Wow, thanks for all the reviews, guys! You made my year! I never expected so many people to like the fic. Thanks a lot. So, as promised, here's chapter two. I hope it lives up to the original. If not, well... I've got great things planned for chapter three, so stick around! ;)
And, without further ado... here's the fic!
EDIT: I've re-uploaded the fic with some corrections!
Superman Returns
"The Day After"
Chapter II
Richard just got home. Perry White offered to give them a few days off after what happened with the yacht, and while Lois decided not to take him up on his offer, he knew that he needed the time to sort a few things out. So, he spent the day visiting relatives and doing a little soul-searching aboard his plane. He'd seen Superman visit Jason the night before, and his mind was full of questions. Why was Superman visiting their son? Did Lois still have feelings for Superman? The unthinkable crossed his mind. Was Jason Superman's son? Had he been living a lie all this time?
He couldn't be angry with the guy, no matter how hard he tried. Superman saved them from drowning. He had also witnessed his nerve-wracking screams of agony when Lois pulled that kryptonite blade out of his back, not long before Superman nearly died to save humanity. No, he could never be angry with him. If Lois chose Superman over him, and Jason wasn't his son, then he'd gracefully step down and allow them to live their lives however they pleased. But that didn't make the pain go away.
He sighed. Man, he could use a cold shower to clear his head. Realizing that he'd been standing at the door the whole time, staring into space as he had his inner monologue, he finally unlocked the door and walked into the house. He closed and locked the door behind him and looked around. Nothing seemed out of place. Good, that meant that nothing had changed. Life would be normal for one more day.
He climbed the stairs and walked to the bedroom, where their personal bathroom was. He noticed someone in bed with the covers up to their head, and smiled. Lois must've been working on her new article, "Why the World Needs Superman," and decided to get some rest. She'd been working so hard on that article. Was she sorry that she ever wrote "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman"? He thought it was ironic that she was going to receive her Pulitzer Prize for that article on the day that Superman sacrificed his life for humanity. The world really does need Superman…
He sat down on the bed and flopped down to it, but there was something wrong. The bed felt different for some reason. Had Lois gained weight? Confused, he looked over at her, and saw the back of her head. What the… She cut her hair? He sat up abruptly and stared at her with wide eyes. Since when did Lois have such broad shoulders?
Then, like a gargoyle that fell off a building and crashed into an unsuspecting bystander, the horrible realization suddenly hit him. This was not Lois!
He jumped out of bed faster than he'd ever jumped. No, that was not Lois; that was a man! He gawked at the large form hidden under the covers. Was Lois cheating on him in their own bed? No, she wouldn't do something like that… would she?
He didn't want to think the worst, but he was running out of explanations. Well, there was only one way to find out, and it wasn't easy. Slowly, carefully, he creeped up to the slumbering form and reached for the covers. He held his breath as he grabbed the covers with two fingers and slowly pulled it down…
He was caught completely off-guard by what he saw. This was no ordinary man. It was Superman. Superman was sleeping in their bed. He gawked, his eyes bulging out of their sockets, at the sight before him. To his horror, he realized that he was bare-chested, and he didn't dare pull the covers down further. Superman was sleeping in their bed… naked.
He heard a low rumble, and he panicked and threw the covers over Superman's head. The last thing he needed was a very angry and very naked Superman coming after him! He stared at him for a moment, dreading any signs of movement, but was relieved to find none.
For a moment, he just stood there, staring at the slumbering form under the thick covers, unable to move, or even breathe. He couldn't believe that Superman was lying there naked. He slowly realized that he needed to stop gawking and had to get out of there while he still could. Without making a sound, he slowly backed out of the bedroom, watching him the whole time. That was when he noticed the pair of glasses sitting on top of the nightstand. What the hell…
Thoroughly confused, he quickly left the room and closed the door behind him. He leaned against the door, taking deep breaths, still taking it all in. Surely, there must be some kind of explanation! He'd just awakened from a coma, right? Maybe Lois was helping him or something. Hey, maybe he wasn't even naked! And there must be a perfectly reasonable explanation for why Superman was wearing glasses. Maybe the kryptonite weakened his eyes! Yes, yes, that's it. A perfectly reasonable explanation! He gave a short, breathless laugh.
Oh yeah, Lois had some explaining to do…
He had been willing to step aside gracefully if Lois chose Superman over him, but bringing him to their bed, and taking his clothes off and doing who-knows-what while he was away was not something he was prepared to tolerate.
He took a deep breath and marched down the stairs, trying to conceal his anger, but it was so difficult. He felt betrayed. He always knew that Lois had feelings for Superman, but to actually sleep with him while they were still together…! He forced himself to stop walking, take deep breaths, and count to ten. Maybe they didn't sleep together. Well, whatever had happened between them, he had a right to know.
He saw her in the kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee and looking lost in her thoughts. He leaned against the door frame, staring at her with narrowed eyes, waiting for her to notice him. She didn't; she only stood up and went to get more coffee, and he knew it was now or never.
"Lois, why is Superman sleeping in our bed?"
CRASH!
