PREVIOUSLY...
Jimmy pulled his car to a stop down the street from Lois’ apartment building, watching in disbelief as Lois and Kent emerged from the jeep and walked, hand in hand, into the building.
What was Kent doing there? Why hadn’t she dropped him off at his own apartment?
And now what did he do? He sat there for a long time trying to figure out his next step when he saw someone else approach the building.
“What?” he mumbled to himself. “How is that even possible?” he asked as he watched a second Lois Lane enter the building, this one carrying an overnight bag in one hand and a paper bag in the other.
* * * * * * * * *
End of Season Four
* * * * * * * * *
AND NOW...
* * * * * * * * *
Chapter Forty-Three
* * * * * * * * *
Lane pushed open the door to her darkened apartment and, without bothering to turn on the lights, stepped inside. As soon as she had the door closed, she slid down to sit on the floor and buried her head in her hands.
She couldn’t believe how empty she felt. Even the ice cream she’d stopped to purchase before coming home held no appeal for her.
Still, it was for the best. Her head knew that. Had known it for a while. Still... How did she convince her heart?
Kent couldn’t commit to her. There were just too many stories coming out these days about some miracle man. Perry had even tried to put her on the story. But when she had the inside scoop, how could she, in good conscience, take the story? Still, some of the speculation about this man who seemed to appear out of nowhere to ‘save the day’ was ridiculous. Angels and supernatural beings and even the gods of old - Zeus or Jupiter. Some was much closer to the truth. A New Kryptonian who had been left behind when Lord Kal El had taken his people from Earth.
But then, how many times had they broken up and gotten back together over the past four years? Ten times? Twenty? And yet, for some reason, they couldn’t seem to stay away from each other. The cycle had appeared to be endless. Getting back together only to break up again when Kent did something that came a little too close to exposing himself. Last time... What had it been? An earthquake if she remembered correctly. This time... a floundering passenger jet that he’d helped land.
But there was something different about this time. Tomorrow, Kent had told her, he was going to hand in his resignation at The Star and leave Metropolis for good. It was what they’d gone away for the weekend to discuss. It was what they had discussed, over and over again ad nauseam. They’d fought. They’d cried. They’d held each other. And yet, the conversation always seemed to grind to the same agonizing conclusion. Kent wouldn’t risk her safety, her privacy, her life. And that was what he was certain he would be doing if he let them continue. But then, how many times had he broken up with her for exactly that reason?
This was killing them both. Slowly. Painfully. Ripping their insides out bit by bit as if using a dull knife until the only thing left was raw blood and guts. Every time they broke up, it took a little more out of her. Made her feel a little less whole. And yet, then she’d run into him again and...
No. He was right. She’d tried to convince him over and over again that they could make this work, that she’d take the risk. But he was the most stubborn fool she’d ever met. And if he couldn’t commit to her, to them, then maybe it was for the best that he left. Maybe she’d actually be able to get on with her life, meet someone else, fall in love and...
What? Forget Kent? Never.
This bond between them... She didn’t even know how to describe it. But it were as if they were already married, that the two of them had almost become different parts of the same person - bound together through their souls. She rebelled against the concept. After all, she’d never really believed in the spiritual. If she couldn’t touch it, taste it, smell it, investigate it, it didn’t exist.
But something kept her bound to Kent. It had prevented her from getting too close to Dan, had kept her, even while under hypnosis, from sleeping with Deter. Something which, no matter how many times she reminded herself of the hopelessness of the situation, kept drawing her back to Kent.
Still, there was nothing to be done about it now. He’d made his decision. And there was nothing she could do to stop it. Damn him and his stupid honor anyway! What did she need him for? She could do just fine on her own. Lois Lane didn’t need any man to fill her life, to make her feel whole. And if he couldn’t see what he was giving up...
No. That wasn’t fair. He knew what he was giving up. He was giving up a love that comes around, if one were really lucky, once in a lifetime. But he’d insisted he would not let her throw her life away. And if he got caught...
Why did it always have to come back to that? If he got caught. If he got caught, they would find a way to deal with it.
