Secrets & Lies- AU Smallville Futurefic
Title: Secrets & Lies
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: C"lois", Chlark
Spoilers: Arrival, possibly Reckoning, several episodes from seasons 1, 2, and 3 of Lois and Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman, Man of Steel #1 (comic)
Disclaimer: If I owned Smallville, Clark and Chloe would have gotten together a freaking long time ago. So, yeah, whatever.
Summary: Alternate Universe futurefic. Through a tangle of deception, two lives -and hearts- inevitibly reconnect.
Warnings: Angst, language, and a handful of sexual innuendos.
Notes: This is a sequel to Take A Bow. If you have not read it, please do before reading Secrets & Lies.
When the visions around you
Bring tears to your eyes
And all that surrounds you
Are secrets and lies
~This I Promise You- *NSYNC~
She watched nervously as the dark-haired, green-eyed, glasses-wearing young man took a desk near hers. As he got settled in his chair, Perry White, the editor-in-chief who was celebrating his fifth year at the Daily Planet, walked over and introduced the two. He stared at her in awe, almost as if he was shocked to see her.
Lois Lane was very much alive, and her cousin, Chloe Sullivan, was very much dead. At least, dead in every way that counted.
The red-haired, blue-eyed Lois looked over at her new co-worker. From the moment that Clark Kent had walked into the Daily Planet newsroom and handed Perry some mushy-gushy human interest piece, she knew her life was about to take a drastic turn. Rather it would be for better or for worse, she didn't quite know yet.
"Hey, Kent." Lois managed a smile. "How ya been?"
Her voice was a bit deeper than Clark remembered, and her appearance was shockingly different, but she seemed to be the same old Lois. She had that shockingly red hair, those bright blue eyes, and seemed a couple inches shorter. She was even more beautiful than she had been before, and Clark blushed when he realized that he was attracted to her.
"I'm, uh... good, Lois. How've you been?" he asked.
She shrugged. "Can't complain."
There was something about her that reminded him of Chloe. The thought of his best friend still hurt him, and he couldn't help but think that it was all his fault that she was gone.
"Uh... Lois... would you like to have lunch with me today? Just to catch up?" he wondered.
Her instincts told her not to, but she went against them. "Sure, why not?"
At noon, the two strolled out of the Daily Planet together, and Lois tried her hardest to make small talk.
"So, uh... you just celebrated your 25th birthday, didn't you?" she asked, he nodded, staying silent. "Get what you wanted?" He shook his head, still quiet. "Gee, Smallville, you're real talkative today." She eyed him, wondering what he was thinking.
"I'm... I'm sorry, Lois. I was thinking about..."
"Thinking about what?"
"Umm... your cousin." Clark spoke the words softly, almost as if he was afraid to.
She looked down, feeling awkward. "The second I saw you, walk in, she's the first thing I thought of." She felt the need to test him. "What happened to her? The General just told me she was gone."
Clark took a deep breath. He didn't really want to answer the question. "The last time I saw her... she was really upset with me, and stormed off to her car and took off. The next morning, they found her car in the lake... they never found her body."
"Oh, Clark..." She frowned. She could tell by the way that he spoke that he blamed himself for what happened. "You can't blame yourself for what happened, you know. She knew better than to drive while she was upset." He seemed to be hurting now, and she felt guilty. "I'm sorry I brought it up." She looked at him, and suddenly wondered what was up with the glasses. Clark Kent had always seemed to have perfect eyesight... except for that few days his junior year. But she couldn't admit to knowing about that, and inwardly scolded herself.
"So... uh... Lois, you uh... look really different." he said, changing the subject. "I knew you'd had to have plastic surgery, I heard about it, but... what's up with the hair? And I thought your eyes were brown."
She laughed. "I used to wear contacts, Smallville. They've always been blue." She was such a liar, and she knew it. "My hair... well, there's such a thing called a dye job. I got bored with the brown."
The two had lunch, and talked a little bit, and then went back to work.
At the end of the work day, Clark offered to escort Lois back to her apartment, but she graciously declined the offer. Lois needed to be alone. She needed time to think.
She felt as though the past was catching up with her. Chloe Sullivan's past.
She stared into the bathroom mirror, tears in her eyes.
"You're strong. You're Lois Lane. You have to be hard-nosed, and act like you don't give a rat's ass about Clark Kent." She told herself, but her heart was driving her crazy.
Though she hadn't been Chloe Sullivan in six years, she really wanted to be right now.
She walked into her bedroom, and laid on the bed, thinking of how she ended up here in the first place.
Chloe Sullivan hadn't died in her accident. She'd managed to make it out of the car, and a passerby had picked her up and taken her to a hospital in Grandville. No one knew who she was, or where she'd come from... not even her. She was going to survive, but flying shards of glass had deeply cut her face and nose in several places, and she was going to need plastic surgery. At that point in time, Chloe did remember who she was, and remembered her family, and that her cousin Lois was presumed dead somewhere in France. She remembered nothing of her life in Smallville, and didn't release many details to the doctors about anything else. One doctor felt badly for her, because she didn't seem to have anyone to help her, and decided to pay for her care, and for her plastic surgery. It was also with this doctor's help that she'd decided her future.
While Chloe remembered nothing of her past in Smallville, and didn't even know if her father was living, she felt that her life, in any place it could have been, was over. She had no idea why she felt that way, but she did. With a bit of researching, her doctor friend discovered that her cousin Lois's body had been found, but General Lane hadn't been told yet. He suggested that she live a new life... as her cousin. The idea seemed morbid to Chloe at first, but he convinced her that it could be done.
Weeks later, and two months after Chloe's tragic death and Lois's disappearance, a brown-haired, blue-eyed Lois Lane surfaced in Paris. General Lane was all too happy, and despite that she didn't fully resemble his nearly 23-year-old daughter as much, accepted her when she'd told him she'd had to undergo plastic surgery.
The new Lois traveled back to Grandville, and on what would have been Chloe's twentieth birthday, started college there. By that time, she remembered Chloe's past in Smallville, and that she'd been the best friend of Clark Kent, but so many other things were still so fuzzy.
Lois spent two years in Grandville at the college there, studying journalism. It was then that she transferred to Metropolis University. She was hired to work at the Daily Planet, and soon worked her way up to being star reporter. Perry White, a former tabloid reporter who'd taken over as a editor a year after Chloe's "death", was very impressed with her. She finished her last year of college at Met U, and kept her job at the Daily Planet afterward. She was successful beyond her wildest dreams. She'd worked at the Planet and had been the top reporter for about three years now.
Things were going to be different now that Clark was around, she knew that for sure. But she also knew there was no way that she could tell him her secret. And, oddly enough, as "Lois" started off to sleep, she felt as though maybe Clark Kent had a few secrets of his own.
***
Two weeks after Clark Kent started working at the Daily Planet, people were randomly calling in with "tips" about a "flying man" in the city. The sightings were usually at night, and Lois thought it to be a bunch of horse hockey... though she often noticed how awkward Clark seemed to look whenever it was brought up.
One afternoon, she asked him to have lunch with her, and when she brought up the "flying man", he changed the subject. Something was up, and she knew it.
"So, Smallville... what'd you do since I last saw you? You never did tell me... and six years... that's a long time." She bit into her french fry, keeping her eyes on him.
"Well, I... I graduated from Central Kansas about three years ago... little over three years ago, actually." Clark shifted in his seat, obviously nervous suddenly. "I spent about six months trying to figure out what I wanted to do next, and then spent the next six months... traveling the world."
Lois's eyebrows raised. "YOU have traveled the world?"
"Well, sorta." Clark laughed softly. "I spent a while in Mexico, and then England, and France, Africa... China... and Australia."
"All of those places in only six months?" she asked, slightly bewildered.
He nodded. "Um... after that, I uh... I guess I went to... find myself."
"'Find yourself'?"
"Uh... yeah. I, uh... I guess I kinda... went looking for my heritage."
"Did you look for your birth parents?" Lois wondered.
Clark's brow furrowed. "How'd you know I was adopted?" He never remembered his parents or himself mentioning it to her.
"Uh... Chloe..." Those words were the only ones she could manage to get out, and he nodded. "Where'd you go? Did you find them?"
"North." he said quickly, and she suddenly got a flash of a structure made of ice. She blinked. Was that a memory? "Um... I kinda found them, I guess... they're... they're dead, Lois."
"Oh..." She blinked again. "I'm sorry, Clark." She saw the structure in her mind again, and was positive it was a memory. "How... how long were you on this mission of self-discovery?"
"Two years... Lois, you okay? You look really pale." He eyed her, looking worried.
She looked dazed for a moment. She remembered walking into the structure, and being cold... and seeing Clark inside of it, too. She blinked, and the images left her. "Um... yeah. I... I think I ate something that's not agreeing with me."
"Do you want me to walk you home? I can tell the Chief that you aren't feeling well."
"Yeah... please."
She stood from her seat, her legs a little wobbly, and he quickly stood and walked to her, putting an arm around her to steady her.
Her head was spinning, and she felt weak.
She nearly fell twice on the way out, and Clark felt he had no choice but to pick her up as he ushered a cab.
He slid her into the back seat, then got in beside her.
"Well, isn't this a fancy way to 'walk' me home?" Lois asked sarcastically.
He said nothing, and minutes later, when the cab pulled up outside Lois's apartment complex, Clark paid for their ride, and then helped her out of the vehicle.
He insisted on coming inside, and as she dropped onto the couch, he noticed a picture of Lois and Chloe on a table next to the door. He picked it up and examined it, then looked over at her as she lay on the couch, eyes closed. There was so much of her that reminded him of his best friend, and it scared him.
She caught him looking at the picture, and growled at him. "You can go now, Kent."
He put the picture down. "Are you sure you're gonna be okay?"
"Yeah. I'll be back at work in the morning. Tell the Chief I'm sorry." She took a breath, leaning her head against a couch cushion.
He let himself out of the apartment, and a strange feeling creeped up his spine.
Lois took a deep breath. She just knew the last chunk of her memory was about to come back. She always knew when she was going to start remembering things. She got sick. She had a deep feeling that there had been meteor rocks nearby when her car had crashed, and that's what had effected her memory.
The image of being in the icy structure with Clark was burned into her mind, and it didn't seem to want to go away. What did it mean? And why was it just now coming back to her?
***
The next day, Lois was invited to go onto a two-day trip into space. It was on board Luthorcorp's newest project, the Prometheus project. The project was basically a combined spaceship/hospital that would allow scientific advances in curing several diseases. As much as Lois detested Lex Luthor, who'd so evilly followed in his father's footsteps, she felt it was her duty as a reporter to tag along.
Clark didn't like the idea one bit, and even tried to convince her not to go.
"Smallville... I never back out on a story." She told him, and it was left at that.
She went, and that night, Clark decided to visit his mother in Smallville.
