Well, good news is...I was able to recover all my files and burn them to a disk...including part 16. 
Bad news is...the computer is a gonner for the most part. Thankfully, my sister's best friend's dad is a computer whiz and will able to rebuild it. Now the question is, will my sister let me use her computer ever again?
Okay, enough of my bemoaning...I want to send out my thanks to TEEEJ and Diane of course, but also, Paul made a surprise guest appearance for this part and will be having a recurring role (as a BR) for the rest of the story. 
He pointed out a *slight* problem with my continuity among other things, and with his help, I was able to correct the problems in record time. Thank you *so* much, Paul!! 
~~~~Part 16~~~~
Wells had returned bright and early the next morning. They’d told him to meet them in Smallville in a few hours. They needed to put their plan into action first. Wells had grumbled something about the amount of fuel he was using up, but Clark couldn’t care less about Wells’s little problem. They had their own to deal with. And it was just a tad more serious.
Clark and Lois had made their way to the Planet in relative silence. They were both dreading what they had to do next as well as his looming departure. Clark looked at Lois’s wary expression as they rode the elevator up to the newsroom. He should have been more insistent that she get some rest. It wasn’t good for her *or* the baby. And neither was all this stress. He just hoped Wells was right about the baby’s future being secure. He’d hate for anything to happen.
The elevator announced their arrival on the newsroom floor and the doors opened. This must be how men on death row felt as they walked the last mile. He shook the morbid thought from his mind and forced his feet to move forward. He had the urge to hold Lois’s hand as they walked down the ramp into the bullpen, but he couldn’t. They had to maintain the impression that something was amiss if their plan was going to hold any water after it was all said and done.
“Ready?” he asked under his breath.
“I guess I have to be.” She smiled tightly, though he wasn’t sure if it was because she wasn’t supposed to be smiling or because it hurt to smile.
If Clark thought he’d been skilled with his acting abilities these last few weeks, it was nothing compared to what he was about to do. They stopped in front of Lois’s desk. He reached a hand up to her shoulder. “Can I get you some coffee, Sweetie?”
She shrugged his hand away sharply. “No, Clark. And please don’t touch me,” she said coldly.
Her words stung, but he reminded himself it was all an act. He raised hand to touch her shoulder, but took it back quickly, hoping to appear uncertain of the gesture. “Honey, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing. And don’t call me Honey.” She whipped around and stared him in the eye. The look was so vehement that he was a little worried it wasn’t her acting.
“Lois! Come on, you’ve been like this for days now! What is it? Hormones or something? Please just calm down, all this stress isn’t good for our baby.”
“My baby.”
“Excuse me?” Clark didn’t have to act much, considering the tone Lois had taken.
“I can’t do it anymore, Clark. The baby isn’t yours.”
Clark’s face paled. He’d have liked to call it good acting, but he was surprised at how much those words actually hurt. The baby wasn’t *his*. He knew that, but... “What?!”
She didn’t say anything. They hadn’t rehearsed this and he wasn’t sure if she’d been planning to say something or not. Her face was tight with emotion and he could feel the pain this was causing her. Maybe she *couldn’t* say anything.
“Lois.” He wasn’t too surprised at this point that his voice sounded so strained. “Lois, look at me.” Her eyes met his and his heart lurched at the anguish hidden there. Pain riddled his voice as he said in a near whisper, “Then who’s the father?”
He watched her eyes wander slightly and he followed them. She was making sure they had everyone’s attention. They certainly did. The bustle in the newsroom had come to a halt and everyone was now standing in rapt attention, anxiously awaiting Lois’s response.
Her answer was practically a whisper, “Superman.”
Her voice had been so quiet, so meek, that he wasn’t sure that anyone had heard her. The collective gasp surrounding them an instant later, however, laid his doubt to rest. “What?”
“Superman,” she said, a bit louder this time.
Clark’s mouth hung open for the benefit of their audience. “I... you... I have to go.” And with that, his final line, he turned and fled from the newsroom.
***
Perry had watched the scene unfold from his desk, thanking Elvis that he’d left the door open on what *had* been a quiet day in the newsroom. He still couldn’t believe what he’d heard. It just didn’t make any sense. Clark *was* Superman. Wasn’t he? Perry had been positive. Until *that* had happened.
Lois had blown up at Clark and confessed that she was carrying Superman’s baby. And it *wasn’t* Clark’s. Clark had practically flown out of the newsroom and Lois had left not five minutes after.
How in the Sam Hill had he been so wrong?
At least *some* things made a little more sense now. He could understand now, why Clark had claimed ignorance on the subject of Superman’s return. Lois’s grief since Superman had left, upon Clark’s return, and right up until the skirmish he’d just witnessed was more logical. That’s why she’d seemed so edgy and distant from Clark since he’d come home. Perry had known *something* was wrong, but this, this was the *last* thing he would have guessed. Lois and Clark were just so right for each other. And they were so in love. But apparently, Lois *didn’t* love Clark as much as everyone had thought.
