RIP Lois Lane

by Tank Wilson <TankW1@aol.com> and Wendy Richards  <wendy@lcfanfic.com>

Rated: PG

Submitted: May 2001  -----------

Authors' notes: Tank:  I had intended to use this little challenge as a sort  of farewell to Zoom's old message boards.  Being easily  considered the queen of the TOGOM rewrites I thought it might  be fun to present Wendy with yet another slight twist to the  most rewritten episode ever.  I was a bit unfair to Wendy on  this one.  I sprung it on her knowing that she had just been  out of town for several days, was still in the middle of one  of her own epic fics, and was also collaborating with Phil on  another soon-to-be classic.  You'd think that under those  circumstances, it might give her cause for pause.  Nope, not  only did she crank out an excellent resolution in just a  couple of days, but she managed to slip in a full blown fake  ending installment (which actually could have stood on its  own).  I despair over ever being able to trip up Wendy, so  maybe it's time to stop trying.  Unless...

Wendy: Well, I should have guessed that something like this  was coming when, just after he'd finished Serial Vengeance,  Tank just happened to mention that he had a somewhat evil plot  idea in mind. Then I came back from a conference to see the  first half of this posted on the message boards! In typical  Tank style, he'd come up with a seemingly intractable  situation. So I figured that maybe it was time to surrender to  the inevitable; thus I wrote a fake ending which actually  didn't get the characters out of the dilemma Tank had put them  in. (The fake ending is at the end of this story file). But  for some strange reason the readers on the boards didn't seem  too happy with that ending... <g> I have to admit that it's  getting more and more difficult for me to come up with  solutions to Tank's little problems, and just once in a while  I'd like to be able to give *him* a tough time! Maybe I've  managed it with the next story in this challenge series, who  knows?  ;)

As with our previous collaborations, there are both US and UK  spellings in this story. This is because Tank is in the US and  Wendy in the UK; each writes in their own 'language' and,  since the story is written in two separate halves, it is  appropriate to leave each author's spelling as it is.

All rights in the characters in this story belong to DC Comics  and Warner Brothers.

R. I. P. Lois Lane; Another TOGOM variation. The latest Wendy and Tank Challenge.

Pushing her way through the crowd in the illegal gambling  club, Lois Lane grabbed her partner Clark Kent by the arm.  "Clark, I just found out that Georgie Hairdo is dead," she  exclaimed in a single breathless rush.

Clark frowned as he nodded at her. "Bonnie and Clyde are both  here. We've got to call the police, come on." Clark reached  for his partner's arm.

Lois pulled away. "You go," she said, a pout on her face.  "I've got to find a grey-haired lady with a bucket of my  nickels."

Suddenly, the noise of the large crowd was shocked into  silence by an ear-shattering burst of machine gun fire. Lois  and Clark quickly turned toward the source of the disturbance.  What they saw looked like a scene from a bad late night  gangster feature. Several men had entered, all nattily dressed  in twenties style clothes and fedoras. One of the men, with a  prominent scar on his face, stepped forward.

"My apologies, ladies and gentlemen, for this little  intrusion. I just dropped by to inform you that Georgie Hairdo  has wisely decided to retire from the hospitality business."  He waved his cigar about. "So, from this day forward, this  joint is owned by Al Capone."

A taller man stepped out from behind Capone. Both Lois and  Clark recognized him from the earlier bank robbery. It was the  reincarnated John Dillinger. He approached them with a smirk  on his face.

Hey Al, maybe we can make this little cutie our head hostess."  Dillinger leered at Lois. "I was always partial to a lady in  red."

He reached for Lois' cheek. She flinched away as Clark stepped  forward and pushed Dillinger's arm away.

"Leave her alone." Clark glared at the gangster.

Dillinger snarled at Clark. "Who are you, her big brother?"  With that he gave Clark a shove that caused him to stumble  backwards a few steps.

"I don't need anyone to protect me," Lois barked as she aimed  her pointy shoe at the unprotected groin of the unfortunate  criminal. He went to his knees with a piteous groan.

Clark quickly came up and grabbed Lois' shoulders. "Lois, are  you crazy? Dillinger is a killer!"

"Bitch!"

Lois' sharply indrawn breath caused Clark to turn his head in  the direction of her gaze. His heart skipped a beat as in a  micro-second he saw the gun in Dillinger's hand, the smoking  barrel, and the sound of three bullets being fired.

Too fast for anyone to see, Clark plucked the bullets out of  the air, while at the same time he thumped Lois in the chest  with his thumb. The impact caused her to stumble backwards.  Clark had his arm around her and as he gently lowered her to  the floor he leaned over her and whispered in her ear.

"Lois, play dead."

Pasting a look of anguish on his face, Clark continued to hold  Lois. Hamming it up, Lois emitted a plaintive moan and slumped  limply in Clark's arms.

"You moron, what did you do that for?" Capone said in disgust.  "Now we gotta get out of here." He waved at one of his goons.  "Joey, pick up the stiff - I can't be linked to a murder."

Clark protested weakly, then allowed himself to be pushed  aside as a couple of the muscle boys grabbed Lois by the arms  and dragged her off. Clark winced when he saw Lois' head thump  once on the stairs leading to the entrance and out the door.

Once the gangsters had taken their leave, the place broke out  in pandemonium. People rushed about, not knowing what to do.  Many looked for exits, but Clark knew that most would still be  trapped here by the time the police arrived. Using his super- hearing, he heard the faraway sirens approaching even then.  Someone must have called them once Capone and his men had  arrived. Clark knew that it was time for him to leave. He  needed to follow after Lois.

