Chapter 13: Return to Reality

The morning after the New Year began; Jason sat on the sofa in the TV room holding Lucky on his lap. He still had on his warm, fuzzy, blue pajamas with the feet in them, and was eating a bowl of dry rice cereal with just a sprinkle of sugar, and a small amount of soy milk. As the cat on the TV ran around the house, he stepped on the end of a shovel, and got hit in the head with the handle. Jason laughed, and from beneath the tree, Shelby, his granny's dog looked up. Shelby was still getting used to having this little boy in his house, but went back to sleep shortly after Jason laughed again. Jason was so wrapped up in his show that he didn't see his daddy enter the room, and then he saw Clark out of the corner of his eyes before his attention was back on the TV.

Clark sat down next to his little boy, and smiled as Jason laughed at the cartoons he was watching. He waited for the show to end before he asked, "How did you sleep?"

"Really good, Daddy, do we have to leave today?" Jason asked not wanting to do that. He loved being here mostly because of all of the attention his Granny and Pappa lavished upon him, but also because he was with both of his parents, and he liked that.

"We really do, your Granny and Pappa are going to Florida tomorrow, and they need time to pack up and prepare for their trip," Clark said. He watched as Jason looked away, and hated to be the one to make him sad. Before he could say anything, his mom walked into the room and took Jason's bowl.

Martha saw the sad look in Jason's eyes and knelt down in front of him. "Now what is there to be sad about?" she asked as he looked at her.

"I want to stay with you and Pappa," he said as he sniffed.

Seeing her grandson suddenly so sad made Martha sad. "Oh Jason, I would love for you too, but you have a life back in the city, and I promise you that I will find something really special when your pappa and I go to Florida, and I will mail it to you," she said.

"It won't be the same as being with you," Jason said as his lips drew down. When Martha reached out to hug him, Jason held on to her doing his best not to cry, but lately goodbyes were hard on him.

Martha held Jason in her arms for a few moments, and when he drew away from her she kissed his cheeks. "How would you like to go on a walk with Pappa and me?" She asked, and instantly his blue eyes lit up with excitement. Martha watched as he asked Clark and when her son said yes, she found herself being tugged out of the room.

Just after lunch that day, and after he had flown all of Jason's toys back to Lois's house, along with Lucky in her crate, Clark Kent hugged his mom goodbye. "Thank you for having us here," he said as they parted. Beside him, Jason was hugging Ben, and when Clark moved away, Jason hugged Martha and he was surprised when she picked him up for a better hug.

When Lois came out of the house, after one last check to make sure they had everything, Clark led the way to their rental car, and helped his mom get Jason into his booster seat. Jason held on to his Granny's neck for as long as he could, and when she finally let him go he turned away from her as his tears fell silently down his cheeks.

Martha shut the door feeling guilty, and then hugged Lois, who assured her that Jason would be back to himself likely before they hit the main road. After giving a hug to Ben, Lois got into the passenger seat of the Ford Taurus they had rented, and Clark pulled out onto the long narrow road which would start their journey home.

Lois peered back at Jason who was looking out the window and could see the tears still falling down his cheeks. If she was truthful to herself, she wasn't looking all that forward to returning home. She had enjoyed this time with Clark and his family, and then she realized that he had not gone out to save anyone since they arrived in Montana, save for one really bad auto accident on a freeway just east of Los Angeles CA.

Heading home felt strange, and Clark wondered what would happen when they got back to Metropolis. He knew Superman would be needed, and that he was already needed at this very moment, but right now it was time for his family, and the world would have to survive at least until tonight without him. As he glanced over at Lois he could tell she was deep in thought and took his right hand off of the steering wheel, and grasped her left hand.

Just past 5pm, a red and white taxi pulled up in front of the house on Riverside Dr. In the back seat Lois gently woke Jason, who had not spoken very much at all since they had left Montana. She helped him get his coat on because the weather outside was frigid, and then after she buttoned her own coat, she opened the door and took in a shuttering breath as the reality of how cold it was hit her.

