Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic The French Connection: Lois Returns (1/4)

Here is my fic for the auction that Christina won! I hope I got all her preferences in and that she is happy with this little fic!

Huge thanks to my betas, Female Hawk and IolantheAlias. You guys are an awesome pair of beta readers!

One note -- most of the story takes place in Marseille. The city in France is spelled without an 's' and all Anglo cities named after it add an 's'. Don't ask me why. I didn't make the rules.

I have been to Marseille and therefore have pics! I will translate any French used at the end of parts, and also add a few pics to give you the real flavor of the place.

All characters belong to WB. Borrowing for fun and not for profit.

Enjoy!

Part 1

Lois remembered flying... her hair caught up in the breeze, and strong arms which held her close. Brown eyes, full of love, gazed into hers.

She remembered danger, too. And how somehow, she was always rescued by Superman.

And his kiss… it reminded her of something else, too. Something…about Clark?

“I’m here, Lois! I’m here.” She recollected that voice as well, the comfort of it.

“I remember…” she said vaguely, images of Superman like wispy ghosts floated in her memory.

“What?” Clark had asked cautiously. Almost hopeful.

“Superman,” Lois smiled. “Saving me. A lot,” she added in some alarm.

Clark grinned back at her, warming her. “It’s been known to happen. Anything else?”

She closed her eyes, trying to rein in those elusive memories. “Kissing me. Is he in love with me, too?”

“Well, that’s kind of complicated,” Clark hedged, making her uncertain.

He suddenly looked up, and then down at her with regret. “I have to go.”

“You’re always leaving,” she commented, as if it were an observation, not a question.

“And I always come back,” he promised, and she believed him. Clark stood up, and waved down Jimmy. “Jimmy! Don’t let her out of your sight!”

~L&C~

Lois slowly opened her eyes, looking out of the plane into the clouds, set off by the golden afternoon sun below them. Her dream had left her with an unsettled feeling. She was making the right decision, right?

Max did say he loved her… and she was making progress. This trip would do her memory good… and maybe she could sort out the confusions of her heart.

She glanced over at Max. He was handsome, and he had certainly given her a life raft in this sea of confusion… but her thoughts kept drifting to Clark.

And Superman… those strains of memory were like a song that she almost remembered the melody to, but couldn’t quite find the key.

Lois sighed, leaning back in her seat as they were getting ready to land. What did it matter? Spending some time in France with a man who loved her – this had to be it. This had to make all those elusive memories come to the fore and coalesce into a picture.

She had to believe that.

~L&C~

The warm sunshine hit Lois in the face as soon as they stepped out of the train station in Marseille. She could hear the distant cry of seagulls and the sea breeze whirling through the bustling streets. Bright sandstone surrounded her, and she felt calm… calmer than with all the confusing distractions she had dealt with in Metropolis.

The face of Clark Kent popped in her mind, giving her stomach an unsettled lurch, although she didn’t know why. He had seemed like a nice guy. There was something niggling in her brain about him, but she just couldn’t—

“We’re here, Lois,” Max Deter said affably, gesturing to a taxi. “We’ll be in our villa in a matter of moments, and you can soak up all the sunshine that your heart desires.”

Lois smiled vacantly, and settled herself into the taxi. She stared out the window as they drove through the city. It was beautiful here… and glimpses of the crystalline blue water were like diamonds, glinting in the sun. She sighed as she watched the scenery go by. This place should do it… it would help her get her memories back, she was certain.

“Everything all right?” Max asked solicitously.

“Oh, yes. Everything’s fine,” she answered brightly, that slightly uncomfortable feeling creeping into her chest again. It was just that she felt so uncertain… oh, not about Max. He genuinely seemed to care for her, and was determined to help her make a full recovery. It was just, she felt so lost, with so many memories just—gone.

And she couldn’t help but be haunted by another pair of brown eyes set behind a pair of glasses that seemed to know more about her than he had been willing to say…

~L&C~

“They are gone?!” Clark echoed when the secretary told him where Lois and Deter had gone.

“Yes, Deter sometimes takes his patients to the south of France. He has a lovely villa—“

Clark spun around on his heel and left the hospital. If there weren’t people around, he would be tempted to spin out of his street clothes and into the Suit – and head straight towards the south of France.

