Act 5

I stepped out into the balcony with Clark close behind. I could feel his eyes strongly on me and it didn't take a dream to know what was going to happen next.

"How long have you known?"

"It doesn't matter."

"It matters to me."

"It shouldn't." I turned to face him. "Because you're a good man. And whether or not I knew yesterday or six years ago, it doesn't matter because you're still Smallville to me."

He breathed in deeply, making his way to my side. "You've known for that long." I didn't realize my slip-up was that obvious until he pointed it out. "You knew what I was for six years."

I shook my head, I guess this is the moment where it all unfolds. For him more than for me. I've had a while to adjust, more so than I deserved.

"Presumably, I've known about it when you first came out as Superman." I raise my hand to stop him from interrupting. "Technically, I've known about it for six years, but I didn't realize it until you held me in your arms when you rescued me."

He looked at me confused and I knew he would be.

"I don't understand."

"I knew who you were long before you gave me that interview." I turn to face him. "Kal-El. The last son of Krypton." I turn away and continued, telling him things that only he and his mother would know. "You're biological parents were Lara and Jor-El and you fell to Earth in a spaceship during the first meteor shower. The meteor rocks are fragments of your dead planet, and it makes you weak. Kryptonite, right? Anyway, it can even kill you."

"How do you know all this?" he asked like the wind blew out of him.

"Because you told me."

"I would've remembered," he said angrily, he must be thinking a million different thoughts right now.

"Nah, I don't think so." I chuckled to alleviate the tension I was feeling. "God, I really thought it was just a dream." I covered my face with my hands, this is all too much for me to handle.

"What dream?"

I sighed, that's where it all started.

Two weeks have gone by since I told Clark everything. What a strange reversal this is. I mean, if I hadn't known who he was before, he would be the one with the secret and I'd be the one walking around without a clue - not that I haven't been doing that already.

"I've got the reports you were looking for Miss Lane," Jimmy Olsen said as he handed me a stack of file folders for research on my next assignment.

I threw myself into my work, multi-tasking to the point of exhaustion, but I didn't want to let up. I'm too stubborn to do that.

After discovering what Lois knew, Clark retreated to Smallville every time he had a free moment, he couldn't quite get himself to talk to her since that wasn't work related and instead, looking to his mother for guidance.

"I don't know what to do."

"Give yourself some time, sweetie. This is just as hard on her as it is for you."

"Are you on her side now?"

Martha gave her son a pointed glare. "Don't make me the bad guy, Clark. Its obvious Lois cares for you or else she wouldn't have kept your secret all these months to herself. That has to count for something."

"But that's just it, it hasn't been just months, mom, it's been years. She's known for years."

"But didn't you say she didn't realize it?"

"Well, yeah, but that's not the point. She knew, mom!" he sighed, frustrated and tired. "She should've told me when it happened."

"Why, Clark?" Martha countered. "So you could lie to her?"

Clark is taken aback and was left speechless.

Martha continued. "You've spent your whole life hiding a large part of who you are from the world. I've watched you struggle to live a normal life, and my heart breaks every time you feel lost and scared. I know how much you hated lying to your friends because I watched you do it for years. You can call me selfish, but I'm glad that she's knows. I finally get to talk about my son to someone who deserves to hear it."

When she disappeared to the kitchen, Clark was left out on the porch recalling his conversation with his mom word for word. The rest of the night was spent reflecting on everything that's happened.

My doorbell rang several times before I felt compelled to actually get out of bed and answer it. It's been a long day; I just got home from work after spending three extra hours working on a case with a short deadline.

I look through the keyhole and I'm a bit surprised at who was standing behind it.

I opened the door and there was Clark Kent standing alone in the hall way looking as calm as I've ever seen him since I told his most of everything.

"Hi," he greeted with a small smile.

"Hi"

"Can I come in?"

I let the door open wider as I move to the side, letting him in. It's the first time we've been alone together that is not done in a professional capacity.

"Are you thirsty?" I asked, playing host.

"No, I'm all right. Thanks."

"Okay."

"I came to tell you how much of a jerk I've been," he confessed sincerely. Well, there's something I totally didn't see coming.

"Excuse me?"

"In case you haven't noticed, I've been avoiding you."

"No, I've noticed," I concurred. I had to admit myself that I've been intentionally avoiding him as well.

"And my feelings haven't changed," he said. "I still miss you. I miss you every day, and I know there could be something great between us if we - "

"We were married, you know," I interrupted with another secret.

He didn't quite catch up to me yet.

"What?"

"In my dream - or trip to the future, however you want to describe it." I paused for a moment before continuing. "We were married."

He tries to hold his smile. "We were?"

"Yeah." I rested my hands flat on my thighs as I sat down on my couch, trying to go over how I'm suppose to say the next few words. "And we were happy. See, that's why I've been sort of awkward around you lately. Or even in the past six years because it all felt so real."

"It can still be real"

I couldn't believe what he was saying.

"This is just something that my mind made up," I tried to rationalize.

"Everything happened for a reason, Lois."

"And what?" I stood up abruptly and walked briskly towards the windows overlooking the city. "We're meant to be together? I never got a chance to make that choice because you're already so deep a part of me that sometimes I can't tell the difference between what's real and what's a dream."

He followed me. "I'm not a dream"

"But you were. That's my point!"

He sighed, trying to make me understand. Where are his feelings for me coming from?

"I'm in love with you"

"No you're - what?" He just said he was in love with me. That's not right.

"I'm in love with you, Lois," he repeated. "I think I've always loved you."

"No. See now you're compensating."

He laughs.

He actually laughed.

"Believe me, I'm not," he assured me, but I'm not so assured even though the look in his eyes showed the contrary. "Maybe it was pride or my own ego, but I've always respected you, Lois."

"You hated me!" I remind him, three simple words that described me to him when we were young adults in Smallville.

"Not enough to not want you around me," he replied.

"I've never even thought of being with you until I dreamt that future."

He smirked, crossing his arms. "That must've been a hell of a dream," he accused teasingly. "There's something you're not telling me is there?"

I blushed slightly red.

Slightly.

But I'm not falling for that.

"No comment."

He chuckled. "Wow"

"Shut up"

"You know, you're heart's beating fast."

Here we go again. "Yeah, I wished you wouldn't tell me that."

"Really?"

But the situation was amusing. "Not all the time, anyway."

He turned serious.

"What are we going to do now?"

I gulped.

"I don't know."

To be Continued…