Fic: Embracing Destiny (3/?)
Title: Embracing Destiny (3/?)
Author: Babette babettew54
Category: Superman Movie-verse
Characters: Lois/Clark/Kal-El, Conner, Jason, Martha, Lex
Rating: T
Summary: Lois and Clark must fight harder than they’ve ever fought before to keep their family together.
Word Count: 3,600
Disclaimer:DC Comics/Warner Brothers owns these characters. No profit is being made from this story. This is strictly for my own amusement.
Author’s Notes: In this next chapter, a friendship begins, Clark has cause for concern, and later, the family’s worst fears are realized. Read on and please leave a comment. Thanks! :D
Artwork and banner by hanakt
Previously:
( Chapter 1)( Chapter 2)
Chapter 3: A New Friendship
Gotham City, Wayne Towers, seventeen years earlier:
Lois Lane exited a cab outside of Wayne Towers, took a deep breath and thought about heading into an alley to light up a cigarette to calm her nerves. It's not that she really needed it, but she wanted one nonetheless. Taking another deep breath, she headed inside the massive building ready for her interview with the elusive Bruce Wayne.
Perry had gotten the call not two days ago. She remembered Perry coming to her desk and dragging her into his office and handing her the phone. Bruce himself was on the line and seemed pretty insistent that it be her, and that he wanted no one else to do the interview. She had been flabbergasted to say the least. An interview with the man himself, Bruce Wayne, and she still couldn't believe he actually wanted her.
Perry had asked her to bring Kent along, but she thought better of it. Clark Kent was her new partner and she hated to admit it but she liked his flair for writing a story and she was a bit anxious when he was around. She couldn't put her finger on it, but he unnerved her and not in a way she wanted to think about.
Then quite unbidden, her thoughts gravitated to Superman like they usually did at some point during the day and night. The man was so distracting, so gorgeous and so unexpected. He'd saved her life several times now and she had to wonder why he was always around. Shrugging her shoulders and putting Superman and Clark Kent from her mind, she entered the elevator and headed for her interview.
~o~o~
Meanwhile, at the Daily Planet in Metropolis:
Clark Kent was beginning to worry. Lois was late, which wasn't exactly anything new, but he had a feeling something was going on. Now he was really worried. Lois had missed the staff meeting. "Perry, do have a minute?"
"Sure, Kent, I have some calls to make," Perry responded as he headed to his office.
"Where's Lois?" Clark asked as he closed the door to Perry's office.
"She's in Gotham City," he replied as he sat down at his desk then he looked at him. "Didn't she tell you?" He shook his head. "I told her to tell you about it. She headed there early this morning for an interview with Bruce Wayne."
"Bruce Wayne? But why would she go there alone? That city is crawling with degenerates and hoodlums." He paused. "Perry, I'm worried."
"Lois can take care of herself," Perry said, distracted by his work.
Clark wasn't so sure about that. "Umm, Perry, I have some errands to run."
"Really?" Perry asked then glanced at him, getting suspicious.
"Yeah, for that … ummm … the Mayor's story you gave me in the staff meeting?"
Perry suspected Kent had a crush on his star reporter. "Sure, Kent, but I want that story first thing in the morning."
"No problem, Chief," Clark told him then he hurried to the rooftop then to Gotham City.
~o~o~
Back in Gotham, Bruce Wayne's office:
Ten minutes into their 'exclusive' interview, Lois was beginning to feel as if she might as well be a piece of furniture in Wayne's massive office. He was paying her no mind and he wasn't answering any of her questions. And what was so interesting out the window? He's been staring at the sky for the past ten minutes as if he were looking for something.
Lois tried again. "Mr. Wayne, you didn't answer my question about the space station. When will it be finished?"
Bruce turned to her as if he just remembered she was in his office and wanted a question answered. "What did you just say?"
Lois had a steel will and it took all of it not to roll her eyes. "The space station …? Are you on schedule?"
"Yes, it's on time. Is there anything else you wanted to ask me?" Bruce asked and then he turned back to the window.
Lois stood up now completely annoyed with him. "Mr. Wayne, why did you ask for me? It's obvious you aren't interested in answering any of my questions."
