I know this is pretty quick from last post, but I was serious about getting this wrapped up. I can wait an extra day for the next part if anyone needs more time. Otherwise, I'll post every day from here on out. There's probably going to be about 10-12 parts. So, let me know-- every day or every other day?? Enjoy!
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“Lois?” Clark waited patiently behind her while she finished typing a sentence.
“Yeah?” She turned to meet his gaze.
“He’s here.”
“Really?” She rose to her feet from her chair. “When can we meet him?” Her earlier reservations had been replaced with excitement due in large part to her curious nature.
“Four. They’re meeting us at Centennial Park at the West entrance playground.”
Lois glanced at her watch. “That’s three hours! How are we supposed to wait that long?”
“I know. But, honey, I think maybe we need to talk to Perry.”
“Yeah,” she agreed reluctantly. She knew telling people about Robin was inevitable, but she felt like being selfish again. She wanted to be sure of her feelings, more confident with her new role. Besides, she felt she and Clark needed time to become acquainted with the boy first.
“Lois?” Clark was concerned by her response. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s just…” She looked away from him a second. “I just want today to be for us… and your folks. We can tell everyone tomorrow.”
“Are you sure that’s all? You haven’t changed your mind?”
“I haven’t changed my mind. I’m so excited to meet him. I just want a little more time to adjust to this and get to know him.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.” She smiled to reassure him before kissing him quickly. “Now what do you say we talk to Perry and play hooky the rest of the day? There’s no way I could concentrate on anything until we’ve met him.”
Clark grinned down at her. “How about that? Lois Lane wants to play hooky.”
“Yeah, well, write it down. It may be a while before it happens again.” She smiled as she passed him on her way to Perry’s office.
Ten minutes later, they boarded the elevator to spend the afternoon together waiting on four o’clock to arrive.
****
Lois and Clark decided to spend the afternoon walking, window-shopping, and talking. And it wasn’t long before Lois discovered she wasn’t totally averse to playing hooky.
“This is fun,” Lois told Clark as she stopped in front of a store to admire a dress in the window. “Oh, Clark. This dress is amazing.”
Clark admired the white satin and lace with a huge grin on his face. He’d love to see Lois in that. “Would you like to try it on?”
She looked over at Clark as if he’d lost his mind. “Are you crazy? This dress probably costs a month’s salary.”
“So,” he said with a shrug. “I would hope you’re only going to be married once.” At least he hoped she was still going to be married. When she didn’t immediately disagree, he continued. “I think you should have what you want.”
“What I want is for us to be able to afford to buy groceries. We can’t spend the next twenty years paying for my wedding dress.”
Clark shifted to come closer to her, having registered what she’d said. “Does this mean we’re still getting married?”
“What?” She fully faced Clark with a confused expression. “Clark, why wouldn’t we get married?”
“Well, yesterday we got some pretty shocking news, and you were pretty angry. I just thought…”
“Yesterday I was hurt and confused.”
“Lois, you were angry.”
“Okay. I was angry, but did I ever say I wanted to call off the wedding?” And even as she said that, her conscience reminded her of the doubt she'd had where their relationship was concerned.
“No,” he drawled. “But I asked you about it last night and you couldn’t answer.”
“Do *you* want to call it off?” she countered to keep from answering him.
“Lois, no!” He took a step closer to her, reaching to hold her upper arm. “I have wanted nothing more in my life for the past… two years. But I’m not so naïve that I would automatically assume we'd just go ahead with our plans regardless of this major change in our lives.”
“And I acted like an ass.” Lois couldn't stop herself from admitting that.
“No, no, no. Honey, you acted better than many other woman would have acted in your place.” He leaned over to kiss her forehead. “This whole thing is still a little surreal to me.”
“I know.” She lifted her hands to rub up and down his arms swiftly. “I know you’re scared and confused and very hurt over this. I should have never acted the way I did.” Her hands clasped his larger ones in hers. “But, baby, I don’t think I could face tomorrow without you in it. And I *definitely* want to get married.”
“The *instant* family doesn’t bother you?”
“I won’t lie and tell you things will be all rosy and bright. I can tell you that I will never stop loving you and since Robin is part of you, I’m confident I'll come to love him just as passionately.”
Clark pulled his hands from hers and lifted them to cradle her face. “The woman that was made for me,” he whispered softly. “How did I ever live without you?” He smiled before his lips met hers in a sweet kiss. When he pulled back, he glanced at the dress in the window. “You’re sure about the dress?”
Lois turned her head to look at the wonderful display. “Yeah. I was thinking of asking your mom to sew me one.”
