I want to thank all of you who have read and reviewed. I appreciated every comment; they were wonderful. Thanks.

I know that this gets confusing with two Lois' and two Clarks' but I tried my best to make it clear. The next 4 chapters were originally posted as 2 so by breaking them up I hope readers have an easier time.

INTERSECTING INTERVALS

Star City, 2011

Lois Lane stood on the roof of the Star City Chronicle and looked out over the city that had been her home in the past. It was good to see the city at peace, to watch people going about their lives, blissfully ignorant of any other timeline.

If only she was so lucky. She'd sent her memories back to another version of herself, had her thoughts returned to her later and then settled in the future where everything was different. She was standing here now- on this night of all nights- to see if she could get some perspective.

Had it all been worth it?

She could say that her mission for the Legion had been successful. The Darkness had been delayed, maybe even prevented, by her decision to send her thoughts back to her past self. In many ways the world had become a better place. She needed to remember that; it would help firm up her resolve to return now to fix what had been messed up in the process.

Sighing into the gentle ocean breeze, she pushed her doubts to the back of her mind and impatiently checked her messenger. It was time to get to work. In the dim of the night, the tiny light that powered the device stood out like a beacon and its missive sent a chill up her spine.

Looking to the sky, she gripped the device a little tighter and pondered the absurdity of being on the same rooftop on the same night all this started, waiting for the same man.

No, not the same man.

Her mind violently rejected the idea. Her Clark wasn't Night any longer. The Legion had rescued him from this very rooftop and freed him from the Darkness- not that he was the same naïve farm boy she'd known before either. The pain and shame of having succumbed to the Darkness was always with him and it stripped him raw, made him almost elemental at times.

Of course, she wasn't the same woman either. Her relief at being free from battle filled her with an emotional edge and a vulnerability- at least when it came to him- that wasn't there before. Still, she and Clark complimented each other. Dealing with the Darkness had drawn them together in a way no one else could understand.

That's why he hadn't questioned her when she told him they had to come back.

It was the risky choice, unsanctioned and unsupported by most of the Legion members who were their friends: Rokk thought it was too late to make a difference; Imra was afraid that they would die trying; and Garth- their biggest fan- was reluctant in his limited support. Lois couldn't fault any of them; even she wasn't sure about this plan. All she knew was that she had to try because mistakes had been made and she wasn't going to just sit back if there was a chance she could fix them.

The fate of Superman- the fate of the world- depended on it.

Lois checked her messenger again. Time was running out. Her eyes searched the sky. The sun had already set and now the clear night was filled with stars.

Where was Clark?

She saw him then, as if her very thoughts had brought him to her, just a black streak against the dim light. The sight caused her breath to catch.

Without warning, she was assaulted by memories of the same night so long ago.

Her city was burning. Every building, street, alley and mailbox was on fire. Shouts, screams, and occasional gunshots rose through the darkness with the smell of smoke. Flames provided the only light in the dark of evening.

How had it come to this? She still questioned it but really didn't care any longer. It needed to end. One, way or another, it would end tonight.

A dark figure crossed the evening sky and she straightened, mentally preparing herself to meet him. Fire shot out of his eyes to the city below, marking his passing with maximum destruction. Watching him use his power that way made her angry.

How had he turned into this?

When he landed, her eyes reluctantly scanned him for threats. They didn't linger on his face. She hated seeing it, especially his eyes - gray and lifeless - showing nothing of the man inside.

The man she'd known was gone; she couldn't reach him. She'd tried so hard.

"Clark?" The name was soft, pleading, the memory so real and vivid here.

She had to reach him. He shouldn't be this way. They needed him…

"Clark?" Again she whispered his name.

She needed him.

"Lois."

Her head was spinning. He's talking.

"Lois!" His voice was more forceful now, his hands clutching her arms. She gazed at him in wonder as he gave her a little shake.

"Lois."

Reality was slow to return. By the time she realized it was her Clark standing in front of her, tears were rolling down her cheeks. Gently, Clark reached up to wipe them away with his thumb. When he pulled her to his chest, she was surprised to feel him shaking.

