Summary: Someone knows something about Lois Lane that even Lois
doesn't know! A villain from her past reappears and Lois
receives some information that she can't wait to tell Clark.
But, being kidnapped and tied up makes it difficult unless
Superman can once again save the day. (Episode # 9 of The Unaired
Fifth Season)
Story Idea by Craig Causer and Julie Mack
***
Lois slid under the comforter, snuggling close to Clark. His arm
went around her hugging her close out of habit, his attention
focused on the television. Lois placed her head on his chest,
immediately relaxing as she heard and felt his steady heartbeat.
She glanced at the television.
"Whatcha watching?"
"Hmm? Oh. Something on The Learning Channel. "Birth and
Babies". It's pretty interesting."
Lois felt a slight twinge as she heard the title of the program.
Although they had been told by Doctor Klein that they couldn't
have children, Lois still harbored a secret hope that one day,
somehow, they would. She knew that Clark still had that same
hope. She still regretted that her father hadn't been able to
help them. She still had a dull ache in her heart from having to
return the baby to the future. The baby, though, had given them a
glimpse into the future. A future with Earthlings who had
Kryptonian blood. Whether the baby was their direct descendant
was a question still unanswered.
Most of the time, she and Clark were able to hide their
disappointment from one another. But occasionally, they would
catch each other wistfully looking at a baby carried in its
mother's arms or small children at play in the park. When they
did, they would remind each other how lucky they were to have
each other. "A family of two," Clark had said.
She and Clark watched the rest of the program in companionable
silence. As the program ended and Clark used the remote to shut
off the television, Lois drew random patterns on his chest.
"Clark? I was wondering,,,."
"Hmmmm?" Clark was trying to ignore Lois' soft caresses, but
it was getting more and more difficult. Lois had always been able
to affect him like no other person could. His self-control seemed
to be non-existent whenever Lois was near him. Like right now. He
held her hand to stop its movements across his chest. "What is
it, Lois?"
"Think we'll ever be able to have children?"
Clark closed his eyes as her question struck a sensitive nerve.
He had promised himself that he would never intentionally hurt
Lois. He had. Once. The day that he had told her about Doctor
Klein's test results. He took a deep breath. He formed his words
carefully before speaking. He didn't want to give Lois a false
sense of hope.
"I honestly don't know, Lois. Doctor Klein seemed pretty sure
about the test results. But, we've seen a little bit of the
future and knowing us, nothing is impossible." He shifted
slightly so that Lois was now completely within his embrace. He
waited until she had adjusted and looked deeply into her eyes.
"Lois, I would love nothing more than to have children with you.
You are the best part of me. I don't know what my life would be
like without you in it. I don't ever want to find out. Anything
beyond that is just icing on the cake. Believe that."
As Clark spoke, unshed tears brightened Lois' eyes. She gently
stroked the side of his face. "You have such a way with words. I
believe you, Clark."
Clark smiled as he saw the truth behind Lois' words. "So,"
again shifting so that his lips were closer to hers. "Until the
powers that be decide what they want to do with us, I guess
we'll be a family of two."
"And?" Lois brought her lips closer, almost touching Clark's,
but not quite.
"And." Clark softly kissed her. "Practice." He kissed her
again. "Because practice does make perfect."
He kissed her again and this time held it a bit longer. His
tongue traced the outline of her lips. Lois moaned at the
sensations that Clark was creating within her. Of their own
volition, her hands began an exploration of his upper body. His
arms, his shoulders, his chest. Her hands buried themselves in
his hair and pulled him closer. She groaned. She could feel the
heat of his body responding to her soft caresses. Her breath
quickened. She whispered against her mouth.
"How much do you love me, Clark?"
He answered the only way he could. He showed her.
***
Lois and Clark stopped at the curbside breakfast wagon before
entering the Daily Planet. The vendor greeted them warmly,
handing them their regular orders: Lois' "morning mocha" and
Clark's "double-extra-of-everything" cappuccino. Lois sipped
slowly from her cup, making sure that she didn't burn her
tongue, closing her eyes and savoring the rich chocolate flavor.
Clark watched Lois indulgently, constantly amazed at how Lois
made even the simple act of drinking a sensual event.
"You must be feeling better."
"Mmmmmm. Yeah, I am. You know, this is the first morning in
about a month that I don't feel rundown."
"What did your doctor say when you went the other week?"
Lois grinned. "You mean, after he scolded me for not having had
a physical in about 5 years? Or after I told him that hard
working, intrepid, investigative reporters do not give in to a
little tiredness?"
Even though he smiled, Clark was worried. "Lois. I'm
serious."
Lois caught the concerned look in his eyes. "OK. It's been a
while since I'd had a complete physical, so he insisted to doing
all kinds of tests. The works. The test results aren't in yet. I
just hope it isn't mononucleosis. I had that in college. That's
one of the reasons I switched from a math major to journalism. I
failed calculus because of mono. I'll call in a couple of days
for the test results, OK?"
