I Will Find You

By Barb Clark (aceem@aol.com)

Summary: Superman saves Lois from the clutches of one of his enemies, then decides to give up his life as Clark in order to protect the people he loves. Lois disagrees, trying to talk some sense into him.

This is my first fanfic, so be gentle! Any comments are welcome.

I wrote this after seeing the first two episodes this season. I have heard some spoilers and decided to combine them and make the story turn out the way I would like it to. I had not seen "Contact" before writing this.

Thanks to all the thumbers for their support!! (You know who you are!) Dedicated to Teri & Dean. Thanks for the inspiration!

***

Lois was lying in bed, just starting to really wake up when she felt a breeze from the open window in her bedroom. She opened her eyes eagerly hoping to see Superman or Clark, but no one was there. She looked at the clock and it was already 11:40 Friday morning. Perry had given her a well deserved day off since she wrote a Kerth-worthy piece Thursday about her previous four days being held captive by yet another enemy of Superman's. Lois was mentally exhausted and sleeping in was just what she needed. Her first thoughts were of Clark, who saved the day, and Lois' life once again as his alter ego Superman. She loved him so much and could not imagine life without him anymore. Little did she know she would not have to IMAGINE it. She stretched and decided to get up and get ready for a day of lounging around the apartment. She had picked up some videos on Thursday night on her way home from work and was hoping Clark would stop by after work to keep her company and watch them with her. That was one of her favorite things to do.

The afternoon passed slowly, but Lois enjoyed the peacefulness as she read a romance novel. This was another thing she loved doing. She would imagine Clark and herself as she read each scene. She checked her watch to find it was 6:15 and Clark would probably be by soon. She thought it was odd that he had not called all day. She had called the Planet in the afternoon and Clark was out on assignment. "Maybe he didn't return to the office to get her message," she thought. Ten minutes later Lois heard a familiar tapping at her window. She called for Superman to come in and she made her way over to him. She hugged Clark and kissed him. He did not return the hug or kiss. Instead, he had on his "Superman" facade. "How are you feeling, Lois?," Clark asked.

Lois backed away a bit and gave him a quizzical look, "I'm doing much better. I got a good night's sleep and that helped. What's wrong Clark? Why are you so stiff?"

"Lois, I need to talk to you."

"So talk. I'm all ears."

Clark moved Lois around and sat her down on the couch. "I can't see you anymore, Lois."

"What are you talking about?," Lois asked nervously and agitated.

"I have decided that Clark Kent is no more. I am just going to be Superman. I thought I could lead a normal life, but I have put you and my parents in jeopardy too many times. If there is no Clark Kent, there is no relation to Superman. I can't take the chance that someone else will put two and two together and figure out the connection between me and all of you." Clark said all of this rather coldly which did not help Lois any.

"What are you saying? What do you mean Clark Kent is no more? You proposed to me and now you are going to just dump me? I don't think so Kent!," Lois' voice was a little shaky but she was ready to argue. She could see Clark was totally serious and she had to talk him out of this. She had lost Clark before and swore she wasn't going to lose him again.

"You can't change my mind, Lois. I decided that your life and my parents' lives are more important than your relationships with Clark. I am leaving the country and can never see you again as Clark. I will always be there when you need Superman, but our relationship is over."

Clark's words stunned Lois. "God, you are starting to talk in third person again. You ARE Clark. You can't just abandon everything that you built and worked for as Clark. What about your job, your parents, and what about us?"

"There is no more us, Lois. I also told my parents about my decision."

"And what did they say?," Lois asked, knowing they would never go for this.

"They thought it was a stupid idea, but they will see that in time it was for the best." Clark really was dying inside, but none of this surfaced. He just KNEW he was doing the right thing. He would give anything to keep the people he loved safe, even if that meant giving them up.

"It IS a stupid idea. You just can't do this!" Lois was very angry and stood up and beat her fists on his chest. She knew this would not hurt him, but that was not her intention. She had to let out her frustrations and drive her point home. Tears filled her eyes, "You just can't leave!"

