Friends or Lovers?

Folc4evernaday | Rated: M| Chapter 1

"Oh, my God!" Lois covered her mouth in shock.

"Mayson … " Clark kneeled numbly on the concrete as paramedics removed Mayson's body from his arms. Lois watched as the paramedics zipped up the body bag and carried it away.

Who would do such a thing? Mayson hadn't been a saint, but she certainly didn't deserve this. 'Poor Clark.' He looked like someone had just sucker-punched him. He stood next to her, staring at the scene which had unfolded before them. Police were everywhere, along with ambulatory workers. A few members of the press had approached and were questioning the officers on the scene.

"Clark?" She laid a hesitant hand on his arm.

She was surprised when he pulled her into his arms, burying his face against the nape of her neck as he let out a shaky breath. "I … I'm so sorry," he murmured quietly.

Lois buried her face into his chest and tried to block out the chaos around her. She felt him sigh and tighten his arms around her. She sighed with relief against his chest, taking in his innate male scent, wrapping her arms around his waist, and keeping him within her grasp.

She opened her eyes and stared curiously at his torn cotton dress shirt. There was a rip in it. She reached up to stroke the rip and gasped when she saw what lay beneath his shirt: the familiar red and yellow emblem stared back at her. She shuddered slightly as the implications of this began to sink in. Why would Clark be wearing Superman's shield? His suit? A shaky hand lightly caressed the familiar spandex. Yes, definitely Superman's suit, which meant only one thing. Clark was Superman. How could she have been so blind? Anger consumed her as the last year of lies ran through her mind.

"Hey, you okay?" His arm moved around her shoulders and guided her towards the courthouse steps. His voice was cracked and full of uncertainty, a characteristic she would never think to associate with Superman.

She'd never seen him like this before. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to regain control of his emotions. The sadness in his eyes was evident, unshed tears already forming in the corners. The anger she felt moments before subsided. She couldn't confront him like this, not when he was obviously already in pain. He may have lied to her but he was still her friend, her friend that needed her tonight. She offered him a watery smile and took a shaky breath.

"I … I guess it's just been a long night," she said shakily.

"Yeah … " he murmured quietly. "Here, I'll walk you home."

"Sure."

The walk to Lois' apartment was quiet, both Clark and Lois were thinking about the events that had unfolded that night. Mayson had just died in his arms while he and Lois had been sharing their first kiss, a turning point in their relationship. He should be on cloud nine right now, but instead, he was attempting to suppress the guilt he felt swallowing him up from inside.

If he had just been a few seconds faster …

"Here we are," he said, opening the door to her apartment building. He followed her inside without a word. Lois seemed distant. He was scoring two for two in the last two days. Their first date ended with him having the door slammed in his face and their first kiss ended with watching a friend die. He swallowed the bitter bile that grew in his throat. 'Don't go there,' he told himself. Lois opened the door and turned to face him, offering a hesitant smile. What now?

Lois looked up at Clark hesitantly. The look in his eyes was unnerving. It broke her heart to see Clark so disconnected. She pitied him. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose someone close to her like that. He was hurting. The last thing he needed tonight was to be confronted about his alter ego. She tried to suppress the anger she felt inside her.

"Goodnight, Lois," Clark whispered, looking down at her hesitantly. His hand cupped her cheek, his touch was uncertain. She moved her hand to squeeze his gently. He seemed to relax slightly. She wasn't sure what his next move would be. Was he going to try to kiss her? Did she want him to? The memory of his kiss was still seared into her mind. The spark between them was incredible. She had known they'd had chemistry, but not how intense it would be.

Mayson's murder had turned a precious moment into something bittersweet. She cringed inwardly at the memory. Now, she would remember this day as the day she figured out the truth. He'd lied to her. Her best friend had lied to her.

His lips brushed against hers lightly and were gone before she could react. Even in the split second, their lips touched, she felt the same spark from their kiss at the courthouse. Without thinking, she pulled him to her level and kissed him thoroughly before pulling away.

"Good night, Clark."

She sashayed into her apartment, locking the door behind her.

The funeral was slow. Mayson's voice echoed through his mind. "So, that's what you've been hiding … " and "Resurrection."

Guilt consumed him as Mayson's family and friends attempted to console him with knowing smiles, causing his guilt to eat at him even more. Everyone seemed to think Mayson and he had been an item. If he had only set her straight, not led her on the way he had. He had so many wasted chances to tell her he only wanted to be friends. The look of pity in everyone's eyes ate at him as he listened to the minister's words numbly.

