Clark tucked his cape around his body as the icy winds blew over the white landscape. He'd found partial shelter against an iceberg in the Artic in his escape to get away from Lois. He was having a hard time trying to sort out his feelings over what had just happened. So many emotions had raced through his mind and heart in the last hour. But he felt empty – so empty.
He had laid his heart on his sleeve and had been discarded by the only woman he had ever loved... only to be asked to contact his competition – his alter ego – for her.
The ordinary man that she had rejected had turned out to be the object of her idol worship. He wasn't sure why he had flown away at that particular moment when she asked Clark to contact Superman. Anger at the thought that she had dismissed his declaration of love in one breath and had practically swooned over his secret identity in the next. He guessed that he was going for the shock factor and a bit of humiliation also.
From high in the clouds he'd watched her as she sat on the park bench stunned and surprised, and could only imagine what was running through her mind. Part of him wanted to fly down and comfort her and the other, wounded side was glad that she was confused and hurt. Although if he went down there he wasn't sure if even his invulnerability would help him, he thought wryly.
He'd almost given in to the urge to talk to her again when Luthor appeared and had spirited her away in his limousine. He had known Lois was flirting with the idea of marrying Luthor. But now he, Clark, had cut himself out of Lois' life for good... by doing something stupid like revealing his secret to her.
Oh, he never intended to tell her that way. If only she could have loved him as Clark instead of a cardboard cutout... Now Luthor, another farce of a man, appeared to capturing her attention. All of a sudden a disturbing thought crossed his mind - was Lois really that shallow or did she just have a blind spot for powerful men who weren't who they appeared to be?
Anyway, his secret was out of the bag and it was over between them. He'd realized that when Luthor had sweet-talked her into leaving.
Oh no! A cold realization struck him soundly. This was *not* the time for Lois to find out his secret. Not when it looked like she was probably going to be marrying Luthor! Everything was at stake now! His secret, what was left as his life as Clark Kent, his parent's safety...
But he couldn't believe that Lois would sell him out to the likes of Luthor. Even if she ended up being married to him. But could he take that chance? And as furious as he was with her now, he still loved her and couldn't give her up to Luthor without a fight.
She would always be the one who'd stirred his unrequited passion, always be the woman of his dreams and desires, and always be the one who got away if he didn't do something.
Now wasn't the time to run with his cape tucked between his spandex. In spite of his feelings now, he knew that when it was all said and done he would always love Lois.
But would another passionate plea for her love work this time? No, he couldn't go to her as Superman; he still needed her to love him as Clark. There was only one thing that he could do and although it left a bitter taste in his mouth, he needed to swallow his pride and get through it. It would be a way to keep his eye on Luthor to determine if his secret was safe. And what an opportunity it would be to investigate the billionaire but right under his nose. But most of all, he needed to win Lois' trust again.
His sun-cast shadow was completely behind the icy cliff he was leaning up against and he realized that time was slipping away. He had to get this over with before the day had ended.
With a renewed sense of determination, he shot up in the air and headed for Metropolis.
*****
Lois jabbed at the keys of her new keyboard in frustration. You'd think that a high tech place as Luthor News Network would have simplified their technology. But in spite of all the shiny objects and streamlined appearance, it was the same – computers still had the capacity to totally frustrate her. Oh, where was Clark when...
She sighed as another heated wave of anger rose up within her. Clark was Superman and her best friend had hidden the most important secret of his life from her. Or ex-best friend.
And she knew that Clark was furious with her also. She'd never known him to act so irrationally before. Revealing his secret in the middle of the daytime where anyone could have seen him had been an act of stupidity. Would serve him right if he had been caught, she thought as she jabbed at another key.
Suddenly a familiar presence was leaning over her and a large hand pressed a couple of keys and her screen popped up almost magically. Before looking up, she knew who he was.
"Clark! What are you doing here?"
She turned around and looked at her ex-partner, half-expecting him to still be furious with her, or apologetic, or...
He was standing there grinning at her, wearing a sharp-looking suit she'd never seen before and by the look on his face was acting as if that scene in the park had never happened. Superman in a suit and it wasn't blue spandex!
She rose out of her chair to confront him and found that he wasn't alone. Lex was approaching.
"Ah, Kent!" Luthor said curiously, eyeing his competition. "I see you have found her. Have you told her the good news?"
"News?" Lois asked looking from one man to the other.
"Lois, I've decided to take up your job offer that you mentioned in the park. I'm the new anchor man for LNN news."
Luthor smiled to himself. It was far better to have the enemy in hand than not know what he was doing out of sight. He had plans for Superman in the works and soon there would some for Clark Kent.
*****