Bruce suddenly perked up after he had caught a glimpse of a red and blue blur streaking across the sky. "I'm sorry Ms. Lane, but we'll have to reschedule. I have … umm …" He glanced at his desk calendar, "Yes, a meeting I completely forgot about." He smiled that devastating smile then tried to placate her. "I'll call your editor tomorrow. I'm truly sorry."
Damn the man, Lois thought and after coming all this way, but instead she said, "Of course, Mr. Wayne." Seething inside, she left his office and took the elevator down to the lobby.
~o~o~
Still a bit distracted by her non-interview and muttering to herself, Lois was taken completely by surprise when she spotted her partner. "Clark? What you doing here?" She asked when she approached him.
After entering through the revolving doors, he replied, "Oh, hi, Lois. I asked Perry where you were this morning after the staff meeting and he told me you were here. Why didn't you tell me about Bruce, I mean, Mr. Wayne?"
Lois narrowed her eyes at him. "Bruce? Do you know him?"
"Of course not, Lois," Clark quickly replied, which wasn't a complete lie. He'd spoken to him as Superman over the phone several times. "Come on, I'll hail a cab for you."
"Wait a minute. Clark, it's a two-hour drive. How did you get here so fast?"
He ignored her question and guided her to the corner to hail a cab. Lois narrowed her eyes and wondered about him showing up out of the blue.
Suddenly, a man came up behind them and pointed a gun in Lois's ribs. "Move it, into the alley, and don't say a word," the crook demanded.
Bruce was across the street on the rooftop of a three-story building and he had to wonder where Superman was because he knew he was in the city. He decided to wait and see what happens.
"Clark …?"
"Do as he says, Lois," Clark instructed her then he tried to calm the crook. "You can have our money. Just don't do anything you'll regret."
"I told you not to say anything," the crook snapped at him, getting nervous. "Move it!"
Once they entered the alley, Clark held out his hands in submission, slowly reached inside his jacket, then handed the crook a few dollars and his watch.
"Lois?" Clark looked to her not to do anything crazy. Lois lifted her bag from her shoulder, but then she hesitated.
"Hand it over, lady," the crook demanded, not in the mood. His gun cocked ready to fire.
"I don't think so!" Someone spoke to them from above their heads.
The crook looked up at the sound then Clark caught the crook off-guard, snatched the gun from him and had him in a hand lock behind his back in seconds.
"Good job!" The voice seemed to congratulate him.
Lois and Clark both looked up at the voice of … Batman! Bruce slid down a wire from above and landed without making a sound. "I'll take care of him." He couldn't help but look around and still no Superman and he wondered where he could be, then he stared at Kent and watched as his hair slide down over his forehead and he could see the spit-curl clearly.
"Thank you," Lois said, truly grateful.
"Yes, thank you, Batman," Clark said and pushed his hair out of eyes. He pulled the crook to his feet. He then peered through his mask of Batman and of course, it was Bruce Wayne. He had suspected it for a while now, but now it appeared to be true.
"No problem, just be careful in this city," Bruce said then he took the crook to a waiting police cruiser whom he had summoned after witnessing the crime.
"Wait!" Clark called to him then he turned to Lois. "If you promise to head back to Metropolis and not get into any more trouble, I'll put you in a cab."
"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Lois asked hands on hips.
"No, Lois, but I assumed your interview with Mr. Wayne was over, so there's nothing keeping you here, is there?" Clark asked, wheedling a bit.
"I suppose," she said and glanced at Batman. "Alright, Bruce did promise to call Perry tomorrow and reschedule."
"Oh, no, you never got the interview?" Clark asked surprised about that.
"Yeah, he was too busy staring out the window looking for something … or someone," Lois replied now very suspicious of Mr. Wayne.
"Oh, I see. I'm sorry, Lois," Clark told her meaning it, then he led her to a cab and he watched as she headed to the airport."
"Nice going … Mr. Kent, or should I say … Superman?" Bruce whispered once they were alone. He held out his hand.
Clark smiled and shook his hand. "Mr. Wayne, is it?"
Bruce shook his head, chuckled then he quirked a smile.
