This time Clark Kent had been missing from Metropolis for 2 years. Lois thought back to that day in which she had finally driven away the nicest man in her life.

It had started as any other weekday at the Daily Planet. She had walked into the bullpen and Clark had walked up to her and handed over her morning coffee. She had been in a foul mood due to another fight with Richard over Superman and Clark's good natured mood and cheery "Good Morning, Lois" had been too much.

"What's good about it Clark?" she snapped at him.

"ahhh nothing Lois," he stammered

"Well then, its not a good morning is it and having you say it every morning is so predictable, some morning are just not good in fact they are just shit."

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked with an understanding look on his face.

It had been that look that had driven her over the edge. Why did he have to look at her with such understanding after the fight she had had that morning? Her anger reached a new level and she yelled, "Why would I want to talk it about it with you, you have never ever had a girlfriend and for all I know you are probably still a virgin Clark Kent, what would you know about relationships, you are just a mummy's boy."

To this day the look that had crossed his face had never left her. It was like a light had been extinguished from his face and he shrunk back into himself. It felt like she was kicking a puppy and she couldn't help herself.

"Leave me alone Clark, we are work partners, nothing more, so stop following me around like a lovesick puppy and trying to get into my life," she had yelled.

The silence in the room was palatable as she realized that the entire bullpen was listening to her, not that they had a choice, she had been so loud. They were looking at her as if she was the devil taken human form. She saw people looking shocked but what she saw more was the smug looks on the men's faces. She had always defended Clark from them and now she had nailed him harder than they ever had.

Clark had made no comment as he had turned away from her and just walked out the door. She had wanted to run after him and apologise but her pride wouldn't let her move. She had spent the rest of the day trying to justify her words to herself. She knew she had behaved appallingly but she should have killed his infatuation with her years ago and then she wouldn't have responded so badly.

When Clark didn't appear the next day or the one after, Lois decided to swallow her pride and go over to his apartment. She grabbed his address off HR at the Daily Planet and drove over. In all the time he had been back she had never visited his apartment. After knocking on his door for a couple of minutes she had walked off to get the doorman to let her in. She had explained that she thought Clark was sick and she needed to check up on him.

"Sorry I was a bit hesitant, it's just no one has ever visited Mr Kent," the doorman had told her as he tried to find the right key for his door.

"No one?" she had asked a bit shocked.

"No, he has had no visitors in the last 18 months," he had replied, "Peter, he's the night doorman, and I have been wondering if he has anyone in his life at all. It really is very sad as he is such a nice person," then smiling at her he had added, "but at least I can tell Peter that someone cares for him."

Opening the door he had stood aside to let her walk inside Clark's apartment. She had called out but it was very obvious that Clark wasn't there. Standing in the middle of his living room she was shocked at the Spartan living space. There were pictures of what she could only think was his parents with a young Clark Kent but apart from that this apartment could belong to anyone.

There was very little warmth or feeling of a home. There was a single settee that faced a TV set on a cabinet and the rug on the floor looked like it had definitely seen better times. Walking into his bedroom she realized that his bed was made to perfection and apart from a family portrait there were no mementos of his life anywhere.

Lois was getting more and more upset with herself that she had never realized how alone Clark Kent was. This apartment was the home of a very lonely person. It had definitely never had the touch of a loving mother or partner and it looked like his suits, a bit old and not quite fitted properly.

She had stayed there for about half an hour but when Clark hadn't returned she let herself out of his apartment and went back to the Daily Planet, half expecting that Clark would be there with a cup of coffee ready and waiting for her. He wasn't and she was even more upset to find that Clark Kent had sent a letter tendering his resignation immediately. She had walked to her desk to see if he had left her a letter or anything but there was nothing there.

"Oh, God what have I done?" she asked herself.

That was 2 years ago . . .

Please review and should I continue . . .