Clark’s brows rose as she met his gaze again, his hands dropping to her arms. “Really?”
“She did a good job on your clothes.” Lois giggled and tugged on Clark’s lapels. He laughed softly, enjoying this moment. “I thought we could come up with something beautiful and elegant… and a lot less expensive than that one.”
“Okay. I just want you to know you can have what you want.”
“I do,” she told him firmly.
Clark could only smile brighter down at her. This woman was everything he’d ever dreamed of as he’d grown into a man. He would never understand why he’d wasted all those years looking in the wrong places.
“Did you call me baby?” Clark asked as they started to walk again. Lois held his arm tighter and giggled.
****
Clark watched Lois pace in front of him for the tenth time. “Lois, honey, you’re making me nervous.”
“I can’t help it, Clark. Where are they?”
“It’s just now four. They’ll be here.”
“I know.” She turned around again and stopped dead in her tracks. Ms. Grange was approaching them, holding Robin’s hand.
Robin was really nervous now. He was also incredibly excited. Ms. Grange had read some of his father’s work to him and shown him pictures. He had to admit he liked what he saw. His frightened eyes met the dark eyes of a woman he recognized from some photographs. That was his father’s partner and fiancé, Lois Lane. She looked really nice, just like in her pictures. And it made him feel better that she looked as scared as he felt.
“Clark,” Lois whispered.
He looked up from his perusal of his fingers. He followed her wide-eyed expression to the small boy approaching with the social worker. He rose to his feet slowly, unable to tear his eyes from the child.
Robin’s eyes shifted from Lois to the man standing beside her.
<<That’s him!>>
His small body started to tremble in anticipation; his hand clutched Dana’s hand just a little tighter.
“It’s okay,” Dana told him softly. “He *wants* you.”
Robin didn’t indicate he’d even heard her; his eyes were still glued to his father. He was about to meet his father for the very first time! This was more frightening than going to that first group home.
<<Please let him like me.>> Robin's eyes searched Clark's features for any indication that this man would be mean or demanding. He'd met a man like that once and didn't want to repeat the experience. But Clark was even nicer looking in person than he was in his pictures. Robin had been almost relieved to see a picture of Clark smiling broadly. Anyone who smiled like couldn't be all that bad. Could they?
“Look at him, Clark. He’s so adorable,” Lois whispered as she blinked back tears that she hadn't realized had formed. How was it she'd gone from completely hurt and uncertain about this child to this?
“Yeah.” Clark was more nervous than he’d ever been in his entire life. Even proposing to Lois had been a piece of cake compared to this. What do you say to a child you never knew you had?
Large, tear filled eyes looked up at Ms. Grange. “She’s crying,” Robin said, unable to stop the salty water from stinging his lids when he saw Lois wipe her cheek. He'd always been particularly sensitive to others emotions and this was no different. If this woman was crying, it couldn't be good.
“I think she is happy to meet you.”
“Really?” Robin looked back at Lois. Could this woman, who didn’t even know him, be happy to meet him? Happy enough to cry about it? The only person he’d seen cry out of happiness was his mom. He kept his eyes glued firmly to Lois as they drew closer.
“Good afternoon,” Dana spoke up as they stopped before the couple. She didn’t receive a response as both the people before her were occupied with something else. She stopped a few feet away from the couple.
Robin’s eyes were glued to Lois’. He was still in shock this woman was having this reaction because of him.
“Hi, little guy,” Lois beamed down at him as she bent to get a better look.
“Hi.” He could only stare. She was a very pretty lady and she had a great smile. It helped to ease him a bit.
“I’m Lois, your father’s partner at work and his fiancé.”
“I know. Ms. Grange told me and I saw pictures.”
“You did?” He nodded as Lois kneeled in front of him.
“Yes, ma’am,” he decided to add. It wouldn't hurt to show her that he was polite. Billy had told him a long time ago all the things to say and do to make adults like you. Of course, his mom had always taught him to be considerate. 'Good manners go a long way', she'd said. She'd been right too. Robin had discovered that he was always treated well when he behaved and minded his manners, which had helped since his mom died. He'd heard enough horror stories of kids who weren't treated very well because of their behavior, so he'd adopted a quiet, reserved demeanor that had served him well.
Lois couldn’t keep the smile from spreading across her face. Robin was even more handsome than the photos they’d seen. She couldn’t believe she could have ever thought about not meeting this little person and getting to know him. She absolutely beamed at the comment. Robin certainly seemed to be very polite.
Robin’s mouth twitched when Lois smiled at him. He glanced up at Clark, who was looking on in wonder. When his eyes fell back to Lois’, he gave in to the smile that was dying to get out.
