Hi.
I'm sorry it took me so long to post this part. Like I said, I had very serious computer's problem. My motherboard died and I had to replace it, but in the meantime, I couldn't access my harddrive where my fanfic was.
But now, it's over. Everything seems to be working just fine, so here the long awaited Lois' reactions to Superman's wedding.
I hope you'll enjoy the part. And I have to gave credit to Kris, my beta reader for the two better paragraphs of the chapter. She said the things better than I did, so I kept her sentences. Thanks Kris.
Previously, on part 5:
“If she’s not devesated enough, if she doesn’t react the appropriate way when she learns about your wedding, then nobody will believe the marriage is real, even if she keeps the secret.”
Superman didn’t want to let Lois suffer like that. But her safety was more important to him, and they had a point. Lois had to be completely destroyed by the news to convince Intergang… Finally, he nodded reluctantly to Henderson to indicate his consent.
God, he hated this plan! If only he had another solution to propose. He could really use a brinstorming session with Lois, except she couldn't know anything... He had to go along, he knew it, but that didn't help him to assuage his guilt about lying to the entire world. About lying to Lois.
Sighing, he said, almost to himself, "She's gonna kill me.”
That last comment, from a demoralized Superman, made Henderson smile.
“Yes. I'm sure she’ll try.”
**************************************************
And now, part 6:
PART 6: THE BROKEN HEART
In the morning, when Clark entered the newsroom of the Daily Planet, he saw Lois at her desk, already working. He stopped to look at her. It was 9:00 AM. In three hours, he’d break her heart.
Before going to work, he went to see Murray Brown who told him that he had arranged the press conference to be in front of city hall at noon, and that he’d send the news to the press organizations around 9:00 AM. After that, he went to the police station to tell Henderson and Andrea to finalize the last details.
So, in few minutes, Lois would know about Superman’s wedding. And in three hours, he’d have to introduce his ‘wife’ to the press, and probably do it right in front of Lois who would more than likely want to cover the story.
Sighing, he walked to greet her, the way he did everyday. But something in his expression or face must have betrayed him because she immediately asked:
“What’s wrong, Clark?”
A little surprised that she could read him so easily, he jumped to deny that anything was the matter. Maybe a little too quickly.
“Nothing. What makes you think that something's wrong?”
She opened her mouth to respond when Perry appeared besides them, apparently not happy.
“Lois. Can I see you two minutes in my office, please?”
Lois nodded, stood and followed him into his office. He closed the door behind her and showed her to a seat in silence. He seemed very worried about something, and looking for a way to tell her. Lois didn’t need to be a genius to guess he had some bad news for her. Maybe her latest scoop wouldn’t be published or she was being sued or something, but she was ready to fight. Clark and she had proof for everything they wrote!
Finally, he spoke.
“Lois, I don’t know how to say this, but you’ll know about it soon anyway, and I think it’d be better if I tell you myself.”
“What’s going on, Perry? Is there a problem with my story?”
“No, no. Your story’s fine. Really great. You’ll probably get another Kerth nomination for that one, honey. No, that’s not it…”
Lois was very relieved and pleased at the compliment, but Perry still had something to tell her, so, more hesitantly, he went on.
“Few minutes ago, a communiqué came from Superman.”
“From Superman?”
She was very surprised. That wasn’t his habit at all. Normally, when he wanted to say something to the press, he gave her or Clark an exclusive…but a communiqué to the press? That was a first.
When Perry nodded, she asked again:
“What did he say? What’s going on?”
“He announced his wedding.”
Lois was stunned. She stared at Perry, trying to process what he'd just said. Some crazy voice in her head that sounded a lot like the southern editor had said something about Superman announcing his wedding, but that just didn't make any sense. She closed her eyes. She must be working too hard. Opening her eyes, she smiled and said:
“Sorry, can you repeat that, Perry?”
“You heard me, honey. He’s married.”
There was that voice again! She really did need a vacation; she was going crazy! Or Perry was joking. But, no; one look at him and Lois knew he was deadly serious. So...she must really be losing her mind. There was no other explanation because there was no way that what Perry had just said could be true. Superman wasn't married! He couldn't be married! She loved him!