Once in the back alley, Clark quickly spun into Superman and  headed for the skies. It only took him a couple of minutes to  locate the speeding getaway car the gangsters were using. He  followed them until the vehicle screeched to a halt in dingy  back street down by the docks. The rear door of the car opened  and Lois was unceremoniously dumped out, to roll into a  collection of abandoned and unemptied garbage cans. Superman  only waited long enough for the car to have gone out of sight  around the corner of the next block before swooping down to  land next to Lois.

"Lois, are you hurt?" He helped her to her feet.

Lois tried to wipe the grime and refuse from her classy red  dress. "I've got a headache from when I was dragged over some  steps, and I think this dress is ruined." She looked up at  Superman. "But I think I'll survive, thanks to Clark."  Suddenly a confused look came over Lois' face. "Wait a  minute." She stared at Superman, as if seeing him for the  first time. "How...?"

Superman didn't wait for Lois to finish her thought; he just  scooped her up and flew off with her. After a short flight, he  entered Clark's apartment through the handy balcony door,  which he had left unlatched. He set Lois down next to the  couch. She refused to sit. Instead she just stared at him.

"Why are...?" She continued to stare. "Why didn't...?" She  slowly allowed herself to slump into the soft cushions of the  couch. She placed her head in her hands. "Omigod." She looked  up and met his eyes, seeing a familiar concern in them.  "You're Clark, aren't you?"

Superman dropped his head. "Yes."

Lois shook her head slowly back and forth. A single tear  slipped from the corner of her eye. "I can't believe it."

Superman shrugged. "Lois, look I know this is hard to believe.  It's a lot to take in..."

Lois continued to shake her head. "I can't believe you lied to  me. I thought you were my friend, the last honest man in this  cynical, rotten world, and what do I find? That you've been  lying to me since day one." Lois flopped back against the back  of the couch. A short laugh, just on the edge of hysterical,  escaped from her mouth. "I sure know how to pick 'em, don't  I?"

"Lo-is."

"No, don't use that tone with me. God, how you must have  laughed at me all those times when I thought I was confiding  my feelings about you to Clark." Lois looked up at him through  a misty sheen that covered her eyes. "I really thought you  were different. I thought you were the first man I could  really trust. But you're just like the others, aren't you.  You're just like every other *man*." Lois began to sink into  her own wallow of self-pity.

"Lois!" Clark's voice was like a whip crack. He stunned Lois  into silence. "I'm not going to apologize for doing what I  thought was best for me and my folks over this last year and  some months. I *am* sorry you had to find out this way. It's  not the way I wanted to have you find out."

"Oh? You actually intended to tell me?" Her anger allowed her  to find her voice again. "When? When our kids started flying  around the room? On our golden anniversary?"

Clark was stunned by Lois' babble. "What?"

Lois waved her hands in disgust. "Never mind, I don't know  what I'm saying anymore. I thought we were at least best  friends. But now I guess I don't know anything." Lois pointed  at the suit. "I can't think straight while you're wearing that  suit."

Superman spun into a pair of jeans and a pullover shirt.  Noting that Lois' reaction to his spin had startled her into  silence, he used the opportunity to get a word in edgewise.  "Lois, think. We've known each other for a little over a year.  When would have been a good time to tell you? When *should* I  have told you?"

Lois frowned at her partner. "What do you mean?"

Clark began to pace in front of her. "Should I have told you  right from the start? When you thought I was some hack from  nowhere who you'd been saddled with?"

"Well, no, I was pretty mean to you back then, but I didn't  keep that up very long."

"No, that's true. You tolerated me, while you continued to  throw yourself at Superman." Clark held his hands out in a  gesture of helplessness. "Can you imagine how it feels to be  virtually ignored while seeing you act like some giddy school  girl with a crush on the BMOC?"

Lois shook her head. "But you *are* Superman."

Clark sighed. "Yes, technically, I am Superman. But he really  doesn't exist. He's a part I play." Clark closed his eyes  briefly while gathering his thoughts. "Lois, I came to earth  as a small child, I was raised by two wonderful Kansas  farmers, and grew up as Clark Kent, their son. My powers  didn't develop until I reached my teen years, and then they  came upon me gradually." Clark shook his head. "I can tell you  that I was one scared young man when I found out that I could  start something on fire just by staring at it."

Lois' frown softened. "I suppose it was pretty hard."

"Yes, it was. And it was drilled into my head ever since my  powers manifested that I needed to keep them a secret. My  folks weren't sure where I had actually come from, but my  father was sure that if I was found out, I'd be spirited away  to some secret lab and dissected, like a frog in a biology  lab."

Lois spread her hands in confusion. "So, why *are* you  Superman?"

Clark stopped pacing and ran his hand through his hair.  "Because I got tired of moving around, of leaving a place  whenever I did something that might throw some suspicion on  me. Metropolis is where I wanted to stay but I couldn't stand  by and see people hurt when I could do something to help."

Lois nodded her head slowly. "So, you created Superman so you  could help but still maintain your privacy as Clark Kent."

Clark nodded. "Exactly. I can't imagine what kind of circus  I'd be living in if everyone knew that Superman and Clark Kent  were the same person. I know that I'd have nothing resembling  a normal life. No ball games with Jimmy. No Saturday night  poker games with Perry and the guys..." Clark saw the look  Lois gave him. "...And you." Clark took a deep breath. "Lois,  Superman doesn't sit with his best friend watching old videos  and eating pizza."

"I suppose not."

"Superman is merely a disguise. Also, if it were known that  Superman had parents, and close friends, they'd be in danger  from criminals trying to get back at him, or even be used as  leverage against him." Clark threw up his hands. "It's already  happened with you anyway. Your infatuation with Superman, and  the fact that I have a hard time hiding how I feel about you  has led some to use you against me."

Lois could understand what Clark was telling her but she  wasn't willing to give in quite so quickly. "I can understand  why you'd want to keep the secret from the general public, but  we've been best friends for quite some time. Why couldn't you  share with me?" Lois had trouble keeping the hurt out of her  voice. "Clark, I've told you things that I've never told  another soul. You know me better than I probably even know  myself, and I thought I knew you. But now it looks like I  don't really know you."

