Previously...
"I don't want you to do anything. I want you to be happy. I want us to be happy." She paused, then spoke again. "Are you worried, Clark?"
"Worried? You mean about us? No," he said, shaking his head. "I think we'll be fine. Won't we?"
Lois shook her head in turn. "That's not quite what I was getting at. I meant...well, the Bureau. If they knew your secret...who else might? What records did the police find?"
"I don't know," Clark admitted. "I don't know what kind of proof the Bureau might have gathered and kept. I was so out of it in Bureau Thirty-Nine's compound thanks to the Kryptonite and the fear I had, not to mention the shock of meeting my father and trying to find some way to get the two of you out of the compound alive. I have no idea if Lana recorded anything - when we spoke, when I was hauled off to have that bullet taken out of my shoulder, the prison cell we shared, any of the prep that Trask and the like did when they were getting me ready to be dissected." He swallowed hard and shuddered. "You know, being strapped to that table...it was my worst nightmare come true. My parents and I have always been afraid that if it became known that I was different from everyone else, that some scientists would take me away to dissect me like a frog."
"I'm sorry you had to go through that," she apologized.
He just stared into the far distance, hearing her but not responding to her, lost in his own nightmarish thoughts. "I just kept thinking to myself that, after all the years of hiding and lying and pretending, that this was how it was all going to end. Strapped to a cold metal table in some God-forsaken compound in the desert mountains, hacked to pieces by a lunatic. I wasn't even going to be able to die with any kind of dignity. No one would benefit from my death. And, worst of all, my death would have sealed your own fate, because I wouldn't be able to at least try to defend you. I felt so responsible for everything that would have happened to you."
"You did nothing wrong, Clark! My death would have been on Lana and Trask's hands...on Luthor's hands. Never on yours. I knew you were doing the best you could, under the circumstances. I didn't blame you then and I certainly don't blame you now."
"You don't understand," he said his voice raising by only the slightest of degrees. He dropped his arm from around her and moved off a few steps, as though distancing himself from Lois could lessen the agony in his heart. "Your life is more valuable to me than my own. If my alien origins had cost you your life..." He sighed, leaving his thought unfinished. "It's because of me that Bureau Thirty-Nine connected Lois Lane with Superman. The whole world does. The reporting team of Lane and Kent gets all the Superman exclusives. Lois Lane is the one reporter Superman is constantly seen speaking with. All because I have no willpower around you. All because I'm so in love with you, I can't maintain the aloof - and safer for you - personality of Superman when I'm near you. If I had, the Bureau wouldn't have targeted you. So, yes, Lois, your death absolutely would have been my fault."
"Clark," Lois replied in a quiet, intense voice that matched his own, as she reached out to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, "you don't get it, do you? I gladly would have given my life to protect the - as I knew it at the time - two men I care most about in this world. Superman protects so many. But who protects him? If I could have kept him safe, I would have done anything. And once I found out that you and he are one, it just made me more determined to do whatever I could to keep you safe."
He finally broke his unfocused stare to look at her. He gave her a small smile. "I guess it's nice to know that Superman isn't all alone in this world."
She smiled back. "He's got a lot of people who've got his back." She nodded in the direction of the house. "And he's finding new ones all the time, it seems."
Clark gazed thoughtfully at the house for a long moment. Then he shook his head.
"I'm not so sure about that, Lois. I may be Jor-El's son, but he's had too traumatic of an experience with the people on this planet. I'm not sure he'll ever like the fact that I've chosen to dedicate my life to helping them - both as a reporter and superhero."
"Give it time. He'll come around," she promised, sounding so sure of herself that it made Clark smile in his mind.
"I hope so. I mean, I don't need his approval. I've lived my whole life without knowing really anything about my birth parents. But, now that I've found him...I want him to be proud of who I've chosen to become."
