A/N: I think that this version it's much better than the other two. ShadoLibrarian helped a lot for the second attempt but I thought that it was for the best to edit again. Forgive possible mistakes cough grammar cough and try to enjoy it.
Here he was, once again, in a corner where nobody bothered to notice him. Stuck in a party where he never wanted to be. But no, the worst part wasn't the suit under his one size bigger costume that made him look like a fool, neither that he was invisible to the other guests. It was the knowledge that tonight he was there to hear words spoken or better forced by his own cowardly actions through the last few months. Again he tried to not think about what was about to come next as the word 'coward' rang in his head.
'At least nobody noticed me' he mumbled thankfully with the blissful thought of sneaking out of there. He would be able to hear the painful words,even from a great distance but why he should force himself go through all this? He still had the time to slowly open the door behind him, walk out to the balcony and fly away from this nightmare. When he was ready to make his move, touch the handle that opened the way to freedom, a familiar voice stopped him.
"Clark Kent, our blue tights boy wanting to leave us so soon?"
"Bruce. I see that even if you jump pretending that you're flying, you still are a sneaky rat."
Bruce's left eyebrow didn't raised as usual to the comment, instead he offered him one a glass filled with strong liqueur as he sipped a gulp from his own.
"You forget that I don't drink?" he asked him, giving him one of his friendly grins … but this time it was almost impossible to move his face muscles.
"I supposed that you wanted to forget."
"That you bought 25 precedence of the Daily Planet? Believe me you need something stronger than that to make me forget," he said pointing the glass.
Again no reaction, that was strange for Bruce, he loved to slap him down at any chance he had. Only a weird look appeared finally, saying 'Cut it out you fool, I know.'
"How can Superman be such a coward?" I said expressing my thoughts out loud.
"Selfless because of his fear…?"
"Coward. They will announce it tonight and I didn't have the courage to claim my son, not even that … a coward …" my words drowned to the liquid that ran now down my throat.
"Speaking of him, Alfred informed me that he spent the last hour in the music room. Nobody noticed that he is missing though." he sighed finishing his drink.
'How was that possible?' Lois never leave him out of her sight. She was too attached to him more than ever after what happened in Luthor's yacht. She was really so happy to forget her son. Their son? An inner voice corrected. Why he didn't have the guts to tell her that night, "I love you?"
What were you thinking! Goodnight Lois and I am always around… Kiss my… Idiot, idiot! You love her, she certainly has feelings for you and now she is setting the date of her big day. Puff! The day that YOU should be the groom and then she forgets that she has a child, your child…
"Too many thoughts, I presume," Bruce said cheerfully.
"He is playing the piano isn't he … he loves his keyboard… I loved playing the piano too," he added whispering to himself.
"No, he's just staring it hidden in the corner like his daddy… tell me I'm crazy but something is wrong with him at the moment… far from the usual... your usual behavior."
Clark didn't let him start again the whole story 'I have the car, you have the power from the sun, I have the castle here, your home is in I don't remember where... my horse is bigger than your horse' it were all just too childish and his boy was alone in a room who knows where. X-ray vision turned to be very helpful when you are a parent, even if the music room was just next to the ballroom where he was before with the (b)rat, whom he had for a friend.
Jason was behind the curtains while he was still staring tearful the piano. When he heard the door open he closed his eyes hoping that the curtains would not betray his precedence there.
Lois had never lost Jason before! 'Okay,' she thought 'Daily Planet doesn't count.' But still that made her a bad mother? Worse, a terrible mother, how she could ever lose Jason, this night, her night, actually Richard's night. She never wanted to get married, to dressed in white and say I do... to Richard, added a low voice in her head reminding her that she was still thinking a pair of brilliant blue eyes that didn't belong to her.
Lost son… your son! Focus Lois, focus! If you were five years old, where would you be in a castle that has over than 200 rooms. Everywhere! The solution to her problem was miraculously standing in front of her. The owner, the rich owner, the rich playboy owner. The Rich.Playboy.Owner. Owner of the 25 precedence of the Daily Planet. Bruce Wayne.
"Miss Lane, what a surprise. Are you are okay? You're looking like you lost something."
'Maybe a son,' he thought hating himself. He wasn't going to help her as much as she wanted. The boy deserved a couple of minutes with his father, and he really liked the blue boy of Metropolis yet that was something that would never escaped from his lips.
"No! Yes… Eh… Have you seen a little boy?" she asked trying not to sound to guilty.
"With bright blue eyes and his hobby is to stay in the corners? Yes, he was here a while ago but he just missed him for seconds."
