Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic The Scream 1/4

Dear FoLCs!
It's been a long time since you last heard from me, simply because I had
a lot to do. I hope you still remember me...

Today I want to present my fanfic "The Scream" - the first I've ever
written. I've always loved to write: diaries and letters, stuff that
concerned me and my experiences. For everything else I lacked the
phantasy. I've been reading your stories for ages (though not too many,
since my reading speed isn't that fast in English) and have been
thinking about one day writing a story of my own - but again I lacked
the inspiration. One night, it must have been around Christmas, I woke
up suddenly and knew "that's it": before my inner eye I saw my story, a
version of TOGOM, as if someone had narrated it - I just had to write it
down. It was like an intoxication, I had a lot of fun and it was
finished in no time, even though the story is quite long for a debut
feature. Sadly I haven't had a single inspiration since then regarding a
second story - so please refrain from asking me to write more. I just
don't know how to start. Maybe someone out there can give me some
advice?

O.k., enough of that. "The Scream" is - as so often - a rewrite of
TOGOM. I love that episode and I love all the fanfics about that
episode. My story has a lot of myself in it, Lois reacts as I probably
would if I was in her shoes (otherwise I probably wouldn't have been
able to write it, as mentioned above).

I want to thank the following people with all my heart:
- all the German FoLCs, who read my story in german and encouraged me to
present it to you also. Especially Petra (lois13270), who helped me find
the fitting images.
- my dear friend Susanne, whose English is very good and who agreed to
translate my story. Susanne, you're the best!!! I got her hooked by the
way, she also seems to be a FoCL now - she watched all the
LnC-TV-Episodes within 3 weeks and is now reading your archive from A to Z
- my fantastic beta-reader Wendy Richards. I love all your stories and
I'm very grateful that you took the time to proof-read my debut feature.
I appreciate it more than I can say!!!

Well, enjoy the story! I'm grateful for any comment you might want to
make!

Super wishes, Christiane


********************************************************************


The Scream
By Christiane Schmidt <lagsi@gmx.de>
Translation by Susanne L. Siegrist <tigersusi3103@gmx.de>
Rated: PG-13
Submitted: March 2003



Edvard Munch - The Scream


Disclaimer: The familiar characters and settings in this story are not mine. They are the property of DC Comics, Warner Bros., December 3rd Productions and whoever else can legally claim them.
Part of this story contains scenes and ideas from the episode "That Old Gang Of Mine". Any dialogue from those episodes, or any other episode of the series is hereby credited to the writers of "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman". Any new scenes, dialogue and the story itself belong to me.


********************************************************************

Part 1 / 4


"Claaaaaaark!!!"



Lois was stunned. She cowered on the chilly floor without feeling the cold. She stared in the direction of the door through which Clark's dead body had just been dragged without seeing it. She didn't perceive anything at all. Not her own voice, hoarse from screaming, not the pitiful looks she drew from other patrons, not her tears streaming down her face. There was only emptiness. A vast emptiness which encompassed her and gave only room for one thought: "Clark!"



Oh, God, no! Again she screamed his name, but finally the cold and brutal truth hit her: Clark was dead. Shot to death. Gone. Lost. Forever. Lois burrowed her face in her hands and collapsed onto the floor. She wept so hard she could barely breath any more, her thoughts crying ceaselessly "No, no!" and her body trembling in a massive spasm she could never again escape from.

Lois didn't register the mounting noise engulfing her, the music starting to play again or the crowd beginning to move again. No one cared about the sobbing woman in the red dress, obviously working herself into a fit. No one paid the hysterically crying Lois any attention except an elderly well dressed man with an intellectual air. Thinking "This poor girl must really have loved the shot man," he knelt to ask if he could be of help.

"Ma'am?"



The sudden contact of his large warm hand on her shoulder startled Lois. She gazed at the stranger with large tear-streaked eyes, paused for a moment that felt like an eternity, then bolted to her feet and fled from the gambling den. The need for fresh air and the overwhelming desire to just get out of that godforsaken place quickened Lois' feet. She ran and ran until she couldn't go any farther, her heart beating in her breast so hard it felt like it was going to burst and her breath coming in gasps. Just to keep from falling again, she forced herself to keep walking, slumping against house-walls now and then as she went. Thus the once so determined Lois Lane roamed the wet and deserted streets without realizing where she was or where she was going. Her only thoughts were "Clark", "dead" and "NO!".


These three words became so all encompassing she couldn't stand it any more. She stopped where she was and pressed her hands against her temples as if she could squeeze the cruel thoughts out of existence. Like a dam finally bursting, she screamed the words into the black sky as if they could still reach Clark on his way to the heavens: "Clark! Come back! Clark! Please!!! I love you! Damn! Why was I so stupid? Why didn't I tell you? I've known it for so long! Clark, come back to me..."

Her voice failed her on those last words and she collapsed on the wet street.

********************************************************************************

After the gangsters' car had sped with squealing tires around the corner, Clark arose from the garbage dump he had been dropped into by the gangsters and cleaned his attire.



