Disclaimer: I don't own Superman.

Totally sorry I didn't update sooner, but I'm going through a writer's block. I may not update the next chapter for a little while, so please be patient, writer's block is tough, as you authors out there probably know. Anyway, read and review!

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Lois woke up in a cold sweat. Shaking, she felt her stomach tremble, and she immediately rushed to the bathroom. Leaning over the cold white bowl, she threw up into the toilet.

Taking deep breaths and sitting back, she put her face in her hands. They felt cold against her burning skin, and she groaned. Was it all a dream? What was the dream? Suddenly, all the memories came rushing back, and she stifled a sob. Clark Kent...he was Superman...he was there for her all along. She thought there would be no time for them to be together, but there he was, in front of her the entire time. Which meant...

She sat upright so quickly that she felt her back crack a little. Looking around, she saw him, dressed in casual clothes minus the glasses. His hair was neither shaggy nor slicked back; it was somewhere in between, and she rather liked it. His face was apologetic, and he held a cup of cold water.

She felt too tired and weak to rise, and she was relieved when he brought the cup to her, kneeling to sit next to her. Grasping the icy glass, she downed the water in one gulp. Then, she remembered what she had been thinking about.

Turning to face him, she smacked his arm. Her own arm shuddered in response, disliking the contact, but she was satisfyed to see him wince. In fact, he didn't even ask why she hit him. Rather, he sat patiently and willingly, withstanding her blows.

"Why were you there? Why were you always there, in the office?" she demanded, and he looked surprised for the first time.

"What...I thought that would be the only thing you would be happy about!" he exclaimed, his stunning blue eyes wide. She almost felt like collapsing into his strong arms and swooning in his masculine essence, but she held her emotions and desires back.

"You were there for me when you should have been there for everyone else! How many people died because you were 'working?'" she snarled, her throat aching from the pressure. He looked like he was about to laugh, and his mood lifted.

"Zero," he said simply, "Didn't you notice how many times I was missing?"

She felt like an idiot. Of course, Clark was always late; in fact, the only reason he was never fired was because his work was always diligent, thorough, and perfect, lying on Perry's desk, fresh and ready to print.

"Well...when exactly were you planning on telling me?" she insisted, needing something to argue about. He looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Umm...when you found out?" he offered, grimacing at her expression, "Well...I couldn't tell you, or I'd feel guilty about putting you in danger. I knew you'd find out sometime...so I decided to let you find out on your own. It helped me feel less guilty, and it prevented you from being in danger for a while."

He wasn't even sure why he didn't tell her, but it somehow made sense to him.

Lois spend a moment thinking about his answer. It was a selfish answer, it enraged and irritated her, and yet...it was exactly what she wanted. He was thinking about himself this time...partially. Most of him didn't want to tell her because the more people he told, the more people would be in danger. A tiny, miniscule part, though, didn't want to tell her because he'd feel guilty about putting her in danger...Lois smiled. He was doing just what she wanted him to do...a little.

"Well...I guess that makes sense...kind of." She could barely believe that she hadn't seen him..how could she miss it? The only thing that seperated Clark Kent and Superman was a pair of glasses. She couldn't believe what a moron she...they...had been.

"So, what do I call you?" she asked calmly, and he looked thoughtful.

"Just Clark is fine," he decided. He had been called Clark for his entire life, and it wasn't about to change now. Lois offered a weak smile, which he readily returned; yep, he was still the same old Clark Kent...just a little...cooler? Lois laughed. No matter how you looked at it, Clark Kent was never 'cool.' He was cool to her, but if you told anybody else that, they would most likely start laughing.

He stiffened, obviously listening to something else. Lois sighed. Well, nobody was perfect.

"Go," she said, nodding towards the bay window. He hesitated for only a moment, his eyes pleading an apology; then, he was gone. Lois slumped against the cool tile wall, unbelievably happy that Lucy had taken Jason to the amusement park. Looking around, Lois noticed something. This wasn't Lucy's house.

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Clark rocketed upward, the wind whipping his cape around wildly. Maybe it looked impressive, but it really just slowed him down, though not by much. In fact, the only reason he had a cape was to intimidate the villains, and also there was the fact that the costume looked a bit silly without it. The air thinned, though Clark barely noticed it. He didn't honestly need to breathe, not while he was so close to the sun.

