I know I left a ton of you confused last chapter. This one clears things up! :)

19: Home

Lois' patience had worn thin. It hadn't escaped her attention that ever since she'd stepped into Superman's house, she hadn't left. Every time she thought about leaving on an errand, the things she desired were brought to her by robots belonging to Superman. She couldn't even go out onto the grounds. It was becoming quite clear to her that this Superman was going to do everything in his power to keep her safe, even if that meant keeping her caged up.

Had he forgotten how she reacted when she felt confined? Apparently. Lois ground her teeth as she sat in the sunlight next to the giant front window, her eyes waiting expectantly for either him or Jason to come flying through the sky. After her insistence, Jason went to school and promised to go to all his classes. He wasn't expected to be home for another three hours. Lois threw the book aside that she'd nabbed from the library.

"I'm tired of reading," she growled. Standing up, she moved out of the comforts of the sun's rays and immediately felt sick. Ignoring the churning in her stomach, Lois gave in to the craving she had for pickles. Opening the door to make her way to the kitchen, one of Superman's annoying robots appeared as if out of thin air. Before he could ask what she desired, Lois held up a hand. "Don't even ask," she snapped.

"But Miss Lois, we have been ordered to take care of you. You look unwell."

"I'll be even more so if you don't get out of my way!"

The robot held out its arms. "I'm sorry but I cannot permit you to go further."

"Permit this," Lois snapped, pulling her arm back and sucker punching the robot in the face.

To both her and the robot's shock, her fist went right through its head! Gasping, Lois yelped and moved away, staring from the robot to her hand and back again. The poor machine crumbled to the floor, loose circuits sparking every few seconds. Shivering, Lois stepped over the robot and headed for the kitchen. She made it ten steps before another robot crossed her.

"For the love of –! Look, if you don't want to end up like your friend over there, get out of my way."

The robot noticed its fallen comrade and stared at Lois as if x raying her. "Indication says your normal human strength has increase sixty percent," the robot noted, "Must be due to the pregnancy. Come, Miss Lois, you must return to the sunlight in order to remain healthy."

"That's it! I've had enough! KAL-EL! GET YOUR SORRY CAPED SELF BACK HERE THIS INSTANT OR I'M GOING TO KILL EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE ANNOYING ROBOTS! YOU HAVE UNTIL THE COUNT OF THREE! ONE! TWO!"

A burst of wind from the nearest window caused her hair to dance all over her face. Yanking it out of her eyes, Lois found Superman standing there looking about as annoyed as she was, not that it mattered.

"Lois, I was in the middle of preventing a robbery. Is what you need more important than that?"

Lois breathed through her nose and suddenly Superman's annoyance was replaced with hesitation. If she could breathe fire, it would be spewing from her nostrils. Sparks practically flew from her eyes. "I am not ten years old, Kal-El! Call off your robots!"

"Lois, they're only trying to protect you."

"From what?!" Lois demanded. "Everyone and their dog is afraid of you! If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were keeping me here like a prisoner. What are you afraid of? That I'll leave and never come back?"

Superman didn't answer. His countenance had darkened. "Do not question what I do, Lois. My decisions are in your best interest."

"That's not good enough," Lois snapped back. "I need a reason, Clark. Now."

"What will you do if I don't?"

Lois closed her eyes. "Don't make me give you an ultimatum, Clark. I'm the last person you want to argue with and we both know that. Why are you keeping me here? What's going on?"

Superman leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, breathing deeply. In another situation, Lois would have demanded for him to speak but for this particular occasion she sensed it was best to remain silent. After a long pause, Superman sighed, his hardened countenance softening.

"Lois, I'm keeping you here out of fear. I already lost you forever once and I don't think I'll be able to handle it if you were taken from me again. I already have to deal with the fact that you're not going to stay with me. The only comforting thing I have to go through with letting you go is to know that you still exist somewhere even if it's not physically here with me. I'm being overly cautious because I'm trying to keep you safe so you can return home."

Touched by his love for her, Lois let her anger melt. "Clark, I appreciate what you're trying to do. But you can't keep me locked up in here. I need to at least be allowed to walk around outside."

"I don't want you going into the city."

"I never said I was going to."

"I know you, Lois. When you want something, you do everything in your power to get it."

"You're right," Lois admitted, leaning against the wall, her sickness making her weak. "But you forget one thing, Clark."

"What's that?" he asked, stepping closer to her in concern.

