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

Chapter 43 – Damage Control

Thursday, October 5, 2006 4:25PM EDT
Lois looked worriedly between Richard and Lieutenant Daniels as the yacht’s stern half fell towards the clouds beneath them.  This is so out of control, she thought apprehensively.  Bad enough for Richard to know, but if the military gets wind of this…

“Oh, my God,” Richard murmured breathlessly.  “The kids…  They’re Superman’s.”

Los glared at him, and irritably replied, “Tell me about it.”

“Um, why’d they bring us so high up?” Daniels asked tentatively.

“So the men in the water wouldn’t see us,” Kara answered sweetly.  “Our Dad said not to let anyone see us using powers.”

“That means you don’t breathe one word about these kids to a living soul!” Lois added adamantly.

“Ma’am?” Daniels began.  However, his question was suddenly interrupted by a thunderous explosion and bright orange fireball lighting up the clouds beneath them.  A moment later, they heard the roar of jet engines nearby.

“They blew up the boat!” Jason exclaimed in wonder.

Lois looked over at her son, her eyes widening in amazement at the sight and she though, My God, Jason’s flying!  This wasn’t supposed to happen until puberty.  Aloud, she excitedly demanded, “Someone, please tell me they’re not shooting at us.”

“You’re probably showing up on radar, but I doubt you were the target,” a deep baritone answered from beneath her.

Lois hadn’t heard Superman’s approach, and she glowered at him as he held up Kara’s missing shoe and slipped it on the little girl’s foot.  “Might have been nice if you’d been here five minutes ago,” Lois said harshly.

“Sorry I didn’t get her sooner, but I kind of had my hands full,” he informed her simply.  He finished tying Kara’s shoe and floated up to eye level with Lois and Richard.  His eyes locked onto the bruise on her jaw and he tenderly asked, “Are you okay?”

“Fine.”

“Oh, this is unbelievable,” Richard mumbled crossly as he stared at Superman.

“Richard, please!  Not now!” Lois snapped.  She turned back to Superman and said, “So what just happened down there?”

“Some Navy F-18s put a few missiles into what was left of the yacht,” Superman answered.  He reached his arm around Lois’ back, pulling her to him as he told his daughter, “I’ve got her, Kara.  You can let go now.”

“Why are they shooting down a yacht?” Lois asked irritably.

  “I don’t think they ever got a good enough look at it to realize what it was,” Superman replied.  He floated over to Richard, and grabbed him around the waist.  “I’ve got him,” Superman said somberly.  Kara released her grip and floated down to them.

“Clark,” Richard began quietly.

“Richard!” Lois hissed, glaring at him angrily.  I don’t believe he just used Clark’s name in front of Daniels.  What is he thinking?  God, how are we ever going to reel this back under control?

“This isn’t the place for a private discussion,” Superman told Richard firmly.  The other man nodded his acquiescence and Superman turned back to Lois, telling her, “From the sound of it, they spotted the kids on radar – in fact they both nearly collided with an Osprey that was pulling some men from the water.”

“But we didn’t run into it,” Jason protested.

“I know that, son.  But you did scare the pilots, and they called some of their friends for help,” Superman told him gently.  He turned back to Lois and added, “They thought the kids were incoming missiles.  When the F-18s flew in for air support, they wouldn’t have recognized the radar signature from half of a three-hundred foot yacht turned on its end and a mile up in the air.  They probably thought it was a weapons platform associated with that monstrosity below us–”

“So they blew it up,” Lois finished for him.

“Lucky for us that the little girl dropped the ship,” Daniels commented.  His expression suddenly grew worried, and he added urgently, “Wait.  My men are still down there beneath that thing.”

“They’re fine,” Superman assured him.  “I nudged the yacht a bit before the missiles hit, so it won’t come anywhere near them.”  He focused his deep vision on the man’s dog tags and asked tentatively, “Lieutenant Daniels, is it?”

“Yes, sir,” Daniels answered.  “Lieutenant Alex Daniels, United States Navy.”

“Well, we’re going to need to talk about this later–” Superman began seriously.

“No one can know about the kids,” Lois interrupted insistently.

