A/N: Thanks to everyone who's taken the time to review the story. Your comments are very much appreciated!

Chapter 4: Mixed Messages

"Jason," her voice was firm yet polite, much like Clark's Superman persona she'd often heard on TV. Martha Kent looked at the items the boy just dumped into the shopping cart. Chicken nuggets, lollipops, animal crackers and Fruit Loops. Clark had asked her to take his son to the grocery store to get supplies for their trip while he made preparations back at the farm. Somehow, she didn't think this is what he had in mind.

Jason looked up at her with his baby blue eyes and she bit back her next words. What grandmother could resist? It wasn't often that she got to spend time alone with him and she'd be damned for not milking the moment for all it was worth. He looked so much like her boy.

By the front entrance a young, blonde-haired clerk had just turned the "Open" sign around that hung from the top of the glass door. Martha glanced at her watch. 11:00 p.m. In all her years she'd never been to the Smallville Super Mart this late. Heck, it was passed her bedtime.

Crunch. Martha looked over at Jason, whose white shirt was rapidly transforming into red before her eyes. In his hand he held what once resembled a tin can of SpaghettiOs. Unfazed, she took the can and placed it on top of the cart. She removed a handkerchief from her purse, wet a corner with her tongue and tried to wipe the thick, soupy sauce off his shirt.

Jason looked down at his shirt upset, "I'm sorry."

She eyed him sympathetically, "It's okay dear, no harm done." Except that there was no way tomato sauce was coming out of that fabric. She smiled, recalling a similar incident with Clark involving a glass pickle jar three aisles down in the condiments section. The boy's words and sad, befuddled frown momentarily transported her back twenty years to that day.

But unlike Clark, Jason was worried, like he'd readied himself to be scolded. "You're not going to tell Clark, are you?"

She wondered why he'd ask such a question. "No dear," she started pushing the cart down the aisle, "but I think you should. He'd want to know." She maneuvered the cart around a large stack of cereal boxes and headed towards the checkout line. Looking around, she realized that they were the only shoppers left in the store. The lone checkout clerk stood waiting for them, her bright, curly hair beautifully framing her oval-shaped face.

Sally Maier went to high school with Clark, and though never friends Martha always thought she'd be a nice girl for him. But in his absence she'd married a farmer's son across town. She'd worked at the Smallville Super Mart for several years now and was expecting her first child, her round belly just starting to show.

"Sally, I dropped this on the floor and it burst. Please add it to my bill." Martha said it so nonchalantly Jason looked up in surprise.

"But…" He was upset. Why was she lying for him? He wanted to tell the nice lady what happened. His teacher said it was very important to always tell the truth, yet his grandmother had just clearly lied.

"Oh it's no trouble, Mrs. Kent. It happens all the time." Fortunately, by the way the can had been crushed, it was impossible to decipher that small fingers caused the indentation marks.

Jason tugged at her skirt, his accident momentarily dismissed from his mind. "Can I have a chocolate bar?" It's funny how, despite his difficulties with Clark, the boy had no trouble embracing his grandmother.

"Oh, Jason! You eat that now and you'll never sleep tonight." But, she smiled mischievously, that wasn't her problem. "Okay, the little one, but we'll split it. And we have to finish it before we get home. I don't want Clark finding out that I spoiled you." Looking at the groceries on the conveyer, however, she suspected that to be a moot point.

His eyes lit up as he grabbed the chocolate bar and handed it to the store clerk. After Sally rang up the items, she helped Martha carry the groceries out to her truck.

"Thank you, Sally. You're a doll."

"You're welcome, Mrs. Kent. Good night!" Sally waved goodbye and went back inside the store, closing the door firmly and turning the latch. Maybe, on second thought, Sally wouldn't have been a good match for Clark. But never in all her years would she have thought Lois Lane might be the one for him either. Impulsive. Selfish. Smart. Strong-willed. Beautiful. Those are words she'd use to describe the woman that captured her son's heart. But none of those words mattered. All that mattered was that she was madly in love with Clark. Regardless, Martha had a five-year-old grandson and no daughter-in-law, but that was an argument for another day.

As they drove away, Jason unwrapped the chocolate bar, broke off two pieces and gave one to Martha.