The Driver of the taxi was nice enough to help them get their luggage into the house, and after paying him, Lois shut the door and walked down the four stairs from the landing finding Jason playing with Lucky. "Okay Munchkin, I don't know about you but I'm hungry," Lois said.

"Mommy, may I take Lucky outside?" Jason asked not interested in food at this point.

Lois helped Jason get his coat back on and wrapped a scarf around his neck so that he could keep his face warm, and once he had gone, she searched their refrigerator and found it empty. Very quickly she went to the phone and ordered Chinese delivery, and after she hung up she went over to the sofa in the living room and plopped down. This house had been her home for five years and now she didn't know if she could stay here anymore. She was starting a new chapter in her life, with Clark Kent, and suddenly being alone hurt.

New York State had been slammed by a huge snow storm, and Superman was doing all he could to help work crews clear the roads. He had intended on going by Lois's at some point that evening, but it was evident, as the snow still fell, that he would be busy for quite some time. He used his heat vision to clear some of the major freeways, to allow motorists passage, but as the snow kept falling, the roads were again getting too slick for safe travel.

When the snow finally began to let up, it was nearly 11pm, and when he flew into Metropolis he flew past his house to the other side of the city, and landed in front of Lois's house. All was very quiet, but he already knew she was inside waiting for him. When he got to the door she opened it and he drew her into his arms kissing her, and holding her to him for long moments. As she pulled away he could see the sad look in her eyes. "Tell me," he said as he kissed her lips again.

"Jason won't eat, and when you didn't come by to tuck him in he cried himself to sleep. I have never seen him this way before, not even when Richard left. I tried to explain to him that you were needed to help those people in the storm, but I don't think his little mind is ready to understand that he has to share his daddy with the world."

Her words stung, but he had not expected for Jason to understand why he was needed. "May I go see him?" he asked.

Lois smiled at him. "You don't ever have to ask me that," she said. She watched as in the blink of an eye he changed into the jeans and sweater he had worn on the way back from Montana and then watched him as he went upstairs to look in on their son.

Before he even arrived in Jason's room, Clark knew he was awake. When he knelt by the bed, Jason sat up and Clark lifted him out from beneath the covers sitting back on the floor as he cradled him in his arms.

"You didn't come," Jason said as he looked up at his father's face.

"I know. There was a big snow storm, and I had to go help clear the roads to keep the people safe."

Jason knew that already and shook his head. "You are my daddy, not theirs," as he finished saying that he began to cry, and Clark held him close. He wasn't sure how he was going to balance things out between his duties as a father and his duties to the world, and again his mind came back to what his Kryptonian mother had said to him when he admitted his love for Lois. She told him he would have to live as a mortal, and until now he had not understood. He knew now, as he did then, that he could not forsake the world Superman, and he also knew that Jason would suffer as he was now until he was old enough to understand why he did what he did.

Once Jason was asleep, Clark put him back in his bed and watched as Lucky snuggled in his arms. He gave his son a light kiss on his cheek before he walked out of the room finding Lois sitting on the top of the stairs.

"How do we help him understand?" She asked as Clark sat down next to her.

"I'm not sure there is a way, and I'm not sure I can hurt him like this," he admitted.

Lois turned to face the man she loved. "Clark, what choice do you have, the world needs you, and eventually Jason will be old enough to understand."

"I could always become mortal again," he said and saw her shaking her head. "Then tell me what to do here Lois, because I don't know how to live with myself knowing that Jason might cry himself to sleep every night I am not there to tuck him in." He wasn't angry at her, just at himself because there were no easy answers.

"I think you being here as much as you can, will help him, and he will adjust to this. Right now he has a great deal to get used too, and it is going to take him time," she offered as he put his arm around her.

The next day, Lucy came by and took Jason to see another movie, leaving Lois alone in the house to contemplate her life. She had already been on the internet looking up realtors, hardly believing that she was about to do this for real. What she really wanted was a place where she and Clark and Jason could live together, but for right now she knew she would have to settle for an apartment, just until she saw how things would go.

As she was about to pick up the phone, it began to ring and as she answered it she found Richard on the other end. He told her that the Planet was moving him to their China office, and then that he had started dating a woman he had known since before they got together. Hearing that bit of news made Lois both happy and sad. "I'm glad you called, I have decided to move out of the house," she said.

