A/N

Chapter 4 has arrived! I apologize for the wait, but I did warn you updates would be stretched out. This is my favorite chapter so far, I've introduced a few DCU characters, in all her Amazonian glory, Wonder Woman, and the lovely Barbara Gordon.

I wanted to touch on the Superman/Wonder Woman ship, because I find it very interesting. But I hold true to the idea that the only way a relationship could ever exist between them, would be if Lois didn't exist. I hope you enjoy my take on it, although it is quite angsty…

Also, I hate burst the bubbles of any Bruce/Lois shippers out there, but that's not going to happen. Sorry, but I don't think Bruce has the patience being with Lois requires, and I think Lois would get quite annoyed at Bruce's broodiness.

Read, Review, and Enjoy!

After I returned to Watchtower, there were a couple of break-ins, a mugging, and a lost little girl that needed Superman's assistance, so I gladly obliged. Helping the little girl had been especially fulfilling, she had gotten distracted by a salt-water taffy vendor at a crowded farmer's market and lost her mother in the crowd. Her heart breaking sobs of terror caught my attention as I was flying over. I spotted her in the middle of the crowded street and wondered to myself how it was possible that all the people around her hadn't heard her cries for help.

I landed right in front of the little girl, and as soon as she saw me I could see the relief in her tiny watery eyes. She had curly red hair, and bright blue eyes. She didn't look a day older than five.

"Superman!" she exclaimed as she flung her arms around my knees.

"Why hello there," I said to her with a warm smile, "you look like you might have lost something."

She nodded.

"My Mom-mommy, I wanted some candy so I went to look, but-but t-then I t-t-turned around and I couldn't find her," she wailed, between deep breaths and wiping her tears on the sleeves of her shirt. I could tell she was trying to calm her self down, it wasn't working very well.

"Well, why don't you tell me your name sweetheart, and we'll find her together. Ok?"

"Ok," she sniffed, as she slipped her small hand into mine, "My name is Sammy."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Sammy," I said to her, while focusing my ears, listening for the sounds of a distressed mother. About a block down in front of a fruit vendor, I heard a woman shouting Sammy's name in desperation.

"Alright, I think I hear your mommy. Should we fly over to her?"

The little girl's eyes lit up, her tears faded away, and she nodded excitedly. I picked her up, and rested her on my hip.

"I need you to help me fly, Sammy, can you put your arm out like this?" I stretched my arm out in front of me and closed my hand into a fist. I waited for her to follow, and as soon as her little hand was closed tightly, I took off. I heard her let out a squeal of delight as the air rushed around us. It was a wonderful sound, and I couldn't help but grin. For the first time all day, I didn't feel lonely.

I landed behind a woman who had hair identical to Sammy's, and I tapped her on the shoulder.

"I think I have what you're looking for ma'am," I said. She whipped around, and only had eyes for her daughter. She reached out for her and Sammy practically leapt out of my arms.

"Mommy!"

"Sammy! Don't you ever do that to me again!" Sammy's mother cried out in relief. She began kissing her daughter's face all over and inspecting her for injuries.

"It's ok Mommy, Superman saved me! I helped him fly!"

After she was sure that her daughter was alright, Sammy's mother turned to me.

"Oh, thank you Superman! I don't know what I would have done if I'd lost her!"

"Just doing my job, ma'am, I'm glad I could help," I replied, I put my arm out and was about to kick off into the air when I felt a light tug on my cape. Sammy was looking up at me, so I knelt down to her level.

"You're my favorite you know. You've always been my favorite hero Superman, my brother, he says Batman is better, but now I know for reals that you are! Thanks for saving me," she said earnestly, before she kissed me on the cheek. I was taken aback for a moment, and then I smiled at her.

"Your welcome, I'll be sure to tell Batman you think so, just be sure that next time you ask your mommy before you go and look at the taffy, ok?"

"I promise, I will!" she answered, nodding enthusiastically.

