Chapter 56
Superman had thought of going to the Fortress, but quickly dismissed the idea. His memories were too fresh and his emotions too raw. Instinctively, he knew he needed to be around people, not isolated, so he returned to the city. His city.
A crescent moon hung in the night sky as Superman hovered over Metropolis. The chilly autumn breeze fluttered the folds of his cape and tossed his split-curl. He closed his eyes and listened. Nothing. Tonight was quiet. He leaned forward, flew toward a tall building, and landed on the rooftop. His apartment was on the eighth floor. He changed into the Clark Kent clothes he kept stashed away and then used the service door to enter the building.
Once inside his apartment, he grabbed a cold drink from the fridge and peered out the window over the kitchen sink. It seemed like years since he'd been here. The reflection of the blinking light on his answering machine caught his eye. Two messages awaited. The first was from the Metropolis Star. He'd applied there right after asking Perry for a leave of absence. He hadn't been sure if he would ever be able to work at the Daily Planet again.
The second message was from Lois.
With some dread, he pressed the play button. "Clark? Hey, it's Lois. Please give me a call when you get this message. It's important." A pause and then, "Jason and I have .. we have something to ask you." Another pause and finally, "Thanks." Click.
What could Lois and Jason have for him? Had Jason told Lois that he was Superman? If Jason had, was that a good thing or a bad thing? Clark took a gulp of his drink. No, Lois hadn't sounded upset. He didn't think Jason had revealed his secret identity to Lois. Of course, there was only one way to know for sure. Clark picked up the phone and dialed. An hour later he was standing at Lois' front door.
Lois greeted him with a warm smile. "Clark, thanks for coming." She opened the door wider and there was Jason, standing by her side.
"Hi, Lois. Hey, Jason. I got your message," Clark's voice trailed off. He was unsure of what to say next. Unsure of what was going on.
Jason hugged Clark around the waist. "Hi, Mr. Kent."
Clark ruffled his son's hair. "Hey, haven't seen you in a while. How's school going?"
Jason smiled up at Clark, "Great. I have something to ask you."
"Oh, what's that?" Clark felt uneasy. Unsure, again.
Lois gave Jason a pointed look. "Jason, let's let our guest come in and sit down first." She motioned everyone toward the living room.
Shoulders sloughed and head down, Clark stole a quick glance at Lois as he pushed up his glasses. She looked a little worried.
Lois and Jason sat on the sofa. Clark sat in comfortable wingback chair.
"Okay, sweetie," Lois said to Jason, "you can ask Mr. Kent your question."
"Finally!" Jason was so excited it seemed he might burst. "Mr. Kent, will you come to my school on Wednesday? It's father-son day." Lois gave Jason a look, reminding him of his manners and Jason added, "Please, Mr. Kent."
Jason sat very still waiting for Clark's answer.
Clark sat on the chair in wide-eyed surprise. Never in a million years had he expected this. "What about your dad, Jason?" He looked from Jason to Lois for an explanation.
"Daddy's in London," Jason said with a touch of sadness. "Grandma's sick."
Lois clarified, "Richard's mother had a stroke." In a quieter tone she added, "The events of the past week may have caused it."
"I see," Clark said softly acknowledging he understood. The kidnappings would not have been easy news for an elderly woman to handle.
"We're not sure when daddy's coming back," Lois forced a lighter tone into her voice. "Grandma has a large estate in London. Richard's going to have to take care of things, and grandma, for a while." She smiled at Jason, but gave Clark a look that said Richard might not be coming back.
"Well. Wow," Clark stammered, tripping over his thoughts and words. "Gee, I'm so sorry about your Grandma. That's really sad. And your dad being gone. That's sad, too."
"I know," Jason said. "So, will you come to my school?" The little boy waited impatiently for an answer.
"Yes. Of course, I will. I'd be honored to stand in for your dad." Clark's smile could not have gotten wider or brighter. "I'm honored you asked me."
"Yay!" Jason sprang off the sofa and ran to the chair and gave Clark a big hug.
Clark wrapped his arms around his son's small body and cherished the moment. If only he could do this every day and every night. He breathed in his son's little boy scent. Clark could tell he'd had a bath. He smelled the fruity bubble bath and children's shampoo.
Jason pulled back, looked at his mom, and said, "I told you he'd say yes."
Lois gave half a shrug and shook her head playfully.
Jason returned his attention to Clark. "I made a gift for you."
Off he ran, up the stairs, to retrieve the gift.
Lois smiled, a genuine, heartfelt smile. "Thanks Clark, this means so much to him. I didn't want him to be alone on Father-Son day."
"I'm truly honored, Lois. It means a lot to me, too."
"For the record, Richard did ask us to go to London with him. But I said no." She stood and folded her arms across her chest. She began walking in front of the sofa, talking as much to herself as to Clark. "I know it's the right decision for me. I'm not sure it's the right decision for Jason."
Clark held up his hands, indicating she needn't share personal information. Now, he sat rather, uncomfortably in the chair.
"Clark," she continued, "I'm telling you this because, to be honest, I think Jason may start looking to you now, as .. well, as a father figure."
Clark was stunned. His lips made an O. But deep inside, he was delighted.
"Clark, he really looks up to you. In case you hadn't noticed, he's very fond of you." Yes, Clark had noticed.
