AN: It's been a while. I've been so busy this summer, so I apologize for the dely. I hope to have a more set writing schedule to get through the rest of this. We don't have that much further to go. That said, I really hope you enjoy the change of pace that I think this chapter offers. It's a bit lighter and certainly funnier than what I've done in the past. I know – humor? In THIS fic? Yes, indeed! In fact, htbthomas did a spit take on one line, which made me very proud!

Many thanks to the ever supportive van-el who always pushes me to write more and more. To the betas – htbthomas for pulling me out of passive voice, yet again, and Hellish Red Devil for all her funny side comments. And thanks to all of you who have stuck with me this long and let me take Jason in a direction that is a bit darker. I promise though that the "happy ending" is around the corner.

Age 21: When Kate met Clark

Several things happened over the next few months that changed my life in so many ways, and it was surprising to me that for the first time in my life all of those changes were for the best. In the past when change had been forced upon me, it upset life and complicated things. But this time the changes made things easier.

The first thing that changed was Kate's own feelings towards Superman. After my chat with Clark I figured that it would take a while before they would come face-to-face, but he took matters into his own hands and came to see her within days of the request being made. I'm not sure who was more nervous – Kate, Superman, or me. We all acted as if any moment the bubble would pop and all hell would break lose, especially when the conversation came around to the topic of her mother. However, that never happened. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

To my surprise, it had been Superman who broached the matter. "Jason told me about your mother."

Kate's eyes grew wide, both with surprise and with a touch of anger.

Before she could comment, Superman took a step closer to her and said in the most sincere voice I'd ever heard, "I'm sorry, Kate. I'm so sorry. I made a terrible mistake. I only hope that someday you can forgive me and accept that even though I try very hard to do what's right, at the end of the day I'm just a man who makes mistakes like everyone else."

Kate held his gaze. "You're not a god."

"No, I'm not."

"You don't decide who lives and who dies."

"If I could, Kate, I would stop everyone from being killed by tragedies such as your mother's – and that goes for good people and criminals. But contrary to popular belief, I can't be in two places at once."

"But you could have been there for my mother," she said boldly.

"Yes," he confirmed. "I could have been there, and for that I will forever be sorry."

The change came after that moment. It seemed to be exactly what Kate needed to hear – that he knew he had been wrong. For him to admit to being fallible eased some of her own pain that she had been harboring for so many years. I can't say that they became best friends, but they weren't enemies either. In fact, Kate said she hoped to see more of him, to get to know him better, which I took as a very good sign.

Getting to know my father better meant that she needed to know who he was – meaning she needed to meet Clark. I didn't think that would be too much of a problem. After all, I knew he would be at the competition I was going to participate in at the end of the year. She would certainly meet him then, if not sooner.

However, having Clark at the competition posed a difficulty I hadn't considered when I first asked him to come. For the last few years, I had been very vocal about my dislike for a certain reporter at the Daily Planet, and my mother was well aware of it. I'd once made such a big scene about how aggravating I thought Clark was that I got myself grounded for three weeks. I couldn't very well ask him to take one of my four tickets without some kind of logical explanation for why I was suddenly befriending him. It would be a heck of a lot easier had Clark just agreed to tell mom the truth and have done with it. Then she would understand fully why I wanted Clark there. But as he pointed out, if Mom knew the truth and then had to appear in public with Clark, she would probably make a scene.

That left me with not much of a choice but to pretend to go through the show of making friends with Clark again. Clark was in on it, of course, so he had to pretend, too. It was so incredibly awkward and uncomfortable, but it had to be done. I'm not sure which one of us felt more ridiculous, me or Clark. I would show up at the Daily Planet to talk to Mom or Dad – usually it was some silly made up reason I was there. Then as casually as he could, Clark would say hello to me and I would smile and say hello back. We did that a few times until we felt we could have a short conversation. It came to a head one day a few weeks later when I actually made a point to talk to him in perfect view of my mother.

