Fic: The Things We Lost (6/?)
Title: The Things We Lost (6/?)
Author: Babette babettew54
Category: Smallville (AU)
Characters: Lois/Clark/Kal-El, Tess, Oliver, Lex
Rating: T
Summary: Lois and Clark must accept the cruel reality of their separation as they try to get back what they had lost.
Word Count: 3,200
Spoilers: Dominion (10.19)
Disclaimer: DC Comics, Warner Bros. Entertainment owns these characters (well, except Andrew), dangit!
A/N: In this next chapter, Clark and the League plan their strategy against Lex, Andrew’s inner demons make themselves known, and later Tess and Oliver try to sort through their feelings. Please read and review. Thanks, everyone! :D
Story banner by hanakt
Previously:
( Chapter 1) ( Chapter 2) ( Chapter 3) ( Chapter 4) ( Chapter 5)
Chapter 6: Still the Same
High above the city and still in the suit, Clark had just left Lex's office, when he heard Lois's voice and she was shouting at someone. Her heart rate was also elevated. Something was definitely wrong. He listened again. It was Andrew. He then flew as fast as he could. He had better not hurt her. He took several deep breaths to calm down.
Lois backed up again and tried to gage the distance, then quickly ran as fast as she could toward the side table in the dining room where she kept her revolver. It wasn't loaded, but Andy didn't know that. But just as she reached the drawer, yanked it open, and pulled out the gun, Andy grabbed her arm and knocked the revolver across the room.
"Let go of me!" Lois hollered in his face trying to get away from him.
Andrew squeezed her arm hard. "That was not a smart move, Lois, not smart at all." He shoved her toward the sofa, then his eyes glowed dark, his meaning clear.
Suddenly, the door crashed open, and The Blur entered the apartment, quickly pulled Andrew away from her and dragged him out into the hall.
Lois ran to the door and tried to stop him from doing something he'll regret. "Please don't hurt him. He doesn't know what he's doing."
Clark heard her words. All he had to do was hit him just once and that would be the end of the man. Instead, he said, "Leave Lois alone and never come back, or you will be sorry."
Andrew knew he couldn't win this fight, so he scurried away, whimpering like a child.
Clark went to her then and picked her up carefully holding her close. He saw the gun but didn't say anything. "It's alright, it's alright. I'm here now."
She clutched him close around the neck and tried not to cry. He entered the bedroom and shut the door. He then laid her down on the bed. "Are you hurt? Here, let me see." He looked her over carefully starting with her arms and then he x-rayed all of her to be sure there weren't any broken bones. "Does this hurt?" He saw a bruise begin to appear on her arm.
"I'm alright, Clark, really," she said trying to bring up a smile.
He wanted to fly after the man and strangle him, but he continued to x-ray her. There were no broken bones, only the bruise. He smoothed her hair out of her eyes. "This was not how I wanted our first 'real' evening to begin."
"Neither did I, believe me," she told him, as she looked him over.
He glanced at her, then back at her arm. "I saw the gun, Lois. How long have you had that thing?"
Lois knew he wouldn't like it. "Not long after I realized you weren't coming back."
"I see," he replied.
"It wasn't loaded, Clark. You know I couldn't shoot anyone. I just wanted him to go away, that's all."
"Lois, you don't have to explain. I understand." She looked as if she didn't believe him. He took her hand. "I know things have been tough around here, but I'm back now."
"Is that your subtle way of telling me to get rid of it?"
"No, Lois, I can't tell you what to do."
"Good because I'm keeping it."
He grinned at her, shook his head and decided to change the subject but she did it for him.
"I saw you on television." Chuckling at him, she asked, "Clark, you flew, and your new costume... wow, you look amazing..."
"Yeah, it felt like nothing I've ever done before, and the costume, well, Jor-El felt I was ready."
"I want to hear all about it." Then she sat up in bed careful of her arm. "Come here," she said and scooted over to make room for him.
He smiled ready to tell her everything. They talked for about half an hour. He told her about his talk with is Father at the Fortress, the things he had said to him, and of course, about finally putting on the suit and flying for the first time.
Lois then surprised and shocked him by telling him that she had resigned her job at the station. "But why?"
