Chapter 6: Fearless
Thursday, one more day of work until the weekend, and for once in her life, Lois was looking forward to it. On Wednesday there had been a preliminary hearing against Agent Jones and the clergy in his cult, and the press had been covering that closely. Call after call came into the Planet from people claiming to know some of the men on trial, and trying to weed out the real calls from those that just wanted their names in the paper was a bear of a task.
While Lois poured over all the notes she had taken from interviews of victims of the cult, Clark had his own problems dealing with the horrible famine taking place in Africa. He spent most of the night and a large percent of his day trying to help out in everyway that he could and even with his help, the number of people dying over there was staggering. The one thing he was glad for was his Mom and Ben being at home with Jason so that their little boy could enjoy his week off from school.
Usually having his parents so busy bothered Jason, but with his Granny and Pappa there giving him their undivided attention, he hardly noticed them being gone. The little boy had stopped having bad dreams and had stopped worrying about crowds and was back to being a normal playful five year old child.
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As her evening was finally coming to an end, Lois's cell began to ring. She answered it, finding Mrs. Davies on the other end. "No, that shouldn't be a problem, I'll need to call Clark's parents and make sure they don't mind keeping her tomorrow," she said, hanging up the phone. She dialed home and smiled as she heard Jason's voice. "Hello Munchkin, will you let me talk to your granny?" she asked.
On his end, Jason was holding on to one end of an old sock while Lucky was trying to pull it out of his hand. "Granny's cooking dinner," he said, laughing as Lucky growled playfully at him. When his mommy asked again Jason let go of the sock and took the phone into the kitchen where his Granny was standing near the oven. After giving her the phone, he got back to his puppy and began the game all over again.
"Hi Martha, I have a favor to ask, and you don't have to say yes, but one of Jason's friends needs a place to stay tomorrow and I was hoping maybe she could stay there with you and Ben," Lois said, as a strong arm snaked around her. Lois shut her eyes as she felt his lips graze over her neck and was glad that they were one of the only people left in the office. She knew Clark wouldn't kiss her like this unless no one was watching.
Martha smiled and told Lois that would be just fine, and after she put the phone back in its place, she told Jason it was time for a bath, as well as a hair cut. He did what she wanted without a fuss and by the time her roast was ready to take out of the oven, Jason's hair was cut short like his father's. Martha had asked Lois if she wanted her to trim it and Lois had agreed that it was past time to do that.
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After a hearty dinner, everyone settled in the family room, and while the adults talked, Jason went to his playroom and got out his fire truck and ambulance taking them to his bed room to play.
Martha could tell her son was tired which was something that happened very rarely. Clark needed very little sleep and it had been that way since he was 16 years old. "Were you able to help those people?" she asked, after Lois finished telling them about the trial.
"Not as much as I would have liked," he said, as he and Lois sat together. "Uh mom, Lois and I talked it over and we decided you two should be the first to officially know our secret," he said, as he bit back a smile. He watched as his mother smiled at them and when he told her they were engaged Martha gave both of them huge hugs.
Hearing all the noise in the family room, Jason left his toys and ran out to the adults. "Why are you guys talking so much?" he asked. He smiled before he ran over to his daddy and laughed as he was lifted into the air. Once he was sitting on his father's lap, Jason learned that his grandparents knew about his mommy and daddy wanting to be married, and he didn't have much to say. He knew that too and he wasn't nearly as upset, but that didn't really interest him. As the adults continued to talk he yawned and rubbed his eyes, but stayed where he was watching as his Mommy showed his Granny the pretty ring on her finger. He listened as his Pappa talked about a big fishing trip he was going to take with a friend when they went back to Montana, and yawned again as his daddy recalled a fishing trip he had taken as a boy.
Clark hadn't thought of that fishing trip in a long time, and wondered if some day he and Jason would be able to take trips like that. He realized then that Jason had gone to sleep, and stood up sliding his right arm under Jason's legs, turning him so that he was cradled in his arms. Clark waited as his mom, Lois, and Ben gave Jason kisses before he carried him down the hall to his room. As he laid Jason down, his son opened his eyes, telling him that he wasn't tired even though a yawn told him otherwise. "It's past your bedtime," said Clark, as Jason pouted. Clark pulled the blankets over him and Jason turned away before he could give him a kiss. Standing there a moment, the tall handsome man watched his son and then left him to go back to sleep, hoping that Jason would stay in bed without any undo fuss.
