Chapter Eight:

Bruce ends up crying himself to sleep in Clark's lap and at some point Clark falls asleep as well. He wakes up with the side of Bruce's face pressed into his chest. His alarm is going off but from where they're sitting next to the bed, Clark can't reach it to shut it off. It's been going off for about a half hour now and Clark knows he'll be late for work again but he doesn't care. The alarm hasn't woken the child yet and Clark isn't about to wake him. He lets Bruce sleep as he sits there listening to the morning news, stroking Bruce's hair. It's all in a disarray from the bath and not being styled while wet but Clark doesn't care. He runs his fingers through the locks anyway, giving it some semblance of neatness.

Clark sighs. He's messed everything up. First he agrees to go and try and defeat the mages with just him and Batman. That, of course, blew up completely in his face. Then he tells the poor kid that his parents are either not able to be saved or dead and to top everything off, Clark refuses to be Bruce's father when the child wants one so desperately. Clark sighs again with the immense guilt that he feels and ends up waking up Bruce. He can't even sigh without doing it wrong.

Bruce rubs at his eyes sleepily. "Clark?"

Clark continues to stroke the boy's hair and whispers, "I'm right here."

Bruce pulls away slightly to look up at him. He frowns and in turn Clark frowns as well. Clark waits for the pulling away, the admissions that he wants nothing to do with Clark or Superman, and the insults. Except they don't come, even after their staring contest reaches the one and a half minute mark. "You really don't want to be my dad?"

Clark frowns even more and shakes his head, looking away from Bruce. "I'm sorry but I can't. I know you don't understand why but it's complicated and difficult to explain." Especially to the de-aged version of the love of my life.

Bruce looks away as well, thinking, and then back to Clark. "You're right I don't understand. Don't you love me? I love you so why don't you love me?"

The admission takes Clark aback. He knows Bruce only means that in the most platonic way or at the very least in a familial way, but it still surprises him. "I… of course, I love you Bruce, but it's more complicated than that."

"But why?" Bruce asks, still looking at him intensely. "If you love me and I love you, why can't you just be my dad?"

Clark sighs and looks away from those blue eyes. "Bruce…" He sighs again, closing his eyes to will himself to continue. He looks back to the child. "You remember when I said you have the same name as Batman?"

Bruce nods his head. "Yes, his name is Bruce Wayne."

Clark smiles and runs a hand through the boy's hair. "Well you see, I… you look a lot like him and then you have the same name and kind of the same attitude… with some things at least." Clark chuckles to himself as Bruce looks at him all confused. "Bruce, Batman Bruce, I…" He takes a deep breath. "I love him very, very much and when I see you it…" he trails off, not really knowing how to continue.

"It makes you think of him?" Bruce asks and Clark nods. "But that's stupid, he's an adult and I'm just a little kid."

Clark huffs a small laugh. "He would call me stupid too," he says more to himself but it still causes Bruce to furrow his brow. "Either way… I don't know, I don't know how to explain it Bruce."

"So… because you love him, you can't love me?" Bruce asks.

"What? No, of course, not," Clark exclaims. "I do love you Bruce but it's still… it's very, very complicated and I can't explain it to you because it'll just get more complicated and I wish…" I wish everything was back to normal.

Bruce is looking down and away from Clark. "I think I get it now, though." He looks back to Clark. "You're heart is already filled with someone else, too filled to have any room to be my dad."

Clark stares at the child. Of course, he would come to that conclusion. Clark keeps messing everything up and he really should learn to just keep his mouth shut. "That's…"

Bruce cuts him off and he's smiling up at Clark. It looks part way sad as it doesn't quite reach his eyes but also part way happy. "That's okay, though, because I'm still going to love you no matter what and eventually you'll love me enough to want to be with me and be my dad, you'll see." Bruce wraps his arms around Clark's neck and draws him into a hug. "You'll want to be with me forever." Clark doesn't know what to say to this so he doesn't say anything at all. He's confused and stunned by the statement but tries not to look into it too much. Bruce pulls away and for once, a real smile graces his face. "Now," he turns to the direction of the clock and scowls at it. "Can we shut that thing off?" Clark chuckles and slides the child off his lap, hoping they're back to being friends at least.