Lois, like a lot of people, incorrectly assumed that the details of everyday life and personal interactions escaped Clark's notice.
Jason came running down the stairs with a shoe-box. "This is for you, Mr. Kent."
Clark moved to the sofa to sit beside Jason. Lois took the comfortable chair. Clark lifted the lid of the shoe box. Clark had been tempted to use his X-ray vision, but considered that cheating. Inside the box was a handmade card. On the front, written in big blue letters were the words, "Thank You." Clark opened the card and on the left side, in big red letters was, "Love, Jason." On the right side, Jason had drawn a picture of himself and Clark standing by a tree. Above them, in the blue sky was a bat and a cloud. On the brown ground was a large red and black spider.
"Nice picture," Clark said to Jason.
"We're learning about bats and spiders in school," Jason explained. "There's more!" He pointed to the tissue paper in the box.
Clark unwrapped the crumpled white paper and discovered a framed photo of Jason. It was his most recent school picture. Jason had glued blue and white crystals around the frame.
"I got the crystals when my class went to the Gem and Mineral Museum." Jason beamed proudly.
Clark gave Jason a hug and a broad smile. "Thank you, Jason. This is very nice. I'll put the picture and card in a very special place when I get home." Unknowingly, Jason had given Clark the perfect gifts and they would find a home at the Fortress of Solitude.
Quickly shifting gears, as young children often do, Jason asked, "Mom, can I play my Leap Frog now?"
Lois laughed. "Sure, I want to talk to Clark, er, Mr. Kent, alone."
Lois and Clark watched Jason scamper up the stairs. Clark wondered what Lois wanted to talk about.
"I really like the picture," he told Lois. "It was very nice of him to give it to me."
"It was all his idea." Lois paused a beat and settled back in the char. "So, when are you returning to the Planet?"
Interesting change of topics, Clark thought then said, "Actually, I'm not sure. I have an interview with the Metropolis Star tomorrow."
Lois leaned forward, her sharp brown eyes zeroing in on Clark. "What? Why?" He'd taken her completely by surprise. "I .. I guess you don't have to explain your decisions to me. But Clark, you've barely been back from wherever you were for five years and you're thinking of changing jobs?"
Clark thought it best to tread carefully. "I kinda felt like trying something new."
"Something new? I thought you'd been off trying something new for the past five years."
Was that an accusation? Clark didn't like the tone of Lois' voice.
"Clark, I'm going to be perfectly honest." Her eyes met his and he saw sincerity in her expression. "I'd like my partner back."
Clark was stunned for the second time that evening. "You would?"
The moment hung in the air. Lois looked like she was mulling over a variety of options. Finally, she said, "Clark, your latest absence really affected the newsroom."
A warm, fuzzy feeling filled Clark's heart, but then Lois doused the warmth. "Jimmy missed you terribly. He asked about you every day. Perry was beside himself. He's pulling out what little hair he has left. He's lost two reporters, you and Richard, in two weeks. If I'd decided to leave, he would've had a heart attack."
Clark had been staring at his hands while Lois talked. Suddenly, she was silent and he looked up.
Her eyes were focused on him again. "You know why I'm still at the Planet, Clark? It's because the Planet is my home. I thought it was your home, too."
Wow, way to hit him in the heart. "Lois," Clark began.
"Clark, you have no idea how much I hate breaking in new people."
Was she trying to be funny? "Thanks, Lois. It's nice to know I'm appreciated."
He saw the OOPS expression on her face. Lois was known for putting her foot in her mouth.
"Oh, um, I didn't mean it .."
Clark saved her before she got too far into the apology. "Don't worry, Lois. Your little speech has helped me make up my mind. I've decided to come back." He grinned. "Even if it is just so you don't have to break in someone new."
"Really? You are?" Her mouth hung open for a second before she snapped it shut. "Well, that's great. That's really great, Clark. You're a good reporter and we .. we work well together. Don't we? That is, when you're not getting in my way."
She had to get in that last dig, didn't she.
Clark smiled. "I'll try to stay out of your way." He looked over his glasses at her. He liked that she wanted him back. She'd called him her partner. Why did she have such a hard time admitting that to him and herself.
Lois was staring at him. "Wow, your eyes are really blue."
Uh, oh. He turned to avoid her direct gaze. "Um, yeah. Always been blue, Lois."
"I've never noticed before," she mumbled more to herself than to Clark. She sat there, lost in thought, brow crinkled.
Clark pushed up his glasses and cleared his throat. "Ahem, well, um, I should get going."
"No, wait. Would you like dinner?" Another abrupt change in topic.
"Are you going to cook?" Clark asked with a slightly pained expression.
"Don't be ridiculous. I can't cook." She laughed. "I meant the three of us could go out. Unless you have other plans."
"No, no other plans. I would .. I mean, that would be nice. I don't want to interrupt any dinner plans you already have."
"Clark, this is my way of thanking you for agreeing to go to Jason's school on Wednesday. And for coming back to the Planet. Trust me, Clark, I'm getting more out of this deal than you are." Lois wore a smile of utter confidence.
Clark grinned back. He knew full well he was getting much more out of the deal than Lois could ever realize. A week ago he'd flown by Jason's school and read the marquee announcing Father-Son Day. At the time, he'd thought he would never be able to attend such an event and openly act as Jason's father. Fate had stepped in and graciously granted him a true father-son opportunity.