Superman Movieverse Forum

Title: Family Reunion
Author: Mr. Beeto
Rating: PG-13
Beta: htbthomas and Shado Librarian
Summary: AU Twist on Donner/Singer Movieverse: Tie the three films together into a cohesive whole, and provide a more credible and interesting reason for Superman to have returned to Krypton.

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Author’s Notes:
When we wear blinders into a relationship and see only what we want to see, it can be quite a rude awakening when those blinders are finally pulled off and we’re forced to face the reality around us.  It’s all that much worse for a man who also discovers that the child he thought was his was fathered by someone else.  That’s the situation that Richard now faces.

Thanks again to the beta team of htbthomas and Shado Librarian, a.k.a. dandello.

Chapter 22 – Lunchtime Reality

Friday, September 29, 2006 11:15AM EDT
Richard grew continually more irritable all morning as the lingering memory of the previous night’s shocking revelation and the argument with Lois that followed took over his thoughts.  The knowledge that his fiancée was currently out with her former lover, supposedly working on a story, worsened his mood even more.  He was also aggravated by Perry’s new rules, which prevented him from talking to anyone about Lois or Clark’s assignments.  He’d been short tempered with his staff all morning and his lingering personal worries made it impossible for him to fully concentrate on the breaking news from the Middle East.

His distraction had not escaped Perry’s attention, and when a couple of choice comments from the veteran newsman failed to jar him from his preoccupation, he decided that a longer discussion would be required to get his nephew straightened out.  Once Perry was confident that the day’s stories were on track under George Taylor’s direction, he dragged Richard out of the office for an early lunch.

A short time later, the two men were seated at a comfortable table in the back corner at Adrian’s Ristorante, perusing the menu.  They finally gave the waiter their order, and once he had departed, Perry gruffly told his nephew, “Well, you’ve obviously been thinking about it all morning, so out with it.  You’re getting this off your chest.”

“There’s not much to say,” Richard protested.  He kept his head down, studying the pattern in the tablecloth as he added, “I believed her.  I trusted her.  I was wrong, and now she’s running around town with her ex.”

“With her partner,” Perry corrected.  “You know they’re working a story.”

“There was no story there!” Richard protested.  “Lois even complained about it last night.”

“Richard, you of all people should know that it takes more than a Nexus search to research a story,” Perry admonished him.  “They’ve sniffed out something astounding that will probably have the papers flying off the shelves in a day or two.”

“Am I supposed to be happy that she’s out there with him?” Richard complained.

Perry harrumphed and asked sarcastically, “Are you just going to pout about that all day?  Give a solid twenty, thirty percent at the office?”

Richard looked up in surprise at his uncle’s comment.  “Uncle Perry, I’m not–” he began to argue.

“Yes, you are,” Perry interrupted authoritatively.  “Now, talk.  What’s the problem here, other than the obvious?”

Richard sighed and was silent for a moment before he quietly said, “I don’t even recognize her these past few days.  She’s different.  Angry.  Argumentative.  Aggressive.  Competitive. She’s–”

“She’s Mad Dog Lane,” Perry finished for him.  “That’s our old Lois - the real Lois that we thought we’d lost.”

“Well, it’s not someone that I’ve ever seen before,” Richard complained.

Perry took a sip from his water glass, and was silent in thought for a moment while he reflected on Lois’ transformation.  Finally, he quietly said, “Richard, she wasn’t herself when you first met her.  I don’t know if it was because Superman was missing and presumed dead, or because Kent took off like he did, or if it was the hormones, but she was a shadow of her former self.  She was as distraught as I’ve ever known her to be and the fire that drove her was gone.  She was… I don’t know, lost?  Then you came along, and I think you helped her pull herself together enough to be functional again.  But she was still on autopilot most of the time – she didn’t have the fight in her any more.  Oh, she was still one of our best reporters, but not the ‘Mad Dog Lane’ that we remembered.  At least, not until a few days ago.”

