AN: A HUGE thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and read my story so far. I'm sorry it's been forever since I last updated. A lot of personal things have been going on in my life but know that I haven't forgotten this story! I will continue to post as often as I can!

4: Addressing Fears

Jason pushed his half framed glasses further up his nose as he filled out another answer to his seemingly endless Trig homework. He'd been working on the assignment for over an hour and was only halfway done. A timer started going off in the kitchen. Grumbling about how useless Triganometry was to someone who was just going to become a journalist, Jason stretched and headed into the kitchen to check on the lasagna in the oven. Though some would consider it irresponsible, Jason was usually the one who made dinner for the family. It wasn't that his parents were neglectful; Jason just enjoyed cooking. It was like an escape for him. Creating all kinds of meals, blending spices, and putting together tangy desserts were like second nature to him. His mom often joked that he got it from his dad's side of the family since she couldn't cook to save a life. Every time Lois Lane got in the kitchen, disaster was bound to happen. After she married Clark, he took over all the cooking in the house.

When Jason got old enough, he volunteered to make dinner since it was unpredictable when his mother would get back from chasing a story and unclear if his dad would be off saving the world for hours. Opening the oven, Jason closed his eyes and inhaled the sweet smell of melted cheese combined with sauce and meat. His mouth watered as he reached in with his bare hands and pulled out the lasagna; at least he could put his invulnerability to use somehow. After setting the pan on the stove to cool, he shoved the garlic bread in the oven and set the timer for five minutes.

Pouring himself a glass of water, Jason headed back into the living room and took another stab at his homework. His mom sent him a text a few minutes later saying she was on her way home. Jason then went back in to rescue the garlic bread from burning, thinking about how to solve the problem he was currently working on. A sudden gust blew through the kitchen from the sliding glass door leading out to the balcony.

"Hey Dad," Jason called as his father suddenly appeared walking out of the master bedroom in a shirt and jeans.

"Hello, son," Clark said, eyeing the stove. "Smells good."

"Thanks," Jason said, checking out the garlic bread. "I thought we'd have lasagna tonight."

"A good choice," Clark commented. "Mind if I set the table?"

"Go ahead. Mom should be home soon."

There was another small gust of wind and when Jason turned around to place dinner on the table, there was a set of three plates, forks, and cups to greet it. He looked over to his dad who was leaning against the wall, watching him. Jason raised an eyebrow. His dad never used his powers around the house for trivial things like this. Something was up.

"Did anything happen today?" Clark asked. His tone was light but Jason didn't miss the hint of accusation behind the question.

Eyeing his dad apprehensively, Jason shrugged. "Nothing really."

"Richard's back in town," Clark said, still watching his son carefully.

"Really?"

"Yes. Apparently he stumbled across a girl in an alley with a bunch of unconcious men at her feet."

"She didn't see me!" Jason said, dropping his feigned ignorance at once.

"Are you sure?" Clark asked with narrowed eyes.

Jason swallowed. "I don't think she did," he said, hesitantly looking into his father's eyes.

"Luckily for you she only felt a quick breeze."

Jason relaxed. "Oh... good."

Clark sighed. "Jason, we've talked about this."

"What was I supposed to do, Dad? Let her get raped by those thugs?" Jason demanded, his temper suddenly flaring. "Nobody was around; I checked! Besides, I couldn't just stand there and do nothing. You taught me that when someone's in trouble we're supposed to help in any way we can."

"You could have called me," Clark retorted. "What if she'd seen you? What if someone else saw you?"

"If I was afraid someone would have spotted me, I would have called. But there wasn't any witnesses so what's the big deal?" Clark opened his mouth to retort but Jason held up his hand. "Dad, you can't expect me to not try to be like you. What's the point in having super powers if I can't use them to save people?"

Clark sighed long and deep, looking at his son. His stubborness was just like his mother's. Running a hand through his hair, he muttered, "I admire your desires, son, but you need to remember that your powers are still in the developmental stages. Your strength and invulnerability may be constant but your speed isn't. We don't even know if you're going to develop any other powers. I didn't fully get all of mine until I was out of high school."

