Previously on Seed of Doubt...
He quickly ducked back out into the night and flew off toward the call for help. It was coming from only a few blocks away, and he was there in seconds. An older gentleman had collapsed to the ground while unloading groceries from his car. Clark gently picked him up and flew him to the hospital, while the man's wife promised to follow in the car.
All in all, the rescue took less than fifteen minutes. Afterward, Clark headed home, feeling useless in the still and quiet night. He showered at a leisurely, human pace, then flopped onto his couch, already bored. He flicked through the television channels, only to find nothing of interest. He turned it back off and grabbed the book he was in the middle of reading - the one Lois had given him for his birthday. He wandered off to the bedroom, striped out of his clothes down to his boxers, and crawled into his bed for the first time in almost two weeks.
At once he was in Heaven as well as even more lonely than before. The entire bed smelled of Lois - that wonderfully arousing mix of lavender soap and cucumber perfume, coconut shampoo and conditioner, coffee and mint toothpaste, as well as the normal, unique scent that was all her own beneath all the superficial scents she surrounded herself with. Clark breathed in deeply, savoring it, though his heart ached as he missed Lois even more.
He managed to read a few pages, but his mind kept wandering back to Lois. He was still partially in disbelief that she was his girlfriend. Despite the unconventional start to their relationship, things had been going very well. Clark had never been happier. After a while, he put the book aside and reached for the phone on his bedside table.
"Hello?" came Lois' voice over the earpiece.
"Hey, Lois. It's me."
"Hi, Clark." He could hear the smile in her voice. "What's up?"
"Nothing. Just wanted to hear your voice."
"You must be a mind reader. I was just thinking of calling you."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. I guess I've gotten used to not being all alone at night," she said.
"Me too."
"I'd forgotten how lonely it can get."
Is that an invitation to come over? he wondered.
"Me too," he repeated. "Is everything all right over there?"
"Quiet as a mouse," she replied.
"Glad to hear it."
"Clark?"
"Hmm?"
"I miss you."
"I miss you too."
Just say the word and I'll be on my way.
"I know this is going to sound stupid, but I'm so glad that...well...that we're together. As a couple, I mean."
His smile crept across his face, going from ear to ear. "It's not stupid, Lois. I'm glad that we're together too. You have no idea how happy I've been, ever since you said 'yes' to our first date."
"Well, it's not that hard to imagine," she teased him. "You've been walking around with the biggest grin on the planet since our first date."
Clark chuckled. "I guess that's probably true."
"Hey, Clark?" she asked after a brief silence fell.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Thanks for calling," she said after a slight hesitation. "I think I'm going to turn in for the night."
"Me too," Clark said, his heart falling a little when she didn't ask him to come back over to her place. "Goodnight, Lois. I'll see you in the morning."
"Goodnight, Clark."
I love you, he mentally added, as the phone clicked and the line went dead.
With thoughts of Lois in his mind, he finally drifted off to sleep.
***
Several weeks went by. Lois and Clark grew closer every day. Clark also became happier as time passed, as they continued to go on dates, sometimes staying at the other's apartment until late in the night, with Clark always escorting Lois home. Most of the time, they went out, trying new restaurants, revisiting old favorites, seeing movies, touring museums, even going out to dance at one of the downtown clubs one night. Some nights, they stayed in, watching old movies, playing board games, cooking together - though it was mostly Clark doing the cooking and Lois mostly standing back in terror - even just sitting around and talking about everything and anything.
Even work was going well. Slow news days were rare, almost non-existent, for those weeks. He and Lois constantly had some event to cover, or some case to investigate further. It kept them both busy, but they both loved to dive in and undercover the truth. At the very least, it helped make the work days fly by, which was always welcome, though a few times their research lasted long into the night, cutting into their date time. Still, it felt good to be helping people in whatever capacity they could.