Clark hands Bruce some clothes after shutting the 'loud, noisy, horrid', as Bruce put it, clock off. He gets dressed along with Clark and then they have a quick breakfasts before Clark and Bruce are rushing towards the Daily Planet. It's almost as if they never even got into an argument and that they were back to the way it was before. Clark is happy about this but the whole thing has made Clark want Bruce to be turned back to an adult as soon as possible. He's going to have to see if J'onn can get Zatanna to hurry or maybe push up Dr. Fate's schedule in order for him to do whatever spell is needed sooner. Either way, he needs the reversal spell to happen very soon.

At the Daily Planet, Lois is happy to see them getting along again. "Glad to see you two worked out whatever was going on." Clark opens his mouth to reiterate the playground fiasco again but she stops him. "And I don't believe that playground nonsense for one minute, Smallville."

Clark smiles sheepishly. "Sorry, Lois, but that's what happened."

She sits down at her desk. "Uh huh."

Bruce walks up to him, Superman plushie clutched in his hand. "Up." He lifts his arms in order to indicate to Clark that he wants to be picked up and put in Clark's lap.

Clark lifts him and settles him in his lap with a chuckle. "Bossy aren't we." Bruce smiles back at him and press his back into Clark's chest, getting comfortable.

The day goes by smoothly, Clark being called into Perry's Office at one point to be talked about being late, again, and Clark plays the bumbling Clark Kent persona up and stumbles his way through the conversation. He promises, once again, to never be late again and then is sent back to his desk. Bruce didn't have a fit when he left this time like all the other times and Clark wonders about it to himself. He's not sure if it's something he should be worried about or not so he decides to keep an eye on the kid. It could be something as simple as Bruce finally understanding the meaning of alone time or it could be something as complicated as Bruce being traumatized from the kidnapping. After all, it would be his second time being taken as far as Bruce knows. However, Clark has a hard time believing that something like that would make him not as clingy. If anything it should cause the opposite. Unless it has nothing to do with those two theories at all and it has everything to do with the whole father fiasco. Clark has a feeling that is the most likely of causes and his guilt rises once again.

"Kal?" Clark doesn't react to Diana's voice in his ear. Instead he uses his cell phone discretely to call his office phone and then answers it while secretly pressing the com-link in his ear in order to open the line.

"Hello?" Clark says.

"Kal," Diana says again. "I know you're at work but I thought I should inform you that there is an alien force coming straight to Earth. The rest of us are preparing to attack if they are deemed an aggressor."

Clark swallows. "The magicians?" He asks a little quieter.

"We aren't sure. The spacecraft isn't what you described it as," Diana answers.

Clark taps the receiver with his index finger and pulls Bruce a little closer to him. The child looks at him quizzically. "But it could be them?"

Diana pauses and then says, "There is always a possibility, yes. We are certainly taking that into account."

"I should be there." Clark would have stood if Bruce wasn't on his lap.

"No, Kal," Diana states firmly. "You are weak against magic and you need to stay with Bruce." She then sighs. "And like I said, we don't even know if they are them."

"Okay say it isn't them, then," Clark begins. "What if the... visitors, are too uh..." He wants to say strong but Clark has to remember to stay discreet. "much for all of you? You need me."

"Remember who you're talking to." There's a smile of amusement laced in her voice. "Don't worry, Kal, we'll stick with the plan. You stay with Bruce and if we really need you then we will call you." There's another pause. "I have to go, Kal."

Clark hangs up both his desk phone and his cell phone and then frowns. "Clark?" Clark looks down at Bruce who is looking up at him worriedly. "Are you alright?"