Satisfied for the moment, Clark nodded his agreement. Sipping
from his cup, he turned from Lois and indulged in one of his
favorite past times: people watching.
Metropolis was a city always on the move. At all hours, there was
always something happening. The sanitation workers doing their
job. The policemen patrolling. The people moving from one
appointment to another. Lois window shopping. Lois?
Clark gasped at what he had just seen. He looked quickly to his
side. Lois was talking to the vendor and munching on a croissant.
He quickly looked across the street again. He could have sworn he
had seen Lois. Was his mind playing tricks on him? He tried to
remember what he had seen briefly. The woman had the same hair
style as Lois. She worn the same style of clothing as Lois. She
even walked like Lois. He looked further down the street and
thought he caught another glimpse of the woman. But, before he
could zero in on her with his supervision, she was swallowed up
by the crowd going into the train station. He stared after where
he thought she had gone, trying to figure out if he had seen what
he thought he had seen.
"Clark?"
Lois' voice broke into his thoughts. He turned to her slowly.
"Huh?"
Lois noticed the confused look in his eyes. She put a hand on his
shoulder. "Honey, are you OK?"
"Yeah. At least, I think so. Lois, do you believe that everyone
has a double somewhere?"
Lois chuckled. "Well, in my case, only if it's a clone." At
the look on Clark's face, she instantly sobered. "Sorry. Bad
joke. No, Clark. I don't believe that everyone has a double. But
then again, until you came into my life, I didn't believe in
flying aliens. Why?"
Clark smiled to reassure Lois that everything was fine.
"Nothing. I guess I'm just so in love with you that I see you
everywhere."
Lois gently smiled. She was again amazed at how Clark always
seemed to say the right thing. She realized that it was probably
because he always spoke from his heart. She reached up and
adjusted his tie. Her look told Clark that she wanted to adjust
more than his tie.
"Let's go. Before I make us even later to work than we already
are!"
They finished their drinks and entered the Daily Planet
building.
***
As she uncrossed her legs from under her, Lois stretched and
looked over at Clark. The day had been uneventful, so most of the
time had been spent on research. Lois had brought home her work.
Her husband, superhero that he was, had finished all of his
research at the Planet. He was now indulging in one of his other
favorite past times: computer games.
Lois looked up from her laptop. "Clark? Want a soda or
something?"
Without looking up from his laptop's monitor, he answered
distractedly, "Sure, honey."
Lois smiled as she got up from the couch. She went over to Clark
and looked over his shoulder. "What level are you on?"
"Twenty-four. I'm just about to,,,.Ack!"
"Ha! Serves you right. If you had put the blue piece on the
left, then you would have cleared all the rows except for two."
Clark looked up at Lois, a lopsided grin on his face. "Oh
really? And who is the all-time champion on this game, may I
ask?"
She kissed him on the cheek and walked out his reach. "I am."
He watched in open-mouthed amazement as she walked away, her
voice coming back to him as she entered the kitchen. "Among
Earthlings."
Clark laughed. The doorbell rang. He got up, opened the door and
gasped in surprise. The look on his face must have been somewhere
between surprise and suspicion, because the person spoke in a
timid voice.
"Um, Mr. Kent? I'm not here to cause you or your wife any harm.
May I come in?"
"Stay right there." Clark's suspicions made his tone brisk and
harsh.
Lois came out of the kitchen and headed towards Clark, glasses in
her hands. "Who is it, Clark?"
As she reached the door, Clark stepped back so she could get a
good look at the person standing in the entryway. The glasses
fell to the floor, shattering, the liquid and ice pooling around
Lois' feet.
"It's,,,.it's,,,." Lois mouth opened in surprise, her power
of speech temporarily leaving her.
Clark finished her thought. "It's you, Lois." He looked at
Lois and the person in the entryway. A person with the face of
Lois Lane.
***
"As I said, I'm not here to cause you or your wife any harm,
Mr. Kent."
Lois had watched in silence as her look-alike entered the
brownstone. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. This woman
looked exactly like her. The same hair style. The same clothes.
The same voice.
They went into the living room where the woman sat on the couch,
Lois and Clark on either side of her. Finally, Lois' power of
speech returned.
"Before this goes any further. One question."
"Yes?"
"Are you the clone?"
"What's a clone?"
Lois and Clark exchanged glances. A silent message passed between
them. Clark nodded slightly, concentrating and listening to the
woman's heartbeat and breathing. He lowered his glasses
unobtrusively and examined her cell structure with his
supervision.
"Where are my manners? Would you like something to drink? Eat
maybe? I think we have some frog legs in the refrigerator,,,."
Her voice trailed off at the woman's look of disbelief and
confusion. She cleared her throat and slipped into reporter mode
and started with the basic questions.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Lynn. Please, Ms. Lane. I'm not here to hurt
anyone."
"Why are you here?"
"Please, just listen to me and I'll explain everything."
Lois sat back and crossed her arms. "OK. I'm listening."