~o~o~
Present day, outside Luthor's prison, a mile away:
Mercy Graves had arranged everything just as Lex had instructed. The guard would be drugged and Lex would change clothes with him, walk out of the prison without any problems, steal his identification with his photograph inside, and leave the area with her help. They had six hours before the guard would wake up, plenty of time to get to Kansas and put Lex's plans into motion.
She looked up from her cell phone and there coming towards here was Lex looking as if he was out taking a stroll on a Sunday afternoon. She shook her head not quite believing how easy that had been. She started the car.
"That was easy. Where to ...?" Mercy asked, knowing the answer as she watched him climb inside.
He took off the guard's hat, badge and identification. "Smallville," Lex told her and then began to change into more appropriate attire, including a toupee, a suit and a tie.
Soon they arrived at a small airport outside the city then boarded a private plane which would be at their disposal later when they left with their 'special cargo.' They arrived in Smallville a few hours later. They didn't have a lot of time. Soon, it would be all over the news that he had escaped but the Man of Steel would not be anywhere around to stop him.
Luthor then met up with several gentlemen ready to do whatever he told them. The price was definitely right.
~o~o~
Smallville, Kansas, later that same day:
Lois and the kids had traveled to Smallville by plane. Clark felt it best to keep up appearances just in case. He would be coming a little later, after he had taken their luggage to their destination, their special spot on Nassau in the Caribbean. It held special memories for them. Lois couldn't wait to get going.
"Now, I want you to listen to your Grandma, do what she says, no matter what understand?" Lois instructed her children.
"Mom, we know that," Jason replied.
"Where is Grandma?" JoJo asked looking around.
"I'm not sure. Maybe she's in town. We are a little early," Lois thoughtfully replied. The front door had been unlocked as usual.
"I'm here!" Martha announced as she got out of her truck arms full of groceries.
"Martha, I'll take those," Lois told her and took the groceries from her and headed to the kitchen.
Martha was happy to hand them over so she could give her grandbabies a proper welcome. She held out her arms. "Come here JoJo, Jason," Martha and took them into her arms.
"Hi, Grandma," JoJo said and hugged her close.
"We missed you," Jason said getting emotional.
"I missed you too, but we have an entire week to catch up," Martha said.
Suddenly, the back door opened and Clark walked inside in his jeans and plaid. "Hey, everyone! Hi, Mom," Clark said and went to give her a kiss on the cheek.
He then picked up JoJo, even though she was getting a bit too old for it, but JoJo wasn't complaining. She kissed her Daddy's cheek and hugged him close. "Can't you stay with us for a few days, Dad?"
"Now, honey, I already explained that your Mom and I are going on a trip, just the two of us," Clark explained to his little girl. Lois and Clark hadn't taken a vacation since JoJo was born.
JoJo pouted. "I wanna come," she told her Father.
"Come on, squirt, let's head out to the barn; Shelby wants to play," Jason told her hoping to cheer her up.
"Ok," she replied. She loved playing with Shelby.
"Your Mom and I will be out in a few minutes to say goodbye," Clark told them but they had already ran outside to the barn.
Lois chuckled at her children. 'You know you can't compete with that old dog," Lois told her husband.
He chuckled. "Yeah, I know. Are you ready to go?" He asked his wife.
"In a minute … could you take the kids bags upstairs? I don't want Martha carrying those," Lois instructed.
"Sure, I'll be right back," Clark replied and headed upstairs.
Lois watched him for a moment then went to her Mother-in-law and they both went to sit on the sofa. "Martha, please don't let the kids run all over the place. They love it here but I want you to keep an eye on them, especially Jason. You know he'll head into town without saying a word and before you know it, hours will go by, and then you'll wonder where he is. He's done it to us a few times and Clark had to go looking for him."
"Lois, I raised Clark. I know he can get carried away with his powers. He could be half way across the state without realizing it. I know what to expect. Don't worry," Martha patted her hand. "Besides, Ben is just up the road, and he … ummm, he'll be coming by later for dinner." She ducked her head feeling embarrassed.
"Oh, Ben, you say? Humm, what's up, Martha? Are you too …?" Lois asked knowing the answer. They had been seeing each other for years. It was time to stop all this secrecy.
"Well, we have for a while now," Martha admitted. "I haven't told Clark yet though."
