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Superman rescued three people trapped within the collapsed earth. Once he ascertained that their medical needs were being met, Superman departed the area. The perimeter was secure, with little to no danger of any further slippage. Normally, he would have stayed longer to participate in cleanup efforts, but he wasn't willing to leave Lois for too long. As it was, he was going to have to wash up before he could face her.
He flew back to the balcony; the sound of the shower made him smile. At least he'd had the foresight to arrange that. He wouldn't have to provide any awkward explanations to Lois. He spun out of his clothes, and stepped into the warm water. Clark closed his eyes and just took a moment to relax in the downpour.
There were some things that he liked to savor. He enjoyed a nice hot shower, the taste of freshly baked bread, but most of all, he enjoyed kissing Lois Lane. Clark was conflicted. He knew what he should do - tell her the truth, but he didn't know how he should do it. He was thrilled that Lois wanted to be with him as Clark Kent, but he was terrified about her chilly reception of Superman.
The truth would have to come out eventually, and he had a feeling that Lois would not take kindly to being betrayed a second time by Superman. He would have to tell her soon, after they were out of danger. He imagined that Lois would want some distance from both his identities once she learned the truth, and he needed to be in the vicinity while there was a potential threat to her safety. Once this case was wrapped up, and he didn't have to worry about Lois' reaction putting her in peril, he would tell her.
Clark realized that he had been in such a hurry to return without Lois noticing, that he had forgotten to do a sweep of the area to make certain she was all right. He pulled his head out from under the shower's downpour, a movement that was more habit than necessity. He could hear Lois' heartbeat. It was particularly loud and remarkably close.
When he turned his head, he realized why Lois' heartbeat had seemed unusually loud. She was standing in the bathroom gawking at him.
Panic flooded him. "Lois?"
He didn't have his glasses on, and he didn't know if he had done anything too fast that would provide proof of his powers. Why was she standing there, and what must she be thinking? Clark grabbed his glasses and put them on his face, wondering if it was too late.
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Before he even covered himself with a towel, the man grabbed a pair of thick glasses and put them on his wet face. Lois knew that he could see her perfectly well without the corrective lenses, and wondered at the useless gesture.
They were Clark's glasses.
She stumbled back mortified that he was now facing her in all his glory. "Clark! I'll just . . ." Lois tripped over her feet as she walked backwards out of the bathroom. "go. I was worried . . . ." Clark quickly grabbed a towel, as if suddenly aware of his state of undress.
Although she was in shock, Lois tried to act casual, well, as casual as one could get after walking in on a naked god. "I'll just be outside." She turned around and barely managed not to break into a run.
She found herself sitting on her bed. Her mind was awhirl. It was impossible wasn't it? She had a terrible suspicion that she had discovered something that altered her world forever. Surely, not Clark? But it explained so much. Clark hadn't disappeared. He had become Superman, and Superman wasn't in the bedroom anymore because he was really Clark Kent. She buried her head in her hands, breathing shallowly through her mouth.
If Clark had Superman's incredible senses, it would explain how he detected the listening devices. She remembered a myriad of tiny details that had puzzled her, that now made perfect sense, if it were true. The constant disappearances, the odd comments, even the way kissing Clark had felt familiar.
"Lois?" Clark stood in the doorway. His hair was finger combed lying damply on his forehead, his glasses firmly in place. Even with the jeans and brown plaid shirt on, she could see evidence of his fine musculature. How had she never noticed his physique before this week?
When she continued to inspect him silently, Clark eased into the room cautiously. "Lois?" his voice was nervous, high pitched, and nothing like Superman's.
Whatever was going on, she needed time to think. She didn't want to reveal her suspicions until she was sure of the truth. It was just so ridiculous. Lois needed more than an uncanny resemblance and a hunch. She needed facts.
She scooted over for him on the bed suddenly unable to meet his eyes. "God, Clark. I'm so embarrassed." If he was Superman, he could probably hear the way her heart was refusing to slow down. She hoped this confession would put him off her real suspicions. She didn't want Clark to be on his guard.
