A/N: It's a little later than I promised some of you, (Sorry for that.) but here it is: Chapter 51! Those of you who missed the fluff in the previous few chapters will be pleased with this one, me thinks. :)

The usual thanks go out to bluecatdevil, hobbitsdoitbetter (You're reading this in Tibet??), Magick not Magic, t wrecks, superlc529, Shannon K, KlynneL, beauty890102, wahoogal06, mistressbabette51, JamesTKent, Kat, dyslecsec, Vyalia, thekiller00 but most of all Abby! :smooch:

Chapter 51 “Home”

When Lois picked up Jason from school that afternoon she hugged him a little longer and tighter than was absolutely necessary. The conversation with Charlene was still running through her head, and Lois suddenly felt she was pretty damn lucky with her life. Of course, she couldn’t tell her little boy about trafficking and prostitution, so when he asked her what was wrong she simply answered she was happy to see him. This seemed to be enough for Jason, and he skipped happily and carefree alongside her as they made their way to the car, which was waiting in the parking lot.

“Is Dad coming again today?” Jason asked as he climbed on the back seat.

“Yes, he is.” Lois leaned in to strap him in securely. “It’s Tuesday. He always comes over to take you on Tuesdays.” Seatbelts safely fastened, Lois straightened up. “You know that.” She got in the car and turned the keys in the ignition.

“But we moved. Maybe he doesn’t know where to find us.” Jason said as the engine roared into life.

“Of course he knows where we live. We sent everybody those cards, didn’t we? The ones with our new address on it.” Lois exited the parking lot and joined the long line of multi-coloured cars queuing up for the traffic lights. “Besides, you’re forgetting he can always hear you. He always knows where to find us.”

“Because I’m always so noisy when I play?”

Lois laughed and looked at him through the rear-view mirror. “Yes.” Jason looked shamefaced and Lois turned around in her seat to ruffle his hair, amused. “That, and he can always hear our hearts beating. That’s how he always knows where we are.”

Jason brightened at this. “I can hear your heart too!” he said after a while, and then nodded. “Dad’s ears are even super-er than mine. He can hear us from very far away, I think.” Jason smiled at Lois confidently.

“I think he might hear us talk too.” Lois said, and hoped he did. She was sure this conversation would amuse him. Jason, on the other hand looked scandalised and shook his head energetically.

“No, he wouldn’t. Dad wouldn’t eavesdrop on us. He told me eavesdropping isn’t a nice thing. He said-” His stopped talking and his eyes suddenly grew big. “Mommy, the man in the car behind us is calling you names.”

Lois looked behind him to see said man signalling her furiously and pointing at something above her. When she re-directed her attention to traffic, she noticed the traffic light had turned green, and the queue in front of her had already dissolved. “Shit” she muttered under her breath, and stepped on the gas. Belatedly, her car shot forwards and followed the other cars that were headed towards the high way. The man in the car behind her caught up with her on the left and shot her an angry look. Lois was secretly pleased to see Jason stick out his tongue at him as he passed.

The rest of the drive was silent, save for a brief comment about dinner. As she drove the familiar streets, Lois’ mind wandered to the things Charlene had told her earlier. Kathy had been smuggled into the USA illegally, and the men had forced her into prostitution. Then Earl came into the picture and told her he knew what was going on. That had to mean that Stanford & Young was somehow connected to those trafficking practices. Were there merely a few employees involved, or was the entire company a cover? How big was this organization, exactly? Lois knew there was only one way to find the answer to these questions; since it was unlikely anyone at Stanford & Young would provide her with honest answers, she’d have to bury herself in the company’s paperwork. Lois groaned at the prospect. So not my type of research.

Lois and Jason were halfway through dinner when Jason unexpectedly exclaimed “Dad!” and jumped off his chair.

Lois frowned. “Jason, what are you…” she began, as she watched him speeding towards the front door. Then she fell silent when she realised he had probably heard something she couldn’t. Sure enough, a second after Jason opened the door, Clark stepped in.

“Dad was humming.” Jason explained, answering the question Lois’ hadn’t asked.