Clark forces a smile and runs his fingers through Bruce's hair. "Yeah, I'm fine." At Bruce's frown, Clark adds. "There's nothing to worry about."

Then, as if karma is out to bite Clark in his ass for the whole not wanting to be Bruce's dad thing, there's a big booming voice calling out into the floor. "Lane!"

"Yes Chief?" is the immediate reply.

"The Justice League are fighting some kind of aliens from space and they seem to be pretty strong too. Take Jimmy and go cover it." Perry rubs his chin and adds almost like an afterthought, "It seems like all of them are there except Batman and Superman."

Clark swallows again and continues to rub Bruce's hair as the child looks up at him with concern. "That's what's wrong?"

Clark looks down at him and nods. "Yeah, that's what is wrong."

...

Someone in the department ended up turning on the TV and changing it to one of the many news stations that are covering the fight between aliens and Justice League. The aliens seem to be a type of mammal and have two arms and two legs. Each of the aliens have six eyes that are set deep within the sockets and Clark wouldn't be surprised if they could see extremely well. With so many eyes, it is making it very difficult for the Justice League to find openings to take them out. To add to that, they also have long, wide ears that make their hearing phenomenal. The aliens also have big mouths and thin noses, their skin ranging from dark grey to light grey to a silvery grey that seems to shine in the sunlight and little hair. To top it all off, they can fly.

Clark has never seen them before and seeing the Justice League struggle to fight and defeat them is worrying him. He's watching the TV as well as trying to keep Bruce occupied so he doesn't see the violent fighting. The poor kid has seen enough violence for one de-aged lifetime. Problem is that distracting Bruce Wayne, de-aged or not, Bruce is still Bruce deep down and especially with older Bruce personality leakage, is extremely difficult to do and Clark keeps finding Bruce watching the TV.

"Where's Batman?" Bruce asks him on the hundredth time Clark tries to get the child to color the cat in the coloring book.

"I'm not sure," Clark answers, his focus divided too much to really pay much mind to the blatant lie.

Bruce squirms, ignoring Clark's plea to begin coloring and continues to stare at the TV screen. "Shouldn't he be there? What if something happened to him?"

Bruce looks genuinely concerned so Clark tries to think of something to placate hm. "I'm sure he's fine. If he wasn't I would be able to hear. He's probably just busy and would help if he could."

"Are you sure?" Bruce turns his worried eyes onto him.

Clark nods. "I'm positive." He messes up Bruce's hair. "He's fine, trust me."

Bruce takes another second to watch Clark before turning back to the TV. At this point, Clark gives up on his attempts to shift Bruce's focus over to the coloring book and off the fight. He goes back to watching the TV himself. He can tell the Justice League is losing just by what the news station is showing but Clark doesn't know what to do. Diana or the others have yet to call him over to help and plus, Clark has Bruce he needs take care of. But... the League needs me.

"Bruce?" Bruce looks up at him, worry set back into his features and he's shaking his head before Clark even finishes talking. "I need to go help." Before Bruce can protest, Clark continues. "Look at them, they are super strong and though the Justice League has other strong members besides me and I'm not saying they can't handle something without me, in this case they do need me. One extra strong person could be the thing that is just enough to tip the scale onto the Justice League's favor." Clark takes Bruce's face into his hands and stares into his eyes. "Do you understand?" Bruce hesitates but eventually nods, looking frightened for not only the Justice League members but also Clark. "Good."

Clark then sneaks out of the office while everyone is entranced in the fight being broadcast and flies to his apartment. The fight isn't in Metropolis, though not too far from it either, but Clark doesn't know what else to do. He can't have someone at the office watch Bruce because not only does he not know what will happen if something goes wrong, but also he can't risk that person's life if this does have something to do with the magicians. All he can hope for is that the fight won't spill into Metropolis and if it does, it'll steer clear of his apartment. Once changed into his Superman costume, he kneels in front of Bruce. "You going to save the day now?"

