Previously - Chapter 3 Author's Note: There are two songs referenced in this chapter. Linked here for your enjoyment:
Paper Moon,
Unforgettable. Also, one particular scene in this chapter (the last italicized one) was influenced by the second movement of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto Number 4 (
Linked here, cued up to the second movement).
***
Chapter 4***
Lois and Scott made their way to the dance floor, the first lines of
Unforgettable wafting around the room. Nat King Cole. She smiled up at Scott, who, at six feet, he towered over her. He had recently developed a Nat King Cole fascination, around the same time he started wearing a treble clef around his wrist. His new interest was enough that he was constantly singing songs around her. She asked him about it the other day and was touched to hear that he did it in memory of his sister.
“It's been a fantastic evening, Lois. Something this enchanting could only come from the mind of a woman. You really outdid yourself,” Scott complimented, smiling at her.
“It was nothing. You know Lex, I had plenty of assistants to take care of most of it for me. But I do like telling other people what to do.” Lois smiled smugly. In reality, she would happily boss anyone around, but she preferred the do-it-yourself approach in many circumstances. “And you. You seem to be feeling better lately. I’m glad to see it.”
“Yes, thank you.” She saw the grief flit across his eyes and dissipate. “But I don’t want to bring down your evening. Tell me. Where did the idea for the decorations come from?” he asked looking around.
The dance floor was off to the edge of the large room, surrounded by vines and twinkling lights. Speckles of light moved in waves around the floor. Between the dance floor and the rest of the ballroom was a replica of the fountain that served as a backdrop for Lex’s proposal. The lights danced on the surface of the water making the entire room sparkle.
“It was Lex’s idea.” Lois looked around at the decorations just then, admiring the effect they had on the room. It felt cozy, safe. “He wanted to recreate the night we got engaged.”
“It must have been an outside affair because I feel like we’re dancing under the stars.” Scott swung his arm in a small arc gesturing to the room.
Her smile bloomed even brighter. “That is exactly what I was going for. And yes. We went for a walk under the stars at night and found ourselves walking into the park. It was very romantic, even when it started raining.” Lois smiled at the memory of the engagement.
He nodded toward one of the decorations and began, “Your paper lanterns make me think of a song.” He let out a small chuckled.
“Nat King Cole again?” she asked, smiling. “What song?”
Scott pulled Lois closer and leaned in as they continued dancing. He took a deep breath before he began singing softly, “
It is only a paper moon…”
Lois knit her brow as a strange sensation came over her. Her field of vision clouded and she felt like she was falling. She tried to make sense of what she was feeling, gripping Scott for support. The song sounded so familiar and brought to mind images she couldn’t quite make out.
Scott continued the song, “
Hangin’ over a cardboard sea.”
As Lois’s eyebrows deepened their frown, she shook her head her to clear it. She stumbled the next steps of the dance. Scott caught her and held her hand firmly and kept them both moving with his other arm around her waist.
“Lois, stay with me,” he instructed. She saw him glance around and then focus on her eyes. “I’ve got you. Keep dancing,” he said as if her life depended on it.
What was happening? She felt sick to her stomach and images of a man flashed before her eyes. She caught glimpses of the night Lex proposed again, but this time the face of the person expressing all those heartfelt emotions was someone else. Someone familiar. It only took her a moment to recall the name.
Clark Kent.
###
May 21, 1995
“You chilly?” Clark asked as he put his arm around her shoulder.
“No,” Lois replied. That shiver was related more to her harrowing experiences this day than the cooling temperatures of the evening air as a storm approached.
“Lois, I’ve been thinking,” Clark began tentatively.
“Me too,” Lois put in. She had made some astounding realizations and had been thinking at length about them. She reached up to lace her fingers with his, feeling his warmth course through her.
“What about?” he asked with genuine interest.
“You first,” she insisted. Would he tell her on his own?
“Okay,” Clark said with a smile as he lowered his head. He paused for a moment, composing himself before speaking. “Sometimes… you think you’re immortal.” He watched his feet as they walked. “You start to think that the people around you are too. And it just takes a second to realize how … wrong you are… about everything.”
They stopped there in the middle of the walkway and Clark turned Lois to face him.
