The People v. Clark Kent
By ML Thompson <thomplaw@tbaytel.net>
Rating PG-13
Submitted February 2001

* * * * * * * * *

No copyright infringement is intended. I recognize that the
characters are not mine. I am just borrowing them for a little fun
and not for any profit.

* * * * * * * * *
THE PEOPLE  v. CLARK KENT
By: ML Thompson
February 2001
* * * * * * * * *

Clark sank to his knees beside the body. Dark red blood was already
beginning to pool around the man's head. Clark reached out a
trembling hand and felt for a pulse. He closed his eyes when he
discovered there was none. The man was dead. Time seemed to stand
still until suddenly the area was swarming with police.

"Police. Don't move!" commanded a voice behind Clark.

When it was obvious that the man by the body wasn't trying to escape,
the police officer moved closer. "All right. Raise your hands slowly
and place them on the back of your head," the officer demanded.

Clark followed the instructions. It was only a moment before he felt
the officer grab one of his arms and swing it behind his back. He
felt cuffs being fastened around his wrist before the same was done
to the other arm.

Once the police officer had secured Clark, he read him his rights.
The words, which were familiar to Clark, informed him that he had the
right to remain silent and the right to a lawyer.

"Do you want to tell us what happened here?" the officer finally asked.

"He's dead," Clark answered. "I killed him."

* * * * * * * * *
EARLIER THAT SAME DAY
* * * * * * * * *

Clark stepped out of Star Labs and immediately looked for the sun.
When he found it, he turned to face it, allowing the rays to soak
into his skin. Lois was going to kill him. A pit began to form in his
stomach as it always did when he knew he and Lois were about to have
a fight. She would go ballistic the same way she always did when he
did something she considered stupid. It hadn't been stupid, of
course. It had been necessary and had it been successful, Lois would
have been thrilled. The problem was it hadn't been successful and, as
a result, Clark was once again without his powers.

For years now, in fact since before he and Lois were even engaged,
Clark had been working with Dr. Klein trying to create a vaccine that
would protect him from the effects of kryptonite. This time, Clark
and Klein had both been convinced that they had succeeded. Without
Lois' knowledge, Clark had been taking a pill every morning that they
hoped would build up his immune system against kryptonite.

Now that he had been taking it for a month, they decided today was
the perfect day to conduct the test. Superman was not scheduled to
attend any charitable appearances for the next couple of weeks, so if
he did lose his powers he would at least be saved from cancelling
those.

So he'd come to Star Labs today to have Dr. Klein expose him to
kryptonite. The drug had no effect and Clark collapsed. Klein removed
the kryptonite almost immediately, but not soon enough to prevent it
from once again robbing Clark of his powers.

He stuck out his hand and a cab stopped beside him. As he climbed
into the back, he thought again about Lois. After three years of
marriage, Clark knew how she would react. She was going to kill him.

* * * * * * * * *

Lois hung up the phone in utter disbelief. When she had gone to see
the doctor at Clark's insistence a couple of days ago, she certainly
hadn't expected this. She had expected the doctor to tell her she had
the stomach flu. Dr. Klein had made it abundantly clear when she and
Clark first started talking about children that it was impossible for
Superman to procreate with an earth woman. The news had devastated
both of them.

Lois shook her head slightly as she thought about the events that had
led to this point. When she and Clark were engaged, she'd received a
pamphlet from the Rinky Dink Preschool. They had a five year waiting
list and wanted five hundred dollars to reserve a spot. Clark asked
if they required a child and Lois informed him that no child was
necessary - just money.

"That's something we haven't talked much about," Clark responded as
he used his heat vision to dry another plate.

"What? Money?" Lois asked.

"No. Children."

"Oh," Lois said. This was one topic she hadn't allowed herself to
ponder since their engagement. When she was in her early twenties,
she'd decided she didn't have time for children. That belief was
reinforced over the years as her career took off. So she held her
breath as she waited to be asked whether she wanted to have children,
but the question never came.

"Do you think we'll make good parents?" Clark asked instead.

Lois squirmed uncomfortably. Clark obviously just assumed they would
have children. Not knowing exactly how to respond she said that she
thought so - when the time came. She then corrected herself to say
that he would and that she'd probably catch on.

As a result, they hadn't talked about whether they were going to have
children. Lois spent a lot of sleepless nights following that
discussion pondering the issue. She had even briefly considered
breaking up with Clark. She knew if she told him she didn't want to
have children, he'd say that was fine, but his simple assumption that
children would be part of their future informed her just how much he
wanted a family. She guessed it was understandable. He had no blood
relatives. Of course he wanted something that would connect him to
earth in a tangible way.

In the end, it had been his concerns about having a family as
Superman that persuaded her that they would deal with that issue when
the time was right. So when Superman had been told he couldn't have
children with an earth woman, Lois was surprised at how devastated
she'd actually been.

Of course, Clark had been devastated too. He'd tried to hide it for
her sake, but catching him in the middle of the night staring
longingly at a bassinet his parents had sent from Smallville told her
exactly how hurt he was far more eloquently than any words could have.

They tried adopting. However, they had been denied. The woman claimed
Lois was simply too much of a high risk to be allowed to adopt
children - dangling over the jaws of death in circumstances so
terrifying that she usually required rescuing by Superman was how the
woman had phrased it. They tried to fight the decision, but it soon
became obvious the agency wasn't about to change its mind.

Lois and Clark hadn't as much as discussed having children for about
a year now. This wasn't a conscious decision. It was just that
neither could quite bring themselves to initiate a conversation
guaranteed to bring the other pain. So they just avoided the subject; 
Although, Lois would still catch a look of longing in Clark's eyes
when he'd hold a friend's baby or they'd hear that someone they knew
was pregnant.

Her mind drifted back to the present and she placed a hand over her
stomach, smiling as she imagined the look in his eyes when she told
him what the doctor had just told her. She was pregnant. According to
Dr. Klein, it was impossible, but that didn't stop her from being
pregnant.

Before she had a chance to decide how to tell Clark, she heard the
elevator doors open and knew that Clark had just stepped into the
newsroom. She looked up and, as usual, their eyes met - both pairs of
eyes softening at the sight of the other. Lois got up and began
making her way towards him as she considered what to do. Part of her
wanted to blurt out the news as soon as he was close enough, but the
part of her that wanted to find some special way to tell him won out.

"Hey, stranger," said Lois practically bouncing over to him.

Clark smiled. One thing about Lois was that it wasn't difficult
reading her moods. "So what's got you so fired up?" he asked.

Lois' smile split her entire face. "I just happen to think I'm in
love with the most wonderful man in the world," she responded.

"Should I be jealous?" Clark asked.

She hit him playfully on the chest before taking his hand and leading
him into the conference room. The blinds were drawn so Lois closed
the door and pulled Clark into her arms for a leisurely kiss.

"Well, whatever it is, the answer's yes," said Clark.

"What do you say we go out to Giorgio's tonight for supper?" she suggested.

Clark raised his eyebrows. Giorgio's was the most expensive Italian
restaurant in the city. "Well, you know what pasta does to me," he
said.

She smiled. "That's why I suggested it," she purred back.

"Okay, Giorgio's it is. Should I call and make reservations?"

"No, I'll do it," responded Lois. "Tonight is my treat, so I'll do the work."

"I'm liking this mood of yours more and more," Clark said, pulling
her into his arms for another kiss. "So what did I do to deserve all
this?"

"Can't I just do something special for you? I'd cook, but we both
know what a disaster that usually turns out to be."

"The first course, maybe. But dessert is always great," he said,
nibbling at her neck.

She pushed him away with a laugh. "We should get back to work. Oh, do
you think - unless of course it's unavoidable - the world could get
by without Superman tonight?" Then at his immediate look of
discomfort, she asked, "What is it?"

"Nothing. I'm sure the world will..."

"Clark!" she interrupted.

Clark let out a short breath. Well, if anything could change her
mood, this could. "Well, I just don't think that Superman... I mean,
Superman..."

"Spit it out, Kent," Lois demanded.

"You know how Dr. Klein and I have been working on a vaccine to
combat the effects of kryptonite?"

"Yes," Lois responded cautiously.

"Well, we thought we'd found one. Anyway, I went to Star Labs today
to find out if it works and..."

"Clark, you didn't."

"There was no other way to know if it was effective, Lois," Clark
explained patiently.

Lois folded her arms across her chest. "So you're telling me that you
voluntarily exposed yourself to kryptonite and now... What? You don't
have your powers, I suppose."

Clark took a steadying breath. "Lois, honey..."

"Don't honey me, Clark! How could you do something that idiotic? What
am I saying? Between you and Dr. Klein, I'm not sure who is worse."

"I don't know what you want me to do, Lois," Clark responded, his
anger finally starting to come through. "If I'm going to find a way
to combat kryptonite exposure, I'm going to have to accept that I
might lose my powers a few times."

"Don't give me that, Clark. If you knew it was necessary, why did you
wait 'til afterwards to tell me about this little 'experiment'?"

"I didn't tell you because I knew how you'd react," Clark responded
immediately.

"How I'd..." Lois' voice came to an abrupt halt when the door to the
conference room swung open.

Perry immediately knew he'd interrupted a fight. Both Lois and Clark
were flushed. They were unable to look him or each other directly in
the eye and the tension in the room was thick enough he could almost
cut it with a knife.

"Sorry to interrupt, boys and girls, but I thought you'd want to know
immediately. Jefferson Cole escaped from prison."

"We're on it, Perry," Lois responded, turning and walking out of the
conference room with a final glare at Clark.

Clark looked at Perry before shrugging helplessly and then, taking a
deep breath, following his wife.

Perry watched them go. Once they were beyond hearing range he
chuckled. Watching those two interact was always entertaining. They
loved like no couple he'd ever known and fought the same way. He had
no doubt this particular quarrel would resolve itself soon enough -
they always did. However, it was bound to be a bumpy ride for the
rest of the day.

Still, he had no doubt that the news team of Lane and Kent would get
to the bottom of Cole's escape from prison. They had learned years
ago how to continue working together even when they were fighting. In
fact, Perry suspected that working together helped them get beyond
the initial flare of tempers to work quickly through whatever problem
existed between them.

* * * * * * * * *

Jefferson Cole looked at himself in the full length mirror. He
turned, inspecting the suit again. His assistant, Sullivan, had done
well. Cole's former assistant, Wolcott, was still in prison so Cole
had no choice but to get someone else. He wasn't too concerned about
that. After all, Wolcott was something of an imbecile. He snorted.
Maybe that was harsh. After all, compared to Cole, most people were
idiots. In fact, the only person in his class who immediately came to
mind was Albert Einstein - and he wasn't sure that Einstein was
really in his class either. After all, Einstein's genius was tempered
by ethics. Cole didn't have that problem.

He turned and looked at the expensive suit again. "Very good,
Sullivan," said Cole, appreciating the choice of suit Sullivan had
purchased for him.

"Why was it so important to have an expensive suit, professor?"

"The way people treat you is determined by a preordained set of
criteria that most people won't even acknowledge exist. If you and I
were to walk into a car dealership, the salesmen would take one look
at me..." He gestured to his suit and clean shaven face. "...And then
take one look at you..." He gestured to the jeans and t-shirt his
assistant was wearing and regarded the young man's scruffy beard.
"...And come to help me first."

"Why would they do that?"

"Because, I look like money and you..." His eyes once again swept the
young man in front of him. "...look like you couldn't afford a
go-cart."

"Why would I want a go-cart?" asked Sullivan.

"Just forget it," replied Cole in disgust. "Now, did you get the gun?"

"Of course, professor," responded Sullivan. He led Cole over to a
drawer and opened it to reveal a number of different guns.

"What's this?" asked Cole.

"Guns, professor."

"I said I wanted a gun," Cole responded. "One twenty-two caliber
pistol. One, Sullivan, not an arsenal. Having more weapons than we
need is sloppy. And I'm anything but sloppy."

"Well, I just thought..."

"Don't think!" Cole interrupted. "You aren't equipped for it. I spent
the last couple of years in prison coming up with this new plan. I
won't have you ruining it by thinking."

"Yes, professor," stammered Sullivan.

"Now, get rid of these extra guns immediately. Then I'll fill you in
on what I need you to do next."

Cole waited until Sullivan was gone before grabbing a nearby hand
held tape recorder and raising it to his mouth. "Memo to self: find
new assistant." He lowered the tape recorder and looked around his
new accommodations - at least Sullivan had done well in finding this
place. It was perfect for what Cole had in mind. Maybe it was worth
giving Sullivan a chance. He raised the tape recorder back to his
mouth. "Memo to self: cancel previous memo."

* * * * * * * * *

Lois had been bent over her computer for more than an hour when she
gasped. She doubted Cole would leave Metropolis. He seemed to be
fixated on getting his revenge on her, Superman and Dr. Klein for
sending him to prison years ago. When he'd gotten out the last time,
he'd proven that. He'd had her framed for a murder she didn't commit
and had tried to frame Superman and Klein for a scheme to kill most
of Metropolis. They'd stopped him, of course. This time he'd been
sent to prison for life. If he was upset about the few years he'd
spent in jail the last time, he had to be really ticked off now.

As a result, Lois had spent the past hour checking out all purchases
and rentals in the city. She'd started by looking for recent rentals
under the name of Cole's associates since he had no one he could
really call a friend. She had come up empty, but then she'd had a
wild idea. She could hardly believe what she was seeing now that her
hunch had turned something up.

"What is it?" asked Clark when he heard her gasp. He abandoned his
own research and came over.

"You're not going to believe this," said Lois. "Jefferson Cole has
rented an apartment."