"F- Fast little fellow isn't he? Excuse me... by any chance does this building has cameras, security or something useful to track him down …he is just too fragile for his age…"
"You have no idea. I wanted to say, I have no idea! Alfred, my housekeeper is familiar with those things…I have no time you see. Shall we... by the way, where is Mr. White your husband to be?" careful there boy.
"I have no idea…." And frankly I don't care! I just lost Superman's son, that happens to be the last of his kind and the only proof that he ever cared for me. Five.Years.Ago.'
Clark sat in the piano's booth and started to play some notes when he heard his small boy whining behind the curtains…
"I've heard that you were a big fan of this instrument a few months ago. You were always roaming the bullpen with your keyboard and your favorite song was the 'Heart and Soul'. Nice piece but I prefer something with more passion for life. What changed?"
Jason recognized the voice of the always, friendly, mild-mannered reporter. Clark's voice, Superman's voice. Someone who knew what was it like. With hope that he would understand, he got near him... and the piano.
"I didn't want to, I didn't even cared at first…he was trying to hurt mommy…he was trying to hurt her," he yelled as tears started to fall again in his cheeks."I didn't want to," he whispered. "It just happened ….But if, when I touch it again . . . it might….it might be daddy….or….or…" His voice cracked. He never knew how he found himself in Clark's arms, he never felt him lifting him on the glistering surface of the piano. So there he was, on the thing he never wanted to touch again, the thing he was afraid more than the darkness…more than the blood-thirsty dragon in his closet.
The both stayed there shivering as Clark's tears started now to fall as well in the piano keys.
"Some times Jason, we afraid of what we can't understand, what we think is a mistake, that does not fit our preconceptions. We all afraid of something, we all afraid to touch our own pianos kiddo… but what can we do to not be afraid anymore?"
"You're not afraid of anything, you are not supposed to afraid of anything. You're different."
Clark eyebrow raised in his son's last word.
"How different can I be? I look like everybody else, I hurt like everybody else…" 'yet I am such a coward like nobody else…' and in with that thought he bitterly pressed a key.
Jason face paled to the sound. He just had got used to the idea of been on a piano, he wasn't ready to hear it again, to feel it again. But Clark had a different opinion as he was putting him on his lap. He removed his jacket and putted his son's small fingers on his own, then slowly got closer to the piano. The notes started to fill the air and the soft hearing of them synchronized amazingly with his heart. The boy felt like he was the one who was pressing every key that was playing. After all those months he was playing a piece he never tried to play, it was too difficult for him anyway. Por una cabeza.
"Scent of a Woman" he heard Clark say with a bittersweet sense of warmth in his voice. Words still covered with love and care. The notes suddenly became more aggressive, the music was going faster and the tenseness in Clark's hands replaced the tenderness. It was like he was trying to control himself from getting hurt from the way he was now pressing the keys.
It was only when he felt a hot tear slipping on his neck from Clark's eyes that confirmed that that man was desperately trying to hurt himself, but that was simply impossible.
"I know what you're afraid of," he said looking at him straight in his eyes.
For half an hour, Lois was going from one wing to the other and then, the stairs. How many floors? Five. How many stairs 56 on the first, 23 on the rest. God if she was ever going to find her son she knew one thing: When the time came for her boy to start having super-speed, she was definitely going to ask Perry a financial support for a GPRS device.
Bruce checked his clock and smiling saw that the half hour had already passed. 'What am I doing for you scout boy. She is so stubborn that she might - mind you on a third round of searching in the mansion- find what is under the house'
"Do you have a cellar?" a red faced Lois asked turning quickly to him as she was still trying to catch her
breath.
"NO, we don't!" ' Unbelievable! Ain't asking for something else?'
Bip….bip….bip…..
"What is that?"
"Alfred, he send me a message…..I cant believe it …."
"Jason..?" asked Lois hopefully.
"Your guests and your fiancé are looking for you on the third floor. The reporters from your guests and some intruders that call them selves reporters are looking for me on the fifth, about that 25 present I bought of your freaking paper and Alfred just found your boy in the music room beside the ballroom. Is just one of those nights… that can not be happening…."
"To the ballroom then and hurry before Rich- the guests find us…." 'Was she really so afraid to commit with Richard in holy matrimony?' No it wasn't, she knew it. It was about not to be free to dream about him anymore. To dream about the IF he had excepted her in his life. Secretly she didn't have give up on him yet. Oh what she was thinking again! 'Focus to your five year old child that you lost an HOUR ago! Imagine what his father.. his real one, will do if he finds out what happened tonight. IF he is ever going to talk to me again after I announce the big day date. Like he cares...'