"My heart wasn't there, Clark. I enjoyed it for a while. It was a distraction from where I really wanted to be and who I wanted to be with. I'm a reporter Clark, not a talking head. It wasn't me."
"So, you ended things with Andrew? That's why he was here?"
"Yes, he was hurt by our breakup and he wasn't himself. Isn't there anything you can do for him?"
"I have to find Darkseid. That's the only solution. If we can't find him, the darkness will continue to spread and no matter how much I want to help him and all the others who are infected, I can't."
Lois sighed as she laid her head on his shoulder. "I know you'll do what you can for him. That's all I ask. I'm so glad you're here with us, Clark."
"I'm glad too." He hugged her close.
Lois yawned then. "I'm sorry, I don't know where that came from."
He smiled. "It's alright. The past twenty-four hours have been a whirlwind for both of us." Then he remembered something very important he had to tell her. "Lois, I saw Lex this evening."
That bit of news woke her up. "You did?" She shook her head at him. "I knew you were the reason he decided to cancel the interview."
"It probably was. He saw me in my new costume, flying and then we had a chat about you and how much you knew about me."
"What do you mean, how much I knew about you?"
"Lois, I had to stop him from confronting you." She looked confused. "I told Lex that you didn't know the truth about me … that I was an alien, that I could do all these amazing things."
"But why would you tell him that when it wasn't true?"
"Lex doesn't know that." She still looked confused. "Lex felt that if he could confront you and you both confirmed that you knew my secret, then he could tell everyone. Do you see now?"
Lois chuckled. "Clark, I got it, I got it, but I was just waiting for the punch line. This is a joke, right? I would never confirm your secret to anyone, especially Lex. Come on, I can't believe he actually believed you."
"Yeah, I really think he believed me. He did cancel the interview."
"He did indeed cancel but it's just a temporary fix. You do realize that. Lex still knows the truth about you."
"I know, but I did rattle him good though," he chuckled, remembering.
She chuckled too. "Apparently, you did. I wish I could have seen the look on his face when he saw you in your new suit and flying. What else did you tell him, or do I want to know?"
"Well, I did give him twenty-four hours to withdraw from the race."
"Oh, dear, Lex doesn't like ultimatums."
"I know. He may just show his hand, but I need to head over to Watchtower and inform everyone what's going on."
"Oh, do you have to leave so soon?" Lois pouted prettily.
"I'll be back in a few hours. You get some rest, if you know what I mean?" He winked at her.
Smiling, she threw her arms around his neck. "I know exactly what you mean."
He kissed her full and quick on the mouth, and then he left her so she could get some rest.
A bit stunned, Lois touched her still tingling lips. There was no doubt in her mind where her dreams would take her this night.
~o~o~
Back at Watchtower, minutes later:
Clark was feeling pretty good when he entered Watchtower and saw Tess and Oliver deep in conversation. He cleared his throat.
"Nice costume, Clark," Oliver stated, truly impressed and he couldn't help saying, "Nice cape."
"I told you it was incredible," Tess said and smiled.
"Thanks guys." Clark turned to the monitors. "Is everyone here?"
"Everyone is here, Clark, just as you asked," Tess replied.
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," he told his friends.
"Welcome back, Clark. Before we get started, you should know that it was Ms. Mercer here who kept our hopes up about you two. She knew you would come back," Martian Manhunter told them.
Oliver and Clark turned to her.
Tess looked away, embarrassed.
Then they both smiled. She couldn't help but return their smiles.
"It's good to be back," Clark said as he turned back to face his friends.
"Welcome back, Clark," everyone else chimed in their greetings as well.
"Thanks again for coming and thanks for holding the fort until Oliver and I could make our way home," Clark told them, very pleased about that. He looked them all over then and he was happy to see Kon-El among them. He was still very young, but he had to start somewhere. Dinah, Bart, Art and Victor were also there.
Clark put has hands behind his back and paced before them, deep in thought. "The reason I wanted to speak to all of you and I promise this won't take long. Oliver probably told you what happened to us in the Phantom Zone and why we couldn't make it back right away. Needless to say, it was quite a twist of fate, but we're back now and everything will be back to the way it should be."
"What do you mean 'the way it should be'?" Martian Manhunter asked.