She had been so young, her whole life ahead of her. She had challenged Superman and seen past the glasses Clark Kent wore. He hadn't known what to think. He did care about her but as a friend. Now, it was too late. Had she seen him with Lois when she opened her car door that night? If only —

His guilt had been consuming him the past few days. He and Lois seemed to be walking on egg shells around one another. He wanted nothing more than to be with her, but he couldn't seem to control his guilty conscience. He loved her. He wanted to be with her and pick up their blossoming relationship where they had left off, but he couldn't seem to shake himself out of the guilty reverie he was consumed in.

Work had been the only safe topic for him and Lois lately. She went out of her way to avoid speaking to him, keeping as much distance between them as possible. Did she pity him too?

The sound of Mayson's car exploding kept him awake every night. He kept recalling that night over and over as he tried to figure out what he could have done differently. The kiss he had shared with Lois had been incredible. He had dreamed of a night like that since his first meeting with her. Now his memory of their first kiss was tainted with the memory of Mayson's murder. Lois had surprised him that night when she had kissed him so thoroughly; her kiss was the last thing he had expected. He had lain awake that night recalling her taste as he fought to silence the voices of guilt that rang through his subconscious.

Lois watched Clark cautiously as the minister spoke. She gave a sideway glance towards him, unable to read his expression. He seemed so distant lately. Ever since that night, she had hardly been able to talk to him. It was hard to wrap her mind around the idea that this was Superman struggling with the death of a friend. A liar; he was a liar. She had been working beside Superman for over a year and didn't even know it.

Her best friend flew around in tights, coming to the rescue whenever he was needed. 'Cheese of the Month? Yeah, right,' Lois thought to herself in disgust. How had she been so blind? She was furious. She was the top investigative reporter for the Daily Planet and she hadn't seen it. All the excuses; lame excuses at that. She was angry at him, but she was also angry at herself for not figuring it out sooner.

What was she supposed to do? It hurt. Forgiveness had never been something to come easy to her, but she knew she had to forgive him if she wanted to continue their relationship. If only it didn't hurt so much.

Clark was hurting too, she knew that. She had been so tempted to confront him over the past few days, but had never been able to do it. That blank look in his eyes had silenced any anger or fury that consumed her. She had never seen him like this before. "Are you okay?"

"The last thing she said to me was 'Resurrection'. What was she trying to tell me?" he murmured in a monotone voice as he stared at the ground.

"Maybe you'd like a few minutes alone … to say good-bye. I'll meet you in the car," Lois said as she walked away.

The expressionless look in his eyes and the emotionless tone of his voice was eerie. This was not the Clark she knew. Not even Superman had ever been so detached. She knew he had cared about Mayson, but had he loved her? He seemed to be taking her death very hard. 'Don't cry … ' she told herself.

She had never known the extent to which his and Mayson's relationship had developed. She had always been jealous of the woman but refused to admit it. She had been uncertain of her feelings for Clark when Mayson had shown up she had fought against the jealousy that had consumed her. She hadn't realized she was in love with him until a few days ago, the night of their first date.

She wouldn't be his second choice. If he had loved Mayson then she would know where she stood. She brushed away a few stray tears from her eyes. She wouldn't give in to self-pity. She was above this.

A slight groan could be heard from the graveyard as she walked by one of the open graves. Lois looked around and centered in on the coffin the sound had come from. Curious, she opened the coffin and found a man's corpse inside. He was dressed in a black tuxedo that looked like it came out of a bad horror film. His face was slightly purple and his lips and eyelids held a slight bluish tint to them.

He opened his eyes and looked straight up at her. She yelped, stepping back a few feet. He reached for her and she slammed the coffin down on him. A groan of pain could be heard within the coffin.

"Clark! Clark! Clark!" she cried as she ran as fast as she could to him. Angry at him or not, he was still the only person she could turn to in this type of situation.

Across the cemetery, a balding man sat in an SUV with a petite man in his mid-thirties.

"Albie, what just happened?"

"I … I don't know, Mr. Gables."

"Fix it!"

"Yes, Mr. Gables!" He rushed out of the car and ran to the coffin. Albie retrieved a small blue pill from his pocket and forced it into the man's mouth, forcing him to swallow it. He then shut the coffin once more and returned to the car.

"Just a mix up with the dosage, Mr. Gables."

"Albie, if Resurrection is to succeed I can't have any more of our dead friends WAKING UP!"

