Chapter 11: Immortal

"The stars shall fade away, the sun himself grow dim with age, and nature sink in years, but thou shalt flourish in immortal youth, unhurt amidst the wars of elements, the wrecks of matter, and the crush of worlds." – Joseph Addison

Fortress of Solitude, Arctic

Superman returned to the Fortress quickly changing back into his human identity. He already felt his wife awaken hours earlier and felt guilty he couldn't be here when she did. When Bruce notified him of her status and the joyful look in his son's face when she awoke, it was enough to suppress his regret.

"How is she Bruce?" he asked as he approached his long-time friend.

"To be perfectly honest, it's really her," he admitted finally. "I didn't want to believe it, but that's really your wife in that room"

He had already known that it was the moment he felt her heartbeat. "I'm nervous," Clark confessed. It's been so long and now that she's finally within his grasp, he's at a loss for words and movement.

"That's ridiculous," Bruce sneered. "You should've seen Johnny in there, ever since she woke up it's been Christmas morning for him." The image of his Godson so happy brought a smile to his face.

It was that thought that brightened Clark up and helped clear his nerves. After a few moments of careful deliberation, he stepped forward only to suddenly step back. He slumps his shoulders in defeat and retreated across the Fortress, pacing back and forth from the same location.

After a couple of minutes, "You're driving me crazy, you realize that don't you," Bruce uttered before him.

"I'm sorry; I'm just a little…"

"Nervous," Bruce finished for him. "Yeah, I get that." He walked up to him like he has so many other times before whenever he was in doubt, Lois was always better at this than he was.

"Half of you is lying in that room," Bruce pointed out to her direction. "Best you get yourself over there before the world decides to separate the two of you for another twelve years"

Clark took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Thanks," he replied gratefully.

"Anytime"

Lois's Room, FOS

At last, Clark walked into her room and the image before him warmed his heart. Their son, Jonathan Lane Kent was snuggled next to his sleeping mother. They looked so peaceful. So serene. Like the world was put right somehow.

As he stepped closer, her eyes fluttered open and when it did, Clark felt like he was free-falling.

"Hi," she mouthed silently to him. Seeing him in the flesh made her just as nervous as he was. It's been so long.

Clark held back a big smile and silently returned her 'hi' with a 'hi' of his own. He walked up to them and pulled the chair his son had used several hours earlier and set it besides the bed. Regardless of the fact that their son is now twenty years old, next to his mother, he looked like a little boy.

Clark even went as far as contemplating the idea of carrying him off the bed so he could speak with Lois by himself, but then he quickly quenched the concept in fear of being on the receiving end of his son's wrath.

"How do you feel?" he managed to finally say in a whisper. Seeing her eyes stare into his own was making him lightheaded, it overwhelmed him even.

She takes a sideways glance at their sleeping son. "Better," she says her face smiling. "You did good," she adds when a sudden chuckle was expressed from their child.

He wasn't as asleep as they both thought.

Johnny awoke only a few seconds after his parent's initial greeting. He peeks one eye over to his dad who was looking at him with a sly grin.

Lois saw the exchange and was slightly amused and overly curious.

"I'm missing something." She saw it coming a mile a way, and even though she was saddened that she missed twelve years of her family's life, she was just thankful they were together again.

"It's nothing," Johnny waved off, but his mother was not as dismissive. "I'll leave you two to talk a bit, catch up." He smirked widely getting off the bed.

As she watched him walk out, she looked at her husband truly for the first time in so many years before saying… "Explain"

"Later," he quickly replied reaching across the bed and enveloping her in a long overdue kiss. He missed her so much, and judging by his wife's own response to him, she missed him too.

After several moments, they finally broke apart, slightly gasping for air.

"I should disappear more often," she remarked in jest.

His brow furrowed. "Don't even joke about that," he replied seriously, cupping her face with his hands.

Lois immediately took back her words. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean it to come out like that"

Clark pulled her in once more, kissing her, holding her, never ever wanting to let her go. "I almost stopped believing," he whispered in her ear as he held her lovingly. He could do this forever.

"There were times I did too," she replied emotionally. These past several years has been one act of survival after another, and in truth, she wanted to quickly put it behind her.

"Normally, I'd barrage you with questions but right now I just want to hold you, so I'm just going to go ahead and cling to you, okay"

"I completely condone the action." His calm voice and warm embrace was a welcoming presence. There were endless moments of situations drowning her in weakness, so she relished the love and safety her husband shared with her, and that seemed to only grow strong with time even though they have been separated for so many years.

"I love you," she expressed softly, half-expecting not to hear anything in return.

But he did return her love, and it made the moment entirely real to her.

"I love you so much, Lois," he began to cry. Years of emotional seclusion breaking its way through the closed wall he's built inside himself. "We've got a lot to catch up on," he continues softly.

She held onto him tighter.

"Just hold me Clark, and don't let me go," she too cried in his arms.

"I'll never let you go"

A Week Later

They were still staying in the Fortress, adjusting back into a life that has long moved on without you can be overwhelming, but to Lois, she merely reacted to it indifferently. To her, all that mattered was her husband and son. Everything else was of insignificance.

They kept her return quiet for now. Not even Clark's parents knew. I guess it's a way of preparing herself once they all do know that she's very much alive and well. Last thing they wanted was media attention and exploitation.