"In his own name?" asked Clark in disbelief.

Lois gestured to the computer screen. "See for yourself."

As Clark leaned over Lois' shoulder touching her as he had so many
times in the past, she closed her eyes. He could be such an idiot at
times, but at least he was her idiot. She would make sure that in the
future he at least told her before exposing himself to kryptonite,
but there was no point staying mad at him. And given the news she had
for him, the last thing she wanted was to fight. She let out a breath
as he studied her computer screen. They had to work at the moment,
but as soon as they left for the evening, they'd have a talk and get
things back on track so that they could enjoy the rest of the evening.

"You're right," Clark said in disbelief. "It appears to have been
rented about a week ago - before Cole escaped from prison. I suppose
it could be another Jefferson Cole."

"Dr. Jefferson Cole?" Lois asked.

"You're right. It's probably him," Clark responded.

"But that's crazy, Clark. Surely he must have figured that someone
would check and find out he had an apartment. It's got to be a
trick," said Lois.

"Maybe. Or maybe he thought his best strategy was to hide in the
open. After all, who would think that he'd break out of prison only
to rent an apartment in Metropolis in his own name."

Lois nodded. "Okay, so we go check it out, but..."

"We watch for any tricks."

"So what are we waiting for?" asked Lois jumping to her feet and
grabbing her jacket.

Clark smiled as he watched her enthusiasm. "Nothing, I guess," he
responded, before following her towards the elevators.

* * * * * * * * *

"I'll just be a minute, Clark," Lois said as he pulled the jeep up in
front of their brownstone. "If this is a trap, I don't want to be
wearing these shoes," she said, hopping out of the jeep.

"Okay, I'll just wait here," Clark informed her, turning off the engine.

As he watched her run up the steps, he thought about their fight
earlier. It really hadn't been fair of him to participate in this
experiment without talking to Lois about it first. After all, if
something happened in the world and he had to just sit back and
watch, she would be the one who would bear the brunt of his bad mood.
He would tell her that as soon as possible and would promise not to
do something like this again without talking to her. Then, maybe,
they could make up - and he had to admit he absolutely loved make-up
sex. He smiled at the thought.

* * * * * * * * *

Getting her shoes was not the only reason Lois had wanted to swing by
the brownstone. She had forgotten to make the reservations at
Giorgio's. She hoped she wasn't too late. Of course, if she was she'd
find somewhere else and act as if it was a better choice anyway, but
she figured when she told the woman who owned the restaurant why she
wanted the reservations, she'd get a table. The restaurant was a
family business and the lady of the family just loved having her
restaurant used for proposals, birthdays, anniversaries and other
special occasions. One good thing about Clark not having his powers
was that he wouldn't be able to overhear her phone call. She smiled.

She dug into her purse and pulled out her keys before opening the
door and stepping inside. She quickly made her way to the phone. She
wanted to make the reservation first so that if Clark decided she was
taking too long and came in, she'd at least be finished with the phone
call.

"Lois, how nice to see you again," came a familiar voice from behind.

Lois spun around to find Jefferson Cole with a gun trained on her.

"What do you want, Cole?" she demanded. "Don't you know that every
police officer in Metropolis is looking for you? Shouldn't you be
half way to Mexico by now?"

Cole smiled. "I had a little business to take care of first. You
know, I spent a lot of time in prison going over my last plan. I
decided that it was a little too complicated. So this time I'm going
to get my revenge the old fashioned way." With that he pulled the
hammer back on his gun.

"Superman!" Lois yelled, her fear causing her to momentarily forget
that Superman didn't currently exist.

In the car, Clark's blood went cold at the sound of his wife
screaming for Superman. He threw open the door of the jeep and dashed
from the car, heading towards the house as fast as his
non-superpowered body would move. His stomach leapt into his throat
when he heard a gunshot. Drawing on every bit of strength he
possessed, he took the stairs two at a time. As he arrived at the top
step, his forward motion was brought to an abrupt halt by a man
fleeing the house.

Clark recognized Jefferson Cole immediately. He grabbed the man's
lapels as the force of their bodies colliding spun them around.

"What have you done?" Clark demanded.

Cole smiled. "Well, you can either stand here and chat with me or you
can see for yourself. But I'd make up my mind quickly which is more
important to you. Your wife didn't look too well when we said
goodbye."

Clark immediately released Cole and rushed into the brownstone. He
gasped at the sight of his wife lying on the floor, blood beginning
to stain the front of her shirt. He rushed to her.

"Lois," he said. When she didn't answer, he released her to scramble
to the phone that was lying off the hook. He quickly raised it to his
ear. When there was no dial tone, he hung up before picking it up
again and calling 9-1-1.

As soon as he had placed the call, he rushed back to his wife who was
still lying unconscious on the floor. He pulled her body into his
lap, placing a cushion from the couch over the wound in an effort to
stop the bleeding.

"Don't leave me, Lois," he begged over and over again as he waited
for help. He had been such a fool. If he'd had his powers, he'd have
been able to get to her before this happened. There had been a few
seconds between Lois' scream and the gun going off. But him and his
stupid ideas. In order to try to find a way of protecting himself
from the effects of kryptonite in the future, he'd allowed himself to
suffer the effects of it now - and had thereby left his wife
vulnerable.

He was rocking her gently back and forth, tears slipping down his
cheeks when the paramedics finally arrived.

* * * * * * * * *

All the color drained from Perry's face as he listened to the person
on the other end of the phone.

"What is it, Chief?" asked Jimmy, when Perry finally hung up.

Perry looked at the young man before him. It took him a moment to
bring Jimmy into focus and a moment more to digest the question.

"That was Inspector Henderson," said Perry slowly. "It seems Cole was
at Lois and Clark's house when they went home."

"So they caught Cole?" asked Jimmy confident that, once again, his
friends had caught the bad guy.

Perry shook his head. "Apparently, he shot Lois."

"What?" exclaimed Jimmy.

"She's been taken to Metropolis General. They don't know if she's
going to live," Perry said, rising slowly to his feet. "I've got..."
The normally gruff editor's voice broke. He cleared his throat. "I've
got to get over there."

"I'm coming too," said Jimmy.

Perry looked at the younger man. He was about to tell him his
presence was needed here - to get tomorrow's paper out. But then he
nodded. Jimmy had as much right to be at the hospital as he did.
"Come on," he said as he grabbed his jacket and headed for the door
of his office.

* * * * * * * * *

Jefferson Cole arrived back at the apartment shortly after leaving
Lane's apartment.

"Well, phase one is complete," Cole said in satisfaction.

"Umm... I've been monitoring the police scanner," Sullivan informed him.

"And?" prompted Cole.

"Well, Lois Lane, professor... She's alive."

Cole smiled. "Of course, she is," said Cole. "I've studied the human
anatomy extensively. I chose my point of impact very carefully. I
don't want her dead, Sullivan - at least not yet. Too quick. Too
easy. I want that cocky little reporter to suffer like she's made me
suffer. I want her to suffer more deeply than she would have believed
possible."

"But I thought..."

"That's why you shouldn't think," Cole reminded him. "Remember...
This is only phase one. You'll understand better when the final scene
plays out."

"But what if you're wrong? What if she does die? The police scanner
did say that her condition is critical."

"C'est la vie," Cole responded with a shrug. "In either case, we need 
to get ready
for phase two."

* * * * * * * * *

Perry and Jimmy knew they were in the right place when they spotted
Clark. He was sitting alone in the waiting room of the ICU. If they
hadn't known Lois was the one who'd been hurt, they would have
thought they were there for Clark. He had no color in his face and
was sitting absolutely still, staring absently at his hands. His
clothing was covered with dried blood and his face with dried tears.

"Clark?" asked Perry coming over to where the younger man was sitting.

Clark didn't even look up.

"Are you okay, son?" Perry continued.

Clark finally looked up, but didn't seem to recognize his boss. It
was a moment before Clark's gaze cleared and he seemed to realize who
was talking to him.

"I'm not the one who was hurt," Clark responded in a flat unemotional voice.

"I just meant..." Perry shook his head. "How is she?" Perry asked
instead of attempting to explain his original question.

Clark shrugged his shoulders. "They took her in there..." He gestured
absently towards two large swinging doors. "They wouldn't let me go
with her." His voice remained without inflection. "They're performing
surgery. They won't know anything until it's over."

Perry and Jimmy exchanged concerned looks. "Have you called her
parents?" Perry finally asked.

Clark blinked. He hadn't even thought of that. "Umm..." he said,
before starting to rise.

"That's okay, son," said Perry, placing a hand on Clark's shoulder.
"We'll take care of it. We'll call your folks too."

Clark let out a breath and sat back down. He resumed staring at his
hands as Jimmy and Perry went to make some calls.

"Is he okay?" asked Jimmy.

"I don't know, Jimmy. If Lois doesn't make it, I'm not sure he will either."

Clark didn't particularly notice when Perry and Jimmy left. In fact,
afterwards he wouldn't remember much about this time at all. He just
sat staring at his hands. This was his fault. If he hadn't gone to
see Klein today, if he hadn't consented to being part of an idiotic
experiment whereby he'd lost his powers, Lois would be fine. He kept
hearing his wife scream for Superman. But there had been no Superman.
Thanks to him, there had been no Superman and now Lois was fighting
for her life.

Clark covered his ears in an effort to keep from hearing that final
scream echo in his head. Was that the last word he would ever hear
his wife say? How could he live knowing that his stupidity had killed
her?

Their fight. She had still been mad at him when she'd been shot. What
if she died without ever knowing how sorry he was for participating
in Klein's experiment without discussing it with her first? He buried
his head in his hands.

He closed his eyes for a moment, but opened them immediately when he
again saw his wife's limp body lying in his arms while her blood
soaked his pants and shirt. She had been so horribly still. He'd
placed a cushion over her stomach in an effort to get her to quit
bleeding. He couldn't seem to think of what else to do. For a man who
had done so much medical work in the past six years, why hadn't he
been able to think of how to help his own wife? He was such a fraud.
Superman was unable to protect his own family. If that were true,
what good was he? He didn't deserve any of the accolades that had
been paid to Superman over the years.

He had never felt so utterly useless in his entire life. He was
sitting here in a hospital waiting room while his wife might well be
breathing her last breath. The doctor could walk out any second and
shake his head informing Clark that he would never again look into
those soft brown eyes that seemed to darken in color when she was
passionate, that he would never again feel the fire that ignited in
his belly when she touched him, that he would never again hear the
excitement in her voice when she had finally succeeded at getting to
the bottom of a story. Instead, all he would ever hear again was her
desperate cry for a Superman who had, in the final analysis, failed
her.

He looked again in the direction of the doors where he'd last seen
his wife. It should be him in there. He would give anything to be
able to take her place - to be lying in there himself knowing that
she was safe. She was his life - his whole world. If she died, how
would he go on?

He wouldn't go on. Oh, his physical life would - but he wouldn't. He
would just be sleep walking through the rest of his life. He shook
his head. He would not think about that right now. He couldn't. His
chin quivered slightly.

Clark tried praying, but couldn't seem to put together any sort of
coherent prayer. So he just repeated, 'Please, God,' in his mind. He
would let God - if such a being existed - fill in the rest of the
prayer. His thoughts were interrupted by Jimmy's return.

"I went to your place and got you a change of clothes," Jimmy said,
coming over.

Clark looked up and focused on his young friend. He attempted to give
Jimmy a smile in acknowledgment of his friend's kindness. However,
when he saw the tears forming in Jimmy's eyes as a result of his
endeavor to smile, he knew he had failed. He shrugged and looked once
again at his hands.

Jimmy noticed Inspector Henderson approaching and left Clark to speak
to him. As he did, Perry approached.

"How's Lane?" Henderson asked the two men.

"We don't know yet."

"I need to speak to Kent. Apparently, all he said when the police
showed up was that Jefferson Cole shot Lane. We need to get any other
information he might have."

"Listen, Inspector," said Perry, glancing over at Clark who was still
staring at his hands, "I just don't think he's up to answering any
questions at the moment."

Henderson glanced over at Clark and had to agree. "Okay, I take it
Lane's in surgery?"

Jimmy and Perry nodded.

"I'll be back in a little while. I do need some answers from him
though," Henderson said before turning and walking out.

Just then the doors Clark had been watching for, he didn't know how
long, swung open and a doctor still in scrubs entered the waiting
area. Clark, who'd barely noticed the arrival of his friends or the
police inspector, was on his feet and standing in front of the doctor
almost instantly.

"Mr. Kent?" the doctor asked.

Clark nodded, barely able to wait for news, although not willing to
interrupt for fear that to do so would only slow the good doctor down
in getting to the point.

The doctor gestured him back to a chair.

"Just tell me, doctor," Clark demanded, refusing a seat.

The doctor let out a breath and nodded. "As you know, the bullet
ripped through her stomach. The surgery was a success. We managed to
repair most of the damage, but she lost a lot of blood. It will be a
while before we know if she's going to make it."

Clark let out a breath. "How long?" he asked. He felt Perry's hand
tighten on his shoulder.

"It will be a number of hours yet."

"Can I see her, doctor?"

"Not yet," the doctor said. "It will take us some time to get her
moved. Until we do that, we can't let you in."

"But she's alive," Clark repeated.

"Yes. We do need to talk about the baby, however," the doctor
continued. "It..."

"Wait," Clark said, holding up a hand. "There must be some mistake. What baby?"

"You didn't know?"

"Know what?"

"You wife was pregnant, Mr. Kent."

Clark gasped. "But we aren't able to have children... She's pregnant?"

"I said, she was pregnant, Mr. Kent."