“When Clark came back,” Richard spat.

“Superman’s back now, too,” Perry reminded him.

“Well, she doesn’t seem very interested in that,” Richard observed irritably.  “I suspect it was probably more her doing than his that Polly got that story.  Probably so she could work with Clark.”

“Well, I might have a problem with that because I told her to do the Superman story, but why’s that a problem for you?” Perry inquired.  “Richard, some of her best work was in collaboration with Kent back in the day and teaming up with him again is a good move for her.  Besides, what happened between them happened a long time ago – before you even met her…  And her behavior since he’s been back has hardly been suspicious – she’s been an absolute bitch to him – almost enough to merit a reprimand.  As for Kent, he’s one of the biggest prudes I’ve ever met.  No way anything untoward is going to happen, even if Lois was willing, which she clearly isn’t…  So, do you want to tell me why this really has you so shook up?”

Richard was silent, his brow wrinkled pensively and he opened and closed his mouth several times as he gathered his thoughts.  Finally, he admitted, “It’s like I don’t even know her, Uncle Perry.  Almost six years together, and I don’t know her any better than the day we met.  Actually, I wonder if I know her at all...  And although she’s always been a mystery to me, Clark can read her like a book.”  Richard fell silent again, and looked away, eyes unfocused as he considered the situation.

“Keep going,” Perry encouraged him gently.

Richard sighed in frustration and added, “Well, for one thing, I thought that Lois and her dad would never voluntarily start a conversation with each other, no matter what.  But Clark knew better.  Just one look at her and he knew that she’d talked to her father about the EMP.  And once they started talking, they were finishing each other’s sentences!  They were doing that again last night before Kara let the cat out of the bag about Jason.  Clark had no contact with her for six years, and the moment he gets back, he seems to know her better than I do.”

“He was her best friend and knew her better than anyone,” Perry revealed.  “From his perspective, she hasn’t changed.”

“Well, she sure as hell has changed from my perspective!”  Richard hissed.  “And then to find out that Jason is his!   If that wasn’t bad enough, last night she summarily rejected just about everything I’ve been trying to make happen in our relationship.  She said that she’s been saying ‘hell no’ to all of it for years, but I wasn’t listening.”

“You weren’t,” Perry declared.

“Jesus, have I really been that oblivious?” Richard complained.

“Do you really want me to answer that?” Perry replied.

Richard rolled his eyes, but held his tongue when the server returned with their salads, grateful for the reprieve.  Richard bite into a forkful of salad and after swallowing, he muttered sadly, “None of this seems very fair.”

“C’est la vie,” Perry said simply, and he also dug into his salad.

The two men continued their discussion as they ate their salads and Richard eventually shared the details of his argument with Lois the previous night and their perpetual disagreements.  Perry ended up shaking his head in disbelief.  “Richard, Lois is one of the most driven career women I’ve ever known, even when she seemed to be running on auto-pilot,” he declared authoritatively.  “You didn’t really think she was going to give it all up and stay home with the kiddies, did you?”  Richard’s checks flushed red and he looked away to hide the blush.  Perry added incredulously, “Jesus, you really have had your head buried in the sand.”

“Apparently,” Richard said grumpily.  “Oh, and by the way, there aren’t going to be any more ‘kiddies’.  She made it perfectly clear last night that she had no intention of ever having any more kids.  Jason will be her only one.”

“And that bothers you.”

Richard sighed irritably and said, “I wanted a bigger family.  It’s just one more thing that’s not going to be the way I thought it would be.”

“Well, have you got your head out of the sand now?” Perry asked.

“I think it would impossible not to, given recent events,” Richard said quietly.

  “Really?” Perry replied skeptically.  “Then prove it.   Look at everything you’ve just described to me.  You’re allegedly a journalist… Read the clues.  Tell me what it reveals about Lois’ frame of mind.”

Richard looked over at his uncle with an irritated expression and glared at him for a moment.  He then relaxed his expression at declared, “She doesn’t like changing the status quo.”