Clark looked up from his daze when he heard Lois calling his name frantically. "Lois, what's wrong?"

She jerked his coat sleeve towards her and forced him in the direction of one of the plots in the cemetery. He had never seen her so rattled before.

"Clark! There's a man in a coffin! He, he looked at me! He opened his eyes and he looked at me! He's not dead!"

"Lois, Lois … calm down."

"Clark … "

"All right, show me where." He let her lead him over to where two cemetery workers were burying a coffin.

"Hey, wait! Stop!" Lois yelled at the workers; they continued to lower the coffin into the plot, ignoring her protests.

"You got a problem, lady?" one of the workers asked her.

"The body you just buried is still alive. He opened his eyes and looked at me."

The worker stared at Lois for a moment then began to shovel dirt into the grave once more.

"Hey! I know what I saw!" Lois glared at the worker and proceeded to take the shovel from the offending man. "Dig him up!"

"Lady, they don't pay me enough for this aggravation." The worker grabbed his shovel back from Lois and began to shovel more dirt onto the coffin.

Clark looked down into the grave using his x-ray vision. He could see a man lying completely motionless and at peace. He tried listening for a heartbeat or any kind of breathing, but still found no sign of life.

"Doesn't it bother you the tiniest bit that you could have buried a man who is still alive?"

"Look, I got a work order to plant this guy in 29B. Now, unless I get a court order telling me not to, I'm plantin' him. And if you don't get out of my face you may become the first person ever ejected from a cemetery." The man continued to shovel dirt into the burial plot.

"Lois, come on. Think about everything we've been through the past few days … Maybe it wasn't what you thought — "

"Clark … " Lois was near tears at this point. Why didn't he believe her?

"Please."

"Fine," she huffed as they walked away.

"Here, let's go get some coffee."

"Fine." Lois handed him the keys to her Jeep and climbed in, too upset to drive herself.

Clark sighed as he climbed into the driver's seat.

"Lois, trust me on this, I am not your ordinary man. "

"Poor Woman"

"Who?"

"Your wife. She's married to Mr. Right. Mr. Always Right. "

"Lois, you don't need a partner. You never did."

'Well, maybe not, but I was starting to enjoy having one."

"I have been in love with you for a long time. You had to have known."

"I knew … well, I knew that you liked me, were attracted to me, but … I'm sorry. I don't think of you that way …"

"If you were just an ordinary man … if you had no powers at all, I would love you just the same."

"Oh, Clark, I don't care if he used crazy glue, you're back!"

"No matter what happens, I'll never lose Clark."

"This isn't dancing."

"It's not?"

"This is. "

'Lois, I'm trying to ask you out, not negotiate a nuclear arms treaty …"

"When you think about it, the only time people really express themselves is when they're passionate and the polite veneer of society drops away … like when they're fighting …"

"Or make love."

"What about Mayson?"

"Well, the guy's only got two tickets."

"Clark …"

"Lois, I'm asking YOU out. "

"Fortunately there are no doors here tonight …"

"Fortunately … "

Who knew that almost two years ago when she had been introduced to the naïve farm boy from Kansas she would be dealing with this dilemma? She cast a wayward look towards him. He looked so different out of his Superman persona, more relaxed, but she could still see the similarities. His well-defined profile, his eyes … She eyed his body appreciatively. Even his business suits couldn't hide everything about his well-defined figure.

They had been dancing around one another for what seemed like an eternity, neither saying what the other was thinking. Mayson's death had taken a toll on both of them. She needed to talk to Clark about a lot of things. Superman, Mayson, and what was going to happen to them.

It hurt. It really hurt. She had known him for almost two years. He had lied to her every day. She had confided in him her deepest secrets, turned to him in her hour of need, but he had continued to lie to her day in and day out. Understanding his reasoning for it was hard. How could he pursue a relationship with her when he withheld such a huge part of himself from her?

'Was,' her mind reminded her. There was no sign of him pursuing any kind of relationship with her now. He hadn't spoken two words to her in the past week that hadn't been about work or the funeral. Today had been the first time he'd mentioned anything about what Mayson had said to him before she died.

"We're here," Clark said as they got out.

"My apartment?"

"We need to talk and you always have at least SOME coffee," he joked with her.

Lois glared at him but made her way up the stairs. He was right. They did need to talk. The question was whether she was ready to have that conversation with him.

Clark set the cup of coffee down in front of Lois, which she accepted gratefully. Neither one of them had said a word since they had entered the apartment.