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After spending a little more time with his parents, Clark and Lois retired to their room, with Lois leading the way still wearing her skirt and blouse from work. One more day, Lois thought to herself as she started over toward the closet only to find Clark's arm wrap around her waist and pull her back to him. She tilted her head to one side as his lips brushed over her neck the way they had at the office, only now they were at home and the door was shut. As she felt his teeth graze the skin at the back of her ear Lois shuddered, wanting more than just his kisses.
This past week had been very busy for them, and Clark had missed moments such as these. He knew what she wanted as he brought his left hand up to cup around her breast rubbing his thumb over the front even though she was still fully clothed.
Feeling his arousal pushed against the small of her back, Lois knew this was getting to him, and reached between him to rub her hand against the front of his jeans. There was something to say for a man with super speed, and Lois had gotten used to these moments when neither of them could wait. Once they were undressed, he lifted her up, and Lois wrapped her legs around his waist as their lips came together in a fiery kiss. She dipped her tongue into his mouth as she reached behind him and ran her hands through his hair thick hair. A moment later she realized she was sitting on her vanity and broke the kiss for only a moment before she realized how this was going to go, praying that they could keep it quiet enough for Jason and Clark's parents.
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Jason woke up remembering Granny's cookies. After getting his trusty wooden sword that his Pappa had made for him, and his mommy had said he could keep as long as he didn't hurt anyone, Jason walked to the door of his room and opened it without a sound. He tiptoed down the hall and into the kitchen where he set his sword on the table before he walked to the counter and reached up feeling for the plate which had to be close by. He pouted when he couldn't feel it and then went to his bathroom and got his little stool. He got it to the kitchen and stepped up seeing the cookies shoved all the way against the back of the counter.
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The authorities had been able to take care of the domestic dispute, and after they arrived, Superman flew back across the city and landed in the back yard. As he got to the door he saw Jason doing his best to get at the cookies his mom had made. He opened the door without a sound and shut it changing back into his pajama bottoms before he walked up behind his son and gently lifted him away. "I think you know that those are only for little boys who eat a good lunch and dinner," he said gently, as he turned Jason around and sat him down on the counter.
"Granny would give one to me," he said grumpily, not willing to look at his daddy. He was quiet as his dad carried him back to his room and when he was put to bed, Jason turned away from him hugging Lucky, who had stayed in bed. When he heard the door shut he grumbled. "He's a mean daddy, Lucky." The small sleepy boy yawned and then shut his eyes well on his way back to sleep.
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Early the next morning, as Lois and Clark were sitting down to breakfast with his parents, Helen arrived with Rebecca who was asleep in her older brother's arms. Lois led Grant who was 12 years old back to her room, and had him put Rebecca down in the bed she and Clark shared. The young boy was tall like his father with brown eyes and gangly brown hair. He didn't look very happy but said goodbye when Lois spoke to him. Once they had gone, Lois returned to breakfast and found out from Clark about Jason's sneaking into the kitchen last night, and then laughed as Martha informed her son that he used to do the same thing.
After they ate, and right before they left, Lois's cell went off. At the same time Superman was needed downtown to help with the mob of people at the courthouse. She waved at him as he spun into his suit and then headed outside to her car. Getting to work took her twice as long as usual, and when Lois finally got to her desk the chief had called an office wide meeting. She grabbed her notebook and pen and told the chief Clark was already downtown covering things before their meeting got going.
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The day was turning out to be beautiful, and Jason managed to get his Pappa to walk with them around the block as he drove Rebecca in his truck. "It goes over stuff, too," he said, showing her as he ran over a stick, before his Pappa reminded him not to drive in other people's yards. When they got back to the house Jason wanted to go again but his Pappa said once was enough, so they road around in the backyard for a while.
"This is boring. I want to go down to that pond we saw and get some tadpoles. Grant says frogs have their babies there, and we could sell them and maybe I could get a car like yours," she said. Jason grabbed her hand and they ran in the house past Martha to his room. He got his red boots on while Rebecca put on her pink boots, both pairs being water proof, before they headed back outside.
Martha called out to the children before they went back outside, giving both of them some fruit in a bag, and getting hugs before they left. Once they were outside she got back to making homemade chicken soup.