Clark took hold of Lois' forearms and stopped her from hitting him. "I can, and I will. I am truly sorry, Lois, but it is for the best." With that he turned and flew out the window. He didn't even give her a good-bye kiss. He knew if he did he would never be able to leave. Lois ran to the window and yelled after him. "Please don't go!" It was too late. She grabbed her purse and car keys and ran out the door. "You are not going to leave me again, Clark Kent. I love you and I am not going to give up that easily." She jumped into her car and sped to Clark's apartment.

When she arrived at his apartment she pounded on the door. It was not closed all the way and so it swung open to reveal a completely empty apartment. "Oh my God. He IS gone." She reached in her purse and pulled out her cellular phone and pressed a speed dial number. "Martha? It's Lois. Is Clark there by any chance?"

Martha just said "No honey, he's not. Have you seen him today?" Martha's voice was definitely shaking when she spoke.

Lois sensed this and figured Clark really did talk to them about this "idea" of his. "He left my apartment a little while ago and I am at his apartment right now. It's empty. Martha, is he really serious about never being Clark again?" She wanted Martha to say it was just a phase and that this had happened before. Maybe in a couple of days he would come back and everything would be all right.

As much as Martha wanted to be there for Lois right now, she could not lie to her. "I have never seen Clark act this way before. I don't know what the problem is. I am just so worried about him. He is all alone now. I would like to say I thought he would be back soon, but I really think he is determined to do this. I just don't know what to do." Her voice trailed off and tears were streaming down her face. Jonathan had come into the room and realized it was Lois on the other end. He put his arm around Martha and stood there silent. He didn't know what to say.

Lois could just not believe all of this was happening. Right then and there she put her mind to finding Superman and bringing Clark home. "Try not to worry too much, Martha. I am going to track him down and knock some sense into that thick skull of his. I won't stop until I have Clark back for all of us."

"Lois," Martha added, "be careful and keep us updated. I will let you know if he contacts us. I know you love him and I know he loves you too. If anyone can help him, honey, you are the one. Take care."

"Yes, I do love him. I love you and Jonathan too. I won't let you down." She said those words, but she wasn't so sure at this point. She just knew that she would have to do some very good investigating to pull this off. She put the phone back in her purse, turned around to leave the apartment and took one more glance around before she closed the door to what used to be Clark's apartment.

As soon as she walked in the door of her apartment, the phone rang. She dropped her purse and keys on the floor and plunged for the phone. She was hoping it was Clark saying that someone had brainwashed him and that he was OK now. He would be back. "Hello?" she said hopefully.

"Lois, what in Sam Hill is going on here?" Perry yelled into the phone.

"What do you mean, Perry?" Lois said, unsure of what Clark may have told Perry.

"I just got a registered letter from Clark. It's his resignation. He said he has a job in another country and is leaving today. Lois, what did you two argue about THIS time?" Perry assumed she and Clark had another fight and they were over reacting again. He had no idea what the real truth was, and Lois could not tell him.

"Honestly, Perry, I am not sure what happened." Tears welled up in her eyes as she was realizing that this was really happening. She was losing Clark again and maybe for the last time.

"Did you two have a fight? Is Clark in some sort of trouble?" Perry was truly concerned. Not only were these two his top reporters, but they were like his kids. He wanted to see them together. It was fate. It had to be.

"No, he just told me he was leaving and that was that." Lois knew she had to cover this somehow so she put on a good show. "I think there may be another woman. Some foreigner from Clark's past. You know, when he traveled around the world? I just don't know what happened. I thought things were really going well for us. I'll tell you one thing though, I am not going to let him go that easily." She was really sobbing now, but that was no act. She had to let it out somehow.

"Lois, you know I will help you any way I can. Just let me know if there is anything I can do."

Lois asked with hesitation yet determination, "Could I have some time off to try and find him?"

"Sure honey. You've been through alot lately. Besides, I know you won't be able to concentrate on your writing without him. Take as much time as you need." He said that, but what he meant was go get him and get your butts back to work as soon as you can. He can't afford to lose his best reporting team. Competition was tough and he needed them back at the Planet.