Lois smiled. "I'm taking care of two people right now. And since it's been years since you've had to experience this, I need to remind you that it's healthy for an expecting mother to go on walks."

Superman looked torn. He seemed at war with himself. Lois waited, crossing her fingers behind her back. Her argument was winning; she could see it in his face. "Fine," he said finally. "You can go on walks but only on the grounds!"

Lois smiled triumphant. "Thank you. And about your watchdogs."

"They stay, Lois," Superman said firmly.

Lois pouted. "Clark, if they keep waiting on my hand and foot I'm going to gain more than simple baby fat! At least allow me to walk to the kitchen to get something on my own!"

"Is that what you were trying to do?"

"Yes! I was craving pickles."

Superman stared. "Pickles?"

"Yes! Don't question it because I can't give an explanation. I just want pickles and gosh darn it, I couldn't even make it ten steps down the hall without one of your robots bombarding me. I need space, Clark, or else I'm going to go crazy."

"Alright, I'll order them not to fawn over you," Superman responded with another sigh. "But they're not leaving you to wander by yourself. They'll always be within sight and sound. And if you need something outside of the mansion, tell them what it is."

"Will they follow me around while I'm walking on the grounds?"

"Only if I'm not there to escort you around myself," he replied tenderly.

Lois sighed. "Fine. I'm going to get pickles now." Superman walked beside her as she slowly made her way down into the kitchen. "Don't you have a robbery to deal with?"

"The others took care of it."

"Oh."

She could feel his concern growing as she gripped the walls to steady herself. Silently she cursed the oddity of her pregnancy. Why did she have to depend on sunlight so much? This baby had better be worth it. Lois smiled as she suddenly remembered saying the same thing a long time ago, when Jason was occupying the space inside her. Fondly she rubbed a hand across her stomach. Superman misinterpreted the gesture.

"Lois, are you alright?" he asked, grabbing her arm in worry.

"I'm fine," she said pleasantly. "I just can't wait to meet him or her."

"I'm sure they will be beautiful," Superman muttered sadly.

For the first time Lois realized that this Clark was never going to see this baby. It dawned on her that when the time came, he'd have to say goodbye not only to her but to the unborn child as well. She found herself holding his hand, squeezing it gently. He returned the gesture. They made it to the kitchen and Lois raided the fridge until she found the pickles. Grabbing the biggest on in the bunch, she munched on it happily while Superman twisted really fast and shed the suit. Clark leaned against the counter, watching her with tender eyes.

"Have you found anything yet?" Lois asked, taking another bite out of her pickle.

Clark shook his head. "Not yet. Since you've told me about the cylinder that brought you here, I went to the Fortress to talk to my father. He explained to me that its creation was a form of torture used on Krypton's deadliest villains. It was the last offense before being sent to the Phantom Zone."

"What would they do with the parallel person?"

"According to my father, they'd treat them well, explaining the process and the assurance that after a week of living in their world, they would be sent home."

"That would call for some serious therapy," Lois muttered. "I'm going to need some when I go home."

"My father suggested that I look around Smallville for the object. I'm not sure if I'll find it there though."

"Why not?"

"Ten years ago we dug up every bit of Kryptonite in the ground and hauled it into space. We would have found it if it was buried with the meteor rock."

Lois frowned. "Maybe it wasn't buried with the meteors."

"Where else would it be?"

"Well, did it come with you in your ship? And if so, wouldn't that be where it is?"

Clark's eyebrows rose. "That would make sense. My father didn't tell me that he placed it with me. Then again, it could have fallen off when my ship crashed. There wasn't any meteor rock where my ship landed."

"I think you found where you have to look."

Clark kissed her on the cheek. "I'll be back within the hour."

"Okay," Lois muttered. "I'll be bathing in the sun out in the yard."

"Be sure to wear a swimsuit."

"Clark!"

o0o0o

Superman wasn't a huge fan of hospitals. He appreciated their purpose but he didn't like being inside for others nor especially himself. Today he was willing to sacrifice his time since it was Lois who was laying in the hospital bed connected to several IVs. Her complexion was pale, her skin stretched thin across bone. Superman sat next to her bedside, holding her hand, thinking about what had transpired over the last hour.

After Luthor died, Jason, Thora, and Robin lost consciousness. After reassuring everyone that their hearts were beating, Superman looked to the spot in the back of their necks and found the devices Luthor used to control them. Temporarily placing the unconscious Lois into Batman's arms, Superman used his heat vision to cut into their flesh while Martian Manhunter manipulated his fingers in such a way that he could reach in and pull out the device without damaging anything else.

