Shouts of elation could be heard throughout the entire city as the population rejoiced in Superman’s victory over the deadly Nightfall asteroid. He’d almost completely obliterated the massive rock when he’d made contact. It had been confirmed that the largest piece had been thrown away from Earth and Nightfall no longer posed a threat to the planet. The world, thanks to the selfless acts of a super man, would live on.

All but one woman celebrated mankind's victory. She sat at her desk in the small makeshift newsroom of a rented building across from the Daily Planet. Construction crews had been hard at work to restore the majestic old building to its former glory. In the meantime, daily editions rolled off the presses set up in the temporary home. Lois stared out the window, unable to join in as her fellow humans rejoiced their continued survival. She didn’t share their joy because of the piece of paper she held in her hand.

Lois had returned to the Planet from Eprad, after watching Superman’s departure with the rest of the gathered news media, to find a letter on her desk. Inside was a note from Clark. After two weeks of worrying, calling everywhere looking for him, searching his apartment for clues to where he could be, and constant frustration, she’d finally heard from him.

‘Lois,

I realize I’m probably the last person you might want to hear from, but I felt I owed you some kind of explanation. There’s so much to tell and I fear there won't be enough time. So, where do I start?

I need to say that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the way our relationship fell apart; I'm sorry for walking away without a word; I'm sorry about Lex and not being there for you; And I'm sorry for the pain I'm about to cause you. Things have changed, and they can never be the same again.

I was there, on your wedding day. I was dressed and prepared to swallow my pride to support you, but at the last minute I couldn't force my feet to step into the building. But I watched as you came out. I saw your smile... and your husband. You'd started a new life and it didn't include me. The pain was almost intolerable, so I fled. I packed a bag and just went. I wanted to get as far away from you as I could.

For over a year I've worked beside you. We've sure been through our share of laughter and regret. We've had our bad days and more than once we've disagreed. There were times I thought you just liked to fight. I still don't know why things happened like they did, but until that day, until Luthor, you'd always been a friend to me. Another time I might have remained your friend, able to support you and the decision you'd made. But you see, Lois, I didn't just work beside you. I loved you, longed for you. There was no way I could force myself to be happy for you and your new marriage. While I will always mourn the passing of the relationship we shared, I can't go back. I fear I might not survive the next heartbreak you'd deal. And you'd surely deal it because I could never be more than just your friend.

I hadn't read about Luthor's arrest until just yesterday. I know you must be devastated. A lesser man might say 'I told you so', but I'll simply say I'm sorry. I do wish you well and I pray that you find peace and happiness again some day.

For all we've shared I felt you should be introduced to Clark Kent. Not the man you thought you knew, but the real me. You see, life has blessed me with a biology unlike any other on this world. In fact, it wasn't even this world that afforded me these abilities. I'd plunged so far into despair following your wedding, I'd made the decision to stop using those gifts. That decision has recently been taken from my hands. Nightfall threatens us all, and I'm afraid I am the world's only hope. By the time you read this, I hope that I've managed to avert catastrophe.

I've struggled with the decision to tell you this for so long. I've also agonized over your feelings for a cartoon character I've created. Lois, dearest Lois, why couldn't you have seen me? Why couldn't you have meant those words you spoke that night in your apartment? My feelings remain unchanged, even after all that's happened. That's why I've chosen to stay away. For once, I've chosen self preservation over the needs of others.

However, the needs of billions are not worth me remaining hidden away in my guilt and agony. I have every faith that I will be successful. If, however, for some reason anything goes wrong, always remember that you have been truly loved. When tomorrow dawns clear and remains so, after Nightfall is destroyed, I will say good-bye publicly. And to you now, privately, I say good-bye. I have loved you from the beginning, but I cannot live day after day within reach of you and never being allowed to touch. I will also love you till the end.

Live well, Lois, and be happy.

Clark'

She sat there in stunned silence for so long after she'd read his letter. Everything made sense. It all came together. The past year was explained even while tons of new questions sprang up.

How had she been so blind? How had she not seen?