He talked about Lois with her, and Martha only gave him a sad smile.
"Are you sure it's not just you missing Chloe?" she asked.
Poor Martha. She'd aged so much in the past six years, since the death of her husband, and her son's ascent into adulthood. She looked so much older than she actually was.
Clark shook his head. "I don't know, Mom... I feel... really... attracted to Lois. I never did before, and I just don't get it." He bit his lip. "Maybe it's the guilt talking..." He sighed. "I pushed Chloe away... and I loved her. I really did love her... I just didn't realize it. And she died because she thought I didn't. And now... there's so much of Chloe that I see in Lois. And I can't figure out how or why."
Martha changed the subject, wanting to ease her son's conscience a little. They talked about how well he was controlling his powers in Metropolis.
"It's getting harder, Mom. It's getting harder to save people without being seen."
"Have you ever though about... a costume or something?"
He gave her a look. "Mom... I'm not Batman, for crying out loud."
"No... but you could be a hero like him... in your own way." Martha smiled. "Come on, Clark... you could spend some time playing hero... and being yourself. You can't tell me you wear these glasses as just a fashion statement."
He thought about it, and it started to make sense. "I guess I could give it a trial run."
For a good part of the night, Martha had out her sewing machine, working on the perfect costume for her son. The one she finally made, Clark initially didn't like.
He made a face as he looked into the mirror. "What the hell kind of material is this?" he muttered, thinking his mother didn't hear him.
She did, and he blushed when she said something. "Spandex." She noticed the grimace on his face. "Too tight?"
"It makes me feel... weird... and it's kinda itchy."
"You'll get used to it."
He looked at the symbol on his chest, what looked like a big S. "Is this..."
"Yes... a variation of it." She smiled. "Oh! We're forgetting something!"
His eyebrow raised at his mother's sudden exclamation.
She ran into the bathroom, and then ran back out, her hands wet. She moved her hands through his hair, slicking it back a little, and then pulled his glasses off.
"Much better." She beamed proudly, and turned him to face the mirror again.
Clark's eyes widened as he looked himself over. "Wow. I almost look like a different guy."
"Exactly." Martha said. "Make me proud, son. Make US proud."
He slowly turned to face her. Jonathan was on both their minds at that moment, and he nodded. "You can count on it."
***
A couple days later, right on schedule, the Prometheus project was making its way back down to Metropolis.
Lois was eager to get back to work, and get her story written up in time for the evening edition of the Planet.
As it neared its landing point, a smaller plane flew by it, catching on the wing, and suddenly, the wing tore away. It made a nose-dive toward the landing site.
Lois was panicking as she glanced out the window. She halfway expected a rescuer, and surprisingly, she got one. A red, yellow, and blue streak filled the sky, and then something was under the plane, lifting it up.
"What the hell?" she muttered as the plane, being guided by whatever it was, made its way downward.
A group of on-lookers were watching in shock.
"Look, up in the sky!" One yelled.
"It's a bird!" Another cried out.
"No, it's a plane!" Yet another one exclaimed.
"Naw, ya city slickers, it's some big dude in a red cape." A very hick-looking man with binoculars said.
As Lois watched Prometheus's rescuer move from under the it and gently sit it to the ground, realization struck her. "It's the flying man." she muttered.
Lex Luthor stood at the front of the crowd of on-lookers, examining the strange man. Whoever this was, he didn't like him.
The man was about to leave when suddenly Lois emerged from the her confinement, the first one out.
"Hold it right there, Buster!" she exclaimed.
At first, the man seemed hesitant, but then finally turned to face her.
Lois was rendered speechless as she stared at him.
God, he was the most beautiful man she'd ever seen. Tall, muscular, eyes that twinkled, and jet black hair. Something about him reminded her of Clark, but she quickly shook the thought out of her head. She was staring, but couldn't quite help herself. His costume fit snug in all the right places, and she found herself looking him up.
His eyes, which were definitely green but looked a little blue due to the color of his costume, locked on hers when she looked back at his face.
"Yes, Miss?" His voice was almost unbearably deep, and her eyes nearly rolled back in her head.
Attraction was too small a word for what she was feeling.
"Who are you?" she asked somewhat weakly, sounding like her old self for a moment.
"A friend... I hope." The man said.
She flashed her press tag. "Lois Lane. Daily Planet. You give me an exclusive, and I'll be anything you want me to be."
He laughed a little bit. "Sure thing, Miss Lane." He looked over and noticed that it appeared that the rest of the press -and the crowd, for that matter- was about to come after him. He didn't want that. He was Lois's. This was her story. "Need a lift?" he asked, holding out his hand.
She stared at him, wide-eyed. "Me? Fly? With you?" She didn't want to admit she was slightly afraid of heights. She had been ever since her accident.
"Do you think you can trust me?" he asked.
She stared at him some more, completely enchanted by this strange man. "For some crazy, mixed-up reason... I do trust you." She felt liked she could have even trusted him with her life. It was completely inexplicable.
He picked her up, and she put her arms around his neck as he took off, just as the crowd was to, well, crowd them.
She shrieked softly. "Please don't drop me!"
He grinned, and reminded her of Clark again. "No chance."
She couldn't get over how attractive this stranger was, what a handsome face he had. She loved everything about him, from the way he smiled to the way one single curl fell over his forehead.
They talked for a few minutes, and she got the basics from him... except for a name.
They landed in front of the Planet, and he gently put her down.
"Nice meeting you, Miss Lane." He turned to leave.
"Wait... you never told me your name." she said.
"You found me... you name me." he said with a smirk, and then took off again.
Lois just stood there, in shock again. The new superhero was leaving HER to name him.
"Talk about responsibility." she muttered. What if she come up with some really stupid name that he didn't like? She sighed, feeling burdened, and walked into the building.
The mysterious new superhero landed in the alley behind the Planet, and as he did, his clothes almost seemed to change themselves, and he was now Clark Kent.
Clark slipped on his glasses and ran a hand through his hair, turning it back into the messy mop of curls it usually was.
He walked around to the front of the building.
The newsroom was abuzz when he walked in, and Lois was at her desk, thumping a pencil on it, muttering to herself.
"Gee, Lois, making it a habit to talk to yourself?" Clark teased.
"Stuff it, Kent. I've got the biggest story ever on my hands." She bit her lip.
"What happened?" he asked nonchalantly.
"I met a man." she said with a dreamy sigh.
"Oh, my God! Stop the presses!" He snorted. "What's so newsworthy about that?"
"He was so... super..." she muttered, than gasped. "Oh my God! That's it! SUPERMAN!"
She turned toward her computer, and immediately started typing.
Clark laughed to himself. She was oblivious. And he kind of liked it that way.
Later that day, Perry called Lois and Clark into his office.
"Listen... this Superman fella is too much of a story for you to handle, Lois." The editor said.
"What?" Lois gave him a look.
"So, therefore, I'm assigning you a partner." Perry said.
Clark realized what was going on before she did.
"But..." Lois frowned. "Who is it?"
Perry smiled, and glanced over at Clark. "Miss Lane, meet your new partner."
"KENT?!?" she shouted, jumping up from her seat. "You've gotta be kidding me!" Partners meant getting close. That couldn't happen, because surely he'd discover her secret.
"Like it or lump it, Lane." Perry said simply, ushering the two out of his office.
Lois didn't like this one bit, but she guessed she'd have to learn to live with it.
***
Weeks passed, then months.
Superman, as Lois had named Metropolis's new hero, became very well-loved and embraced by the community (with the exception of Lex Luthor), and seemed to be all Lois and Clark wrote about, landing them both front page nearly every day.
They were getting along better than Lois really wanted them to be, and she was starting to not mind sharing a byline with him. He was good at what he did. He was also good at making a fool out of himself in front of her, and she grew all-too-aware that he liked her. She thought it was cute, but it hurt to think that, when she had been Chloe, he hadn't felt a thing for her.
Late on the night that would have been Chloe's 26th birthday, Lois got a little bit of a shock.
She was later at the Planet that night, alone, working by herself on a story.
She heard the elevator chime, and raised an eyebrow, wondering who was coming in there so late. She shrugged and kept working, and, a minute or so later, heard a noise.
She looked up to see Clark standing there, with his hands behind his back.
"Hey, Kent... what are you doing here?" she wondered.
"I knew you were working late. Figured you could use a pick-me-up." He smiled sweetly at her as he pulled his hands out from behind his back, revealing a steaming hot styrofoam coffee cup, a small baggie, and a single white rose.
She felt a small smile touch her lips, and couldn't exactly hide her admiration. "That's sweet, Smallville. Thank you." She took the baggie and rose from him, and peeked into the baggie. "A brownie? What are you trying to do, fatten me up?" She snorted.
He laughed. "Mom had made a batch this morning, and I just came back from visiting her."
She laid the rose on the desk and took the brownie out of the baggie, having a bite. "God, this is delicious... and it's warm!" She swallowed. "What'd you do, sit it on the taxi's radiator on the way over?"
"Sorta..." He laughed and shook his head, not really able to answer her question.
She started to take the cup from him, but snapped her hand back in a hurry. "Damn it!"
His eyes widened in concern. "Are you alright?" He grabbed her hand after sitting the cup on her desk. He turned it over slowly, glancing at her fingers, which were turning a deep red.
"That's fire-hot. How could you hold it?" She raised an eyebrow. "You must be invulnerable or something." The comment was meant to be sarcastic, but she didn't know how close to the truth she was.
Clark shrugged innocently. "Maybe I just have more tolerance to heat than you do."
She looked down as a crumble of brownie fell on her skirt, and as she tried to swipe it off, he blew on the cup a little, cooling it off just a bit.
As she looked back up at him, he picked the cup up. "Here... maybe..." He raised the cup to her lips, and she giggled at him only a second before he tilted it slightly. She backed away from the cup as he pulled it back, and after swallowing a mouthful of coffee, burst into laughter.
"Real smooth, Kent." She grinned up at him impishly, and she knew by the look on his face that he'd just seen Chloe in front of him. The grin fell from her lips, and was replaced by a very small smile. She realized that he was staring at her now.
His free hand reached up and caressed her cheek, and she suddenly couldn't help but lean into his touch.
The next thing she knew, he was putting the coffee on the desk again, and his other hand moved to her face.
She stared up at him, feeling herself melt in his hands, and truly believed she was imagining things when he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. She returned the kiss eagerly, but her mind started screaming at her, and she pulled back.
"Clark..." she whispered his name. "What... what are we doing? We... we can't do this. We're... we're co-workers. We're... partners."
"Maybe we need to be more than investigative partners." he murmured. It was the boldest thing she'd ever heard him say, and as she watched him, his cheeks started burning.
"What... what do you think we need to be?" she asked, putting her hand over his.
"Just... together." he said shyly.
"Together like what... a couple?" She was finding it hard to breathe.