The Avengers decided it best to take Thora and travel home as soon as possible. The Justice League would have loved for them to stay but knew that both Dr. Fate and Odin had been keeping the vortex open long enough. Batman offered them his jet saying to simply leave it wherever they docked it. Expressing heartfelt thanks and a desire to maybe one day meet again, the Avengers took their leave. Superman knew that Jason wouldn't be too happy when he woke to find Thora gone. He looked up to see Thor kiss his daughter's forehead before tenderly lifting her into his arms and following the others to the exit.

After some discussion, Superman decided to take Lois to the hospital, entrusting Jason to the League. They promised to get him home safely and wait for further instruction. Aquaman had disappeared briefly only to return with an unconscious Zatanna in his arms. He defied the others when they suggested taking her to the hospital. He argued that it would be better for her to recover at Watchtower. Batman supplied a temporary teleportation device and Aquaman disappeared with Zatanna still in his arms.

Superman arrived at the hospital with Lois ten minutes later. The doctors had put up a stink about who she was but he shot them down with pleadings that it wasn't important for them to know at the present time. They knew better than to argue with him and committed Lois to the ICU allowing Superman to come with them only because Lois's grip was firm in his; he would have broken her fingers if he'd tried to let go.

Now he was sitting in a hospital room as Superman, holding the hand of the woman he loved. He'd much rather be there are Clark Kent but if Superman disappeared now and Clark appeared, everyone would put two and two together. No, he was unfortunately confined. He prayed the press would stay out of this for as long as possible. Secretly thankful that they weren't allowed inside the hospital, Superman turned his attention to Lois. Her breathing was deep but she fidgeted a lot, like she was restless. For the thousandth time Clark wondered over what had happened to her. Why was she like this? There was a knock on the door.

"Excuse me, sir, you have a phone call," a nurse muttered timidly, her cheeks pink.

Superman's brow furrowed. Who would be calling Superman? He looked at Lois. Her hand was still clasped to his. "I'm afraid if I move, I'll break her hand," he admitted.

"I'll bring in a cordless," the nurse supplied.

"Thank you."

A moment later, she returned and held out the phone. After she left, Superman lifted it to his ear. "Hello?"

"It's me," Batman's deep voice drawled through the receiver. "How's she doing?"

"She's still asleep but stable. The doctors say that from the looks of her, she's been abused physically for years mostly due to malnutrition. Her immune system is really frail too but she doesn't have any viruses, thank heaven. If she had they predicted she'd be dead before the end of the week. Nobody is allowed in the room except office staff and myself, seeing as I'm immune to human diseases."

"How long are you planning on staying with her?"

"It depends when she wakes up. I need to find out what happened to her. It would take months for her to look the way she does and I don't believe time differentiates between the parallel universe and ours."

"About that, how would she get back if the cylinder was destroyed?"

"I don't know," Superman muttered.

Batman heard the worry under the calm tone. "Superman, they're both going to be fine."

Superman knew he was talking about Jason. "I hope so."

Seeing that his friend was temporarily satisfied, Batman cleared his throat. "Listen, checking up on you isn't the only reason I called."

"What is it?" Superman asked, suddenly alert.

"There's a message for you," Batman muttered quietly, so quietly that any normal person wouldn't be able to hear. "It's from work."

"What?"

"Perry wants you to call him as soon as you can. He sounded worried."

Superman's brow creased. "I'll call him. Thanks Batman."

"Talk to you soon, I expect."

"Yeah."

The phone clicked. Superman knew he had to make this phone call cautiously. Again he cursed leaving his cell phone at home. Dialing the number of Perry's personal cell, Superman waited. He answered on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Hello, sir. This is Superman." He silently prayed Perry would get the hint not to reveal his identity.

"Why are you calling me from the hospital?" Perry asked his voice tense.

"It's a long story. I'll tell you when I see you in person."

"When will that be?"

Superman looked down at Lois. "I'm not sure," he replied honestly.

"That doesn't do me much good," Perry said. "I need to discuss something with you without any prying ears."

"Could you whisper to me what you would like to say after you've hung up the phone?"

"You'll be able to hear it?" he asked, surprised.

"Yes."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye."

The moment the line clicked, Superman strained his hearing, focusing solely on Perry's voice.

