AN: Sorry I took so long in updating. I had a houseful over the holidays, along with all the end of year stuff for work. Big thanks and hugs to all of you who have reviewed my story so far. And the biggest thanks go to my Beta Mak5258. Happy New Year to you all!
Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to any off this mess, if I did, I don't think I'd claim it.
Perry sat in his office peering through the glass walls that enclosed it. It was getting late, the majority of his staff having already left for the day; those remaining were hurriedly trying to finish up whatever story they were working on before leaving. Days like today reminded Perry just how lonely he was, now that Alice was gone. He hated going back to their now empty house. The soul that had made it a home was absent since the day that Alice passed away. His boys were now grown, and had long left Metropolis, one moving to the west coast to run some yuppie coffee bar, the other in DC working for some senator as her communications director.
Sighing as he closed the folder containing a poorly written story, Perry wondered how long it had been since he really felt any contentment with his job. Glancing towards the section of the bullpen that housed Lois's desk, he realized that it had been at least five years. Ever since that day that she realized that He left without a word; the day Lois Lane lost her fire. But that was just the start, Perry realized, that wasn't all of it. He lost his contentment when he lost his Alice. She gave him the drive to be the best editor-in-chief the Daily Planet ever had. She gave him the drive to come in every day and do everything in his power to make his people the best, to encourage them to be all that they could be, because she let him be who he was.
Looking around the hastily restored bullpen, Perry's thoughts pulled him deeper into himself. This was now more of his home than his house was, their house. As he was wallowing in his grief, he heard the familiar chime of the elevator. Looking up to see who was leaving, he noticed a very tall figure exiting the elevator. A very familiar figure, carrying a red bundle, that amazingly enough had what looked like some very messy brown locks on top. Perry watched as Clark Kent walked carefully into Richard's office placing his bundle on the couch. Clark tenderly brushed Jason's wild hair out of his face and Perry was shocked as he watched as the tall Mid-westerner bent down and lovingly kissed the top of the boy's head, just as he had done with his boys so many years ago.
It was as if a light went off in Perry's head as he watched the tender scene. How could he have missed that one? Was he that far off his game? Well, he wouldn't be the great Perry White if he let this go, now would he? So with that thought in mind, Perry walked over to his door and waited for Kent to leave Richard's office.
"KENT!" Perry bellowed as soon as Clark walked through the doorway and closed the door. Clark looked towards his boss, startled, and Perry smirked at how easily he did that. It always seemed that Kent was a million miles away; so intent on whatever it was he was doing he didn't notice what was going on around him. How he ever managed to get the stories he did just amazed Perry, but then considering; this was Clark Kent and as Lois put it "Clark is – Clark."
"What the blazes are you doing here? Didn't you get the message that you are on suspension? And why in the world do you have Lois's kid?" Perry asked.
Kent's eyes went wide as he struggled with what he was going to say, "I, um, I just stopped by to drop off Lois's notes from her interview. I thought that they might help, uh, with, you know, clearing the air." Clark stumbled.
Perry just looked at the reporter nodding for him to continue, "And–?"
"Superman asked for Jason and me to help him with something. We were in the area anyway," Clark explained.
"You and Jason, huh? My office, NOW!" Perry yelled. Realizing that this was probably something best spoken of in private, he led his second best reporter to his office where he hoped the man would feel free to explain himself.
After the door was closed Perry did something that he seldom did, he shut the blinds, so that they would have some sense of privacy. He knew that a few of the reporters that had stayed late resented the fact that this man could waltz back into a prime position after leaving so abruptly five years ago. Many of them hadn't even worked for the Planet when Kent did. Most of them, could barely write a coherent thought, and none of them went to the depths of fact checking, or of digging for the truth that this man did. When Clark Kent turned in a story, Perry knew that he could print it with minimal repercussion. He couldn't remember a story that Kent had a hand in that had to go legal, until now. The hacks left in the newsroom would be gossiping tomorrow about whatever they perceived to be talked about behind Perry's closed door. Let them, he decided, Kent had enough on his plate.
"So, Kent," Perry proceeded as he sat down in his overstuffed leather chair, leaning it back as far as possible without falling over, "How, exactly, are you and Jason helping Superman?"