The Luthor trial had gone smoothly enough, at least as far as the charge of rape had been concerned. He hadn't yet taken the stand for his involvement in running Intergang. Clark had been impressed with Lois and how she'd handled herself during the trial. She'd been strong the entire time, and had fearlessly testified against him when she was called to the stand. She had, however, needed to fight back tears as she spoke about what had happened to her, nor could she meet the billionaire's eyes while she testified. Her gaze had been studiously trained on whichever attorney had been questioning her, though Clark had noticed that she'd snuck a look or two in his direction, which she admitted later had been to take strength from him.
What Clark hadn't counted on was how respectfully most of the city's news outlets treated the trial. A few of the seedier ones blasted Lois for bringing charges against the perceived philanthropist, but most were respectful of her claims. One or two had heralded her as a champion amongst the citizens of Metropolis for standing up for herself against such a powerful and wealthy man. She had brushed off the more scathing articles, knowing that once Luthor was tried for his involvement in Intergang, the world's view of the third richest man on the planet would change. Clark had been proud of her for that.
Neither one, however, had taken well to Luthor's sentence for his assault of Lois. The judge - one of Clark's least favorite, if he were to be honest - had given Luthor a lighter than usual sentence for his crime. He's said that, while he was sympathetic to what Lois had endured, Luthor could not be held one hundred percent responsible for his actions because of the pheromone spray. Both had been outraged, and only took comfort from the knowledge that, soon enough, Luthor would be on trial as the head of the city's most powerful crime organization, and that he would not escape the justice of a harsh prison sentence. Still, it had taken a couple of weeks for them both to stop feeling quite so livid over the ruling.
All in all, though, everything was perfect in Clark's world.
"Hey," Clark said as he returned to Lois' desk from checking the fax machine. He'd already checked it five times, hoping for the police report they needed for their most recent investigation. "You want to go out tonight?"
"I'd love to. But Lucy's coming in, remember?"
"Oh, right," Clark said. He'd nearly forgotten that Lois' sister was coming in for a visit. "What time?"
"Around six-thirty is what she's shooting for," Lois replied, sipping from her coffee cup.
"Well, how about a quick bite of pizza on the way to your place then?" he offered. "I'll file the bank robbery story and tomorrow we can work on the Weston arrest since the police report hasn't come in yet."
"Really? Henderson's usually great about that."
"He must be swamped. Weston's the superintendent of the schools. He's probably got a lot on his plate today. If it's not in by the morning, I'll call him again. It's getting late."
Lois nodded. "I'll send Perry what we already have on it and let him know we'll follow up."
"Great." He started back to his own desk.
"Hey, Clark?"
Clark stopped in his tracks and looked back. "Yeah?"
"Dinner's on me tonight."
"Lois, no. You don't have to..."
"I want to," she said, overriding his protest. "We're equals in this relationship, right?"
"Yeah, but..."
"So far, you haven't let me pay for anything. Not even a soda from the vending machine. It's not fair to you."
"Lois, I really don't mind. I like doing stuff for you."
"I know, and it's sweet. But I want to be able to do stuff for you too."
Clark had no rebuttal for that. He could argue that it was traditional for the man to pay for dates, but he knew she'd just argue sexism in society at large. A pizza dinner wasn't worth getting her aggravated, so he just nodded.
"Okay," he relented. "If you insist."
"I do," she replied.
"But we'll never get out of here if we don't get our stories in to Perry," he reminded her.
She laughed. "That much is true. Go, write up yours. I'm halfway done with our notes on the Weston arrest, so it shouldn't take me long to bang out the article."
"Sounds good," Clark said, then finished crossing the aisle to his desk.
He sat, cracked his knuckles, then laid his fingertips to the keys. For a moment, he sat stone-still in thought, then he began to type as the article took shape in his mind. He easily typed up the article, then wrote up a separate sidebar piece focusing on the three men and one woman that the bank robbers had held hostage. All four had come through the ordeal shaken but unscathed, luckily. He threw in a few choice Superman quotes for good measure, then sent both pieces off to Perry.