"Clark, I hope you can hear me," Perry muttered. "This is the weirdest thing I've ever done. I feel like I'm talking to myself." Clark smiled. "Look, Lex Luthor came in to see me yesterday. Told me he had the biggest story of the century and demanded that I print it in this morning's newspaper. He dropped the file on my desk and left with a satisfied smirk. I opened the file and it was all about you. He wanted me to expose your identity to the world. He threatened that if I didn't do it, he'd blow up the Daily Planet."

If Superman wasn't holding Lois's hand, he would have bolted for the window. He looked out at the Daily Planet. The building was fine. Perry was in his office holding the phone to his ear, obviously pretending to be on a call. Clark smiled over his ruse.

"Before you come gallivanting over here," Perry said, interrupting Superman's thoughts of how to leave Lois without hurting her, "I called in the League and they found the bomb. Flash made sure it was in the middle of the Atlantic when it went off. I've never had to use the Watchtower website before but that's a pretty amazing system you guys have. Also, don't worry about the files. Nobody else knows they exist. I checked every single newspaper and anchor; Luthor didn't give anyone else the information. I guess he figured I'd print the story out of anger that my employee had been the Man of Steel all along. He was dead wrong. I burned everything on the roof the second the coast was clear last night. Hope everything's going alright. They found Luthor's body twenty minutes ago. It's all over the news. I have a feeling you know what happened so I'm assigning you to write an article and get it to me before the end of the day for the evening addition. Don't you dare be late, Kent!"

Superman figured that was the end of the conversation. He watched Perry put the phone down and tuned out of the editor's office. Sighing, he stared at Lois. Oh, he knew exactly what happened. There was no way he was going to say that Lois Lane had killed Lex Luthor; that would be the worst thing he could possibly do. But if he didn't, he'd be lying and, as a reporter, that hurt his pride. Perry would get his article but not until Superman had talked to Lois first.

As if on cue, the woman's eyes opened instantly and her heartbeat skyrocketed into overdrive. She looked around wildly, crying out.

"Lois! Lois, relax!" Superman said, standing up and leaning over her. "It's me. It's only me."

Lois's eyes fixed on him. "Clark?" she muttered.

"Superman," he emphasized, looking around nervously. Thankfully the doctors were still in the hall, rushing to the room after being alerted by her change in heart pace.

Lois looked confused but then seemed to remember the importance of secrecy. Before either could speak, the doors burst open. Lois cried out and latched onto Superman in a death grip, her eyes wide with terror at the sight of the doctors and nurses filing into the room.

"She's alright," Superman said in his commanding voice. "She just woke up and didn't know where she was."

The doctors checked the monitors and then nodded after a moment. "Her vitals are fine," one said to the other. "Miss, we're going to have to ask you a few questions."

"May I ask them first?" Superman asked casually but with enough authority to hint that the doctors were going to have to wait whether they liked it or not.

"Of course," they said reluctantly. "We'll return in twenty minutes."

"Thank you," Superman replied courteously. He waited for the doctors to leave before turning his full attention back to Lois. The woman looked on edge but her heartbeat was no longer flying off the handle. "Lois, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, Kal-El," she whispered, staring at him in wonder, "now that you're here with me."

"Lois, what happened to you?" Superman demanded, holding her hand with both of his.

Lois swallowed. "I don't even understand all of it."

"Tell me what you can," he invited kindly.

Lois took a ragged breath. "I'll try. It all started ten years ago, back on the Gertrude."

Superman's brow furrowed. "Ten years ago?"

"Yes," Lois muttered, unaware of his confusion. "Luthor shot me with a Kryptonite bullet but didn't kill me. You thought I was dead probably because the Kryptonite was everywhere in the room. In fury you released your heat vision on Luthor. He tumbled to the ground. Then you grabbed Jason and left us."

Superman was completely confused. None of that had happened. But something told him to keep his mouth shut and simply listen.

Lois continued. "You thought you'd killed him. You thought I was dead. But the truth was that we both lived, Kal-El. Luthor's men found us and took us to one of his private islands. Luthor was badly injured from your attack on him. We found out later that you had paralyzed him from the waist down. I didn't know this until two days ago but since your secret was revealed to the whole world, Luthor figured he'd have to lie low. When his men brought supplies the next day, they also brought the Daily Planet morning addition. The headline displayed both Luthor's and my death.

"Luthor decided that since he was proclaimed dead and so was I that he could do whatever he wanted to me. Since I didn't know the truth about your identity being revealed, he used the information against me. For ten years he has manipulated me into doing things for him, taking care of him, and helping him move around. I hoped that you would come looking for us but you never appeared. The private island we were on was so small and we were underground. The place was lined with both lead and Kryptonite. You never would have found me.