"Maybe..." He bit his lip nervously.
"Clark Kent... are you asking me on a date?" She teased, and touch his glasses, acting as if she was going to take them off.
He turned his head slightly, stopping her from doing it, and moved his hands from her face. "Yeah... I think I am."
"Just say when..." she whispered.
"'When'."
"Now?"
He nodded, and she laughed.
"What kind of date can we have at one in the morning?" she questioned.
"I could walk you home." he suggested.
She thought about it, then nodded. "Okay. I guess that'd suffice." She sighed. "Just let me close up here, and I'll meet you outside."
He grinned. "Okay." He gave her a tiny peck on the lips before getting up and starting out of the building.
As she shut down her computer, Lois couldn't help but think of how crazy she was for getting involved with him. He could easily uncover her secret this way, but she wasn't so sure she cared anymore.
She met him downstairs a few minutes later, and he took her hand in his as they walked.
They were both silent, enjoying their time together, when suddenly Lois's brain was under siege.
The memory that had first attacked her months before was back, but this time, there was more to it.
After she'd entered the ice structure, she yelled at Clark, who didn't hear her, obviously in some sort of trance. She'd suddenly felt as though she was freezing to death, and then had fallen to her knees, and then her side.
Clark watched helplessly as Lois fell to her knees, shivering. She fell limply on her side, and he caught her head before it could hit the ground.
"C-Clark..." she whispered, shivering uncontrollably.
"Lois?" He looked down at her, and shook his head. It couldn't be... could it? Was he staring down at his best friend? The woman who'd collapsed this very same way in his fortress all those years ago? He shook his head, dismissing the thought. Right now, he just needed to worry about getting Lois home.
***
Lois jolted awake, and jumped at Clark's hand as it touched his cheek.
"Smallville..." she whispered. "What happened?" She looked around and realized she was in laying on the couch in her apartment.
"You fainted, Lois... You scared me." he murmured. She started to sit up, and he put one arm around her. "Take it easy."
"How long was I out?"
"About thirty minutes."
Lois bit her lip. She'd passed out before after getting parts of her memory back, but that was the longest she'd stayed out.
Her mind wrapped around what she'd remembered as she sunk into the state of being passed out.
She'd remembered Clark's arms going around her, and him talking to someone who wasn't there. And then...
"I know you run faster than a speeding bullet, Clark. Take me along for the ride."
He'd said nothing, only picked her up, and then super-speeded... yes, super-speeded... out of the ice structure.
Lois's eyes widened as she looked over at Clark.
Clark could super-speed? But than could only mean...
No. It couldn't be. It didn't make any sense.
"Maybe I should just sleep on it." she thought. "Maybe it would make more sense then."
"Lois? You okay?" He caught her hand and squeezed it.
"I... I'm fine, Clark." she whispered. "I think I just need some sleep."
"Okay." he murmured. "Want me to tell Perry you won't be coming in?"
"Uh... if I'm not there by nine, tell him I'll be there in the afternoon." she said. She sighed. "I really need to stop getting sick." What she really needed was to get her memory back in full, and then there would be no more reasons for her to get sick.
"Lois, is something bothering you?" he asked, and she shook her head. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Feel better, Lois." He stood. "Goodnight." He walked toward the door.
"Clark?"
"Hmm?"
"Thank you." she whispered.
He only smiled, and then left.
Hours later, Lois awoke to the sound of a tapping noise on her window.
She sat up on the couch, blinking. "Freaking birds." she muttered, pulling the strap up on her nightgown. She had no idea why she's slept on the couch. It was just something she did after having a memory burst.
She stood, and groggily walked over to the window. She pulled the curtains back, and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Superman hovering outside the window.
He smiled and waved, and she looked down at herself, turning red. She snatched up her robe and threw it on, then popped open the window.
"Hi." she said weakly, still embarrassed.
He drifted through the window, and landed on the floor in front of her.
"Morning, Lois." he said. "I hear you've been under the weather."
"I have." she said. "But I'm feeling a little better."
"Are you heading into the office today?" he wondered.
"Yeah.. I was about to go have a shower." She breathed.
"Well, if you'd liked, I can... uh... give you a lift." His arms crossed over his chest.
"Sure." She nodded. "If you don't mind waiting on you."
"I don't mind one bit." He smiled, and eased himself down on the arm of the couch.
She was quick to shower and change, and emerged from her bedroom twenty minutes later, fresh, fully-dressed, and in full makeup.
He stood, and she eyed him, something so familiar about his movements.
"Ready?" he asked. She nodded, and they walked over to the window together. He picked her up, and slowly floated up and out the window, careful not to bump her head. He used his super-breath to pull the window shut, and then took off.
She stared at his face as he flew, and at one point, he looked back at her, and as she looked into his eyes, she wanted to cry.
She didn't know how it could be possible just yet, but she was sure she'd figure it out. She'd remember.
As she looked into his eyes, she realized that she was looking into the eyes of Clark Kent.
Clark Kent was Superman.
***
Months later, only a day after Clark's 26th birthday, Lois and Clark were walking through the park in the middle of the night.
It was peaceful, quiet, and Lois's head was cradled on Clark's shoulder.
As crazy as it was, she was in love with him again, and the feeling had only grown as all her memory had returned. She remembered everything, and knew the truth about him for sure now.
As they neared a bench, Clark's lips moved to Lois's ear. "Hey... why don't we sit down?"
She sighed and took a seat, and he sat next to her.
"I love you, Lois." he whispered, squeezing her hand.
"I love you, too, Clark." She looked up into his eyes, feeling the happiest she'd ever felt in both her lives.
"I've loved you from the moment I re-met you almost a year ago."
"I've loved you longer." She wasn't lying, and he didn't seem surprised.
She saw one of his hands fumbling in his pocket, and eyed him curiously.
The next thing she knew, he was on one knee in front of her, and was holding up a small silver ring with a diamond in it.
Her eyes flew wide, tears springing to them.
"Lois Lane... Will you marry me?" He stared up at her, his eyes full of hope.
She laughed through her tears, and then cleared her throat. "Who's asking? Clark..." She touched his face, then reached upward and gently pulled his glasses off. "Or Superman?"
It was his turn to be shocked. "Lois..."
"Don't try to deny it, Smallville. I know." She laughed again. "I've known for months now."
"Why... why didn't you say anything?" he wondered.
"I figured you'd tell me when you were ready." She giggled. "Or when you realized you had no choice to."
He laughed, realizing how much she sounded like Chloe. "So... what's your answer?"
"Yes." she whispered. "I'm all yours." She bit back tears as he slipped the ring on her finger, the leaned upward and kissed her hard on the lips.
"Hey, Red..." He was teasing her, and she rolled her eyes. "Wanna go back to my place for some celebratory coffee?"
She giggled. "Sure... but only if we fly."
He grinned. "Your wish is my command." He spun around in a circle, and the moment he stopped, he was in his costume.
She beamed, and looked like her cousin again, leaving Clark wondering what he'd been wondering for months now.
He carefully picked her up, pulling her as close to him as possible, and slowly took off.
Lois's heart thudded in her chest, and she was sure he could hear it. She was just glad he couldn't hear her thoughts, too. She was silent as she watched his face, and she shrieked when he suddenly dropped her legs, holding onto her waist. "You better not drop me, Kent."
He laughed. "If you hadn't noticed, I have a very strong grip." He put his arms more around her, turning her until they were face-to-face. He flew straight up, and she gave him a look.
"What are you doing?"
"You'll see."
Soon, she could feel her feet touching clouds, and she was so scared, yet so exhilarated at the same time.
"It's so beautiful up here." she whispered breathlessly.
He nodded. "And I've been wanting to share it with you for so long."
"Thank you." she murmured as he lowered them back downward. He grabbed her legs again, nearly dropping her, and she screamed. "Clark... knock it off!" she exclaimed, and he smirked. God, he loved teasing her.
He landed just behind his apartment building, and put her down.
Within seconds, he was back to being Clark Kent, and the two walked hand-in-hand around the building and then inside.
He fumbled with his keys and he opened the door, suddenly feeling nervous.
He led her inside, and she looked around. It was the first time she'd been there, and she wasn't surprised by what she saw.
It was a simple little place, decorated heavily in blues and reds, and the pictures that covered the walls were all the ones she expected. Most of them had his dearly departed father in them, and then there were a few of she and Clark at business-like Daily Planet events. There was a single photograph of Pete and Lana, dressed up. She noticed the rings on Lana's hand.
"I heard they got married." Lois said suddenly.
"Yeah. About three months ago." Clark said.
"She made a beautiful bride."
"Yes, she did."
"Were you there?"
"Yeah, I was."
"How'd you feel about it?" she wondered. "I mean, she was your first love and all."
"What I shared with Lana was in the past." He shrugged. "She moved on, and I moved on. she couldn't have married a better guy. Pete's wonderful for her."
She said nothing, only looked back at the pictures. She couldn't help but notice one of he, Pete, and Chloe during their freshman year, and then one of himself and Chloe right before graduation. She frowned. "You still miss her, don't you?"
He nodded, looking down. "Every day." He sighed. "She was my best friend. I told her everything."
She felt a pang of guilt, and suddenly wanted to reveal herself, but reminded herself that she couldn't. "I'm sorry." she whispered. And she was. He just didn't realize how much.
She walked over and dropped onto his couch. "So... how's about that coffee?" She pressed her lips together, and he couldn't help but notice that she looked as nervous as he felt.
"Right..." He headed into the kitchen without another word, and only minutes later returned with two cups of coffee.
She ended up finishing hers first, and watched him silently for a while. She suddenly reached over and pulled his glasses off. "No real need for these right now, I think." She laid them on the small table in front of them, and he smiled.
"Guess there isn't." he whispered. He put his cup down on the table next to hers, then scooted just a little closer to her.
She turned to face him, putting her arms around his neck. His face neared hers, and she felt her eyes close. His lips touched hers, softly at first, and then suddenly grew into something more passionate.
His lips moved to her neck as her hands touched his broad shoulders.
"Clark..." she whispered, leaning her head back a little. "Please make love to me."
He suddenly froze, and she moved back to look at him. "Um... I... I'm not sure if I can." He looked embarrassed, and almost ashamed.
"Why? Is it because of your powers?" she blurted, then inwardly scolded herself because she knew that was a fear only Chloe knew.
He looked up at her, slightly surprised. "Umm... yeah." He bit his lip. "And I... I've only... well... you know... once. And... I had um... sorta lost my powers at that time."
"Guess that kinda makes you a little bit of a virgin, then." she said playfully, trying to get him to relax. "Cause... ya know... you weren't fully yourself when it happened that time." In some ways, that statement made Lois feel virginal, too. She'd only been with one man when she was Chloe, and now that she was Lois, she hadn't been with anyone at all.
He laughed somewhat nervously. "Lois, I'm still not sure if I can. I..."