From the look of things, Lois wasn't quite ready to leave, so he began to organize and type up notes on another story. He was just getting into the meat of it when Lois tapped him on the shoulder. He'd been so engrossed in what he'd been doing that he hadn't noticed her approaching his desk.
"Hey. Ready to go?" she asked.
Clark blinked rapidly as he pulled himself out of his work. "Huh? Oh. Yeah. Just a second." He finished typing the sentence he'd been in the middle of writing. "There." He saved the document, then powered down his computer. "All set. Off to Tommy's."
They walked out together, arm in arm, as they did most nights. Clark saw Cat roll her eyes. He knew she was still fuming over Clark choosing Lois to date. He also saw Jimmy give him a sly thumbs up. He shot Jimmy back a smile that he wasn't sure if his friend caught or not.
The weather had turned milder, now that April was half over. Still, they both zipped their coats up against the cooling night air once they reached the lobby. It had started to drizzle, so Clark hailed them a cab and gave the cabbie the address. With the rain, it made more sense for them to go directly to Lois' place and have the pizza delivered. Clark snaked his arm around Lois and pulled her close as they made their slow way through the rush hour traffic.
Clark called in their pizza order when they reached Lois' apartment. Lois changed while Clark was on the phone, coming back in soft yoga pants and a thin, long sleeved shirt. She curled up on the couch, waiting for Clark. He hung up and joined her.
"It should be about a half hour," he informed her.
"Good," she said, stifling a yawn.
"Tired?"
"Yeah."
"You've been tired a lot lately. Are you feeling okay?" Clark asked, concerned.
"I'm fine," she said, waving away his concern. "We've been working pretty hard lately. I guess I need a day off worse than I thought I did. Don't worry. I'll sleep in tomorrow and be good as new. You can't tell me you haven't been tired as well."
Clark nodded. The truth was, he was tired, but not to the same degree as Lois. He simply didn't need as much sleep as a regular person, and the sun helped to energize him anyway. Still, he wouldn't mind the extra sleep he'd be able to get in the morning, assuming there was no need for Superman.
"Are you sure you don't want to come over tomorrow?" she asked.
"No. You should spend time together - just you and Lucy. It's been, what? Five months?"
"Thereabout," Lois said with a shrug. "It's her own fault, running off to Montana with some guy she barely knew." She sighed. "I wish she would just settle down and find a great guy. Like I did."
Clark smiled. "Well, you said she's going back to school, right?"
"Yeah."
"Well, that's a good start," he said in an encouraging tone.
"I just hope she stays put long enough to finish it this time," Lois said. "I love my sister, Clark, but it frustrates me to see her making mistake after mistake."
"I know," he said in a lowered tone. "But there's not much you can do. She needs a support system. And, if you and I are the only ones to supply that, so be it. We'll be there for her."
Lois smiled. "I like the sound of that - 'we.' And you're right, of course." She yawned again and snuggled deep into his side.
Not three minutes later, she was sound asleep. Clark let her be. It still amazed him, how wholly she trusted him, how completely comfortable she was with him. He wondered how badly he would shatter that trust, once he came clean about his secret. He wasn't ready to share - not yet - but he knew he would have to sometime soon. He loved her, and he loathed keeping secrets from her.
He finally had to wake her when the pizza arrived. She yawned and blinked rapidly as she woke, then stretched as Clark went to answer the door.
"Sorry," she apologized.
"It's okay," Clark assured her. "I'm glad you were able to get in a short nap. You and I both need what sleep we can get right now." His eyes followed her as Lois went to the kitchen to retrieve plates, drinks, and napkins as he spoke. "Feel any better?"
"A little," she admitted.
"Good." He opened the door to find Wally, their regular delivery boy. "Hey, Wally."
"Hey, Mr. Kent," the pimply college-age boy said. "How's it going?"
"Great, you?"
"Could be better," he admitted as Clark handed him the money. "Biology one-oh-one is kicking my butt."
