Hmmmm. I don't know what's going to happen here.
On one hand,
Lois telling Clark that she loves him could help Clark acknowledge he should CONSIDER a more serious relationship with her. (He had been wondering that before.) And maybe give up the Lana fantasy, if nothing else.
On the other hand, knowing that she loves him, could very well make the "double-edged guilt" worse. Not only is he getting pressure from his parents and from the general custom of marriage itself to love his wife, but he's also getting pressure from Lois. Even if she doesn't actually say "I want you to love me, too", or is even expecting it, the fact that she DID say it shows that she wants him to.
That is going to FEEL like pressure to Clark, even if she doesn't see it that way.
And thanks for acknowledging this, Carol.
I knew I couldn't *make* myself fall in love with her, but I could commit myself to a long-term relationship with her and see what happened.
Still, I can understand how Lois decides to tell him, here. She's held her feelings in to long, and their bottling her up. And that to pregnacy and...Plus, Clark had been asking her before what she was thinking about.
