A/N: This is one of those plot bunnies that's clearly meant to be bigger than a 1/1 vignette, but I can't seem to kick my muse into gear. I hope no one minds if I post a tidbit that may or may not get fleshed out any time soon. I'm hoping the muse will get the hint, but she's so easily distracted... 
Anway, please enjoy. 
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There was a soft chime as the elevator doors slid open, and the woman tightened her grip on her son's hand before stepping off. They made their way down the ramp, into the center of the hustle and bustle that was the Daily Planet newsroom. Perry White stood in the midst of the chaos, shouting orders. She smiled; some things never changed.
“Olsen, what in the Sam Hill are you still standing around for? Get me those photos! Stephenson, I want that article on my desk in the next ten minutes, or you can start filing for unemployment! Friaz...”
He froze. She couldn't help the grin as she watched him slowly turn to look in her direction. His eyes were wide, and his bushy brows shot to the top of his head.
“Hi, Perry,” she said, softly.
“Lois?” He stepped towards her, tentatively reaching out an arm as though afraid she might turn out to be just an apparition. When she proved to be solid, a wide grin burst across his face, and his eyes glistened. “Great shades of Elvis! Lois!”
She stepped forward into a bear-hug. The newsroom gradually fell silent, until all she could hear were startled gasps and Perry's murmurings of “It's you! It really is you!” He pulled back to look into her eyes, not releasing her arms from his grip. “We never gave up hope, Darlin'; we never stopped looking.”
The admission brought tears to her own eyes. “Perry...” she choked out.
“Where were you, all this time?” he asked her.
Lois let out a breath. She'd known this question was inevitable. “It's a long story, Perry,” she told him.
“Of course,” he said, giving her shoulder a fatherly pat. “Come into my office, and you can tell me all about it.”
He turned to lead the way, and she reached down again for her son, who was staring up in awe at their surroundings. They were all half-way to the office when Perry paused and turned back to the crowd. “I want a new front page headline,” he bellowed. “Lois Lane Is Back!”
**********
“Great shades of Elvis,” he said again once they were all seated around his desk. “It's been years, Darlin'.”
“I know, Perry,” Lois said again. “I'm sorry. If I could have called, I would have.”
“Are you all right?” he asked her.
“I'm just fine,” she answered, though the smile didn't quite reach her eyes.
“What happened?” he asked.
Lois leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath. “Would you believe me if I said 'alien abduction'?”
Perry stared at her silently for a few moments. Finally, he said, “It's all right, Lois. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to.”
She sighed. “Then I guess we'll have to settle for 'I got cocky and stowed away on something, and it took me out of state'.”
“Does your family know you're okay?” he asked her.
Lois shrugged. “I haven't been able to reach my parents, yet,” she answered. “Lucy offered me and my son a place to stay, but we haven't really had a chance to talk about where I've been.”
“Your son?” Perry echoed, his eyebrows raising as he turned to inspect the small boy sitting in the chair beside Lois.
“Yes.” She reached over to tussle her son's hair, making him laugh. His smile was infectious, just like...just like... “His name is Zal,” she said.
“Well, now,” Perry said, beaming at the boy. “It's nice to meet you, Sal.”
Zal looked up at her, curiously.
“He doesn't speak much English,” Lois apologized, then turned to her son. “
Honey, this is Mommy's friend, Perry White. He wants to say hello to you. Do you remember Mommy's special word for 'Hello'?”
Zal grinned and turned to face Perry. “Hello!”
Perry stared at them both.
“He's very smart,” Lois told him.
“Uhh...” said Perry. “Hello.” He turned back to Lois. “So... you adopted him?” he guessed.
Lois's eyes went wide. “What? No. He's really my son. Mine and...someone else. Someone I met after my stake-out turned into an impromptu vacation.” She smiled wryly. “I know it's hard to believe, Perry, but I fell in love. We had a hard time crossing the language barrier, at first, but then...” she shrugged. “I know it sounds crazy coming from me, but once we got to know each other, I couldn't help but love him. We got married pretty quickly, and then our son came along soon after. It all happened so fast.” She flashed him a watery smile, which soon faded. “But then, his father found out there was going to be some kind of disaster. Since there were complications with evacuating, they sent me and Zal on ahead.” She lowered her eyes and toyed with the bracelet on her arm. “Kal said he would follow if he could, but...” Her mouth closed. She sighed and leaned back in the chair, again. “Anyway, that's about the gist of it.”
Perry was staring at her with an odd expression. After a long stretch of silence, he finally spoke. “Uh...Darlin'...” he said. “I...uh....” He took a deep breath and leaned back, drumming his fingers on the desk. “Honey, if you need any kind of help—medical, psychiatric, *anything*— we'll help you. You understand? I'm here for you.”
Lois smiled at him. “Thanks, Perry,” she said. “Right now, I think I just need a job.”
“Of course, Darlin', of course!” said Perry. “You're the best reporter this paper's ever had, Lois, and believe me when I say it won't be a problem getting you back at your desk and back in the game.”
This news was a great relief, but there was still something about his expression. Lois frowned. “Perry? What's wrong?”
He looked down, tapping a finger against the top of his desk. “Lois, Honey,” he said, “I'm not Dr. Spock, but your son seems to be close to about...four years old?”
Lois shrugged. She didn't know how to convert the time measurements, but four Earth years sounded about right for Zal. “And...?” she asked.
“Honey,” Perry said, cautiously, “you've been gone for *three* years.
**********
