7: Surprises

Clark paused before they reentered the house.

"What is it?" Lois asked, wondering if he was hearing an accident far away.

"Jason's not inside," Clark said. "He's about three blocks away."

"Is he alone?"

Clark listened more carefully. "No. There's a second heartbeat. I'm not entirely sure who it belongs to but both theirs and Jason's are calm."

"I wonder who he's with," Lois muttered. "Maybe it's Thora."

Clark smiled. "If he is, I approve."

"Me too, even if we don't know who her parents are or where she's from or how old she is," Lois mused. "The girl herself is lovely."

Clark agreed. "And if they're together right now, this is a perfect time to tell Lana the truth."

Lois nodded. "Come on, Smallville. This is going to be interesting."

Slipping her small hand in his, Lois guided Clark inside. Sure enough, they found Jason and Thora missing with Richard and Lana sitting on the couch watching the news. Both looked up when they came in.

"Clark, you look a lot better," Lana said. "The fresh air really helped, huh?"

"Sure did," Clark agreed.

"Thora and Jason went for a walk," Richard revealed, wiggling his eyebrows slightly.

Lois smirked. "Hopefully they keep it G rated for now."

"Lois!" Clark gasped, while Richard let out a bark of laughter. "You know Jason would never do something he shouldn't! We raised him better than that."

"I don't know," Lois sighed sarcastically, "they were practically oggling each other over dinner."

Lana nodded. "I noticed that. I'm glad. Thora's a good girl and Jason is a great kid. If anything does happen, I approve."

All adults seemed to agree. Richard caught Clark's eye and Clark had the impression that the man had something on his mind. "Can I talk to you for a second, Clark?" Richard asked casually.

Clark shrugged. "Sure."

"We'll be right back, ladies," Richard said cheerfully as he got up and motioned for Clark to follow him to his study. Once inside, Richard shut the door and let his tense shoulders fall. Clark distinctly heard his heartbeat pick up as he turned to look him in the eye. "First off, Clark, I really want to thank you for putting so much trust in me with your secret," Richard said quickly and all of a sudden Clark knew exactly what this talk was about.

"Richard," Clark said, interrupting him, "it's okay."

"Huh?"

"You want to tell Lana the truth, right?"

Richard's mouth dropped. "Y-Yeah…but, how did you know?"

Clark grinned. "Believe me, I know how hard it is to keep a secret from the one you love the most. I tried and it was beyond miserable. Besides, I don't expect you to keep a secret about me from your wife. It would be absolutely cruel for Lana to be Jason's second mother and have no idea who he really was."

"So you're okay with telling her?" Richard asked in amazement.

"Of course. And of all people, I'm glad it's Lana. Knowing the secret is going to clear up a whole lot of things about our childhood."

"Can I asked you something?" Richard asked.

"Sure."

"If you were so unwilling to tell Lana the truth before, why tell her now?"

Clark put a hand to his chin, thinking. "You know, honestly, I think it was because deep down I knew that Lana wouldn't be able to handle being with me. It's one thing to know the truth but living with it every day…. I don't know if you've noticed but Lana doesn't like to share things that belong to her."

Richard grinned. Oh, he'd noticed all right. After attending one of her fashion shows and having other models flirting with him, Richard could have sworn there was fire leaping out of Lana's mouth when she chased the girls away. The rest of the day she'd spent holding his hand, keeping him constantly in her sight. No, she wouldn't have been able to live with Clark in a serious relationship. That was the one thing Richard admired about Lois the most: her willingness to share her husband on demand with the rest of the world.

"Also," Clark said, "Lois and I made the choice a long time ago that we would share the secret with whoever you got married to."

"Really?"

Clark nodded, smiling. "Like I said, it wouldn't be fitting to keep Jason's second mother in the dark."

Richard grinned. "Thank you, Clark. You have no idea how stressed out I've been over this."

Clark laughed. "Oh, I think I have an idea. We should probably go out and explain before Thora shows up. I may like her but I'm not willing to share this with her just yet."

"I understand," Richard said kindly. "Boy, is Lana in for a surprise."

Clark grinned. "Just in case, have 911 on speed dial."

