DISCLAIMER: The Justice League of America
characters are the property of DC Comics. The story contents are the creation
and property of Djinn and are copyright (c) 2005 by Djinn. This story is Rated
R.
Trinity:
Two by Four
by Djinn
Diana sat on the steps of the
deck, moving aside slightly to let Alfred pass her. He carried a glass of milk to Lois, who
rolled her eyes at him but then took it from the silver tray and sipped. Lois lay on one of the many chaise lounges
set out by the pool. Her belly, just
becoming prominent, was covered by her swimsuit and a black gauze blouse; her
legs were protected by the damp towel Kal had set over her. She was wearing a floppy straw hat that Bruce
had brought her to keep the sun off her face.
Diana looked down at her own
arms, tanned by constant exposure to the sun.
She'd never worried about sunscreen or cancer or anything else. Her skin never grew old or leathery, as she'd
seen so many humans' skin do. She would
be young and beautiful forever.
She would be young and
beautiful and barren. Forever.
Bruce and Kal were in the
pool. They swam laps, neither talking to
the other as they both worked off steam.
Alfred watched them for a moment, then he turned and walked back up the
stairs. Diana expected him to pass her
again, but he surprised her by laying the tray on the next step and sitting
down beside her.
A companionable silence fell
between them, then he sighed, and she turned to look at him. He met her gaze, his eyes searching. She smiled, wanting to trace the lines around
his eyes. Lines of worry and care. Lines of love. For Bruce.
For her. And even for their
strange little foursome. Soon to be a
quintet.
Little Phoebe. Lois had called it that day on the
planet. She hadn't meant to, but she
had. Diana had looked up the meaning of
Little Joe after their first visit to the planet as a group. Little Joe.
Two pairs in craps.
She wasn't sure they were two
pairs anymore. Lois's baby had changed
that.
Lois and Bruce's baby had changed
that.
Little Phoebe. Five, made up of three and two. Not one and four. Not one baby and four consenting adults. But two and three. Clark and Lois and baby. Or was it Bruce and Lois and baby?
Diana realized she was
clenching her fists and forced herself to relax.
"It hurts you to have
her here," Alfred said, his voice low.
"No, it's fine. She's my friend." But was that what they were?
He looked back out at the
pool. "I think it hurts Master
Clark to come here."
"We're
family." The words came out
harsh. They weren't family. They were lovers. Lovers who should have realized the crazy
situation they were getting into.
Lovers who should have stayed friends.
People who wanted each other but didn't indulge that hunger.
"That's one way of
looking at it." Alfred's voice was
gentle, taking any sting out of the words.
It was her turn to sigh. "I thought it would get
easier." She'd never told Alfred
that Lois's baby was probably Bruce's.
She didn't think Bruce had ever told him. Certainly, Kal or Lois had never told
him. Yet Alfred knew. She knew he knew, but she couldn't bring
herself to ask him how he'd guessed, because then she would be admitting that
this had spun completely out of her control.
He'd tried to warn her.
"You need to talk about
this, don't you?" His tone held no
condemnation.
She nodded, refusing to put
her weakness into words.
"You should talk to
him." Alfred pointed to where Bruce
was climbing out of the pool. "You
should let him know this hurts you."
"He has enough on his
mind."
"And whose fault is
that?"
She turned to Alfred, but he
kept his gaze locked on the pool. She
saw how tight his jaw was, how carefully he blinked. "It's all of our faults, Alfred."
His answer was a tight move
of his head, barely a nod, more of a jerking motion. "I suppose it is a little late to blame
anyone in particular."
She leaned in, letting her
shoulder rest against his. "Why
don't you judge us, Alfred?"
"I do."
"No, you don't. You've tried to spare us. You've been disappointed in us. But you're not judging this. Not the way anyone else would. Why?"
He didn't answer, started to
get up, and she grabbed his arm, careful not to hurt him, but also not letting
him rise.
"You said once that you knew
what we were doing."
He stopped trying to get up,
sank down to the step, his lips very tight.
"Alfred, please?"
"Why? Because you need to know you aren't alone in
this folly?" He turned, his face
angry.
She'd never seen him look
that way at her. "Maybe. Yes."
"Everyone's alone in
this folly. No matter how many other
people have done something like this.
Everyone's alone."
She let go of his arm, hoping
he would stay with her of his own free will.
But he got up quickly, moving
faster than a man of his age should--all to get away from her.
"I'm sorry,
Alfred."
"I can't make your life
better with stories from my past, Miss Diana.
I won't even try."
"Of course not. I'm sorry I asked." She looked down, felt his hand rest on her
head for a moment. A strangely
affectionate touch. "Alfred?"
He looked down.
"When they were together
before, did you think Lois and Bruce would make it?"
"No." His hand moved down, to touch her cheek. "But I did think you and he would make
it."
"Did? Not do?"
"I don't know
anymore. Everything's
changed." He pulled his hand away
and walked back to the house.
He was right. Everything had changed. They'd all seen to that.
------------------
Clark watched Diana sitting
with Alfred. He could hear what they
were saying. Diana had to know he was
listening in. When Alfred left her,
Diana stared down at the pool, her eyes locking with his. Then she got up and disappeared into the
gardens.
Clark looked over at
Lois. Bruce was sitting with her, talking
quietly. Clark could hear them easily
too. They were just talking about how
she was doing, how she was feeling. But
there was something in their tone.
Something...intimate. More
intimate than sex.
They were parents. Bruce was the father of the child that grew
inside Clark's wife.
It shouldn't bother him. That was Clark's mantra now. It should not bother him.
He felt like flying out of
the water, shooting from the pool with a great splash, but he settled for
climbing up the ladder. Neither of them
looked at him as he passed them, heading up the steps to where Diana had
disappeared.
He found her in the rose
garden, sitting on the grass, a row of laurel blocking the view of anyone
looking out from the house.
"Hiding?"
She nodded, holding her hand
out to him.
He took it, squeezing gently
as he sat down next to her.
"I think he's in love
with her," Diana said softly. Only
another meta could have heard her.
"I think you're
wrong." Clark smiled at her when
she glanced at him in surprise. "I
think he's in love with the idea of a baby.
But I think you're the one he loves."
"It's her baby,
Kal."
"I'm well aware of
that." He pulled her close, holding
her tightly against him. Her arms stole
around him, squeezing hard.
She would break Bruce's ribs
if she squeezed him this hard.
"Remember at the press
conference?" he asked. "When
you said you wanted to fly away?"
"You said no."
He laughed softly. "I'm not sure I answered you either
way."
"Which means you were
saying no without saying it." She
nuzzled his neck.
Their special chemistry. Only grown stronger now that they both felt
so isolated. He turned, kissing her
slowly. They were rarely frantic in
their affection. They both knew what
they were doing. Solace wasn't
desperation. Solace wasn't frenzied or
hidden. They would have kissed the same
way on the steps.
Or so he liked to tell
himself.
"Why are you
hiding?" he asked.
"Because no one is
looking for me."
He traced her lips. "I came looking for you."
She smiled. "Maybe because you want to hide
too."
Diana was strong. Even now, hurting and sad, she wouldn't hide
for long. She would face what she had
made. Or what Lois and her lover had
made.
"I'm tired,
Kal." She kissed him again, her
tongue running along his upper lip, making him shiver.
He felt the familiar
confusion fill him. He loved this woman
so. And he loved his wife. He was jealous of his wife's relationship
with his best friend. He was jealous of his
best friend's relationship with Diana.
He loved Diana. He loved
Lois. He loved Bruce.
And that was exactly what had
gotten them into this damned mess. Why
the hell couldn't he have just picked one of them? Why couldn't he let well enough alone?
"I love you," she
whispered, her lips against his cheek.
"I love you
too." He said it far more to Diana
than he did to Lois these days. He had a
feeling that Lois didn't care what he felt.
She was untouchable. Pregnant and glowing and part of something
that didn't include him.
"Will you love it?"
Diana asked.
"The child?"
She nodded, the motion felt
rather than seen as her silky hair glided under his chin.
"I will."
"How do you
know?" She pulled away, studying
him. "How do you know you
will?"
He felt as if she'd wrapped
her lasso around him. Her eyes bore into
him, drawing the truth out. Truth he had
not admitted to anyone. Truth they'd all
been more than happy to let stay buried.
"Kal?"
"I'll try?"
She pulled him close, holding
him as he squeezed her harder and harder.
She didn't complain, but he felt her breathing catch as he held her even
tighter. He eased up before he could
hurt her.
"Let's fly away?"
he said. "Just the two of us. Far, far away. Maybe the Fortress, where no one can find
us."
"You love her. You can't leave her."
"Do you love her,
Diana?"
She buried her lips in the
crook of his neck, "I don't know
anymore, Kal."
"That's a lie."
She froze and he smiled, and
knew it was a bitter expression. He so rarely
called her on her untruths. But today he
had to.
"Yes. I love her." She pulled out of his arms. "But she doesn't love me."
"You're wrong. She does.
She loves you and she loves me and she loves Bruce."
"I wish she just loved
you again. Only you." Diana smoothed back his hair. "You'll be a good father."
"I'm not his
father."
"His?" She looked away. "Of course...you can tell?"
He'd known it was a boy for
weeks. He hadn't told Lois. She swore she didn't want to know the sex of
her baby.
"What are you going to
call him?"
"I don't know. We haven't...had that conversation
yet." Although Lois had tried
several times. He usually pleaded a JLA
crisis, making up telepathic messages from J'onn to get him out of the
apartment. Which was stupid. One call to Bruce, and Lois could blow that
lie out of the water.
"Don't give up,
Kal." Diana looked away, toward the
stairs.
Clark could hear Bruce's
footsteps. He got up, pulling Diana to
her feet, then moving away a little.
Bruce walked over to them,
his arm going around her waist.
"You okay?"
She nodded. "You know how I like the rose
garden."
His smile was a bit
twisted. "I also know how you like
Clark."
Her face seemed to freeze,
then she pushed him away. "That was
unkind, Bruce."
"It's also the
truth." He watched her walk into
the house, then turned to Clark.
