Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic That Little Sister of Mine 5/5

From Part Four:

Clark sighed as he sat down and morphed back into the easygoing, yet utterly miserable Clark he had been before Lucy’s outburst.

“You know, Lucy, I have to trust you with my secret, because you know it. There’s nothing that can be done on that point.” He buried his head in his hands briefly before looking up again. “And you’re right. Lois had a right to know. I should have told her a long time ago but I didn’t because I was afraid. Of this.” He gestured to the door of the newsroom.

Lucy leant out and touched his arm. “She’ll forgive you.”

He shook his head. “No. She’ll forgive *you*. Blood is thicker than water. She’ll never forgive me for lying to her. You know, I should feel some validation in being proved right but I can’t. I’ve only had to endure one morning of this and I can’t go on any more. I knew that she’d be angry when she finally found out, I expected her to lash out at me, but I don’t understand this cold Lois. She’s so detached. I know I’ve lost her for good. I love her so much Lucy, and it’s killing me.”

*.*.*.

Part Five

*.*.*.

No-one had been more shocked than Lois when Clark grabbed Lucy and pulled her into the conference room. She didn’t doubt that he’d had to use some of his super strength to do it. She had prepared herself to scream and shout and fight against him when he used the same tactic on her, but he didn’t. He just took Lucy and he never came back for her. Didn’t she have as much right to be in there as her sister, more, because she had been one of the ones who had... committed that act that had caused the current atmosphere?

She resisted the urge to go and try and peer through the gaps of the blinds into the conference room to find out what was happening. Hundreds of possibilities ran through her mind, none of them pleasant. The most likely thing was that Clark was angry with her for telling the whole newsroom... what they had done and didn’t want to have it out with her in public. But he had looked angrier than she had ever seen him and not exactly in control. What if he went too far and hurt her, killed her?

No. No, not Clark. He’d never do that.

And what about Lucy, she’d been so blasé about the whole thing. What if she’d come to kill him in revenge for cheating on her? No, because if she’d had kryptonite he would have at least flinched when he grabbed her. Unless she had a lead box.

Or even worse, maybe Ralph’s comment hadn’t been so far of the mark. Maybe Clark had only slept with her so that he had been with sisters and Lucy had already forgiven him. She’d taken less time to forgive worse crimes before, and she meant crimes quite literally. What if, right now, at this very moment, they were rolling around on the table, tugging at each other’s clothes? Lucy could be experiencing the pleasure of Clark’s kisses as he devoured her like he had done Lois only a few, long, hours earlier; the weight of his firm, muscled body pressing her little sister against a table she had sat at countless times and would have to again...

Lois stood up, aware that the sudden movement brought all pairs of eyes back to her. They had been torn between watching Lois, and the door and window of the conference room until that moment. Now the newsroom held a collective breath as they waited to see what the reporter would do next.

Lois took a deep breath and tried to convince herself that she didn’t care that she was being watched, that she wasn’t shaking with some unacknowledged emotion, that the image of her partner being intimate with her sister wasn’t worse than the image of his apparently lifeless body being dragged away by gangsters. She tried to convince herself that she knew what she was going to do once she was in that room.

At that point she burst into the room, and even faster closed the door again behind her, feeling oddly safer now that she was away from her colleagues even knowing that she was walking into the lion’s den.

“...I know I’ve lost her for good. I love her so much Lucy, and it’s killing me.”

Lois honestly had no idea how to react. Lucy and Clark were staring at her, Clark looking for all the world like a man who’d had his heart torn in half. Where did he get off, feeling like that? He was the guilty party here in *every* single way!

And Lucy. Now Lucy was the angry one.

“Excuse me, it’s called knocking.”

“Drop the bad teenage attitude, Lucy.” Although, Lois was secretly pleased with this way into the events. All their relationships were in the process of change, except one. Lois would always be Lucy’s big sister.

“Why are you here? We’re talking.”

“You two just left me out there to face *that* on my own, thank you very much. Don’t I have a right to be included in the conversation?”

“Does it matter? You didn’t have a right to sleep with my boyfriend--”

“OK, that’s it!” Clark jumped up and stood between the sisters. “Let’s sort this out once and for all. Lucy, I was never your boyfriend. How you managed to make it seem like we were dating I’ll never know but you always knew that I felt nothing more than friendship for you. I should have made it clearer, to everyone else. To Lois.”

He turned to face his partner. “Although, I did try to tell you but as usual, you didn’t listen.”

Lois flicked her hair back. “It doesn’t make any difference to me. I didn’t listen because it didn’t matter.”

“Really? So what was bothering you, then?” Lucy teasingly questioned her.

