Welcome back, Constant Readers! You may want to have some tissues ready as you read the following chapter. It's made us sniffle more than a few times while writing it.

Thanks as always to our fabulous beta team, and to you, readers. This story is written for you guys, and your kind comments and reviews are always hugely appreciated. I won't waste any more of your time - read on!

Our lives are made
In these small hours
These little wonders
These twists and turns of fate
Time falls away
But these small hours
Still remain…

These little wonders still remain.
Rob Thomas, Little Wonders

Richard had been watching for them; he opened the back door as Superman and Lois touched down. The twins were at his side immediately, both eager to see their mother and the hero … but they halted, looking up at him. "Daddy?" Jason whispered, his expression torn.

His love for the two of them squeezed his heart almost painfully, and Richard smiled sadly at Jason. "Go on," he said in a low, husky voice. Only then did the twins dart out onto the dock and mob their parents. That moment of hesitation meant more to Richard than the kids would ever know. There was their real father, a superhero, a man whose name every child in the city knew in spite of his long absence, and yet they still called Richard Daddy, still waited for his permission.

He watched as Clark and Lois stepped away from each other, hugging the kids. Well, there it is, White: the family you always wanted. And it isn't yours. It never was yours. Resignation heavy in his chest, Richard started walking toward them slowly.

Superman took another step back, and Richard saw the man inside the hero even more clearly. That little bit of nervousness was so very Clark that Richard couldn't help smiling wryly. But the voice that spoke was Superman's, low and carrying. "I'd better be going, Ms. Lane. The city…"

He never got to finish the sentence. "But we didn't get to go flyin'," Kala said pleadingly.

"Please can we?" Jason added quickly. "Pretty please? I wanna fly again!"

"You guys, no. You don't get to just go flying whenever you want," Lois told them both, shaking her head. Richard could see her watching his face out of the corner of her eye. It was something she always did when she thought she was on shaky ground and he recognized it as such.

"No fair, you got to fly," Kala complained, completely oblivious as to the tensions between the adults for once.

Before the twins could start whining, Richard said calmly, "Jason, Kala, if you want Superman to take you flying, you'd better go inside and put your jackets on. It's colder the higher up you go."

"Richard," Lois began with her expression already clouding, but the twins raced past her and into the house, yelling happily.

He glanced at Lois, but spoke to Superman. "Go ahead, take them up. They were really worried about you; besides, they should have some time with their father. And you don't have to worry about fixing everything in one night. I didn't know when you'd get out of the hospital, so I told Perry I gave you personal leave. You're cleared to miss work for a couple of weeks."

Both sets of eyes, the blue and the hazel, had gone comically wide. "Mr. White…" the hero started to say.

Richard sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "C'mon. Enough, already. It's a damn good disguise – fools the whole city – and to be honest I might never have gotten it, not even after I figured out that the twins' real father had to be either Clark or Superman. What tipped me to the fact that there wasn't a 'Clark or Superman' – that Clark is Superman – was the way you looked at Lois when you went to deal with that island. And the way she looked at you. You both thought it was the last time you'd ever see each other. It's the same way you looked at each other when we were searching for the twins." Richard shook his head, chuckling bitterly. "I know. I know you're Clark, I know you're their father, and I know she's in love with you. Just … you can stop trying to hide it from me. I won't tell anyone. I want what's best for Jason and Kala. That's all I want. I love those two more than anything else on earth."

Lois' expression was a complicated mix of surprise, relief, and heartbreak. Those hazel eyes were wide, astonished for the second time in as many days. First Kala, now Richard. "You … you knew? Ever since…"

"Yes," he replied. "And I've been covering for you. So has Lana – she figured it out the same time I did. Speaking of which, Lana wanted me to tell you Mrs. Kent is staying with her at the Centennial Hotel. You'll want to go see your mother after you bring the twins back. Trust me, for a parent, there's a big difference between knowing your child is all right and actually seeing them with your own eyes."

"I know," Kal-El said quietly. "I was so afraid for Jason and Kala… They know, Richard. I'm not sure how, but they know who I am, and they know I'm their father." He paused after those words, looking intently at the man who should've been his rival. "The twins … they're just amazing. You're right; we have to do what's best for them. Richard, I don't know how to thank you."