"What did I miss?"
"Nothing." Clark walked away. Then he turned back to Bruce. "She's upset. She needs you. You should go to her."
Bruce frowned, looking first
up at the house, then back toward the pool, as if torn.
"Diana. Needs.
You. You shouldn't have to think
about that, Bruce."
Bruce nodded, as if he was
finally hearing Clark, and hurried into the house. Clark let himself spy; super voyeur powers
letting him hear and see Bruce pull Diana into his arms, soothing her even as
they fell back on their bed.
Clark made himself look away.
Then he turned back, unable
to not watch. Diana was looking at the
wall, as if she knew he would be looking right at her. He thought he saw her mouth,
"Kal." But maybe that was just
his imagination?
He took a deep breath, then
walked down to Lois. She was dozing, a
small smile on her face. He stood gazing
down at her. She looked stunning. Leaning down, he kissed her gently.
"Mmmm." Her smile grew bigger. "Do that again, Smallville."
"How do you know it's
me?"
She opened her eyes, studying
him.
He kept his expression light.
"I just do." She moved over so there was room for him if
they snuggled.
He held her close, his arms
just tight enough to keep her safe. His
hand stole to her belly. To the baby
that wasn't his.
She looked up at him. "What's going on in that handsome head
of yours?"
"Just thinking about our
baby." He could say the words with
no catch in his voice. Say them as if he
meant them. Our baby. Ours as in the four of them. Not ours as in the two of them.
The answer seemed to please
her. She kissed him and shifted until
she was comfortably nestled against him, her belly pushing hard at him. He rubbed it, listening for the heartbeat of
her child. Their child. The heartbeat was strong and sure. Their baby was healthy and growing well.
It pained him to think that
things might be better if their baby refused to grow. Cupping his hand over her belly, he mouthed
to the child, "I will love you," as if that could make up for Clark
not being as super a man as he should be.
------------------
Bruce stood at the door of
the Daily Planet pressroom, watching Lois move from copier to printer to her
desk and back again. She wasn't clumsy
yet, was just starting to look heavily pregnant. He looked around for Clark; his friend was
nowhere in sight.
Lois turned, frowning at him
slightly. He wondered how she'd known he
was there.
"Ms. Lane," he
said, and then wondered if she went by Mrs. Kent at work.
"Mister Wayne," her
smile was open, easy. He must have
picked the right name.
"How are you?"
"Did you come all the
way to Metropolis just to ask me that?"
He smiled. His best playboy smile. "It's possible."
She looked down, seemingly
shy, then back up, giving him the full force of her cornflower eyes. "I think I love that."
They both looked down
then. Bruce mumbled, "Clark isn't
here, I take it?"
"Nope." She pulled a chair over from the desk next to
her. "Take a load off, Bruce."
She was the one who sat
gratefully. "Your baby is killing
me." She looked up, eyes shocked as
they met his.
She'd never said it that way
before. Never called it "his"
baby.
"I'm sorry if you're
uncomfortable," he said, trying to ignore the opening. It was sheer folly to even consider how much
he wanted to pursue it. "Where is
Clark?"
She shrugged. "Out pursing a lead? Out pursuing Diana? Who can tell these days?" She was sorting printouts, laying them with
photocopies she'd made. "I think
they're having an affair."
"Can that word even
apply to us anymore?" He
sighed. She was probably right. Diana and Clark were most likely having an
affair.
"Yes, it still
applies," she said. "The
other...thing was open. In front of each
other."
Bruce leaned in. "Clark might object to my being
here."
"I know." She suddenly pushed away from her desk. "I'm hungry. Are you hungry?"
He stood. "I'm very hungry." He wasn't hungry in the least.
"Let's get out of
here."
He nodded.
"Are you here on
business?"
"Sort of." The only business he had in town was seeing
her.
She was leading him past the
deli in the lobby of the Planet. Out
onto the street. She pointed to the waiting
black cars. "Which is yours?"
He led her to the one idling
on the corner. They got in, and he told
the driver to take them to his hotel.
Lois didn't say a word, just
sat next to him, one hand on her belly, the other on the seat between them.
He put his hand over hers,
felt her move her fingers apart so he could push his between them, holding
her. They rode in silence to his hotel.
She slid out, still capable
of exiting a car gracefully, and he put his arm around her shoulder as he led
her to into the hotel and through the lobby and to the elevator that would take
them to the penthouse.
Lois had always loved
penthouses.
The elevator opened onto the
hall, and he used his key card to open the door. She brushed past him, smelling of amber and
citrus and some kind of subtle flower.
Walking to the large French doors, she stepped onto the terrace and
stared out at her city.
"Do you like the
view?"
"Did you get this room
because you thought I would?"
"Yes." He hadn't told Diana he was going to be in
Metropolis overnight. But then she
hadn't told him that she was going to be at the Fortress all day so they were
even.
Lois turned. "I'm here with you, but I don't want to
cheat on Clark."
"Okay." He resisted telling her that even without sex,
she was probably cheating on Clark.
She walked to the other side
of the terrace, leaning over a little to see the park below them. She turned back to him, holding out her
hand. "Would you hold me and tell
me it's going to be all right?"
Moving toward her, he took
her hand, pulling her gently back into the room and to the bedroom. He lay down, easing her into his arms. His hand found her belly in a way he tried
not to do when Clark or Diana were watching him. His child lay just under his hand. His son or daughter. He hadn't expected it to move him so. That this woman carried his baby inside her.
"It'll be all
right," he said softly, but he wasn't sure that it would be. He wasn't sure that it all wouldn't come
crashing down around them.
She shook, and he realized
she was crying. "Hormones,"
she said, but he didn't think it was.
"Is he mistreating
you?"
"Clark? God, no.
He's probably going the other way too much." She looked up at him.
He leaned in, kissed
her. It was a stupid thing to do. Her lips met his with passion and tenderness,
and he pulled away with regret.
"I love Diana."
"And I love Clark. Hell, I love her too, damn her perfect Amazon
soul." Lois cuddled against him,
her stomach rising then falling under his hand as she shifted.
"Are you hungry? I can order room service."
"No, I ate already. I'm eating like
a pig."
"That's good. We can't have a scrawny superhero, now can
we?"
"You think that's what
he'll be? A superhero?"
"He?"
She smiled softly. "Clark slipped up one day. I don't think he realized he did it. But I heard him." She sighed.
"A boy. A son."
"My son."
She nodded. "Yes.
Your son."
He took a deep breath. It was all right that Clark would raise his
son. Clark was probably better with kids
than he was anyway. More heroic. Less scary.
Good god, Bruce would give the boy permanent nightmares if he showed up
in the dark still in his uniform.
Only...wouldn't the kid
wonder why he wasn't super? Or why he
looked a lot more like his uncle Bruce than his so-called daddy?
Or would he be so proud of
his super-daddy that nothing else would matter?
"What are you
thinking?"
He laughed softly. "I'm trying to make it all right that I
won't be his father."
"How's that going?"
"I'm making
progress. Slowly."
Her hand stole up to his
cheek. "Have you ever thought that
maybe we--"
His hand over her lips
shushed her. "Words have
power. Power we're not prepared
for. You're his wife. You love him.
I love her. This is the way it
is."
"Fine. But have you ever...?"
He didn't answer for a long
time. He heard her exhale, as if she was
giving up on getting an answer. Touching
her lips with his finger, he traced the way they were curving downward. "Yes," he said. "I've thought about us together."
"So have I." She pressed her head against his chest, not
speaking. They lay like that for a long
time, until she stirred and said, "My lunch hour is long over."
"I'll have Victor take
you back to the Planet." He walked her
out of the hotel and to the waiting car.
"We can't do things like
this, Bruce." She leaned in and
kissed him.
It was a long, slow, easy
kiss on the lips. Could they do things
like that?
"You tell me what's
allowed and what's not." He didn't
like it, hated giving up control. But it
was the only way this was going to work.
He had to take a back seat. She
was married to someone else.
He heard her murmur, "I
love you," as he reached past her to open the car door.
"I love you too,"
he said back, even though it was the worst possible thing he could say.
He stayed out on the street
watching her until the car finally turned out of sight.
-------------------
Lois watched Diana pace
through the apartment. "Would you
sit down? You're giving me a
headache."
Diana ignored her.
"Why the hell are you
here, anyway? Clark is on
assignment."
Diana turned and looked at
her. Her face was hard--harder than Lois
had ever seen it. "I know perfectly
well where Kal is."
"Well, bully for
you." Lois shifted, trying to get
comfortable. She felt huge, especially
in comparison to her majestic princessness.
"I'm sure he'd be much better company than I am, toots. Why not fly on out that window and find
him. You and he can sleep together some
more."
Diana turned to glare at her.
"Don't look at me like
that. I'm not the one cheating."
Diana sat in the chair
opposite her. "No?" Her gaze was hard again. Hard and full of some dark emotion.
Lois didn't look away. "If you have something to say, just say
it."
Diana leaned back, crossing
her legs the way Lois still wished she could do. "Kal's not the only one with super
smell. And your perfume is quite
distinctive."
"I spent time with
Bruce. But I didn't sleep with him. I leave the adultery to you and my
husband."
Diana didn't react, seemed to
be trying to read the truth in Lois's eyes.
"Use your damn lasso, if
you don't believe me."
Diana shook her head. "It might harm the baby."
"And you care about
that?"
For the first time, Diana
looked hurt...and soft. "Of course
I care about that. I'd never harm an
innocent." She got up, began pacing
again. "And I care for you too,
although I doubt you believe that."
"You are sleeping with
Clark, aren't you?"
Diana stopped, turning to
face her. Their eyes met, almost in a
battle of wills. Neither would look
away. Finally, Diana walked over and sat
down on the couch next to her.
"Aren't you?" Lois
said again, pressing against her physically even as she pushed her for the
truth.
"Yes." Diana didn't meet her gaze. "Everything we touch breaks. Everything we love gets dirty."
Lois laughed softly. "And Clark calls me a drama
queen?" She took Diana's hand,
running her finger lightly over Diana's palm.
"I'm jealous. But I'm not
sure which of you I'm more jealous of."
