Authors' Note: As we continue on hiatus (there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and doesn't appear to be a train for once), we've been looking at some of our unfinished work and dusting it off. This multiverse series does actually bear on the main Little Secrets 'verse, in the end, so we decided to wrap up the loose ends, give it a polish, and finally post it. There will be one more fic in the series, Silver Lining, which will go up in a day or so.

In the meantime, enjoy Stay, after the Hurts song of the same name. You'll see why. If you're not familiar with our multiverse fics, look for Illuminated and Blinding and read those first, or this won't make sense.

Thank you all for your patience and kindness. We love all of you.

We say goodbye in the pouring rain
And I break down as you walk away.
Stay, stay.
'Cause all my life I felt this way
But I could never find the words to say
Stay, stay.

All right, everything is all right
Since you came along
And before you
I had nowhere to run to
Nothing to hold on to
I came so close to giving it up.
And I wonder if you know
How it feels to let you go…

…

It happens in the thick of the battle, when Earth's defenders are pressed hard on all sides by the invaders. Those who remain on Watchtower during the fight feel the station shudder, and then the alarms blare anew. J'onn, sidelined by the invader's use of flame-based weaponry, is coordinating the evacuation of the satellite. Everything is going according to plan—except for one little detail.

Said detail is 5'5" and shaking her head at him. "Get the civilians out first," Lois says. "I'll go last." She's a general's daughter, a Pulitzer-winning journalist, the media/military liaison for the JLA, and a hero's widow; it does not surprise him that she stopped thinking of herself as a civilian long ago.

It also doesn't surprise him that she wants to be as close to the battle as possible. She can't fight at Kal-El's side; as much as she'd like to, Lois knows her limits at times like this. But they both know that last time she turned away from a battle, she'd lost her Clark in the worst way imaginable. Lois would never wish that kind of grief on Kal-El and tells him so. So J'onn must content himself with showing her to the nearest escape pods, and refocuses on the civilians.

Watchtower is falling. It was hit hard enough to knock it out of orbit, and the satellite was intended to withstand the forces of reentry into Earth's atmosphere. But it will take some time for it to disintegrate, and there are far more escape pods than there are people still on the station, so the situation is not yet at its most urgent. All nonessential personnel were evacuated before the battle had even begun.

Lois herself should've gone at that time, as well, but no one would ask her, not the same day she met Superman again. She'd be fine to wait, watching and recording events up 'til the last minute. And she would argue it if questioned. It is something she's done many times before, only in some many different circumstances. J'onn knows that Lois sees this as part of her vocation, at the core of who she is: she feels it is her duty to observe and report. No matter the risk.

…

And then, out of nowhere, the station takes another hit, sending the whole structure shuddering. Lois staggers, smelling smoke; something nearby is burning. Worse, she also feels a strong breeze, and a recorded voice announces a hull breach in tones far too calm for the situation.

The Martian's voice speaks in her mind. Everyone else is out. I cannot reach you—get to the escape pods, now.

Hanging on to the wall for support, she hurries to comply, thinking, I'm not that far, I have plenty of time, I'll be okay, J'onn.

J'onn misinterprets her attempt to reassure herself as a reply, and informs her, No, Lois, you must hurry. The hull breach is on the next level above you, and the fire is below. She knows that means the escaping atmosphere will draw the fire toward her, unless interior airlocks close - and if that happens, she might be stuck without access to an escape pod.

Swearing to herself, Lois does her best to run, but the floor seems to tilt at a strange angle. She makes it to the escape pods despite that—the facility had been overdesigned for safety, with escape pods at each level—and seals herself inside one. Pressing the button that will eject her into space, Lois tries to steady herself. From here all she has to do is fall toward Earth. The pod will protect her from the heat of reentry, and she'll land somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico. Its beacons will alert the Coast Guard to her location, and she'll be rescued within hours. Everything's going to be fine….