“How about a change of venue before we get started on that?” Superman suggested calmly.  “There’s a lot of air traffic out here, and I don’t want to chance anyone else seeing the kids like this.”

“Let’s go, then,” Lois consented.

Superman turned to his daughter and told her, “Kara, I want you to take Lieutenant Daniels from Jason.”

“I won’t drop him,” Jason protested.

“I’m sure the lieutenant is delighted to hear that, but I still want your sister to take over now,” Superman said seriously.  “It’s not comfortable for people to be held up by their wrists like that for very long.”

“Oh.  All right,” Jason said agreeably.

“Kara, hold on to Lieutenant Daniels just like I’m holding Lois and Richard,” Superman explained patiently.  “Keep one of his arms over your shoulders, and hold him firmly around the waist… But not too tightly.  Be very careful.”

“Dad, I know,” Kara complained, rolling her eyes.  “We’ve been practicing, like, every day.”

Superman frowned at her response and said sternly, “We can do without that attitude, young lady.”

The scolding was interrupted by Daniels, who couldn’t resist chuckling at their interaction.  “If you think it’s bad now, just image what it will be like when she’s a teenager,” he said mirthfully, which provoked a snort from Lois.

“I can hardly wait,” Superman deadpanned.  “Kara, are you all set?”

“Got him,” she assured her father.

“Good.  Now, Jason, come over here and grab onto me.”

“But I can fly now,” Jason whined.

“Oh, and you’re doing a wonderful job,” Superman assured him patiently.  “But flying takes lots of practice, just like playing the piano.  And while you’re still learning, you need someone around to help in case you run into trouble.  Son, your sister and I both have our hands full right now, so you need to let me do the flying this time.  I’ll take you up for practice after this is all over.”

“But I wanna do it!” Jason insisted.

“Jason, we don’t have time for this!” Lois replied harshly.  “Now, do as your father says and get over here!”

Jason’s shoulders dropped, and he pouted as he reluctantly floated over to his parents.

“Wrap your arms around my neck and hang on really tight,” Superman told him.  Jason complied, and both Lois and Richard wrapped their free arms firmly behind the little boy’s back.

Superman turned to his daughter and said, “Kara, stay close.  We’re going to fly down to Richard’s sea plane, but there are a couple bad people on a ledge fifteen hundred feet on the other side of it and I don’t want them seeing us.”

“Who’s down there?” Lois wanted to know.

“Katherine Kowalski and Stanford Harris,” Superman replied somberly.  “Looks like Harris has a broken nose.”

Daniels chuckled and said, “He underestimated Miss Lane.”

“Well, that’s always a mistake,” Superman commented mirthfully.  “All right, let’s go.  And Kara, if you need to brake against my back, make sure Lieutenant Daniels doesn’t get caught between us.”

“Okay.”

Superman dropped through the clouds and banked into a wide diving turn, firmly holding his passengers close to him and frequently glancing over his shoulder to check on Kara, who maintained a distance of just a few feet behind him.  A moment later, they were hovering beside Richard’s seaplane and Lois opened the door, stepping inside as Superman released her.  The rest of the group quickly filed in behind her.

“Jason, Kara…  Sit down and get your seatbelts on,” Lois insisted.

“Do they really need those?” Daniels asked curiously.

“Would you want them accidentally flying into you if you hit turbulence?” Lois asked sharply.  She turned to Daniels and insistently demanded,   “Lieutenant, you’re going to give us your word that you will never tell anyone about our kids.”
 
“Why is that a problem?  They’re remarkable,” Daniels replied inquisitively.

“Because they’re just kids, and I want them to stay just kids for a few more years,” Lois declared adamantly.  “They shouldn’t have to face a gauntlet of paparazzi at the front door of their school.  They should be enjoying their childhood, enjoying the same things as other kids their age – things like Sponge Bob and Barbie, dressing up for Halloween, or rushing downstairs on Christmas morning to see what Santa left under the tree.  Or maybe just playing with their friends.”

“Of course,” Daniels said.
 
“And that’s before even considering the grave danger that those of us in the family who don’t have superpowers would be exposed to if people knew about us – if Superman’s enemies knew about us,” Lois added somberly.   Oh, God.  Luthor knows about the kids, she remembered.

