Home Is Where The Heart Is

Chapter 1 - Through the Eyes of a Child

Day 1, Tuesday, 8:00AM, Downtown Metropolis

It was the typical morning rush of Metropolis, with the sidewalks as crowded as the streets, while Clark made his way from the alley that he had ducked into for a quick wardrobe change. He had four blocks to walk before reaching the offices of the Daily Planet and allowed his mind to wander, as it had been doing most of the night, still enveloped by the euphoria that came from learning that he was father the day before.

As he was lying in the hospital fighting for his life, he had become aware of Lois' presence. Her scent, the recognizable rhythm of her beating heart, and finally her words, whispered so quietly that only Kryptonian ears could hear: "I wanted you to know that... that Jason is your son. And he has your strength." He hadn't asked her what she meant by that during his brief visit last night. He'd have to make a point of speaking with her about it later.

A son! His envy of Richard White grew even greater as he imagined how things might have been if not for his five year hiatus, which the press was now calling his "walkabout," appropriating the term from the Australian media. He found himself surprised at his use of the term walkabout, though he had to concede that the term fit.

He finally approached the front door of the Daily Planet building, noticing the headline from the paper's morning edition that announced Superman's recovery. He reluctantly pushed back the thoughts of his son, and what-might-have-been, and resumed the fa�ade that defined Clark Kent.

This morning found Lois as ornery as it had found Clark euphoric. She'd gotten very little sleep after her unexpected guest last night. It hadn't escaped her attention that his first visit was not with her, but rather with her son... his son. There was no doubt about that after seeing Jason's piano toss. Superman certainly didn't seem as confused by that as she was. How was it that she had no recollection of their child's conception? All she had was a vague impression, like a dream that you've forgotten after you've woken up. She was angry with herself for not asking him about that last night. Lois broke from her reverie as it was finally their turn in the drop-off lane at Jason's school and one of the teachers opened the back door to help him out of his booster seat and seatbelt. Plastic smile firmly in place, she exchanged brief pleasantries with the teacher before Richard pulled ahead and they continued their morning commute to the office.

As Lois and Richard stepped off of the elevator, Clark was jovially speaking with Jimmy Olsen. "I feel great now, Jimmy. I guess it was just a flu bug going around." Clark silently thanked his mother again for calling into the Planet for him, while he was in the hospital as Superman. One advantage of having the nerdy, Golly-Gee-Whiz persona of Clark Kent was that it was not out of character for his mother to call to say that he wouldn't make it to "school" today. It helped that his fall to earth happened on a Friday, and he didn't need to account for his time over the weekend. Monday had been the only sick day. "Well, I hope none of us get that," Jimmy said cheerfully.

Clark finally glanced over at Lois and Richard, and offered them his trademark goofy smile and wave. He got a brief nod from Richard, but Lois remained oblivious to everything but the Starbucks coffee cup in her hand. Clark observed her briefly before concluding that she hadn't gotten much sleep. He doubted that she had shared Jason's true paternity with Richard, if his current demeanor was any indicator.

Jimmy also noticed Lois' demeanor. "Maybe she hasn't heard that Superman has recovered. She's been sick with worry ever since he fell from the sky." Clark nodded absently. She knew he'd recovered, but something else had kept her up. He suspected it was Jason's display of strength, and the incontrovertible evidence that he was the son of Superman, something that she was not likely to have remembered. He again felt the twinge of regret for having left the Earth five years ago. He was forced to break from his observation at the sound of Perry White's booming voice, which fortunately was not directed at him this time.

The stories of the day were still the earthquake aftermath. In spite of Superman's efforts during the quake, nearly 100 people had died, thousands were still without power, and cleanup was an ongoing effort. Clark was impressed that the Daily Planet building had gotten its shattered glass replaced as quickly as they did afterwards. Somebody had to have had some major pull to get that done. He sneaked another glance back towards Lois' desk, before settling down to work. She still had yet to speak a word since arriving in the office.

Overall, it had been a quiet day. Perry had divvied up stories on the quake reconstruction, which were both simple to write, and included the "tragedy" that sold papers, with a dash of "Superman" here and there (which also sold papers). There were relative few emergencies that required Superman's assistance, but it was enough to keep Perry happy with the content. Clark had already completed his articles well before deadline, and was killing time before submitting them through the publishing system software when he heard Jason's voice as he got off the elevator with his mother. Her mood hadn't improved all day, but the sound of his son's voice couldn't help but lift his. He continued to listen as the pair entered Richard's office, and she pulled out some crayons and drawing paper to keep him busy.

Richard looked up at Lois and opened his mouth to say something before quickly thinking better of it. He knew something was bothering her, but she wasn't ready to talk about it. Clark also knew that something was bothering her, and wondered if he should try to approach her as Superman. As Clark surreptitiously glanced over at them, he caught the boy looking back at him, with a confused expression on his face.

"Mr. Kent!" Clark was forced to once again pull himself away as he looked up towards Jimmy, who had just parked himself at his desk. "Have you found an apartment yet?"

Clark forced himself to give Jimmy his full attention. "Not yet, Jimmy," Clark responded. "I don't recall having this much trouble finding something affordable the last time." He had been amazed at the difference in cost during his five-year absence. He resigned himself to either having to choose something in a bad neighborhood or well outside Metropolis city limits.

Jimmy smiled, "I forgot to tell you earlier -- there is an apartment opening up in my building, but they won't be out for a couple weeks yet." He pulled out a business card and handed it to Clark as he added, "Here's the number for the building manager." Clark took the business card from Jimmy, and thanked him before dialing the number.

As he was arranging to look at the apartment, Clark became aware of the sound of a familiar small beating heart approaching him, which he immediately recognized as Jason. He turned to his son and smiled, holding out his index finger to signal him to wait. "Thanks, I'll see you at 7:00, then. Bye."

Turning his full attention to his son, Clark now warmly greeted him. "Hello, Jason! Did you have a fun day at school?"

The boy was quiet for a moment, still with a confused look on his face as he looked at Clark. As Jason walked over to Clark, he reached his arms up. Expecting a hug from the affectionate youngster, Clark bent down to meet him. He was definitely not expecting the boy to reach up and pull off his glasses. The confusion left Jason's face as he looked at Clark carefully, then down at the glasses as he asked, "Why do you wear glasses at work, but not when you wear your Superman suit?" Clark eyes grew in surprise to how quickly his little boy had figured him out.

Chapter 2 - Secrets

Clark quickly, yet gently, retrieved his glasses from his son's hands and put them back on before taking a quick glance around to see if anybody had overheard the boy's question. To his relief, the desks immediately around him were empty. There was still activity in the office, but the headcount thinned out once the afternoon edition's deadline had come and gone. Reporters were out on the street following leads, interviewing people, and such, rather than being in the office scurrying to get stories filed by deadline. He turned back to his son, and quietly whispered "Wh-What do mean, 'Superman suit?'"

"You're Superman," Jason whispered back. "Don't you need your glasses when you're Superman?"

Clark chuckled nervously, and whispered "You think I'm Superman? What makes you think that?"

"I can just tell," Jason replied, with a puppy-dog look on his face, still waiting for answer. "So why don't you wear your --"

"Jason," Clark interrupted, "we need to keep that our secret." After making the claim to Lois in their first interview that he never lied, he really didn't want to start lying to his son. He also concluded that it wouldn't likely have convinced him, anyways. He had really hoped that this conversation could have waited a number of years. Five-year-olds were not known for keeping secrets. He continued speaking to his son in a whisper, "The glasses are my disguise so people won't know I'm Superman - I don't really need them. If people knew that I was Superman, some bad people might try to cause trouble for people that I care about."

"Bad men like the ones on the boat?" Jason asked quietly, with fear in his voice.

Clark had read Lois' story on her ordeal aboard the Gertrude, and knew Jason was referring to Lex Luthor. He wondered what had happened on the boat that she had left out of the article. "Yes, bad men like the ones on the boat," Clark informed Jason. As he recognized the terror in his son's eyes, he quickly added, "Don't worry, I won't let anything bad happen to you."

That earned him a weak smile, replaced by a huge grin a moment later. "Can we go flying?" Jason asked. The idea seemed like a lot more fun than begin stuck in his daddy's office until either he or his mommy were ready to go home.

Clark loved the idea, but he couldn't just fly off with the boy. "Maybe later. We need to talk to your mother about that fir --" Clark was abruptly interrupted as Jason had spun around and started to take off for his mother, who was currently speaking with Richard in his office, trying to decide when they'd be able to head home. Clark barely got a grasp on the boy's wrist before he was out of arm's reach. Another moment and he would have needed to use super-speed to catch up with the tyke. "Whoa there, kiddo. Where are you off to so fast?"

"To ask Mommy if we can go flying." The boy's eyes pleaded with him.

Clark again looked around to make sure he and Jason were still under the radar. "Mommy and Richard don't know that I'm Superman," he whispered. "We can't ask them like this without telling them my secret, and we don't want to do that. We'll have to wait until I can come back in my Superman suit." Clark hated to disappoint the boy, as he saw his son's gaze fall to the floor. "I promise that I'll speak to your mother later, and then we can go flying."

The boy looked up at Clark with a smile on his face, as he exclaimed, "Thanks!" Jason moved towards Clark, and again reached his arms up.

This time, Clark kept one hand on his glasses as he reached down. To his relief, this time Jason's arms went around his neck in a tight hug. He returned the hug warmly, and pulled back to again see a confused look on his son's face. "Is something wrong Jason?" Clark asked.

"How do I know when to call you 'Clark' and when to call you 'Superman?'" the boy whispered.

Clark smiled back at the boy. "When I'm wearing the Superman suit, I'm Superman. When I'm not, I'm Clark," he whispered. Clark reflected on his oversimplified answer, and hoped they wouldn't run into any situation where that would blow up in his face. He wasn't planning on spending any more time as a hospital patient, but Lex Luthor was still at large. After a moment, he added, "If other people are calling me Superman, like when I was in the hospital, then I'm still Superman, even though I'm not wearing the suit." He hoped the boy could keep it straight.

Clark looked up to see Lois heading over towards them, with a weak smile on her face, the first one that he'd seen on her face all day. "Looks like my son has found a new best friend. I hope Jimmy won't be too disappointed."

She had seen her son hug Clark from Richard's office, and took the excuse to get away from Richard's unasked questions. Things had been a bit tense between them ever since she took up her vigil during Superman's illness, the only clue to his thoughts a comment to Jimmy that she hadn't been meant to overhear. "I guess Superman was more than just a story for her..."

Clark smiled back up at her. "He's a great kid, Lois. You've done a good job with him."

Despite her mood, Lois couldn't help but to let her smile grow a bit bigger at that. "Thanks, Clark. It's good to hear things like that every so often." She thought back to the camaraderie that she had shared with Clark before he left for his "World Tour." This was the first time since he returned that she felt the warmth of that friendship return. There was also something there that she couldn't quite place her finger on. "You know, sometime soon, you're going to have to tell us all about your trip," she warned him.

"Sure thing, Lois," Clark replied. He still wasn't sure what he would say if pressed on the details of his trip. He'd been avoiding the discussion ever since he got his job back at the Daily Planet.

Lois looked down at her son for a moment before beckoning him. "Come on, munchkin. You've bothered Clark long enough." Father and son both responded immediately.

"I wasn't bothering him!" --

"Oh, he was no trouble, Lois." --

"Well, looks like I may have found a new babysitter," Lois stated as she glanced between them, noticing for the first time the identical uncommon shade of blue in their eyes. Oblivious to her observation, Clark's smile couldn't help but grow at the thought of spending time with his son, albeit as a babysitter.

Lois was distracted from her observation as Jimmy came back around. "Any luck with the apartment, Clark?"

Lois turned back to Clark. "Still apartment hunting?" she inquired. Clark nodded, before turning to Jimmy and answering "I'm taking a look at it at 7:00." Turning back to Lois, Clark clarified "Jimmy found out about an opening in his building".

"Well, good luck", Lois offered, before inquiring "Have you been living out of a hotel all this time?" Clark nodded meekly. "The Planet's reimbursing, right?"

Clark nodded again, "For up to 30 days. It'll be close. Even if I can get this apartment, it'll still be another two weeks before I can move in."

"Well, good luck, again", Lois said before returning her gaze toward her son. "Come on, munchkin, Clark's got work to do, and it's time for us to go home". Lois noticed her son's smile fade at that. He'd really taken to Clark. Perhaps she had found a new babysitter.

Chapter 3 - Smallville

Clark owed Jimmy a huge favor. The apartment that Jimmy had referred him to, though small, fit his needs and his budget perfectly. There was brief hesitation as he considered where his son would stay if he was over, but he couldn't assume that he'd be lucky enough to have him overnight. The apartment was on the top floor, with one side facing an alley. The building across the way was a bank/office building unlikely to have a lot of prying eyes to worry about after business hours. He'd still have to go shopping for furniture, since he'd given what he had to the Salvation Army before leaving for Krypton five years ago.

As he was flying through Metropolis, he again allowed his thoughts to wander to his son. If he did get time with him, would any of it be 'normal' father/son interaction, or would it all be Superman and his biggest fan? He thought back to when he was Jason's age, and the patience his human parents had demonstrated as his unique abilities developed. Since Jason knew his secret, he could probably take him to Smallville and show him where he grew up. As he pondered that, his thoughts turned to his mother, Martha Kent. He needed to talk to her. Perhaps she could help him make heads or tails of this. That could become an uncomfortable conversation, though, given the circumstances of Jason's birth and his mother's traditional mid-western values.

He noted that the time was around eight o'clock, Jason's bedtime. He headed back over Metropolis Bay, and trained his eyes on the Lane/White household, and noticed Lois reading to their son. Richard was walking down the last few steps to their living room, apparently having just come from Jason's room. It would be a good opportunity for a visit. He dropped down to just a few inches over the water, and sped across the bay towards the house, cautiously scanning his surroundings to make sure he wasn't observed. As he approached he heard his name from a boat in the bay near the house. "Do you think Superman will visit her?"

Superman stopped cold, and trained his eyes on the boat. On the deck of the boat, he saw a camera with a long lens mounted on a tripod, along with another night-vision equipped camera, and a parabolic microphone, all targeting the house. Paparazzi? He couldn't visit them without being observed. He'd been lucky last night, since everyone thought he was still in the hospital. They hadn't staked out the house yet. He was angry at the thought that he would not be able to visit his son because of these people. If he was observed, it would put the family in danger. His family.

He sped offshore before zipping back up into the sky as he remembered some of the tabloid press coverage of Lois before he had left for Krypton. There had been suggestions that she was romantically involved with him. He should have realized the danger and done something about it. Now, five years later, her with a five year old son, how long would it be before one of those scoundrels put two and two together, especially after her visit with him at the hospital. He shuddered to think about that. Clark headed off towards Smallville in a cheerless mood.

* * *

Martha Kent had just walked in the door of her farmhouse after her flight home from Metropolis, and set her bags near the stairs. Her companion, Ben Hubbard, entered behind her. He had been Jonathan's best friend, and helped with the farm after he passed away. When his wife was killed by a drunk driver a few years later, Martha had returned the favor, helping Ben and the surviving children as best she could. Over time, they had grown close, and a romance had eventually blossomed.

Clark knew Ben would be there as he touched down and changed into his jeans. He still wasn't sure how he felt about his mother with Ben, but he was glad that she hadn't been alone during his five year absence. He hated the idea of chasing Ben out to talk with his mother, but they hadn't shared the secret with him and Clark had resisted his mother's suggestions at the possibility. Now was not the time for that revelation, and he needed her perspective on the situation. He walked up to the house and knocked on the door.

"I'm not interrupting, am I?" Clark asked, as he walked into the house. "Oh, of course not! Get in here!" she commanded, as she took her son in her arms for the second time in two days, grateful to have him healthy once again. She pulled back, and looked up to see the concern etched in his face. "Clark, what's wrong?" she asked.

"It's a bit complicated," he answered quietly, before turning to his mother's guest. "Ben. Good to see you again."

Ben Hubbard stood up, and returned the greeting, but seemed slightly bewildered by Clark's presence. "Good to see you, too, Clark. Your mother didn't mention that you were coming here and we didn't hear you drive up. How long are you in town?"

"It was an impulsive visit. I hadn't called ahead," Clark answered. As he was silently standing there, he heard his mother's faint whisper, "I wish you'd trust him, Clark." He fidgeted as he glanced over to her. "I'm sorry. I should have given you some advance warning."

Ben headed towards the door, "I've got to get home and get unpacked," Ben resolved. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, Martha. Clark." He held out his hand to Clark, saying "Maybe we can catch up a little bit before you head out." Clark shook the man's hand, "I'll be heading back later tonight. Maybe I'll get to stay a bit longer next time."

Once Ben's truck was moving down the driveway, Martha again addressed her son. "Clark..." his mother commanded, "sit down and tell me what's bothering you. What's on your mind?" Clark sat down on the couch, his gaze at the floor as he took in a deep breath.

"I got a bit of a surprise when I was in the hospital." he stated simply. "And I'm not sure what to do about it."

"Are you referring to the visit from Lois?" Martha asked gently. Clark's head snapped up at that, as Martha continued. "She was the only one that they let through to see you, along with the little boy. I saw her come out of the hospital." She paused a moment before continuing, "I thought you would have seen them in the papers, as many pictures as they were taking of them." Clark's jaw clenched at the last part of his mother's statement: Paparazzi. "What did she say to you?" Martha asked.

"It's about the boy, Jason... He's my son." Clark chanced a look up at his mother's face as her eyes opened wide in shock and her hand covered her open mouth. He saw the shock morph into anger, and prepared himself for the barrage that he knew was coming.

"You mean to say that you took off gallivanting halfway across the universe, in your private little pity party, leaving that poor woman back there alone and pregnant? We raised you better than that!"

Chapter 4 - Mother Knows Best

Clark had been fourteen years old the last time he had gotten a lecture like that from his mother. For the last fifteen minutes, he had barely been able to get a word in edgewise, other than a feeble "I didn't know." At one point he tried to beg off to go save the world, but Martha quickly vetoed that, saying he wasn't going anywhere until she was done with him. Clark couldn't help but observe the irony that the most physically powerful being on the planet was powerless to escape his mother's scolding. He felt like he was about to get grounded.

Martha took a deep breath, and was silent for a moment, letting Clark know that the lecture had come to an end, and that they'd finally be able to discuss what he had come here to talk about. Finally, his mother sat down beside him on the couch, and looked up at him. "So, when am I going to get to see my grandson?"

"Soon, I hope," Clark answered. "He knows my secret, so it shouldn't be a problem bringing him here, once I get something worked out with Lois."

Martha's eyes narrowed, as she replied "You insist on keeping this secret from Ben, yet you waste no time telling a five year old son that you barely know?"

Clark couldn't help but smile at that. "He figured me out on his own. The adults in the office see me as Clark the Klutz, but he just sees me as Clark, and just knew that I was Superman." He paused for a moment before looking up at his mother, realizing how hard it must have been for her keeping that secret during his absence. "You can tell Ben. You, Ben and Jason are the only ones who'll know my secret, if you exclude that lunatic from Gotham."

"Lois doesn't know?" Martha asked. Clark shook his head. Martha pondered that quietly for a moment before continuing. "Do you want to tell me what really happened five years ago?"

Clark took a deep breath before stating simply, "It's a long story."

"Then you'd better get started," was Martha's quick response. Clark nodded, and began to retell the story of Lois' discovery at Niagara Falls, through the amnesia kiss after his battle with the Kryptonian criminals, Zod, Ursa and Non, this time telling the full story, though glossing over his night with Lois.

Martha observed, "You left out a few details the last time you spoke of this." Clark nodded, saying nothing. Five years ago, he had told an extremely abridged version, saying only that he'd fallen in love with Lois, but that the ghosts of his Kryptonian parents had forced him to choose between being Superman or being with Lois. He had chosen Lois and was stripped of his powers, but was forced to reconsider after Zod took over the world.

His mother continued, "I have a question for you. Same question that I tried to ask five years ago, but you were too emotionally exhausted to talk about it. Why the choice?"

"Despite recent opinions to the contrary, the world needed Superman," Clark answered sadly.

Tipping her head to the side as she looked at him, she explained, "That's really not what I meant, Clark. Why was the choice forced upon you? Why did you have to choose between being Superman and being with Lois?"

"I don't know," was his simply answer, "I never asked."

Martha shook her head, "You'd think that with both of you being journalists, that one of you would have thought to ask why..."

"I'm not sure that matters much now," Clark noted.

"Of course it matters!" his mother objected. "There had to be a reason for it, some problem that they were trying to solve. Maybe there are other solutions to that problem, where you could still be Superman, and also a husband to Lois, and father to Jason."

Clark had faith in his Kryptonian parents and didn't believe the question would provide any useful information. "It's too late for that now," Clark responded. "She's with Richard, and he's the only father Jason's ever known. Besides, Lex Luthor stole every last crystal from my fortress, and I haven't had a chance to regenerate them yet. There's nothing there to ask questions of at the moment."

"What about the crystals in the ship buried under our cornfields?" Martha countered. "Isn't that Green one from your original ship in there with it? That's all you had to begin with." Clark exhaled deeply, and looked up again at his mother. He nodded his head in affirmation. "Then I think you have a duty to yourself, Lois, and Jason to answer that question," she said firmly. "As for Richard... his devotion to your son does not absolve you from parental responsibility. You are still his father."

Clark responded with conviction, "You are my mother. Jonathan Kent was my father. I am who I am today because of the two of you, not because of the biological parents who gave me life." He paused before adding sadly, "It'll be the same way with Jason."

Martha's anger returned as she spoke. "Clark Jerome Kent, in the years since we found you, and brought you into this family, we've been patient with you through your challenges, and proud of you as you overcame them. In all that time, I have never been ashamed of you...until now! Not so much because Jason was born out of wedlock, but because you are not doing right by him or his mother. When your biological parents sacrificed themselves to send you to us, they didn't just wash their hands of you. They went to great pains to make sure you would have guidance as things came up that your father and I would not be able to help you with. They weren't here because they died getting you here. You don't have that excuse. You have to do right by Jason and Lois."

"I don't know what to do," Clark admitted quietly. "That's why I came here." That simple statement diffused Martha's anger with her son. He was relieved to see the anger melt from her face and see the love and sympathy replace it in her face.

"Is there anything else I should know about this, before we figure this out together?" his mother asked. Clark smiled, and told her what he knew of Lois' ordeal aboard Lex Luthor's boat. He told her what he knew about Richard, and he told her his concerns about the Paparazzi. Martha was quiet for awhile, staring into her lap as she quietly considered that information.

"Mom?" Clark inquired tentatively.

Martha exhaled heavily, and stated simply. "You have to tell her."

"I can't..." Clark started.

"She's earned the right!" Martha shot back. "Can her memories be restored?"

"I don't know," Clark answered honestly.

"Well, you can ask about that while you're asking why you were asked to give up your powers to be with her," she responded curtly. Her features softened again as she spoke, "You also have to be prepared for the worst... If things get out of hand, you can always bring them here." She paused for a moment before continuing, "You can't just wait for something to happen, either. You'll have to be ready, and for God's sake find some way of warning yourself if there's kryptonite around! I don't want another vigil outside the hospital. My God, Clark, I was so afraid that we were going to lose you..."

Clark reached over, and gave his mother a hug. Martha broke from the hug, looked up into his face, and again insisted, "You have to tell her everything. Promise me that you'll do that."

"But Mom..." Clark began, before noticing the glare he got from his mother, and compromised.. "I'll think about it."

"Clark..." his mother began.

"That's all I can promise," he answered tiredly. He stood up, and glanced up at the clock on the wall, observing that it was close to ten o'clock. They'd been discussing the situation for close to three hours. "Well, the world needs Superman. I should --"

"Oh, no you don't. The world can wait. Your family comes first. The world can get by without Superman for one night. Before saving the rest of the world, you need to do right by Jason and Lois, and you can start by digging that green crystal out of that ship. Once your family is safe, then you can check up on the rest of the world!"

Clark nodded. He had known that his mother's clarity would help him work through his concerns. "Thanks, Mom. I knew you'd help me figure this out." He paused a moment before adding, "I don't know how I could possibly tell her about all this..."

"I may have a few suggestions on that," Martha answered, with a gleam in her eye.

Chapter 5 - At Sea

Lex Luthor was not a happy man, and Kitty Kowalski wisely avoided him as he sat behind the wheel of their commandeered watercraft, the Wayward Wanderer. Though small compared to the Gertrude, it was a large recreational vessel that comfortably slept six, with modern GPS navigation, satellite radio, and a fully stocked and functional galley. The boat had been owned by George and Nancy Wilson, a retired couple who hadn't realized the danger when they responded to the flare. Lex Luthor had introduced himself and Kitty as Henry and Allison Thomasson, claiming that they were forced to flee their yacht when it sank the previous day. After a few hours to determine the available resources on the boat, Lex had used a borrowed knife from the galley to eliminate their hosts.

He'd kept up with the news since their rescue. Lois Lane had survived, and provided a fairly accurate story of his failed plan. He was now a wanted man. They'd have to sneak ashore after dark, and Metropolis was too hot to go back there. He had allowed himself to hope that despite his latest setback that he had at least taken down the Man of Steel, and he had become intolerable when the news came that Superman had recovered.

Tonight found Lex again listening to the latest news on the Metropolis reconstruction, with the various Superman sightings that the day's news always included. Lex switched the radio to a classical music station as he contemplated his circumstances. He wasn't done with the Superman. Next time, he'd finish the job properly, but the Man of Steel would suffer first. Let him see his lover and son die first, Lex thought. It would take patience. Lex was not an impulsive man, and would plan their demise to the minutest detail.

Lex looked at the fuel gage once again. There wasn't enough to make it all the way around the Florida peninsula and up the Mississippi to his safe house in Baton Rouge, which had been acquired from the laundered cash and stocks of the Vanderworth estate. The family was contesting the will, claiming Gertrude had not been of sound mind, a case that Lex believed they would have likely won. He had thus immediately liquidated her portfolio, transferring it to offshore accounts, keeping only the minimal necessary amount of operating capital. It was also why he so easily abandoned the Gertrude in the hope of drowning Lane and the boy. Now that the Gertrude was lost at sea, all they would recover would be the house in Metropolis and a few other properties.

Lex reviewed the maps to see how much distance they could put between themselves and the authorities before they went ashore. He planned to beach the boat in the middle of the night, and acquire ground transportation for the rest of the trip. Once there, he could regroup, and continue planning the end of Superman.

Chapter 6 - Surprises

Day 2, Wednesday, 6:00AM

Clark floated high above the Earth considering everything that had happened through the night: his conversation with his mother, Martha; the reconstruction of the crystal set at the Fortress from the father crystal (after which the first order of business was implementing security to prevent future thefts); and the conversations with the AI facsimiles of his Kryptonian parents preserved in the reproduced crystals. He told them about Jason, about the recent ordeal with Lex Luthor, and his concerns for protecting his family. He also asked them Martha Kent's questions. Their answers had surprised him.

Jor-El had offered his guidance, but Clark wasn't satisfied. He found it interesting that when it was only his life at stake, he blindly accepted whatever they told him, but when it was his son, he was much more diligent in exploring other options. There was too much at stake. He hadn't liked what he'd seen as he flew over Metropolis earlier, and as he scanned another city below him, he considered his situation. He hoped he wouldn't come to regret the decisions he had made during the night. He finally saw what he was waiting for, and swooped down over Gotham City.

Bruce Wayne had just finished dressing after a welcome shower and was sitting down to his breakfast when he heard an unexpected voice ask, "Am I interrupting?" Bruce glanced over to see Superman floating over the balcony.

"Yes, but since you're here, you might as well come in," Bruce answered. "Are you hungry?"

"Thanks for the offer, but I'll pass," Superman answered. "I could use your help with a little problem I have." Bruce considered him carefully before dismissing Alfred.

"What's on your mind, Kent?" Bruce asked. "Would this have anything to do with Lex Luthor?"

"Are you sure we can talk privately here?" Superman questioned, still with some doubts about the arrangement he would propose.

"Let me finish my breakfast, and we can continue this downstairs. There aren't any cameras there." Superman sat down in the chair to Bruce's left and quietly waited for him to finish his breakfast.

* * *

Wednesday was another typical morning in Metropolis. Jason had been dropped off at his school, and Richard and Lois got off the elevator and headed into the bullpen of the Daily Planet newsroom. Lois had another restless night, but had gotten a little more sleep than the previous night. Richard was a bit preoccupied, wondering when a good time would be to press Lois about whatever it was that had been bothering her. He would not broach that subject while she was sleeping so restlessly, however. Clark looked up as they entered the room, and offered them his usual goofy grin and wave. Lois smiled over her cup of coffee, and Richard nodded in acknowledgment, as the two made their way to their respective desks.

The morning went by quickly, as they were all busy with their respective stories, Clark chancing occasional glances towards Lois. He frowned as he considered how Lois would likely react to his secrets under the current circumstances. Meanwhile, Lois' brow furrowed as she scanned the news wires. Though she vehemently complained whenever Perry assigned her a Superman story, she diligently kept up on his activities over the wire, and this morning there had been nothing. She wasn't sure what to make of that. She closed the search window, and went back to her Earthquake reconstruction story, this one exposing the fraud, waste and abuse in the no-bid contracts quickly given out by the city after the quake caused by Lex Luthor. She thought back to the globe which had fallen off the top of the Daily Planet building, and been spirited away by a Chinook helicopter over the weekend. It wouldn't return to its perch on the roof until after structural repairs were completed. That work wouldn't even begin until the following Monday.

Lois still didn't know what to make of Superman's lack of activity from the previous night, and wasn't as successful in putting that out of her mind as she had hoped. She put her head down in her hands, and said in a barely audible whisper, "Superman, we really need to talk." She prayed that he had heard her as she walked into the elevator lobby and pressed the up button. Clark was a few steps behind her, "L-Lois, I was wondering if I could run a little problem I have by you."

Lois had little interest in what she was certain was something trivial. A ding announced the elevator, and as she stepped into the in the empty car she turned to face him, "Maybe when I get back. I've got a busy day, so no promises."

Just as the doors were about to shut, Clark darted between them, saying "This can't wait any longer."

Lois began speaking as she turned to him, "Clark, I really don't have ti--". She gasped as she found Superman standing before her, dressed in the familiar blue tights and red cape.

"You had a right to know, and yes, we have a lot to talk about, though this might not be the right time and place for it. We've got a Paparazzi problem. They've grabbed a couple of empty suites across the street in the Hancock building and have got cameras and parabolic mikes trained on the roof. There will be no privacy there. They're also in boats on the river with cameras and mikes aimed at your house."

He placed a folded piece of paper in her hand, telling her, "Last night, I deployed Kryptonian relays to route this cell number into a signal that I'll hear anywhere in the world. I'll also be giving you and Jason new watches with a panic button built in so that you can quickly alert me in an emergency. We'll try to have them ready by the end of the week." As he noted Lois' still gaping mouth and wide eyes, he joked, "You can blink now, Lois." He couldn't help but smile at her reaction.

Lois closed her eyes and mouth, and shook her head vigorously. Clark is Superman? That just is not possible!

"Are you OK, Lois?" Superman asked.

She opened her eyes, and looked up at him. "Fine," she answered quickly. "Is this why you were nowhere to be found last night," she asked, holding up the folded paper.

"That's part of it. I also had a long talk with my mother in Smallville. She's anxious to meet her grandson, by the way." Superman paused briefly before continuing as his gaze fell to the paper in Lois' hand.

"Depending on what I'm doing at the time, I might not be able to speak immediately when you call that number --"

"Yeah, if you're out saving the world or something," Lois finished for him, still not quite get her head around the idea that she would have Superman's cell phone number.

"The world can wait. Our family comes first," Superman responded emphatically, paraphrasing what his mother had said to him the previous night. He added quietly, "If I'd known, I never would have left." He paused for a moment, trying to gage her reaction to that. She was still in shock. He continued, "There is a lot to talk about, and I'll tell you everything, but I think it might be best to let you absorb this bombshell before dropping any others."

They were seconds away from their arrival at the roof and as Lois looked at him, Superman moved at super-speed to don the out-of-style suite and glasses of Clark Kent, appearing to Lois briefly enveloped in a blur of colors. In literally the blink of an eye, Superman had transformed into Clark Kent. "Obviously, we'll need to keep this secret between us," he continued in Clark's higher pitched voice. "By the way, Jason knows I'm Superman - he saw right through the glasses... Well, not literally... I don't think... but he wasn't fooled." Was that a look of pride on his face? Clark continued, "He wanted to go flying with me. I told him that we'd have to discuss it with you."

Lois' mind was reeling at what she had just seen and heard. All she could manage was "Um, yeah..." She was broken from her thoughts as they heard the ding announcing the lift's arrival at the roof patio. The doors opened to two women coming back from their smoking break, snuffing out their cigarettes as they walked to the open elevator doors. Clark greeted the women in typical goofy Kent fashion.

"Are you guys getting out?" one of the women asked.

Clark shuddered a bit, answering, "We were going to, but it looks awfully windy out there, and with all the quake damage, I'm not so sure it's safe."

"Oh, it's fine out here," the woman informed him.

"I'll take your word for it," Clark responded. Then aside to Lois, he whispered, "We don't want to go out there." He trained his vision once again on the Paparazzi across the street, frowning as he did so. He slid over next to Lois, allowing the women to move into the elevator as he turned to her and again asked, "Are you sure you're OK?"

"Fine," Lois answered curtly.

Clark knew from her racing pulse that she was freaking out. She'd need time to absorb everything he had just told her. "Well, call me if you want to talk," he suggested politely while he turned and pushed the button for their office level and turned his gaze forward as the doors closed.

* * *

Jimmy Olsen was waiting in the elevator lobby when the elevator doors opened to the Daily Planet newsroom, "Hey, Mr. Kent, Ms. Lane!" he greeted. "I thought you were going up for some air."

"Hi, Jimmy! Um, it got a bit crowded up there and a bit too windy," Clark replied as he stepped off the elevator. Looking back, he inquired "Lois?" She was still in somewhat of a daze from his earlier revelations.

"What? Oh, right," she responded, following him off of the elevator, and heading back to her desk on autopilot. Clark settled back in at his desk, sneaking occasional glances over at her as she stared at her blank screen. Her pulse had slowed down slightly, but Clark knew she was still trying to get her head around what he'd revealed to her moments earlier.

As Lois sat in front of her screen, she recalled Clark's surprising revelation. Clark is Superman? All this time, he was right under my nose? She felt the pride swell within her as she recalled Clark's revelation that Jason had seen through him immediately. She also remembered his words in the elevator - "Our family comes first!" Family: Her, Jason and Superman. The intensity of his words had shocked her and she had seen the love in his eyes, as she recalled the hug shared by father and son the previous day and the remembered the identical rare blue eye color.

As she sat numbly at her desk, she imagined what the last five years would have been like if he hadn't left. Family trips anywhere on the globe at a moment's notice, or would he always be running off to save the world? He had said, "The world can wait - Our family comes first." Did that mean he would have tuned out the problems of the world to be there for them? She dropped her head in her hands. This would have been so much simpler if you hadn't left, she thought at him. She grew angry as she recalled her heartache at his sudden and unexplained disappearance and discovering her pregnancy. He had said he that wouldn't have left, if he had known. And what would they do now? How would Jason react to learning that Clark was his real father? The boy really liked Clark, and already knew that he was Superman...

She suddenly remembered why she had wanted to talk to him in the first place - Superman, that is. She hadn't said much in the elevator, and thus still didn't have an answer to the question that she had not asked. Some journalist! Alone in the elevator with the scoop of the century, and she could barely remember her own name. Not that she'd have gone to press with it, but still...

"Why don't I remember?" she whispered, glancing towards Clark as she said the words. He looked over at her, and began standing to come over, but she whispered "Sit down. I'm not ready to talk about this yet." Clark quickly sat back down.

Richard had noticed Lois' unusual demeanor and emerged from his office. Lois jumped when he gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "Has something happened?" he asked. Has something happened? she echoed in her thoughts. Has it ever. "I've just got a lot on my mind right now," she answered. "It's nothing." Oh my God, Richard! She had completely forgotten about him after Clark's bombshell. She felt guilty for having not even considered him in her reflections. This complicated things. What am I going to do now? Once again she felt her anger rise at Clark's absence. It was obviously his fault that things were now so complicated.

She moved her mouse to wake up her computer screen. Finally looking up at Richard, she informed him, "I need to get this article done by deadline, so if you don't mind..." Richard took the hint and offered, "I'll be in my office if you need anything." She looked back to see him retreat into his office before rubbing her face with her hands and trying to overcome her shock.

* * *

Somehow, Lois managed to get her expos� strung together, and even managed to press some of her contacts over the phone without sounding like a complete idiot. She wasn't sure how she managed that, Clark's revelation being front and center in her mind. She glanced again over to Clark's now empty chair. She hadn't noticed him leave. She looked up at the television monitors, expecting to see Superman saving the day somewhere, but apparently, the press hadn't caught up with him yet.

She thought about trying to sneak up to the roof for a cigarette, before remembering Clark's warning about Paparazzi and recalling her ambushes by them five years ago. They'd never gotten anything incriminating, the only shots of her with Superman being when she was one of many at the scene of his heroics. She didn't want Jason dragged into that.

Lois was interrupted from her thoughts by Perry's booming voice, "Kent! Lane! My Office!" Great, now I'm going to have to cover for him, she thought, but was surprised to find him taking the seat beside her in Perry's office.

"Lois, why are you still on that city contracts story? What's going on with Superman?" he bellowed. "Kent, you take the contract story, Lois, Superman!"

Normally, Clark would meekly accept whatever commands came from Perry, but after what he had just revealed to Lois, he really didn't want to be taking her stories from her. Besides, after his analysis in the fortress last night, and later in Gotham and in the newsroom, there was a bigger problem at hand. To everyone's surprise, Clark spoke up, "Chief, I think there is a bigger story here. We've been covering earthquake aftermath for four days now, and it looks like Superman took the night off last night. I think we should be more concerned about keeping the pressure on to reel in Public Enemy Number One."

Perry was a bit shocked to see Clark stand up to him for the first time, though Lois immediately understood his worry. She shared his fear as she thought to herself, Lex Luthor knows that Jason is your son! He needed to know about that. "Public Enemy Number One?" Perry questioned.

"All of this quake damage was caused by yet another insane plot by Lex Luthor to control the world, using stolen Kryptonian technology," Clark reminded him. "A quake that may end up costing billions of dollars of damage and which cost nearly three hundred people their lives. The same madman who stabbed Superman in the back with a Kryptonite shiv. He's still at large."

"That's old news. We don't even know if he survived!" Perry challenged.

Lois set her anger with Clark aside for the moment, and joined him in the argument. "We can't afford to underestimate him. We'll work the story together, maybe even get a statement from Superman, if we can." She noticed Clark grimace at her reference to Superman.

Perry was surprised at Lois volunteering to work with Clark, when she came as close to throwing a tantrum as any adult he knew every time he suggested that they work together. "What's going on here? Are you two up to something?"

Both Lois and Clark squirmed a little at that before Clark volunteered, "They found the helicopter from the Gertude on a small islet a few miles off the coast, out of gas. There were footprints in the sand and some animal droppings consistent with Luthor's girlfriend's Pomeranian. It looks like they got picked up by someone. Not by the coast guard, though. They'd have arrested the pair on the spot. They were likely picked up by either a private boat, or a merchant ship. We're currently working through our contacts at the Port Authority to try to identify which ships would have been in the vicinity over the past few days, and confirm if anyone came ashore from inbound ships without returning to the vessels."

"You two've been busy," Perry commented. "You could have come to me with this first, you know." Perry paused in thought for a moment. "Okay, you two work the story together. Keep me posted. And Kent..." Clark looked up as Perry called his name. "Looks like Lois is finally rubbing off on you. It's good to finally see you get some backbone." Lois smirked at that last statement, thinking to herself, You have no idea.

As they walked back out into the bullpen, Lois quietly whispered, "Think you could have told me about that earlier? Oh, and it was kind of a dirty trick springing that little surprise on me in the elevator like you did."

Clark noticed a trace of venom in her voice and offered a quick, "Sorry."

As they reached her desk, she looked at him, shaking her head, still not believing that Superman was behind those glasses. "Sounds like you have some pretty strong feelings about Lex Luthor," she probed.

After noting from the heartbeats around them that nobody else was within earshot, he whispered, "He's the greatest single threat to our family. He's got to be stopped."

Family. He said it again. She bowed her head, and whispered so quietly that only he could hear, "It's safe to assume that he knows about Jason. That makes him even more dangerous." She raised her head at looked up at him, seeing her own fear reflected in his face. She considered him for a moment before continuing, "We probably need to go somewhere and compare notes... about everything," she hinted. "The roof's obviously off limits. Any ideas?"

Clark frowned. After again verifying that they wouldn't be overheard, he whispered, "The Paparazzi are crimping our style a bit. We'll need to get a little ways away from their stake-out before we can get away unseen. Let's take a walk." Clark headed towards the elevators, Lois close behind him.

A few blocks away, Clark found what he was looking for. They entered one of the many office buildings populating the downtown area, and Clark guided Lois into the elevator. As she turned around to face the doors, she felt his hand and the small of her back and turned to find herself enclosed in Superman's arms as he lifted her up through the hatch in the top of the car and sped up through the elevator shaft. Lois spoke up, "Wherever we're going, we'll need to be back by 3:00 to get Jason from school."

Clark smiled at that before speaking, "I don't know if you remember the routine or not, but I won't be able to talk on the way, since I'll be using my breath to keep the wind off of you."

Lois was about to ask where they were going, but it was too late, they had gone super-sonic, heading North to God-Knows-Where.

* * *

Superman slowed down as the Fortress came into view, and Lois could barely perceive a transparent bubble around it. It seemed vaguely familiar, part of the dream that her waking mind would not let her remember. "You've brought me here before, haven't you?" she asked. Clark nodded as they set down on a platform outside the bubble. When he waved his hand in front of what seemed to be a pillar of ice, a blue beam of light shot up from the platform ten feet along the surface of the bubble before separating to review a doorway through it. "Security upgrades," was Superman's simple explanation. "We don't want any more thieves causing problems for us." The doorway closed behind them as he flew her into the center of the fortress.

Clark stretched his hands above the recessed console, causing it to grow to its operational height. He touched the console, ejecting one of the crystals, which Lois immediately recognized from Lex Luthor's yacht. He inserted the Crystal into another location and touched a few more controls, as Lois asked, "So... why couldn't we have just zoomed up the elevator at the Planet, instead of walking a half-mile across town?"

Clark gathered from her tone that she was a bit angry. He turned to her and explained, "I could have gotten out of there too fast for the Paparazzi to get any pictures, but not fast enough to guarantee that they wouldn't have seen us." At her look of confusion, he added, "If I had gone too fast, you wouldn't be able to take the acceleration." Clark touched a few more controls on the console, before turning to her. "I've turned on a cellular relay so that your phone will work here. I wouldn't want you to miss a call from Jason's school." He flew over to her at the crystal table where she was sitting, and inquired, "Where do you want to begin, the Story or the Secrets?"

"Maybe you can start by explaining to me why I can't remember us being together, when we obviously were!" she exclaimed irritably.

Clark frowned, and sat down opposite her. "It's a bit complicated." He fidgeted under her glare for a moment and after a deep sigh, he continued. "I'll try to simplify it as best I can. Okay, here's the short version. Yes, we were together. In fact, the plan was to spend the rest of our lives together. We were forced to re-evaluate those plans after Zod took over the Earth. It was a heart-breaking decision. For both of us. You were in a lot of pain, emotionally. The only way I knew to take away the pain was to suppress the memories causing it."

"What? You had no right --" Lois started, her anger back in full force.

"I thought I was doing the right thing. I was wrong, and I'm sorry," Clark offered.

"Sorry? You're sorry? Do you have any idea how badly I was freaking out when I found out I was pregnant?"

Clark bowed his head at that, not able to maintain eye contact any longer. "It was a mistake," he answered quietly. "It can be reversed, but you might want to wait a bit before --"

"Why would I want to wait?" Lois erupted. "I WANT MY MEMORIES BACK!"

"It could be a bit overwhelming," Clark explained, as he lifted his head to look into her eyes again. "You would not just be remembering something you had forgotten, you'd re-experience everything, which could be as emotionally draining now as it was then."

"I don't care! I want my memories back!" Lois demanded.

"Alright," Clark agreed. He'd suspected that she have little patience upon learning of her suppressed memories. "I'll need a little help from the technology here to properly restore your memories," he explained as he flew back over to the console. "It's a bit complicated isolating the suppressed memories from everything else."

As he touched the controls, a crystal chamber rose from the floor, with the side facing the console open. Lois noticed a woman's face appear in the pillars behind the chamber as it rose. "Lois, please enter the chamber, so that your memories may be restored," the woman requested, as Clark flew over to her to offer his assistance.

Lois waved him off angrily. "I can walk over there myself!" She entered the chamber and turned around to face him. Once the open side of the chamber had closed, a blue ray of light slowly descended across Lois' face. As it did so, she jolted with a start as the wave of re-experienced memories exploded through her mind: Niagara falls, The Polar Bear rug, Clark sacrificing his powers to be with her, Their night together, The trip home, Clark's encounter with the bully at the diner, General Zod, Ursa and Non taking over the Earth, Lex Luthor offering her to them as a high-value hostage, The battle in Metropolis, The battle at the Fortress, Thinking that they had stripped Clark of his powers again and his victory over the Kryptonian criminals, The heart-wrenching decision afterwards. Along with the facts came the emotions: Her love for Clark; Her despair at not being able to be with him.

In the space of less than a minute, she had relived all of her lost days. As the front panel of the chamber opened up, Lois was sobbing uncontrollably and Clark was there in an instant, gathering her in his arms. "It's different this time. It'll be alright," he consoled her. For several minutes the two just sat there. As her tears began to subside, Lois dared to open her eyes and she looked again to the woman's face in the pillar, this time immediately recognizing her as Clark's Kryptonian mother, Lara: the one who had stripped him of his powers when he asked permission to be with her. The chamber she had just exited also reminded her of that event. "Are you planning on giving up your powers again?" she asked, wide-eyed.

It was Lara who answered her question. "That won't be necessary this time. We've found a better solution."

"A better solution?" Lois echoed.

"Yes," Lara answered. "The reason Kal-El was asked to sacrifice his powers five years ago was to protect you. Consider what you experienced during the pregnancy and the subsequent birth and early childhood of your son, Jason. Movement in the womb, nursing, teething, and stubborn misbehavior during the child's early years of life. Though challenging in the best of circumstances, such things become life-threatening when that child possesses Kryptonian strength. The process Kal-El went through effectively turned off the genes responsible for those Kryptonian abilities in the DNA passed on to your children."

"It was the cleanest solution," Clark informed her, "but not the only one."

Lara continued. "There other solution is to turn off your child's Kryptonian genes in the early stages of pregnancy. You'd have to be diligent in monitoring for pregnancy, but it is a viable solution, and the one we will use should the two of you choose to be together."

Lois quietly considered this new information, along with Clark's words on family earlier. Clark obviously wanted to a life with her. She looked at him, her anger temporarily forgotten, and asked, "Do you still love me, Clark?"

He smiled and answered simply, "Yes, I do and I always will."

Lois lowered her head, resting it against his chest, and tightened her grip on him before quietly whispering, "I still love you, too." They remained entwined for several minutes, before Lois looked up, noticing that Lara was no longer there. Lois looked up at him, and asked, "So where do we go from here?"

"That's up to you," Clark answered. He paused, grimacing for a moment before he continued. "Richard is a good man who was there when I wasn't. I won't blame you for choosing him over me. I'd rather it was me, but there are complications with me, especially while Lex Luthor is at large."

Lois nodded her head, grumbling, "Why can't anything ever be easy?" After another moment enjoying his embrace, she pulled herself away and stood up. "Well, if we can remove Lex Luthor as a problem, things get a bit simpler. Let's get to work."

Chapter 7 - Aftermath

Day 2, Wednesday, 2:00PM, Superman's Arctic Fortress

Lois was impressed at the lengths Superman had gone in such a short time to try to track down Lex Luthor. He had showed her holographic displays in the Fortress tracking the movement of commercial ships and private boats along the coast outside of Metropolis. He was also tracking kryptonite radiation fields from the debris left from Luthor's kryptonite land mass and had feeds from the Coast Guard, Port Authority, and other Law Enforcement networks, courtesy of an anonymous colleague in Gotham. He was also monitoring her house, Jason's school and the Daily Planet building for suspicious activity, with Kryptonian Artificial Intelligence (the 'ghosts' of Superman's Kryptonian parents) on constant vigil, ready to alert Superman as necessary. As Superman, he had also paid personal visits to certain officials and officers, to focus the effort, and as reporter Clark Kent, he had pounded the pavement, pushing law enforcement sources for details on the manhunt. He'd also been making anonymous calls to share information he had acquired from the fortress, again to focus the effort.

Lois glanced at her watch. They still had another hour before they had to leave to get Jason. She turned to Clark and said, "One thing about all this still doesn't add up..." She bit her lip, losing herself in the memory for a moment before looking back up at him. "Lara said that by giving up your powers, our children would inherit your DNA with the genes turned off. Yet, our son hurled a half-ton grand piano thirty feet across a room at the psychopath that was trying to kill me... That piano must have been going at least fifty miles per hour when it hit the guy... Those genes don't seem to be in the 'off' position... How...?"

Clark eyes grew large at that revelation. "I have no idea," he admitted. He gazed down for a moment, hand on his chin as he mulled that over, "I wonder if..." he began, looking back up at her as he asked, "Did Luthor have kryptonite on the boat?"

Lois nodded. "He was waving a hollow kryptonite cylinder in our faces during his little tirade." She quietly added, "He noticed Jason go limp when he pulled the Kryptonite out, too. If that hadn't convinced him who Jason's father is, the piano toss surely did."

