*Whew!* I was afraid I wouldn't finish this part. You see, the gremlin is back (Julie knows the one
) and he got in a fist fight with my muse. So far, the muse is winning, but I don't know how long she can hold out. I'm going to go get a broom and a large cat. In the meantime, here's five.
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From Part 4: The firemen put out the blaze, Superman flew off, and Lois turned back to her computer. Work. She had to work. She had to call Lex… Lois scrambled for the paper Jimmy had given her and reached for the phone. She didn’t notice Clark enter the newsroom and walk zombie-like toward his desk.
**********
And Now, Part 5: Clark sat in front of his computer and stared at the blank screen. The fire was out. That was good. The people were safe; the little boy was back with his parents…
Clark shuddered. Part of him had hoped the fire would be a good distraction from his thoughts, but holding that little boy in his arms had made Lois’ proposition all the more real. Lois had asked him to get her pregnant. She’d asked him to give her a child. Whether she asked Clark or Superman, and whether she just wanted a donor or planned to do it “the natural way,” she’d basically asked him to create a life with her. If they did this, there would be a living being, a new person that would forever link his life to Lois’. To Clark, it wasn’t an unsavory idea; he’d always felt linked to Lois. But did Lois realize exactly what she was asking? Perhaps he should talk to her about it, ask her if she understood the depth of her request.
Suppose she did understand. There was still the matter of telling her his secret. One the one hand, Lois deserved to know *who* she was conceiving her baby with. On the other hand, maybe the information would be too much for her. She’d said she only wanted this as a favor from a friend, just a cluster of cells to give her a break from her cycles before going into surgery. Telling her the truth about his identity might make it seem like he was trying to rush them into a deep relationship, and he didn’t want to scare her. He knew how skittish and frightened “Mad Dog Lane” could be when it came to matters of the heart. What was that she’d said about Clark being too risky?
He sighed and looked across at Lois dialing her phone. If he ever did anything to frighten or hurt her, he’d never forgive himself! Whether she returned his feelings or not (and he was starting to think she might), he loved her!
Maybe he should tell her. How would she react? What was the worst case scenario?
“Hi, Lex?”
Clark felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. All at once, the memories of last night’s dream came flooding back to him! Would telling her push her into Luthor’s arms?
“Uh huh. Oh? Oh, that’s sweet, Lex. Tonight? I don’t know if---seven? Well, I guess I can make it. How about seven thirty? Okay. Huh? Oh, nothing; just a little preoccupied, that’s all. So seven thirty it is? All right. Bye, Lex.”
Clark swallowed. It just might! As Lois hung up the phone, he stole another glance at her. If he ever scared or hurt Lois, he’d never forgive himself, but if he let that jackal Luthor get her in his claws, he’d kill himself!
He returned his gaze to the computer screen in front of him. Briefly he wondered why it was still blank, then he remembered to reach over and turn it on. While the computer hummed to life he glanced at Lois again. Saturday. He had until Saturday to make his decision. In the mean time, maybe he should get some information on Endometriosis and find out what exactly Lois was dealing with.
**********
The days seemed to crawl by, but Saturday still came too soon. After much thinking and research, Clark was still uncertain about what to do. It was time for that talk. He flew up to Lois’ window, pinched himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming, then gently knocked.
There was no answer.
“Lois?”
He heard shuffling, then finally Lois’ voice came. “Come in.”
He landed softly in her living room and found her seated on the floor surrounded by various papers and folders. “I’m sorry; is this a bad time?”
Lois’ head shot up. “Oh, no! Not at all, I was just---um---looking over some things. I didn’t realize you’d be here so soon.”
“I could come back later if you want…”
“No! This is fine!” She started frantically picking up the papers that lay around her. “Just give me a moment to---”
Before she could complete the sentence, Clark had picked up the papers at super-speed and stacked them neatly on her coffee table.
Lois smiled. “Thanks!”
“You’re welcome.” Clark glanced at a paper on the top of the stack. It was a photocopy of a page from a medical encyclopedia. The article: Endometriosis. Apparently Lois had wanted more info on her condition, too. He cleared his throat. “Lois, I think we need to talk.”
She nodded. “I guess we do.”
“Lois, do you realize what you’re asking me for? If we---do this---the baby isn’t going to just magically disappear when the nine months are up.”
“I know.”
“You’re going to actually be a mother.”
Lois sighed. “I know. Look, Superman, I’ve given this a lot of thought over the past week. I know it’ll be hard, and I know I’ve always said how much I hated kids, but this is something I’ve got to do. This is my last chance at being a mother; I don’t want to spend the rest of my life wondering what could have been.”
“You know, there’s always adoption if you ever---”
“I know that, Superman! But there’s something special about having your own flesh and blood child, and this is my only opportunity to experience that! I don’t want to miss it. I don’t want to miss anything.”
She stood and looked him in the eyes. He held her gaze with his own. “So, taking that into account, I assume you wanted to do this the old fashioned way?”
“Well, I do plan on giving birth in a hospital, but yeah, I’m not going to use any drugs…”
Clark turned a little pink. “Um, Lois---that isn’t what I meant…”
Lois lifted an eyebrow, then suddenly flushed. “Oh! Erm, actually---I felt it would be best, you know, so---yeah, I guess. That is---if you’re okay with it. Erm…” She coughed. “Do you---even---do that?”
He turned from pink to red. “I don’t see why I couldn’t. But, are you sure you want to? I mean, I did a little reading and I found out that Endo can cause pain during sex. I---wouldn’t want to hurt you…”
She nodded. “I read that too. I think it depends on where it’s located, though. Besides, what’s a little pain?” She gave a nervous chuckle.
“Um, did you want to---start right now?”
Lois’ face blazed bright scarlet. “What? Oh, n-n-no…” She swallowed. “No, now isn’t a good time---my cycle, you see… How’s the sixteenth for you?”
Clark took a deep breath. Here it was, the moment of truth. “I’ll be there.”
Lois sighed with relief. “Thankyou, Superman.” She reached out to hug him, then flushed and shook his hand instead. “So---the sixteenth it is.”
**********
Clark shut the door of his apartment behind him and slid to the floor. It was a deal. On the sixteenth, his life would change forever. His relationship with Lois would change forever. And Lois wouldn’t even know it was him. Maybe down the road, he’d tell her and beg for mercy. If he told her *before* the baby was born, she might be nice and decide not to kill him.
So Superman was going to be a daddy. Superman---not Clark---was going to live out his fantasies with Lois Lane. The thought sickened him. But, it had to be this way. He had to volunteer as Superman. Otherwise, she would have turned to Luthor!
**********
Lois sunk onto the sofa. It was a deal. On the sixteenth, her life would change forever. Her relationship with Superman would change forever! How would he treat her after they did this? Would it bring them closer, or would their friendship evaporate completely? Would they even be able to look each other in the eye?
She sighed. It was a good thing Superman volunteered. Otherwise, she would have turned to Clark!
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TBC
