This contains part of the original episode; the rest has been withdrawn at the request of the author. The basic premise is outlined in the first scene. The rest shown here is crucial to the progress of S5 and thus remains.

Lois Lane and Clark Kent, the Daily Planet's top reporters, entered the newsroom. "Clark Kent, I am not obsessive," Lois was saying as they exited the elevators and went down the ramp.

"Lois, every time you get your nose into a story, you get obsessed!"

Neither couple were serious in their banter. Lois proved it by poking out her tongue. "That's not obsession, that's work!" She skipped ahead a little and then waited for him to catch up. Leaning close to his ear, she whispered. "Wait until I get you home and show you what obsession is."

"Lo-is!" Clark grinned.

Perry White was waiting for them at their desks. "Well, you two, what do you have for me today?"

Clark shrugged. A mistake when Perry's around. "Good!" said Perry. "Frank has called in sick with the flu. His story is due to crack today."

"He was working on the Jackson case, right?"

"Right, Clark. And the jury is due out today. See if you can get down there and cover what's happening."

"I'm on it, chief."

"Lois?"

"I'm going to have lunch with Bobby Bigmouth. The streets are too quiet and I want to know why."

Perry nodded, trusting his star reporter's instinct. "It feels like something is about to blow." He patted Clark on the back. "Well, I can trust you both to pick up the scent when the wind starts blowin' the right way. Bring me a story."

Jimmy made the mistake of coming in from the photo lab. "Jimmy!" Perry hollered, turning away from the Kents. "Where's that shuttle landing you promised me?"

Jimmy waved a manila file. "Right on it, chief!"

Perry drifted away to speak to another of his staff.

Clark and Lois smiled at each other. Clark whispered, "I'll get Superman to make another visit to Dr. Klein this afternoon after the press conference."

Lois smiled at him. "I hope he can figure this out for us."

"Dr Klein is the best, Lois."

Lois and Clark moved to their individual desks, smiled across at each other again and began to work. Lois waded through her email-box, cluttered more with junk mail and administrative memos than any real news.

"Ms. Lane?"

Lois looked up to see Henderson standing by her desk, a manila folder under his arm. This was most unusual. Lois was usually the one who had to hunt down Henderson, not the other way around. *Scoop!* she thought.

"Can I help you, Inspector?" she asked.

"Could we speak somewhere privately?" Something was very, very wrong. Lois could tell by the sound of his voice and the look on his face.

"Sure," she said, casually. She rose and gestured to the empty conference room. "Shall we go in here?"

Lois led Henderson into the conference room, closely followed by Clark. He'd seen the look on both their faces.

Henderson nodded approvingly. They were partners, it was right Clark should be there to hear this. He launched right into it. "Lois, I need your help."

Lois looked interested.

"You know that there have been a series of murders, all of petite brunettes, the first being a Christa Bell?"

Lois nodded. "But only what the police have released. Young women, all brutally murdered, all found in the same place, as yet unsolved?" Lois paused. "You have an exclusive for us?"

"In a way." Henderson looked at Lois closely, before shifting his gaze to Clark who was beginning to look uncomfortable. Clark knew there was more to come. "Lois, we've come up with a complete blank on this case. We have no witnesses and all our DNA sampling has proved is that it isn't someone who has previous. Christa is the one we have the most information on, but it still isn't nearly enough. We have been able to trace her day up until a certain point, thanks to her room-mate and a few helpful citizens." Henderson took a breath. "What we need is to jog the people's memory and we hope you can help."

"You want us to write a piece on it?" Lois asked helpfully.

Henderson didn't answer her directly. "Have you seen a picture of Christa before?" He pulled a large black & white out of the manila folder and laid it on the table before them.

Lois nodded in recognition. "She looks like Sandra Bullock."

Clark looked up from the photograph, disturbed. "She looks a lot like you, Lois."

"Exactly," Henderson leapt ahead with his request. "Lois, we need to reconstruct the day's events, to see if we can jog some memory, somewhere. The two of you look very much alike. Will you help us?"

"You want me to be Christa?" Lois asked.

RUN CREDITS

"No!" answered Clark for her. "It's too dangerous!" He turned to Henderson. "Isn't this normally a job for one of your people?"

"Normally," Henderson agreed. "I could pull one of the uniformed officers off the street, put her in a wig and what Christa was wearing that day. It would have a reasonable chance of success. But if your wife helps, there'll be no fake wig and her face is so similar it may spark that little extra. We'll have police tailing her in plain-clothes the whole time, she won't get hurt."

