Chapter 4

Clark finally sat down on the bed. He felt his energy coming back to him slowly. Realizing he was still hungry, he decided that eating some more would help him feel even better. Walking to the small table by the window, he looked out while leaning his head on the glass and sighing at the sight of the dark clouds that were still hovering over the sun.

He took out the Chinese box and opened it. He wasn't sure what it was, but he knew the place Lois had gotten it from and was sure he would love it. Straining his eyes a little, he concentrated his heat vision to warm the food just enough. He found the task a difficult one, since he still felt tired and not with a lot of energy to control the heat wave, but he was happy with the final result of his work.

He sat down and took the chopsticks in his right hand. The food was delicious. He then looked inside the bag again; two bottled waters were also there. "That's why I love this woman." He said to himself.

As if he had called her, the door immediately opened, producing Lois Lane.

He had failed to hear her coming. Probably because he was too weak and hungry.

"Hi." Lois smiled, catching him with his mouth on the bottle.

"Hey. You're back." Clark said, then pointing to the food, "I was hungry and I thought I should eat. Do you want any?"

It was still hard listening to himself talk to Lois like an average human being. In his mind, he knew he couldn't really act like clumsy Clark or like confident Superman. It was only fair to show the real him, even if it felt awkward.

"No, thanks. Just had lunch." Lois answered.

Clark nodded, staring at her. "Are we leaving?" He said, breaking the sudden silence.

"Yeah," Lois blurted, "but you can finish. Go ahead."

Taking the chopstick again, Clark dug in. "All right. You can sit down… I mean… if you want." He said with food still in his mouth.

Lois smiled and agreed, walking to take a sit in front of him. "This is weird." Lois said, staring at him.

He looked up, stopped eating again and looked nervous. "I'm sorry. I don't know… how to… uhm…"

"Just finish. I'll be all right."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." Lois said. "You're you and you're fine. That's all that matters."

Clark smiled, not really sure what that had meant.

He finished his meal in silence; Lois just sat there the whole time looking at him. When he was done, he picked up his mess and put it all back in the bag. He stood up, obviously still aching and took the bag to the trash can beside the TV.

"Are you feeling better?" She asked, surprised to see him walking around.

"Oh, yes. Thanks." Clark said, not sounding very convincing. "Just a little tired, but I don't feel like before. Last night I thought I was not going to make it."

"Don't say that." Lois said, grasping the thought in her mind for a minute and realizing what that would mean.

"Sorry. I just…"

She smiled. "It's amazing how you can't stop apologizing."

Clark gave her a crooked smile, which reminded her so much of his Superman persona. "The story of my life, right?"

"I wouldn't know." Lois said, trying not to show how she was hurting inside. "I don't think I know much about your life."

He lowered his head, sitting on the bed slowly. "Well, I guess I'm an open book now. You can ask anything. I think it would be really stupid now if I didn't tell you everything."

It would, Lois thought, but used her chance to begin with more questions.

"Well, I am a little curious…" She said, Clark could only smile.

"You are Lois Lane. I thought you were a lot curious." He said, playful.

"Don't be smart with me. I may not sound like it, but I am still angry."

Clark cleared his throat and swallowed hard. "Sorry." He said in an almost inaudible voice.

She finally stood up. "For the love of God, please stop apologizing!" She knew he wanted to say it again, tell her he was sorry for telling her he was sorry. "Don't even think about it." Taking her purse in her hand again, she rose to leave. Clark followed her with his eyes until she stopped by the door. "Get dressed, we're leaving."

"Dressed? Uhm, like Superman?" He asked in a shy voice.

"Yes!" She jumped, "Wait, no." She sighed. She threw her arms in the air. "Arg! You're too complicated." The comment hurt Clark but he tried to hide it. "I don't know, C…" He knew she meant to call him Clark, but thought better of it. "I don't know. I guess it would be safer to drive Clark Kent around the city, wouldn't you?"

"But, Richard… he'll…"

"Yes, I know." She pointed to his suitcase. "Take the suitcase with your suit in it. We'll put it in the trunk and you can change before anyone sees you."

"I usually wear it under my clothes… the suit, I mean."

"Well, you can put it on then, whatever you want to do. But, I'd like to go, so hurry up." She opened the door. "I'll go get the car, get ready and meet me downstairs in ten minutes. I'll park the car in front of the hotel."

"I'll be there." Clark said, watching her leave again.

A few minutes later, Clark Kent was standing in front of the hotel, his hands in his pockets, his glasses covering his eyes. Lois drove up and he got in the car. "You look much better." She said, beginning small talk.