Perry was afraid to see Lois immobile and silent like that. She hadn’t talked or moved in almost three minutes. He'd known that this news would come as a shock to her, but he hadn’t imagined that she'd feel so numb, she’d become catatonic. He was really worried.
“Lois? Honey? You okay?”
She blinked, as if she just awakened.
“He’s married?”
Her voice was barely a whisper, but at least she was talking.
“Yes.”
How he hated to be the one to break the news to her! Her lack of reaction worried him deeply. That was so unlike her. He'd thought she’d be angry, furious… He wasn’t prepared to see her completely numbed by the news.
“Honey, maybe you should take the day off…?”
She was like a daughter to him and she really seemed to need to rest. But he barely finished suggesting the idea to her when she came back to life, with fire in her eyes.
"A day off?! I’m fine, okay! I'm Lois Lane; I don’t take the day off!”
Perry couldn’t help but smile. She was angry. She was still the woman he knew and loved so dearly. She was suffering right now, but she’d be okay. But he was still worried for her. He knew about the feelings she had for Superman, and he knew how badly men had treated her in the past. This news must be hurting her. He really thought she should take the day off.
But before he could voice his thoughts, she spoke again, insisting that everything was okay, that there was no way she’d go home without any reasons.
She seemed so angry that finally, he gave up. She walked out of his office to go back to her desk and resume her work as if nothing had happened. Only her tense movements and the paleness of her face betrayed that she was falling apart inside.
When Clark saw her come back to her desk, he walked towards her. He'd listened in on her conversation with Perry. He knew she needed her best friend right now, even if she was apparently denying that she felt a mess.
“Lois?”
“I’m okay, Clark.”
Her response was quick and abrupt. The message was clear. She didn’t want to talk about what was bothering her. When she saw her partner open his mouth again, she interrupted him.
“Look. It’s time for the staff meeting. Come on.”
Without waiting for his answer, she headed towards the conference room where their colleagues were gathering, confident that he was following her.
She sat at the table, Clark beside her, and remained silent, deep in her thoughts. To everybody who didn’t know what had just happened, she looked as if she was just waiting for the meeting to begin.
But Clark knew better.
Perry entered the room, and all the employees took place around the table and stopped their conversation to listen their editor in chief.
“Before we discuss your stories, I have something to say. A communiqué came a few minutes ago, from Superman, to announce his wedding.”
After a moment of shocked silence, everyone started talking at once. Superman was married?! This was huge! All eyes made their way to Lois, who was sitting straight in her chair, apparently focused on Perry. She seemed not to notice the attention her colleagues were giving her. The truth was that she obviously decided to ignore them all, and to act as if everything was normal, but her posture, just a little too straight, betrayed her true feelings. She was just counting on her anger to sustain her.
Seeing their colleagues look at Lois like that, waiting for her to fall apart, as if they were watching a movie, infuriated Clark. He was impressed by Lois’s apparent calm, but he knew what she was feeling, and he felt bad about letting her suffer. In a comforting gesture, he put his arm around her shoulders. And even if she ignored it in the same way that she ignored their colleagues’ reactions, Clark knew that she was grateful for the support. The fact that she hadn’t rejected his gesture told him that.
Perry restored the silence among the reporters and resumed what he was saying.
“He will introduce his wife at noon today, at a press conference in front of the mayor's office. I would have preferred to send a senior reporter, but since the reopening of the Planet a few weeks ago, we’re still a little short staffed, so… Ralph, you’re still new here, so be careful. I want a GOOD story on this one, you hear?”
Before Ralph could respond, Lois spoke.
“We can do it, chief. That story is too big for a newbie. Clark and I will do it.”
She looked very calm and reasonable, but Perry was hesitant. How could he ask Lois to write the story of Superman’s wedding? That was a bad idea. A very bad idea.
“Lois, I’m not sure you should write this story…”
“Perry, we’ve been writing almost all the Superman stories for the Planet. What’s the problem?” she interrupted him.
How could he respond to that? He definitely couldn’t say that she shouldn’t be writing this because she was in love with him in front of the entire staff. Heck. That wouldn’t even be easy to say to Lois in a private conversation. But he was sure that he couldn’t let her do this. He looked for an excuse but found none that sounded good.
