Thanks goes to 4ever1 for being the beta on this. Thank you also to all the wonderful people that left me reviews.
Sssssssssssssssssssss
Clark would rather face Lois' wrath than her funeral. It was as simple as that. She was safe and he would rescue the missing homeowners.
Clark returned to the accident site, putting Lois' shoes on the roadside to make it appear that she had kicked them off before running into the trees. He zipped to the back of the truck and rewrapped the rope around his hands, making sure that there was enough slack to account for a small pair of hands slipping free.
He was just in time. The driver shouted when he saw Lois gone and Clark alone. They ran toward the truck.
"Where'd she go?" The driver asked. His thinning hair was wild.
"She's probably in another state by now. You'll never find her." Clark asserted.
The driver grunted, his eyes narrowing. He slammed the butt of his pistol against the back of Clark's skull. Clark feigned unconsciousness as the gun shattered into pieces.
There was a tense silence for a moment. Finally the other man said. "What'd you do that for?"
"It never happens that way in the movies." The driver complained.
"You're lucky that he's still breathing. Come on Hollywood, let's go find that reporter before this gets any worse and we make headline news." With that they left to search the area.
Reporter. They knew who they were. Clark was extremely grateful that Lois was no longer here and out of harm's reach. Had this accident happened because they had learned that he and Lois worked for the Daily Planet? How had they learned the truth? Clark suspected it had to do with the elimination of the surveillance devices in the house.
It was only a minute before the men gave up the search. They got into the truck and drove the protesting vehicle back to Genetech. Clark lay immobile trying to calculate how long he should remain "unconscious."
He knew he should be thinking of his current predicament, but instead all he could think of was Lois. Clark had tried to imagine Lois' reaction to learning about his identity many times. Usually, he pictured sitting her down, preferably miles away from anyone else, and telling her as soothingly as he could that he was Superman.
He knew how much his deception would hurt her. Lois was bound to be somewhat humiliated that she hadn't discovered the truth on her own. Her ability to ferret out the truth was a point of pride for her. She couldn't truly understand his need to conceal his identity that without this deception there would be only Superman. His private life as Clark Kent would never exist.
Sometimes he imagined her screaming at him in fury, other times Clark thought that she would weep. The worst was when she didn't say anything and just turned around and walked away never to speak to him again.
Whatever the reaction, Lois could no longer feel any form of affection for Clark Kent. He would no longer have a place in her life. He could never imagine that she could forgive him for his deception. Their relationship would become like a divorced couple focusing reluctantly on visitation rights for their son.
Clark had never entertained the possibility that Lois would kiss him once the truth had been revealed. It had to have been a mistake. Not that he was complaining, but it just didn't feel right. He felt guilty, like he deserved her anger. She had said, "You could never hurt me the way he did." But because Clark and Superman were one and the same, he had hurt her even more than she had realized. But when she had learned the truth, she hadn't even acted surprised.
Lois had to have comprehended the full implications of what had happened because she had made the comment, "Statistically speaking, it's still safer to fly, right?" Lois knew, and still she had kissed him. Lois had every right to lash out at him. Instead, she had not exhibited any signs of anger, confusion, or upset. If anything, she hadn't had any reaction at all.
It was . . . disturbing.
Clark could only come to one conclusion. Things had happened so fast that Lois hadn't had time to process the meaning of it all. He had seen people seriously hurt at accident scenes that were completely unaware of the pain while the adrenaline coursed through their system. He vividly remembered a mother that had run on a broken ankle to engulf her young daughter in a hug. It was only after he had flown both of them to the hospital that she became aware of the pain.
Lois hadn't had time to feel any hostility for his deception. She was probably furious now. Clark was glad that Lois was a few states away. He prayed that she didn't do anything too foolish while they were apart. It might have been wiser to take her to the Fortress instead of Kansas. He'd just have to hope that his mother could placate her enough so that Lois wouldn't do anything that they'd both regret.
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
It was hard to sustain her fury when a yellow lab was peering up at her with soulful eyes, but Lois was giving it her best. The dog was leaning against her leg, his tail sporadically twitching in a tentative wag.
Jason ran out of the farm house, "Mommy." He gave her a huge hug. The boy began talking rapidly telling her all about his adventures on the farm. He told her about the cat that was too fat to catch mice that was living in the loft in the barn. Jason described the huge tractor that he jumped over with only one try, and about baking bread and how important it was to use your knees while making it.
At Lois' confused look Martha explained from the doorway, "Kneading bread."
"Oh." Lois smiled her dark mood improving.
"I have a pot of coffee inside, and we were just about to see how that bread turned out."