"All right, what gives?" he asked.

"What?"

Clark sighed in exasperation. "Don't give me that, Lois. You've been avoiding me for the last few days. You hardly talk to me."

"Clark … "

"Look, I understand, you're scared, but we can't keep doing this. You take one step forward then two steps back."

"Me? You have a lot of nerve … you know you haven't exactly been forthcoming when it comes to conversation lately either, Clark." She regretted the words immediately they left her mouth. Clark's expression changed back to the solemn look he'd worn on the ride over to her apartment. "I'm sorry," she hurriedly amended.

"No, you're right. I've been … distant lately … " Clark admitted. "I didn't mean to push you away. It's just … " He sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "I don't know. I'm not really sure what to do. There's not really a manual out there for dealing with someone dying in your arms like that … "

Lois looked up at him through her eyelashes, unsure of what to say. "I know. I'm sorry."

"But you've been kinda distant too," Clark pointed out. "I mean, I feel like we keep going backward rather than forward. You slammed the door in my face last week, now we're hardly speaking again. What gives?"

"Well, I do have a reason for my behavior … " Lois began slowly. "I know ever since we kissed I've been acting kinda strange."

"Yeah,"

"I'm scared … " At his concerned look, she pressed on, "I don't know what to think. I mean, Mayson dying in your arms like that. You've hardly been approachable since. I don't know what to think. I mean, I know she was … a friend, but after … "

Clark hung his head in shame and sighed. Was this where he was going to tell her he'd been in love with Mayson? Was he going to tell her he only wanted to be friends? She prepared herself for the worst. It wasn't like she'd been unprepared. She knew there had to be a reason why Mayson's death was hitting him so hard. "Lois, Mayson was a friend; that's all. I never lo- I never cared about her the way I care for you."

What did he just say? He wasn't in love with Mayson? She looked up at him, tears streaming down her face as relief washed over her. She hadn't realized how scared she had been of the prospect of losing Clark to Mayson's ghost. "Really? I, I thought … "

Clark smiled and placed a hand over hers, looking at her reassuringly. "I know what you thought, Lois. I only saw Mayson as a friend."

"Oh." He cared about her? What did that mean? He was watching her curiously. "So, you weren't … you didn't … "

Her train of thought ceased when his lips came crashing down on hers. Her body began to respond immediately. His hand cupped her cheek lovingly as the kiss deepened. Where did he learn to kiss like that? What was she saying? Something about Mayson? Who cared? She whimpered when she felt him pull away from her.

She caught his gaze. He was struggling to catch his breath. Was that an act? Could Superman become breathless from just a kiss? What if he were...?

'Don't go there, girl,' she told herself.

"Lois, you are the only one I've cared about in that way. The ONLY one."

Lois smiled up at him, blushing as she pushed a stray lock of hair out of her face. Why was it so hard to hear him say that to her? She'd known he'd cared about her for some time, as Superman and as Clark. How had she not seen it? "Lois, what's wrong? Please tell me."

Dare she have this conversation now? She couldn't hide this from him for long. He knew her too well, but her emotions were too high right now to deal with it. "I-I — " She was cut off by the ringing of their beepers in a simultaneous union. "I guess Perry figured out the funeral is over."

"Lois …"

She pulled away from his embrace and began cleaning up. "We should get going. Perry's gonna kill us."

Clark sighed, brushing his hand through his hair in obvious frustration. She felt his eyes on her as she gathered her things and headed for the door. He knew there was something up; he wasn't stupid. He could always tell when something was bothering her. No one knew her as well as he did. It was one of the many things she loved about him. A week ago she would have said she knew him better than anyone else as well, but now she had been blindsided by the revelation that he wasn't who she thought he was.

"Let's go."

He held open the door for her as they exited her apartment.

Perry looked up at the elevators as he saw Lois and Clark enter the newsroom. "What took you two so long? The funeral ended half an hour ago."

"Sorry, Chief, but I was trying to stop these two grave diggers from burying a man alive," Lois said before Clark could open his mouth to explain.

"Lois," Clark warned.

"Don't 'Lois' me. I know what I saw," Lois sniped.

"Burying a man alive? Are you sure about this, Lois?" Perry asked inquisitively.

"Positive. I saw him. He looked at me."

"Lois, it's not uncommon for a body to have involuntary movements," Clark explained.

"Yeah, I heard they can even belch after death," Perry added with a hearty laugh.

