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For the Love of Mike
Rated PG? PG-13?

Disclaimer: Superman, Lois and Clark are not mine. They belong to DC. I am but a lowly fanfic writer who will someday vanquish the Ea---I mean, am writing fanfic for free. Yes, that's what I meant...

How many of you double-taked when you saw this title? *eyes Julie* This is a fic that Julie Stars and I were working on loooong ago. It didn't seem like the kind of story that lent itself to a real ending, so it sat on my harddrive for a long time, waiting to be finished.

I finally tacked on an ending last night. I didn't really get a chance to consult Julie about it, so it's probably not as good as the stuff we wrote together, but I tried to keep the same flavor and rythm going. Basically what I did was simply take a pair of scissors and cut the story-line. You may boo; you may hiss; but frankly, I am not (yet) one of those authors who feels comfortable rambling on with no end in sight. If Julie wants to continue this afterwards, she can, since it's her baby as much as mine. <g>

And now, the long overdue unveiling of
For the Love of Mike,
by Mary Potts and Julie Stars :

________________________________

"Lois, I can't take it any more; if you still want me, I'm yours!"

Though spoken years ago, those words still echoed in her head. Those words had changed everything. And just when she'd thought she could finally forgive their speaker for what had happened that day...she found out.

She'd suspected a few days before she found out, but it was one thing to suspect and another thing to know for sure. So, she'd bought a test. And she found out.

She simply couldn't face him once she found out. How could she? After all, they weren't romantically involved ---they had only recently come to consider themselves good friends---so what would he do? Probably marry her. Clark was a country boy through and through; he'd probably have dropped down onto one knee as soon as she told him.

But she hadn't told him.

She'd left.

She hadn't wanted to leave, but in light of everything, she didn't see how she could stay. It was hard enough putting up with the whispers and stares that tormented her after the incident with Claude; Lois didn't want to see the nightmare her life would become once everyone learned she was pregnant. Ralph, especially, would manage to make a huge nuisance of himself, comparing her to whales and other large mammals, and commenting on how unbelievable it was that Mad Dog Lane was knocked up! There would be snickering about how the hard-bitten reporter had been gotten in a delicate condition by the mild mannered farm-boy from Kansas. All the respect she'd earned and all the dignity she'd managed to maintain since the Claude incident would be instantly shot to Hell.

Then, of course, there was Clark. How could she continue working with him, knowing that she was carrying his child? It would be awkward. Their work might even suffer because of it. Plus, if Clark ever met someone and started dating...

So it was best that he didn't know. By leaving, she was allowing them both to have normal lives; he wouldn't have to worry about what role he played in her child's life, and she wouldn't have to worry about losing her last shreds of dignity to the taunts of the Planet staff.

The hardest part of leaving was Perry. He pleaded with her not to go; he nearly got down on his knees and begged. Lois told him it was a family emergency and she had to move out of town. Naturally, he didn't buy that for a minute. She assured him that her leaving was necessary and that she already had a new job and an apartment waiting for her. That was, of course, a lie, but it really didn't take too long for a reporter with her credentials to acquire a job at the New Guernsey Tribune, writing under the name Lacey Lilac.

It was times like this, however, that Lois found herself regretting her decision. Sitting in Blackberry Park, surrounded by families laughing and having fun together, made her wonder how long it would be until Mike suddenly realized that he didn't have a dad. No dad to read him stories every night, no dad to visit on weekends and holidays, not even a dad who lived in Cleveland and sent a check every month! Right now, Mike was too little to care whether he lived in a functional family or a zoo, but how long would it be until he started coming to her with questions?

"Mommy?"

Lois shoved her thoughts aside for the time being and turned her attention to the brown-eyed little angel sitting next to her. No matter how horrified she'd initially felt about what happened between her and Clark, no matter how afraid she'd been---and still was---at the thought of being a mother, she knew in her heart that she wouldn't trade Mike for all the Oolong tea in---where ever Oolong tea came from. "What is it, Sweetie?"

"Wass a 'Nannerthall?'"

Lois smiled. "You mean a 'Neanderthal?'"

Mike nodded.

"A Neanderthal is a caveman, Sweetheart. They were the ugly guys who ran around with the dinosaurs. Where did you hear that word, anyway?"

Mike took his thumb out of his mouth and pointed. "That man over there said it."

Lois looked where Mike was pointing. The only person she could see was a man talking on a cell phone, halfway across the park from them. "Him?"

"Uh huh."

"When did he say it?"

"Juss now."

Lois looked from Mike to the man and shuddered. Mike had been doing that a lot, lately. At first, she'd thought that he was simply making things up; but then, there was the time he'd heard Lucy coming down the hall towards their apartment when she'd decided to surprise them with a visit. Since then, Lois hadn't known what to think! She'd begun researching Extrasensory Perception, but didn't think she'd find any answers there. Mike wasn't psychic; he just had really, really sharp hearing.

"Mommy, K'I ha' s'more cheese?"

"Hmm? Oh; sure, Baby." Lois reached into the large bag she'd brought with them and pulled out a plastic baggie. She took out a small piece of cheese, handed it to Mike, and resealed the rest. While she put the baggie back in the bag, she glanced at her watch. "Uh oh. We have to go now, Mike; I need to be at the bank before it closes."

Mike swallowed his cheese. "Kay."

Lois slung the bag over her shoulder, then scooped up Mike and carried him to the jeep. Once there, she dropped the bag in the backseat, strapped Mike into his carrier, then climbed into the front and they were off.

