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A Future Reborn - (Lois' Story III) - the epilogue
by Tank

*******Epilogue*********

Lois finally logged off and shut down her home computer. This latest story was finished and she could finally go to bed. She yawned once, then ran a hand through her short dark locks, which now were beginning to show more than a few threads of silver. She didn't care. What did it matter?

She'd been on this world for nearly ten years now and it wasn't as if she was worried about her looks anymore. Exercise, and a job that still had her on the run, had kept her figure trim and firm, but time had a way of curbing one's vanity. Laugh lines became full fledged wrinkles, and her raven dark hair wouldn't stay that way much longer.

She still missed Cat. Rattling around by herself in the large two bedroom apartment seemed unnatural somehow. Even after all these years, she expected Cat to come through the door at any moment and make some wise crack about Lois' all work and no play attitude. But that wasn't going to happen. Cat was gone, and Lois was alone.

Not that she didn't have her friends still. Perry had finally gotten over his crush on her and had found happiness with Alice. They'd been married for about eight years. Her relationship with this Perry was nothing like the one she'd had with her old boss back home, but it was friendly nonetheless.

She was still partnered occasionally with Clark, and he'd become her best friend on this world, but they could never even be as close as she and her own sweet Clark had been before they'd admitted their feelings for each other. It just never was the same.

As Superman's fame and popularity grew, he found that he was pulled away from his duties at the Planet more and more. Finally, he'd had to come to an arrangement with Perry. Clark worked as a free-lancer; bringing in stories where he could and teaming up with Lois from time to time on some of the bigger ones. Even though, by rights, he was allowed to sell his stories anywhere, he never gave them to anyone but the Daily Planet. She'd never asked him directly, but Lois was pretty sure that Clark had confided his secret to Perry in order to uncomplicate his work situation, which at one point had brought him to the brink of being fired.

Clark and Jenny had married shortly after that. Lois had even been a bridesmaid, but that was only because Jenny wouldn't let Clark have her be his best man. She didn't think it would look proper.

She and Jenny had become friends of a sort. They were able to socialize and interact easily enough, but there was always a certain wall that stayed in place between them. Lois understood Jenny's continued guardedness around her. Even though Clark loved her and had chosen to marry the young woman, she still had some insecurities when it came to Lois. She had a hard time accepting Clark having a woman as a close friend without there being a sexual component to it.

That had also had a collateral effect on her work life. In the ten years she'd been on this world she'd found herself yelling 'Help Superman' no more than a handful of times. Knowing who he was, and what she might be disturbing if she called out, kept her from invoking that famous phrase unless absolutely necessary. That didn't mean that Lois had become more cautious in her investigative methods. Three trips to the hospital over the years had finally caused Clark to confront her over it, and he had made her promise to call out if she ever felt she was in any danger, of any kind. Of course, Lois and Clark differed on their opinions as to what actually constituted danger. She smiled at the memory. Eventually she relearned just how far she could push before a story began pushing back.

Lois had tried dating on a few occasions, Scardino had been a pleasant diversion for a short time, but nothing ever came out of any of them. She couldn't help but compare every man, and every possible relationship, to what she'd had with her own Clark. She knew that wasn't fair, but it was human nature to do so, and no one ever measured up. Not that she really thought that they would, but she had hoped that she might find someone who could give her some sort of companionship as the years went by. But nothing ever worked out. Besides, it was just easier to fall back on Clark's friendship rather than try to work on a relationship.

Of course, a lot of that had changed about two years ago. In a freak accident Clark and Jenny had been struck by lightning. They'd been coming back from a vacation in some remote spot, Clark flying, Jenny in his arms, when they wandered too close to a thunderstorm. A random bolt had struck the couple.

Clark had been horrified at first, expecting Jenny to have been killed or, at least, badly injured. But she had quickly recovered and shortly after, a red-headed Ultra Woman had joined Superman in his pursuit of truth and justice. Since then Lois had seen less and less of the couple as they expanded their super hero duties ever farther across the globe. In the last month she'd only worked with Clark once, and talked with him, briefly, one other time.

