Disclaimer: DC Comics/Warner Brothers owns these characters. No profit is being made from this story. This is strictly for my own amusement.

Author's Notes: In this next chapter, everyone had high hopes for the evening, but things don't turn out quite the way they expected. Remember, all scenes take place on Earth-2. I feel I need to remind my readers every week, because well, I need to remember whom I'm writing too. Please read and review. Thanks, everyone! :D

~o~o~

Chapter 5: Lost Then Found

Earlier that day at LuthorCorp:

Tess Luthor was in her office furious at what she was seeing on her computer. "So that's where the money went," she murmured. Scanning the recent expenses of her so-called brother, Clark was spending money left and right bidding and buying an old run-down farm in Smallville. There were also purchases of feed for planting as well as furniture to fill an entire house. But why? She had no answers.

She looked up when one of her assistants walked in. "Have you seen this?!" He announced without preamble then dropped a newspaper on her desk and there in bold black letters was the title of the article 'I Spent the Night with Superman.' 'Superman' of all things, but what was he doing? And what was the connection between Clark and Lois Lane? She read the headline again. If I know Clark and I think I do, then they are sleeping together. She didn't doubt it for a second. "Bring my car around … NOW!"

~o~o~

At the Kent farm, it's dinnertime:

Clark and Lois glanced at each other. Martha and Jonathan did the same. However, no one came up anything to say to break the ice.

"Something smells good," Lois finally said then she came into the kitchen with Martha. "Can I help?" She tentatively asked.

Martha sighed, sincerely happy for the help. "Of course and thank you." She paused. "Can I call you Lois?"

Lois was relieved. "Of course and I'll call you Martha. Is that Ok?"

"Of course, it is," she replied and tried to smile.

Clark and Jonathan watched their exchange both relieved to see things were civil between them at least.

"So, how did it go with, you know, the emergency?" Jonathan asked Clark hoping to get a conversation started.

"Well, a lot happened today. We'll talk about it at dinner." Clark was still unsure about bringing up the green 'k' and meeting his new 'friends.'

Jonathan frowned. "Alright, but I hope you don't think I'm prying or anything. I mean, we are living together, and I wanted …" He hesitated, not sure what he wanted.

"What did you want?" Clark asked as he followed him into the living room.

He turned to face him. "I'm truly not sure what I want. It's strange, but when I look at you, I see the other one."

Clark knew this was coming. He was quiet, but he was finding it hard not to think about the other one too.

Jonathan sensed his unease. "I'm sorry, Clark, but all of this was because of him, wasn't it?" He paused for a moment as he watched him closely. "Did you two meet, I mean, he was here for a time not too long ago?"

"Yes, we met," Clark reluctantly replied.

"And, he changed your life didn't he?" He paused as he thought about it. "I've changed. You've changed too, haven't you?"

Before Clark could answer him, Lois came into the living room. "Dinner is ready. Let's eat, I'm starved."

Everyone sat down to dinner, and it was relatively quiet, maybe too quiet. Lois tried to keep the conversation going talking about her job, about Superman, how everyone had something to say about him and the article, and lastly about her surprise visitor to the Planet.

"Bruce Wayne was at the Planet?" Martha asked. "What did he want?"

"I have no idea, but he came over to me, introduced himself, and told me that he read my stories and that he was impressed with my work."

"That's wonderful, Lois," Martha said, also impressed. "I have to agree with him. You truly did a fantastic job with Clark's story." She paused as she glanced at him. "We never knew."

"It's all true," Clark finally spoke up.

"Yes, it's true, but I have to wonder why he came to the Planet in the first place," Lois murmured as she took a bit of her food. "This is delicious, Martha."

"Thanks, Lois," she said and smiled.

The next few minutes had everyone deep in thought, chewing their food, hoping to come up with something to say.

Clark silently ate his food, but he was also thinking about Mr. Wayne and his new friends at the tower. Thinking back on it now, he still wondered how things could work because he still had doubts about all of it.