When Diana turned, Lois
pulled her closer. Diana adjusted for
Lois's jutting stomach as if she'd been making love to her this whole time.
It had been a long time since
they'd made love. "I need to be
touched," Lois whispered. "I need
to be touched by you."
"Lois, save it for
Kal." But Diana didn't fight as
Lois pulled her closer. "Or for
Bruce."
Lois had her arms around her,
met Diana's lips softly, gently.
"No. You."
Diana moaned.
"Do you hate me because
I carry his child?"
"Yes." Diana kissed her harder, but she was careful
as she moved closer, didn't do anything to endanger the child.
"Do you hate me because
I have Clark?"
"Yes." Diana was using those marvelous fingers.
Lois fantasized about Diana
and her fingers. She slouched down a
bit, giving her more room if that was possible when her figure now resembled a
beached whale. "Do you hate me
because you want this?"
Diana looked at her, anger in
her eyes. "I hate you for
everything." But she kissed her
tenderly, and her fingers were dancing and twirling until Lois was
overcome...for a very long time.
Hormones could be a good thing.
She touched Diana's face, making her move on the couch so that she could
play. She was kissing Diana's cheek, her
eyes closed as she concentrated on making her own little sexual concerto with
her fingers, when she realized that Diana was crying.
"Don't. I'm sorry.
Don't cry." She didn't let
up with her fingers, kissing Diana on the mouth lightly and lovingly. She hated this woman. She loved this woman. When had life become so damn
complicated? "Diana,
shhh."
Diana's tears stopped, her
lips pressed harder against Lois's and then she was bucking under her
touch. When she stopped moving, Lois
pulled away, smoothing her hair back, kissing her still-wet cheek softly.
"I love you," Lois
whispered, and Diana buried her face in her neck, as if she couldn't bear the
words.
She found Lois's belly,
gently rubbed it. "I will protect
your child with my life."
Lois smiled, touched. It was the most that Diana could promise
anyone, and Lois recognized what she was saying. "Thank you."
"And I love you
too," Diana said so fast that the words ran together. Than she was up and
across the room practically flinging herself out the window as if she couldn't
get away fast enough from Lois and the terrible mess they'd all made.
-----------------
Clark watched Diana as she
stared at the ceiling of his bedroom in the Fortress. He touched her arm lightly, moving his finger
up and down. She smiled and closed her
eyes.
"You're very far away,
my love." It was dangerous to call
her that. He was going to slip up
someday when they weren't alone.
She turned so she was facing
him. Her eyes were gentle as she touched
his cheek tenderly. "I'm right
here." But her smile was off this
time.
He kissed her slowly, letting
the emotion he felt out. Just as earlier
they'd let out the passion they felt, coming together with a ferocity that
would have killed a human partner. They
had never made love that way when it was the four of them. They'd exercised restraint.
Not anymore.
Passion and disappointment
were excellent bed partners.
"She knows we're doing
this," Diana said softly.
"No, she
doesn't." Lois might suspect. But she didn't know.
"Yes, she does."
"And you know this
how?" He kissed her again, laughed
as she tickled his upper lip with her tongue, then he realized she might be
trying to distract him. "Diana?"
"Because she asked, and
I didn't lie when I answered."
He pulled away a bit, stared
at her. "Did she have the lasso on
you?"
"No." Diana didn't look away. "She just seemed to know already."
He felt a surge of
irritation. Diana could be innocent at
some very perplexing times. "It's called
a secret affair for a reason. Telling
the wife is not the recommended method of keeping it hidden."
She sighed. "I'm tired of secrets, Kal." Closing her eyes, she whispered. "We had sex after I told her."
"This just gets better
and better." He turned so he was
lying on his back, staring at the ceiling that had so mesmerized Diana. Everyone was intimate with his wife but
him. "She and Bruce--"
"--I know." Diana curled around him, her hand settling on
his chest, over his heart. It felt warm
and strong there. "They've been
together. But they haven't had
sex."
"Sex is the least of our
worries. They're getting closer. That's what's troublesome."
She took a long, deep
breath. Then let it out very
slowly. "I know. I'm not sure Bruce cares that I'm here."
"You think he
knows?"
"Yes."
"Yes, he probably
does." Bruce always knew
everything. Maybe he liked Clark being
with his girl? It gave him more time to
sniff around Lois.
"Things are a
mess."
Sometimes Diana had the
irritating habit of stating the obvious.
He was about to answer when she said, "But we have this. And I'm not sure I mind."
She also had the wonderful
ability to make him feel good about himself again.
"I know." He wasn't sure he minded either. He knew he should mind, but it was hard to
know what he felt anymore.
She held him tightly. "I feel so...disconnected."
Yes, that was a good word for
it. He felt as if someone had taken his
moral center and hidden it. He should
not be with Diana. If he was with her,
he should feel guilty. He should be
appalled that his wife might be curled against Bruce the same way Bruce's woman
was curled against him.
"What's happening to us,
Kal?" She nuzzled against him. "Are we rotting inside?"
"Maybe."
"I still love him."
He held her closer, heard her
sob. She wasn't crying though; she was
fighting it.
"Let go, Diana. It's all right."
"I want to. But I don't have any tears. I don't even know what I'd cry
for." She pushed herself up so that
she was leaning over him, her weight on her elbow, peering at him through her
lush hair.
He pushed it away from her
face so he could see her eyes. "Do
you love Lois?"
"I do. And I'm not sure how that
happened." She shrugged. "I understood myself once. I knew that I would do certain things, and
not do others. This...with you and
her. It's not something I set out to
do."
"I know. It's not something I set out to do
either." But that was a lie. This was all his fault. He hadn't been able to leave well enough
alone. He'd had to get them all to that
damned planet.
Diana was kind enough not to
call him on his lie. She just cuddled in
against him. "I'm tired, Kal. I don't know when I've been this tired."
He felt tired too. Weary in a way he normally did not. As if Lois was feeding their energy to her
baby.
He closed his eyes, was
mortified to feel tears starting anyway, slipping out no matter how tightly he
pressed his eyelids together.
"Kal?" Her touch on him was gentle.
"I don't know if I'll be
able to love him."
"You will." She wiped his tears away. "I know you will. You're good and you're kind. Even now."
"I'm not. I'm not any of the things I thought I
was."
"Open your eyes,
Kal."
He resisted but she whispered
it again and again, until he finally did as she said.
"What you did, you did
because you love us. Not out of greed or
out of some overwhelming dark passion.
You love me and Bruce and Lois, and we all love you." She sighed.
"You didn't force any of us into this. It may have been your idea, but we all jumped
in with our eyes wide open."
"But I--"
"--If you're guilty of
anything, it's of being stupid."
She smiled gently. "We all
were very, very stupid. Someone tried to tell me that. I wouldn't listen."
"What do we do now?"
"I don't
know." She kissed him, and the kiss
turned into something desperate and crazed.
When they finally came up for
air, he let his fingers twine with hers.
"I love you. I will always
love you."
"I'll always love you
too." Her eyes were sad, but he
didn't know if they were sad because she would soon be leaving him or if it
would be Bruce she left behind.
-----------------
Bruce dodged a bolt of what
looked like lightning. He was sick of super-villains
always coming back with new and better toys--snazzy new gizmos were his
department. He noticed that Clark seemed
to be sticking close to him, closer than he would have in the past.
"Are you looking out for
me?" he asked, his voice coming out gruff as he moved over to Clark's
position.
"Right. I really want to look out for you." Clark took off, flying erratically as if to
throw off the wanna-be Zeus.
As the villain tried to line
up a shot, Bruce took him down with his batarang--nearly taking the guy's head
off. He hadn't meant to throw it quite
that hard.
"Nice shot. Were you going for decapitation?" Superman was searing the villain's neck wound
closed with his super-vision.
Fortunately, the man was
unconscious. The smell was bad enough;
Bruce didn't need screams too.
"I guess I don't know my
own strength."
'That's crap."
Bruce shot Clark a look. "Your language is getting worse."
"Well, color me
bad." Clark motioned for the police
to take lightning boy away. He seemed to
be scanning the area for something--or someone.
"She's not here."
"I know." But he kept looking.
They weren't even pretending
that Clark didn't know which she Bruce meant.
Or why he might look for her.
That probably wasn't
good.
Bruce tried to muster up
something that resembled hurt or anger.
The most he could manage was an underlying stream of annoyance.
Diana was sleeping with
Clark. His best girl with his best
friend. And all he could come up with
was annoyance?
That definitely wasn't good.
"You want to get a
drink?" Clark asked.
"You mean a soda or
something?"
"No, I mean we'll pass
around a bottle of rockgut. Yes, I mean
a soda or something." Clark stalked
off, muttering something about not having changed that much.
Bruce followed at a slower
pace. Clark was heading for the park,
moving fast and barely seeming to see the people he passed. By the time he stopped at the concession
stand, he was way ahead of Bruce.
Clark looked back, and Bruce
smiled. "Coke, no ice," he
said under his breath, knowing Clark would be able to hear him anyway.
Clark turned to the window
and walked back with the drinks. It
looked like he'd chosen grape soda.
Bruce didn't know how he could stomach the stuff.
They walked for a while,
sipping at the drinks, then they came to a stretch of grass. A group of children were tossing a
frisbee.
Clark seemed mesmerized, and
a look of incredible sadness passed over his face, then he turned to
Bruce. "If I'm not a good dad. If I don't raise hi--it the way I
should..."
"Him?" Bruce smiled at Clark's embarrassed
look. "If you don't raise him the
way I would, you mean?"
"He's your
son." Clark looked away, back at
the kids, who had just noticed that Superman and Batman were watching
them.
They looked like Gotham
locals, so Batman wasn't as unusual a sight as Superman--although Bruce wasn't
given to frequenting the park in his costume in broad daylight. Had he lost his sense along with his morals?
"You haven't said that
before," Bruce said. "That
he's mine."
"I've been trying to
convince myself that he's not. Been
trying to fool myself into thinking that he's mine."
"She's yours. So he is too." Poor logic from the Batman. But the only thing he could think to say.