He stopped pacing and faced them again. "Lex Luthor knows my true identity. He's known it for quite some time now." Everyone was silent trying to digest this information. "And knowing Lex, he probably knows all of your identities as well." Then he heard mumbling and questions began all at once. Clark held up his hands. "I'm sorry to drop this on you now, but it couldn't be helped. You've probably heard that Lex has just announced his intention to run for President of the United States. This cannot happen. He cannot become president."
"We are all in agreement about that," Bart spoke for all of them.
"Do we have a plan?" Victor asked.
"Before we get to that, there's something else you should know," Clark began. "Darkseid is still among us. He's still infecting people day after day. The darkness has been spreading for years. We have to find him, the sooner the better."
"But how? He's a god, Clark!" Martian Manhunter exclaimed.
"Yes, I know. He will reveal himself and soon."
"How do you know this?" Arthur asked, needing to know more.
"I've spoken to my Father at the Fortress, and he assured me that Darkseid would reveal himself very soon now."
"So you do have a plan to defeat both Lex and Darkseid?" Kon-El asked, impressed with his brother.
"Yes, Kon-El, there are plans in the works." He turned to Tess. "Tess Mercer will tell you her plan to … let us say, diminish the Luthor threat. Tess?"
Tess came forward. "Thank you, Clark," she said, proud to be there among all these amazing people.
After Tess had told them her plan, everyone was quite speechless, except Oliver. "Ms. Mercer's plan may have a few drawbacks," he said fuming inside.
"We realize that, Oliver," Clark said.
"Someone else needs to administer the drug."
"Lex doesn't trust anyone else but Tess," Clark reminded him, seeing no need to elaborate.
Oliver's jaw worked. He didn't want to appear as if he didn't trust Tess, not in front of all of his friends.
"Then we are in agreement. The plan will move forward," Clark said. "Lois and I will make an appointment to meet with Lex tomorrow night. He won't be able to refuse, believe me. Tess will be there and we will be able to distract him long enough for Tess to administer the drug."
"And if it doesn't work? He could kill all of you. He knows your weakness, Kal-El," Kon-El reminded him.
"That's where all of you will come in," Clark told them of his plan.
"How do you mean?" Arthur asked.
"Well, LuthorCorp is an office building, but it's also somewhat secure. I have checked out the security system a few times, but you shouldn't have any problems keeping Luthor's guards out of the way. Am I right?"
"No problem at all," Bart replied, confident on that score.
"Let's set out watches. Lois and I will be in Lex's office late, probably after 9:00 pm. His twenty-four hours to withdraw from the race should be up by 10:00 pm tonight. He won't be expecting me, meaning the Blur, but with Lois and Clark there, he may think he could trick me into being in two places at once."
"Can you do that?" Bart asked, wondering if he was really that fast.
He grinned and replied, "Maybe."
The meeting was adjourned about an hour later. Clark made it a point to visit the Fortress again and to speak to Jor-El about finding Darkseid. Jor-El was very helpful in that regard and Clark gathered a few more clues about possibly finding him. Jor-El also told him that time was running out, meaning Apokolips was moving toward Earth at a rapid speed.
~o~o~
After signing off with the League members and Tess and Oliver were alone, Tess was still trying to figure out what was going on with him. He still looked concerned for her.
"I still don't like any of this," Oliver told her before she could say anything.
Tess sighed, as she continued to work at the computer. Oliver was definitely different, there was no denying it. He seemed overprotective of her for some strange reason. She knew he was still dealing with Chloe leaving, but why would he turn his 'attention' to her made no sense. Before he had disappeared, they had become friends, close confidantes actually, so his over concern for her was baffling and it made her feel weird. After logging of at the computer, she turned to stare at him. "What is all this really about?"
He avoided her eyes. "I don't know what you mean?"
"You know what I mean, why all this concern for me?" Then she thought about it for a moment. "Oh, I get it now, Chloe isn't here so you have this irrational need to rattle me, impose your will on me. Well, I can take care myself, so stop worrying about me. It makes me feel ..." She hesitated.
His eyes briefly met hers. "How does it make you feel?" Oliver's voice had changed with that question. He sounded hopeful to Tess's ears.
