Author's Note: This story is a sequel to "Superman Returns." I always liked that movie and wished the studio had made a sequel. Since they didn't, I wrote one. I'm older and this story contains a lot comic book lore from the 1970s. There's quite a bit about Krypton and Brainiac. This story is complete and I will post chapters on a regular basis. BTW I'm super excited for the new Superman movie coming out this summer. :D
Chapter 1
Superman had been gone five long years searching for the remains and survivors of his home world Krypton. He'd found nothing except shattered bits of kryptonite. Now he was back on Earth and a lot had happened since his return six months ago.
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Stars glittered like diamonds in the night sky. Lois Lane stood on the deck of her riverfront home leaning against the wooden railing. Her pretty brown eyes appeared to be gazing at the lights of Metropolis shining on the other side of the river, but actually she was remembering one extraordinary night five years ago. The night's cool breeze ruffled the curls of her shoulder-length dark-brown hair prompting her to zip the fleece jacket of her jogging suit. Lois hugged herself and thought how cozy, warm, and comfortable the jogging suit felt. She wished her life could be the same—cozy, warm, and comfortable.
Since Superman's return Lois had experienced every possible emotion—joy, anger, and deep hurt by the fact he had failed to say good-bye. She felt she understood the reasons why he left, but she didn't understand why he hadn't told her he was leaving. It had only been a week or so after that special night when he'd disappeared so unexpectedly.
Images of that night ran through Lois' mind. After knowing each other for almost three years Superman had suggested they go to his place. Before then all their intimate moments had been shared in Lois' high-rise Metropolis apartment. Actually they had shared little more than affectionate hugs and kisses, but at the isolated Fortress of Solitude all of that changed.
Lois had been fascinated by the Kryptonian Fortress located near the North Pole and in particular the holographic images of Superman's parents. The distinguished couple in their brightly colored clothing and foreign language had confirmed Superman's alien heritage and sparked a flurry of questions from Lois regarding Krypton. Wondering if Kal-El had any siblings had prompted her innocent questions regarding children and reproduction. Kal-El had explained that the combination of Krypton's heavier gravity and longer evolution had granted Kryptonian's superior strength and intelligence compared to Earthlings. However, a price had been paid in reproduction—gestation was slightly longer and births were fewer. Most couples managed to have one child, sometimes two, but three children were unheard of, and childless couples were not unusual.
For the most-part, Kryptonian and Terran physiology and physiological responses were similar, but the transfer of sperm was an exception. The release of one sperm in a thick frothy mucus had ensured the perpetuation of the fittest on Krypton and five years ago the safety of Lois, but more importantly—Jason's conception.
So why, Lois asked herself again, if he really loved her, hadn't he said something before leaving? Perhaps she was being too selfish. After all he hadn't known she was pregnant and for that matter neither had she. But once she'd realized the truth she'd had no one to turn to or confide in. Who do you tell you're pregnant with Superman's baby?
That was the part that hurt. Lois had dealt with everything by herself, living in fear for most of the pregnancy, wondering if the baby would be normal and healthy. Would the baby have superpowers at birth? Would the doctors notice anything unusual? Would the truth be discovered?
The day Richard came into her life had been a blessing. Lois had just returned from the doctor's appointment confirming her pregnancy. She hadn't known whether to be happy or sad and truthfully she'd been a little of both. She knew people would want to know who the father was, but what would she say? What could she say? Lois realized she'd been isolating herself from friends and co-workers and people were beginning to talk.
She'd felt completely alone in the world when Richard walked up and introduced himself. He'd just arrived in Metropolis thanks to his Uncle Perry White's request to take over the International Section of the Daily Planet Newspaper. Tall and slender with an easy-going manner and wavy brown hair, Richard had sensed Lois' distress and suggested a quiet dinner together. Lois didn't usually accept dinner invitations, especially from co-workers, but Richard's warm smile and twinkling hazel eyes had put her at ease. As she accepted the invitation she realized she did so in part because she wanted someone to confide in.
It proved to be one of the best decisions she ever made. Over dinner that night, Lois poured her heart out to Richard, telling him about the pregnancy, but not who the father was. Richard responded with concern and understanding. He'd been attracted to Lois from the moment he'd laid eyes on her. He knew of her past with Superman, but strangely Superman seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth. Richard had thought that might be why Lois was so distressed, but then she'd told him about the pregnancy and his heart went out to her. From that day on Richard had been Lois' knight in shining armor.
Their relationship grew and by the time Jason was born they had become steady companions and allowed family, friends, and co-workers to believe Richard was Jason's father. On Jason's first birthday they decided to move in together. By that time it had been almost two years since Lois, or anyone, had seen Superman. Was he dead? It had seemed the only explanation for his disappearance. Lois couldn't think of any other reason Superman would have left without saying something to her.
