Now You're Gone

13

Clouds rolled lazily by them, the cold wind tickling her exposed legs. A soft drizzle of snow fell. She flicked a snowflake off of Clark's eyelashes and snuggled closer to him. Clark's big, strong hands held her in place. City Lights blurred beneath the hazy clouds. The apartment complexes beneath them looked like toy blocks.

Lois is as heavy as a cow. I can't keep us up much longer.

"Watch it Smallville . . ." the retort dried up in her throat. A dark streak was underneath his nose. She brushed against the suspicious liquid and her hand came away red. "You don't get nosebleeds."

She screamed as Clark swerved to avoid running into a skyscraper. She tightened her hold on him, heart pounding. Clark hovered mid-air uncertainly, his breathing labored. A bird squawked and dashed under his legs, but Clark didn't notice. He stared unblinking at a point ahead, slowly losing altitude.

Clouds parted, the sharp buildings climbing to greet them. The buildings clustered together, looking like the gaping jaw of a beast. Lois' head spun and she choked on icy air. His limp boot crashed into a chimney, rubble tumbling down. His hands liquified, slipping from her waist. Her arms latched around his neck as they plummeted out of the sky.

"Smallville!"

No. No. No. She should have listened to Perry. Flying was a mistake! The lead was not more important than his life! Her nightmare was becoming a reality. Clark had stopped breathing. She couldn't hear his heartbeat.

"SNAP OUT OF IT!" The wind tore the words out of her throat. Tears stung her eyes. Her stomach churned and she felt lightheaded. The baby pressed against her cervix, almost as if pulling her toward Clark. She wrapped her arms around him tightly. Their speed continued to increase.

Ace o' Club's neon sign cut through the fog. Her stomach plummeted. Tears froze on her cheeks. The idiot took a shortcut through Suicide Slums. Stupid! Stupid! She should have told him the atmosphere was laced with Kryptonite! She had seconds to get him out of there before the radiation killed him. Clark's arms flailed like a bird shot out of the sky.

"Come on, Baby!" Lois struggled to hold onto Clark. He was as heavy as a house. The pavement drew closer with each breath. She clamped her eyes shut and hefted Clark up. She braced for impact, steeling herself for certain doom. But the impact never came.

She pried one eye open timidly. They hovered precariously over a stained rooftop that reeked of blood. Clark was limp in her arms, his head rolling over her shoulder. Had he stopped their fall subconsciously? She won't put it past him. He was Superman after all.

But the immediate problem remained, they were twenty feet from the roof, still too far to be safe. At least they were no longer rocketing to their deaths.

"Please, Clark wake up!" she bawled. "I can't hold you!" The combined weight of Clark and the babies dragged her down. She desperately grabbed his face and kissed him, breathing life into his dead lungs.

"Snap out of it!" she cried, kissing him again and again. She willed every ounce of oxygen she could into his gaping throat. It was no CPR but she prayed it was enough. Clark gasped, retching violently. "We need to get out of here now!"

I don't know if I can . . .

He was too weak to speak. His eyes drifted close. She bit his mouth crudely.

Jesus Christ. That hurt.

"Up, up and away," Lois said urgently.

Clark took in the situation with a heavy sigh.

How are we not roof splat? It feels like I'm drowning in acid.

"Never mind how!" Lois whimpered. "If we don't leave now you're dead."