Chapter Nine:

Clark opens his eyes and blurrily sees the green orb from John's ring surrounding him. There's a fiery pain in his stomach as well as some kind of pressure there caused by someone else. "Take it easy Kal, we're bringing you to the Watchtower." He looks over to Diana who is leaning over him. It's then that he realizes that Diana is the one creating that pressure and it's only because she is trying to stop the bleeding from the wound he obtained by the magic infused sword.

But Clark doesn't care about that or the pain right now. He can't get Bruce's scream of his name out of his head. "Bruce," he struggles to say, feeling the effort draining him. "Bruce, someone needs to go get Bruce."

"Don't worry," Diana smiles reassuringly to him but Clark really can't register what she is saying in his fogged up brain. "Wally is going to get him."

"Bruce, we need to get..." He trails off, trying to stay awake. "Bruce."

Diana runs a hand through his hair. "You need to stay calm, Kal."

Blackness is dancing around his vision. "Bruce..." Finally, the dark overcomes him.

...

When he wakes again, he's finally in the Watchtower's medical bay being placed onto one of the sun beds. Throughout the bustle of the room and haze that he is in, he can hear two voices, one of them being the most important. "Clark!"

"Bruce, I'm sorry but I can't let you go in there." It's Wally and Clark is relieved that the speedster got to Bruce in time.

"I want to see him!" The child is yelling and Clark can tell by the noises that the little one is thrashing in Wally's grip. "Clark! Clark!"

Clark tries to sit up, not liking Bruce's frantic tone. "Bruce, let him in."

Diana and J'onn are by his side immediately, Diana pressing at his shoulder to try and get him to lie back down. He shrugs it off. "Kal, you need to rest. We're setting up the sun bed so you can absorb the radiation."

"No," he says almost as frantically as Bruce who is just outside the door. "Bruce, you need to let Bruce in." Clark takes a moment to catch his breath before continuing. "I need to make sure he's okay."

"Bruce is perfectly fine," J'onn informs him.

"But he needs to see me," Clark pleads, finally succumbing to Diana's insistence that he lie down. "He needs..." Clark is feeling dizzy and the blackness is back.

"Not like this Kal," Diana says warmly. "Please, rest. You two can see each other later."

"But..." Clark shakes. He hears one last yell of his name from Bruce and Shayera along with John and Wally trying to calm the scared and distraught child before falling back into nothingness.

...

This time when Clark wakes up, he's feeling one hundred times better than he did earlier, feeling refreshed and restored energy coursing through him. The sun light is also off and he has a bundle of a small body lying next to him fast asleep. Clark looks down at the child beside him and smiles, beginning to rub at his hair and feeling relieved and contented to have the small boy beside him, safe and sound. Bruce. He kisses the top of Bruce's head, not knowing what he would have done if he had lost him, especially in this state. No matter how you are, Bruce, I just love you so much and I can't lose you. He continues to run his fingers through Bruce's hair, enjoying the sound of the child's steady breathing and heartbeat. His heart beats a little faster than adult Bruce's but it's still soothing to Clark.

Clark continues to lie like this, listening and feeling, until there's a change in Bruce's breathing and heartbeat. The boy has woken up. Bruce's grip tightens where he was clutching at Clark's uniform and he presses a little closer to Clark's chest, burying his face against the 'S'. "You promised you wouldn't die."

Clark looks at the ceiling but doesn't stop his petting. "And I didn't."

"No," Bruce sits up, looks him in the eyes. "No, you don't get to say that. You almost did die and I almost lost you." Tears are starting to pool in his eyes. "So, no, you don't get to say that. Not this time."

Clark reaches up and wipes away the few tears that escaped those beautiful eyes. He's been crying a lot lately. Ever since he was de-aged that is. Does adult Bruce feel like this, this often too, but only hides it? Buries it? Clark hopes with all his heart that he doesn't. He doesn't want his Bat to be so sad. "I know," Clark responds to what Bruce said. It's something adult Bruce would say, something similar to something adult Bruce has said to him. He wonders if that kind of response is just part of Bruce's nature or if it's another case of adult Bruce leaking through. "I'm sorry." Clark turns onto his back and Bruce lies down onto his chest, hugging him close. "I seem to keep hurting you," Clark says quietly.

Bruce sits back up and gives him a quizzical look. "I do too." Clark looks at him in confusion. "I keep hurting you too."