Lois looked back and forth from her boss to Clark and then shook her head in disgust. Clark knew that look only meant trouble. Disagreeing with her usually meant a typical Lane tornado in the newsroom sooner or later.

"Fine, it never happened." She shrugged as she proceeded towards her desk.

"Lois," Clark began but was cut off as Jimmy came barrelling towards them.

"Lois, I need a favor."

"What is it, Jimmy?" Lois sighed. She turned towards their young friend, ignoring Clark and Perry. Not a good sign. Anytime she appeared happy to see Jimmy in the middle of their conversations usually meant trouble for him.

"Do you think I could borrow your Jeep tonight? I met this incredible girl this morning,"

"This morning? At Mayson's funeral? Jimmy, that's tacky," Lois scolded.

"It didn't start out that way. Honest." Jimmy looked around him at the disapproving looks.

"What happened to Angela?" Clark inquired.

"Yeah, I thought she was the love of your life," Lois added.

"Yesterday's news," Jimmy said nonchalantly.

"Well, that didn't take long," Lois sighed disapprovingly.

"Lois, I'm young, single. I have to keep my options open; anyway, she left me for a guy with a Ferrari. So, what do you say? Can I borrow the Jeep?" Jimmy asked.

Lois sighed. "Tell you what. I'll lend you the Jeep if you find out who's buried in plot 29B at Whispering Pines."

"Lois," Clark began. She just wasn't letting this go.

Jimmy grabbed the paper from Lois. "You got it," he said and hurried away from the argument he knew was brewing between them.

"Clark, please don't," Lois sighed, putting her hands up defensively. "I know what I saw."

"So, Lois, Clark, how's the story coming along?" Perry asked, placing a gentle hand on Clark's shoulder. It was obvious he was trying to steer the conversation elsewhere.

"Slow," Clark replied quietly. The 'story' Perry was referring to was the investigation into Mayson's murder. He had argued with Perry about staying on it. He felt responsible for her death and wanted to do everything in his power to bring the responsible party to justice.

Lois glanced up at Clark, whose face flooded with guilt and remorse when Perry mentioned their story. She still had no idea why Clark insisted on working this story. He was obviously too close to it but remained adamant about finding Mayson's murderer.

"We're just trying to get a handle on it, Perry," Lois said, trying to steer their editor's attention away from Clark.

Perry took a deep breath, giving them both a reproving look. The lecture about being too close to the story was well on its way. "Well, son, there's a reason why surgeons don't operate on members of their own family. You and Mayson were pretty close. If you need some time off, let me know." Perry patted Clark's shoulder. "Oh, by the bye, there's an agent from the DEA coming by later today who is looking into Mayson's murder. Maybe he can shed some light on your investigation."

"Why's the DEA involved?" Lois asked.

"Don't know. Could be they think it's mob related? Mayson made quite a few enemies with Intergang."

"Maybe if I can get into her office, maybe go through her files," Clark thought aloud.

"The police have it cordoned off," Perry said. "But then, when has a little police tape ever stopped you two before?" He walked off into his office as Lois and Clark shared a conspiratorial look.

Dressed as a cleaning crew, Lois and Clark began to sift through the paperwork on Mayson Drake's desk.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Lois asked.

"Anything that has anything to do with Intergang or Resurrection. It would probably be something she would have been working on in the last few weeks," Clark replied as he opened Mayson's file cabinet.

"Here's something she received the day before she died. It's a file on someone named Stanley Gables."

"Anything on Intergang or Resurrection?" Lois looked through the file some more and shook her head 'no.' "Keep looking."

Lois lifted up a sandwich wrapped in tissue paper. "How's this for new? It's still warm."

"What?" Clark took the sandwich from her and examined it. "A meatball sandwich?"

A mysterious man dropped from the ceiling dressed in the same cleaning uniform as they wore. He had long, black, curly hair and dark brown eyes. He also had a gun. "Molinaro's, the best in the city. Go ahead, take a bite. They got veal and peppers that will knock your socks off."

"Who are you?" Clark asked, narrowing his eyes. He was trying to figure out a way to place himself in front of Lois to protect her in case this guy decided to fire the gun he was holding. He watched Lois nervously, hoping she wouldn't try anything stupid.

"The cleaning man. Who are you?"

"The cleaning woman. What a coincidence." Lois laughed nervously, throwing her hands up in the air in an attempt at humor. "We're all cleaning people. I guess the agency overbooked." She moved towards the door but was stopped.