"I didn't try to escape since Luthor knew about both you and Jason. He threatened to kill you both if I dared leave. He would allow his men to abuse me if I became defiant. He allowed me to eat only once a day and even then the portion was minuscule. I learned fast to give in and do whatever Luthor wanted. I was determined to do anything if it was going to save the two of you. Then, after ten long years, it happened. I went in to Luthor's room to wake him like I usually did every morning only to find that he'd finally died! I was so overjoyed, I didn't know what to do with myself. His men showed up shortly after only to discover the same thing. They left me on the island to fend for myself.

"I found newspaper articles in Luthor's office and to my fury learned the world had known your secret for years. I couldn't believe that Luthor had locked me up in a prison for ten years and I hadn't figured out that I was being held prisoner for nothing. Infuriated, I was determined to get off that island and find you as soon as I could.

"After two weeks of living alone, I managed to attract a ship with a fire. They rescued me and brought me to Metropolis. Everything was different. I was surprised how instead of the usual hustle and bustle, most people weren't walking on the streets; the few who were seemed to be in a hurry. I asked someone if they knew where Superman was but they looked at me in terror and bolted for the nearest door, locking it behind them. I was just about to cross the street when the weirdest thing happened.

"A blinding light surrounded me and I was suddenly standing in an old office. The building I was in was completely deserted. Confused, I left only to find I was in Metropolis and this Metropolis was similar to the one I'd always known, unlike the city I'd been in moments before. I looked for you again but people just laughed and expressed their desire to get in touch with you.

"From that I realized that people didn't know who you were! Imagine my confusion. I went to our house only to find a different couple lived there and had been living there for years. I was on my way to the Daily Planet when I saw you barreling though the sky towards LexCorp. I managed to slip into the hole before the authorities showed up. Looking around, I discovered that Luthor was alive! I couldn't understand that one at all; I'd seen his corpse! How on earth could he still be living? Anger boiled up inside me and I found one of Luthor's bodyguards dead under some loose rock.

"I pried the gun from his belt and headed for the security room. Once I saw the cameras and learned that you were fighting against Jason and Luthor was in the background, I rushed to the elevator as fast as I could. I guess I made it just in time, huh? When I saw him standing over you, instinct took over and I shot him. I don't regret it either, Kal-El. He's dead. He's dead for sure and I'm finally free. So are you."

Superman's insides felt hollow. This wasn't his Lois. This was the parallel Lois! She was alive! Luthor had been wrong! Her story made perfect sense to him now. Anger boiled his blood as he thought what the parallel Luthor had done to her. Ten years had been stripped from her life all because of revenge. She'd never seen Jason grow into a teenager. She'd missed out on hundreds of great news articles. All because of a madman. Superman looked upon this brave woman and felt a surge of pride. She'd killed Luthor protecting him. Though he was sorry that such a fate had come upon Lex Luthor, he knew that it wasn't right to point out that Lois had technically murdered someone. Then again, to this Lois, her actions were those of Justice.

Great, how on earth was he supposed to write this in an article?!

"Kal-El? Are you angry with me?"

Superman shook himself from his own thoughts. "No," he said after a moment's pause. He couldn't be angry with the woman, not after what he'd learned about her past.

"I know how you feel about killing people," Lois muttered, picking at her sheets. "If I hadn't stopped him, you'd be dead."

"I know and I'm very grateful to you for saving me," he said honestly.

"So, can you explain why he was still alive and why nobody knows who you are?"

"Yes, I can. Gear up, it's a bizarre story."

Lois smiled. "I like those."

Superman smiled. "I know."

He explained what Luthor had done to his Lois and the existence of a parallel universe. Lois held a poignant frown when he finished.

"So I'm not supposed to be here," she muttered.

"No," Superman sighed. "This isn't your world. Unfortunately, Luthor destroyed the cylinder so I have no way of returning you to where you belong."

"But, does that mean that you'll never see your Lois again?"

Superman swallowed hard and looked out the window. "Yes," he whispered, his voice hollow.

Lois touched his hand. "If I can never be with my Kal-El, I'm glad that I at least have you."

Superman looked at her tenderly. This was the most bizarre situation he'd ever encountered and he'd seen a lot of crazy things. The hardest thing to explain was that even though this woman was Lois, she wasn't. There was something missing. From the look of sadness on her face, she felt the same way. The two of them realized that they might never be reunited with their own Lois and Kal-El but it was better to have each other than to have nothing at all. The situation was ridiculously confusing and comforting at the same time.

