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"Lois..." He looked down at their hands, then back at her. "This isn't a real marriage."

The tender expression left Lois' face and she snatched her hand
from his. "No. I guess not." Why did Clark have to bring that up
and look so pathetic, reminding her that he secretly wanted more? With her ambivalent feelings rising again to the surface, she got up and started to the kitchen, eager to put some space between them.

Clark followed, not quite understanding why he was being so
perverse, yet unable to stop his hurtful words. "Come on, Lois. I
think you should be honest here. The only reason you're doing
this is to save my life."

She spun around to look at him. "I could do that without marrying you," she hissed. "Babies are born everyday without the security of marriage."

When Dr Klein was alone, he stared down at the file in his hand in disbelief. He'd just told The Man of Steel that he was
seriously ill and the magnitude of the situation was threatening
to overwhelm him.

Clinical work was certainly not his specialty; he'd long ago
realized that dealing with people was something he wasn't good
at. But he'd do anything at all for Superman.

"Cancer," Bernie mumbled absently as he rose from his stool.
"Wow."

Hopefully, I'm not living in Obtuseville this round.

A few minutes later, Clark was a short way down the beach, busy collecting and laying out the wood for a campfire to cook their supper that evening when a brunette tornado bore down on him, her brown eyes flashing with the intensity of her anger. "What are these?"

His gaze dropped to the items in her hands. "Well, I'm not sure, but this one looks like a dress and the others might be shorts and a tank top. You think?"

She followed his hand movements then returned her glare to his face, growling sarcastically. "In my size?"

"I certainly don't need them in my size." He chuckled, shook his head at the image and turned to start working again.

Lois, however, wasn't finished. "Clark Kent, you'd better have a good explanation for why there are woman's clothes here in MY size."

Eyebrows raised and head tilted, he asked quietly. "Tell me something, Lois Lane, would you feel better if they were ANOTHER size?"

Hands on hips, she glared at him. "I can't believe you did this. You've practically kidnapped me."
"I did not."
Her voice dropped in tone as she hissed, sarcastically. "Oh, really? Then take me back. This instant."
His arms crossed against his chest stubbornly. "Nope."
Her eyes widened. "Why not?"
"I'm not ready to go back yet."
"You can't do this! You can't just bring me here then keep me against my will."
Clark's head tilted as he considered her words. Rubbing his chin, he murmured. "Look around you. It seems I already have and, therefore, I CAN. I would give that some thought, if I were you."

She was the first to break the silence. "Where exactly are we?"
His head tilted as he considered her question. "We're walking along a beach on a tiny uncharted island in the middle of an ocean somewhere in the world."
"You wouldn't want to be a little more . . . um, vague, would you?"
"Nope, I honestly don't think that would be necessary."

Lois surveyed the parking lot trying to second guess the type of vehicle she might find. "Clark, come on, which one is it?"

"Why is it so important?" Clark chuckled.

"Well- I mean, a car says a lot about a person I think." Lois tipped her head in concentration.

"Well," Clark began. "You know a lot about me ... guess." He smiled and Lois slapped his arm playfully.

"All right." She furrowed her brow, suddenly looking up. "It better not be a mini-van"

Clark laughed. "Why not? What's wrong with Mini-vans?"

Lois shrugged. "Well nothing, really, it's just ... I don't see you as the mini-van type. Besides, they're boring."

Clark had to stop himself from laughing. God, it had been so long since he'd laughed this way with anyone! "It's not a mini-van, Lois."

"Good." She smiled.

"In fact ..." They rounded the corner of the parking lot and Lois gasped.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Nope. That's it." He watched Lois as she disengaged from his arm and moved to examine the small red Lotus. She placed her hands on its edge and ran her fingers along the roof in a way that made Clark wish she had done the same thing to him.

"What -- did they pay you in gold bars over there in France?" She looked up at him and Clark stoically shook his head.

"No, I mortgaged my underwear for that thing," Clark admitted.

Lois giggled, moving back towards him. "So," she tapped his chest, "there *is* an earthling male in there somewhere, huh?"

"Last night ... I thought it sounded like Perry was giving you the third degree and I was right! I couldn't understand it at the time because why would he be grilling the very guy he'd wanted me to meet in the first place?"
"You know, I did kind of wonder about some of the questions he asked me, but -- "

She interrupted him. "Boy, am I going to give Mr. Perry White a piece of my mind the next time I see him. He has no business interrogating my ..."

She became aware that Clark was silently laughing. "What's so funny?"

"Elvis almost married the wrong person, too, Lois."

She stared at him for a moment while memories of Perry trying to tell his story and Alice trying even harder to prevent him, skipped through her mind, and then she was laughing, too.

"So how's your arm doing?"

