Coming Clean

Day 107, Wednesday, 8:00AM, Metropolis

Lois Lane maneuvered her new Honda Odyssey through rush hour traffic while her son giggled in the back seat at the Monsters Inc. DVD that was playing. As they continued the commute, Lois thought back to the previous night's discussion with her husband, once again wondering if they had made the right choice to keep Jason's allergist appointment. It was a risky proposition with his growing powers. If they tried to measure his lung capacity, he'd max out the scale on the machine. They'd concluded that it was too late notice to cancel now, and Clark had worked with Jason to practice breathing softly.

Lois thought to the challenges ahead, and wondered what they would do when the time came for her son's immunizations. Her husband had suggested bringing the Smallville town doctor into their confidence and using kryptonite-tipped hypodermic needles to get around the problem. Though Sharon Rivers seemed trustworthy, Lois felt guilty about so many people learning his secret within a few months of reentering her life. They'd discuss their options with Bruce Wayne when he returned.

Bruce had apparently known the secret for years, and had the vast resources of Wayne Enterprises behind him. I wonder how Bruce figured it out, Lois wondered. Bruce Wayne was indeed an enigma – publicly a reckless, carefree playboy, but privately an intelligent and dedicated servant to the greater good whose experience went well beyond the boardroom. She was certain that there was more to the story than either man was willing to reveal to her. Perhaps she'd solve that puzzle after the Luthor madness was behind them.

Jason complained briefly as his mother pulled her car into the parking spot and turned off the car, which also powered off the DVD player. "You can watch the rest later," Lois promised him as she unbuckled him from the seat. "You can take off your glasses now, too." She took her son's hand, and walked across the street to the Daily Planet.

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Lois got her son started with some scratch paper and crayons at her desk before proceeding to brief her editor on their latest strategy for locating Lex Luthor. Clark had diligently checked out every property on the list, even running background checks on all of the people found at those sites. Though he'd found a few illicit businesses that would be good for future stories, they'd come up empty on the Luthor chase. Their only clues came from canvassing her contacts the previous day, but that still hadn't brought them any closer to Lex Luthor. Lois feared that Perry would likely reassign them.

Maggie recognized the perplexed look on Lois' face as she settled her son in at her desk, and had barely issued her warning to Perry before their star reporter marched into the editor's office. Maggie closed the door behind her as she returned to her desk, muffling their voices sufficiently to cloak their conversation in privacy. She snuck a peek over to Richard's office before reviewing her task list, and smiled as she saw Jason run into his office and climb up on his lap as he animatedly described some adventure to his mother's ex. He knows that Jason isn't his, and he's still there for the kid, even after losing Lois, Maggie thought. He'd probably be good with my nephew, too. She made a note to remind Perry that he needed to plan a dinner party, before busying herself with her usual morning tasks.

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Day 107, Wednesday, 9:15AM, Metropolis, The Daily Planet

Lois had just returned to Perry's office with Ron Troupe. Maggie watched Lois and Ron sit in the visitor's chairs in Perry's office as Jimmy Olsen exited before stopping at her desk. "Looks like today will be one of those days that Ms. Lane spends more time at Perry's desk than her own," Jimmy commented. "Sounds like she's got something big again."

"Doesn't she always?" Maggie replied pleasantly, as Susan Walters approached her desk. Turning to Susan, Maggie told her, "They just went in, and it sounds like it's another big one. I can call you when he's free, if you'd like."

"I just need Perry's feedback on the city contracts follow up," Susan told her cautiously. "Whenever he's got a minute."

Susan turned to leave, but stopped short as Jason came trotting down the isle towards Perry's office, wearing glasses that were perilously close to slipping off the end of his tiny nose. He rounded the corner of Maggie's desk, headed towards Perry's door, as Maggie reached out her arm to stop him, "Whoa, there, partner. You're mom's busy with Perry right now."

"But I drew a new picture for her," Jason complained.

"It'll still be there when she's done with Perry, won't it?" Maggie asked him. As Jason nodded, Maggie added, "If you're not careful there, you're going to lose those glasses… You know, I don't think you had them the last time you were here."

"I got them about a month ago," Jason informed her, as he pushed his glasses up with his index finger, perfectly mimicking the gesture that the adults recognized from a certain mild-mannered co-worker of theirs. The striking resemblance that the child bore to Clark Kent was also impossible to miss. As the adults stood mute in shock at the implications of that observation, Jason added, "I don't like them, but Mommy and Daddy said I have to wear them."

