Welcome to my first attempt at Superman fan fiction. I'm not a comic book reader, but I've seen the first two movies, Smallville and Lois and Clark (way back in the day). I think I know a decent amount about the characters and the situations, and after seeing Superman Returns I just HAD to write my version of the Lois-Richard-Superman issue and the fantastic Jason situation (best plot twist ever).

Important Note- I'm going to try to make this story work with Superman II the best that I can. It was a little unclear what Lois remembered in Superman Returns…as far as this story is concerned, she didn't remember that much until the boat incident.

Hope you enjoy!

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Inevitable- Chapter 1

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It was Sunday morning, and the three residents of the White-Lane household were gathered around the table for their usual Sunday breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast. The food had been prepared just as it was every week, and it was now sitting before each of them waiting to be devoured. This was usually a time of happy conversation and quality family time; Jason would talk about his week at school, they would discuss their plans for the day, Richard would share a story about some far off land he had seen in his travels…

But this week, something was different.

Instead of smiles and laughter there was tension and grim faces. Jason was distractedly picking at his food, Lois- with a pale face and dark circles around her eyes- was starring off into the distance, and Richard was glancing back and forth between the two, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"Lois? Are you alright?" Richard asked, his voice cutting through the silence that had filled the room. "Are you getting sick? I can cancel my trip and…"

Lois shook her head slowly. "No, don't be silly." She replied, pasting a forced smile on her face. "I'm fine. And besides, your uncle will blow his top if you don't get down to Paris for that exclusive interview."

Richard looked unconvinced, but decided it was best not to push the issue further. Lois had been acting strange all week, ever since the incident on 'The Gertrude', and questioning her about it only seemed to upset her even more. He had tried to get her to discuss the situation- tried to figure out what had happened to her and Jason before he had found them in the storage room- but she had refused to say anything about it. He had given up on asking now, but he knew that whatever had occurred had had a negative impact on his fiancée and son.

"Alright." He sighed, picking up his fork and digging into his scrambled eggs. "But don't hesitate to call me if you need me to come back."

Lois nodded again before starring back down at her untouched plate of food. She didn't feel like eating. She had barely eaten all week.

She had barely slept either.

No matter how hard she tried, her mind refused to let her stop mulling over the events of the past few weeks. She had spent each night since her confrontation with Lex Luthor starring up at the dark ceiling and thinking about the entire messed up situation. The moment that Jason, her fragile sweet little boy, had shoved a grand piano across the room in an amazing display of strength, fragmented and often startling memories had begun to return.

Niagra Falls…Clark…the fire…Superman…that night…

She could only remember bits and pieces at first, but she had now managed to put them together into one coherent, albeit still somewhat hazy, narrative.

She remembered that she and Clark had been assigned to cover a hotel scandal up in Canada and, after voicing her suspicions about his true identity, a moment of clumsiness had made Clark unable to deny that he- the bumbling, shy reporter from Smallville- was also the handsome man of steel who had captured her heart. She has professed her love and they had shared a night of intense, marvelous passion before his sense of duty and his desire to find his true home had taken him away from her.

Lois could not, much to her frustration, remember why she had forgotten about that shocking and wonderful night…but she was absolutely certain that Clark Kent was Superman, and that he was Jason's biological father.

Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she had always suspected that Jason wasn't really Richard's son. She had met Richard soon after Superman's disappearance, but the time between their first night together and Jason's birth was still somewhat off. He had never seemed to think much of it, and she had never brought the issue up- but a part of her knew that something wasn't right.

She had never told a soul, but sometimes, when she stared into her son's pure blue eyes, she was struck with images of her caped hero- her first true love.

A part of her had always known…

"Mommy," Jason began, those perfect eyes- his eyes- starring up at her. "I'm done. Can I go play now?"

"Yes, of course." She replied as she tenderly pulled him over and placed a kiss on top of his dark hair. He gave her a brief smile and ran off into the other room.

"I suppose I should pack." Richard muttered, also getting up from his seat. "My flight leaves in a few hours."

Lois nodded. "Do you want me to drive you to the airport?"

"No. You should rest. I'll call a cab."

With a quiet sigh, Richard placed his dishes in the sink and began to head towards the stairway. As he placed his foot on the first stair, he turned and looked back into the dining room where Lois, still pale and troubled, remained seated in her chair.