Clark is shaking his head and smiling before Bruce even finishes. "No, no you don't." Clark pulls Bruce in again and squeezes. "You're perfect Bruce."

He can feel Bruce shake his head no. "No I'm not."

"To me you are." Clark kisses the top of his head again. "I love you Bruce."

Bruce turns his head to look at him, leaning his chin on his chest, and beams. "I love you too Clark." Clark smiles back.

...

"Who were they?" Clark asks. Bruce is sitting on his lap as he refused to leave Clark's side when asked. Wally even tried coaxing him out but the child stubbornly rebuffed the gesture. They're right back to where they were before, with Bruce being clingy and not letting Clark out of his sight. After what happened earlier, Clark really can't blame him for regressing but it kind of saddens him that all that progress is lost now. So instead of trying to correct Bruce about being so clingy again, he just lets it happen, at least for now. Clark pulls Bruce closer to him by his midsection and Bruce leans against his back. Though Clark has to admit that he's become a little clingy to the kid now too.

"They were Gorganeerians from a planet called Muria in the Beta Encore system," John answers.

Shayera then fills in the rest. "Their planet, called Muria, is warm and Earth like with vast grassland plains. It also has no axial tilt which gives it a mild and predictable climate. I can only imagine what they think of our planet's own axial tilt and varied climates in some parts. Muria also has a high gravity, hence why they could fly. They are a race of monotremes with four lungs and six eyes. They believe that only money can buy them a place in the afterlife which if you asked me is completely ridiculous. Their planet was conquered a few years ago by an invading alien force and the survivors set out into the galaxy in search of a new home."

"As far as the Green Lantern Corps knows, they have yet to find that planet," John adds.

Shayera speaks. "We're currently interrogating the leader in order to figure out if that planet they want to live on is this one since it's so similar to their old one."

"I'm more interested in knowing if they were sent by the mages," Clark says.

Shayera nods in understanding to Clark's concern. "J'onn is currently searching the queen's mind to figure that out and about them settling on Earth. If he fails, for whatever reason, then we'll force her to tell us with Diana's lasso."

"Why don't you just use the lasso in the first place?" Clark asks.

John answers this time. "With the lasso we can only ask questions and we might not get a full answer when we do. With J'onn going into her mind he'll be able to get everything we need without us making sure to ask it or forgetting to ask it."

The medical wing door then slides open and in walks Wally. "We have a problem." They all follow Wally out of the room, Clark holding Bruce's hand as he walks beside him, and to the interrogation room. They all peer into the two way mirror where J'onn and Diana are with the queen. "J'onn couldn't read her mind as much as he tried, and he tried like three times, but every time he did, he would get kicked out of her mind." Wally pauses to make sure that the information sinks in and then continues. "So, like we agreed, Diana tried her lasso." Clark has a bad feeling about what is coming next. "Except when she did, the queen answered like you would expect but Diana isn't sure if she is telling the truth."

"What do you mean?" John asks.

Wally answers, "The queen said that they did not come here to inhabit Earth and to only fight you, Supes, and that they were not sent here by the magicians."

"Why does Diana think she is lying? That's what she told me when we were fighting." Clark feels Bruce press against his leg, holding onto his pants tightly.

Wally shrugs. "Diana said she believes the part about not being sent here but it's the wanting to settle on Earth that she has a bad feeling about." He shrugs again. "You know Diana, when she has these types of feelings, especially when it comes to using her lasso, she's normally right." Wally turns to the two way mirror. "It's too bad we don't have our third interrogator. He can normally get the correct answer even without mind reading and lassos of truth."

Clark sends the speedster a pointed warning look but Wally isn't facing him so he can't see it. "Well he's not here."

Clark looks down at the pull of his pant leg. "Are you talking about Batman?"

Clark nods. "Yeah, we are."

"How come he's not here?" Bruce looks around at everyone who is in the room. "And don't tell me he's busy again. This seems important, even to me, and I would think he would want to be here."

Clark sighs internally. "I... don't know where he is."

Bruce looks at him with concern. "Shouldn't you find out? What if he really did get hurt, like you hurt, because he was fighting these aliens somewhere else?"

Clark tries to smile reassuringly. "I'm sure if that were the case, he would have contacted one of us and told us that he was fighting them."

"But what if he couldn't?" Clark gives Wally, Shayera, and John a helpless look.

"Okay," Clark begins. "I'll listen for him and see if he is okay." Clark pretends to listen intently, which is weird when he's not actually doing such a thing. "I found him. He's home and resting."

