Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the movie Superman Returns or any of the Superman franchise.

Introduction:

Superman gazed down as the lights of Metropolis as a cool breeze flapped his cape lightly behind him. His mind was clouded with thoughts of his fall to Earth, his newly discovered son, and above all, the warmth of Lois' lips as she kissed him briefly in the hospital. He had so wanted to return the kiss, to declare his love for the only woman who had captured his heart and soul, but he was paralyzed by the loss of strength he faced after lifting Lex's island into the sky.

"I truly believed I would die," he thought to himself, "How am I still here?"

He wanted to believe it was his love for Lois that helped him survive, but he knew his survival was not a result of his own feelings. Kal-El was sent here to save humanity, and even though he tried to fully embrace his role as Clark Kent, he could not avoid his destiny. He had mentioned to Lois once that he heard the cries of people for a savior, and it was their faith, he decided, that pulled him through. Their cries reminded him he could not lose his way.

Superman began to feel weak as the kryptonite wound in his back began to burn again. He knew it would take only a couple days before he was fully healed, but he refused to leave the world to fend for itself. He decided to take one more quick flight before turning in for the night. He figured if there was any trouble, he could deal with it quickly and then return to the hotel.

His mother had traveled to the city as soon as she heard of his plight. She had whispered softly that she would wait for him at the hotel while she stood among the crowd outside the hospital. Martha Kent knew her son would always be able to hear her voice, and simply wanted to offer him shelter in the city until his health returned.

As he wondered whether or not to reveal the identity of Jason's father to his mother, he noticed he had once again ended up at the house on the lake he had become so familiar with. He decided to take one last look to see if Jason and Lois were ok. Jason was fast asleep again, only hours after he had spoke with him. Lois was just climbing into bed as Richard snored softly next to her. She seemed to look right at Superman for a second before shutting her eyes. He knew she couldn't really see him through the wall, but maybe, just maybe, she felt his presence there.

At that thought, he flew back up into the sky. He said a silent thanks to the city for not having any severe criminal disturbances as he flew quietly through the night, and then headed for the hotel where he immediately collapsed into sleep.

One Week Later…

Usually the over-crowded elevator at the Daily Planet did not bother Lois, but today she felt uniquely claustrophobic. The quick comments about new updates seemed deafening as she willed the elevator to move faster. It was all she could do not to scream for everyone to shut up so that she could think.

Thinking. That was something Lois could not stop doing regardless of any distractions. She had spent the entire week that Perry had granted her off after being saved from the sinking ship replaying her last conversations with Superman. She was also still reeling from the discovery of Jason being his son. She had told herself this was silly, since she had always considered it was a possibility. Of course it wasn't until her son pushed a full-sized grand piano into her attacker that she accepted the truth.

She knew that this secret could not be kept to herself. She loved Richard for his simplicity and kindness, but it was Superman that took her breath away. Jason was even living proof of this fact. Lois closed her eyes as she recalled her confession to Superman as he lie in his hospital bed.

"Jason...Jason is your son. You'll have to help him deal with growing up with such extraordinary abilities. He needs you in his life…and so do I. I love you."

She had said no more, partly because she wasn't sure he could even hear her, but mostly because there was nothing left to say. When she had kissed him, Lois hoped maybe he would wake up and take her in his arms. Unfortunately, she received only the beeping sounds of the heart monitor.

Lois greeted the ding of the elevator with a sigh of relief as she strode to her desk. Her relief, though, was quickly halted by the stack of memos that had collected next to her computer. She knew that work wouldn't wait for her to recover, but the size of the pile still made her groan as she took her seat.

"My thoughts exactly." Clark said as he popped his head over the division between their desks. Her expression softened when she saw his face. "Hey Lois," he said quietly, "How are you holding up?"

"Clark, I'm fine. Really." she quickly said as she diverted her eyes back to the memos. She knew she was lying, but she couldn't really open up to Clark about her news concerning who Jason's real father was. When she glanced back at Clark, she could tell he wouldn't buy her response. She began trying to think of something better to say when Clark asked if she wanted to get some air on the roof. Despite the fact that she had just sat down less than five minutes ago, some fresh air sounded like the perfect way to clear her head. "Alright, but I can't be gone long."

If Lois had looked up at Clark instead of turning around to grab her coat, she would have noticed the small smile that played on his lips. He was remembering that she had said those same words to him only weeks ago on the roof before he had taken her for an unforgettable flight over the city. "Whatever you say Lois." And with that he escorted her back to the elevator.