"I knew… shouldn't have let you come." The words were muffled against her hair.

Just being in his arms calmed her. When his words sunk in, her response was more of a croak. "Like you could have stopped me," she sniffled, forcing a smile as she pulled back to look at his face.

Frustrated blue eyes greeted her and the smile became more genuine.

Clark was here; he was with her.

She shook her head to clear the memories from her mind. They had seemed so real, been so vivid.

"Are you okay?" His voice was soft.

Lois nodded, keeping her eyes on his. "What about you? Being here can't be easy…" Her eyes moved guiltily away from his and her hand raised nervously to her throat. They both knew who'd chosen this location.

His hand stopped hers before it could reach the scars and brought her eyes back to his. "All of my time here… well, it's a little hazy," he told her. "The only thing that I remember clearly is you." While the one hand continued to hold hers, the other moved to the scars on her neck. "I still can't believe I hurt you." His eyes darkened as he lightly caressed each one and repeated the apology he'd made a thousand times. "I'm sorry."

The tears threatened again. "Even then, you were trying to protect me-"

"Because I wanted you," he told her huskily, eyes dropping to her mouth. "Some things never change, I guess."

Lois tried to keep her pulse under control but it was no use. When he was like this she couldn't resist.

His lips met hers in a demanding kiss. She didn't hesitate, just softened her lips and opened her mouth for him. When his tongue swept inside, her knees grew weak. Everything faded away except for the feel of his mouth, the warmth of his touch and the heat from his body. This… this was where she belonged; forget the past; forget the future.

This connection- the one she only felt with him- was still just as strong.

When his hands touched bare skin, she realized that Clark meant for his kiss and his touch to banish her memories of this place.

"Clark," she moaned, but he ignored her, running his mouth over each of her scars, making her sigh. She knew he was completely focused on her and that, despite what he said, he needed to forget the past as much as she did.

By the time he had her dark-colored shirt unbuttoned, her body was in wholehearted agreement with his plan and her brain was too foggy to care.

Beep… beep… beep.

It was her messenger.

"Ignore it," Clark told her between kisses.

Beep… beep… beep.

"We can't," she muttered.

He didn't stop.

"Clark!" Her exclamation turned into a groan when Clark started mouthing the sensitive spot behind her ear.

She pushed at him as the messenger continued and, after a few minutes he reluctantly pulled away, eyes still filled with heat. Her breath caught at the look in them. Quickly, he placed one more firm kiss on her lips before turning the messenger so that he could read it while she buttoned her shirt. It was Garth, keeping them in the loop. The message wasn't a good one; events were moving faster than they originally thought.

Clark's brow furrowed. "We should go."

"Wait," Lois stopped him with a hand to his chest. "What did you find out?" She was still a little breathless. "We got, uhm, sidetracked before you could tell me."

"The tremors are getting stronger," he replied, his still heated gaze making her breath hitch. He sobered, looking down at the messenger. "What I saw is in line with what Garth sent."

"Which means we have some time," she told him with a nod, just the thought bringing her back to reality. "I have to see her first."

"Lois-"

"Clark," Lois' returned with a grave look. "It all means nothing if we can't convince her to finish what I started-"

"That's the problem," Clark argued, his tone containing just a hint of jealousy. "You started it and left her to finish."

"She loves him. I know-"

Clark's voice was loud in the quiet of the night, his face a mixture of jealousy, disbelief, and frustration. "You don't know that for sure. She's. Not. You."

Lois paused. They'd had this argument before and it got her nowhere. Stepping back, she lowered her voice and looked into his eyes, taking a different stance. "Does he love her?"

"Of course." Clark's answer was immediate.

"How do you know?"

His jaw clenched. "Because… I just know," he answered stubbornly.

Her smile was faint. "You're not the same man," she pointed out.

"Hell, no," he admitted, running his hand through his hair.