“Humming. Of course.” Lois shared a bemused look with Clark and raised her face when he walked over the give her a brief kiss. “Hi.”

“Hey. Am I too early?” Clark looked at the their half-eaten dinner. “I can wait.”

“No,” Jason shook his head. “I’m finished.” When Lois looked at him sternly he added, “I’m not hungry.”

“Jason,” Lois pointed at his plate. “Eat. Those vegetables have to be gone before you go.”

Jason looked at Clark hopefully, but to no avail. “I wouldn’t dare disagree with your mother, Jason.”

Lois smirked as Jason sat back down and began wolfing down his remaining dinner. “Very wise,” she muttered, and Clark gave her another quick kiss. “Are you going to the mountains again?”

Clark shook his head. “I was thinking about taking him to the Fortress today.”

“The Fortress, really?” Lois raised an eyebrow. Back to where he came from, how poetic. “I don’t seem to recall heavy trees there?”

Clark shrugged. “I think we’ve lifted enough trees for a while.” Jason nodded energetically. “I wanted to work some more on Jason’s hearing. That is still a little unstable.” He pulled up a chair and sat by the table, watching his son finish his meal. “I got an unexpected call today, from Martin Stevens, he wanted to meet with me.”

Lois frowned, trying to remember who this Martin Stevens was.

“One of Basinger’s co-workers I talked to a few days ago.” Clark clarified. “I think he decided I was trustworthy enough after all.”

“Oh, hey, that’s great.” Lois smiled, happy that they finally seemed to be getting somewhere in this investigation. “When are you going to meet with him?”

“First thing tomorrow morning. So, someone needs to tell Perry I won’t be in before lunch.”

“I’ll tell him.” She then turned to Jason. “Well, if you’re going to the Fortress, you’d better put on something warm.”

Lois cleared away Jason’s plate as he ran from the room, and she was halfway through the kitchen when she felt two arms circling her waist and warm breath on her neck. “It’ll be weird to have him there. Without you.” Clark muttered, and Lois felt her heart beat a little faster. She knew he was thinking about the time they had spent at the Fortress together, and momentarily wished she could come along to see the place again.

Lois turned around in his arms so she could look him in the eye. She rested both of her hands on his chest. “I’ve got to get this stuff unpacked. Jason and I can’t keep living out of boxes.”

Clark gave her a lingering kiss to which Lois responded enthusiastically. She felt his warm thumb brush her cheek and was about to move her hand into his hair when he suddenly pulled back, a second before Jason skipped back into the room. He was clad in his thick winter coat. Lois gave a small sigh of regret, and Clark smiled at her. “We won’t be gone long.” He brushed her lips quickly with his, and then took a step back. Lois watched as he began to spin around on the spot to change into his Superman-outfit and remembered the first time he had done so in her kitchen. She could hardly believe that that was only half a year ago.

Jason grinned in delight when his father re-appeared in his blue suit and winked at him. “Ready, Jason?”

“Yes!” Lois briefly chucked at Jason’s enthusiasm.

“Let’s go, then, shall we?” Clark picked up Jason in a smooth motion, and strode to the open window. Jason waved at Lois a second before he and Clark rose into the air and were quickly out of sight.

“Lois.” A warm hand on her shoulder woke Lois up from her slumber. She opened her eyes groggily. “Lois, we’re home.”

Lois blinked a few times, then realised Clark was standing next to her, and Jason was on his way to the hallway to put away his coat. She groaned and shut her eyes again. “Please tell me I didn’t fall asleep.”

“You didn’t fall asleep.” Lois could her the smile in his voice and she opened one eye grumpily.

“I thought you couldn’t lie.”

“I can, but I’m not making a habit of it.”

Lois sighed and got up from the seat in which she had fallen asleep. An old album slipped off her lap and fell on the floor with a dull ‘thud’. Lois had been halfway emptying one of the boxes when she found this old photo album and had sat down to flick through the pages. She hadn’t meant to spend a lot of time watching them, nor had she planned on falling asleep in the process. “What a very elderly thing to do.” She muttered to herself.

