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Four


After an enjoyable Sunday afternoon family meal, Clark and Lois prepared to say goodbye to Martha/Mary and Jonathan/Joe, and head back to Metropolis to really begin life anew there as a married couple. Lois asked Martha to sit on the front porch with her, while Jonathan and Clark headed out to the barn, one of their favorite places in the world.


"Martha, it's been quite an experience coming here. I still can't believe that I met my twin and everyone else's from the other world, much less that I traveled back in time with the infamous H.G. Wells! Next time we come to visit, let's just have a plain old-fashioned, boring weekend, okay?" Lois said, laughing.


"You got it, honey," Martha responded, her eyes tearing up slightly.


"Martha? What's wrong?"


"Lois… sometimes I miss my son so much. Seeing you with Clark just reminds me of how much we've lost, but also reminds me how much we've regained, as well."


The two women squeezed each other tightly, both of them crying now. Lois began pouring her heart out to her newly acquired mother-in-law.


"I never had a family as warm as this one. My father was hardly ever home, and my mother was constantly accusing him of womanizing and cheating on her. There were lots and lots of arguments – really nasty ones. My mother started drinking, so I practically raised my sister Lucy myself. That was a big responsibility; it made me grow up so fast. It hardened me also. Was your Lois from a family like that?"


Martha reflected on that question, and gathered her thoughts before responding. "My son's Lois was an orphan. Her parents were killed in a tragic car accident when she was ten. She never had a sister Lucy like both of you Loises do. She was riding in the back seat of the car with her parents when the drunk driver came across the guardrail and hit them head-on. She was the only survivor. She always felt that if she had been able to give them CPR, or knew some medical techniques, she might have been able to save them. So, in true Lois Lane fashion, she decided to go to nursing school. She had worked her way up the ladder and was the Head Nurse in the emergency room at Metropolis General; she was well-respected in her field."


Lois took a moment to let this information sink in. "Did you ever tell Clark this? That the Lois in your world lost her parents the same way and at the same age that he was? When those wonderful Kents died," she said, picturing her recent visit with them in her mind, "my poor sweets, he must have been so devastated," her voice becoming softer and more somber. "What a miracle that you and Jonathan are here now. It's probably Herb's finest accomplishment, bringing you here so that we can all be a family, somehow."


"Honey, I have never told Clark much about *my* Clark's Lois, because he already felt bad that you weren't here to share his life. Of course, now that you're together, it doesn't matter. I may tell him more now - if he's interested, that is," Martha replied.


Lois realized she was *very* curious now, wanting to know more about their son and her other-world twin. "Was your Clark a reporter? I'm wondering how he met Lois if they didn't work together," she asked. "I remember *my* Clark telling me that *your* Clark became a hero when he was a teenager, known as Superboy. Tell me about him, Martha. I find this very fascinating."


"*My* Clark started flying when he was 18, just like this world's Clark did. When he went to college, at Metropolis University, the hustle-bustle of the big city held him captive, in contrast with his Smallville childhood - growing up in a small, rather sheltered town. After witnessing one too many accidents, disasters, and bank robberies, he came home from school one weekend, bringing Lois in tow with him. We were so shocked he brought someone other than Lana with him! Anyway he asked me to make him a costume, so he could help save lives. It happened to be the Columbus Day holiday, so I was in a bit of a patriotic mood when I fashioned it," she admitted. "And I found the 'S' emblem in the rocket ship that we discovered him in. I figured it was some type of family insignia, so I thought it would be appropriate for him to wear it on his suit. I couldn't believe how similar my design was to this world's Superman. So very strange it all is."


"Yes, and my twin fashioned this world's suit after the one *your* twin designed in the other world. Wow! Hey, who named him 'Superboy' - since the other Lois named him 'Superman' in this world as well as her own?”


