By Juli Hale <JuliHale@aol.com>
Rated PG
Submitted January 1999
Summary: Lois first suspects Clark when she receives a mysterious note signed "The Admirer," but soon she and Clark realize that she could be in real danger.
***
Frost had begun to impair the visibility of his car's windshield. Before long, he would no longer be able to see the woman he loved, the woman he desired. But no matter—she had just turned out the lights to go to bed, to go to bed with another man. From his vantage point across the street from her townhouse, he had spent many nights catching small glimpses of her life, a life he desperately wanted to be part of. It was time. He waited a few moments longer, then silently made his way to the front steps, and into the foyer. There, on her door, he left his first token of love:
My Dearest Lois,
Know that I love you. Know that I'm always near.
Love,
The Admirer
***
The next morning, Lois lazily turned over to wrap her arms around her husband. As she snuggled into his warm embrace, he stirred long enough to whisper, "Love you, honey." It being their day off, they both drifted back into a peaceful slumber.
Hours later, Clark had had to go make a rescue as Superman, so Lois made her way downstairs to retrieve the Saturday edition of the The Daily Planet. She almost missed the note that was attached to the front door. Lois smiled as she read the note, thinking Clark was playing a game with her. Well, who am I not to play along?
When Clark returned, Lois didn't say anything about his little note. She figured that he should be the one to make the next move. Anyway, it was his game, so she would let him lay out the groundwork for how it would be played. The weekend passed uneventfully, and by Monday morning, Lois had all but forgotten the note.
***
It had been a busy day for Lois and Clark at the Planet. Amid the regular hustle and bustle of the newsroom, the phone on Lois' desk rang. And rang. By the time she finally reached it and answered, "Lois Lane," the caller had apparently hung up. No, there was definitely someone on the line, someone who was breathing heavily. She repeated, "Lois Lane. Hello?"
"Lois, my dear, I would appreciate it if you would use a little more haste in answering my calls. You wouldn't want me to think you didn't want to speak to me, would you?"
Lois, more than a little annoyed, replied sharply, "Who is this?"
"I'm your future, your future, your life." The sinister voice continued, "I'm the Admirer, and I'll be seeing you soon." The line went dead.
Lois looked over to Clark, who was engrossed in the story they had been working on the entire morning. No, he was not the "admirer" who had just called, which meant that he had not been the one to leave a note on the door of their home. A feeling of dread came over Lois as she pondered the fact that a stranger with ill intentions not only knew where she worked, but knew where she lived. His words echoed in her mind, "know I'll be near … your future … seeing you soon."
"Lois?"
Lois snapped from her daze as she heard Clark calling for her. "What? Uh, I mean what do you need, sweetie?"
"Well, I could use your input on this story. What do you think about the headline?" He held up the copy, "Too over the top? Lois?" Clark noticed that she obviously was not concentrating on work, which was not at all like her. "Honey, is everything okay?"
"No, everything is not okay!" She immediately realized that she was letting her emotions get the best of her. Noting that Clark was looking at her with a confused look on his face, she went over to his desk, sat down, and told him about Saturday's note. She told him how she thought it was from him, but now knew it wasn't, and about the strange phone call that she had just received.
Clark took his wife's hands in his and told her calmly, "Lois, you know I'd never let anyone hurt you. I'm sure this is just some low-life's idea of sick joke, but I would feel better if we called Henderson and reported it—just to have it on record."
"Well, if it would make you feel better, we'll call. But I already feel better because talking to my wonderful, supportive husband has put everything in perspective. I mean, what is a phone call or a silly little note? I'm Lois Lane, investigative reporter, who just happens to have put far more malicious villains than this in their place." She decided to tease Clark a little to lighten the situation and with a mischievous smile said, "Besides, you can hardly blame the man—look how quickly you fell in love with me."
Clark chuckled as he picked up his phone, glad to see that his wife was not letting these latest threats to their well-being affect her sense of humor.