Clark chuckled, sitting down beside her. "I'll admit that I was surprised to find you there, but it wasn't exactly the end of the world."
Lois froze with horror. "The bugs" she mouthed at him counting on him reading her lips.
Clark cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Superman eliminated the rest of them. It's safe to talk."
Superman, indeed! Lois narrowed her eyes remembering how she couldn't find Clark after replacing the hammer. Had Clark moved that quickly?
Her doubt at his identity was born of the inability to reconcile Clark Kent and Superman as one individual. But as she looked into his eyes, she realized how blind she had been. He had the same features and the same devastating ability to upset her equilibrium. She should have realized the moment that she kissed Clark Kent. There had only ever been one man that could make her feel that way, and it had been wishful thinking to believe that she had found someone else that could have the same impact.
Her training as a journalist warned her not to make conclusions without evidence, but her gut instinct told her that she was right. Clark Kent and Superman were the same man. She might have figured out the truth, but Clark didn't know about her sudden enlightenment. For once in their 'relationship', she would be the one who was keeping secrets.
"He got rid of all the audio surveillance?" Of course Clark couldn't take a chance at someone overhearing his movements. His secret was the most important thing to him. "When exactly did he do this?"
"Just before he picked up Jason."
She looked at him dubiously. "And he came back to tell you that the house was clean?"
Clark nodded slowly watching her closely.
"That explains why I saw him landing on your balcony earlier."
Clark's eyes got wide, and he babbled nervously, "He wanted you to be safe."
"That must have been an interesting conversation, since you were still in the shower."
"Yes, well, obviously he didn't stay long, since, I was . . . indisposed."
Lois was smiling broadly now, enjoying herself. She began to laugh, more than the situation warranted. "I'm sorry, Clark." She gasped out. "You have to admit, it's a funny image."
Clark chuckled, more in response to seeing Lois so amused then anything else.
"I would have loved to see his face." She was wiping at her eyes as she elbowed Clark careful not to injure her arm.
Clark smiled easily now. "Well, he was pretty startled."
"You'd think he would have heard the water running."
"Maybe he was distracted?"
"I suppose. I can sympathize. You're quite an eyeful."
Clark blushed furiously. "Lois!" he wailed.
"Do you think he planned that on purpose? Maybe he liked what he saw." She said, feeling devilish.
"You don't honestly believe . . . "
"Well, we know so little about him. He isn't from around here. Who knows what's really going on in Superman's mind?"
Clark recognized the way her eyes were dancing, and rolled his eyes at her. "Lois, I think you know more about Superman, than anyone else."
Her dark humor dissipated. She recalled how she was concerned that Clark was jealous of Superman. What a laugh.
Clark asked, "Why did you come in there? You said something about being worried."
The room became suddenly somber. "I thought I heard something, and then when I called for you, you didn't answer. With all the people disappearing in this neighborhood, I wanted to make certain that you were alright." It was the truth. Of course, she wouldn't have worried half so much if she had known that Clark Kent was Superman. She didn't want to confess to him about how she had become almost frantic with worry when she had found the empty shower stall. Lois didn't want him to know that she was aware of the truth, and she knew deep in her heart, she wanted to test Clark. Just how far would Clark go to maintain his secret?
Lois couldn't look at him right now. She lowered her gaze. Clark took her chin and raised her head to peer intently into her eyes. His blue eyes seemed lit by a banked fire, sending warm currents coursing through her body. Lois longed for him so much that it hurt. She found herself gravitating toward him before she regained control of her reaction. Lois needed time to sort out her feelings, and being this close to Clark made everything a jumble.
"Do you think Jason is all right?"
"He'll be safe. The biggest threat he might face is eating too many cookies."
Oh no! She had this sudden image of him running around the farm at super speed. Lois went pale and said quickly, "I hope he doesn't eat too much sugar. Lately, he can get a bit . . . wild."
