Mere is having a birthday in a few hours, but since she's not going to be home over the next few days, we thought we would post this story for her right now. 
Happy birthday, Mere!! 
Kaethel and Wendy ~ Captive Audience ~
A Birthday Story for Meredith
by Wendy Richards and Kaethel
Lois looked anxiously once more at the ticking clock displayed so prominently in front of her. Twenty seconds remaining. That was hardly any time at all! Where was he?
“Help!!! Help, Superman!” she yelled again, screaming at the top of her voice, which was now getting hoarse from over-use. At the same time, she tried once more to escape from the ropes binding her, only to have to admit that there was no give in them whatsoever. She was well and truly trussed up like a chicken.
“No need to shout, Lois - I can hear you,” a familiar voice observed, actually sounding amused. She jerked her head around, to see Superman floating in mid-air just to her side.
“Well, if you can hear me, why didn’t you get here sooner?” she demanded, frustration now replacing her earlier terror. She strained against her restraints again, grimacing as the ropes cut into her.
“I do have to rescue other people sometimes,” Superman pointed out, that amused note still present.
“Well, okay, I can understand that,” Lois conceded, “but now that you’re here, do you think you could get a move on and *rescue me*?”
“Well, now, Lois, I’m not sure,” Superman answered, floating around to ‘stand’ in front of her. He crossed his arms and gave her an interrogative look. “Why would I want to do that?”
“Superman! This is not a time for games!” she yelled at him. “That bomb’s about to go off any second now, and if you *don’t* mind, I’d really prefer not to be blown to pieces!”
“Oh, is that what you’re worried about?” He moved slightly to one side, giving her a clear view of the counter, which was on 19 seconds. “I stopped that as soon as I got here.”
“You did?” Relieved, Lois released a long breath. Then, baffled, she stared up at her rescuer. “Then why did you make me think...? And why haven’t you let me go?”
“It’s quite simple, Lois,” Superman said with a grin. “I just think that, for the moment, I prefer you just as you are. Tied up so you can’t get away and get yourself into yet more trouble.”
“What on earth are you talking about?” she demanded. “Come on, Superman, stop playing games. These ropes hurt!”
“They wouldn’t hurt if you’d keep still,” he informed her with that amused grin which was beginning to irritate her enormously.
“Superman, please...”
“No, Lois.” Again, that aggravating smile. “I want to talk to you, and I think that right here and now is just the perfect opportunity. I have a captive audience, so to speak.”
He wanted to talk to her? That sounded... a little ominous. On the other hand, could she really complain about having Superman’s uninterrupted attention for as long as it took him to talk about whatever it was he had on his mind?
“Superman, you know I’m always happy to talk to you. But, you know, I’d be a whole lot more comfortable if you untied me. Really. And then maybe we could talk while flying, or something nice like that,” she wheedled.
But he shook his head. “Uh-uh. Not a chance, Lois! You are going to sit right there until I’m done with you.”
Lois pulled a face. It was all very well for Superman to say that, but he wasn’t the one who had ropes wrapped around her wrists and chest and knees and ankles.
"What makes you think I’ll listen anyway? Just because I can’t go anywhere, you think I’ll hang on your every word?"
She saw his eyebrow twitch almost imperceptibly, and held back a wince. She had never talked so rudely to Superman before. She had always addressed him with the respect and awe he deserved, and all of a sudden she was treating him like the common of mortals. Like... well, like Clark, for example. How could she treat Superman like Clark?
Not that he deserved any awe from her today, she told herself firmly. He was looking at her with a smug expression on his face. But he was *enjoying* this! Seeing her in a very humiliating situation, tied to a chair and unable to move anything beside the fingers which already hurt from trying to undo the rope binding her wrists.
He ignored her threat, too, she noticed as he started to talk. She was determined not to listen - it wouldn't hurt to teach him a lesson after the way he had talked to her. But how did you teach *Superman* a lesson? How did you ignore him? It wasn't as if she could tear her eyes off the fine figure barely hidden beneath the flashy spandex suit!
" - but I want to try anyway."
She blinked as she caught his last words, and curiosity won the battle against determination. "Try what?"
"Lois..."
