Disclaimer: DC/WB Entertainment owns these characters. No profit is being made from this story. This is strictly for my own amusement.

Author's Notes: In this next chapter, Lois makes a surprising decision, Clark returns to outer space to stop the asteroid, Lex assumes the worst, and later, the truth is finally out. Please read and review. Thank you!:D

~o~o~

Chapter 7: I'm Here With You

Lois' apartment, minutes later:

Martha set him straight. "Son, the glasses are for you to wear while you're Clark Kent, not as Superman."

He removed the glasses, stared at them for a moment. "I remember now." He placed them inside his cape.

Relieved to hear it, Lois said, "Good, but we're running out of time." She picked up her cellphone.

"Who are you calling?" Martha asked.

"Dr. Klein; he needs to know that Superman is back," Lois replied.

Martha wasn't so sure. "Are you ready, Son, I mean, the asteroid?" She asked.

"I'm ready, Mom; don't worry." He came over to her and pulled her close. "I'll be back."

She pulled away and kissed his cheek. "Be careful."

"I will," he said. He turned to go.

Moved by the scene, Lois hung up with Dr. Klein. "They're waiting for you."

"Lois," he whispered. They stared at each other, speaking without words.

"I'll be in the bedroom," Martha said and left them alone.

"Well, I guess this is it," Lois whispered. She took his hand. "Clark, I've thought about it, and you were right."

He frowned. "Right about what?"

"I don't want to hide anymore. We're partners, best friends, and we love each other."

"I know that, but what are you saying?"

"When you come back, and you will come back, I want everyone to know that we're together; that Lois and Clark is a couple and that we care about each other as more than friends."

Thrilled she would think that way, he pulled her close. "Are you sure?"

To answer him, she put her arms around his shoulders, pulled his head down, and kissed him deeply. He kissed her back. After a minute, she pulled away.

"Does that answer your question?"

He smiled and said, "Wow, we truly are close."

She chuckled. "Indeed we are, now go and save the world."

"I'm on it." He kissed her quick and then he was gone.

She watched him fly away. After checking her messages, apparently Lex had called asking about his job offer. She decided to answer him in person.

"Martha!" Lois called out.

She came back into the living room. "What is it, Lois?"

"You'll be here when I get back? I have an errand."

"Ok, but," Martha began, worried about her.

"I won't be long and please make yourself at home."

"Alright, and thank you, Lois," Martha murmured still worried.

"You're very welcome, and Martha, thank you for coming."

"I wanted to come. Go on and hurry back."

"I will." Then she was gone.

~o~o~

Lex Luthor's tower space, a little while later:

Once Lois was given clearance to see Lex, she second guessed her decision to see him in person and not make a phone call to decline his offer to work for him. She thought it best to explain to him that she was not interested in seeing him. She had picked up on his flirtatious behavior at the Planet offices and during her interviews with him.

Perry wasn't happy about her decision, but when she explained that Lex was a very powerful man, and she didn't want her or the Planet on his bad side, he saw her point. He was not a man to be trifled with in any way. But he told her that if she weren't back in an hour, he would come looking for her.

She thanked him and was on her way. At the tower, she stepped off the elevator and surprisingly, Lex was there to greet her.

"Hello, Lois; I'm so glad to see you again," Lex said and invited her into his office. "Please take a seat."

"Hello, Lex," Lois said and sat down.

"Would you like something to drink?" He headed to the bar.

"No, thanks; I won't be here long," she replied.

He frowned. "You've decided?"

"Yes, I have. Your offer was very generous, but." He interrupted her.

"Can I show you something?"

"What is it; I have to get back to the office?" she asked.

"It won't take long," he replied. He opened the door and stood there waiting for her. "Please."

Lois hesitated, but then she followed him. He stepped into an elevator, placed a key inside a particular access keypad and pushed a button marked 'Ark'.

"Lex, where are we going?"

"You'll see," he replied. The elevator doors opened and they stepped out into a space that looked like a prison or something, with no windows only overhead lighting.

"What is this place?" Lois was definitely curious.

"We're 500 feet below the city. These walls are 16 inches thick. It was initially designed to withstand any nuclear blast."

