Previously:
Lois shook her head in disbelieving shock. Clark wasn't moving and Lex must be even more insane than she thought if he believed she was going to call Superman here to see the same thing happen to him. "Oh, Clark," she whispered, resting her forehead against the post of the railing. He still hadn't moved - not even a twitch that she could see. Hopefully he had been dead before he hit the ground. She flinched at the remembrance of the sound. Please, don't let him have hurt for long. Let it have been quick. The thought that he might have suffered, even for a second, made her eyes close in grief. She whispered his name again, barely able to get it past the lump in her throat.
Clark was gone. Her mind swarmed with memories of him. He had been so brave. He had tried to make her believe that everything was going to be all right even when he knew they were going to kill him. She'd had a taste of the grief of losing Clark only a few months earlier. But that had been before he had kissed her; before he had told her that he loved her. And this time there was no Dr. Hamilton to bring him back. Superman had not come to save him.
If only she could have last night back. She would have stayed in his arms all night. She would have slept next to him on the couch and told him out loud the words she had only whispered to herself. She loved him. She had really, truly loved him. The gentlest, kindest person she had ever known had just been callously murdered right in front of her and she had never told him that she loved him.
Lois opened her eyes and looked down. Clark was absolutely still.
She should have hugged him back. She should have kissed him one last time. She should have stayed in his arms for as long as possible. It was unthinkable that those arms were now slack and lifeless. <><><>
Risorgimento 3/3
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Lex took her arm and pulled her to her feet. "Come, my love. Let's go inside now," he said in an ingratiatingly smooth tone.
Anger flared through her and for a moment she thought about pushing Lex over the rail to join Clark. Instead she took one last look at where Clark lay motionless below them.
"I love you, Lois. I always have.""Clark," she whispered to herself. The words 'I love you' caught her throat and she turned away from the rail. Too late. It was too late to tell him. Too late to do anything. Her numb fingers were still clutching his shirt, but his warmth was gone from it. Lois moved ahead of Lex, putting on Clark's shirt to loosely embrace her as she walked back into the house. She went to a chair and sat down heavily.
Lex and the others began talking but she couldn't follow the conversation. All she could think of was Clark, lying on the hard ground outside. What if he had survived the shot and the drop? What if he was barely clinging to life out there? Her mind replayed Lex turning over Bender's body and the sightless stare of his dead eyes. Clark was face down and her mind refused to picture him the same way.
"I love you, Lois. I always have."Why hadn't she said it back? Why couldn't she have just told him the same thing? Lois turned her head to look at the deck outside. I love you, Clark, she thought. I just didn't want to admit it.
"I'll see you again soon, I promise."Her lips began to tremble and she pressed them together tightly. He had been so earnest. He had been so certain that everything would be fine. He had been so incredibly brave and he had done it for her benefit. She looked away from the deck, focusing on rolling the sleeves of his flannel shirt up so that it didn't drown her.
"It's not the end, I promise."But it was the end. It was all over now. He had made her so many promises but there was no way he could keep them. What was it he had made her promise?
"Promise me you'll remember that I wanted to tell you - right now - only I couldn't."Tell her what? Only seconds later he had found the courage to say the words she had been unable to form. He had told her that he loved her.
"It's not the end, I promise."Oh Clark, she thought, how could you make me that promise? You knew what was about to happen. Lois closed her eyes and replayed the intensity of his words and touch at that moment. He had brushed away her tears and kissed her and said--
"Please don't cry. I'll see you again soon, I promise."Of all the things to promise her! Did he think that Lex was going to kill her, too? Was he waiting for her at the end of some tunnel of light or something? No, that wasn't it. Clark had talked like they were both going to walk away from this. He had seemed utterly sure. His biggest concern seemed to be that he had something to tell her - something he couldn't say in front of everyone - not that he was about to be killed.
"Promise me you'll remember that I wanted to tell you - right now - only I couldn't."Why did he think he couldn't tell her he loved her in front of Lex? Was he afraid of angering Lex? But then he had told her he loved her anyway. So why say that? Was there something else he wanted to say?
"I'll see you again soon, I promise."He meant it. Clark honestly thought he would see her again soon. How he could he promise that?
"I wanted to tell you - right now - only I couldn't."What couldn't he say in front of Lex and the others? She replayed that final moment before he went over the rail. He had been so calm. She had come through the door and his eyes had found hers just as the bullet stuck him. There had been no pain on his face - only resignation. Then he had spun around and dropped over the rail. She heard the sickening thud of his body hitting the ground and saw him again in her mind. He was just lying there, not moving. Dead. Even though he as much as promised her he wasn't going to die.