"I know, Dad, but it doesn't change the fact that I have a natural complex for saving people," Jason replied hotly.

Clark suddenly looked distant. Jason knew that look; his dad was hearing something normal people couldn't. "Your mother just stepped off the elevator," he revealed.

Jason groaned. "You're not going to tell her, are you?"

"You know the rules," Clark said. "We don't keep secrets in this family. It's a bad omen."

Jason took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Fine, but can you do it after I've gone to bed? I don't want to deal with the same lecture all over again."

"Deal," Clark said with a small smile. "Just promise me that you won't do this again."

"You know I can only promise that if I have time to call you," Jason argued.

"Jason."

"Alright, fine. I'll try."

Just then the door clicked open. Lois was obviously on the phone since she was yelling at the top of her lungs. "Rummaging through files never seemed to be a problem for you before," she growled into the reciever. "If you can't do this little job maybe I'll convienently leave your name lying around the police department." A pause and then, "That's what I thought. Just send me an email when you get the info. Thanks, Greg, you know you're the best."

Clark rolled his eyes as Lois came around the corner, slapping her cellphone down on the counter by her purse. "Don't you think it's a little sketchy dealing with a smuggler?"

Lois grinned. "You've got your sorces and I've got mine, Clark. Besides, Greg may be a smuggler but he's always willing to spill a few secrets if I slip him a couple twenties and a gift card to Wendy's."

"She's going to die one of these days with all these cut throats at her desposal," Clark muttered as Lois ignored him, walking over to give Jason a hug.

"How was school, honey?" she asked.

"Fine," Jason said. "Did I ever tell you how much I hate Triganomitry? It's the most useless subject I've ever taken in my life."

"The better your education, the better your chances are at getting into Metropolis University," Lois said, filling a pitcher full of water and setting it on the table.

"I know that but honestly can either of you name a time where you used Trig as a journalist?" Jason complained as he sat down.

Clark chuckled. "Although I haven't used it at the Planet, it's come in handy for my other job."

Jason scoffed. "Yeah, right."

"It helps to have a sound understanding of the things of this world since you deal with all kinds of people in hero work," Clark defended cheerfully.

Jason scowled. "Then maybe I just need a different teacher. Mr. Hughes doesn't teach us anything."

"I can arrange for Jor-El to include mathmatics in your lessons at the fortress on the weekends," Clark offered.

Shuddering at the very thought, Jason cried, "No thanks! I'm perfectly fine learning about Kryptonian and Earth history from Grandpa at the moment. The way he explains things, my brain would combust if I had to learn multiple subjects at a time."

Lois and Clark both chuckled as they joined their son at the table. After saying grace, Lois complimented Jason on the food. "This is really good, son. Thanks for making dinner."

"No problem, mom," Jason said while savoring the melted cheese and sauce in his mouth. "You know I enjoy this kind of thing."

"To which I thank my lucky stars," Lois muttered. "I'll be forever thankful you got that gene from your dad."

Clark grinned. "I still remember that one cassarole you tried to make after we first got married, Lois. It's a good thing I have frost breathe or else the whole apartment would have gone down in flames."

Lois stuck her tongue out at him before asking, "So, how was saving the world today?"

Clark sighed. "It wasn't too bad. I put out a few fires, stopped several bank robberies, and a few villains tried to kidnap the Prime Minister in England but J'onn and I stopped that without much effort. I actually have a meeting at seven."

Lois nodded. "It is going to be a long one?"

Clark shrugged. "Batman's giving the presentation. Who knows how long it's going to go. Sometimes he's extremely short and other times he feels the need to explain everything to the last detail."

"Sounds like Uncle Bruce," Jason said, grinning. "Tell him I said hi, will you?"

"Always," Clark replied before finishing his lasagna and standing up to put his plate in the sink.

Lois followed him into the bedroom and wrapped her arms around him from behind. "Do you have to go?" she muttered into his back.

