Thank you guys! You're all great. I really appreciate your reviews. I want to give a special thank you to 4ever1 for her suggestions and beta on this part as well.

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No one objected to Clark accompanying Lois to the hospital in the ambulance. Clark watched Lois sleep with trepidation. He knew that she had gotten very little rest in the last few days and that after everything she had gone through, it wasn't surprising that she had finally succumbed to exhaustion.

Once Peter had been exposed to kryptonite and placed into police custody, Clark had debated between his desire to eliminate his genetic material at Genetech, and his need to be with Lois. Lois came first.

His quick disappearance as Superman and reappearance as Clark, dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt went unnoticed by most everyone. No one seemed to think it odd that he was no longer in a hospital gown.

Only Albert knew that Clark had ever been held captive at Genetech, and he made no comment on his change in attire. After all, a change into jeans was nothing compared to the spandex and cape. The crowd that had formed in the Genetech parking lot had dispersed. The scientist, Jon, had gone with the police, and Jimmy had returned to the Planet to download his pictures.

So he sat alone with his thoughts in the back of the ambulance wishing he could take her under his own power, and yet glad that at least as Clark, he didn't have to hide his emotions. With her eyes closed, and the bruise blooming on her cheek, Lois looked deceptively fragile. He took her cold hand in his trying to lend her his warmth and willing her to mend quickly.

Clark jumped in astonishment when Albert said in his ear, "She's a strong woman. She's going to be right as rain before you know it."

Clark looked at him with guilt. He had forgotten that the elderly man was there. He had been so wrapped up in his memories of how he had found her with Peter, that he had forgotten everything else. For some reason, the pile of her clothing lying in tatters haunted him the most.

Albert patted his shoulder with his good arm. "If I had a girl half as special as this one," he indicated Lois' prone form, "I wouldn't think about anything else. I mean look at me. I've known her for all of about a day, and I've infiltrated a genetics lab, gotten a gun pointed at me, and helped Super . . . a super guy see the light."

"Thank you, Albert." Clark said sincerely. "You've been a good friend."

"Charlie, It's been a pleasure getting to know you." Albert winked.

Clark laughed softly, knowing that the man was making a joke about his supposed forgetfulness.

The ambulance doors opened and Lois stirred restlessly. Clark leaned over to whisper reassurances in her ear. She murmured and settled back into unconsciousness.

Clark couldn't focus. He was hardly aware of his surroundings. He vaguely remembered being handed a stack of papers to fill out.

He wondered if he might have completed them too quickly by the look the woman gave him when he returned them. Instead of commenting, she said, "The doctor will be with you shortly."

He nodded, pacing outside Lois' door while they performed an examination. Albert was getting his arm placed in a cast in another portion of the hospital. The story of how he had fractured his arm changed with each telling. At first, it was an attempted mugging. Then Clark overheard him telling one of the attendants that he had broken it riding his Harley. Finally, he overheard the old man tell a nurse that he had fractured it in a skydiving accident. Clark smiled in amusement. He really did like that man.

When Clark realized that Lois would would not be awake for awhile, he reluctantly left the hospital. There were things he needed to address to assure Lois' continued safety. He needed to make a trip to the laboratory and he needed to retrieve their things from the house at the Iron Gates community.

He spun into his Superman outfit and returned to Genetech only to find the entire building engulfed in flame. It spread with unusual speed. He hovered in the air, trying to determine the best course of action as he watched the building being consumed by fire. He estimated where the research laboratory was located, and dove into the building.

Smoldering scorch marks scored the walls in a hauntingly familiar pattern and where there was once medical freezers there were now only pools of slag. Superman recognized the pattern of the black scoring as created by someone with heat vision. The fire had been set deliberately by someone with super human powers. His powers. Who ever had done this wanted Genetech to be completely obliterated.

All traces of the research were gone, as was any remaining evidence. He scanned the area uneasily, trying to locate the arsonist, but who ever had done this was long gone. There was no one there. Superman blew on the building, putting out the flames before the fire could spread. Then he waved to the grateful firefighters as he flew away.

