To recap:
"I think," he said in a husky whisper and then paused to clear his throat, "I think you might want to leave soon." His hand had slipped beneath the hem of her shirt to languidly stroke over the soft skin of her back. God, he wanted to touch her everywhere.
"Why?" She knew exactly why - she just didn't want to go. She was feeling drawn to this more brazen version of Clark. If she went home now, she'd just lie awake all night and wonder about him. There was nothing left to lose in taking a chance tonight. "Don't you want me to stay?"
She wanted to stay. Wanted him. She wanted this to last. She wanted someone to hold, something to distract her from thinking about how her perfectly ordered life meant nothing now. All she really wanted was to be loved, cared for and desired one last time. That was what she had ignored in Clark's eyes and actions all this time. He really did love, care for and desire her. He had all along. Even losing his memories hadn't changed that.
"I may not remember who I am, Lois. But I do know how I feel. And I know what I want."
"I know what I want, too," she told him, her heart pounding at the realization. "I want to stay."
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Part 2/?
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** 24.55.11 to Impact **
Lois snuggled closer against him, hoping he wasn't really asking her to leave. This was the first time since Superman had gone missing that she felt peaceful. She had been exhausted and frightened tonight until she got here. It wasn't just that she didn't want to be alone. She was seeing a new side to Clark - a side she really liked. Had he always been like this and she just hadn't noticed?
"Tell me another story," he whispered, his fingers still tracing idle patterns across the skin of her lower back. "Tell me about Superman. Did he just show up out of the blue one day?"
"Yes, he did," she said. "It was at the launch of the space station Prometheus shuttle. I had snuck on board and was hiding in a galley when I found a bomb in there with me. And then this guy in tights and a cape just swooped in from nowhere and ate the bomb."
"He ate the bomb? Wow."
"Yeah. They had to scrub the mission because the rockets had already fired so he lifted the shuttle into space. I watched from outside the command center since they made me leave when they discovered I was a stowaway. Afterwards he offered to fly me back to the Planet."
"Is he in love with you, too? Superman?"
Lois evened out a wrinkle on Clark's shirt with her fingers. "I know he cares about me. But he always seems to be holding back around me."
"Maybe he's shy?"
"I don't think that's the reason." Lois sighed. "This is just sad, really. You're the one who knows him better than I do. You guys are good friends." Even though the wrinkle was gone, she couldn't make her hand stop smoothing over his chest. She could feel the taut contours of his muscles under the thin material of his shirt. Clark had always had a kind of quiet strength about him; she found herself mesmerized by the physical evidence of that strength beneath her fingers.
"Really? I'm friends with Superman?"
"Yes. You can get in touch with him faster than anyone else. I wish you could tell me how you do it."
"If I knew, I'd tell you."
Lois almost smiled as she rolled her eyes. "Somehow I don't think you would. You seem pretty protective of him, actually. I've asked you before how you always seem to find him and you've never really answered the question."
"Hmmm." Clark closed his eyes and thought about it. He knew Superman? That seemed right. And yet, something felt wrong about her saying he was good friends with him. Why would a man strong enough to lift a shuttle into space need protecting?
He was distracted out of these thoughts when Lois' hand slipped under his shirt to glide tentatively across his stomach. He opened his eyes to find she had lifted her head to watch him, her dark eyes questioning. He touched her cheek, drawing her to him for another kiss.
As their kiss built in intensity Lois admitted to herself that she had sometimes wondered what Clark would be like as more than a friend. If only she hadn't seen him in that towel, her idle thoughts might never have strayed from Superman. But she had seen him. Had wondered. Now, tonight, she was discovering that he was even more incredible than her memory and imagination had allowed.
Their kisses became more demanding and his caresses became bolder. Lois groaned into his mouth and fumbled for the hem of his shirt as she broke the kiss. She wanted to see him, wanted to touch him. Even as her fingers tugged his shirt higher a familiar voice was screaming inside her head. What the heck are you doing? This is your partner! Lois Lane does not do this with her co-workers! Clark isn’t even your type!
Clark sat up, helping her to strip his shirt away. Lois' eyes widened as she drank in the sight of Clark's powerfully-built upper body. Oh wow, he was definitely her type. She had listened to her fears for too long. And where had that gotten her? She was seducing a man with no memory of her just to get a little action. It was a good thing no one would be around tomorrow to judge her.
Clark gave her a feral grin and tossed the shirt aside. Lois traced her fingertips over the smooth muscles of his arms and shoulders. How had he managed to hide *this* beneath a suit and tie?