Perry watched Kent's face as he schooled his expression. He noticed as Clark's hands gripped the armrests on the chair he sat in, and tried not to look too nervous. Perry knew that Kent didn't lie, but he definitely didn't tell the whole truth either, and when he had to tell a half-truth, he was always very uncomfortable with it. And this was obviously one of those times.
"Superman wants us to help him stop a rumor before it starts," Clark stated.
"What kind of rumor is Superman so worried about that he'd need the help of a five-year-old? Can't you just deal with it?" Jason really didn't need to be pulled into adult intrigue.
Clark looked at Perry with eyes so full of pain, that he could almost feel it.
"Do you remember when Zod took Lois hostage?" Clark asked.
"Some of it, the big brute that accompanied him knocked me out, most of it is a big jumble," Perry answered.
"Do you know why he took her?" Clark asked. Perry noticed that the pain in the man's eyes intensified, became closer to fear.
"It was something Luthor had told him, a way to get to Superman. Luthor pretty much implied that there was more than a story between them, Lois and Superman, I mean," Perry explained. He noticed the pain and fear becoming more evident in Clark's face, along with something else, was it anger?
"What has that to do with Jason helping to stop a rumor?" Perry asked again.
"Zod mentioned something about Jason's paternity to Lois after the interview. It started Superman thinking when he heard it."
"Lois let…." Perry started; of course she let him listen to the interview.
"So," Perry started again, "is he?"
Clark looked at Perry as he quietly answered, "Lois never slept with Superman."
Perry released the breath he had been holding; then he started wondering again. "So, why did he need you?"
Clark shifted in his seat, turning his head to look towards Richard's office. Perry wondered if he were trying to look at the boy. Clark cleared his throat, and then answered softly, "He's mine."
Perry was stunned. He had thought as much as he watched Clark earlier, but he never in his wildest dreams would have expected him to admit it, to running off and leaving a pregnant Lois. But then, this is Clark Kent, and he always did do what he thought was right. But Clark and Lois? And if she never slept with Superman….
"When, how?" Perry stumbled for words.
"Niagara Falls," was all Clark said, as he looked down at his left hand.
Perry was puzzled. Lois fought him tooth and nail about going on that story. "She didn't want to go, right?"
"Well, um, no not really, but then, she did. When we were there we really started to enjoy each other's company, got to know each other. Realized that we wanted a life together. So we, um, we eloped."
"YOU and LOIS? You two got married?" Perry couldn't believe what he was hearing. All the fights Lois and Richard had over the years about getting married, and she had already been married. No wonder she was so hesitant to tie the knot again. Perry looked at the picture of his wife, if Kent felt half as much about Lois as he had his Alice, wouldn't he have stayed? Perry looked at his reporter and saw that he had sunk lower into his chair, as if he were trying to hide.
Clark started again, "On our way back from the resort, Superman came to us for help. He looked terrible. Something had happened to him, he didn't have his powers. I had to get him to his fortress, while Lois came back to Metropolis to see what she could find out about Zod."
"Superman didn't have his powers when Zod got here? Is that what why he didn't do anything immediately?" Perry asked. Clark nodded.
"When his powers returned, he flew to Metropolis to lure Zod away from the city, while I worked on implementing his plan to strip them of their powers. When the three Kryptonians arrived at the fortress with Luthor and Lois we had to modify our plans. I was very upset that my wife was used as a hostage against Superman. I don't ever want that to happen again."
"Lois seemed off after that," Perry paused, "That's why you left. She told me you two did something impulsive, stupid. She said it was her fault." Clark shook his head.
"It wasn't her fault. I just couldn't standby and watch her be continually put into danger because of her relationship with Superman, and she was never going to let anyone else handle his stories. And just so you know, I didn't know she was expecting when I left. If I had known – " Clark responded.
"You'd have never left," Perry nodded in understanding. "Are you two still married?"
"Dunno, I, um, how do you ask something like that?" Clark shrugged.
Perry smiled as he realized how awkward Clark could be. He really was more like us than Perry realized or was Clark really human?
Perry was never really sure if his assumptions were correct, even when he gazed at Superman as he floated to the Earth with the globe on his shoulders, like a modern day Atlas. They looked the same; they showed up in Metropolis at the same time, both times. One of the first questions out of Kent's mouth upon his return to the bullpen: "Does anyone know where Lois is?" Superman's first save upon his return: Lois.