Lois pulled up the sleeve of her t-shirt to expose the
series of dark bruises that had formed on her upper arm
where one of the men had grabbed her. "It looks worse than
it is."

Clark shook his head in amazement. "You can actually see
the finger marks." He took her arm and rotated it
carefully. "And your leg?"

She waved off his concern. "Sore but not too badly bruised.
How about your ribs?"

"Like you said, looks worse than it feels. But I didn't
know skin could be so many different colors at once!"

"Ooo, let me see."

He sat back and lifted the hem of his t-shirt, exposing his
chest, then laughed at the look on Lois's face.

"Geez, Clark! That looks horrible!"

"Doesn't it, though?"

Lois shook her head. "Matches your face, though," she added
with a half smile. "Your right eye is a *very* becoming
shade of purple.

Lois shook her head. "I could never hurt Clark that way. I
have no intention of ruining his happiness, but you'd better tell
him soon, Mayson. If you really love Clark, you can't expect to
have an honest relationship with him if you're keeping a big
secret from him," she said, and stared intently into Mayson's
eyes. "The longer you keep the secret, the more it's going to
hurt when the truth finally comes out."
Mayson was about to respond when a waiter handed her a
note. She sighed. "It seems Clark was called away."
Lois felt relief wash over her. She would not have to face
Clark and Mayson together. "Then I'd better be going." She
said, and rose from her chair. "Tell him soon, Mayson. Clark
doesn't deserve that kind of pain."
Mayson's eyes narrowed, "I'm getting a slightly clearer picture
now. I think you're carrying a little torch for your best friend."
Lois folded her arms. "I'd hardly call it little, but don't worry,
Drake," she said, no longer putting up a pretense of civility. "I
was too slow acknowledging my deeper feelings for Clark, so I
won't be making any last minute bid to take him away from you."
"As if you could." Mayson laughed sourly. "I just realized that
there's no reason for me to ever reveal my true feelings about
Superman to Clark. Working in the D.A.'s office gives one a
flair for the melodramatic. I'll simply pretend to be courteous to
the alien when my path crosses his."
"That's even worse!"
"I think given enough time, I can turn Clark around to my way
of thinking, and when that happens, the truth won't matter."
Mayson rose from her chair and faced Lois. "Unless you intend
to go behind my back and tell him yourself."
"That won't be necessary."
Mayson and Lois turned to see Clark approaching the table.
Ever since childhood Lois had desired the power of invisibility,
but this was the first time as an adult that she would have paid
any price if she could secure that power. Mayson walked up to
Clark and began fiddling with his lapels nervously. "The note
said you were called away."
"Is it true, Mayson?" He asked, ignoring her question. "Do
you hate Superman?"
"My God, Clark! What possible difference could my feelings
for Superman make? What does he have to do with us?"
"Is it true?"
Mayson sighed. "If I'd told you that I had an aversion to
snakes or spiders, would that have mattered to you?"
"No," Clark said softly. "But the fact that you'd lump Superman
in with other 'creatures' that make your flesh crawl does matter."
"You were eavesdropping!"
"Not intentionally, Mayson. I had something personal to
discuss with you, but when I saw Lois, I ducked into the
shadows."

"So you're from Metropolis?"

"Yep. What about you? I mean, before you came here."

"My dad's family is from Chicago and my mom is from near San Francisco. When we're in the States, the Bay Area is our home base, but we travel around a lot. I've never been to Metropolis, though."

"It's just another big city."

"I wouldn't say that. No other city has Superman."

She rolled her eyes. She could never quite get used to all the hero worship Dad got.

He flushed slightly. "I guess it's a little childish to still be into Superman."

"Oh, not at all--that's not it. All the kids at school are into Superman, and so are most of the adults in Metropolis. It's just that-- well, he's a friend of our family, from way back when he first appeared in the city and Mom and Dad covered the story, so he seems ordinary to me. I mean, imagine if everyone acted about your Aunt Diane the way people act about Superman."

He laughed. "If Aunt Diane could fly and went around saving lives, I'm sure they would."

*Laney, wake up!*

Laney Kent sat up in bed in response to the voice sounding in her mind. *I'm awake*, she thought. *I'll be there in a few minutes.* She checked the clock. Two a.m. Moving slowly and stealthily, she slid out of bed and dressed in old jeans, a dark t-shirt, and hiking boots. She pulled her heavy brown-black hair into a ponytail, and, after a moment's thought, took insect repellent from her dresser and slathered it on her exposed skin. Smelly stuff--she'd have to be sure to shower before Marty or her parents saw her tomorrow so they wouldn't suspect--but if she were to come down with malaria in a week or so, there would be no way to keep this a secret, so there would really be hell to pay.

