Last time...
Her brows furrowed. “Luther cloned you. You didn’t know?”
“God! No… I didn’t…”
“The clone was intended to replace you. Nobody would know you were missing, and the clone would eventually enable Luthor to be king of the world.”
Horror filled Clark’s expression as he tried to comprehend this new information.
“Lois! Are you all right – I mean –he didn’t hurt you… god – please tell me he didn’t –“
“Listen, I may have had to deal with a little grief,” she said lightly. “But you should see the other guy.”
“What do you mean?”
“He didn’t hurt me, Clark. He just scared me… he was very – he reminded me – of … you know – Lord Kal… and – he – he – well – he was pretty stupid too. In the end – we got him. I had Lois and Clark here to help me – so… I was never in any real danger.” She tried to keep her expression even as she attempted to lie about the situation. Right now, Clark didn’t need to get agitated.
“Why do I feel that there’s more to the story…”
She looked away uncomfortably. Yeah. I was never good at lying to Lord Kal, either.
“Clark… Lois – how did you even get here?”
“Wells sensed your life force was dimming, and came here to figure things out. When I told him what had happened, he brought them here.” Lois was quick to answer. Again, she didn’t want Lois or Clark to give her Clark any more information than he need right now. No need to go into specifics.
“How did you know he wasn’t me,” he asked, trying a different tact.
She smiled, and shook her head.
“Believe me. It was obvious. Maybe others might have thought you were just acting … off… but knowing what I know about other universes – it wasn’t a huge stretch of my belief-system to just realize he wasn’t you. “
“What exactly did this guy do – that had people … thinking that I was acting ‘off’.”
“Oh – well – he was really brutal with any criminals he encountered,” said Henderson, not realizing that Lois was trying to smooth things over. “And he made the moves on Lois, here… “
Clark’s gaze snapped back to hers. Horrified. My god. The moves? What does that mean? Did he touch her? Hurt her? Rape her?
And now...
A wave of pain overtook him before he could ask her what had happened, and blackness engulfed him.
Lois watched his rapid loss of conscious with her heart in her throat. She raised anxious eyes up to Henderson.
“Please. He needs help. Now. Can you call your – “
She stopped talking as his phone rang, and he quickly flipped it open and answered.
“Yes? Okay…. Okay….. Okay…. Thanks.”
He flipped the phone shut, and looked at the woman waiting edgily for what he had to say.
“Lois. My sources all tell me he’s clean. The general consensus is that Clark will have nothing to fear from him. But … that doesn’t mean we’re not wrong… so –“
“I don’t care. He needs help, and he’s going to get it!”
Many hours later, Lois paced the floor near his bed at STAR labs. The other Clark and Lois had offered to stay, but in the end, it was decided that it was best for them to go back and deal with their own problems. As long as they were here they would be worried and unhappy about the fate of their own world, and their loved ones.
There was the added fact that the other Clark would have been loathe to ignore cries for help – and yet, he couldn’t just take Clark’s place. They didn’t want people to see Superman because Lex was going to have to stand trial for what he had done, and tried to do. Clark would not have been able to lie in a court of law, and as a result, having another Superman flying around while he was desperately ill would have been too complicated to explain.
Lois had watched them leave with a sense of loss. She really liked them, and had wanted to get to know them better. She also had wanted to know the details of the Kryptonian invasion in their world, but Herb had suggested that perhaps too much cross-universal exchange of information could be hazardous to their futures.
But now, she was here, at the bedside of the man she loved, and she was afraid. Afraid now, not of personal injury – but that he wouldn’t recover. That she had been too late in finding out she loved him. That she had lost her chance to be with her soulmate in this life.
Stay with me, Clark. Don’t leave. You can’t leave!
She was jerked out of her reverie by a gentle voice calling her name. Looking up, she saw the kind face of Bernie Klein.
“Miss Lane? Can I get you anything? We have a vending machine, and coffee… it’s not the best coffee around, but – “
“No, thank you,” she smiled gratefully. “I’m fine. Really.”
