<><><>
Part 11/?
<><><>
"I… yes," I say warily as I try to judge her mood. My stomach tightens in anxiety. Did she take the globe? What does she think it means? Does she *know*?
She comes in the room and shuts the door. "I'll tell you where it is, if you'll tell me why you have it. *Again*. Did Superman give it to you for safekeeping?" Her tone is low but the words seem to ring in my ears. I open my mouth to answer but she rushes on, her voice becoming huskier, but no louder, as she becomes more agitated. "Sure, tell me that. It's certainly plausible, isn't it?"
"Lois…"
"Better yet, tell me why you brought it *here*. Do you take it everywhere? And here's another question while you're busy thinking. There's a huge dent in the truck where I hit you. Are you sure that didn't hurt?" The question holds absolutely no compassion.
"I…"
"What about that cabin falling on you? We're all thinking we witnessed some kind of miracle but that's not what it was, was it? Or how about that amazing feat of strength this afternoon? I kept thinking I had to have imagined that. There was no way you could hold that beam by yourself. There's only one person who could, really. Gosh, wait, you don't suppose… " Her voice fades and she crosses her arms over her chest. "Have I figured it out? Or should I say *finally* figured it out?"
Panic floods through me - what am I supposed to say? "Lois…"
"Was that why you wanted to talk about Superman last night?"
"Yes," I nod.
"And then you decided you'd rather get laid than be honest with me?"
"Whoa! That's not how it happened! You said you didn't want to talk about it! You were the one pushing things forward!"
Her eyes widen in surprise. "How can you say that? What kind of revisionist history is that? I never said I didn't want to talk about it, I only asked if you were sure *you* wanted to talk about it. And then you said 'don't stop'!"
"How could you expect me to say anything else at that particular moment? Surely you remember what *you* were doing at the time. Whatever else you might believe about me, when it comes to that I'm just a guy with the same biological urges as any other man."
"And that's what it was to you? Just a biological urge to be satisfied?"
"NO! Lois! That's not what I meant at all!"
"Forget it! Enough, okay? I don't want to talk about that, so don't change the subject. What I want to know is why you never told me. Why did I have to figure it out? I thought we were friends. I even thought I was… special… to you. Why did you let me go on thinking that you were some kind of flake who couldn't commit? Why not just be honest with me when we started dating? Why not just be honest with me because you're my best friend? Do you not trust me? Is that it?"
"No, Lois. I trust you. I do. I was just afraid that you'd be angry."
"Well, you thought wrong! I'm not angry! I'm heartbroken!" Her eyes tear up and voice cracks. I realize I'm the biggest jerk in history. It would have been better if she were only furious. I could forgive myself for making her angry but not for breaking her heart.
"Lois, I'm sorry. I've wanted to tell you."
"But you *didn't*." She swipes away her tears with the back of her hand and stands up straighter. I feel the first anxious flutter that I've lost her. "I'll give you credit for wanting to tell me. But *actually* telling me is ninety-five percent of your grade on this one. Did you tell me?"
"No." I shake my head. "And that was a mistake. Lois…" I take a deep breath and then figure I might as well reveal all my secrets at once. "I love you. I never meant to hurt you and I'll do anything to make it up to you."
She shakes her head. "Clark… I can still call you Clark, right? Is that your real name?"
"Yes. Clark." It's not worth muddying the waters with Kal-El at this moment. Later, when we're both calmer, I'll tell her.
Another tear slides loose but she ignores it. "Okay, Clark, the thing is… I don't want you to make this up to me. I don't see how you really ever could."
My heart feels like it's breaking right along with hers. Lois bows her head and chokes on a sob. I want to reach out to her, but I don't dare. She opens the door and leaves. Should I follow her? I feel frozen to the spot. After a few seconds she returns, holding the globe.
"I… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken this from you." She sets it gently on the desk. "I was looking for the Suit, I thought you had to have it hidden somewhere, and found this instead. I only took it because… I guess I just wanted to see you suffer."
As the door closes softly behind her I think my knees are going to buckle. She's right. I can never make up for not telling her sooner. At the very least I should have told her last night. I just didn't want to ruin anything. And now I have. Worst of all, I told her I loved her and she ignored it. I've lost her.
I sit down on the bed and stare at the globe but it offers no advice. I should have told her. I can think of a hundred moments now that would have sufficed. She wants a revision of history? What if I went back and told her at the very start? Or when she was going to marry Lex? Or when we started dating? Or last night? Surely I could have found a way to tell her last night.
