Making up for lost time, I might actually post another part later today. Enjoy!
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Clark couldn’t help but smile. He’d thrown the ball dozens of times to Robin, who’d hit quite a few. He’d had to run after the ball before it went into the woods. The boy’s happy laughter filled Clark’s senses, making him aware of how glad he was to have chosen to meet this little person.
Robin felt so glad to be able to laugh for a bit. His seven year old shoulders carried around a lot of baggage. He spent most of his time feeling sad, missing his mom and granddad, which was a change from how he felt when he'd first been placed in the group home. Back then he'd just been incredibly scared, unsure of what the next day would bring. When he'd started moving from foster home to foster home, he'd been confused. He thought that each time he moved it was because of something he'd done. After a couple of moves, he'd decided to be on his very best behavior so that he wouldn't have to leave next time. Although, there had been a couple of places he wanted to leave the same day he got there. But somehow he'd managed to get by. His easy going nature served him well. When he met Kitty and Jeff, he was sure he'd found his home. Yet, there had always been something missing. He never felt like he was truly part of the family. They'd wanted to adopt him and he'd wanted to stay, but when Mrs. Davies had told him that they'd found his real father, he'd been too excited for words. Sure, he still missed the Sanders and would like to see them again someday. Yet, he also hoped his dad remained as nice as he seemed because Robin felt himself becoming fast friends with both Clark and Lois. And a kid needed friends.
And Lois. Lois had kicked off her heels and played ball with them in her skirt and stockings! She hadn’t even complained the first time about ruining the net items on her feet. Clark couldn’t be more thrilled. She played catcher for father and son, yelling loudly each time Robin hit the ball. This only seemed to further the boy’s pleasure. His bright smile reached his eyes, making them twinkle in the afternoon sun.
Clark hadn’t missed the obvious admiration Robin felt for Lois either. It was clear that Robin was clearly his father's son, having lost his heart to Lois Lane. This only made Clark happier, if possible, about their choice.
After the game of ball, Robin challenged Lois to a race on the swings. He wasn’t disappointed in the least. Her competitive spirit shone through, but instead of deterring Robin, it seemed to stoke his nature as well. They threw insults about each other’s ability to move their swing back and forth, while Clark served as motor to keep them in motion. When the race was finally finished, Clark bought everyone something to drink and they settled at a picnic table to talk for a while.
****
“Thanks for the Coke™,” Robin told Clark after he’d taken a healthy swallow.
“You’re welcome.” Clark smiled across the table to where Robin had chosen to sit so he could see both himself and Lois.
"Are you always so polite?" Lois ventured. She'd been trying to decide how to get Robin talking about the past couple of years and his feelings. She didn't want to come right out and ask him how he'd come through with such an obvious good nature, so maybe asking a few indirect questions would start the conversation.
The boy shrugged his shoulders. “I guess I like to be polite.” He took another sip from his soda can before saying more. "It helps to be polite in some of the places I've been."
"Was it... bad?" Lois wasn't sure how to proceed, but desperately wanted to know how Robin had been treated.
"Not too bad. I was scared at first. I didn't understand why my mom left me." He looked down at the can he held between his hands. "Then Grandpa left me too."
"You do understand that it wasn't their choice?" Clark asked him.
"Yeah." He sighed, then looked up at Clark. "I just miss still miss 'em a lot."
Clark smiled sadly at him. What else could he do? He'd never pretend to know what Robin felt because his parents were still alive.
Lois, on the other hand, almost felt at times that her parents were dead. They'd never been there for her when she'd really needed them. Maybe that's why she suddenly felt such a strong connection to Robin. "Did you move a lot?" she asked, trying to steer the conversation back to safer ground.
"I think seven times." He seemed to think about that for a moment before he looked back at Lois. "Yep. Seven. I went to a group home first. Then three different homes, back to the group home, then Kitty and Jeff's, then the group home again."
"Well, now you're here and I hope you'll always be," Lois said with a smile.