"How do I compare with Superman?" he asked.
Lois gave him a delighted smile. "Not bad. Pretty damn close, I'd say."
Clark tucked a rebellious strand of hair behind her ear. "I could make you forget him," he whispered as he kissed her lips softly.
Lois shivered. She had no doubt that he could make her forget everything. More than anything she wanted to lose the panic that was right there below the surface. Nothing matters anymore, she told herself. There was nothing left but this moment, this man.
Lois pulled her shirt off, throwing it behind her and took his face in her hands. "Make me forget all of it, Clark," she said with a kind of desperate fierceness. "Please, just help me forget."
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"Just what are you implying?" Ron Fraser didn't even try to conceal the contempt in his voice as he looked at the two reporters. He glanced over at the crowd still gathered behind the police tape, some twenty yards away, and pitched his voice a little lower. "This kind of thing happens all the time. Why, just in the past two years we've had several dogs, a couple of people and even a horse that have been mildly shocked when they came into contact with an unshielded electrical source."
"But this wasn't a mild shock," Lois bristled. "This was an electrocution!"
"Still, we have a very good record. One little electrocution…"
"Two people have died." This came from Clark, who was likewise glowering at him.
"Well, yes. It's unfortunate. You do realize that there are over 100,000 miles of electrical wiring beneath this city. You can't honestly expect that every single inch of the system can be monitored that rigorously. So I'm going to give you a comment, on the record, and then I'm going to ask you to excuse me."
Lois let out a disgusted sigh and waited, holding her tape recorder up a little higher.
"MetroEdison deeply regrets the incident this morning. Our hearts go out to the families of those involved. We are launching an investigation into this week's incidences. The citizens of Metropolis should rest assured that such an occurrence is extremely rare and steps are being taken to ensure it does not happen again." Fraser gave a self-satisfied nod. "That's all. Thank you for your time."
Fraser stalked away from them but was stopped by Ken Randall, the investigative reporter for WMET. Lois couldn't hide her smile. Randall was a shark and no one interviewed by him ever came out of it looking good. Usually she frowned on his lack of ethics but Fraser deserved what was coming to him.
"So what do you think?" she asked Clark. "Gross negligence?"
"Just putting that guy in charge of public relations was gross negligence. That worker was absolutely certain that someone spliced into the line deliberately. And all those incidents in the past weren't as high a voltage as these two accidents."
"Because they weren't accidents." This came from behind them. They turned around to see the same MetEd worker who talked to them earlier. He tipped his head to indicate they should follow him as he ducked into the alley next to the coffee shop.
"This wasn't an accident," he told them again.
"And you are?" Lois asked.
"Kevin," the man indicated the badge clipped to his chest pocket. "But I don't want my name in the papers."
"Okay, Kevin. Why don't you think it was an accident?"
"Leaving aside the fact that the line was deliberately spliced into and run beneath the manhole? The water on the surface is salt water."
Clark's eyes widened. "Salt water would conduct the electricity better?"
"Exactly. Water isn't a good conductor. It's the minerals and elemental traces in the water that conduct electricity. Salt water is an excellent conductor. The police are sending a sample to their labs, you should follow-up with them on it."
"We will. Thank you, Kevin." Lois said.
"Look," Kevin glanced behind him. "Meet me back here tonight at ten o'clock. I want to show you what I mean, but I can't do it with them around." He jerked his head to indicate Ron Fraser and Ken Randall.
"We'll be here," Clark assured him.
"Wear something you don't care about; we'll be going down in the sewer."
"Great," Lois said, wrinkling her nose. "Thanks for thinking of us."
"Now what?" Clark asked as Kevin walked away.
"What about that man that Rachel said pushed them? He didn't stick around after the accident. Maybe he deliberately bumped into them to send them sprawling onto the ground?"
"Let's go talk to Rachel Eames again." Lois inadvertently brushed against him as she moved past.
Clark closed his eyes, leaning back against the wall for a moment to steady himself. If she knew what that did to him she'd never come within six feet of him again. It was one thing when she accidentally touched him as Clark. It was agonizing to be anywhere near her as Superman.
Just over three months had passed since that night. Three months that had been a kind of waking hell to him. In that time she had made it clear to him that she saw him only as a friend. It seemed that night was erased from her memory as completely as if it had never happened. And why wouldn't she want to forget it had ever happened? The circumstances had been appalling. It was probably a mercy if she had forgotten the whole thing.
