Love and Heroes

Love and Heroes


Back at the planet later on, they are all immediately summoned into a staff meeting with Perry. Perry lectured them. “I wanna know it all, everything.” He turns and points to Jimmy “Olsen, I wanna see photos of him everywhere. No, I want the photos.”

He left Jimmy alone and called out “Sports how are they gonna get that plane out of the stadium?” Clark inwardly groaned. He would have to help with that. He figured he’d dumped it there he might as well be the one to remove it. An older, white haired man nods at Perry’s demands.

Perry continued on “Travel, where did he go, was he on vacation, if so, where?” Clark stifled the urge to snort, as did Chloe. On vacation, yeah right, if you only truly knew Perry, if you only knew, Clark and Chloe thought at the same time.

Perry was still going strong as he continued to give out orders “Gossip, has he met somebody? Fashion, is that a new suit?” Clark mentally nodded. Yes that was indeed a new suit. Chloe had insisted he need to change his style slightly. He had been gone for so long, that Superman was not the same man he had been.

So with Chloe’s help, Clark had held Chloe, protecting her inside of his cape from the harsh winds of the Arctic. Once they had landed Chloe had helped Clark design a new suit, with the aid of the crystals and the technology left behind by his parents.

Chloe had chosen the darker and richer shades of red and blue. Clark admired her taste. The colours were more subdued and more suited to Clark’s dark hair and his tanned complexion. The more subdued colours meant he no longer looked like he had been spat out of a comic book.

Clark snapped out of his thoughts and listened to Perry continuing to unknowingly talk about him. “Health, has he gained weight? What’s he been eating?” Clark frowned and moved his coat aside and discreetly looked down. He looked up at Chloe who was eyeing him in amusement. If only Perry knew he was asking all of these questions, and the man himself was standing right among them.

Sometimes the whole situation really did crack Chloe up, knowing her friend would either end up flustered, self conscious, or silently indignant. The, had he gained weight question, for example, now that had definitely gotten a reaction out of the man himself.

Perry moved on, giving out orders to another section of reporters “Business how is this gonna affect the stock market, long-term, short-term?” He added “Politics, does he still stand for truth, justice all that stuff?”

He concluded “Lifestyle “Superman Returns.” He ceases talking, all is silent for a few moments, and they are all staring at Perry. Perry waves his hands in a shooing gesture and says “Come on then, get to it.”

Everyone starts clearing out of the large conference room. Clark tries to get Lois’s attention but she is far too caught up in her own thoughts. Lois asks, as she is exiting the room “Gil, how many F’s in “Catastrophic?” Perry passes her and says “None. What’s the usage?”

Lois quickly puts on her glasses and follows Perry, as he heads for his office and rapidly begins explaining “This mysterious electromagnetic pulse knocked out portable devices and entire power grids, causing a catastrophic event during—“

Perry instantly cuts her off, not allowing her to go on and says “Lois!” Lois replied “Yes.” Perry ordered in reply “In my office.” Lois sighs and heads for Perry’s office. Perry turns to face the whole news room and calls out. “This goes for everyone. The story isn’t the blackout, it’s Superman!”

Perry turns and enters his office, closing the glass door behind him. Lois immediately begins to protest “The story is the EMP, chief. Every electronic device on the East Coast goes dark.”

Perry walks behind his desk and throws down a brown file, folder and then turns to face Lois. He asks her. “First, are you okay?” she replied “Yes, thank you.” Perry cut off anything else she could have said and told her as bluntly as Perry White was well known for being “Lois, three things sell papers: tragedy, sex and Superman. People are sick of tragedy; we know you can’t write worth a damn about sex.”

Clark his using his super hearing to listen in on Lois and Perry’s conversation, as Chloe mock sighs, thinking what she wouldn’t give to not currently be her friend, with his super hearing.

Perry’s and Lois’s voices sound muffled as if coming from in the distance. “That means one thing. That one thing is Superman. And you know it, Lois.” Clark turns as he watches Richard head for Perry’s office before opening the door and going inside. Chloe cringes as she watches Clark’s reaction.

She smiles at Alfred and Lucia, who had just come from inside of Richard’s office. She wonders where her cousin is. She had gone and collected Lucia and Alfred from school, as had Lois with Jason. Up until a few moments ago, all three cousins had been entertaining themselves inside of Richard’s office. And if she had Lucia and Alfred right there with her, then where was Jason?