The pod has nearly cleared the station when it suddenly bucks and begins to spin. Startled and feeling cold in the pit of her belly, Lois finds herself swearing a blue streak to relieve the tension; some part of the station must have hit it. These pods are small, efficient, just space enough for one person. But it isn't feeling particularly stable at the moment, spinning in the vacuum of space. Her stomach starts to clench, Lois closing her eyes to minimize the effects. She isn't quite sure what just happened, beyond it not being good, until the screen in front of her begins beeping. Squinting her eyes open just a bit, she sees the bright red letters run across its surface.

HULL IMPACT … HULL DESTABILIZATION … HULL BREACH IMMINENT.

Of all the bastard luck… "No! Dammit, not now! Not like this! Fuck!" Lois snarls aloud in horrified fury and frustration. If the hull of the pod is breached, there will be no saving her situation. She'll either suffocate from lack of oxygen, or burn from the heat of reentry. Neither one will be a quick or easy death. But, honestly, is she even surprised? After all the gruesome fates she's avoided in the past, there's a terrible symmetry to it. Her Superman died the same; why should she expect different?

Lois keeps her eyes closed, trying to come to terms with it. And finds it so much harder to do than she was able to two days ago, when the League met to discuss this very fight. Why now, after she's finally been reminded of the light, the hope of the man she loved? The man she still loved, even more so as she lay in the arms of a man made in his own image. At least she'd been gifted that one night of healing, healing for them both … but, Lois can't help but think, what will it do to him to lose her twice?

…

There is no air in space to carry the sound waves of her racing heart or her despairing voice, but J'onn sees her plight. Unfortunately, he's currently fighting two of the invaders. One of the escape pods has been struck by debris. Lois Lane is aboard. He broadcasts the thought to anyone on his side of the battle, but he already knows who will respond.

Kal-El turns away from the battle, disabling two of his three opponents before flying after the falling pod. The next thing Lois knows, the spinning stops, and Kal-El's face appears in the tiny viewing pane. His mouth shapes words that seem counter-intuitive. Exhale, blow out all the air in your lungs. And close your eyes. Do it now.

…

Everything in her rebels when she realizes what he's asking her to do. This is going on blind faith in an even more extraordinary way than she ever has before. But there's only two choices at this point and of the two, only one really stands a chance of her seeing tomorrow. It's a narrow chance of success, but the two of them had regularly beaten the odds together. With that thought in mind, Lois reaches deep down to the steel in herself, taking a deep breath before grimly nodding. Anyone else would consider what they're trying as suicide, but trusting Superman is an intrinsic part of who she is, and they've managed miracles together. Lois does as he asked, and the moment her eyes slip closed again, the pod starts breaking apart around her.

For the barest instant, Lois is exposed to the utter frozen emptiness of space, and her mind is hysterically stuttering over the impossibility of what she's risking. It's a natural human reaction that she fights with all her considerable will. There is no way to fight or bluff her way out of this; it's no lie to say she has never been more terrified than in this instant. And then she's wrapped in his cape, inside the limits of his biofield, shielded from the inhospitable vastness as he hurtles them toward Earth. His warm lips are on her chilled ones; Kal-El breathes air into her mouth, very gently, sharing the oxygen he'd super-compressed and stored in his lungs for the fight.

Air is life and hope, and Lois takes it in gratefully. When he draws away just slightly, he murmurs against her mouth, "Are you okay? Just nod or shake your head, don't speak."

She nods, just slightly, curling her legs closer to him. It's a miracle in itself that his invulnerability can shield her, but she knows she has to stay very, very close for it to work. They've tried this theory before, but never in conditions this dire. Trying not to consider the logistics, Lois wraps her arms around him as tightly as she can, and tries not to waste the air by letting out a burst of terrified laughter. It is fine, they will be fine, she will be fine. He is here; he is light, he is hope, he is love. Those thoughts in mind, she lets her thoughts go silent, lets herself trust herself in his embrace.