"Do we have to leave already?" Jason pleaded following them inside. "Did daddy . . ." at Martha's stern look Jason quickly corrected, "Do we have a ride home?"
Lois noticed the look and wondered exactly what the two of them had been talking about. First, she needed to find out what was happening at Genetech. She didn't have her purse, which meant she had no money and no identification. There was no way she'd be getting onto an airplane without pulling out all the stops. And that took time. She could probably get Perry to arrange transport for her, but that would involve explaining how she had ended up in Kansas.
She sighed heavily, closing her eyes while pressing her fingers to the bridge of her nose.
"We can figure this out inside, honey." Martha urged.
Lois tried for a polite smile, but from Martha's worried look, it must have looked ghastly. She walked into the house. The elderly woman's eyes widened when she noticed Lois' bare feet.
"I need to get back to Metropolis."
"Maybe you should get cleaned up first?" Martha suggested. Her voice was gentle, but Lois could see a glimmer of humor in her eyes.
"I can't believe he did this to me."
"Superman?"
"Your son." she could have been correcting Martha, but from the significant look Lois gave her the truth seemed to hum between them.
"Oh my." Martha Kent went white.
Lois took her hand without thinking and said "Don't worry. I'm going to strangle him before anyone can learn his secret."
Martha regained her color and chuckled. "That bad huh? He's about as stubborn as they come, but I have a feeling that he just might have met his match. Come. I'll find you something to wear."
Lois would have considered arguing if her feet weren't so cold. She looked down at her bare feet somewhat ruefully. "That might be a good idea. I can always throttle him after I'm all clean. Might leave less evidence for the guys in forensics." She joked.
Martha's eyes twinkled, but she remained wisely silent.
Lois showered and dressed in a pair of Martha's jogging pants. The matching shirt was too small across the bust, so Lois helped herself to one of Clark's Kansas university sweatshirts. She slipped her feet into a pair of sandals Martha had left her.
His room was almost a shrine to the boy Clark had been. It made her feel like she was privy to something very private by even being here. Lois stood there taking it all in before a picture caught her attention. It was at a high school graduation. Clark was standing next to a red haired woman. Was that Lana? She was a little too pretty and Lois found herself looking for flaws in the even featured woman. Where was Lana now? Just how much had Clark cared for her?
Lois recalled how Clark had told her that he hadn't loved Lana. Had he ever loved anyone? Why couldn't she remember their time together?
If he had loved her once so long ago, why had he chosen to leave? Lois noticed that there wasn't a picture of her or Jason anywhere in the room. She couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy while seeing evidence of the comfortable familiarity Clark and the other woman had shared.
Lois buried her nose in the collar at her neck. She could detect a faint aroma of Clark's soap. A wave of longing swept through her. She missed him, his easy smile and the deep timber of his voice. It suddenly seemed that he was millions instead of hundreds of miles away.
She had to get back to Metropolis. What was Clark doing now? How long would it take to find out what was going on in the Iron Gates community?
When Lois reappeared in the kitchen, Martha said in a no nonsense manner. "Jason's in the barn feeding the cat. Sit down and have a cup of coffee. Or would you prefer tea?"
Lois shook her head. Martha was commanding and somehow pleasant at the same time. Lois could understand how even Superman couldn't argue with this woman.
"I can't stay. Clark needs me."
Martha looked at her intently, before saying "That might be true, but I don't know if it's in the way that you mean."
She poured two cups and sat across from Lois. "How long have you known?"
"About . . ?" Lois drew an imaginary S on her chest.
Martha nodded.
"Just a few days."
Her eyes widened, as Martha carefully sipped her hot coffee. Lois didn't know how she could stay so quiet. Surely, the curiosity must be eating her up inside. Lois knew that if their situations had been reversed, she would have demanded all the details by now. Martha Kent seemed content to sit across the table sipping her coffee, waiting patiently for Lois to volunteer information.
"You're welcome to stay as long as you need. I'm sure my son will be coming to take you home soon enough."
Lois watched Jason run past the window, holding a stalk of corn like an action figure. The leaves fluttered so that at a quick glance it was easy to imagine that they formed a cape flowing back in the wind. The boy pretended to land the corn Superman and she could see that Jason was having an animated conversation with the husk.
The coffee mug in Martha's hands clattered to the table, sloshing some of the steaming brew onto the scarred tabletop. Her gasp was quickly smothered by the back of one shaking hand.
Lois felt her heart leap and she whirled around trying to locate what had startled Martha. The older woman's eyes were wide, fixed on Lois' hand. When Martha met Lois' gaze she tried to smother her reaction. Her eyes were moist, her lower lip trembled. "Excuse me." She rushed out of the room.