"Good girl. Well, you ladies have a nice day," I said to them, before taking off into the air. A few moments later I landed on a nearby rooftop and surveyed the market from above. I watched Sammy and her mother walk away, hand in hand, with a warm feeling in my chest. It was saves like theirs, which made me more than sure I was doing the right thing, that being Superman meant something. I may not have solved world hunger, or diffused a nuclear bomb today, but I knew that I'd made a difference in their lives. I'd brought them relief on a personal level, and that was worth more than all the stars in the whole universe.

"You were very good with her Kal," a familiar feminine voice said from behind me.

I turned and greeted Diana with a smile. She was standing across from me on the roof, hands on her hips. She really was a sight to behold, long flowing midnight hair, tiara glittering in the sunlight, and golden lasso pulsing with the power of the gods. She stood so tall and proud. When I first met her, she assumed that I preferred to be called by birth name, just as she preferred to be called Diana, not Wonder Woman. I don't think that she'd ever really considered calling me Clark. I'd never really told her that I felt more like Clark Kent, than I ever felt like Kal-El of Krypton. Diana was an Amazon through and through, I admired the pride she took in her ancestry. Sometimes I even envied the sisterhood and kinship she had with the other Amazons. It made me wish that I had been able to experience the culture of Krypton first hand, instead of via recordings Jor-El had left for me in the Fortress.

Oftentimes, after returning from visiting Themyscira, Lois would remind me, though it was a tragedy I'd lost Krypton, I was meant to live on Earth. She would say that my true home was first with my parents in Smallville, and then with her in Metropolis. I vaguely wondered where my home really was now, as it wasn't with my mother in Washington, nor with Lois in Gotham…

"She-uh- was a very sweet little girl," I replied, shaking myself from my thoughts, "hello Diana, what brings you to Metropolis?"

"I'm here for our date, which you were so insistent upon, as it is a customary part of Kansas courtship. Perhaps when we have children of our own one day, you'll get a little one like her," said Diana, quite simply, with a kind smile.

I shook my head, unsure that I'd heard her correctly.

"Date? Chil-children of our own?" I spluttered.

"Yes, is that not the entire purpose of our courtship? Procreation, to carry on the lineage of both Amazon and Kryptonian way? Well, that, and an eternal life bond of course," she answered, cocking her head to the side.

Abruptly, something Chloe had said about Diana yesterday, echoed cavernously in my head: "Yeah, you two have had the whole super-sexual tension thing going on for ages." My heart was thumping out of control, and it was suddenly unusually difficult to breathe.

"Oh boy…" I whispered with wide eyes.

"Are you alright Kal? You've gone very pale," said Diana, rushing to my side.

What was I going to say to her? My mind was racing, apparently the Clark from this reality had recently entered into some kind of romantic relationship with Diana. I couldn't handle that! Not now! Probably not ever! Diana was one of my best friends, she understood me in a ways not many did, but Lois was the only woman I would ever consider having children or entering a life bond with. Lois was the one and only for me.

However, in this world I didn't have Lois, so perhaps the other Clark saw Diana in a way I had never even considered. I knew from what Chloe had said that he loved Lois too, but I'd told him that she would die if he were to be with her. Maybe he was tired of living alone, pining after Lois. I'd only done it for a day and it already sucked. Maybe he was trying to move on. Regardless of what his feelings may have been, things were different now; he'd had time to consider a relationship with Diana, I'd just lost Lois and started living in this world within the last couple of days. I wasn't there yet. I couldn't go on a date with Diana; it would feel like I was cheating on Lois. It would feel wrong.

"Diana I'm very sorry, but I am going to have to cancel our date," I said slowly.

Her expression of warm concern hardened, and she stepped away from me stiffly.

"This is the third time you've cancelled, Kal," she said, clearly frustrated. I felt terrible, she looked quite disappointed.

"I know, and I'm really very sorry, but I-I don't think I can do this." She took a long moment to consider my words, before she spoke.

"Having been raised on Earth are you truly like the rest of the men on this planet, terrified of commitment?" she asked severely. Even through her warrior-like strength, I saw something I'd never seen in Diana's eyes before, it looked a lot like heartbreak.