The woman breathed a sigh of relief. "Remember about three or
four years ago? There was a lot of anti-Superman sentiment being
spread around? In fact, it looked like even you, Superman's
friend, had turned against him."
Lois sat up as she began talking. "Yes, I remember."
"Well, I'm your double. Remember?"
"I'm starting to. You had plastic surgery to make you look like
me. You dressed better than me back then."
The woman smiled sheepishly. "Yeah."
Lois was starting to get indignant as she remembered the
incident. "You said I was a 'glorified pencil pusher'!"
The woman started to apologize. "Yes. I know. I said and did a
lot of rotten things. I'm sorry about that. That's why I'm
here."
"Get out of my house!" Lois stood up and headed for the front
door.
"Lois." Clark's calm voice stopped Lois' outburst. Lois
turned to Clark and saw him adjusting his glasses. He smiled at
her. "I think we should listen to Lynn's full story before we
jump to any conclusions."
Lois came back to the couch and sat next to Clark. He put a
reassuring arm around her.
"OK. I'll listen."
"You have to excuse Lois, Lynn. She doesn't do well when she's
face-to-face with herself." Lynn felt calmer, seeing Clark's
easy smile. She again started talking.
"As I said, I said and did some things that I'm not very proud
of. I went to prison. But, I'm paroled now, and I want to make
up to Lois for what I did."
Lois listened to Lynn. She listened to her steady, sincere tone.
She listened, and believed her.
Clark heard Lynn. He heard her steady, unchanging heartbeat. He
heard her steady, soft breathing. He heard, and believed her.
Lois and Clark exchanged looks and realized that they had both
come to the same conclusion, albeit by different methods. They
smiled at each other. Lois turned to Lynn who had nervously
watched the interplay between the two of them.
"We believe you, Lynn." Lynn breathed a sigh of relief. "We
believe that you don't want to cause either of us any harm. But,
I'm still not sure why you're here."
Lynn looked at her watch. "It's late. I want to explain, but I
don't know if I have enough time tonight. Lois, can we meet
tomorrow?" She looked to Lois and Clark hopefully.
Lois didn't hesitate. "Sure. Tomorrow's a light day anyway.
Perry was going to let me work at home. Is nine in the morning
all right with you?"
"Nine is great. See you tomorrow." They all rose from the couch
and walked towards the front entryway.
As Lynn left, she turned and looked at Lois. "You know, I read
all about you and Mr. Kent while I was in prison. I'm so glad
you two found each other and got married."
Clark looked at Lois with a warm gaze. "So am I, Lynn. So am
I."
Lois returned his gaze before looking at Lynn. "See you
tomorrow."
Lynn left and Lois slowly closed the door, thinking all the
while.
"What are you thinking?"
"Clark, she's like,,,.my twin. I only just met her, but I feel
that we could maybe be friends."
"Lois, she's being very sincere when she says that she's sorry
about what she did. She didn't lie."
"I know." She grinned at Clark. "And you. Mr. Charmer."
"What?"
"As if you didn't know. 'She doesn't do well when she's
face-to-face with herself'. Please."
Clark began to laugh. "Well, it's true, isn't it?"
"I don't think anyone is. Were you? When you talked to your
clone about 4 years ago?"
"I see your point. Well, at least we know Lynn's not a clone.
She's for real." He reached for Lois and brought her into a
tight embrace. "So are you."
Lois linked her hands behind his head, her eyes darkening with
pleasure. And love. "How real?"
Clark picked her up and proceeded up the stairs, his eyes
reflecting back her love and desire. "Let me show you." With
that he kissed her and went into their bedroom, kicking the door
closed with his foot.
***
"Ha! Level 23! I'll beat your top score yet, Clark!" Lois
grinned gleefully as she placed another piece into the ever
building puzzle and watched 15 rows disappear. Clark had gone
into the Planet, today, leaving Lois to work at home. But, she
didn't feel like working. She was a bit nervous about meeting
Lynn again "face-to-face". Instead, she turned on Clark's
laptop and decided that she would be the all-time champion,
Earthling or Kryptonian. So intent was she on the computer game,
that it took her a few moments to realize that someone was
ringing the doorbell. Continuously. She looked at the wall clock.
Nine o'clock. She played one more piece and whooped with joy as
the entire wall disappeared. She had made it to Level 25. She
typed her name in the top score slot and hurried to open the
front door.
"Hi, Ly -- -" Her greeting was cut short as an unconscious Lynn
slumped to the ground. "Lynn!"
Lois knelt down and checked for a pulse, relieved to find that it
was slow and steady. A shadow crossed over Lynn's body, causing
Lois to look up and gasp in shock and surprise. A gun was leveled
at her. A gun held by someone with the face of Lex Luthor. Before
Lois could utter another sound, the gun went off, striking Lois
in the chest. Lois looked down, fully expecting to see a hole and
blood. Instead, a dart was sticking out from her.
"Who? Who -- -- " Her voice trailed off as the tranquilizer
took effect.
***
Clark unlocked the door and entered the brownstone. "Lois! I'm
home!" He was greeted by silence.
