It was another sleepless night for Lois, Clark and Jimmy…
In-between making plans for taking Johnny to the Daily Planet and investigating the evens at the boy's school, they had to keep sure that the boy was not listening, not asking too many questions, and not rushing to tell everyone that he flew with Superman. His parents didn't need more gossip. For them it was worse enough that his teacher got suspicious and that a lot of Johnny's classmates saw them together. Hoping that nobody noticed how similar they actually look.
Lois checked Johnny regularly. Keeping sure the boy was not sleep-floating and that he was really sleeping. And the boy seemed to sleep really peacefully. He was smiling and obviously dreamt well…
Jimmy fell asleep on their couch. Clark flew out for another Superman-emergency and Lois tried to distract herself by writing more articles about other matters. Their article about the flashflood in Johnny's school was well received by Perry. Lois began to write more about it. Stuff she hoped would encourage the people to donate for the victims or help to renovate the school. Luthor's million-dollar donation was bothering her…
This was not part of their feud. Luthor knew, as long as he leaves them alone, they leave him alone. And Lex was working eagerly on his image of the 'honest citizen' that he would not risk the cold war between them to get hot.
Lois was typing so long, that she fell asleep in her office after a while. After barely sleeping the previous night, it was no surprise that her body gave in. Even after all the coffee she had…
The next morning, Johnny still raved about his meeting with Superman during breakfast and while they were preparing. More than about the fact that he had no school, today. Or that they will depart to his grandparents earlier…
When they left the house to get to their car, suddenly Timmy Tanner from next door approached…
"Mister and Misses Kent…" the boy yelled.
"Oh… right… there was something!" Lois wailed and gave the packed bag for their trip to Smallville to her son. "Johnny, take this to the car. I need to talk to this young man?"
"Are you talking about the werewolf in his dojo?" the boy asked with a smile.
"What…?" Lois looked on her son in shock and then back to the teenager and then on Johnny again. "Where do you know about that? And you, Timmy… Did you put that nonsense in his head?"
"Nonsense? I have proof!" the teenager said and pulled an USB-stick out of his pocket to give it to Lois. "That guy is cheating with his powers to win the upcoming tournament…"
"Timmy, aren't you running late for school!" Lois wailed and took the USB stick to hide it in her purse. "I will look for it later!"
"If you're not sending Superman for it, you could at least send Beast Boy! I mean, he can turn into a wolf, too and he can control animals…" Timmy yelled after Lois who went to the car to get away. She had enough other problems now…
On the way to the Daily-Planet, Johnny was smiling brightly…
"I once saw in TV how Beast Boy turned into a lion to bring some escaped circus lions to follow him back to their cages. Do you think he can turn into wolf and control werewolves, too?" the boy asked.
"Well… I am sure the next reporter who gets to interview Beast Boy will ask him that!" Lois wailed.
"Do we need to go to your office? I thought we will go to grandma and grandpa today?"
"We will… We just need to finish some things at work and then we go there! And till then, you can see how your mother and I inform the people in this city about everything what's going on!" Clark said while they reached the parking-garage.
It was not the first time; the boy was in their office. And it was as boring as he remembered. Johnny sat on a chair in Lois' booth while she tried her best to do as much work as possible to leave earlier. But since her articles were good and the reports about the flashflood well received, she had good chances to leave.
Clark did his best to be able to leave work early, too. And Johnny was just bored. They gave him paper and some pens to paint something. And the boy knew exactly what he wanted to paint…
It was a picture of Superman, saving him and Mrs. Stone in his flooded school…
"Nice picture!" Cat Grant said frustrated.
Lois was not at her desk and Cat just passed, spotting Lois' son and the picture he was drawing. She was still frustrated about the canard she accidentally posted and the following humiliation for her reputation.
"Thank you, Ms. Grant!" Johnny said. "Superman was in my school yesterday and I flew with him when the water came in!"
"Gosh… you are just like your mother!" Cat wailed. "You manage to get in trouble and Superman comes to your aid! Where is my hero when I need one?"
Cat was so jealous of Lois sometimes. She was older, more experienced, and more eager than Lois. But Lois always manages to get the good stuff. The stuff the people are interested in. Sex sells, but Superman always sells better! Cat was about to turn around and leave when the boy continued talking…
"I liked your article about Beast Boy's baby!"