***
In the conference room, Henderson looked at Lois and Clark glumly. "I'd like to be able to help you two with this, really I would, but no crime has been committed. 'The Admirer's' comments, in themselves, don't indicate the level of a threat that it would require to launch an investigation."
"Oh, I understand. No problem, we'll just wait until he breaks into our house, chops me into little pieces and stores me in his freezer so he can have me eternally near him until we file a report. Will it qualify as a crime then?" Lois was visibly losing her patience.
Clark stepped in before Lois went any further. "Henderson, you'll have to excuse Lois, but she is understandably upset. This is not the first time something like this has happened. You remember the Prankster, right?"
"Yeah, I remember. I also remember the thousand other incidents that you two have been involved in." Henderson softened, "And I remember how many times you've helped out me and my department. I'll tell you what I'll do. Stop by my office sometime this afternoon, and I'll have some recording/tracking devices waiting for you. Hook them up to your phones here and at home, to be safe, and record all suspicious calls, and when or if your guy leaves a distinct threat, we'll take it from there."
Lois and Clark looked at each other, then at Henderson, and thanked him for his help.
***
Back at their brownstone that evening, Clark finished hooking up the electronic device that Henderson had given them. "Well, honey, that should do it." They both stood there staring at the phone, nervously waiting for it to ring.
Clark broke the silence. "This is ridiculous. We'll probably never hear from this man again, and yet here we are wasting our whole night thinking about him. Besides, I wish that he would call. That way I could very calmly tell him not to ever mess with my wife again-or else."
"You're right, sweetie." Lois got a familiar gleam in her eyes, "I guess Mr. Admirer doesn't know who he's up against. But I'm very aware." She took his hand, and quietly led him upstairs to their bedroom.
***
A week passed, and both Lois and Clark thought that any danger that Lois might have been in had passed with it. They went on with their lives as normally as they ever had, breaking a huge story, burning a few meals, and just being in love with each other. Then, on the following Monday, it started.
The roses arrived around noon. Lois was pleased to see them on her desk when she got back from lunch again assuming that Clark was behind their existence. Her pleasure quickly dissipated as she read the card:
My Dearest Lois,
The time until we're together grows short. My heart was empty until I found you, but now I am filled with a love like I have never known.
Together soon,
The Admirer
For the rest of the day, Lois and Clark tried in vain to find the origination of the roses. Clark was getting frustrated. "Whoever we are dealing with has gone to a lot of trouble not to be found. It worries me that he seems to know what he's doing." Seeing that he was only further upsetting his wife, he continued, "But, still, there's no way he can get to you. You are perfectly safe, and this 'Admirer' is nothing but an inconvenience. You'll see, we'll get him."
***
That night as Lois was getting ready for bed, Clark was downstairs whipping up a special treat for her. The rich smell of a chocolate cake wafting up the stairs was an immense comfort to Lois. Her nerves were almost completely calmed as she slipped her satin gown over her shoulders. She put on her robe and proceeded to turn back the covers of the bed. What she found turned her stomach.
"CLARK!!!"
He was at her side in an instant. Her face was pale and her breathing uneven. Then he saw the reason. On their bed was one of their wedding photos, but Clark's image had been crudely cut out. He picked up the picture and read aloud the cryptic message scrawled on the back, "My dearest Lois, You may not love me yet, but you will learn. I'm coming for you soon, please prepare. I will provide even your smallest wish, but you might want to gather a few comforts from your past life. Kerth awards, favorite clothes, pictures, whatever you desire, but be warned: Bring no reminders of the man you call your husband, and I shall allow him to live. Also, do not think of contacting Superman—not even he will be able to prevent the inevitable. Soon, The Admirer."
"Oh my God, Clark, he's been in the house. How could this have happened?"
Clark's jaw was clinched tightly and he was extremely disturbed that this psycho had invaded their privacy, but he knew the most important thing right now was to see to it that Lois was okay. "All right, the first thing that we need to do is call Henderson. Breaking and entering is most definitely qualified as a crime. Next, we'll call Perry and let him in on what's happening. We have a few days' vacation saved up, and I'm sure he'll understand us wanting to give this our full attention. Don't worry, honey, we'll find out who's behind this. I promise."