"Just take care of them," Richard said, feeling bitterness rise in his chest. "They know who their real dad is now…"

The look on Lois' face was utter misery. Biting her lip and looking away, she damned herself for a coward. She wanted to argue this, make them both know that they were both just as important, but she didn't want to hurt either of them. Which was just as well, as Kal-El did it for her only a moment later.

"You're their dad," he said. "Richard, I haven't been here. They barely know me. You're the one who raised them, you're the one they call Daddy. Trust me, knowing who your biological father is means a lot, but there's no one who compares with the people who raised you. I would know."

Richard couldn't think of a single thing to say to that, and the arrival of the twins made an answer unnecessary. "We're really goin' flyin'?" Kala said hopefully, trying to hide the eagerness in her voice. Jason was right behind her with an annoyed scowl on his little face, still trying to get his arm through the sleeve of his coat, not an easy task while he was running.

Kal-El looked at Lois, and she nodded. "Yes, we can go for a flight," he said to the twins, who squealed with delight. "We can't stay out too late, though."

"Jason, come here, your coat's inside-out," Lois said, helping him put it on right. She kissed both twins before stepping back to let their father pick them up, her throat tight. "We'll be here when you get back." This was the scene she had always dreaded, watching the love of her life soar heavenward with her children, Jason and Kala waving to their earthbound mom.

Now, though, she was surprised to feel wistful instead of wounded. After all, could Jason and Kala possibly be any safer than they were with him? Kal-El and the twins flying together was also a hint of something Lois had never allowed herself to yearn for: the family she never thought she wanted, whole and perfect.

Those half-hopeful thoughts were interrupted by Richard quietly clearing his throat behind her. "Lois?" he said softly. "I think we'd better talk."

Lois swallowed nervously as she turned toward him. This was a moment she had been dreading for so long now. She'd known Richard long enough to know that, no matter what he said, he wasn't entirely happy about the way things had turned out. And how could she blame him? She couldn't have it both ways.

…

Kitty finally breathed a sigh of relief. The last few hours had been eventful for her: she'd met Stanford as he left the hangar, and warned him that Lex was furious. The scientist was so worried that he probably hadn't given any thought to her casual remark about getting them some dinner.

That had bought her a little more time before Lex started looking for her. Kitty had hurried down to the ticketing area and bought herself two tickets using two different credit cards. Both flights – one to Star City, one to Gotham – left in less than an hour, but Kitty hadn't boarded either plane.

Instead, she'd left the terminal and gotten on the very next shuttle van, not even glancing at the destination. Hopefully Lex would try to follow both planes, or maybe look for her to have caught a cab at the airport. Kitty's stomach twisted with fear through the entire ride, eventually getting out at a hotel. She slipped away from the other passengers and went out to the parking lot to walk Tala.

The little Pomeranian was delighted to be free of her purse and ran in joyful circles on the narrow grass strip between hotels. Unfortunately, she was so happy that she darted away from Kitty and led her on a merry chase through the parked cars. Finally Tala found a vehicle big enough to run underneath easily, a red pickup with a bumper sticker that read "I ♥ My Paint" next to a picture of a horse. She hid from Kitty there, her little pink tongue lolling out in silent canine laughter.

Kitty was almost ready to break down in tears. Her escape couldn't be foiled by the caprice of a seven-pound dog, could it? Lex could be looking for her even now, she had to get away…

And then salvation had walked out of one of the rooms, carrying a suitcase and heading right for the pickup. "Can I help you?" the woman asked coolly as she looked at Kitty crouching beside the driver's door.

Kitty had looked up at her, lip still trembling, and saw how perfect the setup was. Tala was a better accomplice than she'd seemed… "My dog went under your truck," Kitty said. "Can you help me catch her? Her name's Tala."

The two women had managed to outsmart the dog at last, Kitty thanking her rescuer effusively. The woman had given her name as Mel, growing less suspicious. Then Kitty had asked the crucial question. "Are you … are you leaving the hotel?"

"Yes." The wariness was back in Mel's tone.