Richard laughed before both men exited the study and made their way back into the living room where they found Lois and Lana sipping coffee. Richard sat down next to his wife and put his arm around her. Clark checked for Jason's heartbeat again. He was still three blocks away. They must be sitting down somewhere. Picking up the TV remote, Clark asked, "Mind if I turn this off? There's something I think Lana should know."

The redhead raised a thin eyebrow but nodded. "Sure, Clark. What is it?"

Richard squeezed Lana's shoulders. Lois put on a supportive smile and nodded to her husband. Clark returned the gesture before standing up. "Lana, what I'm about to show you will probably cause our childhood to make a whole lot of sense."

That caught Lana's attention. She'd always known there was something different about Clark. She also knew that he was hiding something from her while they were dating. What was it? And why was he suddenly so open to sharing?

Clark suddenly straightened, his height increasing, his shoulders broadening. Reaching up, he took his glasses off and then, he spun on his heel. Lana's eyes watered as her childhood friend became a blur of red and blue. When the small tornado disappeared, Superman stood in her livingroom. Lana's jaw hit the floor. It was the eyes that confirmed it to her. How did she not notice it before?! Everything about their childhood suddenly made sense. The meteor shower when she was three, all those times when there were miraculous saves in Smallville, the strange way Clark seemed to disappear in the middle of school; it all became clear to Lana in a miraculous five second revelation. Clark Kent was Superman. She'd grown up with Superman!

"That explains a lot," Lana exhaled; she hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath.

Superman grinned sheepishly at her; what an odd expression for the Man of Steel!

"All this time," Lana muttered, "And nobody figured it out."

Superman sat down, casually leaning into the armchair near the fireplace. "Well, it's not something that I like to advertize about myself."

Lana snorted. "Obviously. So, all those years ago, that meteor shower-"

"Was me entering Earth's atmosphere," Superman finished. "Martha and Jonathan Kent found me in a field and thankfully decided to raise me as their own son instead of alerting the US Government. They kept expecting someone from the government to come calling but nobody did."

Lana shook her head. "This is…incredible. Clark Kent is Superman. Nobody in their right mind would ever guess that! Clark is… well, he's Clark. And Superman is practically perfect."

Superman grinned. "Superman is the exact opposite of Clark Kent. However, I'm both of them. The real me is kind of a combination of the two, to be honest. I think to be accurate, who I really am is Clark Kent without the blunders along with Superman's powers."

"Do you have a name for who you really are?" Lana asked.

"Kal El," Superman responded, "although only Lois calls me that."

Lois grinned. "And it's only when we're alone, Smallville."

Lana watched as Superman suddenly blushed; it too was a strange sight. Richard laughed and squeezed her shoulders. "Now you know the truth, love."

"How come you know?" Lana asked, eyeing her husband.

"Well, it mostly was because I broke off the engagement with Lois when I realized she still loved Superman."

"And it didn't make any sense when I suddenly started getting serious with Clark and told everyone in the Daily Planet that Jason was his son," Lois said.

"Seriously," Richard sighed, "imagine my shock when she stalked over to Clark's desk, grabbed his tie, and yanked him into a full-blown kiss! I couldn't believe she would cheat on Superman like that. I knew Jason was really Superman's son because Lois told me how when they were on Luthor's yacht, he'd thrown a piano at one of the thugs to stop them from hurting his mom. Therefore, it made no sense to me when she told everyone Jason was Clark's. I'd known about Clark's infactuation with Lois long before I'd even met the guy. I thought it cruel that Lois would suddenly lead him on when it was blatently obvious to me that her heart really belonged to the caped wonder."

"So he pulled me into his office to demand and explanation," Lois cut in. "And he was in the middle of accusing me of being fickle when Clark interrupted."

"I had to," Clark said. "It was the only reasonable option to tell Richard the truth when it was clear he was still going to be part of Jason's life. Knowing Jason's secret only made it apparent that he needed to know Superman's as well. So I closed the blinds to Richard's office, made sure the door was locked tight, and told him the truth."

Lana stared at all of them. "I married into the ultimate drama," she sighed but she was smiling. "I'm glad I finally know. But, one thing still doesn't make sense."

"What's that, love?" Richard asked.

