Superman (or Clark Kent as he preferred to be called) hovered high above the bustling city of Metropolis, watching Earth's yellow sun sink slowly down into the horizon. He had been up there for several hours in an attempt to distance himself from the chaos down below. He needed time alone- time to think about all that had gone on since his return to the planet he loved so deeply.

The planet that always had been, and always would be, his true home.

He had expected that, after five years in the solitude of outer space, his first few weeks back on earth would feel somewhat overwhelming…but he never could have anticipated just how overwhelming they would turn out to be.

The day after his arrival he had been catapulted back into the public eye and, more importantly, back into the life of Lois Lane.

He had saved her life in a dramatic display of strength and agility, and the moment that his eyes locked with hers inside the rescued plane, his heart once again felt complete. He had realized that this was truly where he was meant to be…

Unfortunately, the excitement of seeing her had quickly been overshadowed by the shock of finding out that she had a fiancée…and a son. Clark had been filled with such anger after this revelation- he was angry at her for moving on, angry at Richard for taking his place and, most of all, angry at himself for letting it all happen. He knew now that leaving had been a mistake. He had wasted all of that time searching for a home that had never existed, and had lost his one chance at happiness in the process.

Lex Luthor's attempt to build a new continent using Kryptonian technology had provided a temporary distraction from the emotional mess Clark had found himself in. After a rather heated encounter with the deranged billionaire he managed to remove the infected land mass from earth and had ended up in a kryptonite induced coma.

Although he had shown no outward signs of alertness, he could remember bits and pieces from his days in the hospital…the doctors attempting to revive him…a various nurses checking in…noise from the crowd gathered outside…and Lois.

Lois had come, and had whispered four words that he would never forget…four words that had changed his life forever…

"Jason is your son."

That simple sentence had stirred emotions deep inside of him, and within minutes he had managed to overcome the physical pain that had been keeping him immobile. As soon as he found himself able, he had burst out of the hospital and flown high up into space, suddenly strengthened by happiness and pride.

He had lost Lois to another man…he had lost his chance to be with her…but Jason- the beautiful little boy that everyone assumed to be Richard's- was his.

He was a father.

And suddenly, nothing else mattered.

He had gone to see the boy later that night. Jason was already asleep, the light of the moon shining down on his cherubic face. Clark had stood in silence, starring at his beautiful son, and trying to let the reality of the situation sink in. He had never expected to be a father. He didn't even think it was possible…and yet, there was Jason, a perfect mix of himself and the woman he loved.

Looking back, he couldn't believe that he hadn't seen it sooner.

His heart swelling with emotion, he had moved towards the bed and sat down at his son's side. As he continued to gaze down at the boy, Clark had been struck with the urge to recite the words his own father had once said to him, and as he did he felt a hint of sadness forming inside of him.

He was thrilled that he was no longer the last son of Krypton- that there was finally someone else who would understand- but he knew that his son was destined to live a life full of struggle. Because of him, Jason was different, and Clark hoped that he could provide his son with enough guidance to deal with the problems he would inevitably face.

Clark hadn't spoken to Lois or Jason since that night. He and Lois had agreed to talk, but the opportunity had not yet arisen, and he was reluctant to confront her. She had taken the week off work, and he knew that she must be going through a lot right now. He wanted to be there for her, but he knew that he had given up his place at her side five years ago. Richard was the one she would turn to now- and Clark had no right to interfere.

He couldn't expect her to welcome him back into her life after so long, but he did hope that they could come to some sort of agreement about Jason. Despite his obvious love for the boy, Richard could never provide Jason with the guidance he would need once his powers started to emerge. Only Clark could do that. Only Clark could understand.

He hoped that Lois would realize that, and allow him to play some sort of role- however minimal- in their son's life.

Clark sighed as the last beams of sunlight disappeared from view. The night had arrived, and he knew that his peace would soon be interrupted. It was only a matter of time before someone called out for his help and, as much as he wanted to stay there to mull things over, his conscience would not allow him to ignore the cries of an innocent victim.

Drawing a deep breath, he focused his super hearing on the city below, listening for any signs of crime or struggle.

After a few moments, his brow furrowed as a familiar high pitched noise caught his attention. The phone in his new apartment was ringing. He didn't think that anyone had the number yet…

Feeling intrigued and confused, Clark decided that he could spare a minute to answer it. Hoping that no one would be in dire need of help for the next little while, Clark shot down towards the city, wondering who could be calling him and hoping that, just maybe, it was Lois…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lois Lane sat on the edge of her bed, fidgeting nervously with a loose thread on her worn quilt. She had attempted to pick up the phone several times but she had not yet mustered up the necessary courage.