"So are you excited about the trip?" she asked.

"Uh huh," he replied as he swallowed a chocolate square.

She gripped the wheel tightly as she rounded a curve in the road. "Where are you going?"

"Mars!"

Years of broken pickle jars, heat-seared holes in walls and broken barn roofs prepared her for that answer. She would have been surprised had he said something mundane, like the beach. She doused her response with astonishment, for his sake. "My, that sounds like an adventure! More chocolate?"

He handed her another square.

She made a right turn onto the long, dirt driveway that led up to the farm. In a minute, the house became visible. The headlights flashed briefly upon a large, crystalline object some distance behind the barn. She shivered as she recalled the last time she saw such a contraption.

"Whoa, what's that?" he exclaimed with wonder.

Martha laughed as she slowed to a stop and put the truck in park. Jason had a ring of melted chocolate around his mouth. She reached inside her purse for a handkerchief but wasn't quick enough as he jumped out of the vehicle and raced towards the ship, a little skip in his stride.

Clark watched his son run towards him. Well, he ran more towards the ship than to him. But he refused to let that little fact disrupt his good mood. For the occasion, he'd worn jeans and a t-shirt, and left his glasses on his mother's kitchen table. He thought it a good first step to make Jason feel as comfortable as possible around him, that and to know that outside of the superhero suit he was just a man, like the person he called "dad."

The ship was majestically crafted of crystal, star-shaped, like the one that took him back to Krypton, but half the size. He utilized one of the few remaining crystals left in his possession to build it, one that he hadn't needed to use the last time he built a ship. He'd hidden them in the barn when he left, not knowing that if or when he returned they'd be the only remnants of his homeworld left in his possession.

"Is that a spaceship?"

Clark nodded. He watched Jason methodically circle the ship and followed his wide eyes as they scaled the tall columns of crystal that stretched towards the sky. The boy brushed his fingers gingerly against the smooth surface and jumped away, awed by the sensation.

Martha, with her slow, careful step, came up behind them holding the grocery bags in one hand and Jason's backpack in the other.

"Thank you so… much?" Clark began as he peered into the bags. Puzzled, he looked at Martha, who at the moment caught up with Jason and was wiping away the chocolate on his face.

"He's my grandson, Clark. It's my job to spoil him." Then, she added nonchalantly, "There's real food in there as well."

He looked into the bags again, "Where?"

"The PB&J." She removed a shirt from the boy's backpack and helped him put on a clean one.

Clark looked at her incredulously and shook his head. "You always made me eat green vegetables and fish."

She grinned. "And I distinctly remember you saying to me once that PB&J was real food." She kissed Clark. "You boys have a safe trip." She pulled Jason into a big hug and as he responded warmly, felt tears form in her eyes. While Clark was growing up, she hoped, yet didn't dare expect, that he would experience the happiness of loving a son as much as she did. Now she felt indebted to the woman who made that dream reality.

Martha walked back towards the house, and when they were alone, Clark gazed upon his son, trying to gauge his mood. "So, uh, you want to see inside?"

It was the right thing to say. The boy nodded profusely.

They entered through a small opening near the rear of the ship. Clark had to crouch slightly as he stepped inside. The interior was constructed entirely of thick, oblong beams of crystal, eerily resembling the design of New Krypton. Being a short-range ship, there was only one small room that served as the bridge. A long, low beam partially split the room in two, and in front of it laid a small control panel.

Jason dropped his backpack into the corner next to a set of sleeping bags and walked around, mesmerized.

"It's pretty late, Jason. Would you like to go to bed?"

"Nuh uh," came his soft, distracted reply through a stifled yawn.

Clark smiled, thinking what a silly question it was to ask of a child. He sat down in front of the console and called Jason over to sit down next to him. He pushed together two crystal levers and the ship shook slightly. From behind a transparent wall two large crystal pillars began to slide up and down. A few moments later, a soft rumble echoed from all sides as the ship began to rise steadily off the ground.

It took less than a minute to exit the Earth's atmosphere. The crystal pillars continued their rhythmic movement, more smoothly now that the ship had entered space. Clark focused his x-ray vision through the wall of the ship, watching the glowing green and blue sphere rapidly fade into the darkness of space. He asked Jason, "Would you like to see something neat?"