"What's all that about?" Mom asked as she tried not to look too surprised.

I gave a casual shrug. "Nothing really."

She looked over at Clark, who was doing a fine job of not showing any signs that he was listening to us. "I thought you hated Clark Kent."

Another shrug. It seemed to be my only way of looking casual while feeling like an idiot. "I think that was just my teenage self rejecting anyone who wasn't totally cool. You know how it is."

Her smile was small, almost imperceptible. "You and Clark used to be buddies."

"I know." I could only see his profile, but I knew Clark could hear me. "He was really nice to me when I was a kid."

"He was." She went back to typing on her computer. "Did you apologize to him for being a teenage cretin?"

"Well," I drawled, "I had an idea about that. He asked me about my music the other day and I thought…" I took a deep breath and readied myself for the confusion that I was sure would come from my mother. "I thought I might invite him to the contest next month."

She turned her face ever so slightly, but didn't look up at me. "Are you sure? I mean, you only get four tickets, right?"

"Right."

"And you want to give one of them to… Clark?"

"Yeah."

She stopped typing again and frowned. My breath hitched for a moment since I was sure she would tell me she thought I was a bit off my rocker. But it didn't happen.

"Okay," she said, still frowning. "It's your ticket, I suppose."

I was too surprised to say anything.

"What about Aunt Lucy?" she asked.

I had already prepared myself for this excuse. "I thought of that, but I didn't think it would be nice since I wouldn't be able to invite Uncle Ron."

She looked up at me. "You have two more tickets, don't you?"

"I have one ticket, Mom. Kate will be there, you know." I didn't hide the annoyance I felt at the fact that my mother still hadn't totally accepted that Kate was a permanent fixture in my life.

She sighed. "That's right. Why do I keep forgetting that?"

"I dunno, but I wish you'd start remembering her."

Mom went back to her typing. "I suppose Kate will get one of the seats up front and center?"

"No, Mom, she won't. You and Dad will have those seats, like always." I had four tickets total: two in the balcony area and two in the orchestra. The orchestra seats were better seats and that much more expensive. That's why we were only given two of them.

"Doesn't that mean that Clark will have to sit with Kate?" she continued.

"Yeah, it does," I said, "but that will be okay."

"Whatever you want, Jason," she said dismissively.

I turned and caught Clark's eyes as I walked away from her desk, only to hear Mom mumble under her breath, "I've often though that Clark needed to see a therapist. Maybe this will be a good thing."

Clark shrugged and went back to his work.

And that was that. I'd expected more confusion. I'd expected her to insist that I invite my aunt instead. I hadn't expected her to just accept it like that, but I wasn't about to complain. I'd done what I'd needed to do and now Clark could show up at my competition without raising suspicion.

Now all that was left was for Kate to meet Clark. I considered telling her flat out who he was, but then I thought it might be better to let her meet him first and then drop the bomb on her. Actually, I was kind of hoping she was smart enough to see through his charade and realize the truth on her own. Not to mention that I was a bit stressed anyway about the competition and I didn't want to add the worry of whether Kate would accentually slip up in front of my mom and spill the beans. No, it would be better to tell Kate after she met Clark face-to-face.

The month leading up to the competition was a real struggle though. I think had I been more human than Kryptonian, I would have practiced my fingers off. Kate was so sick of hearing the same pieces that eventually I just stuck to rehearsing at the school. There was even one Saturday that I wasn't allowed to mention the competition at all. All I could do was "just relax," as Kate put it. Even though I fought Kate tooth and toenail about going a whole day without touching a piano, it was just what I had needed. It was more proof for me that Kate knew me better than anyone ever had.

The morning of the big event, I played through my pieces and then went to pick up my tux from the rental place. Kate went with me, of course. She pretty much stuck by me all day long, keeping me sane, and she provided a few simple distractions as well - like the image of her in a knockout pale blue dress that fit her like a glove. Had it not been for the fact that I needed to arrive early at the concert hall, I don't think she would have been wearing the dress for too long.

