Confrontations

"Yes, Mom… I appreciate the loan and I will pay you back once I get paid on Friday… Well, at least you'll have it to lend me the next time I need it… Oh Mama, you know I would never sass you… Uh-huh… Uh-huh… Right… You want to talk to Jackson before you go? Jackson? Grammy is on the phone." Alana waited until her son picked up to hang up and finish the dishes. It had been a shock when the electric bill came out of her bank account a day early. She'd been worried about groceries and dinner for tonight because she didn't get paid until tomorrow. Mom and Dad to the rescue. This wasn't the first time she'd had to rely on her parents; she hated it. She couldn't wait to finish her residency so that money wouldn't be so tight all the time.

"Two more months… Two more months…" she chanted to herself as she finished her chores. She already had a job lined up after her residency was finished. Her goal was to move her parents and son to one big house a little away from the inner city of Metropolis. Sure, the commute would be murder, but it would be worth it to give her son more space to roam. She had the feeling that he was feeling cramped in this little apartment, though the boy would never mention it. He was more secretive as of late. She wasn't sure if she should attribute it to normal teenage secrecy or if it was something else entirely. She shrugged and put the towel away, resolved to continue what she was doing: keep the lines of communication open, love him unconditionally, and wait for him to come to her. Patience wasn't one of her most abundant qualities, but for Action Jackson, she could muster it in spades.

Her eyes narrowed when she heard the knock on the door. Her parents were home and Gloria had a date tonight. In fact, it was supposed to be a double date. Nicholas Lyons had asked her out yet again and this time she'd been tricked into saying yes by her best friend, who was bringing one of her boy toys to help her since it was her first date ever. Actually, she was already in her clothes for the date. Had Gloria followed through with her threat to do her hair and makeup for her? The last month since Spring Break had been so stressful, but she no longer felt stuck in the past. She was finally, finally ready to move past Clark Kent and get on with her life.

"Alright, you win," Alana sighed gustily, crossing to the door angrily. "But I am perfectly capable of applying my own makeup and hair for my date! And it's too early to get all dolled up just to sit around and-" She threw open the door, fully expecting her best friend to be standing behind it, makeup case in hand and a mischievous smile on her face. Instead, her words died in her throat as she was treated to the sight of Lois and Clark Kent standing in her doorway. Her first instinct was to close the door and pretend like they weren't there and that her carefully constructed life wasn't about to implode on her. Clark braced his hand on the door as she unconsciously started doing just that. The two just stared at each other for a long time. The only sound in the apartment was the sound of Jackson finishing up his conversation with his grandmother. Clark was even more handsome than he was on TV. He was everything she'd ever wanted for a long, long time. But thankfully, she didn't feel that unstoppable gravity towards him that she did all those years ago. Huh.

"You are a hard woman to track down," Lois said forcefully to break the spell.

"Why would you need t-to track me down?" Alana stuttered, switching her shocked gaze to her other unwanted guest.

"Because your son punched my husband in the face last month," the new reporter said matter of factly.

"What?" the mother gasped. "That wasn't… That couldn't be-"

"It was," Clark told her, those brilliant blue eyes of his still drilling into her. "I caught him when he did it. I'm very glad he hasn't-" The man stopped mid-sentence to intercept the fist aimed at his head. The boy was growling and had rushed past his mother to attack the object of his hatred. Clark, having seen the boy coming this time, grabbed his fists. The two stood that way for a few seconds before Alana made the appropriate mental connections and pushed the two apart, a hand on each of their chests.

"STOP IT," she said in a commanding tone no one in her apartment had ever heard from her. "This is not supposed to be happening… Jackson, go to your room. Now."

"But Mom," the boy protested.

"No," she said, glaring at her son. "You will get your say. I promise. But you attacked first. That makes you the bad guy here. And I can't deal with both of you at once; not like this. So, you will go to your room until I call for you." The boy looked mutinous. His luminous green eyes, eyes so like hers, turned red for a moment, but he went to his room as instructed. Only once he was gone did the woman remember to take her hand off of Clark. "He has powers…. He has POWERS! He's not supposed to have powers yet. I didn't manifest until-" She slapped a hand over her mouth, remembering her audience.

"When did your powers first show up?" Clark asked gently.

"I was fourteen," she finally admitted in defeat. "I was really sick for about a - damn! I should have realized. He's never been sick before, not like that. I thought I had more time."

