Lois's brain hurt. She had been sitting and thinking for almost two hours; she had admitted to herself that her feelings for Clark went a lot deeper than she had previously acknowledged. It was something which was almost indefinable, she thought. Yes, he was a close and dear friend, someone on whom she had come to rely. But he was more than that; how else could she explain her jealousy when she'd thought he was really interested in Toni Taylor or Rachel Harris? How could she explain the fact that when they'd kissed on board Trask's plane - however much of a diversion it had been - that kiss had awakened something in her?

She didn't just care about him as a friend; she was also attracted to him.

Before, though, she had buried that attraction somewhere deep inside, and she now admitted that this was because she'd been afraid. If she'd allowed herself to act on that attraction, and it had all gone wrong for some reason, she would have lost a good friend as well as a potential lover; much safer to submerge her emotions and focus on the friendship.

Although she had to be honest and admit that she hadn't actually done very much to build their friendship either. Clark had done almost all the work in that direction; she had been happy to take his friendship, accept the little things he did for her - she had even come to expect that he would be there for her, without offering much in return. Take this latest development: Lois acknowledged guiltily that she had not been much of a friend to Clark if he hadn't felt he could talk to her about the reason why he'd felt he had to quit the Planet and Metropolis. Hell, she hadn't even noticed that there was anything wrong. Some friend she had been! And yet she was well aware that had the situation been reversed Clark would have noticed, and would have been doing his best to help her.

<If I get another chance, I'll be the best friend I can be to him> she promised herself suddenly. Then she paused; if she really meant what she was telling herself about taking risks, not shutting herself off forever as a result of what had happened in the past, she ought to offer Clark more than friendship. She knew he was attracted to her. It was time - assuming that she got the chance - to do something about it.

Assuming she got the chance....

So, how could she get Clark to come back to Metropolis? First, she thought, she had to figure out why he'd left in the first place.

Which brought her back to the beginning of the circle again. Her head hurt.

Her hands smoothed over the two letters again; suddenly the feel of the paper under her fingers caused her to take a second look. Both were written on the same type of paper - from the same writing pad, she would have guessed. She looked a little closer: both had been written using the same pen. The ink was exactly the same colour on both, and the thickness of the strokes was identical.

Okay, she reasoned; so Superman came over to Clark's place to say goodbye before leaving Metropolis; Clark was writing his goodbye letter at the time, so Superman decided to write one as well, using Clark's paper and pen. Plausible enough.

But something made her study the letters more closely. There was something strange about Superman's handwriting, and she lifted the page to study it. That was it! - the formation of some of the letters made it clear that the writer had used his left hand.

But was Superman left-handed? Lois couldn't remember ever having seen him write anything, but she *had* seen him lift or catch things. She concentrated on remembering; she was as sure as she could be that he'd always used his right hand if only using one hand. Surely a left-hander would use their left hand for a primary grip?

Unless Superman was ambidextrous... on the other hand, it occurred to Lois then that the writer could have written with his left hand in order to disguise his handwriting.

But why would Superman want to disguise his handwriting? Because... because he was worried that it might be recognised otherwise. But recognised as whose?

Something made her glance at Clark's letter again. The final phrase caught her attention. 'Goodbye, Lois. It's been a privilege to know you.'

With a shocked gasp, she grabbed Superman's letter. The final phrase of that read: 'Goodbye, Lois. It has been a privilege to know you.'

The same phrase, except that Superman had written 'it has' instead of 'it's'. The same paper. The same pen. And... yes, the same character formation on some of the letters - Clark's 'E's for some reason were quite distinctive, and the 'E's on both letters were shaped almost identically.

So the answer was suddenly clear: Clark had written both letters, but had disguised his handwriting on the second.

But why had Clark written her a letter, pretending it came from Superman? To make her feel better that Superman hadn't said goodbye?

<Oh, stop being stupid, Lois!> she told herself angrily, no longer willing to ignore the truth: the truth which had probably been staring her in the face for some time. <The answer's obvious!> And that was why Clark had told her that she would be able to figure it out; he had left her the clues in the letters. He'd been confident that she would see what he hadn't been able to tell her outright: that he was Superman.

And, of course, that explained exactly why Clark had been forced to leave Metropolis. If Superman had to go, of *course* Clark couldn't stay, especially since Clark had actually believed that Superman's use of his powers was causing the abnormal weather conditions.

But... Lois jumped to her feet as she realised the implication of this discovery. She'd managed to prove that the heatwave had nothing to do with Superman, so Clark could come back! He probably knew about it already - for all she knew, Superman might already have returned to Metropolis.

She began to calculate how long it would take her to get back to Metropolis, envisaging rushing over to Clark's place and announcing that she knew his secret. But a further thought made her hesitate. She had just, before making this momentous discovery about her partner, come to a decision about the future of their relationship and what she intended to do about it. If she went straight to Clark and announced that she knew he and Superman were one and the same, and immediately afterwards asked him out, he would naturally be suspicious as to her motives.