“Oh, wow!” Lois couldn’t resist; she had to touch him. Her hand went out to his arm, lightly rubbing, as yet more tears filled her eyes.
The boy couldn’t believe how good it felt for someone to want to meet him so badly. Even when he had been placed with the Sanders, they hadn’t expressed this kind of emotion. It was more than a month before he could get Kitty to touch him. For a child who had always thrived on physical attention, by the time Robin made it to the Sanders, he was starved for affection. His mother had showered him constantly with hugs and kisses and to suddenly have that taken away was difficult for his five year old mind to comprehend. He glanced at the hand that had just left his arm before his eyes drifted back to Lois'. He couldn't help but wonder if she liked giving and receiving hugs.
He and Lois shared another smile before he looked up at Clark.
Clark, who had been watching the scene unfold before him, couldn’t have been more thrilled. His heart felt as if it would burst with emotion. The woman he loved more than life itself was actually beaming happily at his son; the son he hadn't known existed.
He kneeled down beside Lois so he could look into Robin’s eyes. “Hi, pal. It’s really good to meet you.”
“Really?” Could his father really mean that?
“Absolutely.” Clark smiled to assure Robin he meant what he said. He was rewarded with a small smile. “I never knew… about you. They showed me pictures just last night. I would have been there, had I known it.” This was something Clark wanted to make perfectly clear from the beginning. He never wanted this child to think he was unwanted by his father. Though he did feel pretty guilty about having almost given him up for adoption.
“Mom never told me about you either. Only that she didn’t really know who my father was,” Robin told him sadly. Why hadn't she told him? Clark Kent really seemed like a nice man.
Clark nodded, relieved to know he hadn’t been made out to be some kind of dead beat dad. He had wanted to believe Kim wouldn’t have done such a thing, but the fact she’d never told him she’d had a son at all had him wondering.
“Hey,” Clark spoke up. “Did you enjoy the flight out?”
“Yeah!” The boy brightened for a moment, then frowned. “It was dark and I didn’t see much though.”
“I’ll bet we could arrange for a flight soon, in the daytime,” Lois told him, unsure where to begin. She had no idea what to say or do, still terrified that Robin would hate her. Or worse, hate her and Clark.
“That would be cool,” he said with a smile. “Would you come, too?” He felt he liked this woman already. He would certainly want her on a flight with him.
“Of course, I’ll come,” Lois told him readily.
Robin smiled even brighter at that. Lois and Clark exchanged a glance and a soft laugh which made all the butterflies in his stomach leave him in a rush. He liked the sound of their laughter. It told him a lot about what kind of people they were. And they sounded nice-- very nice!
Clark looked back at him. “Would you like to swing?”
“Or you could open your gifts?” Lois spoke up quickly.
“You bought me gifts?” His little eyes widened as he spotted the gift-wrapped boxes on the park bench behind the adults.
“We did,” Clark told him as he rose. “Come on.”
Robin followed behind Clark, Lois on his heels. Dana drifted some distance away from the small family to allow them to get to know each other. She didn’t want to be in the way.
Clark lifted two boxes wrapped in baseball themed paper and held them out to Robin.
“Wow!” He couldn’t contain his excitement. It had been a long time since he’d gotten a gift that would be his. With that thought, his smile faded and he looked up at Clark. “Will they be mine to keep? For always?”
“What?” Clark frowned and eased back to sit on the bench so he could look into Robin’s eyes.
“Before, when I’ve gotten gifts from other families, I could only keep them as long as I was at that home.”
Clark set the gifts on Lois' lap, as she’d settled next to him on the bench. Her smile had faded and her expression had taken on a serious tone.
“Robin, we got these things for *you*. That means you can keep them. No one is going to take them back.”
“And we'd really like for you to stay with us,” Lois assured him.
The boy looked between the two adults for a moment before he spoke again. “Ms. Grange told me you were getting married. I just thought… I thought…” He looked between the adults before he dropped his eyes to the ground.
“You thought what?” Clark reached out to lift his chin gently.
“Well, I figured that… once you were married…” He refused to look at Clark.
Lois immediately understood the child. She shoved the gifts to the empty space on the bench before reaching out to take both of Robin’s hands. “Robin, look at me.” She waited until his big, scared eyes met hers. “Clark is your father. And I hope that you’ll call me your friend. Yes, I’m going to marry your father, very soon. But no, you don't have to leave. Your father wants you to live with him until we’re married, then we both want you to live with us.”
“R… really?” He’d started to cry and his lip trembled.
“Yes. Really,” Lois had to finish on a whisper because she was starting to choke up as well.