If only he could forget. If his life had become a waking hell, his nights were even worse. It was a rare night indeed when he didn't dream about making love to her. He was ashamed to admit to himself that, if he had the chance to live that night over again, he would still have made love to her.
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** 11.43.09 to Impact **
He dreamed he was flying. More than that, he was flying and Lois was in his arms, her expression one of awe and trust. They floated to the ground, somehow it was like he was willing that to happen. Then he set her down and she gushed, "Thanks, Superman…"
He stepped back, wanting to correct her. He wasn't Superman, he was Clark - but the dream had changed. They were in a conference room at the Planet now. Lois was pacing. He was throwing crumpled paper into the garbage can. The paper was about to fall short so he blew gently, suspending it in mid-air before stopping abruptly as Lois turned to face him. He felt a niggle of concern. Had she caught him? Did she know he was Superman?
Superman? *He was Superman?*
The dream changed again. Lois stood in front of him, dressed in a skimpy outfit and doing a sultry dance. She peered up at him and said, "I never noticed it before but you look an awful lot like Superman…"
Fear gripped him. Had she discovered his secret at last? He opened his mouth to protest and his surroundings changed.
Lois was still standing in front of him, but she was fully dressed now. Worry was etched on her features. "I'll be back," he was telling her. "We'll go flying." Even as he spoke the words he was memorizing her face, wondering if this would be the last time he ever saw her.
"I hope so," she said.
He went to turn away and she grabbed him, pulling him close for a last desperate kiss. He kissed her back, finding no elation in being this close to her. There was only regret and dread mixed with the love he felt for her. This has to work, he thought. And if doesn't, what will she think happened to me? Will my parents tell her the truth? The kiss ended and he gave her a regretful smile before turning away again.
And then he was flying again, somewhere deep in space, the asteroid looming in front of him. "I know what I have to do," he said and strained for every last bit of speed he possessed. He rocketed towards the asteroid and…
Clark opened his eyes.
Faint morning light was coming through his bedroom window. A thousand memories cascaded through his consciousness. It wasn't just a dream. He really was Superman. And last night he…
Clark was suddenly aware that he wasn't alone in the bed. There was a slender leg intertwined between his own. He could feel warm breath on his neck. He looked down to find a tousled dark head on his shoulder and a small hand resting low on his chest.
Lois.
What had he done? He wouldn't have… but he must have because here she was, snuggled up next to him with absolutely no clue how dire the fallout was going to be.
He was going to have to tell her about Superman now, he owed her that much at least. His only defense was that he didn't know at the time. And she did the undressing first, he reminded himself. She took off your shirt first. You were just following her lead. Maybe the near-death experience had made her see him with new eyes? It wasn't the best start, but they could build from here. Couldn't they?
There was no way. She was going to have the largest meltdown in history when she realized that she had thrown caution to the wind like that. He was going to lose her forever when she woke up. Lois had been more vulnerable last night than at any time since he had met her. He was quite certain that no one had ever seen her that open, that honest or that passionate.
There was no question that he was going to have to go and save the world now, no matter what the personal cost to him might be. Truthfully, the asteroid didn't frighten him nearly as much as what Lois was going to do when he told her she had unwittingly slept with Superman. Would she still work with him? Be friends with him? Or would she only see him as a constant reminder of the fear and desperation she had felt? What was she going to do when he told her the truth?
The answer was simple. She was going to kill him.
Could he pretend that he didn't remember what had happened while he had amnesia? No - she'd never believe him. There wasn't really time to lie here and think about it either. He was going to lose more than just Lois if he didn't get a move on. He eased out from beneath her, holding his breath for a heart-stopping moment when her eyelids fluttered.
When he came back he would talk to her. He couldn't tell her the truth - that would destroy any and all hope of something more with her. So he would lie and tell her whatever she needed to hear. Whatever would keep her from pushing him out of her life.
He took one last long look at her. She would kill him if she knew he was memorizing what she looked like naked in his bed. The chances were almost zero he would ever get to see her this way again. He'd be lucky if she was still speaking to him when the day was over.
"I love you," he told her softly. She slept on, oblivious. He pulled the covers over her and regretfully turned away.
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Lois woke up and stared at the ceiling above her. This was not her apartment. Truth be told it looked an awful lot like Clark's… oh.
She winced. In the cold light of day it was suddenly embarrassing beyond belief that she had taken advantage of him like that. She was more than a little relieved that he wasn't lying there next to her. Why wasn't he lying there next to her? Did he realize how potentially awkward this morning could be? Should she be grateful or insulted that he had fled before she woke up? This was so like him, running off without much explanation. Either his memory had returned or the urge to flee at odd moments was deeply ingrained in his psyche.