"No, I'm not afraid of commitment, far from it actually. It's just-"

"It's the reporter isn't it?" Diana said softly, looking away from me, "Lois Lane? I know you went to see her the night before last."

"How?" I asked, completely stunned.

"I came to the farm to surprise you; I was trying to be spontaneous. It was ridiculous, but I did it. You weren't there when I arrived, so I waited for you on the porch. You didn't even notice me when you sped past, and went into the house, or when you took off into the sky," she explained, "I was a bit irritated, so I followed you, intending to give you quite a tongue lashing. I followed you all the way to Gotham, and I'll admit, I eavesdropped on your conversation with her more than was appropriate. It was then I realized how you truly felt for her. I'd always had my suspicions, stemmed from how you would go out of your way to ensure her safety. But when you told her that you couldn't risk feeling so strongly for someone, for fear it might endanger your judgment as a hero, I knew. I knew that it was your love for her that had kept you from committing to me fully. Because, in all the many conversations we'd had about our courtship you'd never been concerned about that when it came to me."

Silence hung between us, and I wished desperately for the words that would fix everything, that would explain it all to her. But there weren't any that would say everything that needed to be said. I could tell her what had happened, that I was from a different reality, but I didn't think it would make her feel any better. It would only solidify what she already knew; I loved Lois more than I could ever love her. It didn't need to be reiterated. I walked over to her and gently took her hand.

"Diana, I'm sorry, I never meant-"I began. She smiled sadly, and put a finger to my lips.

"Do not apologize, Kal. We cannot always control what the heart feels, I'm glad you were honest with me."

I nodded.

"She loves you too, you know," She whispered to me encouragingly.

This time I turned away from her, I didn't want her to see how badly I missed Lois, or how very much I wished I could just hold her in my arms. I was afraid Diana would tell me to give into my feelings, to tell Lois. But those were no longer options for me, the moment I'd put on the Legion Ring, I'd chosen my path, the decision was made, and there was no going back. No matter what I wanted.

But to my surprise, Diana didn't press me for an answer, and I was grateful for that. She simply reached out and tenderly caressed my cheek in sympathy.

"Goodnight Kal," she said softly as she took her hand from my cheek and turned to walk away.

"Goodnight Diana," I answered as I watched her fly off into the now fading sunset.

I stood there for a few moments, assessing everything that I'd just learned, before taking off toward Star City to see Chloe. When I arrived, I thought about telling Chloe what had happened between Diana and I, but decided against it. It was all too personal for me to share without Diana's permission.

So, I got right down to business and proceeded to pour over the details in the LexCorp file with Chloe for the next few hours. She entered all of the information into the Watchtower database, and began a scan to see if it picked up any leads as to where this new lab was located. The scan would take several hours to complete, so we decided to call it a night and send out an alert to the JLA members letting them know there would be a meeting the following evening, to bring them all up to speed. Though I had been very focused on working out the data in the file, my mind kept wandering, I couldn't stop thinking of Lois, or how I had hurt Diana. I felt incredibly guilty. Lois would have chalked it up to my 'hero-complex'; I hated situations that I couldn't make right.

So, as I flew home, even though I knew it was a bad idea, I found myself headed toward Gotham. I flew over the dark city and focused my hearing for the sound of Lois's beating heart. As I had expected, she was still inside the Gotham Gazette building, which was lucky for me, one of the few buildings in Gotham without a lead lining. Lois was in her office, furiously pounding out another story that would most certainly make it above the fold. I landed in an alleyway across the street from the Gazette.

From my little nook, I just watched her work. Periodically she'd get up and pace in her office, looking between two sheets of paper as she went. I watched her drink three cups of coffee, and throw her hands up in frustration before she began to pack up her things to go home. She was putting on her coat when I heard someone approaching me from behind. I quickly turned around, ready for anything. I was in Gotham after all. But luckily, it was someone that didn't need to be hand delivered to the GCPD. It was Batgirl.