"You sound desperate." Lois observed, watching Clark trying to calm down.

"I am, Lois. The chief of police is down hard on my neck over this case. I haven't got a single suspect, let alone a result!"

"What do I get in return?" Lois asked.

"Lo-is," warned Clark.

"You'll get an exclusive on some behind-the-scenes police work and if we crack the case, you'll be the first to know."

Lois' eyes sparkled. An exclusive, she knew it!

"Inspector," Clark knew that look all too well, "could we have a moment here?"

"No problem, Mr Kent." Henderson left the conference room and tried not to look through the window at the reporting duo.

As soon as the door was closed, Clark began. "Lois, you can't be serious about doing this."

"Why not, Clark?" Lois answered. "Henderson says I'll be safe. I've seen these on 'America's Most Wanted'. The whole thing is routine! Not only that, we get an exclusive and besides, I have *you* to protect me!"

Clark folded his arms. "Lois, we've talked about this. You have to stop 'dangling over the jaws of death' to quote a certain adoption agency."

"This is *not* dangling over the jaws of death. This is 'make-believe', Clark."

"And what if the murderer is some twisted psycho who doesn't know that? I don't want to lose a certain, very special petite brunette!"

Lois paled slightly but rallied. "The police will have me in their sights the whole time. Think of the story!"

"Lois, I'm thinking of you."

Lois walked up to him and rested her hands on his folded arms. "Clark ... you help people all the time. This is my chance."

"Lois, you help people by writing your stories and revealing corruption. You don't need to take this extra risk."

"It's not an extra risk. I'll have police nearby. On most of my other 'helpful' stories, I've got into trouble all by myself!"

Clark nodded, remembering, and gave up the argument. "OK, we'll do it your way, Lois."

"Our way, Clark, we're a team," Lois reminded him with a sparkle in her eye.

Clark rolled his eyes and beckoned the inspector back in. "All right, Henderson, we'll do it."

"We?" Henderson asked.

"Not only is Lois my wife, but she's my partner here at the Planet. We work together."

Henderson agreed. He respected Clark Kent and knew that his concern for his wife wouldn't interfere, too much, with the task at hand. "Please remember that this is a police operation." Henderson looked at his watch. "I have to go. Come down to the precinct station by 9 tomorrow morning, ok?"

"We'll be there," said Clark.

Henderson left. Lois turned to Clark. "*We'll* be there?"

"Superman's taking the day off. I have a bad feeling about this, Lois, and I'm going to stick closer to you than super-glue. Besides, we're a team, remember?"

Lois grinned briefly. "Thank you, Clark." She rested his head on his chest and looked up smiling. "But I'm pretty sure we won't need Superman."

Clark tilted her chin, making her look up at him. His eyes twinkled. He knew Lois too well. "You wanna bet?"

She smiled back. "Cooking dinner for a week," she countered.

"Ow, is that if I win or lose?" Clark joked.

Lois elbowed him in the ribs.

Clark didn't even pretend that it hurt. "Seriously, Lois, I don't want to bet on your life. If you're in danger, you call for me."

"You'll be right there, won't you? I won't have to yell too loudly."

"True, but after all this is over. We're going to have to sit down and talk about this risk-taking."

Lois sighed and rolled her eyes. She opened her mouth to reply when Perry burst in to the conference room.

"What's the scoop?" he demanded. He saw their pose: Lois looking unhappy and leaning against Clark, who didn't look all that happy either. Perry softened his voice. "Bad news?"

"Just a story, chief," Lois replied. "We'll be getting an exclusive on the serial murders."

"Those young women down by the railway siding?" Perry asked.

Lois nodded.

"The police want Lois to be Christa in their reconstruction of the day's events tomorrow," added Clark before Perry could express his joy.

"Lois, isn't that a little bit dangerous?" Perry asked, changing gears. Clark flashed an 'I told you so' look at his wife, who ignored it.

"Perry, I'll be surrounded by police the whole time, I'll be fine!"

Perry turned to her husband. "Clark?"

"I'm not happy about it, chief, but I'm going to be involved in it every step of the way."

"Don't you go getting into hot water yourself, Clark," Perry warned.

Clark shook my head. "No chance!" He looked at Lois mischievously. "Well, maybe a small chance."

Perry shook his head. "All right," Perry said, on his way out of the conference room, "you just better bring me back a Kerth award-winning story!"

"You got it, chief!" Lois said.