"Doesn't necessarily
follow, my friend."
His friend. Bruce touched Clark's elbow, steering him
away from the gawking kids, back onto the path.
"I know you're sleeping with Diana."
"I know you're spending
time with Lois." Clark turned to
him. 'Did you know they're spending time
together?"
"They are?" Bruce frowned; that bugged him for some
reason.
"I think I had the same
look on my face when Diana told me."
Bruce looked over to see if
Clark had said that to be mean. But his
face was composed; he didn't seem to be waiting for Bruce to react. He'd said it because it was truth. Bruce was learning that Diana was cheating on
him with Lois from the other person she was cheating on him with.
"Who would have thought
Diana had it in her?"
"I think I put it in
her." Clark walked over to a bench
and sat down as if he no longer had the strength to stand. "Me and my stupid need to get us all on
that planet together."
Bruce finished his soda and
tossed it in a trash receptacle, then sat down next to Clark. "What the hell happened to us?"
"Sex happened to
us. We had sex. All of us. " Clark looked over at him. "You and I had sex. But we never talk about it."
"No. We don't."
"Why don't we?"
"Because we just
don't." Bruce wished he had his cup
back. Something to play with, to pretend
to be absorbed in.
"But why?"
"What? Are you four years old, Clark? We don't talk about it because we're in love
with women who may like to sleep together better than they like to sleep with
either of us. That's why we don't muddy
it up with the fact that we also really dig touching each other." He saw Clark trying not to laugh and turned
to see a shocked family of four watching him.
"And that's how the lines go in the La Cage Aux Folles Part
Four: Gotham Nights. Can you believe they did that to our
characters! I'm outraged!"
The family walked on, looking
vastly relieved.
Bruce waited till they were
out of earshot to say, "I have to learn to stop letting you and Diana
provoke me that way."
"Lois doesn't provoke
you?" Clark was still smiling, a
much more innocent look than he'd worn in a while.
"She does. Just not the same way." Bruce leaned back, suddenly wishing for the
innocence of the planet. Where it was
okay to touch Clark. To lie next to him
and watch the clouds go by and make silly shapes out of them.
Drugged. They'd been drugged and it hadn't been real.
Although the baby growing in
Lois's stomach was pretty damned real.
"Are we still best
friends?" Clark sounded morose.
"I think so."
"That's not very
reassuring."
"Well, I'm sorry,
Clark. It's the best I can do under the
circumstances."
"Big
poophead."
Bruce started to laugh. "Yeah.
That'll show me." He laughed
harder. "Damn it, Clark. I'm really pissed at you."
"I'm really pissed at
you too."
"Well, okay
then."
They sat in silence. Then Bruce said, "Diana's out. Possibly at your place."
"Great."
"You want to come over
and watch the game? I've got milk and
cookies."
"Have you got beer and
pretzels? I think that might be more my
speed. Milk and this purple crap haven't
gotten me anywhere." He tossed the
soda into the trash.
Bruce chuckled. "Yes.
I have beer. Imported and
domestic." He got up. "Was Kryptonian beer any good?"
"I don't know, caped moron. I was an infant when I left."
"Well, you have that
city in a bottle thing. Ask them."
"I'll put it on my to-do
list."
They bickered all the way
back to the manor. It was almost like
old times.
-----------------------
It was late in the afternoon,
the sun shining a dark gold through the heavy linen drapes. Bruce lay on the bed, his arms crossed behind
his head, eyes closed. He opened them
when Diana eased the door closed, smiling at her as she walked across the room.
But it was a wary smile.
"Want company?" she
asked.
"Sure." He moved over, pulling her into his arms once
she was settled on the bed.
She nuzzled against him,
trying to pretend things were like they had been. Before the four of them had been so
cosmically stupid.
"I miss you," he
said.
"I'm right here."
"You know what I
mean." As she moved in to kiss him,
he put his hand just over her collarbone, stopping her progress. "Were you with him?"
She didn't move as she met
his eyes, trying to assess his mood. He
stared calmly back. He looked like the
truth was the only answer he wanted.
"Not today."
"Good." He pulled his hand away, moving it to the
back of her head, pulling her toward him.
She resisted. "Were you with her?"
The pressure on her neck
stopped. "Not today."
She stared down at him and
had the feeling that they were at a critical juncture. She could get up and leave now and he
wouldn't try to stop her. He could pull
away and go into his study or the cave or wherever else it was that the Batman
went to hide out, and she wouldn't try to stop him either.
"This is it. The moment." He touched her cheek. "What are we going to do?"
"What do you want to
do?"
"Turn back time,"
he said without hesitation.
"To when it was just the
two of us?"
He sighed. "It was never just the two of us,
Diana. That may be the fundamental
problem."
"Do you want me to
go?"
He slowly shook his
head. "But I don't want you seeing
Clark anymore." Before she could
speak, he put his finger over her lips.
"Only I'm not asking you to give him up. Not yet."
"Why not? Because you don't want to give her up
yet?"
He didn't answer, but she
knew what silence could mean.
Cuddling against him, she
whispered. "No one is here right
now but us, Bruce. We could try to just
enjoy it?"
He turned to look at
her. "Do you want to leave
me?"
"No." She couldn't meet his eyes. "But I'm not sure I can leave
him." Sighing she hid her face
against his neck, kissing his throat softly.
"This isn't me. This isn't
who I am."
But it was who she was. She was living
this life; it wasn't living her.
"I love you, Diana. And I don't want to decide anything
tonight." He rolled her to her
back, began to strip off her uniform. "I
just want to pretend it's months and months ago. I just want to make love to the woman I
love."
"I want that
too." She eased off his shirt,
tracing the scars for a moment before she worked her way down to his
pants. "You mean the world to me,
Bruce."
"I know. Sadly, I understand that
perfectly." He kissed her, his
mouth insistent and full of love that both moved and scared her. What were they doing to each other? To Clark and Lois? What would they keep doing?
She forced her mind off its
dark path and let him love her, lost herself in loving him. It was good, as good as ever. His expression was full of the tenderness
that he didn't let many people see.
"Love," she said,
as they rolled and she ended up on top of him.
He reached up, twining his
fingers with hers. They made love in a silence
punctuated only by their soft moans and sighs.
She suddenly found it hard to see, realized she was crying.
He watched her but didn't do
anything other than squeeze her hands gently.
She rode out the tears, moving steadily, bringing them both closer and
closer to the edge. Bruce was smiling,
his head thrown back, his eyes closed.
"I love you," she
said as pleasure took her, lifting her into some place where there was only the
two of them.
It didn't last though. The boundaries melted away and she was back
in the real world, facing the same moment they'd been at before they'd started
to make love.
She touched his lips, moving
to his hair, then back down to his cheeks.
"I don't want to give this up, Bruce."
"I don't
either." He took a deep breath. "We have to decide if we can bear what
will come, Diana. Once the child is
born...it won't be any easier then."
"I know." But she wasn't sure that she did know. Once the child was a reality, not just buried
safely in Lois's body, would she be able to hold onto Bruce? Would she even want to if he didn't want her
anymore?
"We'll be fine,"
Bruce said.
But he didn't sound any surer of that than she felt.
---------------
Lois felt another cramp-like
feeling start and pushed herself out of her desk chair.
Clark looked over at
her. "Everything okay?"
"Yep," she said,
waddling toward the bathroom, hoping the walk would make the pain go away. She got to the bathroom as the cramp
intensified. Had just sat down when she
felt a rush of liquid. Scared for the
baby, she got up and stared into the toilet.
Clear. Whatever it was she'd just expelled, it was
clear.
Her water. That's what they meant. Her water had broken. She cleaned herself up as best as she could
considering she had a hard time reaching around her stomach. "Clark, I need you," she said in a
normal voice, and a moment later heard a soft knock on the door.
She opened it, gratefully
accepting his arm as another contraction came over her. "It's time."
He looked terrified. He began to pick her up and she stopped him.
"Clark. No flying.
Not from here."
He blushed. "Oh.
Right. But we have to get you to
the hospital." He looked like he
was going to throw up.
"We can take a cab like
every other city dweller does."
"Okay." He hustled her toward the elevators, yelling
to a startled Perry, "Gotta go."
Perry took one look at her
face and broke out in a huge grin.
"Call and tell us the gory details for the pool." He looked around the press room. "Anyone pick today?"
Norman, the copy repair guy
raised his hand.
Lois groaned both at the pain
and their stupid pool. She was dying
here and they were taking bets. Never
mind how many pools she'd played in her time.
"Lois, come
on." Clark was supporting her more
than letting her walk. He punched the
down button again and again as if that would call the thing faster.
He seemed to have let go of
any thoughts of whose child it was inside her.
He only cared about her, and she was touched. "I love you," she said, and he looked
at her as if startled at the endearment.
"I love you too. I would never let anything hurt you."
She groaned as a contraction
hit her, and her knees nearly buckled at the pain.
"Well, except the
baby. I can't really stop him from
hurting you." He took a quick
breath. "Shit. I mean him or her."
"It's okay, Clark. You slipped up long ago. I've known it's a boy for months."
"Can't even keep a
secret." He looked at her guiltily.
"Well, you're better at
it than Diana, but not by much. You two really
need to learn how to lie." A wave
of pain came, and she gritted her teeth, then felt him scoop her up.
Suddenly they were moving so
fast out of the opening doors of the elevators that everything was a blur. In moments, they were in a deserted alley,
and Clark said, "We fly, Lois."
He took off, and punched something on his watch as they leveled off,
flying fast toward Metropolis General.
"Clark?" It was Bruce's voice.
"Get someone else to
take Monitor duty. It's time. Bring Diana." Clark looked at Lois. "You do want them there?" he
mouthed.
She nodded, unsure that it
was the right answer but suddenly needing them both with her.
"We'll be right
there."
Lois watched Clark's
face. He suddenly looked miles
away. "Hey, Smallville. Where'd
you go?"
"Do you want me
here?" He shook his head as she
started to answer. "Think about it
before you answer, Lois. From here on out. Do you want me around?"
"Yes."
Such a simple word to mean so
much. But he didn't smile. Had he wanted her to say something else?