So perhaps it would be best to say nothing. Perhaps he would prefer it that way, anyway, she rationalised. After all, he hadn't said anything to her about it so far; not even a hint in all those times when she had made it clear to Superman that she was interested. Or all the times when she'd ignored Clark's interest in her. Maybe he would prefer her to carry on the pretence that he was two separate people; perhaps he didn't trust her to keep the secret, or was afraid that she would give him away by careless behaviour.

Was she angry that he hadn't told her? Strangely enough, she realised that she wasn't. He hardly knew her, after all. And she hadn't exactly been the best friend he could have had; she'd just acknowledged that. There had been no reason why he should have confided in her, and in any case she had never invited any confidences from him. So, no, she had no right to be angry.

And it was perfectly easy to see why he'd needed to keep his real identity secret... or was Clark his real identity and Superman the disguise? Actually, Lois realised, it made more sense for it to be the latter. Superman had only appeared for the first time the day the Messenger had gone up. Clark, on the other hand, was an adult male of twenty-seven. And since his parents had shown her photographs spanning his youth from childhood to late adolescence, it was clear that Clark Kent had been around a lot longer than had Superman.

<One day, Clark Kent, you are going to tell me the whole story> Lois resolved. <Not necessarily for publication - but because I want to know>

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

Martha was feeding the chickens when she realised that she was no longer alone. Glancing around, she saw Lois moving hesitantly in her direction; she gave the younger woman a welcoming smile and invited her to join in the task.

Several minutes later, Lois broke the companionable silence. "Thanks for giving me the time alone, Martha. I think I understand a lot more now."

Martha smiled. "About yourself or about Clark, honey?"

Wondering yet again just how Clark's mother had come to be so wise, Lois nodded. "Both, I guess. And if Clark ever does come back to Metropolis, or if I get to see him again, I know I'll behave a lot differently."

"I'm sure you'll see him again, honey," Martha assured her. "He cares about you a lot, and I know it really cut him up to have to leave."

<To leave Metropolis, or to leave... me?> Lois wondered, almost but not quite daring to hope. But she smiled back at Martha. "I should probably get on my way. But when Clark calls you, would you tell him I'd love to hear from him?"

"Oh, you don't have to rush away," Martha brushed aside Lois's protests. "You'll stay to dinner, surely."

"Well...." Lois ducked her head awkwardly; she was torn between wanting to get back to Metropolis in case Clark, as himself or in his guise as Superman, had already returned, and wanting to stay so that she could learn more about this incredible man who was her partner and could be, if she let him, the best friend she had ever had; possibly more.

Martha seemed to understand her indecision, for she suggested that Lois go and clean up in their bathroom, and then decide whether to stay or go. It was a pretty good way of postponing the decision for a few minutes, so Lois took Martha's advice and went back into the house.

She didn't see Martha hurrying off to the barn, removing a cellphone from her apron pocket at the same time.

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

"Lois, do you mind if I leave you on your own for a minute or two?" Martha enquired about fifteen minutes later as she had just handed the younger woman another cup of coffee.

"Um, no, not at all. I mean, I realise you must have loads to do, and I'm in the.... Well, I really should be going," Lois apologised, feeling out of place suddenly as she realised that she was preventing Martha from getting on with her usual chores.

"No, not at all, Lois. It's lovely to see you, and you'll always be welcome here whatever your relationship with Clark." Martha came to stand beside Lois, placing a hand warmly on her arm. "Now, I must just go out to talk to Jonathan for a moment. You just sit and take it easy."

Martha hurried out, and Lois sat back down at the table, cupping her coffee in her hands as she again tried to work out her strategy as regards Clark - always assuming that he did decide to come back to Metropolis. It was always possible that Superman would simply decide not to return after the way he'd been asked to leave.

The door creaked open behind her; was Martha back already? She didn't look up immediately, and so she was completely taken aback to hear a familiar male voice address her.

"Lois? What... what on earth are you doing here?"

"Clark!" Lois jumped to her feet and almost rushed towards him, then hesitated, remembering that she was not only in the company of her partner, but of the man who was also Superman. Clark seemed all at once so familiar and so strange.

But he didn't hesitate; he strode towards her, saying, "It's so good to see you! But here... in Smallville?"

"I... came to look for you," she whispered uncertainly.

He stared. He looked so normal, so Clark; standing there in his jeans and soft cotton shirt, his hair a little unruly and that light in his eyes which told her that he was delighted to see her. She made a tiny move towards him, and that was enough. A bare second later, she was in his arms, being hugged warmly.

"You came to find me?" he asked her incredulously a few minutes later.

"Yeah. I thought you'd be here for sure, even though you told me there was no Smallville Post job. And when I came and your parents said you weren't here, and they didn't know where you were, I was... I didn't know what to do or where to start looking," she explained, completely overwhelmed by the warmth of his gaze, the mute emotion in his eyes.