"Well, there's an interesting story behind that," Martha smiled. "Clark always looked young, and even though he was 18, he could have passed for 15. Right after his debut, a little five-year old girl had lost her cat. Clark was flying by and overheard her calling the kitty's name, Tango, (he was an orange tiger), over and over again. Turns out her pet was up in a tree, looking down at her the whole time! Being the soft-hearted person that Clark was, he stopped, got the kitty out of the tree, and surprised the little girl by floating down in front of her holding Tango, who was meowing like crazy.


"The little girl, named Melissa, was *so* excited; she started screaming, 'Mommy! Mommy! A Super Boy just came out of the sky and saved Tango!' Her parents came running out of the house. Clark introduced himself as 'a friend', and flew off. It turns out that the little girl's mother was a local TV newscaster. Melissa just wouldn't stop chattering about the 'Super Boy' that had saved Tango. It ended up being a front-page story with the headline: 'Super Boy saves lives and rescues lost cats too!' I had a copy of that newspaper saved in storage for the longest time. I wonder if it's still in the farmhouse. We left in such a hurry I didn't get a chance to take any personal effects."


"Aw… that's a great story. I bet *my* Clark would have become Superman sooner if he still had his folks around. Lana wasn't supportive of his abilities at all," Lois mused. "Did your Clark date a Lana also?"

"Lois, I really can see why you're a great reporter; so full of questions; so curious all the time. Yes, Lana Lang was his childhood sweetheart. They went to Metropolis University together, and I really thought they would get married someday. But the day he met Lois Lane, early in his freshman year of college – well that was the day that Lana went on the romantic ‘back burner’. When she figured out that he was Superboy, and that he was dating Lois – well that really sent her over the edge. She was so upset that he had kept his abilities secret from her for so long, after they were supposedly best friends, that she couldn’t forgive him; at least not for a very long time."


"Hmm; I guess I would be mad if I knew Clark that long and he didn't feel he could share something that important with me too," Lois reflected. "So what happened to her?"


"Pete Ross kept asking her out, and finally, to spite Clark, she said 'yes'. And both couples got married shortly after college graduation, so it all worked out the way it was supposed to,” Martha said.

"Huh. So what exactly *did* Clark do for work, after he graduated?"


"Well he majored in Agricultural Engineering, but he never got a job in that field. Clark was an EMT. He decided that he could best utilize his special gifts if he was present at the scenes of emergencies and disasters. In his own subtle way, he could lend support to the victims. If he was needed as Superman, he would tell his working partner, who knew his secret, and then slip away, changing into his alter-ego. It was quite effective, the arrangement he had. His partner was an old friend of his from Smallville who had also figured out who Superboy really was. He protected his secret, and was very trustworthy. You're going to be surprised when I tell you his name," Martha said, with an impish smile. "There are such interesting and subtle differences between the various parallel worlds."


Lois' face bore a horrified look. "No… it can't be… Lex Luthor, right?"


Martha nodded. "Yes, Lex was about 8 years older than Clark; he was like a big brother to him. Lex had visited him one weekend at his dorm at Metropolis U; he had slept overnight in his room. Inadvertently he witnessed Clark change into his Superboy suit and fly out the window. Clark had been a little careless; he thought Lex was still fast asleep. This was early on in his Superboy career, when he was quite impulsive and not as cautious as he should have been.


"Later on, when Clark graduated from Met U and had just gotten married to *his* Lois, Lex was already a renowned research scientist, funding his own Luthor Foundation for Advanced Scientific Research. Lex was quite the humanitarian. He didn't need to work, since he came from a wealthy family. Intuitively knowing that Clark's biggest goal in life was to help people, he purchased an ambulance company and offered my son an opportunity to be his co-owner and partner, calling the business 'L & C Ambulance and Emergency Services'. At first, Clark refused the offer, feeling it was too generous. It was at that time that Lex admitted to Clark that he had long ago figured out his true identity. Clark decided that if he was that good of a friend to have known all that time and to have still honored his secret, it followed that Lex was worthy of his unconditional trust. He agreed to the business venture.