~o~o~

Earlier that evening at the tower:

Clark was thoughtful as he followed Mr. Wayne and his new 'friends'. The tour encompassed a massive area. It must have been five thousand feet of space. It was immense. The entire floor of the abandoned building had been renovated to include monitors and computers which from what he could see, had police surveillance equipment, meaning they could be on top of all the emergencies in the city and around the world if necessary. He could also see that they had tapped into eyes in the sky software. Clark was truly impressed.

"Well, what do you think?" Bruce asked as he watched him closely. "You like it." He stated reading him clearly.

"Yes, I'm impressed. I can't deny that, but …"

"But …" Bruce encouraged him to speak.

"You're a smart man, and I know you know about me … and my history in this city. I can't believe you want me in your little group of … vigilantes." He paused for a moment. "I've done things that I wish I could undo but I can't."

"We know your history. That's true, but we've watched you over the past few weeks, and we think you deserve a chance to make things right. We know about second and third chances. All of us do." Bruce looked around at his motley crew, and they all nodded their heads in total agreement with his words.

Clark was still doubtful. "But trust must play a very important part in what you do here." He looked him in the eye. "Do you feel you can trust me?"

Bruce chuckled. "Do you think each of us trusted each other from the first moment we met? No, trust doesn't work that way, trust is earned." At his doubtful look, he continued. "Let me put it this way. If one of them were to jump off a bridge, I wouldn't follow. I'd be at the bottom to catch them when they fall. Trust is earned, Kal-El," Bruce told him again.

Wally chuckled too. "Just don't jump off a bridge, Ok?"

Everyone laughed. Clark had to smile, but he had made a decision. "Count me in, and call me Clark."

~o~o~

Back to the present time, at the farm:

"Clark, Clark? Where did you go just then?" Lois asked.

"I was just thinking about trust and … jumping off a bridge."

"What!?" Jonathan exclaimed.

Clark smiled. "No, I didn't mean …"

"What did you mean?" Jonathan asked.

"I'll start at the beginning. There was a bank robbery today, and things turned ugly pretty quickly. The robbers had green kryptonite …"

"Oh, no, what happened?" Lois asked, worried about him.

"Well, I was rescued by … a friend. He rounded up the robbers in seconds. He was extremely fast, and he was wearing a costume."

"Faster than you?!" Martha asked, curious of him.

"Yes, he actually was," Clark replied, thinking about him.

"Then what happened?" Lois asked, needing to know more.

But before he could answer her, there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," Jonathan went to the back door, and Tess Luthor was standing there with a holier than thou expression meaning she did not want to be there.

"Ms. Luthor?!" Jonathan was shocked to see her.

She wrinkled her nose as if she smelled something odious. "Is Clark here? I wish to speak with him."

Jonathan knew she was up to something. "We're in the middle of dinner. You should have called first."

"Tess?!" Clark was shocked. He was also not surprised that he did not feel any attraction to her. It was gone, and he was totally happy about it.

"Oh, Clark!" She ran to him and put her arms around him.

Lois' eyes bugged out of her head as she watched the scene. "What the hell? Back off!"

He glanced at Lois. "I'll handle this." Then Clark pulled Tess's arms from around his neck and held her away from him. "What are you doing here?"

"I was so worried. Why haven't you been at the office?"

He dropped his arms. "I don't belong there anymore. This is my home now." He paused. "You should leave and don't come back here."

Tess was confused. "But why are you here and who are these people?"

He straightened his spine and turned to face them. "They're my family now."

Tess's heart constricted at that comment. "But what about us and what about the company?" Deep down, she knew what he would say, so she braced herself.

"It's over between us. Lionel is gone. You don't have to fear him anymore. You can live your life, do what you want to do without fear or hate flooding your life, making you do things you don't want to do."

Tears sprang into her eyes. "Clark, please don't do this … I love you."

"No, you don't love me. The person you think you love, he doesn't exist anymore." He paused as stared at her then he suddenly felt pity for her. "You'll be alright. You're tougher than you think."

Lois came up and stood beside him. Her gesture spoke volumes.

Tess was not an idiot. She got the point. Straightening her spine, she looked at all the faces of pity staring at her. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and turned to go.

Jonathan held the door open for her.