A wail, now? Superman didn't wail. Yet it sounded very much like a wail. In fact, it sounded like Clark Kent's reproachful call of her name when she blanked out on one of his speeches on how to spell "massacer"... or was it "massacre"? Whatever.
He sighed, and the weary sound drew her attention back to him. "I need to talk to you about Luthor."
She eyed him warily. It didn't begin well if he was following Clark's tracks in terms of invading her private life with his opinionated comments about Lex. "What about him?" Her attempt to keep her voice light and friendly failed miserably.
"He's not who you think he is, Lois."
"Stop. Don't even say more. I don't want to hear it."
"But I want you to. I *need* you to hear it."
"And you think that taking advantage of my current..." She shifted in the chair in another attempt to free her sore limbs from the tight rope. "... situation is a good idea?"
"It's the only one I have, so it will have to do."
"If I was a naturally suspicious person, I would wonder if you didn't orchestrate this little incident just to get me to listen to you." He gasped in outrage, but she cut off any attempt at defending himself. "I'm kidding! Well, mostly. So go ahead." She heaved a dramatic sigh and rolled her eyes for good measure.
"Just hear me out, okay?" He waited for her nod before he continued. "I know things, certain things, about Luthor that you don't suspect, that no-one suspects."
She opened her mouth to protest, but his held-up hand stopped her.
"You promised to hear me out," he warned.
"You forgot to tell whoever tied me to that chair - and I will find out who they are and send them in jail, where they belong, by the way - to gag me."
"Lois..."
"All right, all right! Do tell me what I *absolutely* need to know about Lex."
"Do you remember the Messenger Shuttle? The sabotage? Samuel Platt?"
"Yeah. What about it?"
"Luthor was behind it."
"What?!" No way. There was no way on earth Lex would do something so... and... and kill people! No. It was impossible. It didn't make any sense. "You have no proof," was all she managed to stammer.
He lowered his head. "No. I don't. And that's why I never told you anything about it until now."
"So what's different now?"
"I know that you're giving serious consideration to his pro... well..." He trailed off, then as she glared at him, he added awkwardly, "Clark told me that Luthor had asked you to marry him."
"Clark told you?!" Clark! Clark, her best friend Clark, whom she trusted more than anyone in this world, had talked to Superman about something that was strictly between them?
Tears stung her eyes, but she bravely shook them away. She wasn't about to make a fool of herself and cry in front of Superman. But Clark... the only man she had ever trusted! And he had betrayed that trust, trampled on it as if it was a meaningless thing. What else had he told Superman about her? She fought a blush as she remembered that Clark was aware of her infatuation with the superhero.
Superman's hand rested on her shoulder and gave her a brief squeeze. "Oh, Lois, don't be mad. I was... *Clark* was pretty distressed by the turn of events, and he needed to talk. And usually he turns to you, but this time he felt that he couldn't. That he would only upset you by telling you about his fe... well, about his opinion on the matter."
"I thought Clark was a friend. I never imagined he went around telling people about my private life."
"He cares for you, Lois."
"Yeah," she replied, her voice thick with tears she could barely hold back. "He cares so much that he runs to you to discuss something that was supposed to stay between him and me!"
"Lois, Clark loves you! I love you."
*********
What had he said? Oh god, had he really said that?
What on earth had possessed him?
He’d effectively given Lois a present of his secret identity. Just handed it to her on a plate. And - okay, she probably wouldn’t splash it over the front page of the Daily Planet, though even that might depend on how mad she was. But she was going to be furious with him. And she certainly wouldn’t believe another word he said on the subject of Lex Luthor.
She might even marry Lex Luthor. And the thought of Luthor being that close to finding out Superman’s real identity sent shivers down his spine.
How *stupid* could he possibly get! All his life he’d been taught never to tell anyone about himself, never to do anything which might give himself away. For his own safety - and also, he’d decided long ago, for the safety of his parents.
All his life, he’d been careful.
And now he’d just blurted it out, without any forethought, any good reason for telling Lois. Without any thought for the consequences. He’d simply opened his mouth and the words had emerged. Okay, he hadn’t actually told her that he was Clark Kent, but given what he’d said he might as well be wearing a placard around his chest announcing that fact.
His mom was going to kill him.
“Superman?”
Lois’s puzzled voice broke in on his agonising. He hardly dared look at her. But after a moment, he risked a quick glance.
