A/N: Hello! Ok, so I thought I would just about wrap it all up the last chapter- but luckily for you (and unluckily for my suffering hw grades), inspiration has struck in the form of several reviewers and an over-the-top imagination! Yay! I'm glad, too, cause I'm having way too much fun writing this story. Sweet and funny- not as angsty as I usually feel. Hope you enjoy, and expect more to come!
Special thanks go to: JamesTKent, doomsday2012, and LGM for suggestions!
A/N#2: Sorry for weird upload thingy! It might have told you I submitted this twice (which i did- first accidentally, then removed, made quick changes et voila! back again) Sorry for any mass havoc I may have inadvertantly caused...
Disclaimer: I do not own anything having to do with Superman. If I did, then I would be pitching this to Warner Brothers as an unmade sequel, not posting it here for all of you to see. :) Just saying...
Martha Kent awoke to the clamor of the phone ringing. She growled in her sleep, opening one eye to glare at the offender in the dark. Then, seeing that her attitude would not silence the phone, she sighed and sat up, reaching for the receiver on the nightstand. She caught a glimpse of the clock as she picked it up. Four o-seven. . . "Clark, this had better be important," she grumbled. "Do you have any idea what time it is out here? I don't have to be up for another hour and a half."
"I know, Ma, I know. I'm sorry, but I just couldn't wait to tell you this. It is important, I swear."
She sighed, rubbing her eyes. "Fine. Then spit it out already."
"I- er, I mean, I guess- would you mind if I came over? This morning? Not now, of course, but you know. Before I head off to work. Or something."
Martha chuckled slightly. "Oh, Clark, I'm up now. If it's got you this wound up, come over now. It's not like a few hours of sleep lost is much when it comes to helping my son out."
For a second, Clark faltered. She almost sounded sarcastic, there. He continued with a tone of hesitance. "Are you sure?"
"Clark, come over. Now."
"Okay."
Martha barely heard the phoneline click and was just able to put down the receiver when she heard the front door open and the screen slam shut behind him. "Ma? You in here?"
She walked out of her bedroom and down the stairs. "Of course I am, Clark. Where did you think I'd be? You barely gave me time to hang up the phone." She shook her head as she walked into the kitchen to get herself something to drink. Clark followed nervously. "You want anything, honey?"
She glanced back at him, but he seemed distracted as he responded. "Hmm? Oh, uh, yeah. Water's fine."
She shrugged and pulled out the pitcher, pouring him a cup. Clark took it in silence, sipping at it cautiously, nursing it as though he really wanted to avoid the topic he was about to bring up. Martha sighed. She was going to have to drag this out of him, wasn't she. . . "Clark, I love you and all, but honestly, if you're just gonna come over here to drink a glass of water, I'm gonna have to start cutting you off these nighttime visits. Now what do you have to say?"
"A lot, actually. I, er, I'm not quite sure where to begin. . ."
"The beginning?" she asked irritably.
He scowled briefly at her before sinking back into his thoughts. "Um, well, I guess I should just spit it out-"
"By all means, do. Then we can all get back to bed and I won't be liable to biting poor Ben's head off when he comes by later in the morning."
"Alright, here it goes. Mother," he brought his gaze up to her own, and it was filled with unmistakable joy and pride. "I have a son."
Her own glass slipped from her hands and toppled to the floor. Luckily Clark raced to it in time before it broke, though there was a slight crack in its side that Martha noticed as he gently set it back on the table. "Ma? Are you alright?"
"Goodness, Clark," she whispered. "You couldn't have led with that? If you're going to be so blunt about it anyways. . . when did this happen? Why didn't you tell me? How? Who- no, forget that question. It's Lois's little boy, isn't it? I'm right; I knew it. How long have you known?"
