~ღ~ Chapter Three - Lost without ~ღ~

"..that's correct, I just arrived." Clark looked around impatiently.

"I see.. and you live in Metropolis, Kansas. " The detective looked over his notes, then looked Clark over.

"Yes, Lois was here to work on a story.. then she was coming home." Clark was getting the distinct impression Detective Hernandez didn't like him. "Please, I really want to see my wife!"

"Okay Mr. Kent. But you're to stay in Plattsburgh until our investigation is over. "

Clark nodded he understood and pushed his glasses up via his index finger; it was annoying how they kept sliding down his nose. He had been on his way to Lois' room after speaking to her doctor when the detective had pulled him aside to ask him some questions.

At first it had been fairly simple, but after a while Clark felt like he was being interrogated. Hernandez repeatedly asked Clark the same questions, especially about his whereabouts, which made him uncomfortable. Clark couldn't focus on whether or not he was liked by the guy, he just wanted to see Lois and then do his own investigating.

Despite knowing the extent of her injuries, the sight of her caused tears to well up. And swallowing, Clark attempted to hold it back and sat taking her hand in his. Her face was swollen, bruised with scrapes and little cuts, one arm wrapped up, she had bandages down part of her chest and stomach where she had been shredded. She had needed a lot of stitches. The doctor's words about possible infection , her having suffered a severe concussion, and needing to wake soon resounded in his head.

"Come on, Lois.. come on, baby.." he patted her hand and finally cried silent tears.

The hours ticked on. Clark watched her, paced the room, memorized each of her injuries, searing them into his mind. He was going to make who ever did this pay. After a while he was forced to leave to fulfill superman duties, hurrying back not, wanting her to wake up and find he wasn't there. After his second time out, he felt emotionally exhausted and pushed the chair as close to her hospital bed as he could. He held her hand and closed his eyes...he needed to rest, just a little.

She giggled and squirmed beneath him "Its cold!"

"It's suppose to be..that's part of the fun."

He dipped his finger into the ice cream again and placed a drop on the end of her nose, then kissed it off...before running his cold hand up her side, and slowly to her breast, delighting in the way her skin reacted. She arched her back up, pushing her body against his and moaned.

"Ooh Clark.."

She partially opened her mouth and closed her eyes due to pleasure of his touch. He smiled, scooping up more ice cream with his finger and put it into her mouth. Her eye's widen not expecting it, she moaned again. "mmMmm Clark.."

He shook his head , his eyes sparkled, "That's not my name. Remember , Princess?" he purred putting the ice cream aside as he kissed her neck, letting his hands travel down her inner thighs.

From a buzzing sound, Clark jerked awake, fumbling, almost knocking his glasses off. Out of all the things to dream about why him and Lois at the hotel? He felt guilty for having the memory at a time like this, but was grateful that his jacket had been laying over his lap when he realized a nurse was checking on Lois. The vivid dream had been so real, he swore he could still taste the ice cream, feel the sensations from the experience. He hadn't dreamed something that real since the second meteor shower.

The nurse gave him a kind smile at the barrage of emotions that had crossed his face, and suggested he go get something to eat, the cafeteria had opened. Glancing at the clock, and then back to Lois, he felt a keen disappointment; she had yet to awaken. The doctors had been hoping by morning she would have, but still no sign. Why Lois.. I need you!

He thanked the friendly nurse for the suggestion, though he really didn't want to leave Lois side, not yet. He didn't want her to wake with no one there. He needed her to wake up now, to show some sign she was going to come out of this.

Her small hand held tightly in his, Clark spoke softly to her, "Come on Lois.. please wake. You can do this, you're a fighter. Nothing holds you back. Besides, if you don't, you do realize who will steal your bylines don't you..? " He traced a circle on the palm of her hand, then a heart. He loved how small they were, how her hands fit into his, how they touched his face with such love.

He continued talking, hoping somehow his words would make her mad enough to wake up. "Cat has been snooping. Remember when you said you were sure she broke into your desk? You keep sleeping, with me here, and there is no one to stop her." He didn't have it in him to say anything truly mean to get her mad, but the animosity between her and Cat was volatile.

Clark had stayed out of the frequent verbal sparring matches, but on more then one occasion had prevented Lois from pummeling the snarky blonde, or Cat from pulling Lois' hair. Though he had a sneaky suspicion that the women had had one or two physical altercations when he hadn't been around and neither was willing to cop to it. The black eye Cat supported several months back didn't seem like a consequence of tripping down a few steps like she claimed, and Lois had looked a bit smug that day.

Clark chuckled quietly at the memory.