"Lois?" Still no response.
Thinking that she and Lynn may have gone out together, he went to
the desk, looking for a note. He saw that his laptop was still
on, and checked the screen. He grinned as he saw that Lois' name
was now in the top score slot. "Top banana," he murmured.
Something just to the right of his laptop caught his eye. It was
Lois' organizer. A feeling of dread came over him. Lois never
left the house without her organizer.
"Lois!" He became worried and couldn't shake the sense that
Lois was in trouble and needed him. He used his superspeed to go
through the brownstone, checking every room. Nothing. He used his
supervision looking for a clue. Nothing. Clark began to grow
frantic with worry. He could actually feel his heart beating more
rapidly. He willed himself to calm down and think. *Where could
she be*, he thought. Quickly, he spun into the suit and zoomed
out the French windows to search Metropolis.
***
"Lois? Are you all right? Lois?"
Lois groaned as she slowly became conscious and her eyes began to
focus. "Wh- Where am I?"
She straightened up in her chair and looked around. She looked
around and saw that she was in a darkened room that looked like
it hadn't been used in years. Dust and cobwebs were everywhere.
Lynn was sitting in a chair across from her, tied securely.
"Lynn? Are you all right?" She tried to stand and found that
she too was tied securely to her seat. As she struggled to try
and loosen the bindings, a loudspeaker came on and a voice,
garbled and disguised, echoed throughout the large room.
"What's the matter Lois? Not yourself today?"
Lois yelled back, trying to figure out what direction the voice
was coming from. "Not when I'm drugged and tied up. What's the
matter, had to practice your sailing knots?"
Lois snuck a quick glance at Lynn. She was scared, but trying to
stay calm. They made eye contact.
"Don't worry, Lynn. We'll get out of this. You and I have a
lot to talk about." Lynn shakily smiled. The loudspeaker boomed
again.
"Ah. That famous Lois Lane 'spunk'. I hate spunk."
Lois winced. "Geez, will you turn down the volume? What do you
think this is, a room full of people? Better yet, why don't you
talk to me face-to-face?" Lois was starting to not like that
phrase. A voice sounded behind her, startling her.
"OK, Lois. Here I am." The voice stepped in front of Lois and
she was again shocked at seeing Lex Luthor's face.
"You're not Lex. He's dead."
"Yes. He is. And you killed him." A hand began to pull the
latex mask away. Lois and Lynn watched mesmerized as the person
turned away from Lois to face Lynn.
Lois continued to talk to the stranger. "I didn't kill him. His
own obsessions killed him."
Lynn's eyes widened as she recognized the face behind the mask.
"You!"
The voice changed and became distinctly female in tone. And
dangerous. "But, you see, Lois, you were Lex's biggest
obsession. And I hate you for that." The person turned back to
Lois. With the face of Ariana Carlin.
***
"Ariana?"
Ariana Carlin smiled tightly. "I'm so glad you remember me
Lois. I had thought with your bout of amnesia a while back, you
would have forgotten me."
"How could I forget? I told you things that I hadn't told
anyone."
"Yes. I know. How you were attracted to his power. What girl
wouldn't be? I hate you. You had what I never had. Lex's
complete and total love."
"I never loved Lex, Ariana. I love Clark. I always have. Even
before I knew that I was in love with him, it was always
Clark."
Lynn had been listening to the exchange between Ariana and Lois
with interest. She felt ashamed. Ashamed that she had been so
easily convinced that Lois was some evil person who needed to be
destroyed. She listened to Lois and heard the sincerity in her
voice. She knew that Lois truly loved Clark. She also heard the
slight edge in Ariana's voice. The edge between sanity and
madness. Ariana could go over the edge either way. Ariana's next
words caught Lynn's attention.
"Yes. Clark Kent. Your partner. Your husband. He's the perfect
man for you, isn't he Lois? Even more than Superman."
Lois smiled. "Yes, Ariana. Even more than Superman."
"You think you have it all don't you? A career. A husband. And
now. Now that you're pregnant. I hate you even more."
"I'm what?!?!?"
Ariana again smiled coldly. "You heard me. Pregnant. Almost two
months. I hate you for that. I could never have children. That's
why Lex divorced me."
Lois was having a hard time believing what Ariana had just
revealed. "Wait a minute, back up here. I'm,,,pregnant? How do
you know?"
Ariana looked at Lois like she was a child. "Now, Lois. You're
the investigative reporter. Think about it. Who do you think
analyzed the tests from your physical?"
"I don't believe you."
"Why should I lie to you Lois? When I was paroled from Gotham
State Prison, my psychiatric license was revoked, my career
ruined. The only job I could get was as a diagnostic lab
technician. A lab tech!" Ariana grew thoughtful, speaking almost
to herself. "You know, it's weird that the job was already
waiting for me when I was paroled, but I wasn't going to ask
questions. Strange isn't it? I didn't think anyone even knew
that I had a lab background before I became a psychiatrist."
