Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters other than Jasper Robertson (There may be more characters I own in other chapters if I choose to write any others.).
A/N: This is copyrighted by me. Don't use this story on your site or anywhere else without my approval.
This idea just popped into my head one day and is partly based on a true story. This takes place during a time when Lois wasn't dating Lex. I'm not sure whether to keep adding to this story, or to just leave it at this. I have some other ideas that I might put in here. ANY REVIEWS ARE WELCOME! Please be as honest as you possibly can when reviewing this story! I really want people's opinions since this is my first fanfic I've ever written! Reviews are greatly appriciated!

When Roses Bleed

It was a slow day for reporters at the Daily Planet. Nothing was going on of any importance. Lois and Clark were sitting at their desks. Lois was looking a little out of sorts, so Clark decided to say something to try to cheer her up.
"Congratulations Lois. That article you wrote about Jasper Robertson was just the evidence the jury needed to send him to jail." he said smiling.
"Yeah… It was a good article, but I still can't believe the jury was going to let someone who raped and murdered all those women walk free, when it was obvious he was the one who did it!" Lois looked close to tears.
Clark got up from his desk and walked over to Lois.
"Lois, he got what he deserved… don't worry about what could have happened…" he said hugging her.
"You're right… as usual." she replied.
"Clark?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you want to go get something to eat tonight?" she said tentatively.
"You mean like a date?" Clark said teasingly.
"You wish Farmboy! It's just a casual dinner between two friends!" she replied in the same joking voice.
"Fine! I'll pick you up at 7:00 then!" he said walking back over to his desk.

**********
It was about 6:30 that night, and Lois was frantic. She knew she told Clark this was just going to be a "casual dinner", but she was extremely nervous. She took a shower, and dried her hair. Then she slipped on a black dress, and threw on some makeup. She was just putting on her lipstick, when she heard a knock on the door.
"Who is it?!" she yelled.
"Delivery for Lois Lane!" a man replied.
Lois walked over to the door and started unlocking all the locks. She opened the door just a crack, and the man barged in. He turned around and shut the door, then turned to her.
"Jasper… Robertson… What are you doing here?!" Lois was completely shocked. She hadn't heard anything on the news about him escaping from jail. *Oh my god… What does he want?* Lois wondered.
"Who were you expecting?" he said sarcastically.
"You're… you're supposed to be in jail" she stuttered.
"And I have you to thank for that you little bitch! You're going to pay for what you did… with your life!" his voice echoed throughout the apartment.
"You… You're going to kill me?!" Lois exclaimed fearfully.
"Well first I'm going to have a little fun with you!" Jasper laughed.
"What… What do you mean?" Lois asked timidly.
"Well you know damn well what I do with my women before I kill them! Or have you forgotten the little article you wrote?" he yelled as he grabbed her arm. She tried to break free, but his grip was tight and he pulled her into her bedroom.

**********
Clark knew he was a little early for his "casual dinner", but he didn't think Lois would mind. *She'll probably be waiting for me* he thought. He was just about ready to knock on the door when he heard a scream. He immediately knew it was Lois. He grabbed the doorknob and turned. He was surprised to find it unlocked, knowing how safety-conscious Lois was. He opened the door and ran in. He heard another scream from Lois… this one much louder. It was coming from the bedroom, so he ran in. He was totally shocked at the scene before him. Lois laying on the bed, in her underclothes, with a man nearly twice her size lying on top of her. Clark ran over to the bed, grabbed the man and threw him against the wall. The man was knocked unconscious, so Clark ran over to Lois. As he gathered her in his arms, he felt like screaming. *How could I have let this happen to her! Why didn't I get here sooner!? Why didn't I hear her screams with my superhearing?! I should have been here!* he thought, but his attention was immediately shifted to Lois when he looked at her. *She's bleeding!* He realized it was from scratches all over her arms and legs. He was sure there were more he couldn't see… but the first thing he needed to do was calm her down. She was crying hysterically and shaking all over.
"Lois?" he said hesitantly.
"No! Get away from me! Don't hurt me please!" she screamed.
"Lois it's me… Clark…" he said softly.
"Clark?" she whispered.
"Lois, honey, I'm here… don't worry… everything's going to be ok… you're safe…" as Clark said these words he felt like a million knives were sticking him in the heart. It hurt so bad to see Lois like this, but he knew he had to be strong for her.
"Oh Clark! I thought… he tried… to…" Lois attempted to talk, but it wasn't easy with her crying so hard.
"I know Lois… I know… You're fine now though, nobody's going to hurt you…" He didn't know what to do to comfort her.
"Lois, I'm going to go call the police." Clark said.
"No Clark! Please! Don't leave me!" she pleaded. He turned around, looking to see if there was a phone in her bedroom. When His eyes reached the spot where he knocked the man unconscious, he was gone.

