"Mommy, look what I drew."
Just the sound of Jason's voice made her smile and perk up. She turned her attention towards him, taking the drawing from him. She looked at it, completely confused. It was several drawings of a tall man with dark hair and glasses, the first of which had him waving with a huge smile, the second had him opening his shirt to reveal what looked like a red and yellow 'S', and the third had Superman.
"Tell me about what you drew for Mommy, Jasey."
Jason pointed at the picture.
"It's Clark and Superman."
She looked at him puzzled, "Hon, you've made it look like they're the same person!"
Jason smiled at her. "They are, Mommy."
Lois gathered her thoughts for a second. "No, Jason, Clark is not Superman."
"Yes he is, Mommy. I've seen him just like I drew him."
Her mouth fell open slightly.
"What do you mean, you've seen him?"
"He looks just like him, Mommy. I've also seen him go into the elevator, take off his glasses, pull off his suit, and he was Superman underneath. Then he opened the top of the elevator and flew really fast up the elevator tunnel thing."
Her mouth dropped open wider.
"He did that out in the open for everyone to see?"
Jason shrugged. "I don't think so. No one else saw him." He paused for a second, as though trying to find the right words to say.
"Jasey…?" Lois pressed him.
"Mommy, I thought the elevator door closed in front of him, but I could still see him." He looked thoroughly perturbed at this. Much like the look on his face after her threw the piano on Lex's yacht.
Lois leaned back slowly, letting everything that Jason had told her sink in. She looked quickly at the elevator…Jason must have developed his father's x-ray vision as well as the super strength. She turned quickly to her computer.
"Mommy, do you like it?" Jason pushed it forward, into her hands.
She gave a weak smile. "It's very good, Jason. You made it very plain that that is Clark and Superman. Now, why don't you go back into Daddy's office. I still have a little bit to write."
Jason smiled at her and headed back to Richard's office. The drawing laid on Lois' desk. She glanced at it quickly, brought up The Daily Planet employee search. She quickly typed in 'Kent, Clark', and a picture of him, complete with a geeky smile and deer caught in the headlights eyes stared back at her. She sized the image to one side of the screen. Then, she looked up the most resent Superman headline. A picture of Superman popped up, him looking straight at her with a hint of a smile. She sized the picture fit on the other side of the screen. Then, she pulled the two pictures together to compare.
She sat there, completely frozen.
It was like they could have been twins.
Her eyes bugged slightly, her jaw once again dropping. She looked back and forth between the screen and Jason's drawing. Either Clark and Superman were identical twins…or, Jason was right.
Clark Kent is Superman.
"Lois, do you know where Clark flew off to?"
"What?" Lois looked up at Jimmy in a slightly dazed state.
Jimmy gave her a look, "Clark seems to have disappeared…and the Chief wanted him to cover a story at warehouse downtown." He pointed up at one of the TV screens. "It's on fire right now, Superman's getting everyone out, obviously, but I haven't seen him bring out Clark yet."
Lois quickly turned to see the fire on the news. There was Superman – er, Clark, flying out of the second story, carrying three people on his shoulder.
She needed to talk to him.
"Jimmy, I'm going out on the roof. See if I might be able to flag down Superman."
"Are you writing another article on him?" Jimmy asked, turning to look at her screen.
Lois lunged at it, the images of Clark and Superman still on it, quickly closing the windows and shutting off the monitor.
"Um, maybe…I also want to ask him about Clark."
Jimmy nodded in concern, "Yeah, make sure that he flies his butt back to that building if he didn't get Clark!"
Lois had to smile a little at that. "I'll make sure that Clark is safe."
She rushed over to the elevator, watching the doors close in front of her. They seemed to move slower than normal…but she herself seemed to be moving a thinking slower than normal. She breathed in slowly, deeply. She chastised herself for being oblivious to the obvious. He of course looked exactly like him, same hair color, face, eyes, height, weight. She had seen him carry so much that it would have weighted a human down. He always suddenly disappears, literally moments before Superman suddenly flies into the scene of some disaster. She leaned her head back against the wall, closing her eyes and sighing. A thought suddenly entered her head, her eyes flying open.