"Unless, you don't want
to be here?"
"I don't know if I'll be
a good father."
"Well, I don't know if
I'll be a good mother, so we're even."
Another cramp. "Oh, god,
Clark. Go faster."
He lost the morose look; it was
replaced with the determination of the Man of Steel. She smiled, leaning back into his strong arms
as she let him carry her to safety. It's
what he did, after all. Maybe it was
what he'd always do?
He set them down behind the
hospital, in a dark corner of the parking garage where no one would notice them
flying in. Then he urged her up the ramp
to admitting. The hospital was
controlled chaos. She felt herself
shutting down--she hated this place.
Clark rubbed her back. "I'm here."
She looked over at him, met
his eyes. "I'm glad you're
here." They'd screwed up their
lives beyond belief, but that much was true--she was glad he was with her.
"Clark? Lois, are you...?" It was Bruce's voice. Sweet, low, concerned.
Lois waited for Diana to say
something but heard nothing. Hadn't she
come? She peeked around Clark, saw Diana
standing a ways off. Their eyes met,
until Lois felt another contraction coming on and had to close her eyes.
"Please," she said,
holding out her hand. A moment later she
felt Diana's hand in her own. How could
her skin be so soft when she fought so often?
"I'll take her,"
Diana told Clark. "Go get her
checked in." Her voice changed,
became less forceful, as she held Lois close.
"It's all right now."
"I'm scared." Lois said it low, trying to keep it between
them. But she saw Bruce move closer.
"Women do this all the
time," he said with a gentle smile.
"You're tough, Lane. You'll
be fine." He took her hand, held it
up to his lips for a moment. Then he let
her go. "We're here."
"Yes, we're here,"
Diana said.
We. Bruce and Diana. Lois could feel tears in her eyes--tears of
pain, of fright, and probably of regret.
"Stay together. Don't let
this tear you apart. The two of you are
good."
"Just the two of us?" Diana's voice had an edge.
"Four doesn't
work." Lois sank gratefully into
the wheelchair a nurse wheeled to her.
"Mrs. Kent? I'm Nurse Randolph. I'm going to take you to the delivery room
and get you prepped." She looked
over at Diana. "I'm sorry, but
you'll have to let go of her."
But it wasn't Diana who was
holding onto her; it was Lois who needed to let go. She looked up at Diana, pulling her closer
until Diana was leaning to her.
"Promise me, if anything
goes wrong--"
"--Nothing will go
wrong," Diana said, her tone fierce.
"Just promise
me." Lois laughed, the sound a bit
hysterical. "You and the boys will
raise him."
"Trust me, Lois. You're stronger than any woman I know. You'll be fine." Diana kissed her gently on the lips. "Eileithyia be with you."
"Who?" Lois asked,
but the nurse was wheeling her away, and Lois felt panic come over her. "Don't leave me." She wasn't sure which of them she was talking
to.
It was Clark who came. "I'm
here."
She turned, saw Bruce reach
for Diana's hand, his other hand held up in an easy goodbye--no doubt for her
sake, to keep her spirits up.
"You'll be fine," he said.
Clark touched her shoulder, saying over his shoulder, "Finish the check
in?"
"I'll take care of
it," Bruce said. He sounded
relieved. Like that was an easy thing,
easier than waiting while another man watched his baby being born.
She looked up at Clark, and
he smiled. "You're going to be
fine."
She nodded. She would be fine. Even though this small thing inside her now
felt bigger than the globe on the Planet.
A globe that was ripping her insides out as he pushed his way to life.
Her doctor showed up in the
delivery room only after Lois was fully prepped and ready to scream with
frustration. "Just get it out of
me."
"It doesn't work that
way, Lois," Doctor Valle said.
"I think this is up to him or her."
And the brat took his sweet
time getting ready. Lois huffed and
puffed and did all the things she'd learned in the Lamaze classes she'd managed
to make. Being an ace reporter didn't
allow for a normal schedule. Even if she
was a pregnant ace reporter.
Finally Doctor Valle told her
she could push. And she did, with all
her strength, holding onto Clark's hand so hard that he would have felt some of
her pain if he weren't Superman.
She screamed with the last
push--why had she wanted to do this without drugs? Then the pain changed from agony to something
more manageable, and she heard the cry of a child.
"Clark?"
He was smiling, his eyes very
soft. "He's beautiful,
Lois."
The doctor put the squirming
mass in her arms. For a moment, she
wanted to hand it back, then she looked down, her vision clearing, and she saw
her son.
He met her eyes, not looking
away, the gaze steely. Batman's
gaze. Bruce's son. Then her child nuzzled her chest, his eyes
closing, his hands moving softly. He
cried, until the doctor opened Lois's gown and showed her how to feed him.
It hurt like hell. "We're switching to bottles as soon as
we can. I can't take this."
Doctor Valle laughed. "At least do
it for the first week or so. For the
antibodies in the colostrum."
Lois nodded, tuning her
out. She did not want to think about all
this. She didn't want to think about
anything. Sleep sounded good. Holding her baby was nice, even if it felt
like the kid was gnawing off her breast.
Clark stayed near her,
watching her, but he had a faraway look in his eyes.
"Clark?"
He was pulling away. He thought she didn't need him anymore, now
that she was out of danger. This was not
his son. From his expression, she could
read his thoughts as easily as if he was speaking them aloud.
Did she want him to go?
She felt the baby finally end
his feeding frenzy, and she handed him to Clark.
"What...?"
"Just hold him for a
while."
He took the baby gingerly,
and sat down in the chair next to the bed.
She smiled as he laid the baby across his chest, the child's head
resting on his shoulder. As he held him gently,
he said, "We never decided on a name."
She resisted saying he'd
never wanted to. "Got any
ideas?"
Clark took a deep
breath. "I was thinking
Thomas." It was a huge concession
to Bruce. To name him after his dad.
She looked down. "No."
"No?"
"Don't put that kind of
baggage on him. Pick a name that doesn't
mean death to us. To any of
us." Which meant Sam was out
too. Her child would not be named after
dead fathers.
Clark smiled. "You're so damn strong, Lois. It's why I love you." The baby wriggled a little in his sleep and
Clark smiled.
"I like Justin,"
she said. She didn't know a single
person with that name. It had zero
baggage.
Clark seemed to think about
that. "Justin Kent?" He spoke to the child. "What do you think of that name?"
The baby didn't answer.
"Justin works, doesn't
it?" She wanted this over. Wanted them to choose. Before Bruce could come in and remind Clark
why he didn't have to care what the baby was called. Before Diana could come in and tell them to
call him Bellerophon or some other Greek name.
"Justin it
is." He let a deep breath out, as
if he too wanted this done with. He
leaned back in the chair, seemed to finally relax. With his non-son. The son it looked like he was going to
accept.
And that was suddenly very
important to her. That Clark stay. That he be relaxed with this--or as much as
he could be given the circumstances.
The baby was certainly
relaxed. He snoozed happily, not making
a peep.
Lois leaned back, about to
close her eyes, when she saw the door open.
Bruce and Diana came in. Smiling
at them, she looked over at Clark.
"Meet Justin Kent."
It was a gauntlet of
sorts. One that she hadn't expected to
throw down so soon. Not after all the
time she'd spent with Bruce.
It was his son.
And it wasn't.
Nothing made sense right
now. She was tired and sore and her
husband sat in the chair next to her bed holding a child who would think he was
the son of Superman. Unless she told him
differently. Unless one of them did.
"He's beautiful,"
Diana said, moving to Lois. "Are
you all right?"
"Tired but otherwise
fine." She smiled tiredly. "Disappointed?"
Diana's smile was
brilliant. As if she was very happy to
get back to sparring. "Not
really. I don't have time to change
diapers."
Diana's hand was very near
her own, and Lois looked down at it, then up at Diana. Slowly she moved her hand to cover Diana's.
"You're exhausted,"
Diana said, as she turned her hand gently, resting palm to palm with Lois. It was a sweet touch.
"I am."
"They'll move you to a
regular room soon," Clark said.
"Once they're done observing you." He looked up at Bruce. "How did you get in? They said no visitors."
Bruce grinned then as he
stepped closer to the baby. "We
snuck in."
Nurse Randolph did not look
amused when she came in to check on Lois.
"Out. All of you who aren't
the father."
Bruce's face went blank, and
Lois felt Diana's hand clutch on hers as she watched him.
But he recovered
quickly. "We're leaving." He grinned at the nurse, his best playboy persona
emerging to flirt with the woman.
"You're sure there's nothing I can do to convince you to let us
stay?"
Nurse Randolph blushed but
remained firm. "You can see the
baby later."
"Yes." Bruce's voice held a note of wistfulness that
was probably lost on the nurse. "I
imagine I can."
He walked out, not waiting
for Diana.
Lois looked up at her.
"There's no way this
won't hurt him. Every scenario brings
pain." Diana gently pulled her hand
free. "I'm glad you're okay."
Then she hurried out.
Clark looked over at
Lois. "So we're making a choice
today, I guess?"
She thought they'd made a
number of them. "For better or
worse, Clark."
He laughed softly, his hand
never leaving the child, as he rubbed Justin's back very gently. "You're giving me his son."
"I did that the moment I
became pregnant."
She didn't think she needed
to add that she'd done it when she decided not to leave him. He understood that.
Besides, she might leave him
later. Or he might leave her. Who knew what would happen when she wasn't so
exhausted and could think straight again?
When he wasn't so emotionally tied to the moment?
Who knew what the future
held?
She decided not to worry
about the future or anything else tonight. Closing her eyes, she finally let her
exhausted body sleep, secure that Clark would keep her son safe.
-------------------
Bruce fought the urge to push
a happily sleeping Diana off him and sneak out of their bedroom. He was restless, wanted to rush out into the
night in full Bat-gear. Take on some
criminals. Punish them. Then take on some more so he could punish
them too.
Or maybe just sneak back to
the hospital and stare at his son, the way he hadn't been able to earlier.
He forced himself to lie
still, to close his eyes and try to sleep.
His son's name was Justin
Kent.