*****

There's nothing more annoying than waiting in line, especially when the person at the front of the line is taking forever! Lois shifted Mike to the other side. Just what was this woman doing, depositing a thousand dollars in pennies? Lois finally set Mike down on the floor and adjusted the strap of her purse. Dang, why hadn't anyone told her that something so small could be so heavy? Couldn't this line move any faster? The woman at the front collected her things and left. Finally! Lois bent down and picked up Mike again as the man in front of her stepped up to the counter. Hopefully, this guy would get his business taken care of quickly so that they could all get out of this line and on with their lives!

The man approached the counter and got down to business immediately. He pulled a gun from his coat, pointed it at the clerk, and said, "Hand over all the money, or I'll blast you to Kingdom Come!"

Lois---as well as everyone else in the bank--- gasped. A man in the waiting area carefully got up and tried to sneak toward the door. The hold-up man immediately whirled around and shot him. Blood spurted from the back of the man's head and he fell forward, his head hitting the tiling with a hideous "Crack." Everyone shrieked in terror; those with children tried to shield their little one's eyes from the horrific scene by the door. The hold-up man fired another shot into the air. "Everybody QUIET!"

They obeyed, except for Mike, who began to cry. Lois wrapped her arms tightly around him and tried to give him some comfort.

"Everyone down on the floor! And don't anyone think of tryin' anything funny, or you'll all end up like four-eyes over there!" He waved his gun over the crowd. "I mean it! Ain't nobody here's gonna escape an' call the cops! I'm through with prison! I'll send everyone here to their grave before I go back!"

There was a manic look on his face, and everyone knew that he meant what he said. As they lowered themselves to the floor, the woman next to Lois cried, "If only Superman were here!"

The gunman turned toward her. "Superman wouldn't be no help, Toots, even if he was here. You think this gun's all I got? I told you, I ain't goin' back to the slammer!" Using his gun hand, he held open one side of his coat, revealing a holster with another firearm in it as well as some kind of knife. With his free hand, he reached into an inside pocket and retrieved a small, metal box. He opened it, quickly retraining his gun on the crowd before anyone got any ideas. A sickly green glow spilled out. "See? Boy Scouts' motto: Always be prepared."

Mike began to howl.

The gunman frowned. "Hey, Lady! Can't you keep that kid QUIET?"

"I'm trying!" Lois snapped, "You're the one yelling and carrying on; you think maybe you're scaring him?"

"You better watch that attitude, Lady." He casually set the open box on the counter and tossed a bag to the clerk. "Fill that up! As for the rest of you," he turned back to his captive audience, "Slide all your stuff to the center of the room: your purses, wallets, watches, jewelry, everything!"

The clerk and the bank customers all complied. Lois, meanwhile, tried to reassure Mike. "Shh, shh, Sweetie, it's okay. It's gonna be okay. The man only wants some money; he'll be gone soon, I promise. Shh. Mommy's here, baby. It's okay. It's okay." Mike didn't seem to be responding to her, however. In fact, his cries grew worse every minute. Lois tried holding him closer and rocking him. Strangely, Mike's cries eventually became weaker. Not calmer, just weaker. Lois looked down at her son to see what was the matter and gasped in horror. Mike was deathly pale. "Michael!" she shrieked.

"Lady, I thought I told you to be quiet!"

Lois glared at the hold-up man, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Something's wrong with him!" she cried. She looked back down at Mike, whose eyes were beginning to close. "Michael!"

"Shut up, Lady!"

"YOU SHUT UP!" Lois screeched, "I need to get him to a hospital!" Still holding Mike, she scrambled to her feet.

The hold-up man leveled his gun at Lois' head. "The Hell you're gonna---"

"The Hell YOU'RE gonna!" Suddenly, Lois' heel connected with the man's jaw, sending him sprawling across the room.

The gun flew from his hand and slid over by the counter. Some of the braver souls in the group clambered for it until finally, one person got it and trained it on the hold-up man while the clerk contacted the police.

Lois was oblivious to excitement. She ran for the jeep, desperately clutching Mike's limp form. She fastened him into his carrier and dove into the front.

"Have to get to a hospital...."

She plowed through the streets, weaving through traffic. She could see Mike in the rear-view mirror, and his condition hadn't changed any. At least, not for the better.... Lois whispered a prayer as she pressed harder on the accelerator. The hospital was still miles away.

Lois tried to blink back the tears that were beginning to blur her vision. What had happened to her baby? One minute he had been okay, laughing as they enjoyed another fine day in the park, and then suddenly---this. It was incomprehensible! Mike had never been sick, so how could it be that he was suddenly on the verge of---no. Not that! But how could he be so perfectly fine such a short while ago and then, when the hold-up man opened the box of Kryptonite---

Kryptonite.

It couldn't be...could it?

He'd screamed when the man opened the box; it almost sounded as though he was in pain. But, that was ridiculous! Kryptonite only affected Superman. Didn't it?

Then there was Mike's sharp hearing. Lois knew that children had sharper hearing than adults, but how many could hear a conversation that was going on two rooms away?

This was insane; it was beginning to sound like Superman had gotten her pregnant, even though she knew perfectly well that Mike's father was Clark.

Clark.

Come to think of it...

When that pheromone made everyone at the Planet act crazy, he was the only person who stayed sane throughout the whole ordeal. Why wasn't he affected?

Superman, of course, wasn't affected either...

And she'd never seen Clark and Superman in the same place at the same time.

That corn-shucking rat!

Lois suddenly changed direction. The hospital was not going to do Mike any good; he needed very special attention, and Lois could think of only one person who could provide it. Hoping that she wouldn't be too late, she set a course for Metropolis.

*****


TBC Next Week