"I get it," Lois said with a nod. "I've lived my whole life with my birth parents and I've long since come to the realization that the only person in this world I have to make happy is myself. I know I don't need my parents to approve of the way I live my life. Journalism is the last thing my parents wanted me to pursue. But that doesn't mean that part of me doesn't want that approval from them anyway, that recognition that I've made them proud of me."
Clark nodded. While he hadn't yet met the Lanes, he'd heard plenty about Sam and Ellen already from Lois. It made him wince inside to think of the father who'd never reconciled his disappointment with only having daughters and whose affairs had broken up his entire family. It made his heart ache to think of the mother who, by all accounts, usually had harsh criticisms to offer her daughters and whose alcoholism had alienated her children for so long.
"I guess you really do understand," he said, offering her a small smile. He paused a moment, drinking in the tranquility of that cold night. "I really meant it, Lois. Thanks for making me do this tonight. I feel...like a burden's been lifted from my shoulders, to have my parents meet each other, and for everyone to be getting along as well as they have. It...it gives me hope."
He knew he didn't have to explain anything to Lois. He knew, just by the look in her eyes, that she understood him fully.
Please, he thought in a silent plea to the universe, let him choose to stay.
***
"Lois! Clark! Drive-by shooting on Barstow," Perry barked as he came their way.
"On it," they replied with one voice.
Clark grabbed Lois' coat and held it as she slipped into it. He shrugged into his own a moment later. He contemplated his nearly cold coffee for a few seconds before tossing the Styrofoam cup into his waste bin. He could have heated it up without any real effort, but the fact was, Pablo, who worked down at the newsstand in the lobby, had made an incredibly foul tasting brew that morning.
"Ready?" he asked her.
"Ready," she nodded, following his lead and dumping her own coffee on an unsuspecting and mostly dead cactus plant on her desk. She frowned at the browning plant. "I thought these things were supposed to be easy," she said with a mild touch of disgust.
"They are," Clark replied with a grin. "However, the desert is not exactly rich in coffee."
The desert.
Clark nearly shuddered at the mental image that brought up. A scant six weeks had passed since their time as Bureau Thirty-Nine's prisoners. Six measly weeks during which, at least, their testimonies, along with Jor-El's, had secured a criminal investigation into Lex Luthor. More about the billionaire had come to light in those six weeks than even Clark had suspected.
Luthor was behind more than just the criminally insane group of misfits that had comprised Bureau Thirty-Nine. He was, in fact, one of the biggest crime bosses in the country, running the crime syndicate known as Intergang. For years, before Superman had ever been conceived of in Clark's mind, Intergang had terrorized the businesses and citizens of Metropolis. But now, Clark hoped, with the organization's head behind bars and awaiting his trial, the city would see more peaceful days, without Superman working himself to death.
Lois must have caught the fleeting look on Clark's face. She took his arm in hers and guided him to the elevator bank.
"Still having the nightmares?" she asked as the silver doors slid closed, locking them away from the prying eyes and ears of their coworkers.
"Sometimes," he replied truthfully. "Not as bad as right after our time with the Bureau, but...well, it's not easy for me to forget. I've never been that...exposed and...and...vulnerable before, and that's not even taking the Kryptonite into consideration. Having you and my father to try to protect, thinking I was going to lose you both..." He shuddered a little. "And you? Do you still have nightmares?"
"Sometimes," she said, her voice mirroring his. "I guess...I guess it's been a little easier on me. It was terrifying for sure, but not in the same way as it was for you. When they took you away that last time, to that operating room, I went out of my mind with worry for you. But at least I didn't have the Kryptonite to deal with." She sighed. "Having Lex Luthor behind bars helps a lot, knowing that the Bureau is completely disbanded now. I hate to say it, but I'm so glad Trask and the rest are dead. At least they can't use your secret against you."
Clark nodded as the elevator let them out into the parking garage.
"So...can I ask?" Lois asked as they made their way to her Jeep. "Has your father made his decision?"
"Not yet." He sighed. "I've tried showing him how great the world is, but Trask and Lana and the rest...I'm scared his scars might run too deep for him to ever see the world even a fraction of the way I see it."