“Listen,” Clark began, looking Lois straight in the eye. “What I’m trying to say, Lois, is I almost lost you and I … feel… ashamed.” He looked to his left and sighed.
Lois leaned to her right to be able to look into his face, trying to bring his attention back to her. What was bothering him so? “Ashamed? Why?” she asked as she searched his eyes.
“I kept pushing you away even when I promised I’d stop.” Clark looked directly into her eyes. “If you died without ever knowing why, I’d never be able to forgive myself. Because I love you.”
Lois smiled at this profession and reached to run her fingers through his hair and caress his face. She could tell he had more to say and held her response until he was finished. Tell me
, she pleaded silently. He took her hand and led her to the fountain they had neared while walking and asked her to sit.
A flash of lightning brightened their surroundings and a crack of thunder rent through the air. She looked up as the impending storm broke free.
Clark lifted his face to the falling rain and with exasperation in his voice declared, “Come on! Give me a break!”
She laughed at the irony of the situation. “You want to go back?” Lois asked while ducking her head to avoid getting rain in her eyes.
Clark looked back at her with fierce determination in his eyes. “If the earth opened up at my feet, I wouldn’t move until I’d said this.” Without averting his eyes, Clark knelt in front of Lois and took her hand in his.
Lois saw what was coming and her heart beat rapidly in her chest. Was she ready to hear these words? Was she ready to answer them? Would he share his secret first?
“Lois,” Clark began, rain dripping from his hair into his face, “will you marry me?”
Lois sucked in a breath as Clark brought out an intricate, beautifully designed diamond engagement ring.
###Confusion was all Lois could feel. Clark was asking her to marry him? This made no sense. That was Lex, wasn’t it? She was just thinking about it moments ago as Lex twirled her around the dance floor. Now it felt like the dance floor was falling out from beneath her feet. Why would Clark be invading this memory? And what secret was he hiding?
“Let them come,” she heard Scott say. He was still holding her firmly and moving about the dance floor. “It will take some time to remember everything. You might …”
The fog crowded her vision further and she didn’t hear the rest of his sentence as another memory overwhelmed her.
###
September 20, 1993
The story Lois was working on had only just begun that morning when a bedraggled man pushed his way into the newsroom attempting to give a packet of papers to Lois. Before she could put any pieces together, the launch time approached, and the Messenger exploded, just as he’d predicted.
When she asked Perry for a task force, he gave her Clark Kent, unseasoned reporter new to the Daily Planet, and while she complained, she was forced to allow it and asserted herself as the leader of this pairing. But he proved useful, trusting her intuition, willing to work. His response to her suggestion that they stay late at the Planet that night to work on the story was a simple, “I am all yours.”
She could see the possibilities he considered in his eyes, but after everything she’d worked for and been through it wasn’t a risk she was willing to take. She even had to correct him later that evening after he’d brought some amazing Chinese food for them to share. “Don’t fall for me, farm boy,” she warned him. “I don’t have time for it.”
On the verge of proving sabotage was involved in the destruction of the Messenger, they went to speak to Dr. Platt only to find something amiss. Clark was protective as they discovered his dead body, then supportive and comforting while they waited for the police to arrive. He even called out a cop who had been tastelessly making fun of the situation.
“The man’s name was Samuel Platt,” he said poking his finger into the cop’s chest. “He was brilliant, a scientist, and someone who cared about others. Under the circumstances, I don’t believe that kind of humor is appropriate.” She watched in awe as he expressed authentic sorrow.
“Sorry, buddy,” the cop apologized, adequately chastised. “Really, I’m sorry.”
As the cop walked away, Lois approached Clark. “Are you ok?” she asked looking into his face to see for herself.
His mannerism exuded regret as if he took what happened personally. “We should have known,” he blamed himself. “We should have protected him.” Did he realize he wasn’t at fault here?
“How?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I don’t know,” he admitted, “but we should have done something.”
Lois studied his face for a moment, his anger and remorse. She could see he needed help focusing on what mattered and she would lead him. “Look, Clark, all we can do now is try and prove him right. We have a lot of work to do.” She glanced down at her watch. “It’s only 5:30. Why don’t we try and get a few hours of sleep and I’ll come by for you about 9. okay?”