<"I guess I just wanted to see you suffer.">
Come back, Lois. If you really want to see me suffer you shouldn't miss this.
Please come back.
<><><>
Dinner is beyond uncomfortable. Lois never looks at me and barely touches her food. I don't have much of an appetite myself. More than anything I just want to leave but I can't. It's not that I think Lois is going to blurt out my secret - I don't dare leave her here alone when we still know nothing about her stalker.
"We could have had Lucas completely uncovered by tomorrow if John hadn't made us stop," Emily comments to no one in particular.
Doc sighs. "We'll never get him. They're going to shut us down."
"They're not going to shut us down," Emily says reassuringly. "Jay was telling me that they're seriously thinking about turning the site into an interpretive history center, like a showcase for the area's history. The French and Indian Wars, the Civil War, the Underground Railroad... He said they might try to find a way to incorporate an on-going dig into the plan. You know, sort of a hands-on history kind of thing."
Doc frowns. "I'm sure Jay believes that, but I can assure you that John does not. He's going to shut us down. If not tomorrow, then the next day."
"But why would he let us start a new trench if he's going to shut us down?" Emily argues. "That makes no sense."
"Simple. It keeps us occupied until the paperwork goes through." Doc wipes his mouth with a napkin and clears his throat. "I think John means to take Lucas away from us."
"He can't!" Emily exclaims.
"Do you think they know who Lucas might be?" Lois asks. We all turn to look at her; it's the first time she's spoken since she came downstairs
"It's possible. John was awfully interested in Lucas' teeth. They'll bring in their expert and we'll never see him again." Doc pushes his plate away as he answers.
"Then let's steal him first," Lois suggests. Emily and Josh gape at her along with me, but Doc only smiles.
"My thoughts exactly, my dear."
<><><>
Tonight we don't bother with a slow and thorough excavation. Doc, Emily and Lois hold flashlights while Josh and I dig down. We toss the dirt over the edge of the trench, no longer caring about preservation. It takes just over an hour for us to reach Lucas. Doc calls out for us to stop when he sees Josh turn over a fragment of cloth. Josh and I switch places with Doc and Emily.
They carefully work free a deteriorated and fragile woolen blanket from the earth. Josh slips back into the trench and the three of them carefully raise the bundle to Lois and I. We set him down gently at the side of the trench.
"We don't have a big enough box," Josh notes. "We're going to have to disarticulate him."
"Maybe not," Doc says. "If we use the tool chest from the tent we can just fold him in half. Let's get him out of here before we do any kind of recovery work on him."
Lois and Emily race into the tent to clean the chest out. Doc kicks some of the dirt back into the grave.
"Should we fill the hole in?" I ask.
"It doesn't matter. Once they get here tomorrow morning and find out he's gone I'm going to have to answer for it. Let's just get him somewhere safe."
Once the chest is cleaned out, Doc and Josh cautiously fold the bundle in half and then ease it into the tool chest. After Doc closes the lid, Josh and I each take an end to carry him back to the house. Emily goes ahead of us with a flashlight while Lois follows behind with one.
When we reach the back porch Josh asks, "Where should we put him?"
"In my room, for now," says Doc. "I'll move him again later."
"Where?" Emily asks.
"The last place anyone would expect to find him, " Doc says with a wan smile.
"The trunk of John's car?" Emily suggests.
"Better," Doc assures her. "Even better than that."
<><><>
I pace my room, waiting for Lois to finish her shower. When I hear the bathroom door open, I step into the hallway. Lois, dressed in her nightshirt with a towel wrapped around her hair, knocks on Josh's door and tells him the bathroom is free. When she sees me her shoulders straighten.
"Clark, I'm too tired to talk, okay?" she says as she opens her door.
"Lois…"
Josh comes into the hallway and glances over at us as he walks to the bathroom.
"Seriously. It's waited this long. It can wait a little longer." She tilts her head to indicate Josh. "There's nothing you can say that's going to change anything anyway. Good night, Clark." She goes in her room and shuts the door.
I turn to go back to my room when I hear her whisper, "Oh my god! Clark? Can you hear me?"
Should I go check on her? Knock on her door? She opens the door again, her eyes wide and frightened, and motions for me to come in.
