Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, they are the rights of their perspective owners, I am not involved with Superman Returns or the Superman comics or any other Superman franchise. DC Comics owns Superman. I am not making money from this work and no copyright infringement is intended.

A/N - Please note this story was written for the 12days of Clois on LJ - and my Theme was birthday and my prompt was a lake. This means that in the story someone has to be celebrating a birthday. This is the last of the chapters which was part of the 12days story. After this the story takes on a life of it's own outside the theme and prompt for the challenge.

If you are reading this story - please review - I love feedback and because I am new to writing in the Superman genre I would really like to know how this story is being received. I have a funny feeling after August 7th I am going to pick up my Twilight story again because new inspiration will be available . . .but your reviews will keep me going.

Part 4 – one memory

Lois was a good liar. The situations she got herself into as a reporter demanded it. By the time the house was awake for breakfast, she managed to pull herself together enough so as to not ruin Jason's vacation at the lake. This is how the next two days passed. On her last night at the lake, she decided she was strong enough to have a conversation with him, again. She now could have answers to what happened to her during those lost six months, and that desire, the desire to know, overcame her anger for the moment.

She swam out to the far side of the lake and called him.

"I need to know. .." Her voice was flat and her arms were crossed defensively.

"Anything, Lois," he was relieved she was speaking to him, but he could not make eye contact with her.

She inhaled sharply, "I want answers." She looked up at him to make sure she still held his attention. "Were we in a relationship?"

"Yes, very much so." He looked her in the eye.

"Was I in a relationship with Clark as well?" He looked away.

Although he had anticipated this question, he couldn't answer it. He wouldn't lie to her, but he couldn't bear to tell her the truth at this moment. It was selfish, he knew, but he couldn't lose her as Clark, not now.

"We were very committed to each other, Lois"

His evasion was not lost on her, but she knew from countless interviews that he wouldn't explain further at this point. She would have to press that question at another time.

She broke eye contact to stare at the moon's reflection on the water, "And you did this to me because you loved me?"

"Because I love you."

Her eyes were watering, but she quietly sniffed back the tears. "I don't remember loving you, how can I not remember loving you?"

He turned his back toward her.

He could no longer look her in the eye. Her question was rhetorical. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to not remember what it was like to love Lois.

"I want one memory back, I am sorry if it will be awkward, but I have to have it, it's a hole which is burning me, threatening to tear me apart all these years. I have to know."

It was getting harder and harder for her to hold back the tears. "I have to know how our child was conceived." The tears were running down her cheeks. She couldn't hide it.

He ached because he had caused her this pain. He wanted to touch her, comfort her, and kiss her. He wanted to hold her.

Instead he settled on asking "Do you know the date, I mean, when, do you know when he was conceived?"

"Between February 28th and March 1st."

He laughed out loud. He couldn't help himself. Lois smiled slightly as well, although her stance remained terse. "What is funny?"

"Well, um, uh . . ." he didn't realize how awkward this could be, "my Birthday is February 29th."

Lois struggled not to smile, to remain stern and to focus on the anger. However, when she looked up, and saw his blue eyes watching her, they both laughed out loud.

But, Lois being Lois she couldn't resist, "Too bad you didn't stick around to receive your present."

He ignored her sarcasm, but was humbled by its meaning.

"You planned an elaborate romantic evening. You looked more beautiful then I had ever seen you. You wore a floor length black dress with a halter front and your hair was pulled back in a ballerina bun. You were exquisite." He looked at her trying to read her expression.

"I always wondered where I had worn that dress. It didn't seem like something I would normally wear in public, it doesn't leave too much to the imagination."

"No, it didn't." He couldn't hide the longing in his voice.

They both looked away from each other, clearly embarrassed.

"Just as we were about to leave, there was an earthquake in Mexico. I was gone for a few hours. You were asleep by the time I returned, and when I looked at you still wearing the dress. I remember clearly how happy I felt at that moment, that I was lucky enough to belong to you. I hadn't meant to wake you, but I couldn't resist kissing you, happy that you were there in my arms."

He risked a glance at her, and saw she was watching him intensely. "Please finish?" she asked.

"Well, I um, I mean, you can assume the rest, and now we have Jason."

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean . . .Uh" she couldn't stop stammering, the air was thick.

She thought for a moment, "that is different then I thought, I mean not that I thought about you like that, I mean I had, but um, I mean, it just seems so normal."

Lois paused lost in her train of thought, she had it all wrong, all these years, she didn't put a single piece of the puzzle in the right place.

"Lois, I am sorry, you have to know that." His voice was broken as he spoke.

She found her words, she wanted him to know how not having the memories tortured her, she wanted him to understand her pain, "At first I thought I must have been rapped." She stole a glance at him.

How could I have let this happen?

Satisfied she had his attention she continued "I didn't realize I was pregnant until I was nine weeks along, I didn't have much time to choose. Having children was never something I thought I would do . . .it's not something I stopped to consider, before that"

"Lois, I don't know what to say"

She turned away from him again, not wanting to look him in the eye "I then focused on the period of time of my life right before the six month period, and I thought about the men in my life, and I thought Clark and I must have been in a romantic relationship. He was my friend, my partner, my confidant, why not my lover?"

She picked up a rock and through it in the water. "I guess I convinced myself the baby I was carrying was his, and as soon as I thought that, as soon as I was certain Clark was my baby's father, I knew what to do, it all seemed so clear at the time."

He saw the tears running down her face. He walked over and hesitated a moment, unsure of how she would react. He gently put his arms around her and pulled her close to him.

As soon as she felt his arms around her, and her body warming to his temperature, she could no longer hold back her emotions and she crumpled in his arms. Between the tears she managed to say "I was so sure Clark was Jason's father I nearly called his mother several times. I just wanted someone to know to understand. I had to lie to everyone around me, I couldn't bare to tell people that he left me, so instead I made up that I was dating someone long distance and soon after the affair ended I found out I was pregnant."

Lois untangled herself from his arms and found her anger again "And all this time, I had it wrong, you're the father of my child, and Clark and I had never been romantically involved, it was you all along."

Lois stepped into the water "I'm going to tell you something right now and you better listen closely"

It caught him off guard how easily her emotions flipped. He stepped backafraid of her. He saw the anger return to her face. "Lois, please", it was a whisper, too low for her to hear.

Her voice was strained between sadness and anger "First, don't ever lay your hands on me again. Second, and this is the part you better pay attention to, if you hurt my son, if you leave again or if you try any of those mind altering tricks on him, I will make you pay. You try any of this suggestiveness hypnotic bullshit with my child, the wrath I will unleash upon you will make Lex Luther look like your best friend."