“Lois, that’s not a story for the city desk. That’s a society story.”
He knew his excuse was lame. He knew that even Clark’s excuses were better than this one; and when Lois rolled her eyes, he knew she was about to argue. So when he saw Clark nodding to him, as if to reassure him that he could give them the story, he knew that Clark would look after Lois, and make sure she was okay. He continued to speak before Lois could insist.
“But if you’re sure you want to write it, do it. Lois, Clark, you’ll go to the conference.”
**************************************************
When the morning meeting ended, Lois and Clark came back to Lois’ desk. She sat on her chair, and he sat on her desk, facing her, looking at her with concern in his eyes. After a few seconds of silence, she looked at him, seemingly annoyed by all his attention.
“Look, Clark. I’m fine! Why doesn’t anyone see that? You don’t have to look after me like that, as if I was about to fall apart, or something… I’m not!”
“Lois, I know you better than that. I know how shocked you must feel by the news about Superman. I know how you feel about him, remember? You don’t have to pretend around me.”
Really annoyed now, Lois stood up and headed to the coffee machine. Clark followed her.
“Clark. I know what you think, but, really, I’m fine.”
Clark looked doubtful, and Lois resumed, articulating each word as if she was speaking to a little child.
“*I – am – fine!* Which word in that phrase don’t you understand?”
“If you say so…”
“I’m really fine, Clark. Except that I starting to be really fed up with having to repeat that.”
He stayed silent, but Lois could see that he didn’t believe her.
“I don’t have any reason to fall apart. I don’t think Superman is really married. It’s a hoax, and I’ll prove it.”
“What?”
Clark’s heart began to race. He knew she was a great reporter, but how could she know that it was a hoax? It was, of course, but how could she know it? Did she really have proof that he was lying?
“I know what you’re thinking, Clark, but I’m not crazy or in denial. It *is* a hoax.”
“How do you know that?”
“He can’t be married. It’s not like him to act that way… He can’t be, so I know he’s not,” affirmed Lois quietly, sure that her logic was clear enough to everybody to see the truth behind her words.
Clark began to relax. She didn’t know a thing. She was just in denial, even if she was right in this particular case.
“Lois, don’t you think Superman has the right to a private life too? And to marry the woman he loves like everybody else?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Clark. That’s not what I mean when I say he can’t be married. Of course I think he has a right to a private life, and to marry someone.”
“So, what did you mean?”
“I mean he couldn’t marry HER, so he’s not married. Look, Clark, in my life, all my relationship were disasters because all the men I was involved with were bastards, and I thought for a long time that all men were just bastards or idiots. You know it. But during the last year, I’ve changed my mind because now I know two men who aren't like that. You. And Superman. So, tell me Clark: could you flirt with a woman, spend evenings with her, when you’re about to marry someone else, the <big love> of your life?”
“No, I couldn’t do that.”
“Well, I’m pretty sure Superman couldn't either. So, he can’t be married.”
“Lois, Superman isn’t seeing another woman. As far as we know. And you can’t be sure Superman isn’t married just because he is friendly with you. I’m friendly with you too, and that doesn’t mean I’ll never fall in love and propose to someone else.”
That was less than likely, Clark amended mentally, since he was still deeply in love with her, but Lois didn’t have to know that.
“It’s not the same, Clark. Superman is more than just friendly with me. I know I told you last spring that he rejected me when I told him how I felt about him, and he never mentioned it again. But his attitude towards me has changed since then. We spend more time together than before. We spend some nice evenings together. Nothing ever happens, but they aren't evenings between friends either, and I’m not imagining things, Clark.”
They sat on the couch beside the coffee machine, and Lois resumed her speech.
“When I came back from my cruise to the Bermuda, Superman came to my apartment to thank me for… err…something personal I did to help him. I invited him to dinner. He accepted, but he insisted that it was he who was inviting me to thank me. We had a dinner just the two of us together, Clark!”