"Apparently boys mature faster than girls in this instance. I got my powers when I was twelve too."

"Come on in," Alana sighed. "This is not a conversation to be had in the hallway with my nosy neighbors." She led her guests into her living room and the Kents took a look at the almost unnaturally clean space. There were pictures of Jackson all over the walls. Some of the pictures had her in them too, but most were of the handsome boy. Clark took a minute to just look at the smiling boy in the pictures. Apparently, he was a very athletic boy, soccer and football being his sports of choice. He seemed to be a happy, well-adjusted kid. And his mother…

Gone was the gawky, coltish girl he'd pitied. In her place was a goddess, with supple limbs and a slender figure women would kill for. Those deep green eyes could destroy a man, set in a lovely heart-shaped face that commanded respect. She had MILF or dominatrix written all over her. She didn't carry herself like an arrogant goddess though. He wondered what she saw when she looked in the mirror. And what was this about a date? Jealousy consumed him for a moment before he remembered that he had no right - he was married to another woman.

"I'd offer you refreshments, but I have a feeling that would only prolong this unpleasantness." She sat on a chair gingerly, then seemed to think better of it and stood instead. Lois was squared off against her belligerently, glaring daggers at her. Opting to be the bigger person, she ignored the death glare and set a defensive stance, ready to attack or retreat as needed.

"Why didn't you ever tell me that I had a son, Alana?"

"You're the one who insisted on no contact under any circumstances, remember?"

"But pregnancy-"

"Is a circumstance. My circumstance. And none of your business according to our agreement. Why are you here, Clark?"

"Alana… I never meant-"

"Yes, you did. You did everything but put a bag over my head during our pity fuck. You should leave. You don't belong here."

"Alana, he's my son! I have every right to be here. I have rights."

"Are you planning to leave your wife and marry me for the sake of our child?" The look of horror on both of their faces was all the answer she needed. "Good. 'Cause I wouldn't have you. I'm sorry that my son punched you in the face. I'm sorry that I was unable to prevent him from hating you so much. Hell, I never intended for him to hate you at all. Now that you've brought the situation to my attention, we will have a talk about it and I will see to it that this unfortunate situation does not occur again. Have a nice life." As if to prove that the conversation was over, she walked to the front door and swung it open. Her friend and their dates were on the other side of the door, along with her neighbor who'd agreed to babysit for her, all poised to knock. Feeling once more that her worlds were colliding, she groaned and buried her face in her hands in her agitation.

"I'm so sorry guys. These two were just leaving, but-"

"We're not going anywhere," Lois said belligerently, crossing her arms and setting her own stance. Clark had that 'kicked puppy' look on his face that she couldn't stand. He wanted to be a part of his son's life so badly. The newcomers were staring at her and her husband in awe and it was kinda disconcerting. It was only a matter of time before…

"Is that…"

"I'm going to have to deal with this unfortunate situation tonight. So I'm going to have to take a rain check for dinner and dancing. I won't need you to watch Jackson tonight, Mrs. Esperanto, thank you so much for coming. I'll call you later, Gloria." Before the harlot could close the door on her new guests, one of the males in the doorway walked up to her.

"I'm going to hold you to that raincheck, Doc," he said, staring at the harlot intently. Alana looked flustered but pleased, damn her. Lois' eyes narrowed in fury. Some hussy who slept with her man didn't have a right to look so innocently abashed. "You look lovely, by the way."

"I n-never got the chance to finish getting ready," Alana tried to deflect the compliment, feeling a full-body flush coming on. Nicholas always had that effect on her. It was weird to have him flatter her in front of her old crush though. "I wasn't-" He stopped her nervous explanation with a wonderfully callused finger to her lips.

"You look lovely," he told her firmly. "I shall hold your image in my head and look forward to an even more exquisite vision when we go on our date." The woman giggled, pushing some loose strands of hair behind her burning ears. He took hold of her hands and stepped even closer. "Until then," he said, kissing one of her hands while looking deep into her eyes. Shocked green orbs stared back at him, but he didn't seem to mind, stepping back with a courtly bow. "Are introductions in order before we take our leave?"

"What? Oh," she seemed to come back to herself. "Um… Jackson," she called for her son, sounding calmer. "These are the Kents. This is Nicholas Lyons. And this," she motioned for her son to join her in the doorway, "this is my son, Action Jackson."

"Your mother talks of little else besides you. She loves you so much," Nicholas told the boy. Action looked at his mother in shock and she smiled fondly at him before turning her attention back to her suitor.