She left him then, hoping some time away from the story would allow him pull himself together. She needed her new partner to help prove that Dr. Platt was right, that the messenger was deliberately sabotaged.
###But Clark was nothing but an irresponsible, untrustworthy reporter who put her in the worst position of her career. Wasn’t he? Hadn’t he given her information that was incorrect? Didn’t he ruin her career at the Planet? She had started working at LNN as a result of needing a new career.
Two different scenarios of the same event. What was happening to her mind?
Remember, Scott had said. Was she remembering something?
Her head felt like a jumbled mess and she wasn’t sure what to believe. She tried to look around and focus on the faces in the room but found she couldn’t see any of them clearly. Were they even real? She turned her head back to Scott who wore a relaxed smile and appeared to be saying something.
“…glad it worked. I’m sorry, but you can’t...” She heard the relief filling his voice that drifted away as more memories flooded.
###
September 22, 1993
She had snuck onto the Messenger space shuttle to be part of the story instead of merely reporting it from the sidelines in her ever-present quest for acclamation. Once buckled in, ready for launch, she heard a faint beeping that didn’t fit with anything else. She unbuckled to investigate, concerned that no one else seemed to notice it. Finding the source of the sound revealed a small box with a countdown timer with less than a minute remaining.
“Oh, my God. It’s a bomb!” Lois exclaimed. “It’s a bomb! Someone, help! It’s a bomb!” The shuttle shook as the engines ignited and she ran to a window to see if she could find someone, anyone to help. “Help!”
Thinking she’d have to do something to get the attention of someone, she looked around the small area she was in and found a pair of pliers. She made her way quickly to some exposed wires, knowing that an incorrect reading on any of their consoles in mission control would tip them off. She hacked at a few wires, sparks flying.
She heard the announcement of suspending the countdown. They’d heard her plea.
But the timer continued to count down.
She stood there looking at the bomb wondering if there was anything she could do stop it and thinking about how being part of this story just might kill her. She’d been too tenacious this time. Too ambitious. Too foolhardy. And it would be over soon.
21 seconds.
Just then a man in a brightly colored strange costume walked into the room, looking determined, and found the bomb. Unable to process what she was seeing, she merely stepped out of the way and watched in astonishment as he inspected the bomb.
“He-Hey! Get away from that!” she warned. He popped the device open and pulled at the pieces. “What kind of lunatic are you? That’s a bomb!” He took the piece and put it in his mouth as she stared in shock, her mouth agape.
Immediately, a small explosion sounded from his chest and he let out a belch and pounding on his chest. “Excuse me,” he said politely and smiled a genuine smile.
“What the hell are you?” she asked in disbelief.
He didn’t answer the question but smiled instead, as if he wasn’t sure how to answer the simple question. As they stared at each other, the rest of the crew and passengers gathered and stood in as much awe. He spoke with confidence and explained that he was ‘a friend’ before he proved it by lifting the shuttle into orbit and returning her to the Planet.
He held her gently as they flew, his cape billowing in the breeze that passed them. He held her as if it was nothing to him but with such care to ensure she was both safe and comfortable. The prolonged closeness induced sensations in her that she couldn’t explain and was mesmerized by the sheer unlikeliness of all that had just happened.
When they landed in the newsroom, he looked deep into her eyes as if he knew more about her than she knew about him. She searched his face looking for any sense of recognition. She saw all those characteristics she felt in his flying with her - care, gentleness, concern. She could see he had what must be the purest heart any person could ever have. She didn’t want him to leave.
“I- I think considering the fact I saw you first, you owe me an exclusive,” she said quickly. As quickly as her mind was able to form words. An interview would undoubtedly guarantee more time with him.
“Is that the rule?” he asked, smiling. She was thoroughly distracted by his smile. It blazed, the corners angling in mischief. She couldn’t see anything else.
“Well, no, but I’d appreciate it very much,” she replied honestly, returning his smile.
He gave a sort of half laugh as he turned to fly away. She stood there, stunned.
“Wait!” she suddenly called. “How do I find you?”
“I’ll be around he said.” And with that he flew away.
“Did you find out what the s stands for?” Cat Grant ran up and asked.