Back in his civilian clothing, Clark returned to the hospital, and almost ran headlong into Richard. He backed away before the man could see him, and returned to Lois in an instant. As he sat beside Lois' bedside, he kept his focus on Richard and he could hear him trying to convince the hospital staff to allow him to see Lois. What was he doing here? He thought Richard was still in Europe. He couldn't help but wonder about Lois' reception of her former fiancé.

Clark's gaze roamed over Lois' prone form. Her color had improved, and her breathing seemed easier. The knuckles of her right hand were white, clutching a crimson cloth. He realized, with some amusement, that it was his cape.

The glint of gold on her left hand caught his eye. She was still wearing the wedding band. There was some part of Clark that wanted to leave the rings on and allow Richard to jump to the wrong conclusion, but he couldn't participate in that kind of deception. Richard was arguing about his right to visit Lois. There was a faintly desperate tone to his voice that betrayed how much he really did care about Lois.

As much as he would like to fantasize that someday Lois would be his wife, he couldn't pretend otherwise. Things were going to be awkward enough as it was. Clark wanted to be honest about their relationship. . . whatever it really was.

Clark reluctantly pulled the ring from his finger and then gently removed hers as well. He placed both rings together in his pocket feeling the weight of them through the thick fabric of his pants.

Lois moaned and then sat upright, her hand going to her head in pain. One side of her face was slightly swollen; there were dark shadows under her eyes. But when she gave him a tentative smile, Clark thought she was absolutely beautiful.

Clark wanted to say so many things, but knew that their time was short. Richard had just been informed of Lois' room number. He'd be there any minute.

Lois stretched her hand toward him, and noticed the crimson cloth for the first time. "I guess now isn't the time to give this back to you." She said, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

He felt most of his worries evaporate. She was still his Lois. She hadn't allowed her ordeal to cripple her spirit.

"Keep it. I have another one." he said conspiratorially.

"How are you feeling?"

"Good enough to leave."

She would too, he could see the determination in her eyes. His smile got a bit broader. Lord, how he loved this woman. He chuckled and took her hand. "How are you feeling, really?"

"Like my head's at least twenty pounds too heavy." She sighed.

He sobered wanting to ask exactly what had happened with Peter, but not knowing if it would be best for him to let the past remain behind them. He could still remember the shreds of her clothing lying on the ground. It was eating him up inside. Even now, it took a great measure of his control to prevent himself from seeking Peter and punching him again.

She must have seen the tension in him. "What is it, Clark?" She prompted.

The words came out before he could edit them. "Did Peter ever . . . ?"

He didn't mean to ask and he wished that he could take it back. Lois answered quickly. "No!"

He blinked heavily and then felt a weight lift from his gut. Thank God! He hadn't been as quick as he would have liked, but at least he hadn't been too late to save her from that trauma. He gazed at her silently, taking in her features, listening to the way the breath eased in and out of her lungs.

His brows drew together when he realized that she was struggling not to cry. She was trying to control it, and for her sake he didn't say anything about her tears. He wanted to gather her up into his arms, but the thought of Richard walking in on them, prevented him from moving. Clark didn't know what the future had in store for them, but he knew that she would always have his heart.

She gave him a wobbly smile.

Clark grasped her hand tighter. "The doctor said that you have a concussion, but aside from some bruises and lacerations, you're in remarkably good shape. You're just here for observation."

"There's got to be some advantages to having such a hard head." She agreed. "So when do you spring me out of here?"

"There's something I have to tell you first."

"Is it Albert? Is he . . .?"

"He's fine." Clark quickly reassured her. "He fractured his arm, and they had to put it into a cast. Last I heard he was telling one of the nurses that he'd broken it skydiving."

Richard had just stepped out of the elevator. Clark dreaded seeing Lois' reaction when she realized that Richard had returned. He knew that Richard's departure had been hard for her. He didn't want to witness their reunion, and yet, he would be unable to stay away.

"What is it, Clark?"

Richard's voice interrupted them. "Lois, my God, they contacted me when you were admitted."

Clark retreated, clearing the path for Richard. He tried to keep the pain out of his face, struggling not to let the other man know how his presence hurt him.

He avoided looking at Lois, not wanting to witness Lois' joy at his arrival. Despite what she had told him, Clark knew that she cared about Richard a great deal. Richard had far more right to be with Lois than he ever did. This man had helped raise his son, and had provided comfort for the woman he loved when he was absent from her life. He could not begrudge Richard the opportunity to be there for her again.