"Come on Lane." She muttered, forcing herself to look back up at the beige telephone beside her. "You can do this."

But despite her self assurance, she wasn't so sure.

It was tempting not to call…

Maybe she could ignore what had happened, and prolong her happiness for a few more years.

Maybe, she could put it off and deal with it later.

She didn't want things to change.

She wanted her son to have a normal childhood.

She wanted her family to stay together…

Drawing in a deep shaky breath, Lois turned to glance at the photograph on her bedside table. It was a snapshot of her, Richard and Jason on their family vacation in Los Angeles last year. All three of them had wide smiles on their faces- they had just spent that day on the beach, laughing, playing, and acting like any normal family.

They all looked so happy…

She wondered if they would ever be happy like that again.

As she continued to stare at the image, Lois noticed something that had never seemed important before. They had forgotten their sunscreen that day, and she and Richard both had the unmistakable redness of a sunburn on their cheeks and shoulders. Jason didn't though- his skin was the same even tone that it always was.

Lois drew another slow breath. It suddenly made sense…

Jason hadn't burned that day because he wasn't…normal. Earth's sun couldn't hurt Kryptonians- and that meant that it couldn't hurt Jason…

Turning away from the picture, Lois felt the familiar sensation of nausea overcome her. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't deny what Jason was. Pretty soon, Richard would begin to add up all the details. He would begin to wonder why his son had never had a sunburn, why he was stronger then most kids, why his eyes were such an unnatural shade of blue…

He would figure it out eventually, and despite her hesitation, Lois knew that it was better to begin dealing with the situation before the lies began to swirl out of control.

She couldn't keep the truth from Richard and Jason. They both deserved to know.

But before she told them, she knew that she had to talk to Clark.

Her hand still shaking, Lois reached out and grabbed the phone. She quickly dialed Clark's number and listened nervously as it began to ring.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

"Hello. Clark Kent speaking."

It was him. She hesitated a moment before responding. She had thought about what she was going to say to him all week, but the sound of his voice had suddenly driven the well rehearsed lines from her mind.

"Hi." She answered softly, unable to hide the quiver in her voice. "It's Lois."

Silence.

"I…I…" she exhaled loudly and forced herself to continue. "Clark, I know. I remember. Everything. And we need to talk. About Jason…and us…"

There was another moment of silence before he finally spoke.

"I agree. We have a lot to sort out."

The woman gave a quiet sigh of relief, happy that he had dropped the bumbling reporter guise and made no attempt to deny who he really was. "Richard is out of town," she began again "Can you come tomorrow morning?"

"I have work. It might look suspicious if I don't show up."

"Oh…right…of course…" Lois said quietly, kicking herself for forgetting that he did, in fact, have other obligations.

"Why don't I come by now?"

Her heart rate increased and her body began to shake more then it already was. She had been expecting another night to prepare for this…to think about what she was going to say…

"I…I…suppose that's alright." She answered after almost a minute.

Talking unprepared was better then not talking at all.

"I'll be right there."

Lois placed the phone down, and slowly stood up from the bed. She couldn't remember ever feeling this nervous- facing her new reality was far more intimidating then any undercover assignment or unintentional adventure she had found herself caught up in over the years.

"Hello, Lois."

She turned abruptly to face the source of the voice. He was standing in the doorway to her bedroom, in full superhero garb, his arms folded across his broad chest. To most observers, he would have appeared just as strong and confidant as he always was…but Lois knew better.

She could see it in his eyes.

He was just as nervous as she was.

Lois looked up to meet his gaze. "Make yourself comfortable Clark- I'm guessing that this is going to take awhile..."

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A/N SORRY that took me so long. I started the chapter several times and just couldn't get going. Then I got hooked by Alphie's AMAZING story 'In the Shadow of My Father" (if you haven't read it, read it now) and I simply couldn't focus on my own plot ideas anymore. Plus I work a ridiculous amount of hours. Stupid job.

But enough excuses…I hope this was alright. Thank you all SO MUCH for the reviews last time. I hope you haven't totally lost interest. I have big plans, and I hope I'll get a chance to update more often.

Please review!

Cheers!