The boy nodded. Clark maneuvered the controls once again. The soft glow that emanated from the wide, stubby crystals that formed the ceiling began to darken, becoming almost completely transparent. Soon, darkness filled the ship and thousands of tiny white stars dotted the ceiling. It was the Kryptonian version of a campout in the woods, and the only things missing were the fire and marshmallows.

He slowed their acceleration, and both of them watched the Earth fade until it became indistinguishable from the stars.

In a sudden burst of energy Jason ran around the room. "This is so cool! I can't wait to tell the kids at school!" And he had the perfect opportunity to do so. Every Monday morning, his teacher, Miss Thomas, asked her students to stand up in front of class and give a brief account of what they did over the weekend. He was tired of saying that he didn't do anything fun. He did go with his mommy to the Daily Planet, but other kids talked about how their dads did fun stuff with them, like play outside or go to the playground. He hadn't done anything fun with his dad since he last took him up in his plane many months ago.

Clark set the coordinates to Mars, put the ship on autopilot and turned around in his seat. In trying to appease his son, he realized the mistake he made. "You can't tell anyone about this, Jason."

The boy slumped down in the corner and grabbed his knees to his chest, pouting. "But why?"

That question, in so many contexts, haunted his childhood for years. Why could he do so many amazing things no one else could? Why did his parents insist he hide them? Fortunately Jason wouldn't have to wonder like he did. He wouldn't have to be afraid or alone. But the answers, he also knew, didn't make the truth any easier to live with. He would never be human, and neither would Jason. On that front Clark knew his words would offer no comfort.

"Because, Jason, we're different. We're not like everybody else."

"But I don't want to be different! I want to be normal like mommy and the kids at school."

It was like talking to himself, so many years ago. "I know, Jason. I know. And if I could make it easier for you I would, but I can't."

Jason pouted, fighting back tears. "Everyone at school thinks I'm weird."

"I'm sure they don't think that."

"Yes, they do! Nobody likes me. But they think Superman's cool. If you came to my school and told them you're my friend then they would like me."

"I can't do that."

"But why not!"

"Because, Jason, no one can know of your connection to Superman. There are bad people out there who are looking for ways to hurt me. And the only way they can do that is to come after the people that I love. That's you and your mom."

"And grandma?"

Clark smiled, "Yes, grandma too. I will never allow anything bad to happen to any of you. I promise you that. But you can't tell anyone that you know Superman."

Jason looked away, not acknowledging him. "But that means that I have to lie."

He'd become so accustomed to his dual identity the word lie had taken on a subjective meaning. "You don't tell your friends everything about yourself, do you? "

The boy didn't respond.

"You're my son, Jason. And I know you're not old enough to fully understand what that means. But someday…"

"Yes I do!" Jason said defensively.

Clark smiled thinly and continued, "I think you already know that you're not like other boys. You can do things, amazing things, like Superman."

The boy looked at him with such sadness Clark was sure he'd break into tears. He rose out of his seat and sat down in front of him on the floor. He wasn't sure how much he should say at this point, or even how much he would understand. "Do you remember that day on the boat," he tried to speak his next words as delicately as possible, "when the bad man tried to hurt your mom?"

Jason turned pale, and his eyes widened in fear. Clark grabbed his shoulders firmly but gently, "It's okay Jason. Your mom told me what happened. It wasn't your fault." He didn't want to upset him, but he had to make his son understand, on some level, what was to come. "Has anything strange like that ever happened again?"

He was silent for a long minute before he spoke so softly Clark wasn't sure he said the words aloud, "I broke something today." Clark listened intently as the boy reiterated what happened at the Super Mart.

"It's okay, Jason. You didn't do anything wrong. You're just very strong, that's all. I can teach you to control your strength, so situations like tonight won't happen so much. Would you like that?"

"Yeah," Jason smiled softly, the relief evident in his voice.

"And do you understand why you can't tell anyone you can do these neat things?"

The boy hesitated, then nodded sadly.

Clark needed to emphasize the silver lining and fast, before his son broke into tears. "It's not all bad, you know."

"It's not?"

"Nope. You know how you're strong? That's not the only advantage you'll have when you grow up."

