AN: I don't know if anyone is still reading this or can even remember what all happened in my AU, but this fic going unfinished from my original plan is eating at my heart. So I'm posting this more for me than for you. That said… if you DO remember my AU, this is the answer to a question I was asked many times over the years. (Yes, years folks. It's been that long since Superman Returns started all this fan fic writing for so many of us. Sigh…)

Anyway, I'm sure I will take a bit of a hit for this one as it kind of goes against what Superman stands for, but this is how it played out for me.

Thanks to kalalanekent and anissa for reading it over and katshakespeare for catching the typos.

Twenty Questions (Jan 22nd Sun)

"Coke or Pepsi?"

The random question completely caught me off guard. "Huh?"

"Coke or Pepsi?" she repeated.

I turned my head and looked up at her over my shoulder. She smiled angelically back at me, which is never a good sign from Lois.

"I don't get it?"

She huffed at me but continued to draw lazy circles on my bare back while I lay on my stomach with my head comfortably buried in my pillow. She'd been doing this for quite some time now and I was rather enjoying the sensations, but the question was just so far from anything I expected this evening.

"It's a simple question, Clark. Coke or Pepsi?"

"You know I can't promote products. It isn't right for Superman to—"

"I'm not talking product promotion. I'm just asking a simple question."

I peeked up at her over my shoulder, curious as to her motives. Lois always had motives behind questions. She was a reporter down to the marrow of her bones. There was no such thing as a simple question.

"Is this a trick?" I asked, still suspicious.

She actually grunted at me. "Good God, Clark. Every single person on this planet has a drink preference when it comes to soda. Do you like Coke or Pepsi better?"

"Coke," I replied softly.

I was granted another saintly smile. "Was that so hard?"

"Just don't tell the Pepsi people."

"Right, because the Pepsi company will fall apart if Clark Kent endorses Coke," she teased.

"You know what I mean."

"Uh huh." She kissed my shoulder and continued her tactile exploration of my back. "Plain or peanut M&M's?"

Again, I frowned in puzzlement but decided to go with it rather than fight through it. "Peanut."

"Sausage or pepperoni pizza?"

"Are you planning a menu?"

"No," she groaned. "I'm just curious."

"Well, can I have both on my pizza or do I just have to pick one?"

"Just one."

"Then in that case, pepperoni."

"The Beatles or the Rolling Stones?"

I made a face, because neither was really my style. "Um…Beatles?"

Lois laughed at my lack of enthusiasm.

"Marilyn Monroe or Audrey Hepburn?"

That one was easy. "Lois Lane," I stated matter-of-factly.

"Good answer," she said, giving my torso a squeeze. "Kirk or Picard?"

"Oh, no!" I whimpered. "Now, you're asking really tough questions!"

Her musical laugh told me she planned that question just because she knew I'd have a hard time deciding, but it was cut short and replaced with a look of determination that could not be avoided.

"Okay," I sighed, "I'm going with Picard, but that's just because I think he negotiates better in a stressful situation. Kirk was still an excellent captain!"

"Duly noted. Football or baseball?"

Another tough one. "Hum…. Football, and that's because I could fake my way through a baseball game. Football… no so much. The moment someone tries to tackle me they end up getting hurt and asking questions. So, I've never really played football and I've always wanted to."

Lois rolled her eyes and proceeded on to the next question. "Summer or winter?"

"Summer."

"Ice cream or cotton candy?"

"Ice cream."

"Monopoly or chess?"

"Chess."

"Did you kill Lex Luthor?"

For a moment I wasn't sure I had heard her correctly. "What?"

"Did you kill Lex Luthor?" she repeated slowly, softly.

I don't know what stunned me more – that she'd asked all these silly questions as a lead in or that she'd asked the question at all. And why now? After all these years?

Our eyes met, hers begging for understanding, mine worried about how she would respond to the answer. It was, after all, the one thing I had hoped I would never have to tell her. Still pondering over how to explain myself, I slowly turned over onto my side so I could better look at her.

"I don't care, one way or the other," she said gently. "I just want to know."

"You wouldn't ask if you didn't care about the answer."

She pulled her lips between her teeth and took a deep breath. "I read every report I could find about his death. It didn't make much sense that he'd die from a fall. And you were different around me after his death – and different around Jason, too."