Damn him!
She slowly rose to her feet. Walking across the room, she tossed her jacket on the back of the sofa and picked up the remote control - flicking on the CD to the song she played over and over whenever she and Kent broke up, quickly turning the sound low so that she wouldn’t disrupt the intimate atmosphere of the apartment lit only by outside lights.
I always needed time on my own
I never thought I'd need you there when I cry
And the days feel like years when I'm alone
And the bed where you lie is made up on your side
When you walk away I count the steps that you take
Do you see how much I need you right now
When you're gone
The pieces of my heart are missing you
When you're gone
The face I came to know is missing too
When you're gone
The words I need to hear to always get me through the day and make it ok
I miss you
I've never felt this way before
Everything that I do reminds me of you
And the clothes you left, they lie on the floor
And they smell just like you, I love the things that you do
The lyrics playing, she shuffled slowly towards the kitchen. She felt as if she were a thousand years old. Opening the freezer, she tossed the ice cream, bag and all, inside.
As she passed back through the living room, she flicked off the CD and continued towards her lonely bed, stripping off items of clothing and leaving them as a trail marking her passage as she went. She’d worry about them tomorrow. For now, she wanted nothing more to get lost in her dreams. Maybe tonight’s dreams would even have that enchanting little girl in it - the one who’d made practical use of the display toilet in her last dream. The mere thought almost had the power to pull a smile onto her face. Almost. Where did the ideas come from for these dreams, anyway?
She opened the door to her bedroom - she didn’t remember leaving that closed - and stepped inside, feeling blindly for the dresser and the sleep shirt she always left there. Finding it, she quickly slipped it on before covering the remaining distance to her bed.
Flipping back the covers, she crawled in, settling down against the warm heat behind her.
What?
Her heart suddenly pounding in her ears, she cautiously felt behind her.
And a moment later, with a yelp, she was out of bed and standing on the far side of the room, flipping on the light. She hardly noticed the man in her bed beginning to stir as she looked around for her baseball bat. Spotting it by the dresser, she picked it up, her mouth open to scream at the intruder when she suddenly recognized the man just starting to wake up.
“Kent?” she asked cautiously, the baseball bat still raised to strike.
“Lois?” he asked in return, blinking as he attempted to adjust to the bright lights.
“What the hell are you doing here? You practically gave me a heart attack.” As she spoke, her posture became less defensive and the bat slipped down to rest against her shoulder. She closed her eyes momentarily, attempting to get the adrenalin pumping though her veins back under control.
“What am I doing here? Lois, are you all right?” Clark asked.
“Of course, I’m...” Her voice trailed off when she saw a smaller form in the bed begin to move.
“Is every thing all right, Clark?” a woman asked as she began to rise slightly behind the man.
“God, Kent!” Lane gasped. “Not only do you break up with me, but then you show up here to flaunt your relationship with some floozy in my...” Her voice trailed off as she spotted the face of the naked woman now sitting up in bed, using the sheet to cover herself.
“Lois?” Clark asked.
“I think...” the woman behind Kent said. “...that the woman you’re talking to is Lane.”
Lane’s stance once again became defensive. “What the hell’s going on here?”
Clark looked between the two women for a moment and then whispered, “Oh, boy.”
* * * * * * * * *
Jimmy pressed his ear against the door.
“Answer me! Who the hell are you?” he heard Lois yell. “Oh, god! You’re not even Kent, are you? Kent would never do this to me! And he never calls me Lois. And what the hell are you doing with my face?”
Jimmy moved quickly, pulling out his lock picking equipment and struggling with the locks. Damn it! He was the one who had taught Lois how to pick a lock and hot-wire a car. So why was this lock giving him so many problems? Lois was in trouble; he had to get in there before Kent did... God only knew what to her. Something about her face.
* * * * * * * * *
“Okay,” Clark said. “Why don’t we all just calm down so that we can talk, get to the bottom of this?”
“Who the hell are you to tell me to calm down?” Lane demanded.
Lois rose from her side of the bed, grabbing the dressing robe lying there and wrapping it around herself.