"You mean, I'm gonna be able to fly like you?"

Clark let out a quick laugh, "I don't know. But you'll be faster, stronger than anyone else. I can't tell you for certain what powers you'll inherit and to what extent. I wish I had more answers for you."

"The other day at school I saw something that no one else saw. Everyone said I was dumb. But it was there, I saw it!"

"You're not dumb, Jason, you just see better than anyone else."

"I told mommy about it but she just laughed at me," he said sadly.

The pain in his voice was like guilt-ridden nails being hammered into his flesh, and he was sorry all over again for leaving his son alone for so long. "Jason, mommy wasn't trying to be mean. She just doesn't understand what it's like to see like we do, that's all. But you know what? I see those things too. So when things like that happen I want you to tell me about them. Do we have a deal?"

Jason sat motionless, not answering. He was thinking about something else. "I'm scared."

"I understand. And you know what? I'm scared too."

"But you're Superman. You're not scared of anything."

Clark laughed. "That's not true. I'm scared, every day. I worry that something will happen to you or your mom. You guys mean more to me than anyone else in the universe."

Jason took in his words. Superman was scared! Somehow, that made him feel so much better.

"I will always be here for you, Jason. You're not alone."

In a flash, Jason had his arms around him, and Clark grabbed hold. Jason let out a long, soft cry. Finally, after so many months, he was on the receiving end of a father-son embrace. Clark held his son tightly for several minutes until Jason quieted down.

Tears flooded Clark's eyes, but he held it together and brushed his hand through his son's hair. "You, uh, hungry?"

Jason smiled and nodded.

Clark got up and brought out the grocery bags. There wasn't much by way of real food, but the chicken nuggets' box was soggy and the meat partially defrosted. He pulled out a paper plate and dumped the nuggets onto it. Then, using his heat vision, he systematically warmed each nugget one by one until a faint wisp of steam emanated from the chicken.

"Cool!" Jason exclaimed.

Clark laughed. Jason reached into the bag and pulled out a bottle of ketchup, squeezing a large glob onto the plate, while Clark poured soda into two plastic Dixie cups. "Don't tell your mother," he said, remembering how Jason wasn't allowed soda after dinner. They both laughed.

As they sat on the floor and finished dinner, the console beeped. Clark went to see what the disturbance was about. He looked at the readings, entered some calculations and the ship shifted slightly. Looking up at the transparent ceiling, he pointed towards an object in the distance.

"Jason, look." To the human eye, there was nothing there. But using his telescopic vision, the boy zeroed in on the small object.

"What is it?"

"It's called a comet. It's a mixture of rock and ice."

"It's got a tail!"

"Yes, it does."

Lack of sleep was quickly becoming evident in the boy. "It's getting pretty late, Jason. You should get some sleep."

"But I don't wanna sleep."

"I know. But when you wake up tomorrow, we'll be in orbit around Mars. Besides, the sooner you get some sleep the quicker we'll get there."

"If I go to bed will you tell me a story?"

Clark was truly touched. "Sure, just put on your pajamas."

While Jason changed, Clark removed the sleeping bags and rolled them out side by side onto the floor. The boy slipped into the one closest to the wall and laid his head gently down on a pillow. Clark kissed him on the cheek, acutely aware that this was the first time he had ever tucked in his son. He settled into his own sleep sack.

Clark propped his head up on one hand and looked at Jason, who had his sleeping bag pulled up to his chin. "There once was a little boy who lived on…"

"What's the boy's name?"

"Kal-el."

"That's a funny name."

Clark laughed and began again. "There once was a little boy named Kal-el who lived on a planet far, far away. His parents…"

"What planet?"

"Krypton." He was starting to get the hang of this! "There once was a little boy named Kal-el who lived on a planet called Krypton. His parents, Jor-el and Lara, believed that something bad was going to happen. So they sent their only son, Kal-el…" As he continued his story, the boy looked at him entranced. Despite his young age, Clark was fairly certain that he understood he was talking about himself. After a few minutes the boy gently closed his eyes and fell asleep, his face bearing a grin that spread ear to ear.

Some hours later, Jason stirred in his sleeping bag, awakened by a faint beeping sound. Rubbing his eyes, he stared up at the stars and noticed a large red object. His voice groggy, he yelled, "We're here! We're here!" and jumped on top of Clark.