A soft chuckle emanated from the shadows in the rear of the building.
"You won't be able to get them loose, you know," her captor stated,
amused by her efforts. "And we're too far from other buildings for anyone
to hear you screaming. In case you were wondering."

"I appreciate the advice," she replied haughtily, "but I've had far more
experience at this than you have, and I'm here to tell you, it's important not
to give up."

Dimly, she could see him tilting his head in acknowledgement of her
point. "Ah, but Superman won't save you this time." He began moving
restlessly, and emerged from the shadows, revealing the mild-mannered
exterior of Clark Kent. Lois had learned, however, not to judge this
particular book by its cover. "And no saving yourself, either," he added as
an afterthought.

Clark gasped as he sat upright and looked around.

The room was empty.

But... there it was again. An invisible touch so gentle and so intimate that it grazed his soul.

He reached out blindly and found himself touching something solid. He explored with his fingertips, then felt himself being gathered into a hug.

He hadn't been hugged like that since... He couldn't remember when. Perhaps he hadn't been hugged like that, held to a warm and comforting busom, since he was ten years old and his parents had died.

Should he be frightened? There was nobody there. He was being embraced by air.

But...

It felt so good.

He gave into temptation, and he began to sob.

This was...

It felt like...

It couldn't be...

Love.

She'd only just met him, and he couldn't really be said to have met her at all. Yet she'd witnessed his triumphs, his failures, his generosity and his pain. She understood him better than she'd understood anyone in her life, except perhaps for her sister.

But love was out of the question. There was no way they could be together. They were from two different worlds, worlds that brushed against each other from time to time, but which were never meant to meet.

He was alive. She was dead.

Clark moved a lock of hair that had fallen over one of
Lois' soft brown eyes, and gently placed it behind one ear.
He gazed longingly at the beautiful woman standing in front
of him. She was so brilliant, so gifted, and so utterly
incredible. He looked deep into those eyes, searching for
the love reflected there.

"...I...I can't wait that long. Where could we be married
in a hurry--say tonight?" he said, as he reached out and
lightly cupped his hand next to her cheek. He moved his
thumb ever so slowly over her delicate cheekbone and leaned
in to kiss her, as he had done so many, many times before.
But this time it was completely different, this time they
were....

"Stop!" Martha Kent's voice rang out from the third row of
seats in the darkened auditorium of Smallville High School.

Clark pulled back and turned toward the sound of the shrill
voice. Lois took a couple of steps back and folded her arms
across her chest, a gesture closing him out- -a gesture
Clark had become all too used to this past week.

He closed his eyes, briefly, praying for her image to leave him and
stop playing tricks on him; but when he opened them again, the mirage
was still there, dark pools in its eyes, colour-drained cheeks, and
Clark's super senses picked up the sound of a racing heartbeat.

But...

Mirages weren't supposed to have a heartbeat!

A sudden shiver ran through him as he stood still, unable to move,
frozen into place, and watched the origin of his sudden unease look
frantically for an escape. But it couldn't be... *she* couldn't be...

He was experiencing a weird feeling, something new... no, not new, he corrected.
Something experienced long ago and now buried deep inside him,
something that had waited until this moment to bubble up back to the
surface of his subconscious and grasp at his senses, something he
hadn't been able to feel for months. A rush of adrenaline coursed
through his whole body, making his head spin and leaving him slightly
dizzy; an abrupt acceleration of his heartbeat, knots tying
themselves in the centre of his chest.

No mirage.

"Lois," he said into her neck. He waited until she drew back before he continued. "I will wait a few days. let them lock me up, then I'll get out."

"Get out? How?"

"Lois," he said and glanced away from her for a moment. He met her eyes with a serious expression. "Look at me. I *will* get out. There's only one thing that could keep me from it."

"One thing? Clark, what are talking about?"

"Take my glasses off."

She lifted her hand and did as she was told. He looked so much like someone else. How could she have been fooled by a pair of glasses? She knew exactly what he meant. "Oh god!" Lois drew away in shock. Her partner, the man she thought she knew, was someone totally different.

I'm not a NASA experiment, Lois. I'm Kryptonian."

One sentence, two words, a million implications.

Kryptonian? How could he be Kryptonian? Superman was the only Kryptonian on earth. Unless… Perhaps what Clark was telling her was that Superman wasn't the only Kryptonian on Earth. That would explain how Clark always knew how to get a hold of Superman at a moment's notice. He knew more about Superman than anyone. It was possible, wasn't it, that they were even brothers?

Lois studied Clark's face as he began to speak again, forcing herself to accept the truth. Clark wasn't another Kryptonian. He wasn't Superman's brother. Clark was the only Kryptonian on Earth. Clark was Superman.