"Thanks, Perry. I'll do my best. If you hear anything…"

Before Lois finished Perry assured her, "You will be the first to know about it. Now go find that boy!!"

Lois hung up the phone, picked her purse and keys up off the floor and went into the kitchen. She put them down on the counter then grabbed a bottle of wine out of the wine rack and a glass out of the cupboard. She sat down at the kitchen table and poured herself a glass of wine. She was still crying, but was trying to pull herself together. She had to organize herself. She needed a plan. Not like Lois usually did things as planned, but this was different. She knew she was too emotionally involved in this and didn't want to overlook or forget anything. She pulled a yellow ledger pad towards her that was sitting on the table as well as a pen. She started to write down her plans of attack. Her first plan was to check and monitor the Superman web site on the internet. Someone had started the web page to keep track of the goings on of Superman. It was international, so if Superman was out there, she could find out about it there. She sipped the wine to calm her nerves while she made her list. "The TV," she thought. "I need to keep it on in case of an emergency where Superman might appear." She gathered up the pad, pen and wine and made her way to the couch. She put the wine on the table and reached for the remote to turn on the TV. She scanned the channels, but the news was over. There was no sign of him there. She picked up the phone and dialed up Jimmy. "Jimmy, it's Lois. Do you still have that scanner you used to listen to on those dateless nights?" She wanted to keep things as light as possible so no one would suspect the seriousness of the situation.

"Yes, I do and the date joke was not funny. Do you need it for a story?" Jimmy had no idea what was going on because he had left the Planet before Perry received the letter.

"Yeah. Would you mind if I borrowed it for awhile?"

"Not at all. How soon do you want it?" Jimmy added, "Do you want me to drop it by tonight?"

"That would be great, Jimmy. Thanks"

"Big night for you and CK listening to the police scanner, huh?" Jimmy had to get his lick in too.

"Actually, Clark is working on something else right now. It's just me and "Betty Bearcat" tonight, Jimmy," She thought to herself, "Clark is working on being a first class jerk. Why do I put up with it? Mainly because he puts up with me and I love him."

The two hung up and Lois went back to compiling her list. "Check with Bobby Bigmouth, call my buddy at the 911 dispatch office, call a few of the Planet's foreign correspondents, and call Warren (who was a part-time pilot/photographer at the Planet and owned his own Lear jet). Clark, you are going to cost me alot of money and you WILL pay me back one way or another," she thought to herself. She decided that the TV needed to be muted and she wanted to hear some relaxing music. She was getting a major headache and her shoulders and neck were tight as Superman's spandex. She turned on the CD player and popped in a CD. She had put the list down next to her on the couch and stretched out with her legs on the coffee table in front of her. She started listening to the words of the song playing and they really struck deep. It was a haunting tune by Clannad**. "No matter where you go I will find you. If it takes a long, long time. No matter where you go, I will find you. If it takes a thousand years." She started to cry again. She just had to find Clark. She could not face a life without him. Just then the doorbell rang. "Who is it?," Lois yelled.

"It's Jimmy!" answered the man outside the door.

"Just a minute, Jimmy!" Lois realized she was crying and did some quick thinking. She turned the CD player off and turned the VCR on quickly. She checked the peep hole and opened the door for Jimmy to enter. "Before you say anything, I was watching a sad movie and was crying, so don't make fun."

"I won't. Here's the scanner. Where do you want it?"

"Just sit it on the kitchen counter. Thanks a million, Jimmy. You really are good to me." Lois wanted to get Jimmy out as soon as possible. She would have liked some company, but could not explain to anyone else what was going on. She already lied a bit to Perry and she didn't want anyone else involved. After all, she thought, I will probably find him by the end of the weekend and Monday will be just like any other day. At least she hoped.

"I would like to stay and visit," Jimmy said hurriedly, "but I have a date. Yes a date. I didn't make fun of you crying at a movie, so don't make fun of me having a date," he added quickly before Lois could comment.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Lois said with a big grin. With that Jimmy left and Lois was once again alone.

