Chapter Fourteen
“You’re so smart; you tell me – is there something going on with Superman and Lois or is Clark just carrying a torch for Miss Lane and finds pleasure in rescuing her once in a while?”
“Oh there’s so something going on with you two.”
Superman laughed. “There was. Once upon a time.”
“And what happened?”
“I left for five years.”
“Yeah, and?”
“Well, for one, I never said goodbye, and for two, she moved on.”
Buffy nodded knowingly and took a deep breath. “Yeah, know what that’s like. On both ends actually. To be the one that gets ditched without much of a goodbye and to be the one that’s moved on. I also know what it’s like to see someone you love after an extended separation and find that they’ve moved on. It sucks.”
“To put it mildly, yes, it does…suck.”
“Why didn’t you say goodbye?”
“It was too hard.”
“That’s when you took off to your home planet, right?”
“Right. I figured Lois would . . . I don’t know, I figured she would understand why it was so hard. Our relationship was already precarious.”
“Clark, it doesn’t matter what you thought. Take it from me, don’t make decisions for the ones you love because you think it’s for the best. Let them decide that. Otherwise, they’ll just resent you later on.”
“She does, unfortunately.”
“So, she’s moved on, huh?”
“Yeah, his name is Richard; he works at the Planet with us.”
“Good guy?”
“He helped save my life.”
“Then…yes?”
“Yes, he is. He loves Lois and our son.”
Buffy’s eyes widened as did Clark’s, he jumped up. “Buffy, forget I said that—“
“Oh my God!”
“Buffy—“
“You know, I asked her today if her son was Clark’s.”
“You did, why?”
“I was hoping? I don’t know, the way you were with her last night I thought either you were carrying a torch for her, or you guys were together and she was just a cold fish.”
Superman chuckled. “She comes off being hard as nails, but she’s a real softie inside.”
“So, she treats Clark like crap and you still love her?”
“She doesn’t treat me like crap. . . I mean, it seems like she does, but really, Lois and I have a unique relationship. She sometimes confides in me in the things that bother her and she often listens to my advice. Sometimes it seems as if she’s really just. . . “
“Self-absorbed?”
Superman gave her a stern look. Buffy ignored him and continued.
“Sounds like you have a great relationship, Clark. So, when she’s not confiding you and not bossing you around, what is the relationship like?”
“It’s . . . not.”
“Okay then. So, does Richard know that you’re Jason’s father?”
“No, he doesn’t.”
“Does she have plans to tell him?”
“Not as of yet, no.”
“Don’t you want the right to be a father to him?”
“You’ve been hanging around Lois too much. You’re starting to ask all the hard hitting questions.”
“Clark, they’re really not that hard hitting. They seem like obvious questions to me. You have a son with Lois, she’s with a guy that thinks Jason is his son, and meanwhile she’s still carrying a torch for Superman, and you get to be filler background guy.”
“She’s not carrying a torch—well…maybe. You think so?”
Buffy rolled her eyes. “It’s good to know that men are all the same no matter what planet they’re from, or what powers they have.”
“I mean, I’ve noticed some jealousy when it comes to how she feels about you and I—“
Buffy’s eyes widened once more. “Over me and you?”
“She thinks I’m after you.”
“Wait. Clark or Superman?”
“Superman.”
“Really? She thinks that? Why, uh, why does she think that?” Buffy asked, batting her eyelashes coquettishly and flashing him a bright smile.
“Because of how I’ve been here in Sunnydale and never told her apparently.”
“Oh, yes, that’s right. So. She confided in you last night, huh?”
Superman chuckled, “She did.”
“And she thinks that you and I have a thing . . . that you and I have a thing. . . Oh my God!”
“What?”
“I have an idea.”
“What?”
“So, Superman and Buffy don’t have a thing, but maybe Buffy has a thing for Clark?”
“Excuse me?”
Buffy jumped up excitedly. “It’s perfect! Clark, she doesn’t pay any attention to you and lets her jealousy over Superman possibly having any entanglement with myself or your stalker –“
“Anya?”
“Yeah, Anya. So maybe it’s time that Clark got some attention from Lois Lane. Maybe it’s time she started noticing the mild-mannered, unassuming reporter that is often her confidante hmmm?”
“No, Buffy.”
“Why not?”
“Because then what happens if she did notice me, which she wouldn’t. I invented this persona of the bumbling idiot to hide. To fade into the background so that I wouldn’t be noticed. What happens if she figured it out? Then I’d have to tell her the truth.”
“And that’s bad how?”
“It’s hard, Buffy. She has to share me with the whole world. I’m not ever going to be one of those men like Richard who can come home after a long day at the office and toss the ball around with Jason in the backyard—“
“God, I wouldn’t think so. You’d wail that thing halfway across the Pacific,” Buffy muttered.
“And it could put them in danger if she knew.”
“How? If the only ones that know are you, her and one day Jason, how is anyone gonna know to be able to use that against her? Plus, she said it herself: She’s already practically your press agent so I’m thinking that if someone was out to get her to get to you; they’d have done it by now. I mean, Lex Luthor aside because obviously that guy has it in for anyone who’s crossed him, the fact of the matter is, you’re scared. And, you’re doing that thing where you’re making decisions for her and don’t trust her. You can’t keep it from her forever, Clark. As much as Lois drives me crazy at times, it really sucks when you think you know someone and then lo and behold, you really don’t! Not to mention Jason. I mean…he has your blood, and half of your genes. I can imagine that boy is gonna have some mad power like his old man one day. You might not be able to be the kind of guy that can always be there for his family, but when you are there, it can make all the difference in the world to him; to know that his father loved him and was there a free minute in between saving the world to teach him how not to accidentally crush someone’s head during a high school football game. My dad isn’t around anymore. He’s gone, taken off somewhere and doesn’t give a crap about me. A phone call once in a while would have been great from him. Don’t do that to Jason.”
“Richard is –“
“Richard is not his father. And one day when his big power starts coming out, he’s gonna look to you for help. I imagine, you’re already his hero, along with everyone else in the world. Don’t you want him to be able to connect to someone who understands what it’s like to have these gifts? It’s not all peachy keen to have powers and not be able to share, as you well know. It makes you feel different knowing your job is . . . huge. All I had was my Watcher to talk to about it, and as much as I love Giles, he wasn’t always that helpful and understanding. And what if Richard witnesses his power one day? Isn’t he going to wonder?”
“You’re a smart woman, Buffy Summers,” Clark said, sighing heavily.
“I try.”
“Look, you’ve brought up some great points, but as of right now, I don’t know what I want to do…I just…have to think.”
“I understand. Making big life decisions, especially in matters of the heart is always difficult.”
“And besides, if you wanted to pretend to come onto me, I’m pretty sure Spike would take opposition to that.”
Buffy rolled her eyes. “Oh please. He’d get over it, the big kitty cat that he is.”
“Do you love him, Buffy?”
“Hey now, remember. We’re talking about you, not me.”
Clark grinned, “Listen, I’ve got to get back to Lois. Want a lift?”
She laughed. “I’ve been waiting for you to say that for so long! Nah, I’ll poke around.”
“You sure?”
“Remember, I have averted apocalypses. I think I can handle it.”
Clark grinned. “All right. I’ll see you later.”
“Bye, bye Superman.” Waving to him as he flew off, Buffy grinned. “I can’t wait to tell Spike!”
[Reviews - 253]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | 
Chapter or Story
Has been viewed 2100 times
- Text Size +
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | Chapter or Story - Text Size +