When we did finally make it to the theatre, the place was already filling up with audience members as well as participants. Mom and Dad met us at the prearranged location in the lobby. It was only a few minutes later that Clark arrived. He was as polite as could be to Kate, if still a bit jittery, but that was part of the Clark disguise. I noticed that Kate eyed him suspiciously, and I wondered if she was starting to put the pieces together, but I didn't have time to speculate. Before I knew it, Mom and Kate both gave me good luck kisses and off I went to my place backstage.

I was surprisingly calm as I waited for my turn at the piano. I could hear the other competitors, but they didn't make me as nervous as I thought they would. It wasn't until the applause for the pianist right before me started to fade that I felt the real nerves kick in. My name was called, and I boldly stepped out onto the stage and made the long walk over to the piano. I took a deep breath, willing my nerves to calm down, and started in on my first piece.

I don't remember much about playing the two pieces. I just remember that my fingers seemed to work of their own accord. The idea that I was being watched by hundreds of people didn't occur to me at all. I just played through the music as if I were at home and playing for Kate. When I reached the final notes of my second piece, I knew I was home free and that I had made it. Regardless of the standings at the end of it all, I had made my way through two difficult pieces of music and had played for my largest audience yet. I felt very accomplished and proud of myself. That feeling would only be eclipsed by the jubilation I felt when only an hour later I was named as the third place finalist.

"Third place!" Kate screeched when I joined her and my parents later. Her arms flew around me and she kissed me so openly, I was almost afraid that Mom would frown at us. To my relief she didn't. "You were amazing, Jason!" She kissed me again, mumbling, "I love you," against my mouth.

I turned to see Mom and Dad smiling widely at me. Dad hugged me first, followed by Mom, who held on a bit longer than normal. "I'm so proud of you, honey," she said softly. "I know how much this means to you."

And then my eyes fell on Clark, who was also smiling. Beaming was actually a better word for it. He looked like he was ready to come out of his skin with excitement. He shook my hand and awkwardly clapped me on the shoulder. I could tell he really wanted to hug me, too, but was resisting. "You were… wonderful, Jason. Just… amazing."

"Thanks," I grinned sheepishly.

The reception for the winners lasted nearly as long as the competition itself. Clark didn't stay long, and I knew it had something to do with a Superman-related emergency. Mom and Dad left a little later. However, Kate stayed with me the whole time. Around midnight I noticed that she looked rather worn out, rubbing her sore feet and fighting to appear interested in whatever topic was being discussed at the moment. I excused myself, wrapped my arm around her, and escorted her outside.

"Let's get out of here," I suggested.

"Don't you have elbows to rub?"

I shook my head. "I've done what I needed to do. I got lots of phone numbers and have a few interesting prospects. I just want some quiet now."

She sighed in relief. "Me too."

Her high-heeled shoes were kicked off her feet within seconds of getting into the car. I shrugged out of my tux coat and undid my bowtie along with the top button of my collar. Kate gave me a devilishly charming smile and leaned over to kiss me.

"Have I ever told you that I am a sucker for a man in a tux?" She played with the button on my shirtfront. "Or out of a tux. Take your pick."

I kissed her in reply, drawing her closer to me and running my fingers through her glorious hair. After a few moments, we were both left slightly breathless and thoroughly disheveled.

Kate moaned in pleasure as she sank back against her own seat. "The sooner we get home the better."

"My sentiments exactly," I agreed as I started the car and headed out of the parking garage.

Shifting to her side so that she could look at me better, Kate wove her fingers though mine and said, "Your mom was really nice to me tonight."

I smiled. "She was? Good."

"I was a little nervous," Kate admitted, "but we didn't spend a whole lot of time together, so I think that made it easier for us both. Still, when we did talk, things seemed fine."

"Good," I repeated. "I need you two to get along."

Kate hummed thoughtfully. "She even admired my dress."

"What's not to admire?"