"Lois." Clark sat down next to her. "You know me better than  you think. And if things had been different we might have had  this conversation a while back."

Lois gave Clark a bewildered look. "What do you mean, if  things had been different?"

Clark chuckled sadly. "Lois, even though we were becoming  better friends, you were becoming involved with Luthor."

Lois dropped her head. She hated to have those memories  brought back up. She couldn't believe how wrong she had been  about someone; well, maybe now she could see why she had  missed on seeing Clark was Superman. She might be a top-notch  investigative reporter, but when it came to people, she must  be as gullible as they came.

She looked up at Clark, and a tear rolled down her cheek. "You  could have stopped all that if you'd just told me then. I  poured my heart out to Superman, and you rejected me!"

Clark's face became a mask as he hid the hurt that episode had  caused him. "And Clark Kent poured his heart out to you, and  you rejected him."

Lois shook her head in confused denial. "But you're..."

Suddenly, his words came back to her: how he had told her that  there were things that she didn't know about him, that she  might never know. She had gone on to assure him that she loved  him, that she would love him even if he were just a normal  man. More tears slipped down Lois' cheek as she relived the  memory. Hours earlier, she had just rejected him as that  normal man. No wonder he hadn't believed her.

She forced herself to look up at Clark again. "Okay, I  understand some of what happened now, but if you were so  concerned about my marrying Luthor, why didn't you say  something?"

Clark had to turn away, embarrassed, this time. "Call it  stubbornness, call it false pride, the truth was I wanted you  to love me for who I thought I really was, Clark Kent, not for  some costumed hero with flashy powers and a mysterious past."

Lois was still confused. "But you told me your declaration of  love was just something you said to try and keep me from  marrying Luthor. That you only thought of me as a good  friend."

Clark bit his lip as he blushed. "I thought that's what you  would want to hear. I didn't want it to be awkward between us  - after what had happened. I knew you didn't feel for me the  same way I felt about you, so I decided to be satisfied with  what you were willing to give me."

Lois turned away from Clark, but he could see her shoulders  shaking as if she were crying. His heart ached to see her like  that. He reached out and turned her back toward him.

"Lois, are you all right?" he said, the concern evident in his  voice. He was shocked to see that she was laughing.

"Omigod, what idiots we are." Lois wiped the tears from her  face. "Clark, do you know why I didn't marry Luthor?"

"Well, yeah, Perry and Henderson burst in to arrest him."

Lois shook her head; her smile was ironic. "No, I actually  stopped the wedding before that happened." Her smile got wider  as she noted Clark's look of astonishment. "I realized that I  couldn't go through with it, so I said no."

"Why?"

Lois reached over and placed her hand on Clark's chest.  "Because all the way up the aisle all I could think about was  you, and us. My mind kept flashing back to all the wonderful  times we had together, all the times that we shared danger,  and triumph." Lois captured Clark's eyes with her own. "It  took walking to the brink of disaster for me to realize that I  was about to make a commitment to the wrong man."

Clark was dumbfounded. "Lois, why didn't you say something?"

She chuckled again. "Because, before I could, someone else  *had* to go first that time." Lois shrugged. "After you told  me that you didn't really love me, that it was all an act,  what was I supposed to say? I had my pride too, you know."

"If only..."

"Yeah, if only." Lois slowly rose to her feet. "Well, it has  definitely been one eventful evening, but this little reporter  is dead on her feet and needs to go home for some sleep." She  patted Clark on the arm. "We still have a lot to talk about,  but I think... what is it?" Lois noted the look of horror on  Clark's face.

"Oh god, Lois, I'm so sorry." Clark sprang up and grabbed hold  of her hands. "When I saw Dillinger fire those shots at you, I  didn't know what else to do, so I plucked the bullets out of  the air and told you to play dead."

Lois nodded. "Yeah, and it worked. Oh, you don't think anyone  saw you grab those bullets, do you?"

Clark shook his head. "No, my hand moved too fast for anyone  to see."

Lois patted Clark on the chest. "Good, your secret is still  safe, and you saved my life. I *do* appreciate it."

Clark scrubbed his hand through his hair in agitation. "But I  didn't, don't you see?"

Lois was clearly puzzled. "Don't I see what?"

Clark took a deep breath and recaptured Lois' hands. "Lois, a  roomful of people saw John Dillinger shoot you at point blank  range. He couldn't have missed. They saw your body dragged out  of the room." Clark eyes pleaded with Lois for forgiveness.  "The police were almost there when I ducked out. I'm afraid by  the time the papers hit the stands this morning all of  Metropolis will know that Lois Lane has been killed." Clark  gave her hands a sympathetic squeeze. "Lois, you're dead!"

**********

Lois blinked, then stared at Clark in disbelief. "Dead?!" she  echoed, stunned.

He nodded, his expression bleak. "I'm sorry, I couldn't think  what else to do. There simply wasn't time to leave and come  back as Superman, and if I'd pushed you out of the way someone  else could have been killed." Under a second, he thought  bleakly. In under a second, their lives had been changed  utterly, and permanently.

"And so... everyone thinks I'm dead?" she choked out.

"I guess so. Someone called the police, so they'll know by  now," Clark said awkwardly. "And I guess, if you were  identified, they'd have contacted Perry or your parents."

"Oh god..." Lois exclaimed on a shuddering sigh. "What am I  going to do?"

As she stared at him, she saw Clark take a deep breath. Then a  resigned but determined look came over his face, and he said,  "The answer's obvious. I'll simply tell the truth."

"What truth?"

"That I'm Superman, and that's how I was able to save you." He  got up and started to pace around the room. "That's the only  way out of this. We can write the story for the Planet, and  you'll have your life back."

