Author's Notes: Thank you all for the feedback, it's highly and greatly appreciated.

Chapter 3

"Time is what we want most, but what we use worst." – William Penn

Over the phone, Lois relayed her notes on an assignment she had been given earlier this week. Perry White was not at all happy that he wasn't going to get his top reporter back in the office where he needed her to be. "Whatever's keeping you from the bullpen better be serious or else, Lane," he said through the phone with gritted teeth as Lois looked over her shoulder to find her patient perusing a photo album she had compiled of her son since he was born.

She gulped. "It's pretty serious, Chief."

"Don't call me Chief!" he bellowed on the other line.

"You've got nothing to worry about; I'll be working from home. I'll have the article on your desk by morning's edition."

"You'd better or you're fired," he threatened as always.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Yeah." Just as she was going to say goodbye, Perry spoke up about an entirely different matter.

"By the way, have you seen Kent?" he asked.

"No, isn't he there?"

"He hasn't been for the last few days. He hasn't called in either and that's not like him. While you're out of the office, I want you to make a quick stop to his place to check up on him."

"He's probably just not feeling well," she suggested. "There's a flu that's been going around, so maybe that's it."

"This is Clark Kent we're talking about, Lois. He's never missed a day of work in his life. Humor me and check up on him anyway."

Lois sighed. "Fine." Then click, he hung up, surely thinking that if he waited for her to hang up the phone first, she'd find a way to get out of the chore of having to babysit Clark Kent of all people.

As soon as she was done with the call, Kal looked up from the photo album he was totally engrossed in.

"Is everything all right?" he asked politely.

She looked at him; the sight of Superman wearing regular clothes was still something for her to get used to. He looked comfortable in them, like he was any other ordinary man that couldn't run as fast as a speeding bullet, bend steel with his bare hands or lift large continents off the ocean floor.

"Yeah, it's fine," she said, moving to sit beside him. She looked down and smiled at the page he left off in the album. It was Jason's third birthday.

"You've got a beautiful boy," he said, noticing the smile that graced her lips as she looked adoringly to her little boy in the picture. "He looks a lot like you."

"Everyone says that."

He looked down and pointed on a single close-up of Jason. "Except his eyes, they're very blue." Lois shifted uncomfortably at his very accurate observation as he continued. "You must be a great mother."

She forced a smile. "What makes you say that?"

"Because he's always smiling, and laughing. I look at these pictures, and in a way, I feel like I'm looking into my past even though it doesn't make much sense to me."

Lois nodded, not questioning the logic. He wasn't far off. Jason was, in a way, a part of his past even though he was also very much a part of his future. Regretfully, that was one fact she would have to keep to herself for the time being. She was having a hard time figuring things out even with Superman's memories intact; she couldn't even imagine trying to work things out without them.

"When I found out I was pregnant, I was terrified. I've been so focused on my career…" and Superman, she thought quietly in her mind, "… I've never really stopped to think about what it would be like to have a child let alone be a part of a family. Then I held Jason in my arms, and what I felt for him was so beyond the call of words, I don't even know how to describe it properly."

Kal smiled. "I think you're doing just fine."

When they looked each other in the eyes, the intensity in them forced Lois to look away. She also wasn't ready to deal with her feelings for him right now, especially when his own life was literally lost. Instead, she had an idea.

"Do you feel like going outside?"

"You mean you'll actually let me step out of the house and not just the backyard?"

She grinned. "I was just looking after you." The truth of the matter was that she didn't want anyone inadvertently recognizing Superman, and of course she had an overwhelming desire to protect him. "Besides, I was ordered by my boss to look in on a co-worker, and I'm not about to leave you here all alone."

"Are they all right?" he asked, in a tone that was genuine.

"You mean, Clark? Yeah, I guess. He probably is. He hasn't shown up to work, so Perry wants me to check up on him. You interested?"

"I get the feeling that really isn't a question."

"Come on." She got up and opened up the coat closet. "Here," she said, placing Richard's baseball cap atop of Kal's head. She smirked, thinking he looked like the typical all-American guy. "Just don't look anyone in the eye and no one will be the wiser. You think you can walk okay?"

"I think so," even though he felt sore all over, he believed he could manage.

"Good." She helped him up from the couch. "Let's go."

During the cab ride to her co-worker's place, Kal couldn't help but ask, "Is this guy your boyfriend, too?"

Lois coughed suddenly. Boyfriend? Clark? "What makes you say that? And no, he's not and was never my boyfriend. We're just friends."

He continued his inquiry much to Lois's annoyance. "Why not?"

She sighed. "Well… because… he and I just don't… we're not like that. Ever. He's too quiet. I'm very loud." Kal smiled at that description, he could pretty much understand her meaning. "We've got zero in common."

He raised his eyebrows. "But you two work together."

"All right. Granted. We're both journalists. But I like to get into the thick of things while Clark likes to watch on the sidelines. Seriously, we have barely anything in common."