“Maybe you just needed it.” Clark shrugged, and bent to pick up the book. “Is this you?” Lois nodded absentmindedly and looked around. Not only did she fail to make a proper start on unpacking, she also still had to clear the table and clean the kitchen.

She rubbed the last bit of sleep from her eyes and looked at Clark, who seemed engrossed in the photo album. “You two had a good time?”

“Certainly.” Clark put the album aside and beamed at Jason, who walked up to them with a red nose and rosy cheeks, looking pleased with himself. “Jason made a lot of progress. He could hear me calling in Moscow.”

Lois’ eyes widened. “Really?”

Jason nodded, then yawned.

“Bedtime.” Lois said decidedly. “You were up very early this morning, and training with Clark always tires you.”

Jason feebly objected it wasn’t his usual bedtime yet, but he was too tired to raise too many objections. He let himself be coaxed into the bathroom by Lois, and dutifully brushed his teeth as she searched for a clean pyjama in the laundry.

“Read me a story, Mommy?” Jason mumbled sleepily, when he climbed in bed and snuggled under his blanket.

“Sure, munchkin.” Lois sat down on the bed next to him and kissed his temple. “Which one shall we take today?” She scanned the titles on the bookshelf and picked his favourite. “How about Peter Pan?”

Jason shook his head. “New ‘un” he managed to mumble feebly.

“Okay…” Lois let the hand that had been travelling towards the well-used copy of Peter Pan drop, and bit her lip. She thought of stories on a daily basis, but none of those where suitable for children. Then, as she looked at her son’s drowsy form, she realised it didn’t matter much which story she told; he probably wouldn’t be awake to hear much of it anyway. Tucking the blankets in, Lois started telling the first story that came to mind.

“Once upon a time a little boy was born. His mother and father were very happy with him and they loved him very much. But they were also scared, because the planet they lived on was very dangerous.” Lois stroked Jason’s hair as she spoke in a calm, soothing voice, and she was pleased to see his eyes starting to droop.

“The father of the little baby boy was very smart, and he thought of a clever plan. He built a spaceship, a small one, just big enough for a little boy to fit in. Then he put his son in she ship and sent it away. He was very sad to have to say goodbye to his son, because he loved him very much. But he was also happy, because now his son was safe.”

Lois glanced at her boy again. Jason lay with his eyes closed, breathing slowly. He didn’t object when she stopped talking. Smiling, Lois stroked his cheek and was about to get up from the bed when Jason proved he was still awake by muttering; “And then?”

“Then the little boy travelled through space for many years. And he landed on a new planet. On this new planet there were two people who saw the spaceship fall down and they decided to go see what had happened. These two people were married, and they had wished for a baby for a long time. So when they found the little boy, they decided to keep him. And so the boy got a new mother and a new father. And he got a new name; Clark.”

“What were the new mommy and daddy called?” Jason asked, opening one sleepy eye.

“Martha…and…” Lois blinked. What was Clark’s father’s name? How could she be so close with Clark and not know this? Come to think of it, she knew very little about the time before he’d come to Metropolis. She made a mental note to ask him about his life, his childhood, his life in Smallville.

“Jonathan.”

Lois looked around to see Clark standing in the doorway, a small smile on his face.

“Martha and Jonathan.” Clark sat down on Jason’s bed next to Lois. “They raised Clark as their own son, and they were very happy together. But they soon noticed there was something different about Clark. He was very strong, you see, much stronger than Jonathan even. Jonathan and Martha knew that Clark came from another planet.”

“But they loved him just as much, because they knew he was special.” Lois cut in, making sure Jason realised that his being different wasn’t a bad thing. Clark rewarded her by flashing her a bright smile.

“Clark got stronger every day. They decided to keep his powers a secret, because they were afraid what people would do if they found out. Luckily, the fields by the house were so large nobody could see him when he used his powers. And so Clark grew up from a little boy to the strongest teenager that ever lived, and nobody but Martha and Jonathan knew about it.” Clark was looking in the direction of Jason’s form, but the faraway look in his eyes told Lois he wasn’t actually looking at him.