Clark nods. "Yes I am." He pulls Bruce in tightly to his chest and squeezes him in a hug. Once parted he turns a serious gaze onto the child. "Bruce listen to me. You're going to be here alone." A flash of fear crosses Bruce's face. "I need you to promise me that you'll stay here."

"I promise to stay here and stay out of trouble," Bruce says.

Clark nods in approval. "I need you to promise one more thing." Bruce nods. "If something goes wrong," Clark pulls out one of the emergency watches that he gives to important people including all of the Justice League. Adult Bruce already has one but it's in his utility belt that is back up in the Watchtower where Clark left it. "I want you to press this button, okay?" Clark demonstrates quickly. "Anything at all. If someone comes in here, like one of those aliens, or one of those people from that place I rescued you from, the one in which we had to ride in the plane to get away from them, anything, especially if it's something dangerous, you press that button and I'll come right away." Clark forgoes adding 'if he can', feeling like that would just make the situation worse. "If you can't, for whatever reason, press that button, then you scream my name, whether it be Clark or Superman, I don't care, at the top of your lungs and I'll also come right away."

"What if I can't do either?" Bruce asks, eyeing the device.

"I'll be listening so you kick, punch, do whatever you can to make even the slightest amount of noise, and I'll know something is wrong," Clark answers.

Bruce nods in understanding. "Then you'll come right away."

"Yes." Clark smiles at him and hears with his super hearing Diana's grunt of pain. He stands. "I have to go now."

He's almost to the window that leads out to his balcony when he hears Bruce's footsteps rushing up to him. Clark then feels a tug at his cape. "Wait, don't go!" Bruce says urgently. Clark turns around to look at the kid, wondering what happened to change his mind to let Clark go all of a sudden. "What if you die?"

Clark wasn't expecting that question and kneels again. He cups Bruce's face in his hands, wishing he could erase that worried, fearful look away. "I won't die," he says simply. "I promise." It doesn't get rid of the look on Bruce's face but it does get the child to let go of his cape. Clark then leans forward and kisses Bruce's forehead. "I'm coming back." Letting go, he looks at Bruce one more time before flying off.

...

Clark arrives onto the scene of the fight just in time to block an attack aimed at John. "Superman, what are you doing here?"

He turns and glares at the man, still angry at their earlier encounter. "You're welcome." Clark then flies off to help Shayera who is trying to fight two aliens at the same time. He takes out one and then Shayera takes out the other, Shayera giving a quick thanks before moving on.

"Thra Drivthumeom rok orreqad!" (translation: The Kryptonian has arrived!) Clark looks up to the voice and sees one of the aliens. He's not sure what they said, the language not being one that he's ever heard of, but he's sure it's not good since all the aliens stop what they are doing and look towards him.

"Bahurp da uraraub shaw?" (translation: Shall we attack him?) another one says and to Clark it almost sounds as if they asked a question.

The one that spoke first answers, confirming Clark's suspicion of the second one asking a question. "Baqar gakshraaxik rasha urasharb. Rashar darp birapor kara ax rasha dur. A darp rauba ura ug rasha Drivthumeom." (translation: Keep fighting the others. They will surely get in the way. I will take care of the Kryptonian.) There's that word again.

All at once, all the aliens answer the first one who must be in charge. "Avok, ba Kada." (translation: Yes, my Lady.)

The leader of the aliens looks straight into Clark's eyes once done giving orders and says, "Kour rouudy ru rakh Drivthumeom." (translation: Get ready to fight Kryptonian.) So that word has something to do with him.

"I... I don't understand what you are saying," Clark tries but he's not even sure if these aliens even understand English.

The leader scrutinizes him for a long while until a smirk forms on their face. "I said, get ready to fight, Kryptonian." The leader then charges after him, being much faster than Clark had anticipated.