Bruce headed back to Gotham to do some errands while the reunited family spent the next few days talking, Clark growing happier by the day.

Later that week, Lois was extremely upset upon learning of the lack of relationship her husband and her son shared prior to her reappearance, but was pleased that they began making strides to a better relationship.

It was evident that love isn't what they lacked; it was communication, which surprised her most because she and Clark communicated like no other. Communication was something Clark grew up with on the Kent Farm, whereas Lois sort of just grew into it.

And then there's Jonathan…

Now that's a name that always brings a smile to her face. She knew naming him after PaKent would be good luck. She has learned so much about him. He's an athlete and an academic, which she no doubt inherited from his father, and attending Harvard University on a full Academic Scholarship.

This boy, this young man is a part of her and Clark. She was more than just proud of him, she was awestruck.

And then there's that part about Jonathan's emerging abilities. That surprised her above all else. After nine years of no abilities, she actually believed that he was born into the world like any human child. Normalcy is a term they hardly used anymore because seriously, who needs normal.

His super speed made its presence known shortly after her arrival, so once she returns to Metropolis, Johnny could travel back and forth from Boston in a matter of minutes. It felt nice, to see how taken he is of her. She regretted deeply how she couldn't be there for him as he grew up.

She was going to try like hell to make up for it in the present and future.

Kent Estate, Metropolis

"How's Lois?" Bruce stopped by the Kent Estate to pay a visit to his close friends and family. It's been three weeks now since they found her.

Clark smiled. "She's doing all right. She hardly leaves the house though," he x-rayed upstairs and noted his wife's presence.

"Has she talked about it yet?"

He shook his head dejectedly. "I don't think she ever wants to talk about it. The nightmares aren't going away, and whenever she wakes up, she avoids it." He brushed a hand threw his hair. "I feel completely helpless"

"Give her time"

"I'll give her all the time she needs, but it'd be nice to have a little reassurance"

"Then ask her"

"I don't know how." Clark sighs. "What if it means bringing up bad memories?"

"You'll never know until you try"

Courthouse, Boston

Jonathan Lane Kent had just won his first case on his own after the lead defense attorney couldn't make it due to his wife going into labor just ten minutes before the court session started. He had no choice but to jump in with the aid of his professor, who approached the judge and expressed confidence in his abilities.

After shaking every person's hand that reached out to him, Johnny looked up to see a familiar face. He stood still, subconsciously shaking people's hands when he starts to move away from them and towards the person in his line of sight.

He breaks out into a sprint and rushes to her with a big smile on his face.

"Mom!" Johnny called out. "What are you doing here?" He was going to run back to Metropolis later in the evening to spend the weekend with his parents.

She shrugged. "Wanted to see what all the commotion was about. Congratulations, you're becoming a force to be reckoned with," she praised having seen his performance.

Jonathan nodded embarrassingly.

"I see that instant gratification is not your forte," she observes knowingly.

"Not really." He hugs her. "I'm glad you're here"

She returned his hug gladly. "I'm glad to be here, too. I had to pull your father's arm to fly me over, I'm relieved I still got the touch," she smiled thoughtfully.

Johnny chuckles, his mother's sense of humor never gets old, but then he notices her faraway look.

"Are you okay, mom?"

"What?" She shook her mind away form her thoughts. "Yeah, of course"

"Are you sure?" Johnny pressed.

She nodded assuring him. "I'm sure"

"You're lying"

"Johnny"

"Mom, please. You don't talk about it, how can we help you if you don't talk about it?"

"I'm just sorting through my thoughts, that's all"

"We can help"

"I know you can"

"So why don't you let us. Dad's worried about you, and so do I"

She smiled at him, pride seeping through her eyes as she watched her son care for her so much despite the years missing. She closed her eyes and thought back. It was like a never-ending story.

Flashback, twelve years ago

When the dust cleared, Lois awoke with a throbbing headache. Last thing she remembered was a big bright light that engulfed her. After that, everything went blank.

She sat up, spreading her legs in front of her and dusting the remaining debris off. Looking around herself, she noticed the feeling of grass beneath her fingers. Interesting, she had been in LexCorp Plant in the middle of the desert; she didn't recall seeing grass around.

Once she gathered herself up, she cleared her vision and saw herself in unfamiliar territory.

"Oh no," she says to herself as she looked around with wide eyes and confusion. "Where the hell am I?" she uttered out loud as she gazed out into a magnificent landscape that showed towers twisting high into the sky. An unknown civilization descended at her feet.

This was far from Kansas and Lois knew she was in trouble.

End of Flashback

"Mom?" Lois heard her son call for her. She shook herself out of her frozen reverie and stared him in the eye. "Where'd you go?"

"I was just remembering"

He nodded and waited for her to continue. "I can wait if you want me to," he says when she didn't continue.

She gripped her son's hand with her own and kissed his cheek gratefully. "Thank you, sweetie"

He smiled. "All right, why don't we head over to this ice cream shop I know down the corner? They've got the best shakes in town"

Lois was eager to spend time with her boy. "Lead the way." They'll be plenty of time to go over everything that's happened to her for the last 12 years, even though she wasn't looking forward to it.

To be continued…