Clark suddenly felt incredibly dizzy. He stumbled and had to be
steadied by Perry.

"Mr. Kent, there is no way the baby will survive the trauma of the
surgery. It..."

"Wait," demanded Clark. "So you're telling me that my baby is still alive?"

"At the moment, but I wouldn't count on that continuing to be the
case. It's virtually impossible that the baby will survive all this."

"But there's a chance?" asked Clark, struggling to hang on to any
hope - no matter how small.

"In theory. However, I need you to..."

"Oh, God," gasped Clark. "That must have been what she was so excited
about earlier today. She must have known. That must have been why she
wanted to go to Giorgio's."

"Mr. Kent..."

"That's why she's been sick lately. We're going to have a baby."

"Mr. Kent, you're not going to have a baby. The child won't survive.
In the mean time I need your permission to do everything possible to
save your wife's life."

"What do you mean?" asked Clark. "Of course, I want you to do
everything possible to save her life."

"I mean..." The doctor cleared his throat. "Like I said, it's
virtually impossible to save the child." He took a deep breath. "Mr.
Kent, pregnancy is very hard on a woman's system. I expect the child
will abort on its own. However, if it doesn't... Well, we won't
interfere if your wife's condition continues to improve."

"What exactly are you asking me?" Clark asked.

"Even if the baby survived the trauma of surgery, it can't survive if
your wife doesn't. I need your permission to place your wife's
welfare above that of your child. I need your permission to terminate
the pregnancy if it's necessary to save your wife."

"You're asking me to choose between my wife and my child," Clark
gasped, stumbling backwards into a chair.

"Like I said, Mr. Kent, the child is not going to survive anyway..."
the doctor's voice trailed off. He'd made his point. It was time to
let the young husband digest what he'd been told.

Clark sat in stunned silence. Dr. Klein had made it very clear that
Superman couldn't have children with an earth woman. The news had
devastated both of them. He could still see Lois' face when he'd told
her the news. Yet, here she was, pregnant. It was incredible. It was
terrible. To find out that your wife was pregnant and that the child
wouldn't survive in the same conversation was almost too much to bear.

Now, here he was being asked to instruct the doctor to sacrifice his
child if it would help to save his wife. Lois would never forgive him
if he did that. She would want to take the risk. She would want him
to find a way to save both.

"I don't think I could bear to lose her, doctor," Clark said softly -
his voice breaking on the words.

The doctor nodded. He had his answer. He acknowledged Perry and
Jimmy, told them that he'd send the hospital chaplain down and made
his exit.

"C.K., I'm so..." Jimmy began. His voice trailed off at a look from Perry.

"Let's give him a moment," Perry suggested.

Clark sat in stunned silence. He may have just ended his marriage
right now. If Lois survived and the child didn't, she might never
forgive him. But a Lois Lane that never forgave him was better by far
than no Lois Lane.

So this is what he got for his arrogance. He thought he was
invulnerable. He thought he could do anything and so now, not only
could he lose his wife, but he'd also lost his child. What type of
man was he anyway if he couldn't even protect his own family?

She was pregnant. Had been pregnant - he corrected himself. How could
anyone be expected to make the decision the doctor had just forced
him to make?

Clark had never felt more impotent than he did at this moment. He
kept telling himself that there had to be something he could do to
change things, but the only thing he could think of was to storm into
intensive care, collect his wife and take her home - after all, if
she wasn't injured, she wouldn't be in the hospital. So didn't it
follow that if he got her out of here, she wouldn't be injured. He
knew it was irrational, but it was still the way he felt.
Fortunately, Clark allowed his rational side to win over his
emotional side. She needed to be here. He knew that.

He felt like screaming, but couldn't figure out who to scream at. Was
it God's fault? The impulse to yell at God was certainly there. So
was the impulse to yell at Dr. Klein for exposing him to kryptonite,
at Perry for assigning them this story, at Lois' parents for making
Lois so determined to succeed in everything she did, at Lois for
insisting that she needed different shoes, at the fates for letting
him fall in love with Lois, at himself for... He buried his head in
his hands.

It was only an instant later when Clark finally found a focus for his
anger. Jefferson Cole! The agony of the previous few minutes was
instantly replaced by a fury greater than Clark had ever known. There
was nothing he could do here. However, that didn't mean Clark
couldn't do something. Although it might not help Lois, Clark could
at least ensure that Cole paid for his part in this. The address of
the apartment. He had the address of an apartment that had been
rented in Cole's name. He rose to his feet and headed at full steam
towards the hospital entrance.

Clark knew only one thing at this moment - Jefferson Cole was going
to regret what he'd done to Lois. He was going to regret it with
every fiber of his being. Clark would see to that personally. In that
instant, all the beliefs Clark had about the sanctity of human life
deserted him. Cole had killed his child and possibly the woman he
loved more than life itself. There was nothing left for Clark to do
except make Jefferson Cole pay for his crime.

It was as if a smoky glass had suddenly dropped down in front of
Clark's eyes. He could no longer rationalize any of this - he could
only feel. And what he felt was rage. The kind of rage that blinds
you to all reason. The kind of rage that settles down in the depths
of your soul and consumes your entire essence until your focus
narrows down to a single definable goal - revenge.

"Clark?" asked Perry. "Son, where are you going?"

"I'm going to kill him," Clark responded, not slowing his pace for
even a moment.

"Who?"

"Jefferson Cole," Clark spat as the doors to the hospital slid shut behind him.

"He didn't mean that, did he?" asked Jimmy.

"Of course not," Perry replied. "At least the Clark Kent I know
wouldn't have. But then... Follow him, Jimmy. Make sure he doesn't do
anything foolish."

Jimmy immediately turned and left. When he got outside, he looked
around. Clark was hailing a cab.

"C.K., wait up," Jimmy said, heading towards Clark.

"Go away, Jimmy," Clark snapped, climbing into the cab and driving away.

Jimmy stared at the cab in disbelief. What had happened to his
friend? He looked around for another cab, but by the time he found
one, Clark was gone.

* * * * * * * * *

Cole looked around his apartment.

"You got rid of the extra guns?" Cole asked Sullivan.

"Yes, professor."

"Good." Cole looked out the window before continuing, "Then what's
taking him so long?"

"Who?" asked Sullivan.

"Kent. How long can it possibly take for him to put the pieces
together?" He raised his tape recorder. "Memo to self: next time,
leave a trail of bread crumbs."

"You want Kent to come?" Sullivan asked.

"Of course I want Kent to come. Why do you think I wanted you to rent
this place in my name?"

"But after what you did to his wife..." gasped Sullivan.

"He's going to be upset with me," responded Cole.

"I'd say that's an understatement," muttered Sullivan.

"And tell me, what do you think will happen to Lois Lane if she
fights to live only to find out when she finally comes to that her
husband was destroyed while she lay helpless in a hospital bed? Is
everything set up?"

"Yes, professor."

"Then I want you to get out of here. Go across the street and get
ready for phase two."

* * * * * * * * *

Afterwards, Clark would have no recollection of how he got to the
apartment building which had been rented in Cole's name. In contrast,
his memory of the events that transpired there, although hazy, were
such that he would never be able to forget.

Jefferson Cole gasped when Clark entered the room. It was not because
he hadn't expected to see Kent. It was because there was a madness in
Kent's eyes that startled even Cole. Gone completely was the mild
mannered reporter Cole had always believed Kent to be - and for the
first time, Cole wondered if he'd underestimated Kent. He'd always
figured Kent was nothing more than Lois Lane's shadow. What if he was
mistaken? Maybe his life really was in jeopardy.

Clark stormed into the room, his eyes searching for Cole. Once they
found him, they never looked away. When Cole moved behind a table to
slow Clark's forward movement, Clark simply threw the table over.
Clark was not running. His pace, though quick, was deliberate, almost
calculated as the rage burned within him.

"Mr. Kent, what are you doing here?" said Cole.

"You know damn well why I'm here," Clark responded, never slowing his pace.

Cole continued to move back towards the stairway. "You should be
thanking me, Kent. I can't imagine it could have been very pleasant
being married to that woman."

Clark didn't respond. Instead he just continued towards Cole who was
now matching his pace, backing away. As soon as Cole reached the
bottom of the stairs, he turned and literally fled up them. Clark was
behind him, grasping at Cole's pant legs as he followed.

"What? Didn't you have life insurance on her? I'm sorry about that,
Kent. I really am, but there's not much I can do about it now," Cole
continued.

"She's not dead!" Clark hissed. "At least not yet. Although I'm not
sure the same can be said for you." With that, he dove at Cole. Cole
managed to sidestep the attack. While Clark recovered his footing,
Cole pushed open the door at the top of the stairs and rushed through
onto the roof. He managed to get the door closed before Clark could
get through.

Clark fumbled in anger with the door for a moment before finally
getting it open. Had he been thinking rationally, he might have
wondered why Cole was continuing to try to provoke him. He might have
wondered if there was a trap on the other side of the door. However,
he was, at this moment, far too enraged to conduct any sort of
logical analysis of the situation. So he threw open the door to the
roof and stepped out. He spotted Cole almost immediately and dove at
him.

Clark was surprised when Cole seemed to evade him again. Clark landed
on all fours a few feet in front of Cole and then watched in horror.
Cole had lept backwards to avoid Clark's tackle and, as a result, had
placed a foot on the edge of the roof. He teetered there for a
moment, his arms swinging wildly as he tried to recover his balance
before falling backwards over the side of the building. Clark stared
in silent disbelief at the place where he had last seen Cole before
slowly crawling over to the edge of the building and looking down.

Time seemed to slow down. Clark stared at the still form lying on the
ground below. His anger - now gone - was replaced by an incredible
sense of guilt. He had come here to kill Jefferson Cole and that was
exactly what he had succeeded in doing. He immediately lost the
contents of his stomach.

"Up there on the roof," Clark heard a voice say from down below. He
suddenly realized that the whole thing had been witnessed by others.
Completely drained, Clark stumbled back down the stairs, out the door
of the apartment building and over to the body.

Clark sank to his knees beside the body. Dark red blood was already
beginning to pool around the man's head. Clark reached out a
trembling hand and felt for a pulse. He closed his eyes when he
discovered there was none. The man was dead. Time seemed to stand
still until suddenly the area was swarming with police.

"Police. Don't move!" commanded a voice behind Clark.

When it was obvious that the man by the body wasn't trying to escape,
the police officer moved closer. "All right. Raise your hands slowly
and place them on the back of your head," the officer demanded.

Clark followed the instructions. It was only a moment before he felt
the officer grab one of his arms and swing it behind his back. He
felt cuffs being fastened around his wrist before the same was done
to the other arm.

Once the police officer had secured Clark, he read him his rights.
The words, which were familiar to Clark, informed him that he had the
right to remain silent and the right to a lawyer.

"Do you want to tell us what happened here?" the officer finally asked.

"He's dead," Clark answered. "I killed him."

It was some time later when, Henderson drove up. He got out of the
car and his jaw dropped at the sight of a dead body and Clark Kent
standing there wearing handcuffs. He was covered in a mixture of the
dried blood of his wife, vomit and the much fresher blood of the man
lying on the concrete. His hands appeared to have been skinned and
one of the knees of his pants was torn.

"What's going on, officer?" Henderson asked the young officer detaining Clark.

"This man killed the man on the ground."

"Are you sure?" Henderson asked in disbelief.

"He admitted it, Inspector. Besides, we have witnesses who saw him."

Henderson looked at the desolate expression on Clark's face and knew
instantly that it was true. "Who's the victim?" he asked, although he
suspected he already knew the answer.

"Jefferson Cole," the officer said. The officer then proceeded to
fill Henderson in on what he knew. Henderson walked over to the body,
confirming that it was really Jefferson Cole.

"Okay, I want you to get witness statements," Henderson said after
the officer was finished. "Also, I want you to contact the U.S.
Marshall. Cole escaped from Metropolis Prison. I'll take charge of
Mr. Kent."

"But, Inspector, there needs to be two officers present when a
prisoner is transported."

"It'll be okay, officer," Henderson said confidently. He knew Clark
Kent wasn't in any condition to be much of a problem.

"Inspector," Clark said, speaking for the first time since Henderson
had arrived. "Do you know how my wife is?"

Henderson took a long look at Clark. However, instead of responding
he directed Clark to the back door of his car. "How about we take a
trip by the hospital and see?" he asked quietly.

Clark let out a breath. "Thank you, Henderson," he said simply before
allowing Henderson to help him into the car. Without superpowers and
with his hands cuffed behind his back, it was not a simple task.

* * * * * * * * *

Perry looked up in horror at the sight of Clark being brought into
the hospital with his hands cuffed behind his back.

"What's going on here, Henderson?" he growled.

"Clark's under arrest. Before I take him to the station for
processing, I thought I'd bring him by here to see how his wife is
doing."

"What's the charge?"

"That will be the D.A.'s call. I suspect they'll charge him with
second degree murder. However, given the circumstances, I'd say Clark
has a good chance of pleading this down to manslaughter."

"What?" gasped Jimmy.

"Cole?" asked Perry, already putting the horrible pieces together.

Henderson nodded.

"Isn't murder two a little steep?" asked Perry. "I mean, given the
circumstances."

"Mr. White, why was Clark at Cole's apartment?" Henderson responded.
When both Perry and Jimmy looked away, Henderson continued. "That's
what I thought. No one has the right to take the law into their own
hands. Now, if Clark's lawyer can persuade the D.A. that there was
ample provocation, and I'd think that's a very real possibility under
the circumstances, he might be able to plead him down to
manslaughter. However, in order to do that, Clark will have to show
that there was insufficient time for him to calm down before he
killed Cole. But then, I'm not a lawyer. I would advise you to get
one for Clark."