But now, here he was, back on Earth and Lois was torn between two great men. Most women would be happy to have just one. Richard had truly been a father to Jason for five years and Lois knew he truly loved her, too. However, Superman was becoming a part of Jason's life and visiting him as often as he could. He wanted to be part of Lois' life too, but she wasn't ready to accept him back or make a decision between the two men.
Feeling as though the weight of the world was on her shoulders, Lois pushed herself away from the railing, and perhaps out of habit, unconsciously looked skyward before heading into the house to check on Jason. She climbed the stairs and quietly peeked in on him. The rhythmic rise and fall of his small chest indicated a sound sleep. Jason's class had gone on a field trip to the Metropolis Museum of Natural History and he'd talked through dinner and his bath. Lois thought he must have fallen asleep the minute his head touched the pillow. She lightly kissed his forehead and smoothed his disheveled hair before retreating downstairs.
A short while later Lois returned to the deck and placed a steaming cup of tea on the large patio table and lit a candle. Waiting for the tea to cool, she strode to the patio's railing again and gazed out over the river trying to relax. Richard had moved into an apartment to give her some space to sort out her feelings.
"I may need more than space to sort things out," she mused softly.
"Lois," a strong gentle voice said from behind and slightly above. Lois turned as Superman glided silently to the ground, his cape fluttering in the night breeze. The crescent moon and candle illuminated his face.
Lois saw the all-too-familiar pain in his eyes. I don't want to hurt him or Richard, she thought, they each have been there for me in different ways—at different times. Aloud she said, "I'm sorry, Jason is already asleep. He had a busy day at school he fell asleep early tonight."
"I understand." Superman turned to the house and focused on Jason's second-story bedroom. His X-ray vision allowed him to see his son sleeping soundly while he listened to his son's soft breathing with his super-hearing. Instantly filled with pride and joy Superman watched for awhile, wishing he could have been there earlier tonight, wishing he could have been the one to tuck Jason in bed.
Finally, Superman turned and walked toward Lois. "I miss you, Lois," he said tenderly.
"I know, I miss you, too, but I'm still working through my feelings." She took a deep breath and looked into his crystal blue eyes. "I don't mean to hurt you, but I—well we—have been through a lot in the last six months. Jason has had a lot of changes in his young life. And I've had a lot of changes in mine, too."
There truly had been a lot of changes. Lois had told Jason that Superman was his father, a fact he seemed to accept easily and happily. She'd also told him Richard would still be an important part of his life. Like Superman, Richard visited and did things with Jason as often as possible. More importantly, Lois had told Richard the truth about Jason. Over the years Richard had suspected as much, but had never said anything knowing it was important to keep the boy's parentage a secret.
Superman held out his arms and Lois stepped into his embrace. The warmth of his body enveloped her. I could stay in his arms forever. It's so warm and safe, Lois thought. But she also thought of their son. Certain people would try to harm Jason if they knew his true heritage. Having Superman's child came with heavy responsibilities—very heavy responsibilities and concerns—that weighed upon Lois' tired shoulders.
Superman had tried so hard the last six months to give Lois the time she needed. He'd finally begun to realize just how deeply he'd hurt her when he'd left unannounced. But when astronomers thought they'd discovered the remains of Krypton he'd had to know for sure if any part of his home still existed—if there were any survivors. He owed his home that much.
He took a deep breath and the smell of her hair filled his senses. He wondered if Lois would ever forgive him. The thought, Perhaps she can't, filled him with dread. How could he ever explain to her the loneliness he'd lived with all his life? Always wondering if there were others like him stranded somewhere, or was he truly the last son of Krypton?
Lois rested her head on his chest. He stroked her hair, running his fingers through the dark curls, then lightly kissed the top of her head. His sensitive skin felt her body tense —become rigid—it felt like a rejection. Although he was embracing the woman he loved, he felt intensely alone. He may be called the Man of Steel, but he wasn't made of steel and now, his heart was breaking. The pain was too great—he had to leave.
"I have to go, Lois," he triedf to hide the pain in his voice. But Lois saw the pain in his eyes and knew she was the cause. No matter how hard she tried not to hurt him, she always seemed to do just that.
What could she say? Honestly, she was too tired to think. Stepping back from Superman's embrace, she asked, "Will you be back tomorrow?"
He lifted slowly into the sky and hovered in place looking down at her. "I'll try," he said softly, then lifted both arms, looked skyward, and sailed rapidly up, up, into the night sky and disappeared.