The alien body slams into his and knocks him back a few yards, punching him in the face. The punch hurt and Clark looks up at the figure floating just in front of him. The alien's hand has some kind of electricity flowing around it. "What... what is that?"

The alien smirks again. "We've heard through the rumor mill that Kryptonians subjected to a yellow sun are weak against magic." Magic! "So we learned how to use it." She attacks again, except this time faster and stronger. Clark falls to the ground from the strength of the punch she lands on his chest, hitting the ground hard enough to cause a crater in the road, and groans.

Opening his eyes, he sees Diana trying to fight his attacker, defending him. "You alright Supes?" Clark turns his head to see Wally beside him, looking concerned even with the mask on.

Magic... magic... Bruce! Clark doesn't answer and opens his hearing to Bruce. He can hear the little boy in his apartment, safe and watching the news on the TV. Clark should have told him not to watch it but he doubts the kid would have listened to him anyways. "I'm... I'm fine Flash." The speedster helps him get up and to his feet. Clark stumbles back some, feeling dizzy. What did they do to me?

"Whoa." Wally catches him by the shoulder. "You sure you're alright?"

Clark nods. "Yeah." He begins to fly back up. "Be careful Flash, these guys are strong." Wally solutes him and then runs off, allowing Clark to fly back up to where Diana was fighting the leader, the Amazonian getting thrown into a building. "What do you want?" He's scared their after Bruce. Maybe they were sent by those mages.

The leader shrugs. "I don't know, I like a challenge and a Kryptonian under a yellow sun certainly is a challenge, even with the magic aspect. Can you blame a bored Queen for wanting some fun?"

"How did you even know about me?" Clark asks, trying to deduce whether or not they are really sent by the mages.

The alien shrugs again, smiling at him. "You're one of the last Kryptonians from the famous dead planet Krypton. Do you really believe you're not well known? Many know who you are, Kryptonian, after all, you're quite famous for surviving Krypton's destruction." She looks him up and down. "At least a lot more famous than those other Kryptonians that survived." Kara! Clark shifts his hearing from Bruce to Kara quickly, hearing that she is perfectly fine and currently milking the cows on his parents' farm. Zod and his possé are in the Phantom Zone and Clark really doesn't care what happens to them anyways so then that just leaves... Kon. Clark then listens for Kon, not really sure if they would attack him because he's only a clone and half Kryptonian, but he wants to make sure just to be safe. He, too, is safe and at the moment at the fortress training. "Don't worry, we're not here for the other Kryptonians. We're only here for you."

He goes back to listening to Bruce. Maybe they aren't sent from the magicians. Clark takes the first initiative in attacking, flying towards the alien, Clark now knowing that she is a queen and so definitely the leader. He punches her hard in the jaw, causing her to grunt from the impact and pain, falling backwards. She recovers quickly though, and counters with her own magic infused punch. When Clark regains his bearings, she pulls out a sword type looking weapon. The lightning type magic that was around her hand transfers to being around the sword.

Clark's jaw drops. How is he going to fight that? Clark dodges a swing of the sword and almost falls to the ground when he loses his flying ability for a second. What's going on? Clark flies backwards a ways away from her and looks around. Are they infusing magic into the air? He's having a hard time keeping afloat and barely dodges a stab of the sword to his abdomen while concentrating on not plummeting to the ground. He has to land! Just as he thinks the thought, something hard and painful hits his head and he barely registers Bruce's gasp of alarm. Hitting the ground hard and painfully again, he groans, trying to concentrate on figuring out if Bruce is in danger or not. He can't hear anything in the apartment besides Bruce, his heartbeat rapid in his chest due to the concerned fear he is feeling, and guesses the camera to whatever news station Bruce is watching is on him and that is what caused Bruce's alarm.

The queen lands next to him and lifts him from his uniform. "Giving up?"

He head butts her, which causes black spots to dance in front of his vision but also causes her to let go and stumble back. He says, "Not a chance."