"He knew about Jason," I said. "You and I talked about it a few times."

"I was always terrified Luthor would do something to him."

"So was I."

"So you killed him." She didn't ask this time.

After a long, heavy pause I said, "It isn't what you think. I didn't hunt him down."

"Okay…"

"Do you remember the kidnappings? The ones supposedly done by Mary Anne Bishop?"

"The woman who blamed you for her daughter's death?"

"Yes."

"I remember being on edge about Jason, as most parents were at that time. Then she was arrested for the kidnappings, and everything calmed down a bit."

I nodded in agreement. "Do you remember what happened to her?"

"Yes. She died a few days before her trial. Killed herself."

I held onto Lois gaze willing her to change her thinking of the whole situation as I started in on the explanation. "She didn't kill herself. She was murdered. Luthor made it look like a suicide."

Lois sat up straight. "Luthor?"

"He was the one who was really behind the kidnappings. He just used Mary Anne Bishop as a cover and promised her loads of money if she served as the front man."

"Why?"

"Because Luthor didn't want the attention of the media for once. He wanted my attention." Lois shook her head, still not understanding. "Each one of the children I rescued had a note with them for me. I made sure the press never found out about the letters because they were all cryptic messages about Jason."

"Jason?"

"Luthor knew Jason was my son and was plotting to tell any criminal who would listen that Superman had a weakness more powerful than kryptonite. He was threatening me by threatening Jason. When Mary Anne Bishop landed behind bars, she was going to spill everything she knew about Luthor to the authorities. He wouldn't be able to fulfill whatever grand scheme he was planning if the police were tracking him for kidnapping. So he had Bishop killed."

I could tell that the wheels were spinning in Lois's head as she processed everything. "But that doesn't explain how he died."

"He had to clean up after Mary Anne Bishop. She had computer files, e-mails, records about her dealings with Luthor. He went into her office building looking to erase whatever she had on her computer about him. I was there doing some personal interviews with people who had known her to fill out an interest story Perry assigned me. I saw through Luthor's disguise and followed him into the stairwell."

I stopped, uneasy about telling Lois the rest.

Leading me to continue, Lois said, "The reports said he fell down the stairs to the basement. That it was an accident."

I blinked and looked away.

"It wasn't an accident, was it?"

"Yes… and no," I finally said. "We had some choice words for each other. He basically told me he was going to make Jason's life a living hell unless I allowed him to do whatever horrible things he wanted to do to other people. He even dared me to stop him - to kill him." I swallowed. "I yelled at him, which startled him and shook the building a bit. He slipped. He fell. I didn't even try to catch him." My voice was just a whisper when I finished.

I kept my eyes focused on Lois, watching every emotion cross her face as she thought long and hard about what I'd told her. I waited, not saying anything, for her to form her own opinion.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, softly.

"Luthor was dead and Jason was safe. I was there when Perry told you. I saw the relief on your face and knew you had all the information you needed. The rest of it would just make you culpable if ever you were questioned. Luckily, you never were. I wasn't even questioned. I mean, as Superman. I think the world had had enough of Lex Luthor that it was a relief for everyone that he was gone."

She nodded, but I could tell she didn't fully agree with me. "Does Jason know?"

"No," I said firmly. "Until now, no one knew." I sighed. "I'm not proud of it, but I'm not sorry for it, either. It was Jason's life or Lex Luthor's… and I chose Jason. I'd do it again."

Lois wet her lips and slid closer to me. She put her hands on either side of my face and looked into my eyes, searching for something that I hoped I could show her. After a minute or two, she pulled me to her for a solid, firm kiss.

"I love you."

I closed my eyes.

"Look at me," she said, and I obeyed. "I love you. This is one choice you made that I'm not going to question or fight about. From this moment on, we are never going to talk about this again."

A small smile formed on her lips, pulling a similar smile out from me.

"I love you," she repeated.

"I love you, too."

"I have one more question for you."

"Okay."

"Will you just hold me for a while?"

Without hesitation, I pulled her body against mine and sank down into the warmth of the bed. Her hands caressed my back and sides, and her legs tangled with mine. It was a long while before she fell asleep. I didn't sleep at all.