"Give it more time," Lois said in a reassuring manner. "It's still so soon after his first taste of freedom in almost thirty years."
"I know but...having him around? It's been pretty amazing. For the first time in my life, I have the answers to every question I've ever had, or could ever have. It was strange, at first, thinking of him as my father, when for my entire life, I'd always just thought of the idea of him as just 'the guy who gave me his DNA.' But now...I can't imagine losing him. And I will lose him if he decides this world isn't for him. Because I am not leaving. Not Earth and not you."
They reached the car and climbed in. Lois cranked up the heat in the vehicle before pulling out of the parking space.
"Clark, believe me, if he leaves, he'll be the one losing out. You're an amazing person. And if he can't stay for you alone..." She left the statement hanging in the air, letting Clark draw his own conclusions as to how to end it.
"Thanks, Lois," he said, giving her a smile. How was it that she could instantly lift his spirits?
They drove the rest of the way in silence. Clark thought back over the last six weeks. He'd taken his father to everything he could think of to show him the good of the world. Sporting events, concerts, museums, art galleries, bustling cities, ancient ruins, zoos, aquariums, religious buildings of various faiths, peaceful walks through the woods, soup kitchens to service the poor, school yards filled with playing youngsters, neighborhood parks, national parks, amusement parks. No idea that either his own mind or Lois threw out as a suggestion was rejected. Often, Lois accompanied them, and Clark was glad for her company. He still spent plenty of time with them both one-on-one, but he felt it was important for Jor-El to be around Lois as much as possible. After all, she was the woman Clark was planning to marry, as well as the best person he could think of to show Jor-El how great human beings were.
Lois found a spot to park in that was reasonably close to the scene of the crime. Once there, they split up, wordlessly slipping into their comfortable routine. They were nearly finished when Clark caught sight of a familiar face.
"Detective Henderson?" he asked before he could stop himself.
Good thing Henderson has met me face to face before, when he flew in to get our statements after all that happened with Trask, he mused.
"Kent, hi."
"What are you going here?" He couldn't stop himself from asking. "I mean, this is pretty far from home."
Henderson cracked a small smile. "After I came out here for your statements, I decided to put in a transfer request to Metropolis. I needed a change of scenery as it was, and, let's face it, there are worse places to be than in a city where I'd be working alongside the Man of Steel. Am I right?"
"It is pretty nice," Clark said. "At least, it helps having a resident superhero in town when your job requires you to write about him."
Again, Henderson smiled. "You have a minute? I need to talk to you about something."
"Yeah, sure."
"Good," Henderson said with a nod of his head. "Walk with me a moment, would you?"
"Sure," Clark said, now feeling uneasy as they walked some distance away from everyone else. "What's up?"
Henderson threw a careful glance around before speaking. "I thought you'd like to know that the Bureau, or, rather, Lana Lang wrote up some detailed information on you."
Clark gulped and felt beads of sweat popping out on his forehead. "Information?" he repeated.
The policeman nodded. "About your...shall we call it...alter ego. About Superman."
"I...uh...Su...Superman?" Clark stammered, caught off guard. He needed to deny it, but found no words coming to his fear-frozen brain.
"Don't worry. I'm the only one who saw her notes. I was in charge of going through the evidence. And...well...you don't need to worry about them. I had a 'mishap' with the computer files and everything got erased. Oops." He smiled at Clark, a genuine, friendly smile. "Look, I don't care that you're Superman. I don't care if Lex Luthor was really Batman. I just want you to know that your secret is safe with me."
"Why?" It was the only thing to come to Clark's mind.
"Because," Henderson said with a shrug. "I respect what you do. I have no desire to see more whackos like Trask try to harm you. Which is also why I flew out here the same night as the raid on Bureau Thirty-Nine's compound to deliver that weird green stone to S.T.A.R. Labs like you wanted. And, by the way, we found a lot more than just what was in that knife."