After the police had left, Lois and Clark got to work. They agreed that 'The Admirer' was not someone that they had previously come in contact with. His m.o. was unlike that of any of their previous enemy. The only ones that came close were the Prankster, who would have used pranks to scare Lois, not declarations of love, and Lex Luthor, who while making declarations of love would have gotten down to business without any of the 'admirer' hoopla. No, this adversary was unknown to them, a fact that made him all the more dangerous.
"He keeps warning that he will come for me soon. So, one option would be to wait until he makes his move." Lois scrunched up her face at her own suggestion and then continued, "However, I personally would like to have a more aggressive offense than just being a sitting duck."
"I agree. The problem is, this guy has been very careful covering his own tracks. If he's done this type of thing before, he has not used the alias 'The Admirer' because I've found no record of it anywhere. There were no fingerprints left from his break-in and for that matter, not even any evidence of a break-in."
"And…" Lois finished for him, "he doesn't seem to be afraid of you or Superman, which either means he's totally around the bend or he's just smart enough to have a plan that could actually harm you." Even as she finished those words, she shuddered at the thought of anything bad happening to the man she loved.
Clark instinctively put his arms around Lois, wanting nothing more than to protect her from anything or anyone who would dare harm her. But even he couldn't stop the phone from ringing. He answered it, but the person calling did not speak. Even without the use of his super-hearing, he could hear the menacing breathing of his wife's stalker. He listened for clues as to where the man could be calling from, but nothing unusual met his ears. "Listen, I don't know what you think you're doing, but…" Suddenly, he heard the click of the other phone hanging up.
Minutes later, the phone rang again. Clark reached for it but Lois stopped him. "He wants to talk to me, not you. Listen in, and maybe he will reveal something about himself."
She shakily picked up the phone, "Hello?"
"Hello, my dear."
Anger replaced fear, "What do you want from me? Why can't you just leave me alone and get on with your life? You're only going to end up in jail if you continue this tirade." She prayed her pleas would make him see the error of his ways.
It did not. It only made him mad. "Now listen, bitch, I've done nothing but love you, and that's still not good enough for you." He snarled, "In return of my love, you've reported me to the police, and you and that husband of yours have even tried to find me before I'm ready to be found. And from the looks of it, you're still trying."
At this last statement, Clark looked up at Lois and whispered, "He's implying that he can see us. Call his bluff."
She nodded, "You said, 'from the looks of it.' Just what is that supposed to mean?"
"It means exactly what it sounds like, my dear."
"Well, if you can see me, what am I wearing?"
"My dear, you are wearing a beautiful pastel pink satin gown, but the matching robe hides it well enough to make it modest, unfortunately. While the robe covers you nicely, the fabric is not thick enough to keep you warm, and that's why you have chill bumps on your arms. Your hair is bound up at the nape of your neck, but I like it much better down. Don't wear it that way again. You do not want to make me mad." As abruptly as he called, he hung up.
Lois was almost in a state of panic, but Clark held her tightly. He whispered, "I've x-rayed all around us, I don't know how he can possibly see us. It's too dangerous for me to change into Superman, we can't afford to let him learn our secret."
"Oh my God, Clark, what if he already knows? What if that's reason behind his confidence?"
"No, Lois, I just don't think he does. He would have already let us know, the way he likes to spout off threats. Come on, it's late, I'm going to check the locks, close all the blinds, have a good look around, and then we will go to bed."
"You can do all those things, but I don't think that I'll get very much sleep tonight."
Clark tried to kiss away her fears, but deep down inside his only fear was slowly creeping to the surface. His life would be worth nothing if anything happened to Lois, and while he was still confident that he would and could do anything that it took to keep her safe, the elusiveness of 'The Admirer' was disconcerting. As he felt Lois slip into a somewhat fitful sleep in his arms, he lay awake thinking about what he could be missing. There had to something he was overlooking. What was the missing link?
