Second Chance

I know it has been a while, but university just consumes all of my time. I actually should be working on some experiments for tomorrow, but I just need a break.

I hope that there are still some people out there who read this fan fiction, because I really put some thought in it to balance the two series.

Chapter 3 – Insecurity

Previously: 'Actually, it can be,' a familiar voice said reluctantly.

'Lois?' Clark said surprised. He wasn't happy to see her. He actually didn't feel anything at that moment. His head struggled with the information he got. He wanted to scream at Oliver for putting him through this without a reason. Why did he tell him Lana was dead? She couldn't be.

Clark waited for her answer, but she just stood there. Guilt clearly written all over her face. Her eyes were glistening with the tears she was fighting back.

'What are you doing here?' he encouraged her to speak. His voice was gentle as always, but the impatience in his eyes was evident.

'Chloe gave me a heads up,' she explained, 'I wanted to see how you are doing.'

'I am fine. Chloe is mistaken. Lana is fine,' he stubbornly said. He was so focused on not letting them convince him, that he didn't catch the hurt in her expression.

Not that she had wanted any harm for Lana. It hurt her though to see how much it affected him. It was obvious that he wasn't able to accept it. He reminded her of a little boy that she met when the general dragged her with him to a camp. His mother was killed by a grenade. He didn't believe them either. He was just sitting on the ground with tears in his eyes, rocking back and forth. He kept repeating stubbornly, 'You are lying. Mommy will come any second. She promised. Why are you lying? You are mean! She promised! Mommy never lies.'

He was so lost. And yet not nearly as lost, as Clark was in this very moment.

He still loves her. Admitting it to herself hurt even more than watching him struggle with the news.

'She is not,' Lois voice was a mere whisper.

'Yes she is! Lana is indestructible!' he insisted raising his voice.

Lois couldn't believe it. His so gentle voice was getting harsh because of her.

'You are wrong again,' she simply said, trying to stay composed.

His eyes were piercing holes through her now. He was angry; angry that she would try to convince him that his Lana was dead.

Lois sensed it. She gulped.

'Lana lost her powers,' she finally said. She had been playing with these words for four months now. She had never found the courage to form this sentence, though. Now it was inevitable. Now it didn't matter anyway.

'Don't talk rot! How would that be possible? And how would you know?' Clark was getting even more annoyed. One reason was, because he knew Lois didn't lie- ever. Deep down he knew that if she was telling him, Lana lost her powers that was probably what happened, or at least what she believed that happened. And if she knew that, she hadn't found out today.

'I was there. I saw it happening,' she said with a hoarse voice.

Clark didn't respond. His face hardened.

'Clark, say something, please!' she begged.

'Go on,' he simply ordered. Yes, it was an order. His voice was calm, but the command was still there, even if well hidden. One could sense the force that was building up inside him.

Lois gulped one more time. She knew that she had made a mistake. She hoped though, that he wouldn't care. And the feeling that she was hoping for nothing was too much to bear.

'The Angel of the Plateau, my story in Africa back in June,' she explained,' it was Lana.'

Clark clenched his fists on his sides. His jaw tightened.

Oliver noticed and put a hand on his arm to calm him. He looked his friend in the eyes as if to tell him not to snap, because he would regret it.

Lois noticed his reaction as well. She breathed in. Well done, Lane.

'She saved my life. But then everything went wrong. John Corben,' she tried to explain but Clark cut her off.

'Metallo? What did he do to her?' Clark panicked. He remembered all too well about Corben. About his new heart, that could absorb kryptonite. Was it possible that he could hurt her because of that?

Lois was reluctant. She wasn't ready for his reaction.

'Dammit, Lois! Tell me!'

Her eyes widened. Her sweet Clark was yelling at her because of another woman.

'He absorbed the kryptonite from her system- along with the nanites. The Prometheus suit is gone,' she said with a shallow voice. She felt like she hadn't control. Like she was observing the situation from far away.

'Why didn't you tell me?' his voice demanding once again.

That did it. She snapped.

'You really have to ask? Just look at yourself, Clark! This kind of behavior doesn't suit a guy who is supposed to have moved on! Do you honestly blame me that I didn't want to tell you, that you can go near her again? Because right now you are proving me right. I had every reason to be afraid that you would just run off to find her,' tears of anger and pain were streaming down her face.

'How dare you, Lois? How dare you hiding something like that because you feel insecure. We have been together for quite a while now. Have I ever given you reason to be jealous? To be afraid that I might leave you? She was vulnerable again, Lois! And you just left her there, where so many people clearly wanted revenge from the Angel of the Plateau. If she's dead…,' Clark was furious now.

'It was her choice to stay. I didn't stop her! She obviously didn't want to come back to you. This might frustrate you, but it is not my fault!' Lois knew that it wasn't true. She just wanted to fire back. She had seen the sadness in Lana's eyes, when she talked about the side effects of the suit.

'Guys,' Oliver finally interfered, 'you are both upset. Just stop now, before you say anything you will regret later. Don't let this escalate.'

'Stay out of it, Oliver,' Clark quickly responded, 'so she didn't know that we are engaged?'

His voice was challenging. He already knew the answer. That is why she always looked so guilty. He just wanted her to admit it.

Lois hesitated, but then decided that at this point it didn't really matter.

'I told her that we are together. She saw the ring. I didn't mean for her to see it, I swear.'

Clark looked at her for a very long moment.

'What happened to the Lois I fell in love with? The Lois who cared for people, who wasn't selfish. When did you become the kind of woman that clings to a man and does everything to stay with him, no matter the cost? When did you become this insecure little girl? The Lois I know wouldn't want me if I didn't want her as well. She wouldn't want to keep me if I didn't want to stay. Why do you bother being with me if you believe that I would leave you for another woman?' his voice was hard, the disappointment evident.

'The moment I discovered that you had a choice. A choice you didn't have when we got together. That is when,' she simply answered.

'If she is dead, you are the one to blame. She stayed away because you rubbed the engagement ring in. If she had come back, if you had told us – if not me at least Oliver – we could have protected her. I really hope nothing happened to her.'

With these last words he took off in full speed. His words were lingering in the room. Lois wasn't sure if they were a threat or mere desperation. Clark probably didn't know either.

She finally gave in to the tears completely.

It broke Oliver's heart to see her like that. He hugged the woman – no, the mess- that Clark had left behind, trying to soothe her.

But even though, Oliver didn't like seeing Lois crying like that. He couldn't blame his friend. He was as surprised as Clark that Lois would hide something like that out of insecurity. This wasn't something that reminded of Lois, indeed.

But then again this wasn't any woman like she said. It was Lana.

Before you try to find and kill me, I don't hate Lois. I think she has a pretty cool attitude. I simply used the fact than in the season 11 comics she did find Lana. Her insecurities were evident during the show. Towards Oliver, Clark, her father. So I played with the subject "even the purest people make mistakes". So yeah, Lois is a good person, but when it came to Clark and her fears she acted selfish.

Will it cost her Clark? Or will he calm down and come back to her?

Where did Clark go? Do you think he will search for Lana?

I know that some people will think that this behavior doesn't suit Clark. But we have seen him acting like this before. He can't be the sweet talking Clark when he is in agony.

Apart from that, Clark grew up in the last seasons. In my opinion he got more confident. So I just wanted to show the more powerful side of Clark.