"Hmm..." She looked over at him, mischief in her bright blue eyes. "Let's see... do you have the same kind of reaction that earth boys do?" Before he could utter a syllable, she climbed onto his lap, sitting on him. She looked down, then back up, giving him a funny look, then giggled. "Umm... I think you're good to go."
He blushed furiously, and she touched his cheek. "Lois... are... are you sure about this? I... I wouldn't want to..."
"Clark... I trust you. With my life." She kissed his forehead. "I always have." She brushed a curl away from his forehead, and kissed it again. "Come on, Superman... Take me out of this world."
He reached up to touch her face, and then moved his mouth to hers. The kiss deepened as his arms wrapped around her, and he stood, holding her tightly against him.
He was barely hanging onto her, and yet she seemed to be glued to him.
He nearly tripped over his own feet on the way to the bedroom, and she giggled at his klutzy-ness.
Typical Clark Kent.
***
Lois awoke the next morning to a pair of beautiful green eyes staring down at her, and a shiver thundered down her spine.
"Morning, Kent." she whispered with a tiny smile, sounding like a little girl.
"Morning, Lane." he replied, his deep voice husky with sleep.
"How'd you sleep?" she wondered, her hands moving slowly over his chest.
"Like a log." he said with a laugh. "I slept better than I have in a long time."
"What time is it?" she muttered.
He glanced over her shoulder. "Eight-fifteen."
"Damn it!" Her eyes widened. "We'd better hurry." She gave him a look. "And, no, Smallville, I'm not taking a shower with you, cause we'll end up even later."
"Well, darn!" he exclaimed, pretending to look disappointed.
She rolled her eyes and started to get out of bed. "Can I go first?"
"Under one condition."
"What's that?"
"You have to kiss me." he said with a straight face, and she giggled, rolling her eyes again, and leaned over, giving him a hard kiss on the lips.
She sighed and climbed out of the bed, and as he watched her walk toward the bathroom door, there was something he couldn't help but notice. Lois had a birthmark in a place he knew for sure that Chloe had one. His face went blank, and Lois turned to look at him as she stopped in the doorway.
She raised an eyebrow. "You staring at my ass, Kent?"
He laughed. "Umm... sorry. I, uh... I didn't know you had a birthmark there." He pointed, then lowered his finger nervously.
She laughed. "Weird thing for you to be staring at." She shook her head, and headed out of the room.
Clark swallowed, a million thoughts entering his head at once.
Could it be? It seemed nearly impossible, but what if...?
He shook his head, and picked up the phone.
"Mom?" he said softly. "I need to talk to you... but it can't be now. Can we have lunch?"
***
Lois was disappointed when Clark told her they wouldn't be having lunch together that day, but said she understood when he told her an emergency had come up.
Martha was ecstatic when Clark told her that he and Lois were now engaged, but looked worried when he told her that there seemed to be on problem.
"What could be wrong, Clark? You've finally found the woman you want to spend the rest of your life with." She frowned.
"Umm... I don't think Lois... is Lois, Mom."
"What do you mean, Clark?"
"I think Lois is actually Chloe." Clark muttered.
Martha's eyes widened. "WHAT?!?"
"I know it might seem like a stupid thought, but, Mom..." He sighed. "She doesn't even really look like Lois. She hasn't since I re-met her a year ago."
"Didn't Lois have plastic surgery after her kidnapping?"
"Supposedly. But she couldn't have changed that much."
"How's she changed?" she questioned.
"She's shorter... She has a smaller body frame... blue eyes... red hair." He took a breath. "And what more... she has a birthmark I know only Chloe had. She knows a few things only Chloe knew... and Mom... she figured out I'm Superman. I knew Lois... she wasn't that quick at figuring out things like that."
"Have you said anything to her about it, Clark?"
"No... not a word."
"Well... don't yet." she said. "Bring her here. Let me meet her. Then... you do what you have to do... rather that means investigating it, or confronting her... or both."
"When do you wanna meet her?" he asked.
"How about tonight?" she suggested. "Bring your fiancée over for dinner."
***
"Your mom wants to re-meet me?" Lois sounded nervous as Clark held her close. They were flying over the countryside that evening, headed for the farm.
"Yeah. She's pretty excited about it." he said with a smile, and as the wind blew through her hair, he saw another tell-tale sign of her identity: the red dye was fading from her hair, and instead of seeing brown roots, he saw blonde.
He landed just in front of the barn, and minutes later, he was walking his fiancée to the house.
Martha opened the door, and held back a shocked look. This young woman was a far cry from the one she'd nearly classified as a daughter over seven years before. "Lois! Long time, no see!"
"Hi, Mrs. Kent." Lois smiled shyly. She was going to have to be careful around her. Martha Kent's intuition had always been unbearably strong.
Martha stood back as Clark led Lois through the door, and the moment she could reach her, she gave her soon-to-be daughter-in-law a huge hug. "When I heard you'd survived your... accident, I always hoped you'd come back to see us."
Guilt filled Lois's heart again, and she exhaled. "Unfortunately... life got in the way. I was so happy to even have a second chance that I... I don't know what I did." She shook her head. "But that was then. How have you been, Mrs. Kent? I've missed you." Her last sentence was a very honest one. She missed Mr. Kent, too, but she willed herself not to say that.
Martha smiled at the younger woman, then looked at Clark. "Sweetie, I forgot something at the store. Could you run and get it, please?"
"Sure, Mom." Clark grinned.
While he was gone, Martha and Lois discussed the past seven years in their lives while they put the finishing touches on a salad that Martha had made.
Upon Clark's return, Lois excused herself to the bathroom.
Clark gave his mother a look. "Well... what do you think? he whispered.
"Based on her actions alone..." Martha sighed. "I think it's her. It has to be."
Clark nodded slowly, looking near tears. "Why would she lie to me, Mom?"
Martha shook her head. "I don't know, honey... but what I do know is... she could have easily asked you that last night, Clark." She patted her son's arm. "Looks like you're not the only one with a secret identity."
Clark was distant that night as he and Lois went back to Metropolis, and when she mentioned something about him staying at her place for the night, he turned her down, saying that he was tired. As he flew away, she knew in her heart that he'd lied to her. Clark Kent hardly ever got tired.
In reality, Clark stayed up half the night, researching, pulling records, calling in favors. And by morning, he'd found his answer.
Lois had just woken up, and had stepped out of the shower literally a minute before the doorbell rang.
She broke out in a smile when she saw Clark standing there. She pulled him inside, slamming the door shut, and leaned up to kiss him, but he backed away.
Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Clark? What's going on here?"
"My fiancée's been lying to me, that's what's going on!" He was angry, and it was all too obvious.
"What? What are you talking about?" She stared at him in shock.
"You are NOT Lois Lane." He growled. "Lois Lane died in a helicopter crash seven years ago."
Her cover was blown, yet she still tried to protect herself. "Then who the hell am I?"
"Chloe Sullivan." he said firmly.
"Chloe Sullivan is DEAD, Kent." she spat at him.
"No, she's not!" he shouted. "She's standing right in front of me. I made love to her two nights ago." He took a deep breath. "Lois Lane's body was found in France only a few weeks after her kidnapping. The body was hidden from her father. I confirmed it was her by looking at dental records from when she was twenty, and then at dental records of the corpse. Chloe Sullivan's body was never found. A woman matching Chloe's description was in a hospital in Grandville for several weeks, and was last seen going into a beauty parlor three miles from the hospital. Two months to the die of both events, a completely different Lois showed up in Paris, looking for her father." He eyed her. "I checked more dental records... 'Lois'. You and Chloe are one in the same."
"Lois" bit her lip, blinking back tears. "Clark... in every sense of the word, Chloe Sullivan is dead. She died that day. I am now Lois Lane. I have been for seven years... and there's no going back."
"Chloe..." He stifled a sob as tears fell from his eyes. "God.... why? Why did you lie to me?"
"For a long time, Clark, I... I didn't even remember you. I didn't even remember living in Smallville. I made it out of that car with my face screwed up, my nose screwed up, and my head screwed up. I'm surprised I even knew my own name." She sniffled. "By the time I did remember... most of everything, I'd already assumed Lois's identity. I had become Lois Lane, as well as I knew how to. And although it looks like I got off easy... I survived, got fixed up free of charge, and took someone else's place... I didn't. Every time one single bit of a memory returned, I got sick. Couldn't think straight, or even passed out, for hours. Sometimes it still hurts my head to remember things. I spent so much of my teenage years going after meteor freaks, and now... I guess I could be classified as one."
He realized what she was saying, and suddenly remembered all the times she'd gotten sick, and he'd had to bring her home. Like the night they first kissed. He started to say something, but she put her fingers over his mouth, silencing him.
"Before you say anything... no, I didn't know you were Superman at first. Not until the night you asked me out." She wiped at her eyes.
"Chloe..." He shook his head. "When you fell that night... you were remembering that day in the Fortress, weren't you? When you told me you knew." She nodded. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me any of it? I would have listened."
"I was afraid you'd hate me." She sounded like a child. "Because I was pretending to be my dead big cousin... which I know is morbid and sickening to some people, but to me, it's like honoring her memory. And because I didn't come back."
"Chloe, I could never hate you." Clark took a step toward her. "I love you. I've always loved you."
She looked up at him. "'Always'? What about Lana?"
"I loved her... but we were never meant to be. I was foolish to push you away like I did." His hand reached up and touched her cheek. "I love you, but I was just too damned scared, and too damn stupid. You went away because of me... for seven long, miserable years, I thought you were dead. And then, suddenly... you were in my face again. I knew it... but I kept on living in denial, for a stinking year."
She sobbed, her hand going over her mouth. "So... what now? Are... are we still engaged?" She looked down, moving her hand. "Or I am too much of a liar to be Superman's wife?"
"Hey..." His hand touched her chin, forcing her to look up at him. "Chloe Sullivan... Lois Lane... whoever the hell you are... I love you. I love everything you are, and everything you've been. You're still my best friend, no matter which one you are, and you're the woman I've always loved, deep down. Rather you're a blonde, a brunette, or a redhead... I'm yours... until the ends of the earth. You're my everything."
She sniffled, squeezing her eyes shut. "Is this really happening?" Her voice was weak. "I've only dreamed of it five million times."
"If this is a dream..." His hands moved to her shoulders. "I hope I'm never woken up."
She opened her eyes and looked up at him again, and the moment her eyes met his, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her tenderly.
He kissed her forehead as he pulled away from her, and she still stared up at him, letting her hands linger on his chest.
"Um... if you hurry up and get dressed, I'll fly you to work." he said softly.
She beamed up at him. "Correction... Superman will fly Lois Lane to work." A smile touched his lips. "And then... after the day is done... Clark Kent will go home with his fiancée Chloe Sullivan."
"You know, Chloe..." He brushed a piece of her bright red hair behind her ear. "I always did love the way you think."