His voice, when he spoke again, was husky. "Why, Lois? I... I mean, I thought you were totally wrapped up in working on the heatwave thing?"

"I was," she told him. "And it's over - we know it wasn't Superman!" she hastened to assure him, in case he didn't already know. "But I left Jimmy in charge - I just felt that finding you was more important."

He gazed at her, his stunned expression revealing how much her confession meant to him. "Lois - you walked away from saving Superman to come after me?" His voice was little more than a whisper.

She nodded. "Yeah, that's pretty much what happened." Except, of course, that she hadn't realised that in saving Superman she would also have been saving Clark.

"Lois...." He trailed off, as if he'd lost the courage to say what had been on his mind. But his eyes were still sending a very clear message to her; he wasn't just pleased to see her because she was his partner. He was amazed and deeply moved that she'd come in search of him, and - apparently - very touched that she had put him before Superman.

One of them had to make the first move here, and Lois was aware that, given her previous treatment of Clark, it would have to be her. He was still holding her loosely; she reached up with her hand and caressed his face. Her voice was soft, hesitant, and more nervous than she could ever remember feeling before. "Clark... I came because I realised that I didn't want to lose you. I don't mean just as a partner, or even just as a friend. I... want... well, I need you to know that I care about you."

He touched his forehead to hers briefly. "Lois, I care about you too. Very much."

"Yeah. I knew that," she acknowledged. "I... oh God, this is so hard. Clark, I... I need to know if you're going to come back to Metropolis?"

He hesitated for a moment; Lois, watching, wondered whether he was trying to figure out how to explain his departure, since it was pretty obvious from his demeanour that he didn't think she had worked it out. Then he smiled, his expression suddenly decisive. "Yeah, I'm coming back. I had some things I needed to work out, but I think they're all sorted out now. As long as Perry will take me back, of course - I mean, he might not after the way I walked out on him...."

"I'm glad, Clark," she told him. "And of course Perry will give you your job back - if he doesn't I'll threaten to walk out too!" Then, reaching up, she planted a kiss firmly on his cheek. He brought his own hand up and slid it along her jaw and into her hair, holding it there for a long moment.

"Thanks for coming, Lois," he whispered. "I had no idea you were here - I just got here... um, back from town, and Mom told me I had a visitor... it's really great to see you."

<Just got back from town?> Lois thought sardonically; <your excuses are going to have to improve if you're going to keep up this double life, Kent! I've already told you your parents told me you weren't here and they didn't know where you were!> But she didn't pick him up on it, deciding for the time being to say nothing about knowing he was Superman. She smiled warmly at him instead. "I had to come, Clark - someone had to knock some sense into you! I need my partner back...." Remembering her promise to be more honest, she added, "I needed my best friend."

For that statement, she received another warm hug; as he released her, she laughed and told him, "I can see I'll have to come after you more often, if this is the reward I get!"

He grinned. "You like me hugging you?"

"Yeah," she assured him. "You're just the right height for me - my head fits into the hollow of your shoulder. And you're strong enough that I feel you could sweep me right off my feet if you wanted."

He laughed at that, then swooped on her and scooped her up into his arms. "Come on - Mom and Dad are outside, and I just know they're being diplomatic, waiting until they're sure we've talked." He strode towards the screen door, her weight clearly not bothering him at all. Of course it wouldn't, Lois knew, given his Super-powers, though she couldn't help wondering whether he was being a little careless. Wouldn't he normally pretend that she was a little heavy, or make a joke of it? Perhaps his behaviour suggested that he did trust her, and was therefore not so concerned with covering up in front of her.

Outside in the yard, the two elder Kents were conferring closely about something, but they stopped abruptly and stared at the unexpected sight of their son with Lois in his arms. As he approached them, Clark lowered Lois to her feet and stood close beside her with his arm around her shoulders.

"Mom, Dad, I'm going to go back to Metropolis," he announced.

Martha laughed. "We thought you might, honey. Did Lois persuade you?"

Lois shot Clark a glance; how would he answer that? But he shrugged slightly. "Sort of, though things had already changed before I spoke to her."

"Well, it was very good of Lois to come all the way here to talk to you," Jonathan commented. "Are you two going to travel back together?"

Was it Lois's imagination, she wondered, or was there a decided twinkle in Jonathan's eye as he asked Clark that question? Of course Clark wouldn't fly the traditional way; he could presumably be back in Metropolis within minutes. Whereas she would have several hours on a plane, and that would come after the drive back to Wichita airport.

But Clark avoided the question. "Let's discuss that over dinner."

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

Clark insisted on accompanying Lois back to Wichita; when she threw him a questioning look he insisted that he could catch the Greyhound back and that he wanted another chance to talk to her. Lois, knowing full well that he had no need of public transport in order to get back to Smallville, accepted his escort for her journey, half-hoping that he might decide to tell her the truth about himself.