What he didn’t understand was why. Why would Lois do something like that? First of all, it wasn’t in her character. He liked to think he knew Lois better than anyone, maybe even better than Clark did. But apparently, neither of them knew Lois that well. Even still, Perry had the feeling that something was off. Something wasn’t adding up here. Had Lois and Clark had a fight before Superman had left? Had they fought over Lois’s enduring love for the Man of Steel? Had Clark noticed something was amiss when Superman had told them he was leaving, possibly forever? Is that why Clark had gone to Smallville for so long?
No. Clark had been just as shocked as Perry had been when Lois had dropped the proverbial bomb just minutes ago. Maybe Lois had wanted, needed to say goodbye to her hero and the thought that she’d never see him again had driven her into his arms. Had it been just one night of passion? Or had she been unfaithful to Clark all along? No. Probably just one night. Perry liked to think he knew Lois well enough to know that much.
Whatever the circumstances had been, Lois had gotten pregnant, and now everything, Lois’s awful secret had reared its ugly head, and things were never going to be the same.
With Superman gone, Metropolis had already lost one of the best men she’d seen in a long time, and she may have just lost another. Clark might never come back this time.
***
Clark waited for Lois in the alley behind the Planet. He heard her erratic heartbeat just before she turned the corner, and he made another quick scan of the area to make sure no one was around. Her heartbeat calmed a little when she saw him and the next thing he knew, she was in his arms. She buried her head in his chest and sagged against him. He felt her small frame start to tremble and he began to rub her back in small circular motions.
“Shhh, Lois. It’ll be okay.”
He rested his cheek against her soft hair and took a deep breath. They stayed that way for a while, just holding each other, trying to hang on to the last moments they had alone together. Clark tried not to think about the ache or the tightness in his chest. If he thought letting Lois go that first time back in his universe -- back when he hadn’t known just how much he needed someone like her in his life -- had been hard, he’d been ignorant. This time it would be infinitely more difficult. He wasn’t just saying goodbye to a vague impression of someone he thought he needed -- someone he thought he loved -- he was leaving the only person who had ever been a true friend to him. Someone who he *knew* he loved and whom he would never forget. Even if by some miracle he found his Lois, he’d always cherish the time he’d spent here. He’d learned a great deal about himself, how amazing his life could be. When he got home, he knew he’d be lost without her. He’d be stripped of his anonymity again, thrown back into a life he knew now, more than ever, lacked a wealth of happiness.
He’d live. He’d survive, just as he always had. And he knew he’d worry about Lois. Far more than he should, but she was a part of him now. His best friend. He wouldn’t be able to *not* worry about her. He just hoped that her Clark returned soon. She deserved to be happy. *One* of them needed to be happy.
Clark sighed and straightend a bit. “Lois?”
He felt her shake her head against his chest.
“It’s time, Lois.”
Slowly, she seemed to accept it, and she looked up at him.
“I’m gonna take off pretty fast so no one sees, so it’s probably best if you put your head back down until we’re in the air.”
She nodded and returned her head to its previous position. Clark wrapped his arms tighter around her and scanned the area one more time. Finding no one around, he shot into the air, only slowing when they were high in the atmosphere above the clouds. He adjusted Lois’s position so she’d be more comfortable, and headed in the direction of Smallville for the last time.
***
Breakfast with the Kents had been strained, to say the least. No one was quite sure what to do with the mélange of emotions. The three of them – Martha, Jonathan, and Lois – were losing Clark, but at the same time, they knew that their own Clark was coming home. Lois wasn’t sure how she was supposed to feel, but the predominant emotion coursing through her was extreme sadness. Her own emotions were jumbled, tangled, fighting inside of her because in some sick twist of fate, she was losing Clark again. Knowing *her* Clark would finally be coming home to her was of little consolation right now due to the whole uncertainty of the matter. But what really tore at her heart was the complete and utter despair she felt radiating from Clark. *He* was the one losing the most in this situation. He’d told her last night that she was his *best* friend.
She watched silently as he shared one of the few *happy* childhood memories he had with Martha and Jonathan. He was trying to hide his pain from them. Though, knowing Martha and Jonathan, they probably weren’t fooled. Everyone was at least making a good show of a cheerful farewell. Lois knew what was hurting Clark the most. Martha and Jonathan. For twenty years, he hadn’t *had* parents, they’d been cruelly and unfairly ripped away from him, and having Martha and Jonathan in his life, she knew, was a godsend for him. They accepted him for who he was, even as flawed and damaged as he believed himself to be. She knew they hadn’t replaced *his* parents, but even still, the relationship was one to be treasured. And in a very short time, he’d lose that. Far worse than her own pain of losing a Clark again, in the same cruel turn of fate, Clark was going to lose his parents once more.
She prayed he’d be all right by himself. Day after day, night after night. Alone. No friends, no parents, no Lois. Oh, God, how she ached for him.
The fateful knock at the door came then, and, for a moment, no one moved. They were frozen to their seats as if by staying still they could stop time, prevent the inevitable. Finally, Martha moved to get the door and, a moment later, returned to the living room with a quite nervous-looking H.G. Wells behind her.
Lois regarded Wells skeptically. She was going to be calm about this. “Mr. Wells?”
“Yes, my dear?”