How strange that she can let herself feel as safe as she ever has, with only a cape between herself and the void, with only belief to guide her, and in the arms of a man who, to be technical, she's only known for a day and a half.

She never even feels it when they enter Earth's atmosphere. There is only the sudden, reassuring rippling of his cape against her cheek and then the return of sound. Once she becomes aware of the flapping, knowing it for the wind and a return of oxygen, she lets out her held breath and breathes in deep. Alive. Impossibly alive and in the arms of this man who never fails to leave her in awe, no matter his homeworld. Once again, together, they have beaten the odds. In a moment she finds herself back on solid ground as Kal-El sets her down on the deck of the cruiser that is picking up the other pods. There's only time enough to catch his gaze before he is forced from her again by duty. "Stay safe," he says, his fingers brushing her cheek. "We're winning." Her lips barely have the time to mouth 'I love you' before he smiles and is gone, once again speeding away from her. But this time he leaves her with a smile on her lips and more hope in her heart than she'd ever dreamed possible coming into this battle.

…

It's hours later, after the war is finally won and all of the consequences thereof dealt with, when Kal-El is free to search for her. This is an instinctive urge, one that doesn't even require thought. Lois is what he needs to quiet the roar of battle in his mind, to soothe his conscience over the casualties he was unable to prevent. But she is not with the other evacuees, though the Coast Guard does tell him she was released with a clean bill of health. He can't find her with a scan of x-ray vision at the Daily Planet either, though her byline is on the front page. That means she's either with the League or the military.

His work is done for the day; hers has just begun. Kal-El decides to retire for the evening, but with the satellite gone he has no base of operations. On his world, after the satellite's destruction by Sinestro, the League's headquarters had been in Washington, DC. Assuming a parallel, he flies there first, only to find that this is one of the ways in which his universe and hers diverge.

Fortunately he returns to the site of the clean-up and catches up to Hal and Diana just as she's boarding her invisible plane. Those that have been fighting are being relieved by those that were forced to stay behind on Earth due to their particular power-set. Even now he can see Bart Allen making short work of his section in the background and smiles. "Does the League have a backup base?" he asks.

"In emergencies we share the Titans' facility," Hal tells him. Diana offers to give him a lift, but he refuses politely. All he needs are directions, and once landed at Titans Tower, he asks after Lois first.

"She hasn't gotten in. Don't look so worried; it's far from unusual for Lois. The military usually monopolizes her time for a while after something like this. I expect her later," Dinah tells him. She tilts her head and looks at him intensely. "You look pretty tired."

"I feel tired," he admits. Today's fight was a major drain on his powers. Sunlight would be good, but sleep would be even better.

Dinah's smile is warm as she gives him the keycode to a spare room. "Go get some rest. You've more than earned it. I'll let the Intrepid Reporter know you're looking for her. The day is won and we'll get you out of this madness and back home as soon as we possibly can."

But home is where Lois is, Kal-El thinks as he showers and moves tiredly toward the bed. He honestly expected to die today and had already made his peace with that knowledge. Now, though, everything is up in the air again, their stolen night potentially frozen in time and never to move forward. Like déjà vu all over again. He could have died with that one night to comfort him, but if he's to live, a single night isn't enough. Not when he believes that somewhere in the worlds there's a Lois who misses him as much as he misses her. He might be wrong, but he hopes last night meant as much to her as to him.

Still later, he wakes from sleep to the sound of her heart beating. For a moment he lies still, looking toward the doorway where Lois is silhouetted in light from the hall. Then she steps inside and closes the door behind her. In the dimness he can see she's wearing a silken robe, and her expression is turbulent, uncertain. Skittish as the proverbial cat. "When did the military finally let you go?" he asks softly.

She startles a little at his voice, raising her eyes to his, then chuckles. "So you are awake. I wasn't entirely sure. Dinah let me know you had come back and fallen out when you got in, but you were fine."