Clark shuddered unconsciously at what the madman might try to do with that information. He schooled his expression before looking up to Lois and sharing his thoughts. . "Maybe it was his immune system fighting back against the Kryptonite that somehow activated his dormant Kryptonian genes. We won't know for sure until we get him up here and get a look at him."

"So it's like a flipping a switch. He's 'super' now? What other powers will he have?" Lois inquired.

"I don't know," was his answer. After a brief pause, he added "We really need to get a look at him." Lois nodded in agreement.

"Will it be the same for any other children we have?'Normal', until kryptonite?" she asked, pausing a moment before she quickly added, "Hypothetically speaking, of course."

"I think we'd be able to manage turning the genes on and off here," he told her, smirking at her slip of the tongue.

Lois took exception to his smirking. "Just so you know... I'm still furious with you for taking my memories," she informed him. "We're going to have some issues to work out once this is all taken care of," she said, waving her hand towards the holograms.

"I know," he acknowledged sadly. Then, in a more cheerful tone, "Jason threw a piano? Is that what you were referring to in the hospital when you said that he had my strength?"

Lois nodded. She turned her attention to the data display holograms surrounding them, her gaze stopping at the kryptonite radiation field display. "Are we going to be able to get rid of all that kryptonite somehow?" she asked. "I don't want that stuff finding its way into the wrong hands, and you or Jason getting hurt by it."

"Neither do I," Clark answered. "It'll take some special handling, but yes, we'll get rid of it. We'll also need to implement some security updates at your house, Jason's school, and at the Planet."

"What have you got in mind?" Lois asked.

"I've worked out an... arrangement... with Wayne Enterprises," Clark revealed. "Their Reynolds Security subsidiary will offer to install the security system at the school as part of a 'community works' program, and they'll provide your home security system as well. They already have the maintenance contract for the Planet's alarm system, so the upgrades can be made under the guise of routine maintenance. Of course, there will be some undocumented upgrades to the equipment, such as Kryptonite sensors."

"How'd you talk them into all that?" Lois asked.

"I have a contact at Wayne Enterprises who arranged it," Clark informed her. "They're actually getting a bargain out of the deal." At Lois' confused expression, he explained, "In return for their assistance, I'll be lifting a number of their satellites into orbit. Considering that the average satellite launch costs about three million dollars, not to mention the delays waiting for a launch vehicle, which works out quite well for them." After a moment's delay, he added. "Of course, the arrangement is strictly off the record, and the 'launches' will be done secretly, in the middle of the night."

Lois' found that arrangement almost as shocking as learning that Clark was Superman. "Are you telling me that Superman got himself a job?" she joked.

Clark frowned at her characterization of the deal. "I wouldn't put it that way... I've asked them to devote a lot of resources to help us. They're also putting together the watches for you and Jason with the 'panic button' that I mentioned earlier. The fact of the matter is that even with all the things I can do, I can't do everything, be everywhere, at once. There's too much at stake and we need their resources. It's only fair that I offer something in return."

Lois lost herself in the displays for a moment as she considered that information. Finally, she turned to Clark and asked, "Are we going to be able to come up with something printable for Perry by the morning edition deadline? Something that won't tip your hand to Luthor?"

Clark nodded, and answered. "I've pretty much already got it put together in my head. Just need to type it up. We'll also need to work the phones and pound the pavement a bit tomorrow morning to follow up."

Lois looked at her watch again and informed Clark, "We'd better get going pretty soon. I'm still going to need to get my car from the parking garage before I pick up Jason. I hope we won't have to walk another half mile to avoid the Paparazzi seeing me fly with Superman..."

Clark touched a few controls on the crystal console, causing the holographic displays to go dark and the console to retract back into the floor. "I should be able to get us pretty close," he told her as he flew over to her, gathering her in his embrace, and flying her out of the Fortress to begin the trip back to Metropolis.

* * *

Lois wasn't sure how she had made it through the rest of the day. She made it to Jason's school on time to pick him up, afterwards reviewing the article outline with Clark, who then wrote most of it. She didn't feel that she deserved to share the byline as her mind reeled from the days revelations. 'Overwhelming' is an understatement, she thought. It seemed more like the recovered memories were the here and now, and that her life with Richard was the distant memory. Richard! This isn't fair to him. A wave of guilt rushed over her, as she looked down at her engagement ring and considered what she had been fantasizing about with Clark.

While they were putting the finishing touches on the article, or rather while Clark was putting the finishing touches on it with an occasion "uh huh" from Lois, she daydreamed about walking down the aisle to Clark, with Jason as the ring bearer. She imagined how the holidays would be with Clark and Jason, family vacations with Clark and Jason. It was all she could do to keep the smile off her face that she was sure would have looked as goofy as anything that Clark Kent usually offered.

As she noticed Richard guiding Jason back into his office, her stomach knotted. She had never had such fantasies about marrying Richard. In fact, she had only reluctantly accepted his proposal of marriage, after a delay of several days, and quickly squashed any discussion on actually planning a wedding. I feel like a first class tramp, she thought, wallowing in guilt for her feelings. Clark noticed the changing expressions on her face, and offered, "Try to get a good night's sleep tonight, Lois. Maybe things will be clearer in the morning."

Lois whispered, "Easy for you to say. You don't have to go home with him."

Clark glanced over to Richard's office as he insisted, "Give yourself a couple days to absorb everything that's happened."

Lois nodded in agreement. She was mentally exhausted from it all. She needed to clear her mind before she could choose between these two good men. Whatever that choice ended up being, she felt she had to come to a decision soon. She didn't want to string either of them along. And what about Jason? she thought to herself. She rationalized that if she did choose Clark, it would probably be least disruptive for Jason to make the change now, rather than drag things out for months or years. They could probably arrange for Richard to have plenty of time with him to minimize the emotional impact.

But Richard's been so good to both of us, Lois reminded herself. He opened both his heart and his home to Lois and her son. They had been happy together, hadn't they? But was it 'happy' happy, or just not unhappy? She tried to remember if her heart had ever raced with anticipation with Richard like it did with Clark. Could she have felt that way for him if there had never been a Superman? Or has Richard just been a convenience, she asked herself, not pleased with the implications. Lois despised women who took advantage of the men competing for their affection, leading them on. She now wondered if she had been unconsciously doing the same thing to Richard, as she fiddled with the engagement ring on her finger.

But Clark is Jason's real father, and the only one who can help him as his abilities develop, and nobody got her heart pumping like he did. He was her true love, and the one she'd dreamed of since he first caught her eye (and the rest of her, as she fell from a helicopter). But can the reality live up to the fantasy, she asked herself. "The world can wait," he had said. Would that mean that she wouldn't have to share him with the world, or just that he'd do his best to make sure he was there for the important things. And what would the world make of it if she chose Clark? The rest of the world? What about the rest of the office? My God, we all work together, Lois reminded herself. What a soap opera this could turn out to be! Would Richard and Perry take it out on Clark at the office?

Lois' internal debate raged on throughout the evening, which had been anything but relaxing. There had been an awkward silence between Lois and Richard during dinner, which Jason seemed to pick up on judging by the occasional look of confusion on his face as he looked between the two. She avoided conversation entirely with Richard, offering one or two word answers to any questions he chose to ask. After putting Jason to bed, she retreated to the home office, printing photos of Jason for the albums she had picked up for Clark and his mother. She paused as she picked up each one off of the photo printer, remembering the moment, and wondering how they might have been different if Clark had been around. She didn't hear Richard walk up behind her.

"What are you doing with all those pictures," he asked politely.

"Putting a couple of albums together," was her response, offering no more than the obvious.

"Who are they for?" he inquired. He knew something was bothering her, and was trying to be patient. Something was definitely off with her, and he hoped he could start a casual conversation and get her to relax enough that he could find out what was on her mind.

"Relatives," she answered.

Richard frowned. She certainly wasn't making things easy for him. He sat on the edge of the desk, placing his hand on her shoulder as he spoke patiently. "Lois, I know that something is bothering you, and you've been avoiding me all night. Are you mad at me for something? I can't apologize for something if I don't know what I did to piss you off."

Lois dipped her head, feeling the guilt over her treatment of him that night. She remained overwhelmed by the day's events: learning that Clark was Superman; that he still loved her and wanted to be with her; that it was possible for them to be together. She also realized that she loved him and wanted to be with him, too. She was no closer to a decision on the matter than she had been that afternoon, but she felt the guilt over her feeling for Clark and the impact that could have on Richard and Jason. She'd compensated by taking it out on Richard.

Her features softened somewhat as she looked up at him. "If anyone should apologize, it's me. I've got a lot on my mind, I'm stressing out, and taking it out on you. I'm sorry."

"Do you want to talk about it?" he questioned.

"I don't think I can," she answered quietly. Richard nodded in resignation. Lois wasn't quick to share her thoughts, especially when something was really bothering her. She preferred working things through on her own, and to some extent, had always kept Richard at arm's length, emotionally. Richard knew how futile it could be to get her to open up.

"Is there anything you can tell me?" he asked.

Lois shook her head. "I just need some time alone to sort things out," she answered.

"Alright, but I'm here for you if you decide you want to talk about it later," Richard reminded her. As he turned and walked away, he added "I'm heading up to bed. I'll see you in a little bit." Had he still be looking back at Lois, he would have seen her head snap up with a look of horror on her face at that innocent statement.

Chapter 8 - The Day After

Day 3 Thursday 5:30AM, Atlantic Ocean, 25 Nautical Miles Due East of Metropolis

The ocean offshore was relatively calm as the sun began to peek over the horizon to the east, with the lights of Metropolis barely visible to the west. The calm was suddenly disrupted as an armor-clad figure emerged from the ocean surface and into the sky, pulling an enormous net behind him that spanned 250 feet at its widest point, and twice that length vertically. For the last few hours, Superman had been removing the kryptonite debris left from the kryptonite land mass, protected by body armor with specially tuned shielding to block the kryptonite radiation, while allowing the sun's sustaining energy to pass through.

It was tedious work. He had gathered the larger boulders and fragments first, hurling them into space from his position beneath the waves. That left the litter on the ocean floor, which included some pieces as small as a coin. Those had been collected in the net, a commercial steel alloy net provided by Wayne Enterprises, which he'd strengthened using Kryptonian technology. The debris within the net that he was currently dragging into space was the last of the remnants of Luthor's monstrous creation, as confirmed by the instruments built into his armor. He had been determined to get it all, for Jason's sake as well as his own.

Superman sped with the kryptonite burden high above the plane of the solar system, before repositioning it for its trip to a Jovian burial in several months when it finally reached the gas giant. He didn't want to risk ricochets through the asteroid belt sending something to Earth or collisions with other inhabited worlds by sending the debris outside the solar system. Thus, he soared four light-minutes above the earth before redirecting the captured material to Jupiter.

Once the netted fragments were on their way, Superman next moved to catch up with the other fragments and boulders that he had thrown into space prior to bringing up the net. It would have taken an unbearable amount of time to bring them up one at a time, especially given the need to slow his speed to avoid burning up his protective suit on entering the Earth's atmosphere. With all the debris now safely out of Earth's atmosphere, his speed was not limited as he moved to each one and redirected it to his target. His chore now complete, Superman sped back towards the Earth, slowing his speed on re-entry to that within the tolerance of his armor's heat shielding. He removed the helmet as he made his way north to his arctic fortress to shed the armor, before returning to his Metropolis hotel room and an hour's sleep.

* * *

Richard wasn't sure what to make of Lois' recent behavior as they waited for the elevator to bring them up to the newsroom. When he had woken this morning, he had noticed that she wasn't in bed with him, and found her asleep downstairs on the couch. She'd been a bit more cordial this morning than she had been last night, but still unusually quiet. As they began the work day, she was once again oblivious to everything but the coffee that she picked up from Starbucks on the way in.

Richard couldn't recall ever seeing her quite like this before and was starting to worry. He wondered if she had been more traumatized than she let on during the ordeal aboard Lex Luthor's yacht, which had nearly killed them all. She had refused to discuss it beyond what she had written in her story about it afterwards and made it clear in no uncertain terms that Jason was not to be questioned on it either. That only reinforced his impression that something had happened there. He wished she would trust him with it, but knew he couldn't force the issue. As he looked over at her, his curiosity was again triggered by the extra bag she carried with her this morning, a plastic checkout bag holding the two photo albums of Jason that she had put together the night before for some unidentified relatives, along with the photo DVDs that she had created of the same pictures.

Richard pulled himself from his thoughts as the loud ding announced their floor, following Lois through the open doors and acknowledging the cheerful greetings from Clark and Jimmy. He was sure that they also noticed something off with Lois, judging by the quickly masked expressions of concern that flashed over their faces when they saw her. He concluded that she needed some time away and began to contemplate where he could take her to bring back the Lois he had known just a couple weeks ago. Maybe his Uncle Perry and Aunt Alice could watch Jason while they were gone...

Clark was also worried about Lois. When he had learned that there was an option to both be Superman and be with her, he had followed his heart (and his mother's wishes) and told Lois everything. However, his original plan had been to spread it out over several days in easily digestible pieces. For her to be hit with everything in the span of a few hours had to be overwhelming, and it looked like sleep had been a stranger to her last night. He doubted she was in a good mood and she had been livid over the lost memories. As he heard Lois and Richard exit the elevator, he turned to offer them his usual goofy greeting. He couldn't prevent the ear to ear grin that spread across his face when he saw what Lois had with her that morning. He'd mentioned yesterday that he and his mother wanted pictures of Jason, but hadn't imagined that Lois would put together photo albums so quickly! It looked like he'd be making a trip to Smallville later that day.

As Lois settled in at her desk, ignoring everyone around her, she grumbled almost inaudibly under her breath, too quietly for anyone other than Clark to hear. "'Get a good night's sleep,' he says.'Things will be clearer in the morning,' he says. How was I supposed to get any sleep at all when there is absolutely no way that I could have shared a bed last night with my... um, 'roommate?'" She didn't bother to glance over at Clark. He was grateful for that, because he was sure he was sporting an obvious blush at her words.

Despite her claim to the contrary, Lois had actually gotten some sleep. It helped having her memories back - she was no longer confused over Jason's paternity. However, the internal struggle between her feelings for Clark and her feelings for Richard was enough to make it a fitful sleep. Despite convincing herself that they'd be able to minimize any disruption to Jason if she chose a relationship with Clark, she still worried about the effect it would have on him. She also had no idea where she would go if she were to leave Richard now. Clark didn't even have a place for her to move into, and even if he did, given what Lex Luthor knew about Jason, that would put the whole family in danger. Family. It didn't feel strange thinking of Clark as family anymore. She allowed herself a small smile at that.

She reached for the Planet's morning edition sitting on her desk, looking for the story that she and Clark had turned in the previous day, and was pleased to find it on the front page. Below the fold, but still front page, with a menacing picture of Lex Luthor's bald head. Her story on the city's dubious reconstruction contracts was on page 3. Well, today she was determined to pull her own weight, something that simply had not been possible the previous day after Clark's bombshell. Why couldn't he have waited until after deadline to spring that on me? she thought to herself. She set aside the morning paper, pulled open one of her contacts binders, and started working the phones, pressing for any new information on the hunt for Lex Luthor. Clark also appeared to be working the phones and was in and out. Lois guessed that if he got a good lead that he was checking it out as Superman.

Late that morning, Lois looked over to his desk, relieved that he was there this time, and walked over to him. "Anything promising?" she asked.

Clark frowned, "More a case of eliminating possibilities. All of the commercial vessels that were in the vicinity of the islet have checked out. Everything is accounted for. That probably means a private boat. I've been pounding the pavement at the marinas to see if there have been any reports of missing boats or people. The problem is that a lot of the folks who might have been out or would have noticed someone missing aren't there during the week. The Metropolis PD is canvassing the marina members, but they have limited manpower for that and it could take some time."

Lois couldn't avoid shuddering at that, knowing all too well the menace of Lex Luthor's company. "It's probably too much to hope for that no one will get hurt," she commented.

"Probably," Clark agreed. "The best we can hope for is that his victims will recover." Turning to her, he asked, "What have you turned up?"

"Well, it seems that Luthor has cleaned out the Vanderworth estate," she informed him.

"We already knew that he had swindled that poor widow," Clark pointed out.

Lois shook her head, "The will was almost immediately contested by the family, but some cracks in the system allowed Luthor to transfer the entire portfolio offshore. Freezing the assets here won't do any good, because all that's left is some real estate and the yacht that sank last Friday. The feds are trying to follow the money, but Luthor did a pretty thorough job of covering his tracks."

Clark dipped his head into his steepled hands for a moment to consider that before looking up from his seat and noting, "Those resources will make him even more dangerous." He turned his chair to face her. "I meant what I said to Perry yesterday about keeping Luthor in the public consciousness. I don't want him to be able to hide. Do you think that the pillaging of the Vanderworth estate can make the front page?"

"I'm writing it, aren't I?" she teased as she smiled. Dropping to a whisper, she inquired, "I assume you saw what I've got in that plastic bag?" Clark nodded, his frown growing into the typical Clark Kent goofy grin. "Richard caught me by surprise when I was putting them together last night," she revealed to him. "I told them they were for relatives, so we can't let him see you carrying them out of here. We'll have to sneak them out later." Clark acknowledged her warning with a nod.

After allowing his mind to dwell on the pictures for a moment, Clark pulled himself back to the business at hand, suggesting, "We should also get a story out there about the risk to private boating that Lex Luthor represents. Maybe someone will come forward who we wouldn't otherwise have heard from until the weekend. I'll get started on that one. Should we update Perry before or after we write the articles?" Clark asked, already knowing the answer.

"Definitely after," Lois answered, "when it's too late to reassign us to different stories." She spun around and headed back to her desk, looking forward to making Luthor's life on the run as uncomfortable as possible.

Clark and Lois had their articles fleshed out fairly well by lunchtime, when they had arranged to hand off the photo albums. Lois had waited to see Richard on the phone hunched over a notepad before making a sprint to the elevators with the photo albums. There were more people heading down than up at that time of day, so she had no problem finding an empty elevator car going up. Clark had changed out of his civilian clothes and dropped down through the top hatch of the lift and accepted the albums from Lois, afterwards accelerating up through the elevator shaft too fast to be seen by the Paparazzi nest. He sped to Smallville to surprise his mother, while Lois rode the elevator back down to the lobby and walked out to the deli down the street for lunch.

Richard had looked up from his notepad in time to notice Lois' sprint to the elevators, plastic bag in hand. He frowned, realizing that she was intentionally ditching him. He had planned on joining her for lunch and suggesting a weekend getaway. He pulled himself back from his thoughts and returned to his conversation. "Sorry, Hank, what was that last part again?" Richard asked. He'd have to consider Lois' odd behavior later, as he immersed himself back in his conversation.

* * *

Shortly after lunch, Lois and Clark were sitting quietly in Perry White's office awaiting his judgment on their articles. Richard had been discussing another matter with Perry when they arrived at Perry's office and had remained, mostly out of curiosity. Perry leaned back in his chair, his gaze going up to the ceiling as he considered their work. "We'll save it for the morning edition," he finally announced. "It's good work. Do you have anything solid for a follow-up?"

"A lot of the boat owners at the Marina aren't there during the week," Clark informed him. "We should be able to dig for more when they're back on Saturday morning, if we can catch them before they launch into the bay."

"Sounds like you've got it all under control, Clark," Richard commented, hoping that their story would not interfere with his plans to take Lois away for the weekend.

Perry added, "Go ahead and hit the marinas Saturday morning, Kent, but if you come up empty, that's about all we can devote to it, unless Luthor pops up somewhere."

"Chief!" Lois objected, "There's more here if we dig deep enough. Luthor is a clear and present danger to every civilized human being on this planet, and we owe it to society to keep digging." Lois and Clark were back to their old selves, Lois being the one to object to Perry's judgments, and Clark timidly accepting whatever was handed to him.

"I think there's more here," Clark agreed, before being drowned out by Lois' arguments. He gladly kept quiet and let her carry the water, as Perry again was pushing her for more Superman stories. The ensuing discussion left Lois reassigned to continue her city contract story follow-up, and Clark continuing to follow the trail for Lex Luthor. Perry make it clear to Lois that he expected another Superman exclusive, however.

As they left Perry's office, Richard caught Lois by the elbow, "Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked as he guided her into his office.

"After everything that's happened, I think we need get away for a few days, maybe fly up to the Cape for a long weekend," Richard suggested. "Perry's already agreed to the time off, and he and Alice will watch Jason while we're gone." It was never easy talking Lois into taking time off, but he wasn't expecting the look of shock that he now saw on her face.

"I can't," she said quietly. "I won't, especially not now."

Richard sighed deeply, "What's going on, Lois? I know the ordeal on the yacht was... stressful. But for the last day or so, you've been going out of your way to avoid me, both here and at home. What's happened that you don't think that you can share it with me?"

"Nothing," was her quick response, as she turned to leave his office.

"Lois, please don't shut me out," he insisted, as he gently set his hand on her shoulder. "You didn't even want to tell me who those photo albums were for, spiriting them out of here while I was on the phone. Can you even tell me about that?"

"Richard, I know I've been tough to live with the last couple of days, but please don't push this," she told him sympathetically. "I've still got to sort through everything, and I have to do it alone. Just let it be."

Richard gently said to her, "You do remember that I love you, right? You don't have to do this alone. Trust me."

Lois was quiet for a moment, her gaze dropping to the floor. Trust, she thought. I wonder how much trust you'd have in me if you knew who my thoughts have been with. She sat back down on the couch in the office, face in her hands, silent in thought. She knew that at some point she'd have to reveal that Jason's real father was back in the picture, regardless of which man she chose for her future. She dropped her hands, her gaze towards the floor, as she blinked back unshed tears. There wasn't anything that she could tell him. Not without discussing that with Clark first.

"It's not a question of trust," she finally said. Looking up at him, she added, "Try to understand that I need to get my head around everything on my own. I know that this is upsetting for you and for that I'm sorry, but you're going to need to be patient with me a while longer. Please don't make an issue out of this."

"Lois, we --" Richard began, before being cut off by Lois.

"I'm sorry, Richard, but we can't have this conversation right now," Lois decreed. "We both have work to do. I've got to go." She stood up, and quickly left his office and returned to her desk. Once there, she dropped her head in her heads and quietly said in a barely audible whisper, "Clark, he at least needs to know that not only that he is not Jason's biological father, but that the man who is his real father is back in the picture, even if we don't tell him who that is. I can't string him along believing that nothing has changed. We're going to need to talk about this." Raising her head and wiping an errant tear from her cheek, Lois dove back into her work.

Clark was troubled by what he had just heard from Richard's office and was blaming himself for the turmoil. Lois had been right - Richard was a good man. He'd been there when Clark wasn't, was devoted to both Lois and Jason, and had risked his life trying to save them from Luthor's yacht. The current circumstances were hardly fair to him, and there would be no easy way to tell him of Jason's true paternity. He recalled the heartache he had felt upon his return and discovering the family picture of Lois with Richard and Jason, and wished that there was some way that Richard could be spared that same pain.

Chapter 9 - Sunshine

Day 3, 3:05PM, Thursday, Metropolis

Though the day had begun as a bright and sunny one, the clouds had moved in after lunch, casting a dreary hue over the city and a light drizzle was now coating it. Above the clouds the outlook was much more agreeable, the sunshine being thoroughly enjoyed by a figure floating high above, eyes closed, face towards the sun, and arms stretched to the side as he open and closed his fists. He was clearly oblivious to the dreariness below the clouds and all of the problems of the world. He didn't rest there long, knowing how little time he had for his indulgence. As he opened his eyes, Jason craned his head back to look into his father's eyes as he rested on his chest, basking in the sun.

After her exchange with Richard, Lois had decided it would be a good idea to grant Jason's request to go flying with Superman. She had handed the boy off in the parking garage of one of the older office buildings near Jason's school -- one which Clark had confirmed had no surveillance cameras.

"How's the sun feel, Jason?" Superman asked the boy. The smile on his face was nearly as wide as his son's. He had never imagined it possible to experience the profound joy that now infused him during this quality time alone with his son.

"Good," the tyke answered. "Mommy says that it's the sun that makes you strong."

Superman nodded, "Though it strengthens me directly, in a way, everyone gets their strength from the sun."

"Can we go somewhere now, and fly really fast?" the boy asked. He enjoyed basking in the sun, but he wanted to go flying, which to him meant moving.

"Sure we can," Superman answered, and he zoomed across the Atlantic with the boy. A few minutes later he pointed out the Eiffel Tower in the Paris night as he gave the boy a brief history of the city and its more prominent landmarks. It was a short lesson though, because of their scheduled rendezvous with Jason's mother.

Lois looked at her watch as she shut her car door and pressed the lock button on her key ring. It was 3:25PM, Clark had promised to be back with Jason by the time she got to the office, which was across the street from the parking garage. She pulled her purse straps up higher on her shoulder, and headed to the exit, wondering where and when Clark would show up. As she opened the heavy steel door to the stairwell, she recognized her son's giggling behind her, and turned to see her boy in the arms of Clark Kent, who was now in civilian dress, both father and son with huge ear-to-ear smiles on their faces. It seemed those smiles were contagious enough to spread to Lois' face as well.

"We're back," Jason announced, as Clark set him down.

"Did you have a good time, sweetheart?" Lois inquired, her son's enthusiastic smile lifting her mood.

"We went to Paris!" he announced, "And we saw the Eiffel Tower!"

"Paris?" Lois inquired, as she looked up to Clark, as he pushed the constantly slipping glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

"It was on the way," was his simple answer. "I'd better get going. I'll see you upstairs." After a quick look at the garage's surveillance cameras to verify the system's blind spots, Clark quickly walked around the corner and disappeared.

Lois returned her attention to the tyke, who had begun reciting his brief Parisian history lesson for his mother.

Paris, Lois thought to herself, her smile growing at her son's adventure. Maybe he'll take me with him next time. As they reached street level in the stairwell, Lois knelt down so that she was at eye level with her son. "Jason, sweetheart, you remember what we talked about earlier? You can't tell anyone else about your after-school adventure today. Only Clark and I can know about that, understand." Lois regretted having to use the code-speak with him that she and Clark had agreed on, always assuming that there could be someone listening in. This time, however, the circumstances were simple enough that she wasn't worried about him understanding.

Jason nodded, "I know, Mommy. Clark told me that, too."

"Well, come on munchkin, let's get moving," she told him, as she pushed open the door of the parking garage, and headed across the street to the Daily Planet building.

Chapter 10 - Manhunt I

Day 4, Friday, 3:00AM, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

There was no moon this night, which made the Wayward Wanderer difficult to see from the shores of Rehoboth Beach, if not impossible. Lex had cruised by Thursday afternoon, carefully noting his landmarks and GPS position for tonight's trip ashore. The lights along the beach and streets gave him some guidance, but it would still take some skill and luck to hit his marks. Beside him, Kitty quietly dreaded the odyssey ahead of them, but held her tongue. Her sarcastic comments had not been heard since witnessing Lex's grisly murder of the friendly old couple who had picked them up from the islet. She sat quietly behind him, clutching her Pomeranian, hoping to at least spare the dog from Lex's temper. He'd planned on killing it, concerned that its barking would give them away. It was the discovery of Nancy Wilson's sleeping pills that saved the pooch, which had been force-fed to it earlier, and it was now sleeping in Kitty's arms.

Lex squinted as he peered into the darkness and checked his position once more before easing the boat into the shallow water near the beach. Once the keel hit bottom, the pair scrambled over the bow, and after setting down the slumbering canine, Lex and Kitty rocked the boat free from the bottom, and let it drift offshore in the shallow water. Though it was unlikely to drift far, Lex hoped it would remain far enough away to avoid inspection until the two were well on their way and their trail sufficiently cold.

They scrambled up the beach, leaving the dog behind. Once they made sure that they hadn't been seen, they adjusted their stride, walking slowly down the road, with Kitty hanging on Lex's arm. They would appear as any other neighborhood couple out for a stroll, the only giveaway being the duffel bag that they carried with supplies from the boat and their dripping wet pants, which had been soaked below the knees from their excursion in the shallow water off the beach. As they walked, Lex surveyed their surroundings for appropriate transportation, preferably in a poorly lit area. After several blocks, he found a Saturn Ion that fit their requirements, and with the help of the tools packed in the duffel, they were on their way to Lex's safe house in Baton Rouge.

* * *

Friday, 8:30AM, Daily Planet Newsroom, Metropolis

As Lois and Richard walked off the elevator and into the newsroom, the tension between them was palpable. Richard, who consistently maintained an upbeat cheerful outlook at the office, had trouble keeping the frown off his face this morning, after discovering that Lois had spent a second consecutive night on their couch. He had trouble accepting her admonition to not read anything into it, but he couldn't accept that. He wondered if her obvious infatuation for Superman was a factor. She obviously did have a lot on her mind, as he had caught her staring off into space or at her blank computer screen a few times, before being brought out of her reverie by his voice. What happened? he caught himself wondering.

Lois was much better rested this morning, her disposition bordering on cheerful. Though she had spent another night on their living room couch, she had slept much better, dreaming of a family life with Clark. In her slumber, she had dreamt of giving birth to their second child, this time with him in the delivery room with her, while Jason anxiously waited outside with his grandparents. Once she awoke, she reminded herself that they hadn't made any decision on the matter. Nonetheless, the morning found a smile on Lois face, as she returned Jimmy's greeting.

Lois settled in, looking over to Clark's desk and noticing one of Jason's drawings. It was of Superman, of course. She quickly scanned the newsroom for Clark, wondering where he was this morning. She realized that it was entirely appropriate for her to be looking for him, given their collaboration on the Search for Lex Luthor investigative reports and the two resulting front page articles in the morning edition. "Hey, Jimmy," Lois hollered, "Is Clark out sick again?"

Jimmy shook his head, "He's at Coyer's Marina. There've been some developments in the Lex Luthor manhunt."

Lois eyes grew large at the mention of the name. "Did they get him?" she asked hopefully.

Jimmy shook his head again, "No, he's still on the run, but they have some more clues. That's all I know. You'll have to ask Clark for details when he gets back." As Jimmy finished speaking, Lois was already heading back to the elevator lobby, pulling out her cell phone.

* * *

Friday, 8:50AM, Coyer's Marina, Metropolis

Lois found Clark at slip 113 at the Coyer's Marina on the Northern end of Metropolis Bay, talking with the boat owner. He wasn't able to go into much detail over the phone, and had instead summarized that they thought they found the boat that took Luthor off of the islet. Clark finished his conversation, shaking the man's hand, and then walked up to greet Lois, guiding her over to the tables on shore.

"So what's the full story?" she asked.

"They found a boat on Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, drifting about 30 feet offshore. Not a soul aboard. It triggered a "hit" in the electronic dragnet --" Clark began.

"Your friend in Gotham, right?" Lois inquired.

Clark nodded before continuing, "I got the alert around 6:30 this morning - some early morning joggers had called it in. A rather close look at the boat showed a frighteningly large amount of human blood protein on the deck, and Lex Luthor's fingerprints. Superman traced the likely route the boat would have taken from the islet Luthor had been tracked to and recovered two bodies, which he turned over to the Coast Guard. They were weighed down by the boat's anchor, their throats slit." Lois closed her eyes and took a deep breath at the news. Nobody was safe from that monster.

When she opened her eyes back up, Clark continued, "The boat's registration number led back here. The bodies most likely are those of George and Nancy Wilson, a retired couple who headed out to visit family in Georgia the day after... the day after Superman fell. The neighbors tell me that they usually take the scenic route down, stopping in a dozen or more vacation spots before finally getting to wherever they're going. They probably hadn't been missed yet."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Lois asked.

Clark smiled. "Make sure this gets on page one," he answered. "Most of what I just told you comes from an unofficial source. We still need to find official sources for the story, even if they're anonymous. And then we need to write the best story we can, and give that monster nowhere to hide."

Lois nodded her agreement, and joined him as they walked back down the pier.

* * *

Day 8, Tuesday, 10:00 AM, Northeast of Greensboro, North Carolina

Lex was listening to an AM news station as he drove down I-85 towards Greensboro. They'd jumped off the expressway before dawn, cruising through an apartment complex parking lot in Oak Hall, Virginia and 'exchanged' the Ion for a Taurus station wagon, swapping license plates while they were at it. The plate from the original Saturn that they had stolen was now on an identical vehicle from the same parking lot. Lex had hoped that would throw the authorities off the trail. They had exchanged the wagon for a PT Cruiser an hour ago in a parking garage.

His hope of the Wayward Wanderer drifting offshore had not been realized. Not only had it not drifted far offshore, it was immediately linked to them, along with the stolen Saturn. Superman had been on the scene, joining the dragnet shortly after 6:30AM and had recovered the stolen Saturn a half hour later. The newswoman on the radio had taken great amusement in describing how Superman had then flagged down a local police officer, flying off with the policeman's cruiser, policeman still inside, to take him to the stolen vehicle.

Later in the morning, the news had reported Superman seen flying at extreme speeds above the roadways of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia, for reasons unknown. Unknown until a few minutes ago, when the breaking news was that Superman had recovered the second vehicle that Lex had taken from the parking garage that morning.

Lex frowned at the news. The Man of Steel was hunting him. Lex hoped that their luck would hold and that the owner of the vehicle that Lex was now driving wouldn't report it stolen until lunch time. If they were real lucky, the owner had carried his lunch today. Lex reviewed their map, a US Road Atlas taken from the boat. He had planned to swap vehicles again in Winston-Salem after lunch, but they'd have to move up their plans. Superman was clearly working closely with the police on this, and would probably have a short list of vehicles to work from after lunch. They'd pull off in Burlington for another 'exchange.'

* * *

12:45PM, Burlington, North Carolina

Superman floated down to the top of the parking garage, gently setting the sheriff's cruiser down in front of him, first the front wheels, then shifting his position to the back of the vehicle, as he reintroduced the rear wheels to the concrete. Walking around to the driver's side door, he motioned toward the down ramp as he spoke to the deputy, "It's down on the third level, if you'll follow me." With that, Superman floated up and flew slowly down the ramp to the stolen PT Cruiser.

As the deputy exited his car, still somewhat in shock from the impromptu flight, he approached the car. "We want to preserve the crime scene," Superman told him. "I don't want Lex Luther to have any basis to appeal this time. I've already scanned the vehicle, and identified his fingerprints in the car, along with Kitty Kowalski's." The deputy nodded, as Superman continued. "This vehicle was reported stolen out of Rocky Mount about a half hour ago. He probably took another vehicle from here. Have any vehicles been reported stolen this morning? I'll need the make, model and the VIN."

"I'll call it in," the deputy offered. "You'll want the plate number, too, won't you?"

"I can't rely on it," Superman told him, "Luthor has been stealing and swapping license plates, too. I can see the VIN from the air, and that should be enough for me to track it down." The deputy nodded, and returned to his cruiser to contact the dispatcher.

As Superman was learning about a recently stolen Hyundai Azera in Burlington, Lex and Kitty were sitting in that missing car, parked in a downtown parking garage in Winston-Salem, watching for people returning from lunch. A woman had just pulled her Honda Civic into an empty spot, and walked briskly to the structure's elevator. After a quick look around, Lex and Kitty rushed over to the vehicle, as Lex quickly inserted his makeshift tools between the glass of the driver's side door and its weatherstripping and unlocked the door. Another minute and the two resumed their journey in the hot-wired vehicle.

Chapter 11 - Manhunt II

Day 4, 1:15PM, Friday, Daily Planet Newsroom, Metropolis

Clark had been in and out of the newsroom all day, as he "followed leads." He and Lois had presented the meat of the story to Perry, with the caveat that they still needed to confirm some of the facts from reliable sources and that their sources were still reporting on the manhunt as new developments came up. Perry was thrilled by the story they'd revealed, and kept out of their hair and they continued to chase down leads. Clark kept Lois up to date on the vehicle recovery, while she tried to follow up with the appropriate law enforcement agencies, with a small delay to make it believable that she could have been tipped off by someone other than Superman. He had just informed Lois of the recovered Hyundai from Winston-Salem.

"We have no choice now but to wait for the next 'tip,'" Clark informed Lois. "Police are canvassing local businesses around that parking structure, asking everyone to check their vehicles. Hopefully we won't have to wait until the end of the day for a lead."

"I know," Lois agreed. "I just want that monster off the street." Looking down, she whispered his earlier words back to him, "He the biggest single threat to our family."

"We'll get him," Clark promised. "He can't hide forever."

By the time the afternoon edition deadline had arrived, Clark and Lois had submitted a very thoroughly researched and detailed special report on Lex's landfall, Murder on the High Seas by Lois Lane and Clark Kent. Perry was delighted with it. The pair was now developing a follow up story on the manhunt for Lex Luther for the morning edition, which they hoped would end with Luthor in custody.

* * *

5:00PM, Anderson, South Carolina

Lex was getting nervous. News reports were all about the manhunt for him, and according to reports, Superman had recovered the last vehicle 40 minutes after it was reported stolen, and 10 minutes after being told about it. The owner of the Civic he was currently driving would discover it missing at any moment. Lex pulled off the road, and found his way to a shopping mall. Once there, he identified a suitable Ford Focus, and two minutes later, he and Kitty were back on their way. He'd have to risk more frequent swaps, to keep the Kryptonian off his trail.

Kitty was getting tired, and finally found her voice, complaining about her hunger and the infrequent bathroom breaks. Lex explained her yet again, that with their pictures all over the news channels, they could not risk stopping for food until they reached their safe house in Louisiana. Lex was beginning to regret not selecting something closer to Metropolis for the safe house.

By 6:30PM, they had reached Atlanta, Georgia, having slipped through the Man of Steel's net again. Though it hadn't been reported to the news channels, Superman had found the Civic a half hour after they had abandoned it. Lex had figured this out, reading between the lines of the news reports of Superman zooming over the highways and sightings in specific towns -- towns where they had left stolen cars. He pulled into the packed parking lot of an Olive Garden restaurant, and drove out a few minutes later in a Toyota Corolla, as they continued their journey, jumping off of I-85 again in Madras and Grantville, South Carolina and in Opelika, Alabama for additional vehicle exchanges, not knowing how far ahead of the Man of Steel he truly was.

* * *

7:35PM (Central Time), Opelika, Alabama

Superman was getting frustrated as he scanned the Chrysler Sebring in Opelika, once again identifying the fingerprints of Lex Luthor and Kitty Kowalski. Judging by the heat from the engine, he hadn't missed them by more than 10 minutes. As before, he found the nearest law enforcement officer, brought her to the scene to secure the crime scene, and inquired on recently reported stolen vehicles. He only hoped that the next time, he'd catch up with them before they switched cars.

Superman had heard the dispatcher inform the deputy that there had been no stolen vehicles reported. As the deputy stepped out of her cruiser, Superman informed her, "It probably hasn't been noticed yet. Thank you for your trouble." With that, Superman flew off, waiting and listening for the clue that would capture Lex Luthor.

* * *

9:45PM (Central Time), Greenville, Alabama

Lex and Kitty sat in the front seat of the Dodge Stratus that they had carjacked from Opelika two hours earlier. After what had to have been a few close calls, Lex concluded that the only way to shake the Man of Steel off the trail was to make sure that the vehicle didn't get reported stolen, and that meant bringing the owner with them. The unfortunate owner in this case had been a 17-year old girl that Lex had spotting walking to her car parked at the side of a convenience store - the side without glass windows. Kitty had pulled their car behind her, as Lex jumped out and forced the girl into the car with the knife to her throat. Once Kitty had parked the Sebring and joined him, they resumed their journey, arriving in Montgomery an hour ago. The girl was alive, but bound and gagged in the trunk.

Lex had decided against traveling overnight. Given the attention that Superman had devoted to the chase, it was unlikely that he was going to call it a night any time soon. It also seemed likely to Lex that it would be too easy for Superman to search through the lower overnight traffic volumes to seek them out. Thus, they were now cruising through the East side of Montgomery looking for another victim to carjack: Someone whose parents wouldn't be checking up on them. Once they had another replacement vehicle, they've find someplace in town to whole up until the morning and resume their journey.

* * *

11:25PM (Central Time), Greenville, Alabama

Superman dug his fingers into the metal below the seam on the trunk lid of the Dodge Stratus and forced it open. As he pulled the ropes loose from Samantha Harding and removed the duct tape that covered her mouth, the girl's emotions burst forth as if released with her bonds and she began crying hysterically. "It's over," Superman told her. "You're safe." He helped her from the trunk and held her gently in his arms as the girl cried.

The missing person report filed by her parents had triggered another 'hit' by the electronic dragnet that Wayne Enterprises had provided for him and had 'paged' him 20 minutes earlier. As the girl cried, she was unaware of being lifted into the air, until she happened to look away as Superman was slowly floating down to a local Sheriff's deputy, who had been questioning the intentions of a group of five teenage boys.

"Excuse me, Deputy Williams!" Superman hailed him, after reading his name badge. "This girl needs your help." The deputy and the teenagers were awestruck by the descending Man of Steel. Seeing him on television was one thing, but they were completely unprepared for the imposing presence he had in person.

"Wh-What's happened here?" the deputy asked.

"I've been on the trail of Lex Luthor all day, as he's switched from one stolen car to the next. It appears that he's now switched tactics from Grand Theft Auto to Carjacking. This girl was bound in gagged in the trunk of her car, which probably means that they've carjacked someone else from this area. We'll need to monitor both car theft and missing person reports to track them down."

Looking down at the girl still in his arms, who was still crying intensely, Superman gently spoke to her, "Samantha? Do you think you can go with Deputy Williams here?" Samantha nodded, and Superman gently set her on her feet, opening the back door of the deputy's cruiser, and helping the girl inside.

Turning to the deputy, he instructed him, "If you'll also get into the car, I'll take you to the crime scene. It's quicker this way." The deputy nodded, and climbed into his vehicle. Superman lifted the vehicle above his head and as he rose into the air, he turned his head towards the teenage boys and said, "I'll expect you boys to stay out of trouble." The boys all nodded their heads vigorously as Superman flew out of sight with his burden.

* * *

Day 5, Saturday, 7:30AM, Metropolis, 312 Riverside (Home of Lois Lane and Richard White)

Lois was sitting at the kitchen table in her pajamas, eating a simple breakfast of a bagel and coffee. Her sleep the previous night had been restless, mostly because of stress over the Luthor manhunt and the threat he represented to her family, rather than due to her third night on the couch. As the sounds of Saturday morning cartoons filtered in from the living room, Lois fished her cell phone out of her purse on the kitchen counter, and called Clark for an update. She knew he'd been up all night chasing down any lead he could find. Richard walked in as Clark was revealing Samantha Harding's ordeal to Lois.

"Oh my God, is she alright?" Lois asked him. After a pause, Richard heard her add "So where does the trail lead to now?" He correctly deduced that Lois was talking to Clark. After another short pause, he heard Lois say, "Well, everyone's up now, so call me if there are any updates." The two had been coordinating closely as the story unfolded throughout the previous day and had been working together on the update for that day's morning edition.

"What time is the press conference?" Richard heard Lois ask, pausing a moment before adding, "No, I'll be there. You're covering our field contacts, remember," she reminded him, casting a sideways glance at Richard. "OK, call me if you hear anything. Bye."

"Press conference?" asked Richard.

"FBI press conference on the Lex Luthor manhunt. It's at the Jefferson Federal Building at 10:30" she informed him. "I'll be going in for it, so you'll have Jason to yourself."

Richard frowned, "Can't Clark handle that?" Even though the weekend getaway he had hoped for had been rejected, Richard still had hopes of spending some family time together, even if it was just a trip to a park or the zoo. If nothing else, he wanted a chance to discuss the unexpected change in sleeping arrangements.

Lois shook her head, "This is the biggest story of the year, after Superman, of course, and I'm not about to drop the ball on it. Besides, Clark has his hands full pressing our law enforcement contacts, who we've still managed to get information from in spite of a media blackout on the progress of the manhunt. I've got to do this press conference."

Richard nodded his head in acquiescence. He recognized the fire in her eyes when she got her claws into a big story and there was no distracting her from it. "So where are they now?" Richard asked.

"The last confirmed link was in Greenville, Alabama," Lois told him. "About 8:30 last night, they carjacked a 17-year old girl out of Opel-something... Opelika, I think... She's alright. Superman found her bound and gagged in her trunk four hours later in Greenville, and now they're chasing down both auto theft and missing person reports out of there. If they've grabbed another car overnight, it may take awhile before it's noticed missing. Not everyone's an early riser." Gesturing towards Jason in the living room, she added, "I wasn't before I had him."

Richard briefly shifted his gaze to the boy, sprawled out on the floor, happily watching Spongebob Squarepants, before he returned his gaze to Lois and quietly addressed her. "Lois, last night was your third night in a row on the couch..."

"Richard, please," Lois interrupted in a loud whisper, as her gaze shifted to her son. "Not here, not now."

Richard was quiet for a moment before he continued in his whisper, "Then when?"

"After things quiet down," Lois told him. "I've got a job to do and I need to get showered and dressed right now." With that, she disappeared up the stairs.

As Richard looked back toward the living room at the sound of Jason's laughter, he wished he could be as oblivious to the changes in their household as the boy appeared to be. Something had changed recently, despite Lois' claims to the contrary, and they needed to talk it through. As Richard White was neither an impatient nor an insecure man, the true reason for her distraction would not occur to him. Instead, he concluded that there must have been something more traumatic to her ordeal aboard the Gertrude a week ago than she had let on. He considered how he could best convince her to get help for that as he walked into the living room.

"Well, kiddo," he said to Jason as the boy looked up at him, "it looks like it'll just be us guys today."

Chapter 12 - Disruption

Day 5, Saturday, 1:45PM (Central Time), Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Superman gently floated down behind a red Grand Prix parked near the far reaches of a grocery store parking lot, while the afternoon shoppers looked on in amazement. He curled his fingers underneath the seam of the trunk and forced it open, and scanned the injuries of the man bound and gagged inside. A slightly overweight man in his late 50s, Harold Gallagher had been on his way home from his local Pascagoula, Mississippi home improvement store when Lex and Kitty had cornered him. Normally his wife would have thought nothing of his delay. However, given the warnings on the news regarding Luthor's carjacking the night before, she had called authorities shortly after 1:00PM, when Harold failed to answer his cell phone.

The man was now unconscious and severely dehydrated, having baked in the trunk on a hot summer day. Superman snapped the ropes binding his limbs, removed the duct tape from his mouth, and carried the man up into the air on an express trip to the Baton Rouge General Medical Hospital.

As Superman was evacuating Harold Gallagher from his confinement, Lex Luthor and Kitty Kowalski were resting in the living room of the safe house. It was a large plantation house set on ten acres, with a six foot tall masonry fence around the perimeter and a row of tall pine trees just inside that fence. It afforded them a lot of privacy. They had arrived in town two hours earlier, Kitty dropping Lex off a couple blocks away from the house before she continued to a rendezvous point some fifteen miles away. Lex didn't want to take chances on having the car found in the vicinity, and the short walk was a necessary risk. He felt confident that his two-day beard and fishing hat would sufficiently conceal his identity. After cleaning up and donning a blonde wig, he retrieved Kitty from the grocery store parking lot using the Ford Expedition from the garage.

As Lex now lounged back in his recliner and flipped through the news channels, he reflected on their situation... Given the surprising tenacity shown by the Man of Steel during the manhunt, Lex realized that his adversary would not give up and leave when he discovered that the trail had gone cold. "We can't stay here," Lex said angrily, turning to face Kitty.

"What d'ya mean, we can't stay?" Kitty asked incredulously.

"When he finds that our trail's gone cold here, he'll turn the city upside down looking for us," Lex informed her. "And he'll find us if we stay. We have to leave."

"Where will we go?" she asked him unhappily.

"I have a place in Vegas," he revealed. "It should be safe there, since he won't have any clues to follow us there."

"So, that's, what? Another two or three days cramped in a car?" she huffed, glaring at him. "I'm tired of running! I won't do it!"

"Oh, yes, you will do it!" Lex declared. "But we won't be driving - we'll be flying. I have a plane about an hour's drive from here," Lex stated, returning her glare. "I'll call ahead to have it prepped and fueled and we'll be leaving as soon as it's ready."

Kitty turned her gaze away from Lex, staring blankly at the television. "How much longer will we have to live like this?" she asked quietly. Lex chose not to answer her, as he withdrew to the office to look up the number for the Acadiana Regional Airport.

* * *

5:00PM, Metropolis, Daily Planet Building

What was supposed to be a couple hours for a press conference had turned into another day-long collaboration as Clark and Lois tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together in the Lex Luthor manhunt. Lois had been meticulously researching Lex Luthor's history and associates, while Superman had been hunting down what seemed to be every stolen car in southern Louisiana. He'd discovered a handful of chop shops, but had turned that information over to the local police rather than acting on it himself, his priority being elsewhere.

Lois had been incensed by how blind the federal authorities seemed to be to the Lex Luthor threat, offering a paltry ten thousand dollar reward. The FBI public relations agent had described that as "appropriate to the risk and current efforts to bring him into custody." In other words, they were leaving it entirely up to Superman to bring him in. Lois knew that it was a mistake to underestimate Lex Luthor and was determined to write a scathing op-ed to try to convince the authorities to raise the bounty. Her goal was to get it raised to the twenty-five million dollar maximum.

As she struggled with the piece, she noticed Clark walking off the elevator with a forlorn look on his face. "Is it that bad?" she asked as he approached her.

"The trail stopped cold in Baton Rouge," Clark informed her. "Either that's where he's hiding or he's met up with some delinquents there and is no longer traveling in a stolen car. Every auto theft in southern Louisiana has been tracked down to a dead end. I'm sorry, but it looks like he got away."

"It's a temporary setback," Lois told him confidently. Then, dropping her voice, she told him in a barely audible whisper, "And don't blame yourself. You've been absolutely amazing going after him. Besides, it's not over yet."

Clark offered a small smile at her encouragement before he asked her, "How's the op-ed coming?"

"I'm just about there," Lois told him quietly. "If you want, you can read through it and let me know if I missed anything." She then added in a whisper, "Maybe we can add some Superman quotes..." Lois slid her chair to the side to allow Clark a better look at the text on her screen.

