Title: Unmasked

Author: Nadia Mack

Disclaimer: I Own Nothing

Rating: K+

Author's Notes: I'd like to thank Barbara, aka htbthomas, for becoming my beta-checker and reader for the duration of this story. I understand that many of you have pointed out my often misuse of tenses, a failing, I admit, that I totally want rectified. Thanks again for the feedback and I hope you continue to enjoy the upcoming chapters.

Chapter 9: Sightseeing

Picture perfect. That's what Lois saw when she stepped out on the porch and watched the sun set off the horizon. The mixture of colors was so beautiful; it was as if it came straight out of a dream.

A shiver went up her spine. She'd forgotten how easily the nighttime air could turn cold after the daytime sun had disappeared.

"Coffee. Black. Two sugars," Clark listed off as he joined Lois on the steps. She sent him a thankful smile before taking the cup of hot coffee from his hand.

"You remembered." She took a sip.

"We've worked too many nights for me to forget," he said with a jovial smile.

Lois didn't say anything else afterwards. To be honest, she didn't know what to say. It was almost as if her co-worker suddenly had gone through a personality change, and talking to him seemed like talking to somebody new. He was sweet, caring, polite and shy just as she had always known him, but now, away from Metropolis, there was something different about him. Like he was finally relaxing in his own skin. It was too bad, because she enjoyed this part of him.

Crack! The sound of something breaking inside the barn interrupted her thoughts. Lois and Clark gave each other worried looks before sprinting over. When Lois burst inside, her eyes widened with concern when she spotted her son besides a broken post.

"Lois, what happened?" Clark said from behind, startling her.

Lois opened her mouth to explain, but she didn't know how. She knew it was a risk bringing Jason along, but she also knew there was an even greater risk if she left him alone with a babysitter.

"Hmm…" Clark responded, looking over the broken post that was half a foot in length on all four sides. He kneeled before Jason, "You've got to be careful, Jason. The foundation here is pretty old," he said with a wink. Clark glanced over his shoulder to face Lois. "Don't worry, he wasn't hurt. I'll be fixing this place up as soon as I get the time."

Lois dashed towards her son and picked him up. "Don't scare me like that," she whispered, relieved that Clark didn't think anything of it.

Over her shoulder, Jason smiled at Clark as he hugged his mom a little tighter.

"I just got off the phone with Perry," Lois said as she joined Clark in the living room. Jason had fallen asleep on Clark's lap after watching The Lion King on television. The sight of them both warmed her heart. "He's a little bit upset that we haven't gotten to work yet."

"I'm sure he'll forget all about it once you put another Pulitzer-winning article on his desk."

"Yeah right!" she scoffed softly at the idea. Deep inside, it still didn't sit well with her that she had won a Pulitzer for an article titled 'Why the World Doesn't Need Superman.' She had written it at a time when her anger and pain had been overflowing.

"I made a few calls of my own, though," Clark said much to Lois's surprise. Where did he even get the time to make any calls between cooking, hosting guests and playing with Jason? "We can stop by this coffee shop I know in town called The Talon, if you want."

"What's over there?"

"Most of the town," he answered with a familiar grin.

She suddenly felt too tired to argue. "Sounds like a plan." She sat down near Jason's feet. "Look, Clark," she began hesitantly. "This might be coming a little too late, but I just wanted to tell you thanks for everything you've done. For me, and for Jason." She reached out and brushed some of her son's bangs from his forehead. "And for putting up with me all these years."

"It's no trouble at all," he replied so sincerely that it made Lois believe him without question. Her eyes started getting heavy, ready for a night's sleep. "Here." He slowly and carefully lifted Jason's head, sliding his arm underneath his small body as he picked him up. "I'll put him to sleep over in my old bedroom. I've put some sheets out for you in my mother's room too so you can – "

She cut him off. "What about you?"

"I'll take the couch."

" Clark – " she began to protest but he would have none of it.

"Get some sleep, Lois."

"You suck, you know that?" she said with a soft chuckle. Lois normally didn't back down, even with the smallest and most mundane things, but she found herself agreeing to him a lot more than she cared to realize. "Goodnight, Clark."

"Goodnight, Lois."

When he disappeared up the stairs, the sound of Clark's voice when he bid her goodnight sounded eerily similar to Superman's before sleep claimed her. She didn't even realize, up until she dozed off, that was the first time she had thought of Superman all evening.

