"Bye Lois," Anthony said, giving Lois a tight squeeze before letting her go. "It was great to finally meet you."

Lois laughed as she shrugged her coat back on her shoulders. "It was great to meet you too, Anthony. You'll have to stop by the Planet sometime. All of you," She said, looking at each of them in turn, "and we can go grab something to eat or whatnot."

"If that includes you telling us the secret behind your monstrous success, then I'm sure we can arrange something." Steven replied as Lois moved to hug him as well. He kissed her cheek as he said, "Bye sweetheart."

Richard cocked a playful eyebrow and joked, "Are you trying to lay the moves on my woman, Steven?"

"Your woman?" Lois challenged with a raised brow.

They all laughed as Richard shook all their hands before they pulled one another into those 'manly' hugs. Lois rolled her eyes. She really didn't understand men sometimes. It's not like they were going to look like a bunch of fairies if they actually hugged each other once in a while. In fact, it would show that they aren't all about the sex and actually have some sort of emotion other than horny.

"Tell the little one, what's his face," Anthony started, snapping his fingers as he racked his brain for a name.

"Jason?" Lois and Richard supplied in unison.

"That's it! Jason. Tell Jason that I said hello." Anthony said with a firm nod.

"I second that," Robert chimed.

"And I third that," slurred Steven, a goofy grin on his face.

"All right, we will." Richard promised, placing his hand on the small of Lois's back gently. She flinched at the touch, not sure what it was that she didn't like about Richard's touch. She used to love it, as it seemed so right, but now, it was just…wrong.

If Richard notice her sudden twitch, he didn't say anything about it. He tentatively settled his hand on her waist, as though asking for permission to place his hand there. She grabbed his warm hand and placed it on her waist, even if it wasn't his hand that she wanted there.

You'll never get him, Lane, so just stop while you're ahead. You're with Richard now and have been for five years. He's been there for you when he wasn't. Richard's your rock. He's been your rock for God knows how many years now. Suck it up and get rid of that pathetic school girl crush.

But was it really just a school girl crush?

"Come on, Lois," Richard's soft and caring voice whispered, his hot breath sending a shiver down her spine, and not one of those romantic ones.

She nodded dumbly and let him lead her out of the grand ballroom, but not before her eyes landed on a rather handsome looking man standing alone on the balcony, looking out at the city. She quirked a brow and turned to ask Richard who it was, but Richard held his hand up, "Don't ask."

"Fine," Lois snapped, "I won't." She changed her pace from a slow walk to a brisk one, putting a few feet of distance between them.

"Lois," Richard groaned as he lengthened his stride. Since he was a considerable amount taller than her, he caught up with her quickly and grabbed her elbow. He felt the muscles under his hand tightened at his grasp and wondered exactly what it was that was making Lois so repulsed by his touch. What had he done wrong? "I didn't mean it like that."

Lois searched his eyes and found that he was telling the truth. She rolled her own brown eyes and sighed heavily, "I know. I'm just tired and cranky."

"Not to mention inebriated," Richard teased, bringing a small smile to Lois's lips. He missed her smile. It used to be so easy for him to bring one to her face, but now, it was easier to get a mime to talk than Lois to smile…unless your name was Jason Lane. Or Superman, his mind grumbled bitterly.

She rolled her eyes playfully and said, "Let's just get to Clark's and take my baby home."

This time, it was Lois who didn't notice Richard flinch.

When Jimmy Olsen woke up to find himself laying in his bed, fully clothed, he was more than slightly confused. He never went to sleep without changing into his pajamas first. Sure, it sounded a little old school for a grown man to wear flannel pajamas, but they had been a gift from his mother and they were just so gosh darn comfortable! Not to mention, his shoes were still on. Yes, he could picture himself being so tired that he stumbled into bed and fell asleep in his clothes, but who in their right mind fell asleep with their shoes on?

Quite suddenly, Jimmy sat up, immediately regretting it as all the blood rushed back to the rest of his body, therefore making him lightheaded. He held his head in his hands as he swung his legs over the side of his mattress and placed his feet on the floor. What was going on? Why was he so lightheaded and gosh darn it, why the heck did he fall asleep with not only his clothes on, but his shoes!

