Title: Truth
Author: Nadia Mack
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I Own Nothing
Spoilers: Superman Returns

Chapter 1: Aftermath

The doors of the elevator slid open when she arrived on the main floor of the Daily Planet. With her third cup of coffee finished, she made a run for the brewer to make a fourth. After the night she's had, she deserved to be over caffeinated.

Eight hours ago, someone whom she's known for years revealed to her the biggest secret she had no idea he had.

Clark Kent is Superman.

Superman is Clark Kent.

She repeated the mantra about a few hundred times until the shock wore off. Unfortunately for her, it never did. In one single moment, an elaborate ball of yarn was unraveled, and the questions she held at bay to ask Superman unfolded in the presence of an unassuming mild-mannered reporter by the name of Clark Kent.

The thing was, it was the last she ever expected.

Superman, to the eyes and ears of the world, is a God.

He's an untouchable man who became savior to a world that desperately needed one, even when some didn't deserve him. His morals were high and so was his dedication in truth and justice and the ways of the world. He was a vision of perfection and honesty, that there were times she found herself completely out of her league.

Until last night.

For the first time since he caught her in his arms so many years ago, she didn't know him.

Not a thing.

All night, her thoughts and memories lingered to the past.

And it drove her mad.

Even watching him make a fool of himself was annoying. How can the most powerful and confidant man she's ever known play the weakling? She understood that part of it meant acting below the radar, but she thought he went a bit overboard with it. Sighing to herself, maybe he was right. He did fool her all these years.

"Miss Lane."

"Huh?"

"You're overflowing," Jimmy pointed out.

Lois looked down and found the mug in her hands overflowing with black coffee. "Dammit!" she exclaimed, putting the coffee pot unceremoniously back on the table. With a couple more curse words, she restlessly made it way to her desk, plopping down exhausted by what was happening.

"Are you okay, Miss Lane?" Jimmy nervously asked, keeping his distance by standing in front of her desk.

Ever since Miss Lane and Richard White broke their engagement, rumors ran rampant in the office about what caused it. Some people thought Richard was too good for her. Other's thought she wasn't the type despite them sharing a child. But Jimmy knew better. She was waiting for the one, and Richard White just wasn't him. Poor guy. He didn't have a chance in hell.

"Jimmy," Lois began reluctantly. "Where's Clark?"

"Umm…" he scratched his head. "I think he forgot his wallet back home, so he went back to get it." Lois rolled her eyes. "Check it out, Miss Lane. It's Superman."

She turned to the flat screens that littered the bull pen and watched Superman lift a backhoe loader off a civilian car that got smashed below it. Quickly and with great care, Superman helped the victims out of the mangled car and carrying them to the paramedics. After a few brief words, he flew away.

A few seconds later, her eyes drifted to the elevator lobby where she saw Clark come in from the stairwell, his tie askew and his hair a little mussed up.

Lois chuckled at the sight but caught herself before he saw her, and he did.

Clark waved at her awkwardly, his eyes alternating between someone she knew and a complete stranger. It was disconcerting and all the more confusing, so instead of waving back, she logged onto her computer and began work on anything just so she could get her mind off him.

She really hated it that it wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

"Mommy," a soft voice said from behind.

Lois turned, surprised to find her son there. "Hey, sweetie." She engulfed him in the biggest hug she could give as he giggled in her arms. "What are you doing here?"

Jason pointed to Perry's office. "Daddy brought me."

"Oh."

"I'm sorry about bringing him here without calling you," Richard suddenly appeared by them. "By the time we got to the school, they were sending the kids home."

"What happened?"

"A pipe burst in the cafeteria, so they canceled school for the day."

Lois picked Jason up in her arms. "Lucky you," she grinned tickling him playfully.

After an awkward silence, Jason began wiggling out of her arms. "Can I get down?" he said quietly.

"What's wrong, munchkin?"

"I wanna say hi to Mister Clark," Jason replied enthusiastically, his mother looking completely surprised. Then her memory kicked in and she had to remind herself how Jason had quickly gotten attached to her fellow reporter since he came back three months ago. She grimaced when it finally occurred to her that it was the exact same time Superman returned.

God, he infuriated her.

"You know what, I need to go speak with him first, but you can say hi when I'm done, okay?'

Jason pouted. "Okay."