Oliver stared at her trying to explore these strange feelings about her. He never understood why these feelings never really went away. Once he accepted that, he knew why he was acting this way. It was guilt. He felt guilty because he wasn't spending all of his energies trying to locate Chloe. It wasn't what he wanted to do, not now. Before he had left five years ago, they had made a pact to keep things the way they were, no one had to know. Their marriage had been invalid right from the start. He shook his head determined to put that part of his life behind him. "Well, answer the question."
Tess didn't like the way he was looking at her. She turned to go. "Oliver, I can't do this now. I have to concentrate on Lex and the mission."
"But why, Tess? Why does it have to be you to administer the drug?"
She sighed. "I told you why, Oliver. He trusts me."
"Lex doesn't trust anyone," he told her, hoping to make her see reason.
"He does trust me, as much he can trust anyone." She sighed again. "It's time to go."
"Tess wait," he quickly came over to her and touched her arm. "I have to be there with you."
"No, Oliver, if he sees you, he'll be suspicious. Our plans would be ruined. You know that."
"But I have this terrible feeling inside," he finally told her, his heart pounding. He knew it was irrational what he was feeling, but he couldn't seem to get past it.
She frowned then. "What do you mean?"
"It just feels like the last time I'll ever see you again." He shook his head. "I can't explain it."
Tess didn't know what to think now. Maybe it was more than just transference on his part, but she couldn't let herself hope for more than that. She touched his hand on her arm. "I'll be fine, Oliver. Clark and Lois will be there. All our friends will be there." She squeezed his arm trying to reassume him. "I'll be surrounded by all of our friends, so please, stop worrying."
Oliver still wasn't convinced then he suddenly pulled her to him and hugged her close. "Please don't do anything crazy. Just stick to the plan, promise me?" He pulled back and stared into her eyes.
"Of course, stick to the plan," she replied, as she stared at him, still confused, but then there it was. A look she hadn't seen in years suddenly appeared. It was too much to hope for, or maybe it wasn't. "I'll see you later, Oliver."
"Bye, Tess," Oliver said.
Then she was gone.
TBC!
~o~o~
A/N: Moving the plot along guys. A confrontation at LuthorCorp is coming shortly, but next up, Clark and Lois make up for lost time! Thanks for reading. Reviews are love.
Author: Babette babettew54
Category: Smallville (AU)
Characters: Lois/Clark/Kal-El, Tess, Oliver, Lex
Rating: T
Summary: Lois and Clark must accept the cruel reality of their separation as they try to get back what they had lost.
Word Count: 3,200
Spoilers: Dominion (10.19)
Disclaimer: DC Comics, Warner Bros. Entertainment owns these characters (well, except Andrew), dangit!
A/N: In this next chapter, Clark and the League plan their strategy against Lex, Andrew’s inner demons make themselves known, and later Tess and Oliver try to sort through their feelings. Please read and review. Thanks, everyone! :D
Story banner by hanakt
Previously:
( Chapter 1) ( Chapter 2) ( Chapter 3) ( Chapter 4) ( Chapter 5)
Chapter 6: Still the Same
High above the city and still in the suit, Clark had just left Lex's office, when he heard Lois's voice and she was shouting at someone. Her heart rate was also elevated. Something was definitely wrong. He listened again. It was Andrew. He then flew as fast as he could. He had better not hurt her. He took several deep breaths to calm down.
Lois backed up again and tried to gage the distance, then quickly ran as fast as she could toward the side table in the dining room where she kept her revolver. It wasn't loaded, but Andy didn't know that. But just as she reached the drawer, yanked it open, and pulled out the gun, Andy grabbed her arm and knocked the revolver across the room.
"Let go of me!" Lois hollered in his face trying to get away from him.
Andrew squeezed her arm hard. "That was not a smart move, Lois, not smart at all." He shoved her toward the sofa, then his eyes glowed dark, his meaning clear.
Suddenly, the door crashed open, and The Blur entered the apartment, quickly pulled Andrew away from her and dragged him out into the hall.
Lois ran to the door and tried to stop him from doing something he'll regret. "Please don't hurt him. He doesn't know what he's doing."
Clark heard her words. All he had to do was hit him just once and that would be the end of the man. Instead, he said, "Leave Lois alone and never come back, or you will be sorry."
Andrew knew he couldn't win this fight, so he scurried away, whimpering like a child.