***
The next morning, the doorbell rang before Lois and Clark had gotten out of bed. Because of their late night, they had decided to sleep in. Clark quickly got dressed and went to see who was at the door. It was Inspector Henderson. "Good morning, Clark, sorry to disturb you, but I just came by to check in. I know last night must have been difficult for Lois."
Clark shook his hand and gestured for him to have a seat. "Yes, the whole situation has been stressful, to say the least. I'm glad to see you though, last night after you and your men left, we received another phone call. We have the recording for you, but the gist of it was that he is watching Lois. He was able to describe what she was wearing in detail."
"Clark, I'm going to assign a man to stand guard outside your door and I'll put one on surveillance in a car down the street."
Clark started to protest, knowing he could keep Lois safe, but then he thought better of it. Last night, he had ignored various cries for help, knowing Lois needed him more, but if a real emergency came up, it would be nice to know Lois was being protected in his absence.
"I appreciate all you've done, Henderson, we won't forget it."
"Just returning a few favors, Kent." As the two men headed for the door he continued, "The guards will be here in within the hour, you just keep that wife of yours calm. I'm sure this will all be over soon."
"I sure hope you're right."
***
It wasn't long before Clark heard a cry for help that he felt he couldn't ignore. A chemical fire was out of control at Metropolis General Hospital. Hundreds could die or be severely injured without his help. He quickly explained to Lois, and she urged him to go. "I'll be fine, Clark, just you come home in one piece!"
He made an effort to go out through their front door as Clark and to make an excuse explaining his sudden departure to the officer posted there. He recognized the officer as one of the men who had investigated the events of the previous night, and he realized he had seen him during other cases with Henderson. For some reason, this made him feel a little better. At any rate, he wanted the officer to be aware that he wasn't home and he wanted to avoid suspicion if for some reason the officer noticed his absence.
As Clark disappeared out of the officer's view, a wicked grin crossed the officer's face. Under his breath he murmured, "Soon, my dear, it won't be long now."
***
Lois sighed as she went over the evidence once again. All they had was the following, which she made into a list:
* Someone they probably don't know personally.
* Someone without a criminal record, at least under the name, "The Admirer."
* Someone with the ability to break in without a trace.
* Someone who had had enough contact with her to become obsessed.
If she only had one lead, why couldn't she get a break? Her concentration was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. "Great! Now what?" As she opened the door, the officer stepped into her apartment.
"Is something wrong?" She looked at him questioningly.
"No, ma'am, I was just wondering if I could have a cup of coffee. It's a bit cold out there, you know."
Something about his voice bothered her, but she couldn't quite place it. "Sure, one cup of coffee coming up. You know, I really appreciate your help." She walked towards the kitchen, talking loud enough so that he could still hear her. "My husband appreciates it, too. He's been really worried. Maybe we'll catch this lunatic so you won't have to stand out in the cold for much longer."
Lunatic? God, why can't she show me more respect. And why does she have to bring him up, doesn't she know I'm the only man who could make her really happy? I'm here, not here husband. As these thoughts ran wildly through his head, he made his way towards the kitchen, towards his Lois.
She heard him approaching just before she realized whose voice he spoke with. She immediately turned to deliver a roundhouse kick, but he was too quick for her. His arms gripped her tightly and as hard as she tried, she couldn't release herself from his grasp. The Admirer quickly gagged her mouth, making it impossible for her to call for Superman. He sighed obscenely as he held her, savoring this moment that he had waited for so long. "Oh, Lois, don't fight it my love, we were meant to be, you'll see. And besides, who would imagine an officer of the law would be involved in such a thing? I mean, I'm here to protect you, right? I've loved you from the moment I first saw you, when your article on corruption in our police department almost cost me my job. Fortunately, I was not implicated in the whole mess, I'm far too careful to be caught at anything, but ever since then I've admired your determination, her professionalism, and of course, your beauty."