"Clark . . . ?" Lois called him so quietly that he almost wondered if it was his imagination.

Richard asked, "Where's Jason?"

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Lois was shocked that Richard was standing there. He looked tired, and she wondered when he had gotten back into town. He had lost some weight and she wondered when he had eaten last. Did he come to see Jason? How had he known that she was here?

Lois' eyes flew to Clark as she wondered what she could possibly say. Then she remembered what she had told Perry White.

"He's with a friend." Lois answered Richard carefully.

Richard turned to Clark and said, "Thanks. You look awful. Why don't you go home and get some sleep. I'll take it from here."

Clark seemed to consider and then nodded and walked out of the open doorway.

Lois felt her throat tightened. He was going to leave her. "Don't go." she whispered, but he had already rounded the bend.

She turned reluctantly to Richard. "What are you doing here, Richard? I thought you were still in Europe."

"I couldn't stay away. When you didn't come home for the weekend , I didn't know what to think." This made Lois bristle. They had separated. What was it to him, if she didn't come home one evening? "Then I got a call from the hospital, I'm still listed as your emergency contact. I hurried over here as fast as I could."

He still cared. The anger she had directed at him dissipated.

Richard pulled a chair up to the bed and sat down. He looked almost as exhausted as she felt.

"I'm sorry, Richard." She didn't mean for him to be dragged to the hospital when it was unnecessary. She had to get out of here. She hated hospitals. Her philosophy was if she was well enough to walk out of here, she probably didn't need a doctor anyway. Lois pulled the tape off the IV in her arm and rolled it into a ball. She dropped it surreptitiously on the ground.

Richard mistook her apology. "Don't. We were upset. I shouldn't have just left like that."

"Look Richard. We've already said everything that needs to be said. I'm sorry that you got called down here, but I'm fine. I appreciate you coming. I do. Really. You've always been a good friend to me. But I think that maybe you should go now."

Richard's face spasmed with pain. "Is that all I am now. A friend?"

She took his hand. "I don't know what made you think that things had gotten better between us. You will always be special to me, you know that. But there's no point in pretending that there's more between us."

Lois relinquished her hold on his hand and when Richard dropped his gaze she pulled the IV out of her arm. When it continued to drip, she jammed it into the mattress beside her.

Richard didn't notice.

"Your stuff is still back at the house, so I know you haven't found another place yet. You can't live with your sister. Where are you going to go?"

"With me." Clark stepped forward.

Lois sighed in relief. She shot him a grateful look. He must have stayed just out of sight, trying to give them privacy. Had he offered his house because he understood her discomfort at the thought of going back to the house with Richard? Or did he want her to stay with him for other reasons?

Clark was standing straight, a rarity when he wasn't dressed as Superman. Confidence radiated off him, and she could see that Richard was momentarily nonplussed.

Richard looked at Clark and Lois in confusion. "Last time I heard you were living out of a suitcase at the Daily Planet." Richard said.

Clark ducked his head, and then met his gaze firmly. "I have a place. It's not big, but Lois and Jason are welcome to it."

"You don't have to do this, Lois." Richard protested. "You can come back to the house until you're ready to leave."

Richard was trying, he really was. But the thought of going back there and having to engage in more discussion about their "relationship" with Richard was not appealing.

She started to feel an uncomfortable dampness on the bed and she realized it was coming from the needle she had embedded beside her. Clark stepped forward to flip a switch on the IV.

Lois shrugged at him. How was she supposed to know there was a switch to shut off the flow? She gazed at Clark, not really realizing that Richard was waiting for an answer.

Richard looked at Lois dubiously. "Is this what you want?"

Lois thought about it, and discovered that it was exactly what she wanted. She knew that she was probably taking advantage of Clark's generous nature, but right now she didn't care. When faced with the option of either going back with Richard or with Clark, her choice was clear.

It didn't matter if Clark lived in a one room studio apartment, she would be with him. The idea of taking Lucy's spare bedroom or finding a hotel room was terribly unappealing. As it was, she wasn't certain how she would sleep without a prescription, and quite frankly, she would feel safer staying with Clark.

"You sure that would be all right with you, Clark?" Lois asked tentatively.