“Look, I know this is all a bit confusing,” Lois said, holding out her hands as she stepped closer to Lane.
“Don’t come any closer or I’ll...” Lane raised the baseball bat higher.
Clark moved immediately, getting out of bed in spite of his lack of clothing. There was no way he was going to allow anyone to hurt his wife - not even another version of her.
“Kent! Help!” Lane screamed immediately.
Clark instantly froze in his tracks.
A moment later, all hell seemed to break loose. Kent was standing next to Lane, wearing only a pair of jeans, and the door was crashing open as Jimmy barreled into the room, looking ready to take on the world.
And then everyone was talking at once, demanding answers, making threats, trying to explain.
“Hey!” Lois finally yelled into the confusion.
Everyone, even the other version of herself, fell silent and looked at her.
“Thank you,” Lois said. “Okay, why don’t we all get a little more decent...” She didn’t like the fact that her Clark was standing there in nothing more than his boxers. Well, actually, he did look pretty good - incredible even - with those hard pecks... No. Now was not the time to get distracted. She could always ravish him later. What she didn’t like was the fact that so much of him was out there for the other Lois to see. Or that the other Lois was standing there in nothing more than a skimpy t-shirt for Clark to see. “Once we’re decent, we can talk about this like rational human beings.”
“Well, I would be more decent,” Lane responded sarcastically, “but you’re wearing my dressing robe.”
“Fine,” Lois said, moving as if she would take it off.
“Lois!” Clark gasped.
She stopped, her hands still at the knot in the belt, her eyes flicking from her husband to Kent to Jimmy. They were all watching her hands as if transfixed, hoping to see what might lie beneath the robe - which, simply put, was nothing. “Okay, new plan.” She picked up Clark’s shirt and trousers and tossed them to him. “Men to the living room. Now! Go!” she added when the three just continued to stand there, staring at her.
The men turned, scampering from the room. And a moment later, Lois was alone with her doppelganger.
“Wow,” Lane whispered. “I wish I could get them to listen to me like that.”
“I’m sure you can,” Lois said with a laugh. “It’s a little like making a mule move. You just need a big enough two by four to hit over their heads. Once you’ve got their attention, it’s easy.”
Lane almost joined her laughter, but then at the last minute the laughter was gone from her eyes. “Who are you?” she asked again.
Her tone asked a different question, however. Lois knew. After all, in this situation, the real question was, ‘Friend or foe?’
“A friend,” Lois said.
Lane narrowed her eyes. “Why would you steal my face if you’re a friend?”
“I promise,” Lois said. “I’ll tell you everything I know. But first, we’ve got to get rid of Jimmy.”
“And why would I want to do that?”
“Don’t you think Kent can protect you?” Then when Lane just continued to stare at her, Lois continued. “Okay, then, how about this? A lot of what we’re going to be talking about will likely include the fact that Kent has some pretty remarkable powers and that the two of you have been in a relationship, on and off, for years now.”
Lane’s face instantly went white.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lane said. Her voice almost caught the perfect balance between boredom and lack of comprehension.
Lois was impressed. If she hadn’t been certain about this Lane’s past, she might have even been fooled. But the memories she and Clark had been having were Lane and Kent’s memories. How that was possible, she had no idea. But it was, simply put, the only thing that made sense.
“Okay, then,” Lois said. “If you don’t mind Jimmy knowing... it makes no difference to me. This is your life, after all.” With that, she quickly slipped off the robe and into her black clothing - the clothing she’d brought with her when she and Clark had left to visit Star Labs what now seemed a lifetime ago.
“No! Wait!” Lane said when Lois, now fully dressed, walked to the door.
Lois turned around and looked at Lane. “Yes?” she asked.
* * * * * * * * *
Once Clark had pulled on his clothes, the three men settled themselves uncomfortably in the living room. Kent kept looking suspiciously at Clark, while Jimmy kept looking suspiciously between both of them.