"No!" Lois jumped to her feet and ran to grab his arm. "No, I  won't let you do that, Clark! You've just finished telling me  how important it is for you to keep your secret. I won't let  you give it all up just for me!"

He turned to look at her, his expression anguished. "It's not  just for you, Lois. It's for *us*. I've just told you that I  love you - I want to be with you, and if you're believed dead  then how can I do that? I mean, what other choice do we have?"

"I don't know," she admitted in a small voice. "If I'm  supposed to be dead, then I can't be Lois Lane any more... I  guess I'd have to move away and start again somewhere else,  get a new identity or something..."

"You can't do that!" Clark protested. "It wouldn't be fair -  you'd have to cut yourself off from all your family and  friends and never have any contact with them ever again!"

That wouldn't be much of a loss in respect of her family, Lois  thought sardonically. But she would miss Perry, and Jimmy, and  one or two other people... and Clark. Most of all, she'd miss  Clark.

"What else can I do?" she asked rhetorically. "Clark, there is  no other option."

"Yes, there is. I go public," he repeated stubbornly.

"And you think we could be together if you did that?" she  challenged him. "Think about it, Clark! Would you get any  peace if everyone knew you were Superman? And what would  happen if I was known to be your girlfriend?"

He ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know, Lois, but you  moving away wouldn't help either, unless I went with you." He  paused, then added, "I guess we could both start again  somewhere. I'm not going to let you go without me!"

"But Superman belongs to Metropolis," Lois objected, though  she was amazed and overjoyed that Clark's immediate reaction  was to go with her. She wasn't used to men making sacrifices  for her.

"You mean more to me than anything," he said softly. "More  than Metropolis, the Planet, Superman... if I can't be with  you, none of that matters any more."

"Oh, Clark..." Lois leaned against him, taking comfort in a  few moments of closeness. He wrapped his arms around her,  holding her tightly against his lean body, and rested his  cheek against hers.

"We'll sort this out," he murmured, stroking her back. "I  promise, we'll find a way."

She drew back a little, gazing up into the face she knew so  well, noticing the similarities she should have recognised  long before: the firm jawline, the soft brown eyes she could  drown in, the beautiful dark hair, the concern radiating from  his expression. This was Superman, and he was also Clark. She  should have realised.

"I love you, Clark," she said suddenly, unable to hold the  words back.

"And I love you." The words sounded like a vow. She leaned  towards Clark, and he reciprocated; their lips met in their  first real kiss.

Lois had been kissed before. She'd kissed men before. She'd  even kissed *Clark* before, though those occasions had been  with the aim of distracting someone else. She had been pretty  sure, from those experiences, that he was a good kisser. But  none of her previous experience of kissing had prepared her  for this.

The first touch of his lips on hers was breathtakingly  sensual. He teased, caressed and loved her with his mouth, and  took the kiss to new depths when she parted her lips beneath  his. She heard a soft moan coming from somewhere, then  realised that she had emitted it.

Her senses still swimming, she wasn't aware that he'd ended  the kiss until she felt him gazing down at her with a dazed  expression on his face.

She reached up to caress his face; he caught her hand in his  and held it against him. "You know we have to be together," he  said huskily.

Lois nodded. "I never thought... never believed I could love  someone as much as I love you. Or believe that someone loved  me... You make me want to trust you absolutely, Clark, and I  never thought I'd be able to trust a man again."

"Believe me, I love you," he said strongly. "And I promise  you, you can trust me. You now know things about me that I  could never tell anyone else - and that's because I trust you  with that knowledge." His eyes were suspiciously bright as he  looked down at her. "Lois, I can't lose you! I couldn't stand  by and see you killed in Georgie Hairdo's club, and I can't  lose you now either. I don't care what we do - whether I come  clean as Superman, or we start again somewhere else; we're  going to be together for the rest of our lives."

Lois really wished she could believe that.

It would be so easy to accept what Clark was saying to her.  But she knew that it could never be as simple as that. Dozens  of people had seen her shot at point-blank range; therefore  she was dead. Had to be dead. Lois Lane, therefore, had no  life. But that didn't - shouldn't - mean that Clark had to  give up everything too!

She couldn't let him reveal himself as Superman to the world.  There were so many reasons why that would be dangerous and the  wrong thing to do. And while it was heart-warming to know that  he was prepared to give up everything and move to the other  side of the world with her, she couldn't let him do that.

She was probably going to have to do something like that  herself - change identity, at any rate. That wouldn't be too  difficult, if she could get access to her contacts or make  some new contacts. A change of hairstyle, dress, maybe  something else to alter her facial features, and she could  start again in a different city. Okay, she'd have to work her  way up all over again, but talent would always be recognised.

With Clark, though, it would be that much harder. No-one would  pay much attention to a woman of average height and looks, and  she could get away with staying in the US if she wanted. And  she'd meet new people, make new friends. But if Clark was with  her, then they would be more noticeable: he was tall, and very  handsome, and his eyes and skin colour were too dark for any  change of hair colour to look natural. And while Lois's  writing style might escape notice, if the two of them were  together there would be more to be recognised. And,  ultimately, Clark's secret would be out anyway.

Lois let her head fall forward against Clark's chest as she  acknowledged that she would have to lose the one man she'd  fallen completely in love with. It was just so *unfair*, she  thought bleakly. Clark had managed to sneak under her guard,  so subtly she hadn't even realised that he was doing it. And  she'd been foolish enough not to do anything about it - even  more foolish to turn him down, and then later to accept his  lie. And now she'd simply run out of time.

She and Clark had no future. They only had this moment, here  and now. By morning, she thought, she'd have to be far away  from Metropolis.