"So it's a bunker?" Lois asked.

"Well, I prefer to call it the 'Ark'." She followed him and there on the wall were obviously design plans for the Ark.

"How long have you been planning this?" She asked still curious.

"Well, my Father began this project a long time ago before I was born, but I added a few tweaks to fit my needs." He paused for a moment. "It's fully stocked to accommodate 200 people for three years, with tools for manufacturing and farming."

"I see, so if the world dies, you live?"

"Lois, the survival of a species does not depend upon all of its members."

Superman came into her mind. She wanted to leave, but he was speaking to her. Confused, she asked. "Did you want me to write about this?"

"No, Lois, advertising this would be somewhat cruel, don't you think?"

"I suppose so," she replied. "So why am I here?"

Instead of answering her, he walked along the corridor and Lois followed him. He opened a door that looked familiar. The number on the door was 501, the number of her apartment. She followed him inside and she was so stunned, she didn't know what to say.

"What do you think?" He asked and waited for her to say something.

"This is my apartment." She stated the obvious. Has he been spying on me? She thought, but she also smelled paint fumes.

"It's a reasonable facsimile, yes," he said. "Do you like it?"

"Yes, I mean, I decorated it, but I'm confused." She was also chilled to the bone, and a bit terrified.

"I'm offering you a chance to become a passenger on the Ark, my special guest on mankind's next great adventure."

Stunned again, she had to sit down. "Why me, Lex?" She knew the answer.

"Because I care; three years is a long time, and companionship during that time would." She interrupted him.

She stood up. "I can't stay here."

"But why not?" He sounded incredulous.

"First of all, I love my job so I'm turning down your offer. Second, I'm involved with someone and if the world were to end, I want to be him, no one else."

He frowned. "Is this about Superman?"

"No, of course not," she replied, appearing shocked.

"Really, I heard the rumors about you two. He is immortal so I'm not surprised you would choose him over me," Lex declared getting upset.

Lois finally got the hint. "So that's why you built this place? Superman is the reason, not me. You want to hurt him, by keeping me here away from him."

Of course, she would figure it out. He underestimated her. He went to the door and locked it and put the key in his pocket. He calmed down a bit. "Lois, I'm trying to save your life. You must know that. The world will end soon and you won't have a choice."

"Are you insane? You can't keep me here. Everyone knows where I am."

"Superman is gone and he won't be coming back." He tried to reason with her.

Lois was getting desperate; she had mace in her purse. "Oh, he'll be back and when he does, you had better dig a deeper hole than this, because he will stop you; you can count on it." Lois was sure of it. She backed up then reached inside her purse.

He eyed her closely. "We'll see."

~o~o~

Meanwhile, high above the Earth:

Clark scanned the huge asteroid and there it was a spot where he could definitely split it apart, but first he tried something else. He tried to push it off course away from Earth. All of his strengths came into play, but it wasn't cooperating. He sighed, moved away from it.

"Dr. Klein, it won't budge. I'll have to crash into it like before."

"I understand." There was a pause. "Be careful."

"I'll try." Using his heat vision, he worked up his speed and crashed into it with all of his abilities, and this time, it worked. The asteroid exploded into smaller fragments. He watched as they landed in the North Atlantic far away from land. He was so relieved.

"It worked Doctor," Clark said. He could hear shouts of relief and joy in the background.

"Great job, Superman."

"Thanks, Dr. Klein." The world is saved. Now, he wanted to celebrate with Lois. His smile was bright, as he went home.

~o~o~

The Daily Planet bullpen, a little while later:

After changing, Clark called Lois' cellphone; no answer. He decided to check the Planet first. Everyone welcomed him back with handshakes and gladness. Everyone was celebrating, with hugs and cheers of joy and happiness. But where was Lois? Wine and champagne flowed freely. He checked his messages and his Mom had called looking for Lois.

He called her back. "And she didn't say where she was going?" Clark asked. Where was she?

"No, she didn't. Clark, I'm worried about her," Martha said, clearly upset.

"Don't worry, Mom, I'll find her." He hung up.

"Are you looking for Lois?" Jimmy asked, drink in hand.

