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The next day, at Wayne Manor, Bruce was lying on the couch, trying to make sense of the events over the past few days. Why hadn't Luthor gone after Lois, or someone close to Clark?

"It doesn't make any sense," he muttered to himself.

"What doesn't make any sense?" asked a soft voice from behind him. Surprised, he turned around and stood up.

"Rachel?" he asked, confused. "Hey, I thought you went shopping with Lois in Metropolis." She nodded.

"Yeah, I was supposed to, but she got called away on assignment, so here I am," she said. "Don't tell me you're disappointed, Bruce." He smiled.

"No, of course not, but I really have to work," he said.

"I never thought I'd hear 'Bruce Wayne' and 'work' in the same sentence," she teased.

"That's so funny I forgot to laugh," he said and made a face at her. "If you're so experienced, you explain this."

"Okay, try me."

"Lex Luthor, who has made it his hobby to piss off Superman, comes after me," Bruce said. "How does that make any sense?" Rachel pursed her lips.

"Well, I'll admit, Lex Luthor is a strange person to deal with," she said, sighing.

"That, Rachel, did not answer my question," he replied with raised eyebrows. She gave him a soft kiss and took his hand in hers.

"Look, Bruce, I have to tell you something," she said quietly. "I-" She looked away, but he caught her face in his hand.

"You're trembling," he said, concerned. "You alright?"

"I- I'm- Bruce, I'm pregnant," she said, and looked at the floor.

"Are you serious?" he said, hardly daring to believe it. "Are you sure?" She nodded, tears flowing down her face. "Hey," he whispered. Bruce lifted up her chin so she was looking into his eyes. He grinned broadly. He pulled her close to him and searched her tearful face. "Don't cry, this is the most wonderful news I've gotten in my life," he said. Her face lit up.

"Really?" she asked hopefully.

"Definitely," he assured her. She leaned on his chest and closed her eyes. He held her close to him and smiled. At least Lex Luthor is Clark's problem…

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That night, long after Clark and Lois had put their son to bed, Jason's lightning blue eyes opened. What's that weird noise? He looked out his window to see men dressed in black handling guns and flashlights. As one of them looked up at his window, he quickly ducked. He ran from his room to his parents' room across the hall.

"Dad," he said urgently. Confused, Clark sat up, groaning.

"Jase? What're you-" he started. "You all right?" Silently, Jason pointed to the window. With his X- ray vision, he saw the same men his son had seen. Clark bit his lip. How did he find me so quickly? He shook his wife awake. "Lois," he whispered. "Lois, get up." Disgruntled, she sat up, yawning.

"Smallville, you know I need my beauty sleep," she argued, clearly annoyed.

"Quiet!" said Clark. He sat Jason on his lap and held him tightly.

"What's wrong, Munchkin?" she asked, concerned. She turned to her husband. "You mind telling me what's got our son terrified?" Clark sighed and turned to her.

"Lex Luthor," he said quietly. "He's got his thugs surrounding the house." Lois's face paled and tears slipped down her face.

"Oh, God, Clark, what're you going to do?" she whispered. He put his spare arm around her. He sighed and breathed in her perfume. "I don't know, Lois, but I promise, you'll get out of this." Lois, who had noticed the singular 'you', stared at him in disbelief.

"You're not going out there," she said firmly. "It's Lex Luthor. He'll have Kryptonite bullets, Clark, you know that!" Putting Jason in Lois's lap, he stood up, not facing them. "Clark…" she whispered hopelessly. He turned around, his eyes full of regret. Lois stood up and walked over to him, knowing full well it might be the last time she would see him alive. She reached her hand up to touch his cheek, her eyes brimming with tears. Before she knew it, Clark was kissing her, a kiss full of sorrow, passion, and of things he knew could never be undone. For a moment, she rested on his chest, not wanting to let go. He forced her off, though he would have done anything to keep her close. He walked towards the other side of the bed where their little boy sat. Clark sat down next to him and softly brushed Jason's messy hair out of his eyes. This is the hardest goodbye, he thought. Jason looked up at his dad, his eyes full of innocence.

"Jason-" his voice cracked. "You take care of your mom for me, okay?" Confused, Jason asked,

"But Dad, you promised you wouldn't go away again." Clark looked down, his eyes watering. "You're not, are you?"

"No, Jase, I promised I'd stay, and I am," he said trying to be of some comfort to the boy. "But the bad men need to be taken care of, you understand that, don't you?" Jason nodded wistfully. After a second's thought, he wrapped his arms around his father's neck.

"I love you, Daddy," he said through his tears. Clark tightly hugged him back and whispered,

"I love you too, kid. So much." Lois felt her heart break. Clark released himself of Jason's grip and walked to the door. He gave Lois one last kiss, one of longing. He looked back at her sadly. I love you, Lois. I only wish we had more time. Lois took in a deep breath.
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Dun, dun, dun! Evil cliffhanger there...but I have no idea how to continue it, if you read my A/N at the end of the last chapter. Reviews are greatly appreciated.