**********

Lois was thrilled and relieved that Clark had shown up when he did. *He's always there for me when I need him most.* She was a little embarrassed that she was clad in only her underclothes when he walked in. *But it's Clark…* she thought to herself. *He's my best friend… No… he's more than that… I love him, or more, I'm in love with him* she couldn't believe it. She had finally admitted to herself that she was in love with Clark Kent.

**********

Clark was extremely worried about Lois, and about the fact that the man who had attacked her had disappeared. * I shouldn't have ever let this happen to her… Why didn't I hear her screaming?!* The same things that had plagued his thoughts earlier arose again. *I want her to be nearby… I don't want anything like this to ever happen again.* he said to himself. That wasn't how he had imagined seeing her, for the first time, in almost nothing. He was worried about how she might be hurt in places he couldn't see. *I can't ask her now though… I need to know that she wants to talk about it… I can't force her to tell me right now*

**********
Clark had just finished calling the police when Lois yelled for him.
"Clark?!" she shouted.
Clark ran into the bedroom as fast as he could.
"Yeah Lois?"
"Could you help me please? I want to clean up these cuts before the police get here." she said softly.
"Sure… Let's go to the bathroom so we don't get blood on anything in here" Clark was extremely worried about the size of some of the cuts. It looked like there was blood everywhere. *It can't be as much as what it looks like* he thought to himself.
"I need to change out of… this… too" Lois whispered.
"I'll get you some clothes to change into," Clark replied a little uncertain, "You go on into the bathroom, and I'll be there in a minute."
By the time Clark got in there, Lois had cleaned most of her cuts on her arms and legs. She looked a lot better, and the cuts didn't seem to look as bad. She was trying to clean her back, but wasn't having much luck. Clark wasn't sure if it was just the fact that she couldn't reach it, or if it was that she was just in too much pain from the scrapes on her arms.
"Here… let me help you…" He said quietly, taking the washcloth from Lois.
"Ok…" she whispered.
Clark's soothing touches and caresses on her back made her want to turn around and kiss him. *He cares so much for me* she realized. Their eyes locked in the mirror as Clark wrapped his arms around Lois's waist.
"I should have been here Lois… I'm so sorry" Clark said gently.
"Clark it's not your fault… there's nothing you could have done that you haven't done already" she replied.
There was an awkward silence, then Clark said,
"I'll leave you alone so you can get dressed… I'll be just outside the door."
"Ok… I'll be out in a few minutes." Lois said, halfway regretting the moment had ended.

**********
The police had just left and Lois was sitting on her couch. Clark sat down next to her.
"Are you feeling better?" he asked.
"I guess… With the police on the lookout… and you being here… it helps." she said with sincerity.
There was a brief silence, as they looked into each other's eyes. Clark broke it.
"Lois, the police said it isn't a good idea for you to stay here. They think the man might come back looking for you…"
"Yeah I know… I don't feel safe here anymore." she said quietly.
"I want you to come stay with me… So I can keep an eye on you." he said, half expecting her to get mad at him and say she didn't need his protection.
"Ok… just give me a few minutes to pack some things." she said without hesitation.
Clark was extremely surprised with how easy that was. He didn't have to insist or anything. She got up, and Clark followed her into her bedroom. A few minutes later, they were ready to go. As they walked out the door, Clark put his arm around Lois, and she leaned her head on his shoulder.

**********

Lois was sitting on Clark's couch, looking dazed and confused when Clark walked in with two cups of coffee. He sat down next to her.
"Lois?" he didn't get an answer.
"Lois, are you ok?
She looked up. It was obvious she had been crying.
"No…" she whispered.
"Lois… Tell me what happened…" Clark figured it was time for him to know exactly what went on.
"Oh Clark…" she said softly, "I was so scared…" as she started to cry again.
"Come here" he said as he pulled her onto his lap. She put her arms around him and pulled him close.
"I thought he was going to… to…"
"I know… But you're safe now… I'm not going to let anyone hurt you… That's a promise Lois." he said, and as Lois looked into his eyes, she knew he meant it.
"It was Jasper Robertson," she had quit crying a little bit, "He came to my door claiming he had a delivery for me. I didn't know who it was at first… So I opened the door a little, but when I did he just barged in. He grabbed my arm and told me he was going to kill me for putting him in jail… But he said first he was going to have a little fun with me… He dragged me into the bedroom and threw me on the bed…" she had started to sob again.