"Resting?" Bruce doesn't look satisfied at all. "Not like you resting?"

Clark opens his mouth before what Bruce said can fully register in his head but comes up short to what he wanted to say. Did they tell Bruce that he was just resting? But he still knows he almost died. Unless that's because he saw it on TV but as soon as the others said he was just resting then he should have thought he was going to be fine. Of course, it could also just be four year old talk for badly injured to the point of almost dying and is recovering. Clark rolls his eyes at himself. Of course, that's what Bruce means idiot. "No, he's just overworked himself and needs to rest up. Look, I'll even contact him." Clark pretends to press at the com-link in his ear. "Batman, you there?" He then mouths to Bruce that he answered and nods his head at the same time. "Yeah, I figured you would have heard. Yeah I'm fine. Um... I was wondering if you were thinking about helping us out. Over tired? Are you okay?" Clark pauses to make it seem like Batman is going into why he's over tired and why Clark shouldn't be asking him if he's okay. Then he says, "Oh wow, guess you were pretty busy. Yeah it's no problem. Rest up and take care of yourself. If you do find anything though, because I know you and I know you won't leave this alone, let us know. But, Batman, for once, put yourself first." Another pause as if Clark is listening to Bruce grumbling at him. "Okay, bye Batman." Clark then pretends to shut the com-link off. "See, he's perfectly fine."

"Just too tired to help?" Bruce asks for confirmation.

Clark nods. "Yeah, he apparently has had a very busy week and instead of relying on his family and friends for help, because that's how he is, he overworked himself and now is too tired to deal with this and his own city at the same time."

Bruce's eyes narrow slightly, skeptically. "Okay but does he know how important this whole thing is?"

"Do you?" John asks, crossing his arms as Bruce looks over at him. "You are only four."

Bruce mimics John's stance. "I might be four but I'm not stupid."

"Bruce," Clark butts in before an escalation of exchanges comes around. "Batman knows. That's why he's still going to be looking into it. Now," Clark rubs his hands together. "Are you hungry? I was thinking pizza." Everyone turns to him and looks at him strangely, as if they can't fathom how Clark could be thinking about food at a time like this. It's not the food that Clark is thinking about though. It's the fact that he wants the subject that they are on dropped and Bruce distracted.

Bruce's eyebrows are scrunched in confusion. "Is now really the time to be thinking about-" Bruce is cut off by a loud growl from his stomach. He then turns the brightest red Clark has ever seen Bruce blush. "May...maybe some pizza would be nice."

Clark smiles with a chuckle. "Okay let's go to the cafeteria and see what we can find."

"Can..." Clark stops and looks at Bruce. "Can we go somewhere else, just the two of us?"

Clark thinks about this, looking at the other three people that are there with them. Both Shayera and Wally shrug while John just stands there waiting for his answer. Knowing John, he probably thinks Clark should stay on the Watchtower until this whole alien business is taken care of. Clark looks back to Bruce. "Sure... sure why not. Come on." Clark picks him up and smiles at the other three. "See you later guys."

Clark starts walking to the teleportation tubes, Bruce not saying goodbye to the group, and then teleports back down to Metropolis. Bruce is leaning his head on Clark's shoulder, arms around his neck. He has to let go briefly, though, for Clark to change into civilian clothes but once dressed, the kid is right back in his arms in the same position. It's dark now, the time being around eight o'clock. Clark isn't sure if that is too late for a four year old or not but Bruce wants to go somewhere to eat so he guesses he'll go to some quick pizza joint and that quick pizza joint is going to be Clark's favorite place to go for pizza because why not? At one point during their walk to Clark's favorite Pizza place, he asks the child in his arms why he wanted to eat with Clark alone but Bruce only answers with a shrug.

They arrive just after eight thirty, the place not being too busy since it's so late on a work night, and they go up to the counter to order their pizza. "What can I get for you sir?" The woman behind the counter grabs a pad of paper and a pen. Clark places his orders and then grabs the paper cups that are handed to him.

After filling the cups with the appropriate drink from the fountain, he goes and picks a table that has a booth on one side and two chairs on the other, that table being the only one far enough from curious ears. Clark has a feeling he and Bruce will be having a serious conversation that others shouldn't know about. Clark takes one of the chairs, deciding the booster seat that he grabs will be safest on the side with the booth. He helps Bruce into it and waits until their pizza is ready before starting the inevitable conversation they will be having.

