AN. I did some digging on the internet and found out that Lois's father was a general. I have never read the comics but I wanted to use her parents and I realized in the comic verse Sam Lane died, but the movies always differ from the comics, so I hope you as my reader will give me this liberty and like what was written. As always review and as always thank you for taking the time to read my story.
Chapter 7: Family
Seated at her desk, in one of the busiest departments of The Daily Planet, Lois had a pen in her hand and was jotting down notes on a resent string of robberies that had hit some of Metropolises finest Jewelry stores. "So no evidence of fingerprints on the doors, or anything out of the ordinary, what about the security cameras?"
While Lois was interviewing one of the shop owners, not far from her desk, at his own, Clark was trying to look busy. He had learned long ago to try and pace himself, if not to draw suspicion as to why he could get his work done 100 times faster than the rest of the office, but with the robberies and cries for help of late, he had ignored his self imposed rule. As he leaned back in his chair and put his hands on the back of his head, he heard the Chief call out his name. Without hesitation, Clark stood up from his seat and went to Perry's office.
As soon as Clark entered his office, Perry told him to sit down. "Now, Lois is getting an interview with one of the jewelry store owners by phone. I want you to go down to Lamberts, he just got to his store and found it broken into, see if you can help Lois track down whose doing this," he said, confident in Clark's abilities to do such a thing. "And while you're at it take Jimmy with you."
Knowing not to wait around after the Chief had given an order, Clark stood up and as he turned around he stumbled a bit before heading out the door. He saw Lois still on the phone and then looked around the large people cluttered office until he spotted Jimmy at his computer. Clark managed to knock into only one person before he arrived at the young Photographers desk. "Jimmy?" he asked drawing the young man's attention.
"Oh hey Mr. Kent," Jimmy said always glad to see his friend.
"The Chief would like for us to go down to Lamberts, his store got broken into and he wants us to check things out," Clark said, aware that Lois had just come up behind them.
A little put off that the Chief had not asked her to cover this first, Lois bit her tongue for a moment before she told both of them to wait while she got her purse. She was not going to miss out on the action, or this story.
Lamberts Jewelry store was located in on of Metropolis's ritzier neighborhoods, and as Lois and Clark both took notes on what Mr. Lambert was saying, Jimmy was doing his own investigation with his Camera. Nothing seemed out of place. There were no broken windows, no broken display cases; it was simply that most of the valuable peaces of jewelry were gone. Jimmy used his telephoto lens to zoom in on each display case, and snapped a few shots, but couldn't tell if anything was amiss.
As Lois asked most of the questions, Clark managed a few glances at the display cases, and the doors using his enhanced vision abilities to scan for fingerprints, but as the other stores had all reported, there were none to be found.
"Thank you for letting us come by, and we will do our best to figure this out," Lois said as she turned to face her partner. She watched as he looked over at a display case and wondered if he was using his Super abilities to try and find anything, but then he looked back at her and shook his head. "Jimmy, come on," she called out as she led the way out of the store.
By lunch, both Lois and Clark had finished their joint article on the robberies, and after only a bit of hesitation on his part, Clark walked over to Lois's desk as she hung up the phone looking a bit distressed. "Um Lois, I thought maybe you and I could go out…"
Lois knew what Clark wanted, but didn't have time to do anything. "I can't go Clark, my father just called, and is flying in tonight, so I need to go to the house and get things ready for him, do you mind getting Jason after school?" she asked as she began to gather her things gathered up. She loved her father, but she also knew that he would grill her on why she had broken up with Richard, and that part she was not looking forward too.
"Oh sure," he said a bit disappointed that they had not seen much of each other in the past week other than at work. He went back to his desk, and watched as she left, wondering what kind of person could get Lois so frantic.
By the time Clark arrived at the school, he had talked to his own mom who had asked him again when she would get to meet her grandson, and Clark finally gave in and told her if she and Ben wanted to fly down that he would see about letting them meet Jason. Now as he pulled up to the carpool line, one of the teachers approached his truck, and when he rolled down the window on the passenger side, she asked if he would mind finding a place to park so that they could talk.
Clark did as he was told, realizing that Jason was not with the other children in the lines waiting for parents to pick them up, and as he did a quick scan of the building he found his son in one of the classrooms coloring a picture. As he followed Mrs. Mason into the school, Clark idly wondered what Jason had done to warrant this conference, and wondered even more if he should phone Lois and get her over here. They went into a class across the hall from where Jason was waiting, and Clark took a seat in front of Mrs. Mason's desk.
"I asked you in here because Jason has been telling tall tales to his friends, and has been distracted, more so than usual," she began watching the man across from her. She had been aware of the resent change in Jason's life, and had a guess that most of his tale telling had to do with that.