As she said her goodbyes to Clark's parents, Martha hugged Lois tightly and murmured, for Lois's ears only, "He'll tell you himself when he's ready, I'm sure." Lois shot Martha a puzzled glance: how did Clark's mother know that she knew about Clark's secret? But then Clark was urging her out to the car, and all she could do was, behind Clark's back, mime that she would call Martha soon.

In the car, Clark asked for more details of the nuclear reactor leak; it transpired that he had heard that it had been the real cause of the heatwave, but knew no more than that. Lois filled him in on the details, also adding that she'd spoken to Perry a couple of times since leaving for Smallville. "I told him the Planet should lead with a call for a public apology to Superman from Lex Luthor, since the mayor has already apologised on behalf of the city."

"Luthor? I thought he was a friend of yours," Clark pointed out softly.

Lois shrugged. "I'm not sure if Lex Luthor's the sort of person who is anyone's 'friend'," she commented thoughtfully. "Oh, sure, he's been charming to me on a couple of occasions, and he happened to be in the right place at the right time to save me from Mencken - "

"When Superman couldn't get there in time," Clark muttered.

Lois shot him a glance; was he feeling guilty, or jealous, that he hadn't been the one to rescue her on that occasion? "Yes, but Superman was pretty busy then. And... you know, I've been wondering just how Lex came to be there anyway. Like how he also just happened to be at the Metro Club talking to Toni Taylor at the time the Toasters were burning down half of Riverview." She paused as she concentrated on negotiating a junction. "Luthor didn't get to be the third richest man in the world by being nice to people. I know you don't like him, Clark - why is that?"

She glanced over at him; his mouth tightened, but his response was brief. "I just don't trust him, Lois. Problem is, I have nothing concrete to base that on. I'm just pretty sure that he's behind some nasty stuff."

"Okay, well, your hunch is good enough for me," Lois told him, enjoying the look of shock she received in response. "You're my partner; I trust your judgement. Look, I know Perry's going to have lots of stuff for us, but how about we start investigating Luthor once you get back? I know it'll take a while, but imagine the headlines if we did expose him! That'd get us a Pulitzer for sure!"

Clark laughed, a genuine expression of mirth and joy. "Lois, I think it's a great idea, though you know it could be dangerous. I really want you to promise me you'll be careful," he urged. "But, you know, what really makes me smile is that you talked about *us*, you and me, winning a Pulitzer. Before, it's always been you."

Lois smiled at him. "We're a team now, Clark."

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

As Lois turned the car into the hire company's parking lot, she glanced at Clark again. "When are you coming home?"

She didn't miss the way his face lit up at the way she'd phrased her question. "Tomorrow. As early as I can - I have to pack a few things here first. But I'll definitely see you at the Planet tomorrow."

She drove into a parking space and cut the engine. "I'll look forward to it, partner."

"Me too," he replied softly. "Come on, partner, you have a plane to catch."

He crossed to her side as they exited the car, and touched her arm lightly. "Lois, I won't come to the airport with you - I really should be getting back. But...." He hesitated, his gaze seeming to search for something in her face.

She stepped closer to him. "Clark - I'm really glad you're coming back. There's so much I want for us... I promise you that I'll be more appreciative of you from now on."

He shook his head, the flash of his white teeth indicating, in the dimming light, that he was smiling. "Lois, I don't want your... appreciation."

"Clark...." She hesitated, wanting more from him, some gesture which would acknowledge that their relationship had altered. He seemed to realise, for his hands came to rest lightly on her shoulders and he dipped his head. Their lips met, briefly but warmly, in an affectionate kiss with a hint of passion, which spoke of promises for the future, other such kisses which might be shared between them.

Clark stepped back then and raised his hand in a brief salute. "See you tomorrow, Lois," he murmured huskily, then walked briskly away towards the bus station.

Lois, left alone, began to walk towards the hire company's reception to return the keys and take the courtesy bus back to the airport. As she did, she reflected on the state of her relationship with Clark. That kiss might not have been the most passionate she had ever received, but for the first time she felt that she had *shared* in a kiss with someone, rather than being the taker, or having a kiss taken from her. Perhaps her relationship with Clark was about to alter irrevocably... and, to her amazement, she was looking forward to the prospect. Not that she wasn't also terrified, afraid that it might all go horribly wrong and that she would lose him entirely; but for the first time, she trusted him - and herself - enough to take the chance.

All that she needed now was to work out a way of letting him know that she knew he was Superman; it was important, if they were thinking of embarking on a relationship, that there were no more secrets between them.

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

"Need a ride?"

At the sound of the deep voice, Lois spun around. A tall figure dressed in blue and red Spandex, arms crossed in front of his chest, stood in front of her.

What was Clark up to now, she wondered. But she played along. "Superman? What are you doing here?"

"I heard you were here, and I thought you might like me to fly you back to Metropolis."

Lois frowned, still playing along. "But I have my air ticket, Superman."

"But I could have you back in about fifteen minutes, instead of a few hours," he replied persuasively. He glanced around; a few people were walking across the parking lot towards them. "If you want to come, we should get going."