"Told me what?" Clark asked coming down the stairs and into the living room.
"Ben and your Mom," Lois answered before Martha could speak.
"Oh, I know about him," Clark replied unconcerned.
"You do?" Martha asked, surprised.
"Of course, Ben called me and we talked. He truly cares for you, Mom. Put him out of his misery and marry the man," Clark told her only half-joking.
"Well, he hasn't asked me yet, Clark," Martha said feeling as if Clark had let the cat out of the bag.
"Oops!" Clark whispered. "Sorry. Ok, it's time to go. Lois?"
Lois shook her head at her distracted husband. "Sorry about that, Martha." She kissed her goodbye.
Soon they said their tearful goodbyes to the kids and then they were off into the sky.
~o~o~
A few hours later, Ben arrived for dinner and found the house quiet and no one was around. That's odd, he thought. "Martha!" He called and headed upstairs. He sniffed and came back down. The potatoes were burning. He turned off the stove.
He knew then that something was terribly wrong. Martha would never leave the stove unattended, especially with children in the house. He headed back up the stairs again, looked inside all the bedrooms, but then he heard a muffled sound. "Martha!" He followed the sound and found her inside her closet tied up with a rag around her mouth and another one inside.
"Martha, oh, my God!" He exclaimed and helped her release the binds and pulled the rag from her mouth.
"Ben, thank God you got here. The kids, they took the kids!" Martha exclaimed and then she whimpered getting upset.
Ben helped her up and took her to her bed. "Calm down, that's it; take a deep breath. Now and tell me what happened. How long ago was this?"
"Not long, I think." She glanced at the clock. "Maybe an hour or two; I can't be sure. I have to call Clark right now!" She exclaimed and picked up the bedside phone. "Clark, Clark, please pick up," she mumbled into the phone.
"Isn't he picking up?" Ben asked worried they wouldn't be able to reach him.
"No, he's not picking up. Maybe it's because they're overseas, I don't know."
"Should we call the police? I mean, they are special. What can we tell them?" Ben asked her unsure of what to say.
"I know; I'll call Conner," Martha said, then dialed his number and reached him on the first ring. "Conner, thank God. You have to come to Smallville right away. The kids were kidnapped. They … they're gone," Martha told him barely holding it together.
"What? I'll be right there," he told her. As soon as he hung up, he jumped into the sky. He then thought of Young Justice and what they could do to help, but then he thought about Lex and the secret. He'd never told them about that. It wasn't that he didn't trust them, but they would look at him differently if they knew. He wanted to keep that secret as long as possible. He decided to call the League instead.
As Conner was flying to Smallville, he couldn't help but think about Lex and their connection. All these years, he had pushed him from his mind, but now he had a bad feeling that he was responsible for this somehow. He couldn't let him hurt his family.
Conner would gladly give his life for them, but he hoped it wouldn't come to that.
~o~o~
Meanwhile on Nassau island:
After checking into their hotel room, Lois and Clark's devices were beeping non-stop. There were messages from Martha and Ben, which caused Lois's heart to pound with dread.
"Clark, something's wrong," Lois told her husband. "Look, messages from Martha and Ben."
Lois put the call on speaker then played the messages. They stared at each other, not saying a word. He picked up their luggage, which were two small bags. They hadn't planned on using much clothing except for a swimsuit and trunks and a few outfits for dinner.
Clark twirled into this suit and they were in the sky in moments. Lois called Martha and told her that they were on their way, to call the police and tell them exactly what they needed to hear. Martha understood.
As soon she hung up with Martha, her phone rang again and it was Conner.
"Mom, Dad, I'm here at the house in Smallville."
"Conner, what happened? Where are my children?" Lois asked trying to keep her composure.
"We'll find them. But, I just heard over the news that Lex Luthor escaped from prison earlier today."
Lois's eyes grew huge and then she gasped.
"What, what is it?" Clark nearly screamed at her.
"Lex has escaped."
Clark flew even faster if that were possible.
TBC!
~o~o~
A/N: Damn, Luthor's hide! I'll be cursing for a while guys. Man, I hate him. Update in about a week. I'm further along with the story, so weekly updates for a few chapters going forward. Stay tuned for the next few exciting chapters. Thanks for reading. Reviews are love.