At this point, for some unknown reason, he was very interested in what she thought about Clark. "So what kind of guy is he?"

"He's…" Lois stopped when she realized that beyond Clark's outward appearance and personality, there really wasn't much about him that she knew about. "He's a nice guy." Kal chuckled at her answer. "He's polite and never says an unkind word about anybody. He's a little too eager sometimes, but he has a good heart. He wears these thick ridiculous glasses and he's always tripping over things so half our conversations always end with him apologizing about something."

"He sounds like a swell guy."

Lois sat dumbfounded by his words. "Did you just say swell?"

"Huh?"

"Nothing," she waved off. Who would've thought that the farm boy and Superman shared that word in common.

The cab came to a halt.

"We're here," she announced, paying the driver and stepping out of the car with Kal right beside her. "Okay, just stay with me and don't get too far. I don't want to lose you here."

"And I don't want to be lost," he said with a smile that would have melted Lois's heart if she wasn't so worried about him.

"Clark!" She knocked several more times in hopes he would answer and that she could leave. "Clark, open up!" She gave up on the door and began to try and to turn the knob. With little success, Kal joined in.

"Here, let me try," he said, softly removing her hand from the knob.

Lois gulped, worried that he would snap the door right off its hinges, but when he turned the knob several times and nothing happened, she visibly relaxed.

"Maybe we should call for a doorman?" he said out loud.

"Or maybe he's just not home."

"Do you want to take that chance, though?"

Lois smiled. Even without his memories, he was still looking out for people. He might not have his memories but she was glad that his sense of righteousness remained intact. Always the white knight.

"Let's go find ourselves a doorman."

"I appreciate you letting us come in, Mister…"

"Howard, Miss Lane. You can call me Howard. Any friend of Mr. Kent is a friend of mine." The old man's smile was warm and inviting. Like an old friend. "I haven't seen Mr. Kent come in or out since Monday and I'm glad you're here to check up on him. He doesn't get many visitors."

Behind him, the baseball cap and his bowed head hiding him well, Kal smiled sadly at the old man's words. For some reason, he felt an odd connection with Clark Kent.

"I appreciate it, Howard. We'll let you know if we find anything."

"Take your time," Howard said, kindly letting them in. "He's a quiet young man, but he always takes the time to ask me how I'm doing. Not many people in this building ever really take the time."

Lois smiled at that. She wasn't surprised. The smallest gesture could mean so much when it was sincere and Clark Kent was the model of sincerity.

As Howard left them behind, Lois surveyed the living room first. It was spacious but contained few furnishings besides a couch and boxes that looked like they hadn't been unpacked. It was the opposite of what she thought Clark's home would be. First of all, it lacked the country style she expected from the farm boy.

Basically, it lacked any kind of anything.

"Did he just move in?" Kal asked as he too began to look around.

Lois was ashamed to admit that she didn't know. "It looks like it. He left the Planet a few years ago and he sort of just came back."

"Where'd he go?"

"Around the world, I guess. I think I got a postcard from him with a llama on it."

Kal lifted a lid off of one of the boxes and peaked inside. He found a frame, the picture hidden on the opposite side. Slowly, he picked it up and flipped it over and the faces of an elderly couple glanced at him with remarkable familiarity. A familiarity he couldn't find in himself to decipher.

"When did he get back?"

"A few months ago, around the same time as–" she stopped herself from going any further. She didn't even know where to start on the subject of Superman. "Nevermind. Did you find anything?"

"Not really."

"Let's look around then."

"Okay," Kal obeyed and followed Lois to the next room, the kitchen.

"Wow," they both said simultaneously. What the living room didn't have the kitchen certainly made up for. It was richly designed with a solid surface of natural stone gracing the countertops. The cabinets were made of dark heavy oak, fitted to perfection.

"There's barely anything in his fridge," Lois said as she perused the kitchen. "You'd think a farmboy would have it fully stocked or something."

"Farmboy?"

"Oh, yeah. He came from Smallville. You know, Kansas."

Kal chuckled. "Yes, I know where that is."

"Good," she nodded, relieved and then continued to look around. Down one hallway, she made her way to Clark's bedroom and noticed how plain and white everything was. "Kent, what have you been doing?" she said to no one in particular.

"What is it?"

"His bed doesn't look like it's been slept in for days. I'm beginning to think that the Chief was right."

"Chief?"

"My boss."

"Oh."

"Yeah, and now I'm getting worried."

"Maybe he went to visit his parents."

"His parents?"

"Yeah." He showed her the framed picture he found himself holding onto. "I think these are his parents."

Lois looked at the photo with surprising interest. Neither of the two people reminded her of Clark but considering their advanced age, that didn't bother her much. They looked kind, humble and happy. She didn't think Clark would be there but it was worth looking into. Now she just had to give Perry a call and tell him about her change of plans.

To be continued…