Maggie was the first to recover, having already suspected Lois' involvement with Clark. "Well, you better listen to your parents," she told him, sneaking a glance over at Clark's desk as he returned from an errand. "What did you draw this time?"

Jason proudly presented his drawing, telling her proudly, "It's a new family picture." Maggie looked at the crayon drawing that was remarkable good for a five-year-old, resembling cartoons from the Sunday paper more so that the stick figures he had been drawing a few months ago. Jimmy and Susan also looked over at the drawing, recognizing a family of four with the obvious father figure in the portrait adorned in glasses. The parents sat in the middle, with a child on either side of them: On the right was a boy in jeans and sweater that Maggie guessed to be Jason, and on the left was a swaddled infant with a baby bottle.

Maggie pointed to infant in the drawing as she asked, "Who's this?"

"That's my sister," Jason said proudly, as his father's eyes grew large in surprise from his desk. "She's doesn't have a name yet. She's still inside Mommy's tummy." The adults at Maggie's desk once again fell mute in shock.

After a moment of silence, Maggie asked Jason tentatively, "Your… um, your mommy's going to have a baby?"

"Can I show her my picture now?" Jason asked impatiently, ignoring Maggie's question.

"Um, I don't think that we want to interrupt her," Maggie told him sympathetically. "Maybe you should wait with your dad until she finishes."

"Do I have to?" Jason complained.

"I think it would be best," Maggie insisted. "You can show it to her when she's done. In the meantime, go wait with your dad, okay?"

"Okay," Jason agreed reluctantly, as he trotted off to Clark's desk.

"Lois is pregnant?" Susan asked in astonishment. "And is it just me, or do those glasses make Jason look like the farm-boy's mini-me?"

"Susan, what in the world are you talking about?" Maggie asked dramatically. "Surely, if there was a story there all of our brilliant reporters would have figured it out by now, wouldn't they?"

Susan glanced back over to the bullpen, watching as Clark pulled Jason onto his lap and looked at his new drawing. "I didn't think that Kent had it in him," Susan murmured. "And she's wearing that ring on her left hand now… Oh, this is good." Turning back to Maggie, Susan asked, "So do you think the baby is Richard's or Clark's?"

"Let's respect their privacy, shall we?" Maggie chastised her. "At least give them the chance to set the record straight."

Back as his desk, Clark's typical goofy grin morphed into a frown as he listened in. Someone, please tell me that didn't just happen, he thought. He didn't blame Jason for inadvertently spilling the beans. His son was used to the way things were in Smallville, where everyone knew of his parents' relationship, and that morning Clark and his wife had also been more concerned about what their son would say about the baby in front of Richard. They forgot to remind him that the others from the office didn't know that Clark was Jason's daddy or that his mommy was pregnant. Lois is not going to be happy about this little development. Well, do we let the gossip go wild, or try to nip this in the bud and leave them to wonder how we found out about it?

As Clark pondered the situation, he whistled the Disney tune, "Whistle While You Work." He carefully listened for the telltale echo that would indicate an electronic listening device. Confident that the room was clean, he sat his son down at Lois' desk, making him promise to stay put. Finally, Clark walked over to Perry's office and peeked in as he apologetically stated, "Um, if you're about through, can I borrow Lois for a moment?"

Lois now knew her husband well enough to see the genuine anxiety beneath the façade. "What's wrong?" she asked apprehensively.

"Maybe nothing, but…" he began, before glancing up to the other men in the office. "I think that you'd rather discuss this privately. It'll just take a minute."

As Lois stepped outside the office with Clark, Ron stated curiously, "I wonder what that was all about."

"I know better than to even ask these days," Perry offered. "And with as much as those two have to worry about with Luthor, I'd really hate to add to their stress." Perry shifted his gaze outside the window where an obviously angry Lois was scanning the bullpen before marching off a moment later. "Uh-oh," Perry commented knowingly. "Something just hit the fan."

"Whatever it was, she didn't seem very happy about it," Ron agreed.

"Just be glad that Hurricane Lane is heading in the other direction," Perry joked, as he looked up in surprise to see the subject of his comment return with Susan Walters and Jimmy Olsen in tow. Lois stopped at Maggie's desk briefly and the other woman stood and followed her in.