"How's Lois?" asked Clark, frustrated by all this small talk when his
wife was lying in a hospital bed.

"We heard from the doctor a few minutes ago. She's still not
conscious, but they're optimistic."

"Oh, thank God," breathed Clark. "And the baby?"

"Baby?" asked Henderson.

"The baby's still alive but the doctor doesn't believe that will
continue to be the case much longer."

Clark nodded. "Do you know if they'll let me see her?"

Perry gestured to a nearby nurse. "Can Lois Lane have visitors?"

The woman took in the people addressing her, including the man
covered in blood with his hands cuffed behind his back.

"Only one at a time and only family."

"I'm her husband," said Clark.

The nurse regarded him critically.

"It's okay," said Henderson, withdrawing his badge from his pocket
and showing it to the nurse. He suspected the nurse was concerned
about admitting a man in handcuffs into the room of his wife when
she'd been shot. After all, he could well be the perpetrator. "He
won't hurt her," Henderson went on to assure the nurse.

The nurse nodded and gestured for Clark to follow her. When Henderson
started to accompany them, the nurse repeated her previous
instructions.

"I'm sorry, Kent. I can't let you go in there alone. I'm bending the
rules enough as it is."

"Ms..." started Clark, taking a look at the nurses name tag,
"...Gunn, couldn't you make an exception. I promise he'll stand at
the back of the room and won't say a word." With those words, Clark
gave her his most sympathetic smile.

The woman studied him for a moment. In spite of his appearance and
the presence of handcuffs and a police officer, there was something
gentle in his eyes. She let out a short breath before nodding.

"But before you go," she added, directing him over to a chair. He
made his way over before turning back to Henderson.

"The handcuffs?" Clark asked.

"Kent..."

"Please, can't you just cuff my hands in front of me? I just want to
be able to touch her. It may be my last chance."

Henderson nodded and did as Clark had requested.

"Thanks, Henderson," Clark whispered.

The nurse returned a moment later with a basin of water, soap and a
cloth and quickly, but efficiently, cleaned Clark's face and hands.

"You don't want to give her any germs," the woman explained.

Once that task was done, the woman led them into the ICU. There were
a number of beds with the hospital's most critical patients on the
parameter of the room. In the middle was a nurses' station and at the
end of each bed sat a nurse, whose sole responsibility was the
patient in front of him or her. The nurse with Clark led him over to
the appropriate bed.

"Thanks," Clark said softly to the nurse, before turning his
attention to the woman in the bed. Quietly, he made his way over.
There was equipment situated around her bed and a number of wires and
tubes running down and attaching themselves to the woman he loved.
Covering her face was an oxygen mask. He took in a deep steadying
breath before taking a seat beside her.

Tears slipped quietly down his cheeks as he reached out and gently
took one of Lois' hands in his. He was careful to avoid touching the
IV which had been implanted in the back of her hand. He bent over and
gently kissed her. "My love," he whispered. "I'm so sorry. I don't
know what I was thinking. I guess I wasn't thinking." He paused.
"They say that you're doing well and that our baby is still alive. I
wish..." His voice trailed off. "Whatever happens, Lois, know that I
love you." With that, he bent over and gave her another brief kiss.

"We need to get going," said Henderson's voice behind him.

Clark swallowed hard, looking at his wife for one long agonizing
moment, before nodding and rising to accompany Bill Henderson from
the room. He stopped briefly at the door to take a final look at
Lois, wondering if Lois would ever understand what he had to do now.

* * * * * * * * *

Clark paced in his cell. This was all so wrong. Where he should be
was at Lois' side, but it was his own fault that he was here instead
of in that hospital room. If he'd kept his priorities straight, if
he'd remembered that his wife needed him to be there for her, this
wouldn't be happening. Instead, in one blind instant of rage he'd got
his revenge. It hadn't been sweet - as advertized. It had left Clark
feeling cold inside. He had never before purposely taken a human
life; in fact, he valued and cherished life. Yet Professor Jefferson
Cole was dead because of him.

The check in procedure had been humiliating. However, there were a
few things to be grateful for. When he'd lost his powers this
morning, he'd taken off the Superman suit - so at least that hadn't
been found under his regular clothes and without his powers, he
didn't have to worry about floating in his sleep - that is if he was
able to sleep tonight.

An officer walked through the holding cells, checking on the prisoners.

"Excuse me, officer," said Clark. "Would you be able to call the
hospital to find out if my wife is okay?"

"I'm not your message boy," the officer snorted before walking away.

Clark took a deep breath. What had he done? Lois was lying in a
hospital bed - whether alive or dead, he didn't know. If he'd had his
powers, he would have been able to sneak out to check on her without
being noticed, but he didn't have his powers so that wasn't an
option. What would happen if she regained consciousness and was told
that their baby was dead and that he was in prison? And how would she
ever be able to forgive him for what he knew he had to do tomorrow?

* * * * * * * * *

Lois struggled against the darkness. Her first thought was how dry
her mouth felt. She could hear voices but couldn't make out the
words. Suddenly, she groaned inwardly when she heard her mother's
voice. Clark. She needed Clark. She forced her eyes open and looked
around but couldn't see him. She had been right. Her mother was here
and, in typical Ellen Lane fashion, was arguing with her father.

"Mom," Lois said softly in a raspy voice.

Ellen spun around. "You're awake," she said in relief.

"Water?" Lois asked.

Ellen immediately looked for a nurse just outside the private room
Lois had been moved to when her condition stabilized.

"How you feeling, princess?" asked Sam Lane, taking his daughter's
wrist and checking her pulse.

"Where's Clark?" Lois asked, ignoring the question.

"I don't know," her father responded. "We just got here. He wasn't
here when we arrived. Perry and Jimmy are waiting outside though."

"He should be here," said Ellen as an indictment of her son-in-law.
She brought a glass of ice chips over to her daughter and gave her a
spoonful.

Lois let the ice melt and wet her mouth before speaking. "I'm sure he
has a good reason," she responded. After all, there could have been
an emergency that had taken him away for a few minutes. Then she
stopped. He didn't have his powers. How could he have gone to help
out with an emergency when he didn't have his powers? She immediately
tried to sit up.

"What are you doing, Lois?" Ellen asked. "You can't..."

"I need to find Clark," Lois said.

"You can't..." Ellen repeated as Lois started struggling to get the
oxygen tubes away from her nose.

"Hold on, princess," interrupted Sam. "I'll find out where Clark is
if you'll just relax."

Lois studied her father for a moment before nodding. She really
didn't feel too good, but she was suddenly terrified by Clark's
absence. She could recall that Clark had been waiting in the jeep
when Cole shot her. Without his powers, he could very well have been
shot too. Was he dead? Was he lying in a different bed in this
hospital fighting for his life? She had to know.

* * * * * * * * *

"How do I tell her that?" asked Sam when Perry filled him in on the
reason for Clark's absence.

"Isn't there some way you can delay her?" asked Perry. "It might be
better to wait 'til she's a little stronger before telling her."

"It might be, but she seems to know something's wrong. If she doesn't
get an answer that she believes, she's going to be out of bed -
searching the hospital for answers."

Perry nodded. That was the Lois he knew. "Why don't we try talking to
the doctor about it?"

Sam shook his head. "The doctors are undoubtedly gone for the night.
Would you consider talking to her? I haven't given her much reason to
trust me over the years, I'm afraid."

Perry swallowed hard and nodded. It was not a task that he looked
forward to - telling Lois that Clark had been arrested for murder.
Still, the woman lying in that hospital room was important to him. He
would tell her. The two men entered Lois' room.

"Hi, darling. How are you doing?" asked Perry, planting a big grin on his face.

"Where's Clark?" Lois demanded, not fooled by Perry's attempt to look
as if there was nothing wrong. She could tell immediately that Perry
was here to break the bad news - whatever that was.

"He's fine," Perry assured her. "But I tell you, we've all sure been
worried about you."

"Perry!" Lois warned.

Perry let out a short breath. He made his way over to Lois' bed and
took a seat beside her. "He is fine, Lois. But there has been a...
complication."

"What type of complication? Why isn't he here, Perry?" Lois demanded.

Perry shifted uncomfortably. How had this suddenly become his
responsibility? "Umm... Do you remember what happened to you?" he
asked.

"Yes. I was shot by Jefferson Cole. Wait a minute. I thought you said
Clark wasn't hurt."

"He wasn't. But Cole's dead and Clark's responsible."

"Well, it was self-defense. Did the police insist that he go down to
give a statement while his wife is lying unconscious in the hospital?
When I get my hands on Henderson..."

"It wasn't a case of self-defense," Perry interrupted.

"What are you talking about, Perry? Clark would never hurt someone
unless it was unavoidable."

Perry took a deep breath. "When you were hurt and we didn't know if
you were going to live, Clark was in a state of shock. Then when he
learned that you were pregnant..."

"The baby!" exclaimed Lois, instinctively placing a protective hand
on her stomach. "Is the baby..."

"The baby's alive," Sam immediately injected. He didn't add that
there wasn't much chance of the baby surviving. She had enough to
handle right now.

"Well, anyway," continued Perry. "When Clark found out about the
baby... Well, he completely lost it. It still wasn't known if you
would live and well, with the baby..." He shrugged slightly. "Anyway,
when Clark learned all that, he decided to go after Cole. He went to
an address that you had found..."

Lois nodded in recognition.

"...I don't know the details, but Cole ended up dead and Clark was arrested."

"He couldn't be at fault," Lois insisted.

"I'm sure everything will work out," Perry assured her. "He's being
arraigned tomorrow. Once bail is set, I'll get the Daily Planet to
post it so Clark will surely be here later in the afternoon. We'll
worry then about getting it all sorted out."

Lois let out a breath and nodded. Together the team of Lane and Kent
could handle anything. They'd get to the bottom of it. "Thanks,
Perry," Lois said softly.

Perry squeezed her hand. "You're welcome, honey. Listen, Jimmy's
waiting outside. Do you mind if he comes in to see for himself how
you're doing? Then we'll get out of here and let you spend some time
with your parents."

Lois nodded.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I need to call Clark's folks. I've been keeping
them updated. The earliest they could book a flight to Metropolis was
tomorrow."

"Do they know that Clark's been arrested?" Lois asked.

Perry nodded. "They don't know, however, that you're awake. I'll let
them know."

"Thanks, Perry. Tell them I'm fine and to wait until Clark's out of
prison before coming to Metropolis. We'll give them a call as soon as
he's released on bail," Lois said. She knew that Martha and Jonathan
would want to be here. She also knew that they were struggling
financially this year - the crops were not as good as they'd hoped.
She'd send Clark to fetch them tomorrow. He should have his powers
back by then. She figured Martha and Jonathan would understand the
hidden message in what she'd asked Perry to tell them.

"Sure thing, honey. Boy, I sure am glad you're okay. You had me
pretty worried there for a while."

Lois smiled. It wasn't often Perry was able to express his feelings.
As a result, it always meant so much to her when he did.

* * * * * * * * *

"The baby's still alive?" gasped the doctor the next morning.

The nurse nodded.

"It isn't possible," the doctor insisted. "The trauma of the mother
being shot combined with the trauma of her surgery... The baby
couldn't possibly be alive."

The nurse handed him the evidence. The doctor studied it for a moment
before shaking his head. "Okay, well... I guess I should get in
there." With that he headed into Lois' room.

Once there, he checked her out - listening for her heartbeat before
listening to the baby's heartbeat. He shook his head in disbelief.
The baby was indeed alive.

"So do I pass?" asked Lois.

The doctor sank into a chair beside her. "I don't know how it's
possible?" he said in confusion.

"What?"

"Huhh... Oh, the baby."

"What about the baby?" Lois demanded immediately.

"The baby's fine, Ms. Lane. But that's just what I don't understand.
You see, the baby shouldn't have survived. There must be something
about that child's genetic makeup. But for some reason that kid
really wants to live."

Lois gave a small smile. The doctor was more accurate than he 
realized. The child
she was carrying was a Kryptonian/human hybrid - obviously resulting
in something of a super child. "Wait a minute," she suddenly said.
"Is that what you told Clark? Did you tell him that his baby wouldn't
survive?"

"I'm afraid so, Ms. Lane."

"He didn't even know I was pregnant," Lois gasped. "That must have
been... Oh, god, he must have been devastated."

The doctor cleared his throat and rose from the chair. "Anyway,
you're doing fine. In fact, I'm absolutely stunned by how quickly you
seem to be recovering. Considering how close we came to losing you,
it's amazing how well you seem to be doing."

"Then when can I get out of here?"

"Hold on a moment. You had a close call. So did your baby. I'm
planning to keep you here for a couple more days at least. Then you
will need to rest a lot for the next three or four weeks. No matter
how good you're feeling."

"But, Doctor..."

"Ms. Lane, I'm sure you don't want to do anything to jeopardize the
life of your unborn child. It would be a shame to lose him or her
now. And if you don't take it easy, that's exactly what will happen."

Lois let out a short breath before nodding. She hated to admit it,
but he was right. She had no intention of doing anything to risk the
life of this child. This might be a miracle child, but that didn't
give her the right to see how much of a miracle it was.

* * * * * * * * *

Clark soaked up all the sun he could get in the police van which
transported him to the court house. He was glad to find that the
cells in the court house where he was held had barred windows. He
needed the sunlight. He would never recover his powers without it. He
sat the entire time in the stream of light coming in the window.
While he was waiting, the door to his cell opened and a man entered.

"My name is Chris Morris. Mr. White called me last night and asked me
to represent you."

"I don't need a lawyer," Clark said. "Do you know how my wife is?"