Lois turned the CD player back on and resumed her position on the couch. She picked up the pad of paper and wrote down 'Plan B'. Just in case the other idea of finding him didn't work, she would make him find her. "He said he would always be there for me as Superman so I may have to fake an emergency. I am sure Bobby will help me with that one." After that she got her laptop computer out and connected to the web site as she used her cellular phone to call her contacts on the list and to leak out for Bobby to contact her. The web site was pretty busy. Most of the activity was in California. Lois decided to head out west and try to catch Superman out there. She booked a flight using her computer and started packing. By this time it was 9:15 and she was feeling tired again. She had a morning flight to California so she decided to go to bed early. She knew she wouldn't sleep well, but she just couldn't stay up any longer.

The next morning Lois checked the web site and the activity was still in California. There had been an earthquake and some forest fires Superman was helping with. Lois headed for the airport. While she was waiting for her flight she called the Kents and let them know what she was planning. "I just need to track him down and talk to him," she told Jonathan and Martha who were both on the line.

"Good luck, Lois, but don't be too upset if he ignores you or is short with you. He really thinks this is for the best and when he sets his mind to something…" Jonathan warned.

Martha added, "You just keep pushing, Lois. I am sure once he sees you have gone to all the effort to find him he will listen to you."

"I hope so, Martha. I will call you if anything happens." Lois hung up and boarded the plane. Several hours later she arrived in California. The first thing she did was to buy a paper and sit in one of the lounges to watch LNN. She found out that she landed in the right city. He was fighting fires and she decided to head out to the firefighters headquarters. She rented a car, because cab fair would be too expensive. Once at the headquarters she flashed her press ID and was able to speak with the man in charge and the dispatcher. Superman WAS there and was heading for the nearby hospital with a firefighter who was injured. They gave her directions to the hospital and she ran to her rented car. She was racing towards the hospital and arrived in what would have been record time if anyone had been timing her. She parked her car and ran into the emergency room. She spotted the firefighter who was receiving care for a broken leg. "Did Superman bring you here?" she asked quickly before they could wheel him into a room.

"Yes. He was just here a minute ago," the man answered.

Lois went up to the admissions desk and asked the nurse behind the counter if she had seen Superman. "You just missed him," she said. "He flew out a few seconds before you came in."

Lois felt a sudden draining feeling. She had missed him by seconds. She wondered if he saw her. "Well, back to the fire fighting headquarters," she thought to herself. Lois thanked the nurse and headed back to the headquarters.

The rest of the day was pretty much the same. "You just missed him," she heard several more times.

Later that night she flew to Arizona because there was a dam about ready to break and she just knew Superman would show up to save the day like always. She got to Arizona by way of Warren, her pilot contact. He had been in California during the week covering the forest fires. Lois had gotten ahold of him there the first time she had called. She called his beeper number before leaving the scene of the forest fires and when he called her back she told him of the dam in northern Arizona. He said he would be happy to fly her there and that he could get some great aerial shots of the dam for the paper. It was almost morning when they arrived at the dam. Lois walked up to a police officer who was standing around the dam keeping the press back. "What has been going on here?" she asked him.

"Superman fixed the dam and left about 20 minutes ago."

"Damn," she thought, "I missed him again."

Lois went back to the airport and waited for Warren. While she was waiting she wrote a story for the Planet and faxed it in to Perry. "Maybe writing stories will keep Perry happy while I am off gallivanting around looking for Clark. It should help relax me too."

Warren finally arrived back at the airport. "I got some great shots of Superman fixing the dam," he bragged. He had made it in time, but the drive took too long and Lois had missed him.

"That's great, Warren. Download them to the Planet and they can use them with the story I sent in. Will you be ready to head back once you've done that?" Lois had hoped the answer would be yes. She was exhausted and just wanted to get back to Metropolis. She figured with everything under control out west that Superman was sure to resurface back in Metropolis.