“Super…” Lois said breathlessly. “Superman!” she named him.
###That fluttery infatuated feeling emerged inside her and she
knew that this was the real Superman. He was not the distant, unemotional…unreal superhero that she had despised for some unknown reason. He hadn’t treated her like she was no different than anyone else. Now she recalled all the small things, endearing looks, and expressive mannerisms.
What was happening? Scott has said she would
remember everything. But what was she remembering? Stories she’d read, dreams…actual events?
“Lois?” she heard Scott say. But all she could do was shake her head struggling to gain some control over her thoughts. But the foggy feeling only increased.
She was unsuccessful and this time she saw Clark down on one knee proposing again. A bizarre mix of excitement and trepidation coursed through her as she gave in to the memory.
###
May 21, 1995
Clark looked back at her with fierce determination in his eyes. “If the earth opened up at my feet, I wouldn’t move until I’d said this.” Without averting his eyes, Clark knelt in front of Lois and took her hand in his.
Lois saw what was coming and her heart beat rapidly in her chest. Was she ready to hear these words? Was she ready to answer them? Would he share his secret first?
“Lois,” Clark began, rain dripping from his hair into his face, “will you marry me?”
Lois sucked in a breath as Clark brought out an intricate, beautifully designed diamond engagement ring.
She smiled as she looked back at his face. “Who’s asking?” she countered. “Clark Kent?” She pulled his glasses off. “Or Superman?”
###Superman? Her mind reeled. Clark was
Superman? Clark
was asking her to marry him?
Her vision almost completely clouded now. She tried to reconcile all that she thought she knew with these … memories?
She was married to Lex, celebrating an anniversary. But she
remembered something else? Clark had proposed to her in the same manner and she
knew he was Superman. She wanted to ask questions, to understand but she couldn’t even form one coherent question to ask.
“The worst will be over soon.” Scott was still there. And he understood, she realized.
Before she was able to think on that more, she was whisked away into another memory.
###
May 21, 1995
Lois stood in the newsroom of the Daily Planet, scanning several documents that had just printed when Clark was notified of a phone call and stepped away. She continued to peruse the document in her hand and looked up to see the fear come over him. As he pulled the phone away from his ear, she could see in his stance that the phone call was related to what they were working on.
“That was him.” The look he turned to her was filled with dread as he set the phone down and was all the confirmation she needed. “It was Jason, wasn’t it?”
Clark shook his head the slightest bit. “Lois don’t-”
“What’d he say to you?” she interrupted, refusing to let him push her away now, she was in this with him. He closed his mouth with a pleading look on his face. “Clark, what’d he say?” she demanded.
He looked around the room gravely as if contemplating what to do and then clasped her shoulders, leading her to the conference room. He released her as they entered and pulled the door closed behind him.
“He wants…” he began, shoving one hand in his pocket, “you dead … in thirty minutes...” He looked to the floor. “Or he’s going to kill my parents.”
She released the breath she’d held, and he looked up at her face as she looked away and turned toward the table. They had been rash, pressing too hard, and now she would be asked to pay the price. “It’s Nigel, we got to close.” She moved closer to the table and fidgeted with the papers still in her hand.
“Lois, I want you to get out of town, get on a plane, get as far away-” Clark began his desperate attempt to keep her safe, sputtering the words out without pausing between sentences.
But her attention was elsewhere as she considered their options. A thought struck her and she interrupted him, “No.” She put her hand on chest to get his attention as he continued his pleading. “No,” she repeated.
“Lois, please.” She could see the trepidation in his eyes and knew what she must do.
“No,” she said again, making eye contact with him. “I have an idea.”
“Lois, please,” he begged.
She was filled with a sense of confidence as she forged ahead regardless. “I want you to tell Superman to meet me at my apartment as soon as possible.” She reached for his shoulders and pulled herself up to him.
“Lois-” he started to say, but she silenced him, kissing him squarely on the mouth, pushing her body against his, doing her utmost to infuse him with her confidence. As she pulled away she looked into his befuddled eyes.
“Everything’s going to be alright,” she assured. And with that she left.
She knew it would only take moments for her to get to her apartment and talk with Superman. This was important to Clark and she had no doubt that Superman would be there before she was. She was right.
