Hi all,

I know it's been - literally - years. And because of that, I'm not sure anyone is even interested in this story any more, but I stumbled over some chapters that were nearly done and needed a bit of attention and thought I would post for those who would still like to follow this story.

This is the first of a set of chapters that give the backstory, as I imagined it, for Lois and Clark Luthor. Some, like this one, is set in present day, while others will be flashbacks to their past.

Would love to hear if you're still out there as well as your thoughts on the latest chapter.

Many thanks - M.

Chapter 6 – I Remember

Despite Oliver's direct orders, and her own better judgement, Lois Lane found herself here.

Again.

Sitting on the cold, unforgiving floor, her back against the steel door to Clark Luthor's containment cell.

It was the fourth time this week, and each time was the same.

"Clark? It's me. I…just wanted to let you know that I'm here. You know, if there's anything you need."

When silence greeted her offer, Lois felt a twinge of disappointment, though, in truth, she hadn't really expected that Clark would suddenly become a chatterbox or turn to her for comfort.

Why would he? Up until a few weeks ago, she had made her disdain for him perfectly clear. Equally clear was the fact that she wanted nothing to do with him ever again.

So, to be here now…

Well, it defied logic.

And yet, logic never really came into play when it came to Lois and Clark.

Shaking her head at the insanity of the situation, Ollie's words echoed through her head.

Oh, I know why I'm doing this, Lois. And she's standing right in front of me. The real question...is why are you?

A tough question. A fair question.

And though Lois didn't have an answer to give to the man she's promised to spend her life with, she did have a reason.

Because Ollie had been right. There was another voice echoing in her head. A voice she hadn't been able to banish or ignore. It was a voice that had issued an unspoken request she simply couldn't deny.

I can't live in a world where you don't love me.

Something about him, about Clark Kent, conjured images from a past she'd run from, railed against, denied and thought she had buried years ago. Because the Clark she met that night on the roof of the Daily Planet wasn't all that different from the Clark she once knew.

That she once loved.

And though that time was gone, and she had no desire to encourage its return, she couldn't resist the glimmer of hope that there was still the tiniest bit of good left in him. That he could be that man again.

Despite everything she knew he'd done, and all the things she never wanted to know.

And so, drawing an uneven breath, Lois Lane did what she swore she would never do.

She ventured into the dangerous waters of the past.

"Hey. Do you know what today is?" Once asked, the question answered itself. "Of course, you don't. How could you? Locked away in there without any contact with the outside world."

Her hushed tones echoed loudly in the silence.

"It's…your birthday. Well, what you celebrate as your birthday." The sillier Lois felt talking out loud to the unyielding steel door, the more she rambled. Rambling had become a habit of late. "Not that anyone actually knows the real date of your birth, but, well, you already know that. You're the one who told me." A pause. A wistful sigh. "Remember? That night on the roof of the Daily Planet?"

Lois paused, lost in her own thoughts. Until an unexpected confession slipped out, her voice dropping to the type of whisper reserved for honoring the sacred. "It was the first time I really felt…it, you know? That something…more…between us."

Lois snapped out of her reverie as her own words sunk in. Realizing her error, Lois silently chastised herself, then held her breath and waited.

Waited, half in agony and half in hope that he would take up her challenge and meet her there in a past she shouldn't secretly cherish.

When her efforts were once again greeted with deafening silence, Lois inwardly berated herself with a roll of her eyes for having allowed even a sliver of hope to slip into her heart. Her voice took on the familiar edge of resentment. "I don't know what I was thinking. Of course, you don't remember. Why would you? It was just another night for you, right? And I was just one more in a never-ending string of girls."

Inside the cell, sitting on the floor with his back against the very door Lois was speaking to, Clark Luthor's eyes slid closed, a bittersweet smile slipping through his expression.

As much as he knew he shouldn't, Clark had begun to live for these moments. For the times Lois would defy Oliver's orders, all wisdom and convention, even the pain of their past, just to spend a few hours sitting on the other side of the door, sometimes trying to make a connection, but mostly just being there.

And just as he'd done each night before, he listened for it.

For the steady beat of a tender heart that set the pace for his own.

He found it. And as his heartbeat aligned to hers, he felt it.

He felt that unique something that always made him want to change his world.

For her.

Until the past few weeks, he hadn't wanted to interact with her. Until the past few weeks, he'd had every reason not to. There had been enough hurt, anger, bitterness and even hate between them through the years that the status quo had suited him just fine. Better than fine. Without Lois to remind him of who he could be, he didn't have to try to be anything more than what Lionel Luthor wanted.

And Clark had learned years ago that what Lionel wanted was the key to his own survival.

Still, there was a wistfulness in her voice, a cautious hope, that Clark simply couldn't resist.

Then again, with Lois he never really could.

Breaking his silence with a voice as smooth as silk and as warm as a summer day, Clark answered her charges one by one. "You're wrong. It wasn't just another night. You weren't just another girl, and yes, Lois…"

He swallowed hard, his mind instantly drifting back to that night.

"…I remember."

tbc