"Well, we'll leave you to your business," the charming man said. "I look forward to spending more time with both of you. Until then…" he grabbed her hand and kissed it again.

"G-g-goodnight," she shivered at the look in his pale brown eyes, warmed through and through by his behavior in front of strangers. She closed the door on her friends softly. "What do you think?" she asked her son.

"How long has he been around?" the boy said protectively.

"Nick's been pursuing… He's been in my… I've known him for about a decade," she finished lamely, still grinning like a madwoman at his attention to her. He alway left her feeling so… cherished. It was nice… She rubbed the back of her hand where he'd kissed it. "Hm?"

"I asked if he's in school with you?" She nodded, not trusting her voice.

"Do you really talk about me?"

"Of course," she grinned, feeling her blush decreasing with the change of topic. "You are my favorite topic of conversation, baby boy." Not wanting to embarrass him, she pulled him into an affectionate headlock. He let her, pleased with her happiness.

The young mother caught the dark look on Lois' face and groaned. "What?"

"Ensnaring another innocent man?" she asked snidely. Alana gave her an incredulous look before answering

"I never ensnared Clark. If I had, you two wouldn't be happily married. As for Nicholas-"

"You slept with my husband behind my back. That's a pretty slutty thing to do." The reporter's eyes widened in fear as the pre-teen made as if to attack her. Alana held him back.

"Use your words, Jackson. Or you can go back to your room." She waited for the boy to calm down and nod before addressing her opponent. "It was one time in a drunken stupor thirteen years ago. You were committed but not married. I'd loved him my whole life. Don't you think you're being a bit over-the-top right now? If I hadn't ended up pregnant despite the condom, you never would have known."

It galled her how true that was. "I'm surprised you even bothered with condoms."

"Your husband loves you. He loved you completely even when you two were dating. And I respected that enough that we both insisted on a condom."

"Just not enough to leave my man alone completely."

"Just not enough to leave him alone completely. It was one night and it was only ever going to be one night. How many years have you been married? And if I recall correctly you two weren't exactly celebrate up until that point either. So, back off." Lois blushed hard at that observation in front of a child.

"How long until you get your bachelor's degree, Alana?" Clark asked, trying to change the subject. The woman looked at him strangely.

"My Bachelor's degree?"

"Yeah, that's what you went back to school for, right? What's your major?" Alana looked at him in annoyance.

"I got my Bachelor's degree in pre-med nine years ago. I never left school. I'm in my final year of residency. In two months I will be an Orthopedic Surgeon, the youngest to ever come out of my program."

"But… You had my baby," Clark said in a voice soaked in shock.

"I'm rather famous around campus. I stayed in the exam room for two hours after my water broke just to finish my last midterm that second semester. I refused to fall behind. Jackson has been with me literally every step of the way. Everyone else has just had to fall in line. I am quite literally known as Supermom in some circles." Silence reigned in the room as the others stared at her in awe.

"Wow, Alana. I… wouldn't have guessed that."

"Well, you're a bit of an overachiever too. Being a world-famous investigative journalist married to a world-famous investigative journalist. I'm sure that your awards are prominently displayed in your condo."

"Where are yours?"

"I have my degrees. Jackson is more important to me." She smiled at her son happily. Clark watched this small interaction enviously.

"Alana I never wanted to be a deadbeat dad."

"You're not a deadbeat dad. I made the call to keep this from you. You just found out about this a month ago. You have no obligation to us. We're getting along just fine without you." The man's vibrant blue eyes narrowed.

"Still, I am a father, and I…" He pulled out his wallet and it was Alana's turn to have to be held back from attacking one of her guests by her son.

"Flash your cash here and I will rearrange your teeth, Clark Kent. As I mentioned the night I conceived, I am not a prostitute. Nor am I a booty call." She said this with such disdain that the man immediately put his cash away, ignoring his wife's insulted look on her rival's behalf.

"And you wonder why I hate him," Jackson muttered, still glaring daggers at the man.

"I do wonder that, actually," Clark said indignantly. "You already know that I didn't know you existed all these years. Your mother never told me. I'm here, I'm offering to be a part of your life, and I've even offered financial support. Yet you treat me like your archenemy. I'd like to know why. I didn't force your mom to be a single parent. If anything, you should resent her for leaving me in the dark about our connection." Out of the corner of his eye he could see Alana nodding in agreement.