A silent tear was wiped away as she glanced at the crowd around her. The human population was happy to be alive and even happier to know they'd live to see another day. Superman had done it. He'd unselfishly flown out into space and destroyed the asteroid. The world would live. But for Lois, her small world was falling apart. Clark had been her best friend, the only person she had ever been able to work with. He'd accepted her for who she was, gently coaxing her from her shell. Time and again, he'd been the one to take her hand when she felt she'd lost her way. He'd given her a piece of his very soul. Yet, she'd never known him at all. Blinded by fantasies of a 'God in a cape', Lois had been unable to connect her friend to that mythical hero she worshipped. She'd admitted that Clark was a lot like Superman, even while she'd shielded the developing feelings within her heart. Now she might never again know the feeling of absolute contentment like she got from simply looking at his face.

Superman had offered himself up as hope for a dying world. Clark had flown out into the blackness of space, even though his heart and mind was heavily weighted with unbearable pain, and faced a frightening enemy. In doing so, he might have paid the ultimate price. There had been no word from the super hero since he'd taken off from Eprad. He'd disappeared from radar just after his final transmission. Nothing but static remained on his radio. A short two hours later, the media was already beginning to speculate that facing Nightfall might have cost Superman his life. And if Superman was dead, that meant Clark was dead.

Lois sniffed again and rose to stand at the window.

<Why? Why hadn't I seen?> She'd grown up hearing 'tomorrow may be too late', but had never given it much thought. Yet another mistake in an ever growing list.

++++

Miles away from Metropolis, a naked man sat up in a car sized crater. He'd ripped through the air in a blaze of fire to land with unforgiving force in the middle of a shipping yard. He searched his surroundings, only to find empty box cars flanking either side of the hole he was in. Dazed from his recent journey, he could only scratch his head absently.

"Hey, buddy, you okay?"

The man looked up at the concerned face of an older gentleman peering down at him. "I... I think so."

"What the hell happened?"

The naked man looked around for a minute before he answered. "I'm not sure. I woke up here, and my head hurts pretty bad."

"I'd say you were robbed," the older man answered as he extended a hand down to the stranger. "C'mon. I got some clothes that should fit ya' in my car."

With a slight blush, the confused young man was led in the direction of a nearby boxcar. He gratefully covered himself with the clothes offered by the older man.

"Name's Pete," the old man told him. "What's yours?"

For a moment it seemed the younger man wasn't going to answer, as if he didn't know who he was at all. Finally a name came to him and he smiled in relief. "Charlie. My name's Charlie."

"Well, glad to meet you Charlie." They shook hands, then Pete managed to dig out a pair of shoes that would fit Charlie. "So, Charlie, if you can't remember how you got in that hole, can you at least remember where ya' from?"

"I'm a drifter. At least I have been for the last few years. I've been working on merchant ships mostly."

"You in luck then. The docks is just a mile over yonder." A frail hand pointed in the distance to indicate where he meant. "After we catch breakfast at the mission in the mornin', I'll walk ya' over an' see if we can't get ya' on another ship."

"Thanks, Pete. That sounds great!"

Pete didn't have much to offer in way of hospitality, but he shared his boxcar for the night with Charlie. The following day the men shared breakfast just as the older man had said, then ventured to the docks. With a grateful handshake, Charlie told Pete good-bye. The Captain of the Lydia Dalton was more than happy to take aboard another sailor with a strong back. Still a bit confused from his strange awakening the night before, Charlie stood on the deck of the small merchant ship gazing out to sea. He was sure with time all his confusion would be cleared up. Until then, he had a job and with it came a place to stay. What more could he need?

++++

Lois adjusted her sunglasses as she drove along the coast in the beautiful late summer sun. It had been over two years since her wedding to the most evil creature alive, but still she hadn’t recovered. It had taken her almost a year for her divorce to be finalized. Lex had adamantly refused to severe ties with Lois willingly. She'd written an expose about him, detailing his criminal behavior, primarily because she'd had to see for herself that the evidence was all there. She'd needed to grasp what had happened and try to put it all into some sort of perspective so she would be able to go on with her life. That had angered Lex and he'd tried to have her killed from within his prison cell. That attempt, along with the many other crimes he'd been convicted of, were enough for a judge to grant Lois her divorce. Still, she'd had to live in his evil shadow. Constantly hounded by the media, she spent more time being the news rather than reporting on it. Even though it had calmed drastically from those first few months, there were still times she wished she'd listened when she'd been told to investigate Lex *before* she married him.

She often thought of the many things that had happened during the time leading up to her wedding to Lex. The Planet had been destroyed, Perry retired, then of course she’d lost her best friend. Clark Kent had managed to worm his way under her carefully constructed walls in the year they’d worked together. He’d become a respected colleague and eventually the best friend she’d ever had. She hadn’t known just how special their relationship had been until it was gone.