Warily, Jimmy rose to his feet and prepared himself in case another wave of lightheadedness crashed over him. He slowly scuffled his feet along the carpet of his bedroom and walked toward the bathroom, still trying to figure out what was happening…and why the heck it was still so dark outside?

With a brow furrowed in confusion, Jimmy glanced down at his wrist watch and his eyes grew wide. It was nearly two o'clock in the morning! He should be sound asleep by now, not wide awake! He was normally in bed by eleven, after Will and Grace was over on the local WB station…but apparently not. What had happened to him?

Not liking the feeling that he was getting from the whole scenario, Jimmy high tailed it to the kitchen to get an ibuprofen and a nice, cold glass of water, maybe a slice of bread too. His mother always told him that a slice of bread could cure anything and, so far, she had been correct. Sliced bread had never failed him before and Jimmy certainly didn't want it to start now.

As he passed through the living room, Jimmy noticed a folded piece of paper lying abandon on the floor. He, Jimmy Olsen, wasn't one to leave anything on the floor, let alone a piece of paper. It could be recycled and save a branch from a tree for Pete's sake! With a shake of his head, Jimmy bent down to pick up the piece of paper and brought it with him to the kitchen, where his recycling bin lay in the pantry along with the trash can.

When making the transition from living room into the kitchen, a sharp pain racked through Jimmy's body, starting at his foot. "Ouch!" He cried out to no one as he leaned against the archway and flipped on the kitchen light to examine his foot. A small spot of blood pooled around what looked to be a tiny shard of glass.

A shard of glass? What would a shard of glass be doing on the floor?

Jimmy pushed the pointless thoughts from his mind as he pulled the small sliver of glass out of his foot, wincing as the cool air made it sting. He held his foot in one hand and hopped over to the sink, where he ran a napkin underneath the faucet and wiped up all the blood, not that there was much or anything, as it was just a small cut.

He shook his head, wondering what else was going to confuse him tonight, as he pulled a glass out of the cupboard and set about filling it with water. Jimmy grabbed the ibuprofen from the small cabinet above the sink and pivoted on his heel to grab the loaf of bread. As he unwrapped the package of bread, taking his sweet time to undo the twisty tie, Jimmy picked up the piece of paper to make sure it wasn't important.

He stopped momentarily to unfolded the paper, but quickly returned to unwrapped the bread and pulling out a slice. Jimmy was about to take a bite when he finally focused in on what the paper contained. It was a drawing, something that Jason would've done….wait, it was Jason's work! He could recognize it from anywhere, since so many of the young boy's pictures hung at his mother's desk! Jimmy blinked in surprise at what the drawing contain. Three figures were labeled: Mommy, Clark, and Me…only 'Clark' was dressed as Superman.

Jimmy's eyes widened in shock as he leaned against the countertop for support. He closed his eyes as flashes of what happened earlier in the evening invaded his mind like martians from a different planet. Watching Will and Grace. Dropping the glass of soda in surprise at the sight of Superman in his apartment. Wondering what the heck Superman was doing with Jason Lane when Clark Kent was supposed to be watching him. Cleaning up the mess. Jason asking if he could change the channel. Figuring out that Clark Kent was Superman. And then, blackness.

As suddenly as all the confusion had washed over him, it drained out of him. It had all come back to him, leaving him feeling like he had just been smacked in the face with a raw fish. Clark was Superman. Clark was Superman? CLARK WAS SUPERMAN!

And, for the second time that night, Jimmy Olsen was out cold on his kitchen floor…and not because he was tired.

A light, autumn breeze blew across the park, stirring the dead, yet beautiful leaves that covered the black sidewalk and causing them to skitter across the surface. The sun was shining in all it's golden glory, although there were a few gray clouds to the left. In the distance, thunder could be heard, but she knew that it was miles away and they could still stay where they were and get home in time to miss the afternoon shower.

But not even storm clouds could break the feeling of pure happiness that surged through Lois as she watched the scene unfold before her. Jason had jumped onto one of those metal, merry-go-round things that required someone to spin it around in order for it to move. He giggled as his pursuer caught up with him and plopped down on the piece of playground equipment.

"Spin me, Superman!" Jason demanded gleefully, his eyes dancing with joy.