"If Jason is your son, why didn't you raise him, Clark? Why did you let Richard come into Lois's life?"

Superman's face fell. "That's a long tale."

"And one that Lana deserves to know so she's clear," Lois said sharply. "If she's going to be Jason's second mother she deserves the right to know everything about him."

Superman nodded. "Agreed. Well, it all started back when Lois and I were partners at the Planet. Perry sent us to Niagra Falls on a story where we had to be undercover newly weds."

Lana snorted, causing a soft chuckle from her husband. "I bet that made your day."

Superman grinned. "Oh, yes, I was positively thrilled about the idea. We'd done it before so the routine was fairly believable when we checked in at the hotel where Perry wanted us to get the story. After dropping our bags off at the suite, Lois and I went exploring."

"I'd been having suspicions that Clark was Superman for a few weeks," Lois said, cutting in. "You see, when your partner frequently disappears and suddenly Superman shows up, you tend to put two and two together. Well, I tried a couple times to get him to reveal who he really was by placing myself in danger."

"But I wasn't about to reveal myself in public," Superman said. "Even if Lois jumped into a raging river to try to get me to do so."

"I could have drowned," Lois muttered, rolling her eyes.

"If it had come to that I would have saved you," Superman assured with a smile.

"Yeah, well, after dragging myself out of the river, we went back to the hotel so I could dry off," Lois said. "Then I got a better idea than my rescue attempts. I always carry a gun around, just in case, so at the right opportunity, I fired it right at Clark's chest."

"Are you serious?!" Lana yelped. "What if he hadn't been Superman? You could have killed him!"

"That's what I said," Superman sighed. "Of course, I spoke as Superman while taking off my glasses. That's when Lois told me she'd fired a blank. I should have paid more attention to that but when bullets are not an issue, you tend not to think someone might fire a blank at you."

Lois grinned triumphantly. "I would have figured out a different way for you to tell me the truth if that hadn't worked."

"I would have ended up telling you myself, Lois," Superman said fondly. "It was getting to the point where I didn't want to hide from you anymore. But, regardless, you found out." He turned back to Lana and continued, "So I took Lois to the Fortress of Solitude."

"Where's that?" Lana asked.

"Somewhere in the Arctic," Richard said. "The only people that know where it is are Superman, Lois, and Lex Luthor."

Lana looked at him in alarm. "Lex Luthor knows where it is? Isn't that dangerous?"

"It was," Superman sighed. "But I've made some serious modifications so that any human that attempts to enter will be sorry they even tried."

Lana shuddered from the seriousness in his tone. "I'll be sure never to go there."

"Oh, if you're with me I can override the system so you can enter," Superman assured, "but due to previous events I have found it better not to let humans enter that place. It isn't really meant for your race. The Fortress of Solitude's main purpose is to educate me."

"And to give you a piece of your home," Lois added.

Superman shrugged. "Earth is more my home than Krypton. I was a baby when my planet was destroyed. Earth is the only place I've truly known."

"Guys, get back to the story," Richard interjected.

"Right," Superman muttered, rearranging his thoughts. "So, I took Lois to the Fortress. One thing about the Fortress you should know, Lana, is that my father's artificial intelligence is there. He's more like a memory of my real father, having all his memories and knowledge of my home world. Anyway, I told him that I wanted to be with Lois, and he told me that the only way that would be possible was if I became one of you. Well, it wasn't a hard choice for me to make since I already knew I loved Lois more than life itself so I gave up my powers."

"Stupidest thing you could ever do," Lois muttered, her eyes suddenly misty. "I wasn't worth it."

Superman smiled. "You'll always be worth it to me, Lois."

"You really gave up your powers?" Lana asked, eyes wide.

Superman nodded.

Lana leaned back and looked between Lois and Superman. The love they had for each other was something anyone would envy. He was Superman after all! And he gave up his powers to be with Lois Lane, someone not even of his own race. If that wasn't love, Lana didn't know what was. "But, if you lost your powers, how do you have them now?"

"I was getting to that," Superman said quietly, somewhat lost in memories. "Do you remember General Zod?"

Lana's expression darkened. "He's kind of hard to forget."