On his end Richard was surprised, but then he guessed things between she and Superman were moving along. "You do what you need to do Lois, if you will fax me the documents I'll sign everything over to you to make things easier," he said with a tinge of sadness in his voice. Richard had known all those years ago that this would likely happen, but it was still very hard. "How is Jason holding up?"

"He doesn't understand about his daddy's other job," Lois said knowing that she really couldn't say more over the phone. She told him how depressed he had been, and then she shut her eyes. "I don't know if this is right Richard, it feels right, but I can't just go on that alone," she said.

Lois would never know how much he wanted to tell her to come with him to China and forget about Clark Kent and Superman, but Richard knew that even though she was afraid, her life and Jason's was with the Man of Steel. "Just take your time, there isn't anything that says you have to rush out and get married, or, well you know what I mean."

His words brought some comfort to her, though Lois didn't feel they were rushing this. She and Superman had a history together, one she had just gotten light of, and she did want their lives to work out. "Well I should get going, I need to call the realtors and get this show on the road." Richard suggested she use the same Realtor, Seaside reality, who sold them the house five years before, and after she hung up with him she called that company.

After seeing the movie with his Aunt Lucy, Jason went with her to a huge toy store not far from where his Mommy and Daddy worked at the Planet. Despite being so sad, he was starting to liven up.

Spending time with Jason was something Lucy didn't do enough of, and she wanted that to change. She was on the outs with Nick again, and had decided to swear off men for now. As she gazed at a display of a model fair set, she didn't notice that Jason was not close by, and after she watched the models move around she turned around to point out the circus act, and saw that Jason' was no where to be seen. "Jason," she called out not yet worried. He wondered off a lot but never too far away.

Hearing a puppy barking, Jason had gone back down to the first floor of the store, and saw a man walking outside with a crate full of puppies. He knew he shouldn't leave, but reasoned with his five year old mind that as long as he stayed right close to the store, he would be safe. Once he was outside he saw the man putting the crate into a white van directly across from him, and ignoring all of the things he had ever been taught, Jason walked over to him. "Can I see your puppies?" he asked.

"Why sure you can, just hop right up there," the man with the long blond hair said.

For a moment Jason hesitated, and then he heard the puppies yapping and without a worry on his little mind he got into the white van.

At the house, Lois had just finished talking with the Realtors when the phone began to ring. She picked it up expecting it to be the General but instead she heard Lucy sobbing. "Lucy," Lois said suddenly alert.

"Oh Lois, he's gone, I turned just for a second and he's gone," she said as she began to cry again.

Lois felt her stomach tighten and shut her eyes. "Calm down Luce, he can't have gone very far, where are you now?" Lucy told her she was at Gibson's Toy Palace, and after she told her to try and calm down, Lois hung up the phone and ran up to her room to get her purse.

When he woke up, Jason felt sick and dizzy. He opened his eyes but couldn't see, and realized that aside from being strapped to a bed of some sort, he had a piece of dark fabric over his eyes. "Whose there?" He asked trying to be brave. He heard movement, and then something horrible smelling was placed over his nose. Jason tried to struggle but suddenly he was very sleepy.

Max took the handkerchief away after the boy went to sleep, and finished getting one last vile of blood, from the heal of Jason's foot. The strain was nearly complete, but Max needed a fresh sample of blood, to make sure that it would do what it was created to do. Once he had what he needed, he turned around and found his boss staring at the kid. "We could just do it now," he said.

"Yes that would be easy, but it would not make them suffer or worry like I want them too. I want Superman to lose everything, and when this child dies, he won't have anything left, and then we can take care of the woman too," he said. Lex Luther gave the boy one last look before he headed back upstairs. "Take him to Centennial Park after it gets dark." He called out.

While Max still didn't agree with killing a little kid, he was helpless to do much else. He cleaned off the place where he had stuck the needle, and sealed it with Liquid Band-Aid before he checked on his other work.