"Mr. Kent, I've taken a look at your file. Right now, you need to
worry about yourself. You've been charged with second degree murder.
That's twenty years to life imprisonment. Now, in my opinion, you've
got an excellent case..."

"I don't need a lawyer," Clark reiterated, before closing his eyes
and leaning back into the sunlight. "And unless you have some
information about my wife, I'd really prefer that you just left."

The man continued trying to convince Clark to at least let him see
what he could do about getting the charge reduced, but Clark just
ignored him. Over the years, he'd seen the things that people claimed
in order to avoid responsibility for their actions and he wanted no
part of it. He had killed Jefferson Cole. He would own up to that
fact - whatever the consequences.

Finally, the lawyer realized there was no point trying to talk Clark
out of his intended course of action and left. Clark let out a sigh
of relief when the lawyer was finally gone. He didn't need a lawyer
for what he needed to do. His only concern now was that Lois would
understand. He really wished someone would get him some news about
how she was doing.

He closed his eyes and concentrated. He floated up slightly. He
breathed a sigh of relief. His powers were back. Still, he'd have to
wait for a week or two before doing what needed to be done. He didn't
want anyone connecting Clark with the announcement Superman would
have to make.

* * * * * * * * *

Jimmy and Perry made their way into the courtroom. It had taken all
their powers of persuasion to keep Lois from coming with them to
Clark's arraignment. However, they had assured her that as soon as
bail was posted, they would get Clark over to the hospital. They
tried to get a message to Clark about Lois and their unborn child.
However, so far everyone had been spectacularly unhelpful.

They sat there for most of the morning, waiting for Clark's case to be called.

"Docket number 892348. The people versus Clark Kent," the clerk
finally announced.

Perry and Jimmy sat up straighter at the announcement. Clark was
brought in wearing coveralls instead of his blood stained clothes and
sporting handcuffs and leg irons. When Clark entered the room, Jimmy,
tired of all the problems of trying to get a message to Clark and
knowing how frantic Clark must be about Lois, spoke up before anyone
could stop him.

"Lois is awake and doing well. Your baby's doing fine too," Jimmy yelled.

The judge immediately rebuked the young man. However, all Jimmy saw
was the look of gratitude and relief on Clark's face and the feeling
of Perry's hand patting his back.

"Where's your attorney?" the judge asked.

"I believe I have the right to represent myself. I'd like to do
that," Clark responded.

The judge looked over at the district attorney.

"We don't have a problem with that, your honor," the D.A. replied.
"Mr. Kent is well educated and literate. He's covered trials for the
Daily Planet. If he wishes to represent himself, we're prepared to
let him."

"Very well," said the woman behind the bench. "But I'm going to
appoint counsel to act in an advisory capacity." She glanced around
the court room and spotted a young man from the public defenders
office. "Mr. Wimpleton, you will act as an advisor to Mr. Kent."

"Your honor, I've got a very full case load at the moment. I just
don't think..."

"I don't care, Mr. Wimpleton. You will act as Mr. Kent's advisor."

Wimpleton came over and sank into a chair at the table beside Clark.
  From the look on his face it was obvious the man wasn't exactly happy
about this new assignment.

"The charge is murder in the second degree," said the judge. "Do you
wish to enter a plea?"

"I do. I plead guilty."

There were gasps from nearly everyone in the court room.

"Clark, what are you doing?" asked Perry from the body of the court.

"Mr. Kent, I really must advise you..." began Wimpleton.

"Order in the court," demanded the judge, pounding her gavel on the bench.

"Your honor, may I have a moment to speak to Mr. Kent?" asked
Wimpleton, once the hubbub quieted down.

"I think that might be advisable," replied the judge.

"I don't want to speak to Mr. Wimpleton," Clark injected. "I know the
charge - second degree murder. I know there is a sentence of twenty
years to life and I want to plead guilty."

"You realize that by pleading guilty you give up your right to a
trial?" the judge asked.

"I understand that, judge. However, I am guilty of the murder of
Jefferson Cole. I want to take responsibility for my actions and for
that reason, I think my only option is to plead guilty."

The judge studied Clark for a moment before nodding. "Well, Mr. Kent,
if that is what you want to do I can hardly stop you. Are you
prepared to give your allocution to the crime now?"

"I am, judge," said Clark.

"Clark, what are you doing?" asked Perry from behind.

Clark turned toward his boss. "I'm taking responsibility for my
actions, Chief," Clark responded.

"At least talk to Lois before you do this, son," Perry continued.

Clark gave him a sad smile. "She'd just try to talk me out of it. I
killed Cole, Perry. The right thing to do is to admit it and take
whatever punishment the court deems appropriate."

The judge pounded her gavel on the bench - once again bringing
silence to the courtroom.

"All right, Mr. Kent, tell us in your own words what happened."

Clark nodded and began to speak. "Jefferson Cole shot my wife so I
decided that I was going to make him pay. I had an idea about where
he might be so I went there. I had only one thought on my mind..."
Clark paused for a moment. There was an incredible amount of shame in
his voice when he continued. "I went there to kill him."

"If you thought you knew where the man who shot your wife was, why
didn't you call the police?" asked the judge.

Clark shrugged. "I didn't want him arrested," Clark admitted, not
looking at the judge as he did so. He shoved his hand deep into his
pockets and stared at the table in front of him. "I wanted him dead,"
Clark finally whispered.

"What happened when you got there?" the judge prompted.

"I found Cole at his apartment. He was alone. When I tried to tackle
him, he evaded me and ran up the stairs. I followed until we were
both on the roof. I dove for him. When he tried to avoid me, he fell
off the roof. When I looked over the side, he was lying dead on the
pavement."

The judge looked over at the district attorney. "Are the people
satisfied?" she asked.

"Yes, your honor," the district attorney responded.

"Then on the basis of your plea and the facts as stated, I find you
guilty of murder in the second degree. Let's come back..." She
flipped open her calendar. "Next Tuesday for sentencing."

"Fine with me, your honor," said the district attorney.

"Is there any way we can get that over with today too?" asked Clark.

The judge looked at the clerk before responding. "Well, there is a
light docket today. Does the district attorney have any objections?"

"No, your honor. Mr. Cole was an escaped felon and he didn't have any
family. I don't see any reason why we can't proceed with sentencing
now."

"Are you sure you want to do this, Mr. Kent? After all, you could
call character witnesses..."

"I'm sure, judge."

"I'll be a character witness, judge," said Perry rising from his
chair. Jimmy followed the chief's lead. Henderson, who had just
entered the court room, also immediately volunteered.

"That's okay, guys," said Clark. "You don't need..."

"I'd like to hear what these witnesses have to say, Mr. Kent," the
judge interrupted. Given Clark Kent's unusual behavior today, she
wanted to hear from people who knew him before pronouncing sentence.

* * * * * * * * *

"What do we tell Lois?" asked Jimmy as they approached the hospital
some time later.

"Great shades of Elvis, how am I supposed to know?" Perry responded.
Both he and Jimmy were still in a state of shock. Never in his entire
life had Perry seen justice - or lack thereof - move so fast. He,
Henderson and Jimmy had all given glowing character testimony for
Clark. However, the judge had informed them that she didn't have much
discretion. The soonest Clark would be eligible for parole would be
in twenty years.

"How could he do that?" a woman's voice came from inside Lois'
hospital room. "Didn't he even think about how you would feel about
him pleading guilty? Imagine our daughter married to a murderer! It's
disgraceful. That's what it is, you know. Couldn't he have thought
about his family before doing something like this. Didn't he think
about how we'd feel."

Jimmy and Perry both recognized the voice of Lois' mother. They
looked at each other.

"I'd say she already knows," said Perry.

They cautiously knocked on the door of Lois' room.

"Come in," said a man's voice.

Jimmy and Perry stepped into the room to see Lois staring in
disbelief at the television screen while Ellen continued on her rant.

"What happened?" Ellen demanded when the two men entered the room.

"I can't exactly say that I know, Ellen," Perry responded. He made
his way over to Lois. "I'm sorry, honey," he said softly.

Lois' eyes finally left the screen and focused on her boss. "What did
he do, Perry?" she asked so softly that Perry almost didn't hear her.
He had expected to see Lois in ballistic mode. This was infinitely
scarier.

"He said that he had to accept responsibility for his actions," Perry
responded.

"He really killed Cole?" Lois asked, still unable to comprehend that
her gentle compassionate husband could do that.

Perry nodded. "He told about it in his allocution to the crime."

"But why, Perry?" Lois asked, trying to make sense of things.

"Lois, when he took off after Cole... Let me back up here. I don't
think I've ever seen Clark quite as lost as when we were waiting to
hear from the doctor during your surgery. I kept thinking that if you
died, he wouldn't survive either. Anyway, then the doctor came out.
He informed us that your surgery had gone well, but they still didn't
know if you were going to make it. He also didn't think the baby
would survive."

"Clark didn't even know I was pregnant," Lois added. "We've wanted to
have a baby for so long and didn't think we could."

"I got that impression from Clark's comments. Anyway, the doctor told
Clark that there was no way the baby would survive if you died. So he
asked for Clark's permission to terminate the pregnancy if it became
necessary rather than risk your life."

"Oh, god," Lois gasped. Given how badly Clark wanted children, he
must have been devastated at having to make a decision like that.
"What did he say?" she finally whispered.

"That he couldn't bear to lose you."

Tears were by now, flowing freely down Lois' face.

"Anyway, it wasn't long after that that Clark stormed out of the
hospital looking for Jefferson Cole. I don't think..." Perry paused
before changing what he was about to say. "No, I know he wasn't in
his right mind. I tried to send Jimmy to keep an eye on him but he
got rid of Jimmy."

"I'm sorry, Lois," Jimmy piped in.

Lois gave Jimmy a sad smile. Things were suddenly becoming painfully
clear. Clark had just snapped. He didn't know if the woman he loved -
the only woman he'd ever loved or trusted his heart or his secret to
- would live and he'd been forced to make a choice between her and a
child she knew he would want. It had all turned out okay. She was
alive and the hybrid child she was carrying was tougher than anyone
knew. Still, it had been enough to send her normally gentle husband
over the edge.

"Tell me what happened when Clark got to Cole's apartment," Lois
finally whispered. Once Perry had, Lois responded. "But then he
didn't kill Cole!" she exclaimed. "Cole fell."

"Sorry, honey," Perry said. "But I spoke to Bill Henderson after
Clark was sentenced. He told me that if you try to kill someone and
they die like Cole did - trying to get away - you're guilty of
murder."

"Twenty years," Lois whispered after a long moment of silence. "How
am I..." Her voice broke and she fought for control. "I have to see
him," she finally said.

"Princess..." Sam Lane started in his most placating voice.

"I mean it, Dad. I need to see him."

"Okay," said Sam, recognizing the steel in Lois' voice. "I'll make
arrangements to get you down to see him tomorrow."

She glanced up at the clock. It was close to five o'clock. She let
out a breath before nodding. Besides, she really wasn't sure she'd be
able to get out of this bed today. She'd go to see him tomorrow. And
she did need some time to figure out what she was going to say to him
- other than that she loved him, of course. Nothing would ever change
that and he probably needed to hear that more than anything right now.

* * * * * * * * *

After sentencing, Clark was taken to the Metropolis Prison. If he'd
thought the procedure last night had been humiliating, this was a
hundred times worse. Prison officials weren't only interested in
making sure new prisoners weren't bringing in any contraban. They
also intended to make sure the prisoners knew from the start who was
in charge. Therefore, they were subjected to a type of spiritual
lesson. By the time Clark was escorted to his cell and met his bunk
mate, he was thoroughly depressed.

Twenty years of this. Twenty years of having someone else tell him
where to go and what to do while he was there. Twenty years of not
being allowed to fly. But most of all, twenty years of not feeling
Lois' warm body next to him when he fell asleep at night.

How was he going to be able to face her? From what Jimmy had said,
both she and his child were doing okay - at least physically. On the
other hand, he had just condemned her to raising their child on her
own. No. He wouldn't let her do that. She needed a man who could love
her, be there for her when she cried and provide her with the stable
home life he knew she craved. His son or daughter needed a man to
look up to, get piggyback rides from and help with his or her
homework. That didn't give Clark a lot of choices under the
circumstances. He knew she would fight him, but this was one fight he
couldn't allow her to win. She had to get on with her life and the
only way she'd be able to do that was for him to let her go. His
heart clenched in his chest at the very idea. Still, it was the right
thing to do, the only thing to do, so he hardened his heart. He would
do it the next time they talked.

Then there was the question of Superman. He had just made it
impossible for him to continue being Superman. He had an idea of how
to handle that. He would take care of that as soon as possible. With
Lois' pregnancy it was critical that no one connect Clark Kent's
incarceration with the cessation of Superman's activities.

However, he'd had no choice but to plead guilty. He'd killed
Jefferson Cole. Taking responsibility for his actions was the only
honest thing he could do. He hoped Lois would understand that and he
hoped that some day, his child would understand that as well.

* * * * * * * * *

Lois waited until her parents left before picking up the phone. She
was dreading this phone call. She didn't know if Clark's parents
would have heard yet about Clark's plea. Part of her hoped they had.
After all, how could she possibly explain what had happened when she
barely understood it herself? On the other hand, wasn't it better to
have them hear about it from someone who loved Clark too instead of
hearing it, like she had, from some cold unfeeling news broadcast.
She dialed the number of Martha and Jonathan Kent in Smallville.

"Hello," said a woman's voice.

"Hi, Martha," Lois said hesitantly.

"Lois! Jonathan, grab the extension. It's Lois," Martha said before
directing her attention back to Lois. "How are you doing, honey?"