"Sorry to hear it," Clark said.
Wally shrugged. "At least it's my last science class. Anyway, I have a ton of other deliveries to make. See you around."
"Night, Wally," Clark said. He watched him go, then closed the door. "Hungry?" he asked Lois.
"Starving," she confirmed.
She wasn't lying. She matched Clark, slice for slice, as they talked. The small pizza was soon a distant memory embodied in the garlicky, oily smell in the air. Lois lit a flowery scented candle while Clark brought the empty box down to the garbage chute.
"Lucy's going to be a little late," Lois said as Clark returned. "Want to stay for a bit?"
"Sure." He sat on the couch and pulled her close. "What do you want to do while we wait?"
"Actually," she said slowly, "I wanted to ask you something."
Something about her tone of voice made Clark very nervous. Perhaps it was how unsure of herself that she sounded. Perhaps it was the drop in her volume, to a level just above a whisper. Perhaps it was the way she pulled out of his embrace to look at him, but then couldn't - or wouldn't - meet his gaze.
He swallowed hard before answering. "You can ask me anything."
"Well...I was thinking...about...you know...that night we were under the pheromone spray."
Clark nodded. "Okay."
"You said something, just before we fell asleep."
"I did?"
Did I really say that out loud? he wondered. Or was it only in my mind?
Lois nodded. "You said that you lo..."
"Loved you," he finished for her.
Again, she nodded, still looking at the couch cushions rather than him. "Was it true? Or was it the pheromones talking? I mean, we've been together almost two months and I know that you might think it's fast and all. But I've been thinking about it for a while now. Only I didn't have the guts to ask because maybe you weren't comfortable, but I feel like I need to know if there's a future here."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Clark said, putting his hands up in a "hit the brakes" kind of gesture. He wasn't sure if she'd even taken a breath during her babbling. "Slow down."
Her face fell. "Oh. I knew I shouldn't have said anything."
"That's not what I meant," Clark said. "I meant, 'slow down' so we can talk about this."
She peeked up at him, hopeful. "Okay," she said in a much calmer voice.
Clark took a deep breath before continuing. "I remember what I said." He inwardly cringed. Of course she already knew that. He'd filled in her statement before.
"And?" she prodded.
"And...it wasn't the pheromones, Lois."
"It...it wasn't?" she asked, finally meeting his eyes with her own and giving him a slight, hopeful smile.
"I mean it. Lois, you have to understand...I've been in love with you since the moment I met you. Remember when you told me not to fall for you? That you didn't have time for it?"
"I remember," she said with a nod, "though I wish I hadn't been so stupid back then."
"You weren't stupid, Lois. You were protecting yourself. Anyway, you might as well have been telling the Titanic not to hit that iceberg...after it was already sunk. I'd already fallen that hard for you."
"Really?" She sounded only mildly surprised.
"Really. I love you, Lois. Every day since that first day. Every day for the rest of my life." He smiled at her. "You have no idea how much light, warmth, and happiness you've brought into my life, ever since the day we met. Even more so now, now that we're a couple."
Lois reached out toward him and captured his body in a hug. "I love you too, Clark."
Clark's heart began to race. Had he heard her correctly? She, the woman of his dreams, returned the eternal love that blazed in his heart?
"You do?"
"Of course I do. Why do you think I wanted to know how you felt, lunkhead?"
Clark chuckled. "Lunkhead?"
Lois nodded. "Lunkhead," she confirmed for him. "Someone who's just been told that his girlfriend loves him, but hasn't yet taken the opportunity to kiss her."
Clark's eyes slid shut as his smile broadened and he moved in closer to rectify that problem. "My mistake," he murmured, half a second before their lips touched.
"I love you," Lois said between their kisses, her voice a feathery whisper.
"I love you," he replied, his voice betraying his hunger for her lips.
When they were forced to break for air, they merely held on to one another, as if they were adrift in a storm and the other was their only safety. But they both had grins on their faces. Clark kissed Lois' brow.