Jackson visibly restrained himself from attacking, knowing that he would only be sent to his room if he attacked the idiot now. He fought for calm. The one time in his life that he needed to be clear and concise about his feelings and he was drowning in rage! Taking a deep breath and summoning maturity way beyond his years, he finally spoke.

"You think I'm mad at you for missing my childhood? My mom is the best mom in the world. I never felt like I was lacking for anything growing up. No, I hate you because you led her on!" Clark blinked at that and he had to once again call on his mother's calm and patience to explain. "You knew you didn't want her. I've heard the stories. All those years, you knew that Ms. Lois was your destiny. But you did nothing to discourage my mom. You let her hope that you would change your mind and choose her. You even slept with her! That was the cruelest thing you could have done to her. It left her broken for years. She didn't deserve that."

"Jackson…" his mom whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek. He hated hurting her, but he couldn't stop now.

"If you couldn't give her your heart - if you couldn't give her the love she deserved, then you should have left well enough alone! Mom's a great catch. I can tell by the way you keep looking at her tonight that you know it too. She deserves better than some loser playing games with her heart. We don't want you here. Mom's life is finally getting back on track. We don't want you here confusing her and trying to convince her that she's worth less than she is. Just leave. I won't attack you ever again if you just leave us - leave her - alone!"

"You understand that if I hadn't slept with your mom, you wouldn't exist, right?"

"Better that than her pain all these years," the boy retorted furiously. "She can finally look at me without seeing you and-"

"That's enough, Jackson," Alana said, wiping her eyes as she took control of the conversation.

"But Mom-"

"I promised that you would have your say and you have. We obviously have a lot to talk about. Later." Turning to her unwanted guests, the thirty-one-year-old sniffled before once again addressing the couple.

"Your son has made his position clear on this. I believe I have too. We don't want your money. Your presence is not required in your son's life. Just leave. Go back to living like you don't have a son. I won't sue you for back child support. I don't want anything from you. Just leave."

Clark stared at the mother of his child in disbelief. "Alana…"

"It's okay," she said reassuringly. "Just go." With that, the Kents had no choice but to leave.

Once they were gone, she turned to her son. "Action, I need you to know that I have never regretted you. Not for a second."

"I know that, Mom," he grinned. "But sometimes I feel like you regret our life, like when you have to borrow money from Grammy and Grumps." Alana huffed a laugh at the boy's name for her father, who was actually quite a cheerful man.

"We'll be rolling in money once I graduate, love," she reassured her son with a hug. She held him tight when he pulled away. "I take it that I don't have to warn you off of attacking your father now that you've given your word."

"Yes, Mom," he said petulantly.

"And the fact that you inherited Superman's powers is not worthy of note."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Mom. I just… I didn't know how."

"Well, I didn't know how to tell Grammy and Grumps either, so I'll let that one slide."

"You have powers?"

Alana smirked at her son. "How do you think I keep this place so clean as a full-time student and full-time mother? It's a constant battle against entropy. Anyway, don't change the subject. Your father's presence here tonight is the direct result of your actions. You did not want him here. So, what conclusions can you draw about your actions, Action Jackson?"

Recognizing his mother's preferred method of teaching, he sighed heavily. "I should not have punched him. If I'd left well enough alone, he wouldn't have come here tonight. But Mom, he acts like he's so perfect, I couldn't help it!"

"Something you're going to have to learn very quickly - especially now that you have powers - is that you can and must 'help it'. Clark can take your tantrums, the rest of the human race can't. I could snap Lois Kent in half like a pencil, but you don't see me doing it. Your life is going to be about restraint from now on. Especially since you like full-contact sports."

"Alright, fine! But Mom? Can I see your powers?" The woman huffed another laugh and rose off the floor, hovering six inches over her son. "How are you doing that? I can't do anything but fly or fall yet. How are you floating?"

"Restraint, my love. Now," she said forcefully as she came down to earth, "have you finished your homework?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Clothes laid out for school tomorrow?"

"Yes, Mom."

"You want to watch a movie with me before bed?"

"I thought you had that report to finish by tomorrow?"

"Already finished it. I was supposed to be on a date tonight, remember?" She laughed as he turned on Netflix to select something to watch. Movie Night was rare in their home, what with the twenty-four-hour shifts and studying in between. But she'd be damned if she let her precious son believe that she didn't have time for him.

I was curious to see how this would work out for poor Alana. See ya next week! :D