"You've done a pretty good job summarizing his atrocities," Clark told her. Lowering his voice to a whisper, he added, "As far as Superman quotes go, I'm not sure it would add anything to the arguments. Besides, we don't want people reading too much between the lines of another Superman exclusive." Lois nodded her head, fully understanding his meaning. He didn't want too much exclusive access to Superman to leave a trail of bread crumbs back to her and Jason.

Lois lightly bit her lip and dropped her gaze to her lap for a moment, the vague reference to the family reminding her of the tension with Richard. She again whispered into her hands, "There hasn't been time for it with the manhunt over the last couple days, but we really need to talk about Richard."

Clark looked to her, and in a sympathetic voice, he asked, "Are you ready for a break? Let's take a walk."

A few minutes later, after confirming the Paparazzi were still absent from their nest across the street, the pair zoomed up the elevator shaft, accelerating north to the secure privacy of the Fortress.

* * *

Young fingers moved awkwardly across the electronic keyboard, struggling to tap out the melody of a new song. As Jason practiced his lesson, Richard was back in the kitchen, quietly speaking on the phone with his Uncle Perry, seeking the older man's advice on the confusing situation with Lois. Perry seemed to be the ideal person to hash out the problem with: he and Richard were close and he'd known Lois for many years. "I can't believe that's the problem," Perry informed his nephew. "After all the scrapes she's gotten herself into, there's no way she'd be traumatized by that little adventure aboard that yacht."

"I'm not so sure about that," Richard countered. "For the last few days she's been a stranger, keeping to herself, staring off into space and hardly speaking to me unless its work related. Maybe almost losing Jason on the yacht pushed her over the edge."

Perry let out a deep sigh at his nephew's obvious worry before he continued speaking. "If you plan on suggesting psychiatric help to Lois, you'd better make sure that your life insurance premiums are paid up. She is not going to respond well to that!"

"I know that she'll resist, but I've got to do something," Richard insisted. "I've already tried everything else I could think of and gotten nowhere." Perry reluctantly provided Richard with the name and number of a respected psychiatrist friend and wished him luck.

* * *

7:45PM, Metropolis, 312 Riverside (Home of Lois Lane and Richard White)

Lois was rereading the op-ed on her laptop in her home office. Clark had offered a few minor suggestions on the article and she'd updated it before arriving home an hour ago. She was now using the op-ed as an excuse to avoid a confrontation with Richard. He was slowly getting more insistent that she open up about whatever was bothering her, and she realized guiltily that the current situation had to be driving him crazy. She'd talked it through with Clark at the Fortress, along with discussing how and when they would tell Jason who his real father was. Lois pulled off her glasses, and pinched the bridge of nose, trying to force the coming headache to go away. Finally, she closed the op-ed file, emailed it to Perry for review, and walked back into the living room to find Jason and put him to bed.

After tucking Jason into bed and promising him that she wouldn't be going into work Sunday, Lois retreated to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine. Richard moved to wrap his arms around her, but withdrew when he felt her flinch at his touch. "What's happened, Lois?" he asked gently as she turned to face him.

"Looks like Luthor got away, for now at least," Lois answered.

"That's not what I meant," Richard told her. "What's happened that put a wall up between us? Was it something that happened aboard the Gertrude?"

"The yacht was not a big deal," she answered. "It was a bit scary for a bit, but we all made it out of there and everyone's fine."

"Everyone's not fine," Richard corrected her. "For the last few days, things between us have been... tense. And you haven't wanted to talk it through with me."

"I've already explained that," Lois reminded him. "Please, Richard, I really don't want to repeat that argument."

"I'm okay with you not wanting to talk with me about your ordeal on the yacht, but something's not right, and you need to talk it through with someone." Lois clenched her jaw at that, not knowing where he was leading but uncomfortable with it nonetheless. Pulling a piece of paper from his pocket, Richard continued, "I've got the number of a good psychiatrist -".

"What?" Lois exclaimed. "If anybody here's lost their mind, it's you, not me!" At Richard's alarmed glance toward the stairs up to Jason's room, she continued in a loud whisper, "I told you that there was nothing to tell about that yacht. The only time it's even crossed my mind is when you bring it up!"

"Our family almost died there," Richard reminded her. "It's not unusual for there to be some psychological repercussions from a traumatic event like that."

"Richard, listen to me very carefully," Lois instructed him, the anger apparent in her voice. "Nothing. Happened. On. The. Boat. Now, please, forget about it! I don't need a shrink!"

"It's the only explanation I can come up with for your bizarre behavior," he started.

"Bizarre?" Lois challenged him. "I told you, I had to think through some things."

"Everything was fine before the ordeal on the yacht," he countered.

"The yacht has nothing to do with it!" she insisted. Lowering her voice again, she said quietly, "Richard, please sit down and try to be quiet for a minute while I explain something to you." She lowered her gaze to the floor as he sat at the kitchen table. After remaining quiet for a moment, pensively biting her lip, she let out a deep breath, and began her explanation, "Think back to when we first met and got together. You do realize that our first time together wasn't... wasn't the first time for me."

Richard furrowed his brow, giving her an odd look at that statement. "I had a life before we met, too," he reminded her. "What's your point?"

"Well, before we met and got together, I had been with someone else... immediately before," Lois told him nervously.

"Where are you going with this, Lois," Richard inquired.

Lois answered, "Well, this... certain someone... I bumped into him a few days ago. He'd recently accepted a position back here in Metropolis. I noticed some things about him that I'd forgotten about. Things that reminded me of Jason. I'm now convinced that this... certain someone... is Jason's biological father. And so is he."

Richard was stunned, having always believed himself to have been the boy's father. His eyes widened in shock as he stared back at Lois. He was unable to find his voice for a few minutes as he tried to grasp the ramifications of what she had just told him. After a couple minutes, Lois broke the silence, finally looking up at Richard with a nervous look on her face as she spoke. "Richard, I never meant to mislead you about Jason's paternity," she informed him. "Until a few days ago, I truly believed that he was yours. But we're all going to have to adjust to the reality that he's not."

Lois returned her gaze to the floor as she continued, "People tell us that Jason looks like me, and there's some of that there, but I think he looks more like him. They have the same rare blue eye color, the same nose, the same chin, even their smiles look the same. DNA testing at this point would just be a formality."

Lois chanced a glance up a Richard before returning her eyes to the floor as she continued, "This 'certain someone' is a good man, probably the kindest, most compassionate man I've ever met. He wants what's best for Jason. He hasn't asked for any changes in custody, but he does want to be a part of his life." She looked up at Richard with a determined look on her face as she added, "And he will be." After glaring at him for a moment, she dropped her head back down and quietly added, "He never would have left if he had known. I know it bothers him that he wasn't here to see his son born, or hear his first words, witness his first steps... I still haven't figured out how we're going to explain this to Jason..."

Richard finally found his voice, as he muttered, "The photo albums were for him." It was more a statement than a question.

"For him and his mother... Jason's grandmother," Lois confirmed.

"What's the guy's name?" he asked her.

"What?" Lois asked quietly.

"Jason's... biological father," Richard spat out. "What's his name?"

Lois sighed before responding, "I'm sorry, Richard, but I'm not ready to share that. If I answered that question it would raise other issues and require a long and awkward discussion that I just don't have the energy for right now."

"And this discussion isn't awkward at all," Richard noted sarcastically.

"I'm sorry. I know that this is upsetting for you. For what it's worth, I'm struggling to get my head around it all, too... This wasn't how I planned on telling you... I don't suppose there ever is a good way to tell someone something like this, is there?"

Richard shook his head. "Probably not," he agreed. "I assume that there will be a DNA test?"

"At some point, probably," Lois informed him, as she looked back up at him. "Though, like I said, it's just a formality at this point."

"This... 'certain someone'... Is he the reason you've insisted on sleeping on the couch the past few nights?"

Lois dropped her head again at that. Crap! she thought to herself, Do we have to talk about that now? Aloud, she said, "Things are complicated and confusing for me right now. I needed to be alone while I sorted it out."

"We have a guest room," Richard reminded her, as he struggled with the sudden recognition of a rival competing with him for Lois.

"I didn't want it to be too obvious," Lois admitted. "And I thought I'd have it all sorted out by now, but I've been a bit distracted by the Luthor story."

Though not pleased with this challenge to his relationship with her, Lois' words did offer him some hope. He considered this quietly, both of them with their gaze at the floor. Richard finally pointed out, "Well, things are obvious now, so there's no point in you continuing to sleep on the couch. I'll move my things to the guest room, temporarily. I do still expect us to get past this and spend the rest of our lives together."

Lois offered him a weak smile at that as she quietly said, "Thank you."

Richard left her in the kitchen as he headed up to their bedroom to relocate his possessions to the adjacent room. Despite his optimistic statement to Lois a moment ago, he could not shake the feeling that the life he had tried to build with her was crumbling away.

Chapter 13 - Observations

Day 7, Monday, 7:00AM, Metropolis, Daily Planet Newsroom

The reporters at the Daily Planet were considered among the best in the world, hired for their keen skills of observation, their skill with the written word articulating those observations and for the curiosity and tenacity that got them to the bottom of a story. Although the golly gee-whiz persona of Clark Kent slipped below the radar of these journalists, the same could not be said of Lois Lane or Richard White. Lois aggressively went after her stories, and was often forceful (and loud) in the news room. Richard was universally liked by his colleagues, seemed to take a sincere interest in everyone there and had an uncanny ability to put those around him at ease. Where his uncle's management style was brash, Richard's was more one of gentle encouragement.

As much as Lois and Richard were noticed individually, together the two of them were impossibly obvious. Their coworkers noticed every idiosyncrasy of the two, and many had suspected that they had become a couple before it was informally announced via a very public kiss under mistletoe at an office Christmas party. Observant eyes also noticed the pair as they entered the newsroom on this morning. Richard's usual demeanor of calm strength had been replaced by a forlorn and harried expression, and Lois entered the newsroom with a scowl on her face, though she attempted a weak smile in response to Clark's usual greeting. The unvoiced consensus among those observing them was that they were witnessing the repercussions of a lovers' quarrel, and from the look of things, it had been a doozy.

As Lois settled in at her desk, she called out to Clark, "What's the latest on the Luthor manhunt?"

Clark's goofy grin immediately dissolved into a frown as he informed her, "There's been nothing new linked to him since Saturday afternoon. The best we can hope for now is that the feds will raise the bounty high enough for some lackey of his to get greedy. Congratulations on the op-ed, by the way. I see that it got picked up nationally this morning."

Though Lois had known that the Luthor trail had gone cold, she grimaced at the confirmation as the fear for her son grew within her. "Thanks. I just hope it makes a difference," Lois told him. "And I wish we knew what Luthor was up to."

Jimmy Olsen had approached as Lois and Clark were talking. Though his role was just that of a photographer, he was as observant of the people around him as most of the veterans. He could tell that Lois was in a foul mood, but that had never intimidated him - Jimmy was used to people hollering at him. He joined the conversation, telling them, "I'm sure he'll turn up sooner or later. He always does."

"It's what he does when he turns up that worries me," Lois responded. "It'd be better to catch him before he hatches some new maniacal scheme."

Jimmy nodded in agreement, realizing that no words of encouragement would help on this topic. Turning to Clark, Jimmy asked, "So when are you moving into the new apartment?"

"Friday," Clark answered. "I'll run by and get the keys in the morning, and drop my things off later in the day."

"Will you need help moving?" Jimmy asked.

Clark's brow furrowed in thought for a moment before he answered, "There's really not much to move at this point. I gave most of my stuff away before I left a few years back, so I'll be getting new furniture. Thanks for offering, though."

"You gave away everything?" Lois inquired. The blank look Clark gave her reminded her why: he hadn't expected to come back from Krypton. The reminder of his disappearance didn't help her already sour mood. She rolled her eyes, muttering, "Whatever." She shifted her glare to Jimmy briefly before returning her attention to Clark. "What about Luthor's carjacking victims?" she asked. "How are they doing?"

"Harold Gallagher's going home from the hospital today, and the two women were never admitted. Physically, they're fine. Emotionally, they've all been through a traumatic ordeal and it'll take time to heal." Clark paused a moment before adding, "Have you read Walters' article on the front page of this morning's Metro section? She did a pretty good job covering the victims' story."

Lois shook her head, informing him, "Haven't had time." She glanced over at Jimmy again, her glare still intact. She wanted to get rid of him so that she could talk privately with Clark, but without that motive becoming obvious. Fortunately, she was spared the necessity as Perry's bellowing voice sent the photographer darting off to answer the summons.

As she looked back to Clark, he gently asked her, "Is everything alright?"

"Fine," was her evasive answer as she dropped her head, raising her hand to cover her mouth and pretending to stifle a yawn. Behind her hand, Lois answered him in a barely audible whisper, "On Saturday night, I told Richard that he's not Jason's real father, and we had a huge argument after dropping Jason off this morning. He's in denial and insisting on DNA tests, saying that a 'vague resemblance' is inconclusive. I'm worried that they'll find something unexpected in Jason's DNA."

Raising her head, Lois raised her voice to its normal volume as she told Clark, "Excuse me. Guess I'm a bit tired this morning." She paused for a moment before asking, "Have you come up with any other angles on this to keep this story on the front page?"

Clark answered, "No, but let me get back to you later on that. I have to follow up with my 'friend' in Gotham on another matter." Lois nodded and returned to her desk, understanding Clark's meaning and suppressing her smile. She allowed herself to relax, confident that Clark and his anonymous friend at Wayne Enterprises would come up with a solution to the DNA problem.

* * *

While the bulk of The Daily Planet's circulation was delivered for the paper's morning edition, with its 11:00PM deadline, a smaller afternoon edition was also published, with a 2:00PM deadline. The commotion through the newsroom always relaxed somewhat after the afternoon edition deadline had passed and it was then that the staff in the newsroom was most likely to loosen up and engage each other in small talk. On this day, the chatter was in hushed tones to avoid the hearing of the subjects of their conversations. The conspicuous turbulence in the Lane/White relationship had hit the rumor mill, and it seemed that everyone had their theory as to the cause.

"It's a casualty of her professional ambition - She's put in a ton of extra hours lately."

"She needs to pay a little more attention to her family."

"She probably relapsed back into her Superman obsession. You saw how she was when he was in the hospital..."

"Do you think one of them got caught in an affair?"

"He probably asked her to finally pick a wedding date. I don't know what she's waiting for."

"She doesn't appreciate what she's got. She should stop looking to the skies for men in blue tights and get her feet back on the ground!"

While the tension between them over the last week might not have been noticed by a casual observer, the turmoil now apparent among the pair was impossible to miss, especially in light of their normal habits. Not only were the casual visits to each others' desks missing, today they seemed to go out of their way to avoid each other and there were no casual kisses hello or goodbye. The mood emanating from Lois seemed outright hostile and one could find no cheer in the normally good-humored Richard White. Previous days would also have found Lois unwinding in Richard's office after deadline, until one of them left to get Jason from school. Today, Lois remained alone at her desk, while she continued to dig into her current corruption story, this time about sweetheart deals given for services at the city-owned convention center.

As he returned to the newsroom after a short meeting with Bruce Wayne in Gotham, Clark now discovered that he had some trouble maintaining his upbeat fa�ade as he listened to the chatter. It seemed that his friend Jimmy was the only one giving Lois the benefit of the doubt, rebutting some of their colleagues' unkind comments. Clark walked over to Lois' desk as she hung up her phone.

"Will that be another front page?" Clark asked her, as he pushed his glasses back up his nose.

"Of course!" Lois answered with false cheer. "You know, you've had a few front pages yourself lately." She offered him a small smile as the double meaning of her words sunk in. "How'd thinks go with your 'friend' from Gotham?" she asked him quietly.

"Good," Clark informed her. "He seemed pretty confident that something could be worked out, but he needed to look into the details. I should hear back from him by the end of the day."

Lois turned back to her story notes, whispering under her breath, "You should see if your friend can get us an interview with the elusive Bruce Wayne. Now that would be a scoop." She glanced over to see Clark's smile become genuine as he considered her words, wondering how she'd react if she knew that the 'friend' in Gotham was the eccentric billionaire.

Richard White observed the interaction between Lois and Clark from his uncle's office. As with the rest of the newsroom crew, his conversation with his uncle drifted to other matters now that the afternoon edition had gone to press. "I wish I knew what to tell you," Perry admitted to the younger man. "Do you really consider this other guy a threat?"

"I don't know what else he would be. Not just because of the words she used to describe him Saturday night, but because she's insisted on separate sleeping arrangements since she 'bumped into him' last week. There's...something there. I still can't understand why she refuses to tell me who he is, though."

Perry frowned while he followed his nephew's gaze through the interior glass wall at Lois, as Clark left her desk to return to his own. "What will you do if she's right and DNA tests prove that this other guy is Jason's real father?" Perry asked him. "And what will you do if she's wrong?"

Richard let out a deep sigh as he dropped his head. "If she's wrong, I want to try to get things back the way they were -- back on track to getting married and spending the rest of our lives together. I do love her." He was silent for a minute, squeezing his eyes shut as the emotions of the past couple of days hit him once again. "If she's right....it gets complicated, but I still love her and want to work something out. It'd be as confusing as hell for Jason, and from the way Lois is talking, she's planning on telling him about his 'real daddy' soon."

"What did she say?" Perry inquired, as he turned his head to look at his nephew.

"It wasn't what she said directly, but the bedtime story I overheard her tell Jason last night. It was a Superman story, of course, but this time about how his real parents had sent him to Earth when he was a little boy and human parents had adopted him and raised him. She was trying to explain the difference between biological parents and, as she put it, 'the other kind.' She says that she hasn't told him yet, but she's stubbornly insisting that it'll have to be soon."

"Do you want me to try talking to her?" Perry offered.

"I wouldn't recommend it. Then she'd be pissed off at both of us instead of just me."

"You know, it would be fascinating if it were true," Perry speculated quietly. When he noticed the horrified look from Richard, he quickly clarified, "I meant the Superman story." Perry looked back out the glass to Lois as he added, "She had the lion's share of Superman exclusives before he left. I can't help but to wonder how much off the record information she has."

"I'm sure that it was just a story to prepare for eventually telling him that this other guy's his real dad," Richard stated sadly. After a silent moment, he added, "I really wish I knew who he was."

"Would it really make a difference?" Perry asked him.

"At least I'd know what I'm up against," Richard informed him.

As Richard and Perry continued their conversation, Clark now found it impossible to maintain his smile. He blamed himself for the current turmoil between Richard and Lois, and wished he could spare the other man the pain that he was now enduring. He also shared Richard's concerns over the impact on Jason. However, he agreed with Lois that it would be even more confusing for the boy if they didn't tell him, as his abilities developed. He'd even suggested the bedtime story to her. Once Jason learned control over his abilities, he'd be better able to defend himself against someone like Lex Luthor, and the boy would need to know the truth before Clark could begin helping him with that. Clark unconsciously tuned out the hubbub of the newsroom and the world beyond as he contemplated the imminent tremor through his son's world.

* * *

The hollering from Perry White was a quality of his brash management style, and few people from the news room were spared from it when he wanted something from them. Even his nephew Richard had been on the receiving end of the tirades on rare occasion. The only person in the newsroom exempt from his verbal onslaughts was his executive assistant, Maggie Gonzales. She was an attractive woman in her early thirties who had become indispensable to Perry as his attention focused on one issue or another in the daily challenge to get the paper out. She was also as self-assured as the most hard-nosed reporter, and had boldly confronted Perry the one and only time he attempted his management style with her.

After spending the majority of day scrambling to keep up with Perry's typical daily demands, Maggie was now relaxing a bit as she chatted with Susan Walters, who was waiting to speak with Perry. As they were talking, Maggie caught sight of Jason White, who had just arrived with his mother after his day at school. The boy ran ahead of her, making his way to Clark Kent's desk. As she observed the interaction between the small bundle of energy and with the tall, bumbling man, she said to herself quietly, "Who knew."

"What was that, Maggie?" Susan asked her.

"Kent," Maggie told her quietly, motioning with her head in the man's direction. "Who knew he'd be so good with kids. For the last week, that little guy's made a beeline for the farm boy the moment Lois brings him in, and Clark always has something with him to keep him entertained. Looks like he's got a yoyo for him today."

Susan chuckled at her friend's observation, "The rest of us are just glad that he's kept the munchkin corralled." Susan looked over at the unlikely duo, as Clark was awkwardly trying to show the boy how to work the yoyo. Lois was looking on with a warm smile on her face as she set her purse into her lower desk drawer.

Maggie looked back to her friend and whispered, "Do you know if he's seeing anyone?"

Susan's eyes grew large at the question, as did Clark's back at his desk, unnoticed by the two. "Don't tell me that you're planning on asking him out," Susan asked in surprise.

"Are you nuts?" Maggie shot back, to Clark's great relief. "You've seen Lois and Richard today, right? That's the problem with an office romance. When it's good, it's great, but when you hit bumps in the road, like they're doing now, it blows up in your face. You have to deal with it both at home and at work. I'd never do an office romance. Besides, Al and I are just going through a rough patch. We'll work things out."

"Then why the question?" asked Susan.

"I think he'd be good for my sister, Christine," Maggie answered. "Her little boy's just a couple years younger than Jason, and now that the jerk is history..." Maggie didn't need to elaborate. Nearly everyone in the newsroom had heard her complain about her abusive now-former brother-in-law. Looking back over at Clark and Jason, Maggie added, "You know, last Thursday he brought in some little bean-bag balls, and was trying to teach the tyke how to juggle."

Susan burst out laughing at her friend's statement. "I wish I had seen that," she declared. Then lowering her voice, she added "I just can't image Clark the Klutz juggling."

Maggie smiled at that, "Well, he wasn't very good." As the two women looked back over to the subjects of their discussion, Lois had joined them, presumably to shoo her son back into Richard's office. They were interrupted from their observation as Perry's office door opened, and Kevin Jacobsen exited, with Perry still shouting behind him.

Susan turned back to her friend, whispering to her, "Lois or Jimmy can probably tell you his status. I have no idea." Looking over to Perry's now open door, she stated, "Well, looks like it's my turn on the firing line. I'll catch you later." Maggie returned her gaze to Clark and Jason, where Lois was now quietly laughing at their antics. Wow, he's even got Lois smiling, Maggie thought to herself, as she imagined her sister and nephew enjoying a similar moment with him.

Chapter 14 - Recruiting

Day 7, Monday, 5:00PM (Pacific Time), Henderson, Nevada

The heat of the summer Nevada sun was showing no signs of waning as it bore down on an attractive young woman enjoying the large pool of an upscale suburban Las Vegas home. Set on two acres of property and surrounded by a high masonry wall, the occupants were afforded considerable privacy. She was observed by the man inside the house as he read that day's Las Vegas Review Journal, intent on keeping up with the manhunt that had recently consumed the nation. According to the reports, the trail had ended in Baton Rouge, where there had been frequent sightings of Superman flying over the area throughout the day Sunday. Though the news had been repeated continuously on the cable news channels the day before, the man preferred the depth of detail that only print media provided. The speculation was that the Man of Steel was scanning the city searching for the fugitives. We got out of there just in time, Lex Luthor thought to himself as he read the story.

Lex was pleased with himself for avoiding the net that the Man of Steel had cast for them. Mind over muscle, Lex thought to himself as he finally allowed himself to gloat. They'd arrived at the house in Henderson early Sunday evening, and had then finally allowed themselves to relax and recover from the odyssey. Lex had to delay his planning for Superman's end, however. As much as he wanted to begin the end of the Man of Steel, he knew that he first had to placate Kitty who was still jittery from both the harrowing journey and from the Lex's violence. After she dyed her hair blonde and he donned a long curly wig, the two had hit the town Sunday and Monday, shopping, seeing shows, and enjoying luxurious meals out. Under normal circumstances, he would have eliminated her rather than indulge her, but he would still need her until he rebuilt the staff for his organization, and thus had to endure the ordeal. Lex wasn't sure which had been worse: the hectic flight across the south in stolen cars, or shopping with Kitty.

Lex returned to his newspaper, searching through it for any other information on the manhunt when he encountered the op-ed piece by Lois Lane, 'No Bounty is High Enough,' which strongly advocated a twenty-five million dollar bounty on the man that she insisted was the most dangerous man on the planet. She'd gone to great lengths to prove that as she cited his history. Lex frowned as he considered that. While there was no guarantee that they'd place the bounty that high, there would certainly be pressure to increase it, especially now that the couple he'd killed on the Wayward Wanderer had been identified and his prints found on the boat. He'd have to change tactics again, given the opportunistic and greedy nature of the thugs he'd recruited in the past.

"Lex?" Kitty called, as she walked through the back door, "where are you take -"

"Ah, ah, ah!" Lex chastised her, interrupting and waving his index finger in front of him. "What did we talk about earlier?"

"We're not supposed to use our real names," she recited back to him.

"Right, its Steve and Betty Dawson until further notice," Lex reiterated.

"But, 'Steve', there's nobody around here to hear me," she complained.

"He hears everything, and he's probably listening for my name!" Lex shouted back at her.

"Whatever," Kitty countered, rolling her eyes. "Where are you taking me for dinner?"

Lex looked at his watch. After two days of treating Kitty lavishly, he was anxious to get to work on Superman's demise. "I thought we'd have something delivered this time. I need to get back to work."

"Fine, I'll order Chinese," she huffed as she spun around and walked into the kitchen. Confident that he once again had Kitty under control, Lex walked back to the office to begin searching profiles on his laptop for his new lieutenants: men that dared not betray him. The lackeys he recruited would report to them, never knowing that the man calling the shots was Lex Luthor.

* * *

Day 9, Wednesday, 6:00PM (Central Time), Chicago, Illinois

Roger Pruitt glared at his fellow passengers on the commuter train as he rode home from what he considered a demeaning job stocking dairy products at a grocery store. The halfway house had found him that job upon his parole, and he'd had no choice but to accept it if he wanted to remain free on parole and eventually move out of the halfway house, as he had done earlier in the week. Roger was waiting for the right opportunity to hit it big, but he couldn't risk his parole by quitting the job. Someday soon, he told himself as he walked the short distance from the train to the low-rent apartment he had found.

If anything, Roger's scowl grew as he approached the building, another reminder of the spectacular failure that had landed him behind bars after what had seemed to be the perfect bank robbery. They had gotten away clean, but when one of his partners-in-crime foolishly shot off his mouth, bragging at a strip club, the police hadn't been far behind. He'd served seven years of a ten year sentence before being paroled. That fool is going to pay for this, Roger thought to himself, as he walked towards the stairs of his apartment building. His angry demeanor frightened the young girls jumping rope in front of the building, and they scrambled out of his way. Someday soon, he promised himself.

As he approached his third floor apartment, he noticed the sound of the television blaring from behind the door. It was one of the cable news channels - a station that he never watched. He put his ear up to the door, attempted to detect other voices in the room. Hearing none, he cautiously tried the unlocked door, attempting to make as little noise as possible as he opened it. Peering into the ramshackle room, he noticed an attractive, well-dressed blonde sitting on his couch, her feet up and legs crossed as she stared at the television. Roger confidently stepped into his apartment, no longer concerned about intruders. "Well, Blondie, to what do I owe the pleasure?" he said to her lecherously.

As the woman stood up and turned to him, a strong arm suddenly wrapped around his neck from behind, and he felt the muzzle of a gun pressed to his temple. "Well, Rog, long time, no see," the voice behind him said bitterly. "We have some unfinished business to take care of."

Roger immediately recognized the voice. "Lex Luthor," he said quietly.

"Never say that name aloud again!" Lex commanded him, as he pushed him to the floor. "I see that you've come a long way since we last saw each other," Lex mocked.

"It's temporary," Roger replied defensively.

"Well, then, if everything is under control, then I guess we can leave and let you go back to your job at Kroger," Lex continued derisively. "Or, we can come up with a more agreeable arrangement."

"What have you got in mind?" Roger inquired, now interested in his visitors.

"Before I tell you, there something you should know," Lex told him. "I've put a contract out on you."

"What?" Roger exclaimed. "But I haven't done anything to you!"

"The contract is on hold," Lex explained. "But I've paid the contractor a retainer to take care of business if I should be arrested or anything else unpleasant should happen to me. We wouldn't want you tempted by that reward, or any foolishness like that."

"I'd never rat you out!" Roger complained.

"Then you have nothing to worry about," Lex said simply. "Here's the deal: I have a little project I need to take care of in Metropolis. However, since my freedom of movement there is, shall we say, 'limited,' I need a lieutenant to run the project for me. You'll build a team, they'll report to you, you report to me. And, Roger... nobody else there can know that I'm the one calling the shots. You'll just refer to me as Mr. Big."

"Or Mr. Bald..." suggested Kitty.

"Not now!" Lex commanded. Kitty rolled her eyes and returned to her attention to the news show on the television as Lex returned his attention to Roger. Lex began, "So, what's it going to -" Lex interrupted himself as he recognized the voice from the television. "What is she up to now?" he asked rhetorically. His attention focused on the television as Lois Lane spoke, explaining to the show's host why Lex Luthor was so dangerous and warranted such a large reward. Lex frowned as he listened to Lois' well-prepared arguments. The woman was almost as tenacious as her alien lover in coming after him. After a moment's pause, Lex turned back to Roger and continued, "As I was saying, what's it going to be Rog? Kroger and this hell-hole, or work for me in Metropolis?"

"I'll need some cash up front to cover expenses," Roger told him.

"Sounds like we have a deal," Lex confirmed, as he smiled menacingly. Lex put away his gun, opened up the laptop he had brought with him, and showed Roger what he wanted the man to do.

Chapter 15 - Explanations

Day 10, Thursday, 3:05PM, Near the Fortress of Solitude

Jason wore a wide grin as Superman set him and Lois down on the platform outside the Fortress. He got to go flying with Superman again, though everything around here looked rather white and boring. Jason's eyes grew wide in wonder as the bright blue light revealed the doorway through the force field that now protected Superman's fortress. The Man of Steel had brought Lois and their son there immediately after picking him up from school. Lois had left the office early to take Jason in for a 'checkup' after school, while Clark had a 'dentist appointment' and left shortly after the two o'clock afternoon deadline.

Superman flew his guests to the center of the Fortress as he explained to Jason, "When my real parents sent me to Earth, they sent a special crystal with me to use when I was older. It brought me here, and built this place."

Superman set Lois and Jason down near the crystal table. Once on the ground, Jason turned around in a circle as he took in everything inside. It still looked rather boring to the tyke. "Is this where you live?" he asked.

"No, it's more like a library and science lab, but I can also talk to my real parents here, even though they died when I was a baby," he explained. "Before they died, they put all of their knowledge and memories into the crystal. I can interact with them, just like you interact with characters in your video games."

"Like Mickey Mouse?" Jason asked his father, remembering his favorite Disney video game.

"In a way," Superman answered. "It's like a video game in that they can only exist inside this place, and they don't exist physically." At his son's confused expression, Superman elaborated, "You can't actually touch them. If you try, your hand will go right through them because they aren't really here. Would you like to meet them?"

Jason nodded enthusiastically. After all, if Superman was so much fun, his mom and dad had to be fun, too.

Superman hands flew over the crystal console, and soon the holographic faces of Jor-El and Lara hung in the air in front of him. "Mother, Father," he addressed them. "I'd like you to meet Lois and Jason. They are the ones I told you about earlier." Turning to Lois and Jason, he told them, "Lois, Jason. These are my real parents, Jor-El and Lara."

"Welcome, Lois. Welcome, Jason," Lara greeted them. "We've been looking forward to meeting the both of you, and look forward to answering the questions that you will certainly have before you leave this place."

Jason looked up at the floating faces in wonder, "Are you really Superman's mommy and daddy?" he asked them.

"Yes, we are," Jor-El answered, "though we call our son Kal-El. That is the name we gave him when he was born."

Superman turned to Jason, and explained. "Jor-El and Lara are my real parents, but when I was just a baby, our planet was destroyed. They sent me to Earth, where I was adopted by another mom and dad, Martha and Jonathan Kent, and they gave me the name 'Clark.' I grew up calling them 'Mom' and 'Dad.' So, in a way, I have two mothers and two fathers. All four of them loved me, and all four of them tried to guide me as best they could. Do you understand that?"

Jason nodded, telling his father, "Mommy told me." He looked up at Jor-El and Lara. "Did they all get to play with you?"

Superman smiled, "Jor-El and Lara can't really play," he explained. "They don't have bodies. But they can teach things, and they taught me things that I wouldn't have otherwise learned. My Earth mother and father are the ones who played with me. My dad, Jonathan, passed away many years ago, but you'll get to meet my mother, Martha, soon."

Jason, still gawking at Jor-El and Lara, asked them, "Are you ghosts?"

"No, we are not literally what you call 'ghosts,'" Jor-El answered. "Though, in some ways we fit that description. We died many, many years ago, but because our essence in contained in these crystals, we can still speak to our son and to you, and offer our guidance."

Lois took Jason by the hand, and led him back to the crystal table, pulling him onto her lap as she sat. "Sweetheart, do understand the difference between Superman's real mommy and daddy, and the other kind who raised him here on Earth?"

"Uh huh," Jason answered. "You told me about that already."

Superman knelt down in front of his son, as he explained, "My real parents, Jor-El and Lara, gave me life. It is from them that I look the way I look and that I can do the things that I do. Their DNA, their blood, runs through my veins... But I am the person that I am, with my sense of right and wrong, because of the parents who raised me. I didn't know about my real parents when I was growing up. The only parents I knew about were Jonathan and Martha Kent. They gave me their love, taught me right from wrong, and were there for me when my real parents couldn't be."

Lois took over the explanation, telling her son, "Jason, it's what I've been talking about in your bedtime stories all week, and there's a reason that I've been telling you this. You also have a real daddy and the other kind of daddy just like Superman."

Jason's head snapped up to look at his mother's, his eyes like saucers. "What about Daddy?" he asked anxiously.

"Richard is the other kind of daddy, just like Superman's Earth father, Jonathan. He loves you, and will always be there for you, just as he always has been. He was here when your real daddy couldn't be. But you don't get your looks or your special abilities from Richard. Those come from your real daddy. Do you understand that?"

Jason nodded, the worried expression still covering his face. "Who's my real daddy?" he asked quietly.

"Superman is your real daddy," Lois answered. "And you're strong like him. That's why you were strong enough to throw the piano on the boat and save mommy. Most people aren't that strong."

Jason looked up at Superman, fear replacing his expression as he remembered the experience on the boat. He was afraid of the bad men, and the piano incident had shaken him. He didn't understand why it had happened like that.

At his son's expression, Superman reassured him, "Don't worry, Jason. I won't let the bad men hurt you."

Jason looked down at the floor, fidgeting with the zipper on his jacket as he absorbed the information. He was excited at the idea of being able to do really neat things like Superman, but worried about having two daddies. His thoughts drifted to the stories that Lois had told him earlier in the week, though not with the Superman origin story. He remembered Lois explaining the family situation of his friend Mark, whose parents had divorced and remarried. Lois had told him that Mark's stepfather was the other kind of daddy who was there to love his stepson and do things with him when his real daddy couldn't be. After a couple minutes, Jason looked up to his mother and asked her, "Are you and Superman divorced, like Mark's parents?"

"No, things didn't quite work out that way," Lois answered, as she smiled down at her son. "It's kind of like that, though. I loved Superman before I met Richard, and if certain things had worked out differently, we might have been living with Superman instead."

Jason's eyes widened in alarm at his mother's statement. "No!" he exclaimed, "Richard is Daddy!"

Lois looked gently into her son's eyes as she reassured him, "Listen to me: you're not going to lose Richard. Clark and Richard both love you, both will be there for you, and both want you to be happy, and so do I. There's nothing to worry about. I wish things weren't so complicated for you, but we had to tell you this because of your abilities."

Superman added, "It's because you are my son that you have abilities that other little boys don't, like your strength, and you'll need to learn how to control them. I can teach you that."

Jason returned his gaze to the floor, and he asked, "What's going to happen now?"

"I don't know, sweetheart" Lois told him honestly. "But no matter what happens, remember that all of us... Clark, Richard and me... we all love you and want you to be happy."

Jason's gaze remained on the floor, as he considered his mother's answer and thought about the bedtime stories Lois had told him throughout the week. Finally, he asked his mother, "Who am I supposed to call 'Daddy?'"

Lois smiled again as she answered, "Well, you can keep calling Richard daddy if you want to. It gets more complicated with Clark, because we don't want anyone to know that Superman is your real daddy. You'll just-"

"Why not?" Jason interrupted.

Superman reminded him, "Do you remember when you figured out that I was both Clark and Superman, and I told you why we had to keep that a secret?"

"The bad men on the boat," Jason answered quietly, the fear returning to his face.

"Yes, the bad men on the boat," Superman answered. "Don't worry, you're safe, but we don't want other bad men to learn about our family, so it has to stay secret, even from your other daddy."

Lois added, "As I was saying, when he's Superman, you'll call him 'Superman,' just like you've been doing. It's a little more complicated when he's Clark." Lois reached under her son's chin, and lifted his head up to look her in the eyes before she continued. "Richard thought that he was your real daddy, and it bothers him that he's not. We need to give him some time to accept that. If he knew that Clark was your real dad, or heard you call him 'daddy,' it would probably hurt his feelings. So for now, you'll just call him 'Clark' when he's Clark. You can only call Clark 'Daddy'... if you want to... when it's just us, or Grandma Martha."

"Who's Grandma Martha?"

"Do you remember me telling you about my Earth parents, the ones who raised me?" Superman asked his son. "Well, my human father passed away many years ago, but my human mother is still alive. She's your Grandma Martha. She lives on a farm in Kansas."

"A farm!" Jason exclaimed excitedly as a wide grin spread across his face. That sounded like a lot of fun to the boy. "Does she have horses and cows and pigs and stuff?"

Superman smiled at his son's reaction. "Well, she doesn't have those animals, but she does have chickens, a goat, and a really friendly dog named 'Shelby.'" That seemed good enough for the tyke, who continued smiling brightly.

Superman looked over to Lois, quietly asking her, "Are we ready for the rest of this?" At her nod, he turned to the floating faces of his Kryptonian parents, telling them, "Your grandson has now been told of his heritage."

Jor-El responded, "Lois, Jason, we welcome you both into our family. When we sent our son, Kal-El, to Earth, we feared that he would be the last son of Krypton. Now he presents us with a son of his own. This is more than we dared hope for... Jason, this is your heritage. When you are ready, we will offer you our knowledge and guidance, just as we did for your father before you. There will be time for these matters later. You must certainly have questions for us, and now is the time to ask them."

Lois bent over and whispered to Jason, "Is there anything you want to ask them?" Jason shook his head, still feeling a bit intimidated by the ghost-like images.

Lois stood up and addressed Jor-El. "Will my son have his father's abilities?"

"We will need a closer look at him before we can answer that question. We are prepared to examine him now, if you are ready." As he said this, the same crystal chamber used to restore Lois' memories rose from the floor.

"Wait," Superman interrupted. Turning to his son, he explained, "For them to look inside you, you'll need to stand inside that crystal chamber. The door will close, and you'll see a blue light move from your head to your toes, and then the door will open. It won't hurt, and it'll be over in less than a minute. There's nothing to be afraid of. Is it okay if they take a look at you?"

"Do I have to?" he complained.

Lois set him down on the floor in front of her and again lifted his face to look into hers. "Jason, listen to me," she told him gently. "I know that this is a bit scary, but you need to do this. We need to know how many of your father's powers you're going to have so that he can help you as they develop. We'll be right here with you, and nothing bad will happen to you. Now, are you ready to walk inside that chamber so that they can look at you?"

When Jason finally nodded his agreement, Lois walked him over to the chamber and gently guided her son inside. Both parents stood in front of him as the door closed and the narrow horizontal blue ray of light descended from the top of the chamber to the bottom. Once the light faded and the door of the crystal chamber opened, Lois gathered him into her arms inquiring, "Now that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"I guess not," Jason admitted.

A new holographic display popped up detailing Jason's DNA information as Jor-El spoke. "His Kryptonian genes are indeed active, as you suspected," he informed them. "Our analysis also indicates that the Kryptonian genes are dominant, and thus the medical condition you described to us earlier will no longer be a factor in his life."

Superman turned to Lois and clarified, "In other words, no more asthma."

"Does that mean what I think it does?" asked Lois, looking back at Superman, as he continued to read through the data on the new display.

It was Jor-El who answered her question. "It means that Jason's abilities and development will closely mirror that of his father," he told her. "At this age, that will be most obvious in his strength, speed and invulnerability, with other abilities developing as he gets older."

Superman looked down to his son and asked him, "Jason, do you understand all of this, what it means?"

"No more yucky medicine?" Jason asked hopefully. Though he was accustomed to the routine with inhalers and pills for his asthma, he had never liked it.

"Well, we'll have to see about that," Superman answered, suppressing a chuckle. "Jason, it means that someday you'll be able to do all the things that I can do. Now that we've-"

"Even fly!" the tyke interrupted excitedly.

"Yes, even fly - eventually," Superman answered. "I didn't start flying until I was all grown up." Jason smile dissolved into a pout at that disappointing news. Superman paused for a moment as he attempted to gauge his son's mood before he continued. "Now that we've explained why you're able to do these things, I can teach you to control it. You've already got superstrength, and you need to be careful with that because other people aren't as strong as we are. I know that all this is amazing and confusing, so we don't have to talk about all of that right now."

Superman again waited a moment to gage his son's reaction before he suggested, "Maybe it's time for all of us to get out of here and have some fun." After the astonishing disclosures at the Fortress, Superman and Lois felt that their son needed a normal kid-type distraction and took him to the zoo. It was nearly 6:30PM by the time Jason and Lois arrived back at the house to answer Richard's inquiries.

* * *

Day 11, Friday, 2:15PM, Metropolis, Daily Planet Newsroom

As was the custom after the afternoon deadline passed, most of the staff left in the Daily Planet newsroom took a break and socialized. The most popular topic of discussion on this afternoon, as it had been all week, was the unexpected chilliness in the Lane/White relationship. Though Lois managed to maintain a neutral expression and was at times almost cheerful, Richard's demeanor was cheerless. They had avoided each other throughout the day, and when they did speak to each other, it was without the tactile contact that the newsroom had become accustomed to. Most of the reporters concluded that it had been a major quarrel and not some trivial argument over squeezing the toothpaste in the middle.

The same subject was being discussed in Perry White's office, with one of the affected parties. "She sure didn't waste any time telling Jason that I'm not his real dad once those DNA results came in," Richard complained to his uncle. "Now she's talking about letting his real dad take him over the weekend, but still won't tell me who the guy is. I don't understand why she insists on all the secrecy."

"Maybe she's embarrassed," Perry offered. "And maybe having Jason with him for the weekend isn't a bad thing." As Richard's brow furrowed in confusion, Perry clarified, "You did say that you wanted to work things out, and with someone to watch Jason, it might give you and Lois a chance to reconnect."

Richard gazed out the glass wall of Perry's office at Lois as he muttered, "The tough part will be convincing her of that. She's...not been very enthusiastic about me lately."

As Perry and Richard continued their conversation, Clark once again had trouble maintaining his cheerful fa�ade as he heard their words among the gossip on the subject. Clark took note of the heartbeats around him, and realized that the staff was giving Lois a wide berth, probably to stay out of range of her hearing as they gossiped. She was pouring over her story notes as Clark walked over to her, timidly asking, "Am I interrupting?"

"No, of course not," Lois answered him without looking up. "So, are you all moved into you new apartment?" she asked as she looked up at him. Noticing the grim expression on his face, she asked quietly, "What's wrong?"

Glancing over towards Perry's office, he whispered, "I couldn't help overhearing certain... things and certain recent... 'disclosures' have been rough on Richard, and I think that the secrecy bothers him in particular. I'm wondering if perhaps certain 'additional information' might make things easier for him at home. And for you."

Lois' eyes grew wide in shock, as she whispered back at a barely audible volume, "You're not suggesting that I tell him your secrets, are you?"

Clark whispered back, "I'm not comfortable with the notion, but if you feel it would improve things at home if he knew, then go ahead and tell him... after swearing him to secrecy, of course." After pausing for a beat, he added, "I know the situation is tearing him up inside. I know, because it's how I felt when I first came back and saw that family picture on your desk. I don't like putting someone else through that."

Lois carefully considered Clark's expression, recognizing the pain behind the fa�ade, before lowering her head in her hands and massaging her temples as she whispered, "I don't like hurting him, either. Look, I appreciate what you're offering to do, Clark, but I'm not convinced telling him your secrets would make things any easier, especially if I end up leaving him." She looked back up at him as she finished speaking.

Clark whispered back to her, "We knew that he'd have to be told something at some point. Maybe it's time."

"Do you really think you're ready for that?" she whispered back to him. "I don't think I am." Lois glanced over to Perry's office as she added, "I haven't got this figured out quite yet. I need a few more days." She was quiet for a moment before she casually asked him, "What do you think they're talking about in there?" she asked.

"Oh, I don't know," Clark began. "Maybe Richard just needs to get a few things off his chest, and get some good advice from a trusted relative."

Lois looked back at Clark with a guilty expression on her face as she quietly urged him, "Just give me a few more days." I'm going to have to make my choice very soon, Lois thought to herself. I can't continue to put them both through this.

Chapter 16 - Grandma

Day 12, Saturday, 8:00AM (Central Time), Smallville, Kansas

Ben Hubbard wondered if Martha had lost her mind. Ten days ago, she had sworn him to secrecy, and insisted that her boy Clark was actually Superman. It boggled the mind. She'd even showed him some hollow meteorite in the barn cellar that she claimed was the ship that brought him to Earth. Ben could remember Clark as a boy, getting pushed around by the other kids. Clark was Superman? Not a chance, Ben thought to himself. Ben kept Martha's claim to himself, as he had promised. She hadn't broached the subject again until this morning, which found him sitting on the steps of her porch as she scanned the corn fields with binoculars, and tried to convince him of it.

"Most of his abilities didn't develop until puberty," she explained. "He had the strength and speed from the beginning and nothing of this world could hurt him. The rest didn't come until later."

"Martha, I remember that boy getting pushed around by the bullies at his school," Ben reminded her. "You're telling me that boy became Superman?"

"We taught him not to reveal his gifts," she explained. "You'll see for yourself when they get here."

"They? I thought it was just Clark?" Ben noted.

"He's bringing his son, Jason, and the boy's mother, Lois Lane," Martha told him. She had previous told Ben of her recently discovered grandson, but this was the first time she had revealed the mother's name.

"The Lois Lane, the one who writes all the Sup-" Ben began, before stopping himself when he realized what he was about to say. He let out an exasperated sigh before he continued, "Well, if they're flying in this morning, shouldn't we meet them at the airport?"

"Superman doesn't need airplanes to fly." Martha said, as she continued to scan the cornfields.

Ben just shook his head, and wondered again if his companion had lost her mind. After a couple more minutes. He looked up and was suddenly surprised by the presence of a suitcase on the front porch. "What the... where did this suitcase come from?" he asked.

Martha looked back to the porch at the suitcase and informed him, "He's probably making two trips, one for the luggage, and one for his family. He may be Superman, but he's still only got two arms. It shouldn't be long now."

Martha turned back to the cornfields, peering once again through the binoculars as Ben walked up to her. "Martha," he began slowly, "there's just no way that boy of yours is-"

"Here they are now," Martha interrupted him, pointing across the cornfields.

Ben looked in the direction she indicated and squinted to see what was there. He made out an object above the corn, moving quickly in their direction. As the shape moved closer, Ben realized that it was Superman, flying with an attractive brunette and a small boy held tightly in his grasp... He floated down to the driveway and gently lowered his precious burden. Ben then saw a blur of color enveloping Superman before it coalesced into the familiar form of Clark Kent.

"Well, I'll be..." Ben muttered quietly.

The woman nodded her hello and the little boy started to run towards the elderly couple before being restrained by Clark. "Hold on a minute, kiddo," he told his son. "Let me introduce you, first." Clark looked up to his mother and began the introductions, "Mom, Ben, I'd like to introduce my son, Jason, and his mother, Lois Lane. Jason, Lois, this is my mother, Martha, and her... companion, Ben Hubbard."

"Grandma!" Jason exclaimed excitedly as he ran towards the old woman, now free of Clark's grip. The old woman knelt down to be at eye-level with the boy as she spread out her arms to welcome him.

"Watch your strength, Jason," Lois admonished him. "Don't squeeze too tight." Clark held back with Lois, but kept a close eye on Jason, ready to intervene if he forgot his strength.

"Oh, such a little angel!" Martha exclaimed, her words choked with emotion as she embraced her grandson, and her closed eyes rimmed with tears momentarily before those tears escaped down her cheeks. After enjoying the boy's embrace for a moment she wiped the tears from her face, and pulled back from him, looking intently in the boy's face. "I'm so happy to finally meet you, Jason," she told him. "You remind me so much of your father when he was your age..."

Lois remained standing back by Clark until Martha finally looked up and waved her in to join them, "Forgive an old woman's foolishness, Lois," she apologized. "Welcome to the family."

"Thank you, Mrs. Kent," Lois told her as she stepped inside Martha's embrace, "And I don't see anything foolish."

"Please, it's 'Martha,'" the older woman insisted. "We're not that formal around here... Oh, where are my manners? Come inside the house. We can wet our whistles and get to know each other a bit."

Clark approached Ben Hubbard, who was still in a state of shock over what he had just seen. "Ben?" Clark inquired. "Are you alright? You look a bit shell-shocked... My mom said that she had told you..."

"I didn't believe her," the old man admitted.

"Well, you're in luck, because Jason will keep her distracted for awhile," Clark joked as the two men walked up the porch and into the house. "The I-told-you-so's won't come until later."

Inside the house, Clark noticed that his mother had gone into all-out grandma mode, setting up crafts with construction paper, popsicle sticks and glue at the kitchen table, a dry-erase board and markers were set up in the living room, and a plethora of new children's videos was stacked by the DVD player under the television. None of these things had been there during his last visit. "You've been shopping," Clark observed.

"A little boy should have fun at his grandma's house," she told him simply, smiling at her grandson.