"The company was successful largely because of Clark's talents – their slogan was 'L&C Gives You TLC'. Sometimes that 'TLC' involved a personal flight with Superman to the hospital," Martha reflected with sadness in her voice. "Do you want to see their business card? It has their pictures on it. I always keep it in my purse, so I had it with me when Herbert rescued us. It's the only remembrance of my son that I have, sadly."

"Of course I do!" Lois exclaimed. <Wow… I get to see yet *another* Clark. This parallel universe stuff is really amazing!>

Lois' mouth dropped wide open as Martha handed her the card, which included a photo of Clark and his best friend Lex Luthor… who looked *exactly* like a younger Lenny Thorul, not the Lex Luthor of this earth! Same curly red hair, only with a charismatic smile, bereft of evil. A carbon copy older version of the kid she had just interviewed.

"What's the matter, Lois? You looked shocked. Why? Because *our* Clark and *your* Clark could be identical twins?" Martha asked.

"No, no… it's because… your world's Lex Luthor didn't look exactly like the Luthor of *this* world. I guess there *are* some worlds where your counterpart isn't your exact double." <Just a fraternal twin, maybe? Hmm.>

"Well, Clark's always told me how evil this world's Lex was. Our Lex was a great, charitable man who always did the right thing *because* it was the right thing to do," Martha said with sincerity. "I miss him, too. Maybe that's why Clark doesn't want to tell me what happened over there – Lex is probably dead, too."

"<Or he's over here, making my life miserable as Lenny Thorul. No! Stop it! That's *not* possible!> "Wow, Martha. That's quite a testimony to his character. It's so nice to know that there was a good and decent Lex Luthor out there somewhere. So tell me more about Clark and Lois and how they got together."

”Well, they met their freshman year at Met U. It was, of course, love at first sight. And we loved her as well. She was extremely bright, and became a real miracle worker in her profession. They made an excellent team – professionally and personally. What irony that they were visiting us in Smallville when those horrid Kryptonians came to town. To save innocent townsfolk from harm, Clark had to reveal he was Superman. Lois was with child; they had come to visit to tell us the good news. Oh, it was *so* ..." Martha was unable to continue, overcome with grief from the recollection.

"Oh, Martha - I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have brought this up. It's gotten you too upset." Lois hugged her and they sat quiet for several minutes, both of them digesting the graveness of the horrific world Martha had left behind.

Lois broke the ice first, as usual. "Let me try to make you laugh, Martha, to change the subject. Hmm… do you have any idea what a lousy nurse your *new* daughter-in-law would have been?" she grinned.

Martha looked in Lois' twinkling eyes, and said, "I think I know, dear. Right up there with your cooking, huh?" Her face brightened as if a dark cloud had lifted.

"Well, if I hang around with you enough, Martha, some of your culinary expertise has *got* to rub off on me," she joked.

Martha smiled and said, "Not necessarily."

Both women shared a giggle and a moment of camaraderie; as they looked up, Clark and Jonathan were on their way back to the house.

"Guess it's time to go, Ma," Lois said. "You don't mind if I call you that, like Clark does?"

"No honey, I absolutely insist that you do!" Martha responded.

"Then you *have* to call me 'Pa', asserted Jonathan, overhearing the conversation."I won't stand for anything less." He walked over to Martha and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"You got it, 'Pa'! I have to say, it's so sweet to see that you two still enjoy each other's company after all the years you've been together. As I was telling Ma, in my house, my mother was always accusing my father of cheating on her, which it turns out he was, and my mother learned to comfort herself with a bottle of vodka. They still have issues, to this day, even though they're divorced now."

Clark put his arm around his wife and brought her close to him. "Divorce is not a word in the Kent dictionary, honey. Oh, and Ma, I was telling Pa that next time I'm here I'll tell you what's going on in your world. I need to give it some more thought before I do. I haven't even shared it with Lois, because it's still disconcerting to me. I don't want to freak out the both of you," he said rather ominously. "It's that bad."

