This oneshot took so long. This was literally the first one I started but it's taken me this long to finally finish it. Now I can finally move onto other ones!

Clark whistled tunelessly under his breath as he headed out of the small bookstore, taking a moment to appreciate the nice weather. Or at least to him, it was nice. Having grown up in Kansas, the measly inch of snow that was dusting the ground was nearly negligible. Most people either entering or exiting the shop were focused on buying new books or simply perusing, but he'd had a much different goal in mind. On the orders of Perry White, he'd conducted a short interview with the elderly owner, a kind and unflappable woman named Ruby. It was a part of a much larger piece, one meant to illustrate the growing struggles of small business owners in Metropolis. Tomorrow he had two more appointments, one with a cafe and the other an antique shop. But for now, he was going to enjoy the rest of his day as he had no more obligations. He didn't even have to report back to the Daily Planet until tomorrow morning.

In anticipation for his newfound day off, he'd sent a message off to Lois suggesting they meet up later for a date to grab coffee. The romantic aspect of their relationship was relatively new and they were settling into an altered dynamic, so he was slightly anxious. So engrossed was he in waiting for her much-anticipated reply that he nearly missed something very important. Luckily, he'd managed to look back up at just the right moment.

Sitting alone on a bench in front of the small strip mall was a vaguely familiar young girl, wearing a puffy green coat that had a fur-lined hood. However, despite the biting cold of the December air, the hood was down and she seemed completely unbothered by the fact. After a moment's scrutiny, his eyes widened as he realized this was Skylar Hall.

He immediately changed his path and started to walk towards her, scanning the surrounding area for any sign of her parents.

"Hello, Skylar" He greeted, crouching down in front of her so that they were at eye level, not caring that the ends of his wool coat were brushing the pavement. "Do you know who I am?"

"Hello" She replied immediately. "And yes, but I'm not supposed to say your name when you're wearing glasses."

"You can just call me Clark." He suggested with a smile. "Can I ask what you're doing here?"

"I'm waiting."

"For your parents?"

She shook her head, dislodging her ponytail slightly. "For Ollie. He's watching me today, but his phone rang. He said it was work."

Clark's eyes narrowed slightly. "He left you here alone? Outside?"

"No." Pointing, she gestured to a businessman he had overlooked at first, who was standing about twenty feet away. When he looked up, the blonde goatee and bright blue eyes were immediately identifiable, and he offered a small wave of greeting before ending his call and walking over.

"Hey Clark, how's your day been?" The two men shook hands.

"Just finished an interview." Clark answered. "What brings you to Metropolis?"

"Boring business stuff." He shrugged. "I had to bring the munchkin with me, and let me tell you, that's been an adventure and a half." From the slight grimace on his face, it was clear that Oliver was struggling with balancing his babysitting duties and his work. "I thought we'd take a short break outside, she was starting to get antsy."

"Well..." Clark glanced down at the young girl, who was using the toe of her boot to draw lines in the slush beneath her feet. "I'm officially off work as of ten minutes ago. I can take her."

Nearly sagging with relief, Oliver clapped him on the shoulder and grinned broadly. "You're a lifesaver, Clark." Walking around the taller man, he kneeled down in front of Skylar. "Hey kiddo, Clark's going to take over as your babysitter for the rest of the day. I'm sure you'll have way more fun hanging out with him than stuck with me, right?"

"… Yes." She answered in a very matter-of-fact manner, making the man chuckle.

"Good." Standing up, Oliver gave her hair a final ruffle. "You two take care now."

Once Oliver had disappeared down the street, Clark crouched back down next to Skylar. "Well, I was thinking about going out to lunch and then a movie. Sound good?"

"I like movies." Skylar agreed. "And food." She added as an afterthought.

"I do too." Clark grinned, standing as she hopped off the bench. Without hesitation, she grabbed his hand with her much smaller one.

"You should tell Ta'me and Da'mi. So they know I am with you instead of Uncle Ollie."

"I was planning on it." Clark agreed. "I don't have a death wish."

H

"Of course it's fine, Clark." Carter grumbled. "We both trust you. And so does Skylar, I mean, she hasn't sunk her teeth into your arm and started shrieking bloody murder, so…"

The entire time he was on the phone, Clark had kept a careful eye on his unexpected charge. He'd ended up heading back inside the bookstore that he'd left mere minutes before, ushering her towards the kid's section after giving a short explanation to the kindly bookstore owner about watching a colleague's kid. Sitting down cross-legged on the floor next to the young Thanagarian, he had handed her a Shel Silverstein book before calling Carter.

Skylar was completely engrossed in the poems by the time he had finished his conversation, making sure he knew exactly where to take her at exactly what time, and double checking about possibly dietary restrictions he should be aware of.