She paused for a moment and added, “Our family also happens to include a three-star Army General.”
 
“Your father – Lieutenant General Sam Lane, with the Pentagon,” Daniels replied.  At Lois' surprised expression Daniels added, “That information was included in our pre-mission briefing to emphasize the importance of your successful extraction.”

Was it, now, Lois thought.  That might be useful.  She decided to bluff and pointedly said, “Well, my father won’t be happy to find out that you know about his grandkids.  They’re officially Top Secret – more secret than the Manhattan Project was during World War II.  And I seriously doubt any of your commanders are on the ‘need to know’ list…  Lieutenant, no one can find out about my kids.”

  “Then, no one will, ma’am,” Daniels replied sincerely.  “Not for any military reason, but because a person’s family is sacred, off limits.  I wouldn’t want my enemies coming after my family, and as one parent to another, I promise you that no one will find out about yours from me.  You’ve earned your privacy.”

  “Thank you, Lieutenant,” Lois stated quietly.

“You’re welcome, ma’am.”

Lois then turned to Richard and declared insistently, “The same goes for you, Richard.  You take this to the grave.”

“Did you really think you had to tell me that?” Richard asked sadly.  “Lois, I’d never say or do anything to put you guys in jeopardy.  You should have known that by now.”

Lois looked back at Richard with a guilty expression and said quietly.  “I know.  And I’m sorry.  I… I just can’t take chances with this.”

“Lieutenant?” Superman gently interrupted.  “I can take you back to your men now.”

“Kal-El, wait,” Lois said urgently.  “Luthor knows about the kids.”

“What?” Superman squeaked.  “Are you sure?”

“Unfortunately, yes.  Something happened on the ship,” Lois said quietly.

“What happened?” Superman prodded.

Lois sighed and then said, “One of Luthor’s goons attacked me and the kids stopped him.  Kara shielded me with her body and Jason… Jason threw a piano at him.”

“A piano?” Richard asked doubtfully.  “You don’t mean–”

“I mean a full size concert grand that was bolted to the floor,” Lois explained irritably.  “He picked it up and threw it.”

“He squished him,” Kara added, involuntarily shuddering at the memory.

“I’m sorry,” Jason said tearfully.

“Jason, it’s okay,” Lois reassured him, kneeling down in front of him and squeezing his hands.  “You haven’t mastered your powers yet, and you didn’t know your own strength.  Your dad will help you with that.”

“We need to get you and the kids out of here,” Superman declared urgently.  “Richard, can you get them back to the safe house?”

“If I can get in the air, but it won’t be easy to take off with it this choppy,” Richard pointed out.

“I’ll get you started,” Superman promised.  “Start up the plane.”



Richard felt numb as he went through the preflight check, and it had nothing to do with the cool air against his soaked skin.  It came from the realization that he’d been trying to compete with a superhero for Lois’ affections – a superhero who was also the father of her child.  It was mind-boggling and would take some time to sort through – time he didn’t have at the moment.  Despite the revelation, they were still his family and still in danger.  He had to get them to safety first.  There’d be time to try to wrap his head around the startling discoveries later.

He pushed the thoughts aside and completed the startup procedure, bringing the Pratt & Whitney Wasp engine to life.  He throttled forward, and gasped in surprise when he felt the plane lifted above the waves and pushed forward with enough acceleration to force him back into his seat.  When the acceleration let up, Richard set course for home and began a slow climb to a cruising altitude.

“Maybe it’d be a good idea to stay below the clouds, with all those trigger happy fighter jocks flying around,” Lois suggested.

Richard nodded absently, and leveled out his ascent before chancing a glance over a Lois, who was regarding him very warily.  “Lois?” Richard prodded.

She sighed and looked away.  “This situation is rapidly spiraling out of control,” she complained.  “We were supposed to have more time.  And no one else was supposed to find out about the kids.  Not some naval officer we just met, and certainly not Lex Luthor.”

“Maybe you’d better give your dad a call, see if he can help clamp the lid down on this,” Richard suggested.

Lois eyes flew wide as she looked back at him and muttered, “You can’t be serious.”