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: C"lois", Chlark
Spoilers: Arrival, possibly Reckoning, several episodes from seasons 1, 2, and 3 of Lois and Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman, Man of Steel #1 (comic)
Disclaimer: If I owned Smallville, Clark and Chloe would have gotten together a freaking long time ago. So, yeah, whatever.
Summary: Alternate Universe futurefic. Through a tangle of deception, two lives -and hearts- inevitibly reconnect.
Warnings: Angst, language, and a handful of sexual innuendos.
Notes: This is a sequel to Take A Bow. If you have not read it, please do before reading Secrets & Lies.
When the visions around you
Bring tears to your eyes
And all that surrounds you
Are secrets and lies
~This I Promise You- *NSYNC~
She watched nervously as the dark-haired, green-eyed, glasses-wearing young man took a desk near hers. As he got settled in his chair, Perry White, the editor-in-chief who was celebrating his fifth year at the Daily Planet, walked over and introduced the two. He stared at her in awe, almost as if he was shocked to see her.
Lois Lane was very much alive, and her cousin, Chloe Sullivan, was very much dead. At least, dead in every way that counted.
The red-haired, blue-eyed Lois looked over at her new co-worker. From the moment that Clark Kent had walked into the Daily Planet newsroom and handed Perry some mushy-gushy human interest piece, she knew her life was about to take a drastic turn. Rather it would be for better or for worse, she didn't quite know yet.
"Hey, Kent." Lois managed a smile. "How ya been?"
Her voice was a bit deeper than Clark remembered, and her appearance was shockingly different, but she seemed to be the same old Lois. She had that shockingly red hair, those bright blue eyes, and seemed a couple inches shorter. She was even more beautiful than she had been before, and Clark blushed when he realized that he was attracted to her.
"I'm, uh... good, Lois. How've you been?" he asked.
She shrugged. "Can't complain."
There was something about her that reminded him of Chloe. The thought of his best friend still hurt him, and he couldn't help but think that it was all his fault that she was gone.
"Uh... Lois... would you like to have lunch with me today? Just to catch up?" he wondered.
Her instincts told her not to, but she went against them. "Sure, why not?"
At noon, the two strolled out of the Daily Planet together, and Lois tried her hardest to make small talk.
"So, uh... you just celebrated your 25th birthday, didn't you?" she asked, he nodded, staying silent. "Get what you wanted?" He shook his head, still quiet. "Gee, Smallville, you're real talkative today." She eyed him, wondering what he was thinking.
"I'm... I'm sorry, Lois. I was thinking about..."
"Thinking about what?"
"Umm... your cousin." Clark spoke the words softly, almost as if he was afraid to.
She looked down, feeling awkward. "The second I saw you, walk in, she's the first thing I thought of." She felt the need to test him. "What happened to her? The General just told me she was gone."
Clark took a deep breath. He didn't really want to answer the question. "The last time I saw her... she was really upset with me, and stormed off to her car and took off. The next morning, they found her car in the lake... they never found her body."
"Oh, Clark..." She frowned. She could tell by the way that he spoke that he blamed himself for what happened. "You can't blame yourself for what happened, you know. She knew better than to drive while she was upset." He seemed to be hurting now, and she felt guilty. "I'm sorry I brought it up." She looked at him, and suddenly wondered what was up with the glasses. Clark Kent had always seemed to have perfect eyesight... except for that few days his junior year. But she couldn't admit to knowing about that, and inwardly scolded herself.
"So... uh... Lois, you uh... look really different." he said, changing the subject. "I knew you'd had to have plastic surgery, I heard about it, but... what's up with the hair? And I thought your eyes were brown."
She laughed. "I used to wear contacts, Smallville. They've always been blue." She was such a liar, and she knew it. "My hair... well, there's such a thing called a dye job. I got bored with the brown."
The two had lunch, and talked a little bit, and then went back to work.
At the end of the work day, Clark offered to escort Lois back to her apartment, but she graciously declined the offer. Lois needed to be alone. She needed time to think.
She felt as though the past was catching up with her. Chloe Sullivan's past.
She stared into the bathroom mirror, tears in her eyes.
"You're strong. You're Lois Lane. You have to be hard-nosed, and act like you don't give a rat's ass about Clark Kent." She told herself, but her heart was driving her crazy.
Though she hadn't been Chloe Sullivan in six years, she really wanted to be right now.
She walked into her bedroom, and laid on the bed, thinking of how she ended up here in the first place.
Chloe Sullivan hadn't died in her accident. She'd managed to make it out of the car, and a passerby had picked her up and taken her to a hospital in Grandville. No one knew who she was, or where she'd come from... not even her. She was going to survive, but flying shards of glass had deeply cut her face and nose in several places, and she was going to need plastic surgery. At that point in time, Chloe did remember who she was, and remembered her family, and that her cousin Lois was presumed dead somewhere in France. She remembered nothing of her life in Smallville, and didn't release many details to the doctors about anything else. One doctor felt badly for her, because she didn't seem to have anyone to help her, and decided to pay for her care, and for her plastic surgery. It was also with this doctor's help that she'd decided her future.
While Chloe remembered nothing of her past in Smallville, and didn't even know if her father was living, she felt that her life, in any place it could have been, was over. She had no idea why she felt that way, but she did. With a bit of researching, her doctor friend discovered that her cousin Lois's body had been found, but General Lane hadn't been told yet. He suggested that she live a new life... as her cousin. The idea seemed morbid to Chloe at first, but he convinced her that it could be done.
Weeks later, and two months after Chloe's tragic death and Lois's disappearance, a brown-haired, blue-eyed Lois Lane surfaced in Paris. General Lane was all too happy, and despite that she didn't fully resemble his nearly 23-year-old daughter as much, accepted her when she'd told him she'd had to undergo plastic surgery.
The new Lois traveled back to Grandville, and on what would have been Chloe's twentieth birthday, started college there. By that time, she remembered Chloe's past in Smallville, and that she'd been the best friend of Clark Kent, but so many other things were still so fuzzy.
Lois spent two years in Grandville at the college there, studying journalism. It was then that she transferred to Metropolis University. She was hired to work at the Daily Planet, and soon worked her way up to being star reporter. Perry White, a former tabloid reporter who'd taken over as a editor a year after Chloe's "death", was very impressed with her. She finished her last year of college at Met U, and kept her job at the Daily Planet afterward. She was successful beyond her wildest dreams. She'd worked at the Planet and had been the top reporter for about three years now.
Things were going to be different now that Clark was around, she knew that for sure. But she also knew there was no way that she could tell him her secret. And, oddly enough, as "Lois" started off to sleep, she felt as though maybe Clark Kent had a few secrets of his own.
***
Two weeks after Clark Kent started working at the Daily Planet, people were randomly calling in with "tips" about a "flying man" in the city. The sightings were usually at night, and Lois thought it to be a bunch of horse hockey... though she often noticed how awkward Clark seemed to look whenever it was brought up.
One afternoon, she asked him to have lunch with her, and when she brought up the "flying man", he changed the subject. Something was up, and she knew it.
"So, Smallville... what'd you do since I last saw you? You never did tell me... and six years... that's a long time." She bit into her french fry, keeping her eyes on him.
"Well, I... I graduated from Central Kansas about three years ago... little over three years ago, actually." Clark shifted in his seat, obviously nervous suddenly. "I spent about six months trying to figure out what I wanted to do next, and then spent the next six months... traveling the world."
Lois's eyebrows raised. "YOU have traveled the world?"
"Well, sorta." Clark laughed softly. "I spent a while in Mexico, and then England, and France, Africa... China... and Australia."
"All of those places in only six months?" she asked, slightly bewildered.
He nodded. "Um... after that, I uh... I guess I went to... find myself."
"'Find yourself'?"
"Uh... yeah. I, uh... I guess I kinda... went looking for my heritage."
"Did you look for your birth parents?" Lois wondered.
Clark's brow furrowed. "How'd you know I was adopted?" He never remembered his parents or himself mentioning it to her.
"Uh... Chloe..." Those words were the only ones she could manage to get out, and he nodded. "Where'd you go? Did you find them?"
"North." he said quickly, and she suddenly got a flash of a structure made of ice. She blinked. Was that a memory? "Um... I kinda found them, I guess... they're... they're dead, Lois."
"Oh..." She blinked again. "I'm sorry, Clark." She saw the structure in her mind again, and was positive it was a memory. "How... how long were you on this mission of self-discovery?"
"Two years... Lois, you okay? You look really pale." He eyed her, looking worried.
She looked dazed for a moment. She remembered walking into the structure, and being cold... and seeing Clark inside of it, too. She blinked, and the images left her. "Um... yeah. I... I think I ate something that's not agreeing with me."
"Do you want me to walk you home? I can tell the Chief that you aren't feeling well."
"Yeah... please."
She stood from her seat, her legs a little wobbly, and he quickly stood and walked to her, putting an arm around her to steady her.
Her head was spinning, and she felt weak.
She nearly fell twice on the way out, and Clark felt he had no choice but to pick her up as he ushered a cab.
He slid her into the back seat, then got in beside her.
"Well, isn't this a fancy way to 'walk' me home?" Lois asked sarcastically.
He said nothing, and minutes later, when the cab pulled up outside Lois's apartment complex, Clark paid for their ride, and then helped her out of the vehicle.
He insisted on coming inside, and as she dropped onto the couch, he noticed a picture of Lois and Chloe on a table next to the door. He picked it up and examined it, then looked over at her as she lay on the couch, eyes closed. There was so much of her that reminded him of his best friend, and it scared him.
She caught him looking at the picture, and growled at him. "You can go now, Kent."
He put the picture down. "Are you sure you're gonna be okay?"
"Yeah. I'll be back at work in the morning. Tell the Chief I'm sorry." She took a breath, leaning her head against a couch cushion.
He let himself out of the apartment, and a strange feeling creeped up his spine.
Lois took a deep breath. She just knew the last chunk of her memory was about to come back. She always knew when she was going to start remembering things. She got sick. She had a deep feeling that there had been meteor rocks nearby when her car had crashed, and that's what had effected her memory.
The image of being in the icy structure with Clark was burned into her mind, and it didn't seem to want to go away. What did it mean? And why was it just now coming back to her?
***
The next day, Lois was invited to go onto a two-day trip into space. It was on board Luthorcorp's newest project, the Prometheus project. The project was basically a combined spaceship/hospital that would allow scientific advances in curing several diseases. As much as Lois detested Lex Luthor, who'd so evilly followed in his father's footsteps, she felt it was her duty as a reporter to tag along.
Clark didn't like the idea one bit, and even tried to convince her not to go.
"Smallville... I never back out on a story." She told him, and it was left at that.
She went, and that night, Clark decided to visit his mother in Smallville.
He talked about Lois with her, and Martha only gave him a sad smile.