Setting him on his bed, Clark looked at his son with all the love in the world. Seeing him tucked in and asleep in his old bed brought out his lingering feelings of remorse and longing. Guilt for leaving when everything that had ever truly mattered to him was here on earth, and longing for what could've been.

After letting himself look over his son a few moments longer, he headed back downstairs. He stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed that Lois had fallen asleep on the sofa.

Clark smiled, also taking a moment to look at her before picking her up slowly and carefully in his arms. She mumbled softly, turning her head to his chest as she lay comfortably in his arms. He sighed, knowing this would probably be the last time he would hold her like this, and the only time he would as Clark and not Superman.

He laid her down in his mother's room, draping a blanket over her as she continued to sleep. His longing returned, and all he could do was watch her. To have her so near but not to be able to have her, it was almost too much to bear.

"You are so beautiful," he said softly to her sleeping form. "I'll always love you Lois." He leaned over and placed a light kiss on her forehead. "I'll never stop."

When he left the room, Lois turned, still sleeping, uttering but a single word.

"Superman."

The following morning, the three finally traveled across town to see the devastation the meteors had left behind. Several Smallville establishments in the surrounding area had been demolished, debris everywhere. Remarkably, although plenty had been injured, no one had died.

Clark started to weaken as the car moved closer to ground zero. He hid his weakening hands in his coat pockets as Lois continued to drive.

"This is the place all right. Jason, I want you to stay in the car this time."

"Do I have to?" Jason complained. He was unaffected by the Kryptonite but Lois didn't want to take any chances. She would have thought after the incident on the Gertrude, he would be happy to stay.

She gave him an authoritative look. "Yes. Clark and I have work to do." She looked at Clark. "Are you coming?"

"I… uh… sure."

Lois frowned. All morning, he had been acting like the Clark she knew from the office again, timid and indecisive, and she had finally come to the conclusion, to herself of course, that she didn't really like his office demeanor much.

"Let's go."

Clark stepped out of the car, offering Jason a weak smile before joining Lois as they neared the crater. There were people everywhere, working together to clear the town and roads of all the meteor fragments.

"That's interesting," Lois said beside him.

"What?" he managed to ask.

Lois pointed to the logo on several trucks parked around the site. "Wayne Enterprises," she said. "I wonder what strings they had to pull to get their teams out here."

Unaware of Clark's connection with the oft-described playboy billionaire, Clark sighed gratefully for Bruce's quick thinking. He had teams, both official and unofficial, scouring Metropolis, Central City and Smallville for all the Kryptonite they could find. Bruce didn't want to take the chance that some punk kid or criminal mastermind could make off with the only material that could kill Superman.

By the time Clark turned back around, Lois was already interviewing several people about everything that had occurred since the meteor shower. She had always loved to tackle things head on, and that was just one of many qualities that made him love her so much.

The longer he stayed near the Kryptonite the more his hands began to shake involuntarily. He struggled slightly to get away.

"Lois… um… I'm going to go see how Jason is doing."

Before she could argue or stop him, Clark quickly made it over to the car. Jason noticed his friend's weary state.

"Are you okay, Mister Clark? You don't look so good."

"I'll be fine," he lied. Clark wasn't 'doing good' at all.

"Mister Clark…"

Clark started to hurt and the shaking of his hands had not improved when Lois joined them.

" Clark, what are you doing here?" she asked, exasperated. "I need you out there, and seeing that this is, in fact, your town, I'd appreciate a little more effort from you." It was then she noticed how pale her partner looked. "Smallville, are you all right?"

Clark smiled weakly. "That's the second time in two days you've called me that."

Lois shrugged. "Old habits die hard," she returned, putting the back of her hand on his forehead. He felt hot. "You don't look so good."

"That's what I said!" Jason chimed in, equally worried.

"Come on, sweetie," Lois said to Jason after she spotted the coffee house Clark had previously mentioned. The Talon. "Let's go inside, the heat must be getting too much for Clark here."

Clark couldn't have agreed more, and he would act like a fool if he had to if it kept him from dying in the middle of the town. "That sounds like a plan," he gasped.

Inside the Talon, Clark began to look and sound better. Unfortunately, much to Lois's dismay, his timid shyness was out in full force as he clumsily searched for something to drink on the menu.

Just a few tables away, Jason quickly made friends with a local boy who looked a couple or so years older than him.

