Penny, wanted to hug everybody else. When he reached
Perry's side however, he suddenly remembered that he'd had strict orders not to
do any such thing. Perry, seeing the uncertainty on his face, grinned and
pulled the younger man into a giant bear hug.
Judge Rice let this state of affairs continue for a few minutes and then banged
her gavel to restore order. "Neglect is much more serious than a single lapse
of judgement, such as letting people one barely knows into one's home. Neglect
involves a pattern of irresponsibility, or even intentional harm, that frankly I
do not see in this case. And so, I would have found for the defendants even
without the new evidence supplied by Inspector Henderson ... and his troops."
This time the joke could be better appreciated by most of the people in the
room. If Tregor's smile was a bit forced, well, that was understandable.
"I want to say now, for the record, that this new evidence completely exonerates
Mrs. Lane from blame as far as the charge of neglecting her granddaughter
through wilful drunkenness. She might, however, want to be more careful in the
future about whom she allows inside the house when the child's parents are not
at home."
Ellen nodded emphatically, a beatific smile on her face. "I certainly will,
Your Honor, ma'am."
Sam reached out and put an arm around her.
"I am pleased that your reputation as a baby-sitter, and a grandmother, has been
restored, Mrs. Lane."
"Thank you, Your Honor."
Judge Rice smiled back, and then turned her full attention to Lois and Clark.
"Mr. and Mrs. Kent, this court apologizes to you most sincerely for the ordeal
you have had to endure today. There was no cause for you to be subjected to
this hearing, and I want to personally assure you that certain current
procedures will be investigated thoroughly, in hopes that other good parents
will not have to endure this same kind of suffering."
She directed a glare in Ms. Bailey's direction, which caused that lady to shrink
a bit in her seat. Mr. Tregor was busy putting his papers together and
avoiding the judge's eye, but when he heard her clearing her throat he felt
compelled to look up. What he saw on her face didn't make him feel any better.
Having made her point to her complete satisfaction, Judge Rice looked once more
in Lois and Clark's direction. "Mr. and Mrs. Kent, this judgement completely
absolves you of the charge of wilful neglect of your daughter, Laura." She
banged the gavel once more. "This hearing is adjourned," she declared in a
formal judge-like tone, then added in a more gentle voice to Lois and Clark,
"Go get your little girl."
******
Removing her black robe in her chambers, Judge Rice could still hear the sounds
of jubilation from the courtroom. She could grin now about how the hearing had
ended, something she would never allow herself to do while she was on the
bench. She'd had her doubts about this case from the beginning, but after
watching the Kents from a corner of the courthouse lobby that morning, she'd
been nearly certain that the charges against them were unfounded. Further
observation of the couple throughout the day, especially how attuned Lois was to
the baby's needs, made her even more doubtful about neglect. Being a judge,
however, carried with it certain responsibilities, and she was not a woman who
took those responsibilities lightly. It was with relief that she'd been able to
render a judgement which backed up her instincts.
"Come in!" she called out, in response to a knock on the door, and wasn't too
surprised to see Lois and Clark enter, carrying baby Laura with them.
"Judge Rice," Clark began, "we're sorry if we're interrupting you, but we just
wanted to say thank you."
"You're welcome, Mr. Kent, but the real credit goes to both of you, you know."
She reached forward to lightly caress the baby's head. "You're doing a fine
job with this little lady. I want to say again how sorry I am for what you've
been through. I suppose, in your line of work, you must be used to being front-
page news, but this can't have been pleasant for you."
Lois smiled. "I think Perry is going to take care of that. He's got big plans
for the Daily Planet's front page tomorrow."
[End of Part Four]
******
[Conclusion]
"PLANET REPORTERS COMPLETELY VINDICATED"
"KENTS NOT GUILTY OF NEGLECT"
"KENTS KEEP KID"
Thursday morning's newspapers lay untouched on Lex Luthor's desk. He hadn't
needed to look at them; the bad news had been all over the various media with
distressing comprehensiveness since yesterday evening. It was really quite sad
when one thought of how easily the news of disasters could be spread.
Luthor sighed. Didn't anyone report good news anymore?
The last two days had been perfectly miserable for him, especially since Monday
had been so full of promise. But Tuesday had brought with it the unpleasant
information that the old LexLabs' computer files about cloning had been
accessed. That shouldn't have happened; those files were supposed to be secure!
