Of course the key would weigh an insane amount of weight. It really shouldn’t have surprised Lois and had she been able to focus on what he was saying she would have challenged him about that even being possible. As it was, she really didn’t care about the neat little trick and had just wanted to get out of the cold and inside the building where she hoped it was at least warmer. But then she had made the mistake of bringing up Doomsday and Lois was rooted to the spot, not wanting to budge an inch.
She still couldn’t bring herself to look at him, even with the way he had so easily brushed off her mistake. Lois knew as soon as she stepped through the threshold of the Fortress that there would be no turning back. The last of her walls would fall down and she would have to be as vulnerable as she had been when her mother had died all those years ago. It had been a time of pain and loneliness and while friends and random strangers had offered their support, Lois hadn’t received any from her father, the one person she had truly needed to help her deal with the loss of her mother. Sure, he had been grieving as well, but she’d only been six and had no idea how to process what had happened and even worse she had to be the strong one for her little sister.
Clark’s arm around her shoulders proved that this grieving process didn’t have to be like that one had been. She didn’t have to do it alone and while that didn’t change the fact that she didn’t want to do it at all, it did seem to chip away the last of her strength to keep resisting. His statement about apologies had her knees buckling beneath her and she nearly fell forward, reaching for Clark, needing his strength.
The tears she had been holding back were coming in full force at that point and Lois didn’t think they would ever stop. “You...don’t even...feel the...cold,” she told him between sobs as she was reminded of how cold Chloe’s body had been. How her cousin would never feel warm again. The life had been taken out of her and no amount of wishing or hoping would ever bring her cousin back. Not even Superman could do that. Nothing could and that loss hurt more than Lois could bear.