Wow.
That truly is a brutal beginning. And it's probably about the way things would have gone had Lois worked without blinders and discovered Superman's secret so early in their friendship, before he'd managed to insinuate himself into her heart.
And now she's destroyed Clark Kent pretty much forever, or at least until the notoriety dies down. But I wonder if it ever would? I just finished a biography of Evelyn Nesbit, the "girl on the red velvet swing" who was the mistress of New York architect Standford White, then the wife of crazy playboy Harry Thaw. She first came to fame as a beautiful teenage portrait and photo model, then as a witness in her husband's trial. Oh, did I forget to mention that Harry Thaw shot and killed Stanford White in a theater audience with a thousand people around them? Thaw spent the rest of his life in and out of insane asylums, never able to get a grip on life. And he never acknowledged the child he and Evelyn had together.
Evelyn never got away from being "the girl on the red velvet swing" for the rest of her life. The case followed her until she died at age eighty-two, and she was never able to be herself again. People who are swept up in events such as those nearly always fail to escape them. I don't think either Clark or Lois could ever get away from such a tragic event. They'll be tied together for the rest of their lives, even if they never reconcile.
As for me, I don't think that Clark would ever let Lois die. I think he'd rescue her and treat her just like any other person in danger, but when that danger was past I think he'd be at a loss as to how to treat her. I don't think he hates her, but I do think he doesn't know how to relate to her. It's a sure bet that he doesn't trust her personally, but he surely doesn't believe that she's a criminal. This situation is going to take some serious difficulties to resolve. And I have every confidence that you'll be able to pull if off.
Looking for the next part, where Lois gets in danger once again and has to call for Superman's help yet again.