"Superman!" He looks up in time to just barely catch Shayera's mace. He's dizzy and feels like throwing up, like the time Bruce ran away. Clark uses Shayera's mace to block the sword the queen is using and also uses it to attack her. He manages a blow to the left side of her face, allowing the electricity that the mace produces to also be on at the time of impact.

When the queen recovers there's silver blood running down the side of her face. She smirks. "Very good, Kryptonian."

"Kal-El." She looks at him confused. "My name is Kal-El and when I defeat you, you can tell everyone that." He attacks again but she dodges and Clark stumbles again, all of a sudden retching and falling to his knees.

"Not feeling well are you, Kal-El?" She laughs and saunters up to him. Clark is panting and shaking, his stomach turning upside down and causing his nausea to become worse. When she reaches him, she puts her hand on his shoulder and runs it all the way up to his cheek. Clark throws up, the acid burning in his throat. It's the first time he's ever thrown up. "Kaakkavo; goodbye, Kal-El." She raises the sword but just before she can plunge it into his heart, Wally super speed punches her.

She goes flying into the building and Wally turns to him, placing one of Clark's arms around his shoulder. "Come on, Big Guy." He helps Clark to his feet.

"Magic... strong magic," Clark mumbles out. He closes his eyes, willing the world to stop spinning in his vision.

"I know, I've been instructed to get you away from here," Wally explains.

Clark pushes away from him and promptly falls back to his knees, holding himself up by his hands. "No, you need me."

Wally rushes up to him. "Not like this."

"Yes!" Clark snaps. "Yes like this, I'm not leaving you guys."

Anger flashes onto Wally's features and it's something Clark doesn't see very often. He leans in and whispers into Clark's ear. "Think about Bruce, how will he feel if you die? I'm getting you out of here."

When Wally helps him up this time, he doesn't protest. Just when Wally is about to speed away, however, he's attacked from behind from one of the alien minions slamming into him. Clark is wrenched from Wally's grasp and is turned to face the queen. "You're not going anywhere!"

Clark uses his heat vision on her and she drops him, taking a few steps back. This time, Clark uses all his strength to stay up on his feet. He doesn't know what happened to Shayera's mace so he opts to continue using his heat vision. He continues to hit her with it but eventually she blocks it with the sword. Taking the opportunity of her being distracted by blocking with the sword, Clark gathers all his energy and strength and flies towards her. He hits her with more strength than the last time he hit her and continues to do so over and over again. With one last punch, she goes soaring in the air and lands on the ground hard. She's bloody and bruised, panting hard. Clark stands over her and picks her up by the hem of her outfit. "Giving up?" He repeats what she said to him.

She smirks, her teeth covered in the silver blood. "Well played, Kryptonian. Yes, I give up." She then turns her head to the side to command her army. "Serrumkur umk rusruus!" (translation: Surrender and retreat!) Clark looks around and sees the other aliens dropping their weapons and retreating back to their spaceship they arrived in. "This was quite fun, Kal-El." Clark can feel the magic starting to lift and starts to feel better. "You have entertained me quite well, thank you." Clark lets go of her and she straightens out her outfit. "We will be going now." She turns around but then stops in her tracks. "Oh and one more thing, Kal-El." She whirls around and stabs him in the abdomen with the sword that is emanating magic. "Kaakkavo." (translation: Goodbye.)

She pulls the sword out as he gasps, quickly flying to the spaceship she arrived in, with Diana and Shayera going after her. Clark starts to fall only to land in Wally's arms. "Superman!"

He sees John and J'onn flying to him but his vision is going black. Just before he passes out he hears one distinctive voice, Bruce's voice. "Clark!"

A/N: Yeah... I really suck at writing fight scenes.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :)

Updates will be every Friday. Next update scheduled for: 12/25/15 EST. To see a full list of dates, please go to my Tumblr, angelcamael, and go to the post under: /post/132217933841/loss-of-time