His gaze darted to Richard and Lois could see the uncertainty in his face. "Oh. Uh, sure Lois. Besides, the doctor said that you needed someone to check on you every hour for the next day. We can work on the story while you're recouping."

She wanted to talk to Clark about more than the story.

"Shouldn't you be taking it easy, Lois? Why don't you let Clark write up the story and you come home with me?" Richard suggested.

"No!" Lois said fiercely and then she tried to modify her tone. "That's not necessary, Richard. Even if I wasn't staying with Clark, I don't think it would be a good idea for me to go back to the house with you."

"Are you afraid that you'll want to stay?" Richard asked hopefully.

Lois chose her words carefully. "There's no chance of that."

"Oh." Richard's shoulders slumped and he seemed to shrink before her eyes.

Lois turned to regard the man that had always been there for her, and she felt her heart go out to him. "I still need to arrange to move my stuff out of the house. I'll take care of it by the end of the week."

She didn't want to give Richard any false hope for them. Last week, she would have welcomed this show of caring from him, but now she knew that to resume their relationship would only delay the inevitable. They were not meant to be. Her heart belonged to another.

Lois gazed at Clark and saw that he was watching her closely. He pushed the glasses further up his nose in a nervous gesture and said helpfully, "I'd be happy to help . . ."

Richard cut him off still focused on Lois. "I have to go back to Europe. I came back early . . . I had hoped . . . Well, anyway . . . I think I'm going to take the post permanently. So you can take the house if you want."

He looked so sad that Lois felt the tears gather in her eyes.

"I appreciate it, but I don't know if that's such a good idea." Lois said.

"We can discuss the details when you're feeling better." Richard took her hand, and Lois grasped it giving him an unconvincing smile.

Richard squeezed her palm before gently lowering it to the side of the bed. He turned to leave, "Take care of her, Kent."

"I will." Clark clasped him on the shoulder saying, "You're a good man, Richard."

He nodded, seemed about to say something, and then shook his head. Richard walked away without another word.

Lois turned her head as the tears streaked down her face. She had never wanted to hurt Richard. She would be much happier when she learned of him finding someone to fill the hole that she had left in his heart.

"Everything has happened so fast. Are you certain?" Clark asked.

Lois wiped at the betraying moisture and answered quickly. "You're not having second thoughts now are you?"

Clark's eyebrows rose and his lips twitched in a shadow of a grin.

He looked so good there. Healthy and strong, even so there was something about him that seemed incredibly vulnerable. Lois wanted to kiss him, desperately. She wondered if he could see it on her face.

A nurse bustled into the room and Lois turned to the woman and scowled. "A little privacy right now would be good."

The nurse looked taken aback at the tone and then said, "I'll be back in a minute."

Clark's lips twitched, and then he grinned. "I'm not having second thoughts. I just don't want to make you uncomfortable. If you want the apartment to yourself, I can easily stay with my mother in Kansas."

"But what about work . . .?" then she got a look of understanding. "Oh. It must be nice not to have to worry about commuting." She said. "I don't want you to do that. I was kind of hoping that we would get the chance to spend some time together."

"I'd like that too. But I would go if you wanted me to."

Lois sighed and smiled happily. "Would you go . . . and get me a pizza with pineapple and green olives? I'm starving."

His eyebrows disappeared behind his hair. "You want pineapple and green olives?" he asked dubiously.

"Yeah. Oh and feta cheese. Thanks, Clark, you're such a dear."

Clark laughed. "You just want me to leave so that I won't be here to stop you from breaking out."

"Caught." she said. Then her stomach growled. "But I am hungry. So will you be my accomplice? There's no law that says I have to stay here."

"Just let me have a word with the nurse?"

"I need to get dressed anyway." She agreed.

"Your suitcase from the house, is over there. I didn't think you'd want to go back to Iron Gates."

"I don't know. It wasn't all bad." She said.

Clark stopped at the doorway and smiled. "It had its moments." He agreed.

"Well, except for the surveillance bugs, my baking, and that awful blond woman. What was her name?"

"I have no idea." Clark said meaningfully.

"You're smarter than you look, Smallville" Lois said, laughter in her voice.

"Hey." Clark protested, but she could see that he was smiling as he left the room.

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