Cat shuddered... she turned back to Johnny and looked on him with a creepy smile…
"Beast Boy's baby was the lie of a selfish and bankrupt photographer who had an imagined affair with Beast Boy while she photographed him for his animal-support-campaign, because her affair with the employee of the Kazakh consulate didn't make her happy but pregnant and she wanted money. I couldn't know that she rubbed her baby with green food coloring…" Cat said like she was about to explode any second. "…I hope she gets happy in prison. And organizing that her baby gets sent to Kazakhstan was the least I could do to show her how mad I am on her…"
"Everyone in my class loved that article. Some want to become vegetarians, too now. And even if it was not true in the end, everyone was very sad that Beast Boy has not a baby!"
"Oh… you liked my story?" Cat said now better tempered. "Tell me more…"
Lois and Clark meanwhile talked with Jimmy in the newspaper-morgue, that used to be their headquarter when they started working here…
"I would come with you, but Perry wants me to organize the Flamebird-event. I could join you at the farm tomorrow!"
"Thank you, Jimmy! But it's okay! We need to be very careful until the reveal. And I want my parents to be involved in the decision. It will be a huge impact for them, too!" Clark told. "Anything new about the flashflood?"
"No… but luckily most people are insured!" Jimmy whispered.
"For some reason, I can't stop thinking about Luthor's donation!" Lois murmured. "I know, he is not the only one who has donated money for the victims, but I have a really weird feeling about it!"
Together they looked on a map of New Troy and its sewage system. With colored pins they marked their house, the school and the damaged buildings.
"The sewerage in that area is over 100 years old. Back then it was more than enough, but today the city is much bigger…" Lois said. "…north of New Troy new neighborhoods were erected in the 1930s and 40s… and… what is in this area?"
There was some empty space between the school and some other residential areas.
"A few years ago, there stood houses. But the city planned to build a new schoolhouse at this place." Jimmy told. "I remember that, because it was in the year when Johnny was born!"
"And what happened to this plan?" Clark asked.
"The city thought it will be cheaper to renovate the old school than build a completely new one!" Lois concluded. "If they had built the new schoolhouse, they would have opened the old sewerage and expanded the current tunnels. And the disaster yesterday would have been prevented! Who owns this place now?"
"Should be not difficult to figure out!" Clark told before looking on the clock. "Oh… we should go back! Where is Johnny?"
"At my desk! I gave him some paper and pens to be busy for a while…"
Together they went back to their office to find Lois' desk abandoned. Johnny was gone…
"Johnny?" Lois exclaimed and looked around. Ronnie Troupe passed them.
"I saw him with Cat in her office!" she told them.
Lois and Clark looked at each other and wondered what their son is doing with Cat Grant…
Cat Grant had, as one of the top-reporters, her own spacious office with a great view over the city. There was also enough space for a seating group with armchairs for interviews and meetings. And Cat listened curiously to Johnny's story about what happened in his school, about him meeting Superman and a lot of other things, Lois didn't mention in her article…
"…and he was so eager that I don't look at his face. My classmates said that Superman looked very scared…" the boy told, before Lois and Clark stormed into the office…
"Johnny, I told you to wait at my desk!" Lois said.
"Sorry, Mommy… but Ms. Grant wanted to interview me!" the boy told.
"Your son is a really great source for information… I had no clue that Superman does not want kids to see his face!" Cat said with a smile before she turned back to Johnny. "What do you think was the reason? Did Superman have something in his face that he was ashamed of? Acne, or a rash maybe?"
"Superman does not get acne! He is so invulnerable he does not get that!" the boy said almost offended.
"Cat, sorry! But we…" Clark began.
"No no… It's okay! Your son has told me some really interesting things about my Beast-Boy-canard that might be helpful to make the best of it!" Cat said and continued with her questions.
Lois and Clark shuddered at the thought of leaving their son alone with Cat Grant. Not that the boy could spill any secrets, but they shuddered at what Cat could tell the boy.
"KENT, LANE, OLSEN… To my office!" Perry suddenly yelled from the other end of the corridor.