"We trust you, son – even though we're curious as all hell, we can wait till you think it's the right time to tell us," said Jonathan, with Martha nodding her head in agreement with him.

"Thank you for that – in hindsight, I wish I hadn't gone over there at all," Clark admitted. "Oh well."

"Lois honey - good luck on your first day back to work. Hope everything turns out OK," Martha said.

"Thanks, Ma. It's definitely going to be interesting, I'm sure of that," Lois responded.

Everyone hugged and kissed. It was time to leave and face reality, once again.

"We'll be back real soon, folks," Clark promised, as he lifted Lois in his arms, streaking towards the basement and his 'tunnel' which would take them to the outskirts of town.

"Ok honey. Take good care of each other – I know that you will," Martha called out, realizing that they were already a blur en route back to Metropolis.

~~~~

Back at 344 Clinton St, Lois began fixating on her first day at work, which would begin with a psychological evaluation. Great way to start a Monday – and her first day back at a job in over ten years.

It was also hard for Lois to reconcile that the 15-year old nearly angelic Lenny Thorul was indeed the same person as his 45 year old evil counterpart. She figured he must have crossed over to the dark side after his mother died, since they were so very close. The loss of someone that important in your life can definitely change your perspective on things.

And how bizarre was it that Ma's Lex Luthor was an exact duplicate of this earth's Lenny Thorul? She decided she didn't want to share that information with Clark; at least, not yet. She needed time to process it more fully.

How could she use what she learned about his high school persona to her advantage? He had told her that she was a nice person. Maybe he still had fond memories of that Smallville Press reporter that had written a glowing article about him so many years ago?

"Honey? Hello, you're staring into space," Clark said, floating over to where Lois was sitting on the couch, squeezing in next to her. "Do I *have* to read your mind to get it out of you?" he implored. "What's the matter?"

<"Clark, don't joke about that. We don't want them finding out that we can communicate this way!">

<"Honey, there is no *them*! I told you, I check for bugging devices every single time I come home!">

<"Clark, I know, but you *can't* be too careful here. I'm upset that our new boss is such an evil, twisted, man in contrast to the wonderful kid he was. What could have happened?">

<"Well, I am wondering if he ever tried to figure out if 'M. Kent' from Smallville was related to me, Clark Kent, at all. After all, it is well-known that I'm from Smallville.">

<"Well, since your mother died when you were ten, if he did try to track her down later, he would have discovered that Martha Kent died in a car accident in 1976. Dead end for him.">

<"Maybe we could use a little psychological warfare on him, honey. What if he suddenly received a copy of that letter with a handwritten note from 'M. Kent'? Think that might freak him out?">

<"Sweets, you're a genius! But what if he thinks that she is related to you, like you said? Your mother mentions that she has a 7-year old son in the letter. He'll figure out that it was you. What if he goes to Smallville and discovers Ma and Pa living in the farmhouse? You've gone to such lengths to hide their true identities.">

<"Let's sleep on it, honey. We won't do anything that will jeopardize them, believe me.">

Clark picked Lois up and floated her to the bedroom, gently placing his wife on their bed, on her back. He began kissing her passionately.

<"Lois, honey – you are so beautiful. I love that you get along with Ma and Pa so well. I have everything I've ever wanted now – parents and my very own Lois Lane. How can I make you as happy as you've made me?">

Lois returned his kisses and began undressing Clark as he floated above her. <"Don't worry, Propaganda – I'm just as happy as you are. I've never had a tight-knit family either, nor a man like you in my life, someone who loved me unconditionally. And you are so sexy, too. Those muscles… that smile…">


<"Lois, were you serious about starting a family? We haven't been using protection, and I want to make sure that you've really given this some thought.">

<"Anything that is a part of you, my sweet Clark, I would have to love and cherish. Do you even have to ask?>

Lenny Thorul would be the furthest thing from their minds… at least for a little while.

~~~~~

"Have I made myself clear, Deter?"

"Yes, Mr. Thorul. It goes against my professional ethics, however. I do want to go on record in saying that."


