Why would Superman wake her? Is he going to kidnap her? Is it really Clark? What's going on?
"He can't see you here, not like this, not now. You have to le--"
Oh dear, what if Clark wakes up to that exact blurt!
The cot was empty. The blankets were twisted and rumpled; one hung over the edge, its limpness giving it the impression of death.
"Clark?" I said again, then louder, "Clark!"
Oh dear, Superman took him!
"He has nightmares. He gets up and cooks. He's probably making breakfast. In the kitchen."
Hope blossoms
That he had left me. Again.
Superman took him for a trip to the farm
Surprise flittered across Superman's face as I advanced on him. "Lois, please. I need your help."
/huh/
"Luthor didn't take him, Lois. Clark went to him. Voluntarily."
What now?
I blinked, suddenly struck by the image of Clark and Superman standing side by side, leaning against the ledge of a skyscraper, and looking out over Metropolis as they discussed...*me*?
That can't be good for Clark.
"Luthor's the only one who has what he wants."
"And what does he want?" I questioned, puzzlement creasing my brow.
Superman raised his eyebrows, as if he thought I should have figured this out already. "Kryptonite. I know he told you about it."
Oh boy. Really? And why not get Henderson's piece?
"He told me he would do anything to protect you. And he thinks you need protection from *me*."
She *does*. Most likely, that is.
"He thinks I'm an imposter, Lois."
/calls for a vote on who else thinks so/
/raises hand/
and Clark...Clark would rid Luthor of Superman.
Yes, Lex would get a kick out of Clark murdering somebody. And it would end Superman.
"Lois, you asked if Clark and I had argued before Nightfall," Superman said, the barest hint of impatience feathering his tone. "The truth is that we did. We argued about you...and only days later, he was imprisoned away from the sun. And, last night...we argued about you again."
And now he's flat out lying. He can't even believe that himself. He knows too much about his existence.
No matter what he had said about protecting me--no matter what Superman claimed--I knew that Clark didn't believe in giving concessions to the enemy, not for any amount of dark promises or dire threats.
Now there's a thought!
he wind whipped at my hair and made a rushing noise about us, but I could still clearly feel Superman's heartbeat. It was irregular, almost erratic, certainly much more unstable than it had been during our last two flights.
/imagines little train that could/
"If there were another Superman," the superhero said slowly, "he would need a place to dispose of the extra body."
"Your emotions can get in the way and rupture your concentration."
The imposter grimaced and looked down at his hands as he clenched and unclenched them. "This is so hard," he muttered.