Reluctantly they left the boy with Cat to hear more about how the children of his age would love the thought of Superhero-kids…
At Perry's office, their chief-editor demanded to know why Superman's involvement in saving their son was not mentioned in their article. And they all had to explain how they didn't want Johnny to get pulled into something or the people gossiping about them. It was not a secret that Lois, Jimmy and Clark were 'close' to the famous hero and that there was trust between them. Superman saving their son would just raise more questions…
Gossip reporter Cat Grant meanwhile found in little Johnny someone she saw as perfect to get more input about the Superhero-business the boy's mother was so successful in…
Not only Johnny was a huge Superman-fan, but the boy was also interested in the other heroes out there in the world. And Cat loved that, despite it was a canard, that her article about Beast Boy's supposed baby was so well received by the younger readers.
"What do you say about the other heroes' babies and children? Batman's son Robin?"
"He is cool! His daddy does so many cool things with him! They hunt criminals together!" Johnny told. "My daddy does not!"
The boy had no idea that his daddy was the most powerful Superhero in this solar system…
"What about Plastic Man's baby?"
"Plastic Man is so funny! And the baby has all his powers, too. That's cool!"
"Do you think Beast Boy will ever have a real baby?"
"In school everyone would always glare on him. When he is green, too, everyone will always ask him to turn into something!"
"Okay…" Gat said and made notes. "…If you could choose which Superhero gets a child next, who you would choose?"
"Hmm… I think it would be cool when Superman has a child!" Johnny said.
"Oh… I agree!" Cat said, imagining Superman with a baby in his arms. "Every woman in the world would love to carry out Superman's baby!"
Cat imagined that she would do that, too and had to smile at the thought that Lois had the chance, but instead got a baby with Clark.
"Superman's child would be so cool! He could always fly with him! And flying is the best superpower of all!" Johnny said, unaware that he talked about himself.
"You think flying is his best power?" Cat asked surprised. "Not laser-eyes, like kids your age claim in all polls?"
"No, it's flying!" the boy said, imagining it.
"What about the suit?"
"The suit is cool! I like the cape! That's the best of all!"
"The cape… okay!" Cat murmured. "What do you think about the red trunks?"
"I like them!"
"Oh… so you belong to the 53 percent of people who like the red trunks!" Gat said. "Would you wear them, too if you were like Superman?"
"No!" the boy said quickly and shacked his head while he blushed.
"You like the trunks, but you wouldn't wear them, too? So, you belong to the 81 percent! And why?"
"Mommy said, Superman wears the red trunks because they let his upper body look broader. You need big muscles to wear such trunks!"
"Oh, interesting…" Cat said, writing that down. "…your mother knows things about Superman… but I admit, he really has the body to fill that suit and those trunks out!"
"Miss Grant, my mommy always tells me to be wary when people ask me questions about Superman, because they might have bad intensions!"
"Oh, I don't have bad intentions!" Cat said. She was only looking for information. "Is it so bad?"
"Our neighbor wants mommy to write a story about a werewolf in his karate-course, but mommy says it is just a hoax so he can meet Superman…"
Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Lois came to 'save' her son from Cat…
"Come on, Johnny! We leave! Your grandparents await us!" Lois said looking on Cat nervously. "What did you two talk about…"
"Aww… your son and I had a very interesting conversation about Superman's suit!" Cat smiled.
"Sure!" Lois murmured sending her son out of the office while noticing Cat's smile. "What?"
"Oh… nothing… I just wonder… your son… he told me you are hunting werewolves now?"
"Aww…" Lois moaned loudly. "…our neighbor is a huge Superman-fan and only wants to meet him. Telling me this ridiculous story…"
Lois took the USB-stick she got from Timmy Tanner and gave it to Cat to get rid of it…
"You can have it! But I must warn you, that will be a bigger canard than Beast Boy's baby! I need to leave… I have a four-hour drive ahead of me…"
Lois left. Not knowing that she gave Cat Grant some really dangerous stuff…
Just a few minutes later, after staying longer at work than they wanted, Lois and Clark sat with their son in their car again to leave for Smallville. A 188-mile ride, that would take at least three and a half hours, depending on traffic and weather.
The hard rain of the past days was over. The sun came out when they reached the city limits. And since they were able to leave on time, they managed to get out before the heavy weekend-traffic. Johnny looked out of the window and up to the sky. Like every child in Metropolis, he hoped to get a glimpse of Superman…
"Mommy, Daddy… when I don't have school, does it mean we stay longer with grandma and grandpa?"
