Disclaimer: Only any original ideas in here are mine. All characters belong to the respective copyright holders, including DC comics, Warner Bros., December 3rd Productions and anyone else with a stake in the Superman franchise. Some dialogue is from the episodes written by Tony Blake and Paul Jackson (ep 2 x 22) and John McNamara (ep 3 x 1).

AN: This has probably been done to death, but I wanted to add my own spin to it. Of course this is about one of the most pivotal scenes of the series. This is going to veer into AU, especially the time after the proposal, because I really hated having their talk interrupted. So please enjoy!

"You are to bring the body. Bring the body of Lois Lane."

A villain, Jason Mayzik, was holding Clark's parents and demanding Clark kill Lois or Mr. and Mrs. Kent would die. Lois had asked Superman to meet her at her apartment so he could freeze her. Lois believed that by making her appear dead, Clark could bring her supposedly dead body to his parents' kidnappers for exchange. Lois thought she was assisting her boyfriend. Just normal, ordinary, run-of-the-mill Clark Kent.

Lois attempted to get her fear under control while she waited for Superman. Even though she was more scared than she'd ever been, Lois knew she had no other choice. She knew Clark loved her, and wouldn't want her to do this, but she loved him more than anything and would do anything for him. She had to do all she could to help him and his parents. Anything.

Without warning, there was a gust of wind, and her personal superhero was standing in front of her. "Clark told me you needed to talk to me."

It all came out in a rush, how Clark's parents were being threatened, and what the criminal had demanded for their release. And her solution.

"Freeze you?"

"Yes, like cryogenics. Like people who fall into frozen lakes." She blindly sat down on her couch and looked up at Superman. "I would look like I was dead and you could take my body…"

Lois barely registered the look of shock on Superman's face. His eyes were the most sorrowful she'd ever seen them to be. "You could die."

Swallowing hard, Lois met Superman's gaze. "Yes, I could die. But Clark's parents will die unless we help him." Standing she approached him and grasped his hand. "Superman, you haven't seen him. He needs me, and I have never needed you more than I do right now."

Lois watched as Superman struggled with the decision. She silently pleaded with him as he reached one. "All right." He let go of her hand and took several steps backward.

"If anything happens, tell Clark…tell Clark, I love him," Lois only managed to say.

Superman looked at her with a strange expression on his face and said softly, "He knows, but I'll tell him."

Superman then cupped her cheek, and suddenly she knew. It was just like the way Clark had cupped her cheek this very morning. And it all became clear in that one moment.

Clark was Superman.

Lois' eyes widened. She couldn't believe it. "The way you just touched me..." came out of her mouth without any volition of her own. She was shocked. Clark was Superman, Clark was Superman, Clark was Superman.

"Close your eyes," Superman told her, pulling her out of her thoughts.

She did, because she was in shock. But also because they didn't have the time to waste, for the sweetest couple in the world was in trouble, and they needed Lois to be brave and do this.

However, she was definitely going to have the loudest discussion ever with the man standing in front of her, once this was all over.

~~CK~~LL~~CK~~LL~~CK~~

Clark Kent is Superman.

Was Lois' first thought upon awakening. Taking in the unfamiliar walls and lack of decoration, she almost knocked over the IV pole as she struggled to get up. Why wasn't she in her own bed? She raised her right hand only to discover an IV was connected to her.

Oh yeah. I almost died. From hypothermia. To help Clark. Who really is Superman.

She was alone. It surprised her at first. Where was Clark? He would normally be there. By her side. Perhaps he was with his parents.

Before she could realize she had some issues to work through before seeing the man in question, Clark popped up in the doorway. "Hi there," he said with a smile, leaning against the door frame. The smile he often gave her. The smile she knew was only for her.

Damn. He looked good. He always did. How could she not see it? How come no one ever did? That the mild-mannered reporter wasonlythe strongest man on Earth.

"Hi." What else should she say? Could she say? Her mind was in total and complete chaos.

"How are you feeling?" Clark asked, his concern for her clearly written on his face. He approached the bed without taking his eyes off of her.

"Ok, I guess. Considering everything, I feel ok." It took everything in her to act like nothing was wrong, that nothing had changed. She had to remind herself now wasn't the time for the discussion she so wanted to have.

"Not every day a person comes back to life. But leave it to Lois Lane to do it. And with class and beauty." Clark gave her a loving smile.

"So, what is new? Anything interesting happen while I was sleeping?" She asked, attempting a levity she didn't feel.

"Got my mom and dad on the next train back to Smallville. Luckily, they weren't harmed by the whole thing. And your doctor says that if you're up to it, and if you have someone to stay with you, you can go home today." Clark tilted his head at her. "I suppose I can be persuaded to stay with you overnight."

Lois threw the blankets off her, and her legs found the floor before she thought twice about it. "I'm so ready to get out of here."

Clark looked down, and gave a wolf whistle as he looked appreciatively at her legs not covered by the short hospital gown. "Sheesh, Clark!" Lois rolled her eyes at him. "Are you going to help me ditch this place or gawk?"