Lois looked from one to another, fighting the urge to perform her goldfish imitation. Lucy smiled victoriously at her silent sister. “While we’re starting with this, perhaps you would like to know why I did it? Why I tried to date Clark?”

She received no response from the pair, just questioning looks. So she continued. “I did it because my sister is a fool. Clark, you are just about the kindest, most generous, and dare I say it, good-looking man in existence. You are every girl’s dream and that’s just Clark Kent, if you catch my drift. Unfortunately for every girl, there’s only one you’re interested in. I knew within spending five minutes with you that my sister meant more to you than anything else in the world and I was jealous. I’m not in love with you, or anything like that. Don’t get me wrong I am fond of you, Clark, in a brotherly way though.”

Clark laughed. “That’s all I ever hear from Lane sisters.”

“Trust me when I say half of us are lying. I’ll admit that I liked being treated properly for a change. You’re the kind of guy Lois keeps telling me I should be with. So I decided to give it a shot and, no offence, but I really think I need someone with a wilder streak in them. However, I also did it because I know that Lois is in love with you.”

Lucy paused to watch as Lois opened her mouth to argue, then smiled at her as no words left her mouth. “And I knew that Lois would never admit, might not even see it. Unless someone took you away from her. I have no doubt that there could be women lining up to date you, Clark, but I knew that *I* would step aside for Lois. If only she’d speak up and tell me that you were her man, that you were more than her best-friend.”

<“You know, if you did want to catch someone’s eye, you could tell me.”> Lucy’s interrupted speech on the night that Clark was shot came back to Lois. She hadn’t really listened to a word she had said then but obviously her subconscious had filed it away. Lucy had been about to tell her then, that she was waiting for Lois to tell her that she wanted Clark. That she had no interest in Clark at all, except to annoy her sister.

And it had worked. It really had worked, because the problem had never been that Clark was with *Lucy*, it was because Lucy was with *Clark*. Clark was hers. She’d grieved for Clark as if he was her husband as well, hadn’t she? Only, it was Lucy that got most of the sympathy. Oh, people expected Lois to be upset, everyone knew they were close but it was Lucy they all enquired after and that was why she had hated her. It wasn’t Lucy’s easy acceptance of Clark’s death, although that made complete sense *now*, it was that even Perry had assumed that it was worse for Lucy than Lois. Which it wasn’t, because Lois was the one who had been in lo—

“That’s awful.” Lucy’s deviousness horrified Lois, that her own sister would knowingly inflict that much pain on her.

Lucy grimaced. “Well, yeah, I can see that now. It wasn’t supposed to go like that, though. Clark wasn’t supposed to *die*. You were supposed to get all worked up, then explode and say in the heat of the moment that you loved Clark. That’s why you’re not speaking to me, isn’t it? Because I stole Clark away.”

“No!” Lois answered, much too hastily. “It’s because you lied to me.”

Lucy’s face was blank. “About what?”

“About Clark being Su--” Lois stopped herself as she realised that, while it seemed private in there, anyone could be listening in. Lois and Clark weren’t the only investigative reporters the Planet had.

“I didn’t lie. You never asked me about Clark’s secret.”

“You should have told me as soon as you knew,” Lois replied firmly.

Lucy glanced guiltily at Clark. “I never knew. I never had concrete proof. I’d suspected it for a couple of days before he got shot.”

“You knew well enough to not grieve.”

“I also knew that it didn’t matter. You’re so wrapped up in your anger at not being told that you’re not seeing the situation properly. No human could have survived what happened to Clark. If Clark had lived, everyone would have known, and essentially Clark Kent would still have died. He would have been swallowed up by his other life and he still wouldn’t have been yours.”

Lois stamped her foot in irritation. “Will you get over this idea of me wanting Clark.”

“The first thing you did after he was ‘resurrected’ was sleep with him. Are you seriously trying to convince me that you don’t want him?”

“That wasn’t the first thing we did,” Lois pouted.

“Great. I’m glad you included foreplay. I’m sorry for playing the boyfriend card, Clark.” Lucy stood up and brushed past Lois to the door. “That was unfair on you. I was hurt, even though we weren’t really dating. I knew that Lois thought we were and that still makes it look like you two cheated on me, even if technically you didn’t. And, yeah, I didn’t like it.”

Suddenly she laughed. “Hey, maybe it’s me. Even Clark Kent cheated on me!”

Clark risked a smile, as her mirth seemed genuine. “Maybe you just haven’t found the right guy, yet. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking straight at the time. Even though I made it clear on several occasions that there was nothing going on between us, I shouldn’t have given in to my feelings like that and not just because of you.”

“Thanks,” Lucy smiled at them. “I think I’ve played my part here, the rest is down to you two. I’ll leave you to it. Feel free to have a romp on the table.”

