Hi! I'm back again and I had wonderful holidays in a real golden October. So now I post Part 6, like I had promised. My future posts will be weekly, I guess, because the real life is getting back at me and I will be quite busy during the next months.
When I wrote this, I could barely believe how long I managed to not let Lois and Clark meet. But now they have their first encounter and I hope you'll enjoy that 
From Part 5: Someone had beaten up Clark? But why? Lois was afraid that Perry might be right, and Clark had really bad injuries. A broken rib could penetrate his lung. His spleen could be ruptured. Lois knew that he might lose a lot of blood this way. Heaven knew what could have happened to him. It was an awful idea that he might be gone forever some day. She didn’t want to lose Clark. Lois jumped out of her bed and got dressed quickly. Then she stormed out of her apartment to get to her car and drive over to Clark's.
Part 6: Someone tugged on his hand and whispered his name. The voice was familiar. Clark’s eyes fluttered open, and he saw Lois sitting next to him and watching him anxiously. The sun came through his window and shed light on her. It was still rather dark in the room though. He noticed that he wasn’t wearing his glasses. Would Lois guess the truth now? When she turned around and spoke with someone else, he quickly grabbed them. Then Lois looked back at him again. Clark smiled. Lois face showed nothing but worry. There was no disbelief or anger in it, and Clark assumed that she hadn’t seen the superhero in his naked eyes.
“Lois.” He couldn’t hide his surprise. “What are you doing here?” he asked softly.
“Perry called me. He said that you were hurt.” Lois replied with worry.
“I’m fine,” Clark said. He was indeed feeling better now and not just because Lois was there.
“You’re sure you don’t need a doctor, Clark?” Lois asked.
“Pretty sure.”
“You’re still mad at me, aren't you?” Lois whispered sadly.
“Lois, I’m not mad at you.” Clark sighed. “It’s gotten all so complicated lately. I don’t want to upset you.”
“When Perry told me what happened this evening, I was so worried. He said that you were doing really badly. I couldn’t stand the thought that something had happened to you. I could only think of the argument we had. I didn’t want it to be the last thing you see and hear of me.” She sounded desperate.
“I’m not going to die, Lois. But I didn’t want us to separate because of a fight either. I’m sorry, Lois.” Clark sat up and embraced her, stroking her back. He enjoyed feeling her so close to him but was worried that she’d push him away at any moment, so he tried to keep his distance and avoided touching anything but her upper back.
* * *
Lois couldn’t help but remember her dream. His touch on her back felt exactly the same. No, it was even better: his hands were warmer and more comforting. For the first time since Perry had called her, she was able to relax. In fact she hadn’t been this relaxed since she had dreamt of being with him. And before that? Lois didn’t ever remember feeling so totally at ease. But why was it this way with Clark? She still loved Superman, but she tried to dismiss every thought of him. He had hurt her, but Lois cared for him. It wasn’t reasonable, and she knew it.
Lois rested her head on his shoulder and noticed the scent of sweat and aftershave that mixed in a very attractive way. She started to stroke his back, too, and felt his firm muscles under her hands. Had she ever noticed that he was that strong? A brief memory of Clark opening the door to her, only dressed in a towel, crossed her mind. She seemed to remember that he had a very tempting body. Lois blushed and was glad that neither Clark nor Perry could see the reddish tint to her face.
She heard Perry turn around and leave the bed room. They were on their own. She watched Clark’s earlobe and suddenly felt her own lips brushing it. Why had she done that? Lois backed away, surprised by herself. Clark stared at her in disbelief.
“Lois,” he whispered huskily.
“I’m sorry Clark, I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Yeah, you already have a man, don’t you?” Clark said with a hint of anger.
“I’m not married yet, Clark. But you’re right, I have a man.” Lois replied. *And you have a woman, Clark.* she added sadly.
Did she really want Lex? Lois looked at the man in front of her. Where did this strange attraction come from? Was it his slight resemblance to Superman? The dark hair was the same. And she had seen even this boyish grin on both their faces. But there were a lot of differences, too, and not only the obvious one that Clark needed glasses. Superman was so much more self- confident. He was plain and direct. *If it’s not lead-lined it’s a waste of time. * Clark would never have said those words.