"Do you think you could give me a lift?" Kitty had asked pleadingly.

"I could call you a cab," Mel had replied. Of course, scam artists were everywhere, and Kitty knew that a complete stranger asking for a ride was guaranteed a cool reception.

Fortunately, she had a trump card. Kitty took off the sunglasses she'd been wearing to look at Mel. The bruise Lex had given her spoke volumes, and the fear in her eyes was real. "Please. I … I don't want him to be able to follow me. I just need to get away. I've got some money, I've got my dog – I'm lucky to escape with that much. He's … he's dangerous."

Mel had made the obvious assumptions and given Kitty a lift, asking no more questions. The dark-haired woman could finally relax as they left the vicinity of the airport behind them. Mel, it turned out, was in town meeting friends and had a long drive home. Kitty was perfectly happy to ride with her for a while.

And now, several hours away from Lex (who was hopefully looking in the wrong direction), Kitty got out of the pickup and smiled at Mel. "Thank you so much," she said with genuine gratitude. "You probably saved my life."

"Just take care of yourself," Mel replied. She had frowned when Kitty refused to go to a women's shelter, but finally taken her to a small hotel in a strip mall instead. "You sure you're gonna be all right?

"I'll be fine," Kitty assured her. A little place like this, she could pay for her room in cash and provide a fake name. It would take some time and work to create a new identity, one Lex couldn't track, but she was confident that within the week she'd be staying in a much better hotel in a different city. Things were finally looking up for Kitty.

She waved goodbye to her benefactor as Mel drove away, casting one more worried glance into the rearview mirror. Of course, recovering from the current setback would've been a lot easier if Kitty had just taken the wallet Mel had left under her seat during one of their stops. But she just couldn't bring herself to do it. The dark-haired woman laughed at herself. Developing a conscience at last, Katherine Kowalski? Never thought I'd let an opportunity like that pass me by. I guess Lex was so darned evil he made me want to do something good for once…

…

Richard held the door for Lois as they went inside, standing further back than he would have a week ago. Both were aware of the emotional chasm that had opened between them, mirrored in the physical distance they now kept from each other.

In spite of what he'd said, Richard kept silent as they walked into the house. Lois went to the refrigerator and poured herself a glass of milk, just to have something to do. For the second time that night, her fingers itched for a cigarette. Nicotine courage. Something, anything, to make her feel less small, less of a thoughtless coward. The weight of words unspoken seemed to crush her. He's going to lose it. I just know he is. Richard knows every single lie I've told him, he knows I'm in love with someone else, he's going to go absolutely ballistic any second now…

"Lois." His voice was very low, and the tone was hard to decipher. "I … I think you should keep this."

The black-haired reporter turned to look at him, and saw the sapphire engagement ring lying in Richard's palm. He held it out to her, and to Lois' surprise his expression was resigned, not wrathful. "I found it in the hotel room. You took it off to have a bath."

"Richard…" Despite her struggle to stay calm in the face of this, she felt herself begin to crack as she looked down at it. It looked so small in his hand… You don't deserve this, Richard. You don't deserve this.

"Go on, take it," Richard said, giving Lois the ghost of his mischievous grin. "Besides, that's the rules. The woman gets to keep the ring if the man breaks the engagement."

Hazel eyes met his, full of confusion, but Lois took the ring from him. Oh, God. It is it. This finishes us out once and for all, she thought with a sick feeling in her stomach. Her voice was soft, husky with emotion when she said, "Richard… What are you trying to tell me?"

"You know, I've got this all worked out in my head, and it still hurts to say it," Richard sighed. "Lois… I've never known anyone like you before. And I'll always love you. Always. But it's become very clear to me over the last couple of months that, if we try to stay together, we're just going to keep drifting apart. There's a lot I didn't know about you when we met – and I'm not accusing you of lying to me, or keeping secrets. You were protecting the kids. I understand that now. But it's like the Lois I've gotten to know since Clark came back is a completely different person from the woman I thought I was going to marry. The damnedest thing is, I think I like the unstoppable hero-saving spitfire even more."