Clark Kent stood at the foot of the steps of the Metropolis Justice building, surrounded by other reporters. They were all waiting for the District Attorney to announce the latest in the Jackson case. The court was closed to the press and the D.A. would be among the first to step out of the courthouse.

Clark thoughtfully tapped his pencil against his notebook. He was worried about the danger Lois was putting herself in. He remembered the first time he saved her life, being tied up together by Doctor Barnes and having to surreptitiously use his powers to get she and Jimmy clear of the explosion. He remembered her clinging to dear life to a flag pole; being tied to a lightening rod; held at arrow-point by a madman who wanted Superman's body; kidnapped by Lex Jr.; and left dangling over a cauldron of toxic chemicals.

He remembered how after Lois had been concussed during the apprehension of Bob Fences, he'd been so scared of her getting hurt that he'd wanted to call it off. What he realised then and what he was forgetting now, was that deadly danger to Lois rarely came from her work but from he and Lex. Lex was gone and he knew that any danger he brought to her, he could get her out of.

The District Attorney made his appearance with a fanfare of popping photographer's flashbulbs. He approached the cluster of microphones. "As you all know, the charges against Mark Jackson were attempted murder, with the lesser charge of battery and assault. The jury is still out in making their decision. We are certain that the decision will come out in our favour. Questions?"

A reporter from the Metropolis Star piped up: "Has Superman's early intervention damaged your case?"

"Superman's intervention saved one woman's life and probably that of her children. Superman should be thanked for being so close by when the assault took place."

Another reporter's hand waved in the air for attention.

"Daily News?" The District Attorney made a point of recognizing all the reporters.

"Why wasn't Superman called to the witness stand?"

"Superman is extremely busy. We felt that our case was so strong, that he was not personally required. We did submit a record of his report that he made to local police. Besides," the District Attorney wise-cracked, "have you ever tried to subpoena a superhero?"

The reporters laughed.

Clark put away his notebook. No story was going to break here today. Besides, it was time for Superman to visit S.T.A.R. Labs.

"What do you mean you don't have anything?" Lois demanded, reaching out to snatch back the chicken drumstick from Bobby Bigmouth's hand.

He held it out of reach. "That's just what I mean, Ms. Lane. Aside from the usual minor crimes and murders, nothing big is happening. No corruption, no gang-running. It's as if the Underworld has taken a one-week vacation."

"You think something's cooking?"

"Don't you?"

Lois nodded. "Call me if you hear anything, ok?" Bobby Bigmouth looked pensive. "Two gourmet pizzas with the works." Lois added some incentive.

"Wow, from MPK's?!" Bobby's face lit up. Metropolis Pizza Kitchen was legendary. Lois nodded. "You got it!"

Lois rose from the booth at the back of the restaurant, leaving money to pay the bill. "I hope I hear from you soon, Bobby."

Bobby waved a chicken leg in farewell. "So do I!"

Superman entered Dr. Klein's office. "Dr. Klein!" he called, startling the scientist bent over a microscope.

"Superman," Dr Klein smiled. "So good to see you. What do you have for me today?" Dr Klein enjoyed the challenges Superman brought him.

Superman folded his arms and shifted his feet uncomfortably. "You know those ... tests you did for me?"

Dr. Klein looked at him blankly. "I've done a lot a tests for you, Superman." Superman wiggled his eyebrows meaningfully and winked. Light dawned. "Oh, *those* tests." Dr Klein blushed. "What about them?"

"Could you ... re-do them?"

Dr. Klein frowned. "Re-do them? Superman, is this some sort of denial?"

"No, Dr. Klein, it's not." Superman attempted to explain. "I've travelled to the future --"

"The future! Great Scott! But that's impossible! No one can step out of the time/space continuum, without --"

Superman had to repeat himself to be heard. "Dr Klein, Dr Klein, I can't explain how it worked but it did. It was a time machine, like in the book." Dr. Klein frowned and started scratching notes on a workpad next to the microscope, his mind still clearly on the mechanics of travelling through time.

"But what I found out there, is that I *do* have descendants."

Dr. Klein's Sharpie pen clattered to the floor. Dr. Klein sank onto a stool. Faintly, he asked, "what was that?"

"I'm going to have descendants, Dr. Klein. There must have been some error in the first test..."

"Surely not an error, perhaps it's something about the Kryptonian physiognomy." Dr. Klein ripped off the page containing his musings on time travel and began scribbling again. "I can see why this would be a concern. You and your ... ahh, ... girlfriend would want to be careful."