Even with the loud noise, he didn't move from his spot. He just stared at her, arms folded across his chest, telling her with his eyes that he wanted an explanation. He drummed his fingers on his arm and waited patiently.
Lois had dropped her coffee mug, startled out of her wits by Richard. She stared at him with wide eyes for a moment, then heaved sigh of frustration. "Oh my god, Richard!" she cried out, "You startled me!"
He startled her? He startled her?! Well, what about Superman scaring the crap out of him, huh? "That makes two of us. I mean, can you imagine my shock at finding the Man of Steel sleeping in our bed?" he asked rhetorically, emphasizing every other word, with a big, fake smile plastered on his face.
"Oh, you saw that, huh?" she asked, shaking her head as she looked for the handheld dustpan and began cleaning up the broken glass.
He stared at her, disbelieving. "Lois, I caught Superman sleeping in our bed and you act like nothing happened?!" he yelled, starting to lose his composure.
To his surprise, and slight anger, she still looked calm and collected. "Richard… he wasn't feeling well. He was in a lot of pain from that stab wound and incredibly weak. I put him in our room because it has a big window and he could get the sunlight he needs. He really needed to rest, so I let him have our room until he recovered. I figured you wouldn't mind!"
"…" He stared at her numbly, shaking his head slowly, with his mouth opening and closing. She actually thought he wouldn't mind. He couldn't believe it. "Lois…" he finally managed to say, in such a low whisper that even Lois had trouble hearing him, and he pointed in the direction of the bedroom. "He was naked!"
Lois dropped the dustpan upon hearing this and the broken glass scattered in all directions. "What?!!" she screamed, aghast, utterly stunned at Richard's words. "Oh my god, Richard! He was wearing pants! I only took his shirt off!"
"OH!" The pieces of the puzzle suddenly fell into place, after he'd jumbled them to form a completely different picture. Well… at least he knew that Superman wouldn't be chasing after him in anger in nothing but his birthday suit. Now there's a mental image he could've lived without… "Well… uh… what happened to his suit?" Was he trying to save face now? He shouldn't have been jumping to conclusions.
She sighed and started cleaning the broken glass again. "I don't know where his suit is. He was wearing something else, but don't ask me why. I don't know," she said, mentally patting herself on the back for telling Richard all he needed to know without actually lying. She couldn't tell him about Clark Kent being Superman. That was not her secret to tell. Once she was done cleaning, she dumped the broken glass in a trashcan and turned to look at Richard. She couldn't help but smirk at his embarrassment. Poor thing must've thought the worst…
"Well… is he going to be all right?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head.
Her smirk faded and was replaced by worry. "I don't know," she said with a sigh, "I thought he'd be healed by now. I mean, he's been exposed to kryptonite before, but it never took him this long to recover. Maybe he should go back to the hospital."
"Yeah, maybe," he said, then cleared his throat loudly, "Well, all I know is that he saved our lives and he's more than welcome to stay here for as long as he needs," he said with a genuine smile on his face.
She blinked, genuinely surprised, then smiled. "Thank you, Richard."
"And you know… he's Jason's hero. He'll be thrilled to meet him," he said, smiling, and waiting for her reaction. He had his doubts about being Jason's biological father and was looking for something, anything, that would give him some much-needed answers.
She almost lost her smile. "Yeah," she said, looking down, "He looks up to him. Superman's a great role model." She still hadn't told Richard that Jason wasn't his son. How could she ever tell him that all this time, he'd been living a lie? How could she make him realize that she truly believed Richard was his father and that she never meant to hurt him? How do you tell a man that his son isn't really his? She dreaded the thought of telling Richard, but she knew that she had to do it eventually. He had a right to know the truth, no matter how painful it was.
He sighed. Her response didn't shed any light on the subject. "Lois…" he started saying, then noticed the time. "I'd better go. Traffic has been a nightmare ever since the earthquakes hit, and Jason won't be happy if his parents are late to pick him up from school again," he said, grinning at her.
"Yeah, you'd better go," she said, trying to smile. "I'll see what I can do about waking up sleeping beauty. He'll want to meet Jason…"
"Sleeping beauty, huh? Just don't kiss him," he joked, and Lois stared at him blankly. Darn, now he wished he could take that back. "You know, sleeping beauty, kissing…" He looked at her expectantly, but her expression didn't change. He cleared his throat loudly and gestured to the door. "I'll, uh, go now!"
"Yeah… bye," she said, softly, not even looking at him. She'd kissed him at the hospital, but it was complicated. He'd been lying to her for years about his true identity, and then there was Richard and Jason. She looked at him again and saw the troubled expression on his face. They really needed to talk… but it wouldn't be today. She had a sick Superman to take care of… and yell at, of course. Oh yeah, she would definitely yell at him.
She watched as Richard turned and left, looking slightly dejected. She considered calling him back, but thought better of it and went to check on Superman.
She climbed the stairs to her room, lost in her thoughts. All this time, she realized, she didn't even know his name. How did he expect to have a relationship with her when he wouldn't even tell her his name? Come to think of it… I really didn't know that much about him… He had always been shrouded in mystery, but now, she hoped, she would get to know him better… but not before yelling at him. She had many questions for him and he would not fly away this time. Oh yeah, she had him right where she wanted him.
