Act 4

Gawking.

That's what I was doing.

I was gawking outwardly with amazement and stupidity at the large 'fortress' Clark had flown us to.

I mean, look at the thing.

It's huge!

It's the Arctic's version of the Gingerbread House, except not a single cookie in sight but there's ice all over the place.

"Are you cold?" Clark asked me. Amazingly enough, I wasn't. "I turned up the heat a little." For a moment, I wondered if that was a bad thing. Thinking maybe we'd melt the place, you know.

A couple of hours ago, I was close to resigning myself to the possibility that there was some truth in this reality I woke up on, but now, I wasn't so sure. Maybe it is all just a dream.

An elaborate and out-of-this-world dream.

And if so, I kind of wish never to wake up.

We have a fortress!

"Honey, are you all right?"

I smiled. "You've got to stop asking me that."

He shrugged. "I can't help it. You were quiet all the way here."

I had to think fast. "That's because you never cease to amaze me." And I was telling the truth. One revelation after another. My head hasn't stopped spinning and I don't think it will anytime soon.

"Clark"

He turned to me and I can see all the love that I ever need to see. What is this I'm feeling? It is possible to love him just as equally if not more in return or is the thought of loving him enough? Or am I just overwhelmed? I don't know anymore. For the first time in my life, I have absolutely no control of my life.

I can't lie to him anymore.

"I don't know you."

I can see the confusion spread all over his face.

"What are you talking about?"

I take a deep breath and take a moment to clear my thoughts. I wiped some tears that began to form in my eyes, because whether in one life or another, I don't want to be vulnerable.

"There's something you need to know about me…" and I started from the beginning.

I wasn't entirely sure how long I spent telling him exactly what has happened to me for the last couple of days. It was awkward for me, but I can tell it was hurting him. The light and happiness that was in his eyes earlier this morning was fading and I hate myself for putting him through this.

When I was done, a long period of silence stood between us.

Neither of us moved.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier, I would've helped you somehow?" he asked, speaking first. There was a lot of emotion in his voice that I didn't expect.

"How can you help me if my subconscious is playing tricks on me?" I replied, sharing my disbelief that my life was anything but a vivid hallucination.

"Is that what you think this is?" Something finally dawned on him. "A dream?" He stood up from where we sat. "I'm sorry to disappoint you Lois, but this isn't a dream."

"Clark, we're in a Fortress at the Arctic! You can fly!" and then finally, the punch line. "And you and I are together. How can this be anything but a dream?"

At that admission, he does something I completely didn't count on.

He laughed.

"Okay. Now why are you laughing?" I asked a bit irritated.

"We didn't fall in love overnight, Lois. And sure, you annoyed me half the time we knew each other back in Smallville, but that's because you didn't like me after all those times Chloe called you in high school."

I'm taken aback. "I told you about that?"

He nodded. "I'm your husband. There are rarely any secrets between us," he reveals to me and I'm quite unnerved at how well he knows me. "We grew up, and we discovered that the things we couldn't stand about each other were the things that we couldn't live without."

"That's very Jane Austin of you"

"I'm serious." He made his way towards me, cupping my face with his soft hands. The light in his eyes were back and shining as brightly as ever. "There has always been more to our relationship than petty but fun bickering."

I chuckled as he continued.

"Whatever happened that blocked a hole in your memory; we're going to figure out a way to fix it. I promise."

I shake my head. "Please don't make promises you can't keep."

He kisses me on the lips and I'm thinking this whole honesty thing was going better than I thought it would.

"It's a good thing I haven't broken one yet," he smirked confidently.

I'm thoroughly impressed at him.

"Who are you Clark Kent?"

He takes a hold of my hands with his own. He didn't appear to be as nervous as I was.

"I'll tell you all about it," he says.

Have you ever gone on a camping trip where you tell stories around the campfire? Listening to Clark tell me about his life and how we fell in love would perfectly describe that sort of thing, except his life's story had a grander approach.

The kind where normally, you wouldn't believe a word of it and call 'said person' a nut job, but it's hard to rule it out when I'm standing in an Ice Fortress that is an architectural replica of his birth planet Krypton.

You see there?

Doesn't that sound like something off a science fiction show?

And while science had a lot to do with it, there was nothing fiction about it. I can see it. Feel it. And to my everlasting surprise, I can even comprehend most of it.

"We should get back to Metropolis," he says, holding out his hand for me to take. "We've got albums of pictures you might like to look at."

I smiled. "I'd like that."

I wrap my arms around his neck, but he takes his time taking off and I wonder what's taking him so long.

"Um… are we going?"

He smiled. "I just realized that even without your memories, why did you make love to me?"

I blushed a crimson red. "I'm your wife, not a saint."

And we share a chuckle.

"Was it… I… us... okay?" he asked, this time nervously. It's the first time I've seen in insecure all night.

I grinned, closing my body against his. "Am I threatening your pride?"

"Only if you deem it unworthy," he quickly retorted.

"Somehow, I don't think that's possible."

He smiles and lays a kiss on my forehead before taking into the air. I could definitely get used to this.

On the way home, alarms set of in a chemical plant. Clark set me down gently far enough that I wouldn't get hurt. He changed quickly into 'Superman' a name he tells me that I dubbed him as when he first revealed to the world he existed.

I sighed and thought I could've thought of a better name than that.

Some time went by and I began worrying.

He hasn't been back yet and the smoke coming from the plant didn't look like it was disappearing soon.

Against better judgement, and there's been plenty, I sprint towards the plant. As soon as I made it there, Clark... no... Superman was leading a bunch of people out. Automatically, I run to their aid like I've always done even before any of this happened.

I look up and debris is falling. About twenty feet away from me, a middle-aged man in a hard hat stood right below falling a debris and I act quickly to get him out of the way.

Some time between seeing and acting, everything went blank.

I launched myself up, but the sudden piercing pain of an IV line snapped off my forearm. And I hear beeping sounds around me.

Where am I?

I'm not where I'm supposed to be.

"Miss Lane. I'm glad you're awake. You've had many people worried. Do you know where you are?"

Miss Lane?

"A hospital," I barely spoke out as the stranger guided my head back on the pillow.

"I'm Dr. Hawkins. You're in Smallville General. You were in a car accident a couple of days ago."

The pounding headache in my head wouldn't go away.

"Car accident?" I look at him, my vision finally cleared. I frantically searched for something. "Where is it?"

"Where's what, Miss Lane?"

"My ring. Where's my ring?"

"I'm sorry. Your car was completely towed. Your cousin grabbed everything she could in the wreckage, maybe she found it."

"What year is it?"

"What year do you think it is?" he questioned in return, checking my eyes for any problems in the process.

I don't think I'm in Metropolis anymore.

I gulped. "2006" and the doctor nodded in confirmation. I sighed.

It was only a dream.

To be continued...