That was lovely. When I saw the title, I immediately thought that it was referring to Clark, and to how he has a hero's heart. When you showed us Clark's thoughts as he sat by his wife's bedside, I was even more certain that the hero's heart belonged to him. Because undoubtedly Clark's caring for other people makes him a true hero at heart.
But you fooled me. And it was perfect. It was Lois who had the true hero's heart:
People often shouted accolades at him, and called him a hero. But he was no hero. He had unbelievable advantages over normal folks and he only did what anyone would do given the great gifts he'd been given. People like the police, firemen, and rescue workers were the real heroes. They went to work everyday knowing that they could risk serious injury or death, yet they went anyway. The never wavered in their purpose or in the doing of what they saw as their duty.
His wife was like that. She saw herself as someone who was charged with shining the light of truth onto crime and injustice. If in the commission of that charge she had to place herself at risk, she never hesitated. She could sit on the sidelines and wait for stories to fall into her lap like so many others in their profession did. But she wouldn't. She knew how important it was to expose the evil in the city, and by doing so, help put an end to it. She knew that she fought for a cause bigger than one person, bigger than herself. In every sense of the word, she was a hero.
She had a hero's heart.
Your point is that Clark isn't risking his own safety as he is going after villains and helping out at disaster sites. Lois, however, is constantly risking life and limb in her own fight for truth and justice. That is an observation that bears repeating: Lois is, in every sense of the word, a hero.
In all fairness, Clark is a great hero too. And not because he risks his life, because he rarely does. No, he is a great hero because he chooses to use his amazing powers to do good. He could so easily have used them to subjugate humanity and to help himself to the world's riches.
Of course, Lois helps him be this amazing hero, because she believes in his ability and willingness to do good. I love the idea that Clark is Superman thanks to Lois. (Of course... huge thanks must go to the Kents, too. And to Jor-El and Lara, come to think of it.)
Anyway, Lois is a hero. And so is Clark. They are heroes together.
Ann
Oh, P.S., Tank. I always love stories that acknowledge Clark's love for Lois. This one certainly did that, so once again, thank you!