The situation was simple, and unarguable. She was supposedly  dead, and so she couldn't be seen alive. Too many questions  would be asked. So she would have to get on a train - to  anywhere - some time before dawn. Once away from Metropolis,  she could take whatever steps were necessary to obtain a new  identity.

Of course she could ask Clark to fly her wherever she wanted  to go, but that was a non-starter. She simply couldn't let  Clark know what she was planning - he'd never let her do it.  So she would have to sneak out when he was asleep.

Which meant that she only had a few hours of being with Clark,  before she would have to say goodbye to him for ever.

And those few hours would have to last a lifetime.

She tugged at Clark's hand suddenly. He gave her an enquiring  look. "Lois?"

"We can't do anything tonight," she said softly. "Let's just  go to bed."

"Oh!" He seemed taken aback by her suggestion. "I guess... I  suppose I thought you'd want us to make a decision."

"Not now." She pulled at his hand again.

"Okay." He looped his arm around her shoulders and set off in  the direction of the bedroom. "If you give me a minute to  collect a pillow and blanket, I'll leave you to it."

"No, you don't understand," she told him earnestly. "I want to  go to bed *with* you, Clark." At his very surprised  expression, she added, "I want to make love with you."

He hesitated, then said, "Are you sure? I mean... we have the  rest of our lives, Lois. We don't have to rush into anything.  I mean... well, I'd love to make love with you, of course I  would! But I don't want you to feel you have to, um, before  you're ready or anything like that..."

Lois stopped him by dint of sliding her arms around him and  reaching up to kiss him frantically.

*********

Clark suddenly found himself holding a frenzied woman in his  arms, being kissed almost hysterically by her. He didn't  object, precisely... but his intuition told him that something  was very wrong here.

Although, he recognised immediately, of course something was  wrong. Lois had just been told that, to all intents and  purposes, she was dead. Naturally she was upset!

And she wanted to make love with him... While a major part of  his instinct screamed at him simply to get on with it, since  making love to Lois Lane was something he'd wanted ever since  the first moment he'd set eyes on her, something was still  telling him that this wasn't right.

Not that it wasn't right that they should make love. Clark's  ethics were perfectly satisfied on that point: Lois loved him  and he loved her, and she knew that he was Superman, and  therefore that he was from another planet. And although any  kind of permanency had yet to be mentioned, he had every  intention of proposing to her at the first convenient moment.

But there was something... and at last, as Lois pressed her  body even more closely against his, thus almost destroying his  thought processes, he realised what it was.

Lois wouldn't give herself to a man lightly. He knew something  of her relationship and sexual history, because she'd told  him. She'd been hurt badly by men who'd professed to love her,  one of whom had abandoned her the morning after he'd managed  to talk her into bed. He couldn't see the Lois he knew rushing  to sleep with anyone after that kind of experience.

No, if anything, Lois would want to take it slowly, to be very  sure of the man in her life before she was ready to take their  relationship to an intimate level. And although she'd told him  she loved him, Clark felt very sure that making love at this  point would be too soon for her, under normal circumstances.

But these weren't normal circumstances. She was no doubt  traumatised. She needed comfort.

He could give her comfort in other ways, and she knew it. He  would have been happy to hold her in his arms all night, if  the closeness of someone who cared about her was what she  needed. Lois knew him well enough to be aware of that - it was  only about a month since she'd run to him at his apartment  when the Prankster had been after her, and she'd fallen asleep  in his arms then, on his couch.

This was different. She was kissing him, holding him to her,  as if her life depended on it. Or, he realised, as if it would  be her only chance...

Gently, he gripped her around her waist and pushed her a  little way from him, breaking the kiss at the same time. She  stared up at him, looking hurt and forlorn.

"Clark... don't you want...?" she began tremulously, sending a  stabbing dart of pain into his heart. He'd hurt her, made her  think he was rejecting her.

"Lois, we need to talk," he said immediately, quietly. "Come  and sit down."

She let him lead her to the bed, and sat hunched over beside  him, avoiding his gaze. He reached for her hand, drawing it  over to his own lap and holding it tightly.

"First... Lois, you gotta know that I want to make love with  you so much I can barely think straight!" he exclaimed. "You  have to know that!"

"Then why...?" she whispered.

He squeezed her hand gently. "You were acting like we were  never going to get another chance to be together! Lois, I am  not going to leave you - and I'm not going to let you leave me  either."

Clark had added that final comment on impulse; now, as he  watched Lois avoid his gaze, he knew that he'd stumbled on  exactly her intention. She had planned to leave him, and so -  to her, at any rate - this would have been their only  opportunity to make love.

She intended to leave him... Something inside him almost died  at that realisation. But then Lois looked in his direction and  he saw the pain in her eyes, and he knew that, whatever else  she intended, she didn't want to leave him. She didn't think  she had any other choice.

And, he admitted, if their positions were reversed it was  probably the kind of thing he would do. He'd see it as being  noble, no doubt, he thought, but now that he was the one who  could be left behind he could see that it was no such thing.  Walking away from someone you love was rarely a sensible  solution.

"Lois, we have the rest of our lives," he said emphatically.  "I told you. Whatever we decide, we're going to be together."

"But we can't!" she exclaimed, upset. "You can't just give up  everything... and I can't live some sort of half-life hiding  out in your apartment, or taking some new identity and  pretending to be your new girlfriend that no-one knows!"

"Did I suggest that?" Clark asked pointedly, before shaking  his head. "Lois, you know we'll find a way. We love each  other, and we're in this together. That's non-negotiable, as  far as I'm concerned."

"But... I just don't see how..." Lois trailed off, and Clark  heard her sigh. He'd never seen Lois Lane at such a loss  before, and he felt helpless in the face of her air of defeat.  All he knew was that they *would* find a way to be together;  it really didn't matter to him whether they had to assume new  identities in some other country. He'd done that before, after  all. But it was clear that Lois hated the idea.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders again; at least he  could give her the comfort of his embrace.