Lois would not allow herself to be paralyzed with fear. There had to be a way out of this mess, a way to clue Clark in on what was happening. Since this madman had no intention of loosening his grasp on her, she had to find some way to make it work to her advantage. She slyly slid her arms up his chest, trying not to show the repulsion she felt as he groaned in excitement. "It's time for us to go, my dear. Did you prepare your things like I told you?" She shook her head no. "Maybe it's for the best, a clean break with the past is often the least painful."
As he forced her through the living room towards the door, she inconspicuously dropped the officer's badge that she had removed from his uniform onto the list of evidence that she had compiled. She prayed it would be enough.
The officer led her to his patrol car, locking her in the back seat, like a common criminal. Lois listened in horror as he called in a report that he was in pursuit of a possible suspect in the case. As he continued his fabrication, she understood his plan. He would make it look as though she had been abducted by her stalker and he was unable to apprehend him. No one would know that he was in fact the stalker. She closed her eyes and thought to herself, Clark will know, he has to.
***
Clark had tried to wrap up the chemical fire at the hospital as quickly as possible. However, the matter was complicated since much of the facility was damaged. Once the fire was contained, Superman had been asked to transport some of the patients that were in need of care that Metropolis General could not presently provide to another hospital. Needless to say, he was very happy to be heading home to his wife.
He noted with a concern that the officer posted at the door was no longer there. Clark entered his home and called out to Lois, who was nowhere to be found. In the kitchen, he saw a full pot of hot water. Coffee had been started, but no one had added the beans that still lay on the counter by the machine. His heart sank as he continued the search of his home, frantically looking for some clue as to what had happened to the woman he loved.
He saw where Lois had been working on the case, and that is when it caught his eye. A badge—the officer's badge; the missing link. He picked up the list that Lois had compiled, and it all came to him. He and Lois were always getting involved in police investigations, so it would be very easy for one of the officers to become enamored with his beautiful wife. A member of the police department would have very easy access to their home phone numbers and e-mail addresses. It also explained how the Admirer knew what Lois was wearing the night of the break-in. A break-in committed by a trained law enforcer. He rushed to find Henderson, hoping that he would have information as the location of this policeman-gone-bad.
***
Henderson was reluctant to believe that one of his own could be responsible for these heinous acts, but he could not deny the evidence that Clark laid before him. He filled Clark in on the call he had received from Officer Daly, the man behind the threats, behind the fear. He told Clark how Officer Daly had been the one to suggest police protection for the Kents and had been the first to volunteer. After speaking with the other officer on surveillance and finding he had seen no suspicious figures around the area as Daly had suggested, Henderson relented.
At first, Henderson didn't want Clark to get personally involved in the search, but since he felt somewhat responsible for the actions of his subordinate, he gave Clark all the information he had about his newest nemesis.
***
Lois watched in forced silence as the police cruiser pulled into the parking garage of an apartment building. She noticed with both hope and surprise when she saw there were several other patrol cars parked there as well.
"What? How can…?" Daly couldn't believe that he had been found out. "My dear, it looks as though our plans have changed. I had planned on continuing my life as though nothing had happened, but having you as my beautiful wife to come home to. It looks like we'll be spending more time together than I had originally thought."
Daly quickly drove down several levels of the parking garage. He parked in a dark corner, got Lois out of the car, and walked toward the elevator. From there, they went down what seemed like several more levels, and Lois imagined that they were well underground. He then led her out of the elevator, which was no small task since she was fiercely fighting against him, and then down a dark, damp corridor to a door that she would not have seen had he not opened it. She continued her futile assault for which Daly cursed her, than hit her squarely across the jaw with the back of his hand. All went dark.
***
Superman had x-rayed Daly's apartment building from above while the police were still there. It had been obvious to him that Daly had not returned there. Superman was now scouring the city with his x-ray vision, but to no avail. Henderson had promised that Daly would not be allowed to leave Metropolis.