Her tears had gone and she was watching him, frowning, looking confused. Yeah, sure, he told himself. Any second now, that Lane brain would figure it all out. And he’d be mincemeat.
“Superman... do you mean... *both* you and Clark are in love with me?”
“Huh?” Clark stared at her - and then realised what she’d thought. A love triangle - which was how he had occasionally thought of his relationship with Lois - but with three men.
While he was still struggling for the words with which to correct her mistake, she exclaimed happily, “But, Superman, that doesn’t have to be a problem! I love you too!”
“You do?” Clark felt as if he’d swallowed glass. “But... what about Clark?”
“What about him?” Lois asked, taken aback. “Um... well, sure, I’m fond of him. I mean, I love him, but not the way I love you. He’s my best friend. And he means a lot to me - I’ve really hated the way we’ve been the last few weeks. But I’m not *in* love with him. Not the way I am with you. I’m so completely in love with you, Superman!”
Oh, sure, Clark thought bitterly. She loved a one-dimensional cartoon figure; a man who didn’t exist other than in times of trouble. She loved the flying and the superpowers and the heroic side of Superman; she knew nothing at all about the man beneath the suit.
He’d suspected for a long time that she believed herself in love with Superman, of course. And he was well aware of her feelings for Clark - but hearing those feelings at the same time as she was swearing undying love for Superman made him feel sick.
It was just as well that he hadn’t managed to tell her how he felt about her that morning at the Planet, after all. She’d probably have laughed herself silly.
Clark choked down bile, trying to think of one good reason why he shouldn’t just fly out of there and away that very second - even better if he were to do it leaving Lois tied to her chair. But then sensible thought returned.
Lois claimed to love Superman. Yet she was apparently considering Lex Luthor’s proposal. There had to be a way to turn this to his advantage...
“Lois,” he said firmly.
“Yes?” The glowing, worshipful smile she gave him made him want to wring her neck and force the truth into her.
“You say that you love me?”
“I do!” she protested.
“And yet you’re considering marrying Lex Luthor?”
Lois lowered her eyes and chewed on her lip.
"Or do you love Luthor, too?"
"I don't."
"But you haven't turned him down."
"It's not a split-second decision," she protested weakly. "When a man asks you to marry, you tend to think about it before you say no. Especially if you've been in a relationship with him."
"Well, obviously I've never been in a relationship with Luthor, but I can tell you one thing. How could you be sure that a man is really in love with you when he proposes after a couple of dates?"
Wrong move, Kent. Very wrong move. He knew he had made a mistake as soon as her angry glare darted back at him. Invulnerability or not, he was sure that if those eyes could shot poison into him right now, he would fall dead to the floor in less than seconds.
"Nothing," she spat, "and I mean *nothing* gives you the right to pass judgment on my relationship with Lex." She twisted under her binds. "And will you please untie me now? Or do you intend to leave me like that even once you're through with this stupid conversation?"
*********
Lois half-expected him to find another excuse to leave her in her ordeal, but he complied silently. Her last words to him had apparently struck a chord, and hopefully he would find someone else to rescue within seconds and leave her alone.
She had never thought she would want Superman to fly away from her, she mused as her sore hands were finally freed and she set about working on her ankles.
Superman reached for her hands, though, and held them both in a firm but careful hold. Then he snapped the rope binding her feet, and she was free at last. She rose to her feet, and he released her.
She should leave. She should turn away without another word and sulk for a few days before she let him talk to her again. She should...
... but he had told her something of importance.
<I love you.>
So many men had spoken those three words before... well, not that many in her case, but Superman was the fourth one in her life. And where had the other three led her? Paul had been snatched away by her so-called best friend before he was even through with the magic sentence, Claude hadn't waited for the sheets to cool off before he was out the door, and Lex... well, Lex had asked her to marry him. But would he turn his back on her once she accepted his proposal?
*Once* she accepted it? But she hadn't said yes yet. And, in fact, Superman's three little words had thrown a doubt on her reasoning regarding the decision she should take about marriage to Lex.
He was right. How could she seriously consider Lex's proposal if she loved Superman? How could she do that to him? To herself?