As soon as she opened her door, he stepped in through the open window.
“Superman,” she pleaded, “I need you to freeze me.”
“Freeze you?” Superman questioned, his voice full of disbelief.
“Yes,” she confirmed. She began pacing her living room though she felt a bizarre sense of calm. “Like cryogenics. You know, people who fall into frozen lakes and they get revived? You could freeze me with your breath.” She began walking toward Superman. “Fast. I’ve seen you do it a hundred times.” She stopped a few feet in front of him and met his eyes. “And then I would look like I was dead, and you could take my body-”
“Lois!” he interrupted, shaking his head. “Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? You could have arterial ruptures, permanent brain damage...” He released a heavy breath, then continued, eyes lock to hers, “Lois you could die.”
A niggle of doubt tried to make its way in, but she pressed on, determined to help. “Yes, I could die,” she acknowledged. She took a seat on the couch. “But Clark’s parents will die unless we help them.” She looked up and saw the hesitation on his face. How could she make him understand how important this was? He sat down angled toward her. “Please, Superman,” she pleaded. “You haven’t seen him. You don’t know what he’s going through. He needs me! And I have never needed you more than I do right now. You just can’t turn me down. You can’t.”
Superman released a breath and closed his eyes. She met his eyes when they opened and dared him to say no.
“Alright,” he finally agreed. He stood up slowly then.
As the realization of what was about to happen sunk in, she stood up and released a shaky breath. There was one more thing she needed to say, just in case. “If…anything happens,” she breathed, “tell Clark that I love him.”
Superman’s eyes seemed to see something in her, but what, she couldn’t say. “He knows. But I’ll tell him. Close your eyes,” he instructed.
She did. She heard him release another breath and felt his finger slip under her hair at her ear. He pressed his palm against her cheek and a glaring truth seared her skin as she reached for that suddenly familiar hand. Was that why he’d looked at her that way moments before, when she confessed her love of … him?
Her eyes flew open to find a face she knew intimately, shocked at the revelation. “The way you just touched me,” she whispered.
He stepped back, this time with a look of knowing on his face. “Close your eyes,” he instructed again. And she did so knowing that … Clark … would keep her safe.
###She instantly recalled everything about that moment, the turning point when she knew Clark was Superman. The smell of his hand. The warmth it lent her. The heat in his eyes. The sound of his grateful voice. Grateful, though grateful didn’t quite capture what he must have felt, that she would do this for him without even asking.
And yet, Lex was now in so many of these memories. He was the one invading, changing them into something … repulsive.
Her memories of things from the past two and a half years now seemed to be in bits and pieces, as if her mind, her memories had been run through a blender. She wondered if she even had everything. What else could be missing?
The fog covering her vision cleared just enough that she could see Scott. He continued to dance with her, a lifeline between this ridiculous flood of memories that contradicted all that she had believed and the reality around her. He had somehow ... unlocked it all … on purpose? What did he know?
She opened her mouth to ask but was engulfed once more.
###
November 20, 1995
They stood alone just inside the closed entry hall, preparing to go outside and address the crowd that had come to see him off. Lois felt a mixture of emotions, from an aching at knowing he would be away from her to confidence he would return, from worry that something would happen and she wouldn’t be there to help him to believe that everything would be just fine. She stood inches in front of him with her hands on his chest, his hands resting on her shoulders.
“I’ll miss you,” she said quietly as she leaned her head forward to rest on his chin.
“I know,” he responded. He moved his arms to encircle her and touched his lips the top of her head.
“I wish I knew how long you’d be gone.” She threaded her arms around him and turned her head and laid her ear on his chest. As close as she was, she felt so very far away, needing to be closer, to hold on and never let go. “That would make this so much easier.”
“I know,” he said again, squeezing her tightly.
She looked up to see his face and the tears in his eyes matched the anguish in her heart. How would she manage without him? Yet she knew it was necessary. This was something he had to do. She had encouraged him when he wasn’t sure. Reminded him of why he needed to do this. Put his needs above her own.
“Lois, I will never stop thinking about you.” His eyes transfixed on hers. “You will be what keeps me going, what keeps me grounded ... what pulls me home.” He leaned in then, slowly savoring this last moment together.
