Pathways - Part 1
Title: Pathways
Pairing/Characters: Tess Mercer/Alice, Lois Lane
Fandom: Smallville/The Playboy Club
Rating: PG
Summary: As the Man of Steel’s destiny is finally fulfilled, some end up still looking for a greater calling of their own. Like Lois Lane, whose life takes a sudden change when she gets a visit from a special someone who grants her superpowers. Or Tess Mercer, who unexpectedly gets stuck in 1960s Chicago of another universe where now she has to try and find a new life in this feminine repressed era while still trying to find her way back.
A/N: This idea originally came from my mourning of the series The Playboy Club as the series was cancelled right before Cassidy Freeman’s character was going to start a relationship with Alice. However since we don’t know too much about Cassidy’s TPC character Francis, I figure to swap her with Cassidy’s other character, Tess from Smallville, to take Francis’s place in the series.
A/N2: Story takes place after the series Smallville has ended. If you’re expecting a story about Superman, Wonder Woman or Batman, this is not your story. They’ll see plenty of action, but it mostly focuses on the three main ladies, lesser exposed characters and some new ones.
A/N3: Obviously for this to work, we’re going to have to assume Tess and Green Arrow never dated and were simply friends. Those who's never seen either Smallville or the Playboy Club, a pic gallery is available to know how characters look like. It will be updated as new characters enter the story.
A/N4: It will be a while before Lois gets her powers and Tess gets stuck in 1960s Chicago. However once that happens the ball will really begin to start rolling.
Part 1
Tess opens the double doors to her office in the Luthorcorp tower. The chair she had long since claimed as her own is facing away from her, but she can tell the person she anticipated being there is sitting in it. He’s looking at the fuchsia colour in the sky due to the upcoming arrival of the planet Apokolips. “Something told me that I’d find you here,” she states. “I combed the lab, and I saw what happened.”
“Long time sis.” Lex spins the chair around and faces his sister.
“Did you always know?” Tess asks him.
“Why did you think I recruited you, treated you like my own flesh and blood?” Lex answers.
“You used me.”
“Semantics,” he retorts nonchalantly.
Lex gets off the chair and approaches Tess. “I’d say dear old dad did most of the abusing. Wouldn’t you? I guess the bullet in his chest answers that question, huh?” He stops in front of Tess.
Not the least bit intimidated, Tess takes a step closer to her brother. “He wanted nothing more than to have you back again.”
“And what did you want Tess?”
“Something I’ll never have.”
“What might that be?” Lex inquired.
“Redemption,” she answers.
Lex doesn’t say anything. Instead he runs the back of his hand along his sister’s cheek then gives her a hug. Despite the awkward tension, Tess allows the hug to continue.
“I love you sis,” he says in a seemingly sincere tone.
Tess decides to return the hug. Her right hand works its way around Lex’s body and that’s when she feels her brother’s left hand reaching for something tucked in the back of his pants. Reacting on intuition, she quickly backs away and that’s when Lex attempts to stab her with a small but deadly blade. She manages to grab Lex’s wrist and prevent the blade from going any further. Tess quickly knees Lex in the gut and throws a left hook that connects solidly to his face.
Lex collapses to the floor and Tess turns to leave, giving one last look as she does. Lex is on the floor looking back The two siblings match stares, their eyes expressing more than they could ever say to each other. After a few moments Tess looks back towards the exit and rushes out.
*****
7 Months Later
Chloe stands on the shore of a beach, looking out into the clear ocean. “Enjoying the view?” a woman’s voice ask her.
“I’ve always loved tropical islands,” Chloe answers. She turns around and follows two women dressed in ancient Greek wear.
“Consider yourself privileged Chloe Sullivan, few mortal women are permitted to walk this island and no man has ever stepped foot on these lands,” one of the women tells her.
“I consider this visit both a privilege and an honour,” Chloe replies back.
The three women trek up a pathway until it leads them to the sight of structures in an architecture reminiscent of ancient Greece. The sight of the buildings combined with the tropical location is quite a breathtaking site for Chloe.
“Right this way. Princess Diana is expecting you,” one of the women gestures to a stone walkway. Chloe looks curiously at the woman before following the path.
She eventually comes to an area near a beautiful lake that’s situated at the bottom of a majestic waterfall. She sees a stone gazebo at the end of the pathway.
Diana is out of her typical battle wear and in similar clothes like the rest of the women on the island. She’s relaxing on an elegant chair when she turns her head and spots her guest. She rises from her seat and looks at Chloe. Chloe smiles as she moves towards Diana.
“What do you think of Themyscira so far Chloe Sullivan?” Diana asks.
“Please, it’s just Chloe,” she responds. “And I think it’s breathtaking. I finally get to see the mystical island of super powered Amazons that you’ve been telling me about with my own eyes. I can only imagine how it must be like to live on this island with a mother who’s the Queen and a father who’s Zeus.”
“It does have its drawbacks. The no men rule, and there aren’t any computers. They don’t let us out to explore the world much either,” Diana remarks regarding the strict living rules.
Chloe feels an awkwardness but tries to keep up the smile. “Well I guess I should be fortunate this is only a visit then.”
“Enjoy your visit while you’re here then,” Diana smiles back at her.
“I really admire what you’re doing for the world,” Chloe adds. “You’re making quite a name for yourself.”
True to her upbringing Diana takes the compliment modestly. “Well mother thought after Millennia of isolation, that it was finally time to start venturing off our island and into the outside world. She believes the time has come to share our knowledge and if necessary, enforcement to try and make Man’s world a more peaceful place.”
“That brings me to the other reason for my visit Diana,” Chloe informs.
“What may that be?”
“I want to know if you’ll be interested in joining the League?” she inquires.
*****
At the Daily Planet, it was business as usual.
A member of the staff rushes into the bullpen. “It just came through the wire, Metropolis National Bank is being robbed and the robbers have taken hostages.”
The bullpen, always a beehive of noise and activity gets even louder as the reporters nearby react to the news and beginning to scramble.
Lois turns and faces her fiancé. She gives him a look and tilts her head over to the side, signaling him. Clark nods, now it’s his job to handle the matter. He rushes off to the rooftop, taking care to move at pace close to a human jog.
The rooftop door swings opens and Clark steps out with his vest in one hand. He tosses the vest on the ground and takes off his glasses, then starts walking dramatically towards the ledge as if there’s a symphony playing in the background. Clark takes a quick look around to see if there are any people nearby before he begins picking up the pace. He loosens his tie to the side before finally ripping open his shirt to reveal the red and yellow ‘S’ underneath.
Back down in the offices, Lois rush to a window. She stares off in the direction of the National Bank and looks to the sky as she spots her fiancé in his blue and red costume flying off to the location.
It wouldn’t be long before Lois watches Clark on the television screens. Standing triumphant outside the bank as the police take the robbers into the police cars as a crowds of onlookers cheer and scream his name; Superman.