He felt Lois' hand move slightly in his. Excited he looked up at her face; her facial expression had changed, she looked like she was concentrating, her eyes twitched rapidly though still closed. Was she waking? It had to be a good sign..

Clark gently put her hand down and ran out of the room for the Doctor.

~ღ~

Oliver glanced down at the bouquet he carried feeling that it was very inadequate. Flowers weren't going to make Lois better, but he knew what she would say, it was the thought that counted. Still he felt like ditching them, but didn't want come empty handed either, it was a no win feeling.

Stepping out of the elevator and on to the floor where Lois was, he could see the Doctor and Clark talking at the nurses station. It surprised Oliver to see Clark look so worn out. A major five o'clock shadow, with hair untamed worse then what it could get after a long day as Superman. It was even more of a shock when Clark turned towards him when he finished with the Doctor, there were actual bags under the mans eye's.

"Oliver I'm glad your here.. I need to make some rounds but if she wakes up I don't want her to be alone." There was an unsteadiness to Clark's movement as they walked into Lois' room.

He couldn't help himself, Oliver gasped at the sight of her. "How.. what.." he found himself at a loss for words which wasn't common.

Clark took the flowers from his friend and placed them down next to several others. "I don't have all the details yet, but whoever took her.. they did that. She needs to wake soon Oliver.. the doctor's say she should be..but.." He looked down then removed his glasses for a moment to rub his face.

Oliver gently picked up one of Lois' hand, they had all had their fare share of injuries and abuse from the lives they'd chosen but he had never seen her like this. And it made it even worse to see how it was affecting Clark. Sometimes it was easy to forget the man part of Superman. "I'm sorry.." was all he could think to say.

"I know. " Clark said low back before he pulled Oliver aside away from Lois, so even in her sleep she wouldn't hear them. "Someone did this to give me a message Oliver. "

"Its a pretty personal message Clark, safe to say they don't have the warm fuzzies for you, and from that look on your face and what they did to her they won't be getting any in return."

Both men glanced at Lois then back to each other. A mirrored expression in their eye's, neither was going to let this stand.

"Tess is doing what she can from her end, getting the police report from where they found her. I need to check it out as Superman, I need to figure out who would do this and why!"

Oliver nodded, "I'm right here big guy.. " he frowned at the notion that just entered his mind "You don't think they'd try anything again..here? do you?"

"I can't be sure of anything till I have more facts. " It didn't escape Oliver's attention the way Clark rubbed his hands on the side of his pants and stared at Lois again. Since when did Clark Kent get sweaty?

Oliver put a hand on Clark's shoulders recapturing his attention, "Clark.. go freshen up, cause honestly you stink a little, then go do what you need to and if you can, rest because she needs you strong . I'll stay as long as needed, I'll keep her safe."

Clark nodded, "Does Chloe know?"

"Not yet.. I tried reaching her, but she has been deep for about a week now.. Hopefully by the time she resurfaces Lois will be fine." At the look on his friends face Oliver added, " Lois will be fine Clark.. when has she ever let anything stop her?"

Despite the sadness, Clark managed a smile, and then was gone before Oliver had a chance to blink.
Turning to Lois, Oliver held up his hands, "Well it looks like its just you and me now little lady..and how often do I get to do all the talking and you can only listen. "

He smirked, "Of course if you want to say something you only have to wake up,and we both know you have an opinion about everything."

He sat and leaned back in the chair, trying not to really see the shape she was in and pretend that it truly was a just social call, "I know.. We'll discuss sports.. won't be as much fun without the beer pong match and darts but hey we'll make it work!"

~ღ~

The Junkyard where Lois had been found, was about thirty miles from the airport, a good remote spot to take someone at night if you didn't want to be discovered. As Superman, Clark had no trouble with the police letting him have a look. He was grateful he didn't have to deal with Hernandez again, the Clark Kent cover worked, but he always felt nervous when dealing with people so directly as both Clark and Superman.

Lois had been held in a metal storage box, one that was barely long enough for her. Looking it over he could see the same pitting that the tile in the airport restroom had. Only the box wasn't falling apart. Why did the tile? Was it part of the teleporting away process or something else?

The evidence of the abuse Lois had been put through was there, blood in the box, and signs it had been banged about. But there were also signs that who ever had taken her had hung around the junk yard for a while. He spotted a pile of gunk, similar to what had happened to the tile, not that far from where the storage box had been found.

For the life of him, he couldn't understand what there was to gain in all this. What message was he suppose to get? Was there even a reason for it? The idea that this was just senseless violence angered him more then a planned attack.