"Alright, everyone, we're only going to go through this once," Lois declared. As she glanced over at Maggie, she continued, "First, please understand that we were already planning on sharing this information with most of you before a certain little boy forced our hands this morning." She stopped, sighing deeply, momentarily dropping her head in her hands before looking back up.

"This is a personal matter that's really nobody else's business," Lois continued. "Under normal circumstances, we wouldn't care who knew, but with Luthor stalking us…" Lois paused and looked at the expressions of those gathered around her before she continued. "If Luthor knew of this, he'd have more targets and maybe enough clues to figure out where we've been keeping Jason safely hidden. You must promise us to keep this to yourselves before we drop these three bombshells in your laps."

Lois waited silently as everyone confirmed their understanding and promised their silence. Finally, she sank into one of the guest chairs as she began speaking. "The first bombshell, which some of you already know, is that Richard is not Jason's biological father. Clark is his real father. Please don't ask us to go into detail. Let's just say that the farm-boy charm is grossly underrated and leave it at that." Clark fidgeted nervously behind her, as she paused to let her words sink in.

"You and Kent?" Perry asked in shock. "You've got to be kidding…"

"Please, Perry, let me finish," Lois pleaded. "This is already going to be hard enough to get through." Lois took another deep breath, as her gaze dropped to the floor. "Bombshell number two, which I think at least one of you has already figured out, is that Clark and I are together again. In fact, we eloped last Friday." Lois finally looked up at the group, as Clark gently set his left hand on her shoulder. The others noticed the wedding band on his hand, as Lois reached up and gave his hand an affectionate squeeze.

After a moment of silences, Maggie gently encouraged her, "You still have something else to tell us, don't you?"

Lois nodded, as she told them in a low voice, "Bombshell number three… I'm pregnant – about eleven weeks along now." Lois lowered her head, as she pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a deep sigh.

"Um, if you've… that is, if… you have questions…." Clark began nervously. "Now's the time to ask."

"You left Richard for Kent," Perry stated incredulously. He squeezed his eyes shut as he shook his head. "I never would have imagined that."

"We need to keep this away from the rumor mill," Lois told them emphatically. "It won't matter once Luthor's taken care of, but until then… everyone keeps this to themselves."

"Well, congratulations, Mr. Kent… Mrs. Kent," Jimmy offered as he smiled widely. "I wish I could have been there at the wedding."

"So do we, Jimmy," Lois assured him. "And for now at least, the name is still Lane, okay?"

"Sure thing, Mrs… Ms. Lane," Jimmy assured her.

"Well, if there aren't any questions, Ron and I need to finish briefing Perry, and then I need to get my son to the allergist."

After most of the group filtered out the door, Clark escorted Jimmy back to his desk. "I'm sorry that you had to find out that way," he apologized. "We really were planning on inviting you over this weekend to come clean. Maggie, too."

"Oh, that's okay, Mr. Kent," Jimmy assured him. "I'm just happy that you two worked it all out. Too bad for Richard, though."

"I know," Clark agreed. "I hated to see him go through that. He's a good man."

"So, are you all moved in with her?" Jimmy asked. "I could help you move if you've still… got stuff to move."

"There's not much left at my old apartment," Clark confided. "At this point, it's only there to throw Luthor off the trail. Thanks, though… You know, maybe you could still come over this weekend, and we could finally catch up. I'll need to let my wife know…"

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Day 107, Wednesday, 9:30AM, Metropolis

Phil Castle pulled the white panel van into the parking garage next to the Donner Medical Building. He had five other men in the van with him. Tony sat in the passenger seat, while Jeff, Evan, Dave and Carl sat on the floor in the back of the van. "Is this the place?" Tony asked.

"Yeah, this is it…" Phil told him. "She'll park here in the garage, and head across the pedestrian skyway on level two. Keep your eyes peeled for her car. Once she pulls by, we'll follow her around, and we can nab her after she parks."

"It's about time," Dave complained from the back. "I've been climbing the walls practicing this, drill after drill."

"Tell me about it," Carl agreed. "This isn't rocket science. How hard can it be?"

"Knock it off," Phil insisted. "Just be ready when she gets here, and we do it exactly like we practiced." The order was met with grumbles as the crew impatiently waited for their unsuspecting quarry to arrive.

Author's Note:

We're in the home stretch now! Thanks again to htbthomasfor the beta.