From the sudden huskiness in her tone, Clark was sorely tempted to skip the meeting all together. He knew he couldn't though; Bruce would kill him. Twisting around in her arms, he hugged Lois tenderly. "I'll be back before ten."

"Do you promise?" she asked, staring up at him with her sparkling hazel eyes. "Because I just happened to stop at the mall on my way home."

Clark looked over her shoulder where a pink bag was conveniently resting on the bed. "You really know how to tempt me, don't you?"

Lois grinned wickedly. "Be back by nine and I just might decide to do so."

"Deal," Clark said, suddenly filled with desire. Lois raised back her head as he swooped in for a kiss. "If the meeting's still going on, I'll leave anyway. There's no way I'm going to be late tonight."

Lois kissed him one more time before Clark pulled away, put on his suit in a blur, and headed out to the balcony.

"Night, Dad," Jason called.

"See you tomorrow, kiddo," Superman called before flying through the balcony in a burst of superspeed. He soared into the clouds, heading up into space where Watchtower and a boring meeting with the JLA waited for him. Even though Superman was sure the meeting was going to cover important information, he had already resigned himself to be heavily distracted with thoughts of a certain brunette reporter down in Metropolis.

o0o0o

It had been three days since the hospital had taken Thora's information to the Metropolis Police Department. Nobody had put in a missing person's claim and Thora's prints didn't appear to be in any city records. They were currently running her prints through a national scale but the police heavily hinted to Richard and Lana that Thora's just might be one of those cases where any records pertaining to who she really was could have been destroyed in a fire or some other disaster.

"So what are you saying," Richard asked.

It was early Monday morning when the police department called to give them an update.

"All searches concerning a Thora Jane with her exact description and prints has come back negative," the officer repeated into the phone. "The only thing we can conclude is that she isn't from the United States. If you want to take it to an international level, you can come by the Police Department and pick up her file."

Richard looked over at Lana. He'd put the call on speaker since his wife was also in the middle of getting ready for the day. Thora, to both of their knowlegde, was still asleep in the guest room on the other side of the hall. One look at his wife told Richard all he wanted to know. "Is it possible to keep her with us?"

The officer seemed surprised when he replied, "If that's what you want. Both of you found her so she might be more comfortable staying with you than with someone else."

Lana nodded her approval and Richard made it known that for now, they would be willing to keep Thora with them. "We'll take it to an international level for now and see if we can help her find her parents."

"That's a huge task to undertake," the officer said.

"If nothing comes of it, is it possible for us to adopt her?"

There was a pregnant pause over the phone. "I don't see why not," the officer answered in obvious surprise. "You'd have to deal with a ton of legal issues though."

"We'll discuss it with Thora before making any decisions," Lana said firmly. "Good day, officer."

She and Richard looked at each other. "Well, this is really unexpected," she said with a smile. "I marry you and then all of a sudden there's a possibility of a teenage daughter in our lives."

Richard grinned. "I told you that your life would never be the same if you committed to this," he said, gesturing to himself.

Lana laughed. "Yes, well, in all honesty I find it rather exciting."

"So, what are we going to do?" Richard asked.

Lana shrugged. "I think the best thing to do is see what Thora wants. This is her life we're talking about."

"If it comes down to it, are you really okay with adopting a teenager?" Richard asked.

Lana's eyes twinkled as she replied, "Of course I am, Richard. I love Thora. She's not your typical teen. She might even be in her early twenties."

Richard scoffed. "You and I both know that after being around her three days that she's definitely a teenager. Although I think she does have more maturity than the average young woman."

Lana rolled her eyes. "And you would know how?"

Richard wiggled his eyebrows. "Call it intuition, love."

Lana threw a pillow at him. "Like I believe you have any intuition whatsoever. Now, hurry up or you'll be late for work. I'll talk to Thora about it and see what she wants to do. We'll come visit you in the office around lunchtime."

Richard pecked her lips before straightening his tie. "Sounds like a plan. Love you, darling."