She again focused on Lois. "But, there I was. Placed in a
diagnostic lab,,,.as a technician! Testing blood samples. You
should see who has blood tests done. And then, two weeks ago,
your name was on a folder. Lois Lane. The psychiatrist in me
would say that all my repressed feelings of anger and hatred
towards you came to the surface. All I knew is that when your
test came back positive, I wasn't going to let you have any more
happiness. I wasn't going to let you live. Not when my Lex was
dead and you were the cause."
She turned her attention to Lynn. "I knew that you were getting
out of Metropolis Women's Prison. I followed you. You were
following Lois. The Daily Planet. The market. Her doctor's. I
knew that your basic goodness would take you to Lois. To try and
make amends for what you had done to her. You failed to discredit
Lois. You failed me. You failed Lex. I hate failure. If I learned
one thing from being married to Lex Luthor, failure is not to be
tolerated. I'm going to have to eliminate you too."
As Ariana taunted Lynn, Lois' mind began racing. Pregnant. She
was pregnant. Since Doctor Klein had told them they couldn't
have children, they hadn't worried about precautions. Ariana had
said almost two months. She tried to think back to over the past
two months ago. Their anniversary. The hybrid Kryptonite. That
Mr. Mixhiswhatsit. Any of those time could have been the one
time. That would explain her tiredness over the past month along
with other signs that she had just written off as part of "a bad
hair day". She was pregnant. Clark was going to be a father.
Clark. Just thinking of him, made Lois remember the situation
that she and Lynn were in. She looked around for a way to escape.
Ariana's next words registered.
"What did you say?"
"I said, Ms. Mother-to-be, that you and your 'twin' here might
as well get comfortable. No one, not even Superman, will find
you. This place used to be a fallout shelter. It's lead-lined.
I'll kill you both and leave your bodies for the rats."
Lois sighed. "What is it with you Luthor-types? First the
subway, now a fallout shelter? You ever hear of above ground
hideouts?"
Ariana laughed. "Keep it up, Lois. Even your brave exterior will
fade. And then, until I kill you, it'll just be you all alone.
With you. That's delicious." Ariana continued to laugh as she
walked out of the room, locking Lois and Lynn in.
***
Jimmy Olsen watched as Clark Kent entered the Daily Planet's
newsroom. At least, he thought it was Clark. The Clark Kent that
Jimmy was used to seeing was always well groomed and dressed in a
coat and tie. This Clark looked like he hadn't slept all night.
His hair was unkempt and he hadn't shaved. He was wearing a pair
of jeans and black t-shirt with a worn leather jacket. He walked
towards his desk and wearily put his head down.
Perry White had been watching the same scene from his office
window. As Clark slumped down at his desk, Perry came out into
the newsroom. He made eye contact with Jimmy and cautiously, they
both approached the weary Clark.
"Clark? Son, are you all right?"
Clark raised his head and looked into the concerned eyes of Perry
and Jimmy. "Hi Chief. Jimmy." He combed his hand through his
hair and released a long breath. "No, Chief. I'm not all right.
Lois is gone. I can't find her anywhere."
"Gone? Gone where? You didn't have a fight, did you CK?"
"No, Jimmy. No, nothing like that." He looked at them both,
trying to decide how much to tell them. "Lois stayed home
yesterday to follow up on a lead. I got home after work and she
was gone."
"Maybe her mother is in town,,,.." The look on Clark's face
stopped Jimmy before he finished his thought. "Sorry."
"No, she's vanished. Her organizer is still at home."
That last statement made Perry and Jimmy grow concerned. They
knew that Lois never went anywhere without her organizer. Lois
was always involved with something, and the only way that she
stayed sane was to take notes and make appointments in her
organizer. Perry looked at Clark and realized that he was close
to exhaustion. The fear and anguish in his next words made both
Perry and Jimmy realize how deeply Clark loved Lois. How much a
part of him she was.
"I've looked everywhere. I don't know what to do."
"What about Superman?"
"Superman's looked everywhere too. He's as worried as I am."
He looked at Perry and Jimmy. "It's like she's vanished off
the face of the earth."
Perry decided that Clark needed to get his focus back. He cleared
his throat. "Now, son, let's not get melodramatic here. You're
not thinking straight. Lois has been in tight scrapes before."
Clark released another breath and appeared to gather himself
together. "You're right Chief. Lois wouldn't go down without a
fight. I'd know if she were,,,..gone. It's just that I can't
get over this feeling that she's in trouble. And I'm not there
to help her."
"So, what can we do to help CK?"
Perry took over. "Let's start with Lois' old files. Maybe
someone had a reason to get back at her."
Clark looked at Perry skeptically. "Chief, do you realize how
many people hold a grudge against Lois? And me? And even
Superman?"
"All the more reason to get started. Jimmy, when you pull them,
bring those files into the conference room. We can work in
there."
"Right Chief." As he left, he placed a hand on Clark's
shoulder. "We'll find her CK."
"Thanks Jimmy." He looked at Perry. "Thanks Chief."