Superman, who was Jason's pursuer and apparent play-mate, chuckled in his deep, baritone way that sent waves of pleasure through Lois, and nodded. "All right." He consented, placing his strong hand on one of the bars and giving it the smallest of pushes.

Jason held on tightly as it spun around quickly, his head thrown back in joyous laughter. "Look at me, Mommy! Look at me!" He cried happily, smiling adoringly at Superman, who wore an equally admiring grin on his lips.

"I'm watching, baby," Lois replied, gripping onto her Styrofoam cup of Starbucks coffee. Her eyes drifted away from her son and onto his father. He looked very handsome in his super suit, the blue of the spandex material setting off his eyes wonderfully. Said eyes met hers and a familiar, but most welcome shiver was sent down her spine. A wide smile overtook his lips and Lois could've melted right there on the spot. She closed her eyes in hopes to make her head stop spinning…however pleasant the spinning was.

She had Superman back. The father to her child. The love of her life. She had him back. He was hers. She didn't have to share him with anyone else….well, not another woman anyway. He would always belong to the world before he belonged to her, but that didn't mean that he didn't love her the most at the end of the day. By simply glancing into his eyes, she knew that he loved her with all his warm heart and she loved him just as much, if not more.

Jason squealed in delight, making Lois open her eyes. She gasped and her coffee nearly slipped from her hand. Jason was no longer spinning on the miniature merry-go-round, but that's not what was caused her to gasp. What caused her to gasp was the fact that Superman was no longer standing beside the merry-go-round with that set, confident smile in place, but rather, he was replaced by none other than the mild mannered reporter, Clark Kent.

"Superman!" Jason shouted after the merry-go-round stop spinning and he leapt off it, rushing toward Clark and hugging his legs. Clark bent down and picked Jason up with ease, before swinging him around in a big circle. Again, Jason squealed gleefully as Clark twirled him around.

The sight shook Lois to the core and her heart began to beat irregularly in her chest. Her stomach did that uncomfortable flip flop thing that only happened when she was around, "Superman?" Lois questioned, sending her son an odd look. "What are you talking about, Jason? That's Clark."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Superman had taken Clark's place and Jason was snuggled tightly against his father's chest, his head of shaggy brown hair resting on the Man of Steel's broad shoulder. The look in his eyes clearly said that Superman was meant to be a father. And, personally, Lois couldn't have asked for a better one for her son. Her heart fluttered again as Superman laid a tender kiss on Jason's forehead before setting the boy down on the ground.

As soon as Jason's feet touched the ground, he ran straight toward his mother. Instinctively, Lois knelt down and spread her arms open wide -- but not before setting her coffee down beside her --, knowing what was about to happen next. Within seconds, Jason clamped his small arms around his mother's neck tightly and Lois scooped him up in her arms, standing up to swing him around.

She had expected to hear Jason giggle…not scream.

"CLARK!" Jason fought against his mother's arms and eventually broke free of them before running toward the playground once again. Lois whipped around to see that Superman was holding his stomach, a look of pure misery etched across his face. She screamed loudly at the next sight she saw.

Lex Luthor was standing behind Superman, smiling wickedly as he watched the Savior of Metropolis drop to his knees, revealing the long blade like piece of Kryptonite that appeared to be broken in two. She raced over to Superman's side, falling to her knees beside Superman and settling his head in her lap, her cold hands immediately flying to his forehead to smooth his hair away from his forehead.

She glanced up at the notoriously evil billionaire and a small gasp escaped her lips. Luthor's fiendish grin told her where the rest of it was. "It seems that all Gods have a weakness," Luthor laughed, waving at Jason before blowing Lois a kiss. And within the blink of an eye, he was gone.

Lois immediately turned her attention to Superman to see that his lips were already turning blue and he was struggling for breath. Jason had a firm grip on his left hand and was stroking the 'S' on his chest fondly, tears freely streaming down his round cheeks.

"L-L-Lois,"

"Shhh," Lois whispered, one of her own tears landing on Superman's cheek as she continued to stroke his hair. Her other hand lightly grazed over the wound, a large amount of crimson blood covering her fingertips. "It's okay, I'm here. You don't have to say anything."

His tongue ran over his dry, cracked lips as he sputtered for breath, "B-b-but I-I-I n-n-need to t-t-tell y-y-you some-something."