"Believe me; I appreciate your integrity, Maxwell. I just don't need you to act on it right now. Understood? Your goal is to ensure that Ms. Lane *never* remembers any details of her ordeal in Brazzaville. I don’t want you to allow her to go back to work full-time for a very long time. I don’t care how long you have her in therapy, just keep sending the bill to the Planet and I’ll keep paying it.”

"Well, for the money you're paying me to have 'integrity amnesia', what can I say?"


"Yes, the money I've offered you *is* pretty obscene, even for me. I do look forward to reading your report tomorrow afternoon. Good day, Deter."


~~~~~


Lois and Clark were up bright and early; there had been a Superman mini-emergency at 4:00 a.m. (tractor-trailer rollover on the interstate which blocked both lanes), so after the "hot line" rang, requesting Clark's assistance, Lois got up as well. She was feeling anxious, overcome with a sense of dread, and couldn’t go back to sleep. She had buried a great deal of her negative experiences in Brazzaville, and wasn't looking forward to re-hashing them with a complete stranger. Somehow, even though she wasn't quite confident herself that she was emotionally stable, she would be damned if she'd let some shrink tell her she couldn’t go back to work! It was then that she had an epiphany, realizing that Clark was her life-line; if he hadn't been so supportive right from the time they met, she might have ended up in a psychiatric ward upon her return to Metropolis. Somehow, Clark's love had lifted her up and enabled her to be the person she used to be. How she loved that man!

A sudden "whoosh" announced to Lois that Clark was back. "Everything okay, sweets? Sounded like a real mess out there; I turned on the TV and saw you in action," she said enthusiastically. "It would have taken highway workers all day to remove that truck if you hadn't been there to help."

Clark kissed her, and then headed towards the shower. "Got to get this oil and grease off of me. And the tractor-trailer was carrying refrigerated goods – milk and stuff – what a mess on the highway. Be right back, honey."

Lois smiled and again, counted her lucky stars that Clark was her husband.

"Nothing like an early-morning catastrophe to signal the beginning of the work week," he smiled as he re-entered the living room, several minutes later, wearing only a towel, finger-combing his hair. "No one was hurt; the tractor-trailer driver had exceeded his legally-allowed driving hours, according to his logbook. The authorities are going to cite him. Apparently, he fell asleep at the wheel. Thank God it was 4:00 a.m., not rush hour!"

"Thank God for Superman," she gushed. "In my personal life, as well as planet Earth. What would life be like without you?"

"Honey… is there something going on in that beautiful head of yours? Where's that sarcasm I've learned to love? I *know* you're not a morning person. Are you still worried about meeting with Dr. Deter this morning? I thought I took your mind off of that last night quite effectively," he said with a sexy smile.

"Yes, you did at that," she responded, reflecting back to their recent love-making session. "I wish I could spend all day in bed with you. But I guess I have to face the reality that is my new life sooner or later. I feel like a kid who doesn't want to go to school on the first day back after summer vacation," she lamented. "'Mad Dog Lane' is being a wimp."

"Honey… there are many things you are, but a *wimp* you are *not*," Clark asserted. "You've had a horrible ten years, and this last week has been a real whirlwind. You need some down time. Maybe you *shouldn't* go back to work full-time yet. Getting adjusted to life back in Metropolis may take some time, after all," he said, enveloping her in a warm embrace, kissing her forehead. "Give yourself a break."

"Maybe you're right; I just don't want some stupid shrink to tell me I *can't* go back to work full-time. I want to be able to make that decision myself."

"There. That's better. Your stubbornness is coming back," he smiled.

"You are my life-saver, Clark Kent. I couldn't do any of this without you, you know."

"I don't know about that. You're a survivor. But it's a nice thought."

"How about we go out for a nice breakfast before I have to go to this stupid session with 'Dr. Deter'?" Lois asked.

"You got it, honey. Do you want to stay in Metropolis, or go somewhere more exotic?"

"Let's stick to Metropolis, sweets. It feels more like reality if we stay in town. As much as I love being able to fly off anywhere with you at a moment's notice, I think staying grounded will do me more good right now. You understand, right?"

"Of course, honey. Wherever you want to go is just fine with me."