“I was wondering... If Clark isn’t coming home right away, why does this Clark have to leave? I mean... I understand that, for some reason, he’d needed back in his universe, but why couldn’t you just take him back in time with your time machine?”
He looked shifty for a moment. Like he was actually thinking up a lie. Well, he *was* a fiction writer.
“Well, you see, Ms. Lane, I can’t be sure of the effects on the body – even Clark’s, with his superpowers – after dimension hopping *and* time travel within such close proximity. He really does need to go back now.”
She thought about that for a moment. Something didn’t seem quite right, beside the fact that he hadn’t even been able to look her in the eyes when he’d said it. She was a reporter. It was her job to know when people were lying to her. And Wells had just fed her a large slice of baloney. But why would he do that?
“Wells, I know that’s not true. You accomplished that very task when you brought me home from Clark’s universe. Now, really, what’s the deal?”
“Oh, right. Yes... quite... well... ”
He was hedging. “Mr. Wells!” She growled. So maybe she wasn’t going to be calm.
“Oh dear.” She watched him sneak a peek at Martha and Jonathan, then at Clark, before his eyes finally made their way back to hers. “I hadn’t wanted to reveal this. I thought that perhaps you wouldn’t question me, but... Clark has to go because if he stays here, things may very well become catastrophic.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “How so?”
Wells looked around nervously. “Well, Ms. Lane, Lois, yours and Clark’s relationship is in danger of becoming too... intimate.”
“What?! But I would never... I wouldn’t do that to Clark!”
“I know you say that now, Lois, but things happen. Mistakes happen. And I’m afraid Clark just can’t stay here any longer. I’m sorry.”
Lois didn’t know what to say. As much as she wanted to convince herself that nothing would ever happen, she *couldn’t* be sure... especially considering what had almost happened last week.
No one said anything, and the silence stretched on for minutes. Finally, Clark moved. He sighed heavily and started to make his goodbyes to Martha and Jonathan. Lois looked over at Wells. He was doing his best to fade into the background, become part of the wall, while Clark said his goodbyes. She *almost* felt sorry for the little man, but she still wanted to throw him out a window – one that was really high up. Maybe this adventure, as he called it, would make him think twice before intruding on their lives again. Especially now that it seemed he’d interfered with their lives even more than *he’d* expected.
Lois shifted her attention back to Clark. She pasted a weak smile on her face and tried not to cry. She didn’t want to make this any harder for Clark. Watching him say goodbye to Martha and Jonathan was heart wrenching. These were the only parents he’d known since he was a child and now he was being orphaned once again. She was a little relieved that she could feel the pain emanating from him. Perhaps his own pain would keep him from noticing hers. At that moment, he turned to her with tears in his eyes and the feeling increased tenfold. Then again, maybe it wouldn’t. He seemed to search her eyes for permission to leave before he approached her. “Lois,” his voice cracked on her name.
She sought the solace of his embrace for the last time, and he drew her into his arms gratefully. More than anything, she wanted to whisper, “don’t go.” But she couldn’t. He had to go. And regardless of what Wells had said, difficult as it may be to think about, he couldn’t stay. This was it. The last time she would ever see him. He pulled away gently. Their faces were inches apart.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay, Lois? I don’t want to leave you like this. It isn’t right. I could tell Wells I’m staying. He can’t *make* me go... ”
She gave him a watery smile. “No, Clark, it’s okay. I’ll be fine. Besides, Wells said your world needs you. You can’t let them down.” That wasn’t the only reason, but she didn’t want to think about Wells’s reason for taking Clark now. Ever. She could tell by the look in his eyes that he would give it all up in an instant if she’d asked him to stay. He didn’t need his world. He needed her. But at the same time, she knew he *wouldn’t* stay. Not just because her Clark was coming home, but because he *was* Superman. Superman was a loyal man and he just wouldn’t feel right abandoning his people. “You should go. They need you more than I do. Besides, Clark *is* coming home. We’ll be okay.”
He nodded. “I just... I wish there was some way I could at least contact you, make sure you’re all right.”
That and he’d be lonely. More than lonely. She knew he was leaving that part out – maybe to spare her, or maybe because it was just too painful to think about. She wished with all her heart that his Lois hadn’t died. There was a *slim* chance she hadn’t, but... “Maybe... you have new information... maybe you’ll find her.”
“Yeah.” She watched him bite his lower lip. “Maybe.”
One more thing that was too heartrending.
“Thank you, Clark. For everything. I don’t know how I would have made it without you.”
A small smile threatened at the corners of his mouth. “Thank *you*, Lois. For being a friend. I’ll always remember you.”
A few tears escaped her eyes and trailed down her face. “I know you will, Clark. I know you will.”
He tightened his arms around her again and his words whispered against her ear, “Goodbye, Lois.”
He throat closed up and she had to speak around the lump there. “Goodbye, Clark.”
She held onto him for a moment longer, until she heard someone clearing his throat behind her. Reluctantly, she moved away from Clark, and was grateful when Martha and Jonathan came to stand on either side of her.
Clark looked at them all one final time and walked out the door.
tbc...