"Which one was your favorite?" He asked, garnering her attention and pointing to the book splayed in her lap as he tucked his phone safely into his pocket.

She shrugged, closing the book and carefully putting it back on the shelf, slotting it into the exact place he'd plucked it from. "I don't get most of them."

"That's okay." Clark stood up and offered out hand that she took, and he lifted her up to her feet. "So, movie or lunch first?"

Skylar pondered as she kept her hand latched around his. "Movie. I'm not hungry yet, but I probably will be in a couple of hours."

"Movie it is."

H

After a quick perusal of the available flicks, Clark decided on Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. He'd read the books as a kid, and he had actually been curious to see the adaptation himself, but he'd felt wary about going to see it by himself. Now, he had an eleven year old with him that proved to be an excellent excuse.

He'd purchased a small box of popcorn for them to share, as well as a bottle of water each before they settled down in the back row of the theater. Since it was a school day, the theater was almost completely empty.

The movie was… well, better than he was expecting really. Every so often he'd glance out of the corner of his eyes to make sure that Skylar was doing alright, and every time she was enraptured with the events unfolding onscreen. He gave himself a mental pat on the back for choosing something she seemed to be enjoying (and was on that fine edge of not too violent for a child and just violent enough to engage Thanagarian).

By the end, she was nearly vibrating with excitement, and as they left the theater, she was chattering near endlessly about the quality of their weapons, their battle strategy, and their fighting prowess. Predictably, when he asked who her favorite character was, she told him it was Aslan, because he was 'obviously the apex predator' and he had 'earned his place and should thus be respected as such'.

It was while she was describing in detail how exactly Aslan probably killed the White Witch, Clark's phone started to ring. Fishing it out of his pocket, he checked the ID before answering. Skylar immediately fell silent, waiting patiently.

"Hello Lois."

"Hey Clark, I'm taking a late lunch break at that new sandwich place down the street from the Planet. Care to join me?"

"I'd love to, but… well… Something's come up?

"Oh? Is this cape-related business?"

"Not… really?" Honestly, he was unsure whether this did qualify as 'Superman Stuff', considering Clark Kent wasn't really friends with the Halls, but Superman was friends with the Hawks. "I have a bit of a tagalong. Emergency babysitting job."

"Really? Wait… is it Carter and Shayera's kid?"

"Skylar, yes." He affirmed. "I have her until five."

"Has she eaten yet?"

"No, we were just about to-"

"Then bring her here, dummy!" Lois chided fondly. "I'd love to meet her. As long as she's okay with it, of course. I don't want to make her uncomfortable."

"I'll ask." Placing his hand over the receiver, he looked down at Skylar, a question ready on the tip of his tongue.

"It's fine. I would not mind meeting… Lois. As long as I get food."

Of course she'd heard the entire conversation. He'd forgotten about the sensitive hearing. Offering her a grin and a nod, he removed his hand from the phone. "She said yes. We'll be there in about…" He did a quick mental calculation. Flagging down a cab and the following ride would take a while with the midday traffic downtown, and the subway was to be avoided at all costs. The last thing he wanted to deal with was a panicking mess of hyper aggressive child while her parents were away. That left walking as the best option. "Fifteen minutes?"

"See you then, Clark."

H

Locating Lois was an easy feat, as not only was she highly visibly thanks to her distinct purple coat, but she was also waiting just inside the doors of the sandwich shop. The moment she caught sight of them, she crossed over to the door and opened it for them. It was only once the duo were safely ushered inside the warm building that she greeted them properly. "Hey Clark." Stretching up on her tiptoes, she pressed a kiss to his cheek before turning her attention to his newfound tagalong.

Lois only needed to bend down a little to meet her eyes, as Skylar was clearly tall for her age, though the older woman was also wearing heels that bolstered her own height. "Hi, I'm Lois Lane." She stuck out a hand.

Skylar took it, shaking it firmly. "My name is Skylar Hall. Your coat is aesthetically pleasing."

Clark just barely restrained himself from promptly face palming. This kid was really something else.

His ever-wonderful girlfriend however, took the odd comment in stride. "Thanks, I think so too." Turning on her heel, she led the way over to the line leading to the register. "I've only been here once before, but they have a great selection."

After perusing the menu himself, Clark nudged Skylar a little to get her attention. "Anything look good?"

Nose crinkling a little as if pondering one of life's greatest mysteries before nodding. "Yes, the eighth one."

'The Eighth One' turned out to be the equivalent of a meat lover's special, a sandwich bearing every kind of meat that they offered. Frankly, he thought it looked a little unappetizing, but to each their own he supposed. As they waited in line, Lois filled him in one what he'd missed today at the office, namely the final death of their copier (he was honestly a little upset he'd missed it) and the resulting exchange of bet money. Everyone on their floor had been waiting for nearly three months for that thing to finally die before it could be replaced with a newer model, and it was only natural a betting pool had sprung up. Clark personally hadn't put any money into it, but apparently Jimmy made out like a bandit.