Even though the information in them was encrypted, he'd still put one of his
best people onto creating better firewalls to keep out intruders, and had
learned in the process that this particular intruder had been none other than
Clark Kent. Furious, and at the same time frightened, he'd been in no mood to
hear that Ellen Lane's memories were more intact than he'd been led to believe
they would be.
Things had gone downhill from there. His sources told him that Ms. Bailey had
been investigated by a person or persons unknown, and he could only assume that
whatever was found would be turned over to the Kents or their lawyer. He was
worried that if they were investigating Ms. Bailey, it might not be too much
longer before they discovered his contact. The judge he'd had in his pocket
had turned out to have a weak heart--or was it a weak stomach--and Ms. Hunter
had proved unmoveable. Thus, the young woman who'd helped to drug Ellen Lane
had had to be disposed of, although ... he had to admit he'd been able to turn
that to good account. Her "suicide" would be reason enough for investigators
to cease searching for other motives--or possible "accomplices."
For most of the day, however, it had been just one damned thing after another.
He'd watched helplessly as the case he'd created against Lois and Clark had
collapsed into dust.
To add insult to injury, he might now have to dispose of one of his best
computer people, if that young man got curious enough to try to decode the
files he'd been ordered to secure. Luthor hated waste, but he would have hated
being exposed even more. So, the young man from the computer lab would have to
be carefully watched. As for the two operatives he'd had lined up to be
temporary foster parents, well he was having them dealt with next week. They
believed they were being relocated, and, when you thought about it, they were
... just not in the way they were expecting. He'd decided that they would need
to disappear, but not from Metropolis. Things needed to die down a bit after
all the recent "excitement," but he was basically satisfied that, for the time
being, he'd gotten his message across to the people who'd needed it, and who
would understand it.
Not even that thought could reconcile him to his current situation for long.
Cursing all unbribable judges, attorneys who were too full of themselves to
seek a postponement, and a world where the only pawns available were those who
were too stupid to truly be of use, Luthor pulled furiously on his cigar until
the end of it glowed as white-hot as his anger.
******
Lois sensed, rather than felt, Clark getting out of bed. She was used to his
nocturnal comings and goings, however, and so probably would have been able to
fall right back to sleep, if the last few days weren't still so fresh in her
mind. As it was, the same thoughts which couldn't keep her awake a few hours
earlier, were now able to force her to full wakefulness because she'd had some
sleep.
A week ago tomorrow ... that's when it had all begun, and now it was over.
Laura was safe at home with them, and they'd been completely vindicated of the
charges against them. It had all worked out so well, and everything was so
much like it had been before, that the entire incident carried with it a sense
of unreality--more like a vivid nightmare, than an actual period of time in her
life.
Even Martha and Jonathan had finally been accounted for, having phoned last
night to tell them about the Native American sites they had been visiting.
They'd been astounded, then dismayed, and finally elated at the news Clark had
to tell them, and had felt guilty about having had a good time while such awful
things had been happening in Metropolis. Clark, with Lois on the extension,
had had a difficult time easing their minds, not to mention talking them out of
turning the RV around and heading for home.
Everything was fine, they'd told them. Enjoy your trip--you've earned it.
We'll see you for Christmas.
Except ... everything wasn't completely fine, Lois thought as she lay in bed.
There were still too many loose ends for her taste. Too many unanswered
questions left lying around out there, for her peace of mind. But, as Perry had
pointed out, "Life ain't always as neat as we would like it to be. Sometimes,
Lois, you're going to have ragged edges."
"But I don't like ragged edges," Lois muttered into the dark room.
Fully awake now, she decided to get up and check on Laura. It would be time to
feed her again in another hour, if she didn't wake up before then, that is.
All the craziness of the last few days had affected her, too, and had
interfered with her normal routine. She'd handled it pretty well, poor little
thing, but it would probably be a few more days before she was back on
schedule.
Lois slipped on her robe and walked barefoot towards Laura's room, turning on
the hallway light as she went. When she got to the doorway, she was surprised
to find her husband standing beside the crib, watching the baby-- she'd been so
sure he was off being Superman. He looked a bit embarrassed to be caught this
way, but Lois thought it was sweet. This was just the sort of thing that made
her fall in love with him all over again.
He smiled and came towards her.
"Hi," she whispered. "I thought you'd left for a rescue, and here I find you
just hanging around. Was she stirring?"
He shook his head before gathering her into his arms. "No. I couldn't sleep,
that's all. So, I thought I'd see how she was doing." Nodding back towards
the sleeping baby, he added, "I never get tired of watching her. It's almost
as if she changes from moment to moment."