"Yet, you know-"

Clark grabbed her arms for emphasis, his frustration showing. "He's not an idiot."

Her eyes flashed in victory. "Neither is she."

"Damn but you're stubborn," he said, his voice calmer as he pulled her against his chest. "She's not an idiot but there are reasons for her decision. Some of them make sense."

She shook her head as best she could against solid muscle. "No they don't. She doesn't understand." Lois kissed softly along the side of his neck. "Not like I do."

She hid her smile of victory when he squeezed her tightly. His deep sigh rumbled through her chest. "All right; I'll drop you by the Planet first thing and I'll go to the Geothermal Plant-"

Her face looked up to his profile in a panic. "You're not going to-"

He shook his head. "I'm just going to look around."

Lois put her arms around Clark and held on even tighter. "I just want to spend as much time together as possible."

"I don't have a problem with that," he replied softly and she felt his slight trembling before he shifted his grip. "Ready?"

"Let's go," she told him determinedly.

As they rose from the rooftop, Lois took one last look around. Maybe coming had served its purpose after all. She felt resolute. What they were doing wouldn't be easy but it was right. Lifting her face to the night, she kept her eyes on the stars as they headed toward Metropolis.

She didn't look back.

Metropolis, next morning

"Olsen, where are the photos that go with my story on the tremors!" Lois shook her long brown hair out of her face as she looked around but the curly-haired photographer was nowhere in sight.

Damn.

She needed those photos. For two days, the Metropolis area had been experiencing tremors similar to an earthquake. In a state with no fault lines, this was big news. Authorities had narrowed the center to the west side of town and Lois had taken Jimmy out there to investigate. Now, Jimmy and her photos were not to be found.

Without warning she felt the building begin to shake. The cries of her co-workers rose above the general noise as she reached for the desk to steady herself. Before she could get her balance, she felt her hip slam into her old desk hard enough to leave a bruise.

Just great.

Putting her hands on the desk, her eyes automatically travelled to the adjacent one. The tears that she'd been holding back threatened to fall as Clark's nameplate glared at her. She rubbed her forehead and blinked, trying to clear her thoughts. The lack of sleep was starting to take effect.

The sudden, sharp pain in her head was unusual. She gasped, waiting for it to pass, and her eyes caught the phone booths in the lobby. Her mind replayed a memory as clear as if she was there.

She was staring at Clark as he emerged from the phone booth at work. He looked so different… like a man instead of the boy she'd known. She needed to touch him and so she reached out to adjust his collar and smooth his shirt.

"You look good," she told him, resisting the urge to go further and simply burrow in the warmth that seemed to radiate off of him. The urge to kiss him was equally strong but, before she could act on it or push it away, an explosion rocked the building.

Her body was forced against his. His touch sent a jolt through her like an electrical current. She looked at his mouth and then into his eyes. He was puzzled, by her reaction or his, she couldn't tell. As close as their bodies were, she leaned in slightly. She wanted him…

As the memory faded, Lois bit her bottom lip, trying to hold in the moan that wanted to escape. She was still feeling the effects of the memory, the impression of his body against hers and the heat that he exuded. She shivered. The Bullpen suddenly seemed cold.

That was all she needed, to start experiencing flashbacks today.

The memories of her lost months were still spotty after all this time. Not all of them had returned and what she did remember didn't return all at once. Although Dr. Hamilton said it was normal, she'd been frustrated at first, especially when she would catch Clark looking at her like he was expecting her to act or respond a certain way. Although he never said anything, she sometimes felt like he was disappointed that she wasn't the same girl.

Not that it mattered now.

Sighing as the pain passed, she reached for one of her packing boxes, her eyes carefully avoiding Clark's nameplate.

Today was the day she was moving into her new office. Originally, she was going to wait until after…

Oh, well, no time like the present.

Besides, the physical labor would be good for her. She might even be able to get some sleep tonight. That thought led her to pick up a second box and walk determinedly to the elevator. Juggling the boxes, she pushed the up button and waited, thankful that she'd decided to wear pants with her light tweed jacket.