"Love you too," Lana said warmly as she watched him rush out the door. Finishing getting ready herself, she headed down the hall, trying to form in her mind how to broach the subject of Thora's future. "This is going to be interesting," she sighed. Staightening her shoulders, she put on a brave face and knocked on the door to Thora's room.

o0o0o

Thor touched down outside of Jane's apartment. Letting himself in, he looked around in the kitchen and the living room but both were vacant. "Jane?" he called.

"In here," she responded, halfheartedly.

Thor found his wife in their daughter's room. Movie posters covered the walls, an overcrowded bookshelf stood next to the window, and the closet was filled with clothes while jeans and baseball tees littered the floor. Jane was lying down on Thora's queen-sized bed, her arms wrapped tightly around their daughter's favorite stuffed animal. If Thor could recall correctly, it was called a Pikachu.

Jane sat up and wiped her tears away. "Sorry," she mumbled.

Thor set Mjolnir on the ground and sat down next to her, pulling her onto his lap with ease. Jane didn't protest. She nestled her head into his chest while he rested his chin on the crown of her head, moving only to kiss her hair delicately. Jane had never felt so frail. Thor wrapped his strong arms around her and cuddled her even closer. "Everything is going to be alright," he soothed, kissing her hair again.

Jane tried really hard to keep her sobbing to herself but Thor wasn't fooled. She shook like a leaf. "A-Any news?" she asked, trying and failing to keep her voice steady.

"No," Thor answered with regret. "We have searched five of the nine realms and still no sign of Loki."

"I guess we shouldn't be surprised," Jane muttered. "He'll only be found when he wants to be."

Thor didn't comment, his silence supporting her words. "I've informed the others."

Jane sighed. "How much do you want to bet that S.H.I.E.L.D. is going to be storming into our apartment in less than an hour?"

Just then the bell rang. Thor chuckled and kissed Jane over the temple. "I'll handle this."

"Okay," she mumbled, slipping out of his lap. He squeezed her fingers gently before leaving the room. Falling onto her side, Jane grabbed Pikachu and hugged him to her chest.

Agent Colson's voice drifted down the hallway. "When was the last time you saw Thora?"

"We were on Asgard," Thor answered and then went into the details beginning where Loki had made his impromptu entrance.

"So he's working with someone?" Colson asked.

"The Enchantress," Thor elaborated again. "She's of Asgard and known to be highly skilled in sorcery."

"Why haven't we had to deal with her before?"

"She's never bothered to concern herself with Midgard. Not all Asgardians feel that humans are worth their time and attention."

"You'd think that would have changed by now," Agent Colson muttered. "Alright. I'll report everything you've told me and we'll start the manhunt for Loki. You'd think he'd get the hint to stop messing with humans."

"It isn't in Loki's nature to give up after one try," Thor sighed. "Especially when it concerns me. It's been like this ever since I gained Mjolnir."

"Yes, well... I'll keep you posted."

"Agent Colson, you know you really don't need to do this."

"Actually, Thor, we do. Being that your daughter is half American, it gives us the right to be involved. It doesn't matter what kind of creature you are, if you threaten one of our own, you can bet we're going to fight back. I assume you told the other Avengers?"

"Yes. They have started searching as well."

"Good. Don't worry, Thor. We'll find Loki and get Thora back in no time. If there's one thing I've learned after all these years it's that the good guys always win."

The door shut and Thor returned to Thora's room. He smiled sadly as he found Jane lying down again. Lifting her back into his lap, Thor kissed her head. "With everyone helping, we'll find her in no time," he soothed.

Jane sobbed with a smile and latched onto her husband, hugging him tightly. Thor ran his fingers through her silky caramel hair, gently lifting her head. Tears streaming down her face, Jane looked into the eyes of the man she loved and saw her sorrow reflected in them. Running her hands up Thor's chest, she leaned upward and kissed him deeply, seeking comfort. Their bodies seemed to meld together as they drew as close as possible, desperate to comfort the other the best way they knew how: together.

o0o0o

Thora's heart was racing. For the hundredth time that morning she questioned why on earth she let Lana convince her to go to school. Dr. Hamilton had approved of the idea when Lana proposed it to him over the phone the other day, saying that it just might help Thora regain her memories. Sighing, the blond stared at her reflection, sizing up her overall appearance. She wore a tight blue blouse with silver rose patterns running across her stomach and a pair of blue jeans. She let her hair run wild, the loose curls flipping in opposite directions across her shoulders.