He tried counting sheep.
Clark had looked so
comfortable holding him.
He tried deep breathing.
Clark would be a great
dad. Bruce would be a favorite
uncle. It would be enough.
He tried tensing and relaxing
his muscles.
Lois had looked so
tired. But beautiful. The mother of his son.
He looked at the clock. He'd been lying awake for over an hour. Giving up on discipline, he eased out from
under Diana's arm and walked softly to the door. It opened silently, no squeak to give him
away. He stole down the stairs, skipping
the ones that creaked and groaned if stepped upon the wrong way.
The portrait of his parents
looked down on him as he made his way to the bar and poured himself a liberal
amount of scotch and threw it back. He
poured another.
And another.
He finally felt himself start
to relax.
"Drowning your
sorrows?" Alfred's voice held some
strange mixture of concern and disdain.
"Not tonight,
Alfred."
"But tonight is a
special night." He was walking a
little slower than usual, and Bruce suspected he'd been drinking too. "A child's birth day."
"What's your
problem?"
"Can't I be worried
about you?" Alfred refilled Bruce's
then poured himself a scotch. "I
came to keep you company."
"I don't want
company."
"That, Master Bruce,
does not surprise me." He
smiled. An odd smile. Knowing.
Sympathetic. Full of pain.
"You have had too much
to drink." Bruce walked away from
him, staring up at his parents. "Do
you think they're proud of me?"
"Of course. Who wouldn't be proud of you?"
"But my father...do you
think my father is proud of me?"
"I know he is."
Bruce waved him off.
"I know you're in
pain," Alfred said.
"Life is pain."
"How cheery." Again the splash of liquid in a glass.
Bruce held his glass out,
felt it get heavier as Alfred refilled it.
"Nothing cheery about it.
We've screwed everything up. I
just hope we didn't screw up my son's life." There.
He'd finally said it to Alfred.
Bruce had a son.
Bruce had a son who would never know that Bruce had a son. Would they tell him? Someday?
"He'll turn out all
right," Alfred said.
"Glad you're so
sure."
"He'll have good
parents. They won't let him go
astray."
"Yes, they're the moral
centers of the universe." Bruce
wanted to tell Alfred about Clark's affair with Diana. About Diana's affair with Lois. About his own tender rendezvous with Lois
where they'd achieved an intimacy that went far beyond the reckless sex of that
damned planet.
"How are you feeling
about this? It has to hurt." Alfred walked over to the mantle, set his
glass down and stared up at the portrait.
"Let that pain out. Tell me
about it."
"It won't mean anything
to you."
"I beg to differ, Master
Bruce. How can it not when you mean
everything to me?"
"You won't
understand." Bruce turned away, but
not before letting Alfred get a look at the expression on his face. His "conversation closed" face.
"Sir, I--"
"I said you wouldn't
understand." Bruce whirled, anger
making him move too fast, his drink sloshing in the glass, a small amount
spilling down his hand, onto his shirt.
"You can't possibly understand, old man. So leave me the hell alone." The last came out as a shout.
"What is going
on?" Diana stood on the bottom
stair, his robe pulled around her.
"Why are you yelling at Alfred?"
Bruce could feel the scotch
fueling anger through his veins. He felt
supercharged, cold and distant and powerful in his pain. "Alfred here thinks he knows how I feel. Alfred here thinks that he can understand the
pain I feel when I look at my son and know I will never, ever be a father to
him."
Diana glanced at Alfred, her
look one of shock. "Bruce,
stop."
"No, Miss Diana. Let him go.
Let him get it out."
"You damned superior
son-of-a-bitch." Bruce got up in
Alfred's face. "Let me 'go'? Are you judging me? Do you find me wanting? After I behaved so stupidly?"
"Bruce," Diana
said, pulling him back.
He turned on her. "Stop it. You don't even love me."
"I do."
"Do you? Or do you just not want to be alone if Clark
is taken? Or if Lois is."
She let go of him, hands held
up as if she was a criminal surrendering to him. "You're hateful tonight."
"No, Miss Diana. He's just hurting and trying to make us join
him. It's his way." Alfred moved toward her.
Slamming his glass down,
Bruce began to pace. "You can't
possibly understand what this is like."
He turned, saw Alfred staring at him with a helpless look.
Diana's face was dark and
angry, and she looked at Alfred, then back at Bruce. "I think he can. I think he can and does, and he just loves
you too much to tell you why."
Alfred reached out, as if he
could stop her with a touch.
"Don't--"
"--Oh, I think I've
finally got it figured out. Why you've
never judged us."
Alfred shook his head.
"And the great detective
is too stupid to see what's been in front of his face." She looked up at the picture. "Your father's eyes were brown,
Bruce."
"Miss Diana,
please."
"Why not?" she
asked. "If he wants to wallow, let
him really wallow."
"No." Bruce had never heard Alfred's voice so firm.
Diana backed down, taking a
loud, slow breath as if trying to calm herself.
She walked over to Alfred, kissing him gently on the cheek. "You've been so kind to me. You'll never know how much that's
meant." She seemed about to say
more, but then she shook her head.
"I'll stop. Don't
worry. I'll stop now. This kind of anger. It's bad.
It'll be our undoing."
She turned and walked to the
door, seemingly forgetting she was still clad only in a robe. "I'll be by to get my things when you're
not here, Bruce." The door slammed
behind her.
Bruce stared at the door,
unsure what had just happened. Had she
just left him?
"Go after her,"
Alfred said softly. But Bruce thought
Alfred cared less about his getting Diana back than letting their conversation
die.
He replayed her words. They were nonsensical. His father's eyes were brown. So what?
So what?
His son had blue eyes. He had blue eyes. He could have blue eyes and still have a
father with brown eyes. It happened all
the time.
Alfred's eyes were blue. Not sky blue like Clark's or Diana's, or the
almost periwinkle of Lois's. They were
blue-green. Like Bruce's. Like Bruce's son's might be.
"Alfred?"
"I'm going to bed now,
sir."
"It's too late for
that. I've figured it out."
"Have you?" Alfred laughed. A bitter, mocking sound that cut Bruce as it
was no doubt meant to.
"Are you my
father?"
"No, I'm just the
butler. Who occasionally gets drunk with
you on very bad nights when he should be upstairs in bed." He tried to walk away.
Bruce grabbed his arm. Not hurting
him. But not letting him escape. "I don't understand."
"Butler. Drunk.
Bed. Easy words." Alfred tried to get away with no
success. "Let me go, sir. I'm not feeling well."
"Neither am
I." Pulling Alfred with him gently,
he sat on the couch, forced the older man to sit on it too. "How?"
Alfred looked up at the
portrait. His shoulder slumped and he
looked down, and Bruce knew he was watching the older man giving up something
very precious to him. His secret. Bruce's secret. His parents' secret.
Alfred tried one more time to
get away, but Bruce didn't let go.
Sighing, Alfred said, "Your parents wanted a child more than
anything."
Bruce let go of Alfred and
waited. Knew the words would come if he
was just patient enough to not grab for them.
Alfred sighed, as if
realizing he was up against the Batman now.
"They tried for a long time.
The doctors said it was your father's fault. Not that your mother thought of it in those
terms, but Thomas did." Alfred
closed his eyes at the name. "I
adored your mother." He opened his
eyes, met Bruce's. "I also adored
your father."
"The three of you?" Once upon a time it would have shocked
him. But now?
"It was a strange
night. I'm not even sure how it
started. I remember it in
fragments. I think we'd been drinking
quite a lot." He smiled sadly. "Your father said that if he was there,
it wouldn't be anything bad. And I was
glad he was there. I...loved him. Loved her too, but not quite in the same way. That was our first night. There were others. Until your mother finally got pregnant, and
then they stopped." He looked
down. "We tried to go back to the
way we'd been. It took a long time, but
we were finally settling into some kind of routine when they were killed."
"Why didn't you tell
me?"
"I always thought I
would. When you were older. But after your parents were killed, you were
so very damaged. I was afraid the truth
would only make it worse. I waited for
the right time. But...it never
came."
Bruce leaned back. He felt as if his whole world had tilted, as
if he was in danger of falling off his own parapet. "You're my father?" He didn't mean to sound as disapproving as he
did.
"I guess I deserve
that. I obviously raised you to be a
snob. How disappointing this must be for
you. To find out that the butler did it
after all." Alfred pushed himself
up, the movement taking visible effort.
"Will you want me to find new employment?"
Bruce stood up. "Alfred..."
"I do hope you'll give
me a decent reference. I'm getting on in
years. Sleeping on the street just won't
do."
Bruce reached for him. "Alfred..."
"Or perhaps Miss Diana
could use my help at the Embassy. She
seemed to take the news much better than you."
"Damn it, old
man." Bruce pulled him into a
hug. "Damn you for even thinking of
leaving me." The last word came out
as a sob.
He was crying? He never cried. Batman did not cry.
He sobbed again. Shit.
He was crying.
Alfred held him, patting him
somewhat awkwardly on the back.
"There, there, sir."
"Cut the sir crap,
Alfred. You're my father." This man who had been like a father all these
years really was his father.
It hurt. And it didn't. Nearly forty years into his life and he was
finally learning the truth.
And it was...all right.
Maybe it would be all right
with Justin too. If the time ever came
to tell him. And Bruce knew it might
not.
"You realize that Diana
just left you?"
"Yeah. You have a plan to remedy that, I take
it?" Bruce nearly laughed. Alfred always had a plan. He'd taught Bruce that when he'd been a
kid. Plan, plan, and plan some more.
"I suggest you go win
her back. She's good for you."
"She's also been
cheating on me."
Alfred didn't look
surprised. "And your behavior with
Lois was a shining example of moral fortitude?"
How had Alfred known about
that? "You're supposed to be on my
side."
"I am. You need Diana. It doesn't matter if she cheats on you or
not. You love her and she makes you
happy. And you make her happy." Alfred put his hand on Bruce's shoulder. "Your parents were a couple,
Bruce." He sounded very
uncomfortable leaving off the "master" part from Bruce's name. "No matter how many times I was with
them, they were the pair. I was just...a
diversion."
