Clark had been minding his own business, working on a story and worrying about the arsonist, when he became aware of the absence of a sound that he knew and loved. Lois’ heartbeat.
His head snapped up, his expression intense enough to give away his secret if the right people had seen his face. But then her heart began to beat again, and for an instant he relaxed.
The beat was too fast, though, too hard, and it only accelerated. Clark hadn’t tuned into the phone conversation yet – he spent most of his time trying not to hear private discussions – but he did so then, catching only a woman’s voice as she called out, “Lois? Are you there? The cops are coming … the twins could be anywhere…”
And his own heart stilled in its great steady rhythm. The twins. Oh, my God. No…