"Yes. Give me about twenty minutes to send the photos and to check a couple things out. You can head out to the plane if you want. You really should get some sleep. You are not looking too good," Warren said with concern.

"Thanks alot!" Lois retorted. She knew she was tired physically and emotionally, but once again she could not sleep.

Things went this way for three weeks and Lois would always just miss Superman. By this time she was very worn down and decided that plan B was to take effect. She had Bobby Bigmouth rig up a bomb and put it in her apartment. It really would not detonate, but it was real dynamite and looked convincing enough. Bobby tied her to a chair and everything was set. Superman was in the area and Lois started calling for help. Of course he heard her plea and knew it was Lois. The window was open and he flew in. Lois' eyes widened at the sight of him and her heartbeat started racing. He looked so handsome and this was the first time she had seen him in person since he left her apartment that fateful Friday. Her whole body ached for him to hold her. He grabbed the bomb and noticed he had some time left. He used his heat vision to burn through the ropes holding Lois. "Clark, I am so glad you are here. I was afraid I would never see you again." Clark just gave her a blank expression and flew out the window to detonate the bomb in a safe area. Lois readied herself for his return and tried to remember the speech she had prepared to give him so many times in the past three weeks. Superman used his x-ray vision to check that Lois was indeed all right and then with a whoosh he left Metropolis again. Lois stood by the window for several minutes and it slowly hit her that he was not coming back. She began to cry. How much longer could she keep this up? She could not let the Kents down and she was not going to let Clark down. He deserved everything he worked so hard to achieve and he was going to have it. That included his parents, a normal job, and a wife. She knew now without a doubt that she needed Clark in her life because without him she felt incomplete. She had finally found true love and nothing was going to stop her from getting him back. She composed herself and called the Kents to let them know what happened. "He didn't come back after he left with the bomb. I am sure he is all right though. He looked good. I just wish he weren't so stubborn."

"Lois, you have got to stop this. You are wearing yourself ragged and it has gotten you nowhere. Maybe he just needs some time." Martha said this, but knew that Lois was the only one who would be able to 'bring Clark home.'

"I'll be all right, Martha. I just have to rethink my strategy."

"OK, but try to get some rest." She knew Lois was worn out. She was worried about her pushing herself so hard.

Lois went for a few more weeks running all over creation trying to track down Clark. All the while she was writing stories about Superman's heroics. She could not figure out where he was staying and Superman was rescuing people all over the world, not just Metropolis. She came home one Wednesday from a jaunt to New Orleans. She was not feeling too well for the past few days, but dismissed it as the flu. She decided to lie down for awhile. A few hours later she woke up and ran to the bathroom. She was sick to her stomach, had a massive headache and a very high fever. She knew then that this was probably not just the flu. Her first thought was, "I will never find Clark if I am sick in bed." Just then another wave hit Lois and she practically fainted after getting sick again. "This is just not right." She slowly got to her feet and called Perry. He was the person closest to Lois besides Clark and she knew she would be good hands.

Perry rushed over and found Lois passed out on the bathroom floor. He called an ambulance and they rushed her to the hospital. Perry could not get a hold of Lois' parents, so he called the Kents. Martha and Jonathan just knew something like this would happen. Perry called Warren and a friend of his who lived in Kansas flew the Kents in. Before leaving, Martha wrote a note to Clark on a large piece of posterboard and sat it on their kitchen table. She knew that he had been making a daily fly-by of the house to make sure everything was all right. She hoped he would use his x-ray vision and see the note.

When they arrived at the hospital, they spotted Perry sitting back in a chair with his tie undone and looking rather worried. "Perry, how is Lois doing?" Martha asked as she and Jonathan sat down next to him.

"She is not good, not good at all. She apparently contracted a virus while she was out of the country. Since she was worn down anyhow, it really hit her hard. She is holding on, but the doctor's are not sure what is going to happen."

Martha felt terrible and she got angry. "How could Clark do this to her? How could he do this to all of us?"

Jonathan had never heard anything like this out of his wife. "I am sure he did not mean to have anything bad happen to any of us," Jonathan reassured her.

