SECOND THOUGHTS
Richard replaced the tools back in their box and shut the box closed.
"How long have you known?"
Richard stood up and turned around to see Superman standing on the dock next to the seaplane. He exited the plane and joined him on the dock.
"Almost a year now, I guess. Jason let it slip."
Superman let out a low whistle.
"Yeh," Richard continued. "You're lucky Lois wasn't around. If she finds out from anyone but you…." He didn't finish the thought. "I had a talk with Jason. He hasn't slipped up again. Not with Lois anyway. Obviously."
"Thank you, and thanks for this morning."
"That was intense. Was Luthor bluffing? Were there really bombs?"
"Oh yeh, they were very real," Superman nodded his head.
"We didn't hear anything about them, so I guess you got to them all in time."
Superman sighed and nodded again.
"I didn't know you could fly that fast."
"That's Luthor... He tells me I have one minute, when I really have two, just to drive me insane."
"You're really going to try to get him a pardon?"
"There's no 'trying.' The president already had the ball rolling before I went to DC. Same thing in London, Jakarta, and Canberra..."
"What?"
"He's wanted all over the world."
"Yeh, but the deal was for a pardon."
"He insisted the other countries were implied. Told me I should thank him for not asking for pardons for all his goons, not that that the president would have hesitated to move forward on those either. This is never how I wanted things to be, Richard. I've always tried to stick to my principles, hoping to inspire others to do the same. And now no one can seem to move fast enough or do enough trying to ingratiate themselves with me, no matter what they think that entails. And why shouldn't they? I folded, didn't I? Principles be damned."
"He put you in an awful spot, Super… Clark. What do I call you, anyway?"
Superman thought about it for a moment. "Better stick with Superman for now." He nodded toward the house. They both watched as Lois exited through the back door and walked toward them.
"Did I do the right thing, Richard? What would you have done if you were me?"
"I was just thinking how glad I am that I'm not you."
"Thanks.
As Lois approached, Richard moved closer to Superman and murmured, "You have to tell her."
"Now's not a good time."
"There's never going to be a good time."
"Ssshh!"
"What are you guys talking about? Or is that a stupid question?"
"He was just asking me what I would have done if I were him."
"Richard would have killed him," Lois said flatly.
Richard nodded in agreement. "And barring that, I just wouldn't keep my end of the deal. It's not like he's going to keep his end. I certainly wouldn't have sprung him out of jail."
"He said he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. He complimented me on choosing so wisely and quickly, since he still had... still has... backup plans E through Z."
"And that's why I would have killed him."
"His thugs could still set the bombs off."
"Well, like I said, he put you in a really awful spot."
"What could he be up to?" Lois wondered. "He's got to be up to something. No one is buying this that he's not going to be criminal anymore."
"It's baked into the pardon," Superman told them. "The minute he does anything illegal… if he so much as jay-walks, the pardon gets rescinded."
"The minute he's caught, you mean. There's a big difference," Lois pointed out.
"Do pardons worked that way?" Richard wondered.
"The attorneys said they would work it out."
"Did he say anything about Jason?" Richard inquired.
"He claims he hasn't told anyone, but... he reserves he right to use him as a bargaining chip in the future."
"Fuck..." Lois exclaimed. "What about Linda?"
"He'll release her as soon as the pardon is issued. It's going to take a few days, unfortunately."
"If you need a place for her to stay, Richard and I already discussed it…"
"Thank you," Superman said gratefully. "But this is already a target-rich environment. I don't want to put you guys in more danger."
"You just told me this morning it's easier for you to protect us if we're in the same place."
"If a girl suddenly shows up to live with you, everyone's going to know who she is. I have another place I can hide her, and no one will suspect anything, so there won't be any need to protect her."
"She's going to need trauma counseling," Lois told him.
"I know."
Richard spotted Jason running toward them. "Hey buddy, you're supposed to be in bed," he called to him.
"I know an excellent therapist. Lillian Lucus," Lois offered.
Jason ran to Superman and jumped into his arms. "I couldn't sleep." They grinned at each other. "Mommy told me about Linda. Is she the Last Daughter?"
Superman's grin faded away as he looked at Lois. She mistook his expression for anger. "I'm sorry. He heard you and Luthor talking about her this morning."
Superman turned to look at Jason. He stared at him for a few moment. "No, no she's not," he told Jason quietly. He gently put his son down. "There is no Last Daughter. It's just... a... I gotta go." He flew away in a WOOSH.