The voice from just behind her almost made her heart stop. For a second, the pain was so incredible that she couldn't breathe. His words penetrated slowly. "Most people take the day off when it's their wedding day," Clark said calmly, his face turned pointedly toward the elevator.

Before Lois could respond, the doors opened and Clark stepped forward. Turning he took the boxes from her and backed inside.

Without warning, she was hit with another memory.

"Handle with care, Smallville, I've had those albums since I was ten," she told Clark, shoving a couple of moving boxes into his hands. Stepping inside, she grabbed back the top box and brushed past on the way to the kitchen counter.

"Great, your Def Leppard Anthology, can't wait to hear that," he responded sarcastically, looking inside the box as he sat it on the counter opposite Lois. "Why are you bringing this stuff here when you obviously haven't missed it?"

"Quit your whining," she told him. "I forgot a few things, okay? The love birds don't need my stuff cluttering their nest and we've got plenty of room…" At Clark's amused glance and raised eyebrows, Lois panicked and started babbling. "I mean you've got plenty of room. I mean there's plenty of room here… at the farm, it's big, with lots of space..."

Where did that "we" come from?"

"It's all right Lois," Clark said, reaching across the counter to place his hand on her arm. "I want you to think of the farm as your home."

Before she could adjust to his heat, he removed his hand but his words brought an entirely different kind of warmth to her heart. She'd heard the sentiment often enough from Ms. Kent but to hear it from Clark-

Home.

Her heart swelled from the memory- and all that had happened since- until she thought it would explode. She stood frozen, watching as Clark reached out to hold the door, his expression growing concerned. It took a minute, but the look on his face brought her around. She didn't need his sympathy. With a shaky sigh, angry at her emotional response, Lois stormed in and snatched back the boxes.

"I've got them," she muttered, turning to the front of the elevator, looking anywhere but at him. He wouldn't get to her today.

He didn't respond, just pushed the button for the seventh floor where her new office was located. When the silence continued, Lois shifted the boxes in her arms. The quiet was getting to her and he knew it. After a few minutes, she glanced in his direction. He looked pale and tired, his eyes faded behind the heavy frames of his glasses. Was he sleeping? He hadn't been back to the apartment since that night two days ago when she'd told him she couldn't possibly marry him. She had no idea where he'd been or what he'd been doing. The thought bothered her.

Could she really do this?

Her weight shifted to the other foot as she adjusted the boxes again.

She was making the right decision. Walking- or blurring- in Clark's shoes had been an eye-opening experience. Every day, every hour, every minute, he made impossible choices. What he decided could mean the difference life and death and, every time he chose to be with her, the decision was between her and another victim.

She had to take herself out of the equation and give him back to the world. Years with the General had taught her that sometimes sacrifices had to be made for the greater good. When Clark was so desperately needed by the world, calling him hers was selfish. Giving him back- letting him go- was the only way.

Bolstered by her thoughts, she walked briskly to her office after the elevator stopped. To her chagrin, Clark followed her inside, shutting the door behind him.

"I've been thinking about what you said," he told her. She turned to face him but her eyes darted around the office. How could she do this if she couldn't look him in the eyes? The problem was that if she saw too much pain in his expression she might cave completely. If she saw acceptance, her heart might shatter. She didn't want to see either.

This was a mess.

"You were the one who told me that I couldn't be the hero every day, all day long. Do you remember?" He held his breath, praying that she did, but knowing that her memories from that time were often spotty.

Her eyes slammed into his with surprise but she nodded slowly. He released the breath he was holding. "If that's the case, then you wouldn't be interfering with anything. You'd be helping me. You're part of my friends and family. You're be my best friend, Lois. I want you as my wife."

Home.

It hit her again like a punch to the gut. She turned her back, unable to look at his face, unable to breathe.

Clark looked at her back and sighed. She had to be the most stubborn woman on the face of the planet. Now she wouldn't even look at him. Still, he couldn't let her go without a fight. Last night when he was sitting alone in the loft, wondering how she expected him to live without her, he was hit with the memory of her past advice. It was the only thing that got him out of bed this morning.