She sat up suddenly. "Clark!"

"What?"

"I was just thinking..." Now she was staring at him, her eyes  bright. "I was sort of thinking that if I'd actually been shot  it would've been easier, because although I'd have been  wounded I'd still have my life - "

Clark interrupted her, barely able to believe what she was  saying to him. "You'd have preferred me to *let* you be  shot?!"

But she shook her head immediately. "No! I'd have been killed,  at that range! No," she added quickly. "I meant that if a  bullet had hit me somewhere non-life-threatening... Anyway,"  she went on, "I wondered whether I could pretend to have been  shot - you know, wrap myself up in bandages and so on..."

"It'd never work!" Clark objected. "If you'd been shot, you'd  have had to go to the hospital, have X-rays, all the rest of  it..."

"I know, and that's when I thought of it!" she exclaimed. "You  could make it look as if I'd been shot!"

"I could?" Now Clark was baffled. "How?!"

"With your heat vision. You could burn a couple of holes in  me, make them look like bullet holes," she said, gesticulating  rapidly.

Clark jumped to his feet. "Are you *crazy*? Do you seriously  think I'd risk your safety - your *life* - like that? Have you  any idea what heat vision burns could do to you? Because I  don't! And even if I knew that it was 100% safe apart from the  burn itself, do you seriously think I could ever make myself  hurt you?!"

"Even if I want you to?" she asked in a small voice? "Even if  it would get me my life back?"

Did she mean that he owed it to her, since it was by his  actions that she'd lost her life in the first place? But Clark  dismissed that thought; he doubted very much that Lois saw it  that way. She'd been very grateful to him for saving her.

"Lois, no," he said emphatically. "And anyway, you know it  wouldn't work. I seriously doubt that any qualified medical  person would mistake a heat-vision burn for a bullet-hole -  and what about the bullets? Unless there was an exit wound as  well, they should still be inside you."

Lois fell silent, and she looked away. Clark raked his hand  through his hair, wishing he didn't feel as if he'd failed  her.

If only he'd insisted that they shouldn't go inside the club,  he thought bitterly. He'd said it could be dangerous. But Lois  had insisted that they wouldn't be recognised  -

Wait a minute!

He took a shuddering intake of breath. Surely it couldn't be  as simple as that?

But perhaps it could.

He knelt in front of Lois, taking both her hands in his.  "Lois, sweetheart, would you mind if I left you for a minute?  I won't be long, I promise. Less than a minute, if I can  manage it."

She raised her head and looked at him, her gaze bleak. "Okay."

He kissed her swiftly, then stepped back and spun into his  Suit again. "Back soon," he promised, then disappeared.

**********

Maybe she should take advantage of Clark's absence to slip  away quietly, Lois thought. It was clear that he'd never let  her go willingly, but what other choice did she have?

Slowly, she dragged herself off the bed and made her way  towards the arch. But before she took more than a few steps  she heard a >whoosh<. Clark was back.

He strode into the bedroom, and - to her amazement - he was  smiling. Not just smiling, grinning broadly.

"What...?" she began, confused.

"It's okay. Everything's okay!" he told her, still grinning.  "We can get your life back!"

"How?" She stared at him in disbelief.

"Give me your dress," he ordered.

"Huh?!" She looked down at herself, at the red dress which was  now dusty and a little torn.

"Oh, sorry," Clark said quickly, and went to rummage in a  drawer. He handed her a bundle, adding, "There's a T-shirt and  some shorts there; they'll do until we can get you some proper  clothes. But I need your dress. You never wore that before  tonight, did you? I never saw you in it before."

"No, it's new," she said automatically. "But I don't know what  you think we can do..."

"Get changed," he urged. "I'll wait in the other room."

She did so, walking through to the living-room a few minutes  later still completely in the dark as to the nature of Clark's  plan.

"It's simple," he said with a smile, taking the dress from  her. He held it up in front of her, then turned away and  looked intently at the front of the fabric. "There, instant  bullet holes," he explained. And right there, in the front of  the dress, were three ragged holes.

"No-one knew who we were!" he explained. "I just realised  that, and that's why I went out - I wanted to find out whether  the police were investigating the shooting of Lois Lane, or a  Jane Doe shooting. And I discovered that all they know is that  someone was shot, and there's a body missing. They have a  description, which includes this dress, but no-one's IDed  you."

"So... what? You're going to find the body of some woman who  looks like me, and put the dress on her?" Lois still couldn't  quite see Clark's plan.

"No. Too difficult. I thought I'd just leave this floating in  Hobb's Bay," he explained. "If I rip up the back, then it'll  look as if Dillinger and company tore it off you, or just  ripped it somehow."

"And when they dumped the body in the bay, the dress floated  off and the body sank!" Lois exclaimed. "That's brilliant,  Clark! If you leave it far enough downriver, then there's no  way any body could be found."

"That's what I thought." He was grinning again. "I still have  the crushed bullets, so I can rub them over the holes for  Forensics to pick up." As he spoke, he reached into the pocket  of his jacket, which was lying over the side of the couch, and  did as he'd proposed.

"We need blood," Lois said suddenly. Then she looked  crestfallen. "Blood can identify a victim..."

"If the police use DNA, sure," Clark agreed. "But what if the  DNA strand isn't on record? Then they've nothing to match it  against."

"You're right," Lois agreed slowly. "So we need some blood  from me?"

None too happy with that idea, Clark had to acknowledge that  they had little choice. "We can't use mine - if anyone  analysed it, they could figure out that it's not human."

Lois nodded. "That's okay. Just get me a knife or something."

