Disclaimer: don't own Superman...wish I did, but I don't.

Oh, and I assumed that Clark didn't have a house because he was trying to find a place to stay in Superman Returns, so sorry if I had my facts wrong.


Clark tugged uncomfortably at his neck again. He was so used to wearing a tie that he forgot what it was like to wear casual clothes for this long. Lois, though, might be a little freaked out, though, if she thought that he wore a suit all day. Not that he did, but when he wasn't at work, he was saving the day as Superman.

The house looked very nice. There were actually three bedrooms and two bathrooms, with a large living room and a moderately large kitchen. A comfortable den nestled in a corner of the house, complete with a bay window and plump chairs. It was a perfect little nook for Jason to play in. He even went out and got some games for Jason to play, including a sketch pad and crayons that he wrapped up for a gift. He had heard from Lois that Jason enjoyed drawing, so it seemed appropriate.

Lois checked the hotel room one more time. All clothes were packed and whatever random household supplies she had were neatly stored in a bag. She smiled wanly when she saw Jason, holding a large suitcase and his stuffed elephant, Foots. He was struggling to lift the heavy bag, and trying not to drop Foots in the process. She reached over and took the bag in the hand that didn't already have a suitcase.

"Come on, honey, the taxi is waiting. Don't drop Foots in the mud or we'll have to put him in the dryer again," she warned, her voice full of motherly love, if tired. Jason looked horrified and clung to the blue elephant.

"Foots said he didn't like the dryer. He gets motion sickness, like me. But he said it was okay because it was like flying, and he felt like Superman," Jason informed her, his face a picture of seriousness. Lois laughed dryly, tugging him along by his hand. They stepped out onto the sidewalk and into the musty cab.

"Mommy, I don't like the cab," whispered Jason, "I don't want to ride in it. It makes me feel bad." Lois looked at her son, concerned. Maybe he was frightened of staying at Clark's house, maybe it was too much change. She hugged him as the car started.

"Oh, sweetie, Clark's a nice guy, and I've been his friend for years. You met him several times! He loves kids, and he probably can't wait to see us!" she said, smiling. Jason looked faint.

"No, mommy, I like Mr. Clark. I'm not afraid," he murmured, squeezing Foots harder. Lois relaxed and sat back. Well, this might be easier than she thought. Jason was a tough boy…tougher than most people realized. She sighed while they cruised through the green light…but then something hit the car with the force of a truck going eighty miles and hour.

Well, that was what it was; an eighteen-wheeler going eighty miles an hour. Lois screamed as the cab flipped over and over through the air, clinging to her son and wishing that he would live to see tomorrow.

Five to ten seconds ago

Clark checked his appearance in the mirror one last time. He still felt uncomfortable, but it couldn't hurt. Casual was a good look for him. He stuck with colors in beige and white; plain, boring colors. His glasses were on place, somehow hiding how he really looked. His hair was rumpled and slightly messy, contrasting deeply to Superman's slicked-back look. He made sure not a single curl of his wavy hair hung in his face. Suddenly, though, he heard screaming and, cursing whoever was screaming with venomous frustration, ripped top clothes off, revealing the royal blue. He blasted away through an open window.

Still screaming, Lois could feel the car flipping over and over, upside down and sideways, and swore to never, ever go on a roller coaster if she lived through this. Abruptly, though, the flipping stopped, and she felt the car floating in midair, as if held up by strings. Instantly, though, she knew. Superman.

Her heart stumbled and her eyes squeezed shut. He was the last man she needed to see right now. One glance and she would fall head over heels for him. She didn't want that, not right after Richard died. It seemed so…so dirty and disrespectful! As the car landed, she could feel Jason bounce eagerly out of the car to be greeted by the deep, regal voice of Superman.

Lois remained in the car, her eyes still shut. Even without looking, she could tell by the sudden silencing of Jason that Superman was leaning over and looking in the taxi at her, most likely wondering what the hell she was doing. She felt a little bad for hurting him like this, but she couldn't even look at him; not yet.

"I'm sorry; I really am. But…I can't see you right now, please try to understand. It isn't you, it's Richard," she whispered, and she could barely hear herself. But she knew that Superman could hear her. She waited in tortured silence.

"I understand. I'll see you around, Lois," he murmured, casting an affectionate glance that she couldn't see. Looking up, he found another taxi that had been caught in the growing traffic jam around the accident. He lifted Lois gently, feeling her jump, and flew over to the taxi.