~~~~~

Lois was to be Dr. Maxwell Deter's first appointment of the day. Thorul had filled him in on Lois' ten years in the jungle, living in various refugee camps. He was going to treat her as if he was evaluating a post-war trauma victim; in all likelihood, her latent symptoms would be the same. That being the case, it would be fairly easy to comply with Thorul's request not to allow her back to work on a full-time basis. Therapy sessions three times a week would prevent that, wouldn’t they?

Lois arrived promptly at 8:00 a.m. Clark had wanted to accompany her, but she insisted on going alone, so he headed over to the Daily Planet – a *very different* Daily Planet, complete with a temporary editor-in-chief, since Perry wouldn't be there for another week or so. He had given Lois his cell phone, so she could call him at the Planet after her session was completed; he would swing by and pick her up.

The receptionist handed Lois a clipboard with a pen and a medical questionnaire. "Before Dr. Deter sees you, we need you to complete this form for us. And I understand that the Daily Planet is to be direct billed for services rendered?"

"Yes, that's correct, since they *required* me to be here," Lois responded sarcastically. She began completing the form, which started out asking routine medical history questions. On the second page, the form required her to describe why she was seeking psychiatric evaluation.

She wrote:

Lois felt the anger welling up in her. She always thought of the Daily Planet as a safe haven for her, and now it felt like a scary, foreboding place to return to.

She finished the questionnaire, and handed it back to the receptionist. "Dr. Deter will be right out to see you," she replied, taking a cursory look at the form to ensure its completion. "Please have a seat."

Several minutes later, the very handsome Dr. Maxwell Deter entered the waiting room and introduced himself to Lois. "Ms. Lane? I'm Dr. Maxwell Deter," he said, reaching for her hand in greeting. "I'm pleased to meet you. Won't you follow me?"

Lois did a double-take as she stood up to return the handshake. <Wow! He's almost as good-looking as Clark. Well, if I *have* to do this, at least he's not bad to look at. Lois Lane! You're a married woman. Stop.>

Dr. Deter was also somewhat unnerved by the stunning beauty that was Lois Lane-Kent. Thorul hadn't warned him that he might fall in love with his new patient. This new development might cause him to take quite a different angle in her treatment!

Dr. Deter instructed Lois to sit in a comfortable leather chair, which appeared to recline if need be, while he sat at his desk, notepad and tape recorder ready. He clicked the "record" button on the machine, heralding the beginning of the session.

"Lois, I understand that you probably aren't comfortable being here. Would that be a fair statement?"

"Definitely," Lois replied. <Answer his questions, don't volunteer anything, Lane!>

"Tell me about the person you were before you went to Africa. Describe your thoughts, feelings… then we'll contrast them to who you believe yourself to be *now*."

"I was a career-driven woman who didn't let anything or anyone get in my way. I had little time for personal relationships, and getting the big story was my only goal in life."

"Why were you so driven? Did you think you didn't deserve some happiness in your personal life as well?"

"Relationships with the opposite sex never ended well. I was betrayed, cheated on… there was nothing good about them. I had pretty much written men off at the time I convinced my editor to let me travel to Brazzaville."

With a warm, rather sexy smile, Dr. Deter asked, "Didn't you think that there might be an exception to that rule? That perhaps you had never met the right man?"

"I never let myself think that way. It was easier to just focus on my career and getting ahead." <Quit looking at me like that.>

"So you went to the Congo, tracking down a story. Tell me what happened after your arrival there."

"As soon as I got off the plane, some African men 'escorted' me from the airport and dumped me in the jungle with no wallet, no clothes except what I was wearing, and therefore no way to verify my identity. It was only because of my martial-arts training and the fact that my father had been a military man that I survived. He taught me to be as tough as nails, and it panned out."