“Jonathan and Martha made sure Clark grew up very kind and honest.” Lois took over the story. “Even though he was so strong that nobody could stop him, Clark never fought. Even though he was so fast no one could keep up with him, Clark never showed off.” At this, Clark suddenly looked up and flashed her a mischievous grin. So you did show-off. Lois smirked. I’m gonna need to hear that story.

“Then, one day, something very sad happened.” Clark said, and he suddenly looked a lot more serious. “Jonathan died. And Clark was very sad. Because even though Clark could do so many incredible things, he couldn’t save his father.” Lois looked Clark in the eye and took his hand, giving it a slight squeeze. “So Clark decided that he wanted to use his powers to save other people. To make sure other people wouldn’t die, just like his father. Clark left home, and travelled all the way to the North Pole. There he-”

“Clark.” Lois cut him off, and nodded at Jason. “He’s asleep.”

“What… oh, right.” Clark fell silent and got up from the bed slowly, careful not to wake up Jason. Lois watched how he looked at his son for just a few seconds before he walked out of the room. Lois walked out behind him and quietly closed the door.

Then she turned to Clark, and stood on her toes to kiss him. “I love you.”

Clark smiled. “I love you t-” he began, but Lois silenced him with a finger on his lips.

“Let me finish. You’re wonderful, amazing, incredible. I know I don’t tell you this enough. I’m not that kind of woman. But I want you to know that even though I don’t say it, I feel it every day.” Lois put her arms around his neck, and looked him in the eye, trying to force him to understand what she was feeling. “Things have been hard for us, and I think it’ll never get easy, but there is no one I’d rather be with than you, Clark, you-” Lois eyes briefly strayed to the living room that was visible though the open door in the hallway, “unpacked!”

Clark looked confused for a moment at this sudden change of subject, then he looked over his shoulder and grinned. “Yes, I did.”

Lois let her arms drop to her sides and walked through the hallway into the living room. “I don’t believe this.”

The room looked… complete. It looked like home. Lois let her fingers glide over a chamber plant and several framed photos that stood on the mantelpiece. It looked very much like it had in 312 Riverside Drive. Lois immediately felt the familiarity, the comfort… home. Lois looked around her as she walked into the kitchen. It was spotless, and she drew open a couple of drawers at random. He even put everything back in its proper place.

“So, you like it?” Lois looked around at Clark, and he seemed to be judging her reaction. “I wasn’t sure, I know furnishing can be a personal thing but you really seemed to want this done soon, so I decided to stick to the way it was, but then I was thinking it may remind-”

Lois cut off his ramble with a kiss. “Shut up, Clark, I love it.”

Clark grinned in relief. “It doesn’t remind you too much of Richard, does it?”

Lois raised an eyebrow. “Do you really think Richard had much to say there?” she smirked. “He would’ve made everything ivory and black leather.” Lois put her arms around Clark’s waist and rested her head on his chest. It’s incredibly thoughtful of him, though. “Thank you.”

Clark kissed the tip of her nose as he put his arms around her too. “You’re welcome.”

For a long time, Lois contented herself with simply standing there, together, in a peaceful silence. She was enjoying their proximity, this scent, they very warmth that seemed to be spreading though her bones. Lois smiled as she realized her eyes were starting to droop, just like her son’s had not too long ago. Determined to stay awake, Lois let her eyes travel over the room again. It was incredible how the room could be so familiar and yet still new. Like Clark. Lois snuggled a little closer. Then, her eye fell on the corner of the room, where the boxes had stood before Clark had unpacked them. Only one box remained; the one labelled ‘Jason’. The rest was gone. All of it. Lois frowned.

“Clark? Did you unpack everything?”

Clark replied with “Hmmm…”, obviously not wanting to break the spell just yet. Then pulled back so he could see her face. “I also put your new bed together. I figured it would be more comfortable than the couch.”

“Really?” Lois smirked and waggled her eyebrows suggestively. “I’m sure it will be.”

Clark flushed, but looked pleased.

A/N:

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Love, Fluffy One