Hours had passed since Lois had been taken from their home, and he felt so helpless. His mind was torturing him. Countless times he had promised her that he would protect her, but now she was out there somewhere, alone.
***
Lois awoke to find herself in a some sort of underground bomb shelter, similar to the one in which Tempus had held her and H.G. Wells when he had made himself President. She was sitting in an uncomfortable wooden chair with her hands handcuffed behind her. Across from her, laying on an makeshift bunk, was her captor.
He had undone the gag that had previously prevented her from speaking. "I hope you don't think that you are going to get away with this!"
"Actually, my dear, I would have easily gotten away with this had it not been for your resistance." He narrowed his eyes as he spoke to her. "After all my preparations and all the lengths that I have gone to in order to make you love me, you tricked me. I didn't understand how I could have been discovered, and then I noticed my badge was gone. It doesn't take much intelligence to figure out how that happened."
"Well, then, you are in luck." She shot out at him. Lois was not going to let him see her be intimidated.
Her remark only earned her more of Daly's wrath. "How dare you ridicule me!" He stood up, grabbed the edge of the bunk, and crudely threw it across the room. He paced back and forth in the small space, engrossed in thought. He stopped in front of Lois' chair, kneeled down in front of her, and pleading with his eyes as well as his words, "Please, only you can fix this. You have to willingly want to be with me. Then they'll all understand. I can go back to my life and have you. I swear I'll make you happy—I love you so."
Lois was confused by his sudden and erratic changes in mood. Still, she was not about to give him any false hope. "I'm sorry that you feel that way, but I am in love with my husband. If you'll just let me go, I'll help you in any way that I can. We can get help for you. These feelings that you harbor for me are not healthy…"
"THAT'S ENOUGH! I thought you would understand, but now I see you're just like all the others. I was afraid this would happen." A duffel bag lay near the chair Lois was bound to. From it, Daly produced two tablets and a syringe. Slowly, "The Admirer" approached her.
At this sight, Lois eyes shot wide open in terror. "What do you think you're doing? Please, please stop and think about this. It's not too late to change your mind and get yourself out of this mess!"
"We both know it's too late for that, Lois, thanks to you." Lois tried to control her fear, but it was clearly evident in her eyes. "Don't be afraid, dear. We'll be together soon, and then you will truly understand how great my love for you is." That said, he popped the two tablets.
"I'll be waiting for you on the other side. Unfortunately for you, the tablets work much faster than this," he said, indicating the syringe. "Don't worry. I would never hurt you, you will have a lingering, but painless death. My last gift to you is to give you the time to think about how you've rejected me, how we could have lived this life together." He injected her with a large dose of a clear liquid, then slowly sank to the floor, unconscious.
***
Clark was getting more and more anxious. Where could she be? Okay Kent, think! They could not have just disappeared. They have to be in some lead-lined enclosure, somewhere Daly knew that Superman would not be a threat to him. But also somewhere with easy access to Daly, a place where he could hold Lois, but also lead his own normal life. That's it! Now all he needed was a city map detailing old bomb shelters near the vicinity of Daly's apartment. Clark knew exactly where to get it, too. He sped towards the Daily Planet.
***
Lois watched through tears as her admirer stopped breathing. He hadn't been kidding; she was really going to die. "Clark, where are you!"
As if on cue, Superman burst through the ceiling of the small shelter. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw her. He quickly released her bonds and took her up in his arms. "Lois, I was so afraid I had lost you, are you okay?" Then he noticed Daly's lifeless body on the floor. "Lois, what happened?"
She hastily told him all that had happened. "Clark, he killed himself, and he injected me with something. Oh, Clark, I don't won't to die."
"I will not let that happen!" Superman picked up his wife and, as fast as safety allowed, flew her to Star Labs.
***
Dr. Klein had run all the necessary tests, first finding out what the mystery substance was, and then attempting to counter-act its effects.