Lois was confused, now more than ever before. Three men in her life were two too many. But Lois knew her usual luck with men. While she was choosing one of them, she was going to scare away all three and would be left alone in the end.
“Don’t marry Luthor, Lois. For Heaven’s Sake, please don’t choose that man.” Clark pleaded.
“You really get obsessive over him. Clark, he isn’t that bad. From your point of view, you might think you are right, but Clark, you’re mistaken about Lex,” Lois replied. She was annoyed that Clark had obviously decided to continue their argument where they had left off.
“I’m not mistaken, Lois. I know him a whole lot better than you do.” Clark tried to convince her once more.
“Clark, you’re wrong about him.” Lois said and stood up again.
“Is anybody ready for breakfast?” Perry asked, interrupting them.
“That’s great, Chief, I’m starving.”
“Good girl, you know? Elvis never left his house without a good breakfast,” Perry announced.
“Really?” Lois asked.
“I guess so...” Perry muttered and returned into the kitchen.
Clark got up and mumbled that he needed to take a shower and vanished into his bathroom. Lois was surprised that she was practically on her own. She went into the living room and looked around. She had always been curious what was inside the drawers and behind the closed doors of other people. She strolled through the room and glanced at Clark’s belongings. The perfect opportunity to find out more about her partner presented itself, and Lois Lane couldn’t resist. She opened one drawer, then another…
* * *
Clark stood in the shower and felt the cold water running down his body. He breathed in and out slowly and tried to regain his sanity. Lois nibbling on his earlobe had driven him crazy and had built up the urgent need to get closer to her, to touch and kiss her. If it hadn’t been for Lois and Perry, he might have flown to the arctic to take a bath in the icy cold water underneath the pack ice. But now a cold shower would have to do the job.
He knew that he’d lose her if he showed her his love openly. It had been bad enough for Clark to force himself onto her, wanting her to make the decision she obviously hadn’t been ready to make. But what had Lois intended when she nibbled on his ear? Had she mistaken him for Superman? His earlobes weren’t part of the disguise, and maybe her subconscious had seen what Lois was able to consciously ignore. He had wanted her to ignore it. He wanted to keep his secret in order to protect her from villains trying to get to Superman.
Clark was confused. Not only because Lois had been around this morning, but also because of the attack. He was pretty sure that Luthor was behind it. But his encounter with kryptonite was somewhat mysterious. Was it just a strange coincidence? Had Luthor tested kryptonite on Superman and happened to have sent rowdies to Clark at almost the same time? And what was the reason? Had Clark gotten too close to him? But why didn’t he make sure then that Clark would die? A bullet in the right place would certainly have killed him in the state he had been in at that time.
No-one could tell Clark that Lex Luthor didn’t know people who were able to handle a pistol. He would have been able to make it look like break-in murder or even better: suicide. Lois would even be able to testify that he had been desperate after her rejection and maybe depressed enough to end his life.
If it hadn’t been coincidence and Luthor had found out about his secret, why hadn’t the attackers had kryptonite with them? That didn’t make sense. With that stuff next to him he wouldn’t have been able to overpower them. He would have been completely at their mercy. He remembered passing out quickly the first time he had been close to the deadly crystal.
With a sigh Clark turned off the shower and stepped out. He grabbed a towel and dried himself. His powers were back to normal and he wasn’t suffering pain any more. With the sunrise and a good night’s sleep, he felt increasingly better. A few bruises were left on his upper body but they were already fading. He spun into the clothes he had taken with him into the bathroom and left.
Clark went into the living room. Lois was in front of his desk, obviously fascinated by something she saw there. He went closer and noticed that she was searching the drawers. Lois was indeed rummaging his desk. Clark could barely believe what he saw. Of course he had watched her doing this often, but never had he imagined that she’d violate his own privacy. Weren’t they supposed to be friends?
“What are you searching for, Lois?” he asked as calmly as possible.
His whole life he had been so busy protecting his secret that there was nothing he disliked more than someone taking his things without permission. His privacy was very special to him, and it meant even more since becoming Superman. That it was Lois doing this didn’t make it easier; it was just the opposite. He’d expected more decency from her. He had thought that even though she didn't love him that she at least respected him.