As it were, he calmly left the building, trying to wrap his mind around how everything had just gotten so—complicated. He wondered if he should have just gone against Deter’s advice and told Lois everything. Then maybe she wouldn’t have left, wouldn’t have gone so far away…

But he had worried about risking traumatizing her by telling her the full truth. Who knows what he had jeopardized by telling her he loved her…

But still… how could Lois have left with Deter? To another country? Was there really nothing of her life here that she remembered? Nothing that felt familiar enough to make her second guess leaving her home?

Clark sighed, shoving his hands in his pants pockets. She obviously hadn’t remembered him…

He wanted Lois back. But he also wanted her happy and didn’t want her back under duress. If her memories were still missing, then him showing up there as Superman to take her home would only stress her out, wouldn’t it?

Clark had to believe that maybe a bit of time away would help. He had to believe that. Otherwise, the happiness that had been almost theirs would be gone forever.

~L&C~

The villa was a warm, yellow sandstone, set off by the cloudless cerulean blue sky. Red roses lined the walls of the villa, a crimson burst of bold color against the soft yellow walls. Lois shielded her eyes as she got out of the car.

“Wow. This place is beautiful.”

Deter gave her a warm smile, gently leading her into the house. “This way, Lois. We’ll get you settled in.”

Inside, he led her up the white washed wooden stairs to a small room. The bed had a cheery cover on it, and fresh yellow roses sat on the bedside table. She stared at the roses, a memory niggling in her brain that was just out of reach…

“What do yellow roses mean?” she asked, feeling like it was an echo to something she had asked a long time ago.

“Friendship, I think,” Deter said, setting her suitcase next to the door. “I’ll let you get settled. Dinner will be served in the garden at six thirty.”

“Okay, thanks,” she said, turning once more to the roses as Deter shut the door. Lois thought someone had given her yellow roses once, but no matter how much she stared at the vase, nothing more came back to her.

She sat on the bed, letting out a sigh of frustration, wondering if she’d ever get her memory back. She rolled over on her side, looking out the window to the sunny day and large oak tree in the yard. Lois supposed she could imagine a sort of life here. It was beautiful…

But was there anything to do? She couldn’t be certain, but she felt that sitting around all day in a country house wasn’t exactly her style. She had been a reporter, after all. Maybe she should go exploring.

Lois glanced at the clock on the bed stand. It was still early in the afternoon. She didn’t want to sit here all day and stare at the ceiling, wondering where her memories had gone, did she?

With a sigh, Lois sat up and put on her white Keds tennis shoes. She was in one of the most beautiful places in Europe. She should go see it.

Lois headed down the stairs, looking for Max.

“I’m in here, Lois,” he called. She followed his voice to a small study.

“I was just thinking that maybe I could explore the city a bit,” Lois said, a little irked that she felt like she had to get permission to leave the house.

“But we just got here. Aren’t you tired?” Max asked, his voice full of concern.

“Maybe… but I can always take a nap later. I just need a map and I can find my way back.”

Max shuffled through some papers on his desk and handed her a small map. “It’s just of the city center. I’ll have my driver take you to the port. Just be back by dinner.”

~L&C~

Back by dinner? What did he think she was? Sixteen?

Lois tried not to feel irritated as she rode into the city. There was something about this whole thing that seemed strange to her. And more than just being in a foreign country.

She signed in frustration. Coming here was supposed to help her relax, so that she could remember who she was. Instead she felt irritable and confused. She pulled out the map Max had given her.

“Where would you like to be dropped off, Miss?” asked the driver.

Lois stared at the map, unsure of the French place names. But she recognized the harbor and could surely orient herself around that. “I guess at the old harbor.”

A few minutes later, she was standing on the docks, soaking up the sun and being blinded by the sparkling water. Lois started walking, not choosing any particular direction. Somehow, the docks felt familiar to her… had she ever spent time on a boat?

She sighed. “I guess that is just one more question I may never know the answer to.” Lois looked out across the harbor.
In the distance, she could see an island, covered in sandstone cliffs. There appeared to be a building of some sort out there, and tour boats were coming from it. Lois wondered vaguely what it was, but continued walking lazily along the harbor.