"Robin, Ms. Grange said that the Sanders wanted to adopt you," Clark began.
"Yeah. They asked if I'd like that and I said yeah, but that was before I knew about you. I didn't find out until I was sent back to the group home. Mrs. Davies came to see me and said they thought they'd found my dad in Metropolis."
"And how did you feel?" Clark wasn't as careful as Lois. He needed to know if Robin truly wanted to be with them. He'd never forgive himself if Robin would rather be where he felt more comfortable.
"I was excited. I'd always wished my dad would show up one day and take me home for good." Robin hang his head while he spoke, afraid to look Clark in the eyes. What if this man didn't want to hear these things? What if this man wasn't as happy to learn about him as he'd been to learn about his dad? Clark had told him that he'd never known about a son. What if Clark just didn't like him enough to keep him?
"I can't lie and say I wasn't shocked when I found out about you," Clark said softly. Robin seemed to be a very intelligent child. The least he could do was be honest with him. He watched as the boy slowly lifted his eyes to meet his. The fear and apprehension was clearly written in his expression. "I never knew that you could be out there somewhere. But, Robin, if I had known, you would never have had to live in those homes. You would have had a home with me."
"And we really hope that's what you want," Lois added. "I know we don't each other very well, but already we like you. We want you to stay."
Robin considered all they'd said for a long moment before taking another sip from his soda can. Finally he looked up at Clark. "Would it be okay to call Kitty and Jeff? Maybe write them."
"It would be more than okay," Clark assured him.
"Maybe soon we can even visit them," Lois said.
The boy nodded carefully as he studied the people before him. "I think I'd like to stay," he told them finally.
"Good." Lois absolutely beamed. For a brief moment she'd been afraid Robin would tell them he'd like to move back with the Sanders.
"I sure am glad you want to stay," Clark told him with a grin.
"Thank you." Robin couldn't help but add. It wouldn't hurt to mind his manners. There was no way he wanted to give either his dad or Lois reason to change their minds about him staying.
"There's those manners again," Lois spoke up. "I've never met a child so polite."
"Mom always told me that I should be polite."
"So did my mom," Clark told him softly, then winked.
Robin's nose wrinkled as he smiled at Clark. He sure was glad his father was so nice!
“Well, your father is about the most polite person I’ve ever met,” Lois commented. “Drives me crazy sometimes.” She rolled her eyes for emphasis.
Robin smiled at her. “Does he do things like hold the door open for you? My grandpa said he used to do that for my grandma.”
“He does,” she told him. “And he brings me coffee every morning and lately he’s added breakfast.”
“She won't eat breakfast if I don't bring it to her,” Clark defended himself.
“How long have you two known each other?”
“About two years.” Lois smiled briefly at Clark.
“But she wasn’t crazy about me at first.” Clark just had to point that out.
“Clark!”
“Well, you weren’t.” He looked back at Robin. “She thought I was a hack from nowheresville.”
“Where ya’ from?”
“Kansas.”
“Really? Did you grow up on a farm?”
“As a matter of fact, I did. And,” Clark reached into his back pocket to take out his wallet. “My folks still live there.”
Robin sat up straighter then. “Your folks? I… I have grandparents?”
“Yep. See.” Clark extended his wallet to Robin so he could see the picture of the Kents.
The boy climbed onto the bench on his knees to get a better look. “Oh wow! They look so… so… wow!”
“They are,” Lois spoke up. “They’re the sweetest people in the world.”
“And they’re here in Metropolis to meet you.” Clark’s eyes softened as his son looked up at him.
“Really? They want to meet me?”
“Sure. Mom cried when I told her about you this morning. I had a friend of mine fly them out.”
“A friend that flies?” Robin’s brows furrowed a moment before realization hit. “He's a pilot?"
"Not exactly. He flies by himself, without an airplane," Lois threw in before Clark could answer.
Robin was really confused then. A friend who flies... by himself. There was only one person he knew that could fly all by himself. His eyes widened and he looked at Clark in disbelief. "Superman is your friend? No way!”