Some minutes later, Jason's new friend collided with Lois and Clark's booth.

"I'm sorry," the young boy apologized.

"It's all right," Clark said as he looked over at Lois who was laughing. He glanced at her playfully before returning his attention back to the boy.

"My name is Clark!"

Both Lois and Clark raised their eyebrows.

"Oh yeah?" Clark said with a smile. "Mine too."

"Really?"

" Clark, leave those people alone. How many times do I have to tell you, this isn't the place to be running around in?"

The adult Clark immediately recognized the red-haired woman who had just descended the stairs.

"Lana?"

"Oh my God, Clark," she spoke softly before closing the distance between them. The two old friends embraced. "I didn't know you were back." Lana took a good look at him. "Wow, you look great. The city's done wonders for you -- but I think I prefer you in plaid."

A scoffing sound nearby drew their attention away. Lois looked between the two of them unabashedly.

"I'm not the plaid-loving type," Lois said without a trace of sensitivity. Across the room, Jason heard his mother and looked down at his own plaid shirt. Why, if she didn't like it, did she buy them for him?

" Lois Lane." She held out her hand to the other woman. "And you are?"

"Lana Lang." The ladies shook hands, albeit reluctantly.

Clark swallowed hard. Interactions between women always had a way of eluding him. Consciously interrupting the intense gazes of the two ladies, he inquired about little Clark.

"Is he…"

"My son," Lana replied happily. "Yeah he is."

"Oh… wow… congratulations."

Clark's response amused Lois to no end.

"Thanks. I kind of… um… named him after you."

"Oh."

Lois was as surprised at that as anyone else was.

" Clark Kent," another voice came in. The three adults turned and saw a blond, well-dressed man approach. "My God, I thought my eyes were deceiving me. Big shot reporter Clark Kent. It's good to see you, man!"

The two old friends shook hands before giving each other a hug.

"Pete Ross," Clark finally said, shocked himself to be greeted by his old friend. "I take that back. I mean, Congressman Pete Ross. You're not looking too bad yourself."

Lois cleared her throat to get her partner's attention, which she successfully acquired.

"Oh, Pete. I'd like you to meet Lois Lane."

Pete happily greeted her. "I know who you are. I'm a big fan," he said with genuine affection. "Off the record, your articles have helped us more than once to make a decision. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Lois didn't expect to hear those words from a politician, especially a congressman. She tended to give his party a very hard time, especially when it came to her politically slanted articles.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, congressman. Clark has told me absolutely nothing about you," she said, ending the line with a glare toward Clark.

Clark winced a bit at the emphasis she applied to the word 'nothing.'

For half an hour, Lois learned that Lana and Pete were married, and that their eight-year-old son was named after Clark. After the initial awkwardness of learning that particular fact, Clark gave his thanks. Lois watched the three friends as another puzzle fit into place in her mind concerning her partner's oddly secretive world. She was surprised, to say the least, that he was the best friend of congressman Pete Ross, a man dubbed by many to be well on his way to the presidential seat.

"That was… unexpected," Lois commented as Pete and Lana left their table.

"What do you mean?" Clark asked.

"The look on your face when you learned he was named after you, it kind of gave the impression that you two were once…" she waited for him to answer.

"We kind of were."

Unwanted jealously quickly flashed inside her before she could quench it. "You want to tell me about it?" Lois asked even though she really didn't want to know. She reminded herself that she was asking only because of her promise to get to know more about him.

"During high school, I spent so long wanting to be with Lana that by the time we did get together, it wasn't the same. I had so many expectations that – " Clark couldn't finish it without sounding like a jerk.

"Ouch!" Lois said, liking his answer but putting her best sympathetic face on. "I'm sorry." That, she really meant. Disappointment was a way of life, and it could be cruel some times.

"Looking back on it, I'm not," Clark replied in earnest.

Lois smiled, she didn't know how she did, but she knew he was completely sincere. Before her thoughts could drift too far off course, she went back to the task at hand. "Let's get out of here, Perry expects our story on his desk first thing Monday morning."

Clark put on a brave face, hiding his worry about all the Kryptonite around the area. He hoped that Bruce's team had taken care of most of it.

"You ready, Smallville?"

Clark smiled. He always held a fondness for that nickname. Once she turned away, his smile faltered.

"What am I doing?" he said quietly to himself.

To be continued…