Disclaimer: Superman belongs to DC Comics. Any copyright infringements were not intended. This story was written for entertainment and not for profit.

I have seen a number of Clark-tells-Lois-he's-Superman fics (most of them Lois & Clark fics) and I have noticed a recurring theme. Yes, we know Clark Kent and Superman are the same person. No, Lois did not know this before Clark told her the secret. As far as she knew, Superman and Clark Kent were two different people. During the early days of their relationship, she ignored Clark's feelings for her because she wasn't interested in him - she was interested in another man. It irks me that in most of the revelation fics I've read, this detail is quickly overlooked in favor of Clark's argument - that if she'd only seen him for who he really was that much sooner, they would have been together that much sooner.

Summary: Clark has finally told Lois that he's Superman. He explains that one of the reasons why he put it off was that Lois had never seen the 'real' him before then. This is how I think Lois would respond.

*****

"I never told you before because I had to wait until you saw me, Clark Kent. Not some guy in a red cape who isn't even real."

As Clark continued his rant, Lois felt anger overpower her confusion. "Hold it right there, buster!"

Clark stopped. "Lois?"

She marched up to him and poked the red shield on his chest with her index finger. "Before today, I had no idea that that 'guy in a red cape' wasn't real. You want to know why I always ignored your - Clark's - feelings for me? It was because I was in love with someone else! Someone who wasn't Clark Kent. Clark Kent is a sweet guy, but I just didn't feel for him the way I felt for Superman. I knew I had to make that clear to Clark, and that's why I never acknowledged his feelings for me. Why would I encourage his feelings for me when I was trying to get together with another man? That wouldn't have been right, would it?"

Clark opened his mouth, closed it, and tried again. "I-"

She glared at him. "There are a lot of things I do, but lead a guy on is not one of them."

"Of course not�but it was me, Lois! If only you'd looked, really looked�"

"Why would I, Clark-Superman-whoever the hell you are? You wanted to keep your secret identity a secret, didn't you? No one's supposed to really look at you! That's the whole point! Superman and Clark are nothing alike. Clark is a Smallville-born Metropolis reporter with ugly ties and an unassuming manner. Superman is an alien with superpowers and unending confidence in the face of danger. There is nothing to connect the two! Why the hell would I look at Superman and see Clark Kent? Why would I look at Clark Kent and see Superman?"

She waved her hands in frustration. "Let me put it another way for your thick brain, Kent. What if Jimmy were to - God forbid - come up to me and tell me that he was secretly Robin?"

Clark let out a bark of surprised laughter. "Jimmy isn't Robin, Lois."

"Exactly, Clark. That's exactly how I'd react. After all, Jimmy isn't Robin. They're two different people. And before today, if someone had come to me and told me that Clark Kent was secretly Superman - I'd have laughed and told them that they were wrong, that Clark Kent isn't Superman, that they were two completely different people. And as far as I knew, I'd be right."

"So you'd better get off your high horse, mister. Because the reason why I haven't seen you is as much your fault as it is mine."

THE END

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