Clark went to her then and picked her up carefully holding her close. He saw the gun but didn't say anything. "It's alright, it's alright. I'm here now."
She clutched him close around the neck and tried not to cry. He entered the bedroom and shut the door. He then laid her down on the bed. "Are you hurt? Here, let me see." He looked her over carefully starting with her arms and then he x-rayed all of her to be sure there weren't any broken bones. "Does this hurt?" He saw a bruise begin to appear on her arm.
"I'm alright, Clark, really," she said trying to bring up a smile.
He wanted to fly after the man and strangle him, but he continued to x-ray her. There were no broken bones, only the bruise. He smoothed her hair out of her eyes. "This was not how I wanted our first 'real' evening to begin."
"Neither did I, believe me," she told him, as she looked him over.
He glanced at her, then back at her arm. "I saw the gun, Lois. How long have you had that thing?"
Lois knew he wouldn't like it. "Not long after I realized you weren't coming back."
"I see," he replied.
"It wasn't loaded, Clark. You know I couldn't shoot anyone. I just wanted him to go away, that's all."
"Lois, you don't have to explain. I understand." She looked as if she didn't believe him. He took her hand. "I know things have been tough around here, but I'm back now."
"Is that your subtle way of telling me to get rid of it?"
"No, Lois, I can't tell you what to do."
"Good because I'm keeping it."
He grinned at her, shook his head and decided to change the subject but she did it for him.
"I saw you on television." Chuckling at him, she asked, "Clark, you flew, and your new costume... wow, you look amazing..."
"Yeah, it felt like nothing I've ever done before, and the costume, well, Jor-El felt I was ready."
"I want to hear all about it." Then she sat up in bed careful of her arm. "Come here," she said and scooted over to make room for him.
He smiled ready to tell her everything. They talked for about half an hour. He told her about his talk with is Father at the Fortress, the things he had said to him, and of course, about finally putting on the suit and flying for the first time.
Lois then surprised and shocked him by telling him that she had resigned her job at the station. "But why?"
"My heart wasn't there, Clark. I enjoyed it for a while. It was a distraction from where I really wanted to be and who I wanted to be with. I'm a reporter Clark, not a talking head. It wasn't me."
"So, you ended things with Andrew? That's why he was here?"
"Yes, he was hurt by our breakup and he wasn't himself. Isn't there anything you can do for him?"
"I have to find Darkseid. That's the only solution. If we can't find him, the darkness will continue to spread and no matter how much I want to help him and all the others who are infected, I can't."
Lois sighed as she laid her head on his shoulder. "I know you'll do what you can for him. That's all I ask. I'm so glad you're here with us, Clark."
"I'm glad too." He hugged her close.
Lois yawned then. "I'm sorry, I don't know where that came from."
He smiled. "It's alright. The past twenty-four hours have been a whirlwind for both of us." Then he remembered something very important he had to tell her. "Lois, I saw Lex this evening."
That bit of news woke her up. "You did?" She shook her head at him. "I knew you were the reason he decided to cancel the interview."
"It probably was. He saw me in my new costume, flying and then we had a chat about you and how much you knew about me."
"What do you mean, how much I knew about you?"
"Lois, I had to stop him from confronting you." She looked confused. "I told Lex that you didn't know the truth about me … that I was an alien, that I could do all these amazing things."
"But why would you tell him that when it wasn't true?"
"Lex doesn't know that." She still looked confused. "Lex felt that if he could confront you and you both confirmed that you knew my secret, then he could tell everyone. Do you see now?"
Lois chuckled. "Clark, I got it, I got it, but I was just waiting for the punch line. This is a joke, right? I would never confirm your secret to anyone, especially Lex. Come on, I can't believe he actually believed you."
"Yeah, I really think he believed me. He did cancel the interview."
"He did indeed cancel but it's just a temporary fix. You do realize that. Lex still knows the truth about you."
"I know, but I did rattle him good though," he chuckled, remembering.
She chuckled too. "Apparently, you did. I wish I could have seen the look on his face when he saw you in your new suit and flying. What else did you tell him, or do I want to know?"
"Well, I did give him twenty-four hours to withdraw from the race."
"Oh, dear, Lex doesn't like ultimatums."