"I know," Clark whispered. "Dr. Klein told...Superman. I just want to let you know...thank you. I never got the chance to really say that. For everything you did that day...thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I don't know what I can do to even begin to make it up for you."
Henderson shook his head. "You already have. You're a symbol of hope, not just to the average citizen, but to all of us. Especially people like me, who pull on a uniform every day, hoping to do some good in the world. And....maybe sign something for my little boy?"
Clark laughed, all of his tension leaving him in that sound. "Sure. Superman will even swing by to say hello to him personally."
Henderson laughed in turn. "Thank you! That'll go a long way in helping Nate forgive me for uprooting him from his school and friends."
Clark laughed all the harder. "I'll bet."
"You have no idea what this'll mean to him. Here," Henderson said, scrawling on the back of one of his cards, "this is my address."
"Tonight around eight work for you?" Clark asked.
The policeman nodded. "Perfect."
"Clark? Did you find out anything?" Lois asked as she walked over. Then, with a double-take at Henderson, "Detective Henderson?"
"Miss Lane," he said with a slight dip to his head.
"He got himself transferred to Metropolis after everything with Trask," Clark explained briefly. "He's...uh...one of us now."
"One of us?" Lois asked, confused. "What does that mean?"
"It means he's...a protector of the secret," Clark said with a lowered voice, throwing a cautious glance around.
"Wh...what?" Lois said, failing to keep her face neutral, though Clark knew she was trying.
"It's okay, Lois," he assured her.
"Are you sure?" she asked, eyeing the police officer.
Clark nodded. "Absolutely."
"Well then...I guess...welcome to the club," she said, extending a hand to Henderson.
He laughed. "It's an honor, believe me."
***
More days passed. Everything remained the same. Lois and Clark conducted their investigations, setting wrongs right. Clark responded to calls for help, donning the blue, red, and yellow of Superman. At night, he would return to his apartment - sometimes with Lois, sometimes alone - and spend the evening taking to his father, who was still staying with him until he could figure out his next move. They talked about anything and everything - the news of the day, Krypton and all the questions Clark could think of concerning it, some movie Jor-El had watched while Clark was at work, books, Jor-El's questions about Earth. Nothing was off limits. On his days off from the Planet, Clark continued taking his father around the world, hoping to prove that Earth was a good place full of good people.
He noted, over the weeks since Jor-El's release from the Bureau, a steady change in his father. He still didn't trust humans much, but he did seem to be more relaxed around them, even if only in the tiniest of ways. He smiled when he saw children at play. He laughed deeply when he saw something amusing. He stood in silent awe at impressive landscapes or works of art or architecture. He spoke politely with the people he met. He enthusiastically sampled whatever foods Clark brought him. He was less quick to judge, and less harsh in the judgments he did make.
Still, Clark couldn't be sure that Jor-El would ever be able to find it in his heart to stay on Earth.
"Son? What are you doing out here at this hour?" Jor-El asked as he silently padded up alongside Clark, late one night after Clark returned home after responding to a few calls for help.
Clark didn't look over. He stayed where he was, his back against the brick of his apartment, arms folded across his chest, his civilian clothes already donned. A light breeze caressed his skin. He breathed in the night air for a moment, savoring the moment of peaceful quiet over the city.
"I just got home," Clark explained simply.
"You were out helping people again," Jor-El said emotionlessly, eyeing him as though the hero's suit was still on display.
"Yeah, I was," Clark said simply.
"You really do like it, don't you?"
Clark nodded, surprised. He'd expected Jor-El to have some negative comment. "I really do."
"Why?"
Clark took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts before he spoke. "When I'm out there, helping people, I know that I'm making the world a better place. I know that someone is alive because I was able to get them out of a bad car wreck or a burning building, or that I was able to stop a bus from running them down. Ignoring the cries for help isn't an option. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't help and someone died because of that."
"It makes you feel important," Jor-El supplied.