She reached her face up to his, holding his eyes, and brought her arms around to put her hands on his face. He pulled her in as close as possible. One arm around her waist, the other on the back of her neck, trapping her to him possessively, pressing them against each other, eyes locked.
“I love you, Lois,” he breathed.
“Clark- “
He prevented her from saying whatever she would say with a kiss so full of passion that there could be no questioning where his heart lay. She poured her own heart into this kiss. She could stay here forever in his arms, safe and secure.
But no, he was leaving her. What had she been thinking to insist he go? She choked on her breath, suddenly bereft, and a muffled sob split them apart.
“What if you can’t get back?” she asked, terrified, her fears and worries taking over. “Clark, I-”
“No, Lois,” he shook his head and quelled her fears with his courage. “Don’t think like that. I will
be back and we’ll live out the rest of our lives, together, you as my wife and me as your husband. We’ll start a family. And grow old together.” He looked into her eyes as he said this, and she could see it. All of it.
The images were beautiful. She never thought this kind of life would ever be something she wanted - a home, a family. But with Clark, she wanted it all. And she knew it would be so.
“I have to be going now,” he broke in, cutting through the images.
“Please,” she begged. She turned her face downward and closed her eyes willing circumstances to be different. “Just a few more minutes.”
His finger brought her chin upward and she found herself falling into his deep, brown eyes. “Anything,” he said and pressed his mouth to hers once more. She felt herself lifted from the floor. He was everything to her and she loved him so deeply. She wondered how it could have ever taken so long to realize just how important he was.
As he pulled himself away from her, she could see the anguish it caused to do so and closed her eyes at the sorrow on his face. He squeezed her hands in his and slowly released them. She heard the door open and applause filtered in from outside. She opened her eyes just in time to see him turn away from her and step toward the door.
Tears sprung free from her eyes and a small sob escaped her. She could run and stop him… But no one could know, and the open door was a barrier that prevented her from going to him once more. She stood there, watching in slow motion as he walked away from her. He stopped and turned to look at her and mouthed the words ‘I love you’ once more. She nodded and wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly aware of the cold in his absence. The door closed, and she dropped to her knees, weeping.
###Clark.
He was gone.
She could feel the impressive sense of loss even though she couldn’t recall why he had left. And now, she found herself trapped in a tangled mess. He wouldn’t be able to save her.
She felt a tear slide down her cheek.
The mist lifted and allowed her to finally focus on Scott’s face. She saw him smile softly as he whispered, “Clark Kent didn’t leave, Lois.”
A lump formed in her throat. Could he possibly know what she’d just seen in her mind? Did he
know? “What?” was all she was able to croak out.
“He is alive and…well,” he verified, continually swaying with the music. She recalled then that they were still on the dance floor, the sounds of the bridging instrumental in the middle of
Unforgettable finally registering in her ears. Had it really only been a minute or so?
The words of the song began again and doused her in irony. She had forgotten … everything. Her heart raced and her breathing was shallow.
“Can I see him?” she asked breathlessly.
“No,” he said with a sorrowful look in his eyes. She began to feel queasy, and it became difficult to hold herself upright. “Lois, you can’t let anyone know you’ve remembered,” he advised. “You have to stick with how things are now.” At her defeated look, he smiled. “Just until we figure out how to fix it all.”
“Who … who…?” Lois started to ask, her thoughts still muddled. She tried again, “How …?” She shook her head and finally settled for, “What happened?”
“Lex.”
His one-word answer was more than enough explanation and not enough at the same time. This man that loved her, who had been sharing his life with her, who was here reveling in their marriage. His conduct and demeanor had been so genuine. But the Clark belonged in those memories. She was sure of it.
“He reprogrammed your memory,” Scott continued. “You
and Clark. And anyone else he needed to so that he could get what he wanted.”
Her mind caught some of the words of the song they were dancing to. ‘
Unforgettable, in every way…’ The music lent an eerie feel to her unraveling memory. She swallowed in an effort to stem her rising discomfort.
“Perry and Jimmy?” she wondered aloud, glancing at Scott again.
“Almost everyone in the US,” he admitted. Scott’s eyes said that he was filled with concern, but he kept a light smile on his face as if none of this was happening. He was her friend, an ally, she had no doubt about that either.