She was just about to turn off the lights and head to bed when a soft knock on her front door caught her attention. Curious as to who would be coming around at this hour, she quickly went over and took a peak through the spy hole. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw who it was standing out in the hall.

She unlatched the several locks and swung the door open. She stepped back and with a gesture waved the visitor in. "Come on in, Herb." There was no welcome in her voice. Merely weariness. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" She closed the door then moved over and flopped down in one of the easy chairs.

The time and dimension traveler was still dressed in clothes from his own era, and he held his derby hat in his hands. He continued to run his hands around the brim as he made no move to sit.

"How are you, Ms. Lane?" Lois could see in his body language that he was uncomfortable, but wasn't about to make things easy for him.

She shrugged. "I guess you'd say I'm fine. Just waiting to die."

Alarm suddenly registered on Wells' face. "Oh dear, are you ill? Is there something wrong with you?"

Lois shook her head and chuckled. "Wrong with me? No, Herb, nothing like that. Nothing morbid, or life threatening. It's just that I've arrived at what I am, and what I'm going to be. My life has settled into a pattern, a routine. I get up every morning and go to work. Don't get me wrong, I still love my job. But even that has become somewhat automatic. There comes a time when there seems to be a certain sameness to every story, no matter what the story might be. I come home, late most nights, and either read or watch a little television. On my days off, I clean the place and maybe take in a movie. This week is pretty much like last week, is pretty much like next week."

Wells stared at his hands which were still playing with the brim of his derby. "I'm sorry things didn't work out for you here."

A frown furrowed Lois brow. "What didn't work out, Herb? I helped create a Superman for this world... in time to save the planet from a disaster of epic proportions. I'd have to guess that some form of Utopia is guaranteed for this world. Heck, there's even two super heroes flying around this Earth. Isn't that what you wanted? Isn't that why you put me here?"

Wells finally looked up at Lois and met her eyes. "I'd had hopes - for you too. That you could be happy here."

Lois let a little bit of the resentment she'd held for so many years slip in. "Hope for what, Herb? That I might fall madly in love with a much younger Clark Kent? A man who was already involved with someone else?" She became more animated as her voice rose in volume and her arms began to fly about. "What were you thinking, Herb? That because my Clark was able to find solace in the arms of another Lois Lane, because he thought I was dead, that I could just pick up with the next Clark Kent that came along? Is that what you thought?" She didn't let the supposedly long-dead author respond. "Look, I told you things would be different for me. The situation was different. I knew my husband wasn't dead, but I couldn't do anything about it." She made a conscious effort to reign in her hands and arms. Instead, she crossed them over her chest. "If you must know... yes, I did feel an attraction for this Clark Kent, but it wasn't the same. Even if I'd fallen head over heels for the man, he wouldn't have felt the same way. He was already in love. We became friends, and that was all I wanted. That was all he wanted."

Lois dropped her head and scrubbed her hands through her hair to calm herself down. When she gazed back up at Wells her face was more composed. A look of resignation had replaced her previously emotional state.

"Am I happy? I don't know. Is anyone really happy? I know I'm glad that I'm not rotting in that stinking prison anymore. I have a good job, and a few friends. So, my life may not be as fulfilled as it might be, it could be a lot worse. Maybe there just aren't any more windmills for me to tilt at. And maybe that's a good thing. I don't know that I'm up to it anymore."

Wells' countenance had become serious. "Apparently there is nothing truly holding you here anymore." His pause was unintentionally dramatic. "You could leave."

Lois held up both hands in front of her. "Oh no, not again. I'm not going to go traipsing off to another dimension so I can create another Superman for you. I'm too old and tired for that." She sighed. "Can't you just let me live out the rest of my years in peace?" She dropped her head into her hands.

His voice was soft, but steady. "I just thought if there was no longer anything here for you, that you might want to go... home."

