Some Things Never Change

By Alicia U. <lxu2@po.cwru.edu>

Rated G

Submitted November 2000

Summary: Lois and Clark each ponder life without their soulmate in this sweet post-"Big Girls Don't Fly" vignette.

Author's notes: It's been a long time since I have written any Lois and Clark fanfic, so I thought I'd get back into the swing of things by writing a very short Elseworld vignette. I'd really appreciate hearing what people think of this since it is the first of this type of story that I have written. Thank you so much. ~Alicia

***

A weary young woman slowly climbed the stairs to her apartment, feeling the strain of the day weighing heavily on her weak body. Ever since he had gone, she'd felt her life being sucked out of her day by day. Eventually the day would come when she would become a nearly invisible shadow of her former self.

Some of her colleagues had been whispering behind her back. They were talking about *him*. It just kept getting worse every day. The stories got more unbelievable and made him out to look like a real creep and her to look like a real airhead.

It wasn't like they even had the decency to talk about it when she wasn't there. No, they spoke in hushed whispers that they all assumed she didn't hear. But of course she did hear them. And it killed her inside that she had to pretend that she didn't know what they were talking about.

She seethed with anger at each bad thing they said about him. This anger boiled up inside of her, but she didn't have the strength to fight them. They had no idea what had happened. They couldn't understand the magnitude of the situation that had caused him to leave. He wasn't just some jerk that had loved her and left her. But they could never know the truth. She finally reached her apartment and immediately flopped down on the couch, neglecting to turn on a light and dropping her purse on the floor haphazardly. Quickly gazing around the room, she wondered how long it had been since she had cleaned it. It just seemed like nothing mattered any more. He had been gone for so long, and each day that passed without his return made any glimmer of hope that she had for his return dimmer and dimmer. Luckily, she seemed to hold some sort of eternal flame. No matter how dim her hopes became, they were still there in her heart ready to burn again at the slightest provocation.

Darkness enveloped the room, but she didn't notice. Her eyes were glued to a point somewhere in the distance, a point that even she couldn't see. Just like every other night for the past five months, her eyes were drawn to a distant star, her mind wondering just where he was and praying that he was safe and that he would return to her soon.

A warm tear trickled down her cheek and she slowly brushed it away. Sometimes she wondered how she could have any tears left to cry. Every day that he'd been gone, she'd cried herself to sleep. How could she have any tears to spare?

Only one thing kept her from going crazy. It was the feeling that he was still out there; that he was coming home. No matter how far away he seemed she would always cling to the hope that he would be coming home as soon as his work was done.

Right before her eyes closed she faintly whispered as she did every night, "I love you, Clark, wherever you are."

***

A weary, once-super man lay quietly on the floor silently writhing in pain. The struggles of war were something that a man not used to physical strife could barely take. Why had he agreed to come here? What was he going to gain? He shook his head, ridding it of those horrible thoughts. No, he was here because these were his people and they needed his help. He wasn't sure how long he had been gone in Earth time, but it had been almost three months here. It seemed like an eternity to him.

It wasn't the physical pain that bothered him, nor was it the culture shock that had plagued him since the moment he arrived. It was the emotional pain from the separation from his soul mate. His heart ached for her, and each day they were apart his heart and spirit broke a little more. He would return to her. That thought was the only thing that kept him going.

At night, it was the worst. He had nothing to take his mind away from her; it was just his tortured mind and his wonderful memories. Her ring was still on the chain around his neck. No matter what happened, he would never take it off. Every time he touched that ring he could feel her presence near him. It was like she was there with him, encouraging him to fight harder so he would be able to return to her.

There were times when he could feel her talking to him, telling him that she loved him. Once in a while, the sound of her voice was the only thing that kept him from giving up. He would come home to her soon. No matter what it took, he would come home. He made a silent vow that, no matter what, he would get back to her somehow.

Tonight, as he lay on the hard ground, he found solace in staring up into the clear night sky out towards a distant galaxy he knew to be the Milky Way. If he concentrated hard enough, it almost felt like they were together again. He could almost feel her soft breath against his cheek, hear her beautiful laugh in the distance, smell her tantalizing perfume, and even see her lying there next to him.

He knew, however, that those were just idle fantasies. He would not be able to rest until they were together again. But, alas, this was not yet to be. Before he closed his eyes, he whispered, "I love you, Lois. I'll be home soon."

THE END