Ooh, ooh, ooh!! I know! I know!
This is a real favourite of mine - and of a lot of other people, too, judging from its 'Best Overall' status last year.
Yesterday, Upon a Stair by CC Malo
Okay, here's my quote:
Clark took a deep breath; here went nothing. "Clark Kent was shot and killed -- lost all his friends, his job, his life... " A shiver went through him, remembering the desolation he'd faced -- and that he now faced again. "But I wasn't."
She glared at him in angry bafflement. "What, you're not Clark? You're not making any sense here! Did Professor Hamilton scramble your brains or something?"
"I am Clark, I have been for all my life, almost thirty years. But Clark isn't all that I am. I'm also Superman." Saying that had been surprisingly easy, at least compared to the next sentence. "I was never really dead."
Lois looked stunned, with tears of hurt and betrayal beginning to shimmer in her eyes.
Clark hurried on, hoping to get as much explanation in as he could before she exploded. "I should have told you -- I should have let you know, but I didn't think -- I was pretty stuck in self-pity at first, actually."
"You let me think--" Her voice was thin and ragged, and she cleared her throat before continuing. "I cried myself to sleep over you, Clark, and you didn't think I cared?"
"I knew you cared, Lois," he protested miserably. "I just didn't know how much. I know I should have told you. I'm sorry."
There was a brief silence. Lois was fighting tears, and Clark ached to hold her in his arms, but didn't quite dare.
"I just wanted you to know," he finally said. "I really appreciate what you did today, but I couldn't go through with the announcement tomorrow without you knowing this. I've been wanting to tell you about Superman for a while now ... I guess that doesn't matter."
Still she was silent, which scared him. He'd expected an eruption of temper; if he lived through the blast there would be hope for
a later reconciliation. He didn't know what to make of this self-containment. "Uh, Lois?"
"I'm thinking," she said distantly. "So, what happens to Superman, if Clark moves to Paris?"