The comment earned me a kiss on the cheek. "I'd offer more, but I don't want to distract you."

For a few moments we sat in agreeable silence, but I knew it wouldn't last for long. I was too desperate to know what Kate thought of Clark to keep quiet much longer. "So," I started in, drawing out the vowel sound a little longer than necessary. "How was it sitting with Clark?"

She smirked and made that humming noise again. "Clark is… a very interesting man."

Interesting? She was being coy with her words. "How so?" I pressed.

"Well… just… he's different. You know."

"Different how?" I needed specifics.

"Just…" She pursed her lips together and looked at me very hesitantly.

"What?"

"Okay," she sighed. "Look, I know he's your friend and all, and some people just want certain things left unsaid, but really…" She chuckled. "He's not fooling anybody."

My eyebrows shot up. "Fooling? What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean… duh." She started gesturing in small circles with her hands. "It's just – I mean – you just have to look at him to know. I mean, it's obvious."

I gaped at her. "You think it's obvious?"

"It's blatantly obvious."

I pointed at her and then pounded the steering wheel in triumph. "I knew you'd see it. I just knew it! I knew I couldn't be the only one who thought it was obvious!"

"You mean, nobody knows?"

"No, nobody, and I don't get how they can't see it."

"More than that," Kate said, "I don't understand why he thinks he has to hide it. He'd probably be a lot more comfortable if he'd just stop lying to everyone."

"Yes! Exactly! That is exactly what I have been trying to say for all these years." I was overcome with excitement that someone else seemed to understand my own frustration that I almost didn't catch Kate's next comment.

"Although, your mom would probably freak out when she realized his attention to you."

That took me a bit by surprise.

"Still," she continued. "He should just come out and tell everyone."

I nodded. "I know. I've tried to tell him that for years."

"How he's able to fool anyone is beyond me."

"It's the worst disguise ever," I stated. "Come on. Really. A pair of glasses isn't much of a disguise."

Kate frowned at me. "A pair of glasses? What does wearing glasses have to do with being gay?"

Her words shocked me so completely that I jerked the car to the side of the road and slammed on the breaks. "What?'' I gasped. "Gay?"

She looked back at me with a stunned expression. "Clark. He's gay."

"No, he's not."

"Yes, he is."

"No, he's not, Kate. Believe me."

She leaned away from me. "Jason, look, you may be a bit too close to the situation to see it, but the man is gay."

"No, he isn't."

She didn't seem to hear me. "On second thought, I would have assumed that you knew very well that he was gay given the fact that he's in love with you."

That was an even heavier blow to take. "He's what?"

"Come on, Jason. You have to have noticed how he looks at you. I hadn't spent five minutes with the man before I realized that he was head over heels for you."

I ran my hands through my hair. "Oh boy, have you misunderstood everything," I mumbled.

"I haven't misunderstood," she insisted. "I saw it with my own eyes. The way he lit up when you talked to him. The way he read and reread your bio in the program. He was very nearly crying over it he was so emotional. And when you played, I swear the man was about to drool. He is totally in love with you."

I thought about it for a moment. "He may love me, but he isn't in love with me. There is a big difference."

"So then you know he feels that way about you?"

I chuckled under my breath at how far I'd come in understanding Clark's way of showing that he cared for me. "Yeah, I do."

"I don't think it's funny," Kate scolded. "It was a bit creepy, actually."

"Kate—"

"I was actually trying to think of a nice way to tell him that I didn't appreciate the way he was acting, but I thought he might make a scene and I didn't want to ruin your night."

"Really, Kate, you've got it wrong."

"How long have you known him, anyway?" she asked.

The question didn't make any more sense to me than the rest of the conversation. "Since I was five, why?"

"Because now I'm really creeped out. If he's known you that long, then he's been trolling after you for years."

"Trolling?"

"Bridget's brother is gay and he told us all about the trolls once."

"Trolls?"

"Older gay men who watch younger men."