Author: Babette babettew54
Category: Superman Movie-verse
Characters: Lois/Clark/Kal-El, Conner, Jason, Martha, Lex
Rating: T
Summary: Lois and Clark must fight harder than they’ve ever fought before to keep their family together.
Word Count: 3,600
Disclaimer:DC Comics/Warner Brothers owns these characters. No profit is being made from this story. This is strictly for my own amusement.
Author’s Notes: In this next chapter, a friendship begins, Clark has cause for concern, and later, the family’s worst fears are realized. Read on and please leave a comment. Thanks! :D
Artwork and banner by hanakt
Previously:
( Chapter 1)( Chapter 2)
Chapter 3: A New Friendship
Gotham City, Wayne Towers, seventeen years earlier:
Lois Lane exited a cab outside of Wayne Towers, took a deep breath and thought about heading into an alley to light up a cigarette to calm her nerves. It's not that she really needed it, but she wanted one nonetheless. Taking another deep breath, she headed inside the massive building ready for her interview with the elusive Bruce Wayne.
Perry had gotten the call not two days ago. She remembered Perry coming to her desk and dragging her into his office and handing her the phone. Bruce himself was on the line and seemed pretty insistent that it be her, and that he wanted no one else to do the interview. She had been flabbergasted to say the least. An interview with the man himself, Bruce Wayne, and she still couldn't believe he actually wanted her.
Perry had asked her to bring Kent along, but she thought better of it. Clark Kent was her new partner and she hated to admit it but she liked his flair for writing a story and she was a bit anxious when he was around. She couldn't put her finger on it, but he unnerved her and not in a way she wanted to think about.
Then quite unbidden, her thoughts gravitated to Superman like they usually did at some point during the day and night. The man was so distracting, so gorgeous and so unexpected. He'd saved her life several times now and she had to wonder why he was always around. Shrugging her shoulders and putting Superman and Clark Kent from her mind, she entered the elevator and headed for her interview.
~o~o~
Meanwhile, at the Daily Planet in Metropolis:
Clark Kent was beginning to worry. Lois was late, which wasn't exactly anything new, but he had a feeling something was going on. Now he was really worried. Lois had missed the staff meeting. "Perry, do have a minute?"
"Sure, Kent, I have some calls to make," Perry responded as he headed to his office.
"Where's Lois?" Clark asked as he closed the door to Perry's office.
"She's in Gotham City," he replied as he sat down at his desk then he looked at him. "Didn't she tell you?" He shook his head. "I told her to tell you about it. She headed there early this morning for an interview with Bruce Wayne."
"Bruce Wayne? But why would she go there alone? That city is crawling with degenerates and hoodlums." He paused. "Perry, I'm worried."
"Lois can take care of herself," Perry said, distracted by his work.
Clark wasn't so sure about that. "Umm, Perry, I have some errands to run."
"Really?" Perry asked then glanced at him, getting suspicious.
"Yeah, for that … ummm … the Mayor's story you gave me in the staff meeting?"
Perry suspected Kent had a crush on his star reporter. "Sure, Kent, but I want that story first thing in the morning."
"No problem, Chief," Clark told him then he hurried to the rooftop then to Gotham City.
~o~o~
Back in Gotham, Bruce Wayne's office:
Ten minutes into their 'exclusive' interview, Lois was beginning to feel as if she might as well be a piece of furniture in Wayne's massive office. He was paying her no mind and he wasn't answering any of her questions. And what was so interesting out the window? He's been staring at the sky for the past ten minutes as if he were looking for something.
Lois tried again. "Mr. Wayne, you didn't answer my question about the space station. When will it be finished?"
Bruce turned to her as if he just remembered she was in his office and wanted a question answered. "What did you just say?"
Lois had a steel will and it took all of it not to roll her eyes. "The space station …? Are you on schedule?"
"Yes, it's on time. Is there anything else you wanted to ask me?" Bruce asked and then he turned back to the window.
Lois stood up now completely annoyed with him. "Mr. Wayne, why did you ask for me? It's obvious you aren't interested in answering any of my questions."