After a moment, Clark rose to his feet. He’d seen something in the closet next to the door. He walked over there, knowing that Kent’s eyes were never off him and discretely tested his powers, letting out a breath of relief when he realized they were all fully back. After all, if Kent decided that Lane was in danger, he had no doubt that he’d act. Without his powers, Clark felt... off kilter. He didn’t like that he couldn’t prove who he was, either. So to have his powers fully back... He was grateful.
Opening the closet door under the watchful eyes of Kent and Jimmy, Clark removed what he’d discovered there the previous day.
“Here,” he said, tossing Kent the Smallville sweatshirt folded up inside.
Clark noticed Jimmy’s eyebrows rise when Kent slipped it on without comment and it seemed to fit him perfectly.
“Thanks,” Kent mumbled.
Clark shrugged, but didn’t otherwise respond as he walked back to the couch. If Jimmy weren’t there... But he was. And Clark was fairly confident that only Lane would be able to get rid of the young man - because he didn’t trust anyone with Clark’s face.
Still, it was rather amusing seeing Jimmy, trying to look tough, as if he would take on him or Kent if either threatened Lois. And to be honest, he probably would. Or at least he’d try. He might act young and immature a lot of the time. But under that, he’d always been a loyal friend.
All three men rose to their feet when the door to the bedroom opened and both Loises, now fully dressed, entered the room.
Clark met his wife’s eyes briefly and was instantly reassured that she was fine. He was then amused to see some sort of silent communication also take place between Lane and Kent. He assumed she was assuring Kent that she too was fine. Only Jimmy didn’t seem to notice the underlying messages being sent and received.
How he knew instantly which one was his wife... he didn’t know. Oh, she was dressed in the black outfit she’d chosen for their break-in at Star Labs - obviously not feeling comfortable enough to ask to borrow Lane’s clothes now that she knew there was a Lane. Still, even if she hadn’t been dressed in that outfit, he’d have known which one was his Lois.
His counterpart seemed not to be having any problem either - which was quite remarkable since the two women were stamped out images of each other. Except for the different clothing, one would think he was seeing double.
“Still haven’t killed each other, I see,” Lois said as she observed the three men while Lane used the moment to quickly gather up and set aside the clothing she’d left strewn around on her previous trip to the bedroom.
“Okay, so we waited,” Jimmy said. “We’re all decent.”
The way he looked at Lois and Lane they could each tell that the image of them in their nighttime clothing was still fresh in his mind, however. And each, as a result, automatically folded her arms across her chest and glared at the young man until he squirmed slightly. Still, it didn’t stop him from saying what he needed to say.
“So someone want to tell me what the heck is going on here?”
“Jimmy, could I speak to you alone for a minute?” Lane asked.
Jimmy glanced around at everyone else before following as Lane led him towards the door.
Clark shot Lois a look that made it clear that he was wondering what was going on. But Lois just shrugged.
Lane opened the door and the two of them stepped into the hall, closing the door until it was only open a crack behind them.
“So?” Lois asked her husband impatiently. “What are they saying?”
Kent looked over at them in shock when Clark immediately began repeating Lane’s words to the young man outside the door.
* * * * * * * * *
“Jimmy, I need you to do me a favor,” Lane said.
“You want me to throw them out of here?” Jimmy asked. “‘Cause I can, you know. I’ve been working out and... I know I might not look like it but I can be pretty strong when I need to be.”
Lane smiled at her young friend, trying not to laugh at the thought of Jimmy trying to force those people, at least one of whom had super powers - she wasn’t sure about Clark - out of her apartment. Exactly how much was he like her Kent? He’d certainly looked the same - and she’d seen enough of him to know. The broad shoulders, the beautiful pecks, the hard stomach, the...
No. No, now was not the time to go there. She forced herself to concentrate on the earnest expression on Jimmy’s face.
“No. I don’t need you to throw them out,” she said instead, reaching out to lay a hand on his arm. “I want you to walk away. I want you to forget what you’ve seen here tonight and walk away.”
“What?” Jimmy gasped in disbelief. “But those people...” He gestured back towards the doors.
“I’m asking you to trust me, Jimmy. I know what I’m doing.”