"You were an army brat, so to speak? Your family traveled a lot growing up?"

"No, my mother didn't want to pull me and my sister out of school every year, so we hardly ever saw Dad. When we did, he treated both of us girls as if we were his sons. No showing of emotion, whatsoever. When he was on leave and came home, all they ever did was argue - my mother always accused him of cheating on her. He *is* a good-looking man. Women were always coming on to him, and my mother knew it."

"So it's safe to conclude that one of the reasons you had 'written off men' as you say, is that you never had a role model of a quality relationship at home, so you didn't believe it to be possible?"

"I guess so," Lois conceded. <Do I really have to talk about this? Ugh!>

"Tell me about your first month in the jungle. How you survived, against all odds," he persisted.

"Well, my girl scout training helped. I was able to mark my trail so if I got lost, I could figure out where I came from, and try a different route. Eventually I started eating fruit off of the trees to survive, and one day I came across a hidden refugee camp. The Ninja Rebels were everywhere, so the refugees kept moving under the cover of darkness. One night when they were traveling to a new location, I just joined them, blending in, and eventually I learned to communicate with the other women in the camp. My French was rusty, but it started to come back to me."

"What was your most terrifying experience in all of the ten years you spent in a refugee camp, Lois?"

"Watching the Ninja rebels ravage the Congolese women, night after night. I can close my eyes and still see and hear it clearly. It was horrifying to listen to their screams. It made me hate men even more than I already did."

"Why did they leave you alone?"

"I kick boxed a rebel that came up to me in the groin soon after my arrival in the refugee camp. The insurgents became afraid of me. I was referred to as 'Linda, the white terror" by them. I don't know why they didn't kill me. Somehow, I intimidated the lot of them. The other women looked up to me. They were in awe of me, actually. I became their leader of sorts."

"Why didn't you try to let someone know you were alive?"

"My family had been threatened by the creeps that threw me in the jungle. If I was ever to surface, they would kill my parents and my sister. So, I kept a low profile, called myself 'Linda', and figured that this would be my life."

"Why do you believe you were kidnapped?"

"Have you heard of Lex Luthor? That's why. And that's all I can say about that."

"Let's talk now, in the present. Why did you get married so quickly? I find that fascinating, since you had dismissed the possibility of having any personal relationships in the past."

Lois' eyes filled with passion and love as she spoke of Clark. "That's true, and it surprised me as well. But sometimes, the person is so right for you, that you throw away all of your previous inhibitions and mindsets, and just let yourself go for it. And that's what I did."

"It sounds like you love him very much, Lois. He's a lucky man."

"Yes I do, and I'm luckier than he is. I truly believe that he's the reason I'm not a complete 'basket case' right now."

"That's an interesting statement, Lois. Would you mind if on our next session I use hypnosis to regress you? I'll be able to recall some of your more buried memories of your ten years in Brazzaville using that method. You may have suppressed important events that may surface unexpectedly, and for me to give you a 'clean bill of health' psychologically, so to speak, I need to dig a little deeper."

"Do I have a choice? Of course, I'd rather not have you pick my brain like it's a fruit salad," she said sardonically.

"Well, it's going to be a recommendation to the Daily Planet in my report, Lois. So, no… you don't have a choice, unless you don't want to work at the Daily Planet anymore. In that case – yes, you have a choice."

"Fine; I'm not hiding or suppressing anything," she replied, not necessarily believing the statement herself.

"Good. Then we'll see you back here on Wednesday. Please make another appointment with the receptionist out front. Pleasure to meet you again, Lois." He gave her another toothy smile and opened the office door, motioning her out to the waiting room.