As soon as she put him down, she said a hasty 'bye' to Richard before making a beeline to Clark's desk.

"We need to talk," she said a bit forcefully.

Clark stood up, hitting his desk with his knee in the process. "Oops. Sorry," he apologized so pathetically. "Sure, Lois. Um… where did you want to…"

"Conference room," she suggested, walking straight there without even giving her co-worker, slash hero, slash former lover anytime to respond. She stood at the entrance of the door, waiting for Clark to come in. "Ladies first," she quipped, it was the only defense mechanism she had left that didn't involve throwing heavy objects and yelling.

Slowly, Clark stepped inside.

Closing the door behind her and turning down the blinds so nobody could intrude and eavesdrop, Clark immediately dropped the façade of bumbling shy reporter while she finally dropped the stress evident on her face and just threw him deadly looks of anger.

"Are you all right?"

Lois laughed humorlessly. "No, actually, I'm not. Thanks, by the way for that."

Clark looked even more guilty. "I deserve that."

She ignored that particular truth. "Here's where I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. You confuse me."

She crossed her arms and gave herself a decent distance from him because right now, she didn't know whether she'd like to deck him or kiss him, and her brain rationalized that neither seemed the intelligent thing to do until they figured out what the hell kind of relationship they have.

She didn't really know him, for Christ's sake!

"You can ask me anything," he said softly, his eyes revealing the truth in his words. "I'm finished lying to you."

"Thank God," she shot back sarcastically. "Sorry."

"You have a right to be angry."

Clark made his way to the window and stared out in the city as he waited for her to reply. Last night had been the first time he came completely clean, about himself, who he was and where he truly grew up to anyone. He understood the space she needed to come to terms from the hidden truths he's kept from her all these years, and while the weight has been lifted from his shoulders, her happiness outweighed any fear he had.

He could give her at least that much.

"I barely got any sleep last night, did you know that?"

"I know."

Lois eyes narrowed. "That was rhetorical." Then the obvious came to mind and she almost bursts the words out. "You were spying on me?"

"No," he assured, raising his hands to her and then stuffing them in his trouser pockets. "I hear your heartbeat some times." She opened her mouth again but he stopped her by explaining further. "It's like a feeling you get when you think you forgot to do something you were supposed to. When you're in danger, your heart rate speeds up and I can hear it."

Lois couldn't believe it. "There are billions out there with erratic heartbeats," she reminded him.

"Yeah, but none of them are yours." Speechless, Clark continued. "You're different. You mean so much to me that the sound of it comes naturally. I could pick it out in the middle of Town Square. Even Jason is – "

"Don't go there." Clark retreated a few steps back to the window. "I'm still trying to figure things out in my head and adding my son to the mix just makes it harder."

His jaw clenched involuntary at the singular use of the word 'my' and not 'our' son. He knew he deserved it, that Jason already had a father and that he had no place in it, but doesn't make it stop hurting.

"I'm sorry, Lois." He didn't know what else to say.

"Do you get some perverse pleasure out of torturing me?"

The mere thought offended him. "No, of course not."

"Because, all this time, all the missed opportunities, you didn't do anything. You just stood there and watched me make a fool out of myself."

"I didn't mean... that's not how it was."

"But that's exactly how it turned out to be," she returned spitefully. "Look, I'm taking a few days off to think things through."

"You don't have to do that."

"But I need to, Sup… Clark. I can barely think at home let alone do my work here at the office especially when you're around."

"Then I'll take the days off."

"No," she disagreed. "You just got back." Why were they arguing about this, it was her decision? "I'm using my sick days and that's final."

Clark hunched his back as he leaned back against the window, sighing in defeat. "If that's what you want," he said but lacked the conviction he normally would apply as the reporter the staff knew as kind and sincere even if all he did afterwards is trip on his own shoelaces.

"Good." She moved to the exit and opened the door, but before she left, she turned back around. "Is this how you are?"

Clark looked at her, confused. Silent.

"I mean, just now." She paused. "Is this how'd you would normally act… if… you weren't pretending?"

Weakly but genuinely, he smiled. "Yeah, it is."

Hiding her smile, she walked out of the room without looking back. "Not bad, Smallville," she muttered underneath her breath leaving a surprised Clark in her wake.

To be continued…