Clark gave her a shrug of his shoulders and brought a small duffel bag to her "I thought you would appreciate a change of clothing, so I stopped by your apartment."

"And that's why you're the best!" came out of Lois' mouth before she could think about it. I will definitely think about all of this. Later, I will be thinking long and hard on this. I should be angry at him, but for now I will be nice.

Clark left her alone to change. Lois was happily surprised she wasn't dizzy as she changed into the comfortable sweatshirt and jeans Clark had chosen to bring her. She marveled again as to how well he knew her. After she gathered up her belongings and signed the necessary paperwork, Clark drove her home, settled her on the couch, with her favorite movies, the remote and her favorite beverage. Lois attempted to refuse, but Clark overrode her. He sternly instructed her to rest, not to get up or do anything more strenuous than watching TV, eating, and sleeping, and left.

Actually, Lois didn't fight him too much. She really wanted to think about the new revelation. Her mind wandered back to that moment…

All sorts of feelings flowed over her. She was stunned, unbelievably stunned. Like, how could it be true? She was so overwhelmed, she really didn't know where to begin to process it all.

She remembered when they first met. How adorably dorky he was. Lately, once she did let down her defenses so that they could date, she had admitted to herself she was actually attracted to him from the moment he was in Perry's office sharing his story about the theatre closing. How he had wormed himself into her heart, how he tore down her wall of resistance brick by brick. She had to admit it was a painstakingly slow process. She was lucky Clark was a very persistent and patient man.

However, he was still Clark. He did have his nerdy side, even after all these years of being at the Planet. And Lois couldn't help but feel it was because of this very nerdiness that contributed to his not telling her sooner about him being Superman.

Did she ever think about Superman having a separate identity? Lois suddenly realized she never really thought about it. Even during the whole debacle with Lex, when she had told Superman she would love him even if he had been an ordinary man, living an ordinary life, she never really thought about him living an ordinary life.

She would love him if he were an ordinary man living an ordinary life.

Her face flushed with shame and embarrassment as she suddenly realized the momentous mistake she unwittingly had made that night. She had indeed told 'Superman' that, right after she had promptly refused Clark when he had proposed to her earlier that day. No matter Superman was so cold to her that evening. She had wondered about that, why he seemed so hurt. So distant. Well, now she knew.

Lois found herself giving herself a face-palm. Perhaps it wasn't as easy as she thought, being Superman but living among mere mortals. Her memory suddenly became full of all the times when she, unknowingly but still did, insult him by comparing 'Clark' to Superman and how 'Clark' was lacking. And other insults.

She felt bad, but then she became angry. He had kept his secret identity from her, so how could she have known not to insult him? She resolved not to feel bad about such things.

Later that afternoon, after she spent hours thinking and resting, Clark called to check on her. Her heart warmed at the sound of the love in his voice, and she suddenly wanted just to forget everything else and revel in the love of this wonderful man. However, that same man hadn't shared everything about him with her. Did they indeed have a relationship? How much of the man was Clark and how much was Superman? Was he Superman pretending to be Clark, or Clark pretending to be Superman?

Clark asked her to go out for supper, and she agreed. He seemed a little nervous, but Lois didn't wonder about it. Lois later found herself being brought to her favorite Italian restaurant, where they had their first date, and had an enjoyable supper with Clark, despite herself.

After supper, Clark suggested a walk around the park, after asking if she felt well enough to do that. Lois agreed. After talking a leisurely tour of all the plants and flowers, she had found herself being led towards the main fountain. Clark brought her to the bench, and gently sat her down.

Grasping her hands in his, Clark began, "Lois, I've been thinking."

"Me, too," Lois stated, then changed her mind.

"What about?"

"You first." Lois said. She thought again of the Lex marriage debacle. She had gone first. This time, she was going to let Clark go first.

"Sometimes you think you are immortal, and you start to think the people around you are too. It just takes a second to realize how wrong you are, about everything."

Lois reached up and brushed the hair out of Clark's eyes. He looks so much like Superman. How could I not see it?

Clark visibly swallowed and asked, "Lois, will you..." then stopped as it began to rain. "Come on! Give me a break!"

A laugh escaped before Lois could stop it because Clark looked so darn cute in his frustration. "Do you want to go back inside?"

Clark captured her eyes and said, "If the Earth opened up at my feet, I wouldn't move until I had said this." He took another breath. "Lois, will you marry me?" he said as he took out a ring box, opened it, and held it out to her.

Lois looked at the man in front of her. She was taken aback by his audacity. How dare he…did he just….propose without telling her his secret first? He was looking at her with his beautiful brown eyes, love pouring out of them, waiting for her answer. She just couldn't answer him. Not yet.

An idea came to her in her usual impulsive manner. "Who's asking?

Clark…," reaching out, Lois pulled the glasses right off Clark's face in

one graceful move, "Or Superman?"

AN: Thank you for reading. Hope you enjoyed this blast from the past. If so, keep an eye out for chapter two. It just might veer into AU. Please leave me a review if you want to make this writer happy and encourage the muse!