There it was; the enormous rocket was hurdling back towards earth, the intense heat visibly pummeling the aircraft. Clark cared less for Rachel's safety, though, than for the safety of the captive pilots. For their sake, he directed the ship towards the ocean by pressing on the side of it. Obviously, whoever was flying the ship was doing a terrible job; they had been heading straight for Colorado, and it wouldn't have been a smooth landing. Actually, it would be something more along the lines of jumping off a trampoline and sinking your head straight in a pile of rocks. Anyway, it wouldn't be pretty.

Adding gradual but firm pressure, he straightened and guided the craft, ending up carrying it on his back. Focusing on the cleanest, smoothest landing possible, he released the ship right above the water, letting it skim the surface right before settliung; beautiful.

Unfortunately, the feeling of accomplishment was short-lived. Too heavy to float, the aircraft began to sink. Clark groaned. Great. If the ship sank, the space suits would of course go to those in charge; mainly, Rachel and co. The prisoners would definitely die. Grabbing the top of the rocket, he could hold it easily, but here was the dilemma. He could either let go and grab the occupants, all of whom he couldn't carry without injuring them, or he could fly them all to land, in which case some might escape. Like his feeling of accomplishment, this was also short-lived. He had to carry it to land.

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Lois wandered around, not quite sure where she was. It wasn't large or glamorous, but the place had a certain air of elegance. In fact, it even had a large balcony overlooking the bay. Shivering, Lois left the balcony and looked around a bit more. Then, her eye caught a door partially open. Her naturally curious nature made her push it open and enter.

The room was smaller than the others, but comfortable. There was a large bed, but it wasn't drastically huge. It was a nice shade of beige, which wasn't easy to find. The walls were soft, pastel blue, with a creamy ivory rim. Lois opened the dresser drawer, smiling when she saw plaid shirts, and smiled again when she opened another drawer to see faded blue jeans. In an instant, she knew she was in Clark's room; not Superman's, Clark's. Superman's room was somewhere in the Arctic or something, anyway she remembered snow and ice. And his room...Lois sniffed and bit her thumb, not yet ready to take on that memory. It was still tender, and not prepared for her careful dissection.

Looking up, she saw several pictures resting on the dresser. One had a picture of an elderly couple with him, but he was just a child. Lois laughed out loud when she saw that, even as a kid, he sported a pair of thick glasses. In fact, even in the picture, he was pushing them up the bridge of his nose. Seeing the second picture, Lois stopped laughing and reached out to touch the faces. It was one of her, set several years ago, before Jason was born. There she was, with Clark, standing in front of the Niagra Falls. He looked his old goofy self, but she looked...different. She looked carefree, fiery, ready to leap into action. Had she changed so much?

"Having fun?" asked a deep voice behind her. Lois gasped and jumped, whipping around to see Clark...but he wasn't Clark anymore. He was there, but dressed in royal blue, his scarlet cape whipping dramatically behind him. His hair was sleek and the curl was there as it was always, tempting and ready to pull, but his face wasn't the same. It was sad, apologetic, and a little bit shy. The body belonged to Superman, but the face was Clark. Lois felt ready to accept both.

"Just...catching up," she said, smiling weakly. He looked nervous, and she liked that. Walking over to him, she stood, directly in front of him, so close and yet she didn't make contact. Lois could almost hear his heart beat faster.

"Well, apparently we're playing hooky from work today...what do you want to do?" she asked suggestively, raising a perfect eyebrow. Clark seemed unable to breathe. Their eyes connected, and the friction was almost unbearable. Blue eyes buried themselves in hazel eyes, and hours seemed to pass in the space of a few seconds. Breathless, she reached up to catch a lock of hair, run her hand along the arch of his neck, anything just to touch him. As her fingertips hovered mere centimeters from his cheek, the moment was broken by the harsh, earsplitting ring of a phone. Lois watched the internal battle Clark was obviously fighting, and grinned when his honest side won. This wasn't going to be pretty.

He picked up the phone, wncing as Perry's sharp vioce sliced through the air. Lois couldn't help but smile at his situation; unable to lie, and yet not willing to admit what was going on.