Once their orders had been placed, made, and handed to them in turn, the odd trio made their way to a booth in the corner, with Clark and Skylar taking one side and Lois the other.

"So, what have you two been up to today?" Lois asked after taking a sip of her drink. "Anything fun?"

Clark subtly nudged Skylar in the ribs, and she shot him a look before acquiescing with his silent request. "We went to the movie theater and saw Chronicles of Narnia. I enjoyed it."

"Really? I might have to go see it myself. I remember reading those books when I was about your age and-"

Clark looked up from his meal, more than a little concerned when Lois cut herself off mid-sentence. The woman was staring at Skylar, who was in the process of tearing into her sandwich with abandon. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, fine. I'm sorry, I just wasn't expecting the…" She vaguely gestured to her mouth.

He winced a little in sympathy, reaching across the table and patting her hand. "I get it."

The exchange didn't slip past Skylar in the slightest, and she rolled her eyes. "It's not my fault human children are too soft and squishy."

"She has a lot of opinions about human evolution." Clark explained dryly, a smile tugging at his lips. "Don't get her started, she could probably rant for hours."

"As interested as I am to hear it, I think that talk should be saved for later." Lois answered. "So, who was your favorite character in the movie? I always liked Susan."

"Susan's skill with the bow is impressive." Skylar admitted. "But I prefer Aslan. He is a fair and strict ruler, and properly executed his nemesis to prevent her from potentially escaping and causing more problems later. Also, he is cute and has big teeth." She made a gnashing motion with her own abnormal canines that was frankly, pretty adorable.

"He is pretty cute." Lois agreed, apparently unfazed by the odd behavior. Clark was starkly reminded of one of the reasons why he'd fallen in love her with her, her ability to remain unfazed in even the strangest of situations. She was the Planet's top reporter for a reason.

All in all, the lunch went far better than Clark had ever hoped to expect. Skylar had toned down her usual bloodthirstiness, in favor of peppering Lois with questions about her work at the Daily Planet. And if said inquiries tended to lean towards the woman's experiences in the seedier and more dangerous parts of the world, well, Lois rolled with that too. She'd attempted to censor herself exactly once before Skylar had casually brought up alternate methods of decapitating a human being.

Needless to say, their table earned more than its fair share of strange looks from the other patrons and the staff.

Skylar's favorite story had clearly been Lois' dramatic retelling of the time she was swept up in a bar fight in the middle of an interview, and was forced to smash a stool over someone's head. The young Thanagarian was practically on the edge of her seat, nearly vibrating with excitement as Lois talked about the brawl in detail, including the guy who had been thrown out the window, crawled back inside for another go, and then defenestrated the man who had thrown him out first.

Glancing at her watch, Lois made a face. "Looks like I've got to get going."

Putting their winter coats back on, the trio shuffled out of the restaurant and stepped back out into the crisp winter air. Lois pecked Clark lightly on the lips (after physically grabbing his lapels and forcing him down to her level).

"I'll see you tomorrow at the office." She said with a wide grin before turning her attention to Skylar. "You're a pretty awesome kid, you know that? Someday I'd like to hear your opinions about 'inferior human evolution'."

That earned her a bright smile from Skylar. "That sounds good. It was a pleasure making your acquaintance, Lois Lane. You are truly a fearsome warrior of the written word."

"How sweet of you to say!" The older woman leaned down and gave the young Thanagarian a loose hug, affectionate, but non-constraining. To Clark's surprise, Skylar tentatively returned the embrace. Straightening, Lois readjusted her coat. "Take care you two." With a final wave, she headed off down the slush-covered sidewalk in the direction of The Daily Planet.

For a moment, Clark floundered, a little at loss of what to do now. So he just asked Skylar what she wanted instead. "Is… there anything else you want to do before I take you home?"

Her lips pursed a little in thought. "… Is there a park?"

H

The park was relatively quiet, partly because it was one o'clock the middle of a weekday (meaning most children were in school and most adults were at work), and also because of the biting cold. There were still a few brave souls meandering their way through, a few bicyclists carefully avoiding icy patches, joggers bundled up in winter-appropriate athletic gear, and citizens of Metropolis just enjoying being outside.

As they meandered through the park, Skylar tended to dart off every so often to inspect something that caught her attention, often small non-migratory birds or trees with low enough branches that she could scale them easily. All the while, she remained within Clark's line of sight without him having to request it of her. He had no idea how the Halls had raised a child that was both incredibly well-behaved and a complete hellion.