"Maybe you can fix the cylinder," Lois said. "You can take it to the Fortress."

Superman shook his head sadly. "In this universe, Lex Luthor stole the crystals so it's nothing more than a Kryptonian graveyard."

"Where are the crystals?"

"In space somewhere with New Krypton."

"Oh," Lois muttered, hopelessness in her voice.

Superman looked back out the window and silently prayed: if there's any way to fix this, please, please do it. This Lois doesn't belong with me and I don't belong with her. Please, bring my Lois back to me.

o0o0o

Lois was out in the yard, not in a bathing suit, enjoying the sun when Superman touched down next to her. A triumphant smile was on his face. Lois raised her eyebrow. "What's the look for, Smallville?"

He revealed the object in his hands with pride. Lois leapt to her feet and cried out in delight. "Clark! You found it!" She latched onto him tightly, hugging him.

"I found it," he muttered, his voice suddenly filled with sorrow.

Lois pulled away and stared into his face. "Clark, you need to let me go."

"I know," he muttered.

"He may let you go but we won't!" someone shouted from behind.

Before either of them knew what happened, Wonder Woman swooped in and snatched up the cylinder.

"No!" Lois cried.

"Diana, what are you doing?" Superman demanded. Wonder Woman landed twenty yards away from them and the rest of the League materialized from their hiding places. "What's going on?" asked Superman, eyeing his team in anger.

"If she leaves, you'll crack worse than you did the first time," Flash revealed.

"We can't let that happen," Batman muttered. "Things have finally started to change and we're not about to let them return to the way they were."

"Please," Lois begged. "I need to go home! I don't belong here!"

"You do now!" Hawkgirl cried, raising her mace over the cylinder.

"Wait!" Lois screamed. Hawkgirl paused. "WAIT! What if I gave you my blood? You could clone me!"

The League stared at her.

"Lois?" Superman prodded, coming to her side.

Lois faced him. "I'm sure clones have been made in this universe just as they have been made in mine. Even if it's illegal, you'll have me back in your life."

"Or we could just keep you here," Green Arrow pointed out.

"If you truly were Superman's friends, you'd let me go," Lois snapped. This whole situation was maddening and Lois's fury had been unleashed. "Do you realize that if you keep me here, my Clark will have no one? Not only that, he wouldn't have any way to clone me. All of you may not be able to understand but Superman does. Even if I was to remain with him, we'd never truly love each other."

"She's right," Superman said.

"I'm not buying it," Green Lantern retorted. "She's Lois Lane! Of course you love her!"

"She may be Lois Lane but she isn't my Lois Lane! I don't expect you to understand but the fact of the matter is that this Lois doesn't have the connection that my Lois has to me. We're attracted to each other but the love would never be what it's supposed to be."

Martian Manhunter stepped forward. "I want to try to understand," he said.

"Go ahead," Superman invited.

Using his powers, Martian Manhunter connected with Superman and felt rather than understood what he was talking about. Removing the connection, he turned to his comrades who were staring at him expectantly. "We have to let her go," he said.

"What?! But J'onn!"

"No, Green Arrow. If we keep this Lois Lane here, neither she or Kal-El would be happy."

Batman stood straight. Walking over to Wonder Woman, he held out his hand. "Diana, give me the cylinder."

Wonder Woman wanted to argue but she found herself handing it over without resistance. Batman turned to face Lois and Superman. He walked up to Superman and looked him in the eye. "You do realize that you'll never be happy again when she leaves."

Superman let out the breath he was holding but then squared his shoulders. "I know."

Batman searched his friend's eyes one more time before handing the cylinder to Lois. "Even if you gave us your blood, your clone wouldn't satisfy him. Go back to where your Kal-El is waiting."

Lois's eyes filled with tears. She startled Batman by hugging him tightly. "Thank you, Bruce," she whispered, kissing his cheek.

Batman smiled.

Lois turned to Superman. He looked forlorn. Deciding to give him what he wanted most, Lois brought her mouth up to his and kissed him. She allowed the kiss to be deep and passionate, knowing that this was the last time he'd ever have such affection. She pulled away. Tears were streaming down both their cheeks.

Superman caressed her face. "I love you, Lois Lane."

"I love you too, Kal-El."

"Tell your Clark to enjoy every moment of raising your second child."

"I will."

Lois kissed him one last time and then turned the cylinder. In a flash of light, she disappeared.