"Okay then. It's very kind of you to offer, Superman," she told him.

Shaking his head, he stepped forward and lifted her into his arms preparatory to taking off. "Not at all, Lois. And I owe you a few favours anyway, after you cleared my name today."

She decided to tease him a little. "You do? Then could you do something else for me, Superman?"

"Of course, if I can," he assured her as he drifted upwards. "What is it - an exclusive interview about my return to Metropolis?"

"You are coming back, then?" she queried. He nodded, a movement she felt rather than saw since the light was now so poor. "Well, an interview would be great, of course. But what I wanted was to ask you if you'd help Clark move back to Metropolis. He's coming back tomorrow, and I thought... well, he'd do it a lot quicker if you'd help." She just hadn't been able to resist that, she thought, wishing that it wasn't so dark. She would have loved to be able to see the expression on Clark's face as he thought his way out of that one.

But he recovered quickly, saying briefly that he'd be glad to help. The noise of the wind rushing past made further conversation impossible, and he shifted his grasp on her to tuck her more closely against his chest, protecting her against the worst of the breeze.

All too soon, for she had been enjoying both the flight and the sensation of being held so closely against Clark's chest, he was setting her down just outside her apartment building. He stood back and wished her goodnight, drifting upwards again as she hurried up the steps into the building.

<Goodnight again, Clark> she thought as she let herself into her apartment.

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

The following morning, the newsroom staff's collective stares were drawn to the large picture window as a very welcome sight met their eyes. It was snowing. The weather had returned to normal.

Lois smiled with pleasure as she watched; the Lexcorp plant was now completely sealed off and was in the process of being dismantled. Superman himself had visited the site very early that morning, conferring with the clean-up people before flying off to rescue a couple whose car had run off the road up in the mountains.

Perry's voice broke through her contemplation. "Snow on the ground. Superman in the sky. Everything's right with the world."

Jimmy glanced pointedly over at Clark's empty desk. Perry, noticing, added wryly, "Almost everything."

A solitary figure strolled down the ramp. "Uh, Chief?"

"CK!" Jimmy exclaimed delightedly. Lois smiled at her partner; he flashed her a quick smile in return before turning to Perry.

The Planet's editor faced Clark, his tone gruff. "Everything. So, Kent, I heard you were doing some early spring cleaning night before last." As Clark tried to interrupt, Perry continued, Well, in case you hadn't noticed, it's winter out there. Now put these things back on your desk and get to work. Lois needs help on the nuclear plant follow-up."

Clark grinned, clearly relieved. "Thanks, Chief." He moved to place the box with his personal belongings on the desk before turning to Lois.

Lois, noticing that Perry, Jimmy and Cat, to say nothing of a few other newsroom staff members, were watching this little reunion with barely disguised interest, raised her finger and beckoned Clark. "Get over here, Kent."

"Um, Lois...?" He frowned uncertainly as he walked towards her.

"I think you've got some explaining to do, Kent," she told him sternly. "Like why you walked out on me... and what you're going to do to make up for it."

He came closer still. "Um... I can do all the research for the follow-up?" he suggested.

Standing up, she reached out and grabbed his tie, tugging him down towards her. "That might do for starters. But I need a down-payment too...." To loud cheers and cat-calls, she reached up and kissed him in full view of their colleagues. As she drew away, she felt a secret sense of satisfaction at the shock on Cat's face.

"We can talk about us later, Clark," Lois murmured as she drew his attention to the papers and notes on her desk. "Right now, we need to get to work...."

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

Much later, Lois leaned back in her chair and stretched. Noticing her movement, Clark glanced at his watch and then called across to her, "Ready to call it a night, partner? Can I walk you home?"

She smiled warmly at him. "I was going to insist on it, Clark. Want to get some takeout and eat at my place?"

"Sure," he agreed. "I want to talk to you anyway."

He did? She wondered what was on his mind: was he going to ask her for a date? Or perhaps he could even be planning to confide in her. Pulling on her coat, she moved to stand beside his desk and waited as he shut down his computer.

As they exited the Planet building, Lois shivered. "I can't believe two days ago it was ninety-five degrees, and now it's nearly freezing! Why did I leave my car at home today?" she grumbled.

Clark laughed softly, wrapping his arm securely around her shoulders. "I'll keep you warm," he offered.

She snuggled into him, enjoying the feeling of being held close to his warm masculine body. He did have a magnificent physique; the Suit made that perfectly obvious. One of these days she would have to ask him exactly why he wore such a revealing costume.

Clark kept up a cheerful conversation about the progress of their stories during their walk home, but as they neared Lois's apartment he spoke again, in a very different tone of voice. "Lois... I said there's something I want to talk to you about. I know I owe you an explanation for what's happened over the past couple of days, including why I left town. Maybe... well, would you mind if we talked first? We can eat later, if you still want to by then."

Lois's heart skipped a beat; was he going to tell her the truth? She led the way into her apartment, quickly making coffee to give herself a little time as she thought of how best to handle this. Should she just tell him that she knew? Or let him confess?