Superman smiled sadly. "Well, he and his two followers arrived the same time I gave up my powers to be with Lois." Superman cleared his throat, suddenly looking down at his boots. "While Lois and I were…enjoying each other's company… Zod began trying to take over the world."

Lana got the hidden meaning beneath his words. She looked over at Lois and couldn't help but smirk. "So you really did spend the night with Superman after all."

Richard let out a bark of laughter. Lois held her head high. "You bet I did," she said proudly. "And I enjoyed every minute of it. And if you must know, it was that very night that resulted in Jason coming to be."

"And what a night it was," Superman mused, grinning sheepishly. "But after we left the Fortress and got into town, we found out in a local diner that Zod was demanding the world to surrender to his will. I realized that due to my personal desires, I had left the world to be slaughtered. I decided to go back to the fortress and see if my father would restore my abilities so that I could defeat the invaders. He thankfully did and I defeated the three Kryptonians by luring them back to the fortress and stripping them of their powers. After the encounter, I returned to the Daily Planet. Now that the world was safe, things had gone back to normal with the exception that Lois new the truth."

"And the one time I displayed any sign of jealously," Lois muttered, "Clark did the unthinkable."

"And you know it's my biggest regret," Superman whispered, his voice filled with guilt.

Lois smiled sadly. "I know. I just wish that you could have realized I was just stressed."

"I didn't know how to handle the situation," Superman sighed. "All I could see was all of Lois' pain in knowing that she could never have me all to herself. She felt that she was a distraction to me and I now know that was because my father, Jor El, had rejected her in the first place. He was the one that said it would be impossible to have it both ways. Lois and I were torn because we believed him. She didn't think it was right to remain with me and I couldn't imagine not having her in my life. I realized that I had been reasonably happy the way things had been before she knew the truth and if it came down to that, I would be willing to go back to that lifestyle where she didn't know who I really was. At least that way I could still have her be part of my life."

Lois sighed sadly. "And so he kissed me and erased all my memories of the truth about him. Stupid amnesia kiss; it did more damage than always knowing the truth."

"You can erase memories?" Lana asked, flabbergast.

"It's an ability that I didn't know I had nor am I ever going to use again. Frankly, I don't know how to use it and I don't plan on exploring learning how to either. It was a one time thing and like I said before, it was and still is my biggest regret. My second biggest regret is leaving shortly after that."

"Oh yeah, when you left for five years!" Lana muttered, remembering. "Why did you leave?"

"Heartache, to be honest," Superman responded. "Although it an excuse to leave helped when scientists revealed that they might have found Krypton. I already couldn't stand being around Lois because she didn't remember anything. Knowing that she had once known the truth and was now ignorant was harder to accept than dealing with concealing the secret from her in the first place. Seeing her still obviously in love with Superman and happily working with Clark Kent, having to keep both identities separate, never being able to get physically close to her in either form, became too much. So I made the decision to travel to Krypton."

"And shortly after the Man of Steel disappeared," Lois interjected, "I found out I was pregnant. Imagine my absolute shock when I found that out! Because, truth be told, I hadn't been seeing anyone since I had met Superman. I had no way to explain to people that I was pregnant. I even had thoughts that someone had kidnapped me, drugged me up, had some fun, and dumped me back in my apartment. It seemed pretty reasonable since I was a wreck after Superman disappeared. Those were dark days." She shuddered. "When it finally became apparent that I was pregnant, people demanded to know who the father was. I made up this story that I had a one time fling with someone while out of town. People asked why I hadn't already gotten an abortion. The honest answer was I had a strong feeling that I needed to have the child. I followed that feeling even though I was terrifed. I'd never wanted to be a mother and now here I was, pregnant with someone's kid, and well on my way to having another mouth to feed. But when Jason was born and I saw those eyes, my fears died at once. I knew those eyes. All the times I'd stared into them, dreamt of them, longed to see them again; they were Superman's eyes. I didn't know how it was possible, but it was undeniable to me who Jason's father really was. No human has that kind of blue colored of eyes.

"Jason gave me a purpose again. If I could never have Superman in my life, if he was never going to come back, at least I had his son. That was the greatest gift I could ever have been given. So I raised him, loved him, and secretly longed for his father to return because I had no idea how I would answer Jason when he was old enough to ask where his father was. After Jason turned two, Richard started working at the Daily Planet and we started going out. He was a good man and accepted Jason right off the bat and Jason accepted him. Things got serious and Richard proposed but I didn't want to get married so I stalled the engagement."