"Thora, are you ready?" Lana asked, knocking on her door.

Thora opened it. "How do I look?" she asked nervously.

Lana's green eyes sparkled as she gave her a once over. "As always, simply beautiful," she appraised, kissing Thora's forehead.

Thora beamed, the butterflies in her stomach settling temporarily. "Thanks."

"Are you two ladies ready to hit the road? We don't want to be late!" Richard's voice called at the bottom of the stairs.

"We'll be right down," Lana said. Thora's stomach lurched when Lana handed over her shoulderbag. "I took the liberties of filing it up for you. I just used the list the teachers gave us when we went to check out the school yesterday."

Thora nodded, swallowing hard. "Thanks."

"Don't worry, sweetheart, you're going to be fine."

"What if I don't make any friends?"

Lana put an arm around her as the two made their way out to the car where Richard was waiting. "I don't think that will be a problem," Lana assured. "You just have to talk to people."

Getting in the car and heading towards her impending doom only escalated Thora's heartbeat. Richard looked back at her through his rearview mirror. "Thora, relax. It's not like we're sending you to fight against a supervillain."

"Feels like it," Thora muttered.

"What's wrong?" Richard probed.

Sighing, the young blond looked him in the eye and said, "A lot of things. I don't know anyone, I'm afraid nobody will like me, and it's the middle of the school year. Everyone already knows each other. I'm going to stick out like a sore thumb!"

"Hmmm, those are all good reasons to be nervous," Richard agreed, "but there are simple solutions for each one. For the first two, just be yourself. Not everyone is going to be your friend in school but the people who like you will gravitate towards your personality and in the end it's really only those people that you should concern youself with. As to going to school in the middle of the year, just stick to the story we set up."

"I guess you're right," Thora muttered, thinking of her cover up story.

They decided that telling the truth to her schoolmates would be worse than telling them a lie; people would be sure to take advantage of Thora's short term memory loss. So, instead, they made up the story that Thora's parents were traveling around looking for a place to settle and didn't want her to miss school so they sent her to live with her "aunt and uncle", Richard and Lana. Lana also suggested Thora tell everyone she was from Smallville, Kansas because few people knew where that was so the chances of coming across someone from there were very slim. The less questions the better.

They turned into the school grounds and Thora was pulled away from her thoughts. Staring out at the front of the school, her eyes widened. It was the first time she'd seen such a large gathering of people all around the same age as she was; well, that she thought she was. Richard and Lana suggested that she was around seventeen and Thora decided to run with that. It was determined by the school board that she should attend classes as a Junior. They'd gone to Metropolis High yesterday to find out where Thora's classes were located and meet her teachers to explain her delicate situation. All of them were very understanding and looking forward to working with her; the teachers had a right to know the truth so as to be more understanding.

Richard pulled up to the curb and reached back to squeeze Thora's hand. "You've got your cell phone. If you start to feel overwhelmed, give us a call. If we don't answer right away, don't panic. We'll get back to you as soon as we can."

Thora nodded.

Lana reached her hand back too to repeat Richard's gesture. "Remember, be yourself and make sure to write down anything that sparks familiarity to you."

"Okay."

"I'll be here to pick you up later," Richard promised.

Thora looked at both of them. They'd gone above and beyond for her and they were doing it because they wanted to. Of all the people that could have come to her rescue, she was thankful that it was the Whites. "Thank you so much."

Lana gave her hand an extra squeeze. "Anytime, sweetheart."

Suddenly filled with determination, Thora let go of their hands and got out of the car. "See you later," she said with a smile before heading towards the front entrance. For a brief moment, her nerves were replaced with the chilling thrill of adventure. Glaring ahead of her, Thora squared her shoulders. "Bring it on," she muttered. And then she rushed up the steps and pushed the doors open, leaving her fears at the bottom of the stairs.