"You're right," she confessed in a low voice. "I shouldn't be considering marrying Lex. And I'm not truly considering it. I couldn't bring myself to give him a flat-out no, because we have been dating and it means something. And I'm attracted to him. But I don't love him. I'm not even sure I could grow to love him. Not when I love another man."
"So why did you even think about his proposal?"
"Superman, you're out of this world! Literally! And until now, I had no idea that the way I feel about you was... well, welcome."
"It's not welcome."
"Excuse me?" She paled. She couldn't have heard him right.
"Lois, you can't have a relationship with Superman. Or rather, Superman can't have a relationship with you."
"But you just said that you... Oh, no, wait. I imagined that, right? You didn't actually tell me that you lo - "
"That I love you? I meant it, Lois. I truly do love you."
She took a step towards him, feeling bold enough to rest a hand against his crossed arms. He didn't flinch away. "Then what's the problem? If you love me and I love you, why can't we be together?"
"Can you imagine Superman being in a relationship with a woman? The yellow press would run after the scoop and splash it across the trashiest of tabloids. Your life would be at risk."
She rolled her eyes. "One would think that you, of all people, should know that my life is at risk on a daily basis anyway."
"And one would think that you, of all people, should know that it gives me way too many sleepless nights."
He pulled her hands in his and grew serious again. "Lois, you wouldn't be free in a relationship with Superman. You would always have to be on your guard. We could never go out and enjoy dinner in a restaurant or a movie at the local cinema. And even your apartment windows would be watched after a while if people noticed my comings and goings."
"I'm ready to make that kind of sacrifice," she said urgently, squeezing his hand and making his determination waver. It was so difficult to turn her down when she was looking up at him with so much love on her face.
This love was directed at Superman, he reminded himself. Not at Clark. Not at him. In fact, she had said that she was fond of Clark, but wouldn't consider him anything beyond a friend.
"But I'm not."
He let go of her and took a step back, needing to set some distance between them. He knew that what he was about to say would seal the fate of any hope he might have harboured about a relationship with Lois. How could he find the courage to turn his back on what she offered when he was so completely in love with her?
He loved her. He truly loved her. But the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach confirmed that Lois's feelings for him weren't real. She loved someone who didn't exist, and she barely noticed the man beneath the suit.
It was over. His hopes were dashed.
If that was all she felt for him - a crush on a comic-book character who didn’t really exist - then perhaps he should leave her to Lex Luthor.
“Lois, do you need me here any more?” he asked, his tone deliberately cool.
“Huh?” She stared at him, clearly not following his shift of subject.
“I’ve rescued you. The bomb’s defused. You’re untied. Do you need me for anything else? Should I be catching the people who left you here like this?”
Her expression changed, her eyes narrowing. She understood what he was doing, all right; knew that he was distancing himself from her. Part of him wished against reason that she would ask him to stay. He unceremoniously quashed the thought. It would do no good to hang around now that it was clear that he had to put his romantic attachment to her behind him. It would do no good to let himself believe in her pretence of love.
“No, I’m fine, Superman. Thank you for saving me. As for the people responsible, I know exactly who they are, and I have proof, too - the police will get them.”
“Good.” He gave her a brief nod, then turned around and strode out of the building, his dreams left in shattered pieces behind him.
*********
Lois sank down onto the chair again, feeling utterly bewildered as she tried to make sense of the last half-hour.
Superman loved her. And yet, somehow, it had felt as if he hated her just as much.
Lex Luthor, if Superman was to be believed, was an arch-criminal. Well, if Superman said so, shouldn’t she believe it? Probably... She didn’t think that Superman was the type to run down another man out of jealousy.
And Clark... Clark loved her, too.
But she’d known that, hadn’t she? It was one of those things she’d simply taken for granted, like the fact that she always won the Kerth for investigative journalism, that Jimmy was the office gofer and that Ralph was a sleaze. Clark loved her.
Suddenly, she felt ashamed of her callous remark to Superman when he’d asked ‘what about Clark?’. She’d been dismissive, utterly uncaring of her partner’s feelings for her. She’d metaphorically trampled all over Clark. Okay, he hadn’t been here to hear it, but Superman was his friend. Even if Superman didn’t actually tell Clark what she’d said about him, it was bound to colour the superhero’s opinion of her. And since Clark hadn't hesitated to tell Superman about the secret turn of her relationship with Lex, she could only too easily imagine that her lack of consideration for her partner's feelings would come back to his ears soon enough.