She stood in front of her door, collecting her thoughts. She took a deep breath and let it out as she opened the door and walked into the bedroom. She noticed that he was completely hidden under the covers and she shook her head, smiling. It was so obvious that he and Clark were the same person now.
She took two steps toward him, and her heart reacted by beating faster. Why was she so nervous? He was asleep, and it wasn't like she could see him anyway. Why did she react this way every time she got close to him? This is pathetic; I'm a grown woman! I'm not a giddy schoolgirl who just laid eyes on her crush…
She saw the covers rising and falling with his breathing, and she couldn't help a silly smile from forming on her face. This was the first time she watched him sleep. Before today, she wasn't sure if he even needed to sleep. She felt like she was learning more about him with each passing second.
She sat next to him on the bed and pulled the covers down just about enough to see his face. After reminding herself that he was sick and she shouldn't be staring at him, she felt his forehead with the palm of her hand and frowned. He was usually so warm, but today, he almost felt cold. Not as cold as when he passed out, but still cold enough to cause her worry.
"Clark?" she whispered, happy that she finally knew his name.
He groaned low in his throat and, to her amusement, he grabbed the covers and pulled them over his head again.
"Come on, get up, sleepyhead." She pulled the covers down all the way and almost laughed at the sight before her. Superman, the Man of Steel, the greatest hero of their time, actually curled up into a fetal position and groaned loudly. She clamped her mouth shut and would've laughed, hard, if he hadn't been so sick. "Clark…" she said, slowly regaining her composure, "Jason's coming."
His eyes burst open. "Jason…" he whispered and a broad smile formed on his face. He was going to see his son! He quickly sat up and could hardly contain his joy. Oh, joy of… OW! He clutched his aching side and took deep, calming breaths.
Lois wanted to hold him, but she was still trying to tell herself that she was angry with him for deceiving her. And besides, she didn't want to give him the idea that he was off the hook. "You okay?" she asked, looking worried.
"I'll be fine," he said in a tiny whisper. He looked down at himself and noticed that he was only wearing pants. "I, uh… have to go get my suit." Lois had found out his secret, yes, but he didn't want Jason to find out, too. At least, not yet. He would tell him when the time came.
"Where is your suit anyway?" she asked. She still felt strange talking to Superman when he wasn't wearing the suit. He seemed… human without it.
"Oh… I left it with my mother," he said, smiling briefly, "She was going to fix the hole in the back." At the look on Lois' face, he elaborated. "From the stabbing."
"No, no… it's not that," she said, looking at him strangely, "It's just that… you have a mother? But I thought she died when Krypton exploded!"
He sighed, and she could tell that she'd struck a nerve. Damn it, he was making it really hard to stay angry with him! "I was raised by humans, Lois," he said, as he slowly left the bed, clutching his aching side. He reached for his shoes and put them back on, biting back hisses of pain every time he moved.
"I threw your shirt in the washer but it's not done yet," she said, trying not to look at him. Damn, he was so incredibly well built…
He turned to look at her. "Why did you do that?" he asked, then looked as if something dawned on him. "Oh, right." He cleared his throat loudly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh… do you think Richard would mind if I were to borrow… uh… one of his shirts? Please?"
She couldn't believe how seamlessly he changed back and forth between personas. He was acting so much like Clark Kent that it was amazing. He looked so embarrassed that she could've sworn he'd just asked her to show him her underwear. "No, go ahead," she said, trying to keep herself from smiling. She watched as he staggered to the closet and her smile fell. "Uh, Clark… I really think you should go back to the hospital." She watched as he visibly stiffened and she bit her lower lip. She knew he wouldn't like the idea.
He sighed and began looking for a shirt. "I'll be fine. It's just taking time to heal." He found a shirt he liked that looked big enough for him and quickly put it on.
"Clark, you are coming back, right? We have a lot to talk about," she said, sternly.
"Yes, I'm coming back. I want to see my son," he whispered with a small smile on his face. He grabbed his glasses from the nightstand and put them on.
"Clark, Richard saw you without the glasses."
His entire body stiffened and he looked at her, horrified at the revelation. "He… he saw me? Richard saw me?"
"He doesn't suspect you're Clark Kent," she clarified. He was more worried about finding you naked in my bed… She wondered how Superman would react when she told him that little piece of information!
"Oh, that's good," he said, and took off his glasses. If Richard thought he was Superman, then he'd have to be Superman for the remainder of his stay. He sighed and stuffed his glasses in his pocket. He'd put them on later.
He walked to the window and stood in front of it, disappointed by the cloudy skies. He opened the window and turned to look at her. "I'll be back soon."
"You know, you could use the door…"
"I need to fly to the sun," he said. Then he looked out the window and… did absolutely nothing. His eyes widened in horror as he stood there, completely motionless.
"Uh, Clark… what are you waiting for?"
"…I… I can't fly."
To Be Continued
Oh, crap! What's going to happen to Superman? You'll find out... in chapter three! Please review!
-DT