"I'm doing fine. The baby's also doing fine."

"Baby?" asked Martha.

"What baby?" asked Jonathan.

"I'm sorry, I thought Perry was keeping you filled in."

"He was, but he never said anything about a baby. Lois, are you pregnant?"

In spite of everything, Lois smiled at the sound of hope in Martha's
voice. "Yes, Martha. I'm pregnant."

"But I thought Dr. Klein said you two couldn't have children," said Jonathan.

"He was wrong."

"Oh, honey, I'm so happy for both of you. I know how much you two
wanted children," said Martha.

"As if Martha isn't thrilled to death at the idea of being a
grandmother," Jonathan piped in.

Lois laughed through her tears. Hearing them sounding so hopeful was
both incredibly sweet and terribly painful.

"Have you heard about Clark?" she finally asked.

"Perry told us he was arrested, but he didn't give us many details
except to say that Clark would be out on bail tonight," said Jonathan.

"So is he there with you?" Martha asked.

"Not exactly."

"What's wrong, Lois?"

Lois fought to keep her voice steady. "Well, apparently Clark pled
guilty to murder."

"What!" exclaimed both Martha and Jonathan in unison.

"I don't understand," Martha added.

"I hardly do either," Lois confessed, before proceeding to fill
Martha and Jonathan in on everything she knew.

"Do you want us to come to Metropolis, honey?" Martha asked when Lois finished.

Lois pulled in an involuntary jagged breath. "I was hoping you'd
offer," she whispered, her voice teary.

"We'll catch a flight sometime tomorrow," Jonathan said. "We should
be there tomorrow evening."

"Thank you," Lois breathed, closing her eyes. In the three years
she'd been married to Clark, she'd come to rely on Martha and
Jonathan almost as much as Clark did. With Clark in jail, she needed
them here.

"Oh, honey," Martha said. "You don't have to thank us. We're your family."

* * * * * * * * *

Lois was accompanied by both her parents as she made her way to the
prison the next morning. That was one of the benefits of being the
child of a doctor and a nurse. Lois wasn't keen about going with
them. On the other hand, she still couldn't move well enough to make
the trip on her own - and she had to talk to Clark. The nightmares
she'd had last night told her very clearly how much she needed to
talk to him. There was only one man who'd ever been able to calm her
fears, and unless she talked to him, her fears would just get worse.

"I need to go alone," she informed her mother when they finally
called her to tell her that she was next.

"But, Lois..." Ellen began.

"Alone!" Lois repeated in a voice and with a look that left no room
for argument. Ellen nodded and sat back down.

Lois passed through security and entered a room with one long table.
Down the center of the table was a glass barrier that prevented any
contact between the prisoners and the visitors. The table was divided
into booths. At each booth was a phone for the visitor and a phone
for the inmate. Lois took a seat at the empty booth.

As she waited, she regarded the men and women in the room. The sight
terrified her. Most of the visitors were women who appeared to be
coming to visit boyfriends or husbands - like her. The idea of twenty
years of only seeing Clark through a glass left her feeling
incredibly cold.

She glanced at a sign displayed prominently on the wall behind her.
'All conversations can be monitored.' She pulled in a breath.
Although she and Clark had nothing to hide of a criminal nature, they
definitely had something to hide. She would have to be careful about
what she said to Clark.

Lois heard a door open and looked up to see Clark being escorted into
the room. A tear trickled slowly down her cheek. How was it that he
could still look so gorgeous dressed in prison grey?

Clark drew in a sharp breath at the sight of his wife on the other
side of the glass. He'd been told that she was okay. Still, it did
his heart good to see that fact for himself. Of course, that didn't
change what he had to do. He had to let her go - no matter how much
it hurt to do so. No matter what it did to him, he wouldn't allow her
to sacrifice the next twenty years of her life for him.

He took a seat at the table across from her. When he noticed the tear
slipping down her cheek, he instinctively reached towards her cheek,
but his hand was brought up short by the glass between them. He gave
her a sad smile and picked up the phone.

Lois' hand came up and touched his through the glass as she too
picked up the phone.

Lois glanced around at the sign behind her and back at Clark. He
nodded in recognition of her unspoken warning.

"How are you?" they asked in unison.

Both let out a breath when they realized what they'd done.

"I need to hear about you," Clark finally said.

Lois nodded. "I'm doing fine. And they tell me that our baby must
have some pretty hardy genes."

"She's really okay?"

Lois actually smiled. "She?" she asked.

He looked slightly sheepish. "It's just a feeling," he responded.

"Yeah, Clark. And I think we can safely say that he..." She
emphasized the word. "...is yours. That's the only way he could have
survived the last couple of days."

Clark smiled for a moment in appreciation of her light teasing. He
would miss that. Suddenly, the full weight of what he'd done and what
he was losing as a result seemed to hit him.

"Oh, Lois, I'm so sorry. You were right. If I hadn't participated in
that dumb experiment at Star Labs..."

"Don't, Clark," Lois responded.

They both fell silent for a moment as an awkwardness that neither had
ever known with the other settled in.

Lois cleared her throat. "I need to know what happened, Clark. I need
to understand."

Clark nodded. "I really don't know how to explain it," Clark said,
gesturing helplessly. "I was just so incredibly angry. I..."

"No, Clark, that's not what I mean. I think I understand what
happened with Cole."

"You do?" asked Clark in disbelief. "Could you explain it to me?"

She gave him a sad smile and traced his hand which was still against
the glass with her finger for a moment.

"Do you remember when John Doe tried to kill me?" Lois asked.

Clark nodded. John Doe - who was actually Tempus - had planted a
hypnotic suggestion in Lois' mind which caused her to drive her car
off a cliff.

"Well, after that, you went to John Doe and threatened that if he did
anything to me, he'd see your ethics disappear."

"What does that have to do with..."

"You told me that you did that because you were afraid of losing me.
I think that's what happened here. You were not only struggling with
my possible death, but you had just been asked to decide between me
and our baby."

"You know that?"

"Yes," she responded softly.

"Oh." He paused before whispering, "You must hate me."

"Hate you? Clark, I could never hate you. I love you. I always will.
Besides, it wasn't a fair choice - especially for someone who wants
children as badly as you. So I think I can understand what happened.
What I don't understand is why you pled guilty. Clark, I don't
believe any jury in America would have convicted you of second degree
murder when they heard the whole story."

Clark removed his hand from the glass and stared at the table in
front of him for a moment before answering. "I know that, Lois," he
said softly.

"Then why, Clark?"

Clark let out a breath. "Lois, I planned to kill Jefferson Cole.
That's what I set out to do and that's exactly what I did. The fact
that maybe I could have gotten away with it isn't the issue. I
committed murder." He cleared his throat. "Maybe it wasn't fair to
you, but I had to take responsibility. If I hadn't, I never could
have lived with myself."

Lois watched him lightly trace some doodling on the desk in front of
him for a moment as she considered his answer. One of the things she
loved most about Clark was that he never walked away from
responsibility. He felt responsible when there was a single person he
couldn't save. He took responsibility when she did something stupid
telling her that that was what being partners was all about - when
one person does something, the other takes responsibility for it too.
He had understood what he was doing when he'd stood in front of that
judge and pled guilty. He had been taking responsibility - just like
he always did.

"I love you, Clark Kent," she whispered into the phone.

Clark's head came up at that. "I love you too, Lois," he responded.

"So what do we do now?" Lois asked.

Clark swallowed hard. This was the moment he'd been dreading. He
closed his eyes briefly, steadying his pounding heart and making sure
his voice wouldn't tremble before saying, "I want you to divorce me,
Lois."

"What!" Lois demanded, the tenderness of only a moment ago being
replaced by a sense of fear, disbelief and anger.

"Lois, I'm not going to be eligible for parol for twenty years. I
don't want you waiting for me. I don't want you coming to see me. I
want you to get on with your life. I want you to meet someone else
and fall in love and..."

"I'm not going to divorce you, Clark!" Lois interrupted. "I love you.
When I took my wedding vows, it was for life. Not until something
came along which made life a little difficult."

"This isn't a little difficult, Lois. This is twenty years we're
talking about. I don't want you to be alone. Besides, what about the
baby? She needs a father who..."

"He has a father."

"...can be there for her. I want you to get a divorce and I want you
to find someone else."

"No! I won't do it, Clark."

"Then I will," said Clark. "I don't want you coming to see me
anymore." With those words, Clark got up from his chair and made his
way to the door that would lead him back into the prison.

"Don't you dare walk away from me, mister," warned Lois, hitting the
palm of her hand against the glass 
for emphasis. "And don't
think I don't know that you can hear me," she added. However, her
words of warning went unheeded. She watched in helpless confusion as
Clark walked through the door into the prison and out of her life for
good.

"Miss," said a man's voice behind her. When she didn't respond, he
repeated the word in a louder tone of voice. She turned. "There are
other people waiting for visits. I'm going to have to ask you to
leave."

Lois nodded absently before rising and making her way back out of the room.

* * * * * * * * *

Clark placed a hand on the wall in the hall outside the visitor's
room to steady himself. He had known it would be hard ending his
marriage, but nothing could have prepared him for the pain of that
moment. He had wanted to stay around to let Lois get over her initial
shock so that they could discuss it rationally. However, once he'd
said the words he felt as if a piece of himself had died. He needed
to get out of there before the pain he could hear in her voice could
undermine his resolve. This was the right thing to do. She might not
understand that now, but maybe, someday, when she fell in love with someone
else, she would.

"Kent!" said the guard, interrupting Clark's thoughts.

Clark nodded and forced himself to put one foot in front of the other
as the guard led him back to his lonely cell. This had been harder
than pleading guilty. Lois was more than just his wife - she was his
soul mate. Losing her was like losing himself. He didn't know what
was worse - twenty years in prison or a lifetime without Lois Lane.

He snorted. That wasn't true. A lifetime without Lois was infinitely
worse than twenty years in prison, but he couldn't... he wouldn't let
her put her life on hold for the next twenty years and if he hadn't
ended their relationship now it just would have gotten harder to do
so.

At least now she could begin the grieving process so she could begin
to heal. Besides, what he needed to do was accept his sentence. That
meant putting the outside world out of his mind and concentrate on
accepting his new reality - life behind bars.

* * * * * * * * *

It had been twenty years, two hundred and forty months, one thousand
and forty weeks, seven thousand three hundred and five days since
Clark had made that terrible decision to plead guilty to the charge
of murder. Lois had replayed that day in her mind every day since. If
only she had dragged herself out of bed that morning and gone to
Clark's arraignment. Perry had tried to stop him from pleading
guilty. The lawyer Perry had hired for him had tried to stop him.
Even the judge and the public defender had tried to stop him. But
none of them were her! She didn't know - would never know - if her
being there would have made a difference. After all, sometimes Clark
took his sense of responsibility a little far. Still... She sighed.
She should have gone to the arraignment.


The past twenty years had been hard. She'd lost the brownstone
shortly after C.J. was born. It had been rough letting go of the
place where the happiest three years of her life had been spent, but
she'd simply been unable to keep up with the mortgage payments on her
salary alone.

Clark had been as good as his word. He had refused to see her since
that day in the prison when he'd told her never to return. There had
been more than once that she'd been tempted to follow his advice, but
had never been able to follow through. After twenty years, her love
for him was as vivid as it had ever been.

Lois arrived at the prison early. She often imagined what he'd look
like after all this time. She wondered what he'd think of her. Both
excitement and fear coursed through her as she waited for him to walk
through those gates. It was the moment she'd lived for for the past
twenty years.

It was then that she saw him. She opened her mouth to call to him,
but stopped at the sound of another woman calling his name. She
turned to see who was there. She gasped.

Mayson Drake was standing there. Lois watched in horror as Clark saw
Mayson and made his way over to her. They were immediately lost in
each other's arms as Clark sought out Mayson's mouth with his own.

Lois sat bolt upright in bed - sweat covering her. She panted for a
few moments as she tried to sort out what was dream and what was
real. Mayson was dead - had been for years - but Clark was in prison
just as he had been for the last couple of weeks. She let out a
breath. This wasn't the first night she'd had this dream since Clark
had sent her away. She'd certainly tried to see him since that
horrible conversation, but so far he was proving, once again, that he
could be as stubborn as she was.

Lois lowered herself back into bed before looking over at the clock.
It was four ten a.m. She closed her eyes, hoping she could fall back
to sleep.

* * * * * * * * *

The hardest thing about prison - other than not seeing Lois - was the
lack of sunlight. Clark had searched everywhere that he was free to
go in the prison and there was not one room with a window through
which he could spend time in the sun. The prisoners got half an hour
in the yard every day and Clark found himself looking forward to
those thirty minutes. However, even that wasn't always pure sunlight.
Although an overcast day did allow some sun to get through, Clark
missed the days when he could simply disappear above the clouds to
soak up the sun when he was feeling punkish.

At first, Clark had been concerned about having his superpowers
discovered in the lack of privacy the prison provided. However, he'd
managed to find creative solutions for most of his unique problems.
He controlled his floating by tying himself to the bed every night.
He'd stolen a sheet from the prison laundry - where he was currently
working - and had torn it into strips which he used to tie himself to
his bed. Since he slept on the top of a bunk bed which was fastened
to the wall, this method seemed to be working. After all, his
floating was not based on strength. It could be controlled by very
little external pressure.

He'd also found a way to deal with his shaving problem. Before he'd
leave the cell in the morning, he'd shave by bouncing his heat vision
off a steel plate he'd managed to find and polish up. Then he'd go to
the washroom and shave with the rest of the prisoners. On those days
when his bunk mate made this method of shaving impossible, he would
simply not shave.