"Are you sure it's not just you missing Chloe?" she asked.
Poor Martha. She'd aged so much in the past six years, since the death of her husband, and her son's ascent into adulthood. She looked so much older than she actually was.
Clark shook his head. "I don't know, Mom... I feel... really... attracted to Lois. I never did before, and I just don't get it." He bit his lip. "Maybe it's the guilt talking..." He sighed. "I pushed Chloe away... and I loved her. I really did love her... I just didn't realize it. And she died because she thought I didn't. And now... there's so much of Chloe that I see in Lois. And I can't figure out how or why."
Martha changed the subject, wanting to ease her son's conscience a little. They talked about how well he was controlling his powers in Metropolis.
"It's getting harder, Mom. It's getting harder to save people without being seen."
"Have you ever though about... a costume or something?"
He gave her a look. "Mom... I'm not Batman, for crying out loud."
"No... but you could be a hero like him... in your own way." Martha smiled. "Come on, Clark... you could spend some time playing hero... and being yourself. You can't tell me you wear these glasses as just a fashion statement."
He thought about it, and it started to make sense. "I guess I could give it a trial run."
For a good part of the night, Martha had out her sewing machine, working on the perfect costume for her son. The one she finally made, Clark initially didn't like.
He made a face as he looked into the mirror. "What the hell kind of material is this?" he muttered, thinking his mother didn't hear him.
She did, and he blushed when she said something. "Spandex." She noticed the grimace on his face. "Too tight?"
"It makes me feel... weird... and it's kinda itchy."
"You'll get used to it."
He looked at the symbol on his chest, what looked like a big S. "Is this..."
"Yes... a variation of it." She smiled. "Oh! We're forgetting something!"
His eyebrow raised at his mother's sudden exclamation.
She ran into the bathroom, and then ran back out, her hands wet. She moved her hands through his hair, slicking it back a little, and then pulled his glasses off.
"Much better." She beamed proudly, and turned him to face the mirror again.
Clark's eyes widened as he looked himself over. "Wow. I almost look like a different guy."
"Exactly." Martha said. "Make me proud, son. Make US proud."
He slowly turned to face her. Jonathan was on both their minds at that moment, and he nodded. "You can count on it."
***
A couple days later, right on schedule, the Prometheus project was making its way back down to Metropolis.
Lois was eager to get back to work, and get her story written up in time for the evening edition of the Planet.
As it neared its landing point, a smaller plane flew by it, catching on the wing, and suddenly, the wing tore away. It made a nose-dive toward the landing site.
Lois was panicking as she glanced out the window. She halfway expected a rescuer, and surprisingly, she got one. A red, yellow, and blue streak filled the sky, and then something was under the plane, lifting it up.
"What the hell?" she muttered as the plane, being guided by whatever it was, made its way downward.
A group of on-lookers were watching in shock.
"Look, up in the sky!" One yelled.
"It's a bird!" Another cried out.
"No, it's a plane!" Yet another one exclaimed.
"Naw, ya city slickers, it's some big dude in a red cape." A very hick-looking man with binoculars said.
As Lois watched Prometheus's rescuer move from under the it and gently sit it to the ground, realization struck her. "It's the flying man." she muttered.
Lex Luthor stood at the front of the crowd of on-lookers, examining the strange man. Whoever this was, he didn't like him.
The man was about to leave when suddenly Lois emerged from the her confinement, the first one out.
"Hold it right there, Buster!" she exclaimed.
At first, the man seemed hesitant, but then finally turned to face her.
Lois was rendered speechless as she stared at him.
God, he was the most beautiful man she'd ever seen. Tall, muscular, eyes that twinkled, and jet black hair. Something about him reminded her of Clark, but she quickly shook the thought out of her head. She was staring, but couldn't quite help herself. His costume fit snug in all the right places, and she found herself looking him up.
His eyes, which were definitely green but looked a little blue due to the color of his costume, locked on hers when she looked back at his face.
"Yes, Miss?" His voice was almost unbearably deep, and her eyes nearly rolled back in her head.
Attraction was too small a word for what she was feeling.
"Who are you?" she asked somewhat weakly, sounding like her old self for a moment.
"A friend... I hope." The man said.
She flashed her press tag. "Lois Lane. Daily Planet. You give me an exclusive, and I'll be anything you want me to be."
He laughed a little bit. "Sure thing, Miss Lane." He looked over and noticed that it appeared that the rest of the press -and the crowd, for that matter- was about to come after him. He didn't want that. He was Lois's. This was her story. "Need a lift?" he asked, holding out his hand.
She stared at him, wide-eyed. "Me? Fly? With you?" She didn't want to admit she was slightly afraid of heights. She had been ever since her accident.
"Do you think you can trust me?" he asked.
She stared at him some more, completely enchanted by this strange man. "For some crazy, mixed-up reason... I do trust you." She felt liked she could have even trusted him with her life. It was completely inexplicable.
He picked her up, and she put her arms around his neck as he took off, just as the crowd was to, well, crowd them.
She shrieked softly. "Please don't drop me!"
He grinned, and reminded her of Clark again. "No chance."
She couldn't get over how attractive this stranger was, what a handsome face he had. She loved everything about him, from the way he smiled to the way one single curl fell over his forehead.
They talked for a few minutes, and she got the basics from him... except for a name.
They landed in front of the Planet, and he gently put her down.
"Nice meeting you, Miss Lane." He turned to leave.
"Wait... you never told me your name." she said.
"You found me... you name me." he said with a smirk, and then took off again.
Lois just stood there, in shock again. The new superhero was leaving HER to name him.
"Talk about responsibility." she muttered. What if she come up with some really stupid name that he didn't like? She sighed, feeling burdened, and walked into the building.
The mysterious new superhero landed in the alley behind the Planet, and as he did, his clothes almost seemed to change themselves, and he was now Clark Kent.
Clark slipped on his glasses and ran a hand through his hair, turning it back into the messy mop of curls it usually was.
He walked around to the front of the building.
The newsroom was abuzz when he walked in, and Lois was at her desk, thumping a pencil on it, muttering to herself.
"Gee, Lois, making it a habit to talk to yourself?" Clark teased.
"Stuff it, Kent. I've got the biggest story ever on my hands." She bit her lip.
"What happened?" he asked nonchalantly.
"I met a man." she said with a dreamy sigh.
"Oh, my God! Stop the presses!" He snorted. "What's so newsworthy about that?"
"He was so... super..." she muttered, than gasped. "Oh my God! That's it! SUPERMAN!"
She turned toward her computer, and immediately started typing.
Clark laughed to himself. She was oblivious. And he kind of liked it that way.
Later that day, Perry called Lois and Clark into his office.
"Listen... this Superman fella is too much of a story for you to handle, Lois." The editor said.
"What?" Lois gave him a look.
"So, therefore, I'm assigning you a partner." Perry said.
Clark realized what was going on before she did.
"But..." Lois frowned. "Who is it?"
Perry smiled, and glanced over at Clark. "Miss Lane, meet your new partner."
"KENT?!?" she shouted, jumping up from her seat. "You've gotta be kidding me!" Partners meant getting close. That couldn't happen, because surely he'd discover her secret.
"Like it or lump it, Lane." Perry said simply, ushering the two out of his office.
Lois didn't like this one bit, but she guessed she'd have to learn to live with it.
***
Weeks passed, then months.
Superman, as Lois had named Metropolis's new hero, became very well-loved and embraced by the community (with the exception of Lex Luthor), and seemed to be all Lois and Clark wrote about, landing them both front page nearly every day.
They were getting along better than Lois really wanted them to be, and she was starting to not mind sharing a byline with him. He was good at what he did. He was also good at making a fool out of himself in front of her, and she grew all-too-aware that he liked her. She thought it was cute, but it hurt to think that, when she had been Chloe, he hadn't felt a thing for her.
Late on the night that would have been Chloe's 26th birthday, Lois got a little bit of a shock.
She was later at the Planet that night, alone, working by herself on a story.
She heard the elevator chime, and raised an eyebrow, wondering who was coming in there so late. She shrugged and kept working, and, a minute or so later, heard a noise.
She looked up to see Clark standing there, with his hands behind his back.
"Hey, Kent... what are you doing here?" she wondered.
"I knew you were working late. Figured you could use a pick-me-up." He smiled sweetly at her as he pulled his hands out from behind his back, revealing a steaming hot styrofoam coffee cup, a small baggie, and a single white rose.
She felt a small smile touch her lips, and couldn't exactly hide her admiration. "That's sweet, Smallville. Thank you." She took the baggie and rose from him, and peeked into the baggie. "A brownie? What are you trying to do, fatten me up?" She snorted.
He laughed. "Mom had made a batch this morning, and I just came back from visiting her."
She laid the rose on the desk and took the brownie out of the baggie, having a bite. "God, this is delicious... and it's warm!" She swallowed. "What'd you do, sit it on the taxi's radiator on the way over?"
"Sorta..." He laughed and shook his head, not really able to answer her question.
She started to take the cup from him, but snapped her hand back in a hurry. "Damn it!"
His eyes widened in concern. "Are you alright?" He grabbed her hand after sitting the cup on her desk. He turned it over slowly, glancing at her fingers, which were turning a deep red.
"That's fire-hot. How could you hold it?" She raised an eyebrow. "You must be invulnerable or something." The comment was meant to be sarcastic, but she didn't know how close to the truth she was.
Clark shrugged innocently. "Maybe I just have more tolerance to heat than you do."
She looked down as a crumble of brownie fell on her skirt, and as she tried to swipe it off, he blew on the cup a little, cooling it off just a bit.
As she looked back up at him, he picked the cup up. "Here... maybe..." He raised the cup to her lips, and she giggled at him only a second before he tilted it slightly. She backed away from the cup as he pulled it back, and after swallowing a mouthful of coffee, burst into laughter.
"Real smooth, Kent." She grinned up at him impishly, and she knew by the look on his face that he'd just seen Chloe in front of him. The grin fell from her lips, and was replaced by a very small smile. She realized that he was staring at her now.
His free hand reached up and caressed her cheek, and she suddenly couldn't help but lean into his touch.
The next thing she knew, he was putting the coffee on the desk again, and his other hand moved to her face.
She stared up at him, feeling herself melt in his hands, and truly believed she was imagining things when he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. She returned the kiss eagerly, but her mind started screaming at her, and she pulled back.
"Clark..." she whispered his name. "What... what are we doing? We... we can't do this. We're... we're co-workers. We're... partners."
"Maybe we need to be more than investigative partners." he murmured. It was the boldest thing she'd ever heard him say, and as she watched him, his cheeks started burning.
"What... what do you think we need to be?" she asked, putting her hand over his.
"Just... together." he said shyly.
"Together like what... a couple?" She was finding it hard to breathe.
"Maybe..." He bit his lip nervously.