Clark smirked at that, before his head snapped around to the television a moment later, as breaking news of a devastating earthquake in Kobe, Japan was reported. "Go ahead and go," Lois told him quietly. "Just don't forget that I'll need a lift back to Metropolis before Richard freaks out. Again."

* * *

Day 12, Saturday, 11:15AM, Metropolis, 312 Riverview (Home of Lois Lane and Richard White)

Richard had zoned out the news program that was tuned in on the living room television. His thoughts were entirely consumed with the recent changes to his home life. How do I fix this? he wondered. He felt helpless to stop the deterioration of his relationship with Lois, which had become cold and distant. She seemed to have no interest in salvaging their relationship, vetoing the suggestions he had made to help them reconnect: the romantic getaway, the evening out, and she was especially opposed to counseling. Richard was broken from his reverie by the sound of the garage door opening as Lois pulled their car into the garage.

Richard looked at his watch as Lois walked into the house, "How far away does this guy live?" he inquired. Lois had insisted on going alone to hand over Jason to his biological father for the weekend, still not wanting to reveal the father's identity.

"Jason's grandma was there with him," she informed him. "Since my son will be spending a good deal of time with them, I thought it was a good idea to chat with her a little bit and get to know her. I don't think you'll find a sweeter old lady. My only worry is that she'll try to spoil Jason."

So it's 'my son,' now, Richard thought to himself, Not 'our son', but 'my son.'

Lois noticed Richard's pained expression as she walked into the living room. I hate doing this to him, she thought. She grabbed the remote off of the coffee table, and turned off the television as she sat at the opposite end of the couch. "Richard, I know that these last couple weeks have been hard on you," she told him gently. "I wish things were easier, and that you could be spared some of the pain that I know you've been enduring. I hate to sound clich�d, but you just need to give yourself some time. What's the expression, 'Time heals all wounds?' Hang in there."

"We really haven't talked much about this since you told me about it last weekend," Richard observed. "We've shouted, we've argued, but we really haven't talked. We need to do that."

"Yes, we do," Lois agreed, "though there are some things that I'm not ready to talk about yet."

"Like telling me the guy's name," Richard stated sharply.

"Believe it or not, he's suggested that I share that with you. I'm just not ready to do that. It doesn't change the circumstances, though. He'll still be Jason's biological father, still be spending time with him, still teaching him... the things that he can teach him. We have to adapt to that reality."

"I guess the big question is, what does this all mean for us, as a couple, as a family?" Richard questioned. "How do we get past this? Where do we go from here?"

"I don't know the answer to that," Lois admitted. "I have a different big question, though." She hesitated, looking out the window as she considered how best to pose her question while Richard quietly waited. "I guess what I'm most curious about is how... or if... this changes your feelings about Jason. He was a bit concerned when I told him that you weren't his real father. I told him that no matter what happened that both you and his real dad would always love him and be there for him. Was I telling him the truth?"

"Absolutely," Richard answered quickly. Gesturing towards their office in the back room, he continued, "That damned DNA report isn't going to stop me from thinking of Jason as my son, or from loving the both of you. If we'd known this from the beginning, I still would have pursued you, still would have proposed."

"That means a lot to me," Lois told him. "Everything is still confusing as hell, but that means a lot."

"Do you think...?" Richard began, before interrupting himself with a sigh and pensively staring at a spot on the floor for a moment. "I hate to ask this because I'm afraid that I know what the answer is," he admitted. "However, in light of... well, everything, I have to ask. This other guy, Jason's real dad: do you think that you're still in love with him?"

"I think I love both of you," Lois answered evasively.

"'Love', or 'are in love with?'," Richard pressed. "I think you need to know that answer as much as I do. Are you in love with him?"

Lois dropped her head into her folded hands, rubbing the bridge of her nose. After a couple of minutes of silence, Richard gently asked, "Lois?"

Lois let out a deep breath before she quietly squeaked, "Yes." She locked her gaze at the floor, and after another deep sigh, she quietly told him, "That's part of what makes this all so difficult. You're both great guys. If I had never met you, I'd have been blissfully happy with him, and if I'd never met him, I'd have been just as blissfully happy with you. It's so confusing. Things would be so much easier if one of you had been a jerk."

Richard had suspected that she was still in love with his rival, but hearing her confirm that was still difficult for him. "So, you're struggling to choose which one of us you'll spend your future with?" he inquired quietly. Lois nodded, keeping her head down as he continued, "And these last five years, they mean-"

"They mean a lot," Lois interrupted, looking up to him. "You were there for me when I needed you, I depended on you and you never let me down. I do still love you." Returning her gaze to the floor, she muttered, "It's just... there's love and history with him, too... I have no idea what I'm going to do..."

"Thank you for being honest with me about that," Richard said quietly, as they both allowed the silence to return to the house while they sat quietly on the couch considering their situation.

After several minutes, Richard broke the silence. "I hope you won't mind if I don't give you up without a fight." When Lois looked up at him, he explained, "We've got someone to watch Jason for the rest of the weekend. There's still time to fly up to the Cape overnight, or enjoy a night on the town, and remind ourselves why we fell in love with each other."

Lois' stomach knotted up at his suggestion. "I'm driving up to Long Island to visit my sister, remember?" she reminded him. "Lucy and I haven't gotten together in ages, and I really wanted to talk this all through with her." After a moment, she offered him a weak smile as she looked up at him. "Guess you were right about me needing to talk to someone about everything," she admitted. "I can do that with Lucy."

Richard pinched his lips together in a tight smile, as he told her, "Maybe we can try for next weekend, then?"

"Let me think about it," Lois offered. "No promises."

Richard nodded in acquiescence, as he again wondered, How do I fix this?

Chapter 17 - Learning

Day 12, Saturday, 11:00AM (Central Time), Smallville, Kansas

Clark walked out the back door of the house with Jason, sitting down on the steps as his son gently lobbed the baseball in the yard for Shelby to fetch, giggling with excitement as the old dog fetched the ball. After several tosses, Shelby was worn out, and just looked over to where Jason had thrown the ball before looking up at the tyke. "I think that you wore him out, kiddo," Clark told his son.

"I didn't mean to!" Jason exclaimed with alarm.

"It's okay," Clark reassured his son. "He's an old dog. He tires easily." Clark stood and walked over to join his son in the yard, bending over to scratch Shelby behind the ears. "We'll let him back inside to rest, while I show you a few things," he informed the tyke, as he led the dog back to the house. "Remember what I said Thursday at the Fortress about learning to control your abilities?" Clark asked.

"Uh huh," Jason recalled. "I could hurt someone if I'm not careful."

"You won't hurt me," Clark assured him. "I'm going to help you push your boundaries, to find out how strong and how fast you are. Back in Metropolis, you have to hold back. Well, today you'll be able to let loose. We'll also get some practice on being gentle, so that you don't hurt people or break things." Clark returned to the yard, and knelt in front of son, raising his palms to face his son. "Well start easy. Just put your hands up to mine and push as hard as you can."

Jason lifted his hands to his father's, "Come on, push, push, push, push, push!" Clark encouraged him while he estimated the force that his son was exerting against his palms, which peaked at nearly twenty thousand pounds. "Okay, that's enough," he finally told him. "You've definitely got super-strength, but maybe we should find an easier way to show you that." That earned him a wide grin from his son.

* * *

Superman flew with Jason below the tops of the corn, the only evidence of their presence a wave through the stalks until they surfaced as they approached their destination at an abandoned quarry a short distance from Smallville. The Man of Steel gently set his son down on the stone surface at the top of the quarry. "Wait here, I'll be right back," he instructed his son as his dove into the water that had filled the pit. He emerged a few seconds later with an old and rusted car wreck, a victim of some teenager's exuberance many years before. "We're going to see how far you can throw this," he informed his son. "Grab it by the frame, lift it up above your head, and throw it."

"But it'll be too heavy," Jason complained.

"Not for us," Superman reminded him. "The part of you that is Kryptonian like me was asleep for a long time, but it's awake now and you have the strength to do this. Just try it."

Jason walked up to the car, hooked his hands under the passenger side of the vehicle and lifted, and gasped in surprise when that side of the vehicle came off the ground. "Now move one of your hands to the frame on the other side and lift it above your head," his father instructed him.

Jason did as his father told him, and a wide grin spread across his face as he lifted the car above his head. "I did it!" the tyke exclaimed.

"Yes, I knew you could," Superman encouraged him. "Now, keep a tight grip on the frame, swing it back behind you, and throw it as hard as you can, kind of like pushing someone on a swing. Don't forget to let go when you push it forward."

The car swung back as Jason brought his arms behind him, and then lurched forward. It went lurching forward about fifty feet before dropping back down towards the quarry pool where Superman caught it and returned it to the top of the quarry. "That wasn't bad for your first time," Superman told his son. "Let's try again, and see if you can throw it even farther this time - try pushing it up a little higher in the air."

Jason approached the vehicle with much more confidence this time, quickly lifting the vehicle above his head, and launching it one hundred feet across the quarry before it Superman caught it. They played 'catch' with the vehicle for another hour before returning to Grandma Martha's for lunch.

* * *

Day 12, Saturday, 1:30PM, Long Island, New York

Lucy Lane warmly welcomed her sister into her small condo, and guided her to the living room. "Sorry, I know the place is kind of a mess," Lucy apologized humbly.

"Its fine," Lois insisted, as she sat down on the couch. Lois kept her gaze on the floor, fidgeting with her engagement ring.

"So, where's the munchkin today?" Lucy asked politely.

"He's with his father," Lois told her directly. As she looked up at her sister, Lois added, "And I wasn't referring to Richard." Lucy's eyes grew large at the declaration. After giving her sister a moment to absorb the bombshell, Lois added, "Jason's real father and I had been involved briefly before he left town for other opportunities years ago. He's back now, and I don't know what to do. I mean, choosing between him and Richard."

"Oh, my God," Lucy muttered quietly. "You got knocked up by Superman."

Lois' face froze in guilty horror at her sister's intuitive declaration, looking very much like the child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Lois quickly recovered her wits and schooled her expression, exclaiming, "What on Earth would possess you to say something so ridiculous?" She glared at her younger sister, doing her best to intimidate her as she waited for her answer.

"He's the only one it could possibly be," Lucy answered. "Someone would have to have been completely oblivious to not see how heads over heels in love with him you were, and you clearly had more... access... to him than anyone else on the planet. And the look on your face a minute ago pretty much confirmed it."

"This... person... is a regular guy, actually grew up on a farm," Lois insisted defiantly. "Anyways, I didn't come here to argue about who Jason's real father is. I came here because I'm having trouble sorting out my feelings and choosing between Jason's father and Richard. I need to talk it through with someone."

"Let's see..." Lucy said, holding her arms out to her sides with her palms up, imitating a scale. "Richard..." she continued, then dropping one hand to floor, she added, "...or Superman."

"Would you knock it off?" Lois demanded angrily. "I'm serious here!"

"Okay, okay!" Lucy conceded, holding her hands up in mock surrender as a smirk crossed her face. "We'll pretend that the guy's not Superman." Lois glared at her sister, now doubting the wisdom of trying to talk her situation through with her. It failed to have the intended result, as Lucy started laughing.

"It's not funny," Lois insisted angrily. "I've got to choose between two great guys, one of whom has been there when I needed him for everything during the last five years and, until recently, the only father Jason has ever known, and the other who's Jason's real father and makes me feel like nobody else on this Earth. How am I supposed to make that decision?"

"Quite a dilemma," Lucy agreed. "Though it would probably be easier for us to talk it through if you stopped pretending that we weren't talking about Sup-"

"Lucy!" Lois warned.

"Okay, fine," Lucy told her sister irritably, "We'll pretend."

* * *

The quiet of the Kansas cornfields was broken by a wave of motion flowing through the cornfields at forty miles an hour. The wave was caused by a small boy running rapidly between the rows of tall corn, and by a second figure in the adjacent row, gliding horizontally three feet about the ground as he tracked his son and monitored their surroundings. "Okay, Jason, the coast is clear," Clark informed his son.

At his father's prompting, Jason jumped, leaping thirty feet up into the air and landing fifty feet away. As with the car at the quarry, Jason hadn't believed that he'd be able to run very fast or jump very high. The small leap did wonders for building the boy's confidence. "Did you see how high I jumped?" he asked his father, a huge grin again plastered on his face.

"Yes, I did," Clark encouraged him. "That was pretty good. Let's see if you can go even faster and higher. By the time I bring your mom back tomorrow, we'll have a really big surprise for her, won't we?" Jason looked to his father, smiling widely, and increased his pace to nearly fifty miles an hour.

* * *

Day 12, Saturday, 3:00PM, Long Island, New York

"What are you afraid of?" Lucy asked her sister.

"What do you mean, 'afraid'?" Lois asked. "We've been talking about trying to make a difficult choice between two great guys."

"No, I think you've already made the decision - some time ago, in fact. But you're afraid to pull the trigger and make it happen."

"I'm not afraid of anything!" Lois insisted. "I just..." Lois dropped her head in her hands and let out a deep breath. "It's complicated."

"No kidding," Lucy agreed. "But listen to your arguments for staying with Richard, and your arguments for leaving. Your choices are 'playing it safe' or 'following your heart.' Are you afraid to follow your heart?" When Lois didn't respond, Lucy stood up, picked up Lois' empty glass off of the coffee table along with her own. "Do you need a refill?" Lucy asked.

"No, thanks," Lois answered. "I'm fine."

Lucy walked back into the kitchen and poured more iced tea into her glass, as she continued talking, "I think that you know everything you need to know to make your decision," Lucy noted. "What's stopping you?"

"No matter what I decide to do, someone is going to get hurt," Lois said quietly.

"Unavoidable," Lucy said simply. "Dragging this out will hurt him more. Make your decision, and let him start healing." Lois looked up as her sister reclaimed her seat on the couch, but remained silent.

* * *

Day 13, Sunday, 1:00PM (Central Time), Smallville

Martha cleaned up the last of the dishes from lunch, as her grandson excitedly showed his mother the Superman symbol he'd made out of construction paper and popsicle sticks, and told her how much fun he'd had that weekend. Lois and Clark both knew that after his exciting weekend, Jason would be bursting at the seams to tell someone about it. In hopes of settling down that excitement, Clark had brought Lois back to Smallville early so that the tyke could unload his tale on her before they went back to Metropolis.

"...and I threw a car a thousand feet!" be rambled on.

"You did?" Lois answered with excitement, as she looked over to Clark.

"I showed him what he can do," Clark clarified. "If he knows his strength, he can better control it."

"Can we show her now, Daddy?" Jason asked.

Clark's expression changed to one of parental bliss as his eyes glistened with unshed tears. Lois noticed the expression, and inquired, "Clark?"

"Sorry," he apologized. "It's just the first time that..." He paused a moment before quietly telling her, "It's the first time that he's called me 'Daddy.'"

Lois smiled back at him, as she softly told him, "Feels great, doesn't it? Better get used to it..."

"Grandma said it was okay to call you that here," Jason said defensively.

"It is," Clark confirmed, as he reached over and pulled his son into his lap. "And I love hearing you call me 'Daddy.' I just wasn't expecting it."

"Can we show Mommy what you taught me?" Jason asked again. Clark nodded, and guided his family out the front door before changing into the familiar blue tights in a momentary blur of colors.

"I'll be back in second," he told Lois before zooming off with Jason, reappearing a moment later, and flying off with Lois, dipping below the top of the corn, and occasionally swatting at the vegetation to keep it off of her. Finally, they stopped and he floated up with their heads just above the corn. "So what is it that you wanted to show me?" Lois inquired.

"Do you see that grain elevator down there?" he asked, as he pointed across the field.

"The what?" Lois asked, baffled

"Grain elevator," he repeated. "That big tall round thing that holds the grain from harvest."

"Oh, that," she acknowledged. "What about it?"

"Keep your eyes on it," he instructed as he let loose a loud whistle. Lois saw an object fly off of the top of the grain elevator, reaching a height of one hundred fifty feet before falling back to earth some two hundred yards away from its original location. Lois gasped as the object came down to the ground, when she realized that it was Jason. Superman flew over the corn, and dropped back between the rows beside their son as he sprinted through the corn.

Jason looked over at his parents with an ear to ear grin, as he asked his mother, "Did you see what Daddy taught me?" Lois nodded her head, momentarily speechless at her son's feat.

Finding her voice once again, Lois asked, "How... how fast is he going?"

"He's running at about seventy miles per hour," Superman informed her. "Any faster than that, and he has trouble controlling it."

"That's my boy!" Lois stated with pride. "Yep, those Kryptonian genes are definitely in the 'on' position." Lois' smile grew to match those of her companions as they made their way back to the Kent farm.

Chapter 18 - Decision

Day 14, Monday, 8:00AM, Metropolis

The citizens of Metropolis grudgingly bid farewell to the weekend as they headed back to their jobs Monday morning, few of them pleased with that prospect. Lois was also clinging to her weekend memories, in spite of her reputation as a workaholic. Though the weekend was not without its awkward moments, she'd enjoyed the time in Long Island and in Smallville and she had begun the day on a cheerful note. Lois was powerless to stop a smile from forming on her face as she recalled the transformation of her son from the fragile little boy of a few weeks ago into the Superboy that she'd seen zooming through the Kansas cornfields.

Lois smile faded a bit as she recalled Lucy's insight from Saturday night, seeming to magically deduce that Jason's real father had to be Superman, and she would not be convinced otherwise. At least she promised to keep that 'suspicion' to herself, Lois thought. Clark had not been pleased with Lucy's insight, but was willing to come clean with her if Lois thought she could be trusted. However, Lois was not yet ready to admit to her sister that she'd been right all along. That would have to wait for another day.

She looked over at Richard standing beside her in the elevator. Though he had finally managed to school his expression into something neutral, she knew him well enough see through the mask and recognize the pain he was enduring. The recent changes in their home life had been tough on him. Lucy was right, Lois thought, dragging this out just makes it worse. Another crack had formed in the foundation he tried to build his family on that morning, when Jason addressed him as 'Richard,' instead of as 'Daddy.' Though her son had been tearful and apologetic as he told them that he wanted to save the name 'Daddy' for his real dad, it was another tough blow for Richard. He deserves better than this, Lois thought as the ding announced their floor.

She exited the elevator for the Daily Planet newsroom, and returned Clark's greeting, this time powerless to prevent his contagious smile from spreading to her own features. Her only alternative was to drop her head to hide the smile as she settled in at her desk.

* * *

Day 14, Monday, 11:15AM, Metropolis, Daily Planet Newsroom

Maggie Gonzales had spent the morning busily working the phones, passing on Perry's demands to various departments, triaging the problems reported back, and acting as gatekeeper to Perry's office. God, how I hate Mondays, she thought, as a calm in the storm finally materialized. Through the glass wall behind her, she heard Perry and Lois arguing, yet again. She couldn't make out the words through the glass, but had a pretty good idea what it was about. Both Lois and Clark had really been pushing the Lex Luther story from different angles. While they'd gotten some great articles out and caught the attention of national media, Perry thought the story had gone cold. Lois disagreed.

Lois stormed out of Perry's office, stopping for a moment to scan the newsroom for her partner as the door closed behind her.

"How'd it go in there, Lois?" Maggie asked her.

"Fine," Lois answered simply, as she turned to the woman. "He just doesn't like admitting it when he's wrong."

"He's not the only one," Maggie whispered to herself.

"I beg your pardon?" Lois asked, not quite hearing Maggie's remark.

"Nothing. Listen, I have a question for you," Maggie told her. "I noticed that you and Kent have been working quite closely together lately..."

Crap, Lois thought. Did we slip up somehow?

"... and I see how great he's been with Jason..." Maggie continued.

Double crap, Lois thought, has she figured that out, too?

"...and I was wondering..." Maggie went on.

Uh oh, here it comes, Lois thought. Come on, Lane, get a grip. Try not to be too obvious.

"...do you know if he's..." Maggie continued.

Try not to panic, Lois though. Breathe nice and easy... In and out...

"...seeing anyone?" Maggie finally asked her.

What? Lois thought as her jaw dropped and her eyes grew wide, You can't have him! Aloud, she quietly said, "You're not serious." Back at his desk, Clark was doing his best not to burst out laughing, and ended up with a peculiar smirk on his face.

"I think he'd be good for my sister, Christine..." Maggie explained.

She can't have him either! Lois thought.

Maggie explained, "The jerk is history, and her little boy's just a little bit younger than Jason. So... do you know if he's seeing anyone?"

He's mine! Lois thought. "I don't think he'd be interested in that," Lois told her.

"It'd be better than some hopeless crush," Maggie noted.

"Well," Lois stammered. "He's just... well, it's kind of complicated... he's kind of... in the middle of something. I don't think that it would be a good time for him."

"That doesn't exactly sound like a healthy situation," Maggie concluded. "You've met Christine. She'd be good for him. Maybe you could talk him into it?"

You have got to be kidding, Lois thought. "We've both kind of got our hands full right now," Lois told her, "but if the opportunity comes up, I'll... mention it. I've... got to go."

Lois returned to her desk, glancing over to Clark's desk. He was facing away from her, but she could vaguely see his shoulders shaking. "Stop laughing, that wasn't funny," she whispered almost inaudibly. "I know that you knew that was coming. You could have warned me." After stewing for another minute, she added, "Maybe I should have told her you were gay. It's not too late for that, you know." He turned to her, mouthing the word "Sorry," but with the smirk still firmly in place. Lois scowled at him before turning back to her computer screen

* * *

Day 14, Monday, 1:30PM, Metropolis, Daily Planet Newsroom

Why can't anyone wait until after deadline to mess with my head like this? Lois wondered as she struggled to complete her article on yet another scandal emerging from mismanaged quake reconstruction funds. Fortunately, this one was a simple one. She'd get it out by deadline, but it wouldn't be her best work.

Lois had not been able to focus on her work since Maggie's suggestion to set Clark up with her sister, Christine. The idea of Clark with anyone other than herself was inconceivable to Lois, and she had spent most of the time since then simmering over that or questioning why she felt that way. The intensity of her jealously surprised her.

Would I have been this angry if I had left Richard, and Maggie tried setting up her sister with him? she wondered. She quickly realized that the answer to that was 'no.' She would want him to be able to move on.

And if I chose Richard over Clark, would I feel like this if he moved on after I shut him out of my life? she asked herself, as she fiddled with the engagement ring on her hand. The very thought of Clark with anyone else gave her an empty feeling inside.

If I left, where would we live? she thought. Not in Clark's shoebox of an apartment. The house belonged to Richard - they could not stay there. If we split up, I'd have to be the one to leave she concluded. Not 'if', she corrected herself, but 'when.' Lois looked down at the ring on her hand as she asked herself, Is that why I've been avoiding the decision? Have I become too comfortable, too dependent on the White family fortune?

She looked back up to her article. At this rate, she'd never finish it. Lois forced the internal debate out of her mind, and tried to get a passable article completed and submitted as the afternoon edition deadline loomed near. She continued to sneak glances both at Clark's occasionally empty desk and at Richard in his office, finally submitting her article just a few minutes before deadline.

With the article now completed, Lois dropped her head in her heads, massaging her temples to force her coming headache into submission. She finally lifted her head, again surreptitiously glancing to Clark and back to Richard. I can't drag this out any longer, Lois thought. After letting out a deep sigh, she opened the lower drawer of her desk, removed the engagement ring from her finger, and dropped it in her purse. Next comes the really hard part, she thought, telling him.

* * *

Day 14, Monday, 5:50PM, Metropolis, 312 Riverview (Home of Lois Lane and Richard White)

Richard White opened his front door to a silent house. "Hello?" he called. Lois had left the office early, and he had expected both her and Jason to be home.

"Out here," Lois answered from the back patio, where she was seated fiddling with her engagement ring in her palm while she cried quietly. As Richard joined her in back of the house, she closed her fist around the ring, dropped her head, and wiped away her tears with her free hand.

"Where's Jason?" he asked her.

"With his grandma," Lois answered without looking up. "There are some things we need to talk about that he's too young to understand."

"So we have the night to ourselves?" Richard asked cautiously.

"It's not quite like that," Lois told him. She slowly stood up to face him, and placed the engagement ring in his hand, quietly telling him, "I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you." Richard stood there, staring at the ring in his hand, while Lois attempted unsuccessfully to blink back her unshed tears. Finally, Richard dropped into one of the patio chairs.

Lois sighed deeply, and told him, "We... Jason and I... we don't have a place to go to yet, but I'll try..." Lois paused as her voice cracked, and wiped the errant tears from her cheeks before she continued, "I'll try to find something as soon as I can. And we need to figure out how to break the news to Jason. We don't have to work that all out now, but soon."

Lois stopped in the doorway as she walked back into the house, turning to tell Richard, "I'll be staying with Lucy in Long Island for a few days, though I'm not really looking forward to the commute on that train..."

Richard finally found his voice. "So that's it?" he asked angrily. "Five plus years, trying to build a life together, and you throw it all away for some guy who left you years ago! How well do you even know the guy?"

"I'm sorry, Richard," Lois told him gently. "This hasn't been an easy decision, and I wish I could spare you the heartache. It was really tempting to stay, but I have to follow my heart and do what I believe is best both for me and for my son." After a moment's pause, Lois added, "You're a good man, Richard. You deserve better than this."

"Somehow that doesn't mean a whole lot right now," Richard informed her. "Who is this guy that you so easily throw everything we had away?"

"We'll tell you that soon," Lois promised him. "Not now, though. After you've had some time to heal."

"Lois," Richard began.

"I'm sorry!" Lois interrupted, her tears beginning anew as she yelled. Lowering her voice, she continued, "Let's stop now before one of us ends up saying something we'll regret. We can talk about this later in the week and work out the details about who gets what... Goodbye, Richard." With that, Lois quickly turned and entered the house, stopping briefly to look back as she left through the door to the garage.

Chapter 19 - Reaction

Day 14, Monday, 7:55PM, Long Island

"Are you sure that you're okay?" Lucy asked again, for the fifth time since Lois had arrived forty minutes earlier.

Lois sighed deeply, pulled off her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. She was seated on Lucy's living room couch, this time with her laptop open in front of her on the coffee table. "Would you please stop asking me that," Lois pleaded, as she looked over at her sister. "No, it wasn't easy. Yes, there are still some difficult moments ahead, and, yes, I'm... as okay as I can be under the circumstances." After a moment, Lois looked back at the laptop screen in front of her, she muttered, "I can't believe how expensive housing is in Metropolis. No wonder Clark had so much trouble finding an affordable apartment."

"Who?" Lucy inquired.

"This... guy I work with," Lois offered. Turning her attention back to the online mortgage application on her screen, she complained, "Even with my ample salary, I can still only get approved for a little more than half what it'll cost to get a decent-sized house in a good neighborhood. Where are Jason and I going to live?"

"Maybe you can get some help from Sup-" Lucy suggested, before rethinking her choice of words at her sister's glare. "...um, from bachelor number two."

"Maybe," Lois accepted. "We haven't had a chance to discuss anything yet. I barely had a chance to tell him that I was leaving Richard... And we still need to figure out how we're going to explain things to Jason." Lois dropped her head in her hands as she pondered the situation before she was broken from her reverie by the cell phone ringing in her purse.

Lois fished out her cell phone, and quickly checked the display, which listed the caller as 'Martha.' "Speaking of which..." Lois added as she opened up the phone and brought it to her ear. "Hello?" Lois answered. Her frown changed into a small smile as she continued, "Are you having fun with Grandma? ...Be a good boy for Daddy and Grandma, and go to bed when they tell you... No, I can't come there tonight, sweetheart."

Lucy walked into the kitchen to refill her glass of iced tea while her sister continued to talk with her son. "Okay, sweetheart, I love you too. Let me talk to Daddy, now.... Hi..." Lucy noticed Lois roll her eyes, before saying into the phone, "I'm fine... Any chance you can stop by after putting him to bed? We have a lot to talk about, and I doubt I'll get much leeway from Perry tomorrow... Yeah, we can trust her... Okay, see ya soon!"

As Lois closed her phone and threw it back into her purse, Lucy asked cautiously, "So... will bachelor number two be stopping by?"

Lois nodded as her expression suddenly grew gravely serious. "Listen, Lucy, there is something you need to understand. There are... certain people out there who if they suspected... too strong a connection between me and... bachelor number two... might try to come after Jason and me to get at him... I've already been kidnapped on more than one occasion by some psychopath who thought I'd make an effective hostage. Nobody can know. Do you understand that?"

Lucy nodded as her eyes grew large at the realization. "I had no idea..." she admitted.

As Lois stood and walked over to the balcony doors, she told her sister, "We didn't want anyone having any idea." Lois unlocked the balcony door and returned to the couch, as she continued to browse Metropolis real estate listings.

A short while later, Superman stepped through the balcony door, closing it behind him, the noise from the door attracting the attention of the two women. Lucy watched in amazement as he stepped through a blur of colors, before turning to address her, now wearing Converse high-tops, worn and faded jeans, a white t-shirt and a flannel shirt. "You must be Lucy," he said to her as he held out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you." Lucy could not find her voice as she weakly offered him her hand, her mouth agape and eyes like saucers.

"You can blink, now, Lucy," Lois teased, as Clark joined her on the couch. Lucy blinked, and a wide smile grew across her features as she anticipated finally hearing the explanation that Lois had been withholding from her since their talk two days earlier.

* * *

Day 15, Tuesday, 8:35AM, Metropolis, Daily Planet Newsroom

Lois was hunched over her desk, supporting her head with one hand, as she flipped through her notes with the other. She'd already drained her Starbucks coffee, and most of her coworkers correctly interpreted her demeanor to say 'Stay Away.' She heard someone clear his throat beside her and looked up as Clark set a fresh Starbucks coffee in front of her. "How was the drive in this morning?" he asked politely.

"Horrible," she answered testily as she raised the fresh coffee to her lips. "Just over two hours to get in here from Long Island during rush hour... Thanks for the coffee." Dropping her voice to the nearly inaudible whisper she was quickly becoming accustomed to, she asked, "Did the munchkin get to school on time?"

Clark nodded as she looked up at him, before quietly telling her, "You would have made better time on the train."

Lois rolled her eyes as she answered, "I know that, Clark, but I left too late for the train last night, and I needed my car down here..." After glancing through her notes a moment longer, she informed him, "By the way, I think I may have come up with an angle to put the Luthor story back on page one." Lois looked back up at Clark as she continued, "It looks like there has been a lot of maritime activity offshore. The ships out there are all sending down submersibles to look around where Luthor tried to grow that continent. Do you think they'll find anything down there?"

Clark shook his head, "My sources tell me that it's clean down there. You may be onto something, though, if we can track the sponsors of these expeditions. We know that Luthor wants to get his hands on kryptonite - no plan of his can work without it. Maybe we can track one of these expeditions back to him and smoke him out."

"I hadn't thought of that," Lois admitted, "How do we track that? Can your friend in Gotham help with that?"

"Maybe," Clark offered, falling silent as his gaze shifted to the lobby where Richard had just stepped off the elevator. Lois followed Clark's gaze and spotted him. Richard's expression was neutral but for a quick flash of anger that crossed his face when he looked over at Lois. She lowered her head, while Clark greeted him with a weak wave - he couldn't quite manage the usual goofy grin this time. Richard lowered his gaze to the floor and walked by them without acknowledgement. That scene did not escape the attention of their coworkers who, though unaware of their recent change in status, realized that their circumstances had taken a significant turn for the worse.

* * *

Day 15, Tuesday, 10:30AM, Metropolis, Daily Planet Newsroom

"Lane! Kent! My office, now!" Perry bellowed. As the two took the seats in front of his desk, Perry scolded, "I thought we agreed that the Luthor story was cold."

"You assumed," Lois corrected him, "Nobody agreed. Besides, we've come up with something that I think you'll like..."

"Unless Luthor's been arrested, there's nothing there," Perry insisted.

"Whatever happened to 'A good reporter does find great stories, a good reporter...'" Lois began.

"'...makes them great,'" Clark and Perry both finished for her.

"You two have done a good job approaching this subject from all possible angles, but what else is there?" Perry inquired.

"If you'll let us explain that," Clark offered. "First, we have a press release from the FBI that just came off the wire, increasing the reward on Lex Luthor to ten million dollars."

"That's one paragraph on page twenty-three," Perry countered.

"It's the maritime activity that's more interesting," Lois informed him. "We've been tracking the sponsors of all ships exploring that location offshore where that kryptonite land mass was. Most of it seems legitimate, but there are a couple of them that look mighty suspicious, with the true sponsor hidden behind holding companies and law firms."

"We know that Lex Luthor transferred most of the Vanderworth assets to offshore accounts," Clark added. "The dubious entities are consistent with his history, and if he was trying to get his hands on more Kryptonite, then that seems to be a good place to look."

Perry pinched his lips together in a tight smile. "Well, maybe there's something there," he conceded. "Alright, but I'm only giving you a couple days to come up with something on this."

Lois and Clark were headed out the door, when Perry called out, "Lois, wait a moment." As both stopped at the door, Perry waved off Clark, clarifying, "Just Lois."

As Clark returned to his desk and Lois sat back down, Perry quietly told her, "Lois, that scandal piece from yesterday... It wasn't your best work. There have been a couple of times in the last few weeks where the story you've turned in looks more like something from an intern than my Pulitzer Prize winner. And now ... with the chaos at home."

"I take it he told you, then," Lois stated.

"He came to the house last night," Perry confirmed. As he offered her a compassionate expression that few were privileged to see, Perry implored her, "Lois, think about what you are doing. You and Richard had a good life together... can still have a good life together. Is it really worth throwing that all away?"

"It's not that simple, Perry," Lois told him. "I hate hurting him, but it was unavoidable. Maybe now that the decision is finally made, everyone can start healing." Perry frowned a bit at her response, though he hadn't truly expected to change her mind. Before he had a chance to respond, Lois spoke up again, telling him, "Look, I know that Richard is... your family, and the bias there is unavoidable, but this is really for the best."

"I still think that you're making a mistake," he told her. "I won't poke my nose any further into your private life, but I can't turn a blind eye when it starts affecting your work. I don't want to see another sloppy article like the one you turned in yesterday. Do we understand each other?"

"Yessir," Lois answered contritely, as she finally escaped the reprimand and returned to her desk.

* * *

Day 15, Tuesday, 2:15PM, Metropolis, Daily Planet Newsroom

By deadline, Lois and Clark had dug up enough on the sponsors of the offshore expeditions for Perry to be satisfied with the progress, but not enough to go to press for the afternoon edition. Clark continued to research the matter, which included occasional unauthorized peeks into corporate files. Once the afternoon edition was sent to press, Lois took the opportunity to chance a brief discussion with Richard to clear the air.

It's said that news travels fast through the office grapevine, and in the Daily Planet newsroom, even more so, if the day's events were any indication. The news of Lois and Richard's split had gotten out well before lunch, when Gil Truman overheard Richard complaining about the situation with Perry. As Lois now entered Richard's office, all eyes were on its glass walls. Lois' gaze was mostly on the floor, while Richard was somewhat hunched over, his shoulders sagging, his gaze locked on Lois. The image was clearly that of a former couple.

"Okay, we'll wait until Friday to explain things to him," Lois told him. That'll give him a couple days to get used to the idea before going back to school and starting After Care.

"You can still bring him in after school," Richard offered quietly.

"It would hardly be fair to expect that under the circumstances," Lois told him. "Maybe every once in a while..." As Lois looked out the glass wall towards the bullpen, she nodded her head in that direction as she added "We probably ruffled a lot of feathers bringing him in here every day like we had been, when none of them had that option."

"Where will you be staying?" Richard asked. "You're not planning on commuting down from Lucy's every day, are you?"

Lois shook her head, exclaiming, "God, no! That drive was horrible this morning, and her place is a way too small. I think we'll probably both stay with his Grandma until we can get the housing straightened out... and it's just Jason, his Grandma and me that'll be staying there."

"You could have stayed at the house," Richard pointed out. "We were already in separate rooms."

"That would have been a bit awkward," Lois commented.

"So you're gone for good now?" Richard asked. "It looked like you'd already taken everything from the house that was yours or Jason's"

"We won't be coming back to the house," Lois confirmed. "Too awkward... Look, I know that I have no right to expect anything from you where Jason is concerned, but if you still want to be a part of his life, we'll work something out."

"I'd like that," Richard said sadly.

"Well, we can talk about the other stuff later," Lois said quietly. As she motioned through the door to her desk, she added, "I should get back."

The newsroom staff continued to observe the pair as Richard nodded, then dropped his head into his hands when Lois retreated back to her desk. The fire of office gossip was already stoked, and the comments came, almost none of which was sympathetic to Lois.

"He's probably better off without her."

"Did she even consider what this will do to that little boy?"

"How could she have thrown it all away like that?"

"Do you think that she was having an affair?"

"He should have realized it wouldn't last when she refused to pick a wedding date after so many years."

"She didn't appreciate what she had!"

"How could she do that to him?"

Clark's usual smile was nowhere to be found as he heard the gossip. Once again, only Jimmy Olsen insisted on giving them both the benefit of the doubt. Clark again felt guilt for the other man's pain before his thoughts moved forward to his family's security.

* * *

Day 15, Tuesday, 7:15PM (Central Time), Smallville

Lois continued to scribble her notes at the kitchen table in the Kent house, as she looked through her glasses at the information on her laptop while Martha knitted in front of the TV. Lois heard the stairs creak, and looked up to see Clark walk down the stairs. "So, how many stories did you end up reading to him?" she asked.

"Three," Clark answered, "though he had a stack of a dozen more waiting for me."

Lois smiled, telling him, "That's one of his favorite tricks."

"How's the research coming?" Clark asked.

"I think we should be able to make deadline without any trouble," she told him. After a moment, she added, "It a huge relief that you've got WiFi out here. I thought we'd have to use dial-up."

"The population out here is so small that it's not worth it for the cable or phone companies to compete for Internet service," he told her. "So, they don't fight county-wide WiFi here like they do in the city." Taking the seat beside her, he asked, "Do you need any more information from an unauthorized source?"

"I think we have everything we need from your earlier snooping," Lois told him. "I just need to finish corroborating the information with SEC filings and other public sources."

Lois set down her pen, and turned to Clark as she pulled her glasses off. "Clark, where are we going to live?" Lois asked anxiously. "I mean, as wonderful as it is here, we can't commute via Kryptonian Express indefinitely. We need something in Metropolis, and I think an apartment in the city would be too big a disruption for Jason, and I'd worry about the security."

"I can help with that. We just need to find something that you like," Clark told her.

"But, last night you said that you were worried about a paper trail leading back to Clark Kent, especially with Lex Luthor at large," Lois reminded him. "What changed?"

"I've made some alternate arrangements with help from my contact at Wayne Enterprises," Clark told her. "We've transferred some of my savings and investments to a Wayne Financial account, and I've gotten an independent loan through them. That value will be applied to the house, but without there being any link between us in their database. It should allow us to afford something in the mid three hundreds and still be able to save for Jason's college. Most of the houses you liked in the online listings were in that range."

Lois launched herself at Clark, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. "I should have known you'd 'rescue' us!" she exclaimed. "You didn't have a problem talking him into that?"

"I think he thought that he owed me one after all that they've saved on the satellites I've lifted into orbit for them," Clark reminded her.

Lois pulled back from the hug and looked into Clark's eyes. "This contact of yours..." she began warily, "...how much does he know about us?"

"Everything," Clark informed her. "He has secrets, too. He can be trusted."

"I want to meet him," Lois declared.

"I'm not sure he'd be too eager to-" Clark began.

"If we're depending on him for our family's security, then I'm going to meet him," Lois insisted.

"I'll talk to him about it in the morning," Clark offered. "That's not a guarantee, however."

"You can talk him into it," she declared as she pulled herself back from Clark and returned her attention to the laptop. "In the meantime...give me another half hour or so to put the rest of the pieces together, and then see what we've got for deadline." Clark nodded, as he wondered how Bruce Wayne would react to Lois' request.

Chapter 20 - Setback

Day 18, Friday, 8:00AM (Pacific Time), Henderson, Nevada

Lex Luthor was savoring the tranquility of the morning as he listened to Verdi's La Traviata on the stereo system and enjoyed his Denver omelet. At least now Kitty was earning her keep again by doing the cooking. He flipped through the morning's Las Vegas Review Journal as he ate, scanning for any news on the manhunt, and smiled arrogantly in his confident assumption that he had left them a cold trail. The calm of the morning was disrupted by the sounds of The Today Show floating across Verdi as Kitty turned on the television.

"Turn! It! Off!" Lex shouted into the living room.

"How else do you expect me to drown that crap out?" Kitty demanded.

"That, is not crap," Lex declared. "That, is Verdi, the premier composer of Italian opera. One does not drown out Verdi, now turn off the TV!"

"Fine, I'll watch it upstairs," Kitty huffed as she turned off the television and left the room. Though the music was no longer disturbed, Lex could not slip back into his earlier peaceful state. He threw down his newspaper, and headed back to his office to get an update on his special projects.

The first thing Lex noticed was an urgent email from Roger Pruitt:

Subject: Problem with Boat

Contractor refuses further work, due to D.P. article this morning. Call ASAP.

-Rog

Lex was baffled as to what might have caused the boat owner to quit, and quickly pulled up the Daily Planet website, where he was greeted by the headline, "Luthor Continues Search for Kryptonite" by Lois Lane and Clark Kent. What has she done now, Lex wondered. As he read the article, his eyes widened in near panic as they described the dummy companies and hidden financing that he had put in place to hire the salvage boat. He quickly turned on the television in his office, tuning in a cable news channel as alarm spread across his features.

"...have apparently uncovered a secret financial network tied to fugitive Lex Luthor, which had hired a salvage boat to hunt for kryptonite off the New Jersey coast..." the news anchor recited.

Damn, Lex thought, as he quickly pulled up the financial application on his laptop, and frantically tried transferring the funds from the largest of the named accounts offshore. As he hit the submit button, he got the pop-up window, "Unable to process request. Please contact your financial institution." A cold sweat broke across Lex's brow as he realized that the funds had likely been frozen. The Planet had probably delayed printing the story to give the feds time for warrants.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Lex hollered, as he moved from one account to the next, as he attempted to salvage what he could from the myriad of secret accounts he maintained. "That's my money!"

After about a dozen attempts, his connection broke. One of the entities that he had been proxying his traffic through to hide his Internet address had gone dark - they'd set a trap for him. Fortunately, they'd only be able to track to the upstream proxy, but it still was burning precious time while Lex scrambled to configure a new proxy. The cat and mouse game went on for the next two hours, and when the dust settled, Lex had salvaged about four hundred million dollars of the twelve billion he had spread around in domestic U.S. accounts.

While the remaining funds were adequate resources for his needs, like a dragon guarding its hoard, Lex begrudged the loss of a single cent, and this morning's loss had been substantial. "Damn her!" Lex shouted, as he pounded his fist onto the surface of his desk. "Damn her to hell! She's going to pay for this!" Lex would no longer target Lois Lane and her son just to get at Superman. His revenge would now also be directed at her, and she would have to suffer as well.

Finally, Lex opened the Internet Phone application on his laptop, and called Roger.

"Rog," the voice answered.

"You didn't think this was important enough to contact me earlier?" Lex demanded to know.

"How could I? You only gave me the email address," Roger reminded him.

"That's not that point!" Lex bellowed. "What else is going on out there that I should know about?"

"Well, it's really all a moot point. Before everything hit the fan, the boat's captain said there wasn't anything down there. Actually, looked like the ocean bottom had been scraped clean. Been hearing similar things from the other boat captains interviewed on the local news stations."

"Moot point?" Lex asked. "Moot Point! Do you have any idea what the feds have been doing to the accounts I set up to finance this operation?"

"Um, no," Roger admitted. "I didn't even think-"

"That's right, you didn't think," Lex interrupted. "They've frozen most of the accounts!"

"Um, sorry, Boss," Rog told him. "What do you want me to do?"

"Close up shop, and lay low until we're ready for Plan B," Lex told him. "We'll have to find the stuff another way."

After hanging up the phone, Lex stewed over the loss, staring blankly at the television as the news loop repeated. His eyes widened when he recognized the Baton Rouge safe house on the screen and turned up the volume.

"...authorities suspect that this house, owned by a reclusive 'David Simpson,' may be associated with the Lex Luthor secret financial network uncovered this morning by Daily Planet reporters Lois Lane and Clark Kent..."

Oh, no, thought Lex, if they found the Baton Rouge house, how long before they find this one? Lex pulled up his financial application again to confirm the accounts used to buy both the Baton Rouge and Las Vegas homes. The Vegas House seemed safe, but now was not the time to risk that. Lex shutdown the computer and marched out of the office, shouting up the stairs. "We're leaving! Get packed!"

* * *

Day 18, Friday, 3:00PM (Mountain Time), Aspen, Colorado

Lex continued to review the day's setbacks from the comfortable rental cabin in the Rocky Mountains. It was the off-season, so there weren't a lot of people nosing around, and the cable television and broadband access gave Lex the tools he needed for a proper damage assessment. Damn her! Lex thought again, as he pondered how to recreate the financial network that had been dismantled that morning. It would take months to expand the new accounts from his overseas holdings, especially given the NSA tracking of large institution to institution transfers. The transfer amounts would have to be relatively small over a large number of accounts and a period of several months.

Kitty was sitting outside reading a supermarket tabloid, having sensed the dangerous mood that Lex was in and wisely kept her tongue and her distance. She was like a typical mobster girlfriend in that she loved the lifestyle that the illegal gains brought, but was uncomfortable with the violence that provided it. Lex's mood today was too vivid a reminder of his murderous rage about the Wayward Wanderer, and thus she remained quiet, sitting outside the cabin.

With the damage finally calculated, Lex finally turned away from the laptop, spotting Kitty sitting outside. Why is she still alive? Lex wondered to himself. She had betrayed him by pitching the Kryptonian crystals out the door of the helicopter, and he had killed for much less than that. He had wanted to kill her after that, but hadn't. Why not? he wondered.

He recounted her assets versus her liabilities, reviewing his unconscious decision to let her live. Why had he done that? Was it for carnal pleasures, a cook, a maid? Those things could certainly be acquired elsewhere for a lot less trouble, though not so easily now that there was a ten million dollar price on his head.

Lex concluded that in the context of their personal lives, he could trust her. She would never turn him in. It was only in the context of his masterful plans that she freaked out and sabotaged him. She'll still have to be punished for that, Lex thought. She'd have to be kept in the dark from any future planning, but for now at least, she would live.

Breaking from his thoughts, Lex returned to his laptop and after briefly reviewing his list of meteorite exhibits, he pulled up the profile on Lois Lane. You'll need to be punished, too, he thought as he reviewed the information in her profile and plotted his revenge.

Chapter 21 - Telling

Day 18, Friday, 5:15PM, Metropolis, Daily Planet Newsroom

Lois Lane tried to stifle a yawn as she raised her hand to mouth. She was still sitting in the empty 'hotel' office to the left of Perry's office, usually used for visitors or discreet interviews with certain sources. Today, it had been set up as a makeshift television studio as Lois made appearances via satellite with the major cable news networks, the topic being Lex Luthor's financial network and his hunt for kryptonite. Most of the interviews had been prerecorded earlier in the afternoon. However, she'd agreed to a live interview with MSNBC, and was scheduled for the second and possibly third fifteen-minute segment of the show.

As the interview began, Perry looked on through the glass of his office like a proud papa while listening to the slightly delayed sound from the television in his office. She definitely had her head back in the game after her domestic distractions earlier in the week. Though he'd been sorely disappointed at her breaking off her engagement to his nephew, she was still like family to him and one of his best reporters. Perry felt no guilt for his continuing professional support of Lois Lane, confident in his belief that the story they'd run that morning would earn her a second Pulitzer, and Clark Kent his first. Richard would simply have to learn to cope with working with her in the office as he dealt with his pain.

Perry thought back to the call from Clark at 10:30 PM Tuesday night, explaining what he and Lois had uncovered, which seemed to be as big as blowing open the Watergate scandal had been in the 1970s. He thought he was going to have a stroke when Clark had insisted that they sit on the story a couple days to give law enforcement agencies a chance to act on their information. Holding the story had been the right decision, however. Not only did they have to run two special editions to keep up with demand at the newsstand, the rapidly unfolding events that the story had precipitated would keep the papers flying off the shelves for days to come. Clark and Lois had already filed three follow up articles that day, both on the money trail and on the newly discovered Baton Rouge safe house that Lex Luthor had apparently hidden in.

Perry saw Clark walking toward the 'hotel' cube, and stepped out of his office door, waving him in. "We can spy on her from here," Perry told him. "You two have done a hell of a job, by the way."

"Thanks again, Chief," Clark replied meekly. "It's a good thing that this is the last interview. I think Lois has about had it."

"Maybe we need to train you in public speaking, so you can share the burden next time," Perry suggested.

Clark shrugged his shoulders at that, quietly telling Perry, "She'd still do a much better job at it, and present a much better image for the Daily Planet. I'm... I'm better behind the scenes." Both men remained silent as they watched the interview.

As they approached the end of the segment, the news program's host began his next question, "...one more question, one that I know everyone's dying to know the answer to..." Clark noticed Lois' jaw clench as they both realized what was coming. "...what's Superman really like?"

"I'm not sure I can really answer that, Norman," Lois answered, reciting her prepared answer. "He intentionally keeps himself at arm's length."

"But you've had so many exclusives with him. Surely you have some insight into the man?" the host persisted.

"He liked what he read in the Daily Planet and felt he could trust me to give him fair coverage," Lois replied from another rehearsed answer. "I know that he hasn't liked everything I've published, but he knows I'll be fair. I suspect that it's the same with the other reporters that he's spoken to. And as far as insight goes, I can't claim that I've got him figured out."

Once the interview concluded, Perry and Clark both approached Lois as she was getting untangled from her earplug and microphone. "Nice job," Perry praised her. "And that was a pretty slick plug for the Planet on that last question."

"Just once I'd like to get through one of these without the Superman questions," Lois complained.

"It's a bit much to expect when we're talking about Lex Luthor and kryptonite," Clark pointed out. "At least it's over now, and you can get some rest." Lois nodded, and she made a hasty retreat, stopping only briefly to gather her things from her desk on her way out.