Bruce suddenly perked up after he had caught a glimpse of a red and blue blur streaking across the sky. "I'm sorry Ms. Lane, but we'll have to reschedule. I have … umm …" He glanced at his desk calendar, "Yes, a meeting I completely forgot about." He smiled that devastating smile then tried to placate her. "I'll call your editor tomorrow. I'm truly sorry."
Damn the man, Lois thought and after coming all this way, but instead she said, "Of course, Mr. Wayne." Seething inside, she left his office and took the elevator down to the lobby.
~o~o~
Still a bit distracted by her non-interview and muttering to herself, Lois was taken completely by surprise when she spotted her partner. "Clark? What you doing here?" She asked when she approached him.
After entering through the revolving doors, he replied, "Oh, hi, Lois. I asked Perry where you were this morning after the staff meeting and he told me you were here. Why didn't you tell me about Bruce, I mean, Mr. Wayne?"
Lois narrowed her eyes at him. "Bruce? Do you know him?"
"Of course not, Lois," Clark quickly replied, which wasn't a complete lie. He'd spoken to him as Superman over the phone several times. "Come on, I'll hail a cab for you."
"Wait a minute. Clark, it's a two-hour drive. How did you get here so fast?"
He ignored her question and guided her to the corner to hail a cab. Lois narrowed her eyes and wondered about him showing up out of the blue.
Suddenly, a man came up behind them and pointed a gun in Lois's ribs. "Move it, into the alley, and don't say a word," the crook demanded.
Bruce was across the street on the rooftop of a three-story building and he had to wonder where Superman was because he knew he was in the city. He decided to wait and see what happens.
"Clark …?"
"Do as he says, Lois," Clark instructed her then he tried to calm the crook. "You can have our money. Just don't do anything you'll regret."
"I told you not to say anything," the crook snapped at him, getting nervous. "Move it!"
Once they entered the alley, Clark held out his hands in submission, slowly reached inside his jacket, then handed the crook a few dollars and his watch.
"Lois?" Clark looked to her not to do anything crazy. Lois lifted her bag from her shoulder, but then she hesitated.
"Hand it over, lady," the crook demanded, not in the mood. His gun cocked ready to fire.
"I don't think so!" Someone spoke to them from above their heads.
The crook looked up at the sound then Clark caught the crook off-guard, snatched the gun from him and had him in a hand lock behind his back in seconds.
"Good job!" The voice seemed to congratulate him.
Lois and Clark both looked up at the voice of … Batman! Bruce slid down a wire from above and landed without making a sound. "I'll take care of him." He couldn't help but look around and still no Superman and he wondered where he could be, then he stared at Kent and watched as his hair slide down over his forehead and he could see the spit-curl clearly.
"Thank you," Lois said, truly grateful.
"Yes, thank you, Batman," Clark said and pushed his hair out of eyes. He pulled the crook to his feet. He then peered through his mask of Batman and of course, it was Bruce Wayne. He had suspected it for a while now, but now it appeared to be true.
"No problem, just be careful in this city," Bruce said then he took the crook to a waiting police cruiser whom he had summoned after witnessing the crime.
"Wait!" Clark called to him then he turned to Lois. "If you promise to head back to Metropolis and not get into any more trouble, I'll put you in a cab."
"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Lois asked hands on hips.
"No, Lois, but I assumed your interview with Mr. Wayne was over, so there's nothing keeping you here, is there?" Clark asked, wheedling a bit.
"I suppose," she said and glanced at Batman. "Alright, Bruce did promise to call Perry tomorrow and reschedule."
"Oh, no, you never got the interview?" Clark asked surprised about that.
"Yeah, he was too busy staring out the window looking for something … or someone," Lois replied now very suspicious of Mr. Wayne.
"Oh, I see. I'm sorry, Lois," Clark told her meaning it, then he led her to a cab and he watched as she headed to the airport."
"Nice going … Mr. Kent, or should I say … Superman?" Bruce whispered once they were alone. He held out his hand.
Clark smiled and shook his hand. "Mr. Wayne, is it?"
Bruce shook his head, chuckled then he quirked a smile.