“If I may say so… you actually do look a little tired.”
“Well. Yeah. Tired. Haven’t gotten much sleep the last 24 hours,” she smiled sadly. “This whole thing has been such a nightmare.”
“He’s lucky that you knew something was wrong,” he said quietly. “If it weren’t for your figuring out that Superman was really a clone… “
“There was simply no way I wouldn’t have known,” she said simply. “I love him. I would know him anywhere… and he wasn’t there, behind those eyes.”
Bernie was quiet, not wanting to comment on her words in a way that would be intrusive, and yet, his curiosity burned bright.
Lois looked at him sheepishly. “Did you ever read my article series,” she asked?
“Well… ah… yes… “
“So you may be wondering how I went from one extreme to another…”
“Just a little. If you don’t want to talk about it though, I’m sure you get your share of harassment on this issue.”
“Well – most people don’t say anything… and we haven’t really been open about the fact that we’re involved romantically. I – I really did think he was dangerous – and I really meant the things I wrote.. but what happened is – I got to know him. Even before I knew him directly, I learned who he was indirectly – as a result of my research – and… then… there was no way I couldn’t fall in love with him. It was inevitable.” She paused, and smiled self-deprecatingly. “I guess it took a while for my pen to catch up with my heart… but by the time the asteroid had become an issue, I knew he wasn’t a threat. It was the asteroid that brought us together, and after that we became friends. It wasn’t long before I knew that we weren’t friends – we were far more than that… at least, as far as I was concerned. He… he had my heart and soul – and I didn’t even know it… and now – he – he can’t die on me. I can’t lose him now!”
“He won’t die,” said Bernie soothingly. “He really seems to be doing well. All things considered and all – he really seems to be getting better. Listen – he’s just – dealing with this poison in his system. It’s natural he look bad while it’s in there – but soon – he’ll be the strong and healthy man you know, and this will be some past nightmare, which you can move on from. But… if I may say so – you don’t look very … healthy right now. You really could use some …”
“Sleep?”
“I – ah – actually – I was going to say – mothering. You need someone to take care of you, to feed you, to give you a warm, safe environment to sleep in. that’s what I see when I look at you. And – that’s why I’m going to suggest… and it’s only a suggestion because of course, it’s a free country, you can do what you like, and I’d never dream of using my authority here to tell you to leave… but – I’d suggest you go to a trusted person's house – mother, or sister – or – friend… whoever you trust, and let them take care of you… so that you can face what needs to be faced… you and Clark do have a lot ahead of you – Lex Luthor tried to kill him – and that means trials, and publicity – and… well – I don’t need to tell you that it’ll be stressful.”
“No…” her voice trailed off. “He’ll have to worry about the whole clone thing as well. The repercussions of what that clone did – his reputation – people will look at him differently even though it wasn’t him. It’s a good thing that the clone didn’t have more than one day out there… all he did was rough up a few people – it could have been so much worse.”
“Well. He’s dead now. The poison – along with the fact that his molecular structure was so unstable… “
“Did… did I kill him then?”
“He would have died anyway, Lois. Without the intervention of Lex Luthor’s scientists… his days were numbered.”
“Oh,” she sighed. “I guess… I feel guilty about it.”
“Don’t,” he said emphatically. “The clone was a super-powered bully. He would have been a real danger to the human race.”
“It’s just that he – he was Clark’s… flesh and blood. Almost like a son – or a brother.”
“I guess you could look at it like that – but… I’m glad he’s gone.”
She looked at him guiltily. “Me too,” she whispered.
“So are you going to take my advice? I promise to call you as soon as anything changes. If he starts taking a turn for the worse – I’ll have a car sent to you so that you can come here without any hassles. I promise!”
“Okay.”
“Really? I mean – you trust me – to – “
“I do trust you not to hurt him. I also trust in my own instincts. You’re saying sensible things here, and if I just get some sleep, I’ll be in much better shape to deal with everything else. “
“Great. I’m so glad! I’ll have a car brought around – to take you anywhere you want to go.”