Lois bit her lip as she looked up at him, trying to read his expression. She saw pain and sorrow, but a strange kind of nobility, too. "Richard, I…"

He touched her face lightly, silencing her. "I know. It's not your fault, Lois. It's not either of our faults. We just … we weren't meant to be."

Turning her cheek against his palm, Lois whispered with shimmering eyes, "Richard, I do love you. I do. I don't want you to think this was all… I never meant for any of this with Clark and the twins and Luthor to happen. It just … it all just…"

"I know." He smiled then, and kissed her forehead, enfolding her in a hug. Richard was acutely aware that it might be the last time he would ever hold her like this. But he found it easier to tell her everything he needed to say while he rested his cheek against her hair. "Lois, I know you love me. I'm sorry I ever doubted you. But you love him more." Lois' shoulders tensed, and Richard just hugged her tighter. "Besides, he's Superman. How can any ordinary guy compete?"

"Richard, don't," she whispered against his shoulder. "Don't shortchange yourself. You're not just an ordinary guy, you're a wonderful man, you're…"

"Not a superhero," he said gently. "I can't catch falling aircraft or pick up islands. I can't see through everything except lead – and I'd have way too much fun with that if I could do it. I can't blow out raging fires like they're birthday candles. True, I can fly, but I have to file my flight plans with the FAA."

"It's not about his freakin' powers," Lois said, leaning back to look up at Richard. "It's about the man he is…"

"And I can't compete there, either," Richard said. "I worked with Clark. He's a better man than I am. If I'd been him, coming back to see you snuggling up to me, I'd have vaporized me on the spot. He's been a gentleman about everything, even before he knew about the twins, and now that he knows they're his he's still being a gentleman. He's a genuinely nice guy, Lois, and he's the perfect balance for you. I'm not gonna fight that."

She looked up at him, a tear trickling down her already-damp cheek. As often as they'd fought, as much as she'd yearned for Kal-El, losing Richard still hurt her deeply. "You're not exactly the villain here, Richard. You're being pretty damned noble right now."

"Yeah, but I don't want to be noble," he replied with a slightly bitter chuckle. "I want to be jealous and petty and make sure everybody else hurts just as much as I do. Problem is, I love you too much to do that to you."

"That's what makes you a good man, Richard," Lois said to him. "You'd have a right to be like that. But you won't. You're a better person than you think you are." She stroked his cheek and smiled sadly. "After all, you got Lois Lane, as arrogant as that sounds. The woman who only loved Superman loved you. Loved you enough to let you into her life completely. You must be good."

"I'll put that on my dating resume," Richard joked weakly. "Listen, Lois. I can't say that I don't love you anymore, or that I don't still wish it could work out between us. I really did want to marry you and stay with you and the twins for the rest of my life. But … I love you enough to let you go. It would break my heart to see you standing on the dock twenty years from now, looking up, wondering why you settled for me when you could've had him. I won't do that to either of us."

Settled. That was the word Lois hated the most, in all its connotations. When she thought that Kal-El would never come back, that the love of her life was gone forever, Lois had settled. She'd taken the best available option, settled for less than what she really wanted. And then she had settled down, become a tamer version of herself, as if the powerful ambition that drove her throughout her youth had been knocked into idle by the responsibilities of having children, a fiancé, and a house.

Lois sniffled, burying her head in Richard's shoulder again. She couldn't lie to him; if she had married him, she probably would wonder from time to time how things could've been with Kal-El. And with her ex – the father of her twins – so very visible as he flew around the world rescuing people, it would be certain to cause strife.

Richard kissed her hair and spoke again, his voice growing softer. "I want to end this now, when we can still look back at the last three years and smile. Before all the good memories get poisoned by arguing and jealousy. I don't want to wreck your life, Lois. I love you too much. And then there's Jason and Kala. They don't deserve to see us fight any more than they already have. I'd … I'd like to still be a part of their lives, Lois…"

She pulled back from him again, catching his chin and forcing him to meet her gaze. "Richard. Don't be an idiot. You're their dad. I'd never try to keep the kids from you. Never. And neither would Kal-El, if he knows what's good for him. No matter what happens, I promise you, Richard, you're still going to be a major part of the twins' lives." It was Lois' turn to laugh, then. "I don't think Jason and Kala would give us any choice in the matter if we tried to decide something else. They love you, Richard."