"What is it?" Lois lowered her ear to his mouth as tears leaked from her large, brown eyes. She noticed how he seemed oddly cold, as he was always one of the warmest people she had ever met, but that was natural, since he drew his power from the sun, and her stomach twisted into a large knot.

"I-I-I-I l-l-l-o," He took a deep breath, which was quickly followed by a long string of violent coughs.

"Superman," She breathed, her bottom lip quivering.

"l-l-love y-y-you b-b-both. Y-you know that, r-right?"

Lois nodded fiercely, "Yes. And you know that we love you too."

He nodded and Jason squeezed the hero's hand tightly, making Superman smile faintly. "I'm s-s-sorry."

"What? Why are you sorry?" Lois questioned frantically, placing her hand against the side of his cheek.

Superman nuzzled her hand and his eyes started to flutter closed. "F-f-f-or leaving you again."

Lois squeezed her eyes shut tightly, shaking her head vigorously. "No. No, no, no, no, no!" She gritted through gritted teeth, placing her other hand on his other cheek and forcing him to look her in the eyes. "You can't quit now, Superman. You still have to watch our son grow up. He can't grow up without his daddy." She noticed that his eyes strayed to Jason, staring at him in wonder.

"L-L-Lois,"

"Please, Superman!" She begged, her finger threading through his thick hair. "Don't leave us. I don't think I could lose you again."

"B-b-but you'll always have a p-p-part of me w-w-w-ith you." He gave a gentle nudge of his head in Jason's direction and faintly gave a tug on the little boy's small hand. Superman turned his eyes back to Lois, a small smile twitching at the corners of his blue lips.

"J-Jason," He whispered hoarsely.

Lois's throat closed up at his last statement, unsure of what to say next. It was obvious that he was beyond saving. There was no way to get the Kryptonite out and even if they did call for help, there was too much damage done. She let Jason and Superman, father and son, have their moment.

Her eyes left his face to examine the wound when she noticed the most peculiar of things. It seemed that the blue material of Superman's suit was disappearing right before her very eyes and was replaced by…a flannel shirt? With her brow furrowed in confusion, she let her eyes travel downward (A/N: not like that, you perv!) and her eyes widened when she saw that the tight, yet flexible material was…was that denim!

Christ, the world was getting more damn confusing and less real every second. Maybe it was her emotions toying with her eyesight. Yes, that had to be it. She turned her eyes back to Superman's face and bit back yet another gasp. She was no longer staring at the face of Superman, but rather…rather at the classically handsome face of Clark Kent.

The only thing wrong with this picture? Clark was missing his glasses and looked exactly like, "Superman?"

Faintly, Clark nodded and reached up to lay a hand on her…

"Lois!"

Lois snapped awake, her body covered in a light sheen of cold sweat. She took a deep breath of air and her eyes wildly searched around the small, closed space that was her and Richard's SUV.

"Lois, honey," Richard's calm voice said, his hand tracing the outline of her cheekbone. "You all right?"

Mutely, Lois nodded, her hands shaking. The dream had seemed so realistic. She looked down at her hands to make sure that there wasn't any blood on them.

"Christ, you scared the living shit out of me." Richard heaved a heavy sigh of relief. "You fell asleep and were fine at first, but then your eyes started to roam wildly behind your eyelids and you were talking."

"What'd I say?" Lois asked once she swallowed the lump in her throat.

Richard shrugged. "I don't know, because you were muttering it all incoherently."

There was a God, and Lois was mentally down on her knees thanking him. "Why'd you wake me up?"

"Because we're here."

She furrowed her brow in confusion. "Where?"

"At Clark's apartment."

"Oh," was all Lois said as she unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the car door.

"Do you want me to come with you?"

She shook her head. "No, I've got this."

"All right. If you run into any problems, just call."

"Okay." Lois waved him off dismissively as she started toward the door that led up to Clark's apartment.

A/N: All right. Here's chapter eight. I hope you all liked it! I spent A LOT of time trying to figure out how this chapter was going to play out. And, one of the reasons that my chapter is later than normal is because I lost my electricity for two days and was without a computer and then, I was struck by a brief writer's block, which, obviously, pasted. So, you guys go work your magic and review in your insane numbers and I'll get the next chapter out to you as soon as I can.

Countess Jackman