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: Thank you so much for returning, reading, and hopefully reviewing! This chapter is very AU. I have taken a lot of the same dialogue, but kept their conversation in the park, without rain. Because I didn't like the subplot of the Church family, or the interruption in the discussion following the revelation. Just something different as a reason to revisit these wonderful characters once again. Hope you enjoy it!

AN2 (08/04/16): Well, as I was rereading this, I realized that I had included the rain in the previous chapter, and didn't mention it stopping in this chapter. Oops. So, here is a minor correction for that.

Previously:

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?"

Lois fought back a smile at Clark's look of shock. It would serve him right if she made him squirm for a month. Or a year. Or even longer. However, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to hold out that long. It certainly was going to be fun finding out, though.

"Um…what did you say?" Clark asked with fear and uncertainty in his eyes.

"You heard me, Clark. Or should I say Superman?"

Clark inhaled deeply and blew it out slowly. He gestured to the spot next to her on the bench and Lois nodded, sliding over slightly. Clark breathed a sigh of relief. He first searched the area to ensure they were alone, then he sat down and captured her gaze. And, as if the Heavens knew he had enough to deal with, the rain miraculously stopped.

"I guess, the first question is…how long have you known?"

Lois fixed him a glare. "Really." Lois took satisfaction in seeing Clark squirm at the glare she gave him. "I would've thought it'd be how did I figure it out?" She paused for effect, then continued. "I've known since yesterday. How did I figure it out? When you did this." She reached out and cupped Clark's cheek. "You've touched me before, both of you. But I guess almost dying heightened my senses." Lois smiled slightly. "Sort of like putting on a pair of glasses." She put his glasses back on his face.

Clark looked at her with such a sorrowful look she almost caved. "So…how mad are you?"

Lois considered the question. "I'm not mad."

Clark's mouth fell open, and he blinked several times. "Excuse me?"

"I'm not mad at all." Lois shrugged her shoulders.

"I was just talking to Lois Lane and I know she wouldn't…"

"I'm hurt." Clark opened his mouth to say something, but Lois interrupted. "I'm really hurt."

Clark audibly sighed. "That's worse than being mad." Clark gave a little shrug. "I've been rehearsing this for months. Let me see if I get it right." Lois bit back another small smile as Clark gave off another of his 'Aw shucks' looks.

Lois cocked an eyebrow at him but remained silent. Clark swallowed as if he were trying to dislodge kryptonite from his throat. "I know this is a shock, and I wanted to be the one who told you. So that you know how hard it has been. How long I've been wanting to tell you, but when I decided to become Superman..."

Lois couldn't remain quiet. "You became a target. And everyone around you became a target. And then you fell in love with me..."

"Which happened thirty seconds after we met."

"Don't try to score points."

Clark did his characteristic 'Ah shucks' shrug. Lois barely restrained a smile.

Looking down at her hands in her lap, Lois thought over what he had said. After a moment, she continued. "It's just that, you made me believe you were two different people, and you did that by lying." Suddenly she no longer felt like smiling. Or forgiving. Wait a minute, she was mad. "That makes me feel like I don't even know you. And you know what? I am mad. So mad, I don't even..."

"But that's just it, Lois. You do know me. I am Clark. Superman is just what I can do."

"Was us as a couple only a charade? Something you did for fun? Pull one over on the star reporter? I never thought you would do something like that. Not the last honest person in the world." She looked at him with the beginning of tears in her eyes. "Not from either Clark or Superman."

"Lois, you know I wouldn't do something like that. There's no one I admire more, trust more." He captured her eyes. "Love more. Than you."

"Speaking of which, when were you planning on telling me? The honeymoon? Our first anniversary? When the kids started flying around the house?"

"First I needed to know you would marry 'me'. Not Superman. Not his powers. Just me, Clark." Her anger began to disappear slightly with the heart-breaking look he gave her. "I needed to know that, OK? Then I was going to tell you everything."

Lois looked at Clark. His reply shook her to the core. What was she going to do with such a guy? Such a mixture of courage, integrity and strength, but also insecurity and other faults? Maybe he was more human after all.

"How could you feel that way? Doubt my love for you, ordinary Clark? Why…" Lois recalled everything she had thought of during the day, and what she had told him last year, and she felt a blush rising up her face. "I guess I have given you plenty of reasons to think that, after all."

"You couldn't help it. You didn't know." As Lois was about to say something, Clark added, "Again, the only thing I kept from you was what I can do. Everything else about me, all my feelings, all my fears, everything, I've shared with you. You have to believe me."

Lois sighed. Her lips curled up slightly. She still wasn't at the place where she could completely forgive him. But...she was closer.

"I just feel like I don't know you. It's going to take me time to process all of this. After all, I never expected Superman to be an ordinary man."

Lois watched as a twinkle appeared in Clark's eyes. She knew he was about to make a lame joke when she saw his eyes then cloud over. "I was tempted to make a joke, but now's not the time to be funny."

"Thank you for that."

An uncomfortable silence fell over them. A sudden breeze became apparent, causing Lois to shiver. Clark noticed. "Um, should we continue this discussion in your apartment?"

Lois shook her head. "No, I think I need some time alone to process all of this."

"May I walk you home?"

Lois took a moment to consider his offer. She nodded. "Yes, I'd like that."

They walked along the familiar streets, when suddenly Lois' petite hand found its way into Clark's larger hand. He stifled his reaction, and a smile, and continued to walk, matching his steps to hers.

AN: So, no subplot of the Church family. Or the bomb. Even though I loved all of Lois and Clark's dialogue in all those scenes. (Of which I've incorporated some here). This is shorter than I wanted to be, but the Muse continues to be stubborn. Thanks for reading and hopefully enjoying this story of one of my most favorite TV shows ever. Hopefully I will write more stories for this most wonderful show, if that Muse cooperates. Bye for now.