"I don't believe
that." He looked down. "And Clark and Lois aren't that to
her...or to me."
"I don't profess to
understand your situation completely. Or
to approve." He gave Bruce the
disappointed look that he'd hated to be on the receiving end of when he was a
kid. "But I do know this: you love
her and she loves you. And you'll have
to muddle your way through. And if you
don't go to her tonight, I don't think you'll have another chance." He stood up straighter. "Besides she needs her uniform
back. What if a League emergency should
ensue? I shall go fetch it,
sir." His eyes twinkled as he
reverted back to his preferred form of address.
It didn't matter in the long run.
Alfred had been acting like a father to him all these years, even
through a butler's protocol.
"Yes. Go get it." He wanted to run down into the Batcave and
get the copter. But he was in no shape
to fly it. He called up the JLA
transporter, put in the code that would send him directly to the Themysciran
Embassy. Non-business use of the
teleporter was frowned on. He knew
because he'd made the rule. But Diana
was worth breaking a few personal rules over.
Which probably was at the root of their current problem, but he wasn't going to
dwell on that.
Alfred brought down some
clothes for him as well as the uniform.
Bruce dressed, then took the uniform from Alfred.
"Don't act like
Batman," his father was saying.
"She never responds well to that.
Just be the man she loves. Be
Bruce Wayne."
Or be Bruce Pennyworth? It didn't have
the same ring to it, even if he would never tell Alfred that.
Alfred looked him over. "Ready, sir?"
"Ready, dad."
It sounded utterly wrong, and Alfred's expression told him not to try it again.
"I mean, ready,
Alfred."
Nodding, Alfred smiled gently
at him and then disappeared as the transporter started Bruce on his quest to
win back fair lady.
------------------
Diana was in the Embassy
kitchen when Bruce appeared out of nowhere.
"Did you come for your
robe?" she asked. She was still
wearing it, so she hoped that wasn't his sole reason for showing up. She should have changed. But...it smelled like him and she couldn't
bear to take it off.
"No. I didn't come for the robe."
His voice sounded a little
raspy and she glanced over at him. His
eyes looked red--had he been crying? Was
the Batman capable of crying?
She turned back to the bag of
cookie creams she was demolishing.
"Go away."
"Not a very nice
greeting."
"Hello. Now get out."
"Not much of an
improvement." He sat down at the
counter. "We've played this game
before, Diana."
"It's not a game. Not anymore."
"No it's not." He pushed her uniform to her. "I thought you might need this."
"I doubt that you
thought anything of the sort."
"Okay, Alfred thought
you might." He caught her reacting
to the name, and she looked down. She hadn't
meant to react, regretted taking the truth as far as she had. "I figured it out, that he's my
father. I'm...getting used to that
idea."
"I don't know what it's
like to have one father, much less two."
He'd probably never thought
of that.
She pushed the cookies
away. "My mother was always
enough."
"She was a strong
woman. Not unlike her
daughter." He took one of the
cookies out, peeling it and handing her the frosted side. "Truce?"
She took the peace offering
from him. "You don't peel me
cookies anymore."
"Isn't that a Barbra
Streisand song?"
She laughed, then felt anger
filling her because she didn't want to laugh.
"It's not funny. You haven't
done it since Lois told you she was pregnant."
"I don't think it was
deliberate."
"Just like her not
having birth control wasn't deliberate?
Just like you spending time with her and not telling me wasn't
deliberate?"
"Just like you screwing
the hell out of Clark wasn't deliberate?"
So much for their truce. "I can't do this anymore," she said.
"Yes, you
can." He undid another cookie.
She didn't take it this time.
"I could force-feed
you."
"You could
try." She tensed, watching
him. She didn't want to fight him but
she would if she had to. It might feel
good to fight him. To beat the crap out
of him and--
--No. It would not feel good to hurt him. She was an Amazon. She was Wonder Woman. Beating the crap out of her friend. Out of her lover. Out of the man she loved. That was frowned upon.
"I love you," he
whispered, moving closer. He laid his
lips against her hair, just over her ear.
"I love you so much."
She turned so their lips were
almost touching. "I can't guarantee
I won't--"
He put his hand over her
mouth. She toyed with the idea of biting
him. Hard.
He seemed to realize that
because he pulled his hand away.
Rapidly.
"Diana, there's an old
man in my house who I just found out is my father. He wants you back. How can I show up there empty
handed?" He played with a strand of
her hair. "Come home?"
She turned to him, wondering
if he meant it. There was no guile in
his eyes. Just love. And a lot of pain.
"I don't have a home,
Bruce."
"Yes, you do. It's with me." He reached out, taking her by the arms,
pulling her very slowly to him. "Do
you love me?"
"I do love
you." She quit resisting, closed
her eyes as she came to rest against his chest.
"But I'm afraid."
"You think I'm
not?" He kissed her forehead, eased
her off her stool. "Let's go
home."
She let him pull her close,
heard him call for a teleport and raised her eyebrows. "League members shall not use the
teleporter for personal reasons."
He grabbed her uniform from
the counter. "Unless they're about
to lose the woman they adore. That's
sort of an unwritten caveat."
She smiled--he could be so
damn charming when he wanted to be.
"It's a nice one."
"I thought so. I intend to use it if J'onn goes through the
logs." He kissed her, his mouth
firm and tender and possessive and maybe a little bit desperate. How long would they live in this strange
state where they loved but couldn't trust?
The manor was quiet when they
beamed in. Diana wrapped her arm around
Bruce as they walked back up to their bed.
"I want to check on Alfred."
"He'll probably sleep
easier knowing you're back."
She walked down the hall to
Alfred's bedroom and knocked gently. The
door opened and Alfred peered out. He
saw her and a smile of satisfaction covered his face.
"So Master Bruce managed
to find the right words?"
"He did good." She touched Alfred's arm. "I'm sorry. I should never have betrayed you that
way."
"It wasn't a betrayal,
my dearest. I know you were trying to
protect me, and trying to make him see reason." He touched her cheek. "And to make him stop locking us away
from his heart when he needs us the most."
"I'm not sure I
succeeded in that." She leaned in,
kissing his cheek, the skin thicker and less resilient than Bruce's. "Everything's a huge mess. You do know that?"
"Oh, yes,
miss." He laughed softly. "It would be quite impossible to fail to
notice that."
She laughed. "Especially from the man who taught
Batman a trick or two."
Alfred inclined his
head. "Maybe it's the right time
for him to know the truth. Maybe it will
help him to see that he can still influence his son's life, even from the
periphery."
"Maybe so." She smiled.
"Good night, Alfred."
"Good night, Miss
Diana."
She didn't tell him to drop
the title. It wouldn't be Alfred if he
didn't call her that. But she'd work on
him if the truce between Bruce and her turned into something less
tentative. Less dependent on Lois's
actions.
Right now they all danced to
her will. Even Diana.
Bruce looked up as she came
into the bedroom. "Everything all
right?"
She nodded. "He's an exceptional man."
"I know." He held his arms open, and she went into them
without hesitation. "I don't want
to lose this. Us. We can endure, Diana."
"It's going to take a
lot of work. Especially if we keep
seeing Kal and Lois. Even as friends,
they'll be turning our lives--and our hearts--upside down."
"I know. Let's worry about that tomorrow."
"That's fundamentally
opposed to your 'plan, plan, plan' philosophy."
"It's hard to plan for
the vagaries of the human heart."
She looked down. "I'm not human."
"You are to me."
Smiling, she looked back
up. "And you're superhuman to
me."
She began to take off his
clothes. He had a much easier time of
disrobing her. One good tug on the slip
knot and the robe was open. They made
love with the lights on, with eyes wide open.
No possible illusions over who they were with. No fantasies or secret lovers in the
bedroom. Just them. Just the two of them.
Someday they would not have
to be so careful.
Someday was a long way from
now.
---------------------
Justin was howling in his
room. Lois groaned and started to get
out of bed. Clark stopped her.
"I'll get
him." He escaped from the tangled
bedclothes--she'd been sleeping restlessly since Justin had been born,
listening for his cries and the sheets and comforter were paying the
price. A moment later, Clark was back,
Justin nestled against his chest, the baby's cries transformed into happy
gurgles.
A few weeks on the planet and
he was already in love with his father.
His father. Their son. Ways of speaking that were lies but needed to
be maintained anyway. Justin was their
baby. That's all he would ever need to
know.
But she'd been glad to see
him respond well to Bruce when he and Diana had come over that afternoon to see
the baby. She'd wondered how long Bruce
would be able to stay away. He'd made it
longer than she would have bet on in an office pool.
The baby had loved Diana too,
but then what man didn't adore Diana?
Not that Lois's heartbeat
didn't also speed up a little when she saw her. The attraction she felt for her husband's
mistress puzzled her more than anything.
She should hate Diana, but she just couldn't find it in her heart to do
that, not when she wanted her so.
Diana hadn't touched her,
hadn't held her hand. She'd stayed away
from Clark too except for a quick hug when she'd arrived. She and Bruce were trying. Just as Clark and Lois were trying.
Should they all have to try
so damned hard?
Bruce had seemed more relaxed
with the baby than with her or Clark...or even Diana. He'd stared deep into Justin's steely
gray-blue eyes and had seemed to find some deep level of communion with the
baby. Lois had imagined a teenage
version of her son hanging out in the Batcave with his Uncle Bruce, learning
how to make up for not being a meta.
Would he complain about taking after his mother when he could have been
super like his father?
She took the baby while Clark
went to heat up a bottle. Her milk had
dried up the first week, thank all the gods, and she'd been able to switch to
formula with a clear conscience. She
smiled as Justin dug at her neck with his little hands. He was going to be a strong child, even if he
was never going to be super-strong. His
father had good genes. Strong
genes. After all, he fought the good
fight without having any meta abilities to fall back on.
"Here we go," Clark
said softly, getting back into bed, then taking the baby from her and sticking
the bottle in his mouth. Justin suckled
contentedly as his father told him nonsense stories about her. She drowsed, catching only snatches of story.
"The brave, beautiful
reporter never saw the handsome prince behind the glasses."