He watched as Skylar's head suddenly shot up, dark blue eyes locked on something in the distance. Without hesitation, she swung herself off the branch she was perched on, jumping down effortlessly onto the grass and made a beeline for whatever it is that she had seen. Narrowing his eyes, Clark used his super vision to try to glean whatever it was that had garnered her complete focus.

He promptly let out a long sigh and jogged after her.

Skylar was standing in front of a massive stone statue that resided in the very center of the park, a towering monument to Metropolis' hero… Superman.

It was just as embarrassing as the first time it had been revealed, though it was still a flattering gesture. Clark just thought it was… more than a little ostentatious.

Skylar didn't say anything, merely staring up at the statue's face before seeming to come to some kind of internal conclusion, nodding to herself before looking back at him. "It is a good statue."

Sheepishly, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks, I guess."

She nodded again and promptly grabbed his hand, leading him over to a nearby bench.

Once he was sitting down, Clark cleared his throat. "So, did you have fun today?"

"It was nice." Skylar immediately replied, fiddling with the end of her braid. More than a few of the brunette strands had escaped from the tight weave over the course of the past hour or so. "Thank you for watching over me. Staying with Uncle Ollie would have been boring. At least today, usually he isn't that boring."

Clark chuckled. "Well, I'm glad to hear it." He paused for a moment. "You seem to be adjusting to living here better than anyone expected. Your parents were pretty worried, you know. I don't think I've ever seen Carter that distressed about anything. He spent an hour pestering us for advice on what color to paint your room."

Skylar rolled her eyes. Clark had a sudden flash to the potential future, imagining an older Skylar. If this was what she was like when she eleven, what would it be like when she was a teenager? He pushed that frightening thought to the back of his head and refocused on what she was saying. "-and I do not know why he would be so concerned, I told him what color I wanted it to be." She stopped herself for a second. "And I like it here more than I thought I would."

"What kind of stuff do you like about living here?"

"… Flying with my parents." She answered. "And just being with them all of the time, instead of just visits or calls. I like spending time with their kast and I like Uncle Hal. I like it when Mr. Nelson tells me stories and when Aquaman tells me about the sea creatures he knows. I like waffles. And bacon. And pancakes."

His lips quirked up into a smile. "How could I possibly have known that breakfast would be on the list?"

"Breakfast foods are the ultimate human inventions and no one will ever be able to convince me otherwise."

"I fear for whoever tries." Taking a last look around the park, Clark rose to his feet. "Well, it's probably about time that I took you home."

She followed his lead, stretching out her limbs a little.

He considered the girl for a moment. "Say Skylar, how about instead of taking the Zeta… we fly?"

Her eyes shot towards his, glittering with unrestrained excitement at the prospect.

H

Touching down outside of the Hall residence, Superman's cape swished around his ankles before falling still, his passenger scrambling off of his back and onto the ground Just as he was about to ring the doorbell, the front door swung open, revealing Hal Jordan.

"Well that was a suitably dramatic entrance." Hal said, not even missing a beat as Skylar threw herself at him and started babbling in rapid fire Thanagarian. The Green Lantern listened patiently for a second before responding. Whatever he said caused her to go temporarily quiet.

"Thanks for watching her."

"It was no trouble. It was fun." Superman shot Skylar a grin, receiving one in return. "But I thought her parents were supposed to be home?"

"Their flight got delayed, and they can't exactly break cover to just fly themselves home, especially since they've got a slew of artifacts they need to babysit. They should be home tomorrow morning." Hal explained. "So, you introduced her to Lois?"

"I like Lois." Skylar added helpfully. "She is a good match for you."

"I'm glad you think so." Superman reached over and set a hand on her shoulder. "Well, I'll leave you to Hal's care. Maybe we can do this again sometime?"

"I would like that a lot." Surging forward, she wrapped her arms as tightly around his torso as she could manage before releasing him with a final grin.

After saying their goodbyes, Hal ushered Skylar into the house. Superman smiled to himself before taking to the air, starting his flight back to Metropolis. He made a mental note to fly back to Smallville and snag his old box set of The Chronicles of Narnia out of storage in the attic. It was about time that they were passed onto someone else to read.

Those books definitely weren't a gift. Just an indefinite loan. Definitely. And those books are still sitting on her shelf in present day.

Personally, I only ever read the one book (Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe), but I like the movies a lot. I literally googled 'Movies that came out in 2005' (because consistent timelines) and when I saw that, I jumped at the chance.

In the original concept for this story, there was an entire B plot where Ollie had accidentally lost Skylar in Metropolis and Clark found her, and then he informed the rest of the League but not Ollie, basically turning him into a frantic mess. But then I was like… wait, that's way too mean. And besides, Oliver Queen's… relatively responsible?

Mostly.