He drew her to one of the sofas, sitting in the opposite corner and turning to face her. His voice was low but very sincere, his gaze holding hers as he spoke. "Lois, you've been very patient and asked me very few questions about everything. But I know you must be curious, and anyway you deserve an explanation. And I think that if we're going to be... well, if you want our relationship to be closer, like I hope you do... well, you need to know the truth."

Suddenly she knew what to do. She would make it easy for him. Reaching across and bridging the gap between them, she gently removed his glasses. "It's okay, Clark, I figured it out."

He didn't stop her, allowing her to place the glasses down on the coffee-table; as she turned to face him again, his brown eyes stared solemnly at her from Superman's face. Superman's face; Clark's hair and clothes. And Clark's nervousness, she quickly realised.

She placed a hand on his arm. "It's okay, Clark, I'm not mad and I won't tell anyone either."

He nodded. "Thanks - I appreciate that. So how did you figure it out?"

<Come on, Clark!> she thought, amused. "You told me you thought I'd be able to work it out for myself, if you remember."

His eyes widened. "My letter?"

She grinned at him. "*Both* letters."

"Ah." He had the grace to look abashed. "You realised I'd written both of them?"

She moved a little closer to him, slipping her hand into his larger one. "Not immediately - in fact, not until about an hour before I saw you yesterday afternoon." And that, she thought, told him that when she'd travelled to Smallville she had thought she was choosing Clark over Superman. She studied his reaction, the raised eyebrow and rueful grin. "Anyway, you did intend me to work it out, didn't you? Otherwise why would you have left the clues for me? The same paper and pen, the same phrase in both letters, the obviously disguised handwriting in Superman's?"

He smiled back at her, clearly relieved that his confession was unnecessary. "Yeah, I hoped you would. When I left, I really thought I wouldn't see you again and I thought you deserved to know the truth. Who Superman really was, and why Clark Kent had to leave. So - yeah, I wrote both letters, leaving enough clues that I thought you'd eventually work it out. Never thought you'd do it so quickly, though."

Lois grinned, reaching up to tap him on the nose. "That just shows you that you should never underestimate Lois Lane."

"No, I shouldn't," he agreed. "So... when I left you at the parking lot, and then came back two minutes later as Superman you knew it was me?"

She nodded, her eyes dancing. "Yup."

"And when you asked me to help... um, me, to move back to Metropolis...?" He trailed off, Lois having dissolved into giggles in front of him.

"Yeah, I was just winding you up. I couldn't resist it," she admitted, then squealed in protest as he began to tickle her.

"I'll have to teach you that it's not advisable to wind Superman up!" he growled at her, before collapsing with laughter himself.

A few minutes later, Lois saw Clark's expression grow serious again and he reached out to take her by the shoulders. "Are you sure you don't mind?" he asked her.

"Mind what? That you're Superman, or that you never told me?"

He smiled wryly. "Both, probably. I mean, you did think I was two people, and you probably said things to Superman you wouldn't have if you'd known...."

Lois pondered the question for a moment, but then faced him with a level gaze. She had already faced this question herself yesterday, and she knew the answer. "No, Clark, I don't mind. I understand why you had to keep it a secret, and that means it had to be a secret from everyone. Including me - you had no idea whether I'd rush off and print the story if I knew."

He studied her thoughtfully. "No, that hasn't been a reason - not for some time, anyway. I know I can trust you, Lois." He hesitated, then seemed to decide that honesty was called for. "I guess, in the beginning, I thought that might be your first reaction. But after a while, especially after you gave me the courage to carry on being Superman when Luthor was testing me, I knew you wouldn't rush to expose me if you knew."

Enjoying the knowledge that Clark had trusted her, Lois was puzzled by his last remark. "Luthor was *testing* you? What was that all about?"

She listened in amazement as Clark described the incidents which had required his powers, one after the other, which had put people's lives at risk for the sole purpose of allowing Lex Luthor to discover just how fast, how strong, how invulnerable Superman was. "*That's* why Superman wasn't seen for several days?" she queried in astonishment.

"Yep," Clark nodded agreement. "I'd even put the Suit away - I decided that I couldn't take the risk that Luthor would carry on his 'tests' and that people might die because I couldn't make it in time. But then we talked that night in the newsroom - you said that what mattered was the *idea* of Superman, that he gave people hope. So even if I couldn't always get there in time, it didn't matter. And I realised that you were right, and I started again."

Lois stared at Clark in amazement, recalling the conversation he described. "I remember that! And all the time... my God! I was talking to Superman and I never even knew it!"

"You were. And Superman was very grateful for your wisdom. Grateful enough to have tried to warn you to ignore that envelope I'd had sent to you apartment," Clark added ruefully.