He glanced up at the clock. There was still one thing he hadn't yet
taken care of. He'd been keeping an eye on the news and so far no one
had seemed to notice Superman's disappearance. However, before
questions were raised, he knew he needed to attend to that issue. He
knew he would be alone in the laundry later, and so he'd notified the
press that Superman would be appearing on the steps of City Hall to
make an announcement later today. He had kept track of the guard's
schedule and figured he had almost thirty minutes when he'd be alone.
Given the fact that he could move fast enough to be almost invisible,
he was confident he could be gone and back before anyone discovered
he was missing.

His folks had come to see him most days. They were planning to go
back to Smallville soon. He'd miss them when they were gone. It was
so nice seeing someone who cared about him. They kept insisting that
he see Lois, but Clark was adamant in his decision. She'd come with
his folks on a couple of occasions in hopes that he would recant, but
he knew he couldn't. If he backed down, even once, it would keep her
bound to him. That wasn't the life he wanted for her. So he'd
maintained his position - although to do so was killing him.

He knew Lois was still not back at work although she was recovering
nicely according to his parents. He was glad for that. At least if
she wasn't at work, she wouldn't know about this appearance by
Superman until it was over. He would have to go home to get a suit,
but he would fly through the house at superspeed, dressing on the
way. She might be suspicious, especially when she heard the familiar
swoosh and doors opening and closing, but he should be gone again
before she had a chance to react. Of course, if he was lucky, she'd
be out of the house or in the washroom or something when he made his
way through. Still, his entire body reacted to the idea that he might
see her - even if only for less than a second.

"Kent, let's get a move on," came the gruff voice of a guard. Clark
scurried to obey. The last thing he needed today was trouble with the
guards. They could ruin everything.

* * * * * * * * *

Lois was off the couch and at the front door the second she heard the
key turning in the lock - just as she was everyday. She waited
anxiously as Martha pushed open the door and stepped through.

Martha saw her and, as usual, shook her head. Her heart broke when
Lois visibly deflated in response to their silent communication.
Every day Lois asked Martha to talk to Clark about seeing her and
every day, Martha did. The response was always the same. No.

"I'm going into work," Lois said after taking a moment to compose
herself from this latest rejection by Clark.

"Lois, it's too soon," responded Jonathan.

"I've got to do something, Jonathan. I can't just continue to sit
here hoping that Clark will change his mind. Maybe work will allow me
to..." Her voice trailed off for a moment. "I promise, I'll take it
easy. I just need to be doing something."

Martha and Jonathan nodded their understanding. Work was how Lois
always dealt with pain. She'd get lost in her work allowing her to
forget whatever crisis was happening in her personal life.

* * * * * * * * *

"Jimmy, grab your camera and get down there," Perry shouted.

"I'm on it, Chief," the young man responded. He was just heading out
the door when he saw Lois.

"Hey, when did you get back? I thought you were supposed to be off
for another couple of weeks."

"I was, Jimmy, but it was just too hard sitting at home without Clark."

"I'm sorry," said Jimmy. "Hey, I saw him the other day. He seemed to
be doing okay."

"You saw him?" Lois asked the pain in her voice obvious even to Jimmy.

"Yeah," said Jimmy in confusion. Why was that such a big deal? Surely
Lois had been to see Clark. "Why?"

Lois shook her head. "Well, I suppose I should go see what Perry
might have for me to do," she said instead, slipping past Jimmy and
into the newsroom. She could hardly believe the pain that Jimmy's
admission had caused. Clark would accept visits from everyone but
her. She was his wife. If anyone had the right to see him, it was
her. However, he'd informed the prison officials that he wouldn't
accept visits from her and as a result, she'd been barred from seeing
him.

Perry looked out into the newsroom and saw a dejected young woman
making her way towards the office. He got up out of his chair to
greet her.

"What are you doing here?" Perry asked.

"It just got too depressing sitting around the house, Perry," Lois
replied. "So I decided to come back to work. What have you got for
me?"

"Well... I really don't need you today. I've got Frank handling the
city counsel meeting today and I've got Ralph covering the pile-up on
the interstate. I just sent Jimmy with Simon to cover Superman's
press conference. Like I said, there's really not a lot happening..."

"Superman's press conference?" Lois asked in disbelief.

Perry nodded. "I thought you would have heard about it. Yeah, he's
supposed to be giving a press conference in..." Perry checked his
watch. "...fifteen minutes."

"Where?" demanded Lois.

"In front of city hall. I sent... Lois, where are you going?" Perry
demanded of Lois' back.

* * * * * * * * *

Clark had been both relieved and dismayed when he'd gone to get the
suit and Lois hadn't been there. He had so desperately wanted to see
her - even if only for a fraction of a second. He decided it was a
positive sign that she wasn't there. It had to mean she was feeling
better. And although his parents had been giving him daily reports on
how she was doing, Clark still worried. The stress of his situation
couldn't be good for the baby.

He wondered - and not for the first time - if pleading guilty had
been fair to Lois and their child. Perhaps he should have fought the
charges. But almost as quickly as the thought had come, he dismissed
it. What hadn't been fair to Lois and their child was for him to have
taken the law into his own hands - acting as judge, jury and
executioner by taking Cole's life. Pleading guilty had just been
owning up to his previous actions. Still, he regretted with his whole
heart what he had done to her - to them - to their child.

Still, there was business to take care of and then... Superman would
be a thing of the past. He took a deep breath and landed in front of
the microphones that had been set up in front of city hall. As soon
as he arrived, the crowd of reporters quieted down.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I called you here to inform you that for
personal reasons, I will be unavailable to assist as Superman in the
foreseeable future," Superman informed the crowd. He had considered
saying that he again had to return to New Krypton. However, that
would be a lie.

Lois pulled her jeep up near where the crowd was assembled, got out
and pushed her way through the crowd to where Jimmy was taking
pictures. She listened in silence to Superman's announcement with a
sinking feeling in her stomach.

"Superman, what do you mean by 'the foreseeable future'?" asked a
reporter from LNN.

"Just that. At this point, I am unable to say when or if I will be
able to return to my previous responsibilities," Superman responded.

Lois studied Clark's face. There was a sadness there that she had
never seen before. Still, it was so incredibly good to see him. She
drew in a jagged breath. He must have heard it, because a moment
later their eyes met.

"What exactly are these personal reasons?" asked the reporter for the Star.

"I'm not prepared to answer that question," Superman responded,
pulling his eyes away from Lois. He waited for a moment before
saying, "Well, if there are no further questions..."

"So you plan to just abandon the people who lo... care about you
because you have a few problems?" said a familiar female voice.

"Lois," hissed Jimmy.

"I'm serious, Jimmy. If Superman has problems, he should be leaning
on his friends, not turning his back on them," Lois responded, loud
enough that everyone around heard.

Superman swallowed hard. He was hoping she wouldn't be here. He was
tempted not to answer the question since she wasn't demanding an
answer from Superman. She was demanding an answer from Clark. How
could he respond without doing so as Clark?

"Ms. Lane, there are just some problems that a man has to handle by
himself. It wouldn't be fair to drag the people he cares about down
with him..."

Lois raised her eyebrow. "Shouldn't that be a choice for his friends?"

"Sometimes a person's friends need to get on with their lives,"
Superman responded.

"Shouldn't that be their decision?"

"Not when they don't know what's best for them."

"Oh, so now you know what's best for your... umm... friends?"

Superman shifted uncomfortably, looking around and noticing the
curious looks on the faces of those watching the exchange. This was
quickly becoming a full fledged Lane and Kent fight. It was obvious
Lois was starting to have problems remembering whom she was
addressing.

"I'm afraid I do need to get going. Thank you everyone for your
time," Superman said and a second later he was gone. However, as he
flew off, he heard one final word come out of his wife's mouth.

"Coward," she yelled after him.

Lois looked around. Jimmy was staring at her open mouthed. "What?"
Lois demanded, before turning around and walking away.

In the back of the crowd, no one noticed a young man with a scruffy
beard who was holding one of many private video cameras. He continued
to tape until Lois Lane arrived back at her car before lowering the
camera and making his way out of the crowd.

* * * * * * * * *


Clark arrived back at the prison and snuck back in only moments
before a guard checked on him. He breathed a sigh of relief when the
guard was gone. He'd done it. He'd retired Superman and no one here
was any the wiser.

He thought back to the press conference and found his mind unable to
think of anything but the moment his eyes had met Lois'. The emotions 
had hit him as hard as the day he had initially met her in Perry's 
office. He set down the sheet he was folding and ran his hands 
through his hair. He had looked away from Lois to avoid the power of 
the feelings her mere presence could evoke in him. He gave a 
humorless chuckle. At least by arguing with him, she'd given him 
something to think about other than how incredible she looked and how 
much he missed her.

* * * * * * * * *

Lois pulled the jeep into the parking lot at the Daily Planet and
turned off the engine, but didn't get out. She closed her eyes,
trying to control her involuntary trembling. If Clark hadn't flown
off when he had, everyone would know Clark's secret identity. By the
time she'd shouted 'coward' at him, she'd forgotten she was
addressing Superman.

She let herself calm down before getting out of the car and heading
into the Daily Planet. As soon as she entered the newsroom, she heard
Perry shout, "Lois! My office! Now!" She scurried to obey.

"Yes, Perry?" she asked, not quite looking at him.

Perry studied her for a moment. He'd seen her unprofessional performance
at Superman's press conference on LNN. "Do you want to tell me what
went on out there today?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Lois asked, still not meeting his eyes.

"Lois, have a seat," he said. He waited until she did so before
continuing. "This isn't about Superman, is it?"

Lois finally looked at him. Thank god for Perry. She and Clark had
often speculated about whether Perry had figured out the
Clark/Superman connection. She wondered again. After all, why else
would he provide her with an excuse for her behavior that didn't
connect Clark with Superman?

"No," she whispered.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head.

"Okay, then I want you to take a trip over to the prison and have a
chat with Clark before going home," Perry said. After all, there was
only one person on the face of the earth that could talk Lois down
when she got like this. "And that's not a suggestion!" he added.

Lois nodded, rose and walked to the door of his office before
stopping and turning back towards Perry. Suddenly, she covered the
distance back to Perry's desk.

"But that's just it, Perry. Clark won't see me."

"What?"

"He thinks I need to get on with my life. He thinks I won't be able
to do that if I continue to see him."

"So when was the last time you saw him?"

"Umm... The last time I saw Clark was the day after he pled guilty.
Perry, I don't know what to do. I mean, I've thought about using a
fake ID to get in to see him. But even if I did, there's no way I can
get through to him in that visitor's room. I mean there's a glass
between us and we have to..."

"I've been there, Lois," Perry interrupted.

"If only I could have some real time alone with him. I know I could
get him to see reason. I just wish..."

Just then Lois' voice trailed off as Ralph stuck his head in Perry's office.

"What is it Ralph?" Perry asked.

"I just wanted to say... Lois, I bet you've changed your opinion
about conjugal visits at Metropolis Prison since hubby was thrown in
jail."

"Ralph, get out of here," growled Perry. "Sorry about that, Lois.
Ralph can be... What is it?"

Lois was no longer listening to Perry. About six months ago, Lois had
done an article about Metropolis Prison offering conjugal visits to
spouses of inmates. At the time, she'd come down pretty hard on the
prison system for wasting money on that type of program. However,
Ralph was right. From this end, the program suddenly looked a lot
different. "Humm... oh, sorry, Perry. I was just... Perry, do you
know someone in the prison system who owes you a favor?"

"Yeah, I think so. Why?"

"I need your help, Perry," Lois said before proceeding to fill him in
on her plan.

* * * * * * * * *

It was the next day and Lois was back in the full swing of things.
She was discussing an idea for a story with Perry and Jimmy when a
man in a suit walked up.

"Lois Lane?" he asked.

"Yes," Lois responded.

"I have a delivery for you," the man said. He pulled out an envelope
and handed her a clip board, indicating that he needed her to sign
for it. She did so and he handed her the envelope.

She opened it and pulled out what appeared to be some sort of legal
document. She gasped when she realized what it was.

Jimmy looked at the document over her shoulder. It was a divorce
petition and had on it the names of Clark Kent and Lois Lane.

"You're divorcing Clark?" Jimmy asked in disbelief.

"No, Jimmy," Lois responded immediately. "He's divorcing me!" With
those words, she glared at Perry. "Have you heard anything from your
friend?" she demanded.

Perry nodded. "He's making the arrangements. I'll have details for
you later today."

Lois nodded before quickly making her way towards the washroom. She
wasn't about to break down in front of the entire newsroom.

"I don't understand," said Jimmy when Lois was out of ear shot. "Why
would Clark divorce her? I mean, he's the one in jail."

"Because he loves her," Perry responded.

"What?"

"He wants her to have a life and doesn't believe he can give her
that. So he wants to give her her freedom to find someone else."

"But he must know Lois doesn't want a divorce."

"He does, Jimmy."

"Then why..."

"Someday, Jimmy, if you're really lucky you'll understand what it is
to love so much that you want the other person to be happy even if it
means that you're going to lose her."

"So you think Clark's doing the right thing?"

Perry considered the question. "I think Clark is doing what he thinks
is right. The problem is that he is overlooking one little detail."

"What's that?"

"That his wife is never going to get past him. It took her a long
time to trust someone enough to let herself fall in love. If she
loses Clark, I doubt she'll take the risk again."