"Yeah, have you seen her?" Clark asked and tried not to worry. It wasn't working.

"Yeah, she went to see Lex Luthor."

He frowned getting worried now. "When was this?"

"Several hours ago," Jimmy replied.

"Clark?" That was Perry. "Lois is not back yet. I'm worried about her."

"I'll bring her back, Chief." Clark quickly entered the elevator, flew up, ripping off his clothes as he went and then he was gone.

~o~o~

Meanwhile, back in Luthor's bunker:

Lex had no choice in the matter. Lois was stubborn. He had to save her; he had to. Tied up on the sofa, hands behind her back, and her legs were also bound, Lois was furious. He took her purse before she could take out the mace.

"I didn't think you would do something so stupid. Superman will find me."

"Oh, didn't I tell you that these walls are lined in lead? When I checked the design plans, and realized it would work to my advantage, I had it installed."

"He will hear me." She screamed. "SUPERMAN!"

"It's useless to scream. He won't hear you. Superman is dead."

"No, he's not," Lois said and prayed it was true. "SUPERMAN!"

"You're wasting your breath." He sat down beside her. Lois scooted away from him.

"Stay away from me."

Suddenly the door crashed open. Superman walked in eyes glowing red.

Lex swallowed and stood up, and played innocently. "I tried to keep her safe. I tried to save her life, but she insisted on leaving. I did it to protect her."

Clark immediately recognized the area as a replica of Lois' apartment. Furious but with a stoic expression, he ignored him, afraid that if he spoke, he would lose it entirely. He went to her and pulled the ropes from her arms and legs then he picked her up while Lois grabbed her bag.

Lois spoke up, afraid that Lex could get away with it. "He's lying, Superman. He tried to keep me here against my will. He kidnapped me."

"I know." He turned to Lex. "Luthor, this is the last time I will say this. If you ever come near her again, well, you don't want to know. Are we clear?"

"She called me; she came to see me. I just wanted to save her; that's all."

"Are we clear!?" Superman spoke a bit louder this time.

Lex fumed for a moment. "We're clear."

He left the faux apartment and Lois could see a massive hole in the ceiling where Clark had apparently crashed through the building five stories down. He flew up directly into a huge hole. Lois held on tight, but wondered if the building would survive after this. She opened her eyes and Clark had dived in from the first floor, so the main tower was still intact.

Still fuming, Lex walked out and saw them but only for a moment. He promised himself that they would not get away with this. Billions of dollars were gone because of him.

He went to his office and dialed Thaddeus Rourke's number.

~o~o~

High above the skies of Metropolis:

"You can slow down now, Clark," Lois said. They were really high now; the ground was barely visible up this high.

He slowed down a bit, pulled her closer, her head under his chin, his cape around her, safe and secure in his arms, where she belonged. He finally managed a few words. "Are you OK?" His heart was beating triple time. He took a deep breath. "This is the second time in so many weeks you've been tied up and helpless."

"Clark, I'm fine. I don't think he wanted to hurt me."

"But you're not sure?" Clark asked.

She hesitated. "There was a moment when he locked the door that I felt as if nothing I could say would change his mind. He was determined to keep me there."

"What possible reason did he have to do this to you?" Clark was upset but also confused about what had happened.

"At first, I thought he just wanted to show me the bunker, his plans, his hope for the future, but then when he showed me the replica of my apartment. I was stunned at first but then I felt sickened by it."

"I don't understand, Lois, and how did he know what your apartment looked like?"

"He must have spied on me; that's the only explanation." Clark was still. "He's never been there and I've never invited him either."

"He must be sick to do something like this."

"He is, Clark; I never led him on; never insinuated any interest in him at all." She paused at his look. "You do believe me, don't you?"

"Of course, I do." He pulled her close. "I'll take you home. My Mom is worried about you."

"Was she? I love her you know. It was so easy, much like her son," she said and smiled.

He chuckled at that comment.

"Clark, I meant what I said. Everyone needs to know the truth about you and me, the sooner, the better."

"I agree, so how do we tell everyone?"

"We could start here," she replied and kissed him deeply.

