Clark quietly entered the Daily Planet bullpen and set his things down on his desk as he searched the room for Lois. With no sign of her, he nonchalantly walked over to her desk to scan for clues as to her whereabouts. Wherever she was, she left her phone behind which sent up a red flag. Her phone beeped, revealing a series of messages on the home screen with one of them saying "Roof in 5". There was only a number, no name associated with the message. Maybe she was meeting with a source? But what source would want to meet with her on the rooftop of the Daily Planet? He looked up toward the ceiling, peering through floor after floor with his X-ray vision until he locked his sight on her. She didn't appear to be in any immediate danger but he didn't have a full view of her surroundings thanks to the partial lead composition of the building. He didn't want to bust in and make a scene but he also didn't want to run the risk of her getting hurt, knowing that Lex Luthor was out there and had an axe to grind. He pondered for a moment, switching his gaze back and forth from the window of the Daily Planet, to the elevators. In which persona would he approach this? What's more, should he at all? Was it even his place? He closed his eyes and exhaled softly. With the risk being so high, he felt it better to act know and apologize later, if needed.

He quickly walked toward the double doors of the bullpen and then toward the elevators. He paused his approach and bit the inside of his cheek in thought, now taking into consideration that the stairs might actually be faster. He altered his course for the stairwell and disappeared behind its heavy, fire door. He looked up inside of the well, wondering if he should just fly up. It was only 15 flights up, but he worried that someone might see him. With a mental nod, he marched his way up the stairs. One-by-one, at first and then eventually increasing his stride to two-by-two and then to three-by-three. Before he knew it, he had already scaled ten floors. Just as he was about to increase to four-by-four, the door to the next floor flung open and a woman entered, seeing Clark effortlessly scale the steps by three's. Her jaw dropped in amazement. Clark smiled at her and passed her, without missing a beat. "Just getting my cardio in!" He said, from the level above. She nodded with her jaw still dropped and quickly snapped herself out of her own disbelief before going on her way.

Clark reached the door to the roof but was hesitant to walk through. He paused as he placed his hand on the knob and sighed before twisting it. He gained his composure, opened the door and saw Lois take a step back as she watched an older man enter the military helicopter that was preparing for takeoff from the Daily Planet's helipad. Puzzled, he slowly made his way to her side as the propellor blades of the chopper whirled quickly, allowing it to ascend into the morning sky. "Lois!" Clark shouted, trying to compete with the noise of the helicopter. She turned around, with her hand over her eyes, blocking out the morning sun. "What are you...?" She said, not finishing her thought. He smiled sheepishly and looked down, noticing she was holding something, wrapped in a soft cloth. Lois turned back around and offered the passenger of the helicopter a final wave goodbye before grabbing Clark's arm, tugging him toward the rooftop door. The pair quickly made their way toward the elevator. "Lois.." Clark began before she interrupted him. "Shhhh." She said. "Not here." she added, as she pulled him onto the elevator. Clark nodded blankly, entered the lift and pushed the button for the floor of the bullpen. He opened his mouth to ask a question and she merely responded by closing her eyes and shaking her head. Getting the proverbial message, he stood there in silence, wondering what was wrapped in the cloth that she clutched snuggly to her body. He could have stolen a glance with his X-ray vision but he figured he'd invaded her privacy enough for the day.

The ding of the elevator that indicated they had reached their destination snapped Clark out of his thoughts. The door opened and he gestured with his hand as if to say "ladies first". Lois quickly rushed by him, making her way into the bullpen and finally into the secured conference room. Clark followed her in and let out a slight sigh of exasperation. "Lois. What's going on? Who was that man?" He asked, wanting to get to the bottom of the mystery. He closed the door and turned to see her offering the cloth and its mysterious contents to him. "My Dad." She said, carefully placing the cloth in his hands. A familiar clinking sound filled the room and Clark's mouth dropped in disbelief as he carefully but quickly unwrapped the cloth, revealing the crystals that Lex Luthor had stolen from the Fortress of Solitude. "He wanted you to have those." She added, a smile forming on her lips. "Lois..." he whispered in disbelief. "How..." he added, too shocked to form a complete sentence.

She took a few steps closer to him, taking a closer look herself, at the beautiful crystals. She paused her admiration of their endless facets and locked eyes with Clark. "The President ordered an immediate mission to study the landmass that you launched into space. Dad said astronauts found those during a space walk. After they deemed they weren't naturally derived from Earth, they assumed they were yours." She offered with a shrug as she folded them back up in the cloth as he held them. Clark blinked himself out of shock and stammered. "Please. Thank him. This is everything. I was so worried that I'd have nothing to show Jason, one day..." he said, his voice trailing off, wondering if he said too much or overstepped. They still hadn't had that conversation. He momentarily studied her body language to gauge her thoughts. She took a step back. "No. You're right. He should know about those and about his Kryptonian heritage. Just.." she said, her voice now trailing off. "Not yet.." Clark offered, finishing her sentence, in both understanding and agreeing. She looked at him with a half shrug and something of a wince. "I don't know." she said, waving a hand in the air. "We'll have to figure that part out." She added, taking another step back, feeling awkward. "Yes." Clark said, sensing her uneasiness and mustering a comforting smile. He quickly gathered his composure and clutched the wrapped crystals. "I'm going to take these back and make sure they can't be taken again. Can we talk later?" He asked, unsure of the answer. Lois wasn't sure if he meant talk in general or have THE talk. She knew it needed to happen. Might as well rip off the bandaid and get it over with, right? "Lois?" Clark asked, after a few moments. She'd gotten lost in thought without realizing it. "Uhh yeah..." she said, snapping back to reality with a smile. "Sure. Come by tonight. Maybe after I get Jason to bed." She said, with a firm nod. "Ok." He said and allowed a moment to pass before continuing. "Lois. Thank you for bringing these to me." The pair exchanged smiles one last time before Clark left and presumably headed for his Fortress. Lois exhaled audibly and allowed her body to plop into one of the conference room chairs.