Her eyes trail over him, her vision not as good as his own, but she can see him well enough to meet his gaze from where she was leaning up against the closed door. "And as for the suits, yeah, they let me out a couple of hours ago now. I was closer to here than Metropolis, so I figured I'd snatch forty winks before heading home and see how you were, if you were back also. That, and, despite all of the trauma and drama, the Goddamn just had to have his debriefing tonight, too."

"Bruce is single-minded on certain topics," Kal-El replies, knowing immediately who she means. Bruce's stubbornness more than earned him the nicknamed 'The Goddamned Batman' from his own Lois, too.

He doesn't ask her what she's doing there, and Lois hesitates a little longer by the door. Finally she breaks the silence stretching between them, letting out a slow breath of what was likely annoyance with herself. "I … I couldn't sleep. Not without making sure you're okay. You never did sleep well after … something like this. You always seemed to need me there after, to distract you, to tell you it was bullshit when you hated yourself for being an instant too late. There were nightmares and self-recriminating guilt at the worst. I guess I had to know that you were okay."

They might've met yesterday, but she does know him so well, better than he knows her perhaps. And they've both fallen into the habit of referring to their own timeline's versions as if they were the same as the person in front of them. Kal-El reaches a hand out toward her. "Come here." After a second's pause, she does. He takes her hand and brings it to his lips, kissing her knuckles once, reverently. "Now I'm okay," he tells her, as he'd wished he could have done so many times.

Lois smiles tremulously, and strokes that errant curl back out of his face before she kisses his temple, the action full of what has to be complicated emotions. Her fingers gently continue downward to trace the lines of his face, his jaw. They both know the plan was to send him back to his own world, if he survived. Will this be the last time she's able to touch the face of the man she loves? Will this be the last time he looks upon his beloved?

Kal-El folds back the covers wordlessly, making a space for her. Lois pauses just a moment, searching his gaze before pulling off the robe to reveal a black satin slip, just as his Lois was prone to wear, and then lies down beside him as he draws the sheets up over her. As always, they fit together so much better than anyone would have guessed, her head on his chest, his arm around her shoulders, her arm across his waist. He kisses the top of her head as he holds her close.

Tonight, they're both too weary to do more than sleep, but in each other's arms they find the safe harbor both have missed for so long, and that is enough.

…

You say goodbye in the pouring rain
And I break down as you walk away.
Stay, stay.
'Cause all my life I felt this way
But I could never find the words to say
Stay, stay.

So you change your mind
And say you

're mine.
Don't leave tonight
Stay.

…

Later - so late that it has become early again - he wakes with Lois in his arms, and thinks for the first time in years that all is right with the world. Kal-El is rested now, but there's a low achy soreness in his body that demands sunlight, so he kisses her brow and carefully extricates himself from the bed without waking her. She still grumbles in her sleep as he leaves, and rolls over to snuggle into his spot, hugging his pillow. He smiles at her, and dresses, leaving quietly.

Dinah gives him a knowing smile, but makes no comment. He goes in search of Bruce, and finds the Batman poring over the after-action reports with Hal, and J'onn. Bruce looks up, those blue eyes sharp as ever, and says, "Good, I was about to come and find you. Get enough sleep?"

"Eventually," Kal-El replies evenly, and sees J'onn smile and stifle a laugh; Hal isn't quite successful, letting out a short bark of amusement. They probably think his comment is ribald, when he was only thinking of how his mind kept racing until Lois came to soothe him.

Bruce scowls, but it seems oddly halfhearted, as if he's glad to see Kal-El making wisecracks right back at him. He only says, "Glad to hear it. We're working on the equations to send you back, but it will take at least a few more hours. I hope that's not an inconvenience."

Suddenly, even his lungs cannot find air in the room. Kal-El feels a terrible shock; nothing in yesterday's battle struck him half as vital a blow as those simple words. He is not ready to hear that, not ready to think about what he wants to do. He came here expecting to die in this battle. He had never planned how to live after seeing Lois again. As he stands blinking in surprise, he notices J'onn and Hal looking at him with sympathy.