Clark was a bit surprised at first. He closed his eyes and kissed her back. A few minutes later, foreheads touching, they slowly drifted down from the clouds. Soon, they landed on the rooftop of her apartment building.

Martha was waiting for them. Lois opened the door.

"You're back!" She was so happy that she couldn't contain her excitement. She hugged Lois first.

"Hey, what about me?" Clark asked, joking a little.

"Oh, you!" Martha gave him a hug as well.

"Are you hungry? I made dinner."

"Actually, I am hungry, but I want to change first. I'll be right back," Lois said and went into the bedroom.

Clark twirled out of his costume. Lois felt a breeze and knew it was him. He stood in the living room in his jeans and plaid.

"I haven't seen those in a while," Martha commented.

"Yeah, I miss them too sometimes," Clark said. They sat down on the sofa. She took his hand. "How was it up there?"

"It was Ok. I was worried there about a minute. It wouldn't move, so I had to crash into it again."

"But it worked and now you're back." Martha said and hugged him again.

"Let's eat!" Lois frowned. "What are you wearing, Smallville?"

"What, you've never seen jeans and a plaid shirt before?"

"No, not on you," Lois replied.

Clark and Martha shook their heads and smiled. While eating dinner, they turned on the news channels and of course Superman was the top story. The commentator was speaking of the destruction of the asteroid and that Superman was a real hero to everyone. But then the commentary turned to Superman's non-existent life, and how he was all alone in the world; that maybe there was someone out there who loved him just a little and would take care for him. Then a few stories appeared about his stay in France, how alone he was; that no one would come for him, except when he came home. Lois Lane seemed his only friend in the entire world.

Lois and Clark glanced at each other.

Clark switched off the television. "Mom, Lois and I have made a decision." He then told her what they had decided to do.

"I'm not truly surprised with all of this talk about you and Lois being close. It's a wise decision."

Relieved, she whispered, "We're happy you feel that way. Tomorrow, at the office, we will announce it to everyone."

"I'd like to be there to show my support," Martha said.

"Of course you can," Clark said and smiled at her.

After dinner, while Martha rested for a while, Lois and Clark went out for a walk. It was now dark and they strolled down the street, hand in hand.

But they were being watched. Jones took pictures of them. This was his way of counteracting the stories about Superman and Lois Lane. Once he told his boss, then all of this talk about revealing some deep dark secret between them would stop. He was sure of it. Lex Luthor would find something else to obsess over.

Clark heard the shutter of the camera but didn't turn around. He then pretended to drop something and reached down to the ground. He caught a glimpse of Jones behind a tree, and wondered why he was taking pictures of them.

They walked over to him. "You can come out now," Clark said loud enough for him to hear him.

"Who is it?" Lois asked and gasped when she saw Jones and wondered where Rourke could be.

Clark held out his hand. "I'll take that."

Jones handed him the camera. "You don't understand; I'm doing this to help you. Rourke and Luthor are convinced that Ms. Lane and Superman are seeing each other, if you know what I mean. I wanted to show them these photos so they would back off and leave you alone. You two seem so happy."

"We are happy." He gave back the camera. "Tell them that we are happy and soon everyone will know the truth; that Lois Lane and Clark Kent are in a relationship and Superman is just a friend to both of us."

"I will; I promise." He left them alone.

"Was that wise?" Lois asked.

"Don't worry, I saw the photos and they're perfectly harmless."

"That's a relief."

"Come on, we can go back now. It's been a long day."

Arm in arm, she whispered, "And tomorrow will probably be the same."

He sighed. "You're probably right."

~o~o~

The next morning, at the Planet:

With Lois and his Mom with him, they went into the office. After the staff meeting, before everyone went back to their desks, he gathered everyone's attention, and introduced his Mom, and then he began his speech.

"Some of you have wondered about Lois and me, so I wanted to silence the gossip and rumors about us." He held out his hand. She came closer and took it; he leaned down and kissed her for a moment. "It's true; Lois and me, well, we're a couple. We met years ago, long before I came to Metropolis. She asked me to come and work here as a full-time reporter and so, here we are." They smiled at each other. Lois couldn't resist him. She'd never felt so free. She pulled his head down and laid a big one on him. Clark kissed her back.