Clark winced, hoping she didn't expect him to use it on her.  Hesitating because he thought there had to be a less painful  way, he was pushed aside as Lois made for the kitchen herself.  She instructed him to lay her dress on the table, then as he  watched, she gritted her teeth, held her left hand over the  dress, and stabbed herself in her third finger. Blood seeped  out as she held the wound over the 'bullet-holes' Clark had  created.

"We really need more than that," she commented after a couple  of minutes. "I mean, if I'd been shot the dress would be  soaked in blood!"

Clark grimaced, hoping that she wasn't going to propose  stabbing herself somewhere else. "I don't know - if I drop it  in the river, the blood would get diluted with water and some  of it would be washed off... we might be okay with this."

But she ignored him and stabbed at her finger again, wincing  as the knife cut into her.

"Okay, that's enough," he told her firmly a minute later; she  was looking pale and unsteady. He grasped the knife by its  blade, taking it from her, and pushed her into a chair; then  he examined the cuts on her finger. "They're not deep enough  to need stitching," he pronounced, then gently sealed them  with his heat vision.

"I'm sorry you had to do that," he told her softly.

But she smiled up at him. "I'm okay, really. And it's worth it  if it means I'm not dead!"

"Yeah, I know." He returned her smile, knowing exactly how she  felt; he'd felt that same relief as soon as he'd worked out  his plan and proved that it could work. Lois Lane was alive  and well. They didn't need to give up everything and start  again somewhere else under assumed names. He didn't have to  tell the world he was Superman.

And, best of all, Lois loved him and they could be together.

He reached out and caressed her face briefly. "I have to go  and dump this," he said, gesturing towards the dress. "Then  I'll be back, and I'll fly you home."

But she looked up at him, shaking her head. "You don't need to  take me home, Clark."

"It's no trouble," he protested. "And it's late, and you need  to sleep."

"No, Clark," she insisted. "You don't need to take me home,  because I am home. My home is where you are."

He stilled. "And mine is with you. I love you, Lois Lane."

"And I love you. Hurry home, Clark."

Her beautiful smile warmed his heart as he picked up her red  dress and went to lay the trail which would give Lois back her  life. Their future had indeed changed utterly in the course of  a few short hours, he thought. Lane and Kent; partners in  life, for the rest of their lives.