Lois wasn’t sure how long she tarried among the docks, lost in thoughts as she shuffled vague memories around with tidbits she had learned during her few days back at the Planet. She had read through dozens of her old stories that Jimmy had labeled ‘BCK’ and ‘WCK’ – Before Clark Kent and With Clark Kent. Lois had been impressed by how her writing had improved on the stories she had worked on with Clark – and how so many of them had involved Superman. Those stories had intrigued her the most… she seemed friends with Superman, and she wondered what had made her put so much implicit trust in a man from another planet…

As Lois came towards the end of the docks, she noticed that this side of the harbor wasn’t as pretty as where she had started. No sailboats or yachts here… just simple fishing boats. She was about to turn around and head back when something caught her eye.

A rough-looking sailor was carrying a box that was covered with a canvas cloth. He set the box in the boat and called to another guy at the front of the boat.

“C’est la dernière. Nous avons jusqu’au demain soir… et puis, Monsieur Hernot nous rencontrera au Château d’Îf… à minuit.“

“D’accord. Demain à minuit.”

Lois somehow recognized a few words, and she wondered if she had ever taken French in her life. She knew ‘minuit’ meant midnight and ‘demain’ meant tomorrow. She also recognized Château D’Îf as the name of that fortress-like place across the harbor. Whatever latent reporter instincts she had, they suddenly kicked into high gear with this interesting information. Having a rendezvous at midnight didn’t sound like normal business…

There was something fishy going on, and Lois wanted to know what it was.

But how would she convince Max to let her chase down a story?# He had seemed reluctant to let her do it while back in Metropolis. He’d be even less likely to approve of her doing it now that she was in a foreign country.

Lois glanced at her watch. She was already expected back at the villa in less than an hour… But that still left her some time to try and get a little more information on what these guys were up to…

Lois took a seat on a bench, four boats down from where she had heard the men talking. They tucked whatever they were preparing under a couple of tarps and then walked away, mumbling something inaudible in French.

Perfect, thought Lois. She waited until they were out of sight and then casually started walking towards their boat. Her heart was pounding, and yet, this felt right – like she did this all the time.

I must be crazy, she mused. Lois glanced around once more before stepping onto the boat. It was a rather small vessel, which wobbled with a swishing sound in the water. She only had to peek under that tarp…

There were at least five wooden boxes, all labeled as various rifles and guns.

Lois gasped, dropping the tarp. She stepped back onto the dock, just in time to see the two guys reappear on the other end of the dock. They started running towards her, shouting, “Qu'est-ce que tu fous là? Que-est ce que t'as vu?”

She didn’t understand them, but she didn’t wait around to pull out her tourist dictionary. She started running up the port steps, right into a crowded market square. Lois only had to lose those guys, and she’d be in the clear. She dived under a stand, and then between a clothes rack and a wall of leather goods. She tossed a glance over her shoulder, still seeing the guys in pursuit behind her. As Lois ran, she had a strange urge to call out for Superman, though she knew it was laughable at this distance. There was no way he’d hear her, right?

She dived through the market, suddenly finding herself on a busy thoroughfare, full of cars and street trolleys. The guys were still chasing her, and despite her earlier reluctance, she cried out, “Superman, help!” but kept running, barely avoiding being swiped by a small car.

Lois was starting to run out of breath, but she was determined that they wouldn’t catch her. She followed the street, heading back into the market, knowing a crowd was better than an open street. Once more she dodged under various tables and stalls, eventually seeing a WC sign. The guys were out of her sight for the moment, so she ducked in to the public toilets. There was a dirty glass window that she could sort of see through, and she kept an eye out for the two men. After a few moments, she saw them dash past her hiding spot, and she ducked out of the way of the little window.

One of the patrons of the facilities pushed past her to open the door, and she felt her heart lurch, afraid they’d spot her. But she didn’t see either of them on the path.
Lois counted ‘twenty Mississippis’ and then decided she had lost them… at least, she hoped so.

She glanced at her watch, seeing it was time to meet Max's driver and head back home to the villa.

Lois took one more glance around, and then made a beeline to the rendezvous point for her ride. She was more than relieved when she slipped into the backseat and headed back to the villa.

~L&C~

Clark stared at his computer screen blankly. He couldn’t concentrate… in fact, he hadn’t gotten much work done since he learned that Lois had followed Dr. Deter to the south of France.