His mind flashes back to last night, the way Lois nestled into his arms. She felt so right there, so perfect. She fit with him the way she always had. Holding her, feeling her breath against his chest, her head tucked under his chin, smelling a faint trace of her shampoo, Kal-El finally began to forgive himself for not being brave enough to have a relationship with his Lois. For losing her, and stealing her memories of the brief time they did have.

He will not make a mistake like that again.

He looks Bruce squarely in the eyes, and says simply, "I'm not leaving."

Bruce seems taken aback, but recovers to reply, "This isn't your world, Clark. And she's not your Lois."

"Damn," Hal mutters, looking askance at him.

"She doesn't have to be my Lois. She just has to be Lois, and she is," Kal-El replies, and it rings true to the deepest parts of his soul.

"As familiar as she seems, you have just met this Lois," J'onn councils.

Bruce adds, "Your memories are softened by time. This Lois is almost fifteen years younger than you, and still very much a spitfire."

"You would know," Kal-El says mildly. Bruce's eyebrows shoot up beneath the cowl. "It doesn't matter that I just met her. What matters is that my world doesn't need me anymore. I haven't been an active hero there for years. This one still has a place for me. Home is the place where you belong, and I belong here. With all of you, and with a Lois who understands what it's like to lose what's most precious to you."

"That's a pretty compelling argument," Hal says.

"It doesn't change the circumstances," Bruce says gruffly.

Kal-El smiles. "Speaking of compelling, how exactly would you go about making me leave, if I don't agree to go?"

Before Bruce can even form a response, they are interrupted by a brisk knock at the door, which opens before any of them call out a greeting of any sort. Closing the door behind her, Lois stands there watching the three of them with annoyed contempt, dressed in a pinstriped suit dress and in full mental armor. "Ah, so the usual suspects have dragged you out of bed," she drawls, moving forward with her eyes pinned solely on Bruce. "After all the man has done for us, you couldn't even let him sleep in a few more hours?"

Hal takes a half step backward, getting out of her way; Bruce stands firm, but Kal-El notices that J'onn is smiling. Still, he can't let Bruce take the brunt of her anger for something he hasn't, for once, actually done. "It wasn't their fault, Lois. I always wake up early. And I needed to get some sun anyway."

Making her way forward, again heading directly at Bruce. As she passes him, Lois shoots Kal-El an affectionate smile, placing a small hand on his chest as she looks up at him. "You go and bathe. I have this lot. Stay up at least a couple of hours; you should have gone last night. You need a fill up after all you burned yesterday."

He smiles down at her, ready to take her advice, but it would be cruel to leave Bruce to her wrath. Before he can say anything, Hal says in tones of surprise, "Oh, so that already happened? Wow. I'm impressed."

The stare she levels at Hal could freeze the hottest lava. "I meant that whole battle yesterday all of you could've died in, but yeah, Hal, that happened already. In the hours before the fight. Anything else you want to know?" Lois snaps unhappily. "Do I ask you how quickly you and Carol tumble into bed after a fight, date a while, then split before wash, rinse, repeat the next time there's another big bad that wants to murder us out of existence? Bruce, do I corner you over the excessive amount of women that have been in and out of your bed since you lost Selina? And don't even try to tell me it's to further your cover. No one wants to say it, but it's fact. Other than J'onn, none of you have a right to say a word."

"Lois," Bruce chides, but she glares at him, daring him to say more.

"That's beside the point," Kal-El says, and can't help the fond smile he gives Lois. His memories are not softened, they remain as achingly clear as ever, and all the Loises in all the worlds are always witty, ready with a barbed retort for any insult. "This is about more than just the two of us. Or was I wrong yesterday, when it seemed all of you were glad to have me fighting at your side?"

"You were not wrong," J'onn tells him. "But we do not know what the consequences may be, of keeping you here."