"I know. He may just show his hand, but I need to head over to Watchtower and inform everyone what's going on."
"Oh, do you have to leave so soon?" Lois pouted prettily.
"I'll be back in a few hours. You get some rest, if you know what I mean?" He winked at her.
Smiling, she threw her arms around his neck. "I know exactly what you mean."
He kissed her full and quick on the mouth, and then he left her so she could get some rest.
A bit stunned, Lois touched her still tingling lips. There was no doubt in her mind where her dreams would take her this night.
~o~o~
Back at Watchtower, minutes later:
Clark was feeling pretty good when he entered Watchtower and saw Tess and Oliver deep in conversation. He cleared his throat.
"Nice costume, Clark," Oliver stated, truly impressed and he couldn't help saying, "Nice cape."
"I told you it was incredible," Tess said and smiled.
"Thanks guys." Clark turned to the monitors. "Is everyone here?"
"Everyone is here, Clark, just as you asked," Tess replied.
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," he told his friends.
"Welcome back, Clark. Before we get started, you should know that it was Ms. Mercer here who kept our hopes up about you two. She knew you would come back," Martian Manhunter told them.
Oliver and Clark turned to her.
Tess looked away, embarrassed.
Then they both smiled. She couldn't help but return their smiles.
"It's good to be back," Clark said as he turned back to face his friends.
"Welcome back, Clark," everyone else chimed in their greetings as well.
"Thanks again for coming and thanks for holding the fort until Oliver and I could make our way home," Clark told them, very pleased about that. He looked them all over then and he was happy to see Kon-El among them. He was still very young, but he had to start somewhere. Dinah, Bart, Art and Victor were also there.
Clark put has hands behind his back and paced before them, deep in thought. "The reason I wanted to speak to all of you and I promise this won't take long. Oliver probably told you what happened to us in the Phantom Zone and why we couldn't make it back right away. Needless to say, it was quite a twist of fate, but we're back now and everything will be back to the way it should be."
"What do you mean 'the way it should be'?" Martian Manhunter asked.
He stopped pacing and faced them again. "Lex Luthor knows my true identity. He's known it for quite some time now." Everyone was silent trying to digest this information. "And knowing Lex, he probably knows all of your identities as well." Then he heard mumbling and questions began all at once. Clark held up his hands. "I'm sorry to drop this on you now, but it couldn't be helped. You've probably heard that Lex has just announced his intention to run for President of the United States. This cannot happen. He cannot become president."
"We are all in agreement about that," Bart spoke for all of them.
"Do we have a plan?" Victor asked.
"Before we get to that, there's something else you should know," Clark began. "Darkseid is still among us. He's still infecting people day after day. The darkness has been spreading for years. We have to find him, the sooner the better."
"But how? He's a god, Clark!" Martian Manhunter exclaimed.
"Yes, I know. He will reveal himself and soon."
"How do you know this?" Arthur asked, needing to know more.
"I've spoken to my Father at the Fortress, and he assured me that Darkseid would reveal himself very soon now."
"So you do have a plan to defeat both Lex and Darkseid?" Kon-El asked, impressed with his brother.
"Yes, Kon-El, there are plans in the works." He turned to Tess. "Tess Mercer will tell you her plan to … let us say, diminish the Luthor threat. Tess?"
Tess came forward. "Thank you, Clark," she said, proud to be there among all these amazing people.
After Tess had told them her plan, everyone was quite speechless, except Oliver. "Ms. Mercer's plan may have a few drawbacks," he said fuming inside.
"We realize that, Oliver," Clark said.
"Someone else needs to administer the drug."
"Lex doesn't trust anyone else but Tess," Clark reminded him, seeing no need to elaborate.
Oliver's jaw worked. He didn't want to appear as if he didn't trust Tess, not in front of all of his friends.
"Then we are in agreement. The plan will move forward," Clark said. "Lois and I will make an appointment to meet with Lex tomorrow night. He won't be able to refuse, believe me. Tess will be there and we will be able to distract him long enough for Tess to administer the drug."
"And if it doesn't work? He could kill all of you. He knows your weakness, Kal-El," Kon-El reminded him.
"That's where all of you will come in," Clark told them of his plan.
"How do you mean?" Arthur asked.