Perry excused himself to go call Alice and check with the Planet. Jonathan and Martha sat staring at the walls, not knowing what to say. All they could hope for was that Clark would see the note and come to the hospital. Perry returned to his seat next to the Kents and joined them in staring at the wall. About half an hour later the doctor came out. "I am sorry to tell you this, but Ms. Lane has slipped into a coma. She is dehydrated and very worn down. We are controlling the virus and doing everything we can for her, but I can't give you any more information than that."

All three of them felt like they had been kicked in the stomach. "She just has to be OK. She is strong and stubborn as that son of ours. I am sure she will pull through," Jonathan said hopefully.

The night had past and the three holding the vigil, were asleep in their chairs. Jonathan woke up first and went to buy coffee for the others. When he came back, both Martha and Perry were awake and talking. They sipped their coffee as Martha told Perry of the first time they met Lois and how she had referred to Jonathan as a cross-dresser. That was lightening things up a bit. Martha was talking to Perry when she stopped in mid-sentence. A look of astonishment came over her face and both Perry and Jonathan turned to see what she was staring at. It was Clark. He was dressed as Clark, and not Superman, which was a big relief to Martha. She was afraid he may still be in that 'there is no more Clark, only Superman' mode. He looked good, but very worried. He was when he reached his mother and father he hugged them both. "I am so glad you got my note, Clark," Martha said and she started to tear up.

Perry shook his hand and told him he was glad to see him. "You disappeared faster than Elvis at the end of a concert, son." Perry always had to get his Elvis reference in. "How have you been?"

"I have been OK, Perry."

"Just OK? So, do you want to come back to your old job at the Planet yet?" Perry added hoping to hear a positive response.

"I am not sure yet, Perry. If the offer still stands, I would like some time to think about it." Then his thoughts turned to Lois. "How is she doing?" His heart was ready to break in half.

"Not good, son. She has slipped into a coma." Jonathan hated to be the one to tell him. He could see the tears forming in Clark's eyes. Clark just stood there rather numbed by the statement. "Is she going to be all right? What is wrong with her? Can I see her?" Clark started rambling.

"She contracted a virus while running around trying to find Superman so he could find you. She was worn down and it really hit her hard." Martha wanted him to understand that Lois was not going to give Clark up and he might as well get used to it. He was stuck with her and with his parents. They knew the risks and didn't care. They wanted him in their lives, no matter what they had to put up with to keep him their.

Clark finally started to understand this. He did not know Lois had been hunting him down. He realized that she would have been safer if he had stayed. She would not be in a coma now if he had stayed. How would she react when she saw him though. At this point he really didn't care. He just wanted her to be able to see him again. He wanted her to be OK.

Perry went to find a doctor to see if Clark could go in and see Lois. Martha looked at Clark. "Do you realize now that we need you IN our lives, and not OUT of them? We understand the risks, Clark, we just want you to be with us. Lois will never give up looking for you, so you might as well just face facts and stay. We all love you and need you."

"I guess you're right, mom. I was just so scared after the incident with you and dad being kidnapped, and then Lois. I just didn't know what to do. I guessed wrong and now Lois is paying the price. I feel terrible about that."

"I know you do, Clark, but you are here now and you aren't leaving again, RIGHT?" Martha said this in a very serious manner and just about dared him to say 'wrong'.

"Right. I won't pull a stunt like this again. I promise."

Perry came back to where the three were standing. "The doctor said you can go in for awhile, Clark. He said to talk to her. Try to get some kind of response from her. Don't stay too long though. The nurses have to check on her in a few minutes."