"Excuse me, but could you take this lady to wherever she was going? I can get you out of the traffic jam and along the road," he said to the stunned driver, who nodded enthusiastically. That was another plus to being Superman. People jumped to help him.

Looking around, he found Jason standing in a circle of reporters, all who were bombarding him with questions on what he knew about Superman. Clark smiled. Well, he was certainly showing signs of heading down his mother's path of publicity. He scooped up Jason and stuck him in the taxi, and then lifted the taxi and set it on a road in the right direction. He sighed to himself as he watched it drive off. Then something hit him like the force of the eighteen wheel truck that hit Lois. He had to clean this mess up, get back to his house, and put on a pair of clothes before Lois got there! And that left him with about ten minutes, judging from the distance from the accident to his house!

Moving at super-speed, Clark lifted the truck and flew as fast as possible without burning the truck to ashes. He dropped it off, terrified drunk driver and all, at the police station, leaving them to figure it out. Then, he zoomed back to the highway and set the cars back into order, finishing by zooming at top speed back to his house, flying through the upstairs window just as he saw Lois and Jason's cab pulling into the driveway. He practically flew around the room, pulling out clothes and yanking them on, making sure he rumpled his hair just right. Damn that stupid man who crashed into Lois right after he made sure he looked perfect! He heard the doorbell ring, and raced down the stairs, glancing into the mirror as he went.

Clark froze in his tracks. His glasses! He left them upstairs! Moving with the speed only capable of Superman, he managed to get up the stairs and down again in seconds. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door.

"Oh, Lois, you're early," he said casually, examining his fingernails. Cool, very cool. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the ripped-off clothes from earlier. He winced inwardly. Not cool. Lois, being an ace reporter with an eye for unusual scenes, noticed it at once. She pointed, a confused look crossing her face.

"Ah, that was my…dog. He's at the vet right now; I dropped him off a little while before you arrived. I must have left that out, he tore it up this morning," he said, barely hiding his shaking hand. Wow, that was a close call. But Lois seemed to buy his story. She nodded as she slowly walked in, examining the room.

"Cool, you have a dog? Can I see him once he gets back?" asked Jason. Clark groaned a little, but quietly. He was sharp, like his mother.

"Uh, sure, why not," muttered Clark unhappily. A dog required maintenance and time, neither of which he had. Maybe he could pick one up at the pound and let Jason take care of it. Hey, maybe if they left, he could let Jason keep it! That was a thought.

"Yeah, but be careful, it's just a puppy," he said, and Jason smiled politely, but Clark could see the thinly covered squeal of excitement. After his moment of trying to find out what to do with a dog, he remembered something.

"Oh, yeah, Jason, I got you something!" he said, trying to catch Jason's now wandering attention. Of course, it was immediately caught. Clark walked over to the table and picked up the package, and then knelt down to hand it to Jason, who enthusiastically ripped it open. Clark was rewarded with a grin and a big hug as Jason discovered the sketch pad and brand-new crayons in the box. Instead of the intense happiness and delight he had expected, Clark was filled with pain. He was unable to love Jason as a father, but maybe a caring uncle-type figure would do.

Jason ran off to play with his crayons, and feeling awkward and clumsy, Clark was left with a lovely and graceful Lois.

"That was nice. You didn't have to do that," she murmured. Clark shrugged, and lifted Lois's bag.

"I like him, and he deserves something for…for going through what he has. I know it must be painful. You can stay here for as long as you like," he said, hoping that he sounded comforting. Lois looked around again.

"Your house is lovely. Thank you for letting us stay here, Jason and I really appreciate it," she said, turning to face him. Clark was flooded with emotion as he looked into her eyes. Then, remembering that he and Superman happened to have the same eyes, he looked away quickly. She furrowed her brow.

"Huh…you have nice eyes. Have you ever considered getting contacts?" she asked, confused. Clark shook his head and cleared his throat.

"Ah, no, I have sensitive eyes, and contacts bother them. So, why don't I show you to your room, and we'll get you settled in," he said, walking towards the guest bedroom. She followed, still confused. Why did it seem like he was avoiding something?


Haha, I was thinking about the whole 'wiggle out of the pants' thing, and I have to admit, that would actually be pretty hot, but just because he's Superman.

Thanks for the answers for my unanswerable question, I also heard a few more questions from my reviewers, so check out the reviews and read them. But be gentle with your reviews, mean ones hurt. Or they make me mad.