- The End -

****Since Tank mentioned it, I thought I'd slip in the fake- out ending here, just so those who haven't already read it can  see it:****

~~~~From the end of Tank's section:~~~~

Clark scrubbed his hand through his hair in agitation. "But I  didn't, don't you see?"

Lois was clearly puzzled. "Don't I see what?"

Clark took a deep breath and recaptured Lois' hands. "Lois, a  roomful of people saw John Dillinger shoot you at point blank  range. He couldn't have missed. They saw your body dragged out  of the room." Clark eyes pleaded with Lois for forgiveness.  "The police were almost there when I ducked out. I'm afraid by  the time the papers hit the stands this morning all of  Metropolis with know that Lois Lane has been killed." Clark  gave her hands a sympathetic squeeze. "Lois, you're dead!"

**********

Swallowing back guilt, Clark embraced Ellen Lane and shook  hands with Sam Lane, murmuring what he felt were hypocritical  platitudes in place of genuine condolences. He'd just sat  through one of the worst experiences of his life: a memorial  service for the woman he loved, a woman who *he* knew wasn't  dead, but the rest of the world believed dead.

After all, Inspector Henderson had told him, judging by the  witness statements, no-one could have escaped alive from the  impact of those three bullets. And, since the bullets hadn't  been found, they had to have entered Lois's body and have  remained there. True, no-one had seen her body since it had  been dragged off by Dillinger and the others, but there was no  way that she could have survived.

Clark had also been interviewed by Henderson, but he'd managed  to get away with saying very little, claiming shock and not  actually having seen much of what happened as an excuse. Since  the other witnesses had all agreed on what had happened - that  Lois Lane had been shot in the chest at point-blank range -  Henderson hadn't pressed Clark for more. He, like all the rest  of Clark's acquaintances, had assumed the reporter to be  grief-stricken at the loss of his partner, best friend, and  the woman most of them had guessed him to be in love with.

Moving away from the Lanes, and trying to avoid the tear- streaked gaze of Lucy Lane, Clark almost walked into Perry  White.

"Careful there, son," Perry said quietly. "I know this is  tough on you too, but you just need to hold it together a  little longer." He caught Clark's arm before the younger man  could move away. "You want to come home with Alice and me for  a while? Jimmy's coming - give us all a chance to talk and  remember Lois."

<Oh, god, no!> Clark thought in horror. There was no way that  he could continue this pretence in front of his closest  friends. The only way he'd managed it so far was to avoid  being alone with Perry or Jimmy, or Lucy, over the past few  days. He felt like such a hypocrite, pretending to share in  their grief and loss while all the time he knew that Lois was  alive.

Alive... but dead in every way which mattered.

They'd had long arguments about what to do since the night it  had happened, the moment when he'd had to tell her the brutal  truth. She'd been shocked at first, too traumatised to take it  in, and he hadn't insisted on discussing it there and then.  Instead, he'd simply suggested that she get some sleep, and  they could talk in the morning. Already feeling like a fraud,  he'd called Perry White, only to discover that the editor had  already been contacted by the police and told that Lois was  missing, believed dead. So he'd had to spend the rest of the  night down at the Planet, with one trip to the police precinct  to give his dishonest statement.

Knowing that Lois's body wouldn't be found gave him hope, in  that there was time, he thought, to come up with some sort of  explanation for her survival. But no matter how hard he tried,  he hadn't been able to think of anything. He'd arrived home in  the early hours of the morning to find Lois in his kitchen,  dressed in his bathrobe and drinking coffee. She'd turned a  haunted face to his, and he knew that reality had sunk in.

"What are we going to do, Clark?" she'd asked him, sounding  horrified.

He'd sighed. "I don't know. But there has to be a way around  this!"

She'd got up and gone into his arms. "Just hold me, Clark. We  can talk about this later - I just need you to hold me."

He'd done that, barely able to concentrate on the beautiful,  slender body in his arms as he wracked his brain looking for a  way out. After a few moments, he'd told her to go back to bed;  to his surprise, she'd insisted that he come with her. He'd  intended to sleep on the couch, or not sleep at all, but he'd  allowed her to persuade him, and they'd spent the remainder of  the night in each other's arms. Just holding each other, no  more; the comfort of each other's presence was all they'd  wanted.

Then, the next day, he'd made her coffee and come to sit on  the side of the bed beside her. "I've decided, Lois. I'm going  to tell the truth," he'd told her soberly.

"The truth? About what?" she'd asked, puzzled.

"That I'm Superman, and I saved you," he'd told her quietly.  "That way you don't have a problem."

"I might not, but you would!" she'd exclaimed immediately.  "What about all that stuff you told me last night? About your  parents, and being worried about what would happen to them if  your secret got out? You *can't* tell people that you're  Superman! I won't let you."

"Not even if it's the only way you can get your life back?"  he'd asked her sadly.

She'd shaken her head vehemently. "No. Not even then."

That argument had been repeated several times, with the same  outcome. Clark would have ignored Lois's views and simply  called a press conference, or given Perry an exclusive  interview, if not for the knowledge that Lois wouldn't forgive  him if he over-rode her views in that way. Now that she knew  his secret, she had the right to have her opinion taken into  account; he knew that. And if Clark Kent was to be publicly  known to be Superman, then Lois - as Clark's friend, and  probably girlfriend - would be at risk.

And, in those horrible intervening days, neither of them had  been able to come up with an alternative solution.

So Lois had stayed hidden at Clark's apartment, although he'd  wanted to take her to his parents' farm where he knew she  would be safe and would at least have some freedom to move  around. She'd insisted that she wanted to stay with him,  telling him that she'd lost everything else and didn't want to  lose him as well. And so in some ways those were the best  times of Clark's life, since they became lovers as well as  friends. Lois had insisted, saying that they were in love, and  that if she had her life back they'd be planning on moving in  together at least, if not more.

"Lois, if we could, I'd want us to get married," he'd told her  softly in response. "I love you. You're the only woman I've  ever felt this way about. I'd ask you to marry me right now if  I thought we could find a way of bringing you back to life  properly."But they hadn't found a solution. And so, now, five  days later, Clark was pretending to his friends and Lois's  family that he was as grief-stricken and devastated as they  were, and feeling a complete fraud in the process.

He shook his head, declining Perry's invitation. "I'm sorry, I  can't. My folks are here - " he waved in the vague direction  of where he'd last seen his parents, " - and I need to take  them back to the airport."

Perry nodded in understanding. "Okay, son. Look, if you need  to take another day or two off, you know I'll understand,  don't you? I know what she meant to you."

Clark nodded, unable to speak; he felt horrendously guilty  about deceiving Perry. Lois had been the daughter the gruff  editor never had; he knew that Perry was distraught about  Lois's supposed death.

But since they'd agreed that he couldn't tell the truth, there  was nothing he could do.

**********

Lois heard the door of Clark's apartment open, but she stayed  in the bedroom; she couldn't risk the possibility that it  could be someone else, or that Clark could have someone with  him. But he called out to her a moment later, so she emerged  and went to greet him.

His expression was drawn, and he looked very upset. She drew  her hand through his arm and did her best to paste a smile on  her face. "Come on, honey - you *know* I'm okay! Don't look so  glum."

His arm came tightly around her. "I know, Lois, but it's not  that. It's having to pretend to everyone - even your parents  and Perry..."

She rested her head against his shoulder. "That's why we're  doing the right thing. You mailed the letter to Perry?"

He nodded. "Yeah. On the way home."

"Your parents get back to Smallville okay?"

"Yeah, I flew them back as soon as we left. I told them we'd  come and visit soon."

"Then we're ready to go," Lois said heavily. They'd discussed  this, and agreed that since Lois Lane was officially dead and  gone, this was the only solution, the only way they could be  together.

She took a final, long look around Clark's apartment, bare now  of all personal possessions - he'd flown them out bit by bit  to Smallville over the day or so since they'd agreed on this  course of action. He'd also managed to acquire a few of her  possessions as well, by asking her parents for them as  keepsakes; one look at his expression when he'd come back with  them had told her how difficult that pretence had been, as  well.

And so they now had a couple of bags packed with essentials,  and they were ready to depart. Their new identity documents  were laid out ready to hand: Lois was now Louise Land and  Clark was Calvin Kane; staying close to their old identities  would, they thought, be easier than trying to become  accustomed to completely different names. And they were ready  to start new lives on the other side of the world.

Clark gazed at her, love and acceptance in his eyes. "You're  sure, Lois?"

"Louise," she corrected him softly. "I'm ready. But are you  *sure* you want to give everything up and come with me? Even  Superman?"

"Lois - Louise - without you, there's nothing here for me," he  said huskily. "Wherever you go, I want to be with you. And as  for Superman...? Well, who knows. I doubt I'll be able to stop  helping. But being with you is more important than anything  else."

"I love you, Cal," she told him, using the abbreviated form of  his new name deliberately; its similarity to his birth-name  was why they'd chosen it, after all. "Let's go and start over  together."

He released her, going to get their bags; then he spun into  his Suit and came back, scooping her into his arms. He walked  out to the balcony with her, then paused briefly to kiss her.

"Australia, here we come," he said, then drifted upwards.

- The End? -

GOTCHA!

Table of Contents

RIP Lois Lane

by Tank Wilson <TankW1@aol.com> and Wendy Richards <wendy@lcfanfic.com>