By Fanty375 <rvincent@prodigy.net>
Rated: G
Submitted January 31, 1998
Summary: In this speculation on what might have happened after Clark left for New Krypton, Lois finds life without him quite a challenge.
Author's Note: I have a new hobby, writing fanfics! Hope you'll like this one. I was born in Israel and moved to America about ten months ago. As you know Lois & Clark was made in America, so all other countries like Israel have to buy the seasons from America. It was about three weeks before I was to leave and 'Big Girls Don't Fly' was airing as the last episode so I had to wait three months for the fourth season to come! I had thought of it many times and made up stories and expectations of what would happen next. Now I'm trying to gather all my thoughts from ten months ago and write it. And remember, I'm only 12 years old!
***
From the day Clark left for Krypton Lois missed him every day and night. She thought about the old days when she and Clark were together and how they did everything together. Clark was always there for her, but not this time. She remembered how they first met, and how their relationship was formed. She thought about when they realized they weren't just best friends, that it was more than that.
The work days were hard for Lois. It was hard for her to work without Clark; to be without all the happiness of working with a partner, talking to someone you love, arguing sometimes about something they didn't agree about. Now it was all gone. She didn't feel like working and her stories weren't as good as they were before. In fact, Perry and other people didn't treat Lois as the best reporter ever anymore. They realized something was wrong but they didn't have the courage to ask.
***
It was about three weeks after Clark left and Lois was on her way to the Daily Planet.
"Hello Lois, where's Clarkie?"
"Cat, stop. His name is Clark and he's sick."
"Sick for three months?"
"I think you have a short memory, Cat. It has only been three weeks."
"Oh, sorry," said Cat, as if she was hurt by what Lois said. "Okay, Lois, I know something is wrong with your relationship with Clark. So, what is it? Did he leave you without saying good-bye? Or did you have a big fight? Doesn't he like you anymore because you're not nice? Or is it him that's not nice?"
Lois was shocked. She didn't know what to say. Of course none of that was true but what other explanation did she have?
"Excuse me? No! Of course not! I told you, Cat, he's just sick!"
"Oh yeah, for three months? I know you're lying, Lois, and you know what? I'm going to give him a call tonight without your permission!"
"Oh, Cat, please don't."
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Because … There's something that you don't know, something that nobody knows except me and Clark, and it's something big, which you'll never know, because you're not the kind of person that was meant to know," said Lois, almost out of breath. "Clark didn't leave me because he wanted to, he left me because … he had to, and I let him go … " said Lois quietly. "Why did I do that?" she said in tears.
Cat was quiet. She stood in front of Lois, for once in her life understanding something that hurt people.
Lois wasn't so nice to people anymore. She didn't listen to what Cat said. She was tired of that so she answered in not a nice way. What could she say about Clark except that Clark was sick? What if people started to ask about Clark and look for him? What would she say? Would she tell the truth that Clark was Superman?
"No!," she told herself, "I have to stop thinking like that." And she washed those ideas out of her head right away.
"Good morning, Lois," said Perry.
"Good morning Perry," said Lois in a quiet, sad voice.
She sat down at her desk, and looked over at Clark's desk. Lois walked slowly to Clark's desk. She opened the top drawer, and slowly took out his glasses. Tears filled her eyes as she remembered how she found out that Clark was Superman. She remembered everything.
"Lois!" shouted Perry. That broke into Lois' memories and she waked up from her dreams.
"Yes, Perry," she said sadly.
"I want you on this story right away!"
"I'm on it!" she said.
***
Lois was to interview a girl that was saying her boyfriend was kidnapped or gone. She walked slowly out of the Daily Planet, followed the directions and got to the girl's house.
She was a girl about twenty-five years old named Jennie Carter.
"Oh, you have to help me. My boyfriend … he's gone … I can't live without him! Please help me!"
At the moment Lois felt a little like her. Losing the perfect person you loved … She smiled at Jennie and felt sorry for her.
"Jennie, when did you last see your boyfriend, and what's his name?"
"Chris … Chris Johnson. We were on a date … Then he left to get a drink for both of us. I waited ten minutes and then I went after him. He was gone. Oh, please help me find him!"
"I will," said Lois, smiling.
As Lois started to leave Jennie said, "Oh, wait! You can visit his parents, they probably know something! Here's their address."
"Thanks," said Lois and went to interview Chris' parents.
***
"Oh, all we know about Chris is that he went on a date with Jennie and then he was gone."
"Do you know any of his friends? Was he involved with a gang?" asked Lois.
"No, you should check Jennie. She's a bad girl, she probably got someone to kill Chris. We didn't like Jennie from the beginning but we couldn't rule his life and now look what she has done!" The mother started crying.
"Jennie is a good girl. She hasn't done anything. I'm sorry about Chris; I promise I'll find him."
Lois walked out. She thought of Martha and Jonathan, their only son gone. That must be terrible. They're probably going through the same thing I am, thought Lois.
Lois walked around Jennie's house, suddenly she heard a scream. Jennie was dead … The police could not find the killer.