Clark knew Jason was creative and smart and wondered what he could be doing that was distracting him. "What kinds of things has he been saying?"
"Most recently he has been telling his friends that his mother and Superman are the best of friends, and that Superman rescued he and his family from a sinking ship. He has also been drawing pictures of Superman, when he should be participating in other activities."
None of what the teacher had just said was tall tale telling, Superman had rescued Jason and his family from the Gertrude, and Superman and Lois were very close friends, but he knew that it was dangerous for Jason to be saying such things. "I will have a talk with him, and see if maybe I can get to the bottom of this." He watched the older woman smile, and then followed her across the hall where Jason was still drawing.
"Jason, your father is here to pick you up," said Mrs. Mason.
Clark watched as Jason turned slowly in his seat, and then at once his little boy was running to him. Clark caught him up in his arms and gave him a big hug, and heard a sniff. "Come on," he said as he got Jason to get his things.
Once they were on their way, Clark thought about how to broach the subject of Superman. "Jason, Mrs. Mason told me about what you have been talking about with your friends, and I know it is the truth, but you have to be careful about those kinds of stories," he began.
Jason had been looking out the window on his side of the truck, but when his daddy said that, the little boy turned to face him. "Why?" he asked still feeling sad. He didn't like Mrs. Mason, because she was always so mean.
"Well, most people see Superman as their hero, and they don't like to think of him being a normal person like you or me," he tried. He glanced over at his little boy and could see that Jason was trying to comprehend that bit of information.
"But he is a person daddy, and he can have friends too, that's not very fair," Jason pointed out.
Sometimes it amazed Clark at how perceptive Jason was, and his words just now made him realize that Jason was more aware of things than either he or Lois gave him credit for. "I know it's not buddy, but try and hold off talking about him at school okay?"
Jason sighed but agreed not to talk about him, and then asked where his mommy was.
"Well, she got a call from your grandpa," Clark said and saw Jason's eyes grow big.
"The General would get mad at you for calling him grandpa," Jason said of his grandpa.
Suddenly Clark was very interested in meeting him, and as he and Jason got out of the truck at Lois's house, she was waiting for them at the back door looking worried. Clark watched as his son gave Lois a hug and kiss, and then ran into the house, leaving them time to talk. "Lois, maybe I could meet your father," he said but she was already shaking her head.
"No, that really wouldn't be a good idea. I know why he is coming over and I need time to deal with him in my own way. I was wondering if you could take Jason home with you over the weekend, my father and I need time alone," she said.
As much as he wanted to do that, Clark thought about Superman and how three days away would end up as a bigger news story than he would want. "I don't know, I mean, I know I should help but Superman," he said hoping she would understand.
Being so frazzled about her father, Lois wasn't in the mood to understand him. "No. Look the world can survive the weekend without you, him," she said as her hands shook.
Clark hated seeing her this way, and reached out taking her hands in his own. "I'll take him," he said and before she could say another word he kissed her gently on the lips, liking the fact that he could take her by surprise, and then went inside to get Jason ready for a weekend at his own house.
As Lois had guessed her father, and her mother were not happy about her resent activity with Richard and now as she sat next to her mother on the sofa in the living room, she watched as her father paced the floor in front of them. "Daddy sit down," she said, not as much afraid of him, but more so the argument that was brewing under the surface.
Sam looked at his daughter, and then took a seat across from her. "I don't suppose either one of you thought about what this would do to my grandson,"
Tired of always feeling intimidated by him, Lois stood up. "Look daddy, I'm a big girl now, and yes we thought about Jason, but Clark is his father, and I do love him," Lois said, and she really did.
Sam looked at his daughter and his wife a moment before he got up from his chair and left the room to get some fresh air.
Ella saw the pain in her daughter's eyes and tried to comfort her. "Lois he only wants what is best for you," she tried.
"I know he does, but I know what I need mom, and Clark is a good man."
"Good enough that he took off for five years without even a word to you, so that you could tell him you were going to have his son?" she asked.
Lois shut her eyes. "He regrets it, and I didn't know I was going to have Jason when he left, now let's drop it okay?" Lois stood up and walked into the kitchen, wanting to run away.
On the other side of town, Clark had been preparing something for dinner for he and Jason when his super hearing picked up Jason's sudden cries. He had to control his speed as he walked outside going over to the swing where Jason was sitting. "What happened?" Clark asked as he knelt down and hugged his little boy.
"I pinched it," Jason said showing him the broken skin on his pointer finger from where the swing had pinched him when he tried to adjust it.