"Thanks, Perry." Clark paused before entering the room where Lois was. He had to ready himself for the worst. He entered slowly and closed the door behind him. He walked over to the edge of the bed and looked at her. She was very pale, had dark circles under her eyes, and was hooked up to several machines. It was obvious that she was very sick, however Clark still thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. What was he thinking when he left her? Was he crazy? He wouldn't do it again. Now he had to concentrate on getting Lois better. He scanned her with his x- ray and super vision to check things out. There was no apparent internal damage and the virus was almost gone so Clark was happy about that. He took her hand up in his and began to talk to her. "Lois, it's me, Clark. I am back. I'm sorry I put you through this. I love you with all my heart and never wanted to see you suffer for something I did. Please come back to me. I love you. Please don't leave me." He felt some deja vu since he had pleaded for her to revive after his parents were kidnapped. She had said the same words to him as he left her a month ago, "Please don't go." He kissed her hand and kept talking to her. The nurses came in soon and asked him to leave for a few minutes so they could tend to Lois. He stepped out of the room and went over to Perry and his parents. "She looks pretty bad, but I think she will pull through. Lois is a fighter."

"You can say that again!" Perry said and then smiled.

"How are you holding up Clark?" asked his mother.

"I'm fine. I just want to keep talking to her. I may be able to get a response."

"Yeah. Knowing Lois she will sit right up and start giving you the what for!" Jonathan added his comments to try and lighten things up a bit.

The nurses exited the room and one of them motioned to Clark that it was all right for him to go back in. He sat in a chair next to her bed and continued talking. He told her about his childhood and reminiscing about the past two years since they have known each other. Hours passed and he started to nod off a bit and his head rested on the bed. Then he was aware of a hand that touched his hair and brushed that pesky wave that kept falling on his forehead to the side. He looked up at Lois and he immediately broke out into a big smile.

"Hi there, stranger," Lois said weakly.

"Hello there, lovely lady!" Clark was now beaming. She had come back to him. He would never let go again.

"Oh right! I am sure I am just absolutely gorgeous!" Lois laughed softly.

"You are to me," Clark said warmly.

He stood up and kissed her. "I should probably get the doctor and let Perry and my parents know you woke up."

Clark looked back at her as he swung the door open and called out for his parents and Perry. He did not leave the room, but just leaned out the door. "Lois is awake! Tell the doctor!" He was so happy he could have jumped to the moon in one single bound.

They all came into the room to check on her and tell her they were glad she was OK. They left shortly after that and the doctor checked Lois out. "You going to be just fine, Ms. Lane. This may have killed most people, but you are a real fighter. You are a lucky woman."

"Yes, I am lucky," Lois added as she glanced at Clark. The doctor and Clark both caught the gist of that remark and smiled. With that the doctor left the room.

"Do you want to get some rest, Lois?" Clark asked even though he was hoping she would say no. He wanted to talk to her some more.

"I probably should try and rest a little more. But I have to ask you something."

"What is it?" Clark asked somewhat hesitantly. He was not sure if she would blow up at him or what.

Lois was holding Clark's hand and he was sitting on the side of the bed. Lois looked straight into his eyes and he felt like he would melt. "Clark, will you marry me?"

Clark was totally unprepared for that question at that point and time. He had a look of total shock on his face and Lois loved it. She just smiled and waited for a response.

Clark broke into a big smile that lit up his whole face and said, "Yes, Lois. I will marry you." He leaned over her and kissed her.

She smiled up at him, "I love you, Clark."

"I love you too, Lois."

"I need to rest some now," Lois said. She knew she would finally be able to get a good night's sleep. She had her true love back and everything was going to be right in her world now. Clark moved the bed back down so Lois could sleep.

"Do you want me to stay or would you rather I left?" Clark asked as he pointed to the door.

"Clark Kent, don't you ever leave me again!" Lois said smiling and grabbing his arm.

Clark just smiled, settled onto the chair and said, "Never, my love. I will never leave you again."

[Epilogue]

Clark not only got his job back at the Planet, but got his apartment back as well. It seems that after Clark left, the landlord raised the rent because of all the improvements Clark had made. He had not rented it out yet. He raised Clark's rent by $10, but that was not as much as what he would have charged a new tenant. Clark was a good kid and always paid his rent on time, if not early and the landlord liked him.

Clark and Lois were partners again at last and soon they would be partners in life. Life is good, isn't it? It's just …super!

THE END

(willfind.txt)