"That was because you were still harboring the hope that a certain tall, dark, and handsome superhero would reappear," Richard chimed in warmly.

"You're right about that," Lois admitted, eyeing Superman with a smile. The hero again held a guilty expression. "And after five years, he did show up. Returning in the most dramatic way possible, saving me from a falling aircraft."

"That does seem to be the only way we meet up, isn't it?" Superman said with a small smile, thinking back on the first time they'd met; he'd saved her from falling out of a helicopter on the Daily Planet roof.

"We'll, you know the rest of the story," Superman said to Lana. "I stopped Luthor, ended up in the hospital, Lois told me the truth about Jason, after I recovered I told her about the amnesia kiss, Richard broke off the engagement, Lois and Clark started dating and eventually got married. Jor El wasn't too pleased about that last bit but he's accepted it. The rest is history."

Lana stared, trying to take everything in. "And now I'm part of the family," she muttered.

"Yep!" Richard said, squeezing her again. "Welcome to the Kent funny farm!"

Everyone laughed.

Superman looked at Lana seriously. "Would you be willing to keep the secret, Lana? I know it's a big responsibility."

Lana grinned. "If I said no, you'd have to kiss me and I don't think Lois would like that very much."

"Darn right I wouldn't," Lois growled with a small chuckle.

"Then I guess the only option is to say yes," Lana replied with a fond smile. "I'd be honored to do so, Clark, I mean, Superman."

Superman smiled. "Thank you."

Lana looked at Richard. "Don't tell me you're a superhero in disguise."

Richard laughed. "Believe me, love, you'd know. I'm definitely not a superhero. Besides, even if I wanted to be, you wouldn't share me."

Lana grinned. "You've got that right," she said before kissing him. Turning back to Superman, she asked, "So do we get to know who the Justice League are?"

Superman chuckled. "I'm afraid not. Only direct spouses can know and seeing as I'm the only one who's married that makes Lois the only person on Earth who knows the secret identity of everyone on the team."

Lana's eyebrows raised. "For a reporter, your sitting on a gold mine that's never going to be printed."

"I know," Lois sighed. "It's the one set back in my marriage."

Superman grinned. "We all appreciate the privacy, dear."

"And I appreciate the blackmail," Lois replied with an evil grin. "Any time I need something from the League I can get it. Oh, the power!"

Superman suddenly stood up and twirled around. After a whirl of color, Clark Kent was found sitting in the arm chair. Everyone gave him questioning looks but before he even responded, the door clicked open, signifying that Jason and Thora had come home at last.

"Super hearing is so cool," Richard muttered to Lana. His wife merely chuckled, silently agreeing with him.

o0o0o

Since his mom and dad were incognito, Jason decided to pluck up his courage. Shortly after the table had been cleared, he approached Thora. "Um, would you like to go on a walk with me?" Jason asked, trying hard not to stammer.

Thora's eyes brightened. "Sure. I like walks."

Richard and Lana shared a smile. "Just make sure you stick on the main roads," Richard said.

"We will," the two teens chorused before heading out the door.

The air was crisp with a slight breeze, gently moving the autumn leaves on the ground and trees. Jason stuffed his hands into his hoodie while Thora buttoned up her blue peacoat before doing the same. They made their way down the road in silence for a few moments, both trying to find a way to strike up a conversation. After they came to the first crossroads and had to wait for a light, Jason turned to her and asked, "So, how come you didn't know what kryptonite was?"

Thora looked at him and frowned. "I'm sorry, Jason, I forgot you didn't know! I got into some kind of accident and it gave me short term memory loss."

Jason stared. "Are you for real?"

"Yeah," Thora sighed as they crossed the street. "I woke up in a warehouse on the outskirts of the city not knowing where I was, who my parents were, where I came from, how old I am. The only thing I know is that my name is Thora Jane."

"I'm really sorry," Jason muttered sincerely. "So I guess you're not from Smallville?"