Clark could tell Jason was tired, and lifted him into his arms cradling him against his chest as he carried him into the house. He walked through the kitchen, and into the living room, and then to the left down the hallway to the bathroom. Once he was there, he reached out and turned the warm water on in the sink before putting Jason down there.
Seated on the edge of the sink, Jason sniffed as his daddy tended to his small wound. "I miss daddy sometimes," Jason said as Clark put a band-aid on his finger.
Clark knew instantly who Jason was talking about, and had also been wondering what was happening with Lois and Richard, and wondered if she had told him about her accident, and the events following that. "I'm sure he misses you too, when was the last time you talked to him?" asked Clark as he lifted Jason off of the countertop at the edge of the sink, and carried him back out into the living room, which was also considered the TV room. He sat down in his favorite recliner, letting Jason sit forward facing on his lap.
"I talked to him before mommy got hurt in the car, but it made me really sad, because I really do miss him," Jason said as he leaned back resting the back of his head against Clark's chest. He watched as to the right his daddy reached out and grabbed the remote to the Television. The news was on, but the channel was changed until Jason had him stop at the Animal Planet special about Wild Cats, and for a while all thoughts of Richard went away.
As they watched the show, Clark thought about their lives since his return, and wondered if it was ever going to work out for he and Lois to be together to raise Jason, or if it would be like it was now. His phone began to ring, and he reached to the left and picked it up off of the base, finding his mom on the other end. He listened as she talked about wanting him to bring Lois and Jason for Thanksgiving, and then he told her that he would have to check. "She is at home with her parents right now, but I'm sure I can try and ask her tomorrow," he said as Jason reached for the remote wanting to change the channel.
Martha had been waiting patiently to meet her grandson, but each day that went by was one more day that she really wished she could see the little boy. "I know you and Lois have to work things out, but I was also hoping that I could see Jason," she finally said.
"You could always come here," Clark said, and then added, "I have an extra room for you too, and it might be easier to try Thanksgiving here."
On her end, Martha considered what her son was asking, and thought of Ben. "Do you have space in that room for two?" she asked, guessing that Clark had forgotten about him. She heard her son take a breath and then let it out.
"Yeah it has a double bed," he said still thinking that it was very strange to see his mom married to another man. She told him that she would call him back when time got closer, and after he hung up with her, Clark focused on the TV seeing Superman investigating one of the Jewelry store robberies from earlier in the day. "Hey I need to go check on dinner," Clark said. He had made pot roast, something his mom had made a lot when he was a kid, and after standing up and putting Jason down in his chair he headed in to do that.
After she talked to Jason, and after her parents had gone on to their hotel, Lois sat in her bed thinking about Richard. Everything was happening so fast, and after her father had cooled off some he sat down and they had a normal adult talk about everyday things, but she couldn't get past what he had said about Clark, and about something she thought she had gotten over, which was his ability to keep things from her. Lois knew why Superman had done that, and even he had said he should have asked her, but she felt like they were rushing things. They had already shared a few kisses, and as she thought about that, Lois managed a smile, but her thoughts were on Richard and how he was doing with all of this. After living with someone for five years, it was hard to just completely move on without them. Lois jumped as the phone rang and when she picked it up she found Richard on the other end.
Seated in his hotel room; Richard had still not found an apartment to live in, he listened as Lois told him about the visit she had from her parents, and then when she was quiet for almost a minute he could tell something was on her mind. "I called because I was hoping maybe I could come back for Thanksgiving," he said.
With her parent's already in town, and likely her sister arriving to spend Thanksgiving here too, Lois doubted she would be able to handle too much more. "I don't know," she finally said as she took in a breath and let it out. "I'm trying to work things out with Clark, my parents came down and daddy tried to lecture me on our breakup. Lucy's likely coming in at some point with one of her boyfriends," She broke off and shut her eyes.
Hearing that she and Clark were trying to work things out hurt, yet Richard had known that leaving her would not be easy, and he knew he needed to try and support her. "Maybe you should talk to Clark," he said not trying to be offensive, and trying to draw a line to what they should talk about.
Lois heard the discomfort in Richard's voice and only felt worse for that. "I guess I should go on and get off of here." They said their goodbyes, after she told him that Jason was with Clark, and after hanging up the phone, which was on her nightstand, Lois stood up and undressed, and then walked to the left side of her bed to the dresser where she pulled out an extra large shirt and put that on. After she settled into bed, she shut her eyes and tried not to think about how good a cigarette would be, but she kept thinking about the day's events and after a while she got back out of bed and walked over to the window. Looking out at the night sky, Lois knew that Superman would not be out there, and found a way to feel guilty for that as well. She had practically pushed Jason on him today, and she knew that they had not talked about what would happen if he was needed while he was with Jason. It was times such as these when Lois wished she was someone else. Leaning forward she put her head on the cool glass of the window, wanting nothing more than to take Jason and get out of Metropolis.