For all his powers, speed capabilities and general journalism skills, he could barely keep up with his mother's insistent questioning- only able to smile excessively, unable to contain his joy. "Well, I found out as Superman actually, a few weeks ago after I recovered from my fall. Lois told me while I was in the hospital, unconscious, but some part of me heard and recognized the information I was being told. I- Clark Kent, that is- told Lois I was Superman today, and it all kind of came together for us- and then we told Jason this evening after dinner- and then I asked Lois if she wanted to go out with me- and she said yes! She said we should take it slow, but that's still a yes!"
Confusion furrowed Martha Kent's brow. "Wait, what? That seems kind of inverted."
Clark suddenly looked shameful. "Yeah, I know, I should have done all this a long time ago- and I swear, Ma, if I had even the slightest suspicion about Jason before I left, I never would have gone. I would have married her and we'd be living differently today. But who's to say what we have still isn't salvageable? I love her, Ma. I love Jason. And after spending the day with them yesterday. . . I can't give up. Not on this. I need them, more than I ever thought I needed anything- and I rarely ever need anything, food or water-wise. I don't even need that much sleep- it's all nothing compared to how much I need Lois and Jason. They're my family- it's a dream come true, and I'm not letting it get away from me. Not this time."
His mother patted his hand gently, a smile creasing her features. "Sweetie, no one's asking you to give anything up. You deserve it all. I'm still a little confused about it all- you'll have to clarify exactly how this all works out with you just finding out he was your son and whatnot- and don't even get me started on how she knew it was Superman's son and not Clark's- I mean, that's a kind of key detail- but right now, I'm just happy for you. I can't believe it- I'm a grandmother! I never dreamed this day would come. . ." her voice trailed off, and she held her son's gaze tearfully, patting his cheek with her hand. "I'm so happy for you, Clark. Your father would be, too."
Clark's own eyes watered at that. There was so much she left unsaid, but Clark might as well could have heard her speak them aloud. She had never hoped, dreamed, that she could have children of her own- let alone that, upon adopting a child, he could have children of his own. Despite the fact that he was an alien. That whoever he loved would have to love all of him- that the balancing act of his real life, parenthood, and his other "job" would be incredibly difficult to maintain. All of those things ran through her mind, but she didn't need to express her fears entirely for Clark to understand- he felt just the same. But both knew it didn't matter, not anymore. He had a son, and possibly a woman that loved him, whom he definitively loved in return.
Mother and son sat in a comfortable silence for a while before Clark finally noticed the time. They had continued talking for roughly and hour and a half before it hit him- the clock read six-thriteen. Which meant it was eight-thirteen in Metropolis. "Uh-oh. Uh, I'd better go, Ma. I'm supposed to be at the Planet so Lois doesn't have to deal with telling everyone alone- and so Superman still has time to do his runs. . . Thanks for listening, Ma." He gave his mother a quick peck on the cheek, in a jovial mood, as he walked over towards the front porch.
"Anytime, honey. Oh, and Clark? I know it might be too soon and all, but could you at least talk to Lois about coming out and visiting? I understand if you two aren't ready yet, but I'd really like to meet my grandson." She smiled, tears welling up in her eyes.
Clark returned it. "We'll discuss it. I certainly hope they can come out with me soon. I'll see you soon, Ma."
And with that, in a woosh of air and color, he was gone.
Clark walked into the Daily Planet at almost nine o'clock, after performing a couple of rescues (car accidents were tricky sometimes). And truthfully, he was dreading what kind of welcome he might face there upon walking in. But as the elevator doors opened, Clark easily spotted Lois sitting at her desk, and he breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they were together, they could face anything.
And ultimately things would work out in the end.
A/N: Read and Review, please! I need to know how you feel about this so I know where to improve and continue moving forward! Also, if you happen to catch any errors in spelling/grammar, PLEASE CORRECT ME! This is un-betaed, and my word program has no spellchecker, and since it irks me to no end when I catch mistakes in other stories, please tell me if I missed out on any of mine! I'm planning on scheduling a time to fix them all... eventually. XD