* * *

Day 18, Friday, 5:30PM (Central Time), Smallville

Clark, Lois and Jason walked out the back door of the Kent house after dinner as Shelby excitedly ran ahead before circling back and dropping his ball at Jason's feet. As his parents sat on the steps and slipped their hands together, Jason happily obliged the dog and tossed the ball through the yard, which had become an after dinner habit during the past week. After several tosses the old dog had tired, and Clark let him back into the house.

"Are we going play catch at the quarry?" Jason asked his father. It had also been a habit over the last week for Clark to help his son push his abilities after dinner, and it seemed that the boy grew stronger and faster with each passing day. After Jason had thrown the wrecked car nearly a mile the previous night, Clark had decided that they'd have to find another exercise to push his strength, one that was less likely to be observed. Tonight, however, they had other plans.

Clark looked over to Lois, unsure of his role in the coming conversation. She told their son, "Not tonight, honey. I need to talk to you about something. Come here."

Once Jason walked over to his parents on the stairs, Lois pulled him onto her lap, and asked him, "Jason, honey, do you remember what we talked about last week at Superman's Fortress? When I told you that Daddy, Richard and I would always love you no matter what?"

"Uh huh," Jason answered warily.

"Well, try to remember that as I tell you this... We can't stay with Daddy like we have been this week and with Richard like we were at the same time. Things are going to have to be a bit different back in Metropolis."

"Different? How?" Jason asked, as his brow furrowed with worry.

"We can't live with Richard anymore, but-" Lois began.

"No! I don't want Richard to move out!" Jason complained.

"Richard's not moving," Lois explained. "We are: You and me. But you'll still be able to see Richard and do things with him. It's just that we have to live apart now."

"I don't want to move," Jason whined.

"We know you don't, sweetheart," Lois told him, "But our old house is just a place. It's the people that make a house a home. You and I will both be at the new house, Daddy will be there a lot, and Richard will get to visit, too."

"When are we moving?" Jason grumbled.

"I don't know," Lois admitted. "We still have to find a new house. Until then, we'll be staying here with Grandma, and flying back and forth to Metropolis."

"I miss him," Jason told her quietly.

"I know you do, and you'll get to spend most of the day with him tomorrow," Lois told her son. "We'll work something out so you still get to see him when you want to."

"Can I see him now?" Jason asked hopefully.

Lois pinched her lips together as she considered her son's request for a moment. After briefly glancing over at Clark, she suggested, "Why don't we try calling him first?"

* * *

Richard White leaned over the masonry fence behind the patio as he took another gulp from his second beer of the evening and remembered how Lois had loved this view of the river. The evenings since she left had been difficult for him, as everything in the house reminded him of her, despite the fact that none of her belongings remained. His heart also ached for his lost son, whom he still thought of as his son despite the recent evidence to the contrary.

This night, like the others earlier in the week, had found him on the couch surfing through television stations once he got home. However, seeing her frequent presence on the cable news stations tonight had been too much for him - to see her image and hear her voice, knowing that he would not to know her presence in the house again. The few discussions he had with her during the week only drove that point home. She wanted Jason's bedroom furniture and everything from the kitchen, including the dinette set. He'd keep the living room, master bedroom and office furniture. Those were the only things that they had bought together, and the house was his.

He had turned off the television and taken refuge out on the patio with his beer, as he reflected on how good his life had been just a few weeks earlier, and how quickly it had gone to hell. The same question repeated itself in his mind: Who did she leave me for? It seemed to Richard that once his rival returned, Lois had never seriously entertained the possibility of staying. The writing had been on the wall for two weeks before she finally made her decision. Why doesn't she want to tell me who he is? What's the harm now?

His thoughts were disrupted by the phone ringing inside the house. Richard peeled himself off the wall, sauntered back inside the house, and picked up the cordless phone from the coffee table. He recognized Lois' cell phone number in the caller ID, as he brought the phone up to his ear. "Hello?" he answered.

"Hi, Richard, it's Lois. Look, we... I just broke the news to Jason. He's a little upset, and wants to talk to you. Would that be alright?"

She said 'we,' Richard thought. So he's there with them. "Yeah, I'd love to talk to him," he told her.

After a moment, he heard Jason fumbling with the phone. "Richard?" he said tentatively. "Can I come ov-" Richard heard Lois' voice in the background as the boy was interrupted. After a moment, Jason told him, "Mommy says I get to come over tomorrow."

"Yeah, squirt, we have a full day planned," Richard told him. "We'll be going to the aquarium and then to see the clowns at the carnival in the plaza."

"Will that funny clown that was at my birthday party be there?" Jason asked excitedly, as the smile returned to his features.

"No, I think they're a different group of clowns, but they should still be good," Richard assured him. "Have you had a fun time with your Grandma this week?"

"Uh huh," Jason answered. "We did crafts." Jason knew that he wasn't supposed to say a lot about what he did with his dad at Grandma's house, but there had still been a lot of fun with Grandma, too. "Um, what are you doing tonight?"

"I'm just staying home tonight," Richard told him. "I need to be ready for you tomorrow."

"Well, can I come ov-"Again, Jason was interrupted by Lois. Richard heard her in the background. "Um, Mommy says it's too close to my bedtime to come over tonight."

"Well, maybe it is," Richard told him. "But I'll get to see you all day tomorrow."

"Cool!" Jason exclaimed. "Um, Richard?"

"Yes, Jason," Richard answered.

"Um, I miss you," the tyke told him.

"I miss you too," Richard told him, as his eyes glossed over with unshed tears.

As the call ended, Richard hung up the phone and dropped on the couch as he dropped his head into his hands. How did it all slip away so fast? he wondered.

Chapter 22 - Carnival

Day 19, Saturday, 1:30PM, Metropolis

"I think you'll like this one," Nancy Dixon told Lois, as she punched in the combination on the key box on the doorknob of the front door. The realtor had been showing Lois homes since she dropped Jason off with Richard at nine o'clock that morning. Clark, who'd been at the Daily Planet that morning following up with their contacts on the recent Luthor stories, had just joined her. However, Lois was the only one seen by the realtor, since Clark was hovering fifty thousand feet above, scanning the home with his vision as he listened in on the conversation. This was the tenth and final house that they would look at that day before Lois went into the office.

"It's about nineteen hundred square feet, with four bedrooms, two and half baths, a huge kitchen, and on two-thirds of an acre. All the trees and bushes in the yard will give you the privacy you wanted," Nancy informed Lois. "This one also has a finished basement, so you'll have the perfect playroom for your little boy."

Lois nodded, as she put on her glasses, pulled out her notes and searched for the details on the current house. "How much were they asking for this one, again?" Lois asked.

"They just dropped their price to three fifty nine," Nancy reminded her. "That's a good deal, and you'd also have immediate occupancy." Lois began writing in her notepad as she toured the empty house. She and Clark would have to compare notes later.

Superman regretted that he couldn't join Lois on the ground as she looked through the homes. However, he couldn't risk anyone linking her back to him, either as Clark or as Superman. I'm going to have to make this up to her, Superman thought. It isn't fair that she should have to do this on her own. He was pulled from his musing when a woman screamed as a thief made off with her purse and he swooped down to intervene.

* * *

Richard escorted Jason by the hand through the plaza across from Centennial Park. The two had just arrived after a successful morning at the City Aquarium. Jason had been fascinated by all of it, but the sea rays had been his favorite. He'd been amazed at how gracefully they had glided through the water. The sea lion show in the park's Aquatheater had also been a delight for the boy. By noon, however, his interest had started to wane, as Richard knew it would. After getting themselves lunch in the park, they came over to the plaza for the carnival.

The carnival was an end of summer event sponsored each year by the Metropolis Chamber of Commerce, with many vendors setting up booths to hawk their wares in addition to the carnival booths. Many local celebrities also participated in the carnival, seamlessly joining in with the clowns, jugglers, mimes, and other performing artists. There was also an Art Fair held concurrently in the park across the street, where they had also set up children's games and face painting, which Richard knew Jason would enjoy. Richard smiled as he anticipated what the tyke's reaction would be.

The day had been bittersweet for Richard. Though the boy's laughter and excitement throughout the morning warmed his heart, Richard had to acknowledge that he wasn't Daddy anymore and would be at most a close family friend. He'd somehow managed to push those thoughts from his mind to enjoy his time with his son-that-might-have-been. Jason was now pulling Richard over to a carnival display that challenged comers to knock over a pyramid of cans with the bean bags that they provided. He pointed to a large teddy bear prize dressed in a superman t-shirt and cape. "Can we get that one?" he pleaded.

Richard smiled down at him. "We'll see what we can do," he told him as he presented one of the game tickets from the roll that he'd purchased and was handed three bean bags. He only managed to knock down eight of the ten cans, so they had to settle for a smaller bear than the one Jason had pointed at. It still had Superman attire and that was enough to satisfy Jason.

Richard contemplated Jason's admiration of the Man of Steel, which had turned into a small obsession. He couldn't blame him for it after their thrilling rescue from the Gertrude and the subsequent rescue of Superman after his disastrous confrontation with Lex Luthor and the kryptonite. Richard concluded that he was a good role model, and didn't mind indulging Jason in his obsession.

Meanwhile, the object of the boy's obsession was looking over him as well. Superman was thrilled with his son's delight in the carnival, and was also pleased that Richard seemed to be enjoying himself as well. He had to swoop in on the carnival on several occasions already, stopping a purse-snatcher and a couple pick-pockets. Drivers distracted by the events at the plaza had also kept him busy preventing their fender-benders. He'd been giving particularly close scrutiny to the carnival, not wanting anything to disrupt the day for Jason and Richard.

The next booth to attract Jason's attention was the dunk tank, which currently had on-air personality Cindy Simmons from WGBS News sitting in the hot seat. Recently retired Metropolis Meteors pitcher, Raul Salazar, had volunteered to work the booth and was teasing Cindy as he threatened to let loose the baseball at the target. Jason was enjoying the showmanship as much as anyone else who had gathered around.

"Don't even think about it!" Cindy warned the pitcher in friendly tone. "This is strictly for the paying customers!"

"I'm just giving back to the community," Raul teased. The banter went on for a few more minutes, before Raul turned back to the crowd, and invited them to see if they could dunk the newscaster. Jason watched as each player tried their luck, jumping and clapping excitedly each time the ball got close to the target. Richard couldn't help but chuckle at the reaction, his domestic turmoil forgotten. It warmed his heart to see the tyke so thoroughly enjoying the event.

Jason had another reason for his excitement at the dunk tank. After they had called Richard the previous night, Clark had started teaching him with a baseball, having determined that the risk of being observed had grown too great to continue throwing cars. It was tempting fate to hope that nobody would notice a two ton car wreck flying a mile through the air. They had thus switched to baseballs and had not only practiced pushing his limits, but also practiced throwing gently, like normal people did. Now, as each player made their throw, Jason was trying to figure out how much force he'd have to use to throw the ball at the same speed. Jason knew that if he got a turn, he'd have to throw gently.

After another near miss hit the target without dunking Cindy, and a chorus of "Awww" from the crowd, Jason piped up, "You've gotta hit it in the middle!" After all, that's how Daddy had taught him to throw last night.

Jason's voice caught Superman's attention, and he looked over at the dunk tank from his vantage point above the trees in Centennial Park. As he looked on, he noticed a three-year old girl chase her dropped ball between two parked cars on Centennial Boulevard and into the busy street, and he swooped in to stop the tragedy.

The slightly overweight yet muscular man who'd just thrown the ball at the dunk tank just smiled back at Jason, telling him "That's what I'm trying to do." The man's last ball also hit the edge of the target, but Cindy still remained dry. That discouraged the remaining crowd, who were now distracted by the scene behind them, as Superman pulled the little girl out of the path of the oncoming car.

Jason knew he couldn't talk to Daddy in public when he was Superman, so he instead walked up to the booth, and told Raul, "They didn't hit it in the middle." Richard just chuckled behind him. Here was a boy who routinely got D's in gym, dishing out advice on how to throw a ball.

"No, they didn't," Raul agreed. "Would you like to try? If you hit the target, I'll make sure she goes in, even if you don't hit it in the middle."

"Hey!" Cindy complained.

"I'm not good at sports," Jason said quietly.

"It's alright, Jason," Richard encouraged him, as he handed Raul a game ticket. "Go ahead and give it a try."

Jason took the ball from Raul, and tried to remember what his daddy had taught him the night before. He had to throw gentle. But the lever on the tank wasn't pushing back like it was supposed to when the target was hit. Maybe just give it a little extra push, Jason thought.

Cindy Simmons eyes shot wide open in surprise as she entered the chilly water after a 102 MPH fastball hit the target dead center and released the bar holding her seat up. How could a little boy throw a ball like that? she wondered, as her feet hit the bottom of the tank. Both Raul and Richard stood there wondering the same thing as they stared at the boy, wide-eyed and mouths agape. Though neither knew the true velocity of the pitch, both recognized that there was considerable strength and speed behind it. Jason was completely oblivious to the adult's reaction, as he starting hopping on his feet and clapping his hands with excitement, chanting, "I did it! I did it! I did it!"

Raul was the first to recover. "That was quite a throw," he commented. "Where'd you learn to throw like that?" Before Jason had a chance to answer, Raul interrupted, "Ah, never mind, that explains it." Raul was pointing to the Man of Steel standing some one hundred feet directly behind Jason and Richard. He had just handed the toddler that he rescued back to the little girl's mother and was looking in their direction with an odd expression on his face. "There must have been some super-breath on that ball."

Richard glanced behind them as Superman lifted off into the air with a crowd of children waving back at him before returning his attention to Raul. "Jason here's his number one fan," Richard explained.

Raul nodded as he smiled and turned to the wall of stuffed animals in the booth behind him. "Well, who am I to argue with Superman," Raul told them. "Okay... Jason, was it? Which one do you want?"

Jason pointed to the large grey stuffed elephant wearing a Superman T-shirt, and Raul pulled it down for him. The pair moved on through the carnival as Jason pulled Richard to another booth.

* * *

Day 19, Saturday, 6:30PM (Central Time), Smallville

Jason had been bubbling with excitement when Lois had picked him up from Richard an hour earlier. He had also been worn out from his day and fell asleep on the ride over to the parking garage near Jason's school. He remained asleep during the trip to Smallville, and his parents had immediately put him to bed. Lois was now sitting on the front steps of the Kent home looking over her real estate notes while Clark sat behind her expertly massaging out the knots from her spine. "Hmmm, that feels good," Lois purred.

"I aim to please," Clark told her.

Lois set her notes aside as she looked over her shoulder at Clark. "We're going to have to talk to him about what happened today," Lois told him. "It was pure luck that you were standing behind them when it happened."

"I know," Clark agreed. "I've been thinking about that all day. You know, it wasn't easy for me holding back when I was his age, but out here on the farm, I could cut loose without worrying about who would see me. Even if someone had seen me, they'd never say anything because nobody would have believed them. It's different for him, being in the city and after I've gone public as Superman."

"So what do we do?" Lois asked.

"Well, for one, make sure that he has an outlet to let loose," Clark offered. "I can keep bringing him out here after dinner to work with him, and I know Mom would love the chance to see him, too." After a moment's pause, he added, "It's not going to be easy for him, and that can present a challenge where Richard is involved. You're keeping him in Jason's life, which is the right thing to do, but there seems to be a good chance that sooner or later Jason will do something that leads Richard to figure some things out."

"Are you suggesting we share secrets with him?" Lois asked quietly. "Even if we were to do that, I don't think that this would be a good time. Not so soon after I left him."

"I'd just as soon that he didn't know, but let's just play that by ear for now," Clark replied. "If he does figure things out, we'll be honest with him about it." Lois nodded her agreement, as Clark added, "You keep flipping back to the house on Sullivan."

"Yeah," Lois divulged. "New Troy's a good area, Jason could stay in the same school and the house backs up to a wetland, which should help with the privacy, I think. It's been on the market for eight months, and the owners are already in their new house, which means we could move in as soon as we close."

"So is it decided?" Clark asked.

"Not yet," Lois told him. "We've got more to look through tomorrow afternoon, after our meeting with your 'friend' in Gotham." Lois smiled as shifted herself up onto Clark's lap and wrapped her arms around him. "I still have trouble believing that we're actually doing this," she told him.

"Me, too," Clark admitted before Lois captured his lips with her own.

After breaking from the kiss, Lois quietly told him, "With everything that been going on this week, we haven't had a lot of time for us. We need to fix that."

"I have an idea," Clark informed her. "We can go out to dinner tomorrow night. I know this place in exciting downtown Smallville."

"Does Smallville even have a downtown?" Lois joked, as Clark smiled back.

"It's a bit... small," Clark admitted.

"Hence the name, Smallville," Lois teased.

"We shouldn't have to worry about people seeing us here," Clark pointed out. "We can just be out there as a couple. The worst we'd have to worry about is bumping into some old high school friends of mine."

"Then it's a date," Lois agreed, as she recaptured his lips.

Chapter 23 - Benefactor

Day 20, Sunday, 11:30AM (Central Time), Smallville

Lois Lane smiled as she sat at the kitchen table of the Kent house and looked out the window at Clark and Jason playing catch beside the house. He had become more comfortable with his new role as a father, and after church he had a little talk with Jason about how fast he should be throwing baseballs in public. For the last hour they had been tossing a baseball in the yard, practicing on throwing 'gently' and keeping the speed down to something that a normal five year old was capable off.

As she sipped her coffee, Lois concluded that it had been a pleasant morning. After they had obliged Martha's request for them to join her at church, they'd met Ben's children and grandchildren along with several long time friends of the Kent and Hubbard families. Everyone had eagerly accepted both her and Jason as part of the Kent clan, though there were a few raised eyebrows at their marital status and subtle suggestions as to how that oversight could be rectified. Their warm welcome made Lois feel as if she had always belonged there.

Martha walked over to the window, smiling warmly as she looked out at her son and grandson. "It looks like he's got the hang of it now," Martha commented.

After taking another sip of her coffee, Lois looked over at Martha and quietly said, "I'm not sure that secrets and little boys mix very well. How did you handle things like that, when Clark was growing up?"

Martha sighed as she tore her gaze from her boys to look back at Lois as she told her, "It helped that there weren't neighbors to see him here..." As she joined Lois at the kitchen table, she added, "...and we drilled it in from the day we found him that he couldn't reveal his gifts. I wouldn't worry too much about Jason if I were you, Lois. He's only had a few weeks to get used to that. In time, he'll learn just as Clark did. And you have an advantage that we didn't have - you have someone with the same abilities to help him."

The two women looked up at the back door as the noise revealed Clark and Jason entering the house. Jason trotted over to Lois and she pulled him onto her lap as Clark told her, "It looks like he's got it. Let's get him some lunch, and then we can head to Gotham for our meeting."

* * *

Day 20, Sunday, 1:00PM, Gotham

After noticing that Bruce Wayne had other guests at his mansion, Clark had flown Lois into parking garage of the Gotham Hilton, and they hailed a cab to take them there. Clark had wanted to surprise her, and thus had not told her who his contact in Gotham was, though the destination of 'Wayne Manor' given to the cab driver narrowed down the possibilities. Lois knew that the mansion was the home of eccentric billionaire playboy, Bruce Wayne, and that he lived there alone with his manservant. Or is Clark's contact a guest at the mansion? Lois wondered. She broke from her thoughts as the cab arrived at the mansion and Clark informed her, "This is it." He paid the driver and they walked up the front steps where they were greeted by a very proper old gentleman.

"It's good to see you again, Mr. Kent," Alfred welcomed. "And this lovely lady must be Lois Lane. I'm Alfred Pennyworth, at your service. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Lane. We've been expecting you."

"Thank you," Lois told Alfred politely as she stole a glance towards Clark.

Alfred turned and walked back towards the mansion as he instructed them, "If you'll both follow me." As they walked through the mansion, Lois marveled at the riches on display inside, with souvenirs from around the globe set in glass display cases along the walls. It seemed more like a museum than someone's home. They eventually arrived in the mansion's den where a well-dressed man was standing looking out the window. Alfred introduced them, telling the man, "A Mr. Kent and Ms. Lane to see you, sir."

Lois recognized the man as Bruce Wayne, the reclusive playboy and majority stockholder of Wayne Enterprises. "Ah, yes, right on time," he greeted them. "Thank you, Alfred." Bruce walked over to Lois and Clark, holding out his hand to Clark as he asked, "So how did the house hunting go?"

"There are some possibilities, but Lois will be looking at more homes this afternoon," Clark informed Bruce as he shook his hand. Turning to Lois, Clark introduced them. "Bruce, this is Lois Lane. Lois, I'd like you to meet Bruce Wayne."

Bruce turned to greet Lois, holding out his hand as he told her, "Ah, so this is the famous Lois Lane. It's a delight to finally meet you."

Lois quickly schooled her surprise into a neutral expression as she politely replied, "Likewise."

Clark told his host, "Bruce, Lois has some questions for you."

Lois eyes shot open in panic. Is this supposed to be an interview? I'm not prepared!

As Bruce recognized Lois' expression of panic, he smiled and told her, "Relax, Lois. I take it Clark didn't tell you that I was your one o'clock?" As Lois shook her head, he continued, "Well, this is all off the record. In fact, before we begin, I'm going to have to insist on your word that nothing discussed here will be repeated to another living soul."

"Its okay, Lois," Clark encouraged her. "You wanted to know that you could trust him. He's agreed to answer your questions to put your mind at ease. But first, he needs to know that his secrets won't leave this room."

This confirmed Lois' earlier suspicion that Clark's mystery contact at Wayne Enterprises was indeed Bruce Wayne. "You have my word," she agreed quietly.

"Good," Bruce told her. "Oh, before I forget, I've got the signal watches for you." Bruce walked to the door of the den, and shouted down the hall, "Alfred! Could you bring up those watches?" Turning back to Lois and Clark, he told them, "Sorry for the delay, but one of the components got held up in fabrication."

Lois whispered to Clark, "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes, I am," Clark whispered back to her. As Bruce returned his attention to them, Clark informed him, "She has doubts about trusting you with our family's security... and our secrets."

"Ah, yes," Bruce responded. "Well, let's sit down and I'll see if I can put your mind at ease."

After taking their seats in the den, Bruce asked Lois, "So where would you like to begin?"

"I'm not sure," she answered honestly. "Maybe I should start with the obvious. Why should we trust you? What's in it for you?"

Bruce frowned at the question, and remained pensive for a moment before answering, "The short answer is that Clark and I have similar goals when it comes to protecting the innocent from those who prey upon them. We're comrades in arms of a sort, despite our disagreement on methods."

"I'm not sure that helps me," Lois stated.

Bruce sighed deeply before he continued, "When I was a boy, not much older than your son is now, my parents were brutally murdered before my eyes, and the police were powerless to find the killer..."

"I'm sorry," Lois told him quietly, as she bowed her head.

Bruce held up his hand to interrupt her, as he continued, "That's not necessary... In any event, it led me to dedicate my life and resources towards fighting that unsavory element that my parents' killer came from. It's an uphill battle here in Gotham, with all the corruption, but I've managed to recruit some good men, sponsoring them with my resources, done what they could not do, while letting others to do what I cannot. Clark falls into that last category. There are certain... threats... that only his unique talents can handle."

"I see," Lois said uncertainly.

"As I mentioned earlier, we don't always agree on methods," Bruce informed her. "Clark tends to be a bit of a boy scout, while it doesn't bother me in the slightest if some two-bit thug gets roughed up a bit on the way to his cell. However, we still have the same objective despite our differences, and I would have agreed to Clark's proposal even if he hadn't insisted on making up the costs... Does that put your mind more at ease?"

"So these men that you're sponsoring..." Lois started to ask.

"Some of them are the few clean cops. I provide them with intelligence on the criminal predators that their colleagues withhold from them. I support others to protect those good men from the repercussions of doing the right thing. We are making progress."

"That doesn't seem to fly with your reputation..." Lois began.

"...as an irresponsible playboy?" Bruce asked. "That's the cover story, much like Clark Kent's quiet and timid persona. I don't want the vermin in this town to know that I'm the one responsible for their misfortunes."

"I understand," Lois told him. "But I still get the feeling that there's something that you're not telling me."

"I'd prefer not to reveal all of my secrets if it can be avoided," Bruce admitted. "If you have a specific question, I'll answer it, but I'm not going to otherwise spill out all of my deepest, darkest secrets."

"Fair enough," Lois stated. "If I have additional questions later, would you be available to answer them?"

"Yes, under the same condition of secrecy that we have now," Bruce agreed.

"Any chance we could get you to answer some questions on the record?" Lois asked hopefully, as she smiled at the man.

"Always the reporter, eh?" Bruce observed with a friendly smile. "Sorry, but I'll have to decline."

"You'd be happy with the results, and I'm fair with my subjects," Lois appealed to him. "Clark can vouch for that."

"How many in-depth interviews have you done with him since you learned his secret?" Bruce asked. "Would you really want to publish something knowing how much of it was misleading or an outright fabrication?"

"It would make it a bit more challenging," Lois conceded. "But I'd be up to the challenge. What if we gave you final approval of what goes to press?"

Bruce frowned as he looked into Lois' face. "I'll tell you what, if I ever do decide to give an interview, I'll give it to you, but don't hold your breath."

"At least think about it," Lois implored him. "After everything you've done for our family, you know you'll get positive treatment."

Bruce looked over to Clark and joked, "You could have warned me that I'd get ambushed." Turning back to Lois, he told her, "I've got rather strong feelings on interviews. I'm sorry to disappoint you."

Lois masked her disappointment, as she told him, "I understand."

"So, are we set here?" Bruce asked.

"Yes, I suppose that we can trust you," Lois concluded.

"I'm glad we have that settled," Bruce declared, as he looked at his watch. "Have you eaten yet? We could go over the specifics of your security arrangements over lunch. I also need to show you how the watches work and show you the secure internet applet we put together for you to monitor everything."

"We ate before we came, but don't let that stop you if you're hungry," Clark told him.

Bruce shrugged, saying "I can wait." Alfred entered the room with a 6" x 6" x 12" box in his hands, as Bruce added, "We might as well start with the watches."

* * *

Day 20, Sunday, 6:00PM (Central Time), Smallville

It had been a good day for Lois and she could not prevent the smile from growing across her face as Clark drove her to downtown Smallville in Martha's beat up old truck. Their offer on the Sullivan Lane house had been accepted, and the realtor seemed to think that they'd be able to close mid-week. She and Jason would finally be into the new house the following weekend. "We're still going to have to go shopping for furniture," Lois pointed out. "I'm only getting the kitchen and Jason's bedroom furniture from Richard."

"We can sneak out after work during the week," Clark offered. "Maybe pick it out from the store in Wichita, and then order it in Metropolis. That way I can come with you without worrying about being seen."

Lois nodded as she let her gaze wander to the countryside out the window. "It's really nice out here," she commented. "Who would have thought?"

"So is the big city girl discovering that she likes the country?" Clark teased.

"I've been to small towns before, Clark," Lois told him. "I was an army brat, and some of the places that my dad got stationed weren't exactly big. It's just that everything out there revolved around the base. Out here, everything revolves around the people. It's nice."

"I think so," Clark agreed. "I'll never get tired of it out here."

"Let me ask you something," Lois requested. "Of all the places in the world you could have taken me for our first real date, why Smallville?"

"Because I wanted you to get a better glimpse of where I came from," Clark answered. "It's like I told Jason last week: I am who I am because of being raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent and growing up in this town. This is as much a part of me as my... unique abilities. I wanted to show you all of me."

Lois smiled warmly at him, entwined her fingers with his and leaned into him as he parked the truck in front of the Blue Star Caf�. "Well, here we are," Clark told her. "This is about as fancy as it gets in Smallville."

As Clark and Lois walked into the caf� hand in hand, they were immediately greeted by Daisy as she walked over to them, "Clark! I heard you were back in town. We all read your latest article by the way! Way to go!" Daisy finally noticed Lois and introduced herself, "Oh, hello. I'm Daisy. Please forgive me. Your face looks familiar, but I can't place your name."

"Daisy, this is Lois," Clark informed her. Daisy rambled on for a few more minutes as she sat the couple in a booth along the glass front of the caf�. A handful of other customers also greeted Clark as they made their way to the booth.

"Daisy could go on like that forever if you let her," Clark told her. "That's another feature of Smallville. The people aren't strangers. They don't just know each other, they're friends, family. Daisy's been working here since I was a kid, and is on a first name basis with everyone who walks through those doors."

"I like her," Lois told him. "The other people here tonight seem to know you, too."

Clark looked over at the crowd as he told her, "Well, anyone older than me probably does. There hasn't been as much opportunity for the younger folks here to get to know me, though they probably know of me."

"Hero worship?" Lois teased in a whisper.

Clark smiled widely at her as he explained, "Its more community pride along the lines of 'local boy done good' to make it in the big city as a reporter for the Daily Planet. I think my mom passes out copies of every article with my byline on it."

"You're different here," Lois observed. "Not the clumsy Clark from Metropolis. Not... the other guy, either. This must be the real you."

"It is," Clark agreed. He then leaned over the table as he whispered to her, "The fa�ade isn't necessary here, because everybody's image of me is so ingrained as that Kent kid who made it in the big city. Remember Ben's reaction to my secret?"

Lois found herself laughing lightly at that, "Well he didn't look as shell-shocked as I probably did.... or Lucy, for that matter... I wish I'd gotten a picture of that..." Clark laughed with her as they recalled the initial shell-shocked reactions and reached over to capture her hand in his.

"It still feels a bit strange sharing the secret with them," Clark confessed. "It'll take some getting used to."

"It'll be fine," Lois assured him, squeezing his hand. "They won't betray your trust."

Their conversation was interrupted by a female voice shouting across the room, "Clark? I was hoping we'd bump into you before you left." Lois looked over to see an attractive redhead heading over to them, trailed by a handsome blonde man and a little boy, who Lois guessed to be about three.

"Lana!" Clark exclaimed. "My God, it's been ages!" Turning back to Lois, Clark began the introductions, "Lois, this is an old high school friend, Lana Lang-"

"It's Lana Ross, for almost five years now," Lana corrected.

The blonde man behind her added, "We had a wedding invitation for you, Clark, but we didn't know where to send it. It was like you disappeared off the face of the Earth."

"Well, sorry I missed it," Clark told them sincerely, before turned back to Lois and reattempting the introduction, "Um, Lois, these are some of my oldest, dearest friends, Pete and Lana Ross."

"As in Senator Pete Ross?" Lois asked incredulously, "As in 'short list for presidential nomination' Pete Ross?"

"Oh, you've heard of him," Clark stated in surprise. Lois looked back at him incredulously, while Lana laughed.

"It's not such a big deal to us," Lana explained. "It's still just Pete and Lana and Clark. We forget that we're all famous sometimes... You're Lois Lane, aren't you? I saw you on TV Friday night."

"Guilty as charged," Lois admitted, overcoming her surprise. "We needed a little R&R after all the extra hours last week, so here we are. Maybe we can get an interview with the Senator-"

"So, what brings you back to Smallville?" Clark interrupted. "I hear that you're usually in Washington these days."

"Summer recess," Pete answered. "Gives us a chance to reunite with family and friends back home, and reconnect with my constituents."

"Oh, we saw you two with your little boy in church this morning," Lana told her. "He's an adorable little thing. We meant to stop by and say hello then, but you got away before we got there. What's your son's name?"

Lois smiled widely with maternal pride as she answered, "Jason," she answered. "He's just barely five."

Lana smiled back as she pulled her little boy forward and introduced him as he squirmed around back behind her again, "This is our son, Clark Peter Ross. He just turned three."

"You named your son 'Clark'?" Lois asked incredulously.

Pete answered, "Clark was my best friend in high school - it was an easy choice."

"I'm... honored," Clark told him quietly, the surprise apparent on his face.

"Well, it was good seeing you," Lana told them. "Next time, give us a little warning so we can visit a bit."

As they walked away, Lois turned back to Clark and huffed, "Why'd you stop me from pressing for an interview?"

Clark sighed before leaning over the table and whispering, "How do we explain your house hunting all afternoon in Metropolis only to show up halfway across the country for an interview by early evening?"

"Oh, my God," Lois whispered back with an expression of guilty horror on her face. "I'm so sorry." Lois dropped her head in her hands for a moment before looking back up and telling him, "You were right. This is going to take some getting used to... for all of us." Clark nodded in agreement, as Daisy finally came by to take their order.

Chapter 24 - Lackeys

Day 21, Monday, 8:20AM, Metropolis

Lois said good-bye to her son as she dropped him off at his school, reminding him, "Don't forget, you get to go to AfterCare with your friends today." She kept her plastic smile in place for the woman helping him out of the car, but her frown quickly slipped back into place as she drove off. Lois was still angry with herself for her carelessness the previous night, which could not only have revealed a stronger connection between herself and Superman but could have implicated Clark as well. After pointing out her oversight, he'd been quick to forgive and they somehow overcame the awkward moment and had a pleasant evening. However, she had not been as quick to forgive herself.

The anger was still apparent on Lois' face as she entered the newsroom, offering only the smallest of smiles to Clark's usual greeting. He was already aware of the reason for her anger, having called her on it before leaving Smallville that morning. As she settled in at her desk, he walked over and politely asked, "Is everything alright?"

Lois sighed deeply before she told him, "It will be. Just give me some time."

"Well, once you get settled in, we've got something interesting from Luthor's little expedition," he told her. "We're going to be busy today."

Lois head snapped around as she looked up at him and stated, "Consider me settled in. What have you got?"

"Well, that composite sketch of the Luthor stooge that hired the boat has yielded some fruit," Clark told her. "A neighbor who'd seen the sketch Saturday night on America's Most Wanted recognized him and wrote down the license number as he packed up his car and high-tailed it out of there around seven o'clock this morning. They just got the warrant to dust the room for prints a little while ago, and we should have an ID from the crime lab later this morning... That information's not public yet, by the way. They don't want to scare him off, so the police are sitting on it to give Superman a chance to track down the car. Apparently he and Commissioner Henderson have an agreement on the matter."

"I wish I had known about that," Lois commented. "So what's our plan of attack?"

"Keep track of our unauthorized source who's involved in the search for the car."

"Same game plan as last time?" Lois asked.

"Yep," Clark confirmed. "I've put together my notes and some supplemental information for you, which I have in a pile back at my desk. Once you're good to go with it, I'll hit the pavement to track down our unauthorized source."

* * *

Day 21, Monday, 8:55AM, Metropolis, Daily Planet Newsroom

Nobody accustomed to his brash management style would ever have described Perry White as jovial. However, this Monday morning found the man practically beaming due to his anticipation of yet another Daily Planet scoop based on the short briefing Lois had given him that morning. He contemplated the work that the Lois and Clark had accomplished as he observed the man walk back into the bullpen to Lois' desk. There was no doubt in Perry's mind that their best work was as a team, an opinion that had rapidly spread through the newsroom in recent weeks. As he watched the two, Clark removed several folded pages of notes from his jacket pocket, and handed them over to Lois, pointing at various points on the page as he spoke to her. After a couple of minutes, Clark was back out the door, as Lois furiously typed at her computer.

Richard also noticed the interaction and quickly recognized Lois' determined resolve that came when she had her fingers in a big story. He had come to the same conclusion as his uncle had concerning the team of Kent and Lane, and it looked like the two were onto something big again. Though Richard had been dismissive of Clark when he'd first met the man, he'd grown to respect his journalistic talent in the short time that he'd known him. As Richard looked through the glass wall at his former lover, a war raged within him between his heart's need to keep his distance from Lois while it healed, and his mind's need to know the story details. His mind won out, and he left his office and walked over to her desk.

"Am I interrupting?" Richard asked politely.

"Oh... Richard, I'm... kind of in the middle of something," Lois answered hesitantly without looking up.

"Take it easy, this is a work question," Richard told her, as he offered her a weak smile. "What have you and Clark found?"

"Has Perry told you anything about this yet?" Lois asked tentatively, finally turning to look up at her former fianc� with a wary expression on her face.

"Only that it has something to do with the boat Luthor's goons hired," Richard replied simply.

"Well... off the record... we have a name to go with the composite sketch," Lois informed him. "I'm writing up a profile on the guy, and it looks like we have another manhunt. A neighbor saw him early this morning and Superman just found the car abandoned up in Eatontown. Police are canvassing the area looking for clues, while Superman's checking for stolen cars."

"Perry's going to love what this does to our circulation," Richard commented. "You two seem to have to magic touch when it comes to this stuff."

"Well, we pretty much have the routine down," Lois told him, as she offered him a small yet genuine smile. After a moment, she added, "Um, it looks like this may be a busy day, and I need to stay ahead on the stories..."

"I understand," Richard told here sincerely. "I'll get out of your hair. Thanks for the update."

"No problem," Lois responded quietly, as she turned back to the computer screen and resumed typing while Richard returned to his office.

* * *

Day 21, Monday, 11:00AM, Near Loganton, Pennsylvania

Roger Pruitt was starting to relax. He'd been nervous ever since the composite sketches were first shown on television Friday night and he'd holed up in his rented room through the weekend. However, an email from Lex the previous night ordered him to get out of town because he was too 'hot.' Roger had been drinking, and decided to wait until morning before making the 12 hour drive back to Chicago.

Lex also had instructed him to switch to a different car for the trip, so Roger had reserved a rental car just outside town under the alias of Todd Clemens that he'd been using. Lex had provided him with the name, along with identification and bank cards since he didn't want to risk that Roger's parole officer in Illinois might cause problems and track him to Metropolis.

Roger had made good time from Metropolis, the only traffic tie-ups occurring near the New York City area. The three hours since then had been uneventful, with the exception of a small argument a half hour earlier with a gas station cashier when he'd stopped for drinks and snacks. The kid behind the counter had been more interested in flirting with the pretty girl who was trying to buy cigarettes than in cashing him out, and Roger didn't like waiting. As he continued west through central Pennsylvania on I-80, Roger guessed that it would take him another eight hours to get home to Chicago.

The static on the radio finally became too much to bear, and he started scanning again for something that came in clearly. He finally gave up on the FM band, and found an AM news station to keep him company on the drive. They were still milking the story on Lex Luthor's Baton Rouge safe house, and asking for leads in their search for the man that hired the boat with funds from Luthor's previously secret financial network. Roger laughed lightly to himself at that, confident that they wouldn't find him now. His laughter stopped abruptly when he felt his weight shift as his rental car lifted into the air. The color drained from his face as he realized that the gas station attendant had probably recognized him from the composite drawing and turned him in.

Superman set the rental car down in the field beside the road and as he pulled Roger from the car, he told him, "You're a long way from home, Roger."

"No crime against that," Roger declared defensively.

"In this case, it's a parole violation," Superman reminded him. "But I'm more interested in what you know about Lex Luthor."

Roger eyes shot wide as he tried to keep his fear from showing. "I don't know what you're talking about," he insisted.

"Oh, I think you do, and I'm not inclined to play games with you," Superman told him insistently.

"I have nothing to say," Roger said nervously.

"If you refuse to cooperate, you can expect to be behind bars for a very long time, given your track record," Superman pointed out.

"At least I'll be alive," Roger told him. Superman clenched his jaw at that response, realizing the level of intimidation Lex Luthor managed to maintain on those in his employ. He focused his vision once again on the rental car, looking for another way to track his nemesis.

* * *

Day 21, Monday, 12:30PM, Metropolis, Daily Planet Newsroom

"They won't officially release any information until their press conference at two o'clock, but we have the go-ahead from our sources at the FBI to run with the story," Lois informed Perry as she and Clark sat before him in his office.

"It sounds like we'll be the first to press with this," Perry noted, as the corners of his mouth starting to curl into a smile despite his best efforts to prevent it. "Have your sources gotten anything more out of Pruitt?"

"Well, off the record... he's afraid that Luthor will kill him if he talks, so he's not saying anything," Lois told him. "However, his laptop has provided some leads, especially given Pruitt's lack of computer literacy. Yahoo's mail page was one of the few entries in the browser history, and the password for the site was cached, which means that they have a record of all of the email between Pruitt and his boss, who's listed in the address book as 'Mr. Big'. It's quite clear from the emails that they really were searching for kryptonite off of the coast. They're also investigating the numbers from his cell phone's received call list. One of them comes from an Internet phone from a site off-shore that they can't get customer information on. We're guessing that one's from Luthor."

"So they think he fled the country?" Perry asked.

"Not necessarily," Lois answered. "With the Internet phone, he could originate the call from anywhere, and we know from Friday's financial dragnet that he's adept at hiding his Internet source address. We think he's using the Internet phone to mask his originating location."

"It... It seems clear that Luthor didn't completely trust him," Clark added.

"Well, that's consistent with the personality profile that one of our contacts showed us," Lois told him. "Luthor is a micro-manager convinced that everyone around him is an idiot, and he trusts nobody," Lois informed them. "He's also never kept more than the bare minimum number of operatives around, which means that Pruitt's arrest could be more disruptive for him that it appeared at first glance."

"Well done, you two," Perry complimented them. "See what else you can find out and get this wrapped up for printing by the afternoon deadline." After a pensive moment, he added, "You two do your best work together as a team. I think that it's worth continuing that collaboration." Perry gestured to indicate he was done, and Clark and Lois retreated back to their desks.

* * *

Day 21, Monday, 8:00PM, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania

"So, do we have a deal?" Lex Luthor derisively asked the man he had knocked down to his hands and knees a few minutes earlier, as he scratched his three-day old beard.

"Yeah, but you could have just asked without going through all these theatrics," the man complained as he pulled himself up off the floor. Henry Morrison was a small-time crook who had done a number of small jobs for Lex many years before. Though not a genius of Lex Luthor's caliber, he was an intelligent man and had consistently managed to avoid law enforcement's attention. "I've never let you down," Henry reminded his uninvited guest.

As Henry stood up, he finally got a good look at his visitor, who was sporting a wig of long, slightly-curly brown hair pulled back in a pony-tail. "I can't afford to take chances," Lex told him as he put away his gun, grabbed the laptop case that had been setting against the wall, and opened it up on the kitchen table. Lex pulled out an envelope and threw it to Henry. "First, we do everything under a different identity in Metropolis. You've got new ID and bank cards in the envelope. The PIN is written on the back of the envelope. Everything associated directly with the project is done in cash, and I'll keep enough in the account for your expenses."

Henry looked inside the envelope. "Stephen Evans?" he asked. "Lex, where did you-"

"Ah," Lex interrupted. "Never, never say my name out loud!"

"Sorry... Mr. Big."

As the laptop booted up, Lex told him, "First we'll go over the basics, such as communications. Then, I'll explain my plan."

After hearing Lex Luthor's lecture on secure communications and the details of his plan, Henry carefully considered what had been revealed to him. He was unable to shake the questions from his mind as Lex warned him, "I don't want any surprises on this, Henry! Just stick to the plan. Don't think about it, just do it."

"Wouldn't a drive-by be better," Henry asked.

"If it was, then that would be what I told you to do," Lex pointed out. "We have to take additional measures to guarantee our success when that busy-body takes such an interest in them. Even if he's not there to interfere with our objective, if the plan's not... perfectly executed ... he could still negate the results."

"What about a hit-and-run?" Henry persisted.

"Same problem," Lex explained in annoyance. "We know that the busybody does his round-the-world thing overnight most nights, so that's the best time to execute our plan. However, there is a high-end security system on the home so an intrusion could attract his attention. We have to lure them out and take steps to insure that they don't recover from the trap."

"Car bomb?" Henry continued.

"Too imprecise," Lex answered. "Now stop second guessing me! You're not paid to think! I've given you the perfect plan for... delivering my message, so just do it!"

"Well, we won't miss at that range if he takes the bait. Why-"

"Enough!" Lex warned.

"Okay, okay!" Henry conceded, "We'll do it your way."

"Good, now repeat it all back to me, "Lex insisted.

"We grab the security guard's kid, convince the old man to take the night off, and get our contractor in there. We roll out the bait, and when they bite, BOOM!" At Lex's glare, Henry quickly added, "Oh, and the contractor delivers your personal message before dropping the hammer. Piece of cake."

"It had better be!" Lex again warned him. "You'll send me an IM once it's done."

"Sure thing, Le- um, Mr. Big," Henry agreed.

Lex felt a perverse satisfaction in the pain he was about to cause as he left Henry's home and returned to airport for the trip to his Rocky Mountain hideaway.

Chapter 25 - Payback

Day 24, Thursday, 1:15PM, Metropolis, Daily Planet Newsroom

Clark and Lois settled into the visitors' chairs in Perry's office a bit awkwardly, as this was the first time since her breakup with Richard that he had joined them on a meeting with Perry. He seemed a bit uncomfortable as well.

"Why don't you tell them what you've got," Perry suggested to Richard.

"I got a call a little while ago from someone claiming to be one of the sandhogs on the new pipeline, alleging that they're using substandard materials and practices to meet their deadlines," Richard told them. "He wants to meet with us tonight to show us his proof." The pipeline Richard referred to was the long term project to increase the fresh water supply to the city. They'd been blasting under the city for three years as they extended the pipeline, and it would be another five years before they finally tied into the source at a lake sixty miles northwest of the city.

"Um, this informant called you?" Clark asked incredulously.

"People do call me sometimes, Clark," Richard told him.

"Oh, I don't doubt that..." Clark stuttered. "I hope you don't think that I... Um, what I was saying is... well, you don't normally handle that kind of thing. Lois has handled most of the contractor abuse stories."

"Relax, Clark, I wasn't taking it personally," Richard assured him. "It seems our informant isn't one of Lois' fans and insisted that she not be involved. He insists on working with me. He'll allow one other person to come along, so you'll be coming with me tonight, Clark. We meet him at the dig site at midnight."

"Clark's right, it does seem a bit unusual," Lois commented.

"Lois, don't get your nose out of joint over this," Perry admonished her. "Not everyone is lining up to be interviewed by you, and if this informant is the real thing and he wants to deal with Richard, then so be it. I want you to pull out your city contractor information and help prepare Kent and Richard for their meeting with him tonight."

* * *

One hour later, Clark and Lois were still with Richard in his office, reviewing the contractors that had been involved on the dig, and cross referencing them to those who had been exposed in some of the reconstruction scandals since the quake.

"Well, all I see is a couple of sub-contractors in common and not very major players at that," Lois summarized as she checked her watch. "There's nothing concrete to corroborate this guy's claim."

"He said that he'd show us the evidence when we got there," Richard reminded her. "Besides, we've just started working on this."

"We do still have other sources to check," Clark pointed out.

As she looked again at her watch, Lois told the men, "Well, I'll dig into this deeper when I get back."

"Where are you going?" Richard inquired quietly, as he looked at his watch.

"I'm... I'm getting furniture delivered to the new house," she told him quietly.

"Oh, right," Richard acknowledged sadly. "I forgot that you closed on it yesterday."

Lois looked back at Richard with a compassionate expression as she quietly told him, "I've... got to get going. I'll be back as soon as I can." Lois left the two men to their research as she made her way out of the office.

"Are you alright?" Clark asked Richard.

Richard looked up from his notes as he answered, "What? Yeah, I'll be fine. It just... it takes a little getting used to."

"I'm sorry," Clark told him sincerely.

Richard waved him off, telling him, "Forget about it. What was that you were saying about other sources?"

* * *

Day 24, Thursday, 11:40PM, Metropolis

Richard knocked on the door of Clark's apartment for a second time before hearing a muffled, "Coming!" from the other side of the door and Clark opened it a moment later. "Sorry about that," Clark apologized. As he checked his pockets, he added, "I think I've got everything... Wait, let me get my notepad... Oh, and thanks for the ride."

"No problem, it was on the way," Richard told him, as he stepped in the door and took a quick glance around the spartan apartment, noting the beat up old couch and lawn chairs in the living room, a card table and chairs in the kitchen, and what appeared to be an air mattress through the door into the next room, which he assumed must be the bedroom. "You've been here, what, about a week now?" Richard asked.

"Almost two, actually," Clark told him. As Clark noticed Richard's gaze of his apartment, he added bashfully, "I... I gave away everything before my trip a few years back, so I'm... I'm a bit light on furniture. I've been shopping, though ..."

"Oh, don't worry about it, Clark," Richard told him. "We've all been there... Ready?"

"Yeah, I got everything now," Clark informed him. "Let's go."

It took ten minutes to reach the dig site at 22nd and Larson from Clark's Bakerline apartment north of downtown. It was one of three active dig sites along the tunnel. This particular site was used for moving personnel and equipment to and from the tunnel, while the other two sites were used for removing the excavated material. The site had a small footprint on the surface, roughly a fifty foot wide lot, and one hundred fifty feet deep. A few construction vehicles were parked on the site which also contained a twelve hundred square foot temporary building that sheltered the shaft leading down to the pipeline tunnels two hundred feet below the city.

As Clark and Richard walked up to the chain link gate in front of the site, a figure approached them from the other side. "Are you White?" the man asked.

"Yes," Richard told him. "This is my colleague, Clark Kent. You must be Luigi..."

The man shook his head, as he told him, "Naw, he's already gone down below. I'm Joey. Follow me."

Joey led them into the temporary building and over to the construction lift, which was a large ten by ten-foot cage with an open top to accommodate oversized equipment. Joey pulled open the door of the elevator, as he directed them inside. "Like I said, Luigi is already down there. I have to stay up top as lookout. Just press the down button once I shut the door."

Clark sensed Joey's elevated pulse and the lack of heartbeats from the tunnel below, and hesitated. "Are you sure he can't come up?" Clark asked. "That contraption doesn't look that safe..."

"Relax, Clark," Richard told him as he gave him a gentle push into the elevator. "They use this constantly sixteen hours a day without a problem. It should be completely safe."

"Shouldn't we have hard-hats or something?" Clark protested.

"Trust me, you won't need them," Joey told them as he shut the door behind them.

"Geez, Clark, don't be such a worry wart," Richard scolded, as he pushed the down button.