The envelope... Lois remembered *that* as well. The anonymous letter which had contained a map purporting to show the location of Superman's spaceship. Her breath caught in her throat: *Superman* had set her up! She turned her gaze slowly to Clark, intending to give him a piece of her mind, but she noticed the apprehension in his expression, and paused. Then his mouth twitched, and she was unable to help herself. She laughed aloud.

"Oh, Lois! I'll never forget you limping in with a broken heel and your clothes filthy and stinking!" he exclaimed through his laughter. She threatened to hit him; he caught her wrist lightly and shook his head. "I really wouldn't advise it, Lois - you'd hurt yourself." His gaze holding hers, he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. "I really admired your courage that day, you know. Anyone else I know would have slunk off home to get washed and changed, and wouldn't ever have mentioned it. You had the courage to face everyone in the newsroom, and to admit publicly that I'd bested you."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Don't expect me to do that again, Farmboy."

He smiled back, but then his expression changed, and she noticed something in his gaze which she'd seen before on occasions when she'd glanced up from her desk to find him watching her. That expression told her that there was one very important topic which they hadn't yet discussed; a subject which, she had promised herself, she would talk about with him at the earliest opportunity.

This was the perfect opportunity; but suddenly Lois felt reluctant to broach the subject. She realised that it had nothing to do with her feelings for Clark; she cared about him very much, and given that she was also attracted to him there wasn't any reason why they *shouldn't* move their relationship on. But the old fears started to hit her again: what if he let her down? What if she told him she loved him, and he rejected her? What if he turned out to be just using her?

But this is *Clark,* she reminded herself. And Superman - neither of them would behave like that. But as much as she tried to convince herself, her inner fears would not allow her to say the words to Clark which would indicate that her feelings for him had changed. She got up from the couch and began to fuss with the coffee-cups.

Clark stood as well, taking her hands in his and removing the cups. Suddenly his solid form became a blur, which moved to the kitchen. There was the sound of running water, and then the blur was beside her again. As it coalesced into Clark once more, he murmured wryly, "That's one less distraction for you, for now."

Pretending she didn't know what he was talking about, Lois protested at his attempt to get her to join him on the couch again. "Clark... we really should order the food. It's getting late, and by the time it gets here...."

He took her hand firmly in his. "Lois, when we want to eat I can get us takeout from anywhere in the world that you want. *And* have it back here quicker than any local delivery. Please, sit and talk to me."

She allowed him to draw her down beside him, and nervously raised her gaze to meet his deep brown eyes. He hadn't replaced his glasses since she had taken them off, and the deep emotion she saw in his gaze almost overwhelmed her. "Clark... I'm not sure...." she began, but he forestalled her by placing his finger lightly across her lips.

"Lois, I know this is hard, but we do need to talk. When I realised you'd come to Smallville looking for me, I knew we both had to stop pretending we felt nothing for each other. You must know how I feel about you - but I need to know how you feel too." He continued to gaze at her, his expression earnest.

Lois smiled wryly. "I know, Clark. I just... I'm not sure how I feel."

"Then why did you kiss me this morning, in front of everyone in the newsroom?" he asked gently.

"Why did you kiss me at the car rental lot last night?" she retorted, then added, "This morning... I don't know. It was kind of an impulse - I overheard Cat making a bet with Ralph that I'd probably just rip up at you for walking out instead of welcoming you back. So I decided to call her bluff."

He smiled. "I'm glad you did. And for the record, I kissed you last night because I wanted to. And I thought that maybe you might want me to as well."

Lois felt an involuntary tear prick in the corner of her eye. She swallowed. "Yes, I wanted you to. But Clark, I'm... oh, I'm not just teasing you or anything like that. I'm just... scared."

He shifted closer to her, and she felt his arm go around her, encouraging her to lean back and relax into the comfortable haven of his broad chest and shoulders. "I know you're scared, Lois. I'm scared too," he whispered.

"You?" She turned her head and stared at him in amazement. "But... you're Superman!"

He nodded. "And you think Superman's never scared? Sure, I can lift a space shuttle with my bare hand. But I've never told a woman that I love her before now."

Lois's breath caught in her throat. Was Clark telling *her* that he loved her? "Clark... I'm not sure that I'm ready...."

"Hey," he whispered. "I'm not putting any pressure on you here. I know we've only known each other a couple of months. All I know is that you are very special to me, and I'd love it if you were my girlfriend. But I'm prepared to wait, and leave our relationship undefined - just as long as I know that you're prepared to think about it, at least."

She lay back in his arms, remaining silent for a few moments. Clark was so different to any other man she'd encountered before: anyone else she'd dated had wanted to move things as quickly as possible onwards, and she'd ended a number of relationships after the second or third date because the man made it clear that he expected sex as soon as possible. Yet Clark was prepared to wait until she was ready.

"Um... what do you mean by 'undefined', Clark?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I mean, not defined. Like now - we're friends. Partners. And we might be on the threshold of dating. You know how I feel about you, and I have no interest in getting involved with anyone else. But we won't take it any further until you're ready."