"What is it?" I ask, although I have a sinking feeling I all ready know. She shuts the door and steps back. There's another picture taped to the back of her door. It was taken last night - while we were in the lake. It's us in profile and it's obvious why I never heard a thing - I look a little preoccupied. Something ugly filters through me at the realization that someone was watching the most intimate moment we've ever shared.
There are no fingerprints on this picture either. I pull it off the door and flip it over.
"DID YOU SEE FIREWORKS?"
"Lois, I want you to go back to Metropolis. I'll take you back tonight."
"What? No! How would you explain that?"
"I'll think of something. I care more about your safety right now..."
"I have Superman sleeping in the next room. I couldn't possibly get any safer."
"Lois, I'd feel better…"
"Well, I wouldn't! So, unless you intend to be a bully and forcibly fly me back, I'm staying right here. There's still a story to be written here, Clark. Don't you want to know for sure if Lucas was from Krypton?"
"He was," I tell her.
She goes absolutely still. "And how do you know this?"
I hesitate, knowing that the truth is only going to make things worse. "He told me."
"He told you? You've seen his ghost?"
"No, he left a box with a message in the foundation of the cabin. That's why I brought the globe here. It plays the message." I glance at the picture in my hands. So much can change in twenty-four hours.
Her eyes become cold. "When did you find the box?"
"When the cabin collapsed."
"Uh huh. Thanks for sharing, partner. What did you do with it?"
"I left it at my parent's house."
"Unbelievable. You are unbelievable! Talk about stealing a story - how did you justify that to yourself? How did you think you were going to justify it to me, assuming you ever told me? Actually, never mind me, what about Doc? I never would have believed that you could be so selfish!"
I have no defense for that, she's right. "Keep your voice down," I say in an urgent whisper.
She shakes her head in disbelief. "I'm the last person you need to worry about. I can keep your secret better than you did." She grabs the picture and tears it into pieces. I get the feeling the gesture is more about destroying the memory of last night than anything else. As she rips the picture apart she continues talking in a low voice. "You weren't going to tell me about Lucas, were you?"
"Yes, I was." I wish my voice didn't sound so uncertain.
"Really? When? On the way home? Were you going to have a little confession party on the plane? Or maybe you were going to tell me when you accepted the Kerth?"
Her petty words hit home and I lash back at her before I can think better of it. "This isn't about a story to me! This is about my life! Yes, I didn't tell you. But if you could stop feeling sorry for yourself and being just as selfish, by the way, then maybe you could spare a thought for how I might feel. Do you have any idea how much it would mean to me to know that I wasn't alone here? I just wanted a connection. And last night," I gesture at the torn scraps she's dropped on the desk, "I actually thought I had made one. For the first time ever I felt like I belonged here. I *was* going to tell you. I was going to tell you everything this afternoon but you ran off."
She closes her eyes and nods. "Fine, but even if you had told me this afternoon…" When she opens her eyes they're full of unshed tears. "This isn't something you can just tell a person and have them say 'oh great, thanks' and everything just keeps going along like normal. How would you feel if you just found out I've been lying to you since the first day we met? And it wasn’t just ordinary lying about something like you think I have lousy taste in clothes, not that I'd give that opinion much weight since, well, you have lousy taste in clothes, Clark. But it wasn't something like that, was it? This was kind of a big one. This was something you knew I wanted to know."
One of the picture fragments is lying face up and she turns it over. "And don't you dare tell me that you thought my only interest in knowing about you was because I wanted a story. Maybe Lucas would have been just a story. But you are not a story to me."
"I know that," I say softly. "And I was going to tell you about me first, then about Lucas. I just didn't want this," I gesture at the uncomfortable space between us. "I didn't want you to be angry."
"I'm only angry about Lucas." Lois looks past me, her gaze focusing on the door. "I'm hurt that you didn't trust me."
"This isn't about trust…" I try to say but she cuts me off.
"It is to me." She opens the door. "Good night, Clark," she says pointedly.
<><><>
It is, quite possibly, the longest night of my life. I can't sleep. I can't think of anything but hurt in Lois' eyes as she told me that there was nothing I could do to fix this. To make matters worse, I can hear her muffled crying and sniffles. Last night she fell asleep in my arms and tonight I've made her cry.