"Yes, I did. It just took me awhile." She smiled.
"Who's telling this
story?" He continued on, his voice turning
into a pleasing background drone. She
heard him say, "And then they lived happily ever after."
He sighed.
She pretended to be asleep.
"I hope they did,
anyway," Clark said, as he got out of bed and took Justin back to his
room.
When he climbed back into
bed, she nestled against him. "They
did. They did live happily ever
after."
"You're usually the
rational one, Lois." But he held
her closer.
"Believe in the happy
ending, Clark. We have to try."
"I love him." Clark sounded surprised. "I love our son." He didn't trip this time over the
"our."
"I know you do. And he loves you."
"Is it right,
though?"
"It's not going to be
fair to someone, no matter how it goes.
But I don't think our solution is wrong."
"Our solution? You're talking about our lives. Our hearts." This time he didn't say "our son."
"We'll be fine,
Clark." She let her hand slip down
and down, touching him, making him groan.
"Did I mention that the doctor cleared me for certain activities
you might have an interest in?"
He laughed, and it almost
sounded heartfelt. "Really?"
For a moment she wondered if
he was still seeing Diana. If they'd
just gotten better at hiding it.
But she had to believe. Doubting was not
the way to do that.
"When?" He sounded much more interested now, and she
laughed softly.
"Oh. Tonight, if you're not too tired."
He pulled her nightgown off
and kissed his way down her body. With a
lot of enthusiasm. The enthusiasm of a
man who had not had sex in a while. Not
a man who was regularly screwing an Amazon princess.
She was just very glad to
have her body back. And to see her toes
again. And to feel him with her like
this. Just him. Just her.
Just the two of them. No others
here. No others needed.
No others wanted.
Well, two out of three,
anyway.
---------------
Clark watched Bruce as he got
ready to beam back down to Gotham.
"Wait up."
Bruce turned to look at him.
"Come down to the
apartment and see Justin."
"I can't." Bruce stepped onto the pad.
"I know Diana's out of
town doing some god or other's bidding.
Lois is on assignment. My mom is
watching the baby. Come over. He's getting to be fun...not so
lump-like." Clark saw Bruce's
expression change to one of defeat, and he grinned as he reset the
controls. "Two to chez Kent."
Bruce just shook his head as
Clark stepped onto the other pad.
"I'll scare the holy crap out of him in this get-up."
His mother looked up as they
appeared. "Oh, boys, good. We're almost out of formula. I told your father to get some yesterday but
did he remember? I'm just going to run
to the store now that you're here."
She kissed Bruce on the part of his cheek that wasn't covered by the
cowl. "So good to see you,
dear."
As she hurried out, Bruce
looked at Clark. "She doesn't know,
does she?"
"Yes, Bruce. I told my Midwestern mother that I've been
having wild sex with not only my wife but also my two best friends. One of whom sired her grandson."
Bruce laughed. "Well, okay, when you put it that way, I
guess it was a stupid question." He
smiled a bit sadly. "Justin
deserves grandparents. I wouldn't have
given him that."
When he turned away, Clark
touched him on the shoulder. "I
wanted to name him Thomas."
"Really?" Bruce looked surprised.
Clark nodded.
"Lois overruled
you?"
"She thought we were
piling baggage on him."
"Smart woman."
"It's why we love
her." Clark was surprised at how
easily that came out. Their relationship
was still complicated but it seemed to be getting a lot easier to acknowledge
their tangled feelings.
Of course it might just be
easier because they were all carefully sticking to their chosen mates when it
came to sex.
Not that he didn't think of
it when Diana stood close like she loved to do.
Or now when Bruce was staring at him with that dark pain shining out of
his eyes.
"Let's go see our
son." Clark led him into the baby's
room.
Justin was watching his
mobile of JLA members go around. Diana
had found it for him. Every time the
Superman or Wonder Woman piece went by, Justin pointed and laughed.
"Hey, kid," Bruce
said, a great tenderness in his voice as he leaned over the crib.
Justin's eyes widened and
then he laughed even louder. He pulled
at Bruce's cape through the slats in the crib.
Bruce calmly rescued his cape, then he picked Justin up very
carefully. Justin gurgled happily,
slapped Bruce upside the head, his hands landing against his cowl in that
spastic baby way that is too cute and uncoordinated to hurt.
"So much for scaring him."
Bruce's smile was a beautiful
thing.
Clark smiled smarmily. "You know, he's a real chick
magnet. Wanna take him out to the park
and pick up girls?"
Bruce's glare could have frozen fire.
"That was a
joke." Clark laughed as Bruce took
the baby into the living room, murmuring something about his father being light
in his moral loafers.
Clark followed them. "You and Diana are okay?"
"Yep." Bruce didn't ask about him and Lois. They were still together. That's probably all he needed to know.
"Can I ask you what may
be a hard question?"
"Yes. I can't guarantee I'll answer it."
"Wouldn't be Batman if
you could."
Bruce turned Justin so he was
leaning against his chest, and Clark sat down across from them, waving in that
idiotic way grownups adopt around babies.
"You look like a
fool. Doesn't he look like a big
fool?" Batman sounded in danger of
making baby talk.
"If Lois left me, would
you leave Diana to be with her?"
Bruce kept on murmuring to
Justin, nonsense mostly. Then he looked
up at Clark and shrugged. It was a
helpless gesture.
It said volumes.
"I understand."
"Well, I'm glad one of
us does." Bruce pushed the cowl off
with one hand, keeping the other carefully on Justin so he couldn't lean away.
They sat in silence for a
while, then the baby began to fuss.
Bruce looked like he was going to hand him over so Clark got up.
"He's just hungry. Hang tight, I'll fix his bottle."
He heard Justin start the
complaining that usually turned into a full scale crying jag, then he started
gurgling again. Peeking out, Clark saw
that Bruce had opened his utility belt and was showing Justin the contents. He
looked up, his eyes meeting Clark's.
"He's a beautiful
boy."
"Yes, he is. You did good." It was hard to say, but it was the way it
was. And Bruce looked like he needed to
hear it.
"We did good. All four of us." Bruce closed his eyes. "I call it that damned planet. But we got him out of it. So how can it be a bad thing?"
Clark came out with the
bottle, and handed it to Bruce.
"You feed him." He
showed him the way to hold Justin, then sat back down. "How's Diana? I haven't spent much time with her."
"Which, by the way, I
count as a good thing." Bruce
grinned, but it wasn't quite the easy expression he was probably going
for. "And she's fine. Or as fine as any of us are. This is really hard on her." He frowned.
"And it's not. Of all of us,
she seems the most resilient in some ways."
"Well, she's been a
goddess. How serious can anything else
be?" Clark laughed. "We'll all be okay, Bruce. Just give it time."
"Is that what you tell
yourself?"
"Darn tootin'."
Bruce laughed, adjusting the
baby slightly, probably to cut down on baby drool on the Kevlar. He looked up, his expression grave. "Thank you."
"For what? He's your son, Bruce. I want you to be a part of his life. A big part." He leaned forward. "And I'd want that even if you weren't
his father. You're my best friend. And you can teach him things I'll never be
able to."
"Let's have someone else
teach him about dating. Someone who is
not the four of us."
"Good plan."
The phone rang just as
Bruce's cell went off. Clark answered
his.
"Hey, Smallville. How's our kid?"
"Bruce is here. He's feeding Justin. It's unbearably sweet."
She laughed. "That's wonderful."
They talked for a few
minutes--the normal routine when one of them was on assignment--then she said
goodnight.
He could tell from Bruce's
voice that he was talking to Diana.
It suddenly struck him as odd
that Lois had not asked if Diana was there too.
"Where is she?" he
asked Bruce, who ignored him. Clark
listened as hard as he could, trying to determine if his wife was in the room
with Diana. Was, say, running her hand up
and down Diana's supple, tanned skin.
Right where the uniform began to cover her, where her skin changed from
tan to a lighter olive.
Bruce hung up.
Clark decided not to share
his suspicion with his friend. He got up
and took Justin from Bruce, and gently burped him then put him down for a
nap. As he walked back into the living
room, Bruce was at the window, staring out.
The cowl was back in place.
"You leaving?"
Bruce nodded.
"It's early. Mom will make dinner."
"Forget dinner. Do you think they're together?"
"Welllllll..."
Bruce started to laugh. "Man would it serve us both right if
they leave us behind."
Clark walked over and stood
next to him. He put his hand on Bruce's
shoulder. "At least they left our
son with us."
"Damned generous of
them."
"I couldn't hear Lois in
the background."
"Good." Then Bruce glared at him. "You were listening in?"
"Well, for a righteous
cause."
"Clark, there are no
righteous causes where the four of us are involved."
"Yes, there are. And you were just feeding him." Clark pulled Bruce's cowl back off. "Come on, she'll make that meatloaf you
like."
"Oh, all
right." Bruce leaned in just enough
that their upper arms touched for a moment.
Then he backed off, and pulled his cowl back on. "Your mom is one of the few on this
planet not hip to my secret identity.
How about we keep it that way?"
"She's very
trustworthy," Clark said, but he didn't try to pull the cowl off
again.
"I don't think they're together."
"Me neither."
"Better work on that
delivery."
Clark laughed. "You too."
They both turned with relief to the opening door. Clark grinned at his mom. "Batman is staying for dinner."
"Oh, good."
"He might sleep
over."
Bruce slugged him.
"That's nice, dear. Do you want me to make your favorite
meatloaf, Batman?"
"Yes, please,
ma'am."
"Wanna play
Nintendo?" Clark asked, already heading for his study.
"Just don't break the
joystick like last time."
"I didn't break it on
purpose."
"Of course not, just
because you were losing..."
Clark laughed. As he handed Bruce the
new joystick, he grinned. "I'd miss
you. If this hadn't worked out, I
mean."
"I know what you
mean." He turned his attention to
the screen. "I'd miss you
too."
Their little moment of mush ended
as soon as the game started up.
But it had happened. That was the important thing. In their crazy, mixed-up world, it was one of
the few things that did matter.
Friends, family, lovers. Sometimes, people were all three.
FIN