Getting away from the house was easy, and as they ran down the sidewalk, Jason had to stop once to use his inhaler, and then after that the two children chose to walk holding hands. They went all the way to the other side of the block, and had to climb over a tall chain link fence but they didn't seem to fear that. The pond was further away than either child realized but they were not worried as they talked about frogs and bugs.
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After the office wide meeting, Lois headed downtown and realized when she got there that she had left her cell phone at her desk. It was a mob as the news crews on TV had reported, and as Lois found Jimmy, she led the way through the crowd getting a good view of the stairs to the court house. She watched as Jimmy took a few photos and then the noise of the crowd grew very loud as the doors to the court house opened and Agent Jones's high priced attorneys, followed by the man himself, walked down the stairs.
Lois yelled out her questions and one of the attorneys saw her and signaled for her to be let through. She left Jimmy behind and was told that there would be a case against Jones and his cult in June, but that was all he was willing to tell her. Lois felt a small victory as she walked back to Jimmy and the same attorney talked to the news crews telling them the same news that the trial would be in June.
As they walked to find a cab she saw Superman still helping with crowd control, and hoped that after today their lives would be less busy. When they got back to the office she had calls waiting and started with Joe Martinez who had been in the court room. She wrote down what he said about how the trial had gone and he told her that she couldn't quote him, but that he thought the guy would get hung and duly served. "No, I won't say a word," said Lois, as she saw Clark walk over to his desk. She hung up the phone and walked over to him, offering him a smile as he looked at her. "I think after today we can go back to having a normal life," she said, smiling at him before his phone began to ring. Knowing that a few of the women around were looking at them Lois went back to her desk shaking her head as she sat down to filter through more calls.
Talking to Benny was like pulling teeth, and Clark hated it, but the guy new the inside better than anyone, and for some reason, years ago, he had found a knack for getting the slimy weasel to talk. "Um, can we talk about prices after I get down there?" he asked, as a young secretary walked by his desk giving him the once over. "Golly, you know I won't tell unless you say otherwise," he said. When he hung up he gave Lois a wink and headed out to see what Benny had for him.
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As Martha hung up the phone, Ben walked into the house, shaking his head. "The line is constantly busy, and the operator said there is an overflow of calls. I tried Lois's cell phone but she hasn't called back. Where are they, Ben?" she asked, doing her best not to panic. Martha had gone out to check on the children a half our after they went back outside and found the gate open. Even Lucky was gone.
Ben had looked all around the block but found no sign of his grandson, the dog, or the little girl under their care, and he had thought of a way to get Clark and Lois home. "If we called out to Clark would he come?" He asked, as he hugged Martha close.
"Only if he is listening for us and with work being so busy it's doubtful but we can give it a try," she said.
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Having no idea about the worry they were causing, Jason and Rebecca arrived at the pond with his small jar, and her bug catcher. The ground was really wet and their boots stuck in the mud making a squashing sound as they walked, which both of them found to be very funny. Both children had tucked their jeans into their boots, which went all the way up to their knees, and when they got to the edge of the pond they stepped in the water and began to look around. The pond had a shallow section and as the children walked around, the water became murky.
"I don't see anything. What does a tadpole look like?" Jason asked, as he looked at his friend. He watched as she tried to think, and then suddenly there was a huge splash a moment before they saw Lucky swim out into the water ducking her head under before she came up with a turtle. "Oh Lucky, that's not a toy," Jason said, as he and Rebecca got out of the water and clopped their way toward his dog.
Lucky yelped as the turtle snapped at her nose, and then walked over to Jason and licked his face before she ran to the other side of the pond.
"She doesn't have her leash," Jason said, as he grabbed Rebecca's hand and began to run up onto the drier ground. "Lucky, come on girl," he called out, as they went after her. They were heading toward a huge wooded area that was almost like a marsh due to the heavy rainfall over the past few weeks.
Rebecca made Jason stop running and use his inhaler before they continued on, going up over a rise as they saw the woods. "Maybe we should call for your daddy," Rebecca said, not sure about going where Lucky was headed.
"My daddy is mean," he said, and tugged her with him.
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In a dark alley, one Clark wouldn't go in if he were any other guy, he found Benny smoking something and asked what the man had for him.