So calm. He had been so calm. No fear. No, that wasn't right. She had seen a flicker of fear cross his face when Rollie Vale had given the Kryptonite to Lex. She had been afraid, too. Lex was the absolute last person in the world she wanted to have an advantage over Superman. And then Lex had come over to them and Clark had stepped away. He had stood next to her, holding her hand the first time Lex had approached them. He hadn't wavered at all. But when Lex came over after Rollie gave him the Kryptonite, Clark had looked like he was going to be sick...
Her mind stuttered and she let out a gasp. Her gaze shifted to the deck outside. Clark hadn't been afraid to die. If anything, Clark had almost seemed
eager for Nigel to shoot him.
"Lois, it's okay. I'll go." What if Clark had been trying to get away from the Kryptonite? What if Clark was...? Her mind refused to finish the thought. She had lost her sanity. That was it. She was so desperate for Clark to be alive that she was inventing the most outlandish fantasy.
"If I flew you to Paris, would you give me a kiss on the cheek?"Suddenly the teasing tone of those words and the gleam in his eyes when he said them took on new meaning. Her breath caught in her throat. What if? The idea was so wonderful that she just couldn't let it go. Believe it, she told herself. Believe it. Clark is Superman.
"It's not the end, I promise."What if he wasn't dead? What if he wasn't even lying out there anymore?
"You're quite the world traveler, aren't you?"
"I've seen a fair bit of it."What if Clark was Superman? They had both come to Metropolis around the same time. They were the same height. The same hair color. Clark and Superman were supposed to be good friends and yet she had never - not once - seen them both at the same time.
"What if you had power? True power? What would you do with it?"
"Help people. I would use all that money and power to help others."
"I bet you would. It's one of your better qualities."Nice - she almost snorted at the thought. She had told him she thought he was nice. Nice and courteous and decent. All good words to describe Clark. All good words to describe Superman. What if Clark was Superman? What if that was what he had wanted to say? Only he couldn't say it in front of Lex and the others so he had done the next best thing. He had promised her that it was all going to be fine.
Lois stared at the railing of the deck outside. She had to get out there. She had to look - had to know. She needed to prove to herself that Clark was still alive. Alive and well and, hopefully, flying around. If he was still lying there, then she was deluding herself. But if he wasn't...
She wasn't sure she could risk a trip to the patio. Lex might follow her out there. And if Clark wasn't there, then they would start looking for him. Or would Lex think that Superman had come for Clark? That would just put him on his guard so that when Superman did show up, he'd have the Kryptonite at the ready. Lex wanted Superman there - that meant he had a plan.
"He thought that Superman was in love with me. That I was his weakness and he could use me to control Superman."She remembered now that Clark had said nothing to that. In fact, he had kind of shivered. Now she could understand why. Lex was holding her hostage to draw Superman there. There was no doubt in her mind that Lex would sacrifice her to kill Superman.
"It'll be cold later, you might need this."She toyed with a button on his shirt. Why had he given her his shirt? To keep her warm, sure, but he had almost seemed to imply that she would be outside the house at some point. That was it! She had to get out of the house - Clark couldn't come back in there. And taking her out of the equation would give Clark (or Superman) a chance. But how?
"I need to use the bathroom," she announced.
Lex's expression darkened but he nodded at the hallway behind him. "Second door on the right, my darling."
Lois tried to appear appropriately grief-stricken as she left the room. She wanted to run but she forced herself to walk slowly. She locked the door to the bathroom and looked around. There was a large jetted tub against a wall of windows with a view of the lake. All of the window panes were solid and she was pretty sure that she couldn't break the glass without attracting attention. Then her eyes caught on a smaller window just to the side of the tub. It was solely for ventilation but it appeared to be just big enough for her to fit through. Lois moved closer and frowned in dismay. This part of the house wasn't as high as the deck, but it was still at least a ten-foot drop to the ground below.
The slope of the hill blocked her view of where Clark's body had landed. Was he still there? Either way, she had to get out of the house and this bathroom was her best chance. Lois kicked out the screen and sat on the edge of the tub to consider her options. Suddenly there was the loud crack of a gunshot. Adrenaline surged through her and she went feet-first through the window. Her initial plan to dangle and drop carefully was abandoned as the sound of gunfire continued. She hit the ground hard and cursed softly. There was another gunshot and she crawled along the foundation of the house towards the steep slope beneath the deck.
