This is my first ever fanfic, or story for that matter since I was forced to mangle some sort of written piece for my English exams.
Please let me know what you think, and I'd love any suggestions for improvement and constructive critisim. I'm trying to get a beta reader, but I was too impatient to wait for a reply, so here goes...
Useual disclaimer, characters are not mine, based on WB story, etc etc.
The following is from the transcript of 'Barbarians at the planet'. It is not mine, I'm just using it to begin my story. Here goes.
****************
Lois, in her nightgown, is curled up on the sofa watching TV. She bears a WHOOSH by her window, turns to see Superman standing by it.
“Superman!”
“I heard you wanted to see me.”, Stiffly Superman replied.
“Yes. Please, come in. I'll just put on a robe.”
“Unless it's lead-lined, Lois, it's a waste of time.”
Red faced, Lois replied “I guess so. Anyway, I'm just trying to figure out...well, there've been a lot of changes going on in my life and I'm trying to make the right, decisions, but I can't until I know... how you feel.”
Walking up to Superman, Lois, puts her hand on his chest. “Superman, is there any hope for us? You and me? I'm so completely in love with you that I can't do anything else without knowing.
Shaking his head, Superman responded “ Lois, I do care for you. But... there are things about me you don't know, that you may never know.”
“It doesn't matter. I know _you_. And I don't mean you the celebrity or you the 'superhero.' If you had _no_ powers, if you were just an ordinary man leading an ordinary life, I'd love you just the same. Can't you believe that?
Torn, Superman replied “I wish I could, Lois. But, under the circumstances, I don't see how I can.
Lois stared at him, as tears formed in her eyes. She then turns away. When Lois turns around again...
*********************************************
And now my story begins…
* * denotes emphisis.
Clark tethered on the edge of the window, Lois’ final comment cutting him deeper than he ever imagined. He should just tell her than she had rejected the ‘ordinary man’, he just wanted to throw it back in her face, make her hurt as much as she had just hurt him, but the secret of who he was so imbedded in him that he couldn’t. Instead he listed to himself belittled Lois in a way he never thought he could or would.
“You *know* me? I don’t think so Lois. All you see is the flashy superhero, the ‘god in a cape’; you who investigate for a living have a blind patch bigger than Texas when it comes to your personal life. What about Lex? Do you *know* him too? He’ a criminal Lois. A murder. But all you see is what he wants you to see – the charming, rich man. Is that all you’re after? His money? My glamour? If that’s what you’re love is, I’ll pass.”
Regretting the words as soon as they were out, but still hurting Superman vanished from Lois’ sitting room, in his wake a cold wind ruffled the curtains and chilled Lois’ scantly clad body.
***************************
As the first rays of dawn began to illuminate the interior of Lois’ appartment the usually neat and tidy lounge room looked as though it had been ransacked. A broken lamp lay next to the skewed coffee table, which was covered in shredded newspaper clippings. The bold primary colours of red, blue and yellow were scatted haphazardly over and around the table, as though swept aside.
The source of the broken lamp could be seen lying upside down against the closed windows. The once pristine cover of a scrapbook hung limply from its binding, the contents ripped out.
In the kitchen sink two lonely items sat side by side. One an empty container of choc chip ice-cream, the dregs now melted to a pool of brown liquid and the other a recently emptied bottle of rather expensive red wine. No bowl or accompanying glass could be seen.
It was too this mess that Lois woke, making her wish that the deep peaceful sleep she had been seeking all night would not elude her yet again. Sighing, she realized that the few hours she had been able to manage, between the long periods of wakefulness and the tossing and turning would have to surface for the time being. At least until she could get some of the mess in her head sorted out.
Groaning with the beginnings of a headache, Lois dragged her weary body out of bed and stepped into her shower, hoping to calm her racing thoughts. She had hoped that by morning the events of the night would turn out to be nothing more than a bad dream, but all too clearly she heard the echoing voice of Superman in her ears “Is that all you’re after? His money? My glamour? If that’s what you’re love is, I’ll pass.”
She had gone from complete shock, to crying, hurt, heartbroken, denial and finally anger. That was when she had started ripping apart her ‘Superman book’, a rather fancy scrapbook she had started almost a year ago when Superman had first saved her on the Colonists Transport. It had contained newspaper clippings, photos, brief diary entries and of course teenage-like hearts filled with L.L. loves S.M. Not content with shredding the image of the man who had not only hurt her with his callous words, but even worse shown he was just that, a man, capable of hurting her, Lois had thrown the scrapbook against the window, clipping her lampshade as it sailed past to the ‘door’ Superman had used only hours earlier.
It was only as Lois realised she was about to pour herself a drink of wine that she began to calm down. Horrified at what she was about to do – turn to alcohol just like her mother, that Lois tipped the contents of the bottle down the sink, before taking herself to bed. There she proceeded to cry herself to sleep, all the while hating herself for letting a ‘man’ reduce her to such a disgraceful, weeping, weak excuse for a woman.
Standing in the shower, letting the hot threads of water relax her weary body, Lois couldn’t help her thoughts turning once more to Superman. No longer angry she thought about the other part of what Superman had said. “What about Lex? Do you know him too? He’ a criminal Lois. A murder.”
A criminal. That’s what Clark had been trying to tell me for so long. Had Clark put Superman up to it? No, despite his cutting words last night, Lois couldn’t help but believe Superman. He didn’t lie. Thinking of Superman brought fresh tears to her eyes, and Lois wasn’t one to just stand in a shower crying over a man who she thought she loved, a man who she had risked opening her heart up for, only to have it ripped apart. A man who Lois realised with a choke, she still Loved.
How can I still love him? Lois wailed to herself. She had spent so much time protecting her heart, and now finally opening herself up to the one man who wasn’t supposed to be to hurt her, her perfect man, she had been once again let down. Lois didn’t know what was worse, that Superman had turned out to be just a man after all, or that despite his newer and much lower rank of ‘man’, she still couldn’t stop thinking about him. Couldn’t help herself from loving him.
Blast him! I’m not going to do this! Lois shut off the water and angrily stepped out of the shower.
I need a plan, something to do to stop myself from going crazy over a man! Over the mess my life is. Of the two men in my life, one turns out to be less than perfect, much less than perfect, and the other is apparently a criminal. A murder.
Only two? A nagging little voice asked in the back of Lois mind.
Ignoring her last thought, Lois looked for a plan of action. Obviously her relationship with Superman was no more. There was nothing she could think of doing about that, nor did she want to have to deal with Superman or her feelings for him. That left Lex Luthor. A criminal.
Normally Lois’ first reaction would have been to turn to Clark, but that relationship was also too raw for her to visit now.
I guess I now know what he went through yesterday, declaring his love for me, Lois thought ruefully.
Well, no Clark, that left Perry. Her mind made up Lois grabbed a coat and with a backwards glance at the disaster zone her house had become, she left.
***************************
If you like this, let me know and I'll post some more.