"My mom can deal with anything Jason does." He assured her.
He was talking about the woman who had raised him as a baby. If Clark was Superman then that meant that Martha Kent had raised Superman. That meant that Jason was with his grandmother . . . and that Clark was Jason's father.
How could he do that her? To them? She couldn't face Clark right now. She was confused, furious, and more than a little hurt.
"What is it Lois? What's wrong?" Clark asked, alarmed.
"There's just a lot to deal with. Jason, this story, and . . . us."
If she had known what he intended, she might have pulled away, but the moment his lips captured hers, all she could do was feel. She was swept away in a tide of sensation, pressing hard against him in response.
He pulled back to place a series of kisses along her forehead, hairline, and jaw. It made Lois feel warm inside, like Clark didn't just desire her, but that she was truly cherished.
It confused the hell out of her.
Clark said, "It will all work out. Jason's safe, we'll get the story just like we usually do, this time as a team, and as for us, well, there are some things that we need to work out, but there's no hurry. Just remember that no matter what happens, I'll always be around."
I'll always be around. That wasn't entirely true, as his five year absence attested, Lois thought.
"Clark. There's something that I've been meaning to tell you. I never meant to keep secrets from you, but I think it's time you knew the truth."
Clark's warm gaze almost made her lose her courage, but she was too angry to stop now. "I know I can tell you because your Superman's friend, I mean come on, he's even been to your mother's house, and I know we can trust you. After all, you don't have a deceitful bone in your body." Lois hoped that he couldn't hear the rancor that she felt.
She took a deep, shaky breath and grabbed his hand, not caring if she dug her nails into his skin. He probably couldn't even feel it. Did he ever really feel anything? "Superman and I have had a past. Jason was the result, but you know what? It must have been pretty inconvenient for him because he left me without any memory of our little 'fling'. After what he did, Superman's lucky that I even speak to him. So you don't have a thing to worry about Clark. You could never hurt me the way he did."
Clark's face blanched, and Lois was disappointed that she didn't get any real satisfaction out of his distress. It took him a moment to be able to speak. Finally, he said, "Lois. You can't possibly believe that . . . I mean I know how much Superman must have wanted . . . I don't think anyone would want to leave you like that."
"I don't think anyone could force Superman to do something against his will. Do you? Clark, you weren't there. It took me a long time to come to terms with finding myself pregnant with no memory of being intimate with someone. Even Richard never really believed my claims. I'm pretty sure that he just assumed that I had done something shameful or that I'd been raped or something."
"Oh, Lois." Clark moaned, burying his head in his hands.
"Clark, you have nothing to be ashamed of. I just wanted to be completely honest with you. Maybe I was wrong to tell you about me and Superman. I never told anyone else before, not even Richard, but I don't want you to be . . . jealous of Superman. I just felt that we were growing close and I didn't want there to be anything standing as a wedge between us."
"No. I'm glad you told me Lois. And you know that I would never tell anyone else."
"If I'm certain of one thing, Clark is your ability to keep a secret." She agreed, feeling her throat close on her. She was having trouble breathing.
Clark looked at her oddly, and Lois smiled with false innocence.
"It's been an exhausting day, and it's late. I think I'll go to bed now. I want to get an early start tomorrow. See you in the morning?" Lois said a little too fast. She knew that Clark must suspect that she was upset, but she was pretty certain he didn't know that she had figured out his alternate identity.
Clark ran his hands through his hair, and Lois could tell that he wanted to say something, anything. She was angry at herself when she experienced a pang of pity for the man.
"Thanks for listening Clark." There was a finality to her tone, that made continuing this conversation impossible.
Clark sighed and said, "I'll just be in the other room. Call me if you need anything. I should be able to hear you."
She bet. Lois shut the door. She felt her eyes fill with tears and she wasn't really certain why she was crying. She tried to tell herself it was because she was so angry at Clark, but she knew the real truth was that she was crying because she had lost someone that was very dear to her.
Clark Kent didn't exist.
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