If You Only Knew
By Carrie Rene (CRene)
Rated: PG13
Summary: Lois tries to help Clark recover from a tragedy yet it seems to cause more friction between them then she planned. Set between Don’t Tug on Superman’s Cape and Ultra Woman in Season Three.
Note: The title of this story comes from the song “If You Only Knew” by the band Shinedown. If you listen to the song and hear the lyrics you can understand where the characters might be coming from. I love using song titles for titles and listen to music while I write since it helps me concentrate and give me inspiration. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: The characters in this story are property of DC, December 3rd productions and Warner Bros. No Copyright infringement is intended. I have just borrowed the characters for a short time.
***
1/15
A crowd was gathering on the streets below the six story apartment buildings. Three fire trucks with over twenty men and women working were trying to put out the blazing fire. Some of the firemen and rescue squad were even dealing with heat exhaustion with the ambulance crews dealing with the rescued families and others in the crowd that were in need. Everyone was dealing with the sweltering heat this July summer night and there were still people trapped in the building. Screams could be heard from the people still trapped in the building. The families of those trapped kept trying to get back into the structure to rescue their loved ones. It was not safe for anymore of the fire department to go inside of the building since some of the top floors were beginning to collapse. The Metropolis Fire Department was need of a hero. They were in need of a man who was invincible. They were in need of Superman.
A large explosion happened just as a flash of blue and red flew by the crowd on the street. The crowd cheered as the superhero began to bring battered members of Metropolis out from the crumbled building. He worked as fast as he could, but even he wasn’t fast enough to save them all.
***
Twenty minutes later the fire was out all of the injured were already on their way to the hospital. The few who did not make it out alive were put into coroner’s van to be sent morgue to be identified. Superman was nowhere to be seen, once the last body was taken out of the condemned building he flew off without a word.
“How was it,” she asked as she felt swoosh of air come inside his apartment. They were enjoying a quiet night with pizza and movie when he had heard the cries for help. He heard the silent alarm at Reed’s Jewellers on one side of Metropolis and when he arrived two police vehicles were on scene with three burglars still inside of the jewellery store. The burglars started firing at the four police officers on scene. One police officer was shot in the shoulder and one burglar was dead by the time Superman flew onto the scene.
After the burglary Superman was off to the apartment building fire. Both rescues had drained him by seeing death and despair. He flew into his apartment with his shoulders shagging and his usual smile gone. Most of the time getting back to his apartment where his stunning girlfriend was would make him smile but tonight he just wanted to disappear.
“Are you okay,” Lois asked standing up walking towards him as he came out from his room dressed in gym shorts and t-shirt. “I turned on the news when you left. I saw the apartment fire on the news. Do you want to talk?”
“No,” Clark disclosed walking past her towards the couch and turning the movie back on. “I just want to get back to our movie.”
“Clark, talking about it might help,” she told him knowing full well that he was hurting inside from what he seen at that fire. The things he had to do, people he had to save, and those he couldn’t save – she knew it got to him.
“Not tonight, Lois, please. Just come sit next to me, hold my hand, and watch the movie, and I will feel better in the morning,” Clark explained knowing that being with her was his biggest strength.
“Okay, but remember that I am always here for you, no matter what you need, Clark. Please, don’t ever forget that, we have been through too much for you to shut down on me now,” Lois warned him having a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach the toughest was about to come.
“I love you,” he whispered as he cupped her cheek like he had done so many times before and then kissed her. There were some things that Lois couldn’t help him with, that he had to deal with on his own. Tonight was one of those things, getting to a scene to late to save the innocent, the young, and the elderly that was the hardest part. Who does Superman save first? And who saves Superman from himself?
***
It was twelve minutes after nine as Clark and Lois stepped into the elevator on the main floor of the Daily Planet. He had felt better this morning after watching the rest of the movie curled up with Lois on his couch. They didn’t talk about his rescues or work; they just enjoyed their night together as a couple. It was one in the morning by the time the movie ended and any other night Lois would have drove home, but last night was different – Clark needed her. So she stayed with him, the perfect Boy Scout kissed her goodnight and just held her in his arms.
“I could wake up with you next to me for the rest of our lives,” Clark said as the elevators closed taking her hand in his.
“How about next time I have something at your place to wear so we don’t have to rush back to my place in the morning to get ready,” Lois commented looking over at her farm boy from Smallville.
“So you’re saying there will be a next time.”
“If you’re lucky farm boy,” Lois stated reaching over kissing him before the doors to the elevator opened.
They stepped out of the elevator as the hustle and bustle of the most prestigious newspaper in Metropolis was working on the news stories from the past twenty-four hours. Lois walked down the ramp to her desk while Clark walked past her to his. Before either of them could even sit down their editor in chief came barrelling out of his office.
“I’m glad the two of you two decided to grace us with your presence,” Perry declared looking as restless as ever. “There was an apartment fire last night on Fourth Avenue, Kent, I want you on it.”
“Perry, let me, take that one,” Lois interrupted knowing Clark did not need a reminder of last night’s tragedy.
Before Clark could object to Lois trying to protect him, his phone began to ring at his desk.
“Daily Planet, Clark Kent, speaking,” he answered. He sat down at desk listening to the person over the phone and Lois knew instantly that something was wrong. The look on Clark’s face turned to horror, he wrote down some information as Lois walked over to him. She put her hand on his shoulder as he hung up the phone.
“What happened,” Lois asked.
“My dad suffered a severe heart attack last night. He’s at Smallville General that was one of the nurses on the phone, my mom hasn’t left my dad since he was bought in,” Clark explained reaching over to grab her hand that was resting on his shoulder. He couldn’t believe it, while he was on a rescue in Metropolis he was needed more in Smallville. “What am I going to do now?”