“Yep,” Lois told him with a grin.
“Get out! That is *so* cool!” His eyes shifted from Lois to Clark, then back down to the photo. “But I think they’re even cooler,” he said softly. He'd never been more excited and absolutely terrified in all his life. He didn't know these people, was still scared they'd find out they didn't really like him enough to keep him with them. Yet, he couldn't stop himself from being glad his father had been found. Then to find out he had grandparents, too! It was all too much. He wanted to know everything; do everything!
Clark’s eyes misted over as he thought about the life this little fellow had been forced to live the last couple of years. He knew none of that had been his fault, but suddenly he felt so guilty. He reached out to lay his hand over Robin’s. “I’m really sorry I didn’t know about you.”
Robin looked up at him with sad eyes. “Me, too.” They stared at each other a moment before he shifted his gaze to Lois. She was wiping tears again. He smiled at her, still unable to believe a woman that really didn’t have a connection to him at all would react this way to him.
“Hey,” Lois began after a moment. “You know what? Since Clark and I are going to be married, I guess you’ll have to meet my parents. Or maybe not. They're so different from Clark's folks.” She realized what she’d said with a start. Her head whipped around to face Clark. "Clark, we haven't told my parents; they're going to have a fit. Well, Mom will. You know how she gets. Daddy will... well, I'm not sure what Daddy will do, but we still have tell them about Robin. And of course, now we'll have to make accomodations where the wedding's concerned. Yet another thing Mother will freak out about.” She stopped when Robin started to chuckle. “What?”
“I bet you do that every time you’re nervous.”
“Do what?” she asked.
“Babble.”
Lois narrowed her eyes at the boy who seemed to be too smart for his own good. She figured he’d gotten a little wiser than most from being forced to grow up quickly over the last couple of years. She hoped she and Clark could give him back his childhood now.
Clark chuckled softly at her expression. “Lois, you’re in trouble.”
“It seems so.” She reached across and ruffled Robin’s hair. “Smarty pants.”
He laughed softly and looked back down at the photo again. “Do you have pictures of your parents?” he asked Lois without lifting his eyes.
“Sure.” Lois dug through her pocket book for her wallet and produced the items asked for.
Robin took them into his other hand and held them side by side with those of the Kents. “Yesterday I didn’t have anybody. Today I have a great big family.” His eyes shot up to Clark. “It is okay for me to say that?”
“Robin, you’re home. You’ll never have to move anywhere else again.” Clark offered him another smile.
He smiled back and continued his examination of the photographs. After a moment, he laid them on the table and looked up at Clark. “What should I call you?”
“What do you want to call me?”
“Well…” He glanced back down at the images, then back to Clark. “I’m not sure.”
Clark smiled at the boy. He felt so many things for this precious child already. Robin had just met his father, one he never knew about, after being jostled from home to home for two years. Clark was amazed how extremely well adjusted the child seemed to be, but saw clearly the uncertainty and fear behind his blue-gray eyes. As much as he would like to hear the word 'Daddy' come from his son's lips, he knew that right now building trust was the most important step in their relationship from here. He'd allow Robin to decide when and *if* that was something he ever wanted to call him.
“How about we start with Clark? Maybe you’ll think of something later on.” He added the last bit just make sure Robin understood that whatever name the child chose for him was perfectly okay with him. He added a soft smile for good measure.
“You won’t be disappointed that I don’t call you Dad?”
Clark reached over to grasp his hand. “Robin, I know you’re scared. I am, too. So is Lois. This is really big. And I wouldn’t dream of scaring you more. I want you to be comfortable, happy here. When you are, you may feel like calling me Dad. Until then, I’m just happy to be able to have you with me.”
Robin’s eyes filled with tears as he stared at Clark. “I think... I think I'm glad the social workers found you,” he said softly.
Clark squeezed his hand, fighting tears himself. "I think I'm glad they did, too."