She shook her head trying to comprehend the magnitude of all that she’d just learned.
“How?” she finally managed to ask.
“I can’t answer that now, but you are fully aware of just how bad this situation really is. Do you still remember all the … false things?”
She slowly nodded. So many conflicting memories floated in and out of focus. Some that included Clark would skirt past and then shift to feature Lex and then back to Clark again. Superman looking lovingly into her eyes before acting completely aloof and detached, then sweeping her off her feet. She felt nauseous.
“You must keep up the act,” Scott instructed. The grave look on his face told Lois that there was likely more at stake than she realized just now, causing her to wonder just how dangerous the situation could be.
“I will,” she whispered, swallowing to contain the disgusting feeling of foreboding that threatened to overwhelm her.
Scott slowly led her back to Lex just before the song ended, grasping her arm to support her as she wobbled. Had all that really happened in a matter of minutes? It felt like days had gone by as her world had shifted. Suddenly Lois was worried she wouldn’t be able to do this. Who could she turn to? She felt so alone and helpless.
“Act like your head hurts,” Scott quickly whispered to her as they neared Lex.
“Not a problem,” she whispered back. Placing her fingers on her right temple and rubbing slowly, she closed her eyes as Scott guided her.
“Lex, it seems as though Lois has developed a headache,” he said with genuine concern in his voice. “I think she might need to go home.”
Scott passed her hand to Lex who took it with such gentleness that Lois started. Her eyes opened, and she hoped he couldn’t see the uncertainty she felt. Who was this
husband of hers?
Lex’s eyes looked so genuinely concerned. “Lois, are you alright?” he asked, the concern also evident in his furrowed brows and gentle tone.
“I- I’m okay,” she stuttered. Would Lex see through her? “I think all the preparing for this party took more out of me than I realized.” She laughed half-heartedly. “I just need to lie down for a bit.”
Lex reached out to set his glass down and then grasped her other hand. “I’ll take you home right now, then.”
His touch felt suddenly foreign. “Oh, no, Lex,” she countered. She needed some time to collect herself, figure out what was real and not real, how to act in what seemed like a parallel universe. “I couldn’t take you away from this. One of us should stay.” She forced a small smile to reassure him hoping her nausea would cover any indication that she was terrified of what would happen.
“She’s right Lex, we can’t have both guests of honor leave the party early. I’d be happy to see her home for you,” Scott put in.
“Well.” Lex paused for a moment to consider this. “I suppose I could stay … if you are sure you are alright.” He squeezed her hands again and the confusion threatened to overwhelm her once more.
“I’ll be fine,” she said, inclining her head to avoid his eyes. She lightly squeezed his fingers to reassure him.
“Alright.” Lex gave her a sympathetic smile and kissed her forehead where she’d been rubbing it.
His touch to her temple brought up memories of intimacy that she knew without a doubt were true and the intense feelings of guilt she was feeling overwhelmed her to the point that she knew she would lose her dinner if she didn’t leave soon. She pulled her hands from Lex’s and rushed for the doorway hearing his last bit of instructions to Scott. “Take our car, Scott. She’ll be the most comfortable in it for the ride home,” he said. “And stay with her until I return.”
Just outside the doorway, she emptied the contents her stomach into the terra cotta planter of one of the ficus trees brought in for the occasion. She felt horrible both physically and emotionally. How had this happened? Was she the most despicable woman having an affair with another…? Would she find Clark? Would he forgive her for this?
As she stood there leaning on the wall, her head angled upward and her eyes closed considering whether her stomach had any more to rid itself of, Scott came up next to her and placed a damp napkin in her hand. She wondered again what role Scott played in this muddled predicament. He was on her side, she knew, if he had intended to release those memories tonight and tell her that some evil plan was underfoot. But was he really who he claimed to be?
“The car will meet us at the side door, down this hall,” Scott said, gesturing away from the main exit and the possibility of questions and stares.
As soon as they exited the building, the cool, crisp winter air restored some of her composure, but she knew it would be some time before any of this made sense. Scott helped her into the seat before getting into the car himself and they headed … home?
***
Comments go here! Continue reading - Chapter 5