The thought then occurred to him, was the change in how he could hear and feel her heartbeat somehow related? There was so many questions he needed answers too
.
After one last sweep of the junkyard, Clark decided he needed to check with Jor-El, perhaps he would have an idea of what this all was about or who it might be behind it.

Taking to the air, the world abruptly felt like it had flipped on him. The ground came speeding up and he barely course corrected, scaring motorists below half to death. Giving an apologetic wave, he veered away more slowly, unsure of where he had been going in the first place. Okay, maybe it was time to go home , take that shower Oliver had suggested. To get the answers he needed, he was going to have to regroup, organize his thoughts. He didn't feel like himself at all, it had to be that all the stress with Lois taking a toll.

That's what he told himself anyway..

~ღ~

Tess frowned at the police report that flashed on to the screen. She had been monitoring the investigation, so when Clark was ready she could give him an update. It was the usual stuff, a report on Lois' condition, where she was found, ect . But now it had taken an unexpected turn.

She paged Clark but received no immediate response, not unusual. He'd call as soon as he could. Tess tried Oliver second, knowing he had gone to see Clark and Lois. He'd be there; she knew both men well enough to know if Clark was out, Oliver would be at Lois' side.

"Hey Mercy.. anything new?" He was trying to sound chipper but she wasn't fooled.

" By new you mean bad then Yes.. Oliver we have a problem!"

"Alright..?"

"I made a huge mistake.. I should have thought about it before he left, Oliver , Clark is under suspicion. "

"Suspicion for what?"

"For kidnapping Lois.. He went straight to New York..while he was suppose to be here, no record of him on a flight, no proof of how he got there. I can insert false data but it won't change much.. They've already been looking into it"

"So... they think he had been in New York all along to kidnap Lois?" There was a pause as he digested this, "It should blow over Tess.. isn't there evidence of him at the Daily Planet? The day before?"

"No .. He had a busy day as superman, he emailed an article in early that morning but that still leaves plenty of time for him to have taken a flight somehow under a different identity. "

"They can't really believe a reporter .." he trailed off.

Tess knew what he was thinking, Clark was a reporter who investigated crime with Lois, they would have contacts, people to help him. If the police were determined to see Clark as a viable suspect they would fill in the blanks no matter how incorrect. And worst of it was, Clark would have little defense, no alibi because Clark Kent was Superman's alibi.

She sighed, and sent to his cell the latest file, "I should have thought about this.. Its my job to catch these things."

" Tess you couldn't have known,.. Clark does the fly off sort of thing all the time and none of us were exactly expecting this.."

"Doesn't change a thing.. I need to contact Clark, if you see him or hear from him before I do.."
"I know Mercy.. Oh great.. just what was needed to make this moment richer." she knew before he said what it was about, " The cops are here.. I have to go."

~ღ~

Oliver watched from the doorway of Lois' room as the cops talked with the Doctor, keeping his cell out of view, not wanting to get caught using it when it was a big hospital no no. He tried calling Clark and texting him, but the guy was not responding, but then Oliver was pretty sure as Superman he didn't carry his cell in his underpants.

Great, just great, the brilliant detectives were now sniffing up the wrong tree and Clark was gonna end up paying for it. He went and sat back down, glancing at Lois then his cell. Come on Clark call back.

~ღ At the Kent apartment ღ~

Clark stumbled across the room and into the shower. He turned the water on cranking up the temperature despite the fact he was already sweating buckets. Blinking, he tried to focus his eye's. He couldn't remember the tub being so long before. Actually it wasn't just the tub, the whole bathroom seemed dis-proportioned. He grinned to himself, feeling what a human would describe as tipsy.

Laughing, unsure of what was so funny, he found he was unable to stand and sank down into the tub, watching the pattern on the tiles move as if it had suddenly come alive.

There was a ringing sound.. oh his clothes, he still had his clothes on which he found very funny, laughing more he pulled his cellphone out and tried to answer it. "Hey Tess!" he mumbled into the phone once he remembered how to work it.

"Clark there is something you need to know!"

"Tell me about it.." he giggled back, " I came here..or well was going to go do ..something..can't remember now.."

"Clark what are you on about?" she sounded annoyed, which he also found funny. But the phone was really starting to get too heavy to hold.

"Look Tess..I have to go..there is this beating,..and the phone is heavy.. I think the bathroom is moving." There was a pounding, he could feel it all in his bones, his chest, even his eye's. He felt smothered in it. He couldn't hold the phone any more, his hand slid down into his lap as the rest of the world started to fade.

The last thing he heard before the blackness grabbed him was Tess' worried voice, "Clark.. whats going on.. Clark!"

~ღ/ღ~

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