"Clark Kent... are you asking me on a date?" She teased, and touch his glasses, acting as if she was going to take them off.
He turned his head slightly, stopping her from doing it, and moved his hands from her face. "Yeah... I think I am."
"Just say when..." she whispered.
"'When'."
"Now?"
He nodded, and she laughed.
"What kind of date can we have at one in the morning?" she questioned.
"I could walk you home." he suggested.
She thought about it, then nodded. "Okay. I guess that'd suffice." She sighed. "Just let me close up here, and I'll meet you outside."
He grinned. "Okay." He gave her a tiny peck on the lips before getting up and starting out of the building.
As she shut down her computer, Lois couldn't help but think of how crazy she was for getting involved with him. He could easily uncover her secret this way, but she wasn't so sure she cared anymore.
She met him downstairs a few minutes later, and he took her hand in his as they walked.
They were both silent, enjoying their time together, when suddenly Lois's brain was under siege.
The memory that had first attacked her months before was back, but this time, there was more to it.
After she'd entered the ice structure, she yelled at Clark, who didn't hear her, obviously in some sort of trance. She'd suddenly felt as though she was freezing to death, and then had fallen to her knees, and then her side.
Clark watched helplessly as Lois fell to her knees, shivering. She fell limply on her side, and he caught her head before it could hit the ground.
"C-Clark..." she whispered, shivering uncontrollably.
"Lois?" He looked down at her, and shook his head. It couldn't be... could it? Was he staring down at his best friend? The woman who'd collapsed this very same way in his fortress all those years ago? He shook his head, dismissing the thought. Right now, he just needed to worry about getting Lois home.
***
Lois jolted awake, and jumped at Clark's hand as it touched his cheek.
"Smallville..." she whispered. "What happened?" She looked around and realized she was in laying on the couch in her apartment.
"You fainted, Lois... You scared me." he murmured. She started to sit up, and he put one arm around her. "Take it easy."
"How long was I out?"
"About thirty minutes."
Lois bit her lip. She'd passed out before after getting parts of her memory back, but that was the longest she'd stayed out.
Her mind wrapped around what she'd remembered as she sunk into the state of being passed out.
She'd remembered Clark's arms going around her, and him talking to someone who wasn't there. And then...
"I know you run faster than a speeding bullet, Clark. Take me along for the ride."
He'd said nothing, only picked her up, and then super-speeded... yes, super-speeded... out of the ice structure.
Lois's eyes widened as she looked over at Clark.
Clark could super-speed? But than could only mean...
No. It couldn't be. It didn't make any sense.
"Maybe I should just sleep on it." she thought. "Maybe it would make more sense then."
"Lois? You okay?" He caught her hand and squeezed it.
"I... I'm fine, Clark." she whispered. "I think I just need some sleep."
"Okay." he murmured. "Want me to tell Perry you won't be coming in?"
"Uh... if I'm not there by nine, tell him I'll be there in the afternoon." she said. She sighed. "I really need to stop getting sick." What she really needed was to get her memory back in full, and then there would be no more reasons for her to get sick.
"Lois, is something bothering you?" he asked, and she shook her head. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Feel better, Lois." He stood. "Goodnight." He walked toward the door.
"Clark?"
"Hmm?"
"Thank you." she whispered.
He only smiled, and then left.
Hours later, Lois awoke to the sound of a tapping noise on her window.
She sat up on the couch, blinking. "Freaking birds." she muttered, pulling the strap up on her nightgown. She had no idea why she's slept on the couch. It was just something she did after having a memory burst.
She stood, and groggily walked over to the window. She pulled the curtains back, and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Superman hovering outside the window.
He smiled and waved, and she looked down at herself, turning red. She snatched up her robe and threw it on, then popped open the window.
"Hi." she said weakly, still embarrassed.
He drifted through the window, and landed on the floor in front of her.
"Morning, Lois." he said. "I hear you've been under the weather."
"I have." she said. "But I'm feeling a little better."
"Are you heading into the office today?" he wondered.
"Yeah.. I was about to go have a shower." She breathed.
"Well, if you'd liked, I can... uh... give you a lift." His arms crossed over his chest.
"Sure." She nodded. "If you don't mind waiting on you."
"I don't mind one bit." He smiled, and eased himself down on the arm of the couch.
She was quick to shower and change, and emerged from her bedroom twenty minutes later, fresh, fully-dressed, and in full makeup.
He stood, and she eyed him, something so familiar about his movements.
"Ready?" he asked. She nodded, and they walked over to the window together. He picked her up, and slowly floated up and out the window, careful not to bump her head. He used his super-breath to pull the window shut, and then took off.
She stared at his face as he flew, and at one point, he looked back at her, and as she looked into his eyes, she wanted to cry.
She didn't know how it could be possible just yet, but she was sure she'd figure it out. She'd remember.
As she looked into his eyes, she realized that she was looking into the eyes of Clark Kent.
Clark Kent was Superman.
***
Months later, only a day after Clark's 26th birthday, Lois and Clark were walking through the park in the middle of the night.
It was peaceful, quiet, and Lois's head was cradled on Clark's shoulder.
As crazy as it was, she was in love with him again, and the feeling had only grown as all her memory had returned. She remembered everything, and knew the truth about him for sure now.
As they neared a bench, Clark's lips moved to Lois's ear. "Hey... why don't we sit down?"
She sighed and took a seat, and he sat next to her.
"I love you, Lois." he whispered, squeezing her hand.
"I love you, too, Clark." She looked up into his eyes, feeling the happiest she'd ever felt in both her lives.
"I've loved you from the moment I re-met you almost a year ago."
"I've loved you longer." She wasn't lying, and he didn't seem surprised.
She saw one of his hands fumbling in his pocket, and eyed him curiously.
The next thing she knew, he was on one knee in front of her, and was holding up a small silver ring with a diamond in it.
Her eyes flew wide, tears springing to them.
"Lois Lane... Will you marry me?" He stared up at her, his eyes full of hope.
She laughed through her tears, and then cleared her throat. "Who's asking? Clark..." She touched his face, then reached upward and gently pulled his glasses off. "Or Superman?"
It was his turn to be shocked. "Lois..."
"Don't try to deny it, Smallville. I know." She laughed again. "I've known for months now."
"Why... why didn't you say anything?" he wondered.
"I figured you'd tell me when you were ready." She giggled. "Or when you realized you had no choice to."
He laughed, realizing how much she sounded like Chloe. "So... what's your answer?"
"Yes." she whispered. "I'm all yours." She bit back tears as he slipped the ring on her finger, the leaned upward and kissed her hard on the lips.
"Hey, Red..." He was teasing her, and she rolled her eyes. "Wanna go back to my place for some celebratory coffee?"
She giggled. "Sure... but only if we fly."
He grinned. "Your wish is my command." He spun around in a circle, and the moment he stopped, he was in his costume.
She beamed, and looked like her cousin again, leaving Clark wondering what he'd been wondering for months now.
He carefully picked her up, pulling her as close to him as possible, and slowly took off.
Lois's heart thudded in her chest, and she was sure he could hear it. She was just glad he couldn't hear her thoughts, too. She was silent as she watched his face, and she shrieked when he suddenly dropped her legs, holding onto her waist. "You better not drop me, Kent."
He laughed. "If you hadn't noticed, I have a very strong grip." He put his arms more around her, turning her until they were face-to-face. He flew straight up, and she gave him a look.
"What are you doing?"
"You'll see."
Soon, she could feel her feet touching clouds, and she was so scared, yet so exhilarated at the same time.
"It's so beautiful up here." she whispered breathlessly.
He nodded. "And I've been wanting to share it with you for so long."
"Thank you." she murmured as he lowered them back downward. He grabbed her legs again, nearly dropping her, and she screamed. "Clark... knock it off!" she exclaimed, and he smirked. God, he loved teasing her.
He landed just behind his apartment building, and put her down.
Within seconds, he was back to being Clark Kent, and the two walked hand-in-hand around the building and then inside.
He fumbled with his keys and he opened the door, suddenly feeling nervous.
He led her inside, and she looked around. It was the first time she'd been there, and she wasn't surprised by what she saw.
It was a simple little place, decorated heavily in blues and reds, and the pictures that covered the walls were all the ones she expected. Most of them had his dearly departed father in them, and then there were a few of she and Clark at business-like Daily Planet events. There was a single photograph of Pete and Lana, dressed up. She noticed the rings on Lana's hand.
"I heard they got married." Lois said suddenly.
"Yeah. About three months ago." Clark said.
"She made a beautiful bride."
"Yes, she did."
"Were you there?"
"Yeah, I was."
"How'd you feel about it?" she wondered. "I mean, she was your first love and all."
"What I shared with Lana was in the past." He shrugged. "She moved on, and I moved on. she couldn't have married a better guy. Pete's wonderful for her."
She said nothing, only looked back at the pictures. She couldn't help but notice one of he, Pete, and Chloe during their freshman year, and then one of himself and Chloe right before graduation. She frowned. "You still miss her, don't you?"
He nodded, looking down. "Every day." He sighed. "She was my best friend. I told her everything."
She felt a pang of guilt, and suddenly wanted to reveal herself, but reminded herself that she couldn't. "I'm sorry." she whispered. And she was. He just didn't realize how much.
She walked over and dropped onto his couch. "So... how's about that coffee?" She pressed her lips together, and he couldn't help but notice that she looked as nervous as he felt.
"Right..." He headed into the kitchen without another word, and only minutes later returned with two cups of coffee.
She ended up finishing hers first, and watched him silently for a while. She suddenly reached over and pulled his glasses off. "No real need for these right now, I think." She laid them on the small table in front of them, and he smiled.
"Guess there isn't." he whispered. He put his cup down on the table next to hers, then scooted just a little closer to her.
She turned to face him, putting her arms around his neck. His face neared hers, and she felt her eyes close. His lips touched hers, softly at first, and then suddenly grew into something more passionate.
His lips moved to her neck as her hands touched his broad shoulders.
"Clark..." she whispered, leaning her head back a little. "Please make love to me."
He suddenly froze, and she moved back to look at him. "Um... I... I'm not sure if I can." He looked embarrassed, and almost ashamed.
"Why? Is it because of your powers?" she blurted, then inwardly scolded herself because she knew that was a fear only Chloe knew.
He looked up at her, slightly surprised. "Umm... yeah." He bit his lip. "And I... I've only... well... you know... once. And... I had um... sorta lost my powers at that time."
"Guess that kinda makes you a little bit of a virgin, then." she said playfully, trying to get him to relax. "Cause... ya know... you weren't fully yourself when it happened that time." In some ways, that statement made Lois feel virginal, too. She'd only been with one man when she was Chloe, and now that she was Lois, she hadn't been with anyone at all.
He laughed somewhat nervously. "Lois, I'm still not sure if I can. I..."