Biting into his pizza, Clark eyes Bruce as the small four year old eats, wondering how he is going to start the conversation he's sure is coming his way. Bruce beats him to talking, however. "This is really good." Bruce smiles and takes another big bite.

"Careful, don't take too big of bites. You can choke doing that," Clark warns.

Bruce swallows what is in his mouth and then takes a sip from his punch. "Thank you Clark." Clark looks at Bruce in confusion. "For taking care of me."

Clark softens and reaches over to ruffle Bruce's hair. "No problem, Bruce. I like having you around."

Bruce smiles more and continues to eat his pizza, looking away. Then the kid turns his gaze back onto Clark once he finishes the piece he is on. Clark hands him another while Bruce starts to talk. "Can I ask you something?" Clark nods, taking a sip from his own drink. "Why, out of all the other children on that ship, did you pick me to save?"

"Are you still thinking about those children? I'm sure they're fine Bruce." Clark just hopes he's right and that none of the de-aged prisoners were hurt.

"But why did you single me out?" Bruce continues.

Clark takes a bite of pizza to stall for time and he's almost positive Bruce sees through this tactic. "Because, at that time I could only choose one of you and you're just the one I chose."

"At random?" Clark nods again. "Then why take care of me?" Clark is stumped at this question but he doesn't have enough time to answer it anyway before Bruce asks another question. "Why am I named Bruce?"

Clark laughs. "Bruce, that's like asking me why the sky is blue."

"I know why the sky is blue." Clark stares at him. "I don't know why I'm named Bruce."

"I..." What in the world is he supposed to say? Clark feels like he's being interrogated, which, if he thinks about who is really asking the questions, then technically he is being interrogated, and he doesn't know the correct answers. "I don't know Bruce, that's just what your parents named you."

"And where are my parents? Who are they? Are they really dead?" Bruce asks in succession.

"I don't know Bruce." Clark watches as Bruce's eyes narrow. He knows that look; the calculating, judging, scrutinizing look.

"Were they the people in my dream?" he asks next, the narrowed eyes disappearing.

Clark gulps; not liking the direction this conversation is headed. "I can't be certain Bruce."

"If..." Bruce hesitates then, eyeing Clark warily. "If Batman's stuff were there on that spaceship, how come he wasn't there too?"

"He let me take his utility belt with me." Clark shrugs. "It's no big deal really. He lets me do that all the time." He really doesn't, probably would kill Clark if he even thought of asking to bring it, but he has to say something.

Bruce takes a drink. "Then why did you go on that mission alone in the first place?"

Clark wishes Bruce would stop talking in sentences and using words as if he's older than four years old. "The Justice League and I thought it would be a much simpler mission than it turned out to be." It's not technically a lie since Batman is the only one that didn't underestimate the mages.

"What about Batman's cape?" Clark stares some more. He knew!

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Clark hopes the kid is mistaken.

Bruce stares into his eyes. "You wrapped me up in Batman's cape. Did he let you bring that too?" Clark flails for an answer. He doesn't know what to say. "Why did you pretend to be talking to him earlier?" Now that's the question that really takes Clark by surprise and throws him off. "Why are you lying to me?"

"Bruce, I..." Clark is at a loss. "I don't know what to say."

"How about the truth?" Bruce looks down then, at his half eaten piece of pizza. "You chose me to save over the other children, Batman's stuff were on the spaceship, my name is Bruce and my last name starts with a W just like Bruce Wayne." Clark wants to stop him but nothing will come out of his mouth as he watches in horror as the too smart four year old with freaking amnesia, puts all the pieces together in a time frame less than twenty minutes. "Bruce Wayne's parents are dead," Clark doesn't even bother asking how he knows this. "And Bruce Wayne is Batman and Batman is Superman's, your, best friend. Being your best friend, you would, of course, choose him over anyone else to save first if the other people weren't in immediate danger. Now Batman won't show up to help us just because he's over tired, which doesn't seem like something Batman would do, and makes it so I still can't meet him despite the fact that I've met the other Justice League members. In fact, I haven't seen him at all even on TV and every time I ask about him you either dodge the question or tell me he's busy."

"Bruce," Clark interrupts him then. "What are you getting at?"

Bruce looks up and straight into his eyes and Clark has no choice but to look back at those silvery blue irises. "I'm Bruce Wayne aren't I?" Clark gapes. "I'm Batman."

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

Updates will be every Friday. Next update scheduled for: 1/1/16 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