Clark continued to listen as Richard entered the office. Richard asked worriedly as he entered his uncle’s office “Lois are you all right, you sure?” Lois replied “Yeah Sure. Yeah, I’m fine.” Richard sighed in relief and said “Thank God.”

Clark continues to listen as he watches the other man embracing Lois and her returning that embrace. He feels something clench inside of his chest and his stomach. He continues to listen. “Where’s Jason?” Richard asked Lois. Lois asked “I don’t know. Isn’t he with you?” Richard replied “No.” Lois, who was starting to sound worried asked “Well, where is he?”

Clark was suddenly startled, and turned to look in front of him when heard a little voice saying. “Hi.” Clark smiled gently at the little boy and said “Hello.” Clark thought he looked adorable. And felt a stab of pain, pain over the fact the sweet looking little boy, was apart of the woman he loved, but not of him. Or so he thought.

Chloe looked over at the sight before her and, her breath caught in her throat. She suspected if she was correct about Clark and Jason being father and son, then they were meeting for the first time. She stood and slowly, making her way over to them, Alfred and Lucia following her, wanting to say hello to their uncle Clark.

She walked over and studied the two. And instantly knew, knew she had been right; Jason and Clark were father and son. Not like Jason and Richard, but in the true biological sense of meaning. She was blown away when she realised some day, her little cousin was most likely going to be super powered like his father and her oldest and dearest friend.

She noticed that Jason had Lois’s hair colour and her features, but his jaw line, his ears, and definitely his eyes and skin tone, were pure Clark. She suspected as he got older his hair would darken to look more like his fathers rather then his mothers.

Clark and Jason looked up as Chloe and the twins joined them. Clark watched as Jason took out an inhaler and breathed in deeply. Chloe frowned, wondering how Jason could always be so sick and fragile, as she never remembered Clark being like that. She supposed it was because Jason was only partly like Clark, but was also part human, like Lois. She supposed the older he got the better he would become.

Jason lowered the inhaler before asking Clark “Who are you?” Clark replied gently “I’m Clark Kent, an old friend of your mom’s from before you were born.” Jason replied. Having no idea how his words said in pure innocence and the truth, were enough to cut Clark deeply. “Really? She never mentioned you.”

Chloe winced, looking pained, at the brutality that was honesty, coming from a five year-old. Even Clark was surprised as well. He was also more then a little hurt, hurt that Lois had never mentioned him. But he hid it well, as he asked Jason. “Really? Never?” Jason shakes his head and replies “No.”

Lois suddenly calls out in relief “Jason.” She walked over and crouched in front of Jason and asked “What are you doing here, honey?” Jason replies “Daddy’s office is boring.” Lois exclaims “Daddy’s office is boring?”

Lois turned from her son and looked up at Clark. She smiled and exclaimed. “Clark, hey! Welcome back.” They both step towards each other, and try to embrace each other, but it ends up being awkward, before she places a kiss on his cheek. They both laugh awkwardly.

Chloe shakes her head and inwardly groans. It was always the same, bumbling shy Clark Kent, always falling over himself and making a fool out of himself. It was worse then it had been with Lana Lang back in high School.

Lois grinned and said “I see you’ve already met the munchkin.” Clark replied “Yeah, we were just talking“ Lois cuts him off mid sentence and bends down again to face her son and asks him “Did you take Vitamins? Eye drops?” Jason replies “Yes. Yes.” Lois goes on “Albuterol? Poly-Vi-Flor?”

Jason sighed and answered “Yes. Yes, mom.” Sometimes his mom really was overprotective of him. It was the same every time. Jason found it to be exasperating, even if he wasn’t quite sure what the term exasperated meant yet.

Lois strokes his hair and praises him with a smile and says “Good boy. He’s little fragile, but he’s gonna grow up to be big and strong like his dad, won’t you?” Lois explains to Clark, about Jason’s fragile condition. Lois said “Yes?” Jason nodded in agreement and replied “Yes.”

Clark said “Oh, I saw you on the-“ Lois stands and waves her hand, cutting Clark off mid sentence, yet again. She commented “Oh, yeah. That was nothing.” She looks at her cousin, as if noticing her for the first time. The two women merely eye each other coolly, making Clark cringe.

Lois suddenly looks to Clark’s desk and asks. “Hey, can I borrow your stapler?” Clark replies quickly “Oh, yeah.” They reach for it at the same time, causing there hands to brush against each others. They both smile awkwardly, as Lois takes hold of the stapler and says. “Thanks.”