"I feel better. Thanks for everything." Clark added. "If it weren't for you I…"

"Don't even go there. I still don't know what I'm going to do with Richard."

"With Richard? What do you mean?"

Deep down she didn't even know what she meant. Was she considering ending her relationship with Richard or had that just meant she wasn't sure how to behave in front of her fiancée now that she knew Clark Kent and Superman were the same person?

"How am I going to explain what I'm doing? How am I going to explain how I have Superman in my car? Do you have any ideas, Clark?"

She had said his name so casually Clark had felt a relief in his chest. "I don't know. I'll come up with something."

"Right." She mused, "Like all the times you had to disappear? You must really have a good imagination."

"It took practice."

"For someone that supposedly never lies, I think you lie more than the average person."

Clark looked down, then out the window. She was right, he was a liar. A very good liar, apparently. "I'm sorry Lois; I did what I thought I had to do. But, for the record… when I wear the suit, I really don't lie."

"Sure you do." Lois said rapidly. "I remember telling you something on the roof that night, when you came back. I said something about Clark, and you asked me who he was. Now, I don't know, but that's a lie."

"I didn't say I didn't know who he was." Clark said in his defense. "I just asked you about Clark, that's all."

"Fine, lie to yourself as well. Do whatever you want, then; you're not making things better… or easier."

Clark figured she was right. Maybe it was time to shut up. Nothing good was coming out of the sentences that came out of his mouth. One thing he did know, whatever he needed to do to get Lois to like him again, he was willing to do. Just thinking what his life would be without her was… unimaginable.

After a few minutes, Clark realized they had left the city behind. They were now in the suburbs and he remembered the house he had seen from up in the sky the time he had spied on Lois. Now that he thought about it, if he ever told Lois he had done that, then she would really be angry.

"Oh, no." Lois said, making Clark turn to look at her suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Clark asked.

"It's Richard… he's early." Lois said, "You have to change."

"Here?" Clark asked, puzzled. "We're in the middle of the neighborhood. People will see me."

She turned to look at him, pursing her lips. "I thought you had super-speed."

"I do. But I also have a big knife wound on my back." Clark stated.

"Oh." Lois said, remembering that even when he looked fine, he was still in pain. "Well, then… you'll have to get out-" She stopped suddenly, her face looking in shock at the window. "Oh, no."

Clark joined her, turning his head to look in front of him. It was Richard, he was walking towards them. He held Jason's hand in his. Lois was parked about two blocks from their house when she had seen Richard's car parked there.

"It's Richard." Clark stated the obvious.

"What are we going to do?" Lois said quickly, panic in her voice. "Hide!"

But Clark didn't move, Richard was too close to them, he was waving. "I-"

"Clark, do something!" Lois demanded. But, seeing that Clark was still just sitting there, made her take drastic action. She moved the gear to Reverse and she pushed the pedal. The car's wheels screeched on the pavement as the car suddenly began to move backwards.

"Lois, what are you doing?" Clark said his eyes wide in panic.

"We're leaving, that's what we're doing."

"Wait! Stop!" He said in a commanding voice, which startled her. She still wouldn't let his words make her slow down. "Stop, please!"

In front of them, Richard and Jason had suddenly stopped, too, surprised at what was happening in front of them. "I can't stop, they'll see you!"

"It's all right. Right now, I think it's a good idea." Clark said.

"What?" She pressed the left pedal and stopped the car. Clark held on, making sure he wouldn't leave his hand imprinted anywhere on the car as he did. "You think it's a good idea?"

He turned to look at her. "Richard is the father of my son, Lois. And if I want to see Jason, then... I have been thinking it would be a good idea if… he knew."

"But, what if he can't keep the secret? What if he doesn't understand…?"

"I think he will. I think he's a good man, like you said before. And I think he'll keep the secret to protect the two of you. I don't know how he'll feel about me, but I can work on that later."

"You're crazy."

"Maybe." Clark said, and he opened the door without warning.

"Wait! Where…?" But it was too late, Clark had stepped out of the car, he adjusted his glasses and walked to the confused Richard and Jason.

Lois watched him walk away from her. She saw him wave at them and they waved back. Slowly, she started driving back to them, nervous and confused. Not knowing exactly what would happen next. She followed Richard, Clark and Jason as they walked back to the house.

As much as she wanted to hear their conversation, she couldn't. She parked the car in the garage and hurried to meet them.

Now Richard was talking with Clark. Jason walked beside them, smiling. Well, it can't be that bad, can it?