"I know what you mean. I love watching her, too. I'm so afraid I'm going to
miss something. One of those 'first' things, you know: first smile, first
word, first step, that I want to be with her every moment I can."
"Me, too."
They held each other a little longer, just content to be together and to have
things peaceful for a while.
"Mmm," Lois murmured, "this is so nice. It can't last, you know. Either Laura
is going to wake up or someone will yell, 'Help, Superman!,' or--"
"Well, maybe," he whispered, grinning at her resigned but humorous tone, "we
should take advantage of it while we can."
She looked at him suspiciously. "And just what did you have in mind?" she
asked, certain that she knew the answer already.
"Hot chocolate," he replied promptly.
"I've never heard it called *that* before," she muttered.
"Ms. Lane! I'm surprised at you!" he chastised her, looking both shocked and
innocent at the same time.
Her eyebrows went up in disbelief, and his expression became even more innocent
than before, if that was possible. "I don't see why you should be surprised,
Clark Kent. You know perfectly well what you were talking about."
"No, I don't think I do. What did you think I was talking about?"
"Nothing, at all," she replied grandly, seeing that he was bent on continuing
this charade.
"Huh-uh." He eyes twinkled down at her, making her grin.
"Okay, hot chocolate sounds good, so I'll play along. You can start it, since
it was your idea, and I'll go put my slippers on."
"Yes, ma'am."
When she got downstairs, he already had a pan of milk on the stove and was
measuring the cocoa and sugar into two mugs. "Do you want something to eat,
too?" he asked.
"No, thanks. The cocoa will be plenty. You've got to give me your secret
recipe some day. Your hot chocolate always tastes about ten times better than
the instant I have to make."
"I'd be happy to give you private lessons in anything at all, my dear."
"I bet you would."
"As for the recipe, it was given to me by a very kind and generous Dutch woman I
met in The Hague."
"Oh ... was she pretty?"
"Pretty? Yes, she was pretty." He grinned at her. "She was also old enough to
be my grandmother."
"Oh." Lois had to laugh at herself, and her reaction to the thought of Clark
with any other woman but her. Even after all this time, and even though she
was absolutely sure of him, she could still get these feelings. It didn't
appear that Clark was bothered by her moments of jealousy or possessiveness. In
fact, he seemed to take it as a compliment.
The milk was hot now and Clark poured it into the mugs, stirring the mixtures
carefully. Lois could feel that he was preoccupied about something, even
though he'd been doing a good job of covering it up with all his teasing and
joking around. She waited until he'd brought the mugs to the table, and they'd
had a couple of sips, before she asked him about it.
"So ... how come you couldn't sleep?"
"Oh, you know ... just thinking about things."
"What things?"
"Mostly that there are just too many unanswered questions."
"Too many loose ends."
"Exactly. That young woman who's supposed to have drugged your mom, for
example. I'm not completely convinced that her death was a suicide."
"Neither is Henderson, but there's not much more anyone can do on that. You
read the coroner's report, Clark, just as I did. What bugs *me* about her is
where she would have gotten the drugs she used on mom. There's nothing in her
preliminary profile which would indicate that she could have access to such
things, let alone know how to use them."
"I agree, which makes her death even more suspicious. And, as far as wanting to
steal a baby as a means to keeping her boyfriend by her side ..." he added, in
a tone of disbelief.
"Well, sometimes love brings out the best in people, and sometimes it brings out
the worst. Not every woman can find a great guy like I did. I'm one of the
lucky ones."
She watched as his expression softened, then he leaned over and kissed her.
"Thank you." He took his free hand and reached for hers, playing with her
fingers in a way that told her he wasn't completely ready to let go of this
problem. "I guess you're right. Sometimes people do crazy things for the
people they love. But, doing crazy things and being crazy enough to kill
yourself are two different things, Lois."
"But, honey, the coroner said that while it was unusual for a suicide to shoot
themselves in the back of the head, it wasn't entirely unprecedented. The
angle was achievable and they did find gunpowder traces on her hands and the
gun beside the body, remember."
"They also found a bruise on her cheek and another on her arm."
"Which she could have gotten in that fight with her boyfriend."
"Ah, yes," Clark replied skeptically. "The fight she mentioned in her suicide
note. But what if that note was phoney? Then those bruises could have been
caused by her murderer."
"I thought of that, too, but if her boyfriend was the murderer then why would he
leave a note lying around that could incriminate him?"
"Maybe he didn't know about it.".