Superman nodded and hid a small smile. He and Lois were past being careful, but Dr. Klein didn't need to know that just yet.

"Superman, are you up to doing a series of tests?"

"Anything, Dr. Klein. This is important for me to know."

Dr. Klein guided Superman to the door and pointed down the hallway. "Wait a moment," Dr. Klein said. "What if the mother of your children turns out to be Kryptonian?"

"She wasn't, Dr. Klein."

"Hmm." Dr. Klein mused. "Well, you know what to do this time ... right?"

"Right."

Dr. Klein didn't know Superman could blush so much.

Over dinner, Lois asked, "How was your day?"

Clark shrugged. "I think Frank will be back on his feet again by the time the Jackson jury comes out."

Lois nodded in sympathy. "And S.T.A.R. Labs?"

"He says it's going to take a series of tests to find out how we work biologically. He told me that Superman's girlfriend should be taking precautions."

Lois laughed along with him. "Fat chance!"

Clark stopped laughing and began to play with his ice cream for a moment before saying, "Lois? About tomorrow ..."

Lois stopped playing with her ice cream too. Despite Dr. Klein's news, each of them had a lot on their minds. "What about tomorrow? I've already done some background work in the archives today for that. Oh, and Bobby Bigmouth had nothing for me but we're pretty sure something's up. Even Perry thinks so. The question is -- what? I guess we can track it down after I walk all over Metropolis tomorrow looking like someone else."

"Lois, honey, you're babbling." Clark smiled gently.

Lois opened her mouth to reply, shut it again and then opened it again. "It's not because I'm nervous, you know, because I'm not." She halted and sighed. "I don't want to argue about it."

"Lois, I'm not going to try and talk you out of it. I did some thinking myself today."

"And?"

"And I remembered all the times your life has been in danger. Quite a few of them had to do with me, with Superman. I think I was being a little unfair earlier." Lois nodded, agreeing. "I just don't want to lose you, Lois."

"Clark, you won't lose me." Lois got up and went to Clark. She put her arms around him from behind. "You'll be there and we'll be just fine. You'll see."

Things don't go quite as planned, but everything's all right in the end...

As they flew through the night sky towards police headquarters, Superman could feel Lois holding him tight, her face buried against his chest. It concerned Clark, for she normally loved flying with him. "Lois, are you all right?"

"My shoulder hurts," Lois hedged.

Clark slowed his flying and examined her shoulder with his x-ray vision. "Nothing's broken," he told her. "we'll get the police surgeon to look at it. Maybe you can get something for the pain."

"OK," Lois whispered.

"There's something else, isn't there."

Lois nodded almost imperceptibly. "We'll talk when we get home. Not now. I want to be in control when I talk with Henderson."

Clark gave her a reassuring squeeze. "God, Lois, when I was with Henderson and he wouldn't let me out of his sights and you called ..." Clark's voice was rough with emotion. "It took me a little while to sneak out convincingly." Clark kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry, Lois, I got there as fast as I could."

"Life would be a lot easier if the whole world knew," Lois remarked.

"It was certainly a moment when I wished it did. And there have been plenty of those. But in the long run, it would be a whole lot harder as well," Clark pointed out.

Lois sighed. "I know, I know."

Clark's altitude wavered as they hugged each other in mid-air. He looked down and saw Metropolis Police Headquarters below.

A plume of cigar smoke rose in the air curling upon itself. Its source was a cigar held in the delicate fingers of Mindy Church, leader of Intergang. Before her sat twelve men. Their faces were new.

"Thank you for answering my summons," Mindy began prettily. "I hope that this obedience will continue in the future, otherwise I'll have to replace you just as I replaced your predecessors." She tapped the ash from her cigar into a marble tray.

The men seated before her nodded quickly. She had chosen well. Mindy smiled and took a draw from her cigar, blowing out the smoke. "I have been watching you." The men shifted uncomfortably. "You have proven worthy in helping out li'l ol' me in getting what I want. And I want Metropolis."

"When do we start?" piped up one gentleman, burly, with a scar running down his left cheek.

Mindy smiled on him. Was she pleased or angry? Her men couldn't tell. "Not so fast. We have yet to complete the groundwork. The crime rate has decreased, but we still have some rogue gangs." Mindy sighed. "I guess we always will." She shrugged, "We know how to deal with them if they interfere with us. Besides, sometimes they can prove helpful."

"They found Lois Lane," one of her minions unwisely interjected.