She smiled. “Mom’s house,” she said. “For some mothering.”
Early the next morning, Lois woke up and called Dr. Klein.
“He didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me? What…?”
“He went home!”
“But you said you’d call – he went home? I – I don’t -“
“He woke up - and he was doing much better. At human strength, at least. He was restless and didn’t want to be cooped up at STAR, and I can’t really blame him. After determining it couldn’t hurt for him to leave, I gave him some special sun lamps to help try to recharge him. We don’t really know how his body works, and what it’s relationship to the sun is, but based on theories of mine, I decided that the sun lamps might accelerate his healing process. Because until his powers return, he really is disabled, no matter how strong and robust he may appear. I’m just surprised he didn’t call you – I asked him to – in fact – it was kind of an assumption I made – I’d hoped that you could help with making sure he didn’t over exert himself, or just be around in case of a relapse of some sort.”
“He probably didn’t want to wake me,” she said, her voice frustrated.
“Yeah… he did seem to think that he should wait until morning. But I told him that you would want him to call – that you didn’t even want to leave here to get the rest you needed.”
“That’s just like Clark,” she said. After what he knew Kal used to do to me- waking me up for his own selfish pleasure… Clark would feel badly about waking me under these circumstances. Damn the man. I’m going to have to cure him of that particular feeling. She flushed pink as she imagined him waking her up for his pleasure… and hers… some day – hopefully soon when they crossed that intimacy threshold.
“I’m sorry. I hope you aren’t angry with me… or – or actually – with him…”
“Don’t worry. I don’t plan on writing a scathing article series about how Clark can be so darned headstrong at times. I know it had to be hard for him – figuring that maybe my mom wouldn’t appreciate it if he called and woke me up – worrying about whether or not I had recovered from our collective ordeal. It’s okay. Bernie – you can’t be held responsible for his actions or wishes.”
“Thanks, Lois. I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other soon, as I work with Clark to get his powers back.”
She smiled into the phone. “I look forward to seeing you again, Bernie. Thank you for everything.”
She hung up the phone, and stood staring thoughtfully into space.
“Lois? Who was that?”
“Hi mom.” She went over and gave her mom an affectionate hug. She had lived long enough without her family in her life, and now that she was overcoming the ordeals in her past, she was working towards showing the people she loved more tangible affection.
“Hi yourself,” Ellen smiled, feeling gratified by the hug. There’s nothing like the feel of your daughter’s arms around you. Nothing at all.
“I was just talking to Bernie Klein about Clark.”
“Is he okay? I still can’t even believe all this. Lex Luthor trying to kill him. That other man being his clone? I have to tell you – I am so relieved that it wasn’t Clark. When I heard the special report on the news about how he was so violent with that criminal – and how he seemingly just abducted you… my god… I was terrified. I thought – oh my god – was Lois right all along, in the first place? And after you had let down your guard and let him into your life. It was just so awful! I’m so glad that it wasn’t him. I thought maybe he was under some kind of external influence… maybe someone had hypnotized or given him some kind of behavior altering drugs. And then you faced up to his clone, and STOPPED him! And you saved Clark! I can’t believe you did all that!”
“I didn’t do it alone,” she said not revealing too much about who had helped. “I don’t think I could have. I wouldn’t have had the courage.”
“I don’t believe that. You’re the most courageous person I know.”
“Oh, Mom!”
“So – is Clark okay?”
“He’s more than okay, actually. He left! He went home. And didn’t call. That sneak!”
Ellen’s eyes widened a bit as she saw the look of exasperated indulgence cross her daughter’s face. She just called Superman a sneak.
“Lois… is – is there anything… going on between… you two?” She was hesitant, knowing her daughters horrific past, and also knowing that Lois was a very private person, thanks in part to her own inadequacies as a mother over the years.
Lois looked at her intently, willing for her mother to understand.
“Mom. I love him. And – he loves me too.”
“Oh…”
“Is that a disapproving Oh, or just… an ‘I don’t know what to say’ kind of Oh?”