"I have been waiting so long to be able to tell you that," he said. "It's been so hard to keep it inside all this time."
"Why didn't you? I mean, we've been dating for nearly two months."
"I know," he said, dipping his head in a single nod. "But, I guess I was afraid. I didn't know how you'd react. I didn't know if you felt the way I do. I didn't know if it was too soon...if I might have scared you off. I didn't want to seem like I was pressuring you either...that I was asking for...I don't know...some kind of commitment or demand for you to return the feelings. Maybe it was stupid of me. Maybe I should have been more upfront with my feelings. This is all new to me, Lois. I've never loved someone before."
"You...you haven't? Not even a little?" she asked, surprised.
"Not even a little," he assured her. He knew he'd told her before, when he'd admitted his previously virgin state, that he'd never been in love, but her voice had been so small and meek sounding that he knew she needed to hear it again. "There's never been another and there never will be."
"It's funny," Lois said after a moment, as a smile crept across her features. "I've dated. I've thought I was in love before. I've even slept with people to try to make the relationship work. But being with you...it's made me realize...those other guys...I didn't love them. Not really. Not the way I love you."
A knock sounded at the door. Lois shot a dagger look at it. Clark knew she hated the interruption, so he looked to her to see if he should answer it.
"Lois? It's Lucy," came the muted voice from the other side of the thick wood. "Are you home? You should be. I called you earlier."
Clark stood and went to answer the door, Lois trailing him.
"Hi, Lucy," Lois said as the door swung open to reveal Lucy standing in the hallway, a couple of suitcases on the floor beside her.
"Hi, sis!" Lucy said energetically. "And you are...?"
"Clark," Clark replied, holding a hand out, which she took and shook.
"Oh! Hi!" she said, though in a guarded manner. "So, you're the guy my sister's always talking about." She stepped into the room. Clark grabbed her bags for her, pretending to struggle a bit.
"You talk about me?" he asked, enjoying the way Lois squirmed.
"Well, at first she complained about you," Lucy said, flopping down, cross-legged, on the couch. "Then, all of a sudden, she was raving about her best friend. Now...well, even that's changed," she said cryptically.
"He already knows that I love him," Lois said, sitting down next to her sister.
"About time," Lucy snorted with mock distaste. "She's been nuts over you for approximately forever."
"She has?" Clark asked, thoroughly surprised.
Lucy nodded. "Oh, God. You should have heard the way she'd talk about you. 'Clark and I went to investigate this guy and you should have seen the way he handled things. He's such a great person to deal with skittish sources.' Or 'Clark brought in the best croissants. He's just the best that way.'" She looked over and grinned wolfishly at her sister. "Right, sis?"
Lois rolled her eyes. "I guess, maybe, it was a little obvious."
"To Lucy, at least," Clark said in mock complaint. "I had to wait until tonight for all the gushing."
"Watch it, Farm Boy," Lois said with a grin, her finger raised as though in warning. "I can still take it all back."
Clark chuckled. "Unless you have a time machine stashed someplace..." He shrugged. "Anyway, I should probably go. You two should spend some time together. I know Lois has been looking forward to your arrival, Lucy."
Lucy nodded. "I'm sure we'll be crossing paths again."
"I look forward to it," Clark said truthfully. He really did want to get to know the woman who would one day - he hoped - be his sister-in-law.
"You don't have to go, you know," Lois said.
"It's okay. Really. I want you two to be able to spend some time together. I'll call you tomorrow night, okay?"
"Okay," she said, rising from the couch as he got up from his own seat. "I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too."
"I love you."
"And I love you," he replied. He leaned in and kissed her deeply, though he was painfully aware of Lucy's attempt to look away and give them a moment of privacy. Too soon, he pulled away from her. "Goodnight, Lois."
"Night, Clark."
"Goodnight, Lucy. It was nice meeting you, brief as it was."
"You too. We'll all do dinner some night," she replied.
"Sounds like a plan."