Evening arrived and Lois was frantic. Superman had flown all around the city and even on the outskirts, but could not find hide or hair of their son. They had gotten the police involved in the search as well, but so far no one had been able to find Jason. As she sat in her room biting her nails, she tried to think of where he would be, and then it hit her. "Oh god no," she said as she stood up and ran downstairs. She went outside and called out his name, and before she could say his name again he was there. "Lex Luther, he knows about Jason, what if he has him, he could be using something with lead to hide him." She saw his face grow angry and then he was gone.

The old mansion was empty, and there was no trace of anything Lex could have left behind. Superman had gone over the house three times, and was about to go a forth when his hearing picked up the sweetest sound he had ever heard. He ran outside and took of flying over the bay straight into Metropolis, and in the middle of Centennial Park hidden under a bench he found his son crying. "Jason," he said as he reached out and gently pulled him into his arms. It was late enough that the park was fairly empty, and once he was certain no one could see him, he took off with his son secure in his arms.

When he arrived at Lois's home she was waiting, and he put Jason in her arms, before he changed into Clark. Jason was sobbing, and had been since he found him at the park. Clark watched as Lois soothed him and after he had calmed down they asked him what had happened.

"I don't know," he said sniffing as Lois held him cradled in her arms. He was shaking, so they went upstairs and gave him a bath, along with his medicines before they put him to bed. It seemed as soon as his head hit the pillow, Jason was out, leaving the parents time to talk.

Once they were downstairs Lois asked Superman if he had found anything in the mansion that would lead them to Lex Luther.

"The mansion is empty, and I don't know if Luther had him or not, but my guess is he did, but why?" he asked for himself more than her.

Lois was pacing as she tried to think about it. "He knows Jason is your son, does he really need a reason other than that."

Clark stood up from the sofa and walked over to her. He put an hand on her shoulder and a moment later she was in his arms. "I won't let him hurt Jason, if I have to I'll spend the next five years tracking him down."

"But even as Superman you have a weakness that he knows of with the Kryptonite, and with not being able to see through anything made of lead," she pointed out and watched as he considered that. "What are you thinking?"

"Do you remember that expose I did before I left on Bruce Wayne?" When she nodded her head he thought about telling her what he knew but then he didn't. "He might be able to help, if I can convince him that it is a noble cause."

Clark's expose had been the first of many that were done on the Billionaire son of the Wayne fortune, but Lois wasn't sure where he was going with this. "Does he know about you," and when he nodded his head a thousand questions went through her head. She was still in his arms, and all she wanted to do was to find someplace safe where she could raise Jason, where they could both raise him, and not fear his being harmed.

The next morning when Jason got up his head still hurt. Lucky wasn't in his bed, so he went across the hall to his mommy's room, but found her bed empty. When he got downstairs he found his mommy and dad seated at the table talking, and Lucky asleep by his mom's feet. "Mommy my head hurts right here," Jason said as he walked over to the table rubbing his forehead. He stood still as his mommy felt his head, and then he was lifted onto her lap.

"Jason, can you try to remember what happened last night?" she asked, hating to push this on him, but already he was shaking his head.

While Lois held him, Superman scanned Jason's body, but could find nothing on him that might indicate any harm had come about. He heard the Grandfather Clock ring seven times and stood up. "Well I need to get going," he said as he walked over to them. He gave Lois a kiss on her lips and then one to Jason on his cheek. As he knelt down Jason reached out, and Clark hugged him close. "Be good for your mommy," he said feeling Jason nod his head in agreement. Clark had contacted Bruce already this morning, and his mutual friend in the crime fighting business agreed to meet with him. As he walked to the door he changed into his Superman attire, and then in a quick moment he was gone.

"I wish I didn't have to share my daddy," Jason said as he yawned.

Lois gave her baby a gentle squeeze before she stood up and carried him upstairs to get him dressed, and to start his daily morning routine of medicines.

AN: Okay the bad news. I am getting my computer overhauled which might take longer than I like so I won't be able to update for a while after this chapter, but please read and review, you guys are great and keep me going. I will try and get the computer back as soon as I can granted nothing to major is wrong with it, so keep your fingers crossed for me.

Thanks for your reviews and to everyone who has read this even without a review.

Eviefan