<" I don't want you to make this up to me. I don't see how you really ever could.">
My mind goes in frantic circles. When I manage to push away the realization that I've broken her heart I can only wonder who it is that's stalking her. And why? Is this someone with a grudge from a story she's written? Could it be Lex seeking his own twisted revenge?
And what about Doc and Lucas? What's going to happen tomorrow morning when John and Jay get here and find him gone? Doc may put on a brave face, but this has to be a career-ending move for him. And what about Emily and Josh? This is going to taint their resumes as well.
I can hear Doc shuffling around in his room, muttering to himself as he examines Lucas' skeleton. Part of me feels like I let Lucas down as well. Should we have disturbed his grave? But if Doc was right and John was only going to take the skeleton… surely it's better that Lucas is with someone who can appreciate him?
I can't help but feel like I'm missing something. I go over everything that has happened since we arrived here but nothing makes sense. The string of random accidents bothers me - not all of them were directed at Lois. I hate to think that Josh is involved, but I have to believe that Lois saw something outside the cabin. And Josh did call to me, just before the cabin collapsed. Could he have been making sure I was in position?
But why? Why would he do that?
John arrives early the next morning with Jay glumly in tow and we all march down to the dig site with him. It feels like a funeral procession. When we reach the trench, John's face, already red from the hike, becomes almost purple as he sees the new hole in the ground.
"Who did this?" he barks out.
We all glance at each other, feigning ignorance. Who did what?
"Where is he?" he asks, pointing at Doc.
Doc shrugs. "I have no idea."
John looks at each of us as he works to control his anger. "You'll all be prosecuted. There are fines involved and you'll all do jail time."
No one speaks up. John turns to Doc again. "You're done. Finished. This is it. I'll personally see to it that you lose your tenure. Say good-bye to your reputation. I wouldn't be surprised to see you get audited by the IRS."
Doc still says nothing.
"You have until tomorrow morning to get this tent and its contents off this land," John shouts as he turns to leave. Jay follows him like an obedient puppy. Just before Jay steps into the trees he turns around and salutes us, a huge smile on his face.
"You gotta at least like that guy," Josh says.
"What do we do now?" Emily asks.
Doc draws in a deep breath and lets it out slowly as he surveys the trench. Then he shakes his head sadly. "There's nothing left to do, really. They're going to ask us to surrender all our files and everything we've found so far. I don't see the sense in cleaning the place up. If there's anything of sentimental value to you, I suggest you take it with you now."
Lois glances over at me with accusation in her eyes. I look away.
"What are you going to do after today?" I ask Doc.
He shrugs his shoulders. "Retire, I guess."
"But you have Lucas - can't you still prove your theory?"
Josh clears his throat. "We don't have any pictures for provenance. We robbed a grave, we didn't follow procedure."
"Oh," Lois says, looking over at Doc with worry. "Are you sure this was worth losing everything you've worked your whole life for?"
"Sometimes you have to risk everything, even if it means you're left with nothing," Doc tells her. "I've spent my entire life living in the past. I've always wanted, hoped even, that I might find something that would change history, even if it were only a little change. Whether it's accepted in scientific circles no longer matters to me. I just want to know, for myself, if Lucas was like Superman."
Emily touches Doc's hand. "John might not have that much clout. This could all blow over, you know."
"I appreciate that, my dear." Doc pats her shoulder. "I appreciate all of you putting yourselves on the line for me. I wish there was something I could do for you."
Josh gives Doc a weak smile. "We should at least try and get all the tools back up to the house. They aren't going to confiscate those."
Everyone takes some tools and we carry them back to the house. Even though there's nothing left that we want to move from the tent, we all head back down to the dig site. Doc pulls a folding chair out of the tent and sits near the end of the trench, his expression thoughtful. Emily continues down the trail to the pier. I stand near the cabin's beam, silently cursing myself for the way Lois found out. I should have told her. God, why didn't I tell her?
Lois moves into my peripheral vision but doesn't say anything. I turn my head to watch her. She's staring at the lake but I sense that she's just as aware of me. Is there any way I could convince her to trust me again?
"Lois?" I start hesitantly.
She turns to look at me, her expression guarded.
(ping)
Startled by the noise, I freeze. Lois catches the movement and raises her eyebrow in curiosity. I look towards the pier. Emily is leaning against the railing at the end.
<"…FIREWORKS…">
A sudden sense of déjà vu… <"Mayson! No!">
"What is it?" Lois asks.
The pier explodes before I can answer.
<><><>