Clark waited nervously out in the hall, praying that his wife would be okay. He felt somehow responsible for all that had happened. If he couldn't use his powers to save the one person he loved above all others, then what good were they? He heard Dr. Klein approaching, and from the look on his friend's face, the prognosis was not encouraging.
Dr. Klein was obviously nervous and distressed. Clark urged him to say what he had to. He began, "Clark, Lois has been injected with an unnatural amount of fluoride."
"Fluoride? Like in drinking water?"
"Only on a more concentrated scale. The fluoride is attaching itself to the calcium in Lois' body, slowly robbing her of it. I'm currently giving her calcium intravenously, but I'm afraid there's no way to replenish what she lost, at least not until it's too late. Clark, I'm so sorry."
Clark didn't believe his ears. Kryptonite had never been as overpowering as the few words that Bernard Klein had just spoken. "Dr. Klein, what are you saying?"
"I'm saying that there is nothing that can be done. I've consulted international specialists, and there is currently no anecdote to reverse the effects of fluoride poisoning. Her heart has already developed an arrhythmia, and it is just a matter of time before cardiac arrest ensues." He looked at Clark sympathetically. "If there was anything I could do, believe me, I would. Right now, she needs to be with you."
"H-how long does she have? Months? Weeks?"
"Hours." Dr. Klein couldn't bear it any longer. "If you need me, I'll be in my office."
Clark sank back in his chair, defeated.
***
Clark sat by her bed, holding her hand in his. Lying there was the woman he loved, the woman who had changed his life. Dr. Klein had encouraged him to call in family and friends, even offered to do it himself, but Clark had refused. He was not going to give up. Lois was a fighter. Lois would not leave him. Not if he had anything to do about it.
"Hey there, handsome." Lois had opened her eyes and was looking at him with affection.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" Clark was desperately trying to be strong for her.
"I'm not in any pain, but I feel so tired." She smiled at her husband, but in his eyes she saw an emotion she had never seen before. "Clark, what's wrong?" He squeezed her hand more tightly. "Clark, you're scaring me. What's wrong?"
He stroked her cheek in that familiar way, but his voice started to break, and the tears that he had valiantly tried to hold back spilled out of his eyes. "Honey, you're going to have to fight like you've never fought before. I have loved you from the beginning, and I'm not ready for the end. I'm so sorry that I couldn't protect you."
Lois understood what his words didn't say. "Clark, your love has always been a shield against anything that could harm me. The Admirer may have injured my body, but he couldn't touch my soul. You are the only man who has ever touched my soul. Our love will last forever, nothing or no one could ever change that. And, e-even if I'm not here…"
"Lois, don't even say that. We are going to grow old together, I just know it. We've been through too much to be separated now. Just think back to our weddings. How many couples do you know that had to have three weddings just to be married?"
Lois sensed that he was trying to keep her spirits high, so she joined in on his reveries. "Yeah, but it was worth it, how many women get to be married to superheros? Not that it's always been easy—remember UltraWoman?"
"Lois! That's it. Your body cannot fight the effects of fluoride poisoning, but UltraWoman's could! Just hang on, Lois, everything is going to be fine!" With that, he rushed out of the room, leaving a confused Lois behind to wonder what he was up to.
Minutes later, a blur of red and blue swept back into her room and Lois felt herself being lifted far into the air. "Clark, where are we going?"
"Honey, we're escaping one storm to find another." Lois didn't have to wait long for an explanation, as she heard thunder in the sky ahead.
Suddenly, Clark threw himself and Lois into a flash of lightning, shielding Lois from the bolt itself. Lois hadn't realized how weak and tired she had become until she felt super-energy encompass her. Clark was looking at her, expectedly. "Baby, how do you feel?"
Lois was overcome with emotion. "Super. I feel super!"
***
Dr. Klein had been thrilled that Superman had figured out a way to save Lois' life. He had been more than happy to reconstruct the laser device that would reverse the effects of the power-transfer.
Days later, Lois and Clark awoke in their bed, unafraid of any villains who could be lurking. They both were aware that they could handle anything that got in their way, just like they always had.
THE END