That could even be part of why he’d said that he didn’t want to love her.
Maybe he thought that she was a horrible person. Maybe he was ashamed of the way she behaved, especially towards Clark. Maybe he was disgusted that she, a top-flight investigative reporter, had never bothered to look beyond the superficial with Lex.
Because that was exactly what she’d failed to do...
What if Lex really was dirty? She’d never even questioned his honesty, his reputation as an upstanding citizen. She’d never once wondered whether he could possibly be as clean-cut as he appeared to be - despite the mysteries surrounding his past and other signs she should have recognised as potentially indicating that Lex Luthor wasn’t all that he seemed.
She’d failed in her obligation as a reporter to look beyond the external. And it was no wonder if Superman was contemptuous of her as a result.
That was it. Superman thought that she wasn’t worthy of his love. And he was probably right.
How could she have been so awful to Clark? Lois had no idea why that thought suddenly occurred to her, but suddenly, without any warning, her mind was filled with memories of the way she’d treated him over the past month or so. She’d brushed off all his concerns about her relationship with Lex, accusing him of jealousy. She’d ignored him a lot of the time, and then demanded his friendship when it suited her. She’d been dismissive of him in public.
She’d been cruel. And definitely unworthy of his friendship.
Yet he loved her anyway. That was humbling.
Maybe, once she’d sorted out today’s bad guys, she should go and talk to Clark. It was time that she made her peace with him, and she had a lot of humble pie to eat.
As long as he was still willing to talk to her, after the way she’d treated him.
**********
Clark didn't even need to use his X-ray vision before he knew who was pounding on the door that night. Who other than Lois could drop by his apartment at one in the morning? A smile started to form on his face, but disappeared just as quickly. Seeing her would only remind him of what he had lost today. What he had never had, actually.
He had spent months fooling himself into believing that maybe, someday, Lois's friendship for him would evolve into something more, that she would see beyond the tight suit he wore as Superman and start to consider the man beneath, the man who worked with her on a daily basis... the man who was nothing to her. Nothing.
He glanced at the shadow behind the glass door. If he ignored her, would she go away? This time, he couldn't hold back a chuckle. Hoping for Lois to go away was like hoping for a pit-bull to let go of your leg once it had decided it was good enough to chew. She would rather stay here till morning and break her wrist from knocking constantly than go home. In fact, she was more likely to pin the lock and get in.
He barked a "Comin'!" and made a dash-grab for his glasses, then fiddled with the lock as the pounding on the other side intensified.
"I'm not deaf, you know?" he growled as she brushed past him and made her way down the stairs and into his living-room. "But even if I was, you'd have cured me in seconds."
"We need to talk." She sank onto the sofa, her coat still wrapped around her.
"Lois, do you have any idea what time it is?"
"I'm serious, Clark."
She looked up at him, and he could immediately see that she wasn't kidding indeed. He trotted down the steps and took his place beside her, though careful to leave some safe distance between them. He winced as he realised what he was doing. Until today, he would never have thought twice about sitting next to Lois, setting an arm about her shoulder, or drawing her in his embrace. Their comfortable closeness had always seemed to be enough to keep him waiting her to see him in the way he saw her. He had never pushed her into more than friendship precisely because he believed that what they had was enough for now.
Except he now knew that what they shared would have to be enough for ever. Lois would never love him. She might stick to her surreal Superman fantasy for a while, then her affections would move on.
He was being unfair. He should be satisfied with their friendship. He should be content to have her trust. But the bitterness of rejection was hard to fight, especially since he hadn't been told in person. Or rather, he had been told in person, but Lois didn't know she had been talking to the man she had dismissed so easily at the time. Maybe it would have been better to remain locked in blissful ignorance. If he had, his friendship with Lois would seem intact. He wouldn't hesitate to sit closer to her tonight and even be bold enough to reach for her hand. He shifted even further away and kept his posture stiff.
She looked nervous, too. Her hands were fiddling on her lap, and her eyes were avoiding him.