They were both in the barn on Thanksgiving and he was finding out that saving the world with Lana was not all that it was cracked up to be. He needed Lois' opinion.

"Do you think what I'm doing … Lois, is it enough?"

Her answer was slow and deliberate. "You've saved a lot of people, Clark, but is it enough? I don't know," He watched as she leaned forward to make her point. "How much is? I don't think any one person, even an extraordinary one, can do it all."

With Lana's accusation ringing in his ears, he asked Lois. "Is it… am I… selfish for wanting to spend the holiday with my family?"

"No, you're not selfish," Lois told him softly, and he was surprised to hear a hint of anger in her response. Before he could comment on it, she continued, gripping the rough edge of the window and rocking on her heels while she explained. "At some point, you risk forgetting why you started protecting people in the first place," she urged. "Everyone needs time to remember what they're fighting for," she paused at the memory. "For you, that's friends and family."

Those words gave him hope, then and today.

"Clark." Her voice interrupted his thoughts and he winced at the fact that she hadn't called him Smallville since the night she told him she couldn't marry him. "I told you those things before… before I got to listen to the cries for help that you hear every day. Those people are the ones who need you and I can't be the one to stand in their way," she told him. To his surprise he could see the unshed tears in her eyes.

"You're not in their way, Lois," he tried to convince her. "You're by my side." By now he knew her every expression; he could see the conflict in her face. It was relief to know that this wasn't an easy decision for her. He felt like it was killing him. "Lois," he said, unable to watch her struggle without saying anything. "I want you by my side."

"Maybe we just don't get what we want!" Her agonized response felt like a slap to him. His head jerked back slightly. She must have noticed, because her voice softened. "I can't be the one holding you back."

"That's what Lana told me all those years ago in her farewell video," he told her quietly, feeling his gut churning at her continued resistance.

When her head jerked back this time, Clark decided that he wasn't making any progress. Instead they were both just inflicting physical pain with their verbal spars. Bringing up Lana was not going to win him any points. He could almost hear his mother telling him that his remark was "low" and the General telling him it was time for a "tactical retreat."

Turning to the door while she was still reeling- and before she could get her back up- he calmly pulled it open and spun on his heel to face her. "By the way, I've called everyone to tell them that the wedding is still on. Chloe and Oliver are working at the chapel right now." He paused, taking some satisfaction in the stunned look on her face. "If you want to go through with canceling the wedding, you'll have to leave me standing at the altar."

Metropolis, same time

Clark, formerly Night, studied the flimsy chain link fence that surrounded Geothermal Dynamics and wondered if the company had discovered yet that their plant was the epicenter for the tremors. They obviously had no idea what was buried in the ground below the plant. Otherwise, they would have put up a better fence.

The sarcasm in his thoughts made him shake his head. His internal speak sounded very Lois-y these days.

Listening for the creature while trying to get a glimpse of the tunnels with his x-ray vision distracted him just enough so that he missed the sound of footsteps until they were almost upon him. Even without seeing who it was he suspected a member of the team. One of them would have put two and two together by now, wedding or no wedding. When he glimpsed his visitor's profile out of the corner of his eye, he sighed. Just his luck that it would be the one person who knew exactly who he was- and who he wasn't.

"J'onn," he nodded, trying not to grimace at the rough edge to his voice that the future kids- as Lois called them- had never been able to repair. As if he needed anything else to give him away, even if J'onn was polite enough not to read his thoughts. "Are you following the tremors or me?"

The Martian looked him over from head to toe before commenting and Clark winced.

All black attire… another give-away.

"Unfortunately, we haven't really been looking into these tremors as we should have, what with Chloe moving and the wedding plans." J'onn's gaze grew questioning. "Until now, we were all assuming that they were an unnatural, natural phenomenon." At Clark's raised brow, he grew defensive. "A lot of that happens around here," he prompted.