Startled, Clark acted reflexively, pushing the boy straight into the air to separate himself from the intruding mass.

Jason giggled. "Look!" He pointed to the red sphere.

His eyes adjusting to the bright shades of red the planet emitted, he turned Jason over and brought him down on his chest and wrapped him up in his arms. "You know what that is?"

"Mars!"

"That's right."

"It's so cool!" Jason remarked.

Clark got up and maneuvered the ship towards the surface, and a few minutes later they landed with a soft thud. The ship powered down, and the crystal pillars that had been working non-stop since their departure from Earth slowly came to a halt.

Jason bounced on the balls of his feet. "Can we go outside?"

Clark laughed, having anticipated his request. Last evening, he made a pit stop to the home of Admiral Cullen in Cape Canaveral. Clark knew him from an article he had written about his contributions to the space program shortly before his retirement last month. Tongue-tied, the admiral found it impossible to say no to Superman when he asked to borrow a couple of spacesuits. He didn't even flinch at his use of the word "two."

The suits required extensive modifications, including sizing down the one that would be Jason's. He also added several Kryptonian inspired devices of his own, including a self-contained air supply.

He helped Jason into his suit who, Clark noted, was still wearing his Spongebob pajamas. Clark opened the hatch and held his son's hand tightly as they stepped outside. The smooth sand slightly gave way underfoot and he walked around gingerly, carefully placing each foot down on the ground. Jason, however, had other plans. He grew accustomed to the lighter gravity almost immediately and started jumping into the air. Inwardly, Clark was thankful he took the time to install gravity stabilizers in their boots, otherwise Jason would be halfway to Jupiter by now.

After a few minutes, Jason lay flat on the ground. Small mounds of red dirt sprouted up around his limbs as he stretched out his arms and legs, creating a sand angel. It was a maneuver his dad had taught him last winter, and he only wished he could be there right now to see him. But if his dad couldn't come to Mars with him, he decided, he would bring a little something of Mars back to him. Opening his right suit pocket, he stuffed it with as much dirt as would fit, then moved over to a small crater where the sand was of a lighter hue. He stuffed the lighter shade sand into his left pocket, then giggled and looked up at Clark.

By now it was dusk, and Deimos and Phobos were white blips rising into the darkening sky. With great reluctance Clark ushered Jason back into the ship. He helped his son remove his suit, and mounds of sand poured out of the pockets. Jason pushed him away as he gathered the sand into separate piles on either side of his backpack.

Clark took a seat at the controls and fired up the engines, the soft rumble echoing once again as red sand billowed up all around them.

Once they exited Mars' atmosphere, Jason sat down next to Clark, studying the controls. "Can I try?"

"All you have to do is press these two sticks together," Clark said, gesturing towards the crystal levers, "and we go faster. Pull them apart and we go slower."

Jason pushed his hand away and grabbed hold of the controls. The ship lurched forward violently. "Oops," came the boy's soft remark which was quickly eclipsed by their joint laughter. Clark clapped his hand over the boy's and guided his hand over the controls so they slowed down.

"This is so cool! I can't wait to tell daddy! I can tell daddy about this, can't I?"

Clark didn't answer, but Jason was no longer paying any attention to him. He expected Jason would want to tell Richard about his trip. It's just, for whatever reason he couldn't quite explain, hearing him call Richard "daddy" hurt more than it ever had before.

After a few minutes, Jason's hand fell limp. Clark set the trajectory to Earth and put the ship back on autopilot. He picked up his son and placed him back in his sleeping bag. Dimming the lights, he settled into his own sleeping bag. Jason, still inside his own sack, swished himself across the floor so that he was lying closer to Clark.

Tears formed in Clark's eyes, brought upon by a surreal mixture of pain and joy at Jason's gesture. He recalled the five years he spent in utter solitude in lieu of moments like this one. Masked by the darkness, he allowed his tears flow freely.

TO BE CONTINUED

A/N: I know the science is a little fuzzy, sorry about that. Did I totally butcher the story with this chapter? Please let me know! In the next chapter, we'll find out what happened to Lois while the boys were away.