Lois watched as her sister left the room, desperately wanting to scream at her to return. Dealing with her sister was one thing, dealing with Clark was something else entirely. The silence stretched to infinity.

“Do you want to sit down?” He eventually asked. Lois was surprised to find herself still standing.

“No. I’m OK.”

“Please. We need to talk and with you standing by the door, I’m just expecting you to bolt.”

Lois relented and sat down in Lucy’s seat. “I don’t think we need to talk.”

Clark let out a huge sigh and ran his hand through his hair. Then he took his glasses off, rubbed his eyes, and looked at Lois.

She stared at him, Clark Kent sans glasses. She’d had a friend in high school who’d worn glasses and she’d never got used to seeing her in those brief moments when she’d taken them off. She remembered changing for gym, talking to her friend, then looking up and seeing a stranger with small eyes. Yet, it hadn’t been a stranger, and she still would have recognised her as her friend. This felt exactly the same. And completely different.

“Here,” he said, and swept his hair back into its Superman style. “Better?”

She smiled slightly as she realised that he was trying to help her see it. “Your face is still different. Softer.”

Clark let his hair flop back. “I try and remain detached when I’m him. I can’t do it right now.”

“I guess I can see why. I don’t know that I want you to become him anyway. I want you to be you. But the whole you.”

“Why, when you want nothing to do with me?”

Lois fought the impulse to get up and pace. “I need to know. I need... closure.”

A look of pain and despair appeared on Clark’s face at her words. For a moment he seemed lost in thought, then he spoke again. “Just tell me one thing, truthfully. Was Lucy right?”

Her mouth went dry. That was the one thing she *didn’t* want to talk about. The rest, even sleeping with him, was easier to deal with than her feelings. “I slept with you.”

Clark nodded. “I see. That's the best I’m going to get.”

Lois sighed. “I don’t know, Clark. I really just don’t know what I feel about you. I do know that you were my best friend and you let me believe you were dead. Then you came back and I was so happy to see you back that I fell into bed with you. Which was a huge mistake. I thought... OK, I wasn’t thinking at all but I think I would have put it down to some reanimation euphoria. Except it wasn’t, Clark. You hadn’t just come back from the dead and were consequently celebrating life. You had to have known what was happening, you must have known it wasn’t right. And you did it anyway. I wouldn’t have thought that of you, either of you.”

“You were right,” he said quietly. “It was some sort of reanimation euphoria. Lois, I was dead. Lucy was right. I had died even if my body hadn’t. I had grieved for Clark Kent and he was alive again. I was feeling exactly what you were. And you’re right, if I was thinking properly we wouldn’t have slept together. It doesn’t change a thing, though.”

“No, you’re wrong. It changes everything.”

*.*.*.

Although, it didn’t feel that way to Clark. Lois was treating him just as coldly as she had when Lucy was in the picture. Two days later and she still barely spoke to him. In fact, it was worse than it had been before because she did nothing to mask the pain she was feeling. Her inner-walls were still in reconstruction when it came to him and the builders seemed too depressed to even try to work.

Perry had obviously caught wind of the confrontation in the newsroom and had been kind enough to give them separate stories until they sorted themselves out but that wouldn’t last forever. If it came down to him having to chose between them, Clark knew that it would be Lois that would stay employed at the Planet. He still wasn’t convinced he wanted to be in Metropolis anymore anyway.

“Hey,” came a soft voice from in front of him. He turned his eyes away from Lois to see Mayson watching him. Yeah, Perry was going to hand him his notice real soon.

“Hi,” he returned.

Mayson had been to see him the evening after Lucy’s revelation. It had been strange, for a woman who had been constantly throwing herself at him she had been a little reserved that night. In fact, her gentle concerns and happiness at his resurrection had done him a world of good. Of course, she didn’t know that he hadn’t died. Or that he’d been almost-dating Lucy Lane. Or that he’d slept with Lois Lane the night before.

He heard the stomping of feet and noticed Lois marching her way out of the newsroom. She’d taken her coat and bag but she’d left her computer on. It wasn’t his problem anymore, he reminded himself. Lois had made it abundantly clear that they were no longer friends. It wasn’t his job to go running after her to check that she was all right.

Mayson smiled at him, oblivious to Lois’ hurried exit. “I was thinking, maybe we should go out sometime. You’ve been given a second chance to live, you should grab it. We should grab it. Both of our jobs are on the dangerous side, who knows how long we’ve got left together?”

“Er, Mayson...” Clark began, but he was interrupted by Ralph. A man who was very close to being the first man Superman ever killed.