She wanted to leave them with a parting shot, so she held her head high and turned to face him. "We're family, Clark. That will never change. No matter what you do or how many people you save, that will never change."

Then she was gone.

Jonathan shut the door. Clark turned to face Lois, but she wanted to say something. She took his hand. "What she said, it's not true."

Clark wanted to believe that. He desperately wanted to change. He thought he could do it, but it was true … I'm a Luthor.

Lois, Jonathan, and Martha watched the play of emotions on his face, and knew he needed encouragement, a lot of it.

Jonathan and Martha came over to him. "Did you mean what you said, that we're your family now?" Martha asked.

He came out of his thoughts at her question. "Yes, I meant it, but …"

Jonathan and Martha glanced at each other. "You have doubts, don't you? Just tell us what it is, and we can get through it." He took her husband's hand. "I know we can."

He sighed, wanting this with his whole heart, but something was holding him back. "It's not me you want … it's him, the other one." He looked directly at Lois, and she actually looked shocked. "I know you think about him, don't deny it."

Lois shook her head. "Yes, but he's a part of you. There is good in you. You've proven that over and over." She squeezed his hand. "Don't let her do this. You belong here with us and with me." She paused becoming emotional. "I know this and so do you."

"She's right, Clark. Don't let her do this to you," Jonathan repeated Lois's words.

"Clark, I never met him, the other one, but after listening to Jonathan talk about him, he's you. You truly are, and we all want the same things. We all want this to work. Just give us a chance to prove that we can do this. Just give a chance." Martha was pleading with him.

"Clark?" Lois asked as she watched the play of emotions on his face. "What are you thinking?"

Eyes shining, he turned to the woman of his heart, his one true love. He knew that now. He supposed he always knew it. "I do want this to work, I do." He pulled her close and closed his eyes and breathed her in. After a moment, he pulled back and touched her cheek. "Thank you."

"What a relief, let's finish dinner," Martha said.

Still staring at Lois, he said, "Lois and I have an errand to run."

Jonathan and Martha turned to each other. They understood. "Of course, leftovers will be in the fridge if you … ummm … get hungry later," Martha couldn't help teasing them a little.

"Mom!" Clark gasped, eyes wide, shocked at his outburst. Where had that come from?

Martha was also shocked. "Clark, you … called me Mom." Martha couldn't help herself. Smiling, she held out her arms. Clark was in them in a second holding her close. He'd never had a mother. It felt incredible.

Eyes shining, Martha pulled back after a minute. She touched his cheek. "Go on now, have fun."

"Thanks … Mom." He turned to Jonathan. "Dad?"

"Son?" He held out his arms. Clark's smile was blinding. He was in his arms holding him close.

Lois had her hand over her mouth, holding back tears, so happy for all of them. She had every faith that they could do this. She knew they would make it.

I know we can and we will.

~o~o~

Meanwhile, in the other mirror universe:

Clark Kent thought it best not to destroy the mirror box, not that he had any intention of going back there, but as he was putting it on the shelf, he was thinking about all of them in the other world. As he was laying it down, it looked different somehow. Maybe it was because it had been totally restored after being smashed to bits.

He felt compelled as he looked it over careful not to activate it then suddenly and inexplicably, images arose from the device. Was it his imagination or was it what he wanted to see? He wasn't sure, but then he looked up and he could see them, all of them together at the old farmhouse, and they were happy so supremely happy. Pleased beyond measure, he put the mirror box away and locked it up for safe keeping.

Smiling, he headed back to the living room. "Lois, you are not going to believe this!"

TBC!

~o~o~

Song Inspiration: Lost Then Found, Leona Lewis.

A/N: *wipes eyes* I so loved writing these scenes. True redemption means opening your heart to love and to be loved in return.

Just a small note: My readers may think these scenes were a bit quick for this character. I mean, Lionel had manipulated him his entire life, but I think his true nature was able to burst forth, not only upon meeting his birth Father Jor-El, Lois, the Kents and then lastly, knowing the meaning of true friendship. He wanted to hold back, but he just couldn't and why should he? He's never been loved and felt love. *sniffles* Stay tuned and thank you for reading. Reviews are love. *wipes eyes again*