I said next week, but I didn't say a full week! Here is part 2. And I'm pleased to announce that I have finished all eight parts. Yay! I will post a new part probably twice a week but it'll really come down to whenever I get a spare moment. Here's the TOC in case you haven't read part 1 and the series TOC is linked there as well.
Without further ado...The More Things Stay the SamePart 2
“Here we are. Home, sweet home,” Clark said, pulling the jeep to a stop outside their brownstone. Lois was unhappy at having to ride passenger but the doctor had been adamant that she not drive or operate heavy machinery for a few more days.
Now she stared out the window at the building Clark had indicated and felt a wave of apprehension. He’d called it home – but it wasn’t. Not for her.
Home for her was an apartment with multiple deadbolts on the door, a large fish tank, and furniture she’d carefully chosen to appeal to the modern aesthetic – never mind that it ended up being rather uncomfortable. Home was living alone or with Lucy whenever her sister ended up back in Metropolis.
Home was not a brownstone on whatever street this was and home certainly wasn’t with a husband she couldn’t remember marrying. How on earth was this going to work.
She must’ve been staring for too long because she felt Clark’s hand on her shoulder. “Lois?” She turned to look at him and he offered an encouraging smile. “It’s gonna be okay. I know it’s not the home you remember. But all of your things are there. You’ve made this your home just as much as you did your old apartment.”
Lois nodded and took deep breath to push away her nerves. “Right. Let’s go inside. I’m tired.” She opened the door and stepped out of the jeep. Leaving Clark to gather heir things and lock up, she headed up the steps to what was apparently now her front door. She reached out to touch the wood and waited.
She wasn’t sure what she was waiting for. She supposed she thought touching the door would trigger some memory or familiarity. But there was nothing. Now she just felt silly. Dropping her hand with a sigh, she stepped out of the way to let Clark unlock the door.
Following him inside, she glanced around the living room and was pleased to see that what he’d said was true . Familiar items dotted the room – her fish tank, her display cabinet, several knickknacks she’d had for many years. It still wasn’t home – there were just as many unfamiliar things as there were familiar. But it left her feeling a bit less like a stranger.
“Did you want the grand tour?” Clark asked. Then he glanced at his watch and winced. “Or we could wait. It’s after 10 o’clock and you’re still recovering. The doctor wants you to rest as much as possible.”
“Right.” Lois nodded and turned away from the main parts of the house. She glanced around, hoping to remember where the bedroom was. Clark indicated the stairs and they started up together in silence.
Lois was actually feeling pretty tired. She still had a dull ache on the back of her head, despite the pain meds. Maybe some of her memories would come back while she slept, she thought, trying to stay positive. At the very least, she’d be able to get a good night’s rest and start fresh on rediscovering her life in the morning.
Clark opened the door to the master bedroom and Lois froze.
This was apparently her room but… she’d just realized… it was also his. They were married. Of course, they would share a room… and a bed. But Lois didn’t want to do either. She just wanted to sleep and she knew that if he was there with her, she’d spend half the night hyper-aware of his presence and worried about his expectations.
But how could she tell him that? He’d been so kind. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings. But she couldn’t sleep with him – even if all they did was sleep. And that was all they would do for the foreseeable future. Just because they were technically married did not mean that she was ready to… do more than sleep with a man she could barely remember.
“Lois?” Clark drew her attention. He had a worried crease between his eyebrows, which was actually kind of cute. Lois shook her head to clear the errant thought and focused her attention on her husband. “We do have a guest room. I understand if you don’t feel ready to share. I can take the guest room. Or you can – whichever you prefer.”
Lois breathed a sigh of relief and couldn’t help but smile at his thoughtfulness. She supposed if she had to be married to a near stranger, at least he was really nice and considerate.
She considered the master bedroom for a moment longer and then turned away. “I’ll take the guest room. It doesn’t really matter to me. I don’t remember enough to be more comfortable in one over the other.”
Clark nodded and opened another door further down the hall. “This one has it’s own bathroom, too. I’ll bring some of your clothes over but don’t be shy about poking around if you need something else. This is your home.”
“Okay, thank you.”
Clark nodded and left her alone in the guest room. It was a nice enough room and, glancing around, Lois could guess that she’d had a hand in decorating. She noted several things that were specifically her style. But it still wasn’t familiar.
Lois shook her head and stepped into the bathroom. There were folded towels on a shelf above the toilet, soap and shampoo in the shower, and toothpaste and a toothbrush still in their wrappers next to the sink. She didn’t know if she and Clark hosted guests often, but it was clear that, if and when they did, they wanted their guest to be comfortable. It was kind of like being in a very nice hotel – not home but with all the amenities of home. If she thought of it that way, maybe she could get her nerves to relax.
That thought in mind, she decided to take a hot shower. She wasn’t sure where she’d been when she hit her head but she felt grimy all over and couldn’t wait to fell clean again. She was also grateful to get the blood out of her hair, though she had to be very mindful about her stitches. She was just glad that they hadn’t had to shave part of her head to stitch her up.