"Hmm..." She looked over at him, mischief in her bright blue eyes. "Let's see... do you have the same kind of reaction that earth boys do?" Before he could utter a syllable, she climbed onto his lap, sitting on him. She looked down, then back up, giving him a funny look, then giggled. "Umm... I think you're good to go."
He blushed furiously, and she touched his cheek. "Lois... are... are you sure about this? I... I wouldn't want to..."
"Clark... I trust you. With my life." She kissed his forehead. "I always have." She brushed a curl away from his forehead, and kissed it again. "Come on, Superman... Take me out of this world."
He reached up to touch her face, and then moved his mouth to hers. The kiss deepened as his arms wrapped around her, and he stood, holding her tightly against him.
He was barely hanging onto her, and yet she seemed to be glued to him.
He nearly tripped over his own feet on the way to the bedroom, and she giggled at his klutzy-ness.
Typical Clark Kent.
***
Lois awoke the next morning to a pair of beautiful green eyes staring down at her, and a shiver thundered down her spine.
"Morning, Kent." she whispered with a tiny smile, sounding like a little girl.
"Morning, Lane." he replied, his deep voice husky with sleep.
"How'd you sleep?" she wondered, her hands moving slowly over his chest.
"Like a log." he said with a laugh. "I slept better than I have in a long time."
"What time is it?" she muttered.
He glanced over her shoulder. "Eight-fifteen."
"Damn it!" Her eyes widened. "We'd better hurry." She gave him a look. "And, no, Smallville, I'm not taking a shower with you, cause we'll end up even later."
"Well, darn!" he exclaimed, pretending to look disappointed.
She rolled her eyes and started to get out of bed. "Can I go first?"
"Under one condition."
"What's that?"
"You have to kiss me." he said with a straight face, and she giggled, rolling her eyes again, and leaned over, giving him a hard kiss on the lips.
She sighed and climbed out of the bed, and as he watched her walk toward the bathroom door, there was something he couldn't help but notice. Lois had a birthmark in a place he knew for sure that Chloe had one. His face went blank, and Lois turned to look at him as she stopped in the doorway.
She raised an eyebrow. "You staring at my ass, Kent?"
He laughed. "Umm... sorry. I, uh... I didn't know you had a birthmark there." He pointed, then lowered his finger nervously.
She laughed. "Weird thing for you to be staring at." She shook her head, and headed out of the room.
Clark swallowed, a million thoughts entering his head at once.
Could it be? It seemed nearly impossible, but what if...?
He shook his head, and picked up the phone.
"Mom?" he said softly. "I need to talk to you... but it can't be now. Can we have lunch?"
***
Lois was disappointed when Clark told her they wouldn't be having lunch together that day, but said she understood when he told her an emergency had come up.
Martha was ecstatic when Clark told her that he and Lois were now engaged, but looked worried when he told her that there seemed to be on problem.
"What could be wrong, Clark? You've finally found the woman you want to spend the rest of your life with." She frowned.
"Umm... I don't think Lois... is Lois, Mom."
"What do you mean, Clark?"
"I think Lois is actually Chloe." Clark muttered.
Martha's eyes widened. "WHAT?!?"
"I know it might seem like a stupid thought, but, Mom..." He sighed. "She doesn't even really look like Lois. She hasn't since I re-met her a year ago."
"Didn't Lois have plastic surgery after her kidnapping?"
"Supposedly. But she couldn't have changed that much."
"How's she changed?" she questioned.
"She's shorter... She has a smaller body frame... blue eyes... red hair." He took a breath. "And what more... she has a birthmark I know only Chloe had. She knows a few things only Chloe knew... and Mom... she figured out I'm Superman. I knew Lois... she wasn't that quick at figuring out things like that."
"Have you said anything to her about it, Clark?"
"No... not a word."
"Well... don't yet." she said. "Bring her here. Let me meet her. Then... you do what you have to do... rather that means investigating it, or confronting her... or both."
"When do you wanna meet her?" he asked.
"How about tonight?" she suggested. "Bring your fiancée over for dinner."
***
"Your mom wants to re-meet me?" Lois sounded nervous as Clark held her close. They were flying over the countryside that evening, headed for the farm.
"Yeah. She's pretty excited about it." he said with a smile, and as the wind blew through her hair, he saw another tell-tale sign of her identity: the red dye was fading from her hair, and instead of seeing brown roots, he saw blonde.
He landed just in front of the barn, and minutes later, he was walking his fiancée to the house.
Martha opened the door, and held back a shocked look. This young woman was a far cry from the one she'd nearly classified as a daughter over seven years before. "Lois! Long time, no see!"
"Hi, Mrs. Kent." Lois smiled shyly. She was going to have to be careful around her. Martha Kent's intuition had always been unbearably strong.
Martha stood back as Clark led Lois through the door, and the moment she could reach her, she gave her soon-to-be daughter-in-law a huge hug. "When I heard you'd survived your... accident, I always hoped you'd come back to see us."
Guilt filled Lois's heart again, and she exhaled. "Unfortunately... life got in the way. I was so happy to even have a second chance that I... I don't know what I did." She shook her head. "But that was then. How have you been, Mrs. Kent? I've missed you." Her last sentence was a very honest one. She missed Mr. Kent, too, but she willed herself not to say that.
Martha smiled at the younger woman, then looked at Clark. "Sweetie, I forgot something at the store. Could you run and get it, please?"
"Sure, Mom." Clark grinned.
While he was gone, Martha and Lois discussed the past seven years in their lives while they put the finishing touches on a salad that Martha had made.
Upon Clark's return, Lois excused herself to the bathroom.
Clark gave his mother a look. "Well... what do you think? he whispered.
"Based on her actions alone..." Martha sighed. "I think it's her. It has to be."
Clark nodded slowly, looking near tears. "Why would she lie to me, Mom?"
Martha shook her head. "I don't know, honey... but what I do know is... she could have easily asked you that last night, Clark." She patted her son's arm. "Looks like you're not the only one with a secret identity."
Clark was distant that night as he and Lois went back to Metropolis, and when she mentioned something about him staying at her place for the night, he turned her down, saying that he was tired. As he flew away, she knew in her heart that he'd lied to her. Clark Kent hardly ever got tired.
In reality, Clark stayed up half the night, researching, pulling records, calling in favors. And by morning, he'd found his answer.
Lois had just woken up, and had stepped out of the shower literally a minute before the doorbell rang.
She broke out in a smile when she saw Clark standing there. She pulled him inside, slamming the door shut, and leaned up to kiss him, but he backed away.
Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Clark? What's going on here?"
"My fiancée's been lying to me, that's what's going on!" He was angry, and it was all too obvious.
"What? What are you talking about?" She stared at him in shock.
"You are NOT Lois Lane." He growled. "Lois Lane died in a helicopter crash seven years ago."
Her cover was blown, yet she still tried to protect herself. "Then who the hell am I?"
"Chloe Sullivan." he said firmly.
"Chloe Sullivan is DEAD, Kent." she spat at him.
"No, she's not!" he shouted. "She's standing right in front of me. I made love to her two nights ago." He took a deep breath. "Lois Lane's body was found in France only a few weeks after her kidnapping. The body was hidden from her father. I confirmed it was her by looking at dental records from when she was twenty, and then at dental records of the corpse. Chloe Sullivan's body was never found. A woman matching Chloe's description was in a hospital in Grandville for several weeks, and was last seen going into a beauty parlor three miles from the hospital. Two months to the die of both events, a completely different Lois showed up in Paris, looking for her father." He eyed her. "I checked more dental records... 'Lois'. You and Chloe are one in the same."
"Lois" bit her lip, blinking back tears. "Clark... in every sense of the word, Chloe Sullivan is dead. She died that day. I am now Lois Lane. I have been for seven years... and there's no going back."
"Chloe..." He stifled a sob as tears fell from his eyes. "God.... why? Why did you lie to me?"
"For a long time, Clark, I... I didn't even remember you. I didn't even remember living in Smallville. I made it out of that car with my face screwed up, my nose screwed up, and my head screwed up. I'm surprised I even knew my own name." She sniffled. "By the time I did remember... most of everything, I'd already assumed Lois's identity. I had become Lois Lane, as well as I knew how to. And although it looks like I got off easy... I survived, got fixed up free of charge, and took someone else's place... I didn't. Every time one single bit of a memory returned, I got sick. Couldn't think straight, or even passed out, for hours. Sometimes it still hurts my head to remember things. I spent so much of my teenage years going after meteor freaks, and now... I guess I could be classified as one."
He realized what she was saying, and suddenly remembered all the times she'd gotten sick, and he'd had to bring her home. Like the night they first kissed. He started to say something, but she put her fingers over his mouth, silencing him.
"Before you say anything... no, I didn't know you were Superman at first. Not until the night you asked me out." She wiped at her eyes.
"Chloe..." He shook his head. "When you fell that night... you were remembering that day in the Fortress, weren't you? When you told me you knew." She nodded. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me any of it? I would have listened."
"I was afraid you'd hate me." She sounded like a child. "Because I was pretending to be my dead big cousin... which I know is morbid and sickening to some people, but to me, it's like honoring her memory. And because I didn't come back."
"Chloe, I could never hate you." Clark took a step toward her. "I love you. I've always loved you."
She looked up at him. "'Always'? What about Lana?"
"I loved her... but we were never meant to be. I was foolish to push you away like I did." His hand reached up and touched her cheek. "I love you, but I was just too damned scared, and too damn stupid. You went away because of me... for seven long, miserable years, I thought you were dead. And then, suddenly... you were in my face again. I knew it... but I kept on living in denial, for a stinking year."
She sobbed, her hand going over her mouth. "So... what now? Are... are we still engaged?" She looked down, moving her hand. "Or I am too much of a liar to be Superman's wife?"
"Hey..." His hand touched her chin, forcing her to look up at him. "Chloe Sullivan... Lois Lane... whoever the hell you are... I love you. I love everything you are, and everything you've been. You're still my best friend, no matter which one you are, and you're the woman I've always loved, deep down. Rather you're a blonde, a brunette, or a redhead... I'm yours... until the ends of the earth. You're my everything."
She sniffled, squeezing her eyes shut. "Is this really happening?" Her voice was weak. "I've only dreamed of it five million times."
"If this is a dream..." His hands moved to her shoulders. "I hope I'm never woken up."
She opened her eyes and looked up at him again, and the moment her eyes met his, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her tenderly.
He kissed her forehead as he pulled away from her, and she still stared up at him, letting her hands linger on his chest.
"Um... if you hurry up and get dressed, I'll fly you to work." he said softly.
She beamed up at him. "Correction... Superman will fly Lois Lane to work." A smile touched his lips. "And then... after the day is done... Clark Kent will go home with his fiancée Chloe Sullivan."
"You know, Chloe..." He brushed a piece of her bright red hair behind her ear. "I always did love the way you think."