In Clark's small kitchen, standing on a chair pulled up to the counter, Jason was busy stirring the pancake batter while his daddy heated up an old cast-iron skillet. "How did you learn this daddy?" Jason asked observing him without him really knowing.
Clark walked over behind his son looking at the batter, and decided it was mixed up enough. Lois told him that Jason could have pancakes as long as it was a special brand, something he had bought at the health food store before going to get Jason from school. "Well my mom thought that it was important for me to learn how to take care of myself, so when I was about oh 8 or 9, she started teaching me," he said as he spooned out batter onto the skillet.
Jason had on his pajamas with feet, which he called his feety PJs, and on the dark blue fabric were printed Dinosaurs of various sorts. He watched his daddy make four pancakes and when they were ready he flipped them over. "Can we have bacon too?" Jason asked.
"I think so, let me go…" Before he could finish the doorbell rang, and before he could move, Jason was on his way to answer it. Clark was surprised when Jason called out "mommy," and when he walked into his front room, he saw how frazzled Lois looked. Clark helped her with her coat and then they all went back into the kitchen.
Lois sat down at the small round table and watched as Clark got bacon out of his refrigerator. She had never thought of him being the type to cook his own meals but then again she wasn't sure why that really surprised her. He had grown up a farmer's son, and as such she guessed his mother had made sure to teach him such things so that he could take care of himself and be some what independent.
"Mommy, is the General and Nanna still here?" Jason asked. He loved his grandparents even if he couldn't call the General Grandpa.
"Yes, they want to see you before they fly off to Mexico," she said trying to keep things cheery.
Being five years old, Jason didn't catch that his mommy really didn't want to talk about her parents, but Clark noticed that Lois was getting more and more flustered the more Jason talked about them, and after finishing putting bacon onto the skillet he told Jason it was time for play, and was amazed when his little boy left without a pout. Once Jason was gone, Clark got out orange Juice which was freshly squeezed and poured a glass. He put it in front of her and then went back to breakfast making.
"I'm sorry I pushed Jason on you yesterday," Lois said as she took a sip of the juice, and then realized that he had remembered how she liked it.
Using just a little super speed, Clark got the rest of breakfast made, and then walked over to the table. "You were right to do that Lois, and I have to figure out a way to balance out saving the world and being with my son," he said, not about to let her feel bad about doing that.
Lois shook her head feeling the need to cry, but she bit it back. "I don't know what to do," she said as he sat down in a chair close to her own. "I messed up, if I would have used my brains I would have known you wouldn't stay gone forever, and I know I have said that before, but I feel like I'm being pulled apart," she said swiping a tear that dared to make its way down her cheek. She hated this feeling of helplessness, hated it because she had always been in such control of her life until now.
Watching her struggle with this was very difficult for him, and Clark knew they could pass the blame around until the end of time, but he also knew that he had to find a way to help her through this if he could, and then he thought about his mom. "Lois, how would you feel about going to Montana for Thanksgiving?"
She looked from the table to Clark's face, and thought about Lucy and her parents, the rest of her family and her obligations to them. "I can't Clark, my parents want to spend Thanksgiving here because they are going to Spain for Christmas," she said.
Jason came back at that point wanting to eat, and kept conversation going as they had their first family meal together. He didn't notice that his mom wasn't talking much, because he was excited about seeing his grandparents. After they finished breakfast and helped Clark clean up, Lois got Jason dressed and promised he could come back after they went to see her parents.
The huge fire blazed across three buildings in downtown Houston Texas, and the fire fighters working to get the blaze out were all exhausted. They had already sent three men to the hospital, and there didn't seem to be any relief until Superman arrived. In just a few minutes he had all of the flames out and aided in getting the several people injured from the fire to the hospital. After he was sure everyone would be all right he flew off across the country to Florida and rescued a cat from a tree for a small girl.
Seated in front of the Television, Jason watched the news cast of Superman's resent rescues. He was fascinated by him and when a close up shot was shown of him, his blue eyes grew big. Quickly he got up from the TV and ran up to his room where on his bed side table among his old pictures, was a new one of he and his daddy that Jimmy had taken and given to him. He grabbed the picture and ran back downstairs, in the process taking a puff from his inhaler. His mom and the General were yelling at one another again, and without saying a word to anyone, Jason left the house to go see Rebecca who lived a few miles away.