Clark grabbed his jacket, tucking it into the crook of his left arm and left Lois' apartment. Once he was outside of the building, he found an empty alleyway and changed into the flashy blue and red of his Superman costume. A quick patrol of the city would give him something to do and peace of mind that all was well in the place he proudly called his home.
As if on cue, he heard a call for help. He took off like a shot, pausing once he was above Lois' building for a brief couple of heartbeats to locate the direction the cry had come from. A second later, it was repeated and he was on his way across town to where an older woman was being mugged at knife point. Clark easily disarmed the man and turned him over to the local police department. The woman had suffered a few deep lacerations to her arm, so Clark brought her to the closest emergency room to have the wounds cleaned and stitched closed. Then he tended to a car fire, in which, luckily, no one had been hurt. He extinguished the blaze with one prolonged blast of super breath, moved the vehicle to the side of the road where it would be out of the way, then brought that family to the hospital as well, in case they had inhaled smoke.
After that, he returned back to his apartment and called his parents. It had been a few days since he'd last gotten an opportunity to do so, and it was good to catch up with them. He lingered on the phone, prolonging the inevitable return of silence to his apartment. But finally he ran out of things to talk about. He climbed into bed with a book and soon fell asleep, only to spend the night dreaming about Lois.
***
"Hi there," Lois said as Clark made his way to his desk, a few days later.
"Hi," he said, pausing to give her a quick peck on the lips.
"You're late," Lois observed.
Clark checked his watch. "Only by five minutes." All things considered, he thought being late by only five minutes was pretty good. That apartment fire had been brutal. He'd been at the scene nearly three hours, between rescuing people, quenching the blaze, recovering those who hadn't made it, and giving statements to the press. "It was worth it though. I snagged an exclusive with Superman about that fire."
Lois nodded. "That was nice of him."
Clark shrugged. "It's good to have friends," he said, making it no big deal.
It's even better when you have firsthand knowledge of the story, he thought with a mental grin.
"I told Perry you'd be in late, that you'd called and said you'd grabbed the story. How was it?"
He'd called her on the way in, once Superman had officially left the scene.
"Bad," Clark said. "Superman said that he'd counted twenty dead."
"Oh, God," Lois breathed, horrified.
Clark nodded. "The vast majority of the residents escaped, but at least half of them had severe and/or critical injuries. It's so bad they had to divert some of the least severe cases from Metropolis General's burn unit to others."
"What caused it? Do we know yet?"
"The fire chief I spoke with said it appeared to be arson."
"Who would do a thing like that?" Lois wondered.
Clark shrugged. "I don't know. But he also said it appeared to have been started in or near the landlord's apartment."
"Either someone had an axe to grind with him, or he's the landlord from hell," Lois supplied.
"I don't know," Clark said with a sad shake of his head. "Anyway, did I miss anything here?"
"Same old same old," she said, though he caught some reservation in her voice.
"Everything okay?" he asked. "I mean, with you?"
"I'm fine," she said, but he didn't quite believe her. Something was off with the tone of her voice.
"Are you sure?"
Lois nodded. "Just...have a lot on my mind, that's all."
"Lucy driving you nuts?" he guessed.
"A little, but it's not so bad...yet," she said. "She's only been in town for five days. She's looking for a place of her own, but so far every place in her price range is a dump."
"Do you want me to keep my ears open?" Clark offered.
Lois shrugged. "If you want. I told Henry to keep me posted if anything comes across the classifieds desk."
He nodded thoughtfully. "Good idea."
He retreated to his desk as Lois' phone rang. While he waited for his computer to turn on, he watched her worry a pencil eraser with her teeth as she listened to whatever it was that Bobby Bigmouth had called to tell her. Clark knew something was wrong, and it was driving him crazy not knowing what it was that was bothering Lois. Had he done something to offend her? He hadn't even seen her the day before. She'd spent the whole day with Lucy once again. He hadn't even had a chance to talk to her on the phone, as the two sisters had planned on a late movie.