As he was finding himself doing a lot lately, Clark mulled over how everything had gotten so turned upside down. He felt sick inside, wondering if it had been his fault. Had kissing Lois and telling her his feelings pushed her towards Deter?
Surely she couldn’t love her psychiatrist…

No, Clark knew that what he had with Lois was something special…and rare. Which is why it killed him that he had let her go… but he had always believed that when you loved someone, you let them make their own choices. Even if they make the wrong choice? His inner voice taunted him.

Clark sighed again, staring across the room at a chair that shouldn’t be empty, feeling even more irritated – and deserted.
Suddenly, Clark heard a cry for help. But the cry gave him pause, because it wasn’t his super-hearing kicking in. He heard it internally – and it sounded like Lois.

But, he knew, even with his super-hearing, he wouldn’t be able to hear Lois call for help all the way in France. And while that thought sent a chill through him, he mulled over the sensation that he had—felt her somehow cry out for him.

Clark stood up, worried that Lois was indeed in trouble.

Would it hurt to fly to France and just check on her? If she wasn’t in trouble, she never needed to know he was there…

Before Clark knew it, he was running out into the Daily Planet alley, spinning into the Suit and up into the sky. He wouldn’t be able to work anyway, and especially not if he worried over what was happening with Lois…

~L&C~

Gunrunners, mused Lois on the ride back, safely ensconced in the car. Those guys she had seen must be gunrunners.

Something about that felt oddly familiar – and very dangerous. But it only sent a thrill of excitement through her, something she hadn’t really felt since she had lost her memory.

She knew it would be dangerous to investigate it, but she wanted desperately to confirm her suspicions by following those guys tomorrow night… Max didn’t even need to know about it. But perhaps she could tell Perry. She bet the Planet would be interested in a gunrunning story…

The more Lois thought about it, the more excited she got. She’d even call Perry tonight, if she could manage it out of Max’s earshot.

A part of her brain prodded at the fact that if Max was in love with her, then he should be supportive of her work as a reporter. But Lois brushed that aside. Once he saw how good she was at her job, surely he’d understand, right?

~L&C~

Max Deter climbed the steps to the villa, having picked up some last minute supplies for dinner tonight. He wanted Lois to enjoy life here, to experience all the beauty and deliciousness the south of France had to offer. He wanted her comfortable with him, too.

And he wanted her to forget her old life in Metropolis.

She was so much more interesting than so many of his other patients had been. Feisty, yet intelligent. Beautiful, but not vain. He almost convinced himself that she loved him, too.

Of course he knew it was simple transference of her feelings from that annoying fiancé of hers, Clark Kent. But Lois hadn’t figured it out yet, and he had gotten her out of Metropolis before she could. His whole plan had been right clever, when you thought about it.

Deter paused before opening the front door, hearing Lois speaking.

“…yes, Perry, of course I’ll be careful! But a gunrunning story could be just what I need to get my juices flowing again, you know? …oh, he did? Why would Clark miss me?”

Deter purposefully opened the door loudly so that Lois would end her conversation quickly. Inside, he was fuming. She wasn’t supposed to be calling the Daily Planet, nor working on a story, and certainly not talking to Perry about Clark Kent!

He schooled his features, smiling pleasantly just as Lois hung up the phone.

“Lois, I thought I explained to you that you needed a complete fresh start. And talking to Perry isn’t helping,” he said in smooth tones.

“Well, I don’t know… I mean, I was a reporter. Shouldn’t I do some reporting to get those proverbial juices flowing again?”

“Lois, we’ve made so much progress together. Please, honor that work. Drop the story… besides, it’s too dangerous for you to pursue a story here, in a foreign country.”

Lois sighed, though she didn’t look convinced. “I guess you’re right. I’ll drop it… for now.”

Deter smiled, though he wasn’t sure she was telling the truth. It didn’t matter though. He’d have another hypnotizing session with her tomorrow, and he was certain that all her reporter notions would be shoved back into the recesses of her memory – where they belonged.

---
French translations:

“C’est la dernière. Nous avons jusqu’au demain soir… et puis, Monsieur Hernot nous rencontrera au Château d’Îf… à minuit.“ "That's the last one. We have until tomorrow night... and then, Mr. Hernot will meet us at Château D´Îf... at midnight."

“D’accord. Demain à minuit.” "Okay. Tomorrow at midnight."

“Qu'est-ce que tu fous là? Qu'est-ce que t'as vu?” "What are you doing there? What did you see?"

The Old Port, Marseille



Château D'Îf



Bed and Breakfast, AKA Deter's Villa