"What happened?" He fought very hard the instant urge to rest his hand against her arm. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes. No." She got up and started to pace. "No, it's not okay. Clark, I've had a talk with Superman today." She planted herself in front of him for a mere second before she started to wear a track in the carpet again.
<Oh, no...>
"And he told me things that I never imagined."
<Please, Lois, no>
"Clark, he said that he... that..." She threw up her arms in obvious frustration and fully turned to him. "He said that he loves me." She paused, probably expecting some kind of reaction from him. He remained stubbornly silent. "And he also said that *you*... Clark, I need to know. How do you feel about me?"
Clark swallowed. Just how was he supposed to answer that?
“Lois... I...” he began, struggling to compose an answer.
“Clark?” She sounded a little uncertain now. “It can’t be that hard, surely? I mean, you’ve known me long enough... you must know how you feel about me.”
<Of course I do, Lois! And I know that you know... don’t you understand just how humiliated that makes me feel?>
“Lois, why do you want to know?” he answered after a few moments. “Isn’t it enough that you have Superman and Lex Luthor in love with you? You want to make it three for the price of two?”
She flinched at that. “Clark, you make it sound as if I’m collecting scalps,” she said quietly. “Is that how I’ve made you see me?”
He sighed. “Not scalps... but you do seem to be kind of possessive, don’t you? I mean, you haven’t exactly said no to Luthor, and you have Superman, it seems... why do you need true confessions from me, too?”
Lois looked away, and to his shock Clark saw her surreptitiously raise a hand to her eye. That was all he needed; now he’d made her cry.
“Aw, Lois, please don’t -”
“Please don’t what?” She rounded on him, anger warring with misery in her expression. “Don’t try to make up with my best friend, who I’m convinced now hates me? Don’t try to find out if he really cares about me after all? Don’t wonder if I’ve been a complete *moron* in the past month or so? Don’t think that I’ve been in danger of making the biggest mistake of my life?”
She broke off, breathing heavily, but continued before Clark could respond. “Don’t even try to repair the best thing that’s ever happened to me... don’t assume that the only man who ever really cared about me still does? Don’t forget to close the door on my way out?”
*********
She could have kept on listing the things she shouldn't do if Clark hadn't risen from the couch to wrap his arms around her and draw her into a hug. She wanted to pummel him, to scramble out of his embrace, turn away and walk out through the door, but she clung to him instead, her fingers gripping at his t-shirt as she hid her tears against his neck.
She had come here to save her friendship with Clark; she had come here because she craved for a relationship that was the sole anchor in her life. And instead of her best friend, she had come face to face with a man who behaved and talked in a remote and subdued way, as if he already knew what she had told Superman only a few hours before. As if she had already lost him.
The thought had been unbearable. Contemplating life without Clark was out of the question. And yet, instead of making up for her too numerous mistakes, she had managed to make things worse by asking him to confess his feelings for her. She had needed to hear that Clark truly loved her, that he would never stop loving her, that nothing would ever come between them. She hadn't even stopped to wonder about his willingness to share with her something that, after all, was bound to bring him disappointment. Hadn't she made it clear to Superman that very afternoon that her fondness for Clark didn't go beyond that?
Her hands tightened their grip on her partner and her body pressed closer to his. It always worked that way, didn't it? She needed him. She craved for him. And then she dismissed him. And Clark, the only true and loyal friend she had ever had, was always there. He always gave and he never took.
"I need you, Lois," he whispered against her hair, and for a mortifying second, she wondered if she had spoken her thoughts aloud. "I care for you because I know that despite what you want people to believe, you're not cold and insensitive. I could never hate you because it would be more painful than loving you." He seized her shoulders and pulled away to look at her face. One large hand stroked her cheek, and a pair of deep brown eyes gazed at her with more tenderness than she had ever thought possible. "I need you because I love you."
His arms dropped from around her, and he took a step back. "But I know you don't feel the same way about me. I know you think that you can't love anyone else but Superman, even more so now that you know about his feelings for you. I know you're seriously considering the proposal of a man whose name gives me shudders, and I know that telling you about my feelings for you is probably going to ruin whatever trust you still had in me."
He gave her another steady look. "Now at least you know." Then he turned and disappeared through the archway to his bedroom, leaving her alone and lost in the middle of his empty living-room.
*********
tbc