That assurance was what he needed to hear. Losing Lois was hard – giving her up was the hardest thing he'd ever done. But just the thought of losing the twins was unbearable. Never again hearing Kala sing along with her favorite song on the radio, never again seeing Jason painstakingly put together a puzzle, never again snuggling with both of them on the couch while Godzilla flattened Tokyo… Richard felt his eyes sting a little with relief. Finally, he could stop contemplating a future without the kids.

…

Kal-El began the flight by taking the twins straight up, rather slowly. Kala quickly made herself comfortable, cradled in his left arm, and peered down at the city. "Cool," she murmured, fascinated. "Look at the lights, Jason!"

"Uh-huh," her brother said. He was holding on tightly to his father's neck, his blue eyes wide.

"Don't worry, I've got you," Kal-El said. "You're perfectly safe, Jason." At the same time, he was half-listening to Lois and Richard. Not precisely eavesdropping, just … making sure they weren't going to argue. The couple had had enough spectacular fights; he didn't want them to have another.

At the moment, everything seemed okay. The pain in Richard's voice was all too clear. Kal-El felt terrible; Richard was too good a man to deserve something like this. And then to be so gracious as to give Lois up rather than embroil them all in the constant struggle of a love triangle… It spoke of a kind of nobility that humbled even the hero. I'd like to think I would have done the same, he thought. I even thought about it, very seriously. Lois shouldn't have to be torn between us. The difference is, I don't know if I could really ever let her go. Not if I had to see her constantly … and with the twins, I'd have to be a part of her life. I doubt I could stand to see her and Richard together. It would break my heart every time… Richard's braver than I am.

Kala had stared raptly at the city below them, entranced by the lights. They were hovering two miles up, the twins still breathing easily in spite of the thin air. But then the little girl frowned and cocked her head. "Daddy?" she asked, looking worriedly downward. "How come Mommy and Daddy … Daddy Richard, I mean … are talking 'bout fighting? And keepin' me and Jason? What's going on?"

Her father looked at her, startled. "You can hear them, way up here?"

"Uh-huh," she nodded, still looking at him very seriously. "I hear lots of things. Who's keepin' us? You're not giving us away, are you?" Oh, the look in those eyes. So like her mother's. Don't let me go. Don't go away again.

"No, sweetheart, no," he reassured her immediately, hugging Jason too as the boy started to look frightened. "No one's giving you up. Ever. All three of us love you both way too much for that."

"What'd they say about fightin'?" Jason said urgently. "Are Mommy and Daddy yelling?"

"No," Kala replied quietly, shaking her head. "They keep sayin' they don't wanna fight and they still love each other an' all mushy stuff. Grownups are weird." Despite her carefully-nonchalant tone, it was clear that what she had heard bothered her.

"Kala, you shouldn't listen to other people's conversations," her father said, just the hint of a scold in his tone.

"I can't help it!" she whined. That frustrated pout that was becoming so familiar. "Besides, they're talking 'bout us. Daddy, why would they fight? How come they sound like they're sayin' goodbye?"

"Is Daddy leaving us 'cuz you're here?" Jason asked in a tiny voice. "That's what happened to a girl in my class. Her parents didn't love each other anymore an' she got a new daddy. Her old daddy went away an' she never saw him again."

The innocent questions were like a blow to Kal-El's gut. His daughter glared across his chest at her brother and hissed, "Shut up, Jason." But the hero couldn't even feel comforted by her protectiveness.

"Listen, you two," Kal-El said sternly. "No one is leaving anyone for good, all right? All three of us love you both. And we all care about each other, too. They're talking about not fighting because, lots of times, mommies and daddies fight about stuff like this. And the kids get upset because the grownups are fighting. But we're not going to fight with each other. All three of us have said that. We love you two so much, we just want you to be happy. It's going be a little bit weird for a while, trying to figure out how everything is going to work out, okay?"

Both twins nodded somberly. Kal-El continued, "None of this is your fault, and nobody will stop loving you, ever. You're the most amazing, brilliant, fabulous children any parent could ever want, you know that?"