Lois half-crawled, half-rolled down the hill, her heart beating wildly as she waited for a bullet to whiz past her. She heard the sound of a door slamming, then a vehicle started with a roar. She had reached the bottom of the slope and she glanced up to check her location. The deck was directly above her.
Clark was gone.
Her face split in grin. Was she right? Was he Superman? Or had Superman shown up and taken Clark to safety? Either way, Clark was taken care of now - wasn't he? She hunkered down, listening intently but the house was quiet. Who had been shot? Who had left? Was it worth the risk to go back and check? She decided it wasn't. She should go, get the car and bring the police back. Or was Clark on his way with help right now? Where was he? Shouldn't he have come back, if only to reassure her by now?
There were no drag marks on the hillside, other than the ones she had created when she slid. Wherever he went, he didn't leave a trace. Because he flew away, she told herself. It's because he flew.
Lois charged up the hill and around the house, keeping close to the shadows and listening for anyone - friendly or otherwise. She ran past Bender's body and into the woods until she came to the high wall. Then it dawned on her how futile it all was. The wall was too high to climb unaided. And Clark had the keys to her car. For a moment she wavered, almost collapsing as a wave of grief and self-pity washed over her. No, she was right. She had to be. She sensed more than heard someone behind her and turned to see Superman standing there.
"Lois," he said softly.
"Superman," she answered reflexively and then caught herself. That was the name she had given him when he showed up in the cape, but it wasn't his real name. Please, please let her be right about this. Her eyes met his and she saw the anxiety he was trying to hide. She saw, for the first time, that she had known him all along. Their eyes were the same. The Suit was distracting, but how had it fooled her for so long? She should have known him sooner.
"The answer is three," she told him, praying that she was right and he would know what she was talking about. "There are only three lawyer jokes. The rest are all documented cases."
For a moment he stood absolutely still. Then his face broke out in a smile. It was the same smile that had melted her insides the night before and made her feel like she was his favorite person in the entire world. All at once his arms were around her, lifting her against him. She buried her face in his chest and found she couldn't hold back the tears anymore.
"Clark," she whispered and threw her arms around his neck, holding on to him for dear life. She repeated his name over and over in a soft litany of gratitude. "Oh Clark, Clark. I thought you were dead. I thought..."
"Shh. Don't cry," he whispered, rocking her in his arms as his hands smoothed across her back and through her hair. "Please don't cry. It's all over now. It's okay."
"You idiot," she sobbed. "I'm crying because I'm happy." Her hands cupped his face as she drank in the sight of his beloved features. Clark was alive. Having him whole and well was even more overwhelming that the knowledge that he was Superman. She had not lost him and he hadn't suffered.
He kissed her forehead. "So you're not angry?"
"Not right now. Ask me again later." She tugged his head down and kissed him.
The kiss confirmed it. This was Clark she was kissing. She had kissed him last night - had made out with Superman on the sofa. It was as overwhelming as it was wonderful. Lois pulled back slightly and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. "You said you would fly me anywhere I wanted, didn't you?"
"Yes." His eyes searched hers, looking at her with the same awestruck wonder that she was feeling for him.
Lois went on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his cheek. "Fly me home, Clark."
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End 3/3
I know! Loose ends! Loose ends everywhere! This is WHY it didn't make it into that other story! So who got shot? Since Gretchen Kelly died in the episode, she was killed in that hail of gunfire. Nigel and Ramin escaped with the Kryptonite. I don't know what happened to Rollie - the episode never was clear on that. He was pushed into Ramin and Nigel and fell to the floor and then never made a peep for the rest of the scene. If you like him alive, he went with Ramin and Nigel. If you prefer him dead, he's dead. Like the episode, Lex was hit in the shoulder. Right now he's crawling to the bathroom, thinking that maybe Lois is hurt inside. Because, uh, they shot the door up. Yeah, that's it. Clark knows that and the police are on their way. He's told them that he's rescued Clark and that he was going back for Lois. If you can think of a better ending, let me know. I, personally, favor the WAFF over pesky little details.
Many, many, MANY thanks to my beta, my guidance counselor, my severest critic and most excessive flatterer - DJ. She made me write this. No, really! She did. This story was originally just a page that got cut but she so loved the idea of a TOGOM-like moment with Clark plunging over the edge at that architectural treasure of a house that she just kept hinting and needling and nudging me to make it into a new story.
Thanks DJ - this never would have happened without you.