As she finished up and was towel drying her hair, she peered at herself in the foggy mirror. She looked basically the same as she remembered. Her hair was a little longer maybe. But she hadn’t changed much in three years. If she could just hold on too little details like that, surely, she could get through this. She was still Lois Lane. A little bump on the head couldn’t take that away.
True to his word, Clark had left a small pile of folded laundry on the end of the bed. Emerging from the bathroom, Lois noted that the door was mostly closed. He left it open a crack. She idly wondered why. Perhaps he hadn’t wanted her to feel trapped? Lois appreciated the gesture, but she pulled the door shut before poking through the clothes he’d left for her.
There was a selection of shirts, pants, skirts, sleep wear, and underwear. She blushed a bit at that last, recognizing that he’d had to go through her underwear drawer to get them. But then, he was her husband. She supposed that wasn’t really awkward for him at all.
Selecting a comfy t-shirt and some sleep pants, she quickly got dressed and then climbed into bed. She was supposed to be resting. She was tired. Her head still throbbed dully. Sleep was the best thing for her right now.
And yet, it seemed to be elusive.
The bed was comfortable enough. The room was dark enough. But she simply couldn’t fall asleep. She tossed and turned, willing her mind to top running around in circles and let her rest. She couldn’t stop thinking and worrying.
What if she never regained her memories? What if she lost her job because she couldn’t remember what she was working on? What if Clark decided he didn’t want to be burdened with a wife who couldn’t remember anything? What if he divorced her? What if he didn’t? Would she be comfortable staying married to him? Would he expect her to sleep with him? Would he resent her for forgetting him? Did she care? What if she left him? Would she be able to go back to the single life she remembered? Could she hurt him that way? Would people treat her differently? Would they all be able to tell she’d lost her memory? Could she learn everything she needed to remember quickly so no one would notice? What if she messed up? What if…? What if…? What if…?
On and on her mind seemed to spin, never lingering on one question or thought long enough to come up with any productive answers.
Suddenly, a faint sonic boom shook the house.
“Superman,” Lois whispered into the dark, her thoughts finally at a stand still. He must have been nearby.
She hadn’t thought about the superhero since she had woken up in the hospital. Vaguely, she recalled one of her nurses mentioning that Superman had brought her in, but she’d still been groggy at the time. That made it three times that the hero had saved her life.
Or…
No. It was quite possible that he’d saved her more times during the years she couldn’t remember. Given her penchant for getting into sticky situations, she wouldn’t be surprised if she saw him quite regularly.
She sighed. Now there was someone she wouldn’t mind being married to. Rolling over, she hugged her pillow to her chest and allowed her mind to wander back to the first time she’d seen him. She could remember that so clearly. He’d eaten a bomb, for goodness sakes! And then, when he’d flown her back to the Planet… He was so strong. Those arms… that suit.
She stopped her thoughts. This wasn’t right. She was married. She shouldn’t be thinking about another man.
But it wasn’t her fault! she argued with herself. She couldn’t remember being in love with Clark but she very much remembered having feelings for Superman. Ugh! It wasn’t fair!
Rolling back to her other side, she peered at the red numbers on the alarm clock. 1:27 am. She’d been trying to get to sleep for hours. Clearly, sleep wasn’t something she was going to achieve anytime soon. She might as well get up.
Getting out of bed, she grabbed the thick robe Clark had left for her and wrapped it around herself before she stepped out into the hallway. Peering towards the master bedroom, she saw that the door was slightly ajar but the room beyond was dark. Not wanting to disturb Clark, she made her way downstairs very quietly.
She clicked on a lamp in the living room and waited for her eyes to adjust. Then she looked around. The room was tastefully decorated. She could, once again, see her tough on the space. And the more she looked, the more she saw things which were familiar to her. The bookshelf was filled with familiar titles. One of her favorite paintings hung on the wall. And in her display cabinet were her three…
Wait… what?
There were five Kerth awards. She stepped closer to read the inscriptions. She quickly found that one of them belonged to Clark. But the other… it was hers but it was dated before she’d really got her footing at the Planet – back when she was still struggling to prove herself and getting backstabbed by that lowlife, Claude. She didn’t remember winning a Kerth during that time.
She frowned in confusion and took a step back, searching her broken memory for this missing piece. Before she could find it, something else caught her eye – a framed certificate on the wall with the words “COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY” at the top.
It couldn’t be…
Stepping closer she quickly discovered that it was, in fact, a Pulitzer Prize certificate.
And it was hers.
Her mouth hung open as she shook her head back and forth. She quickly retreated to the couch, unable to keep standing due to the shock. All the while, she continued staring at the certificate on the wall.
Surely, she would remember winning a Pulitzer. It was her dream. And the date… just like with the mysterious extra Kerth, it was dated before the rest of her memories seemed to cut off. Why were these two, very important details missing from her mind? She could remember everything else from that time.
Couldn’t she?
Suddenly, she realized that there may be other gaps – that the obvious last three years might not be the only chunks missing from her memory. She needed to know. What else had she forgotten?
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