Clark remembered the evening as well. She'd saved his life when Arianna Carlin had shot him with a kryptonite bullet, and then disposed of the meteorite in Bermuda. After the awkward weeks last spring that followed the declaration of love Lois made to Superman, and his subsequent rejection of her, he wanted to thank her and try again to be friends with her as Superman, so he brought her favourites food and they had dinner in her apartment. They had both enjoyed the evening. Clark was brought back to the reality by Lois’s voice.
“The week after that, he came back. That was the night of the Kerths. After the ceremony, he came back to my apartment. He only stayed a few minutes. He said that he wanted to thank me for helping him to arrest Lenny Stroke. That didn’t make any sense, Clark. We always do our best to help Superman arrest criminals. He's never stopped by to say thanks before. And why thank only me, and not the both of us? No, I’m pretty sure he just wanted to see me. Thanking me was his excuse. And if you saw the way he looked at me that night, you’d be convinced of it, too.”
Clark was dumbfounded. Yes, she was right. It had just been an excuse, but he'd thought that it was a good one…Apparently, Lois hadn’t believed it for a second. Were his feelings for her that obvious when he was in the suit? He remembered all the things Andrea said to him the night before, when he denied having a relationship with Lois. Yes, apparently, it was very obvious, and even Lois had noticed it. Heck. What a mess he was in. But Lois still wasn't finished.
“And last week, he came back again, the night of the Church Ball. To thank me for our help in our investigation, again. And again, that was just an excuse.”
“How can you be so sure? Maybe he realised that he never thanked us before, and he wants to be polite now.”
Even he could hear how flimsy that sounded, and the glance that Lois gave him made it very clear that she thought so too.
“How can I be sure? Well, I invited him to dance, he accepted, and he closed the window behind him while we were dancing. Tell me, is that the way a guy acts when he doesn’t want to spend the evening with you?”
Clark heard the sarcasm in Lois’s voice and grimaced. Had he really done that? Yes, he had. They had danced and talked until late in the night. He should remember all that the next time he wondered why Lois was in love with Superman and didn’t notice Clark.
“And even two days ago, when the city was in darkness during the blackout and I was pushed out my window. He saved me, and then we heard an accident, and he hesitated to go. He wanted to stay with me. I had to *tell* him to go to help.”
“Okay, Lois. I get the picture. But still… You have to admit that it is possible that he's married.”
“No. He’s not. He’d never act that way with me if he was in love with that woman. It’s a hoax, and I’ll prove it, “she repeated.
“And how will you do that?”
“I don’t know yet, but I’ll find a way. I know I’m right.”
Clark could hear in her voice that she was less assured that she wanted to appear, less sure about her theory now than while she was remembering the good times she'd spent with Superman over the last few weeks.
“Maybe he’ll give me an exclusive interview, or his wife will. Then I know I’ll be able to prove it.”
Clark could detect an almost desperate tone in her voice now. The hope of proving the wedding to be a hoax was the only thing that was holding Lois together, but deep within her, she wasn’t completely convinced that it was a lie.
“Lois, what if it’s real?”
Clark didn’t want to ask, but some sadistic voice in his mind pushed him. He needed to ask her, to really know, not just only guess, how she was feeling.
After a few seconds of silence, she suddenly started crying. They were tears of desperation. She was completely wrecked, and couldn’t hide it anymore. Clark took her in his arms to comfort her.
“It can’t be… It can’t be… real, “ she responded while crying into the cradle of Clark’s arms.
He wanted to tell her the truth, and he even opened the mouth to speak, but he knew he couldn’t. He'd known the night before, when he agreed with Henderson, that it would be very difficult to see Lois like this and go on lying to her, letting her believe he was married to someone else. Yet, he'd agreed to do it. So he resisted the urge to confess everything, and held her tighter.
He saw some of their colleagues looking in their direction, and that made him angry. All of them were enjoying the sight of Lois suffering and crying, as if it was just a good show. But he couldn’t do a thing about it; it was why he couldn’t tell Lois the truth in the first place. People had to see her like this to believe that his wedding was real. But he couldn’t help to feel that he was being too cruel to her.
He couldn’t let her go on like this. She was crying out her soul in his arms, and he just wanted to made her feel better.
“Shh. Maybe you’re right, Lois. Maybe, he hasn’t married her. Shh”
"I just have to prove it to the world," responded softly Lois, still crying.
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