When Clark didn't respond, the man released a sigh. "Actually, most of our resources have been spent looking for Tess-"

"Tess is missing?" Clark asked him warily. In his time, he'd avoided Lex's sister for the most part. When the Darkness invaded, she'd been one of the first taken and had wreaked havoc in her own right before she was killed. Now, his concern was whether her disappearance might affect the job he and Lois came back to do.

This time it was J'onn's eyebrow that rose as he caught the other man's thoughts. He shook his head after a minute. "I don't think the two events are connected, but I think- we are concerned that- her disappearance relates to the emergence of an old friend," he trailed off thoughtfully.

"Lex Luthor," Clark nodded. He and Lois had done some research immediately upon their arrival and discovered that the former billionaire had made a mysterious return from the dead. They'd dismissed him as having any part in these events.

"It would probably be best if I didn't know too much about the future." J'onn held up his hand before Clark's thoughts could wonder.

"Don't worry," Clark told him. "Everything's in flux right now anyway. What I know could change completely in the next few hours." He continued to stare the chain link fence and felt the smirk cross his face. "What I can tell you is that we all could be saved a lot of trouble if we directed the beast toward Luthor."

The Martian's smile was knowing. "Have you been hanging around with Lois, by any chance?"

Clark shrugged, the sarcasm in his voice tinged with affection. "I can't seem to get away from her now or in the future."

"Like you would want to," J'onn commented, reaching into his pocket before offering the other man a cookie. When Clark shook his head, the Detective took a bite contemplatively, letting the silence stretch. "If you can tell me," he asked tentatively. "What do you have that our Clark lacks?"

"Nothing." His jaw flexed.

"Flight?"

In response, Clark shrugged. "He just needs to make up his mind."

The Martian studied this man from the future. "So, you're here as a…" His voice trailed away as understanding dawned and he frowned. "You know, your potential is not limited by your past actions."

The man in black fought to keep the bitterness from his response. "I'm not him and never will be," he said. "It's him the world needs. Trust me, I've seen just how much." He shrugged and continued to watch the fence. "My potentialwill probably be a moot point by the time this is over."

"He would tell you that you should never lose hope."

Clark couldn't contain his bark of laughter, impressed by the Martian's quick wit. "What would you tell me?"

J'onn shrugged. "I'd probably remind you that the future is always changing. Nothing is set in stone." His eyes were dark as they looked intensely at Clark. "I know that as well as anyone."

Taken aback by the words, Clark realized that this man had memories of the Darkness as well. "I guess you would," he commented, respect for the Martian growing. He could see now why Lois counted him as a friend and why he had had counted him as a friend before the Darkness had kept him from having any.

A few minutes passed in silence while J'onn finished his cookie. When a violent tremor shook the ground the men fought to keep their balance and managed to stay upright. J'onn grimaced when part of his cookie dropped. "Is there any way to keep that thing down there?"

Clark narrowed his eyes toward the underground trenches and hesitated before he spat out the truth. "No."

"Is there anything you need?"

Clark's x-ray vision couldn't pick up the creature, not yet, but he knew it was there. "I'm going to need some back up if this goes south."

"Kara didn't come with you." It was more of a statement than a question.

Clark didn't bother to respond.

"You didn't tell her," J'onn surmised.

Again, the man from the future didn't feel the need to answer out loud.

J'onn seemed to follow his thoughts anyway. "Knowledge of the future doesn't always give us the answers, does it?"

"No," Clark answered, trying to keep his thoughts clear for the Martian's benefit as much as his own.

"I'll station myself at Watchtower," he told Clark. "I don't think they'll miss me at the wedding."

Surprise made Clark blink. "Is there going to be a wedding?"

"I tracked you last night," J'onn told him with a smile playing across his lips. "I know who's with you. I assume she's here to tackle that problem. If I know her," he coughed into his hand. "…Which I do, then there will be a wedding." He paused for a minute and pulled out another cookie. "I just wish I could watch- Lois versus Lois- now that would be something to see."