Jimmy’s eyes narrowed. “How do I know you’re even... you?” he asked.
A small grin quirked momentarily on Lane’s lips. “Who taught me how to pick a lock?” she asked in return.
“Okay, okay. It’s really you. But then, just tell me this. You weren’t in the newsroom this weekend, were you?”
“What?”
“This weekend. You and Kent. You weren’t in the newsroom.”
“No!”
“I knew it. I knew it couldn’t be you. After all, you’d have never let Kent be all over you like that.”
Lane glanced back at the door for a moment before turning back to Jimmy.
“Look, Jimmy. Just promise me this. Until I figure out exactly what is going on here, you can’t tell anyone it wasn’t me in the newsroom today.”
“But...”
“Please, Jimmy.”
Jimmy glanced again at the door to her apartment. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“I’m going to talk to you tomorrow, though. Make sure they didn’t do anything to you.”
“Okay.”
“And if they did...”
“I know you will.”
“Just...” He hesitated. “How will I know it’s really you and not...?” He gestured towards her apartment door.
“Her?” Lane thought about that for a moment. “Well, why don’t you ask me where I learned to hot-wire a car or pick a lock?”
“Right! Okay, so...” He paused again. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure, Jimmy. I’ll be fine. But this is something I need to do alone.”
Finally, although not looking exactly satisfied, Jimmy turned and began walking towards the elevator.
Lane watched him until the doors of the elevator closed and then turned back to her apartment. She took a couple of deep breaths before storming inside, slamming the door closed behind her - causing the two men with superhearing to jump at the loud noise.
“What the hell did you think you were doing?” Lane demanded. It was the perfect image of a thunderstorm approaching from across a lake as Lane stormed towards Lois and Clark menacingly. Each step brought higher waves and stronger winds.
Clark instinctively took a half step in front of his wife.
“What?” Lois asked, seeing the rage in her counter-part.
“Going to the newsroom! Pretending to be us! And then... if that weren’t bad enough... According to Jimmy, you two were all over each other!”
“We weren’t all over each other,” Lois objected. “In fact, I think we showed remarkable restraint.”
“Well, to be fair, Lois,” Clark said, “Jimmy did catch us kissing.”
“Kissing?” Lane gasped.
“Well...” Lois shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. “That wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t walked into the conference room without knocking.”
“Oh, god,” Lane gasped, sinking down onto her couch. “First, he breaks up with me...” She gestured towards Kent, but was obviously speaking to herself. “...then I find two people who look just like us sleeping in my bed and pretending to be us at my job and getting caught kissing in front of my colleagues... I’ve lost my mind. I wondered when it would happen. And now it has.” She almost sounded resigned. “I suppose it was just a matter of time. One can’t live like this for years without expecting consequences. It was probably the result of listening to too much Avril Lavigne. I knew it was a mistake buying her CD. I just knew it. But did I trust my gut instinct? Noooo. I just had to have a sad song to cry to and now...” She gestured towards her doubles. “Look at me. I’m seeing doubles. I’m talking to my double. She’s talking to me. I’ve lost my mind. To tell you the truth, I’m really not sure why it didn’t happen sooner.”
Kent was crouching in front of her almost immediately. “You haven’t lost your mind,” he said intently. “I see them, too.”
Lois moved cautiously forward. “I assure you... you haven’t lost your mind. We can explain... I think.” She glanced back at her husband who was nodding in agreement. Reaching out, she laid a hand on Lane’s shoulder in support. “Whoa!” Lois gasped, suddenly jumping back.
“What the hell was that?” Lane asked at the same time, scrambling backwards on the couch to put some distance between the two of them.
“I don’t know. It was...” Lois struggled for a moment. “...something.”
“What did you do to her?” Kent demanded, inserting himself between Lois and Lane, his eyes sparking with rage as he looked at Lois.
Clark instantly pulled his wife back out of the way, stepping slightly between them, thereby ensuring Kent could not get to Lois before Clark had time to stop him. And so they stood, two superpowered men, facing off between their women - both determined to protect them to their dying breath.
TO BE CONTINUED...