"Hi, Richard. I'm sorry, I…" Lois said as she got near them.

"Hey, Lois. Let's get in the house. Clark is telling me nobody should hear what he is about to tell us."

"Right." She said, wondering why he hadn't protested about her awkward behavior with the car.

The four of them entered the house and Richard led Clark to the living room.

"Can I offer you something, Clark?" Richard asked, watching as Clark shared a quick look with Lois before answering.

"No, thank you." Clark said and then without thinking twice, he added. "There's something I want to tell you."

"And it's about Superman, right?" Richard said, now watching Lois sit down beside him a little nervous. Jason had been sent to his room, to wait while they talked. When he had begged to stay, Lois had supported Richard and almost commanded him to go upstairs.

"Yes. It's about Superman." Clark said.

"Is he all right?" Richard seemed honestly concerned. "When Lois called me telling me he needed my seaplane, I didn't know what to think."

"Well," Clark pushed his glasses up again and loosened his tie. His voice trembled when he next talked. "I, uhm, what I need to tell you is…" But he stopped to smile, "Boy this is hard." He looked at Lois for support, but he didn't find much there.

"What's going on?" Richard asked, looking at Lois and then at Clark. "Something's not right here, what happened? Just tell me."

But Lois just sat there, like a statue, staring at Clark. "Uhm, well, this is really difficult, but I feel I need to say it. And it will be hard on you, probably." He shrugged, "See… I am S…" He stopped; Richard was now sitting at the edge of his seat.

"You're what? Superman?" Richard asked him, almost jokingly. It was then that Clark nodded, holding his breath. "Wait… you are Superman? You're kidding, right?" But Clark quickly shook his head. "But if that's… nah, you're pulling my leg, right?" He finally turned to look at Lois, but she shook her head slowly, reassuring him that what he was hearing was the truth. "But, you're… how can you… but…"

"I'm sorry. But I couldn't tell anyone. I need help and Lois figured out my secret by herself." Clark explained as quickly as he could. "I'm sick. When Luthor stabbed me, I didn't heal like before. And Lois told me that maybe I could borrow your seaplane to reach the sun." Richard was in shock as Clark spoke, "I can fly, but it takes a lot out of me and I would be forever grateful if you could help me out."

Richard once again looked at Clark and then back at Lois. "You're making this up, right?" He insisted.

"No." Lois said. "He is who he says he is. They're the same person."

Richard looked back at Clark, then at Lois. It sounded real, but it just couldn't be real. "Uh, well…" he said, untying his tie and loosing up his shirt. "Uhm, well, it's nice to meet you then."

"It's Clark, you already know him." Lois said suddenly, taking the glamour out of the situation.

Richard stared at him after hearing Lois' words. "Well, Clark… uhm, tell me when you're ready."

Clark smiled, nodding. "Well, the sooner the better. I'll change, if you don't mind."

"Into… Superman?" Richard asked, still amused.

"He keeps the suit under the shirt, did you know that?" Lois added. "All this time."

Sighing, Clark stood up and asked for the bathroom. Both Richard and Lois pointed to it in unison and Clark excused himself.

When he was gone, Richard turned to look at Lois. "That's Superman? Mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent?"

"Yes." Lois confirmed.

"I can't believe this. It's… unbelievable." He said, in lack for a better word.

"And he has super-hearing, so he can hear everything you say." She reminded him.

"Oh, right. Right." Richard was suddenly quiet, until something occurred to him. "What about Jason? Is he telling Jason?"

Lois blushed, showing that there was more to the story than she'd let on. "Jason is… he's…" But she was saved by Clark rejoining them. He now stood in front of them fully suited. His glasses in one hand and his clothes neatly folded in the other.

"I'm ready." Clark said, in what appeared his normal voice. "Where can I leave these?" He raised both hands to show the glasses and his clothes.

Richard and Lois didn't answer him right away. First they just sat there appalled at the vision in front of them. It was as if Clark Kent had never existed and Superman had taken his place. Lois shrugged and woke up from her trance. "Uhm, right. You can just put them there, on the sofa."

Doing as he was told, he leaned a little to reach the cushion, quickly grabbing his back with his right hand. His hosts could see how that had hurt him, even when he tried to hide the pain it caused. "Are you okay?" Richard asked.

"I've been better." Clark answered.

"I better take another look at the wound." Lois said, but Clark shook his head.

"I'm fine. Really." Then to Richard, "If you could do me that big favor and fly me over those clouds, I would appreciate it."

Richard stood up quickly, "Sure. This way." Nobody had to tell him twice. The man started walking to the backdoor of the house, leaving Lois and Clark looking at each other wondering why he had reacted like that.