Jimmy grabbed his camera and took picture after picture. Everyone laughed at their playfulness; they looked so happy.

"I knew it!" Cat couldn't help saying. "Congratulations, you two."

"Thanks, Cat!" Lois said and smiled at her co-workers.

"Congratulations," Perry said and went to shake his hand. "I had a feeling," he said and gave Lois a hug. "Now don't expect any special treatment."

"We won't," Clark and Lois said at the same time.

They all laughed and went back to work. Martha left the office. Lois and Clark kissed her goodbye, and she went back to Lois' apartment.

Minutes later, after returning to the bullpen, the overhead monitors were turned up. Lex Luthor was about to make a statement. Standing in front of his tower, he looked authoritative and ready to do business.

"Perry, what is Lex up to?" Lois asked. "Did you know about this?"

"I had no idea," Perry thoughtfully replied.

Lex stood before the crowd of his chosen reporters. He specifically excluded the Daily Planet because they were apparently biased when it came to Superman. He just wished he could see their faces when he made his announcement.

"Good morning, everyone; it's a beautiful day, isn't it? I have been very busy these past few months. I needed to speak with you since the attack, and I can't keep silent any longer. Metropolis has sustained a crushing blow, not only for its people, but for the economy as well. We can't expect a dime from the Government. Metropolis is my home, so I wish to remedy that by contributing my financial support to rebuild our city."

A few shocked gasps could be heard, not only by the Planet staff but by the reporters standing before him.

'Why now, Mr. Luthor; it's been two months since the attack?" A Metropolis Star reporter asked.

"The timing is not ideal, but I want my city to be prepared for what's to come."

"Prepared for what?" The same reporter asked.

"For General Zod's return, of course." He let that hang for a minute.

"But he's gone, isn't he?" Another reporter asked, confused.

"Not according to the video feeds that I've been privy to. He's still out there as far as I know." He paused. "We have to prepare for that. If he returns, we will have nothing that will be able to stop him."

"Superman will stop him; he did it before." Another writer stated firmly.

"That's just my point. Superman did not stop him; can he do it again? I have my doubts about that."

"Now hold on a minute. Superman saved the entire world twice. I have faith in him," a different reporter said firmly.

"I know that, but there comes a time when we have to ask questions, and I'm a concerned citizen just like all of you."

"What should we do?" A worried reporter asked.

"We need to see General Zod." He paused for effect. "Is he confined in some particular prison to keep him contained? Is he walking among us waiting for an opportunity to strike?"

Now, everyone was worried, murmuring and asking questions.

Lex held up his arms to calm the crowd. "Please rest assured that I am here to help. I and my scientists are working diligently to find a way to stop him, and we won't fail. I can promise you that. Now, if you have any more questions, please contact my office. Thank you for coming."

He left the podium and inwardly smiled. Lex was pleased, very pleased.

~o~o~

Back at the Planet:

Lois and Clark stared at each other, not saying a word. Their minds were totally shocked and concerned.

"What in the world is he hoping to gain by bringing up Zod now?" Perry asked a bit stunned. He stared at his star reporters and they also appeared stunned.

"Lois, has Superman said anything to you about General Zod, where he is, or anything at all?" Perry asked.

"No, he hasn't," Lois lied. She glanced at Clark and he was staring into space, not seeing anything.

"I see, well, we need to find out exactly what happened. Is he alive or is he dead?" Perry thoughtfully asked. He paced for a moment.

"There's a story there, and I intend to find out what it is," Perry murmured, determined to find out the truth.

TBC!

~o~o~

Song Inspiration: The Light, Sara Bareilles.

A/N: Oh dear, Lex dropped the Zod bomb. But I don't see that turning into a huge issue. The truth is not going to come out; at least I hope it doesn't. Laney is in charge, but she's hiding from me at the moment. The Zod issue will be a major part of the next movie; that's not even in doubt. I have touched on it before, but not quite like this. The bunker scene played out a bit strange, but I think it worked. I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading everyone. Reviews/kudos is love.