After the elevator had descended about sixty-five feet down the shaft, its downward motion suddenly stopped as the winch went silent and the car's emergency brake sprang against the I-beam. Joey shouted down to them, "I almost forgot one thing... Lex Luthor sends his regards." Both men looked up in surprise as five hand grenades fell towards them. When the grenades reached them two seconds later, Clark immediately gathered them in front of him, his back to Richard, looking much like a juggler to the other man as he maneuvered the deadly devices.

When Clark heard the faint sound of the first of the grenade detonators activate, he pressed himself against the side of the elevator, arms folded vertically along his torso to contain the shrapnel as the grenades exploded through the side of the cage. Though the shrapnel was contained, the force of the blast spread around his body, shredding his civilian clothes and throwing his glasses high into the air, shattering the lenses.

"My God, Clark!" Richard shouted, as he witnessed the fireball in front of his colleague.

"Are you alright?" Clark asked in response, as he peeked over his shoulder, hiding his face.

"Me?" Richard responded incredulously, as he pulled out his cell phone. "We've got to get you to a hospital."

"Put the phone down, I'm fine," Clark commanded, his voice in a deeper timbre.

"Like hell you are, you're not Superman!" Richard told him, as he grabbed the other man by the shoulder as spun him around to face him. At the sight of the familiar red and yellow emblem on a field of blue Richard fell silent and dropped his phone to the floor of the lift.

Richard noticed that the front of Clark's suit had been almost completely burnt away with only a few stubborn threads keeping it over his shoulders. The yellow belt, red briefs and blue tights were also exposed through the tattered pants, which had burnt away from the waist down to just a few inches above his knees. His pants would have been at his ankles but for his grasp on them at the waist. Richard glanced over to the gaping hole through the aluminum side panel of the lift and to the shrapnel at their feet, before returning his gaze to Superman's face.

Realizing the futility in denying the obvious, Superman asked, "Are you sure about that?" as he floated up several inches and discarded the tattered remains of this civilian attire, quickly incinerating the material with his heat vision.

"Oh, my God," Richard muttered quietly, reeling with shock.

"This has to stay between us," Superman told him. "We'll talk about it after I finish with the hit man." With that, he zoomed up the shaft, in pursuit of their attacker.

* * *

Joey Taccone had sprinted through the temporary building the moment he'd dropped the last grenade, reaching the door of the structure as the explosion rocked it and illuminated the building around him. He hurried across the yard, out the gate and around the corner of the block to his car. Less than thirty seconds after the explosion went off, he was jumping into the driver's seat, pushing the key in the ignition, pulling the door shut, and peeling down the street. Superman followed, looking down from one thousand feet above.

* * *

Richard was futilely hitting the up button on the construction elevator. Joey must have cut the power to the winch, he thought. His mind was still reeling from the revelation, My God, that clumsy, goofy dork is Superman. Richard thought back over the month since Clark had rejoined the staff, his sudden disappearances when a crisis was announced, as another realization suddenly hit him. Lois knows. Richard recalled that frequently when a crisis was announced on the newswire, his former fianc�e had been providing excuses for Clark to leave the newsroom or otherwise distracting whoever was talking to him. She's been covering for him, Richard thought as he remembered some of the excuses.

"Clark, don't you have a meeting at the city building? You're going to be late if you don't hurry."

"Clark, on your way back from lunch, could you bring me a Frappuccino?"

"Clark, why don't you go ahead and check out that stuff out in the archives without me. I'll catch up with you later."

How could I have missed it? he chastised himself. He also recalled his first conversation with Lois after Superman's return and her vigil after his fall to Earth, and wondered if he had found his rival. He wasn't just a story - as Richard had previously believed. Superman was Lois' friend, coworker and teammate, and she knew. If he's Jason's father, you'd think Jason would have inherited something, Richard speculated as he pondered that possibility. He was shaken from thoughts when the light from the room above was blocked as Superman descended back down the shaft.

"We'll need to talk on the run," Superman told him, "I'm trying to track the hit man back to his boss." With that, Superman reached his left arm behind Richard and grabbed him around the waist and they flew up the shaft, out of the building and up into the sky. He landed a few minutes later on top of one of the nearby skyscrapers. "I doubt that the hit man is in the loop, given Luthor's history," Superman explained. "But he'll probably call in to report the job done."

"So what now?" Richard asked hesitantly.

"I wait for him to call his boss," Superman informed him. "If it's a local call, there is a good chance that I can track him by listening for the echo across town."

"Right... you hear everything," Richard replied quietly. After a moment's silence, he mumbled, "I wasn't expecting this..."

"Richard, it's important to keep this secret between us," Superman insisted. "If it got out, it would not only ruin any chance I have for a normal life, it would also put people I care about in danger. Certain enemies of mine would try to get back at me by going after them. It's happened before. Promise me that you'll keep this to yourself." Richard didn't answer right away, as he struggled with his review of Clark in light of the new information.

"Richard?" Superman inquired patiently.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Don't worry, Clark, I'll keep quiet," Richard promised. "But I have questions."

"Oh, one more thing," Superman told him. "Never assume that it's safe to discuss this. We always discuss the other identity third person." At Richard's nod, he continued, "You had questions. I'll answer them if I can."

"Yeah... Lois knows, doesn't she?" Richard inquired. At Superman's perplexed expression, Richard clarified, "While I was waiting in the elevator, it occurred to me that she's been coming up with a lot of convenient excuses for you... I mean, for Clark to skip out of the newsroom whenever a crisis hits."

Superman looked back down at the street as he answered, "Richard, the reason the cover works is that people have an ingrained first impression of Clark as a bumbling fool. They dismiss him as a nobody, which allows him to stay under the radar. However, once someone gets to know him well enough to see through the fa�ade, or if they never form that dismissive impression to begin with, then it doesn't work so well. Lois sees through the fa�ade."

"Who else knows?" Richard asked tentatively.

"I'd prefer not to share that," Superman told him. "It's a small number of people, though - you can count them on your fingers - and I'd like to keep it that way."

Before Richard got a chance to ask another question, Superman's head snapped up and he disappeared in a blue blur. Richard walked over to the half-wall at the roof's edge and looked out over the town as he continued his contemplation. He found himself chuckling when he was struck by the inconsistency between the apartment he'd seen earlier in the night, and who its famous occupant actually was. His thoughts then moved to Jason's pitch at the dunk tank the previous Saturday. That could explain why he'd help Jason with the pitch, given how close they were, Richard thought. He recalled Jason's enthusiasm for Clark and adoration for Superman as he wondered, Could Jason know? He quickly dismissed the idea. He'd have to be crazy to share a secret like that with a five year old.

Richard hadn't realized that ten minutes had already passed when he broke from his contemplation as the Man of Steel approached. "Sorry about that," Superman apologized. "I had to move quickly to track the echo."

"I didn't mind a little time to get my head around this," Richard admitted. "Did you get what you needed?"

"Yes and no," Superman answered.

"What did you find out?" Richard probed as his brow furrowed in confusion.

"This stays off the record," Superman insisted. At Richard's nod, he continued, "I tracked it back to a middleman, who in turn sent an IM off to report their 'success' to his boss. It's going to take a little work to track that back to Luthor, but at least we have someone to watch now. I'll get the ball rolling on surveillance after I take you back to your car."

"Okay... Then we're going back now?" Richard asked hesitantly.

"Not quite yet," Superman told him pensively. "Something about this attack has been bothering me... When they contacted you, did they specifically ask for Clark to come with you, or did they just want you?"

"They just wanted me," Richard confirmed. "It was at my insistence that they allowed me to bring someone with me, as long as it wasn't Lois."

"Why would Lex Luthor target you but specifically make sure that Lois wasn't caught in the crossfire?" Superman asked him. "It's not his style to minimize collateral damage, and I can only come up with one explanation for it."

Richard remained silent a moment, waiting for Superman to continue, before he finally inquired quietly, "What's the explanation?"

"Lex Luthor is a sadistic, evil man," Superman observed. "He doesn't just want his enemies dead, he wants them to suffer first, and he likes to impose emotional as well as physical suffering. I think he targeted you as a way to impose suffering on Lois, in retaliation for his financial losses last week."

"I guess his information's out of date," Richard commented sadly.

Superman looked at Richard with a sympathetic expression on his face as he gently told him, "I don't believe that. In spite of recent events, Lois still cares deeply for you and it would upset her tremendously if you were hurt." After a moment of thought, he added, "You and Clark might want to stay dead for a couple days, so we can see what additional instructions the middleman gets. Do you think we can manage that?"

"I guess so," Richard agreed pensively. After another moment of silence, Richard eyes shot wide as he exclaimed, "Lois' family! They could be in danger!"

"That already occurred to me, and I've already checked on the ones I know about. I'll speak with Lois once we're done here, and then see to the rest of them," Superman promised. "You should stay in a hotel tonight. Are you ready to go back?"

Richard's pushed his shock over the evening's events from his mind as another realization gave strength to his voice. "You know where she's been staying," Richard stated with certainty.

Superman nodded as he looked over the edge of the roof. "Richard, I have to respect her wishes on the matter. I can't tell you where she is or who... who she's spent time with. She'll tell you when she's ready."

Richard dropped his head in thought for a moment, again wondering if his rival stood before him before he rejected the idea and asked, "Is there anything that you can tell me about the guy?"

"I'm sorry," Superman told him sincerely. After a moment's pause, Superman looked back at him as he told him, "There are a lot of things I need to do tonight. We really should be going." Once Richard nodded his assent, Superman flew him back into the sky as he took him to his car before heading to Smallville to explain the situation to Lois.

Chapter 26 - Contemplation

Day 25, Friday, 3:10AM, Metropolis, Bessolo Boulevard Marriott Hotel

The clock was blinking 3:10AM in the hotel guest room when Richard White looked over at it from the bed for the fifth time in the last five minutes. He hadn't slept a wink since he had checked himself in two and a half hours earlier. The whirlwind of thoughts in his mind since the startling revelations earlier in the night precluded sleep.

First and foremost among those thoughts was a reevaluation of Clark Kent, as Richard saw his quirky behavior in a new light: Clark's insistence that he usually worked better alone, with the exception of his collaboration with Lois; his surprising disappearances whenever a crisis came up, shortly before Superman appeared on the scene; and the silly golly-gee-whiz fa�ade. Most startling was that nobody had thought anything of these now obvious facts - that Clark had been gone for same period of time as Superman, was the same approximate height and weight and routinely disappeared just before the Man of Steel showed up. How was I fooled by that? Richard wondered unhappily. How is anybody fooled by that?

His dour mood lifted as he once again considered Clark's apartment and felt the smile form on his face. Not exactly what I'd expect for Superman, Richard thought as he remembered the lawn furniture in the living room. Clark, maybe, but Superman? He compared what he knew of the two personas. Superman was like the high school star quarterback, and Clark Kent was the geek that got locked in his own locker. Yet, they were the same man. Richard looked over at the clock again: 3:11AM.

Richard's frown returned as his thoughts turned closer to home, considering the Man of Steel's influence with Lois and Jason. It was impossible to miss the depth of feeling that Lois obviously had for Superman. She dove into the open ocean without a moment's hesitation to rescue him after he had been stabbed with the kryptonite blade and her vigil after his fall to Earth made it clear that he wasn't just a story, despite her insistence to the contrary when Richard had first asked her about him. Was she in love with him? Richard pondered. Is she in love with him now? Once again, Richard found himself wondering if Superman might be his anonymous rival.

When Lois had first informed him that he wasn't Jason biological father, Richard had eliminated the possibility that Superman was his rival due to her immediate reference to the man's mother. Everyone knew from Lois' first article on him that his entire family had been wiped out when Krypton was destroyed. But the man is also Clark Kent, and Clark has a picture of his mother on his desk, Richard noted. Is that Jason's grandmother? How does Clark Kent's family background reconcile with what he told us about himself as Superman? The clock now read 3:12AM.

Richard mulled over Superman's reappearance, and how Lois' behavior had slowly changed since then. She became quiet and introspective immediately afterwards, no longer wishing to share her thoughts with him and it was just a week later that she had shunned their shared bed. The more he considered it, the more likely it seemed that Clark was his rival. But if he is Jason's real father, why is the boy so fragile? he wondered. His thoughts moved ahead to the tyke's amazing pitch at the dunk tank the previous Saturday. What if that was really Jason? he wondered. As he recalled that Lois told him that she was following her heart when she left him, he wondered, Who else could it be, if not Superman a.k.a. Clark Kent? The clock now read 3:13AM. This is going to be a long night...

* * *

Day 25, Friday, 10:15AM, Metropolis, Bessolo Boulevard Marriott Hotel

After lying awake all night, Richard had finally given up on sleep at seven o'clock. Despite his exhaustion, he dragged himself out of bed, showered, and ordered breakfast to his room before calling his uncle Perry. The older man had insisted that both Richard and Clark stay out of the office and out of sight, as Superman had requested - apparently the Man of Steel had paid the editor a visit the previous night. Perry had also promised to send someone to the hotel with fresh clothes, toiletries, and a laptop so that Richard could work remotely.

It was nearly three hours later that Lois had called him from the lobby and informed him that the promised supplies had arrived. She was now on her way up to the room with Jimmy. As he waited, Richard's attention was momentarily diverted to the television by the WGBS news brief that came during a break in the local morning talk show.

"...work on the pipeline has been put on hold pending an investigation into the explosion that ripped through a construction elevator at 22nd and Larson late last night. Sources close to the police tell us that two journalists were on the elevator at the time, apparently lured there under false pretenses and attacked in retaliation for recently published articles in the Daily Planet. Both the police and the Daily Planet are remaining tight lipped about the identities of the two journalists..."

Richard turned the television off as the knock on the door announced the presence of his Daily Planet colleagues. After looking through the peephole to see Lois and Jimmy standing in the hallway, Richard opened the door and stood aside to let them into the room.

"Sorry it took us so long," Lois apologized as they walked through the door. "We had something... unexpected this morning."

"Unexpected?" Richard questioned, as he stepped aside to allow his guests into the room.

"Lex Luthor called to gloat over your murder," Lois clarified. "That's another thing from his personality profile. He likes to bask in his enemies' suffering, which means being there or as close to it as possible. He probably called hoping to hear the anguish in my voice when he told me that he had you killed."

"That's sick," Richard stated numbly. "Were they able to track the call?"

"It was another Internet phone number from offshore," Lois told him. "A certain anonymous friend of ours is trying to glean some more information from the call, and we copied a transcript to the laptop if you're interested in reading it later. The call came on my cell phone, so we don't have a recording of it. Don't ask me how he got the number."

"I'll take a look at it later," Richard told her.

"Here's the laptop, Mr. White," Jimmy informed him. Gesturing to the suitcase that he had set by the bed, Jimmy added, "We also packed a bag for you."

"Thanks, Jimmy," Richard acknowledged as he took the laptop bag, and proceeded to pull out the laptop and boot it up at the table.

"We've also spoken to our police contacts," Lois continued solemnly. "This part stays off the record, by the way... Superman spoke with the police and FBI after last night's rescue and they have both the hit man and middleman under close surveillance. They've already served warrants to wiretap their email and phone calls, and there's some... unofficial surveillance... where local law enforcement can't reach, such as the offshore Internet Phone site."

Lois paused a moment before continuing anxiously, "We've also confirmed that you and Clark were the only ones among our friends and family who were targeted last night, and we're taking precautions to keep everyone else safe."

"What about Jason?" Richard inquired.

"I kept him home from school today," Lois told him. "He's somewhere safe." Richard nodded his acknowledgment.

Momentarily forgetting about Jimmy's presence, Richard suggested, "Maybe it would be a good idea if he stayed with his real dad for a while. If it's safe there, that is." Lois glanced over at Jimmy, whose eyes had snapped wide open in surprise at that unexpected information.

"Um, why don't I head back and give you two some privacy?" Jimmy suggested, as he squirmed his way out the door. "I'll see you back at the office."

Once Jimmy had left, Richard turned back to Lois and apologized, "Sorry, I didn't mean for that to slip."

"It's alright," Lois assured him. "Jimmy won't say anything."

Richard's thoughts returned to the question that had haunted him all night long, as he considered how best to broach the delicate subject. "Lois, is Clark..." Richard began uncertainly before diverting his gaze and falling silent for a moment. Lois dropped her head as she anticipated the question.

"Is Clark Jason's real father?" Richard finally asked as he looked back at Lois. She looked up at Richard with a sympathetic expression on her face and opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't find her voice. "I thought so," Richard said sadly as he sat down in a chair at the table, his gaze at the floor.

Finally finding her voice, Lois told him, "We... we had a feeling you'd figure that out pretty quickly after last night's revelation. He's been suggesting for awhile now that we tell you, but I wanted you to have more time to heal before dropping it on you... and I was worried about the impact at the office. Your uncle is Clark's boss, after all. Technically speaking, so are you."

Richard laughed without humor as he looked up at her, "You were worried about my uncle and I taking it out on Sup-"

"Don't say it!" Lois interrupted him. "This isn't a safe place for discussing such things! If we need to talk about this, we go somewhere that we know we won't be overheard." Richard nodded as he dropped his head back down.

"Maybe you could stop by the new house tomorrow?" Lois suggested gently. "I need to get that furniture from you anyways, and Clark's installing some... special equipment... that will allow us to talk there securely. I'm sure that we can get Martha to watch Jason for a little bit if we need to have an adult conversation."

"Martha?" Richard questioned.

"Clark's mom," Lois clarified. As she scrutinized Richard more closely, she asked, "Did you get any sleep at all last night?"

"Are you kidding?" Richard asked her incredulously. "How could anybody sleep after that bombshell, especially after I finally put two and two together?"

Lois looked at him compassionately as she told him, "You should try to get some rest... I've got to get back to work." Lois regarded him closely for a moment before turning and leaving the room.

* * *

Day 26, Saturday, 9: 00 AM, Metropolis, 1938 Sullivan Lane (Home of Lois Lane)

Lois opened the door to welcome Richard White into her new home. "Thanks for coming," she welcomed. "You're timing's perfect. Clark just finished unpacking everything from the other house." Lois escorted him into the living room, where a comfortable couch, loveseat and recliner sat opposite a large wall-mounted plasma television above the fireplace.

"What, no lawn furniture?" Richard joked as he sat in the recliner.

"Lawn furniture?" Lois questioned as her brow wrinkled in confusion.

"Richard, she's never been to my apartment," Clark informed the other man.

"You have lawn furniture in your apartment?" Lois asked incredulously.

"I didn't see the point in spending much there when I'm eventually going to be living, um, somewhere else," Clark told her as he punched keys on a control panel in the hallway. After a moment, he added, "There, the acoustic barrier is up. We can talk freely now."

"Acoustic barrier?" Richard inquired. "What's that?"

"It's Kryptonian technology," Lois explained. "It blocks all sound waves and any electronic communication from passing out through the exterior walls. Your cell phone won't work here when the barrier's up, by the way. Clark and I have special filters on ours for them to work through the barrier."

"That seems to be a bit extreme," Richard concluded in amazement.

"Not when you consider that I'm sometimes a favorite subject of the tabloids, and that the paparazzi have been known to stake out our house with long lenses and parabolic mikes," Lois explained. "People should be able to speak freely in their homes without worrying about that."

"Richard, do you want anything to drink?" Clark asked politely. "We have iced tea, apple or orange juice, milk, and water. Oh, and we have beer or wine we can pull out, too."

"I'll take the beer," Richard responded.

As Clark handed Richard a bottle of Budweiser and sat on the loveseat, he kindly asked the other man, "Where would you like to start?"

Richard frowned before taking a large gulp from his beer, "Where to start..." he repeated. After a moment, he commented bitterly "I assume that, since you're not even human, that you pulled some strings to fabricate that DNA report."

"The DNA report is authentic," Clark told him. "The only strings pulled were to make sure that certain non-human characteristics stayed under the radar. Jason is my biological son."

"How can you be sure of that?" Richard asked angrily.

Lois answered for Clark as she emphatically asked Richard, "Would a son of yours be able to throw a half ton grand piano across a room with enough force to instantly crush a man to death, like Jason did aboard the Gertrude when that psychopath tried to kill me?" Richard eyes went wide with shock at the new revelation while Lois continued, "Or throw a two ton car a mile across a quarry, like Jason does when Clark takes him there? Or run through the Smallville cornfields at seventy miles an hour-"

"He's up to about one hundred thirty miles per hour now," Clark interrupted.

"Really?" Lois asked, breaking into a wide smile as she turned to Clark. "When did he do that?"

"He always could. He just wiped out when he tried to stop if he was up above seventy... until last night," Clark explained. "He's getting used to the speed now. I don't think that he's come close to reaching his limits there yet, but I'm not pushing him on it like I am with the strength."

"Um, hello? I'm still here," Richard reminded them, raising his hand up.

"Sorry," Lois and Clark said in unison.

"Jason was always so... delicate," Richard noted seriously. "Since when has he had super strength and speed?"

"We think it was an immune system reaction to the kryptonite that Luthor was waving in his face that activated his dormant Kryptonian genes," Lois told him. "That's also why the allergies are history."

After an awkward moment of silence, Clark pointed out, "The piano toss aboard the Gertrude also raises a problem... Lex Luthor knows that Jason has super-strength, which means he knows that he's my son. As long as that madman remains at large, Lois and Jason are in danger. It's also why we can't publicly acknowledge a relationship between Lois Lane and Clark Kent. That could put even more people at risk."

The blood drained from Richard's face as he considered that a man as ruthless as Lex Luthor was targeting his sights on Jason. "Oh, my God." he muttered, horrified.

"Exactly," Lois agreed. "You read the transcript from the Luthor call yesterday - well, we left one line out. He said that I and the... quote, 'Superbrat', unquote... have to die because of Superman."

"We're doing everything we can to prevent him from carrying out that threat," Clark told Richard. "That's why Lois and I have been so passionate about going after Lex Luthor in the press, and using Kryptonian technology both to protect this house and to help hunt for Luthor."

Richard looked up at Clark intently as he considered that new information. He had walked into the house determined to hate him as much as he was able. However, recognizing the man's resolve to protect the boy whom he also considered his son weakened that determination, and Richard was now forced to acknowledge that there was probably nobody on Earth better able to protect Jason. It's not fair that he's so hard to hate, Richard thought angrily. Aloud, he calmly asked, "So it's a waiting game, now? We wait for Lex Luthor to make his move?"

"We're not just waiting," Clark told him. "We've got surveillance in place, and we're tied into every law enforcement network on the planet to alert me at the slightest suspicious activity that could lead us to him."

"Did you get anything from that Luthor call yesterday morning?" Richard asked numbly.

"I missed the first few seconds, and the quality of the call wasn't high enough for me to be precise, but I picked up a lot of animal calls in the background," Clark told him. "Based on the calls I identified, I'm guessing that it's a mountain location, probably in the Rockies, which still left a lot of ground to cover. I scanned the area yesterday as best I could, but I came up empty."

Richard looked between Lois and Clark as he recognized the similar expressions of parental anxiety, one that he was sure he shared. He looked back to Clark and told him sincerely, "I'm glad that Jason has you looking out for him." After a moment, his fear for Jason subsided as anger replaced it and he added, "But I'm still very angry with you for taking Lois from me."

"It was my choice, Richard," Lois told him gently but firmly. "Clark didn't take me away. He was just there for me to go to him."

"Don't debate the semantics!" Richard bellowed. "Don't I have a right to angry over this?"

"Yes, you do," Clark agreed. "I'm sorry, Richard. I never wanted to impose this heartache on you."

"Stop being so nice about it," Richard demanded. "Let me hate you for a least a little while." The three were silent for a few minutes as Richard emptied his beer. Finally, he broke the silence as he admitted, "I'm scared to death for that little guy. What if everything that you're doing isn't enough?" Richard looked up to see the look of terror mirrored on his hosts' faces.

Clark answered, "We can't think that way, Richard. We have to believe that we can protect him, and we'll do everything in our power to do so. He's our priority."

"Mine, too," Richard agreed. After another awkward silence, Richard sighed heavily before looking over at Clark, pointing his finger at him and telling him solemnly, "I came over here fully planning to give you hell for ruining my life, but there's been a change of plans. I need to know what you're doing to protect Lois and Jason, and what I can do to help. I'm not going to pretend to like you - that's just not a possibility right now. However, their safety is more important. So, where do we start?"

"This has to stay between us," Clark insisted. Once Richard nodded his understanding, Clark and Lois proceeded to explain what they had put in place to protect their family and to catch Lex Luthor.

Chapter 27 - Preparation

Day 27, Sunday, 8:00AM (Central Time), Chicago, Illinois

Chicago was quiet and overcast this morning, as the windy city's residents recovered from their Saturday nights, made their way to church, or lounged away on a sleepy Sunday morning. There were two new residents enjoying the morning from the penthouse condo overlooking the Chicago River a few blocks inland from Lake Michigan. "The Flower Duet" from Delibes' Lakm� blared through the living room as a bald man with a ten day old grey beard read that morning's Chicago Tribune. Occasionally, he would look up to read the close captioning on the muted plasma television, which was tuned to a cable news channel. As he scanned the news and reflected on recent events, Lex Luthor was now at his most cheerful since his failure against the Man of Steel a month earlier. They still haven't released their names, Lex noticed as he searched for more details on Thursday night's assault of the two Daily Planet journalists.

Lex allowed himself a smile as he reflected on the despair that Lois Lane must now be experiencing from the death of her fianc�, Richard White, and her co-writer, Clark Kent. He could inflict suffering on her by killing those close to her, even though he couldn't yet target her directly - he needed her alive to bait the trap for Superman. Henry Morrison had reported Thursday night that they had succeeded in killing both Kent and White. Lex had concluded that she was made of stronger stuff than most when she'd successfully hidden her despair during Lex's called her to gloat Friday morning, though her fear and anger was obvious. He placed the call as he and Kitty left their Aspen cabin, using the broadband feature of his cell phone to access a remote Internet phone for the call and thus conceal his location.

"Thank God we're finally out of that horrible cabin," Kitty said casually as she re-entered the room. The Rocky Mountain cabin that Lex and Kitty had been staying at had left them both with a touch of cabin fever, and they were happy to abandon it. As luxurious as the cabin had claimed to be, it was a poor substitute for the sophistication of a major city, and Lex was accustomed to the good life. Kitty had also been bored out of her mind there and had become another source of irritation.

"God had nothing to do with it," Lex said calmly as he looked up from the paper. "You have me to thank for that. I explained before that it would take time to set up a new place, and we came here as soon as it was ready."

"Well, whatever," Kitty muttered. After a moment of quiet, Kitty added, "We should get a dog."

Lex glared at her in irritation. "Have you forgotten how much trouble the last one caused?" he asked her, as he remembered the messes and chewed furniture. The pooch had only slightly distracted Kitty from interrupting him.

"We can train it," Kitty assured him.

"We?" Lex inquired impatiently. "You are not actually suggesting that I lower myself and waste my genius to train a dog, are you? I have other plans that require my attention."

Kitty scrutinized Lex intently for a moment, before concluding, "That beard looks like crap."

"So you've been telling me," Lex reminded her, the agitation clear in his voice. "As I've been telling you, with all the press attention lately, we can't rely on a wig alone for a disguise. It'll look better once it's filled in a bit more, and after you've died the grey."

"It'll still look like crap," Kitty decided. "It makes you look old, too."

Lex threw the paper down and glared at her. "Deal with it!" he commanded her, as he rose from his chair and marched back to the office, the morning's calm now irreparably damaged.

Lex's cheer returned somewhat as he pulled up his files on the kryptonite search, and saw that they were finally making progress there. Shortly after Superman's original debut, Lex had correctly deduced that debris from Krypton had been caught in the wake of his escape ship. Lex had concluded that the meteorites that rained down across upper Africa in 1978 were actually the debris from Krypton. The fragments had broken free of the ship's wake when it abruptly reduced speed upon entering the Sol system and had crashed into the Earth several years after the ship had. After finally escaping Superman's dragnet some weeks earlier, he had painstakingly located each of the remaining twenty-eight recovered samples from the 1978 meteor shower that had impacted Africa from Ethiopia to Cameroon.

The largest, basketball-sized meteorites had landed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and on two occasions, Lex had successfully stolen one of those samples while it was on loan to the Metropolis Museum of Natural History: once shortly after Superman's initial debut and again shortly after he returned a month ago. He would not acquire a third kryptonite sample there. The previous two robberies had brought the museums security practices into question, and other major museums were now hesitant to loan rare pieces.

The remaining kryptonite samples were held overseas, by museums in Algiers and Cairo and by universities throughout Africa and Europe. Lex didn't have the same access to the criminal element there that he had at home, and thus had been maneuvering through his overseas lawyers and front companies to either purchase the samples outright or arrange their loan to collections in U.S. Museums. Those efforts had finally borne fruit as the museum in Algiers had agreed to loan its samples to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburg. The cash-strapped Addis Ababa University was also warming to the idea of selling its samples, for the right price. Lex sent an email to his African agent authorizing a counter-offer for the fragments, and then pulled up the files on the Carnegie Museum to review his plan for the theft of their sample.

Once he was satisfied with his kryptonite acquisition plans, Lex's thoughts moved ahead to the next phase of his plot against Superman. He had already acquired a facility in northwest Metropolis for carrying out the trap, and contractors were busily lining the exterior ceiling and walls with lead. He'd also ordered equipment to form the kryptonite to his specifications. The smile returned to Lex's features as he anticipated that he would soon preside over the end of the Man of Steel.

* * *

Day 27, Sunday, 2:00PM, Metropolis

The Metropolis area was enjoying another beautiful sunny day, as its residents took full advantage of the parks and beaches on the few remaining summer days. However, some of its residents still preferred indoor activities, as indicated by the noise coming from an industrial building in the southwest suburb of Reeves. The long and narrow one story building was the source of multiple, overlapping popping sounds as its customers inside unloaded their weapons at the targets at the opposite end of the range. One of these Sunday afternoon customers set down his sidearm in the firing cage and pressed the recall button to bring the paper target back to the firing line along the overhead chain. Richard White observed that all of his shots had landed within a five inch diameter circle on the target, though concentrated above and to the right of the target's center.

He placed a fresh target on the chain and pressed the send button to carry it back to the other end of the range while he reloaded his Glock 30 pistol. They'll have a little surprise if they try coming after me again, he thought irritably, as he remembered the attack from a few days earlier. During his time as a freelance reporter in Honduras after college, he had been one of several reporters kidnapped by rebels and one of only a few to have survived the three day ordeal. It had frustrated him to have to rely on others for his security, and he had afterwards acquired a sidearm and trained to use it. The skill hadn't been required in his role as an assistant editor, and Lois' dislike for firearms had kept him away from the range and his sidearm locked up. The recent attempt on his life had changed that, and he didn't like relying on Superman for his security any better.

We don't want Clark to have to save my ass again, Richard thought bitterly as he waited for his target to reach its position at the end of the range. After the police had determined that they'd been 'dead' long enough earlier that day, Richard had returned to his house, retrieved his weapon from the safe and come to the range. The fresh target was now in place at the end of the range, and with grim resolve, Richard aimed his weapon down the range and squeezed the trigger.

Richard had found the last few days as unsettling as any in recent memory. Essentially losing his family to another man was difficult enough, but to have been targeted by a hit man over a newspaper article shook him to the core. He'd believed that he had a secure, comfortable life just a few weeks ago, and he now saw that life as an illusion. Richard White on this Sunday morning was a much more cynical, wary man than the relaxed optimist of a few days earlier. He felt like he was in Honduras again and had to go to extraordinary measures just to stay alive.

Confronting the depraved wickedness of Lex Luthor had been an eye opener for Richard. It hadn't occurred to him that Luthor would try to kill him over an article or that he'd target Lois and Jason over a grudge with Superman, as had been described to him. It might have been a beautiful sunny day outside, but for Richard the world was a much darker place. He silently wished to once again be blissfully ignorant as he pressed the recall button in the shooting cage.

Chapter 28 - Survivors

Day 28, Monday, 6:00PM, Metropolis, 1938 Sullivan (Home of Lois Lane)

Monday evening brought the first dinner guests to the Lane home, as Clark and Richard joined Lois to compare notes on their battle with Lex Luthor. Lois had picked up Gai Kow and egg rolls from a local Chinese restaurant on the way home, and was now dishing it out onto four plates while Jason told them what he had done in school that day. Richard was looking forward to spending some time with Jason during the visit, which the recent attack had forced him to skip over the weekend.

"...and we had a fireman come to school today, and show us how to be safe!" Jason jabbered excitedly.

"Will you remember what he told you if there's a fire?" Richard asked him patiently.

"Uh huh," Jason answered automatically as Lois set his plate in front of him.

"I'm so glad we don't have to worry about food allergies anymore," Lois stated, to herself as much as anyone else.

"Yeah, no more yucky shakes!" Jason cheered.

"That's right, no more yucky shakes," Lois confirmed as she smiled widely at her son. "Okay, dig in everyone,"

As the group ate their meal, Clark asked Richard, "How long do you think Perry will let us stay dead?" At Jason's worried and confused expression, Clark turned to him and clarified, "We're just pretending to fool the bad men." That satisfied the tyke, and he happily bit into an egg roll.

"Well, it's easier for me, since I don't have to worry about my name on a byline," Richard told them. "It's harder for you."

"We can publish my articles as 'Daily Planet Staff' until this is over," Clark offered. "My ego doesn't require the acknowledgment."

"Why don't we save this conversation for later," Lois suggested politely, gesturing with her eyes towards her son.

Both men nodded, and Richard shifted the conversation elsewhere a moment later. "Jason, I hear you've been having a lot of fun with Clark after dinner. Why don't you tell me what you've been up to?"

"Running, and jumping, and playing catch and breaking rocks, and stuff," Jason began, chewing as he talked.

"Breaking rocks?" Richard questioned, looking back at Clark.

"A lot of what we've done initially has been to prove to him that he really can do these things," Clark explained. "We had a mountain exercise to show him both his strength and his invulnerability. I found a vertical face in the Andes along the border of Chile and Argentina, and had Jason hit it."

"Ah," Richard acknowledged. "It's still hard to believe this little guy can do all those things." Turning back to Jason, he inquired "So how fast are you running now?"

"Really fast," Jason answered, beaming up at Richard as he finally swallowed the food in his mouth.

"That clears that up, I guess," Richard replied, chuckling at the boy. Turning back to Lois he added is a low voice, "I guess he won't be getting D's in gym much longer."

"That could be a challenge," Clark observed. "When I was his age, hiding my abilities was hard on me, and I don't imagine it will be much different for him, especially if there's teasing from classmates. We're trying to teach him to be gentle, and only do things that someone else his age could do. When the dust settles, we're hoping he can play at the same level as his classmates without standing out."

"I can play gentle!" Jason insisted.

"That means that you won't always be able to win," Clark reminded him.

"I know," Jason grumbled as he shoveled another spoonful of his dinner into his mouth.

"So what kind of games do you want to play with your friends?" Richard inquired patiently.

"Well, Mark plays soccer," Jason began. "Can I play soccer, too?"

"When's the deadline for signing him up?" Clark asked Lois as he turned to her.

"The summer league's just ending now," Lois told him. "We have a few weeks before we have to decide on the fall... It seems a bit risky, though, especially when we still have to worry about what Luthor'll try to spring on us."

"Maybe there's something in Smallville," Clark suggested. "We wouldn't have to worry so much about Luthor there, and it would be easier to contain the damage if there were an incident."

"He wouldn't be playing with Mark or even know anyone there," Lois pointed out. "When were your mother and Ben planning on moving to Montana?"

"Not until spring," Clark informed her simply.

Turning back to Jason, Lois told him, "We need to think about it a little more, sweetheart."

"Okay," Jason acknowledged as he chewed his dinner.

"So, tell me what else you've been doing," Richard requested pleasantly of the tyke. "I've haven't seen you for a while."

As the meal continued, Jason told Richard about all the exciting things he'd been doing at school and with his daddy, while Clark and Lois quietly observed the friendly interaction between the two.

* * *

Through the rest of the evening, Clark and Lois had held back to let Richard enjoy the time with Jason, and even let the other man put Jason to bed and read him his bedtime stories, before he rejoined the other adults downstairs. As he re-entered the living room, Richard sincerely told his hosts, "Thank you for that."

"You'll always be a father to him, despite the biology," Lois told him earnestly. "We'll never lock you out of his life."

"Would you like anything to drink?" Clark offered from the kitchen. "The beer's cold if you want one."

"I think beer would hit the spot," Richard concluded. Clark joined them in the living room carrying two beers, and handed one of them to Richard. After both men tapped their drinks, Richard began, "So, what's new in our war with Luthor?"

Clark settled down on the couch as he calmly told Richard, "Well, it's a bit of a waiting game right now... We have identified Luthor's point man as Henry Morrison, though he's using the alias of Stephan Evans. Both identities are surprisingly clean and there's no match on his prints. He's either a novice, or smart enough to get away with things."

"Given Luthor's micromanagement, a novice would fit the pattern," Lois suggested. "Roger Pruitt wasn't exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer."

"The distinction is probably not that important," Clark concluded. "The point is that the surveillance is beginning to yield fruit. We've got the bank accounts that he's been using to cover expenses, and the feds are trying to follow the money back to Luthor. They've identified a number of accounts that have been funneling money to Morrison, and are auditing them to try to identify any other accounts that Lex has been using. They've put in a lot of extra hours trying to trace through it the last few days. They've got to be careful about tipping their hand too soon, though, because they don't want him to figure it out and slip away again."

"Then they'll freeze the accounts and dry up his money?" Richard asked.

"Eventually," Clark confirmed. "First, they want to identify what he's been using the money for and maybe get some clues on where to look for him."

"Any progress there?" Richard asked.

"There are a few properties out west and in Mexico that were purchased from these accounts, though no sign of Luthor yet," Clark informed him. "The closest we've come was a house in Las Vegas that looks like it was abandoned about a week ago, based on the contents of the refrigerator."

"We probably sent him running with our story on his finances," Lois concluded.

"Probably," Clark agreed. "There are some other discoveries from the surveillance are a bit closer to home, and somewhat unsettling," Clark informed them. "Luthor's goons have a few surveillance teams of their own out there, and they're watching Richard's house, Jason's school, and the Daily Planet building. The police are assuming that Luthor wants revenge for the financials story."

"Oh, my God," Lois whispered. "Do you think they followed us here?"

"No," Clark told her confidently. "We know who their spies are, and we've got a team running interference with the tail - mostly FBI and local police. I've been keeping watch whenever you drive home, too. We've been fine so far, but we're going to have to take some extra precautions there."

"Maybe you and Jason need to disappear for a little while, just the same," Richard suggested to Lois.

"We've been discussing that," Lois told him. "A week ago, we probably would have left him with his Grandma, but we're not so sure that's safe now that Luthor's attacking friends and family over the financials article. Clark's byline was on the story, too."

"Just to be on the safe side, my mother and her fianc� have taken an unscheduled fishing trip up in Montana," Clark informed Richard. "They've been talking about retiring up there after they get married, anyway, so they're not terribly put out by it."

"We probably have the best security in place here in Metropolis, with the Kryptonian-enhanced alarm systems," Lois added. "We just have to pray that it's good enough."

"How much longer do you think that this will go on?" Richard asked him.

"There's no way to know," Clark admitted. "We want to give the accountants another week to try to unravel the money trail before going to press with this. Hopefully, that will get us close enough to nail him this time."

"You're going to give Perry a stroke if you keep making him sit on these blockbusters," Richard joked, before turning somber and adding, "I've never seen him as stressed out as he's been the last few days."

"Thursday night's attack hit closer to home for him," Lois told him. "It would be bad enough for any Planet reporter getting targeted, but when it was his own flesh and blood... It must have really shaken him up."

"More than you realize," Richard told him. "He's been trying to talk me into transferring back to London, or at least taking an extended assignment there until the danger is over."

"What did you tell him?" Lois asked him, surprise apparent in her expression.

"I told him that I won't run," Richard told her. "I'm here for the duration."

"Well, then maybe you can talk him out of the Profiles in Courage story on us?" Lois asked hopefully.

"I'll try, but no promises," Richard replied somberly. "If he does insist on it, I'll make sure that Walters glosses over Clark's employment gap."

"Thank you," Clark told him sincerely. "We don't need Luthor wondering about that."

* * *

Day 31, Thursday, 8:00PM (Central Time), Chicago, Civic Opera House

Nowhere was Lex Luthor more relaxed or more content that in an opera audience, and after a month on the run, he was finally taking the opportunity to enjoy his passion. Not even Kitty's derisive comments on the art could deflate his mood. He immersed himself in the second act of Iphig�nie en Tauride, and as the characters Orestes and Pylades languished in chains on the stage, he imagined a similar fate soon awaiting the Man of Steel and his son.

"Why does Toad have to kill them?" Kitty asked.

"It's Thoas," Lex corrected. "How else does one discourage trespassers? Things would have gone much better for him if he'd killed them sooner."

"So now you fancy yourself the king, what's-his-name, Thoas?" Kitty commented.

Lex snorted, "Don't be absurd! He's a victim of his own paranoia who foolishly trusts those around him."

"And you're not paranoid?" Kitty asked incredulously.

Before Lex could respond, he was interrupted by the vibrating PDA phone in his jacket pocket. What could this be? Lex wondered as he fished the phone out. The text message indicated a proximity alarm at the condo. Lex launched an Internet application on his phone and accessed the webcam closest to the tripped sensor. The blood drained from Lex's face as he saw the image of Superman floating outside their home. How did he find us? Lex wondered. Did a neighbor recognize us? After taking a moment to analyze the situation, Lex whispered to Kitty, "Wait here. I'll be back."

As Lex walked out of the opera house, he wondered, If he's found the condo, what else does he know about? With Superman hovering outside their condo less than a mile away, it was just as certain that he'd hear Kitty whine about their change in plans, which is why Lex had left her inside. He couldn't chance breaking into a car, even if he had the tools with him, since the Man of Steel would hear that noise as well. After a moment of thought, Lex quickly determined his course of action, and made his way to Union Station four blocks away.

Ten minutes later, Lex was ordering his Amtrak tickets from the agent. "Well, you're in luck," the woman told him. "The last train to New York was supposed to leave at seven fifty-five, but it's a half hour behind. If you hurry, you can still make it, and we have the roomette that you wanted."

"I'll take it," Lex told her, faking a slow southern accent. He paid cash for his ticket, and rushed to the train.

Chapter 29 - Regroup

Day 32, Friday, 9:10AM (Central Time), Chicago

Richard White waited quietly in the visitor area of the Cook County Jail for the guard to bring Kitty Kowalski to meet him. She had remained silent since her arrest the previous night, despite her obvious anger at being ditched at the opera house by Lex Luthor. Clark and Lois had both wanted to press her for details, but they feared what she might reveal about their son on a recorded conversation. Richard was the obvious alternative, since he already knew those secrets but was more likely to be seen as a neutral party. Superman had brought him to Chicago earlier than morning for that purpose.

Clark and Lois had prepped him for the interview the night before, and the three of them had come up with a list of questions and strategies for extracting information from her, while preventing anything revealing from coming out. As Richard waited, he reviewed his notes, looking up through the glass each time he heard the buzzer that indicated the door opening on the other side. Finally, Kitty was escorted through, and picked up the telephone handset on the other side of the glass.

"You're my visitor?" Kitty asked derisively.

"Richard White, Daily Planet," Richard informed her. "I have a few questions for you."

"Didn't the police tell you that I wasn't talking?" she admonished him.

"It can stay off the record, if you like," Richard assured her. "We'd just like to verify some information we got from other sources. You won't be telling us anything we don't already know, and we won't attribute anything to you."

"If you already have the answers, why waste the trip?" Kitty inquired.

"The Planet isn't a tabloid. We never go to press unless our facts are corroborated," Richard told her emphatically. "Your off-the-record comments are enough corroboration for us to go to press, and we'll attribute others as our primary source." After a moment, Richard casually asked her, "So what did you think of Iphig�nie en Tauride last night? I hear that it's a good show..."

"That crap?" Kitty exploded. "Of all the places in the world for that son of a bitch to leave me stranded, he picks somewhere with that nauseating noise! He's the bastard that dragged me there in the first place, then a page on his PDA and he's high-tailing it out of there and leaving me behind! You'd think that after everything, he might have warned me!"

"So, given your obvious distaste for Lex Luthor, why not just tell the police what you know?" Richard asked politely. "Wouldn't you earn leniency from the court if you did?"

"Leniency won't help if I'm not alive to enjoy my freedom," Kitty told him angrily.

"I understand," Richard told her. "So Lex got a page at the opera. What time was that, around eight?"

"I guess," Kitty mumbled. "Is that one of the questions you already knew the answer to?"

"Yep," Richard told her. "Do you know how Lex got away?"

"If I did, would I be here now?" Kitty inquired disdainfully.

"Probably not," Richard agreed. After a moment, he calmly stated, "Lex was planning something, or rather, plotting revenge against someone. Do you know who he was targeting? Besides Superman, that is."

"Who else is there?" Kitty asked incredulously, "I mean, besides the ki-"

"So he is plotting revenge against Superman," Richard interrupted. "Does he have more kryptonite?"

"Huh? I thought you knew all the answers," Kitty accused, her eyes narrowing.

"I'll take that as a no," Richard stated quietly. After a moment, he set down his notepad, and casually told her, "You know, I think that it's interesting that of all of Superman's enemies, Lex Luthor is the only one who's ever managed to track the stuff down. I can't help but wonder where on earth he managed to find it the last time..."

"He stole it from some museum in Metropolis while I was distracting Superman," Kitty told him proudly.

Ten thousand feet above the prison, Superman's eyes widened as he recalled an argument between Lois and Perry as their editor pushed her for a Superman story. There had been a robbery at the Metropolis Museum of Natural History the night that he had 'rescued' Kitty from her runaway car. So that's where it came from, Superman observed as he continued listening in on the conversation.

* * *

Day 32, Friday, 4:55PM, Metropolis, Daily Planet Newsroom

It was another busy day at the Daily Planet, as yet another exclusive feature on the Luthor saga had graced its front page that morning. Lois and Clark had been busily chasing down leads, and following up on the information that Richard had gleaned from Kitty. "So, it's all accounted for then?" Lois asked into her headset. "...Uh huh. When did they ship that?" Lois looked up at the ding of the elevator to see Clark walk into the newsroom. She could tell from his expression his search for Lex Luthor had not been successful. "Thanks, Bruce... He just walked in if you want to talk to him... Okay, I'll tell him."

As Clark walked up and sat against the edge of Lois' desk, he was surprised to hear Jason's voice as he ran out from Richard's office, with his latest picture. "Clark!" the boy hollered, "See what I made for you!" It was another picture of Superman with Jason, this time in the Andes Mountains where they'd trained in recent days. Clark noticed that his son's artistic skill had been improving dramatically along with his other abilities. They'd have to address that soon, but not today.

"You really getting good at these drawings," Clark observed. "Did you make this in school today?"

"Nuh uh," Jason told him as he shook his head. "I was drawing in Richard's office."

"That's right, you get to spend the weekend with him, don't you," Clark reminded him, at which point the tyke grinned widely.

Lois couldn't help but notice how much her son's expression resembled Clark's goofy grin. Thank God nobody else has noticed that, she thought. Turning to her son, Lois matched his smile as she gently told him, "Sweetheart, Clark and I have some important work to do. Why don't you go back to Richard's office and make us another drawing?"

"Richard's office is boring," Jason complained.

"It's not for much longer," Lois reassured him. "I promise."

After giving his son a hug, and sending him back to Richard's office, Clark whispered to Lois, "I'm sorry, but it looks like Luthor slipped through our fingers again. If only I'd been-"

"Stop that right now!" Lois admonished in a whisper so quiet that only he could hear. "Don't you dare blame yourself. How were we supposed to know that he'd have motion sensors on a penthouse balcony?"

"I still should have been-"

"Stop it," Lois commanded. "It's not over yet." Clark clenched his jaw, and nodded meekly, as Lois informed him in a whisper, "I've got some more information on the museum robbery. The stolen rock was from a meteor shower that rained down across Africa in 1978 from Ethiopia to Cameroon. There were 28 meteorites recovered, two of which are now missing, both stolen from the Metropolis Museum of Natural History. One was taken shortly after Superman appeared on the scene the first time and the second was taken shortly after he returned from his recent trip to Krypton. I think that it's safe to say that Luthor was behind both robberies."

"What do we know about the remaining 26 samples?" Clark inquired seriously.

"All present and accounted for, though there was a close call on one of them," Lois told him. "An anonymous buyer had arranged to purchase the sample from Addis Ababa University. Our friend in Gotham pulled some strings to block the shipment. He's still trying to confirm the address that they were going to ship it to, though we've had no luck there yet. It's hidden behind lawyers and front companies, just like some other things that we've run across lately. Someone might have to pay a visit to their offices tonight."

"I think that can be arranged," Clark offered. "Anything else?"

"Yep," Lois told him. "All of the remaining samples are held overseas. There hasn't been much enthusiasm in loaning the meteorites for display in American museums, given security concerns and the past thefts from the Metropolis museum. However, some anonymous donor has been greasing palms in Algiers to encourage their museum to reconsider. The sample will be part of a meteorite exhibit on display at the Carnegie museum next week."

"How long will it be on display?" Clark asked, wide-eyed.

"Three weeks," Lois told him directly. "Then it's back to Algiers. Our Gotham friend thinks that'd be a good opportunity to set a trap for Luthor. He's suggesting a bait and switch."

Clark nodded in agreement, before dropping his head pensively into his hand as he rubbed his chin. After a moment, he quietly commented, "Lex isn't just a fugitive anymore. He's a clear and present danger, and we're going to have to take extra precautions."

"I know," Lois muttered. In a quiet whisper, she added, "Well, we can't print any of this. The last thing we want to do is advertise to other criminals where they can find kryptonite. Have you got anything that we can go to press with?"

"Yes," Clark told her as he let a small smile grace his features. "Richard was really outstanding with Kitty. We're going to have to find some way to properly thank him for that-"

Clark was interrupted by Perry's booming voice, "Kent! Lane! My office."