"Well… it would be nice. I mean we have to work, but you could stay with them if you want!" Lois said.
Indeed, since Johnny's school was closed completely for at least one week, the boy needed to be kept busy. It was a welcoming opportunity to leave Johnny with his grandparents while they head to work and figure out why his school got flooded. It also meant that Clark could fly Lois and the car back to Metropolis faster. It would also give them some time to come up with a solution.
"You like the farm?" Clark asked.
"Yeah… they have so much space!"
"Oh, yeah… when I was your age, I could have never imagined to live in Metropolis! With this small yards and all the concrete!" Clark remembered.
They asked themselves sometimes, how it would be if they move to the farm permanently. But every time they thought about it, the remembered Jon's story and they realized that it would be a too much impact on the boy's life.
The ride was long and surprisingly silent…
The moment Martha and Jonathan noticed Lois' and Clark's Hyundai coming up their driveway, both dropped everything to rush outside and greet them and their grandson.
Johnny was full of joy when he jumped out of the car and rushed to Martha to hug her. Following with the man he was named after. And the elder couple was so happy to see Johnny again. Even under these terrible circumstances…
Lois and Clark left the car, too to see how happy Johnny was to see his grandparents again. But every adult's smile vanished as soon as they looked on each other. Knowing that there was still the elephant in the room…
"Johnny, why don't you go up to your room and change. Supper will be ready soon." Martha said and the boy agreed to leave.
As soon as the adults were alone, Martha and Jonathan crossed their arms and looked at their son and daughter-in-law harshly.
"In the middle of the night and over the phone?!" Martha said.
"Something so important?!" Jonathan added.
"The boy is just seven!"
"And you want to tell him now?!"
"You told me when I was 11!" Clark argued.
"We never had a reason before!" his father defended.
"We have now with Johnny!" Lois wailed before looking over to the house to keep sure that Johnny wasn't nearby. "Can we… talk undisturbed!"
"Kitchen! Now!" Martha said and together they went inside.
Johnny got sent to the bathroom, Clark used his hearing to keep sure that the boy was at safe distance so they could whisper in the kitchen, while sitting around the table.
Lois and Clark told them everything that happened since the incident with the poster and during the flashflood. The elder couple listened closely and realized why their son and his wife were so upset…
"Gosh… The boy is just seven!" Martha murmured. "Clark was 11 and it almost shattered him. Remember how scared you were back then!"
"I do! And it haunts me till today!" Clark murmured. "But when I am honest… at least this time it is different!"
"You mean, because you can tell the boy which planet you are from, unlike us?" Jonathan asked.
"Yes… I mean… back then we didn't know anything! I was scared that I could be a weapon. I couldn't even tell where I came from or why I was here! Today I know it. There is the fortress, Lara and Jor-El who speak our language now, and…" Clark turned around to keep sure the boy was not nearby and bent closer to continue whisper. "…and Superman is already common knowledge. The boy looks up to Superman."
"And what? Do you want to get close to him only over his powers?" Martha asked. "Have you forgotten what Jon told us?"
"No, of course not! Jon's story was a warning. A warning I always think back! I just… I miss so much! The boy notices and maybe he would understand everything better! I can't tell you how often I used my job as an excuse. The boy must think I have three jobs!"
"And what then? Do you want the boy to join you like Robin does with Batman?" Martha asked shocked.
"What? Of course not!" Clark said.
"I can't believe nobody pressed already charges against Batman for child-endangerment?" Martha murmured. "I mean how old is Robin? 11?"
"10!" Clark confessed. "But to his defense, the boy was trained to be a ninja fighter since he was a toddler."
"In my eyes it is still child-endangerment!" Martha wailed. "But enough of that… Johnny needs to know sooner or later; we don't deny that. But how we tell him without breaking him?"
"Yes! It took you months to calm down after it?"
"I know. But what should we do? Wait before he hurts someone unwillingly…" Clark said before he turned his head away. "…aww not now!"
"What?"
"A crop duster has an engine-failure… I'll be right back!" Clark said, turned around again to keep sure Johnny was not watching and left in a blur out of the house.