“Hey, the D.A. I forgot about you. Two sisters and a blonde. Kent, I seriously underestimated you. They say it’s always the quiet ones, don’t they?”

Mayson smiled uncomfortably, looking from Clark to Ralph and back again. “What’s he going on about?”

“Nothing,” Clark grated out through his tightly clenched jaw.

“Nothing,” Ralph clapped him on the back. “Yeah, right. You date two women then have sex with a third and you call it nothing?”

“What?” asked Mayson, her voice cold.

Clark looked up imploringly at her. “It’s not as bad as he’s making it sound.”

“Sure,” Mayson nodded, then looked at Ralph. “So these other two women, the sisters? Who exactly are they?”

“Lois and her sister. He was dating the sister, then after he got all resurrection he nailed Lois.”

“Did he?”

Ralph nodded emphatically. “Sure did. Lois’ sister came home and caught them in the act.”

“I don’t believe you!” Mayson exclaimed. “How could you do that, Clark?!”

Clark stood up as Mayson began to back away. “Technically, *technically* I didn’t do anything wrong. I wasn’t really dating Lucy, you and I...” he tailed off as he saw the look in Mayson’s eyes.

“I see. You and I weren’t dating either, not really. I knew you liked Lois more than me, I’m not an idiot. But you knew that I liked you and you did nothing to dissuade me. I guess you just like messing with women’s feelings.”

“No, it’s not like that, Mayson!”

But she was already gone. Clark turned on Ralph. “I suggest that if you value your life at all, you keep away from me for a while.”

Ralph turned as white as a sheet. “Sure thing, Kent. I just... it’s cool, though. Being with lots of women. You’re like a stud or something now, isn’t that a good thing?”

Clark shook his head. “No, Ralph, it really is not. Tell Perry I’m taking the rest of the day off. I don’t feel too good.”

Two minutes later, Superman was sat in his childhood tree house, staring blankly at the wooden wall, trying desperately to think of a way of salvaging what remained of his life.

*.*.*.

That night Superman found himself flying close to Lois’ apartment. He wasn’t sure if it was instinct, habit or something else that had drawn him there, all he knew was that if he had been conscious of the decision, he wouldn’t have come anywhere near. There were no lights on in her apartment but he could hear her sobbing. Unable to bear the thought that he was the reason Lois Lane was reduced to crying alone in the dark, he flew into her apartment, too concerned to wonder at the open window.

She stared up at him in shock.

“What are you doing here?” She snapped at him.

“I heard you crying.”

Lois sniffed. “Yeah, well, I’ve been doing a lot of that recently. You’ve never seemed concerned before.”

He shrugged dejectedly. “I’ve always been concerned, Lois. I just don’t know what to do to make it better. Please, tell me how I can stop you from hurting.”

He was shaking, Lois noticed, and there was such intensity from his pleading eyes that she started to cry all over again.

“I...” was all she managed to get out.

She found herself suddenly in his arms, her face crushed against his warm spandex covered chest. She moved her unsteady arms so that she could grip his shoulders, clinging to him as a storm of emotions overwhelmed her. Time stopped as he just held her until she ran out of tears. She pulled away and saw the sheen of tears that graced his own eyes.

“I don’t know how to stop it from hurting, Clark.”

He pulled a few strands of hair away from her tearstained face. “I can’t cope knowing that I’ve hurt you like this, Lois. I love you. I’ve always loved you, only you. I want to keep you safe and if I’m the one who’s hurting you--”

“Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare say you’ll leave. I’ve already lost you too many times. I’m not letting you go again.”

“But--”

“Did you ever question how you managed to hurt me so much? I didn’t, not really. Not until this afternoon.”

“What happened this afternoon?”

“Mayson,” She bit her lip as she fought the anger that appeared on her face. “I thought I didn’t want you Clark. After all that, I had decided to let you go and forget about you. Then she came to see you and the pain was just as intense. Because my stupid sister was right. I love you, too. I love you too much. I hate you but only because I love you. I’m not ready to be your girlfriend but I can’t have Lucy or Mayson or whoever come walking in and start dating you,” she sniffed. “*I* want to try dating you. Next time there’s some stupid party at the Planet, I want Perry to think ‘do I give Lois and Clark two tickets each, or will they be going together?’ That way, it’s not serious, but it’s not available to go to dinner with another woman.”

Clark shifted on her couch and pulled her onto his lap, cradling her in his arms. “That sounds good to me.”

Lois snuggled deeper into his comforting hug. “Good. I wasn’t planning on giving you a choice. You’re not forgiven yet, though.”

“I’ll make it up to you, I promise. Anything you want.”

She sighed. “Right now I just want you, and this. I just want you to hold me.”

He placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. “I’ll never let you go,” he promised.


fin.