Jason giggled at that, his earlier worries forgotten. Those blue eyes so like his darted over to Kala's, the girl's frown already having slipped away. Jason's twin smiled back at him and nodded. "Promise?" he asked for the both of them.

Kal-El knew from having watched the family over the past several months that the twins set a great deal of store by promises. Lois had on several occasions gone to extraordinary lengths to avoid breaking a promise once made, and he knew that Jason and Kala would treat his promise like a sacred oath. Fortunately, he never went back on his word. "I promise. Everything's going to be all right, you two. Now, would you like to hear about the first person I ever rescued as Superman?"

"It was Mommy!" Kala said excitedly.

Her father chuckled delightedly. "Yes, it was. But to tell it properly, I have to take you to where we first met. Ready to go fast?"

The twins excitedly chorused, "Yeah!" and Kal-El dove toward the city, making them both gasp with surprise. At night, most people stayed off the streets of Metropolis. The few who were out tended not to look up; there was little to see above them. Except on this night, when Superman flew by at an incredible pace with a child clinging to each arm. By the time people below heard the squeals of delight and looked up, Kal-El and the twins were gone.

He swooped low and came up alongside the Daily Planet building swiftly. No one would be inside now, except possibly the maintenance crew, and all Kal-El had to do to avoid being seen was keep away from any lighted windows. He slowed to hover beside the darkened windows of the twenty-sixth floor. "Right here," Kal-El whispered to Kala and Jason. "Your mommy was in a helicopter up on the roof. It got into an accident and Mommy fell out." It hurt his mind to call Lois that, a feeling of utter disbelief coming even now. There was still so much to get used to.

"Whoa," Jason said quietly, his arms tightening around his father's neck again. "She fell all the way to here?"

Screaming like a fire siren the whole way, Kal-El thought. He'd consciously left out the part where Lois had clung to her safety belt, dangling above the pavement. "Yes, she fell, and I caught her right about here. Nobody had ever seen a flying man before, and she was so surprised she gave me a look like this." Kal-El widened his eyes as much as possible, provoking giggles from the twins.

"You look silly," Kala said.

"Well, so did she," he replied. "But she couldn't believe what was happening. Lots of people would've had their mouth open in shock, looking like a fish." He mimed that for them too, unleashing a storm of snickering. "Your mommy just looked at me, really surprised, and she hung onto my neck, trying to figure out how come I wasn't falling. I flew with her up to here…"

They spiraled up past the darkened floors, most of the windows covered in plastic. At least the shattered glass had been swept up, and knowing Perry he'd have all of the interior partitions in their offices replaced as soon as possible. Kal-El stopped again a few floors below the roof, and continued his story. "Then the helicopter fell right toward us. I caught it, and I took it and your mommy up here to the roof. It looked almost exactly like this, because the globe hadn't been built yet."

"Where's the globe?" Jason said, craning his head around.

"It fell in the earthquake. I'll put it back later," Kal-El told him, then returned to the story. "Nobody could believe what just happened. A flying man just caught a falling woman and a helicopter? Everybody was shocked. But your mommy is such a good reporter, she managed to ask who I was." Kal-El smiled at the memory. "I couldn't tell her, 'I'm Clark Kent, I work at the desk across from you,' so I just said, 'A friend'."

"That was a hint!" Jason said excitedly. "When did Mommy find out you were Superman and Mr. Clark?"

"Not for a while," Kal-El demurred. "I was trying to keep from letting anyone know. Your mommy's so smart, though, I had a hard time keeping her from guessing."

"Mommy's the smartest person ever," Kala said with quiet satisfaction. Then her brow furrowed, so much like Lois', and she asked, "How'd you come up with the name Superman, then?"

"I didn't," he told them, drifting upward. "Your mommy named me that. I didn't tell her my other name because it sounds a little strange to most people."

"Not me," Kala said, and grinned as she pronounced it carefully. "Kal-El. Right? Like mine?"

"Where'd you hear that, Kala?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Eavesdroppin'," Jason muttered, getting a glare from his sister. "How come Superman?"

