Unknown to either Clark or Jason, Lois and Richard had both come up to see if perhaps Clark would like to go get some "real coffee" from down the street. The expressions on the three adult faces all mirrored the same wide mouth look. Was it shock, denial, sheer fright or a little of all three? Clark finally came out of his shocked state only to realize there were two racing heartbeats directly behind him. He recognized just who at least one of the heartbeats belonged to and correctly guessed the second. Jason and Clark both turned around slowly. Jason smiling and Clark looking very un-Clark like thinking to himself, the jig is up no use trying to hide it any longer. His own 5 year old son had just outed him at least to Lois and Richard. Maybe he could contain the damage.
"Yes, I think we all need to go get some real coffee, Down the Street!" He didn't even bother putting his overcoat back on as he moved quickly to the door.
Jason ran up behind him grabbing his hand smiling, "Can I have hot chocolate, I don't think I like coffee?"
Clark smiled down at his son holding his hand then looked directly at Lois, then at Richard who had not moved from the spot behind Clark's desk, "You are coming aren't you, after all it was your idea in the first place." Clark then looked around the room to verify that everyone else was too busy in their own worlds to notice anything amiss in the exchange.
Lois and Richard suddenly seemed to contain their dismay and finally registered the situation more fully. Both quickly said almost in unison, "Yes, Yes we're coming."
Jason seemed to be in high heaven until he realized Clark wasn't leading them to the nearby coffee shop but to the garage, or more specifically to his Mommy and Daddy's car. "I thought we were going to get coffee and hot chocolate?" he said with a small pout.
Clark kneeled down to his son's level and spoke softly to him, "Jason, I'm sure your mom has some hot chocolate or something just as good at your house." Then, standing up and looking from Richard to Lois, "We need to talk privately, a coffee shop will simply not due."
With that, he pulled the handle to the door but it didn't open. Richard came out of his reverie and took out his keys and pushed the button twice to open the doors. Lois too, was moving as in a dream, a thousand thoughts going through her head but none seemed to make sense. Clark helped Jason making sure he was properly buckled in and then buckled himself in on the other side of the back seat. Cramped in the back seat as he was he considered just flying there but decided against it. Better to try and maintain the little control he had left of the situation; however it played out from here. Lois and Richard looked at each other and finally climbed into the front seats with Richard driving.
The drive from the parking garage to the waterfront house was completely quiet. Jason wasn't sure what was wrong but had a feeling it was his fault; he looked from one adult to the next. After all it had gotten weird after he had asked Mr. Clark those questions. His Mommy and Daddy must have overheard him and he was really wanting some hot chocolate. He always heard how good it was and he had never been allowed to even try it cause he was 'lergic. Maybe he wasn't 'lergic anymore now, he hadn't had any attacks since that time on the ship when he had been scared and helped his Mommy. But he didn't want to think about that, it scared him too much. So he thought about how good it would be to get to finally try hot chocolate. Maybe his Father would give him some since his Mommy and Daddy most likely wouldn't. He would have to ask, maybe when they were not so quiet.
After entering the house Lois said. "I'll make the coffee." Richard and Clark both laughed at the same time and the three adults looked at each other and let out a breath. The ice in the room was only partly broken.
"I think we can do without the coffee. But maybe Jason wants his hot chocolate; he seemed so excited about the prospect." Clark spoke in a voice not normally used outside Smallville.
Jason, "yes, yes, I want my hot chocolate. Please, I don't want to be 'lergic anymore."
"Honey, not wanting it doesn't make it so." Lois looked at her son hating to disappoint him.
Pouting again, he ran upstairs to his room.
Lois turned back to Richard and Clark, or was it Superman and the three of them took seats in the living room as each waited for one of the others to break the cold silence.
Finally Lois looked at Clark and said, "Superman?"
Clark sighed and as he removed his glasses he said, "Yes".
"So, that's what you meant when you kept saying, I'm always around? How, could I have been so blind? I'm supposed to be an investigational journalist. Jeeze, my son sees things I look right past."
Richard was silently watching the exchange trying to figure out where he stood in the mix of developments. He had know he wasn't Jason's biological father, the timing was way off, but he would never have in a thousand years believed Superman was the missing father that Lois refused to talk about. Especially since Jason had so many allergies and medial problems. The morning had been a complete roller coaster ride and the curves just kept on coming one after another. He remained silent biding his time to see what was around the next curve.
Clark smiled at Lois, "There was a short time when you did know Lois. We were happy till we came back to reality and landed smack in the land of Zod! We came to realize, or at least I did, that we couldn't be together and you couldn't bear the loss so I made you forget."
With that, Lois took in a deep breath and bowed her head, suddenly dizzy as the memories flooded back." Their night together, Clark giving up his powers to be with her, the diner, the fortress again and Superman finally defeating the dreaded Zod, then the office, the pain, too much pain, he kissed her and suddenly all seemed ok with the world. He had sacrificed his own happiness for the world and then again for her alone. Lois looked from Clark to Richard, tears streaming down her face and then she ran from the room unable to sort out her many mixed feelings and emotions for the two men now sitting before her.
"Richard, I think you had better go after her. It looks like you and Lois need some time alone."
"She has just re-lived some very unpleasant memories that I buried almost 6 years ago. From the look of things you have your own questions that she needs to answer. If you don't mind I'll take Jason for the afternoon. By the way, someone needs to call Perry and give some kind of excuse as to why we're not there. You might not be fully aware yet, but my excuses are often pretty lame." Clark said somewhat sarcastically, "So maybe you can come up with something better!"
Richard thought for a minute shaking his head, an implied agreement. Before he had time to reconsider on either account Clark called to Jason who appeared at the top of the stairs.
Clark smiled up to his son, "Jason, how would you like to spend the afternoon with me."
Jason smiled and ran down the stairs into Clarks arms and they were out the door before Richard even managed to say goodbye. Normally Jason wouldn't have left without hugging and kissing his mommy and daddy, but today things were really weird and he was just glad to be going somewhere with Mr. Clark, or was it Superman or maybe even Father. He would have to ask, but not here, not now. Maybe he could even get some hot chocolate, he wasn't 'lergic anymore no matter what Mommy said, he just knew and it had to be so!