For a while, he distractedly worked on the fire story. He knew the finished product wasn't very good. Perry was going to be angry with him if he didn't whip the article into something usable, and soon. He sighed and began the painstaking process of editing, but he couldn't focus. Stretching, he stood and made his way over to the break area for a cup of coffee and a donut. He made two cups of coffee - one for himself and one for Lois. He didn't see any donuts that she liked, so he ate his while he made his way back to where their desks were.
"Coffee break?" he asked as he rounded her desk and placed the mug before her.
"Oh, uh...thanks," she said, taking what looked to be an obligatory sip.
"Lois, what's going on? I know something's bothering you. I want to help, if I can," he said gently, sitting on the edge of her desk.
Lois sighed heavily, a sound that made Clark's heart sink. "Can't it wait, Clark?"
"That's up to you. But, the way I see it, why carry...whatever it is...around, alone, all day, if there's a chance that I can help now?"
She chewed her lower lip in indecision. Finally, after what felt like a small lifetime, she shook her head. "Not here." She glanced around the bullpen. "Maybe you're right though. Maybe I should just...you know...get it out in the open. Can we talk in the conference room?"
"Sure," Clark said, though the way Lois had spoken now had him feeling apprehensive. "After you," he added, sweeping his hand before him in a show of false confidence.
She nodded and grabbed her purse. That was odd, Clark knew. She never took that with her unless they were heading out to a story. A knot formed deep in his stomach. Things were getting stranger and more ominous by the second. She didn't even take her coffee with her. She almost never left that behind, unless it was a particularly bad cup. And Clark knew he'd made it exactly to her liking. She always drank the coffee he made her, and often hinted that a second cup would be more than welcome.
Together, they walked to the conference room, Lois leading the way and Clark trailing. Worry weighed him down, though he kept his face meticulously neutral. He waved off Jimmy's advance as the man came to either tell them something or ask them about something. Luckily, the younger man took the subtle hint, veered off his chosen path, and went on to do something else entirely different.
"Lois," Clark said, as they entered the conference room. He shut the door gently behind them. "What's going on? Is something wrong? Did I do something wrong?"
She didn't answer right away. She merely gazed out of the large glass windows and into the bullpen at large.
"Because if I did," Clark continued, unsure of if he should keep his distance from her or to approach, "I'm sorry."
She sighed again, a sound that came up from the depths of her very soul. "No, Clark. You didn't do anything wrong."
"So...then, what? Is everything okay with your family?"
"It's not that," Lois said, finally peeling her eyes away from the bustling newsroom. "It's just...we need to talk."
Clark sat in a chair. "I'm listening."
Lois seemed to contemplate the high back of the chair opposite from him but remained standing. "I was watching TV the other night."
When she paused, Clark shrugged in an attempt to lighten the heavy atmosphere. "Everyone does that," he joked.
Lois shook her head. "This commercial came on. You know the ones. The late night ones. It was for a...ah...product. For....intimate...uh...diseases."
"Oh." It was the best Clark could come up with.
"And it got me thinking," Lois went on with her confession. "We didn't...that is...we weren't safe. I mean, I know you said you've never...but with what Lex had done the night before...I got scared. So yesterday morning, I saw my doctor. Just to be sure, you understand. I couldn't stand the idea that maybe Lex had passed something on...and that maybe I unwittingly passed something to you."
"Lois, I don't think..." he started to say, but she cut him off before he could speak another word.
"Well, she ran a bunch of tests and blood work and the like. Somehow, I'm clean. Maybe Lex is usually more...protected? I mean, I'm sure he's...you know. He's a billionaire. He can have anyone he wants."
"That's great news," Clark said. "So...why are you so upset?"
"Because the doctor did find one thing."
"What's that?" Clark asked, his stomach dropping to the floor in fear.
Please, God, let Lois be okay. I can't live my life without her.
"I'm...I'm...pregnant."
To Be Continued...