"I think he took it well." Lois added as she followed Richard out of the house.

Clark looked around the shore to make sure no one was watching. He really didn't care at the time, but part of him was warning him that he was being too sloppy in keeping his identity safe. Not only had he let Lois figure it out, but now he had told Richard as well. He still wasn't sure that had been the right thing to do.

Richard started the plane and Clark had a sudden flashback from the day Luthor had stabbed him. It had been this seaplane he had helped take off after rescuing Richard, Lois and Jason from the sinking yacht; it was also the one he had woken up in after Lois had taken out the shard of Kryptonite from his back. They had saved his life on that plane, and now they were doing it again.

"Superman!" He heard a voice call him from behind. As he turned around, he saw Jason running towards him smiling with open arms. Lois walked slowly behind him. Happiness filled him in a way he could not express. This was his son after all, and it was still strange watching someone that was part of him move and breathe and talk in real life. It had been something he had thought impossible.

Knowing he would regret it later, Clark knelt down to receive Jason, his back throbbing in pain again. "Hey, Jason. Are you coming with us?"

Jason hugged him tight and began talking. "Mommy said I could come with you, and she said that you were here and she said that you may want to take me flying if I want to."

Clark smiled at him and then turned to face Lois, who was now standing near them. "Mommy didn't say all of those things." She defended herself. "And I did tell Jason he would have to be in his best behavior in the seaplane."

"I will. Right Mr. Superman?" Jason asked him, the smile painted on his face.

Clark nodded, "Ready to go?" Lois took Jason's hand and helped him in the plane. With difficulty, Clark concentrated hard enough to float to the seaplane, trying not to hurt his back anymore than he had too.

"That was cool!" He heard Jason said as he took a seat and buckled his seatbelt.

Richard was sitting at the wheel, with Lois now as his co-pilot. "Ready, everyone?"

Clark and Jason nodded. Looking back to see them, Lois noticed how there certainly was a resemblance between the two of them, but as she tried to picture Clark, it was still difficult to realize it was really he who was the father of her child.

The seaplane rose over the water and took into flight. The engines roared and this made Clark's wound sting and burn in pain, but he took it without complaining. After a while, they reached the clouds.

"We've never been this high before, Mr. Superman." Jason said, watching the river under him. "This is cool."

Clark couldn't help but smile, forgetting about pain as he looked at the innocent smile he saw before him. "Will we be able to rise any higher?" Clark ventured a question loud enough for Richard to hear him.

"I think so. Hang on." The engines roared louder and the seaplane rose higher. It was still early enough for the sun to be up there, and Clark felt the rays touch his face from the window as soon as they left the clouds below. Unbuckling his seat belt, he walked towards Richard and Lois. "Could you face west?" He asked.

Richard nodded and turned the plane around. In a moment, the sun's rays were coming in through the cabin. Clark sat back down again and felt the sun's rays cover his entire body. He relaxed and let them fill him, replenishing his energy. "I can keep this up for fifteen to twenty minutes."

Clark didn't reply, he was concentrating in absorbing the yellow sun. He felt his body take the energy inside and in a way felt the wound healing faster than it had before, though not enough.

"I'm going out." Clark's voice was heard after a while, making Lois turn around worried.

"What?" She yelled at him. "Why? No, wait. You may still be weak, you…"

But he smiled gently at her. "I'll be fine. I'll meet you down at your house in a little while." Then he turned to Richard, "Thank you. You have no idea how grateful I am. It was just the boost I needed."

He slowly opened the door, just like he had done days before. Taking a deep breath, he stepped out and flew as high as he could, to get closer to the sun.

Lois locked the door behind him, making sure Jason was not harmed. He smiled at her in a reassuring way. When Lois finally buckled up again next to Richard, Jason began, "Do you think I'll be able to fly one day, mommy?" He said loud enough to be heard by both his parents.

"What?" Richard asked, smiling at his son's question. Beside him, Lois froze, not knowing what to say or do. "I don't think so, Jason." It was Richard who replied,
"Superman's an alien."

"But, I'm just as strong as Superman, remember? So maybe I can fly, too. Right, mommy?"

Richard turned to Lois immediately, with a confused look on his face. "I-" But Lois couldn't say anything before Jason spoke again.

"I threw that piano, remember, mommy?" Jason was saying, "Will I fly one day like Superman?"

Richard turned the plane around. This wasn't something he had expected. He would have to confront Lois now, and he would probably hear things he didn't want to hear.

To be continued…