"Maybe ..." Lois thought of another point. "Henderson said they haven't been
able to ID any boyfriend for her, anyway. Maybe she imagined him because she
wanted one so badly."
"And gave herself those bruises, too?"
Lois frowned as she thought over the various possibilities. "I know it doesn't
make much sense, Clark, but we've seen even stranger things than this before."
They were silent for a moment or two, sipping their hot drinks. "This whole
situation just bugs me," Clark said eventually. "I feel like we're missing
some vital bit of information that would make it all fall right into place."
"I know what you mean. Sometimes I almost think I've got the missing piece of
the puzzle, but then it turns out that it doesn't quite fit after all. We both
know how good I am at sniffing out conspiracies, but I just can't see it here
... at least not with what we've been able to learn so far. There's just this
one pathetic girl who wanted someone love her, and another even more pathetic
woman who couldn't give up her fantasies about a married man."
"Even that theory about there being something fishy behind the sudden change in
judges turned out to be wrong. Judge Rice was completely honest and on the
level."
"I didn't like that prosecutor, though, Clark. He liked his job way too much.
Even though the judge says she would have ruled in our favor, I'm still
grateful Mom saw that photo when she did and took it to Henderson."
"Yes, that was one of those incredibly lucky things that happens once in a
while. If Perry hadn't assigned me to that story, and told Research to forward
copies of everything to me right away, and--"
"If Laura hadn't spit up on me at the last minute so that I'd have to go change
my blouse ..."
"Then we would have already have left the house before that envelope was
delivered, and I would never have opened it that morning."
"Kind of gives you a different perspective on being spit up on, doesn't it?"
Clark thought about that one for a moment, and then shook his head. Lois was
shaking hers, too. "Nah," they said in chorus, and laughed.
"It's good that we suggested Mom come here instead of going all the way out to
her place to rest." Lois grew quiet suddenly, as another thought about her
mother came back to her. "Mom could have been killed by the combination of the
drugs and the alcohol. From what Dr. Klein told me, we're lucky she passed out
when she did, and scared the woman away."
Clark reached for her hand, comforting her.
"I feel really bad about not believing her sooner, Clark. Maybe if I had, we
could have asked to have her blood tested for drugs and not just alcohol. But
even though she was so sick, we all just thought it was the alcohol and her
medications. No one thought about other drugs."
"Don't blame yourself, Lois," he pleaded gently. "None of us believed her,
remember? It wasn't just you."
She smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks, sweetheart."
"For my part, I'm glad we didn't have to use that information about Ms. Bailey
in the hearing. Constance has promised to turn it over to someone who's in a
better position to help that poor woman, and that's a much better use of it
than dragging it all out in court."
"Ugh. I knew she'd taken a shine to you, Clark, but I never dreamed she would
do what she did. Did you hear that they've put her on administrative leave
while she's getting treatment?"
He nodded. "Anyone who would risk a child's future by using their job to get
closer to the person they're fantasizing about ... well, she's a sick woman,
that's for sure."
"Well, at least we won't have to worry about Social Services turning up on our
doorstep anymore. Thank goodness we had good news for your parents when they
called."
"Thank goodness they finally called! And, I guess that's another loose end,
isn't it? What happened to the other message Mom said she left?"
"I don't know. Maybe she actually dialed the wrong number and left it on
someone else's machine by mistake."
Clark looked sceptical.
"If the reception was bad, she might not have heard the message correctly when
the machine answered."
"Maybe, but--" He suddenly broke off and glanced towards the second floor.
Lois smiled. "You're better than a baby monitor, did you know that? Is she
crying?" Lois asked as she stood up.
"No, but she's definitely waking up." He got up, too, and carried the mugs over
to the sink. "She's making those cute little noises like the ones you make
when you're thinking about getting some chocolate."
"I don't make cute little noises when I'm getting chocolate!"
"Oh yes, you do! But not as cute as the ones you make when--"
"That's enough out of you, buster! Since you're so smart, let's see what kind
of diaper-changer you are."
"A super one, of course!"
Lois groaned dramatically while trying not to laugh. "That's so bad, Clark."
They started up the stairs. "What? You don't like my jokes?"
"You have a great many wonderful qualities, Clark, but I did not marry you for
your joke telling capabilities."
"Oh? And which ones did you marry me for?"
She laughed at him, glancing over her shoulder as she reached the top of the
stairs. "Wouldn't you like to know!"
THE END
(
geocities.com/~chiefpam/Season6) (
geocities.com/~chiefpam)