"Yeah, just great to meet you too, Dr. Deter," Lois replied as she walked by him, somewhat insincerely. "See you on Wednesday."

~~~~~

She phoned Clark as soon as she exited the office, with tears in her eyes. <Lane, get a grip. What are you getting so emotional for?> She was frustrated to get Clark's voice mail, and not the live person. <What could he be doing? Maybe I'll have him paged.> Suddenly she heard a sonic boom and seconds later Clark appeared next to her, dressed as Superman.

"Honey, let's go. I'll explain later," he said, sweeping Lois up in his arms before she could offer an objection.

When they were above the clouds, he released her from his arms, holding her hands only so they were literally floating on air. "Honey I don't think you really want to go back to work at the Planet. You're never going to guess who the new City Beat editor is."

"Sweets… I don't know anyone… I haven't been around for ten years," Lois stated.

"Unfortunately, this person is not from the United States. Take a guess," he persisted. "You met him just recently."

Lois' eyes widened. Could it be? "Not Mark Boyle…" Clark's eyes affirmed her guess to be correct. "Omigod."

"Apparently when Perry starts back to work next week, Mark is going to report directly to him. Right now he's the Acting Editor in Chief as well. Since Perry and Mark had a falling out years ago, this should be plenty interesting," Clark continued. "But I know that Mark has the 'hots' for you, and I'm not going to appreciate him constantly leering at my wife. Having him work there is probably Thorul's way of keeping an eye on us so we don't try to investigate Intergang or Edge Enterprises too thoroughly."

"I *hate* this! And this Dr. Deter I just saw wants me to see him several times a week for hypnotherapy, in case I have any repressed memories from Brazzaville which may affect me negatively down the road. What a bunch of B.S," Lois whined.

"Honey… is it possible that you *have* blocked out bad memories? I know the conditions there were horrendous; I saw them for myself when I went over there to bring you home. Ten years of living like that has got to negatively impact even a strong woman like my Mad Dog Lane!"

"So you think I'm crazy too?" Lois cried out.

"No honey… not at all. But even if you *were* crazy," he said, bringing her close enough to kiss her lightly on the lips, "as long as you were crazy for *me*, it would be okay." He beamed at her, and she began to loosen up and smirk back at him.

"You're such a charmer, Propaganda," Lois said, cracking a smile finally. "But I have to go and face everyone at the Planet, even if Mark is there. I can handle him. I've never been a quitter, and I'm not going to pick *now* to start. Let's go – I want to start setting up my workstation and show these bastards that they can't wear Lois Lane down!"

Clark had a huge grin on his face, and, this time, kissed her passionately. "Ok, 'Mad Dog', you asked for it!" With that he enveloped her in his cape, and streaked down through the clouds, towards the ground.

Less than a minute later, Clark and Lois were entering the lobby of the Daily Planet, with Lois attempting to salvage her wind-blown hair with her fingers, using her reflection in the revolving door, before they went upstairs.

"Morning, Mr. and Mrs. Kent," said the security guard warmly.

<"Clark – where's Walter, the nice man that was here before?">

<"Probably on his break. Why?">

<"Just watch and learn, Propaganda… watch and learn!">

"It's 'Ms. Lane', thank you. And your name is?" Lois asked curtly.

"My name is Scott, Ms. Lane. I'm sorry. I heard that you and Mr. Kent just got married."

"We *did*. But the name is *still* Ms. Lane. Have a good day, Scott," Lois said, over her shoulder as she walked away abruptly.

<"Honey, that was downright mean. I thought we had a good breakfast. Did you really have to snack on him? That was a good sized portion, actually.">

<"He'll get over it. He's too young a kid not to know that women don't always change their names when they get married.">

<"Does it bother you that much when you're called 'Mrs. Kent'?">

<"Yes, it does, Clark. It has nothing to do with how much I love you, either - so don't go there. I couldn't love you any more than I already do even if I tried. But being 'Mrs. Somebody' implies that you're 'Mrs. Nobody'. And this girl will never be that!">

<"Whew! I guess you're all primed up for the newsroom now. Go get 'em, girl tiger!">

<"You're lucky I love you, Propaganda!">

<"Ditto!">

~~~~~

TBC - Say by Wednesday?