"First floor! Ballroom…Door…door…" Lois mumbled and finally she found the door. She was ready to turn the handle when she heard music, yet the piano was being played by someone other than Jason. She finally opened the door to see her baby tightly hanged by Clark.
"I know what you are afraid of," he said, looking him straight in his eyes. "You're afraid to be seen without your glasses, you are afraid that they will see Superman, you are afraid they will discover that you are different. But you aren't, you said it yourself." And giggling he pulled Clark's glasses.
"Glasses or piano it's just the same when it comes to fear" he says as he puts the glasses on the piano.
Lois is not too far to see his face or to realize what her son said. For the first time she sees him without a costume, with only his dazzling white shirt. A shirt that her son's embrace is allowing a deep blue color to be seen from underneath.
Clark looks to the door. Lois knows and he doesn't mind he just isn't afraid . He played his fearful piano. He is not so different as he thinks, even a five year old understands that.
She is coming closer to them, she seems angry and hurt but she loves them. They have a lot of things to say but not in front of strangers. Not in front of non family members. They have to talk about family matters. She looks back worried about how much the other man has figured out, but he seems to know more than she thinks. Suddenly his face turns blank.
"I am afraid that they will found us. It's a nice gathering but we must leave
now. Especially me!"
"Honey are you in there?" Lois hears Richard asking behind the door that Bruce, smiling, has locked seconds before the crowd outside arrive.
"Lois," now Perry talking "what are you doing? Is the child all right. Did you found him?"
Lois cames closer to the door. She knows that she can't do this, she can't live with Ifs, they can't live with Ifs. Five years changed them and that is something that is de facto from now on. Only one thing hasn't change, her emotions as now she can see in his face, his hasn't changed the slightest.
"Richard," she yells from behind the door, "The color is purple I am sorry, I can't, the color of my heart and my son's blood is purple. Chief forgive me but I'm taking the week off and- I am sorry… the color was always purple I was just to blind to see it all those years"
Clark is looking her with an enigmatic expression but she smiles as she looks at him holding their son…
"It's just one of these nights I suppose as someone said to me earlier." Bruce smiles and as he presses a hidden button under the piano.
"Which unbelievably happen" he adds with whisper, destined for only one pair of ears.
"Time to go, the family first, shall we?"Bruce says with a glance to Lois for the second time that night.This time she found what she was looking for though.
"Oh please... give me the keys here," and Perry grappled the key to the music room from a slow motioned Alfred, as they all asked poor Richard White what Lois meant. But he is silently standing, waiting like a grave that's ready to be filled. The sound of the key turning and opening the door detached all the guests and some other familiar faces from the news world.
The room is empty and leaves them with no story today and who wants to know about Richard White? Only three things are selling news these days. Sex, Tragedy and Superman and in Gotham, Batman … Yet they aren't afraid of tomorrow's tabloids, they will soon have a juicy story if Lois Lane escaped with Superman leaving her fiancé... but no one knows, so yes they afraid.
"I am sorry kid, she vanished in the thin air. She was always a mystery to all of us, only one might have really known her but he was too weak to control her. I am afraid that we will have to wait and see what she is going to say about today at the end of next week. I am sorry my boy."
Richard is sitting on the still warm booth of the piano. He can't believe what happened in only two hours…it's funny and tragic at the same time. He never knew how to play but his hands are touching the keys now, willing to learn. They are wet, 'tears' is the first thought and he knows that he is right. Then he sees a pair of glasses. That familiar, old fashioned design. Clark's glasses. "The color is purple" she said. The color was always purple, his son's blood was purple. Blue and red always make purple…his cape…his suit…always purple.
Never underestimate those who are willing to lay down their lives. 6'4", 6'5", 225 pounds. Faster than a speeding bullet, stronger than any other man on earth but still how can you deny him the life he was ready to sacrifice…
"Because he was afraid to love without limits," he whispered to himself.
He is standing, looking the glasses, smiling, it's a warm smile, they will be happy and then a sparkle catches his eye. It's ring, her ring. She left her ring before she follow him or happened the other way around. He is hurt but how he can be against them, against the feelings they always had?
"Thank you for the key Mr. Alfred. I am afraid that we weren't here on time."
His tone wasn't hinting irony and the old man knew it as he was giving him a polite grin.
"Yes indeed sir, I am afraid we weren't," he replied to the young man who had already crossed the room as he was putting a pair of glasses and a diamond ring in his right pocket.