"Clark is Jason's father!" She whispered to herself. The elevator door opened, and she quickly walked onto the deck, looking around, breathing deeply, trying to collect her bearings. She needed a cigarette. She got one out, putting it to her lips, bringing her lighter up.
"Lois, I thought you kicked that!"
Lois spun around to see a very pretty, petite, blonde woman standing in back of her. She dropped her cigarette and quickly ran up to the woman, hugging her.
"Chloe! It is so great to see you! I'm so happy you're here!"
Chloe laughed at her cousin. "I was on assignment in Belgium, but, I came back to L.A. as quickly as I could when I heard Superman was back. How are you handling it?"
Lois shook her head. "I'm not sure yet. I mean, it is wonderful that he is back for the world…which obviously makes me a total hypocrite for writing that article – "
"No it doesn't, hon! That article was fantastic, filled with so much ethos and passion…it was written straight from your 'reporter's heart, which is what made it great."
"Even if the world does need him?"
"Even if." Chloe hugged her again. "Something else is wrong though, I can tell."
Lois sighed, "I don't really know how to…it's…God, I can't even put together a full sentence!"
Chloe looked very worried. "Yeah, which makes me definitely know something is wrong, when Lois Lane is at a loss for words!"
"Well, it's…you grew up with Clark Kent, right?"
"Yeah, we've been best friends since preschool." Chloe said with a nod.
Lois pressed on. "Best friends…?"
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Now this is the Lois I know! I thought you already knew what happened between me and Clark."
"I want to hear it again."
Chloe shrugged her shoulders. "Well, there's not too much to say…Clark and I became best friends in preschool, we've gone to school together up until college, we both ran 'The Torch' at Smallville High, being that we both wanted to be reporters."
"Yes? And?"
"Well, growing up in such a small town, it was always the four of us – me, Clark, Lana Lang, and Lex Luthor."
Lois looked surprised at this."Lex Luthor?"
Chloe gave a laugh. "I keep forgetting that Clark never told you that he was Lex's only best friend."
"That must make it very odd." Lois muttered to herself.
"Sorry?" Chloe asked.
"Oh, nothing…anyway, what was your relationship like with him?"
Chloe gave her a look."This isn't exactly Daily Planet material, Lois."
Lois shook her head, "Oh, no, Chloe – this is purely personal curiosity."
Chloe shrugged again. "Alright…well, um, Clark was pretty much my first of everything. First crush, first kiss, first date, first boyfriend, first time…first love." A faraway smile appeared on her face then, and Lois felt herself having to swallow a lump in her throat.
"What about your friendships with Lex and Lana?"
"Oh, well, Clark had a big attraction to Lana…she was always prettier than I, but their personalities didn't mesh as well as mine and Clark's did. Still, she was Clark's first time, but her first time was Lex."
Lois looked at her sharply. "Lana Lang dated Lex Luthor?"
Chloe laughed at her cousin's reaction. "Yeah, they were rather hot and heavy! Clark still had a thing for her at the time, and Lex knew this, but, Lex was in love with Lana, and Lana herself was drawn to the older, wealthier, bad boy persona, more than the All-American boy-scout deal that Clark has always had. That was one of the catalysts towards the end of the Clark/Lex friendship. Besides the fact that Lex tended to go after anything he wanted, not taking no for an answer…so, take if from my experience – you don't want to be the one that is saying 'no' to him." Chloe looked rather uncomfortable by her last statement.
Lois was puzzled.
"What happened, Chloe?"
"I-I'll tell you later. Hey, where is Clark, anyway?"
Lois snapped to then, "Oh, he went to cover a warehouse that's on fire."
Chloe gave a little smile then. "What do you say we give it a visit?"
Lois nodded, needing the strength she got from being around her cousin, and they walked into the elevator.