~o~o~
Present day, outside Luthor's prison, a mile away:
Mercy Graves had arranged everything just as Lex had instructed. The guard would be drugged and Lex would change clothes with him, walk out of the prison without any problems, steal his identification with his photograph inside, and leave the area with her help. They had six hours before the guard would wake up, plenty of time to get to Kansas and put Lex's plans into motion.
She looked up from her cell phone and there coming towards here was Lex looking as if he was out taking a stroll on a Sunday afternoon. She shook her head not quite believing how easy that had been. She started the car.
"That was easy. Where to ...?" Mercy asked, knowing the answer as she watched him climb inside.
He took off the guard's hat, badge and identification. "Smallville," Lex told her and then began to change into more appropriate attire, including a toupee, a suit and a tie.
Soon they arrived at a small airport outside the city then boarded a private plane which would be at their disposal later when they left with their 'special cargo.' They arrived in Smallville a few hours later. They didn't have a lot of time. Soon, it would be all over the news that he had escaped but the Man of Steel would not be anywhere around to stop him.
Luthor then met up with several gentlemen ready to do whatever he told them. The price was definitely right.
~o~o~
Smallville, Kansas, later that same day:
Lois and the kids had traveled to Smallville by plane. Clark felt it best to keep up appearances just in case. He would be coming a little later, after he had taken their luggage to their destination, their special spot on Nassau in the Caribbean. It held special memories for them. Lois couldn't wait to get going.
"Now, I want you to listen to your Grandma, do what she says, no matter what understand?" Lois instructed her children.
"Mom, we know that," Jason replied.
"Where is Grandma?" JoJo asked looking around.
"I'm not sure. Maybe she's in town. We are a little early," Lois thoughtfully replied. The front door had been unlocked as usual.
"I'm here!" Martha announced as she got out of her truck arms full of groceries.
"Martha, I'll take those," Lois told her and took the groceries from her and headed to the kitchen.
Martha was happy to hand them over so she could give her grandbabies a proper welcome. She held out her arms. "Come here JoJo, Jason," Martha and took them into her arms.
"Hi, Grandma," JoJo said and hugged her close.
"We missed you," Jason said getting emotional.
"I missed you too, but we have an entire week to catch up," Martha said.
Suddenly, the back door opened and Clark walked inside in his jeans and plaid. "Hey, everyone! Hi, Mom," Clark said and went to give her a kiss on the cheek.
He then picked up JoJo, even though she was getting a bit too old for it, but JoJo wasn't complaining. She kissed her Daddy's cheek and hugged him close. "Can't you stay with us for a few days, Dad?"
"Now, honey, I already explained that your Mom and I are going on a trip, just the two of us," Clark explained to his little girl. Lois and Clark hadn't taken a vacation since JoJo was born.
JoJo pouted. "I wanna come," she told her Father.
"Come on, squirt, let's head out to the barn; Shelby wants to play," Jason told her hoping to cheer her up.
"Ok," she replied. She loved playing with Shelby.
"Your Mom and I will be out in a few minutes to say goodbye," Clark told them but they had already ran outside to the barn.
Lois chuckled at her children. 'You know you can't compete with that old dog," Lois told her husband.
He chuckled. "Yeah, I know. Are you ready to go?" He asked his wife.
"In a minute … could you take the kids bags upstairs? I don't want Martha carrying those," Lois instructed.
"Sure, I'll be right back," Clark replied and headed upstairs.
Lois watched him for a moment then went to her Mother-in-law and they both went to sit on the sofa. "Martha, please don't let the kids run all over the place. They love it here but I want you to keep an eye on them, especially Jason. You know he'll head into town without saying a word and before you know it, hours will go by, and then you'll wonder where he is. He's done it to us a few times and Clark had to go looking for him."
"Lois, I raised Clark. I know he can get carried away with his powers. He could be half way across the state without realizing it. I know what to expect. Don't worry," Martha patted her hand. "Besides, Ben is just up the road, and he … ummm, he'll be coming by later for dinner." She ducked her head feeling embarrassed.
"Oh, Ben, you say? Humm, what's up, Martha? Are you too …?" Lois asked knowing the answer. They had been seeing each other for years. It was time to stop all this secrecy.
"Well, we have for a while now," Martha admitted. "I haven't told Clark yet though."
"Told me what?" Clark asked coming down the stairs and into the living room.