Thora laughed. "Not that I know of. That was the cover story Lana and Richard came up with. They figured that if I told the truth to my peers, I'd be the object of ridicule."

Jason nodded. "I'm sure you would have. So, how did you find Richard and Lana?"

"It was more like they found me," Thora said. "When I left the warehouse, I didn't know where I was so I thought I'd head to the city, even though I didn't recognize the place. There were crates all around that had postage to Metropolis from Los Angeles. Weird thing is, I'd never heard of Metropolis."

"Seriously? It's one of the biggest cities in America," Jason said.

"That's what everyone tells me," Thora sighed. "But the fact remains, I have no memory of it."

"But you've heard of LA?"

"Yeah."

"Weird."

"I know. Anyway, I got to the city and ran into some thugs. They all started to gang up on me. I shut my eyes, terrified of what was going to happen, when there was this sudden gust of wind. I opened my eyes and found those men lying unconscious on the ground. That's when Richard and Lana discovered me and took me to the hospital."

Jason had to stop himself from tripping over his own two feet. That girl he'd rescued…that was Thora! He stared at her in a whole new light. He was planning on cornering Richard when they got back to ask him about that girl and here she stood right in front of him. For the first time in his life, Jason wanted to shout out his secret, that he had been the gust of wind that knocked out all those guys. Thora didn't seem to notice his sudden change of mood because she kept going. Jason forced himself to listen to her instead of his own thoughts.

"After they took me to the hospital," Thora said, "it was determined that I'd lost my memories. They tried to run some samples to figure out who I am but everything came back negative. They suspected that all my records burned down in a fire but…honestly….part of me wonders if I'm even supposed to exist here. Does that sound weird?" she asked, eyeing Jason worriedly.

Jason shook his head and without thinking grabbed her hand. "I don't think that's true. Of course you're supposed to exist here, Thora. You're here after all."

"I guess," Thora mumbled, looking at her feet. "I just feel out of place. Not knowing who you are really bites."

Jason squeezed her hand and the two suddenly became aware of their intertwined fingers. Jason made to pull away if fear that she'd be upset but Thora tightened her hold.

"Please don't let go," she whispered.

Jason looked up and their blue eyes locked. From her expression, Jason silently understood that somehow, at this moment, he was like an anchor to her. He imagined Thora in a storm where unknown waves crashed repeatedly over her head and the only thing keeping her in place was him. "Okay," he muttered.

They made their way over to a park bench and sat down, staring up at the stars. Though this was Metropolis, this secluded area was one of the few places in the city where the stars were actually visible. Jason liked coming here as a kid. It was the only way he could see the atmosphere without a telescope, not counting the times he went out to Smallville of course.

Thora sighed. "They're beautiful, aren't they?"

"Yeah," Jason quietly agreed.

"Do you ever wish that you could catch one?"

Jason looked at her. Her expression was melencoly. There was pain behind those sky blue eyes. Jason squeezed her hand causing her to break away from the sky to look at him. "You okay?"

"Yes," she said, smiling slightly. "Jason, can I tell you something?"

"Sure."

"This is the first time since I've woken up that I feel completely relaxed. Being here, with you, I'm not stressed at all."

Jason could tell she was being honest. His stomach did a little flip. "Well, I'm glad," he muttered.

"You're the first person I've met that's done this to me. Are you a magician?" she teased.

Jason grinned. "Not that I know of. But I honestly feel the same way about not being stressed around you. This is peaceful," he muttered, holding up their clasped hands.

"Yeah it is." Silence for a moment, then, "Do you think we should head back?"

"Probably," Jason sighed.

Neither of them moved for several minutes. They both didn't want to end the moment. Sitting in the park, with the stars as their only witness, was like another world. It was as if they had left Metropolis and gone to Kansas, where you could go somewhere and not have anyone find you for hours. It was wondrous. Jason finally took it upon himself to end the spell. It was a school night and it was getting late.

"Come on," he said, standing up. "Let's go."

They didn't stop holding hands, however. Thora seemed to walk closer to Jason than before. They headed back to Richard's house in silence, not needing words, just the comfort of each other's company. Thora came to a stop when they reached the driveway.

"Jason?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for listening," she muttered.

"No problem," he said with a smile. Squeezing her hand gently, he led the way up to the house.