Lois turned back to her parents-in-law and took a deep breath.
"Of course, I don't want the boy to fly around with his father in a suit and fighting crime immediately…" Lois said, shuddering at the thought of people firing guns on her son. "…but we need to be prepared for everything."
"Lois, the boy is a huge fan of his father's alter ego. Of course, he will…" Martha said before they could hear loud footsteps on the stairs and Martha changed the topic quickly. "…and then just add a little bit fresh garlic, but not too much…"
When Johnny came back, he thought they talk about cooking. Clark returned a few minutes later, too after saving the crop duster from crashing and they set the table together.
When they sat at the table together for supper, the boy told full of joy how he met Superman. Not fully understanding that the boy had a lot of luck that he didn't get hurt when the school got flooded. The adults shuddered.
After dinner, Jonathan took the boy to the living-room while Lois and Clark helped Martha to clean the dishes and to continue talking.
"He has without doubt your urge to help others!" Martha said, while thinking about how the boy risked his life to safe his teacher. "Do you think we can trust that Mrs. Stone?"
"We don't have another choice!" Lois murmured. "I just don't know how we…"
Suddenly Lois' phone rang. She took it to see it was Jimmy.
"What's up, Jimmy?"
"Lois, turn on the TV! RBS-news! Hurry!" Jimmy said shocked.
"What? What's wrong?"
"Do it! Quick!"
Lois rushed to the living-room, took the remote controller of the TV and turned it on to see that they reported about Johnny's school…
"…that structural engineers have found serious damages in the building's foundation, making a further use too dangerous. Parents and teachers are currently meeting to discuss the next steps. The city has announced to form a commission to find a proper solution quickly. But according to unconfirmed sources, it looks like the building's damages are irreparable and the building needs to be demolished…"
"Oh, no!" Lois wailed.
That were bad news! Not only Johnny was affected, but also the 1.200 other students at the school. They would all need to get transferred to other schools across the city. Johnny might end up in a school at the other end of the city, or in a suburb outside the city. And he could be separated from his friends…
"They demolish my school?" Johnny asked with big eyes.
Lois turned around to see her son sitting in the corner with his grandfather, playing cards. He heard and saw everything from the TV, too.
"…in response to the disaster, Lex Luthor, CEO of LexCorp, has announced to provide rooms in the LexCorp headquarter for the students to ensure a continuation of classes at least for first and second grade…" the reporter continued.
"Oh, mommy… does it mean that school is now at LexCorp?"
Lois paled at the thought of her son entering the LexCorp building. Every time, he would enter the building, he would cause the Kryptonian-alarm. And Lex would not take long to count two and two together. Before Lois could say anything the reporter in TV continued.
"…I am sorry, but I just heard that it was only meant for the first-grade classes! The availability of rooms is so limited that…"
Lois was relieved. Her son was in second grade and therefor would not have school there…
Indeed, Lex Luthor shuddered at the thought of having Lois Lane's son in his building. If the boy was just half as troublesome than his mother, he wouldn't need him downstairs. For that, he has too many projects, that were too important to let them get endangered by Lois…
"…in the coming days, the school and the local authorities will inform parents and students how to go on from now…"
Lois turned back to Johnny relieved.
"No, Johnny… only the first graders! But for that, you have no school next week! Would you like to stay a bit longer with grandma and grandpa?"
Nobody knew if it was good or bad… but they were running out of time…
Sometime later, when Johnny was already in bed, Lois and Clark walked up and down while brooding about everything. Jimmy arrived late, too to join them. The whole school-issue came in the worst possible moment!
"When we tell him, we have a reason to tell the school that he can't come for the week!" Clark suggested.
"And what about the week after? Or the on after that?" Lois moaned. "It will take months before the chaos is handled! And years before the school is rebuild! Let's assume, Johnny will be sent to Siegelberg Elementary. It will take him over one hour to get there!"
"If he learns to fly, he will be there in minutes!" Jimmy said.
"And what if he doesn't? We don't know how he will develop!" Clark murmured.
"You make us nervous!" Martha, who sat with her husband on the couch and watched them the whole time, interfered.
"You have an idea, Ma?" Clark asked.
"Yes… we ask someone with experience! She said and left the house to go to the toolshed in the fields, that was actually the cover for the fortress…