Clark shook his head. "No. But it makes me feel...accepted. Like my alien roots don't matter. When I first started out as Superman, that was my concern. That people would fear me or hate me or just flat out reject me because I'm different from them. But, with a few exceptions, the world loves Superman."
"You would be accepted by our own people too."
"Maybe. Maybe not. After all, I've been raised as an Earthling. All of my experiences have been shaped through my upbringing. I'm a Kryptonian in blood only. In my mind, heart, and soul though? I'm an Earthling."
Jor-El sighed. "It certainly does seem that way, doesn't it?"
"It's who I am," Clark whispered into the small hours of the night.
"I see that. Every day, I see it." Jor-El fell silent for a moment. Then, "Was it bad?"
That caught Clark off guard. "Yeah," he managed after a moment, hiding his surprise. Never before had his father taken much of an interest in Superman's efforts to save mankind. "There was an electrical fire in a duplex in Chicago. The firemen think it was just old, worn wiring that caused the blaze. The place was pretty old. Five people died, including two children. Another is in critical condition. It'll be a miracle if he survives." Clark sighed. "Everyone else is okay but..." He shrugged, letting his voice trail off.
"Children, huh?"
Clark nodded. "Yeah. An eight year old and a four year old. And the one in critical condition is just eighteen months old. I did everything I could, but the two kids that died were gone before I even got to the scene."
"I'm sorry," Jor-El said at last. He put a supportive hand on Clark's shoulder. "I know you love these humans. And I've seen how their suffering affects you."
"Thanks, Dad."
"I also know that you are only one man. Even with the powers we wield, we have our limits. I know you did everything in your power to save those people."
"I did. But sometimes...sometimes it's hard to accept, that's all. Especially when kids are involved," Clark said.
"On that, we can agree," Jor-El said with a nod.
Clark nodded mutely. He'd noticed, over the past weeks, that for all of Jor-El's mistrust of Earthlings, he had a special place in his heart for children. He knew, in particular, that it was difficult for Jor-El to see fathers and young sons together. It didn't take a genius to realize that the man was still trying to come to terms with losing out on seeing his own son as he grew from his babyhood and into a man.
"So, what are you doing up?" Clark asked.
"I couldn't sleep. My mind's been spinning. I tried watching that television of yours but...only a society made up of humans could devise torture like that of infomercials."
Clark chuckled. "Yeah, those are pretty terrible. What's on your mind though? Maybe I can help?"
"It's been more than six weeks."
"It has," Clark affirmed cautiously.
"When we left Trask behind, I thought for sure that by now I'd be on a ship, looking for the rest of the survivors, looking for wherever their new home might be. But, instead, I'm still here."
Clark nodded. "Do you still want to leave?" he asked in a low, soft tone.
"For a long time, it was all I could think about. Taking you and getting off this rock and back to our own people," Jor-El admitted. "Even if I had to use my powers against you to force you to come with me."
"I would have fought every step of the way," Clark said, looking up into the sky.
"I know," Jor-El said softly.
"And now? Do you still fantasize about that?"
"Now..." He sighed. "I still miss them, Clark. Somewhere out there, I still have friends and family. At least, I pray that I do. If you said that you would leave with me, I would go in a heartbeat."
"You know that I won't," Clark said in a hushed voice.
Jor-El bobbed his head once in a nod. "I know."
"This is my home. This is where I belong. Leaving Lois...it would kill me," Clark tried to explain.
"I see that now. I didn't - couldn't - understand why you are attracted to her when I first met her. She's a human, for Rao's sake! And a fairly annoying one at that when you first meet her. But now I think I'm starting to see in her what you do. She loves you, Clark. One day, if you're lucky, she might just be the perfect wife for you...the way Lara was for me. And if that happens, I wish you every happiness."
Clark wasn't sure what to think. He was insanely glad to hear his father speaking so well of Lois, but his final words sounded like an ending. They sounded like a farewell. Clark's heart sank.