Her head snapped up. Her eyes locked onto his. "Home?"

Wells gave her a quick nod. "He needs you."

*******************

Lois' mind was still trying to sort out all the things that Wells had told her.
Time moved at different rates in different dimensions. She'd been in that first alternate dimension, imprisoned for nearly five years. Apparently time flowed at a similar rate between that world and her own. But that wasn't true of her home dimension and the world where she had spent the last ten years of her life. Wells had brought her back home, but not a home she was familiar with. Instead she was brought to a world where nearly fifty years had passed in the time she had been gone. Fifty years! Some of the buildings and the landmarks were the same, but more were different. Newer, more modern architecture and building methods had produced a city that was an interesting, if somewhat unsettling, amalgamation of the familiar and the foreign.

But those were just buildings. What was more unsettling was the fact that all the people that she had known were gone. Perry had passed on several years before. Jimmy had married Penny, and had a full career as an investigative reporter for the Daily Planet, until it, like all other newspapers, had become strictly an electronic news source. Now he was a long retired grandfather. Her sister Lucy had apparently met and married a man named Pat McPhereson, some sort of research technician. She lived in California and was a great-grandmother. All the people she knew, as she had known them, were gone. All except Clark.

She had known ever since that fateful day in Bernie's lab that Clark was likely to outlive her, and everyone else. Even after the incident with Veda Doodsen and her machine that could steal a person's youth, she knew that Clark would, barring some kryptonite encounter, still live much longer than the normal human. So now, even though he had been on the planet for over eighty years, he looked liked a man in his forties.

Lois stood in the shadow of a large oak tree, overlooking a small peaceful cemetery. Less than thirty yards down a gentle hill from her position stood a still-handsome man of apparent middle years. His hair was still thick and dark, with only the barest hint of silver at the temples. His tall, well-muscled frame was still straight and unbowed by the years, but now it was bowed in grief. He grieved the recent death of his second wife.

She knew whose name was on the headstone that Clark stood over. Wells had told her that Lois had died peacefully in her sleep less than a month ago. She'd been fighting a malignant cancer for the last year of her life. As any Lois would, she had battled the disease with the same ferocity and intensity which she had brought to every other aspect of her life. A few months ago she had achieved a remission. For the first time since stricken she had been able to live pain free. But, unfortunately, as often happens in these situations, the illness struck back. One evening Lois had gone to sleep, and she never woke up. She had lived a full and rewarding life, but all things eventually come to an end, and so it was with the Lois Lane of the alternate dimension cum Lois Lane of this world.

Clark had once again had to deal with loss. The loss of his partner, his best friend, his lover, his wife. To have lost someone that special to you twice in one lifetime was an unimaginable cruelty. Something someone as kind and giving as Clark should never have had to experience. Yet death was a part of life, and being who he was, Clark was going to have to deal with more than his fair share of the loss of loved ones.

A tear slid down Lois' cheek. She'd met this Lois way back when she and Clark had made the trip to the alternate dimension to help that world's Superman deal with an invasion by their version of the New Kryptonians. Considering what that Lois had gone through, she exhibited a strength and resilience that had amazed Lois. In their short time together she had come to respect and really like her other world twin.

When she had been tossed against a wall by a super-powered Kryptonian thug, she knew that she wasn't going to survive their adventure and had begged that Lois to help her Clark. She had known how her death would affect her dear husband, and that he would need someone to help him live again. The woman had kept her word, and in doing so had created a wonderful life for herself as well. Lois envied the time her counterpart had spent with Clark. But fate had a way to bringing things back full circle. It looked like it was going to be Lois' turn once again.

She began to move slowly down the hill toward him. She hadn't walked more than ten yards when she saw his head snap up. He cocked it to one side, as if listening to something. She could also see his nostrils flare as he took in the smells the gentle breezes carried him. He seemed puzzled. Slowly he turned until he was facing her.

Lois had kept walking and didn't stop until she was only a couple of feet from him. The shock on his face caused her to smile as another single tear slipped from the corner of her eye. "Hi."