"Well, LuthorCorp is an office building, but it's also somewhat secure. I have checked out the security system a few times, but you shouldn't have any problems keeping Luthor's guards out of the way. Am I right?"
"No problem at all," Bart replied, confident on that score.
"Let's set out watches. Lois and I will be in Lex's office late, probably after 9:00 pm. His twenty-four hours to withdraw from the race should be up by 10:00 pm tonight. He won't be expecting me, meaning the Blur, but with Lois and Clark there, he may think he could trick me into being in two places at once."
"Can you do that?" Bart asked, wondering if he was really that fast.
He grinned and replied, "Maybe."
The meeting was adjourned about an hour later. Clark made it a point to visit the Fortress again and to speak to Jor-El about finding Darkseid. Jor-El was very helpful in that regard and Clark gathered a few more clues about possibly finding him. Jor-El also told him that time was running out, meaning Apokolips was moving toward Earth at a rapid speed.
~o~o~
After signing off with the League members and Tess and Oliver were alone, Tess was still trying to figure out what was going on with him. He still looked concerned for her.
"I still don't like any of this," Oliver told her before she could say anything.
Tess sighed, as she continued to work at the computer. Oliver was definitely different, there was no denying it. He seemed overprotective of her for some strange reason. She knew he was still dealing with Chloe leaving, but why would he turn his 'attention' to her made no sense. Before he had disappeared, they had become friends, close confidantes actually, so his over concern for her was baffling and it made her feel weird. After logging of at the computer, she turned to stare at him. "What is all this really about?"
He avoided her eyes. "I don't know what you mean?"
"You know what I mean, why all this concern for me?" Then she thought about it for a moment. "Oh, I get it now, Chloe isn't here so you have this irrational need to rattle me, impose your will on me. Well, I can take care myself, so stop worrying about me. It makes me feel ..." She hesitated.
His eyes briefly met hers. "How does it make you feel?" Oliver's voice had changed with that question. He sounded hopeful to Tess's ears.
Oliver stared at her trying to explore these strange feelings about her. He never understood why these feelings never really went away. Once he accepted that, he knew why he was acting this way. It was guilt. He felt guilty because he wasn't spending all of his energies trying to locate Chloe. It wasn't what he wanted to do, not now. Before he had left five years ago, they had made a pact to keep things the way they were, no one had to know. Their marriage had been invalid right from the start. He shook his head determined to put that part of his life behind him. "Well, answer the question."
Tess didn't like the way he was looking at her. She turned to go. "Oliver, I can't do this now. I have to concentrate on Lex and the mission."
"But why, Tess? Why does it have to be you to administer the drug?"
She sighed. "I told you why, Oliver. He trusts me."
"Lex doesn't trust anyone," he told her, hoping to make her see reason.
"He does trust me, as much he can trust anyone." She sighed again. "It's time to go."
"Tess wait," he quickly came over to her and touched her arm. "I have to be there with you."
"No, Oliver, if he sees you, he'll be suspicious. Our plans would be ruined. You know that."
"But I have this terrible feeling inside," he finally told her, his heart pounding. He knew it was irrational what he was feeling, but he couldn't seem to get past it.
She frowned then. "What do you mean?"
"It just feels like the last time I'll ever see you again." He shook his head. "I can't explain it."
Tess didn't know what to think now. Maybe it was more than just transference on his part, but she couldn't let herself hope for more than that. She touched his hand on her arm. "I'll be fine, Oliver. Clark and Lois will be there. All our friends will be there." She squeezed his arm trying to reassume him. "I'll be surrounded by all of our friends, so please, stop worrying."
Oliver still wasn't convinced then he suddenly pulled her to him and hugged her close. "Please don't do anything crazy. Just stick to the plan, promise me?" He pulled back and stared into her eyes.
"Of course, stick to the plan," she replied, as she stared at him, still confused, but then there it was. A look she hadn't seen in years suddenly appeared. It was too much to hope for, or maybe it wasn't. "I'll see you later, Oliver."
"Bye, Tess," Oliver said.
Then she was gone.
TBC!
~o~o~
A/N: Moving the plot along guys. A confrontation at LuthorCorp is coming shortly, but next up, Clark and Lois make up for lost time! Thanks for reading. Reviews are love.