The Fine Line
A Justice League fanfic by Aisling Yinyr Ngaio

Called it woman's intuition. Called it gut instinct. Lois Lane did not believe Superman would lobotomise Doomsday no matter how hard it was. Sent him to the Phantom Zone, maybe, as he – or rather, she – did to that General Jax Ur and Mala, years ago.

When she looked into his eyes as she interviewed him, she had a niggling of doubt that his uniform wasn't the only thing he'd changed. It bothered her throughout her assignment, sorting out her references, typing out the article, and ordering dinner. Then she realised. She'd seen those cold unfeeling eyes only twice before. Once was when he'd been brainwashed by Darkseid and led the army invading Earth. And once was... in that other world. The scary world where he ruled with Luthor.

It was impossible that he would cross such a moral line unless... but it can't be that other him again. He would have recognised her, and she didn't see the yearning in his eyes when she saw him last, when she kissed him. Instead it was an almost detached, apathetic expression which greeted her. That was another impossibility – that he should feel so little for her. That he should dismiss her with a "what's your question, Lois?", as if they had no history, or that he felt as much for her as the rest of the reporters congregated around them. As if she was another pesky reporter asking stupid questions without getting to the point already.

Could it be then... yet another world? Ten years ago she didn't believe in aliens, but now there was an entire Justice League challenging her beliefs. She'd seen more wonky things being in the same city as Superman than she'd ever seen as the girlfriend of Lex Luthor. So... why not?

Were they in danger then? Lois was suddenly afraid. If this new Superman could do this to a being, supervillain though it was, what did he still believe in anymore? When he didn't even seem to believe in her anymore? Did he even love her – that other her in his universe? Or was she also dead there? (She shouldn't be surprised really; after all, she did take an awful lot of risk) And most importantly, where was her Superman?

Heart hammering, she picked up her phone shakily to dial the number of the only other person she knew who would understand her concerns. She didn't see him in that group, so perhaps he wasn't – she gulped – kidnapped along with the real Superman. Alfred answered the call, polite as always. He too, was worried about "Master Bruce", since he didn't come back after getting drafted into capturing a newly escaped Lex Luthor. And as it was quite inconceivable that Batman would forsake Gotham even for one night, their trepidation only increased with the length of their conversation.

Could she convince him to tell the truth about where her Superman really was? The world needed Superman, but not if he worked above the law using his own justice system and powers pretending to be a god among men. She did try to find him by being even more reckless in covering every crime alert in Metropolis, but he seemed to have vanished post-Doomsday. She tried to use the borrowed signal watch from Jimmy but he never came (did this counterpart even have friends whom he liked to keep safe? She didn't know). She even tried using her dad's contacts, because surely the government had ways to contact the Justice League's Watchtower, but nothing surfaced.

She did however receive first intelligence a day later that in a curious twist of events, Superman was now speaking on behalf of Lex Luthor negotiating for a presidential pardon. At first it seemed that all her worst fears were confirmed, and this new, evil Superman was working with Luthor as that earlier other Superman. But when she got the scope from another of her contacts, he was clear on the matter: blue, not white. He - the real one - was back. But why petition for Luthor?

Barely had the conversation ended when the office received a top priority newscall: two sets of Justice Leaguers were slugging it out in a rare display of good versus good (or was it?) and leaving a path of destruction in their wake. Such a story, even aside from her personal feelings for Superman, was a headline worthy of another Pulitzer. Making a mental apology to Clark (why was he never around when the hot stories came down the line?), she hurried to the scene only to be confronted with Luthor walking free, two groups of Justice Leaguers, and her Superman holding some sort of weird contraption that reeked of Luthor. For a split second, her heart pounded. Was that her Superman?

Then both doppelgangers looked at her at the same time, and now, when they were right next to each other, Lois decided to trust her gut. Blue Superman was definitely hers - theirs. His partnership with Luthor notwithstanding, he was the one of the two who looked both loving and lost, capable of deep emotions, humane. The other white Superman... she shivered and looked away from his hate-tinged apathetic eyes. This was a man who - baring the complete hatred he levelled alternately at Luthor and his own mirror image - felt close to nothing at all for the rest of humanity. Not Superman at all. Not in a million years.

It was only after the Justice League - theirs - had sent off the other group with the military - to be escorted back to wherever the hell they came from, she presumed - did she approach Superman, armed as always with her tape recorder, pen and paper. But she had only one question for her superhero.

"Are you all right?" Because she knew he won't be, not for a while, not with yet another reminder of how easily he could fall across the invisible line being shoved into his face. He smiled at her, a small sad smile, then together they turned to look at the retreating back of what he could have been. And Lois promised herself that she would do everything in her power to keep this nightmare from living again.

- Finis -