Lois wiped her tear streaked face. Watching Clark deal with this initial meeting furthered the guilt she felt for having ever made him think that she'd want him to choose between her and Robin. The first chance she got she was going to offer up another apology and a hug. For the first time she understood the words 'wouldn't have missed it for the world'. “Hey, tell us about Robin Douglas.”
“What do you want to know?” He withdrew his hand from Clark’s and took another drink from his can of soda.
“What grade are you in? Do you like school? What kinds of foods do you like? Stuff like that.”
“I’m in second grade. Guess I’ll have to switch schools again.” Clark nodded sadly. “What school will I be going to?”
Clark exchanged a glance with a startled Lois.
“Oh, Clark. We haven’t even thought of that. Should we send him to public school or a private one? There’s a great school just a few blocks from the Planet. I had to do a mood piece on it for Perry once. If he went there, we could have lunch with him sometimes. Of course, there’s another great school a block from my place. And what about after school? He’ll have to have a sitter. Should we get a private sitter or put him in the Planet daycare? I don’t really like the idea of him being there with all those kids. You know, germs and everything. Kids in daycare just seem to stay sick. But again, he’d be close and I think I really like that idea. What do you think?”
“Wow!” Robin had to take a breath. She’d exhausted *him*. He looked over at an amused Clark. “She’s amazing! She didn’t take a breath the entire time!”
Clark dissolved into laughter, causing Robin to join him a second later. Lois stared at them in shock. This subject was serious and they were laughing! But she couldn’t stop her laughter for long. When they recovered, Clark spoke first.
“Well, I think we could visit those schools. I’m sure we could decide which one is best together. And we have to look at the costs as well. Some of those places are out of our league, Lois.”
“Nonsense. I have a healthy savings account. Robin should go to a good school. It doesn’t matter what it costs.”
Clark tilted his head at her, his brows nearly retreating into his hair. She’d been the one to point out a money situation earlier in the afternoon and now she was acting as if they had plenty of it.
“What?” Lois asked.
“Lois, I can’t ask you to pay for Robin’s school,” he whispered.
“You didn’t ask. And don’t you think we should discuss this later?” She cut her eyes at Robin.
Clark glanced over at the boy, who was watching intently. “Later,” he vowed before focusing on the boy again.
“I don’t have to go to private school. I’ve always been to public school.”
“You don’t worry about that, sweetie. You’ll go to the school you like. If it’s public or private, it’s okay. Either way it’ll be taken care of,” Lois assured him with a smile. She received another stern glare from Clark. She flashed him a smile and turned back to Robin. “Robin, I don’t know how things were at your house when your mom was alive, but here, you don’t have anything to worry about. We will have to adjust to taking care of a child, although I'm sure that you'll help us out.” She winked at him before continuing. "We'll ask lots of questions and we want you to ask lots, too. We'll all learn together. Okay?"
“You really want me here?”
“Oh, honey, of course, we do. Do you want to be here?” Lois asked him, speaking before Clark had a chance to.
Robin looked from Lois to Clark. “Would it hurt your feelings if I told you that I think I really like her?”
Clark laughed softly. “No. I really like her, too,” he said in a whisper as he leaned over closer to him.
Robin laughed again. “I sure hope she’s around a lot.”
“Believe me, you’re going to get tired of me,” Lois assured him.
“No way.” They shared a smile before he went on with the details of his short life.
He told them about school and how much he liked it. He told them about some of the ones he’d been to and his favorite teacher. He told them he liked pizza and pot roast, but would eat almost anything. He was an early riser and usually went to bed early as well. He liked to sleep with a special item: his mother’s shirt. He told them about his love of baseball and was thrilled when Clark told him they would see about him playing for the youth recreation league the following spring. Cartoons were good; the news was not, unless it was about Superman; he liked riding a bike, although he didn’t have one; he didn’t wet the bed anymore-- there had been a ten year old boy at the group home who did; he could bathe himself, including his hair; and he really liked wearing sports’ jerseys. Lois and Clark mentally filed every bit of information away for later use.