"We all love her, Clark. Now, let's get started,,,."
***
Lois looked at Lynn. "So, how'd you get mixed up with this
particular psycho psychiatrist? Amnesia? Brainwashing?"
Lynn looked at Lois. "How can you be so brave?"
"Because I have complete faith in Clark. He will find us. He's
never let me down before. And, I'm not going to let anything
happen to this baby."
"So, you believe her? That you're pregnant?"
Lois nodded. "Yeah. I do."
"I'm happy for you and Clark."
"Thanks. I'm happy for us too. We've wanted to have children,
but were told that we couldn't. Guess doctors can be wrong."
She mentally made a note to have Superman tell Doctor Klein that
very fact.
"It's a wonderful feeling Lois. Having a new life growing
inside of you. There's nothing like it."
"You have children?" Lois was curious about Lynn.
Lynn's look turned to one of sadness. "Had. I had a child. A
beautiful little girl."
Lois was immediately sympathetic. "I'm sorry. What happened?"
"A drunk driver happened. Killed himself. And my daughter."
"How awful for you."
"It was. I was the only survivor of the accident. Ariana came to
visit me every day that I was in the hospital recovering from my
injuries. She was so kind. It was like having my sister back to
talk to. She said you had taken away the only man she had ever
loved. She convinced me that you were evil. My face had been
damaged and I needed plastic surgery. But I couldn't afford it.
She told me her plan and offered to pay for the plastic surgery.
When I was in prison and read yours and Clark's articles, and
read about your marriage, I realized that she had lied to me.
Lois, I am so sorry."
"She was a psychiatrist. And a pretty bad one at that. Trust me,
I know the type. She played with your emotions. It wasn't your
fault."
"Thanks." They smiled at each other.
"Um, if it's not too painful to remember, what's it like?
Being a mother and all that?"
Lynn smiled. "It's not painful. What's it like? It's like
nothing you've ever experienced or felt before, Lois. It's
heaven and hell at the same time. But, there's one thing that
makes it all worthwhile."
"What's that?"
"The unconditional love that you give to your baby. And that you
get in return. You would do anything and everything for your
child. You'd die for them, if you had to. There are days when
you may wonder what you've gotten yourself into, but the love is
always there. You're lucky too."
"Lucky? How?"
"You have Clark. That man loves you so much, Lois. And I know
that you love him just as much. With all that love already in
your lives, you'll make great parents."
"You think so?"
Lynn nodded. "I know so."
"I'm not so sure. I mean, I know Clark will make a terrific
father. But, my experience with my own parents -- -" She stopped
her thought at Lynn's insistent shaking of her head.
"It's not how your parents raised you, Lois. It's not even
whether your parents were married forever and a day. It's you.
It's your own heart. You have a lot of love to give. You've
given it to Clark. Now, you just have to include the baby in that
love."
Lynn's words struck a chord within Lois. She did have a lot of
love to give. Clark had shown her that. By opening her heart to
him, she had received love back. Instinctively, she knew that
Lynn was right. She and Clark would make great parents.
Together.
She wished Clark were there right now.
***
"These are the most recent ones, Chief." Jimmy placed a stack
of folders next to the other piles on the conference table, sat
down, and picked one up. Perry nodded absently, concentrating on
the folder opened in front of him.
Clark looked up from the last folder in the pile in front of him
and looked at the clock. They had been scanning through files of
Lois' old articles for a couple of hours. Nothing. He was
getting frustrated. He wanted to leave, spin into the suit, and
do another search of the city. He kept remembering Lois'
near-miss with "Jack the Ripper". *She's still alive. I just
have to get to her*, he thought. Perry's voice broke through his
thoughts.
"OK. Clark? Now, I know you haven't told us everything, and I
respect that. Reporters have to protect their sources. But,
we're getting nowhere fast. What 'lead' was Lois following
up?"
Clark hesitated, but only for a moment. "Lois was meeting
Lynn."
"Lynn? Lynn who?"
"Remember all that anti-Superman business? Not the recent stuff
with Brandon Trask. About four years ago?"
"Vaguely."
"Lynn is Lois' double. She had plastic surgery to look like
Lois."
"Now I remember. Something about subliminal messages in some of
our articles, wasn't it? What was the name of that psychiatrist?
Ana? Amanda? Anita?"
"Ariana. Ariana Carlin."
"That's it, Jimmy! Ariana Carlin." He looked at Clark. "The
former Mrs. Lex Luthor?"
"Think she has anything to do with this?" Jimmy looked back and
forth between Perry and Clark.
Clark sighed and closed his eyes briefly. "I thought we had seen
the last of the Luthors. First Lex, then his ex-wife, then his
sons." He opened his eyes, anger briefly flashing in them.
"Won't it ever end?"
"Wait a minute. I seem to recall,,," Perry began sifting
through some of the more recent articles. "Aha! Here it is!
Seems our Doctor Carlin was paroled two months ago from Gotham
State Prison."