At those words, Lois turns back to him, trading a look of bristling disdain at the other men for a wide-eyed look of curiosity. She tilts her head a little, her brow furrowing lightly. He sees her open her mouth, consider briefly, then finally come out with, "You're thinking about staying? Like, for good?"

And for the first time since he arrived here, he knows true fear. What if she has come to a very different conclusion? What if she was glad of last night's comfort and the previous night's connection, but did so only because she knew he would be leaving? What if Lois doesn't want to untangle her grief for her husband from her reaction to him? Still, he is Superman, she named him so, and he cannot show cowardice. "Yes. This world feels more like home to me than my own. But if you feel otherwise, Lois, please let me know. I would never try to crowd you."

"So much for it not being about her," Bruce observes, under his breath.

Those hazel eyes pin Bruce again, that look that he remembered quite well as preparatory to a brutal dressing-down, before taking a brief glance at the others. "It's not just about me, Bruce. Think about it. How many times could you have used Clark's help over the years, how many battles like this that we just barely eked through? If he's willing to stay, if he's certain he won't feel like he's abandoning his own timeline, I would take the chance. The world will always need a Superman as much as it needs the rest of us."

Her eyes turn back to him then, hesitant but full of that longing and wonder that he's missed for so long. Again, that tilt of her head, trying to read his expression, to see what he's really feeling underneath the offer. "But, Kal-El, are you sure? There may be no way to go back after this. We can't be sure that we'd get it right a second time after too long. There has to be something there for you." She smiles softly, those hazel eyes so gentle after the wrathful fire only moments ago. "Don't give up your home for me," she murmurs, her voice low. "I'm not worth that kind of sacrifice, love."

"It isn't home for me, without you," he tells her. Only the truth, but he can see how it widens her eyes. "I'm not needed there. I retired years ago; Kon is the one who answers when the world calls for Superman. There are other heroes who took up the banner. This world feels like home, like there's a place for me here just waiting for me to step into it. Not just because of you … but I have to tell you, if it was a sacrifice, you'd be worth it. You would always be worth it, Lois."

Up until that moment, he had known Lois was trying to keep her emotional weather under wraps, hiding it in as much professionalism as she could manage. It was always her way where feelings were concerned around others, the veneer of snark and nonchalance, the jaded reporter who had seen everything. This Lois, at the very age he had lost her in his world, had been through enough up until now that it was mostly no longer a façade, but reality. But that reality was currently tearing up, the hopeful yearning in her eyes enough to stop even his breath.

Without looking away, Lois calls back over her shoulder, "Hal, you worked out the pros and cons before we brought him here. Will letting him stay warp the timeline badly, cause any holes? And don't bullshit me. You were the one that warned us about his bringing me back to life causing that one tear, the way he turned back time. Will his staying here or my going with him be catastrophic? I know you know. Or get Wally to find out."

"Um…" Hal begins, glancing at Bruce.

Interestingly, the Batman seems tongue-tied for once. It's J'onn who finally speaks. "I believe this has gone on long enough. Bruce, he is clearly making his choice, and for more than selfish reasons. She is just as clearly willing to have him stay."

At that, finally, Bruce sighs. "Very well. Don't blame me for wanting to be sure. Go ahead, Hal."

The Lantern pauses, looking at him shrewdly. "Wait, I know planning for everything is your whole schtick, but did you really see this one coming? And then tell me not to tell them on purpose?"

"I wouldn't give them hope if they didn't find their way to each other on their own," Bruce says, his voice sharp. "I wouldn't try to force something like that. In a thousand worlds, in a thousand ways, they are together. That's destiny. You don't disturb it lightly. And none of us is qualified to play God."

All of this seems like an elaborate charade, as if everyone else is playing a guessing game and Kal-El missed the first three clues. He begins to grow frustrated, wishing for some straightforward clarity. Glancing at Lois, he sees that she is just as confused and annoyed as he is. "Bruce, I know you've always been cryptic, but it's just as tiresome in my world as it is here. I would really appreciate it if someone would clue me in," Kal-El says. Even as he says it, he hears Lois snort in aggravated amusement.