Mindy gave him a cold stare. "Sometimes, they just need a little extra help." She shrugged. "Next time. We must start to act before you boys have to deal with mutinies." Mindy blew another puff of smoke. "And we don't want that now, do we, boys?"

Lois stood uncertainly in their hallway. "Clark, I don't suppose you -- would you -- this sounds silly, but would you check that the place is OK?"

"Sure." Clark stepped past her into the dark room, while Lois switched on the light, closing the door. He quickly scouted all the rooms with his super-vision. "There's no one except us," he reassured her.

Lois sagged with relief, Clark catching her up in another of his heartwarming embraces. Clark floated them gently to the couch. "What's wrong, Lois?" he asked, caressing her hair as she held him tight. "I haven't seen you this upset since Lex Jr."

"I guess I'm a little shocky," Lois confessed. "It's been a long time since ... since I've been a victim of random violence. Before, they were always trying to get you through me, or to stop me writing a story. There was always some reason." Lois took a shaky breath. "But this, this had nothing to do with you or I. Just one sick mindwith a twisted view of reality. How many of them are out there?"

"I don't know, Lois. All we can do is have faith that we'll be safe from them." He kissed her gently. "You're not a victim. After all, you escaped today, didn't you?" Lois nodded. "I'll always keep you safe, Lois. You are the most important thing in my life."

"You're not going to say I told you so?" Lois asked.

"Why would I say that? That's your job," Clark tried to joke. Lois didn't find it funny, although she attempted a weak smile. "Lois, it isn't easy for me to say this because you are life's very breath to me. I couldn't stand it when I thought I lost you in that garage. All that lead blocking my vision and I couldn't go at superspeed because of the men with me. It was awful." Clark hugged Lois tight. "I don't ever want to go through that again."

"I'm sorry, Clark," Lois replied, muffled a little from the hug. "I thought it would be safe."

"I know, Lois. It was one of those random acts you just can't plan for in advance." Clark resumed an earlier thought. "Thinking about today yesterday and living through today... God, Lois, I was searching for you and swearing that I'd make you quit your job and keep you safe at home."

Lois broke off the hug to look up at him, eyebrows raised. "What stopped you?"

"Lex."

"Lex?" Lois was perplexed and surprised. The man was dead.

"Yes, he wanted to do exactly the same thing to you, remember? Lock you up in his tower of ivory."

"Oh, I remember." Lois clearly didn't want to.

"I couldn't do that to you, Lois. You wouldn't be the vibrant, exciting woman I love if I did that to you. I know your work sometimes puts you in extreme danger, but being married to me and being so close to Superman also puts you in that same danger. I don't want you to give up your job, or to give me up. Just promise me one thing."

"What?"

"Be more careful."

"I'll try, Clark," Lois sighed, still filled with unhappy thoughts. "Right now though, I'd agree with Lex. Should I give up my job? Do you think that adoption woman was right? I don't want my children growing up motherless!"

"Honey, that's highly unlikely." He smoothed her hair and kissed it.

"But not impossible." Lois countered.

"Nothing's impossible. I think we've proved that time and time again." Clark said, in an attempt to lighten the mood. Seeing that it had no effect, he continued seriously, "Anything could happen to you, I, anyone. But we don't let it stop us. We haven't yet!"

Lois smiled. Clark was talking an amazing amount of sense. "Right."

"I didn't mean that crack about dangling over the jaws of death." Clark tenderly looked her in the eye. "You will be the best mother for our children because you have that instinct for trouble and you'll keep them out of it." Clark smiled. "And I'll keep you out of trouble, while you do what you do best: being the best reporter in Metropolis."

"Oh, Clark." They hugged each other tight and kissed. "Clark, I love you."

"I love you too, honey."

Clark leant forward and gently pressed his lips against hers in a soft caress. Lois responded, her arm snaking up around his neck and bringing him in even closer.

Reluctantly, Clark broke off their kiss. "By the way," he said with a twinkle in his eye. "It's your turn to cook dinner."

Lois looked at him and frowned as she remembered the bet. She reached for a pillow and hit him with it.

"You wanted to go out to dinner tonight," she replied, reminding him of their lunchtime conversation.

"Your treat then," he replied cockily.

Lois found another pillow.

The End

Characters in this episode are copyrighted by DC Comics, December 3rd Production and Warner Brothers. No infringement is intended in any part by the author or the Season 5 group, however, the ideas expressed within this episode are copyrighted © 1997 to the author.