"I love you." He said, gazing into her serious brown eyes.

Lois attempted to smile, but found it nearly impossible.

"I love you too." She whispered, trying to ignore the lump building in her throat.

And I wish that I didn't have to break your heart…

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Later that day…

Lois stood near the living room window and watched Richard climb into the cab that had arrived to take him to the airport. She felt as if some of the weight had suddenly been lifted from her shoulders.

As much as she hated to admit it, she knew that she needed this.

She needed time away from him…time to sort things out.

Despite her exhaustion, Lois planned to take advantage of Richard's three day absence. She had been thinking about it for the past few days, and she had decided that it was time for her and Superman to have a talk- a real talk, not just a few wistful sentences exchanged in the dead of night.

She had taken the week off work (much to Perry's annoyance) and she had not yet mustered up the courage to confront Clark and tell him what she knew. But she would call him tonight…and tomorrow, they would sort things out. She couldn't struggle by herself any longer.

The first few notes of 'Heart and Soul' rang out from behind her, and Lois turned to see her son starring contemplatively down at his keyboard. She could tell that he still had a lot of questions- she had been avoiding them all week. The other day, he had asked her about the green rock on the ship- he said it made him feel sick, and he asked if she had felt sick too. It had taken every ounce of her strength for her not tell him the truth, and she had choked out some excuse about waves and seasickness.

With a quiet sigh, Lois took a few steps and let herself fall into the comforting softness of the couch. She watched her son play a few more notes.

He was so perfect…so innocent…

She wished, more then anything, that he didn't have to be caught up in the middle of all this. She wished that things were simpler…that Richard was his father, and that the three of them could carry on with the life they had established these past five years.

But she couldn't live a lie.

She couldn't avoid the questions forever…

As the piano incident had demonstrated Jason had inherited at least some of his father's abilities and as he grew up he would want to know more about it- about who he was. The truth would inevitably have to come out, and Lois knew that it would be better to embrace it sooner rather then later. The longer she led Richard on, the more painful the truth would be. Richard had to know- he deserved to, after all that he had done for them. And Jason…Jason would have to know too. Maybe not all at once, but eventually…

"Mommy?"

Her sons questioning voice broke Lois away from her thoughts and she turned to look into his serious blue eyes.

"Yes?"

"Am I a bad person? Is that why you're sad?"

Lois' heart sank as she started down at her sweet little boy. She could see the pain in his face, and within seconds she was fairly certain she knew what had prompted the question.

"Of course not! You're not a bad person." She said, desperately trying to hide the quiver in her voice. "What makes you say that?"

He glanced down at the keyboard for a moment before looking up to meet her eyes once again.

"On the boat…" he began, blinking several times as if fighting back tears. "I don't know how I did it…but I was so scared that the mean man was going to hurt you that I…"

"I know." Lois cut in, not wanting to hear the events retold. She had replayed the incident countless times in her head already.

"But what you did was brave, not bad." She continued gently as she pushed herself off the couch and knelt in front of the distressed little boy. "You saved me. You're my hero."

A spark flashed in Jason's eyes and a small but noticeable smile touched the corners of his lips. "Not really." He muttered, avoiding her gaze by looking back down at the keyboard. "Not like Superman."

Lois gave him a small smile and gently brushed his dark hair away from his eyes. "You did exactly what Superman would have done if he had been there." She whispered, a mixture of pride and worry welling up inside of her. "You remind me of him. So much."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Jason smiled. "Do you think we'll get to see him again soon?"

"Yes." She replied "Very soon."

The boy smiled again, his previous worries forgotten and his mind filled with thoughts of the caped hero.

Lois planted a soft kiss on his cheek and rose from her spot on the floor.

She knew that she had to tell him.

But she also knew that she couldn't do it alone…

"I'm going to go make a phone call now." She stated, looking back at her son. "I'll be upstairs if you need me." Jason gave a slight nod, and the woman began to head for the stairs. Her body was weak and shaking, but her determination was strong.

She was going to call Cark Kent.

She was going to sort everything out…

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A/N So there you have it. Hope it was aright. PLEASE REVIEW!

I decided to have Lois remember Superman's identity because a) If she remembered the night with superman, she would remember that too and b) I don't want the story to be about that- that's a whole other can of worms.

Next time (if you like it that is…): Clark's thoughts, the phone call, and the discussion…