He reached out a trembling hand, seemingly afraid that if he touched her she'd go away, but not able to resist. The hand touched her face, cupping her cheek. She leaned into it.

"It is you." His voice was full of wonder. "I couldn't believe my senses when I first detected your presence." He let his thumb run against her cheek. "But, I'd know you anywhere." A tear snuck out of his eye. "If you're a vivid hallucination, or just a dream, I hope I don't wake up."

Lois' own vision was now being blurred by tears. "Nope, it's really me. I've been gone for a while, but I'm back now."

Clark opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again, but all that came out was a sigh.

"Still as glib as ever I see," she joked, as tears continued to fall.

"How? You, you look..." he finally managed to stammer out.

Lois sidled up next to him, slipping her arm around his waist, and smiling when his arm went automatically around her shoulder. She leaned her head against his chest, staring at the elegant little headstone in front of her.

"It's a long story, I'll tell you about it later. For now let's just say, I've been busy."

He gave her a squeeze, as much to reconfirm she was real as to comfort her. "How'd you get back?"

"Herb brought me."

"Herb!" His voice held more than a hint of alarm, and a great deal more than a hint of anger.

She took his hand in hers. "Later." She nodded toward the headstone. "I'm so glad she was here for you, Clark. Really."

She looked up and immediately saw a flash of guilt ripple across his face. "Lois, I..."

She placed her finger on his lips. "No, I mean it. I'm glad you had each other. She really was a wonderful person, wasn't she?"

Clark gave her a sad smile. "Yeah, she was. But how could she not be? She was a Lois Lane, after all."

She gave him a playful swat on the chest. "So, did Perry ever convince her to lose the red hair?"

Startled, Clark turned a questioning gaze on Lois. "Did Perry what?" He held up his free hand as he saw the look on her face. "No, I know, later." He smiled, but this time it was not directed at her, but inward, as he accessed fond memories. "No, she kept it red. She hated it, but she saw it as a means to defining herself as a individual. She didn't want me, or even herself, to be confused as to who she was. She was Lois Lane, but she wasn't... you." He shrugged. "She was a wonderful woman in her own right, there was never any confusion. I tried to tell her that, and I think she believed me, but she could be stubborn. I think she used the red hair as a sort of badge of her separate identity."

Lois nodded. "I can understand her reasoning... but it looked ghastly." Clark laughed. It was so good to hear that laugh again. "So." She gave him a cocked brow. "Was she a good reporter?"

Clark looked around, pretending to avoid looking at Lois. She punched him in the ribs. He grinned. "Okay, what do you want me to say? She was a good reporter. She won a few Kerths, a Pulitzer, a few Merriweathers, and she had more than her share of front page headlines."

Lois stepped back and looked Clark in the eye. "She - won - a - Pulitzer?"

"Well... yeah." Clark shrugged.

Lois shook her head and rubbed her eyes. "Do the Lois Lanes of every dimension win Pulitzers except me?"

"Just how many Lois Lanes from other dimensions have you met?"

"Forget about that." She planted herself directly in front of him and stared up into his misted eyes. "Right now I need you to do one thing for me."

"What's that?"

"Kiss me."

Knowing Clark never needed a second invitation, Lois braced herself as he leaned his head down and captured her lips with his. If a person could actually die from pleasure, the ecstacy that she was feeling then would surely have done her in. Suddenly her heart was so filled she thought it was going to burst. It was heaven, it was bliss, it had been so, so long. She could have stayed there, kissing Clark, for the rest of her life had it not been for that pesky need to breathe.

Breathless, Lois finally pulled back. Her lips were red and swollen. Her eyes couldn't leave his. She knew that the unconditional love she felt showed in her eyes and was mirrored in Clark's. She took a long slow breath. "That was nice." A smile slowly turned up the corners of his mouth. She reached up and traced his lips with her finger.

"Clark... take me home."

(Fade to black)