Lois and Clark obediently reported to Perry's office, where Richard was waiting for them with their editor. As they took the visitor seats, they noticed the corners of Perry's mouth struggling to resist a smile as he cheerfully told them, "Great work again, you two."

Both thanked Perry for the compliment, as Clark stuttered out, "We... we can't take all the credit, Chief. We wouldn't have had nearly as much information to go on if Richard hadn't so expertly pulled it out of Kowalski this morning."

Perry's effort to suppress his smile now failed completely as he looked over at his nephew, though Richard's expression remained neutral. "Well, maybe I need to make the three of you a team," he suggested jovially, before pushing the emotion back down, and returning to the question at hand. Turning back to Lois and Clark, he inquired, "Where do we stand on the follow-up stories?"

"They found the plane that Luthor had been using, and we've traced the flight plans to map out his movements since he slipped away in Baton Rouge," Lois told him. "FBI forensic teams are combing over it, as well as over the condo. They've recovered a laptop, but unlike Pruitt's, everything on the disk is encrypted. Off the record... they've turned a copy of the encrypted disk over to Superman. His technology may have a better chance at breaking through the encryption."

"What about the hunt for Luthor?" Richard inquired. "I saw the revised mug shot on the noon newscasts, with a blonde wig and beard superimposed. Have there been any hits on that?"

"Yes, unfortunately," Clark answered grimly.

"What do you mean, 'unfortunately'?" Richard asked in surprise.

"He killed a New York City cop at Penn Station about an hour and a half ago," Clark answered. "The surveillance footage showed the cop stopping Luthor, before he was shot twice in the heart. Then Luthor calmly walked out the 7th Avenue exit."

"Oh, my God," Lois muttered under her breath, as she raised her hand over her mouth.

"Any luck picking up the trail from there?" Perry asked.

"No," Clark answered grimly. "He didn't attract a lot of attention at the time because he had a silencer on the gun, and he had the pistol hidden inside his jacket. It looked like he had his hand through the jacket pocket to his sidearm hidden inside. He also had a fifteen minute head start before they reviewed the surveillance tape, and another ten before anyone identified the shooter as Lex Luthor. Superman scanned the streets and subways, but he's come up empty so far. He's been working closely with NYPD, who are taking this very personally and marshalling all the manpower they can to bring him in."

"Sounds like we have tomorrow's page one," Perry commented sadly.

"We'll have the story in by deadline," Clark promised. "There's a lot more work to do before then, however, and I need to get up to New York City-"

"Then I won't keep you any longer," Perry informed him. "Get going... and Kent?"

"Yes, Chief?" Clark answered.

"Be careful," Perry told him sincerely. "That lunatic has already tried to kill you once." Perry shuddered unconsciously as he recalled the grenade attack on Clark and his nephew that had happened just a week ago.

"I will be," Clark promised as he darted out the door.

* * *

Day 32, Friday, 6:30PM, The Bronx, New York

Lex Luthor ate his dinner cautiously, as he eyed his 'hosts,' both sitting cross-legged on the floor facing the wall opposite him with their hands behind them, as he had instructed them. Enrique "Ricky" Hernandez was a quiet man that Lex had briefly encountered during his incarceration. Exceptionally bright for his circumstances, he'd been one of the few inmates that Lex was able to hold an intelligent conversation with.

Ricky's criminal career as a car thief had been put to a stop at age nineteen by the reckless boasting of his partner. He had accepted that, and spent his seven years behind bars earning his GED and a college degree in computer science. Since his release from prison three years earlier, he'd become a certified Microsoft Windows Engineer, and had been making an honest life for himself. That life now included his four-months pregnant fianc�e, Rosa Duvall, who now sat with him facing the wall. Ricky wasn't Lex's first choice to replace Henry Morrison, whom he had concluded had been compromised. However, he'd left Chicago in a hurry and had selected Ricky as the best choice in the New York City area. The young man's reformation had been an unexpected disappointment, but there was little he could do about that now.

Lex kept a hand on his pistol as he finished his meal and caught up on the latest news from the local television broadcast. Of course, the top story had been that afternoon's murder of a police officer in Penn Station. Lex had been identified as the shooter, and a still from the surveillance camera had been shown along with a mug shot, revised to show his blonde beard and wig.

"It looks like I'll need a new look before we head out," Lex mentioned casually.

"We?" Ricky questioned in surprise. "I can't help you, L-"

"Don't say it!" Lex bellowed. "You mention my name aloud again, and things could get quite unpleasant for you."

"I'm making an honest life now," Ricky pleaded. "We won't say anything - we know better than that. But... I have responsibilities here."

"The sooner we finish our work, the sooner you can get back to those responsibilities," Lex told him, unmoved by his pleas. "We'll also need to make a little road trip."

"How long will this take?" Ricky asked nervously. "I don't get a lot of time off, and I need to save it for when the baby comes."

"You won't need to worry about that job," Lex told him. "You'll get paid more than enough to make up for it, as long as you don't let me down."

"I-I'd rather keep an honest job and set a good example for my kid," Ricky told him nervously. "I'll help you find someone else, but I can't-"

"I'm tired of hearing 'can't' and 'won't' out of you," Lex told him impatiently. "Unless you want something unfortunate to happen to the happy family here, you'll stop complaining, and do as I say."

Ricky glanced over at his fianc�e, who was still quietly crying, her head down. He reached over and gripped her hand in his, trying to conceal the sad expression on his face with a weak smile as she looked up at him. Ricky closed his eyes for a moment, before looking over his shoulder at Lex and asking him, "Okay, what do I need to do?"

Lex smiled menacingly, as he provided his reluctant new lieutenant with his instructions.

Chapter 30 - Calm Before the Storm

Day 33, Saturday, 8:00AM (Mountain Time), Littleton, Colorado

Chatfield State Park was a popular weekend retreat for the Denver area, offering everything from hot air balloons, water sports, biking, hiking and camping. As with populations across the country, Denver-area residents jealously treasured their weekends, and the day's warm and sunny weather swelled the park's weekend population. This furlough from work week reality was also Richard White's destination. As he parked the rental car and looked out at the other visitors to the park, he swallowed down his envy of the apparently unbroken families, determined to enjoy the day with Jason.

His weekend with Jason had nearly been canceled after Luthor's violence in New York City the night before. They all agreed that it was too risky to be out in the Metropolis parks. This out-of-town venue was an acceptable alternative, since Luthor wouldn't expect them to be there and Richard had friends there. Superman had flown them and their luggage to the hotel the night before, and would take them back Sunday morning. Clark had hinted that he'd be peeking in on them, which left Richard with mixed feelings. He was grateful that Jason had someone like the Man of Steel looking after his safety, but it also reminded Richard of his shortcomings compared him. Richard struggled to push that thought from his mind as they pulled their gear from the trunk.

"What if there isn't enough wind?" Jason asked anxiously, as he eyed the kite Richard had just pulled from the trunk.

"Don't worry about it, Jason," Richard told him patiently. "We'll have enough wind." After locking up the car, Richard knelt down in front of Jason, and pulling him close, whispered to him, "Do you remember what your mom and Clark told you about playing 'normal'?"

"Uh huh," Jason answered automatically as he nodded his head.

"Repeat it back to me," Richard instructed him.

"I'm not supposed to do anything 'super' in public," Jason recited impatiently.

"That means that when we run with the kite, you're not allowed to run any faster than I'm going, even if that means we don't get the kite up in the air the first time," Richard clarified. "Do you understand that?"

"Uh huh," Jason answered as he nodded eagerly. "Can we go now?"

Richard smiled at the tyke's reaction, as he ruffled his hair. "Yes, we can go now," he told him. The two then carried the kite along with the rest of their gear to a nearby picnic table and set up for their day.

From his vantage point nearly ten miles above, Superman smiled as the two worked their kite into the air. He was grateful that they were able to do so without his help and that both were genuinely having a good time. It's unfortunate that they have to sneak out of town to have a day like this in safety, Superman pondered. He felt a combination of anger and guilt for having tripped Luthor's alarm system a few days earlier. They shouldn't have to pay the price for my blunder, he thought as he watched his son hopping with excitement as they maneuvered their kite.

* * *

Day 33, Saturday, 4:00PM (Mountain Time), Littleton, Colorado

Richard concluded that the day at the park had been a success. Though Jason's interest in the kite had quickly waned, there were plenty of other activities at the park to keep his attention. He had been engrossed in watching the blue herons on the south side of the park, and was particularly fascinated with the hot air balloons. By mid-afternoon, he'd had enough, and after leaving the park, the two paid a visit to an old college friend of Richard's who lived in the area.

Tom Ferguson had been a fraternity brother of Richard's and was now an FBI agent in Denver. Richard had been best man at Tom's wedding to Lily ten years earlier, and the couple now had an eight year old daughter, Tina, and five year old son, Stevie. Jason had been shy around the other children at first, but was starting to warm up to them, joining them on the jungle gym in the yard, as the adults talked at the table on the deck.

"The Marriot has to be costing you a fortune!" Tom commented to his guest. "All you had to do is call, and you could have stayed with us."

"It was a spur of the moment trip and I didn't want to impose," Richard told him defensively. "It is good to get away, though. That hasn't happened in a while. Not since before Lois..." His voice faltered as he remembered how things had been before Superman's return. He pushed the emotion back down, and after a moment he added, "Sorry, that's still kind of a new development. It'll take some getting used to."

"I can imagine," Tom told him compassionately. "If you want to talk about it, you know I'm here for you."

"I know... I'll be fine...eventually," Richard told him sadly. "So how long have you two been here? You were over in the foothills last time."

"We moved in while I was pregnant with Stevie, so it's about six years now," Lily told him. "The house in Ken Caryl Canyon was beautiful, but the mortgage was a killer, and you could forget about cell phone reception. Since I wanted to stay home with the kids, we needed something that we could afford on one salary. This place isn't that much smaller, we've got plenty of room and our cell phones actually work."

"It can't have already been six years since I've been out here, can it?" Richard asked in surprise.

"Time flies, especially once you have kids," Tom remarked cheerfully. After a moment's pause, he inquired cautiously, "Are you going to stay in that house on the river, with Lois leaving and all?"

"I really hadn't considered moving," Richard mused. "It's convenient with the seaplane docked on the pier there, and it's a nice safe place for when I have Jason."

"So you're still... doing that?" Tom asked cautiously. "Even though he's not really yours?"

Richard screwed his face up at that as he considered his answer. "The biology is really a moot point," he told them sadly. "Yeah, Jason is calling the other guy 'Daddy' now, and yeah, that hurts. But it doesn't change how I feel about the munchkin. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to him because I let my pride get in the way..."

Tom wrinkled his brow in confusion. "I'm not sure I follow..." he commented uncertainly.

Richard lowered his head as he considered his response for a moment before speaking. "Since the incident on Lex Luthor's yacht, Lois and Clark have been going after Luthor in the press with a vengeance." Richard told them soberly, his voice barely above a whisper. "It's due to their efforts more than anything else that the feds managed to freeze most of his domestic funds and even some offshore accounts. That caught Luthor's attention, and he's already tried to kill in retaliation. We're not convinced that Metropolis is safe for any of us, which is why we came here this weekend."

"Oh, dear," Lily muttered as she brought her hand to her mouth. After a brief pause, she added, "If it's that dangerous... if you need a place to stay..."

"I know, and we all appreciate that," Richard told her sincerely, as he glanced over the railing at the children in the yard.

"That goes for Jason, too," Tom clarified as he followed Richard gaze. A moment later, he vehemently added, "And don't be shy about it. You'll stay with us in the house next time, too."

Jason noticed the serious tone in the adults' voices and briefly looked over at the deck as he hung upside down from the top of the jungle gym. The hushed voices usually meant that they were going to talk about something boring. The jungle gym was much more fun, so he returned his attention to Stevie who has hanging upside down beside him.

"...and last week, we went to Kiddies Playland and got to go on all kinds of rides!" Steven told Jason excitedly. "Do you have anything like that where you live?" he asked curiously.

Jason shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know," he admitted sadly. Breaking into a wide smile, he added, "But Superman's there!"

"Really?" asked Steven excitedly. "Do you know him?"

"Uh huh," Jason answered carefully. "I like him."

"Me, too," Stevie agreed excitedly, just before both boys found themselves defending against his sister's super soaker and thoughts of Superman were forgotten.

* * *

Day 33, Saturday, 7:00PM, Metropolis, 1938 Sullivan Lane (Home of Lois Lane)

The pleasant weather on this waning day of summer had hardly been noticed by Lois Lane, who had been following up on their leads from the Lex Luthor story, and trying to anticipate his next move before something disastrous happened. It had also kept Superman busy, as he coordinated with NYPD, hunted down stolen cars and looked up Lex Luthor's known associates. Everyone had come up empty so far.

Lois threw her glasses down on her desk and rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands. I know you're out there somewhere, you tricky little bastard, Lois thought. She lowered her hands, and looked back at the screen blankly for a moment before temporarily abandoning the hunt to refill her cup of coffee from the pot in the kitchen. As she set the coffee pot back down, she felt a strong arm wrap around her and the heat of its owner radiate through her back. As Clark nuzzled her neck, she purred, "I was beginning to wonder if you'd be showing up tonight."

"There hasn't been a moment when I wasn't thinking of you," he told her huskily. Lois turned around to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck as he captured her lips.

"Me, too," Lois mumbled into the kiss, wrapping her legs around his waist as he lifted her up to the countertop.

They reluctantly broke the kiss, as Clark commented, "There's so much we still have to do..."

"I think that we were getting there," Lois assured him, as she pulled his head back down to hers.

Clark smiled through the kiss, and returned the passion for a moment longer before pulling back again. "I'll need to get back to the hunt soon," he reluctantly told her. "Have you come up with anything new on your end?"

"You know, it's really not fair getting me all worked up and then pulling back like that," Lois mumbled unhappily. She lowered her head to his shoulder, and sank into his embrace as she answered. "Bruce had some ideas," she told him. "He thought it strange that there hadn't been a single call to Morrison since Lex fled Chicago. You'd think he'd have called him for a ride, unless..."

"...unless Lex thought he'd been compromised," Clark finished for her. "In which case, he'd recruit some new lackeys. NYPD put together a list of known associates, but we've come up empty."

"Bruce is expanding that list to include anyone in the New York area who was in prison with him," Lois told him. "We should have an updated list of names soon. How about you?"

"I've uncovered five car-theft rings and recovered dozens of stolen cars in New York City, Pittsburg and Metropolis, all without the slightest link back to Lex," Clark told her. "I think that he's changing his tactics in response to my pursuit. We saw that a few weeks ago, when he switched from stealing cars to carjacking. Now we know he's been using private jets and trains, too. I'm skeptical that we'll find him by tracking stolen cars and missing persons. We're going to need some additional clues."

"Any progress on decrypting his laptop?" Lois asked hopefully as she looked back up at him from his embrace.

"Not yet," he admitted. "It depends on the cipher key and algorithms he used. I'll get a page when it's done, which could be any minute, or a few more days."

"Oh, Bruce said that they've finished the security upgrades at Carnegie," Lois told him. "The utility rooms are now secured and alarmed, and they've got shatterproof, bulletproof glass on the display cases. He's also arranged for the kryptonite replica to be on display rather than the original, which they'll keep in back."

"That assumes that he'll try the same smash and grab tactics as last time," Clark pointed out. "He has to realize the scrutiny he's under by now, and he may modify tactics to try to surprise us."

"Bruce said the same thing," Lois told him as she tightened her embrace. "So, what now?"

"It's a waiting game again," Clark told her.

Lois frowned for a moment, before a wide smile overtook her features. "Then we've got time," she told him seductively, as she reached her head up for his lips and pulled him closer with her legs.

"We've got time," he agreed into her kiss, as his hands found the bare back under her sweatshirt.

Chapter 31 - Surveillance

Day 42, Monday, 3:30PM, Metropolis, Daily Planet Newsroom

For the first time in years, everything in Lois Lane's love life felt right. Though she and Clark weren't yet living under the same roof, they were no longer awkward being together at home. Unfortunately, they still had to maintain the illusion of a platonic relationship at work, which had become progressively more difficult in the last week as Lois struggled to keep a Kent-worthy grin off of her face. He had the advantage in that the goofy grins were part of his Clark Kent persona. Lois had no such excuse to hide behind. At times, her only recourse was to drop her head down and study her notes, creating the impression that she was working another front page story.

The trail for Lex Luthor had gone cold, in spite of identifying possible lackeys from Bruce Wayne's expanded list of associates and from Luthor's decrypted laptop. The PC turned out to be a dead end, apparently used as little more than a portal to where his data was really hidden, with the access history wiped clean. That left Lois to return to tracking government scandal and corruption, which she was quite unhappy about despite the reluctant praise her articles had earned from Perry. Clark had also been reassigned to some human events stories, though he was given the leeway to continue chasing Luthor leads as long as he got the other stories in on time.

Lois looked up at the elevators as the chime announced the car's arrival and she again felt the silly smile take over her features as she saw Clark walk off. It wasn't until he looked up and she noticed the grim expression on his face that she got her smile under control. "What happened?" she asked as he stopped at her desk.

"Luthor got the kryptonite from Carnegie," he told her in a whisper.

"What about all the extra security?" Lois muttered agitatedly.

"They had someone on the inside," Clark informed her grimly "We're still trying to piece it together, but we have a vague idea of what happened. According to the night guard's wife, they grabbed their eleven year old son and blackmailed the boy's father to let them through. It also looks like they knew about the security details. The replica was left untouched, while the real kryptonite was grabbed from the staging room."

"Did they find the little boy?" Lois asked anxiously.

"They found him and his dad in an alley about a half hour ago," Clark told her. "Both of them had been drugged and it will be awhile before they wake up. They'll probably be okay though... Nobody else has figured out that Lex Luthor is behind this yet."

"We'll have to keep it that way, which means that we can't print this," Lois concluded. "If other crooks wondered why Luthor wanted that rock and figured out what it was and where it came from..."

"I know," Clark told her. Both remained silent for a moment before Clark broke the silence by whispering, "I don't think that Metropolis is safe for Jason. Maybe he should go to school in Smallville for a while..."

Lois eyes opened wide in horror as she recognized the danger to their child. "I'm getting him out of AfterCare now," Lois declared as she stood up and gathered her things.

"We should let Richard know what's going on, too," Clark suggested. "Maybe we can invite him to join us at home tonight to plan strategy?" Lois nodded in agreement as she walked over to Richard's office to share the disturbing news.

* * *

Day 42, Monday, 8:20PM, Metropolis, 1938 Sullivan Lane

Lois blankly looked out through the windows into her backyard, lamenting the decisions that they would have to make that evening. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she reflected on the madman that was gunning for her child. Clark stood a few feet behind her, giving her space to collect her thoughts while remaining close enough to gather her into his embrace when she was ready. Richard White sat quietly on the living room couch, also waiting for Lois to gather her thoughts.

Finally, Lois turned to the two men and emotionally declared, "We're not going to turn his life upside down over this. He has to have some semblance of normal life in spite of the precautions. That means being home with us when he goes to sleep at night and wakes up in the morning, and still going to school and playing with his friends-"

"Lois, it's not safe for him here anymore," Clark explained patiently. "School and friends will have to be somewhere else... someplace where Luthor won't find him. Maybe Smallville could be that place."

"What if Luthor decides he needs to get even with Clark Kent?" Lois inquired anxiously, her voice cracking. "Your byline was on those financial stories, too."

"Mom and Ben will be moving to Montana in the spring, after they get married," Clark reminded her, his expression grim. "If we accelerated things a bit, maybe he could stay with them there."

"That sounds like wishful thinking," Richard stated grimly. "If he'd try to kill me to make Lois suffer, what's to stop him from going after your mother to get at you... and finding Jason in the process."

"Then where?" Clark asked impatiently. "Any family that either of you have will certainly be on his short list."

"What about your friend in Gotham?" Lois asked. "He's been helpful with so much else..."

Clark chuckled lightly as he imagined Gotham's Dark Knight with babysitting duty. "He's not that close a friend," he replied mirthfully. "And you're well aware of his reputation."

"Who are we talking about?" Richard inquired, furrowing his brow in confusion.

"A colleague of mine who helped set up some of the security," Clark explained, as his expression became serious again. "He prefers not to advertise his involvement."

Richard nodded in acknowledgement. "We may have better luck with some friends of mine," he informed them confidently.

"What would we be asking them to do?" Lois inquired cautiously. "Remember, at the end of the day, Jason is with us, not some strangers."

"Is this house secure enough at the end of the day?" Richard asked calmly. "I know you have put a lot into the security system, but, hypothetically speaking, if Luthor had a small army surrounding the place with lots of firepower, how would you hold up?"

"When the security system is in lock-down, an invisible force field reinforces the exterior walls of the house," Clark explained seriously. "It also blocks kryptonite radiation, and can be extended to protect the entire property. You'd need a small nuke to punch through it. Jason is safe here, both inside the house and out in the yard."

"And if you were under siege?" Richard continued.

"Then I take them out through the secret tunnel that I dug in the basement that comes out on the other end near Byrne State Forest," Clark revealed simply.

"A secret tunnel?" Richard repeated incredibly.

Clark frowned for a moment, before cautiously explaining, "We don't want to risk that the neighbors will ever see Superman here. If I can't come to the front door as Clark, then I'll use the tunnel. In any case, the short answer to your question is, 'Yes, this house is secure enough at the end of the day.' I assume that you were going somewhere with that?"

"Yeah..." Richard acknowledged, still a bit distracted by the revelation of a secret tunnel. After a momentary delay, "I guess I wanted to confirm what we're really talking about here. Are you suggesting that Jason spend his days somewhere else, and come back here in the evening?"

"That's the general idea," Lois confirmed. "He'll go to school there, maybe under an alias, make new friends there, and have a somewhat normal life while we track down Luthor."

Richard nodded, before casually telling his hosts, "I have a friend in Denver who can help... In fact, when Jason and I were there last week, he adamantly insisted that we come to him if it came to that."

"Tom and Lily?" Lois asked in surprise. "What did you tell them?"

"Only that Luthor was retaliating for your articles on his finances," Richard informed her. "Stevie's the same age as Jason, and the two of them got along wonderfully. I think it may be our best alternative."

"Who are Tom and Lily?" Clark asked curiously.

"Tom was my college roommate," Richard told him. "He's FBI in the Denver area, and his wife Lily is a stay-at-home mom. They have an eight year old daughter, Tina, and a five-year old son, Stevie." After giving Clark a moment to digest that, he added, "We should probably explain a few things to them. They'll certainly find it odd for Jason to be getting there and back by way of Superman."

"That complicates things," Clark answered quietly. "The more people who know our secrets, the riskier it becomes."

"So we don't tell them everything," Lois offered. "We tell them enough to explain Superman's involvement without revealing Jason's unique heritage."

"They can both be trusted," Richard assured him. Clark remained silent as he pensively rubbed his jaw. Finally, Richard broke the silence, asking, "Have you got someone else in mind?"

Clark shrugged his shoulders. "I have some friends who could be trusted, but they attract too much press these days, which isn't exactly ideal."

"Are you thinking about the good senator?" Lois inquired with a smirk on her face. Clark nodded, while Richard looked between the two with a confused look on his face. Lois giggled quietly before finally explaining, "The honorable Senator Pete Ross and his wife were both close childhood friends of Clark's."

"Under different circumstances, they'd gladly help, and I know we could trust them completely if we had to," Clark elaborated. "However, with the election and his status as a possible presidential candidate, they'll attract too much press." Turning to Richard, Clark inquired seriously, "Just how well do you know this college buddy of yours?"

"Like a brother," Richard answered immediately. "We can trust both of them." Richard looked between Lois and Clark before he finally asked, "So is it decided, then?"

Clark looked up at Lois for a moment, before turning back to Richard and answering, "Maybe. I think that you and I should pay them a visit first, after their kids are in bed."

* * *

Day 60, Friday, 7:00AM, Metropolis, Suicide Slum

Lex Luthor lowered his head and let the hot jets from the shower head massage his neck and upper back as Puccini's Tosca blared from the boom box on top of the toilet. He tried to lose himself in the moment and forget his decline in circumstances and his nemesis' frustrating ability to apprehend nearly every surveillance team that he had sent to stake out his targets. You should already be dead, you son of a bitch, Lex thought.

It certainly would have been easy enough to lure Superman into a kryptonite trap, but a quick death would be too merciful. After everything Lex had been through, the Man of Steel needed to suffer, and nothing would be more painful for him than to see tragedy befall his beloved Lois Lane and their son. He had to grab them first and without the Man of Steel interfering, and thus, the need for the stakeouts. They were needed to verify and expand on the information that he had pulled from Lois Lane and Richard White's credit reports several weeks earlier.

Lex finally turned off the shower and toweled off, wrapping the towel around himself as he stepped in front of the mirror in the tiny bathroom. After wiping off the steam from the mirror with another towel, Lex took a moment to study the figure staring back at him. I won't have to tolerate this much longer, Lex thought to his reflection, as he rubbed his hand over the black goatee that now graced his features. After a moment Lex abandoned his ruminations and quickly finished cleaning up as he considered how best to overcome the recent delays.

In the three weeks since he'd acquired the kryptonite, Lex sent more than dozen teams into the city to track Lois Lane and her son. Some parked panel vans outside the home on the river or the boy's school. Others had shown up in stolen utility vehicles to observe their targets while they pretended to work on phone, cable or electrical lines. They also sent teams that would impersonate meter readers, postal carriers, and a variety of others who could reasonably be expected to be in the area. Nearly all of them had been quickly taken into custody. The only exception had been the team observing the house from the river, but they were spooked by a coast guard patrol and they never got close enough to provide anything useful. How is he catching them so quickly? Lex asked himself.

Lex angrily turned off the music and walked into the bedroom to get dressed. He considered the cramped apartment he stood in far beneath his station, but an unfortunate necessity under the circumstances. Large transfers from his remaining overseas accounts would attract too much attention and thus had forced him to accept humble living quarters, one more thing he intended to make both Superman and Lois Lane suffer for. He also needed to be close to his targets as he moved forward with his revenge plans but without attracting attention. That brought him to Metropolis' Suicide Slum, where people made a point of getting where they were going quickly without wasting a lot of time taking in the sights.

Lex retrieved his PDA from the dresser, and found a text message had arrived from Ricky Hernandez while he was in the shower. A deep frown overtook his features as he read it: "Jonas and Harry were nabbed by police last night." And so it happens again, Lex thought bitterly. The two had been sent impersonating an electrical line crew to verify the after-work routine of Lane and White at the home on the river listed in their credit reports. We're going to need to re-evaluate our methods, he concluded as he finished dressing. He launched the IP phone application on his PDA and called Ricky.

"What the hell is wrong with these people that you're sending out?" Lex demanded angrily. "Is it that hard to follow a woman and child around?"

"Well, sir, it's to be expected-," Ricky began.

"Expected?" Lex repeated incredulously. "How is it that you've been expecting this abysmal failure, which is your responsibility, by the way?"

Ricky nervously explained, "Sir... when a man becomes a father, everything changes and that's as true for Superman as anyone else. Nothing is more important to him than his little boy, and he's not going to ignore a threat to his family."

"That doesn't make him clairvoyant!" Lex argued bitterly.

"He doesn't have to be, sir," Ricky countered anxiously. "As a good father, he is going to pay close attention to everything that goes on around his son and the woman. He'll know the neighborhood where they live, where she works, where the kid goes to school. He'll know what's normal for the area, and what's not. When something shows up that's out of place or unexpected, like an electrical utility truck when there have been no problems, he'll take a closer look. That's what I would do if I were him."

"So where was your inspired insight before you sent them in?" Lex asked derisively.

"I didn't think of it until just now, when you asked the question," Ricky claimed nervously. "What do you want us to do now, sir?"

"We're going to have to get our information from people who do fit in," Lex concluded. After a tense moment of silence, Lex observed, "He didn't snag our crew on the river."

"No, sir, he didn't," Ricky agreed meekly. "A boat on the river is hardly out of place, unless they get too close. That makes it harder to get anything useful, through."

"It didn't stop the Star from getting those pictures of her smoking behind the house a couple months back," Lex pointed out.

"No, but those photographers have been on her tail for years," Ricky countered. "Superman probably knows who they all are, and that they're only a threat to their privacy."

Lex was silent for a moment as he considered this. "Maybe I should hire them, then," he finally suggested.

"Paparazzi?" Ricky asked incredulously. "They'd never work for you."

"Don't underestimate me!" Lex warned. "The offer will come from a British tabloid that I control."

"What do you want me to do in the meantime?" Ricky asked.

"We'll need people to act on our intelligence," Lex told him. "I'll send you a list of candidates. Make sure that they can handle themselves on a boat."

Lex hung up before Ricky had a chance to respond, and turned his attention to the laptop, shaking the wireless mouse to wake up the PC. There is more than one way to skin a freak, he pondered, as he reviewed the data that he'd put together on Lois Lane nearly two months earlier. Let's see who you've been talking to, he thought as he hacked into Lois' online accounts and began reviewing the phone calls logged in the statement details.

Chapter 32 - Paydirt

Day 67, Friday, 3:20PM (Mountain Time), Littleton, Colorado

The familiar yellow and black bus from Ralph Moody Elementary School finally made its last stop, and unloaded the remaining children as they anxiously dispersed and sought out their separate homes. Among these children were Stevie and Tina Ferguson and their family guest, Jason White. Though Jason missed his friends from his school in Metropolis, he had made some new friends, including Stevie. The other children were particularly interested in learning what Superman was really like, once Stevie told them that Jason had met him. As Jason now walked with the Ferguson children, they began arguing over whether or not Stevie's Superman action figure was in fact, a doll.

"Superman's not a doll!" Stevie whined.

"Looks like one to me," Tina teased. "It's the same size as my Barbie, and that's a doll."

"Nuh uh!" Stevie objected.

"Stevie's playing with do-olls! Stevie's playing with do-olls!" Tina chanted.

"Shut up!" Stevie demanded.

Jason looked up at Tina and said simply, "You're not being very nice."

She turned her venom on Jason, "Oh, are you going to cry now?"

"Superman wouldn't like you calling him a doll," Jason said simply.

"Yeah, and Jason knows Superman, and he'll tell him what you said," Stevie piped up.

"He does not!" Tina countered. "He just made that up."

"No, I didn't," Jason insisted defensively.

"Did too!" Tina shouted back.

"Did not!" Jason shot back as his eyes teared up. His friends in Metropolis weren't mean like this.

"Did too!" Tina repeated happily.

"Is there a problem here?" a male voice asked them. The three of them looked up in surprise to see Richard White in front of them. Clark had dropped him off at the house a few minutes earlier, and he'd walked up to meet the children, who'd been too distracted by their argument to notice him.

"She didn't believe that I know Superman!" Jason complained on the verge of tears as he ran to Richard.

"Of course you know Superman, Jason," Richard confirmed cheerfully. Turning to the other two children, he explained, "Jason helped us save Superman when that evil man hurt him with the kryptonite. He got to visit him in the hospital after he fell from space, too." As Jason turned and stuck his tongue out at Tina, Richard took his hand and walked with them back to the house.

After giving the kids a moment to settle down, Richard enthusiastically asked, "Are you ready for another fun weekend? We're all going to Tiny Town tomorrow!" Turning to Jason, he added, "Your mom and... and your dad will be coming, too, for at least a little while." It still pained Richard to refer to Clark as Jason's dad, but he made the effort for the boy's sake. He wasn't about to put Jason in the middle of whatever arguments he had with Lois and Clark.

As the children voiced their excitement over the next day's plans, their interaction was observed from a panel van down the street. The interior of the van had been stripped except for the two front seats. The back windows had been blacked out, except for a small circle which was now covered by the rubber lens boot of a high end digital camera mounted against the back door as a rotund man swiveled the camera in the mount to take pictures of the Richard and the children. The photographer was observed by a slender man seated on the floor behind the driver's seat munching French fries. "How is it coming, Ralphie?" he asked between bites.

"Don't call me Ralphie!" Ralph objected angrily, as he carefully removed the camera from the door mount and walked up to sit sideways on the passenger seat.

"Sorry, Ralph," Ed apologized.

"I think that's the last of them," Ralph stated tiredly, as he reviewed the pictures in the LCD display on the back of the camera. "Do you think any of those kids is the one that they're looking for?"

"Who knows?" Ed answered indifferently, and he maneuvered around to the front of the driver's seat. "Who cares? We get paid the same either way."

"Wait until they're in the house, before starting up the engine," Ralph ordered his partner, as he tried to watch them through the driver's side rear-view mirror. As he watched, he irritably complained, "You couldn't pay me enough to make another cross-country trip in a car. You'd think they could have ponied up for some plane tickets or at least a train..."

"I'm with you on that one," Ed agreed calmly. "Let's get out of here, and get those pictures uploaded. Then, there are a couple barstools in this town with our names on them."

* * *

Day 67, Friday, 6:15PM, Metropolis, 1938 Sullivan Lane (Home of Lois Lane)

Lois eyes seem to glaze over as she picked at the Fettuccini Alfredo on her plate. Clark had brought carry-out from the local Italian restaurant on the way over. Lois leaned her forehead against her left palm while she raised her free hand to her mouth to cover her yawn. Clark looked over at her from his seat, and after swallowing the remaining food in his mouth, he asked anxiously, "Are you feeling alright, Lois?"

"Fine, just tired," Lois muttered sleepily.

"I've noticed," Clark told her compassionately. "Lately, you've really been dragging at the end of the day. Has the problem with Luthor given you trouble sleeping?"

"Surprisingly, no," Lois answered quietly as she lifted her head from her hand and looked at him. "If anything, I've been getting too much sleep..." A conspiratorial grin spread across her face as she added softly, "I do seem to recall you keeping me up a few times lately, though." She giggled when Clark blushed at the reminder of their recent closeness.

After pushing down his blush, Clark pressed on, "I'm just a little worried. You've always been bursting with energy all day long." Lois' brow furrowed as she considered that. She had been unusually tired for the past couple of weeks.

As she was pondering her lethargy, she noticed Clark's head suddenly tip up, responding to a sound that she didn't hear. Clark pulled out his cell phone and cheerfully answered, "Hi, Ma. How are things in Montana? ...He's still adjusting. Richard has him this weekend, but Lois and I will join them tomorrow morning for a day trip, for a while at least... Maybe, I'll talk to Lois about it..." As Lois listened into Clark's half of the conversation, she noticed him stiffen and heard the anxiety in his voice as he continued. "Did they say anything else? ...I'll have to give him a call, then... Okay, I will. I'll talk to you soon. Bye, Mom."

"What did she say that freaked you out?" Lois inquired anxiously as soon as Clark hung up.

"The sheriff out in Smallville called her about the thugs that they picked up on parole violations a couple days ago," Clark explained. "After cooling their heels for a couple of days, they've started talking. They were sent to take pictures of any children on my mom's farm, and upload them for their boss back east."

"They're looking for Jason," Lois stated meekly as her eyes grew wide and the color drained from her face. "How did he figure out to look for him there?"

"I don't know," Clark answered anxiously. "Consider that from Bruce's list and other clues, we've tracked felons to your sister's place and your parents, as well as some of Richard's relatives. It's possible that he's just following a short list of friends and family."

"Or he's noticed that Clark Kent's employment gap suspiciously corresponds to Superman's absence," Lois countered fearfully.

Clark frowned at that, realizing that he couldn't rule it out. "We can't assume that, but it would be a mistake to underestimate him," Clark finally conceded. "If he has figured it out, he doesn't appear to have done anything with that knowledge."

"Yet," Lois finished for him dramatically. "Shouldn't we plan for the worst?"

"What should we do differently than what we've already done?" Clark gently asked.

"Well, for starters, your apartment isn't safe," Lois declared. "What's to stop Luthor's lackeys from sneaking in and planting kryptonite all over, and then coming in later to ambush you?"

"I never thought of that," Clark admitted timidly. "I suppose that I can install an alarm system, with kryptonite sensors."

"Or you can move in here," Lois countered. "That's the long term plan anyway, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," Clark acknowledged as the wide smile spread across his face. Reigning in his smile, he added softly, "I don't want to advertise Clark Kent's love interest just yet, though."

"I won't tell if you won't," Lois offered, as she revealed a small smile to him. After a moment, she informed him, "You'll move your stuff in tonight."

Clark nodded his assent, before telling her, "We should probably warn Richard and the Ferguson's of the situation. If Luthor hasn't figured out my secret and is just searching family and friends for Jason, the trail might lead out there."

"How would he have identified our friends?" Lois asked irritably. "It's not like we have them listed in our Planet bios."

"I don't know," Clark admitted. "I'll run it by Bruce later. His people are much better at figuring out that kind of stuff than I am and they may be able to come up with some answers. If we can identify the list that Luthor's working from, we'll be better prepared."

"I'll tell you what..." Lois offered. "I'll call Bruce, while you fly out to Colorado to talk to Richard and Tom."

"Deal," Clark agreed, as he captured her hand in his own and they looked into each other's eyes. "I have faith that everything will work out in the end," he told her sympathetically. "We just need to be patient for a little while longer."

* * *

Day 67, Friday, 7:00PM, Metropolis, Suicide Slum

As the local evening newscast concluded, Lex punched the button on the remote to turn it off from his seat in the recliner. He then walked over to his laptop on the breakfast bar, lifted the earphones of his iPod into place and drowned out the neighbors with the sounds of Mozart's Don Giovanni. Lex was getting a late start reviewing his plan's progress after being forced to attend to mundane matters beneath his station, such as picking up groceries. He briefly debated the wisdom in abandoning Kitty in Chicago, since she had attending to such matters before they parted company. While his laptop booted up, he again concluded that she would have given away their position and he'd been right to leave her behind.

After logging into the laptop, Lex recalled how daunting the analysis of Lois Lane's phone records had been, due to the sheer volume of calls. Though not entirely unexpected given her profession, Lex was nonetheless surprised by the volume. He'd downloaded the call details for both her and Richard White into a spreadsheet, and painstakingly identified every call possible before running a number of analyses on the telephone numbers to try to narrow the scope of the surveillance targets. Lex was able to draw several conclusions from the analysis.

The first thing that stood out to Lex was the calls to and from a realtor, Nancy Dixon, which indicated that Lois had moved. When her name alone showed up on a subsequent review of bi-county real estate transfers, Lex realized that she'd left Richard White. No mystery what happened there, Lex thought.

The Lane and White phone records also suggested travel patterns. Lois Lane was in her local calling area nearly every night, presumably at home. There were day trips all across the country, some as far away as San Diego. The call origination areas were too far apart and the time between too short for her to have made the trips as anything other than Superman's passenger, which again explained the recently acquired real estate. Only on weekends did she appear to stay out of town overnight.

Lex's analyses of the calls also identified more than a dozen favorite out of town locations where the family might flee to if forced into hiding. Some were obvious, such as relatives of either Lane or White in Long Island, Alexandria and Chicago, but other locations were more enigmatic, such as Gotham, New York, Smallville, Kansas, Littleton, Colorado, and Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

While the call analysis had narrowed the targets for surveillance, gathering information on those targets remained problematic. No team yet had managed to elude capture for longer than three days after being sent out and most were picked up before a single report was sent back. There have got to be some brighter recruits out there, Lex lamented.

The analyses also identified the child's school as Schneider Elementary, which allowed Lex to drop the other local schools from his surveillance plans. It was a moot point, since all his teams were quickly apprehended before providing any information on any school. Where did all these idiots come from? Lex questioned. He decided that they would require more specific instructions in the future, since they clearly could not be trusted to their own devices.

Another benefit of the analyses was identifying Jason's allergist, and Lex had sent a team for his medical records. That break-in had been one of the few successes. They gotten in and out without detection, taking only Jason's file and Lex hoped that would remain unnoticed. They had also left behind a number of listening devices in the office and bugged the phones. If Lane brought the kid in for a check-up, it could be a good opportunity to grab both of them. The file from Jason's allergist had also identified his primary care pediatrician, and Lex's men had twice attempted break-ins there. However, both teams had been caught, and Lex had abandoned that effort. To continue would make it too obvious that more than a robbery was involved. He would have to make do with the file from the allergist.

Lex had been surprised at all of the acute allergies documented in Jason's file. The fragility documented there might make the boy easier to take down, but that was too great an unknown to chance it. He's still got super-strength, Lex noted. That'll make him a handful even if he's inherited nothing else from the old man. We'll definitely need the kryptonite. He pulled himself from his ruminations as his laptop applications finally started up and an alert notified him of a surveillance update.

Paydirt! Lex thought. He smiled for the first time in days as he zoomed in on the posted photo of Jason White from the team in Littleton. He now had confirmed locations for two of his three targets, and the third was easy enough to lure into a trap. The trick now was to gather enough information on those locations for a reasonably robust plan that not even the idiots working for him could screw up. If Superman caught his team in Colorado, they'd move the boy, and he'd have to start over.

To avoid detection, he'd need local talent, which meant recruiting more high-level people. That also meant singling out more shady characters that he could either intimidate, or who could resist the temptation of the reward that had recently been increased to twenty-five million dollars. He no longer had the resources to prepay known reliable contractors to hit his lieutenants if he was betrayed. His reputation was probably ruthless enough to bluff, but if even one of them doubted him, it could spell trouble. The more intelligent his lieutenants, the more likely they were to spot his tells and see through the bluff. The challenge would be keeping himself isolated enough that his men couldn't reveal his location if tempted, and yet close enough to keep them meticulously following his plan. It was obvious to Lex that the reason for the intolerable delays was the inability of the men he recruited to follow his detailed instructions.

Lex began a new search through his recruitment database. This time, he was looking for recruits with history both in Denver and Metropolis. He'd keep the local crew clear of Lane's house, and just try to get some remote cameras in place to monitor the property before his lackeys inevitably got themselves caught. Sooner or later, somebody has to get through, Lex thought. It shouldn't be long now.

Chapter 33 - A Little Help From My Friends

Day 68, Saturday, 7:00PM (Mountain Time), Littleton, Colorado

The children in the Ferguson's family room were giggling happily at a corny movie on the Disney channel while the adults discussed more important matters at the kitchen table. Clark had been introduced to them at Tiny Town that morning as Jason's real father, and the tension between him and Tom remained palpable throughout the day. He had excused himself early in the afternoon to take care of matters back east and had just recently rejoined them. As Clark began to explain what Bruce Wayne had uncovered for them, he kept his voice low, out of range of the children's hearing.

"Our... our security contacts have some preliminary information for us," Clark began nervously. "Does 'Numar Capital' sound familiar to anyone?"

"Weren't they one of the front companies that Luthor was using to move money around?" Lois inquired uncertainly.

Clark nodded. "They pulled credit reports on you and Richard several weeks ago," Clark explained grimly. "From the dates, it was immediately after we lost Luthor's trail in Baton Rouge. Our contacts believe that was the first step in a detailed investigation."

"What does he plan on doing with that?" Lois asked anxiously.

"It's a starting point," Clark explained. "They have your social security numbers and account numbers, and if you add a little information with that, like your mother's maiden name, then they have all the tools needed for social engineering."

"I'm not familiar with that term," Lily confessed in confusion.

"Basically, it's fraud," Tom explained gravely. "The perpetrators pretend to be someone they're not, offering some personal information to establish their legitimacy: your soc. number, date of birth, mother's maiden name, all of which is available from public sources, unfortunately. If they have account numbers, even better."

"So, what's he going to do with that?" Lois asked. "Is he going to try to empty our accounts?"

"I doubt he'd be that stupid," Clark told her. "He knows by now that we'd know how to follow the money. If he tried to raid your funds, the audit trail would lead to his accounts, the feds would freeze them, and the Vanderworth's would file for more writs of replevin again those assets."

"Replevin?" Tom inquired, as his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Restitution," Clark explained nervously. "It's an order for the return of assets improperly taken by another, such as what Luthor pilfered from the Vanderworth estate." Turning back to Lois, he added, "It still wouldn't hurt to sign up for the fraud alerts on our accounts. Then only the institutions that we've explicitly authorized in writing could transfer funds."

Lois nodded, as she uneasily inquired, "So if he's not after our funds, what was he after?"

"Our contacts think that it's part of an investigation to identify behavioral patterns to develop a profile of his targets," Clark revealed. "He's looking at the accounts to determine where we're spending money and who we're talking to. That would also tell him where we've been."

"Do you think that's what led him to Smallville, rather than... the alternative?" Richard asked.

"I don't know," Clark admitted. "A lot of this is still conjecture. We know what he could have done, but we don't know what he actually has done."

"How do we find out if he's accessed our accounts?" Lois asked uneasily.

"By accessing them ourselves," Clark answered. "If the passwords don't work, then he's probably used social engineering methods to reset them for his use. If it's an account that's never been set up for online access, then we have to check with customer service at that institution, which usually has to be in person."

"Great," Lois grumbled. "One more thing I don't have time for."

"Aren't most of your accounts already online?" Richard inquired, more as a reminder than a question.

"Yeah, I'll check them as soon as we're done here," Lois stated calmly.

Turning to Tom Ferguson, Clark sincerely told him, "I... I need to point out the danger here. While we truly appreciate everything that you've done for us, if Luthor traces Jason here, your family could be in danger. We don't think that it's fair to ask you to take that risk-"

"You didn't ask," Tom reminded him rudely as he glared at him. "We volunteered, out of friendship with Richard!" Lily laid her palm on Tom's forearm to draw his attention and as a silent reminder to remain calm.

"Relax, Tom," Richard insisted. "This isn't the time or place to air our grievances." Lowering his voice, Richard added, "Jason is in real danger. Protecting him is all that matters to Clark, Lois and me. Other arguments can wait." After a beat of silence, Tom nodded his head. As his friend yielded, Richard added, "He's right about the potential danger to your family, Tom. You need to realize what you could be in for if Jason continues to spend his days here."

"We're talking about the same low-life that murdered that cop at Penn Station in New York last month, right?" Tom questioned gruffly. As Richard nodded, Tom asked, "I can defend my home against slime like that."

"We're not questioning that, but it's a mistake to underestimate Lex Luthor," Lois explained patiently. "That cop he killed in New York wasn't a rookie, and yet Luthor surprised him. You might not know he was here until it was too late."

"A major reason for bringing Jason here was because we didn't think that anyone would be able to trace him here," Clark added nervously. "If that's changed, then we could be needlessly endangering your family."

"The day I let some slick perp intimidate me is the day I turn in my badge!" Tom declared angrily.

The other adults darted their gaze to the children in the family room, who remained oblivious to the adults' debate. Richard implored him, "Keep it down, will you? I don't want to scare the kids."

"Look, after being here a few weeks the kid is kind of part of the family," Tom replied in a low voice. "Nobody is getting at him without a fight, and he probably has a better chance here than anywhere else you can take him. Don't worry about us."

"Tom's right, Jason is family now," Lily confirmed gently. "He can stay as long as you want him to."

"Then it's settled, so stop worrying about it," Tom declared brusquely.

Clark and Lois looked at each other and both nodded. Clark nervously stammered, "Well, now... now that that's out of the way... there are a couple of... 'perps'... in Smallville, who were certainly sent there by Luthor. I was hoping that if... if we put our heads together, we could figure out a way of getting them to spill the beans." Lois and Clark both turned their gaze to Richard as his eyes grew large with the implication.

* * *

Day 69, Sunday, 3:00PM (Central Time), Smallville, Kansas

It took about a half hour to drive into town from the Kent farm. Clark Kent and Richard White were making that trip now, after Superman brought Richard with him to interview the felons in the county jail. They'd stopped briefly at the farm, and began the trip into town as soon as Clark grabbed the keys from the empty house. After what seemed like an eternity, Clark broke the silence, stating simply, "Looks like you were right about Tom's dedication to friends and family. He doesn't seem to care much for me, though."

"Why should he?" Richard asked cynically. "As he sees it, a friend of his got a raw deal because of you."

"I... I thought we were past that," Clark muttered.

"Jesus, you don't just get over something after pouring you heart and soul into it for five years," Richard replied bitterly. "I'm trying to be sensible and mature about it and push through the pain because there are more important things, but it does hurt. It's better than it was, but it's still going to hurt for a while, and finding out that you've moved in with her now doesn't help."

"I'm sorry," Clark apologized meekly. "I never meant-"

"Stop apologizing," Richard demanded. "It doesn't matter what you meant to do. I was blissfully ignorant of the illusion called my life, and you came in and burst that bubble."

"Sorry," Clark mumbled, as Richard glared at him for a moment.

"Look, it's a lot easier if we don't talk about it, so let's just drop it," Richard suggested irritably. "We have other things we should be concentrating on." After a moment's pause, he added, "You do realize that we probably won't get as much out of these two as we did with Kowalski."

"They've probably had little direct contact with Luthor, if any," Clark agreed. "But if we can get the web addresses that they were going to upload the photos to, we may be able to tap into it at the ISP. Even if we can't track anything back to Luthor directly, if we can find out what his flunkies are posting, then maybe we could get advance warning of an attack."

"Luthor's pretty thorough at covering his tracks," Richard observed quietly.

"This is it," Clark told him, as he pulled his mother's truck into the parking space in front of the sheriff's station. He led the way as the two entered the building.

"Clark!" a male voice hollered across the room to greet them. The two men looked up to see a smiling young deputy who appeared to be in his early thirties. As he approached them, he continued, "Sheriff Dutcher told us we'd have a visitor from the Daily Planet, but I didn't realize it would be you."

"Good to see you again, Kevin," Clark greeted as he took the man's hand and pulled him into a hug. "Gosh, I haven't seen you in ages. How long have you been a deputy here? I thought you were over in Wichita?"

"It's been a couple years," Kevin told him. "You need to get home more often."

As Kevin looked over to Richard, Clark made the introduction, "Oh, Kevin, this is Richard White, an assistant editor at the Planet. Richard, this is Kevin Randall, an old friend of mine from high school."

After exchanging their introductions, Kevin twisted and shouted back over his shoulder, "Hey Dave, are those prisoners ready for the press yet?"

"Hold on a minute," Dave told him, as he stood up from his chair and walked down a hall at the other end of the room.

Turning back to Clark, Kevin assured him, "You don't need to worry about losers like those two getting anywhere near your mother's place. The whole town's looking out for you."