"Hey, where did you two run off to?" Lois asked, standing up to give her son a hug.

"To the park," Jason answered.

"Of course," his mother said with a smile. "You loved going there as a kid. It's the only place you can really see the stars."

"Mr. Kent," Thora said, seeing Clark sitting comfortably next to the fireplace. "Are you feeling better?"

Clark nodded. "Much better, thank you. Fresh air does wonders."

More like fresh sunlight, Lana thought to herself. Clark had said he'd run into kryptonite when he'd run off to meet with a 'source'. Now that she knew the truth, she guessed that Clark had gone outside so he could get to the sun. But it was dark. Maybe the Justice League took him up into space. Dismissing the thoughts for now, she turned to the teenagers. "Did you two have a good time?" she asked, looking at Thora.

The young girl blushed slightly as a small smile played across her cheeks. "Yeah, it was nice."

Lana tried to contain her grin. Oh yes, the chemistry between Jason and Thora had heightened. The two were standing closer together but they were being careful not to look into each other's eyes. Lana glanced at Richard who merely sent her a wink, signifying that he'd noticed just as she had.

Lois looked at the clock on the wall. "We'd probably head home. It is a school night after all."

Clark stood up. "I think that's a good idea. We've got to be at the Planet early tomorrow too."

Lois groaned. "Oh yeah, the weekly early morning pep talk Perry always gives to his star reporters. Remind me again why we put up with those?"

"Because as much as you grumble you love them almost as much as you love chasing down a story," her husband relpied, kissing her forehead.

Richard laughed. "Besides, we all know that you have an eternal crush on the old man."

Lois picked up a pillow and threw it at him. "That's gross, Richard! You know it isn't true."

Richard laughed. "It might not be but it's well known that you're practically the Chief's daughter."

Lois shrugged. "I can't help it if the old man fawns over me. I'm a good reporter and that's what he really loves."

Richard and Clark caught each other's eye and snickered.

Lois ignored them and instead shepherded Jason into the hall towards the front door. Thora stepped forward as Lois was putting on her coat. "Um, Mrs. Lane?"

"Yes?" she asked, struggling to get her arms through her sleeves.

"I know it's late but there was something I wanted to talk to you about," Thora said in a rush.

"Is it urgent?"

"Kind of," Thora hedged. "Maybe I can come to the Planet tomorrow to talk to you about it?"

Jason eyed her curiously. What was she hiding?

"Sure," Lois said, buttoning up her jacket. "I can see you sometime after school."

"Actually, I'm not going to school tomorrow," Thora whispered, unable to meet Jason's eyes.

"What? Why?" Jason asked.

"It's complicated," Thora muttered.

Jason looked at Richard who'd just come into the hallway. Richard put his hand on Thora's shoulder. "Lois, it's really important," he said, ignoring Jason's demanding stare.

Lois raised an eyebrow but decided not to question it. When Richard said something was important, she decided to believe him. "Alright," she said. "I'll be free after my meeting."

"Thank you," Thora said, gratefully. Then turning to Jason, she sent him a smile. "Thanks again for tonight."

He looked hurt but nodded. "I'd say see you tomorrow, but I guess that's not going to happen."

Thora flinched alittle at the frostiness of his tone. "I can meet you after,"she said, hopeful.

Jason looked up at her. "Okay," he replied after a moment.

Richard and Lois grinned. "Maybe you can get coffee or something at the Metro Café just outside of the Daily Planet," Lois suggested.

Jason nodded, completely oblivious to the gleeful looks of the adults. "Would that be okay?" he asked, staring at Thora.

She nodded. "Sounds like fun."

Clark cleared his throat. "Alright, well, we'd better be off. We'll see you around."

"See you," Jason called, waving.

"Bye," Thora replied with a small smile.

"Take care, Clark," Lana said.

"Yeah, try to keep him in one piece, Lois," Richard added. "We don't want to have to visit Clark in the hospital because he'd tried and failed to take down any drug dealers."

Clark snorted while Lois gave the thumbs up. "Like that would happen," Clark muttered as the Kents made it down the driveway to Lois' car. Lois merely chuckled in response, slipping her hand through his.

ReViEw PlEaSe? :)