"I guess she thought it was pretty super that I rescued her," Kal-El said teasingly, and the twins laughed, their momentary rivalry forgotten. "You'd have to ask Mommy, though."

"I will," Kala said, starting to yawn.

"All right, you two," Kal-El said. "Time for you to go home."

"Not yet!" both twins protested, looking at him pleadingly.

Hovering above the roof, Kal-El found it hard to deny the heartfelt plea in both sets of eyes, one pair blue as his own, the other Lois' hazel. "All right," he relented. "Once around the city, then we're going home and you're both going to bed. We can always go flying again."

Kala pouted, but Jason sighed and accepted the bargain. As Kal-El soared upward over the city lights, the little boy looked up at his father and asked shyly, "Do you love Mommy?"

The question didn't precisely surprise him, but the hero had to gather his wits to decide how to answer it. The simple truth, of course, was yes. But things were more complicated than that. In spite of the way Lois and Richard had been talking, Kal-El wasn't completely sure that he had a future with Lois. They had to think of the twins first, and it might not be in their best interest to have a dad who was always off saving the world. Lois herself had said that she didn't want to share him with all the people out there crying 'Help, come quick!'

No was still an absolute lie, and maybe felt like a silly answer. So Kal-El sighed and replied, "Yes, I love Mommy. Everything's complicated because I have to be two people, but I've always loved her."

Both twins' eyelids were fluttering, and Kala snuggled her head against her father's shoulder with another yawn. "Thought so," she muttered.

…

Richard had coaxed Lois into eating something. That sense of distance was still between them, but it didn't seem quite so cold after their conversation. When Lois sat down on the sofa to watch for the twins' return, Richard sat in the chair across from her instead of beside her as he would've done a week ago. They could both see out of the large windows overlooking the river, and waited in a far more comfortable silence than they'd grown accustomed to.

Lois had managed a few hours of sleep, but Richard had been awake almost constantly for two days. He kept nodding off, suddenly jerking back to wakefulness after a moment. Lois was almost ready to tell him just to go on to bed when a brightly-colored shape landed silently in the back yard.

"By the way, have I mentioned how weird it is to have Superman using my yard for an airstrip?" Richard muttered, rubbing his eyes.

Lois snorted as she got up. "Try wandering around your twentieth-story apartment in an old bathrobe and seeing him standing on your balcony, waving at you. That man is the reason I always brush my teeth and hair the moment I wake up."

Richard chuckled as they headed outside. Both twins were drowsing, and the hero handed them over gently. "I have a lot to do," he murmured. "I'll be seeing you both. We have a lot to discuss."

Stifling a yawn, Richard nodded as he cradled Kala. "You bet. It'll all turn out for the best, I think."

"I hope so," Kal-El said quietly. "Good night, Richard, Lois."

"Good night, and go see your mom," Lois replied softly, and in a moment he was gone. She tried not to feel wistful as she carried Jason toward the house, luxuriating in the warm weight of him as he nuzzled his sleeping face into her neck. It was amazing how hugging her son tight meant to her, now more than ever. If she loves you nearly as much as I do, as much as I love these two, it will be the only thing that will calm her fears. "We love you. We'll be here," she whispered against Jason's hair as the foursome disappeared into the safety of the house.

…

Clark knocked hesitantly on the door, and heard Lana say, "Finally, room service." He couldn't help grinning shyly when she opened the door, and for a moment the redhead just stared at him in surprise. And then…

"Clark!" Lana leaped at him, flinging her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek resoundingly. "Thank God you're all right, we were so worried about you, I'm so glad you came by…"

"I'm fine," he said, returning the hug.

Lana stepped back slightly, still grinning with pure delight. "How's Lois? How're the twins?"

"They're fine," Clark told her, chuckling. "So is Richard."

She blushed and looked away, giving Martha a chance to see her son. Clark felt a trickle of ice down his spine; by rights he should've seen Ma first. And by now she had to know about the twins… How would she react to that news?

But none of that seemed to be on Martha's mind. She simply folded her much taller son into a hug, whispering, "Oh, Clark. Oh, my boy. I missed you so much."

Feeling safe and at home at last, Clark hugged his mother gently. "I love you, Ma. I'm okay. It's all okay now."