They talked for over an hour before they were interrupted by Ms. Grange.
Clark automatically stood when she approached. For some reason he wasn’t looking forward to hearing what she had to say. But his anxiety was quickly dispelled.
“Mr. Kent, I think my office will be pleased with my report. I see no reason for this visit to continue.”
“Why? Is something wrong?” Lois asked.
“No, Ms. Lane. I think you can take Robin home now.” She smiled and watched as Lois and Clark exchanged a relieved glance before she pulled several papers from her briefcase and put them on the table. “We just need Mr. Kent’s signature and you're free to become a family.”
Clark let out the breath he’d been holding and smiled down at Robin. The boy was smiling as well.
“These give you custody. And this one,” she held one up. “Will legally change his last name to Kent. You simply have to file it at the registrar’s office in family court. They’ll send a new birth certificate with you listed as the father and then you’ll need to file for a new social security card.”
Clark hadn’t thought of that detail. He looked down at Robin before he responded to Dana. “Maybe we’ll give him time to think about that one. If he wants to keep his mother’s name, he’s welcome to. I wouldn’t want to take away his identity.”
“Robin Douglas Kent,” the boy whispered softly. His eyes went up to Lois. “If I keep my name, it’ll be the different one when you get married.”
“Well, Robin, it doesn’t matter what your name is as long as *you* know who you are,” she told him.
He looked back over at Clark. “Could I decide later?”
“Of course. We have all the time in the world.”
Robin smiled and watched as Clark signed the necessary papers to take him home.
Dana smiled when Clark straightened. “His things are in my car. There are more in storage in Oregon. Ms. Logan had provisions for the space to be paid for a period of five years. There’s also a small amount in an account for Robin. It’s all in this paperwork. I’ll send you a copy by messenger tomorrow, after these are filed.” She smiled down at the boy. “What do you say we go get your bag?”
Robin glanced anxiously at Lois and Clark. “Will you come?”
“Sure. Just let me gather up our things,” Clark told him.
“I’ll get ‘em.” Robin jumped from the bench and ran to retrieve his new gifts. He also grabbed Lois and Clark’s jackets from the bench. He was back beside them in a moment, wearing a bright smile.
“Here. I’ll take those jackets,” Clark told him.
The boy pulled away from him. “No! I want to carry them.”
“Okay,” Clark said with a smile. He put his hand on his shoulder and the small group started for the park entrance. Ten minutes later, they had retrieved Robin’s backpack and were headed for Clark’s apartment.
****
The trip across town was another new experience for Robin. Portland was a big city, but nothing like Metropolis. His eyes had a tough time keeping up with all the sights as he mashed his face against the back window of Lois’ jeep. He asked a ton of questions about his new home, all of which were answered with equal enthusiasm.
Soon enough the group stopped outside Clark’s building on Clinton.
“This is 344 Clinton, your new home,” Clark told him. “I’d really like for you to learn the address in case you need to use it for any reason.”
“Okay,” Robin told him as he unbelted from his seat.
“And Lois’ address is…”
“344 Clinton,” she spoke up. Clark looked over at her with a surprised expression. “Actually I live on Carter Avenue and we’ll show you where, but I’m going to be moving here with you guys very shortly, so you won’t need to know that one for long.”
“You’re going to move in? Here?” Clark asked.
“Of course. We’re getting married.” She rolled her eyes as she climbed from the jeep. Clark got out and waited for her to come around.
“But we haven’t even set a date yet,” he reminded her.
“Before Christmas,” she told him firmly as she helped Robin get his things out of the car.
“Lois, that’s in less than two months.”
“I know.” She patted his cheek with a smile before holding out her hand to Robin. “Ready?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Clark was left in stunned silence as he watched her and Robin walk away. Had she just said she wanted to get married almost right away? He grinned at that. If that’s what she wanted, who was he to say no? He jogged to catch up.