"Yes...yes, I know...no...no, sir...Lois...yeah...Lois Lane...she was hurt, and I took the responsibility of taking care of her...yes...of course...we'll be back in the office tomorrow morning!"

Lois couldn't stifle a chucke; a day with Superman...women would kill for the chance. Clark turned and smiled bashfully at Lois.

"...so...where do you feel like going?" he asked serenely, his eyes gentle and his smile welcoming. Lois sighed and turned to give the bedroom a hard glance.

"Well...your bed has a certain appeal..." she snickered as she saw him blush deeply. "But I think that new park sounds just as fun."

He grinned boyishly and she caught a mischevious look in his eyes. She saw it coming, but wasn't near quick enough to stop it. Faster than a speeding bullet and stronger than a god, he scooped her up off her feet and held her cradled in his arms. Yelping, she struck his shoulder.

"Okay, we're all glad you're back to normal, but you better put me down, or get ready for an ass-whipping!" she squealed, kicking and struggling. It was no use. Though his hands were gentle, they were as firm as steel. She wasn't getting out. Clark laughed, but stopped when he looked down at himself.

"Oh, gosh, I better get changed," he said, gesturning towards his Superman outfit. Lois almost collapsed laughing; for one thing, it was hysteria-inducing to hear Superman say 'gosh.' For another thing, Superman at the carnival with Lois Lane would make front-page news...and guess who ran the newspaper? Yep, the same man that believed that Lois was sick today.

Clark set Lois gently on her feet, then tugged a pair of faded jeans on, and finally slipped into a button-up plaid shirt. Lois grinned. Even in plaid, Clark was pretty damn sexy. It took a real man to pull off the plaid look.

"So, how do I look?" he asked, his eyes hopeful. Lois shrugged nonchalantly, then grinned.

"Well...I think you might need a little something extra," she laughed, and his eyes widened when he realized that he forgot his glasses. That would make an even bigger front page story: Superman's identity revealed. Man of Steel is actually world's biggest hic Clark Kent.

When he had once again made the transformation to Clark Kent, she looped her arm in his and marched him to the door.

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"Daddy!"

A very angry voice echoed through the halls, making Lex cringe. That girl was shrill sometimes.

"Daddy, he's not dead, he's not dead!" shrieked Rachel, sprinting into the room. Lex had his nose buried in a book, and was busy jotting down notes and page numbers. He gave her a quick glance, then plunged back into his studies.

"What? Oh, yeah, yeah, I knew that already..." he said boredly, flipping through the book. Rachel stopped and put her hands on her hips.

"Wait...how did you know? You've been in jail, and I doubt this old place still gets the newspapers," she said, and Lex sighed, turning in his chair to look at her.

"Rachel, dear, he's survived being stabbed with kryptonite on a kryptonite island which he later lifted into the sky; I'm pretty sure you can't drown him." said Lex, folding his arms. "If there's anything I've learned from previous experiences, it's to never underestimate your opponent."

Rachel furrowed her brow.

"Why hasn't he tossed you back in jail?" she asked. He hadn't seen her escape as he was landing in Metropolis, nor had he cared to find her so far. Maybe he didn't consider her a threat.

"Actually, that one I'm really not sure about. Maybe he was busy." (A/N: Note that Lex escaped a few chapters ago when Clark was unconscious in Bruce's house.)

"Oh...well, it won't be long until he finds out, you know," said Rachel, furrowing her brow and tapping an interestingly delicate object that was gathering dust on a bookshelf. Lex laughed dryly.

"I know...it won't be long...but that's why I have to work quickly. In the meantime, I have some friends who can distract him for more than enough time than I need."

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Well, it's not much...but I hope you like it. Once again, sorry it took so long, I was in a combo writer's block and working on a new story. It's for Troy, so if you're a Troyoholic, read it. If you haven't seen the movie, watch it. It was my #1 fav movie for a while...then Superman kicks in and they're competing. I'm not sure which one I like better. Anyway, it's a fantastic movie, gave me chills, just like superman returns, so watch it. If you watched it and didn't like it...I don't really know what to say. But Achilles is just as cool and tough as Superman...he just doesn't have superpowers )