* * * * * * * * *

Clark didn't question the extra time in the sun - even if he didn't
know where he was going as the guard escorted him across the yard.
That was one of the things that was hard to adjust to - guards often
didn't explain their actions. He was escorted to one of a number of
concrete structures on the other side of the yard. Clark had seen
these structures when he'd been out in the yard previously, but had
never inquired as to their purpose. The structures didn't have any
windows. Clark didn't bother looking inside. If that was their
destination, he'd learn what was inside soon enough.

The guard pulled out a string of keys and after fumbling through it
for a moment, opened the door.

"Inside," he said and Clark stepped through the door. As soon as he
was inside, the guard closed and locked the door behind him. He
looked back at the door in confusion wondering what was going on
before reaching for a light switch by the door and turning it on. He
looked around the room. There was a table and two chairs and a bed.
On the other side of the room, was a door like the one Clark had been
brought in through. There was also an open door that obviously lead
into a washroom.

Clark snorted. This was an improvement over his normal sleeping
arrangements, but why was he here? He walked around the room before
taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

* * * * * * * * *

Lois had spent a lot of time getting ready for tonight. She wasn't
leaving anything to chance. She'd taken out a dress that she knew
Clark loved on her. She'd made a trip to the most expensive lingerie
store in Metropolis. She had spent a lot of time there finding the
exact outfit for this operation - after all, the next twenty years of
her life depended on it. She wanted something that would be
absolutely irresistible, but wouldn't immediately draw Clark's
attention to the scar on her stomach. She knew he would love her body
no matter how many scars she had, but her objective tonight was to
prove to him that they belonged to each other and she didn't want to
distract him with recent events before she'd had the opportunity to
convince him of that fact.

Perry had done well setting this up. He had made it very clear that
Clark Kent was not to be told whom he was meeting and that he was
given no choice in the matter. She had twelve hours - and if this
went the way she was determined to have it go, twelve hours every
month for the next twenty years.

Given what was at stake, Lois was incredibly nervous. She was also
incredibly aroused. The idea of seducing her husband... There was
something about it that she found absolutely irresistible. Of course,
should she fail, she would be condemned to spending the next twenty
years alone. And twelve hours a month was infinitely better than
nothing.

She pulled in a long breath as she was escorted through the visitor's
gate. She was searched thoroughly. The procedure itself was
humiliating, but Lois kept her mind on the goal here - to keep her
husband.

Finally, Lois was led inside the grounds and between the fences
separating the prison yard from the outside world. As she walked
along, she could hear the cat calls and whistles from some of the
prisoners in the yard, but she ignored them.

* * * * * * * * *

Clark heard the increased noise in the yard. It sounded a little like
when a beautiful woman walks past a construction sight, but it was
not a noise common in prison. Curiosity getting the best of him, he
looked through the walls of the room to see what had attracted such
attention.

He was immediately on his feet with his back pressed up against the
door he'd been brought through when he saw his wife being led to the
door on the other side of the room. Suddenly, what was going on here
became very clear.  Somehow she'd arranged for a conjugal visit. How
had she done that? What was he thinking? She was Lois Lane. She could
do almost anything. He didn't know why he hadn't realized what was
going on when he'd seen the bed. Lois had actually done a story on
conjugal visits about six months ago. He should have been expecting
this.

He was torn. He'd give practically anything to make love to the
beautiful woman on the other side of that door. But it wasn't fair to
her. What type of life would that be for Lois? And if he gave in just
this once... No. He had to be strong.

Suddenly the door opened and Clark groaned. She was wearing the good
perfume - the stuff she knew drove him crazy. She was wearing a dress
that always made him a little dizzy and he didn't think he'd ever
seen such controlled passion in her eyes. Her heartbeat was faster
than normal, indicating that she was a little nervous although he
couldn't see it in her demeanor. He pressed himself harder against
the door behind him - reminding himself that he had no right
following the dictates of his body. He had to let her go.

"I didn't agree to this," Clark objected to the guard who was escorting Lois.

"Then file a complaint," the guard said, closing the door,
effectively trapping Lois in the small room with him. Clark swallowed
hard.

The silence in the room was almost palpable.

Lois silently watched Clark. Except for a brief glance when she'd
first arrived, he was refusing to look at her. She felt tears come to
her eyes but fought them back. There would be plenty of time for
crying later. If she lost it now, he would become even more resolute.
He would insist that the only way for her to quit hurting was for him
to let her go. She focused instead on seducing her husband - and
found enough pleasure in that prospect to push all thoughts of tears
out of her mind.

It was less than a minute later when Clark's eyes began, almost of
their own accord, to run up her body - as if completely mesmerized by
the woman he'd married. He took his time, taking in every curve,
every detail. The yearning Lois saw in his eyes when they finally met
hers was encouraging - even if it was undermined by the words that
came from his mouth.

"You shouldn't be here, Lois," Clark murmured.

"And why not?" Lois responded, raising an eyebrow and taking a single
step towards him. "Oh, right. You want me to what? Find someone else
if I remember correctly."

"Lo-is," groaned Clark.

"Well, that is what you want me to do isn't it?"

"Yes," Clark admitted as he fought to keep his voice steady on the
word that was breaking his heart.

Lois paused as if considering the possibility. "You know, I've heard
Dan's still available," she finally said.

"Scardino?" Clark gasped.

Lois nodded. "Maybe you'd like me to give him a call. He asked me to
marry him, you know," she added. If he was really going to stick to
this outrageous idea, she was determined that he not be able to hide
behind platitudes. She was determined to make him understand exactly
what he was suggesting.

"He asked you to marry him?" Clark asked. This was the first he was
hearing of this.

Lois nodded. "When I told him I couldn't see him any more. I wonder
if he'd be interested," she mused.

Clark felt his stomach clench into a tight ball. It was hard enough
thinking about Lois with another man in abstract terms, but to have
her put a name and face on that man was almost too much to bear. Why
was she tormenting him like this? He had despised Scardino when he'd
pursued Lois years ago. The thought of her in a relationship with
Scardino, the thought of Scardino raising his child, was agonizing
torture.

"Lois, don't please," he pleaded.

Lois ignored him. "You know I'd do anything for you, Clark. So if you
really want me to give Dan a call, I suppose I can. Or maybe you'd
prefer Jimmy," Lois continued.

"Jimmy," Clark said in a voice so low she barely heard it.

She nodded. "I mean, he's always had a crush on me. And he is your
friend too. What do you think, Clark? Would you prefer to have
someone you like or someone you don't like share my bed?"

"Lois," Clark begged. As much as he disliked Scardino, the thought of
Lois with Jimmy was worse. His chin quivered slightly at the very
idea.

Lois glanced down at her dress. "There's one thing that I'm a little
concerned about though. Maybe you could help me out. Do you think
I've still got what it takes to attract a man?" she asked. "I mean,
I've noticed that some of my outfits are getting a little tight
around the middle in the last few days." As she spoke, she reached
behind her and unzipped the dress and let it fall to the floor,
taking another step towards Clark. "What do you think, Clark? Do you
think either Dan or Jimmy might like what they see?"

Clark almost whimpered at the sight before him. The black teddy, hose
and garters wrapped around the body of his wife were breathtaking.
Between the fact that it had been over three weeks now since they'd
made love - a record for them - and the idea of anyone, let alone Dan
Scardino or Jimmy Olson, seeing his wife like this... Every instinct
in his body was telling him to act - to claim her as his own. He took
an unconscious step towards her.

Lois noticed the gesture and smiled. She knew she wasn't playing
fair, but she didn't care if she was being fair or not - she intended
to win. There was just too much at stake to let him continue to hide
behind that misplaced sense of nobility he had. And she knew she had
to break him - to prove to him that he couldn't say good-bye to her.
She took another step towards him.

"Do you have any idea how much I want you to make love to me?" she
whispered. "I want you to touch me, kiss me, hold me. I want us to be
one. Don't fight it, Clark. Make love to me."

"Lois," Clark practically begged. His mind was desperately fighting
his traitorous body's reactions to the sight and smell of her
together with her words. What was it about this woman that had always
been able to undo him so completely? She was beautiful. There was no
denying that fact. She was sexy - especially in her current attire.
But it was more than just a physical attraction for Clark. There was
a bond between them - a bond he had sensed from the moment they'd
met. It pulled Clark towards her much the same way as the moon pulls
the earth's tides. He could fight it as much as he wanted, but like
the tides the result was always the same. He closed his eyes,
determined that this time he would beat the tides. He had to. For her
sake, he had to.

She continued slowly approaching. Summoning all his strength, Clark
started backing away. However, since he was only one step from the
door, it only took two small steps back before he once again had his
back to the door.

Lois smiled slightly, stepping up in front of him and gently reaching
out to place her hands on his chest. Her hands remained still for a
moment, as if afraid that any quick movement would cause the
frightened animal in front of her to bolt. Then her hands began to
move slowly down his chest and stomach. She felt the muscles of his
stomach tighten under her finger tips. Once she had accustomed him to
the light touch of her hands, she began slowly undoing the buttons on
his shirt - her eyes holding his captive. When she had succeeded in
this task, she quickly pulled the front of his shirt from his pants
before he had time to react and continued her slow exploration
without the hindrance of his shirt. When he groaned, she leaned over
and began nibbling her way lightly down his neck.

"Lois," groaned Clark, "we have to talk."

Lois smiled against his neck before whispering, "So... Have I ever
objected to you talking before?" With that she went back to slowly
exploring his neck with her lips as her hands continued trailing over
his sides. She moved closer to bring the soft curves of her body to
brush lightly against his harder one - tantalizing and arousing him.

Clark let out a breath. "That wasn't quite what I meant," he said.
"Lois, please. I thought no meant no. Or does that only count when a
woman says it?"

That finally got Lois' attention. She pulled back from where she was
investigating his neck. "Do you really want me to stop?" she asked
softly.

Clark looked at her for a moment. He knew that all he had to do was
to tell her that he wanted her to stop and she would back away for
the time being - especially after he had equated her actions with a
rapist. But did he really want her to stop? His mind knew that he had
to tell her to stop. It wasn't fair to her to allow this to continue.
It could only lead to more pain, to more heartbreak. He closed his
eyes, forcing his mind to form the words that needed to be said.
"Yes," he said, "I want you to stop." He suddenly relaxed. He'd done
it.

"Really?" she asked. "You really want me to stop?" She leaned over
and lightly raked her tongue across his chest following the last
question.

Having not prepared himself for this follow-up question or her
further action, he felt his will-power collapse, "No. I mean..." His
voice suddenly trailed off. He'd opened his eyes at her question and
made the mistake of looking down at his wife. Her eyes were dark with
love and passion. Her face was flushed and she was nibbling softly on
her lower lip as she waited for his answer. Why did she have to be so
incredibly sexy? How was he supposed to resist her? One kiss. Surely
he could allow himself just one final kiss.

Lois smiled when suddenly one of Clark's hands came up to her cheek
before he leaned in to kiss her. Their lips lightly brushed against
each others. Clark instantly realized his mistake. If he thought she
looked and smelt incredible, it was nothing compared to the way she
tasted. He leaned back in for a second kiss. This time, Lois' arms
found their way around his neck and her hands slipped into his hair.
He groaned, lost in the sensations of her love for him - finding
there, as he always had, a world where nothing existed except the two
of them.

His hands seemed to gain a mind of their own, as he sought to learn
the secrets of his wife's body all over again. She seemed to melt
into his touch. He released her mouth, his hands coming up to her
face. His fingertips lightly traced the lines of the beloved face
that had haunted him, both awake and asleep, from the moment he'd
first laid eyes on it. After a leisurely exploration, his fingers
left her face to trace their way down her throat. He alternated
between using his fingertips and his knuckles - soaking up the soft
noises coming from the back of her throat in response to his touch.
Her hands continued to trace their way over his chest and across his
rib cage - leaving a series of complicated patterns in their wake. He
closed his eyes when her hands finally came down to rest on the top
button on his pants.

Lois slipped her two index fingers lightly beneath the waistband of
his pants before walking backwards, drawing him with her towards the
bed.

Clark was amazed by his inability to resist the gentle tug of her
hands on his pants. With nothing more than two fingers pulling at the
fabric, he was as powerless to resist her lead as if he were being
held by kryptonite chains and being dragged by elephants. The gentle
brush of the back of her fingers against his lower stomach was
igniting an irresistible heat within him that was threatening to rage
out of control at the slightest provocation. Just one last time, he
told himself firmly, surely he could have this one last time of
making love to his wife - as a way of saying good-bye.

Once Lois felt the mattress of the bed brush against the back of her
legs, she drew Clark back into her arms, again finding his mouth. He
returned her passion in kind - blindly seeking out her mouth and body
with the same desire and intensity that she was showing him.

It was only a short time later when Lois found herself sprawled
across the double bed with Clark's hands exploring every curve of her
body while his lips sought out all the sensitive places on her neck.

"I knew you couldn't send me away," breathed Lois as her fingers ran
gently through his hair. "I knew you couldn't really say good-bye."

Clark stopped kissing her throat. He swallowed hard as the meaning of
her words sunk in. No matter the passion that existed between them,
no matter how much he wanted this one last time of getting lost in
her body, he had to set the record straight. He had never before made
love to her under false pretenses and would not do so now. So, even
if his confession ended her willingness to love him, he had to tell
her the truth. He slowly moved up to place his lips by her ear. "This
is good-bye, Lois," he whispered.

Clark was stunned when even with his superpowers, he was unable to
react quickly enough to stop Lois from flipping him onto his back.
She was suddenly leaning over him, pinning his hands to the bed by
the sides of his head. Gone was the soft responsive woman who'd been
under him only moments before and Clark was suddenly staring into the
eyes of... Mad Dog Lane.

"You said you wanted to talk," said Loi