"Lois… Honey it's ok… take your time." Clark said in a soothing voice.

**(flashback)**

Jasper took Lois to the bedroom and threw her on the bed. He walked over and laid on top of her. He grabbed the strap of her dress and started to pull it down her shoulder. Lois struggled to get him off of her, but she ripped the strap in the process. He moved his hands down to the bottom of her dress and started to rub her leg. She kicked his hands away, but this just made him angrier. He pulled the dress up higher, and ran his hands up her stomach, and caressed her breast. She screamed, as loud as she possibly could, and kept struggling to get him off her. He leaned down and kissed her hard. He tried to slip his tongue into her mouth, but when he did she bit it.
"Ow! You stupid bitch!" he yelled as he slapped her across the face. She screamed again when he hit her. He then pulled her dress up over her arms and off, then threw it on the floor somewhere. He grabbed her breast again, clinching it firmly, causing her to flinch in pain. He tried to put his hand down her underwear, but she kicked him away. Lois thought she heard the door to her apartment open, so she screamed as loud as she could. She was sure Jasper hadn't heard, for he was continuing his provocative movements all over her body. She realized she could no longer feel her arms or legs, but she wasn't sure if it was from the emince pressure he was putting on her body, or all the scrapes he had given her. Jasper started kissing her neck, then all the sudden he was gone. He heard something hit the wall hard, then she started sobbing. She then felt someone else grab her in a more gentle manner. Thinking it was Jasper again, she started yelling…

**"…And that's where you came in Clark…" Lois had started crying softly again.
"Oh Lois… I'm so sorry… I should have been here… I never…"
Lois interrupted him," Clark it's not your fault. You didn't know he was coming after me, or even that he had escaped from prison for that matter. If I hadn't have opened the door, he wouldn't have gotten in… But I'm safe now… here with you…"
"Lois… I swear I'll never let you go through anything like that again." Clark said with sincerity.
He wrapped his arms around the frail little body he held and hugged her. When they pulled away, they looked deeply into each other's eyes. Lois leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. Clark thought about deepening it, but wasn't sure how Lois would react, especially after the events she had gone through today. After a few seconds, they pulled away and she whispered,
"Clark… I love you…"
"I love you too Lois… You're my best friend and I never want anything to happen to you." he said thinking she meant she loved him as just a friend, as her partner.
"No Clark… I mean… I'm in love with you…" she said quietly.
Clark had waited to hear those words since he first laid eyes on her,
"I'm in love with you too Lois, I have been since the day I met you… you mean more to me than life itself…" she interrupted him once more, this time with a kiss. This one was more passionate than the first, her tongue slipping into his mouth, and him returning the favor in kind. After a few seconds, they broke apart,
"I guess I'll just have to get used to the fact that you're going to be running off all the time with lame excuses…" she said in a teasing tone.
Clark decided it was time to tell her his secret. He had waited long enough as it is, and since now he was sure she shared the same feelings for him, he knew the time was right.
"Lois about that… I need to tell you something really important. You see… I'm…"
"Superman? I already know." she said, then smiled when she saw the look of extreme shock on Clark's face.
"H… How?" he questioned.
"Clark, I'm one of the best reporters in Metropolis… You expect me to not notice the physical resemblance? Plus you'd always run off with some excuse, then we'd hear about Superman doing something great or saving someone's life!" The comment dripped with sarcasm.
"How long have you known?" Clark wondered out loud.
"For a little while…" she said, leaving the exact amount of time to his imagination.
Clark hesitated,
"Are you angry?"
"I was a little bit at first, but not now." she said. He looked into her eyes and could tell she meant it.
"I wanted to tell you Lois, I really did… but my parents are the only other people who know, and I had to protect them. Telling other people might lead to things, like people using my parents to get to me… I couldn't take that chance…" he spilled everything at once.
"I know Clark, and I understand." she said softly.
"I love you Lois…" Clark whispered, leaning forward as he did so.
"I love you too Clark…" Lois said, leaning closer to him as well.
Their lips joined again, this time with more love and passion than any other time, binding their love for each other.