Benny gave the reporter a once over before he snubbed out his cigarette on the side of the building he was leaning against. "Money first," he said. Clark gave him a fifty, and Benny smiled. "Word is the Judge has been threatened by this cult group, they got their ties in the ritzies you know what I mean?" he asked.
"Uh, I think so," Clark said, as he took down the notes. He couldn't go on Benny's word alone, but this was a start. "Do you have any names on whose doing the threats?" Clark asked, and gave Benny one last fifty. The short man ran his dirty hand through his blond greasy hair before he spoke a name. "You didn't hear it from me," he said, and then he left.
By the time the young reporter got to the Planet, he was ready to start verifying what Benny had said, and as he walked into the bullpen, Lois ran to him with a look of panic in her brown eyes. "What is it?" he asked, and when she told him Rebecca, Jason, and Lucky had left the yard, he pulled her to the stairwell. Once they were inside he twirled into his suit and they took off.
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After Rebecca mentioned his daddy, Jason realized they had to keep very quiet and not talk. It was hard to do, but the two smart children figured out a code as they trudged through the woods. It was very damp and creepy, but Rebecca wasn't going to be afraid. They heard Lucky barking in the distance and hurried toward where they thought she was.
At the house Clark and Lois heard his mother's side of things, and then he spun back into his suit. "I'll find him," he said, not pleased that Jason had run off, and again realizing that he should not have left Jason's room without dealing with his son's anger.
He flew up in the air scanning the neighborhood, looking at each house, before he spread his search further. He listened for the children first, and then heard Lucky barking, realizing where they were. He flew to the woods and came down through the trees finding Jason's dog barking at a snake. It was a King snake and a good sized one. "Lucky," he said, as the dog looked at him before she came over to his side. "Jason, Rebecca!" he called out, listening for their voices but didn't hear anything. He used his X-ray vision and found them several yards away crouched down, and realized what his son was up too. Jason was trying to hide, and Superman wasn't sure whether to be angry or amazed that his little boy was already figuring out how to hide from him by not talking. Knowing that it would be easier to get Lucky home first, he picked her up and zoomed her up past the trees and got her to the house in less than a minute.
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"Is he gone yet?" Rebecca whispered, cupping her hand over Jason's ear.
"No, I'm right behind you," Superman said, standing with his arms folded over his chest.
Jason looked at Rebecca for a moment afraid, and then he remembered the cookies, and pursed his lips. "I'm mad at you, daddy," he said, as he stood up and looked at his father right in the eyes.
At that moment Superman realized Jason had told Rebecca his secret and then he found himself angry at his little boy and no longer amused. "No more talking Jason," he said, as he saw fear register in his eyes.
Both of the children came to him, and once they were in his arms, he flew them into the air heading home.
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As she paced in the kitchen, Lois bit the nail on her thumb, wondering where the children had gone, and if they were safe. She was also trying to figure out what she was going to do with Jason when he did come home. His last few no no's had been things she had not had to deal with and as she looked out at the back yard she saw Superman touch down with both children held safely in his strong arms. Lois ran to the door and opened it, realizing immediately that something was wrong the moment she saw Superman's face. Jason was clinging to him sobbing, and Rebecca was also crying but not as much as her son. When Lois reached his side, she took Rebecca and led her inside, not sure what was going on with them.
Now that he was alone with Jason he wasn't sure what he wanted to say. Superman knew telling Jason at this age was a huge risk and yet he had never prepared himself for the eventuality that Jason would tell another person his secret. "Jason," he said gently, as he knelt down trying to put his son down, only to find he wouldn't allow that. He floated in the air enough to sit down and held on to his son waiting for him to calm down.
"She won't tell anyone," he finally said, as he dared to look at his daddy.
"That does not matter to me Jason!" he said, a little too harsh. Again Jason cried and again The Man of Steel waited for him to calm down. "Jason, do you know why she shouldn't know my secret?" he asked gently. He felt Jason give one nod of the head before he shook it. "It isn't a matter of her telling people, what matters is keeping her safe, like your mother and I try to keep you safe. I can watch over you very easily because you live in my home, our home, but Rebecca does not and if anyone ever found out, she might get hurt," he said, knowing that Jason had to realize this very adult situation and understand it.
Jason sniffed. "What do we do then," he said, feeling less afraid now that they were talking.