"Hiya, Clark!" she said with a smile from behind her cowl.

"Hello Babs, good to see you," I returned, "You're really getting good at the bat stealth, if you hadn't jumped down onto that dumpster, I wouldn't have even heard you coming. I bet it won't be long before you can disappear while I'm mid-question."

"Well that's what we all strive for here in Gotham, to be able to pull off Bruce's overly annoying disappearing act," she answered with a mischievous smirk.

I chuckled.

"Not that I'm complaining, lord knows we could use the help, but it's pretty rare to have five Superman sightings in a week here in Gotham. Any particular reason for the frequent visits?" Barbara asked.

I was about to answer when I heard Lois's voice as she was exiting the revolving door of the Gazette building. She was swearing under her breath as she dug through her purse, attempting to find her phone. When she pulled it out, she dialed a number, and then began to cross the street. She was headed straight for me.

I couldn't let Lois see me, not again. It wasn't fair to her, and if I was being honest with myself, I wasn't sure that I would be able to leave Lois behind a second time. So, in a panic, I flew to the roof of the building next to me in a flash.

"Hey!" I heard Barbara whisper, in protest. She waited for Lois to pass, before I heard the click of her grappling gun.

I watched as Lois walked down the street a way, I felt Barbara walk up next to me.

"Alright, I get it, you're super! But, come on Clark, if a civilian is about to discover us in an alley, give a girl a heads up next time! And you still didn't answer my question, what're you doing in-"her voice trailed off.

Lois had just hailed a cab; my eyes were still glued to her. I wanted time to stop, but her head disappeared into the back of the car all too quickly, and the door slammed loudly shut behind her. The cab drove off down the street, and turned the corner, out of sight.

I could feel Barbara's eyes on me, I felt just like I had when my mom caught me elbow deep in Granddad Kent's cookie jar before dinner. I really liked Barbara, she was spunky, funny, and very, very intelligent. She was a bit younger than Lois and I, but she was very mature for her age. Gotham itself, and being the daughter of the police commissioner had wizened her years beyond what it said on her driver's license. Incredibly quick-witted, and astute, she never missed a trick. Not to mention, she always called it like it was. She was a bit like Lois in that way. While most of the time I really liked that about her, tonight however, I could have done without that particular trait.

"You've been coming here because she's here now, haven't you?" She said.

I sighed heavily and nodded.

"Lois Lane, right? She did your first five interviews with the Daily Planet, but then you stopped using her for some reason," said Barbara.

Barbara also had and eidetic memory, another handy trait when it came to solving a mystery, but a bit invasive when directed at your love life…

"Yes," I said simply, still looking off in the direction the cab had gone.

"I can see that you really care about her," she answered softly.

"I really do," I confessed quietly, "but I can't keep coming here. It's not helping."

We stood there for a moment, both lost in our thoughts, when it occurred to me just how well Barbara and Lois got along in my world. They had been good friends.

"Hey, Barbara?" I said, looking into her blue eyes.

"Yeah?"

"Would you-would you keep an eye on her, as a personal favor to me? Make sure she's alright, she tends to get herself into trouble. And also, just-I just don't want her to be lonely," I said.

"She won't be I promise," Barbara said instantly with a smile, "I'll make sure she's safe, and I'll keep you updated."

"Thanks, but I think I need to…start letting go," I replied.

"I understand," she nodded.

"Thanks…oh and-"

"Don't worry I won't tell anyone."

"Thank you, Barbara. Good luck out there tonight," I told her.

"Yeah, you too Clark."

As I flew away from Gotham, I made a vow that it was the last time that I'd go there to check on Lois. If I was going to make this new life work, I had to let go. I had to let go more than I had since I'd met Lois. I had to commit, because if I didn't I was certain my resolve to stay away from her wouldn't last. I needed to let her live her life, completely free of me, because that's what I'd sacrificed everything for. Unless our paths unknowingly crossed in the future, tonight was the last night I'd lay eyes on Lois Lane.