“The… uh – the latter… and also… a worrying kind of Oh.”
“Worrying.”
“Lois. Come on You’re my daughter - worrying is what mothers do. It comes with the job, and it never ever ever goes away – no matter how old they get. You just learn to keep it to yourself, because it also annoys your kids when they get fussed over. Lois – I’m just… I don’t – “
“I know. There’s the whole Lord Kal thing – and partly you’re worried that my feelings for Clark are somehow tied to this – somehow entangled with what I went through with Kal. And maybe another part of you is afraid of Clark himself –because a single blow from him could kill – and sometimes, even the most gentlest-seeming of people – can lash out physically… and maybe yet another part of you is worried that there are deep-seated feelings of anger and fear that I will never get past, and that being with Clark might dredge those up for me, time and again – because at times, he does look exactly like Lord Kal. Am… am I right?”
“You’re too right. Too on the money.”
“Mom. I worry about these things too. Except for the bit about Clark lashing out. I know for a fact he would never ever do anything remotely like that. But I understand you worrying about it. I guess if I had a daughter and she were in a similar situation I’d be afraid of that too. But I love him. And I believe in what he and I have… and can have. We’re still very early on in our relationship with each other, but it’s so – incredible… just – loving someone like that – and knowing that they are the other half of you. I feel so strongly for him. I just know that this is right.”
Ellen felt the sting of tears in her throat and nose as she heard her daughter talk. My god, have I ever even felt that way about any man?
“Well,” she said, hoarsely, and then, she paused to clear her throat – clear the emotion away. “I – you’re a part of me… so if he’s a part of you… then… he’s a part of all of us. And we will be here for you. For both of you. I just want you to be happy, and I do believe he’s a good and worthy man.”
“Thanks mom,” she said softly. “I’m going to need your unconditional support here. When the world finds out, I’m sure that I’m going to be the target of a lot of vicious gossip and speculation. Especially due to the fact that I was so anti-Superman when I first got back. I can’t tell people why – so I’ll end up looking like some kind of opportunist or just an incredibly fickle person.”
“We know the truth. And we know you are none of those bad things. In time, others will get over it. You just have to deal with it while it lasts.”
“Do you think daddy will be… upset?”
“No. He already guessed it anyway. And it didn’t seem to bother him any when he was speculating on your feelings for Clark. Don’t worry about any of us. Lucy, your dad… and me…. We’re all here for you.
“Well,” she said in a small voice, not wanting to trigger a session of ‘how come I’m always the last to know’, “Lucy kind of already knows.”
“Well of course she does,” her mom said emphatically. “She’s your sister. You have to tell your sister these things first!”
“You aren’t upset about it?”
“No. But I don’t blame you for worrying about that. I know I’ve been my share of difficult throughout your lifetime. Lois. I’ve grown up. I’m the mom now, and you can really be my daughter. You don’t have to be my caretaker, or my best friend, or even my mother.”
Lois smiled and hugged her.
Later, as she made her way to Clark’s apartment – she couldn’t seem to get over the feeling of lightness in her heart. Lex is out of our way. The clone is gone. Clark’s okay, and things can only get better. We can take up where we left off. Oh… Yeah… he made me some amazing promises when he said goodbye to me the day before his date. I wonder if he’s feeling up to fulfilling those. I won’t push him – but if he is – well… I know I’m not going to say no. I can’t believe I feel this way – I – I feel desire and excitement at the idea of seeing him and being in his arms… at the idea of kissing him, and being kissed by him. Oh… I can’t wait!
She knocked at the door of his apartment, and waited impatiently for him to open. But he didn’t – and she got worried.
What if he passed out or something? I better use my key.
She let herself in, and saw no sign of him. She put down the bag of groceries and the bottle of wine that she had been carrying, and she approached his room carefully.
Her heart nearly stopped.
He had set up the sun lamps, and he was lying in bed. Fast asleep. And…
My god… he’s completely… naked!
[TBC sometime this week]