Perry snorted and said, “Try again.”

“She’s resistant to change?”

Perry just shook his head and muttered, “So much for having pulled your head out of the sand.”

“What?” Richard complained.

Perry was silent for a moment and then gently told him, “Polly was right… You’ve been seeing what you wanted to see, and what you saw was ‘happily ever after’.  You never allowed yourself to notice that Lois saw things differently.  Richard, the truth of the matter is that she never believed that your relationship would last and she planned for things accordingly.”

“That’s bullshit, Uncle Perry,” Richard argued.  “We’ve been happy.”

“Ignorant bliss on your part,” Perry countered.  “Look at what you just told me.  She insists on keeping her finances and property strictly segregated and not only does she insist on keeping the penthouse, she won’t sublet it for more than a monthly term.  That’s not maintaining the status quo or being resistant to change – that’s an escape plan…  When she decides it’s time to go, all she has to do is to pack up Jason and their things and move back into the penthouse.  You don’t even get to fight with her over Jason, because you’re not his legal father.”

“Now I know you’re wrong!” Richard declared triumphantly.  “I am Jason’s legal father.  I filled out the paperwork myself after he was born.”

“Was that the same paperwork Lois ripped to shreds when she saw that you’d tried to name the kid Ricky Junior?”

The blood drained from Richard face.  “Uncle Perry, she… she wouldn’t.  She’d never take him from me like that.”

“Well, no, not like that,” Perry conceded.  “She’s not that cold-hearted, even at her worst.  But I know for a fact that when she redid Jason’s paperwork, she left the father’s name blank... I don’t know if things are bad enough between the two of you for her to leave yet, but no matter what happens, she holds all the cards.”

“You know, if you’re trying to cheer me up, you’re doing a lousy job,” Richard commented sadly.

“Who said anything about cheering you up?” Perry asked dramatically.  “I’m just trying to help you pull your head out of your ass so I can get some work out of you.”

“Oh, thanks for that clarification,” Richard replied sarcastically.  “It makes me feel so much better.”

“Hey, that’s what family’s for,” Perry replied mirthfully.

Richard was stopped from replying to Perry’s statement by their server returning with their entrées.  He gestured to the server and said, “Looks like the food’s here.”  Perry granted him the reprieve and an awkward silence descended around them as they dug into their meals.

Richard picked at his meal as he considered what Perry had said to him and again replayed his interactions with Lois over the past week, along with those he had observed between the her and Clark.  Finally, Richard broke the silence with a sigh and morosely commented, “It sure didn’t take Clark long to ruin my life.”

“He had nothing to do with this,” Perry said curtly.  “Oh, I’ll concede that he’s the catalyst that’s forced you to face the truth now.  But the problems between you and Lois have been there all along and would have eventually come to the surface whether Kent came back or not.  You just never saw it – you didn’t want to.”

“I don’t want to lose her,” Richard said quietly.

“Well, you’ll have a better chance at keeping her if you can pull your head out of the sand and face reality,” Perry declared.  “Think about it, Richard…  You may have been oblivious, but she wasn’t.   She knew that you’d created a fantasy version of your relationship which would eventually disintegrate and there was no way she going to commit to that.  Maybe that was part of the reason she refused to set a date...  Maybe if she sees that you’re finally seeing the reality of your relationship, you’ll have a slim chance to find something solid to build a relationship on.”

  “Do you think that Lois and I can work this out?” Richard asked hopefully.

“Son, this is one of those rare times where my opinion doesn’t count,” Perry told him.  “It’s entirely up to you and Lois.  You have a chance – just be careful not to set yourself up with unrealistic expectations again, because there are no guarantees.  In fact, once you take an objective look at the real Lois Lane, you might be the one who wants out.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Richard said somberly.  After a moment, he asked quietly, “What if we can’t find any common ground?”

“Then you move on,” Perry declared.  “Live and learn.  And next time, try to keep your eyes open.”