Robin looked down at her hands, squeezing just a little tighter, before he looked back up at Lois with a smile. “I think I like you.”
“Oh, sweetie.” Lois could only smile in return. She didn’t think she could speak past the lump in her throat.
Clark blinked several times to stop the sting of tears behind his lids. He couldn’t believe Robin would have thought that once he was married there would be no place for him here.
“May I open those gifts now… Lois?”
“Of course you can.” She gave his hands a final squeeze before she lifted the packages and scooted over to make room for him to sit down. He eyed the empty spot for a moment, then climbed between Lois and Clark. “Open this one first,” she told him, placing the long narrow box in his lap.
He quickly tore off the wrapping; Lois and Clark watching with huge smiles. “Oh wow!” His small hands smoothed over the cool metal in the box. It was a brand new Louie Ville Slugger™-- the finest bat made. “Wow!” His eyes danced between Lois and Clark. “Thanks! This is great!” Really great. His father really was nice... and so was Lois!
“You’re not done yet,” Clark reminded him with a pointed finger at the other box.
Robin made short work of the wrapping on the other box. “No way!” He lifted the leather glove from its tissue cradle. “And a ball! This is too much!”
“Like ‘em?”
He looked up at Lois as if she had two heads. “Like ‘em? I love ‘em! My old stuff was for little kids and it got left at the storage place. I had a glove at Kitty and Jeff’s, but Mrs. Davies said I had to leave it. That was the rules.”
“Well, pal, these are yours.” Clark rubbed the new leather of the glove, delighting in his son’s enthusiasm. He looked up to exchange a quick smile with Lois.
Robin smoothed his hand over the leather several times before he turned to Clark. “Do you like baseball?”
“Sure. I also like basketball and football.”
“He played football in college,” Lois boasted.
Robin’s head shot around to Lois. “Really?” He smiled back at Clark brightly. “Did you make a touchdown?”
“A few.”
“Don’t listen to him, Robin. One thing you have to know right away about your father is that he doesn’t brag very much. He scored *a lot* of touchdowns. He won the ‘Most Valuable Player of the Year’ the last year he played. He even has the trophy at home to prove it.”
“No way!” The small boy was completely entranced by his larger than life father. “Can I see it?”
“You’ll see everything. My home’s going to be your home.”
“I only had one home before.” He dropped his eyes to the gifts in his lap. “Mom used to give me gifts. She gave me lots of stuff.”
“Your mom was a very special person,” Clark told him softly.
“Yeah. I miss her.”
“And that’s okay. You can miss her all you want.” Clark wanted so badly to reach out to him, but felt it would be best to let him come on his own. He had no idea how the boy had been treated over the last two years and he certainly didn’t want to traumatize him.
The small boy looked up at Lois. “Is that okay with you?”
“What? To miss your mom?” She wore a frown as she tried to comprehend what the child meant.
He nodded at her. At the group home once there was a girl who met her dad for the first time only to be hated by her step mom. The little girl came back to the group after only a month. She was eventually adopted, but had cried for days because her step mom hadn't liked her. Robin felt he already liked Lois and desperately wanted her to like him. There was no way he wanted to *ever* go back to a group home again. So maybe if he didn't upset her... “I don’t want to hurt your feelings.”
“Robin, you could never hurt my feelings by missing your mother.”
He let the smile tugging the corners of his mouth spread out. This woman was too good to be true. She'd just told him it was all right to miss his mom. And he did, an awful lot. “I’m glad, 'cause I don't think I'll ever stop missing her.”
Lois smiled brightly, too. "You don't have to." What she wouldn't give to reach out and tuck that stubborn strand of hair behind his ear. <<He's so adorable!>>
“Hey, pal,” Clark spoke up, wanting to keep the mood light. He knew they'd eventually have to talk about sensitive areas with Robin, but not now. Now he just wanted to get to know the guy a little better. “How about I pitch you a few balls?”
“Yeah!” He jumped up and waited patiently for Clark to take off his jacket. He hadn't played ball in a long time. Robin glanced at Lois. “Will you come, too?”
“Sure.” She stood and put her jacket down with Clark’s so they could make their way to the small open space in front of the bench. “But I have to warn you that I don’t know a thing about baseball.”
“That’s okay. I’ll teach you. Here, you can wear my glove.” He offered up his newest possession with enthusiasm. He couldn't believe Lois was going to play with them. Kitty had *never* played ball with them. His mom had. She'd had a mean curve ball-- or at least that's what Grandpa had said.
As he lifted the bat to his shoulder, he wondered if his father and Lois really meant all they'd told him. So far he really liked them both. Maybe this time would be the last time he'd have to move.