At the same moment, his consciousness warned him that it would not be prudent to be seen as Clark Kent who had just been shot dead in front of several eyewitnesses. Checking to see if the street was really deserted, he spun into his Superman outfit and tried to make sense of his thoughts. What the heck had just happened?

To keep from blowing his cover, his only option in the milliseconds following Clyde Barrow's shots had been to play possum and fake death. He could of course hold his breath long enough to play the corpse convincingly. Another matter was to keep a tight rein on his emotions and not to move a muscle when Lois threw herself with an inarticulate shout of despair and denial onto his body. Oh, God, Lois!

He had loved her for so long. The certainty had grown deeper each day from the moment he first met her. Her pleas almost broke his heart as she crouched over his body calling out his name. He felt her hand on his lips as intensive as any kiss he had ever tasted, it was so tender and caring he almost couldn't bear it any more to feign his own death.



He longed to take her into his strong arms and tell her it was all going to be all right. That he loved her and would never, never leave her.
But already the gangsters were dragging Lois off him and hauling him into the car.

Oh, God, how would Lois cope? Had she gotten a grip on herself? Did she have help? Maybe by the police? Or did she even have the presence of mind to call Perry or the police herself? Or had Al Capone lain hands on her?

That thought stung Clark in his in fact unharmed heart and he couldn't take the uncertainty any more. Without wasting any thoughts as to how he could come to terms with the loss of his identity as Clark Kent, he levitated himself to make sure Lois was unharmed.



He flew into the direction of the club, not too fast so as not to miss any relevant noises. Soon he had arrived at the scene of events and scanned the vicinity with his X-ray-vision without detecting any sign of Lois. At the sight of the spy-hole at the entrance of the club he once again heard Lois' voice saying "swordfish" and a small smile escaped his lips. He had to find her. She was his one true love, she was his life. She meant everything to him and he needed to make sure she was fine.



So he started off into the opposite direction to search for her. Soon her voice reached his super-ears: "Clark!" He took off at lightning speed and tracked her down in no time. She stood in the middle of a deserted street in the port-side of town (how in heaven's name had she gotten so far by herself in so little time?) had her hands pressed to her head and shouted into the night sky: "Come back! Clark! Please!!! I love you!"

Clark was stunned. He held his breath and his heart stopped beating for a moment. Incapable of moving, his only thoughts were "she loves me" over and over again.

"Damn!" Lois' voice softened. "Why was I so stupid?" Her arms fell to her sides and her head sagged. "Why have I never told you? I've known it for so long!" Lois sank to her knees and Clark, even with his super-hearing, had great difficulty making out her last words: "Clark, come back to me..."

Clark was still unable to move, unable to grasp a single coherent thought about how to plan his next move. If she really loved him, wouldn't it be the easiest way to just tell her: "Lois, I'm still alive because I'm Superman and I love you too."? His heart called to him to do exactly that, but his mind told him this would either earn him a hard slap in the face or Lois would break down altogether. The slap he could live with, but he couldn't risk her breaking down considering her already weakened condition.

Anyway, her condition! Clark had already stood for half an eternity rooted to the same spot and stared at the woman he loved who was lying unconscious only 50 yards in front of him in the middle of the wet street. A huddle of misery in a thin red dress.

********************************************************************************

The sight of the ailing Lois on the cold ground brought Clark out of his dazed state. He was at her side in less than a heartbeat, touched her on her shoulder and tried to gently lift her up.

For Lois history repeated itself. When she felt the touch she bolted to her feet and stared with wide eyes into the face of - Superman! "You???"

My god, was she beautiful. Infinitely delicate and fragile and still so strong in her anguish and fury. Her hair disheveled, her face wet with tears, her eyes flaming.

Her whole body shook with cold and untameable rage. Finally her thoughts became coherent again and she realized that he - Superman - was also entangled deeply in this mess.
"Where were you? Why weren't you there? Do you realize what you've done?"
"Me?" Clark was astonished. He had believed Lois would be happy to see him, would feel secure in his strong arms, would let herself be comforted by him.
"Yes, you! You should have saved him!"

"But I..."

"You failed! You failed us at the most important time in our lives! The one time you were really needed you weren't there!"

With these words she fled blindly into the dark alleys again.
"Lois..."
Clark's attempt to hold her back was warded off fiercely.

"Lois, please, let me explain something!"
But she just ran harder, started sobbing again and squeezed a "Leave me alone!" through her clenched teeth. Clark tried again to make her listen, but it was in vain. Finally he seized the last resort he could think of: he caught Lois, held her in his arms and flew with her into the night sky.
Lois shrieked at him: "Leave me alone! I don't want to see you! Let me go!" All the while struggling against his hold, beating her fists against his breast and shaking her head wildly. "Let go! Let me go!"

"Lois, I have to tell you something..."

"I don't want to hear it! Superman, not that it concerns you, but I loved Clark! You don't understand what I'm going through right now! I've never told him..." This realization stopped her struggles and she buried her face in Superman's broad shoulder and she began to weep bitterly again.
Clark didn't try to console her any more, just held her tightly but still tenderly, sighed deeply and flew with her through the night until she was fast asleep in his arms.


To be continued...