Some things, though, just didn't add up, like the fact that Clark said she never slept with Superman, but admitted to Jason being his.
"Do you love her?" Perry asked boldly.
"Does it really matter now? It was a long time ago, she moved on," Clark shrugged.
"That's what she tells everyone. If that's the truth, then why hasn't she gone ahead and divorced you and gotten married to Richard?" The truth finally dawned on poor Perry; Superman had gotten between her and Clark, and now that he was back, Perry had been pushing her to cover more Superman stories, along with partnering her up with Clark. She fought him, but not whole-heartedly. She wanted to be with him, but didn't want to hurt Richard.
Suddenly Clark stood up, his eyes almost glowing. He moved to the door faster than Perry had ever seen the man move, except when he was typing. Perry heard Jason yelling at someone to leave him alone, that he wasn't going. Who was trying to take Jason?
Perry quickly followed Clark out into the bullpen when he saw a tall blonde woman trying to carry Jason out of Richard's office. The boy definitely had his mother's determination, and Perry realized, his father's strength. Jason held tightly to the door jam to his daddy's office, fighting against the woman who was trying to remove him. As Clark reached the struggling child, he bellowed; "Who are you, and where do you think you are taking that boy?" Perry almost didn't recognize the voice as that of his reporter.
Clark took Jason from the woman, and glared at her warningly.
"My name is Jessica Powell, and I am with Child Services. We have received several complaints that this boy is brought into this office and left unattended. I'm removing him until a hearing is held, he is also scheduled for some court ordered testing," the woman answered, flashing a badge at the man who was confronting her.
Clark whispered something comforting into Jason's ear, holding him close.
"He isn't unattended, I'm here. I'm watching him. If anything, you were imprudent in waking him," Clark challenged.
"I'm sorry sir, but I am taking him with me. You can let his parents know that there will be a preliminary hearing tomorrow, after his tests. They can't continue to abandon their child on a whim."
"I hate to contradict you, ma'am, but you are making assumptions, again. Jason was not, as you said, abandoned on a whim. He has been with me. I had to stop by the office to drop some files off for Mr. White. Jason has had a very busy day today and had fallen asleep on our way here, so I put him down for a nap in that office. The intercoms between the two Mr. White's offices are fixed so that we can listen for him in case he wakes, or has trouble of any sort. From what I understand, it has been that way for years."
"Where is Ms. Lane?" Ms. Powell questioned, losing more ground with every question.
"She is on her way back from an out of town assignment. Jason and I had an appointment earlier," Clark answered.
"What type of court ordered tests?" Clark then added.
"I'm sorry, I can only speak to his parents about that," she replied curtly.
Clark looked at his frightened son, who was still holding him more tightly than a normal boy should. Shifting Jason in his arms so that he would be further from the offending person, Clark said firmly, "I'm his father."
"I'm sorry, Mr. – ah, Kent," she said as she looked at Clark's press badge that was hanging from a lanyard around his neck, "according to his file," she looked at a notepad in her hand, "his father is Richard White, not Clark Kent. So until I am informed otherwise, I cannot speak any further with you about this matter. If you continue to keep the child from me I will be forced to have you arrested for contempt."
"The papers you have are incomplete," a woman's voice came from the direction of the elevator bank. The two combatants turned towards the voice as a very shaky Lois Lane emerged from the elevator, "Clark Kent IS Jason's father. Richard adopted him, but Clark never gave up his rights."
Clark noticed that Lois's heart was racing, her eyes looked as if she had been crying, and her suit was covered in mud and ash. She was struggling to appear as the in control reporter she normally was, but was not convincing. Her walk was unstable. Clark rushed over to her.
Looking up into his earnest face, Lois smiled faintly, and whispered quietly, "You need to get back to the farm, there was an explosion, Richard's – dead" She grabbed a nearby chair and fell into it.
Clark placed Jason on his mother's lap as she broke down in tears. Turning towards the CSD officer he glared at her, "This family has been through enough turmoil the last few days. Leave us alone," he stated, his voice full of the authority usually reserved for his alter ego.
The CSD officer took a step back startled that this seemingly docile man could speak with such force. Nodding to the family she turned away, "We are not finished with this yet," she promised.
Helping Lois to her feet, Clark escorted her and Jason to the elevator. As the doors closed he quickly changed into his Superman suit, and swept his family out the escape hatch and into the night sky.