"Not so fast. You know I'm a very sensitive guy. I just hate it when people lie to me," the man said as he pointed the gun a little higher.

"But you don't mind lying yourself?" Lois countered.

"Ah, touché', but I'm the one holding the gun. So my lie takes precedence." Clark moved towards the door and the man pointed the gun right at Clark. "Unless you're Superman I wouldn't recommend it." The mysterious man waved the gun for effect.

Lois narrowed her eyes in disgust. Clark took advantage of her distraction to discreetly shoot a beam of heat vision at the man's right foot. He dropped the gun and yelped in pain.

"Come on, let's go!" Clark ushered Lois out of the room. Files in tow, they rushed out of the office and headed towards Lois' Jeep.

Lois sighed in relief as Clark closed the passenger door to Lois' Jeep.

"That was close! What happened back there?" Lois asked.

"I … I … I don't know. I guess he stumbled on something."

"Hmmm." Lois stared at him a moment then shook her head.

"What?" he asked. There was that look again. He couldn't figure out what was going on with Lois but it was driving him crazy not knowing. He used to be able to read her so well. She used to tell him everything … until now. Things were different now. They were beginning a relationship.

"Nothing." Lois started the engine and they headed towards the Planet.

Lois punched the button for the newsroom in the elevator car repeatedly, obviously stressed about something. "Lois, stop it. You're gonna — "

The lights in the elevator went out and the car stopped moving.

" …cause it to short out." Clark finished.

"Great," Lois said, exasperated. "Perfect. What else could go wrong today?"

Clark sighed, equally frustrated, but he knew getting upset about it wouldn't help. "Just calm down, Lois,"

"Calm down? Why should I?! This whole day has been a nightmare, Clark."

"What are you talking about?"

"Where do I begin? Dead bodies coming back to life; nobody wants to believe me on that one. I'm upset. I don't know what I saw, right? Then we try to investigate and some Loony Toon clown decides to horn in on our investigation, and it's just, it's just…"

"It's just what, Lois? I know you want to tell me something, but you keep holding back. What is it?"

"Clark, I'm not ready to talk about it, okay? There's been too much going on lately. It's just something I need to work out on my own, okay? I don't want to say something I'll regret later."

"Lois, why do you do this? You bottle everything up inside and won't let anyone get near you. Every time someone gets close you push them away."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that you refuse to let me in, Lois."

"I do not REFUSE to let people in, Clark. I am just careful. And I DID let you in, Clark. You are the ONLY one I have EVER let in after my parents and Claude. But that's what happens when you let people in. They hurt you or betray you." The tears began to flow down her cheeks rapidly as she spoke.

"Lois … " Clark wasn't sure what to say. She didn't normally voice her trust issues so openly. He knew of them from the time he'd spent with her and what he'd picked up in between; things she had said over the last year and a half. She had been fearful of dying when she'd told him of Claude. Later he'd discovered no one else knew about what had occurred between her and Claude. As far as he was concerned no one would ever hear about it again.

He glanced hesitantly into her watery eyes. She was hurting. That much was clear, but he still didn't know what had brought this on.

"I can't."

"Just tell me, please. I can't stand to see you like this," Clark pleaded, brushing a few stray tears from her eyes.

She appeared to be contemplating something in her mind. He stepped forward to comfort her, but she stopped him. "No. You don't get off that easy. You don't betray my trust like that and get off scot free."

"What?" Clark was so confused. He had no idea what she was talking about.

"This." She proceeded to open his dress shirt and reveal the 'S' emblem underneath. "Did you really think I wouldn't figure it out?"

"What? How? When?"

"The night Mayson died your shirt was torn." Lois sighed. "I guess I can understand part of why you lied to me, but it doesn't excuse it, Clark."

Clark's face crumpled. "Lois, I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I …"

Lois held her hands up. "The point is … you did."

The elevator began to hum with life again and Lois looked up at Clark through her tears. "You might want to button up your shirt." Her voice cracked with anger. "Don't want anyone else to accidentally find out."

The doors to the elevator opened and she stormed out, headed straight for the restroom. Clark sighed as he exited the elevator. What was he going to do?

Lois glared at her reflection in the mirror, splashing cold water on her face. This was not how she'd planned to confront Clark. She'd known he was still dealing with Mayson's death. She'd known now was not the right time. He kept lying to her. He kept pushing her. Now she had to face the music of the mess she and he had created.

"Two years," she muttered under her breath in disgust. She pushed open the bathroom door and headed back into the newsroom.

TBC...