  “Easy for you to say,” Richard commented.

  “Richard, you’re obviously still in shock over all this and you’re going to need time to absorb it all and to think things through – time without Lois around, preferably,” Perry informed him.  “Get out of the house.  Maybe visit your folks in Chicago for the weekend.  The time away might help put everything in perspective.”

“I think I’d worry that she’d be gone when I got back,” Richard admitted.

“Well, if that’s a real possibility, then it’s already too late and you might as well just throw in the towel and be done with it,” Perry told him.  “Besides, you’re not going to accomplish anything by hovering over her.  You’ll just end up pissing her off.  It’d be far better for you to get out of each others’ hair for a few days.  Maybe then you’d both manage to clear your heads and be able to think clearly about the situation.”

Richard sighed and said irritably, “I’ll think about it.”

“Well, whatever you do, you had better have it out of your system by the time you show up for work Monday morning,” Perry declared.  “I can’t have you shouting at the staff like you were this morning.”  Perry smiled mischievously and whispered conspiratorially, “That’s my job.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, just figure out how to pull your head out of your ass and leave the personal bullshit at home,” Perry demanded.  He paused for a moment and added gently, “Well, since I’m obviously not going to get any work out of you this afternoon, go ahead and get an early start on the weekend.  Just be sure you’re ready to get to work when you show up Monday morning.”

“I’ll try.  Thanks, Uncle Perry.” Richard told him sincerely.  “And I’m sorry for the trouble.”

Perry waived off the apology as he signaled for the waiter.  “Don’t worry about it,” he said casually.  “Well, I’ve got to get back to the office, and you have some serious soul searching to do.  Please try to make good use of the time.”



After lunch, Richard took a walk through Centennial Park to try to clear his mind. It was a warm fall day and he shared the park with many other denizens of Metropolis that afternoon.  The crowd included mothers with young children, retirees strolling or lounging on the park benches, and a handful of college age couples engaged in amorous displays, oblivious to the attention that they were generating.  Richard ignored them all and continued down the path with his head down.  Who is the real Lois Lane? he wondered.  Is it the woman I thought I knew, or this person that Uncle Perry raves about and who seems so angry at everyone?  Or is there something else here that I don’t see?

Lois’ declarations from the night before were also troubling for him, and stymied the plans he had for their life together.  No more kids, he recalled.  Jason was his son in every way that mattered and he adored the little boy, but something primal inside of him wanted a child that was biologically his – something that didn’t seem to be in the cards with Lois.  Could she still be talked into another baby? Richard wondered.  Or would I just be proving her point that I don’t listen when she says ‘Hell no’?

He imagined how their future would be, with no children except Jason and living a life together that was mostly segregated.  We’d be more like roommates than a married couple, assuming that we ever actually make it to the altar…  He had to acknowledge his uncle’s point that Lois didn’t seem to consider their relationship as her ‘happily ever after’, which made her assertion that she’d been pressured into accepting the house and ring all the more disturbing.  Sometimes I hate it when he’s right, Richard thought.  Is he right about Clark, too?

By all accounts, Lois had made no attempt to contact the shy man after he left, and her anger with him was unmistakable.  However, there was still chemistry between the two of them that was impossible to miss.  They were completely in sync with each other to the point that they were able to complete each others’ sentences.  He also recalled that despite her obvious anger with Clark, she hadn’t been able to take her eyes off him during their dinner in the conference room the previous night.  Was their previous romantic involvement really just a fling, or was there more to it than that? Richard wondered.  Had she been in love with him?  Was she still in love with him, but too stubborn to admit it?

Richard sat down on an empty park bench and dropped his head into his palms as he continued his contemplation.  Lois and I really need to talk, he decided.  No arguing this time, but a good, honest talk to find out what each of us really wants from our relationship and where we stand with each other.  Hopefully, this hasn’t completely been an illusion and there will still be enough there for a future together.

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