Clark had never liked Lex. He saw through the philanthropist almost immediately and had warned her on more than one occasion that the businessman was not who he seemed to be. But she hadn’t listened. She’d allowed herself to be dazzled by Lex’s power, unable to fathom such psychotic tendencies underneath.

And to complicate matters, Clark had to go and confess he was in love with her just before her wedding. When she’d told him as gently as possible that she didn’t feel the same way about him, he’d been hurt. Ultimately, both had been unable to deal with their pain and had allowed the other to slip from their lives. She'd said yes, married the biggest criminal in the country, and hadn't even known it. She'd said yes even though she'd thought of Clark as she made her way down the aisle toward her future husband. Lois had even been disappointed because Clark hadn't come to support her decision. After, Lex had swept her away to a dream honeymoon. There had been extreme trepidation on her wedding night, but she's managed to survive. Three short days later, just as her nervousness had started to settle, Lex had been arrested. The following days were filled with confusion, nausea, guilt, and unbelievable reality. Clark had been right all along.

Why hadn’t she listened to him?

He hadn’t been there. Clark hadn’t been there... at the wedding... after, when she was alone and reeling from everything that had happened. Oh, how she’d wanted Clark-- how she’d needed him. Hours of crying over her disastrous mistake had followed. Then she’d tried calling Clark. She'd needed to see him-- needed to tell him how sorry she was and beg his forgiveness. She'd needed her best friend back.

But he hadn’t been home. He hadn’t been anywhere.

Lois called for days with no luck. She’d called his parents, had even yelled for Superman because she knew he and Clark were close and she was desperate enough to face Superman again despite her embarrassment, if he would just get a message to Clark. Her efforts had been in vain though; it seemed the caped hero had disappeared as well. Of course, Lois didn’t really want to see Superman, not after having made a complete fool of herself when she’d confessed her love for him. He’d rejected her, of course. How could she have expected anything more? He belonged to the world, and she could only fantasize about him being with her.

Superman hadn’t come though. It seemed he’d disappeared, too.

Worry turned to horror for at least one of the men Lois sought out when a Kryptonite infused cage had been discovered in the wine cellar of Lex Towers. There had been no one inside, but since Superman hadn’t surfaced, Lois began to wonder if he’d met his demise. Luthor wasn’t forthcoming with any explanation. However, the Caped Wonder finally did surface when the Nightfall asteroid threatened to end life on the planet. He came forth to do what he could to keep that from happening, and he had done just that. He'd saved the world... and had broken Lois Lane's heart all over again.

In the form of a letter, Lois was introduced to the real Clark Kent, aka Superman. She'd received the letter after he'd taken off from Eprad to face Nightfall. His confession piled more confusion on top of the already overflowing load she carried each day. How had things gotten so out of control? A question she asked herself every single day, but had yet to find an answer.

The Planet had been rebuilt; she’d won another award for investigative journalism; had even made a few new friends. There had been a new beau, though it hadn't been very serious, a new apartment, and change of style. She wore more casual business suits, sported shorter hair, had taken an actual vacation or two. She used her days off to write and recently published her first novel. There was a weekly phone call from surrogate parents in Kansas. She'd stood next to the Kents and said good-bye to a very dear friend when he hadn't been found. She was the reporter who had written up the official farewell to Superman. And she'd attended her own parents' second wedding ceremony.

Time had marched on, whether Lois Lane had wanted it to or not.

Now here she was, driving along the coast of Connecticut, in search of a small out of the way town to spend the next few weeks writing another book. Her first book had soared to the top of the best seller list, became hugely popular, but a part of her had wondered if it was because of the public’s fascination with the ex-Mrs Luthor. So now she was ready to try again, to prove that book wasn’t a fluke. She also planned to stay connected with her job at the Planet through a column she and Perry were experimenting with, so her income would still be intact. Why she'd chosen now to do this she wasn't sure. However, she had started to get excited about publishing another novel. Her first one had soared to the top of the best seller lists and was hugely popular among her peers. So, Lois was anxious to find a small place that might stoke her imagination into producing another hit.

"Next stop," she said aloud as she lifted the road map, "Mystic, Connecticut." She shrugged her indifference. "Sounds good to me."