"I don't know yet," Superman admitted, as he wiped the remaining tears from Jason's face. "Right now your mom and I need to figure out your punishment for running off like you did, so you need to go in our room and wait for us," he said, hugging him again as Lois came out of the house. He watched as Lois gave him a hug and when Jason was inside he stood up on his feet and changed into his work clothes. "Jason told Rebecca about my identity," said Clark, watching as a look of horror followed by anger crossed her face. He reached out and stopped her from going after him.
Lois realized that she had to cool off and instead of going inside she walked into Clark's arms. "How do we teach him to listen to us? He has never done anything like this," she said. "My mother would have blistered my bottom for running off like he did but I won't do that to him," she admitted.
As he held her he agreed that wasn't the way to go. "What about taking away his toys, all of them for a week, he can color or read his books but no toys or TV, and no friends here to play with him," Clark said.
"That is a big punishment, but I guess what he did today is pretty big, too. What about Rebecca?" she asked.
Clark thought of using the memory wipe and knew that it was the only way to keep her safe, but then he also knew Jason well enough, that he would likely find a way to tell her again sometime as they grew older. "I think a memory wipe," he said, as he let her go. Clark took her hand and they entered the house.
They found Rebecca sleeping in Jason's bed, and Lois watched as Clark knelt down and touched his lips to her forehead. It was over in less than five seconds and when he came out of the room she shut the door. "Someday you will have to tell me how that works," she whispered, as they opened the door to their room.
Jason had his arms crossed over his chest and had a pout on his face, but it went away as they walked over to him. "Daddy, I'm sorry I told her," he said, and looked at his father's eyes as he knelt down in front of him. He no longer saw anger there, only love and sadness.
"I know you are, but you did it even though I told you not too, and you left the yard when you knew better," he said, as Jason looked down and away from his eyes.
When Jason leaned against her, Lois held on to him knowing he was afraid, which she hoped would teach him to listen to them. When Clark told him his punishment, she hugged him as he cried. He loved his cars and other toys and not being able to have them for a week would be hard on him.
"Do I get to hear my music?" Jason asked, and cried more when his daddy said 'no'. He listened as his father told him about Rebecca not being able to remember the secret and felt alone again. "What if I tell her again," he said, needing to know, and Lois spoke up on that one.
"If you choose to tell her again, then we will spank you, do you understand?" she asked, as she felt more tears fall against her shirt. She had swatted him a few times in his life but had made the decision to do something she did not agree with, hoping that would be enough to convince him not to tell anyone else.
The last and hardest thing he had to do was tell his Granny and Pappa he was sorry. Jason tried to crawl under the bed but Lois caught him and carried him out to the family room where they were sitting. It took Jason nearly twenty minutes to get up the courage to face them and after hugs and kisses were given, Lois took him back to her room to give him a bath and then get his dinner and put him to bed early.
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Early Saturday morning, Clark loaded the trunk of Lois's car up with his mom's and Ben's luggage. While he tended to that, Martha was holding Jason who was sad to see her leaving.
"I don't want you to go away," Jason said, as he hugged her close.
Martha rubbed her hand over his back as Clark came inside. It was time to go, and as she stood up, he began to cry. "Jason, Pappa and I will call you tonight. How about that?" she asked, as Lois came to get Jason.
Lois knew he was sad and coaxed him into her arms with the promise of French toast. He rested his cheek against her left shoulder, sniffing as his daddy came over and gave them both a kiss and hug. Once they were gone, Lois shut the door and held Jason closer as he continued to sniff. "Do you think we should try cinnamon?" she asked, as she carried him into the kitchen.
"Will it taste good?' he asked, as she put him down on the counter. He loved spending time with his mommy and was glad his punishment didn't include being left out of helping her cook good food. As his mommy mixed up the eggs, Jason watched and yawned as he rubbed his eyes. When she was ready he got to take the bread and put it in the egg mixture and then watched as she put the first one in the Cast iron skillet. His mommy wasn't the best cook but the two things she did make the best were pancakes and French toast.
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AN: I know, I know I have this thing for Jason in the story but he's a great character because he is a kid and because there are limitless ways for him to create bits of trouble here and there. I did give you a little romance with Lois and Clark…at any rate I hope you guys like this and tell your friend to read this I need more reviews….And a big thank you goes out to Mr. Firenze for Beta reading this from it's beginning, and along with me hounding him to hurry…hehe Thanks again…