Lois looked down and immediately understood. The wedding band glinted brightly in the light; it seemed suddenly heavy on her hand. Why had she reacted so strongly? A hard lump coalesced in her stomach. Clark's mother hardly even knew Lois. Surely she wouldn't object so strongly to having her for a daughter-in-law, would she?
Martha returned to the room. "Sorry. I thought I'd heard someone at the door." She resumed her seat across the table from Lois. If she hadn't seen Martha's reaction just a moment ago Lois wouldn't have believed it by looking at her now.
Lois met Martha's eyes. "I see now why Clark is such a terrible liar."
Martha blushed, lowering her gaze.
"I guess Clark's told you all about me." Lois said sardonically.
"Oh, dear. You misunderstand. I think Clark's been in love with you from the first day he went to work at that newspaper. It's been hard for my boy, being so different. I was so afraid that he'd always be alone."
Lois shifted uncomfortably, wanting to correct Martha, but needing to hear what she had to say even more. "I didn't think I'd ever see him again. Our time together is hazy, like a half remembered dream. Somehow I don't fully remember . . . but I have Jason so we must have been . . . close."
"Clark mentioned doing something that he regretted." Her brow drew together. "I know it wasn't his relationship with you or having Jason for a son. He adores both of you too much. But messing with your memories . . . I never imagined that he'd done something like that. I had no idea that he was still developing new powers." She grimaced. "I thought I'd raised him better. Sometimes I still want to tan that boy's hide no matter how old he is. At least Clark's got some sense. How long ago was the wedding?"
"Clark and I aren't married."
"Oh. My." Her eyes grew wide and Lois knew that she was wondering if she had revealed too much about Clark's heart. She moaned so low that Lois knew she wasn't supposed to hear. "Poor Clark"
Lois felt her heart go out to this woman. "It's just a prop Perry gave us for our assignment. We were undercover as a married couple. I thought you were upset because you thought I was your daughter-in-law."
"Oh heavens, no." Her eyebrows rose. Martha chose her next words carefully. "My boy's special. He was gone for a long time. Whatever he hoped to find was not out there." She pointed up. "It's right here." She indicated the surrounding area. Lois didn't think Martha was referring to the farm. She patted Lois' hand companionably. "You're the first person I've been able to talk openly about Clark since my Jonathan passed away."
Lois had a memory of Martha's anxious face outside the hospital when Superman had been unconscious. She hadn't realized who she was at the time. Lois felt a pang of pity when she realized the secret had prevented Martha from visiting her ailing son. No one could know of her relationship to Superman. She was just one face among many. If Clark had died, even Martha's grief would have to remain hidden. Lois wondered if someday she would be just like this woman if Jason followed in his father's footsteps.
"I have to hide so many things; missed out on so many years. I had always hoped that when my son got married I'd be there to see it." And Lois understood. Martha had believed that they had gotten married without her knowledge. Martha asked carefully. "You know about Clark, and there's Jason . . . How are things between you two?"
Martha's vulnerability prompted Lois to opening up. She also needed to talk to someone without worrying about revealing secrets. "I'm furious at what he did, and I'm still trying to understand everything. He left me alone with Jason with no memory of our time together . . . and yet I still love him. I don't know what I want to do more, kiss or punch him." Lois smiled remembering the look on Clark's face after she'd kissed him at the barbeque.
"I wouldn't suggest punching him." Martha laughed in relief.
"Probably break my fist." Lois agreed. "Clark saved my life, again. And then brought me here out of some misguided notion of keeping me safe. He's back there all by himself, Mrs. Kent."
"Call me Martha."
Lois gave her a quick smile. "It's been over an hour now. He should have returned by now."
"I have an idea." Martha said. Lois returned Martha's mischievous smile. In that moment, Lois knew she had found a kindred spirit.
Sssssssssssssssssss
Clark groaned, and realized with some unease that his discomfort was not entirely fake. He had actually been unaware for some period of time. Had he fallen asleep? Or had he actually lost consciousness for a while?
He cracked his eyes open to assess the area without notice. Clark could see Victor Valentino on the other side of a glass wall. He was engaged in an intense conversation with the two men that had brought him here. Clark realized that even when he focused, he couldn't hear what they were saying.
He was lying on a cot in the corner of a utilitarian cell. A man clutching a white lab coat sat in the corner of the cell on a folding chair. He was staring blindly at the ceiling. His face looked oddly familiar.
Clark tried to peer beyond the metal walls surrounding him, and felt a white-hot knife of pain pierce his skull. His muscles were on fire; his entire body ached.
Clark realized with dawning horror that his powers were gone.
Ssssssssssssssssssss
Let me know what you think!