Lois looked up at him with a guilty expression on her face. Her hands closed the open drawer, and she tried to hide it with her body. Maybe she didn’t do it on purpose; maybe it was more a habit, but Clark didn’t care. He felt anger overwhelming him.
“You never know when to stop, do you, Lois?” he asked, threateningly calm as he watched her, waiting for the answer.
“I know your secret, Clark.” Lois whispered, startled.
“And that gives you permission to do anything you like? I can understand that you’re mad at me, but that’s no reason to invade my privacy, Lois. Certain things stay secret for a reason; they are not meant to be public knowledge. But that doesn’t apply to Lois Lane, does it?” Clark tried hard not to shout at her. He breathed in and out, desperately wanting to calm down. When had she found out that he was Superman? He had always feared this moment, but now that it was there here, it wasn’t bothering him nearly as much as Lois rummaging through his stuff.
Being so hopelessly in love with the person he was angry at made it even more difficult. He couldn’t find the strength to apologize for his own betrayal. He had let her believe that he was two separate persons. He could imagine how she felt at the moment. She must be just as hurt as he was. But she had crossed a line that he would never have dared to cross. She had invaded his privacy in a very intimate way. Their friendship hadn't progressed to that state yet. Would he have been equally intimate with her, though maybe in another manner, he would have at least told her his secret, as a sign of deep trust in her.
“I’m sorry, Clark.” Lois said hoarsely. “But why didn’t you just tell me? I can understand that you hide it from the people around you. But why did you exclude me from that part of your life? Did you think it wasn’t worth mentioning when you told me that you love me? Or were you lying then as well, Clark?”
“I have never lied to you, Lois. I didn’t tell you certain things, granted. But as I said, I have a reason. What is Lois Lane, the great LNN reporter, going to do about my secret now? Are you going to publish it?” he blurted out. “Go and do it, Lois. There isn’t anything left in the life of Clark Kent you can possibly destroy. Wait... I could still die for you. And I would gladly do it if that would save you. But you like to get into trouble, don’t you? Luthor owns LNN. Maybe he'd let you have the exclusive after you’re married to him. You can write your own book: Lois’ secret life as Lex Luthor’s slave. That will definitely win you the Pulitzer.“
Suddenly Clark remembered why he had spent hours and hours in meditation. He had visited almost every place on earth to learn to relax whatever the situation. It had provided him with the ability to keep calm regardless of whatever disaster he had had to face. But it hadn’t prepared him for Lois. She had brought him close to the edge so often. But now he felt that he was falling, and that he had been pushed beyond the edge. Clark Kent had avoided every argument since he was ten, because he knew what would happen.
In this very moment it happened: he lost control. It was unpredictable which of his powers would break to the surface and leave him unable to handle it. And he didn’t know which of them would be the worst case scenario. As soon as her voice cut like a knife into his head, and he couldn't understand a word of what she said, Clark was aware that it was his super-hearing that had betrayed him this time.
He clutched his hands over his ears in a futile attempt to block out the millions of voices and noises, but it was in vain. Clark groaned and his legs gave out as all the sounds of the city flooded his senses. It was early morning and the city was as busy as ever. There were planes taking off and thousands of cars driving through the streets. People talked to each other in all different types of languages. He ceased to see anything, and his breath was racking. The pain in his head was almost unbearable.
He felt Lois touching him, shaking him and trying to say something. Her panic was the worst of all. He should have taken her in his arms now to tell her that everything was going to be all right. But he could barely move. He could only moan and hope that he would regain control soon. But as long as he wasn’t alone, his powers were dangerous. But would she leave without getting a satisfying explanation for his behaviour?
“Migraine,” he winced. “Go, Lois, get outta here! Get outta here, all of you! Now!” Clark roared the last part.
Obviously he had managed to be convincing enough for Perry and Lois to leave him. The apartment was a little more quiet, and Clark breathed in and out, concentrating on his heart-beat. It was thundering in his head as were most of the other sounds, too. He rolled on his back lying in the middle of his living room. It took about half an hour until he could just hear his heart.
tbc....