My head was spinning I was so dizzy from her words. I rested my head against the steering wheel. "Kate, it isn't what you think."

"It isn't?"

"No," I said firmly.

"Because from where I'm sitting, it seems pretty disgusting. Clark has every right to be gay, but he should at least be open about it. And he needs to realize that not only are you straight, but you are also taken. Even if you weren't, it still wouldn't be right. I mean, the man is old enough to be your father!"

I turned slowly to look at her and very slowly said, "That's because he is my father."

Kate's brows scrunched together in confusion. "He's what?"

"My father."

She still didn't get it. "I thought Superman was your father?"

I nodded. "He is."

"But then, how can Clark be—"

She got it then. Her face went from confusion to realization to total incredulity in seconds. It hit her like a ton of bricks. "NO!" she gasped.

"Yes."

"NO!"

"Yes."

"But— but he's—" she stumbled over her thoughts. "He's an idiot!"

"Actually, when you consider that he's managed to pull off the biggest lie for about thirty years, he's not so much of an idiot."

She gaped at me. "You're being serious. Clark Kent is Superman?"

"Yes, and don't say that too loudly."

"But—" Kate shook her head, flabbergasted, still trying to wrap her brain around this new bit of information. "But… he doesn't even talk the same."

"It's the Clark voice," I explained. "He uses his upper register for Clark and his lower register for Superman. His normal voice – his real voice – the one he uses when it's just the two of us and no one else is around - is somewhere in between."

"Your mom and dad don't know, do they?"

"No, they don't."

"How is that even possible?" she wondered.

"I don't know. Yet when you consider that Mom doesn't even remember… you know…" I let the thought trail off. I still wasn't comfortable talking about my biological parents' relationship.

Kate slumped back in her seat. "This is unbelievable. Just… wow." She turned her head to look at me. "How long have you known who he was?"

"I knew he was Superman before I even knew he was my father. From the first time I met him, really. I saw a picture of Superman on the TV while Clark was standing right there and I just knew."

Her face contorted in worry as she pondered everything. "Tell me something, your relationship with him – how strained it was for all those years – this secret was a major part of that, right?"

I nodded wordlessly.

"You had the chance to be with your father as an ordinary person like Clark Kent and yet no one knew he was your father."

She got it in one. "You know, one of the reasons I used to think he didn't want my mom to know his real identify was so that he wouldn't have to be with me as much – so he had an excuse to stay away."

"Oh, Jason," she sighed sadly.

"But I understand now that his wanting to keep this a secret from Mom doesn't have anything to do with me. Well," I corrected myself, "it does, but it's more about having to own up to lying to her for all these years. He's afraid of how she'll react."

"I would be, too, if I were him," she agreed.

"Why?"

"How angry was I when I found out you had been lying to me about who you really were?"

I grimaced.

"And that was only after a year or so of us being together," she continued. "Your parents have a lifetime of secrets between them, not to mention a child. It's a whole new ballgame when you toss a child into the mix."

"I'm not a child anymore."

"No, but you are still their child. That is something very intimate that they share, more intimate than just sex." She shook her head and looked away from me. "Given your mother's temper, Clark should be very worried."

I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. "He's going to tell her pretty soon because I asked him to."

She looked surprised. "How soon?"

"After the wedding. He thinks it will make things awkward if she knows before then, and he doesn't want to miss out on our wedding day."

Kate took my hand. "That sounds reasonable I suppose." She gave my hand a squeeze. "You think we could head home now that the shock has worn off? I'm getting sleepy again."

I smiled and pulled the car back out onto the road. We were quiet for a few moments, both of us thinking about everything that we'd just talked about.

"He really does love you, Jason," Kate said, breaking the silence.

"I know," I said softly.

"And I'm glad he'll be able to be at the wedding."

"Me too," I agreed. "So…" I slurred. "Just to be clear, you still don't think Clark is gay, do you?"

"No," she smiled. "But he really needs to tone down the dork act if he expects me to dance with him at our wedding."