"The... what?" Clark stammered.

"It's not every day that public enemy number one tries to kill off the town hero," Kevin explained. "Everybody knows about that ambush in the construction elevator... I hate to think what might have happened if Superman hadn't been there... And now that people have heard about those two, everyone in town has their eyes and ears open."

"I... appreciate that," Clark answered numbly. "Everybody?"

"Every car that the neighbors don't recognize is getting called in," Kevin explained. "Some of the retirees have volunteered to man the phones, like Karen Travis over there." Kevin motioned over his shoulder to an elderly woman seating at a desk behind him, speaking on the phone. "Your family is safe here," the deputy assured him.

"Town hero?" Richard asked as he glanced over to Clark.

"Oh, absolutely," Kevin explained. "It not every day a small town farm boy goes toe to toe with the most dangerous man in the world, even if it is just in print." Turning to Clark, Kevin added with a chuckle, "You probably hurt him a lot worse taking his money away than anything Superman's ever done to him."

"Um, Richard was also in the elevator when they attacked," Clark told him, as a mild blush spread across his face. "And the way he pulled that information out of Luthor's girlfriend in Chicago was almost magic. He's a hero, too."

"Really?" Kevin answered as his smile grew. "Well, we're going to have to give you a proper Smallville welcome before you leave. You're staying for dinner, right?"

"We hadn't really thought that far ahead," Clark admitted. "We were kind of focused on the job ahead of us."

"Well, then, it's settled," Kevin told him. "I'll let Cindy know that you'll be joining us for dinner. The kids will be excited to see you, too."

"You have kids, now?" Clark asked cheerfully.

Kevin pulled out his wallet and flipped out the pictures. "Twins, Rebecca and Lisa," Kevin told him. "They're the same age as your boy. What was his name, Jacob, Jason, something like that?"

"Jason," Clark clarified as he glanced over at Richard. At the look of surprise on the other man's face, he explained. "It's a small town. It doesn't take a lot from a bragging grandma for everyone in town to know about any changes in the family."

"Oh," Richard responded blankly, as a young woman entered the room from the other side. "Dave's got one of them in the interview room," she hollered across the room. "He's ready when you are."

"Is it Chalmers, or McQueen?" Kevin inquired in a loud voice.

"McQueen, I think," she answered.

"Well, let's get this show on the road," Kevin instructed as he motioned for the men to follow him.

"It'll probably work better if Richard talks to him alone," Clark clarified. "Since my family was targeted, I'm not neutral." Kevin nodded his understanding as he led Richard down the hall and into the holding room, while Clark remained in the lobby of the station.

As Clark looked around the lobby, Karen Travis ended her conversation on the phone and motioned for Clark to come over. "Hello, Mrs. Travis," Clark greeted shyly. The woman had been his high school English teacher before she retired, and Clark was feeling very much like he was still one of her students.

"It's wonderful to see you again, Clark," she told him as she treated him to a wide smile. "Did you bring that adorable little boy with you?"

"He's back in Metropolis with his mother," Clark told her regretfully. "We'll make another trip out here soon, though, and I can try to bring him by."

"I look forward to that, Clark," she told him sincerely as her smile diminished slightly. "So... when are you going to get around to marrying that girl?" Clark eyes grew large and he started fidgeting as he suddenly felt that he was back in high school, trying to explain to his teacher why his term paper was late.

Chapter 34 - Conscript

Day 69, Sunday, 8:15PM (Mountain Time), Denver, Colorado

Ricky Hernandez walked into the guest room at the Central Denver Days Inn, dropped his luggage in the closet and plopped himself down on one of the guest beds in exhaustion from the two day drive from New York. He briefly reflected on the circumstances that had brought him there before dragging himself back up, pulling out his cell phone, and calling Rosa.

"Ricky?" she answered tiredly.

Her voice brought a smile to Ricky's face. "I didn't wake you, did I?" he asked anxiously.

"Don't worry about it," she told him kindly. "It doesn't take much for me to nod off these days."

"How are you feeling?" Ricky asked her patiently. "Is everything alright with the baby?"

"Everything is about the same," she told him as she yawned. "The baby likes playing soccer inside my belly and tiring me out."

"Well, I'm safely in Denver now," he told her. "Hopefully, it will just be a few days, and then I'll be back home with you."

"What does that lunatic have you out there for, anyway?" she questioned bitterly.

"I wish I knew," Ricky told her meekly. He then assured her, "This nightmare won't go on forever. When it's over, it'll be something that we can be proud to tell our kid about someday."

"Proud?" Rosa inquired incredulously. She added in a loud whisper, "You're obediently following the orders of a madman!"

"Not completely, and I have little choice in the matter," Ricky tried to explain. "We're already doing what we can to bring this nightmare to an end. We just have to be patient a while longer."

Rosa sighed loudly, before tearfully asking him, "Why did he have to pick you? Things were going so well for us..."

"I don't know," Ricky admitted timidly. "I'm so sorry about this, Rosa. Someday, I'll find a way to make it up to you."

"I'm... I can't talk right now," Rosa choked out. "Be careful."

"I will be," Ricky promised her. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she sobbed as she hung up the phone.

Ricky walked over to the window and looked out into the night sky over Barnum Park as he considered the turmoil that Lex Luthor had brought to his relationship. Rosa hadn't known that he had served time in prison until Lex had burst into their Bronx apartment. Afterwards, she had immediately left and moved back in with her mother and wanted nothing to do with him. It had taken considerable effort to convince her that his unlawful past was long behind him, in spite of Luthor conscripting him into service. She still insisted on remaining with her mother until the ordeal with Luthor was over, which Ricky couldn't argue with. He was confident that he'd be able to salvage the relationship that Lex had nearly sabotaged.

His primary motivation where Lex was concerned was the welfare of Rosa and their baby. He hoped to survive as well, but he knew that the odds were against that. He had learned a lot about his new boss, both from his personal dealings with the man and from the extensive research that he'd done after his conscription. One conclusion quickly became obvious: Luthor's associates never benefited from the association, if they survived at all. While there was no proof that Lex was responsible for their unfortunate ends, it was the most plausible explanation. It seemed to Ricky that Lex was one of those people who perpetually failed to accept responsibility for their actions, and thus he'd made his people convenient scapegoats. Most were likely victims of his sadistic temper when he blamed them for his failures. The lucky ones, like Kitty Kowalski, were merely abandoned.

Ricky reflected on what he knew of his boss. He's definitely feeling the pressure, Ricky thought, as he recalled Lex's rants on the neighbor's loud music, his frozen assets, and having to actually do his own grocery shopping. That was a sharp contrast to the man he'd met in prison where his wealth had greased enough palms for special treatment, even from the warden and the guards. That man had at least been able to present the fa�ade of the lord of the manor who was above petty human weaknesses. He had even acted jovial when the occasion called for it. That fa�ade was no longer anywhere to be seen.

Lex placed the blame for his misfortunes squarely at the feet of Superman and Lois Lane, though the incompetence of his minions was often mentioned. It was in the course of one of those diatribes that Lex had inadvertently revealed that Superman was the father of Lois Lane's son. He warned Ricky against revealing that to anyone else, more concerned that someone would usurp his right of revenge that any harm that might come to the boy because of it. Ricky assured him that he had no interest in the child, though the thought of one of Superman's enemies hurting the youngster was more than enough to keep him from sharing that with anyone except Rosa.

Ricky had been skeptical of Lex's promised rewards from the moment the man had burst into the apartment that he shared with Rosa nearly six weeks ago. For the first few days, Lex had kept either him or Rosa hostage while the other ran errands for him, and tied them both up in the evening while he slept. After those first few days, Lex found another place to live and most of his contact since then had been by phone. However, Lex still had Ricky running his errands while he remained in hiding, including rebuilding his Opera collection and purchasing new computer equipment. He's afraid to show his face in public, Ricky concluded. The reward is too high, and too many people have seen the mug shots. Even with Ricky, Lex carefully chose rendezvous locations that gave him very little time to get there and very little opportunity for betrayal.

In spite of Lex's intimidation, Ricky had still taken actions that his boss would consider disloyal. Before turning over the new laptops and PDAs that Lex demanded, he installed a customized Trojan horse in the operating system and repackaged the equipment. He found the source code for the virus on a hacker web site, and specifically stripped out the more malicious and detectable features. The rewritten spyware would no longer attempt to replicate itself and spread, instead merely forwarding emails, Internet history and recorded keystrokes from the affected equipment. Only Lex's PDA phone remained uninfected, but fortunately, it appeared that Lex preferred his new laptop.

Ricky worried that the recruit he was meeting in the morning was meant to replace him. From what Lex had told him, Ricky knew that Lou Mueller was a middle-aged man who had skirted around the edges of the law for most of his adult life. He served time for petty larceny once, and got hauled in by the police on a regular basis, but they never nailed him for anything more serious than that. Lex knew of him from others that he had worked for, and had chosen him for the next phase of his plan. If only I knew what that plan was, Ricky pondered. His spyware had not yet revealed Lex's plans to him.

Ricky booted up his laptop and after entering a command to disable his spyware, he checking the anonymous email account for any new information surreptitiously forwarded from Lex's laptop. Unfortunately, nothing there would explain his boss' intentions for Mueller. Ricky purged the history from his laptop and shut it down. What are you up to? Ricky asked the blank screen. Ricky reasoned that if Lex had suspected him of anything, he would have already killed him. No, there's another reason for sending me out here. Ricky continuing trying to come up with the answer as he climbed into bed and sleep finally overtook him.

* * *

Day 70, Monday, 11:00AM (Mountain Time), Denver Colorado.

Ricky Hernandez sat numbly at the kitchen table in Lou Mueller's 14th Street apartment as the two men spoke with Lex Luthor via the PDA speakerphone. "I need some resourceful men to help bring my plans to fruition," Lex explained. "The men we've recruited so far have been... disappointing."

"Is it so bad that you need someone from the other side of the country, who really doesn't know Metropolis like the men you can find locally?" Lou asked skeptically. Ricky remained mute as he listened to the other two men.

"Some of the work is out there," Lex told him enigmatically. "It will finish here, though."

"What do you need from me?" Lou asked cautiously. "If you're going toe to toe with Superman again, then you're on your own."

"We don't need to worry about that busybody," Lex assured him. "I have resources that should keep him at bay."

"Kryptonite?" Lou questioned. He then asked curiously, "What's the job?"

"I have certain... adversaries... who've become a problem," Lex explained. "They need to be punished and we'll do that by taking their son away from them. I've recently learned that they've hidden the boy in Littleton. That's where you come in." Ricky froze at the realization that Lex must have discovered Superman's son there. He felt physically ill, and could feel his face warming. It took everything he had to keep his expression neutral.

"You want us to grab him from the house in the middle of the night?" Lou asked in surprise.

"Well, we don't know that he actually stays there overnight," Lex admitted. "His old man is... resourceful. We'll have to get him from his school bus."

"It'd be risky grabbing him as he gets off the bus," Lou observed uneasily. "Police response times are pretty good in Littleton, and they go nuts anytime something involves a child, Amber Alert and all that."

"Which is why we're grabbing him earlier," Lex revealed casually. "You'll hide on the bus as the children load up after school. Then, you'll divert it to a secure location, take the kid off, and you're on your way. You'll also be switching vehicles immediately after dumping the bus to keep the cops off of you."

"I haven't agreed to this yet," Lou pointed out shortly.

"It wasn't a request," Lex told him firmly. "You'll grab the boy. If you need more people to pull it off, then get more people, but you're going to do it."

Lou's jaw clenched and he trust his middle finger in the air at the phone, but remained mute for a moment. "It sounds like a good way to get an extended visit as a guest of the state," Lou complained.

"If you stick to my plan, you won't need to worry about that," Lex told him condescendingly. "It's when people panic and deviate from my instructions that bad things happen."

"I'll need more information," Lou insisted.

"I'm emailing it to you now," Lex assured him. "Ricky, give him the phone and the envelope."

Ricky handed Lou a PDA phone and a FedEx overnight envelope. Lou ripped open the envelope, and dumped its contents out. A palm-sized flat green rock fell to the table. "What the hell is this?" Lou muttered as he picked up the rock.

"If you're referring to the contents of the envelope, that is insurance to keep a certain busybody out of your hair," Lex told him confidently. "Make sure that you keep it with you when you grab the boy."

"Kryptonite," Lou muttered. He then nervously asked, "Are you expecting him to show up?"

"Probably not, but he is close to the family," Lex informed him simply. "Better safe than sorry... Ricky will explain our communication protocols, and make payment arrangements for you. Let me know as soon as you're ready." After Lex hung up, Lou looked at Ricky expectantly.

"Oh, right," Ricky acknowledged as he began explaining the features of the PDA phone to Lou, along with Lex's communication rules. Once satisfied that Lou understood what he needed to, Ricky made a hasty retreat.

How did I get into this mess? Ricky contemplated as he drove back to his hotel. If someone was gunning for my kid like that... Ricky's thoughts returned to Rosa and the child that she'd deliver a few months later. He suddenly felt a kinship with Superman, as one father to another. He felt as helpless to prevent the coming tragedy as if it was his own child. I'm sorry, but I can't help you, he silently apologized to Superman. If I tipped you off, it would be too much of a coincidence for me to get away with it. Ricky silently prayed that Superman would somehow manage to thwart the kidnapping attempt. Maybe there's still time to figure something out.

Chapter 35 - Warpath

Day 70, Monday, 1:30PM, Metropolis, Daily Planet Newsroom

The pleasant fall day was lost on Lois Lane as she stormed into the Daily Planet bullpen. The newspaper's veterans recognized the scowl on their star reporter's face, and scurried out of her way as she marched to her desk. The majority of her day had been spent in customer service lines at banks, and utility and telephone companies securing her violated online accounts. Richard had gone through a similar ordeal, but Clark got off easy. He had opted out of online access when he opened his accounts, preferring to do everything the old fashioned way. As she threw her purse down into the bottom drawer of her desk, she risked a glance over at him. Clark offered her a sympathetic smile as he walked over to her.

"I think that our next story is going to be on social engineering," Lois complained bitterly. "I can't believe how easy it was for Luthor to steal our records, and how much trouble it is to get it straightened out!"

"Is everything straightened out now?" Clark asked kindly.

"I think so," Lois muttered irritably. "All of my passwords are updated, and I've got fraud alerts flagged on the accounts, which means I'd have to show up in person and present ID to get the password changed again. I really don't want to have to deal with those people again."

"Well, it's all behind us now," Clark reassured her. Dropping his voice to a whisper, he added, "Wayne Financial has put fraud alerts on our credit reports, too. We'll get notified immediately on any inquiries from any of the reporting bureaus."

"Can't we just block access?" Lois asked seriously.

"Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way," Clark told her regretfully. "It's the big companies like the banks and other lenders who are their main customers, not the consumers whose information they're reporting. Their priority is to efficiently provide reports to their customers, not protecting consumers from abuse."

"Sounds like we've got a few stories we can squeeze out of this ordeal," Lois told him. "Social engineering, incompetent customer service reps and the wanton disregard of consumers by the credit bureaus. How much time do we have until deadline?"

"Not enough to make the afternoon edition," Clark told her. "Not if we want it on page one. We'll need to do a little more research."

"We can do that," Lois declared with determination. "Maybe in the glare of sunlight, some of this can be fixed." Lois was silent for a moment before looking back up at Clark. "Are you sure it's a good idea to brief Perry on the rest of the Luthor story?"

"I'm still inclined to agree with Richard on that," Clark told her. "If things get out of hand, we'll need a lot of leeway from Perry, and we can trust him not to print the risky stuff, especially with Richard on our side."

"When do we brief him?" she asked nervously.

"After deadline," Clark told her simply. "In the meantime, why don't we start with the social engineering? Maybe we can even expand it to cover identity theft..."

"Sounds like a plan," Lois agreed, as the two dug in and put together a plan for gathering the necessary information to put together what they hoped would be their next front page story.

* * *

Day 70, Monday, 2:45PM, Metropolis, Daily Planet Newsroom

The Daily Planet newsroom was a harmony of noise and motion as the bullpen staff hit their strides and jumped back into the game after a brief reprieve after deadline. Many were out of the office chasing new stories, as their editor would expect, but the hubbub never really died down. The din of the newsroom was always the first thing that Perry White noticed when he came into the office, and the first thing that he missed when he went home. It energized him and he found it oddly relaxing to lean back in his chair as the ruckus from the bullpen drifted across his ears. This afternoon, however, that clamor barely registered as he grasped the disturbing information that his guests had just revealed to him. Finally, he quietly asked, "Are you sure that he's going after Jason?"

"It's the only explanation," Richard told him grimly. "The authorities have painstakingly gone over a list of Luthor's known associates and his associate's associates. Many of those individuals have been arrested while staking out the homes of our family and friends: Lois' sister in Long Island, her parents' place in Alexandria, my brother's place in Chicago, your house... And now, some of those flunkies have admitted that their instructions were to photograph any children at those locations."

"But why Jason?" Perry asked uneasily.

"To get back at us for digging into his finances and drying up his funds," Lois told him frankly. "Remember from his physiological profile that he likes his enemies to suffer emotionally as well as physically. His means of emotional torture is to harm our loved ones, if he gets the chance."

"The sheriff in Smallville picked up some of Luthor's goons looking for my mother's place, too," Clark added sadly. "They didn't make it very far, though. That's one advantage to everyone knowing everyone else in a small town: strangers stick out like a sore thumb."

"Where's Jason now?" Perry asked apprehensively.

"He's with a trusted friend," Lois told him. "He should be safe."

"What do you want me to do?" Perry asked numbly. "Out of town assignments?"

"I don't think it's come to that point yet," Lois answered. "But you do need to be included in our contingency plans. Most of what we've dug up on Luthor over the past few weeks would have been irresponsible to print, so we haven't mentioned it. However, it's revealed that things are starting to move faster now, and we may soon reach the point where we have to do something drastic."

"What exactly have you dug up, and why didn't you feel that you could trust me with it?" Perry asked calmly.

"It-It wasn't about trust," Clark assured him nervously. "It's just that you were rather adamant that you wanted us off the Luthor story."

"Well?" Perry pressed.

"Well, the big thing is the kryptonite," Clark admitted. "Luthor got his hands on some more of it. But to print where he got it from, or that it really was kryptonite, would advertise where kryptonite could be found to the rest of Superman's enemies. We can't do that."

"Our sources have also been adamant that nothing they provide us find its way into print," Lois added quickly. "It's strictly background information to help us find Luthor. They've leaked details about some of their surveillance and wiretaps and the tips that been called in. Those efforts have not only interfered with Luthor's stakeouts, its helped map out his activities somewhat. Unfortunately, it hasn't revealed his location yet."

"Our security sources are unanimous in the opinion that Luthor is hiding somewhere in Metropolis," Clark added. "Prior to a few weeks ago, most of the activity seems to have been aimed at setting up shop after being forced to abandon the Vanderworth estate. Now, it looks like preparation for carrying out his plans, whatever they are. Given his micromanagement style and his pathological need to gloat, that means he's close. If Metropolis gets too hot, he may pull back to New York City, Philadelphia or Atlantic City, but no farther than that."

"This isn't just a story anymore," Richard explained. "It's also not just that it's gotten personal. It's literally become a shooting war and Luthor won't quit until we're dead or he is. To ignore that just gives him an advantage. We need to keep the pressure on him, which means keeping Lois and Clark on the story, even if there's not much there to print at the moment."

Perry nodded before dropping his head in his hands. After a moment, he muttered into his hands, "This isn't the way things are supposed to be." Lifting his head, he continued, "The middle east is supposed to be the war zone, not here. Journalists shouldn't have to worry about their family's safety just for doing their jobs." As he considered the situation, Perry looked compassionately between Lois and Clark in the guest chairs. "I take you two are determined to take Luthor down?"

"There really not much choice in the matter," Lois told him candidly. "We get him, or he gets us. A truce isn't an option."

"Then take him down," Perry told them directly. "If you can still squeeze some good articles in when things slow down in the Luthor hunt, it will be greatly appreciated, but Luthor is your priority."

"We'll do what we can," Clark promised.

Perry responded gruffly, "You'd better, now get back to work! Get me what you can on Luthor, and I'll find somewhere to print it." Clark and Lois both offered small sympathetic smiles at Perry's weak effort to restore his public image as the gruff editor in chief. They knew the man had been greatly shaken by what they had just told him. They nodded their assent as Lois returned to her desk, and Clark headed out to resume his search for Luthor.

"I'd got work to do, too," Richard added as he also withdrew from Perry's office. "We'll let you know if anything new comes up."

As the severity of their situation sank in, Perry's tuned out the bullpen, perhaps for the first time since his career began. The din of the newsroom continued, oblivious to the mental paralysis that now affected Perry as he contemplated the danger facing his Daily Planet family. He sat leaning slightly forward in his chair, hands over the arm rests as he stared blankly at the top of his desk. He feared greatly for their safety and felt helpless to do anything to improve the situation. Even Superman had failed to bring Luthor in, and the Man of Steel had shown significantly more persistence in the current hunt for his nemesis than Perry had ever seen from him before.

From her vantage point outside his office, Maggie Gonzales was about to forward a call to him before she noticed his demeanor. "He's busy at the moment," she told her caller. "I'll let him know to call back as soon as he's free." Entering his office, Maggie cautiously inquired, "Perry? Is everything alright?" After getting no response, she walked up to him, and gently set her hand on his forearm, "Perry?" she inquired again.

Perry's head snapped back in surprise at her touch as she continued, "Is everything alright? You looked like you went away for a little bit."

Perry tried to shake it off, "Just being a foolish old man, I guess, worrying about the kids," he told her with embarrassment as he motioned with his head to the bullpen. "It's a more dangerous world than when I was out there."

"Are you sure that you're alright?" she persisted.

"Don't you worry about me," Perry admonished her quietly. "There are others who are in much more need of that."

"Are you worried about Richard?" Maggie asked. "He seems like he's doing much better since... Well, he's doing much better. He's doing okay, isn't he?"

"Fine, I think," Perry answered weakly. "He's doing a great job."

"That's not what I meant," Maggie clarified. "I mean, I can see that he's kind of buried himself in his work. Is he okay, though? He still needs to get out and unwind at some point."

"Still trying to fix up your sister, I see," Perry observed with a weak smile.

Maggie raised her palms in a surrender gesture. "I wasn't going to say anything...yet," she assured him. "It's still way too soon for him."

"That's an understatement," Perry muttered unconsciously. "It isn't just because Lois left him for Jason's biological father. A lunatic's tried to kill him, and now that same madman seems to be hunting for Jason. Richard will always consider Jason his son, no matter what the DNA says... It's all kind of overwhelming... It's been stressful for Lois and Kent, too... There were even a couple crooks in Smallville going after Kent's mother... It would be insane for any of them to consider a new relationship right now."

Jason's biological father? Maggie thought. I thought that Richard was Jason's biological father. Pushing that information aside, she asked as calmly as she could, "Um, they went after Clark's mom?"

"They never found the place," Perry clarified. "Police nabbed them in time." Turning to her, he added, "Luthor isn't just a story anymore. It's a war, until Luthor is caught or until he..." Perry faltered, unable to finish the sentence, and then swallowed with some difficulty. He sighed deeply before continuing, "Things have gotten a bit scary, and I'm worried about them. I'm worried about Richard, about Jason, and of course I'm worried about Lois and Kent. I wish there was some way that I could protect them."

"I'll keep them in my prayers," Maggie promised him. After a moment, she added compassionately, "If you need some time alone, I can ask Sam Foswell to call back Pete from layout for you."

"No, the last thing I need right now is to be alone with my thoughts," Perry told her. "I'll call him back... Thanks, Maggie."

"No problem," she assured him as she retreated from his office. As she settled back in at her desk, her gaze fell to Lois, pouring over something on her computer screen. So who's the mystery man? Maggie briefly wondered, before her ringing phone forced her to return her attention to other matters.

Chapter 36 - Countdown

Day 72, Wednesday, 6:30PM, Metropolis, 1938 Sullivan Lane

Lois leaned back into Clark's chest as she snuggled in closer to him on the living room couch. Their son busied himself with a crayon drawing from his position on the floor, apparently obvious to the television, currently tuned to The Disney Channel. As Lois enjoyed Clark's embrace, she was amazed at how complete this simple setting made her feel. Confident in their home's security, Lois was able to forget the threats facing the family and relax in sleepy happiness. Clark feelings mirrored his partner's as he lounged back with his family, temporarily oblivious to the problems of the world. Clark tightened his grip around Lois as she snuggled into him, placing a brief kiss on the top of her head.

"I think your aim is a little off," Lois teased, as she lifted her head up to him and offered him a mischievous smile.

Clark returned the smile, and planted a chaste kiss on her lips. Before she had a chance to complain about its brevity, he glanced quickly over to Jason and back, as he whispered the reminder, "We need to keep this rated G for now."

Lois giggled lightly as whispered back, "Neither of us would let it go farther than that, but you can still do more than that under a 'G'." She pulled his head down to her as she demonstrated with a tame though affectionate kiss. "We need more nights like this."

"And we'll have them," Clark assured her, leaving the known challenges unspoken. As the two silently enjoyed their embrace, Jason jumped up and excitedly showed them his latest drawing, this one of his Grandma Martha and Ben Hubbard at the Kent Farm. The picture had clearly been inspired by his parents' revelation earlier in the evening that they would be going to Smallville that weekend. Though the crayon drawing was still awkward, the image was clearly recognizable as the elderly couple.

"See what I made?" the tyke asked excitedly. "I'm going to give it to Grandma and Poppa Ben when we see them!"

"This is amazing," Lois told their son enthusiastically. "They're going to love it! How'd you get to be such a good artist?"

Jason beamed back at her, as he shyly mumbled, "I dunno." Her son's shy grin was a facsimile of the familiar expression that she'd seen on Clark's face countless times. Lois wondered how anyone could have missed the striking resemblance to the mild-mannered man. "I'm going to make one for Grandma and Grandpa Lane, too," he promised, as he ran back over to his crayons.

As Jason sprawled back out on the floor, he looked back at his mother with a confused look on his face. "Mommy, how come Grandma and Grandpa don't come to see us anymore?"

"Oh, don't worry about that, sweetheart, it's just that everyone's been so busy lately," Lois explained guiltily. "We'll see them soon. I promise."

"How long it's been since they've seen him?" Clark inquired curiously.

"Not since before I left Richard," she admitted in a nearly inaudible whisper. "Things are bit rocky between me and my parents right now. My mom thinks I'm not thinking things through, and dad's convinced that I'm ruining my life."

"So they haven't seen their grandson," Clark confirmed sadly. "We'll need to fix that."

"Then get ready to get raked over the coals," Lois warned him. "My parents aren't understanding like your mom is."

"You should have been there when she chewed me out after I first told her about Jason," Clark told her with a smirk. "I got quite the lecture." At Lois surprised expression, he added seriously, "She was worried that I wasn't seeing things straight. Once she was convinced that I was going to do the right thing, she relaxed and has been fully supportive ever since... It's probably similar with your folks: They're worried about you because they love you."

"I think my dad loves yelling," Lois muttered. "No wonder he joined the army."

"We'll have to face the music sooner or later," Clark pointed out. "Why not get it over with? Once they're satisfied with our explanations, they'll relax and we can put it behind us."

"If you'd met my dad, you wouldn't be so quick to say that," Lois told him anxiously. "He's hated all our beaus, at least while we were dating them. His first kind words about Richard didn't come until after I left him. You won't fare any better, even if he knew your secret... which we will never tell him."

Their discussion on in-laws was disrupted by Jason, as he innocently asked, "Mommy, how many stars are on Grandpa's uniform?"

"Three," Lois answered proudly, as Clark suddenly became nervous at the prospect of meeting his de-facto father-in-law. "Yeah, you'd better be nervous," Lois teased with a soft giggle, as she noticed him tense up.

* * *

Day 73, Thursday, 6:55AM (Mountain Time), Littleton, Colorado

The briefest blur of red and blue was all there was to suggest anything out of the ordinary over Ridgeview Park on this brisk fall morning. Even if someone had noticed the blur between heartbeats, it passed at too great a speed for anyone to determine its source or destination. A moment later, two figures emerged from behind the trees, their footsteps producing a small spattering of water from the grass, still wet from the overnight rain. Clark was wearing khakis, a blue polo shirt and a light green windbreaker as he led his son across the park, and down the road to the Fergusons' house.

The explanation given to the Tom and Lily Ferguson was that Superman blamed himself for Luthor's release from prison, and was thus providing Jason's transportation as a small penance for that failure. Despite that revelation, Clark didn't want to alert the children to the Man of Steel's presence, or reveal his dual identity to the parents. Thus, he chose to disguise himself on these encounters with business casual dress and a Metropolis Meteors baseball cap in place of his ill-fitting suit and glasses. The precaution was almost superfluous, since he had always managed to drop off Jason without being seen by the Fergusons' children.

Jason was skipping along besides his father, telling him everything that he wanted to do in Smallville that weekend with Grandma and Ben, as Clark guided him across the street. The tyke momentarily ceased his chatter, before inquisitively asking his father, "Are we going to go back to the quarry this weekend?"

"I think you're getting too strong and throwing too far for that," Clark told him reluctantly. "We can take a picnic there if you want, but we'll have to find somewhere else to play catch if that's what you want to do."

"'Kay," Jason answered, satisfied. "Are there going to be any other kids there?"

"Of course, and I'm sure lots of them are dying to meet you," Clark assured him. "In fact, when Richard and I were there Sunday, we told a couple kids your age all about you." After a rare moment of silence with his son, Clark asked him, "You have a lot of fun here with Stevie, don't you?"

"Uh-huh," Jason replied automatically. "Tina can be mean sometimes though." Looking up at his father, Jason asked him curiously, "Why is Tina always mean to Stevie?"

Clark frowned for a moment, as they reached the front door of the Ferguson's house. "It's like that a lot with brothers and sisters," he explained. "They love each other, but sometimes one of them is jealous of the attention that the other one gets, and acts up. It happens a lot."

"But, I would never do that," Jason assured him.

"I know that, son," Clark agreed as he broke into a wide smile. He squatted down in front of his son and pulled him into a hug. "Now, be a good boy at school today, and I'll see you this afternoon." Before Clark could release Jason from his grip, the front door opened suddenly, and both of them turned in surprise to see Tina grinning down at them.

"Told you he was here!" she hollered over her shoulder, as Stevie came running up behind her, still in his pajamas. Both Stevie and Jason smiled widely as they saw each other.

"Is that any way to answer the door?" Lily hollered from the other room. "Let him in and, Stevie, get upstairs and get dressed right now!"

Clark released Jason from his hug and stood, telling the children, "Well, I'd better get going now. Bye, kids."

As Clark turned to leave, he heard Tina's voice behind him, "Goodbye, Mr. Kent."

Clark looked back in surprise as Tina closed the door behind him, his eyes wide. Why is it that kids are never fooled by the disguise? he wondered anxiously. He shook his head in disbelief and focused his senses inside the house. Lily knew it was really Superman dropping Jason off, but she apparently hadn't heard Tina's goodbye. The kids' nonchalant demeanor could only mean that they recognized him as Jason's daddy, Clark Kent, not as Superman.

Inside, Jason was asking innocently, "How'd you know who he was?"

"Duh, he was just here last Sunday," Tina answered sarcastically. "Like we're not going to recognize him with contact lenses... Our dad wears contacts, too." Thankfully, Jason didn't correct her.

Clark kept his hearing sharply focused on the kids in the house as he slowly walked down Highland Drive back to the park. Of course she recognized me as Jason's daddy, Clark realized as his anxiety finally receded. Who else would be dropping Jason off in the morning and giving him a hug good-bye? He continued to listen in on the childrens' chatter as he walked back to Ridgeview Park, and disappeared behind the trees before returning to Metropolis.

* * *

Day 73, Thursday, 2:10PM, Metropolis, Daily Planet Newsroom

Despite their prior warning to Perry about their potentially declining output due to the Luthor situation, Lois and Clark's had been prolific over the past few days. The first front-page story had detailed Luthor's invasion into their personal accounts, followed up by a series on identity theft, and an expos� on the inequities of credit reporting bureaus that left consumers at a disadvantage. Perry had been pleased, and the two journalists were guilt-free as they relaxed in the post-deadline decline in newsroom stress.

"Are you sure you really want to do this?" Lois asked in a barely audible whisper, eyes wide and a bit nervous.

"No point in delaying it," Clark whispered back. "Besides, your folks are overdue for some time with their grandson. My friend Pete's offered to mediate, if we need it."

"What do you mean, 'mediate'?" Lois asked inquisitively.

"Pete's on the armed services committee and has worked quite a bit with your dad on one thing or another," Clark explained in a low whisper. "He'll invite your folks over, we'll be there, and everyone can talk peacefully, trusting that your dad won't go ballistic as a guest of the good Senator and possibly his future Commander in Chief."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that, and I'm not sure that it's a good idea for him to meet you while we're trying to keep our relationship hidden from everyone else," Lois countered in her barely audible whisper. "Knowing my dad, he'd find some way of outing us at the worst possible time."

"It's your call," Clark conceded. "I just wouldn't want you to have to face the music alone, or to keep your parents from their grandson."

Lois grimaced at that, shaking her head as she told him, "I never figured you for one to lay a guilt trip on someone, Clark."

"Sorry," Clark apologized. "I guess that there are extenuating circumstances here. Maybe they'll understand if you tell them that it's too dangerous for anyone to be around us right now."

Lois and Clark were not the only ones enjoying casual conversation in the post-deadline calm. As had always been the case, the idle staffers engaged in mild gossip during these quiet periods, and the nature of that gossip had transformed since Luthor's retaliation on the financial stories became known. Maggie had fueled some of that fire when she revealed that Luthor's flunkies had gone after Clark's mom, misquoting Perry and embellishing the story somewhat for effect. That resulted in comments that were much more charitable towards Lois than they'd been several weeks earlier. The subject matter still made it difficult for Clark to maintain the cheerful fa�ade as he listened in, however:

"That's got to horrible to have a madman go after your family like that."

"Looks like Kent finally grew a pair, going after Luthor like that. I guess Lois is a good influence on him."

"That poor little boy. I hear that Luthor is gunning for him, too."

"Clark and Lois are so brave to keep sticking it to Luthor after he tried to kill him and Richard."

"I heard that Luthor tried to kill Kent's mother over that story. I'm glad I'm not in their shoes."

"Looks like Richard got out of there just in time." "Not really. Luthor still tried to kill him."

"I can't imagine the stress they're under, with that lunatic coming after them. That son of a bitch even put Superman in the hospital."

"Can you image the invasion of privacy, to have that madman access all of your accounts?"

Lois noticed the faraway look in Clark's eyes and the neutral expression and asked him in a low voice, "So what are they talking about today, or do I want to know?"

"It's sympathetic, mostly... about Luthor and the stress we're under because of him," Clark told her. "I'm not sure if that's an improvement or not, though."

"Any day that they're not gossiping about my love life is a good day," Lois responded simply as she stifled a yawn.

Maggie Gonzales furrowed her brow pensively at her desk as she surreptitiously glanced through the glass walls of Perry's office at the editor and his nephew. Confident that they would be there for a little while, she cautiously asked Jimmy Olsen and Susan Walters, "So who do you think the man in Lois' life is now?" At the shocked expression on Jimmy and Susan's faces, she defensively added, "What?"

"A person would have to be nuts to even consider getting involved with her right now," Susan told her seriously. "It'd be a quick way for someone to get their name on Luthor's hit list."

"What if they're not afraid of him or already on his list?" Maggie inquired seriously, as she shifted her gaze over at Lois chatting with Clark.

As Susan followed her gaze, she commented mockingly, "In his dreams! The farm-boy wouldn't last a week with her. Beside, you'd think she'd have learned her lesson about office romances."

"It was uncomfortable with her and Richard for a little bit, but it looks like they're past that now," Maggie countered as she looked back at Susan.

Susan nodded her head in agreement, telling her authoritatively, "Pure luck. I still can't believe how quickly that turned from uncomfortably cuddly to chillingly cold."

"Not that cold, Ms. Walters," Jimmy pointed out. "It looks like they've managed to kind of stay friends after it all. I don't think that I could do as well under those circumstances."

"That doesn't answer the question," Maggie persisted. "Yeah, she's obviously stressed, but every once in a while, you'll catch her trying to hide an oddly contented smile. She's being discreet, but I'm sure that there's a man in her life."

Susan looked over as Lois was smiling weakly up at something Clark was saying to her. "She could be smiling over something her kid did, too," she countered skeptically. "Besides, when would she have time, with her and Kent putting in so much time on their page ones lately?"

"Maybe they make the time," Maggie suggested as she watched Clark smile widely at something Lois had just said to him. After a moment of silence, Maggie commented quietly, "You know, those two are definitely good together professionally." Motioning to the pair with her head, she continued, "Perry thinks that they'll get next year's Pulitzer for the Luthor financial expos�."

"So does everybody else, Ms. Gonzales," Jimmy reminded her proudly. "And nobody ever concedes that ahead of time. It's usually, 'I can't believe they got it'. This time, it's, 'They'd better get it'. They're really remarkable together."

"So who do you think it is?" Maggie asked again.

"Maybe someone in blue tights?" Susan suggested jokingly.

"Oh, get real!" Maggie chastised her as she turned back to look up at her friend. "He hasn't been seen anywhere near her since he got out of the hospital. He's probably still pissed off over her Pulitzer Prize winning editorial. Whatever chance she might have had with him is long gone now."

"I wouldn't read anything into that, Ms. Gonzales," Jimmy insisted. "He's not the type to keep a grudge."

"Well, let's stick to mere mortals anyway," Maggie insisted, as she returned her gaze to Lois and Clark. "What is it she was looking for that she couldn't find in Richard?"

As Susan followed her gaze, she chuckled mirthlessly as she admitted, "You've got me there. I really thought she and Richard were going to work out."

"Interesting..." Maggie muttered, still watching Lois as she recalled asking her about Clark's availability for her sister, and the surprising reaction that had provoked. It couldn't be, Maggie thought to herself. Could it?

* * *

Day 73, Thursday, 2:15PM (Mountain Time), Denver Colorado

"Okay, let's go over this one more time," Lou Mueller impatiently told the men gathered in his apartment. "We don't want any screw-ups." As he glared at each man in the eye and the room fell quiet he continued. "You all need to know the plan like the back of your hand, and no improvisation. Everyone sticks to the plan!"

Turning to a blonde man in his early twenties, Lou continued, "Danny, you, Sean, Tony and I will be parked in front of the school on Windermere, at the south end where the bus is. As soon as the driver climbs on the bus, you jump in behind her. Let her know you have the gun, but don't let the kids see it until the door is closed and you're on your way. If any of the kids ask, just tell them she's teaching you the route so that you can sub for her. Sean and Tony will join you on the bus as you pull out. Force her right on Calay and across Broadway to the Bethany Church parking lot. You keep the gun on the driver, and Sean and Tony tie up the kids. We want everyone tied up by the time you get to the church. We can't afford to waste time doing it there."

"What about the kryptonite?" Danny asked curiously.

"I'll give it to you when it's time," Lou answered irritably. "Now, as I was saying, I'll meet you at the church and we'll take the kid in another car. Does anybody here not have the picture of him?"

Lou looked around and seeing that everyone had the required picture, he continued, "Ian and Ricky, you'll wait for us at the bowling alley. We'll switch to your car, and hightail it out of there. Any questions?"

"Why do we need kryptonite?" Danny asked. "I don't think that Superman's ever been to Denver before. Why now?"

"Our client tells us that the Man of Steel is friendly to the family," Lou explained for the second time that afternoon. "It's just an insurance policy. In the unlikely event that he does show up, the kryptonite will drop him, and we'll bag him, too."

Lou looked at his watch before he commanded, "Okay, then, let's get moving. I want everyone in position in a half hour."

The color drained from Ricky's face as the realization struck. "You're grabbing him today?" he asked in shock. "I thought we were going to stake it out for a few more days."

"Waste of time, we already have what we need," Lou declared. "Besides, we can't run the A/C on stakeout, not if we don't want to be noticed, and we've spent enough days baking in our cars... And don't even think about trying to go over my head on this."

"The boss may have other plans to coordinate with this," Ricky pointed out as he attempted to delay the assault. "If you move too soon, he may not be pleased."

"Then you keep the kid until he's ready!" Lou told him curtly. As he guided the men out of apartment, he authoritatively instructed them, "Alright, let's move it!"

Ricky shook his head as he reluctantly headed to his car as he pondered, How do I prevent this fiasco?

Chapter 37 - Hijack

Day 73, Thursday, 2:35PM (Mountain Time), Denver, Colorado

The sweat pouring off of Ricky Hernandez as he sat with Ian Gregory at the bar inside the AMF Broadway Lanes bowling alley had nothing to do with the warm day outside, and everything to do with the frightening situation that Superman's family would soon face. He continued to empathize with the Man of Steel as one father to another, and did not want Luthor to succeed in nabbing the boy. He hoped he'd come up with a solution over the weekend that could be explained to Lex without him becoming another one of the madman's late former associates. Unfortunately, he had run out of time before coming up with a solution.

In stark contrast to Ricky, Ian was practically giddy with the prospect of the easy money. All of the risk was with the first team. If they made it to the bowling alley, they were home free. Ian described a dozen ways in which the earnings could be squandered on various pleasures. He only quieted slightly when the two entered the lounge a moment earlier, wisely avoiding discussion of how he came into his windfall, but still describing all the pleasures that the money could buy. After ordering two beers, Ian looked over to him noticed the layer of sweat, and commented mockingly, "You'd think a Mexican could handle the heat better than you do!"

"I'm Puerto Rican, not Mexican," Ricky informed him irritably. "And you might want to try avoiding stereotypes next time."

Ian held up his hands in mock surrender, as he replied, "Take it easy, I'm just making conversation, you know. What's got your panties tied into a knot?"

"Lou's being too impatient," Ricky answered curtly, sticking to his complaint from Lou's apartment. Lowering his voice, he whispered, "If he screws this up, the boss will take it out of our hides in blood. People who disappoint him tend to have a short life expectancy."

"Are you always this paranoid?" Ian asked derisively. "Stop worrying! Think of all the women you can get with the money."

"I'll stick with the one I've got, thank you," Ricky replied firmly.

"Just one?" Ian inquired mirthfully. "Doesn't that get boring after a while?"

Ricky glared at him as he answered, "You obviously wouldn't understand. Rosa and I are very happy together." Or we would be if we could get Luthor out of our lives, he thought.

"Man, she's got you wrapped around her little finger, even programmed you what to say!" Ian chided him. The man then launched into a dissertation on the benefits of polygamous short term relationships. Ricky clenched his jaw but held his tongue as the revulsion at his associate grew. "And never, never let them know where you really live... unless you want to get hit up for child support or something like that," Ian continued, while Ricky silently lamented his involvement and prayed for a solution that would spare the boy without him or Rosa facing Lex's wrath.

* * *

Lou Mueller swore silently to himself as he observed the solid row of cars parked in front of Moody Elementary school. He stopped his Ford Focus near the south end of the school and looked over his shoulder as he spoke to Danny. "Change of plans: Danny, you'll get on the bus now... we know from surveillance that it's not locked. Hide where the driver won't see you. I'll be parked at the church around the corner. Have her pick up Sean and Tony there."

Danny protested, "I thought I was supposed to jump on the bus after her, and that we weren't supposed to improvise." Danny had changed into a bus driver's uniform on the way, and was still tucking in his shirt.

"Too conspicuous, and there's nowhere to park here, now go!" Lou hollered. Lou pulled away as soon as Danny got out, in search of his elusive parking spot, while the other man meandered slowly toward the bus before darting around and sneaking in the open front door. He crouched down in the row behind the bus' stairwell, and readied his gun for the unwary driver.

* * *

Ian's lecture was finally interrupted by a beep from Ricky's PDA phone, the tone indicating an incoming Instant Message. Ricky's scowl turned into a small smile as he saw it was from Rosa. "What's that?" Ian questioned in confusion.

"A message from my fianc�e," Ricky answered shortly, as he looked at his watch and noted the time of three o'clock. "She usually sends something before she leaves work for the day." He rotated the PDA ninety degrees to the side, slid out the mini keyboard from underneath, and started typing his response as he turned to conceal the message from Ian.

"Man, she has you trained good, doesn't she," Ian taunted.

"It just takes a minute or two to keep her happy on her ride home," Ricky attempted to explain and he typed in the short message. "She likes to know that she's loved."

"Nobody ever explained it to you, did they?" Ian mocked. "You treat them like that, and they start expecting it."

Ricky shook his head as he closed the IM application, put his PDA away and stood up. Where does Luthor find these scumbags? he thought to himself. Aloud, he curtly told the other man, "It's about to start. We should head out."

"It'll take them at least another fifteen minutes to get here," Ian countered. "Do you want to wait in air-conditioned comfort with a cold beer, and bake in the heat?"

"I thought it was comfortable outside," Ricky declared.

"Suit yourself," Ian replied. "You can wait out there if you want to, I'm staying here." Ricky reluctantly sat back down on the barstool and silently prayed for Jason's safety.

* * *

The children on the bus from Moody Elementary school began their after school journey in their typical manner with meaningless chatter on their favorite subjects. Some mocked the substitute teacher they had that day, others argued over their favorite television shows, and of course, the usual debate over which superhero was cooler: Superman or Spider-Man.

From their seats near the middle of the bus, Jason and Stevie were actively arguing that Superman was better. As the school's resident expert on the Man of Steel, it was only natural for Jason to be his advocate, and Stevie idolized him as well. Billy Meijer from the second grade class argued for Spider-Man. Jason pointed out that Spider-Man couldn't fly, while Billy argued that Spider-Man didn't have to worry about kryptonite. Tina Ferguson rolled her eyes from the back seat of the bus. "Boys are so stupid," she complained to her friend Cindy. "All they talk about is Superman."

None of the children questioned the excuse that a second bus driver was 'learning the route', nor did they notice when the bus turned east on West Caley Avenue instead of west. It wasn't until they approached the Littleton Baptist Church around the corner that Jason noticed anything unusual, and then only because his watch started vibrating against his wrist.

The watch had been styled after the popular Disney children's watches and was emblazoned with the familiar Mickey Mouse icon with his spread arms indicating the time. Though its special features were hidden under normal circumstances, they were now apparent as Jason looked at the watch. Mickey's eyes glowed green, and a green arrow projected against the glass face pointed to the source of the problem, moving from one to three o'clock as the bus drove past the church. A horizontal bar was also projected against the glass, with the left quarter now shaded green to reflect the strength of the kryptonite. As Jason looked at the gage, he recalled his mother's instructions.

"If Mickey's eyes turn green, that means there's kryptonite nearby," she had told him. "If that happens, you get away from there. Try to get away without revealing your powers, but if it comes down to it, go ahead and go super. Just get away from the kryptonite."

Jason looked up from his watch as he tried to figure out where he had to go to get away from the kryptonite as the bus stopped at the church, and two more men boarded. The other children finally noticed that something was different, though nobody guessed what the new passengers had in mind. Jason also thought it unusual, but was more concerned with the kryptonite. As the green arrow shifted around to six o'clock and the green bar shrank to a tenth of the gauge, Jason relaxed, confident the nice lady driving the bus, Tanya Freedman, was taking him away from the kryptonite.

* * *

Day 73, Thursday, 5:05PM, Metropolis, Daily Planet Newsroom

Clark always suspected that Perry White was a softie behind the gruff exterior, though it had only been in the last week that his editor had willingly showed him the kind man behind that fa�ade. Richard and Lois had seen that side of him in the context of family gatherings, but even for them was it surprising to see this side of him at the office. None of them were quite sure what to make of that. "Well, I never thought I'd say this, but maybe in this case, no news is good news," Perry suggested hopefully.

"I doubt that Lex Luthor has decided to take a vacation," Lois countered grimly. "Wherever he is, he's up to no good."

Perry pinched his lips together and nodded in agreement. "I wish I could do more to help you with this situation..." he started. "It's not right."

Before Perry could continue, Maggie Gonzales knocked on the office door before opening it and peeking in. "Sorry for the interruption, but there's a woman on the phone for Lois. She says it's an emergency."

"Did you get her name?" Lois asked curiously.

"She said her name was Ixchel," Maggie answered. "I'm assuming that's an alias." Clark and Lois both looked at each other wide-eyed before turning back to Maggie.

"Does that mean something more than ancient Aztec gods?" Richard asked.

"It's the alias used by a very reliable anonymous source who's been posting tips on the hotline website that they set up on Luthor," Lois explained. "It's because of her that they've picked up about a third of the Luthor stakeout teams, but she never called the press directly before. It's always been sent to the hotline website... I'd better take this."

"Go. Do what you need to do," Perry told her, as his guests quickly exited his office.

"I'll transfer it to your desk," Maggie informed Lois cordially as she returned to her desk.

"Lois Lane, Daily Planet," Lois answered into the receiver.

"You got to get an urgent message to Superman!" the woman insisted.

Lois looked over at Clark as she replied, "Well, it's not like I have a phone number for him. He usually just shows up when you need-" Lois stopped short when she saw the sudden look of panic on Clark's face. His hearing had picked up the unique signal of his son's signal watch. He quickly made his way to the elevators, leaving Lois to wonder what emergency was calling him this time.

"Well, you better figure something out in a hurry, because Lex Luthor knows that his son is in Littleton, they're trying to grab him off his bus right now, and they have kryptonite!" the woman informed her.

The color drained from Lois face and she felt herself grow faint. She blinked back the unshed tears that suddenly formed in her eyes before she opened and closed her mouth several times as she tried to get a word out.

"Hello?" the woman inquired. "Are you still there?"

Finally breaking free of her paralysis, Lois responded weakly, "Um, yeah... Can you hold a minute?" Lois placed the woman on hold before she had a chance to respond, and pulled out her cell phone.

"What is it?" Richard asked, worried by his former lover's expression.

"Jason," Lois answered quickly as she selected the number for Kal-El. When the beep indicated that she was connected, she urgently sa

Home Is Where The Heart Is

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Home is Where the Heart Is