"So, you've decided then. You're leaving?" he asked, unable to help himself.
"No."
"No?" He almost dared not hope that he'd heard that correctly.
"No," he repeated. "I will stay." The words exploded in Clark's ears though they had been uttered only slightly louder than a breath of air.
"What?" he gaped, his heart pounding.
"I will stay. For all that I will miss by not finding our people, nothing can compare with losing you. I will admit, at first I had hopes of simply wooing you away from the life you've built on this planet. But I see now that you are right. You do belong here. And if you belong here, I will find a way of making sure that I belong here too."
"That's fantastic news!" Clark said, embracing his father. "I'd hoped you would stay, even if I never really believed that you would. But...are you sure?" He was almost too afraid to ask that question. "I thought you hated it on this planet?"
"I did, for many years. But being free now...being able to see a side of Earth that I never have before...the world is not as bad as I'd believed it was. You've shown me that, yes, there is goodness in most human beings. Like our fellow Kryptonians, most people are good. Some are evil. And just as no one can condemn all Kryptonians for the few who are rotten, I cannot do the same with humans."
Am I dreaming? Clark asked himself. Surely this can't be happening.
"I...I'm glad you feel that way," Clark stammered, groping for words. "This is amazing. I'm so excited. You won't regret it, I swear."
Jor-El smiled. "How could I, when it gives me a chance to spend my remaining years with my son? But there is much to do. Like you, I will need an identity and a place to call my own. I've already invaded your home for far too long, though I've been grateful to have a place to stay."
"You're always welcome here, Dad, you know that. It's been nice, spending time with you here in the evenings when I get off of work. You don't know what it's meant to me, to have you tell me all about my Kryptonian heritage."
"It's been nice to have someone to tell. Someone who can appreciate Krypton's legacy."
"You know," Clark said thoughtfully, "I think I might know of someone else who would definitely appreciate the knowledge you have."
"Oh?" Jor-El sounded intrigued, if not a little worried.
"Dr. Klein, at S.T.A.R. Labs. He's been a friend to me since I started at the Planet and he's become sort of Superman's physician. I trust him completely."
"The one you entrusted with the Kryptonite?"
Clark nodded. "Yes."
"Does he know...?"
"No," Clark said with a shake of his head. "The less people who know about Superman's day job, the better. But he's a good guy, and if the circumstances ever arose when he had to be let in on the secret, I would be comfortable with him knowing. Anyway, he could use a fellow scientist to work with him. Particularly one who's been exposed to far more superior technology than Earth yet possesses. Actually, I was just at S.T.A.R. Labs today and he was talking about taking on an assistant. You'd be perfect for the job."
"I must admit, it would feel wonderful to be in a laboratory again," Jor-El said with a grin.
"Good. I'll visit him just as soon as we establish your new identity. If Superman recommends you for the job, you can count on getting it."
"I've already thought about who I want to be," Jor-El said, his smile disappearing. He looked to the heavens as if the coming words needed some kind of cosmic forgiveness. Or maybe just a boost of cosmic strength. "I will be Jordan. Jordan Kale."
"Jor for short, I would assume," Clark said with a laugh.
"And the Kal in Kale after my son," Jor-El finished for him.
Clark grinned and stuck out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Jordan," he said as he pumped his father's hand up and down in a shake. "I'm sure you're a perfectly normal guy with absolutely no super powers whatsoever."
Jor-El laughed. "Nope, not me. I'm just your regular Joe. Absolutely nothing alien about me."
Clark leaned back against his apartment, a laugh on his lips and his heart soaring. "This is great, Dad. Really. I'm truly happy for you."
"For the first time, I'm truly happy about it too," Jor-El confessed.
"I'll talk to Dr. Klein first thing in the morning," Clark vowed. "I'll fly over before work. Now, let's get inside. We have a lot of planning still to do."
He's staying, his heart seemed to beat as they turned to enter the warm comfort of Clark's apartment. He's staying.
To Be Continued...