She studied him through narrowed eyes. "And by taking it further, you mean... going to bed together?"

He looked visibly shocked at her question. "Lois... of course not! Well...." He flushed suddenly, and Lois could barely believe she was seeing it. This was really her farmboy Clark, not Superman. But he continued, "That might come later - or not. All I meant by 'taking it further' was dating, going steady."

"Oh," Lois replied in a small voice. She felt wrong-footed, but also very reassured. Clark definitely wasn't like Claude; he wanted more from her than sex and a swift way up the career ladder. She felt that she owed Clark an explanation.

Shifting away from him to sit cross-legged on the sofa facing him, she said quietly, "I need to tell you a few things."

He nodded, giving her an understanding smile. "I'm listening - I've got all night if you want it."

"Unless someone calls 'Help, Superman!'" she retorted with a dry smile. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "Remember I told you about the guy who stole my story?"

"The one you worked with?"

Nodding, Lois continued, "Well, he was pretty much the last in a long line of federal disasters. I haven't had very good taste in men up until now - and I criticise Lucy's choice of boyfriends! There was a guy in college who dumped me for my best friend, and someone shortly after who, I finally realised, had just asked me out because he had a bet as to how long it would take him to get me into bed. I guess I just stopped trusting my own judgement in men, and stopped believing that there were any decent men left out there."

Clark hadn't taken his eyes off her during this recitation, and somehow she found his silent regard comforting. He reached out with his right hand, and it was only when he brushed away the moisture from her cheek that she realised she'd been crying. She gave a little sob, and then suddenly she was cradled on his lap, being held tightly against him.

Resting his chin on top of her head, he murmured softly, "I know I can easily tell you I'm a decent man, that I won't dump you or anything like that, but you've just got to learn to trust me for yourself. And I know that's not going to happen overnight. I'm prepared to wait, Lois."

She tilted her head back to look at him. "I know I can trust you, Clark. But I have to learn to trust myself, and that's what's so hard."

He brushed her hair back with his hand before replying. "I trust you. And I think you're a very special, very wonderful woman." He paused, then continued in a soft voice, "When you told me, a few weeks ago, about how your father treated you, I wanted to make it all up to you somehow, to show you what a worthwhile person you are just the way you are."

He was right, Lois realised: she did have a tendency to see herself as worthless; even now, so many years on from her childhood, her father's opinion of her still clouded her own feeling of self-worth. Clark had seen that; she remembered the sympathy in his gaze that night at the Planet when she had told him just why she didn't get on with her father. And she remembered the supportive hand on her back after the conversation with Sam Lane which had represented their first step towards rebuilding the damaged father-daughter relationship.

But *Clark* didn't see her as worthless; she remembered his husky-voiced comments to her when they'd been tied up together in Toni Baines' warehouse. He had told her that he thought she was very special, and a brilliant journalist. He had meant it, too.

And Clark himself was special. Not just because of what he could do, but because of himself. He was the kindest, most sensitive and thoughtful man she had ever known. She had seen him perform acts of kindness and generosity, both as himself and as Superman. He would never needlessly or deliberately hurt someone, she instinctively knew that. Even as she thought about it, she remembered times when he had come to her just to ensure that she wasn't upset about something: telling her, as Superman, that he didn't need to bid for his attention, or... yes, coming to sit with her as Clark to cheer her up after he'd seen she was upset at failing to buy the date with Superman. Now that she thought about it, she realised that Clark hadn't even been supposed to be there. He had turned up because she needed comfort. He'd been an even better friend to her than she had realised.

And there was something else: as she sat and studied Clark, saw the depth of his feeling for her which was written clearly in his eyes, she realised that he wanted her own happiness perhaps even more than his own. She swallowed; that took some getting used to. She had never before had anyone who cared about her that much; not even her parents, who had always seemed to be too wrapped up in their own concerns to pay much attention to their daughters.

Clark was different. And suddenly the thought of taking a chance on a relationship with him was no longer so scary as it had been.

She reached out to touch his hand. "Clark... if this doesn't work out, promise me you'll always be my friend?"

He swallowed, and replied huskily, "Always. Even after you no longer want me to."

She made a movement in his direction, and he reached for her again. A moment later, she was being cradled on his lap again, and he was kissing her. Not like the kiss at the car rental lot; this one was deep and passionate and long.

As she came up for air a little later she gazed up at him again, seeing again his feelings for her evident from his expression. "Clark," she said hesitantly.

"Yes, Lois?" His voice was soft, inviting.

"I... I can't say it... the 'L' word... I want to, but....."

"Hey, I know," he reassured her gently. "It's too soon for you. It's okay. I told you, I'll wait as long as it takes."

And he would, she realised. Her dear Clark... her dear Superman. Whether it took a week, a month, a year, he would be there waiting for her. Loving her... and teaching her how to love in return.

She reached up to kiss him again, and as his arms closed more tightly around her she knew that one day she would be able to tell him that she loved him. And, for the first time in her life, she would mean it.

- The End -