"Lynn was paroled a few days ago from Metropolis Women's."
"Think there's a connection?"
"Maybe. Jimmy -- "
"I'm on it Chief! Background information on Ariana Carlin."
Jimmy rushed out of the conference room.
"Good boy." Perry looked at Clark with a tight smile. "Clark,
I think we've figured it out."
"I hope so, Chief. I hope so."
***
In spite of her bindings, Lois tried to stretch. Her muscles were
beginning to cramp up from the long hours of sitting in the same
position. She looked over at Lynn who seemed to be dozing off.
"Lynn? How are you doing?"
Lynn raised her head. "I'm doing OK Lois. I just wish I could
change positions."
"I know what you mean. That and go to the bathroom. There never
seems to be a bathroom nearby in these hideouts." They shared a
laugh.
"I don't see anything funny, do you?" Ariana's voice
instantly sobered them both. She walked into the room, carrying a
gun. Lois saw that this time, it wasn't a tranquilizer gun.
"It's time to leave, ladies." Ariana kept her gun trained on
Lois as she removed Lynn's bonds. Once she was released, Ariana
stepped back and moved to remove Lois' bindings. Lynn rubbed her
wrists as Lois went to stand by her side. "The police are
surrounding this place. Apparently, Lois, your husband is every
bit as good an investigative reporter as you are. I can't have
them find you here. At least, not alive."
"Ariana, it's not too late. You can let us go and we'll get
you some help."
"What? A psychiatrist helping a psychiatrist? Not likely.
They'll send me back to prison. For a long time. I'm not going
back to prison knowing that you have everything that I don't. I
hope you kissed Clark good-bye this morning." She raised her gun
and pointed it at Lois.
"No!" Lynn's shout startled both Lois and Ariana. Ariana
recovered quickly and again aimed at Lois. Lois closed her eyes
and waited for the bullet to hit her. She heard the shot and
reflexively jerked. There was no impact, no pain. She opened her
eyes and saw Lynn slumping to the floor, a bullet hole in her
chest.
"Lynn!" Lois knelt down and cradled Lynn in her arms.
Ariana watched her as her blood slowly seeped out of the wound.
"One down. One more to go." She again aimed the gun at Lois.
Lois again closed her eyes and whispered. "Oh god, Clark..."
The sound of a wall crashing in caused Lois to open her eyes and
Ariana to twirl around. Superman crashed through the wall and
focused his heat vision on Ariana's gun. In seconds, it became
red hot. Ariana dropped it and held her hand.
"It's over, Ariana. Clark, Perry White, and Jimmy Olsen found
out that you were a part owner of this nightclub. They told me
that it was lead-lined. That's why I couldn't find Lois
before."
"You're too late, Superman. Tell Clark Kent that his wife is
dead." She gestured behind her.
Superman jerked back, startled. "Lois? Oh god, Lois!" He rushed
to the women. Ariana saw her opportunity to escape and ran
towards the exit. As she reached it, the door opened and she ran
into Perry and Jimmy, followed by the police.
Perry held Ariana and stopped short as he saw "Lois" on the
floor, her head cradled by another Lois. "Great shades of Elvis!
I wouldn't never have believed it if I hadn't seen it?"
Jimmy couldn't believe what he was seeing either. "Lois?" He
didn't want to believe that Lois was lying on the floor dying.
"Right here, Jimmy, Perry." They both breathed a sigh of relief
as the kneeling Lois answered them. Perry handed Ariana over to
the police as he and Jimmy went to Lois' side. In the momentary
chaos, Lois spied Superman leaving. "Where's Clark?"
"Right here." Clark burst into the room. Lois gently placed
Lynn's head on the floor, got up and ran towards Clark. They met
in the middle of the room, embracing each other tightly,
murmuring soft words of love to each other. Tears of relief
flowed down Lois' face. Clark closed his eyes and prayed a
silent "thank you" to the powers that be that she was safe and
alive. Clark held Lois by her shoulders and stepped back to look
at her.
"Are you all right?"
Lois stroked his face and smiled. "I am now."
Their lips and mouths came together and they both surrendered to
the need to confirm that they were both alive and together. Her
tongue played tag with his and after a while she forced her
tongue into his mouth to more fully taste him.
A moan startled both of them back to the reality of where they
were. Lois hurried back to where Lynn lay and knelt beside her,
taking one of her hands in her own. Lynn's eyes fluttered open
and focused on Lois. Seeing Clark behind Lois, Lynn smiled.
"Lois. Clark came." Her breathing was labored and shallow.
Lois smiled softly, her eyes filling with unshed tears. "Yeah.
Told you he would. You hang on, the ambulance should be here any
second."
Lynn returned Lois' smile with a gentle one of her own. "Lois.
It's too late. You know it and I know it." She winced at a pain
that only she felt, her hand tightening for a moment over Lois'.
Lois looked at Clark. He looked at her with sorrow in his eyes,
verifying what Lynn had said.
Lois sighed audibly. "Oh, Lynn. I'm so sorry."