Hal turns back to him. "There's just enough … quantum wiggle-room, I guess, to keep you here. And it's odd for there to be just enough. But someone had a whole speech about how we didn't know if you would even want to be here, and it was cruel to ask you to stay when our Lois is alive and you had mourned yours. All of which was apparently just smoke and mirrors, as usual."

"We knew you could stay," J'onn clarifies. "But we also knew it was not our place to ask you, if you did not decide of your own will. You are the kind of man who would stay if he felt needed, even if he missed his home."

Lois crosses her arms then before she goes back to glaring a hole in Bruce. "And the Goddamn Batman is also overprotective to a fault. This wasn't all about the logistics; not with it being played like that. I'm a grown woman, Bruce, as you very well know. You could have trusted me with this."

"I know," he says, with unusual kindness. "Sometimes hope is worse than grief. I remember how you were, after losing him. I wouldn't let you think he could stay if there was any chance of breaking your heart again. We may not be together any more, but I still care more about you than that."

Kal-El heaves a sigh. "We might not be together any more, but I found that just as irritating as Lois does. You are not the only person in the world who can suffer, Bruce. It's always better to be honest, than to manipulate your friends."

Hal's eyebrows go up, and he looks as if he's planning to make a lot of remarks at Bruce's expense in the near future. To Bruce's credit, he seems unfazed. "I chose differently. That said, I'm glad you both proved me wrong."

Lois doesn't quite seem satisfied with that, her eyes on him no longer full of fire, though her arms remain crossed and scowling a bit. But her voice is a sigh of affection and frustration when she finally speaks. "You, sir, are an irrepressible know-it-all asshole who needs to get more in touch with your repressed emotions. And thank you. And I love you, too. Be glad I don't have anything to throw at you."

"Nice to know we sorted that out," Hal chuckles.

Kal-El just sighs. "That settles it, I suppose. I'm staying. No further objections from any quarter?"

"None at all," J'onn says warmly. "Welcome home, Clark."

Lois turns to him now, beams up at him for the first time with that mega-watt, million-dollar smile of hers only softened by the relief he sees in her eyes. Any lingering thought that she would resent his staying vanishes in an instant. "We need you. I need you. And I think I'll finally stick with Kal-El out loud this time," she says softly, reaching up to touch his chin. "You get to decide what you want, but we need to come up with our story on it. People know our Superman's been gone. It doesn't have to be a secret if we don't want it to be. But there's other ways we can…"

"We'll figure it out," he assures her, and tucks a lock of hair behind her ear, letting his hand cup her cheek. Soft, and warm, and alive under his touch, the way he never dared to hope he would see her again. Quietly, he continues, "There are a lot of things we need to figure out. But for right now … I need you, too. And I need some sunlight. Fly with me?"

Oh, her expression at that. Again, that heartbreaking look of longing, looking up at him as if she couldn't quite believe he was here. Her smile grows even softer. "You really do. You really should have before you came in last night, you stubborn man."

Lois looks over at the others then, with effort. The magnetism between them is back in full force, both of them all too aware of it. "If you don't mind, everyone, I'm stepping out for a bit. We'll update you later tonight of what we've come up with, all right?"

"Of course," Hal says, with a bright grin. J'onn nods just as happily, and to Kal-El's surprise, even Bruce smiles. It's just as well, because if they did object, he certainly wouldn't listen.

He places his hands on Lois' waist, and says affectionately, "Up, up, and away?"

Her eyes close at that, but he sees her wistful smile. So much of the same history, and yet so different. That he has the strength to soothe her even as he wakes emotions in her that have been long dormant touches his heart in the deepest way. "Always," she replies, leaning into him slightly.

…

So you change your mind

And say you're mine

Don't leave tonight

Stay

Say goodbye in the pouring rain

And I break down as you walk away

Stay, stay

'Cause all my life, I felt this way

But I could never find the words to say

Stay, stay

Stay with me…