Clark suddenly comments “Congratulations on the Pulitzer. That’s incredible.” Lois replies with a smile “Yeah. Can you believe it? It’s” She waves her hand in an offhanded gesture and bites her tongue when she hears the distinctive sound of her cousin’s snort of disgust.

She continues on ignoring her and says to Clark. “So I wanna hear all about your trip. Where did you go? What did you see? Meet anyone special?” Clark answered ”Well, there’s so much. Where to begin?”

Just as Clark opens his mouth to continue, Richard comes along and interrupts, causing Chloe to roll her eyes and busy herself with her own children, in less says something she wouldn’t be liable to regret later on.

“Where’s the little guy? Hey, kiddo.” Richard bends down and picks up Jason and holds him against his chest as he asks him. “How are you?” Jason replies “Good.”

Lois asked Richard “Can you work some magic to get your uncle to stop giving me such a hard time on this article?” She added, pleading “Please?” Richard sighed and asked “Again?” Lois nodded and confirmed “Again.” Richard also nodded and said “You got it.”

He leans forwards and kisses her, causing Chloe to bite her tongue and Clark to look anywhere but at the two people in front of him, unknowingly stomping on his heart. Clark feels his blood boil and clears his throat loudly, causing Lois and Richard to turn and face him, along with Jason. Chloe grimaces.

Lois quickly says, as if it’s an after thought “Oh, this is Clark.” She waves her hand back and forth between both men and makes the introductions. “Clark, Richard. Richard, Clark.” Richard holds out his hands for Clark to shake “Richard White.” Clark replies “Hi.”

Lois continued to make the introductions, in a fashion that showed Clark and Chloe, that she knew almost absolutely nothing about the man at her side. “Richard’s an assistant editor here who’s basically saved our international section.”

Richard smiles modestly, as Lois continues. Lois Finishes awkwardly “He’s also a pilot and he loves horror movies. She adds looking at Clark awkwardly and making Chloe bristle. “Clark is, well, he’s Clark.”

Chloe spoke up coolly “Yeah and he’s also not invisible Lois. And I’m willing to wager once he gets back into the swing of things, he’s more then likely one of the best damn reporters here.”

Clark adds feeling warmed and little amused at Chloe’s protective nature of him. The way she acted you’d think he was either Alfred or Lucia. “Thanks for the vote of confidence Chlo.”

Richard asked, clearly surprised “You two know each other well?” Chloe replied “Yeah, I’ve known Clark here since we were thirteen. I went to Smallville high with him. I remember dating him in our last year of high school, whilst he was the quarter back for the school foot ball team and, I was the editor of the Torch, the school news paper.”

She concluded “He was also there at the hospital when Lucia and Alfred were born, he is their God father. So yeah, Richard you could definitely say I know him very well indeed.”

Lois who had not been paying much attention to that part, would be in for a nasty shock later on, when she is told again that her cousin had dated Clark Kent.

Richard was clearly stunned. Having had no idea the two shared such a history together. He said “Well, it’s great to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much.” Clark raised and eye brow and replied “Oh, you have?” Clark looked surprised, distinctively remembering Jason saying Lois had never once mentioned him. Richard nodded and replied “Yeah, Jimmy won’t shut up about you.” Clark inwardly grinned thinking ‘Ah, good old Jimmy’

Lois said “Gotta run.” Richard asked “Where?” Lois replied “You heard Perry. Superman’s back and he thinks I’m the only one equipped to-“ She trailed off, gesturing with her hands awkwardly. Richard asked “To what?” Lois shook her head and replied “I don’t know, you know.” Richard told her “So don’t listen to him.”

Both eye Jason as Lois replies “I’m not. Going to the power plant to check out the blackout.” Richard nodded and said “Okay. He grins and kisses her again. Jason says to Lois “Bye, mom.” Lois replies “Bye.” She then kisses Jason on the cheek.

Clark waves briefly, as she turns to leave, leaving Clark, Chloe and Richard, along with the kids, just standing there. Clark called out “Bye, Lois.” Richard sighed and said “And she’s gone. No matter how close we are, that woman will always be a mystery to me.” Clark and Chloe nodded knowingly and exchanged a knowing look.

Richard told Clark “If you need anything. I’m right over there.” Richard points to a large corner office, with surrounding glass. He adds “Nice to finally meet you.” He then turns to leave, taking Jason with him, leaving Clark behind with Chloe, Alfred and Lucia.

They hear Richard asking Jason, as they walk out of sight “Where do you wanna go? Wanna go to the park?”