"Don't be sorry, Lois. I'm not. I'm going to be with my
little girl again. Be happy. I know that you and Clark will be --
" Her words were cut off by another spasm of pain. As the pain
faded, Lynn once more tightened her handhold and looked directly
into Lois' eyes. "You'll be fine. Trust yourself. Trust Clark.
Remember, you have a lot of love to give."
Lois nodded, tears running down her face. She locked gazes with
Lynn and held her hand tightly as Lynn quietly passed away. She
sobbed and released her hold on Lynn's hand. Clark helped her up
and held her tightly as she cried.
"Come on, Lois. Let's go home." Sadly, they left the room as
the police covered the body and led Ariana Carlin away.
***
Clark slipped under the comforter and opened his arms for Lois to
cuddle closer. She placed her head on his chest, all the while
watching and listening to the news reporter's remarks.
",,,.and so ends the bizarre and tragic story of Ariana Carlin.
A fatal attraction that indeed proved fatal."
Lois clicked the remote to turn the television off and settled
more comfortably into Clark's arms. He tightened his embrace and
sighed a sigh of relief. He was where he wanted to be. At home.
With his wife in his arms. Safe. Alive. He thought of Lynn.
"Lois? I have to tell you,,,."
"Hmmmm?" Lois was trying to ignore Clark's soft caresses, but
it was getting more and more difficult. Clark had always been
able to affect her like no other person could. Especially when he
was near her. Like right now. She shifted slightly to look
directly into his eyes. "What is it, Clark?"
"I have never been as scared as I was today. I thought that I
had lost you. Really lost you. And when I saw you, I mean Lynn,
lying on the floor,,,.Lois, my heart stopped. I felt like a part
of me had been ripped out."
Lois looked deep into his eyes and saw the fear and insecurity
that Clark usually kept hidden away. She was humbled by how much
this man, this Superman, needed her. And loved her. She looked
deep into herself and realized that she needed him and loved him
just as much, if not more. She leaned forward and kissed him. She
poured her soul into the kiss. She kissed him to let him know
that she cared for him, that she cherished him, that she needed
him. That she loved him.
When she broke off the kiss and again looked into his eyes, she
saw the same love and desire that she knew he saw in her eyes.
She gently stroked his face.
"I'm here, Clark. And I'm alive. I have too much to live
for."
"Lois, I'm nothing without you."
"And I'm nothing with you." She grinned. "Besides, it
wouldn't be fair." She traced random patterns across his
chest.
"What wouldn't be fair?" Clark was beginning to get distracted
by her soft touch.
"Oh, if I wasn't around."
"For what?" Clark closed his eyes as his body began to respond
to Lois' touch and nearness.
"To watch our baby grow up." Lois watched for Clark's
reaction.
"Yeah, that wouldn't be -- -- Lois?!?!?" He wasn't sure that
he had heard what he had heard.
Lois' eyes began to twinkle and she felt her laughter
threatening to explode. "What, Clark? Or should I say
'Daddy'?"
"'Daddy'? Lois? Wha -- ?" His mouth continued to move, but no
sound came out.
Lois laughed out loud. "And this from a man who makes his living
with words! Clark, read my lips. I am pregnant. We are going to
have a baby!"
Clark listened to what Lois said. As the words sank in, a grin
slowly spread across his face and reached his eyes. "We're
going to have a baby? We are going to have a baby!" He hugged
Lois tightly to him.
"I take it that you're happy?"
"Happy? I'm ecstatic!" As a thought came to mind, he instantly
sobered. "How -- ?"
Lois playfully tapped Clark in the chest. "I thought you got
straight A's in high school."
"Lo-is!"
"OK, OK. To be honest, I don't know. Ariana said about two
months, but she could have been wrong about that."
Clark thought about it for a few seconds. "Mxy? The Parasite? My
exposure to that hybrid Kryptonite? I wasn't exactly my
"super" self during any of those situations. Maybe,,,.."
Clark did the mental arithmetic and looked at Lois. "Our
anniversary?"
Lois shrugged her shoulders. "Possibly. I'm going to have to go
to the doctor's to make sure. I'll make an appointment first
thing tomorrow."
"OK. Lois, you don't know -- "
Lois silenced his words with a soft kiss. "I do know, Clark.
Believe me, I do."
Clark looked deeply into Lois' eyes and saw love reflected back.
"I love you."
"I love you too. This baby is so lucky."
"Lucky? What do you mean?"
Lois remembered Lynn's words and repeated them to Clark.
"Because we have each other. I know you love me. And you know I
love you. With all that love already in our lives, we'll make
great parents. Because we love each other. It's in us. In our
hearts. We have a lot of love to give. We've given it to each
other, Clark. Now, we just have to include the baby in that
love."
Clark marveled again at the wonder of having this woman in his
life. "You are one in a million."
"And don't you ever forget it, 'Daddy'"
"I won't." Clark sealed his promise with a kiss that showed
Lois just exactly how much he loved her. "'Mommy'."
THE END
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