"Poor girl," Lois thought. She went to visit Chris' parents again.
"Do you know anything about Jennie's death?"
"No, but we're sorry for her death. We shouldn't have treated her like that before."
"Have you heard from your son?"
"He's probably dead like Jennie, and think about it, it's the same killer. He wanted to kill both of them. Why?"
"Well, I'll try to find out, thanks."
On her way back to the Daily Planet Lois thought, "Why would they say that their son is dead? They must still have some hope, and they're so interested in the killer! I should keep an eye on them," thought Lois.
As she came back to the Planet, Perry called to Lois, "Lois! Come here, honey!"
Lois went into the conference room. She didn't know what Perry wanted.
"Lois, do you have any idea where Clark is?"
"He's sick," Lois said quickly.
"Sick for a month?"
"Yes."
"Look, Lois, I don't know what's going on between you and Clark but when is he coming back to work? You haven't seemed very happy for the last month."
"Perry, nothing is going on between me and Clark. He's just sick."
"And why are you so sad? Is there something I can do to help?"
"No," said Lois in a cold voice and started to leave.
"Hey, Lois, when is Clark coming back to work?"
"I don't know," said Lois and left.
She couldn't take it any more. She had to think of something to say to all those people. She couldn't keep using that idea of Clark being sick forever. Even sick for three weeks was a lot . "Hey, Lois, if Clark is really so sick I'll give him a call tonight, okay?"
"No! Don't, Jimmy, just … don't," Lois answered hurriedly.
"Fine," said Jimmy, a little hurt, and left. Lois felt a little bad. She remembered when she was with Clark she was nicer and a lot happier, but it had all changed.
"Lois, did you get anything yet on that story?"
"Not yet, Chief, I'm working on it."
"Good."
***
"Hello?"
"Yes?"
"I'm looking for Clark Kent. Oh, I think this is the wrong number, sorry."
"No, I'm Clark's father."
"Oh, this is Jimmy, from the Daily Planet. Can I please talk to Clark?"
Jonathan looked at Martha worriedly and answered, "Clark is really sick, he can't answer the phone right now."
"Yeah, but me and Perry … and Cat are here and we're worried about Clark. We want to know when he's coming back to work."
In that moment Martha took the phone and said, "When he gets better. Don't call again," and hung up. They called Lois immediately.
"Lois, Perry and everyone else is looking for Clark."
"I know Martha, we have to find something else to say about Clark."
"We'll think about it."
"Me too."
"Bye."
***
Next morning at the Daily Planet, the question came again.
"Lois, where's Clark?"
"He left. He works for the "Smallville Post".
"Do you have his number, or some way you could talk to him?"
"No, he doesn't want any of his friends to contact him."
"Why not?
"And what about you, you and Clark, remember?" said Jimmy after Perry spoke.
Lois gave him a mad look and they both left. Jonathan and Martha had changed their phone number so no one could call them. Nobody ever asked anything else about Clark anymore, and Lois didn't say anything.
***
Lois was at her house, home from work. She was tired, so she lay on the bed. She tried to think of Clark but somebody knocked on her door.
"Who could it be at this hour?" thought Lois.
"You got to help me!"
Lois realized it was Chris himself. He was very hurt and he died immediately.
"So he wasn't dead until now," thought Lois.
Lois found a note in Chris' pocket: 85 West St. 9:30 P.M. June 12
That's the day Chris disappeared, recalled Lois and she went right away to that address. Lois couldn't believe what she saw there — all the tools needed to kill Chris and Jennie! Chris' parents found her there. They tied her with a rope and were ready to throw her in a pool of water with a stone that weighed two tons!
"Why are you doing this?" asked Lois.
"Guess reporters stay reporters until their death. Well, our parents almost killed us, and we were blamed by everyone else including our son and Jennie. That's why we do this! And I forgot to remind you, Superman is not here to save you!"
"She is right," thought Lois, "Am I really going to die here?"
They threw Lois into the water. She saw the surface for the last time she thought.
***
"Where am I?" asked Lois and found herself in the hospital.
"Lois, are you all right?" asked Perry.
"Who saved me?"
"We don't know. Someone who saved you and ran away."
Lois smiled. She thought it was Clark. Even if it couldn't be, she still thought so.
She wrote the story about the Johnsons. It was great, even though Clark wasn't back yet. Everything was normal and Lois learned to live without Clark too.
"I saved you, Lois Lane!" cried a person on the street. He kept bothering Lois about telling her that he saved her. The police put him in jail because he was harassing Lois.
"It's not fair, how could you do this to me? I saved your life!"
Lois didn't listen to him, even if he did save her. Maybe he's just a crazy person. Who knows and who cares? she thought. Lois still thought it was Clark who saved her even if it was impossible. Clark was on New Krypton, but it didn't matter to Lois. For her it was still Clark who saved her.
The mystery remained unsolved. Nobody ever found out who saved Lois or why, but for Lois it was still Clark.
THE END
Until "Lord of Flys"