"Ben and your Mom," Lois answered before Martha could speak.
"Oh, I know about him," Clark replied unconcerned.
"You do?" Martha asked, surprised.
"Of course, Ben called me and we talked. He truly cares for you, Mom. Put him out of his misery and marry the man," Clark told her only half-joking.
"Well, he hasn't asked me yet, Clark," Martha said feeling as if Clark had let the cat out of the bag.
"Oops!" Clark whispered. "Sorry. Ok, it's time to go. Lois?"
Lois shook her head at her distracted husband. "Sorry about that, Martha." She kissed her goodbye.
Soon they said their tearful goodbyes to the kids and then they were off into the sky.
~o~o~
A few hours later, Ben arrived for dinner and found the house quiet and no one was around. That's odd, he thought. "Martha!" He called and headed upstairs. He sniffed and came back down. The potatoes were burning. He turned off the stove.
He knew then that something was terribly wrong. Martha would never leave the stove unattended, especially with children in the house. He headed back up the stairs again, looked inside all the bedrooms, but then he heard a muffled sound. "Martha!" He followed the sound and found her inside her closet tied up with a rag around her mouth and another one inside.
"Martha, oh, my God!" He exclaimed and helped her release the binds and pulled the rag from her mouth.
"Ben, thank God you got here. The kids, they took the kids!" Martha exclaimed and then she whimpered getting upset.
Ben helped her up and took her to her bed. "Calm down, that's it; take a deep breath. Now and tell me what happened. How long ago was this?"
"Not long, I think." She glanced at the clock. "Maybe an hour or two; I can't be sure. I have to call Clark right now!" She exclaimed and picked up the bedside phone. "Clark, Clark, please pick up," she mumbled into the phone.
"Isn't he picking up?" Ben asked worried they wouldn't be able to reach him.
"No, he's not picking up. Maybe it's because they're overseas, I don't know."
"Should we call the police? I mean, they are special. What can we tell them?" Ben asked her unsure of what to say.
"I know; I'll call Conner," Martha said, then dialed his number and reached him on the first ring. "Conner, thank God. You have to come to Smallville right away. The kids were kidnapped. They … they're gone," Martha told him barely holding it together.
"What? I'll be right there," he told her. As soon as he hung up, he jumped into the sky. He then thought of Young Justice and what they could do to help, but then he thought about Lex and the secret. He'd never told them about that. It wasn't that he didn't trust them, but they would look at him differently if they knew. He wanted to keep that secret as long as possible. He decided to call the League instead.
As Conner was flying to Smallville, he couldn't help but think about Lex and their connection. All these years, he had pushed him from his mind, but now he had a bad feeling that he was responsible for this somehow. He couldn't let him hurt his family.
Conner would gladly give his life for them, but he hoped it wouldn't come to that.
~o~o~
Meanwhile on Nassau island:
After checking into their hotel room, Lois and Clark's devices were beeping non-stop. There were messages from Martha and Ben, which caused Lois's heart to pound with dread.
"Clark, something's wrong," Lois told her husband. "Look, messages from Martha and Ben."
Lois put the call on speaker then played the messages. They stared at each other, not saying a word. He picked up their luggage, which were two small bags. They hadn't planned on using much clothing except for a swimsuit and trunks and a few outfits for dinner.
Clark twirled into this suit and they were in the sky in moments. Lois called Martha and told her that they were on their way, to call the police and tell them exactly what they needed to hear. Martha understood.
As soon she hung up with Martha, her phone rang again and it was Conner.
"Mom, Dad, I'm here at the house in Smallville."
"Conner, what happened? Where are my children?" Lois asked trying to keep her composure.
"We'll find them. But, I just heard over the news that Lex Luthor escaped from prison earlier today."
Lois's eyes grew huge and then she gasped.
"What, what is it?" Clark nearly screamed at her.
"Lex has escaped."
Clark flew even faster if that were possible.
TBC!
~o~o~
A/N: Damn, Luthor's hide! I'll be cursing for a while guys. Man, I hate him. Update in about a week. I'm further along with the story, so weekly updates for a few chapters going forward. Stay tuned for the next few exciting chapters. Thanks for reading. Reviews are love.