How many hours had she wasted? Hours that should have been spent looking for Superman and not sleeping with Clark. How could she have been so unfocused? Had she completely lost her edge as a journalist?
She heard his front door open and then close. Lois tugged the sheet higher to cover herself and leaned her head out to look towards the door. Clark stopped at the bottom of his steps and their eyes met. He held up a paper bag and a cardboard tray with two coffee cups.
"I got us some breakfast," he said, continuing into his kitchen as he spoke. She appreciated that he was acting nonchalant. Lois took a deep breath to steady herself. She'd get dressed and go make one last attempt to find Superman.
Lois pulled on the sheet, managing with some difficulty to free it from the bottom of the bed and wrap it around herself. She came around the corner and hurried over to where her clothes had been tossed aside last night.
"I'm not really hungry," she lied. No sooner had she spoken the words than her stomach growled. He gave her a nervous smile and held out one of the coffees.
"I really think we should talk," he said softly. "Please?"
Lois took in a deep breath and blew it out as a long sigh. "Let me just get dressed first, okay?"
He nodded. "Okay."
She fled into the bathroom, pulling her clothes on with some difficulty since her fingers felt numb. She needed to get away from here. There was a new reticence in his manner, or actually, his old reticence in his manner. Were his memories back? Was he going to read too deeply into what happened last night?
Looking in the mirror she ran her shaky fingers through the tangles in her hair. Was there time to go home and shower? How many hours were left? She had no idea. She had to give him credit - she asked him to make her forget and he had done exactly that.
So what did he want to talk about? If he was himself again was he expecting her to suddenly profess her love for him? She did love him, but as a… well, she really shouldn't say "brother" anymore. She loved him as a friend. Thank goodness there were only a few hours left for her to avoid him.
Lois came out of the bathroom to find him sitting at his kitchen table. He rose as she came into the room and pulled a chair out for her.
"Clark…" she started as she sat down but he held up his hand.
"Please, let me go first, okay?" he asked.
Lois sighed, mentally gearing herself up to let him down as gently as possible.
"When I woke up this morning I remembered everything. Who I am. And who you are." His eyes looked steadily into hers. "And then I think I panicked. It has nothing to do with you, please realize that. It's just, well, you're my best friend, Lois, and I don't want anything to ruin that." He was relieved that so far he hadn't even had to lie.
Lois felt a small glimmer of hope. He wasn't declaring his undying love. This was followed by a flicker of annoyance - was she not worth falling in love with?
"Clark, it really doesn't matter, does it? I mean, we only have a few hours left, we should just be grateful for what we have… or had, I guess. I'm glad your memories returned."
"Thanks," he nodded. "But they aren't all that's come back."
"What do you mean?"
"Superman's back, too. He diverted what remained of the asteroid about half an hour ago."
For a moment she couldn't speak. Superman was alive and flying around. He had saved her - saved them all. And what had she done while he was wrestling with his inner demons to get up the nerve to fly back into space and save the world? She had slept with his friend. How could she ever look Superman in the eye again?
"Oh," she finally said. "That's… great."
Clark, misreading the horrified expression on her face, rushed to finish speaking. "I don't want to say that last night meant nothing to me. It was amazing. You were amazing. And I think we both found some comfort in what happened. But you are, first and foremost, my best friend. I just don't want to lose that."
Lois closed her eyes. She didn't want to lose his friendship, especially over something like this. But Clark was good friends with Superman. What if he told him? Would he do something like that? Could she trust him to keep this secret?
"Clark, I meant it last night when I said you were my best friend. But after last night, well, I, can we just forget it ever happened?"
He felt his heart sinking. Rationally, he knew that the very fact that this morning had gone so well was nothing short of miraculous. The lack of a nuclear Lane meltdown probably meant that his guardian angel was working overtime. But there had been a tiny vestige of hope in him that last night had been more to her than just comfort on a bleak night.
So why was he feeling so crushed?
Clark swallowed the hurt. "Yes," he nodded solemnly. "I can do that."
"But you have to promise me that you'll never tell another living soul. *Ever*. No one can know. We'll never even talk to each other about it. Never even think about it!"
Clark had continued nodding as she spoke. "I promise," he told her and held his hand out to seal the agreement. "It will be like it never happened."
Lois felt a little queasy. Really, it was out of her hands. If he told or didn't tell, she had no control over that. She was going to have to trust him. "Okay, then," she said, shaking his hand. "It never happened."
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End 2/?