“He doesn’t really know about the kids, does he?”

“No,” Lois said simply.

“Daniels seems sincere, but it might still be a good idea for your dad to line up some big guns in case one of Daniels’s superiors thinks his report’s a little too vague in areas and turns the screws,” Richard pointed out.

  “What?  I can’t tell my dad about this.  He’d freak.”

“I know you two don’t always get along, but he’s still family, he still loves you, and he adores Jason,” Richard argued.  “Lois, he’ll be on our side.”

“Even if I wanted to, I don’t have his number with me,” Lois countered.  “I left my cell phone in the rental, which was parked in the Vanderworth’s garage when the place went up in smoke.”

Richard reached into the side pocket of his seat, and pulled out the satellite phone.  He handed it to Lois and said, “Perry should have the number.  He called your dad earlier.”

Lois sighed irritably and said insistently, “It’s not my secret to tell.”

“So we have to discuss this with Clark first?”

They were both suddenly surprised by the typewriter ring tone coming from the cell phone still attached to Richard’s belt.  “Sounds like you just got a text message,” Lois observed.

“That’s… impossible,” Richard muttered incredulously.  “My cell phone was hit by the EMP and soaked in the Atlantic and even if that hadn’t happened, we’re still too far out for any hope of a cell signal.”

“Did you forget about that ‘upgrade’ Clark did for you?” Lois asked harshly.  “That may look like your old cell phone but it’s not.  It’s a very well camouflaged Kryptonian communicator.”

Richard eyes were wide as he flipped open the phone and he snorted mirthlessly at the message from Clark:  “We need to tell Lois’ dad, but not over the phone.  She should still call, see what he can do.  We’ll explain to him later. ”

He handed the phone to Lois, and she immediately rolled her eyes and huffed, before irritably muttering, “Thanks a lot, farm boy.”

The phone chirped with another incoming text message from Clark:  “You’re welcome.”



Perry pushed his way through the Concord Street crowd, escorted by Jimmy and his two bodyguards.  They were heading in the general direction he’d seen Ron Troupe go when the younger man ran after Kent’s kids.  Perry had been surprised at just how quickly the children had moved through the crowd and sincerely hoped that Troupe could catch up with them.  After promising their father that they’d look out for them, the last thing he needed was for them to turn up missing.

They were nearly up to Restaurant Row when Jimmy spotted Ron, pointing him out in the alley where he was leaning against one of the stoops and staring up at the sky with a wide-eyed, flabbergasted expression on his face.  “Troupe,” Perry called out brusquely.  “What the hell’s going on?”

Ron’s head snapped around towards the others and his demeanor immediately turned nervous.  “Um, nothing,” he replied anxiously.  “Just catching my breath.”

“No sign of the kids?” Perry pressed worriedly.

“Oh, um, the kids…  They’re… um, they’re not here,” Ron stammered, and his gaze unconsciously returned to the sky.

Why’s he staring up at the sky? Perry wondered.  Troupe wouldn’t be this shell-shocked if Superman collected the kids, would he?  Or are they more like their father than I imagined?  He turned to Jimmy and his bodyguards and instructed them, “Give us some privacy.”  As the others retreated out of the alley, Perry walked over and stood immediately in front of Ron.  “Look at me, Troupe,” Perry demanded.  “Tell me what you see.”

“Um, the EIC of the Daily Planet,” Ron answered apprehensively.

“And you also see an old man drenched to the skin and freezing his ass off on a mild October day,” Perry corrected.  “The reason said old man has not changed into the dry clothes he has at the Planet is because he promised a certain someone that he’d look after his young children – two children who are no longer anywhere in sight.  The same kids I thought you were chasing after.  And now I find you taking a breather in an alley, mysteriously unconcerned with their disappearance.”

“I’m sure they’re around somewhere, Perry,” Ron muttered.

“The question is where?” Perry replied insistently.  “Troupe, you’re a good man… but not a very good liar.  Especially not when I’ve seen you at some of Lois’ and Richard’s family reunions when you thought one of the kids was too close to the river.  You’re a bit of a worry wart.  I saw that upstairs when Kara had her little meltdown earlier and again when the kids ran off.  But I don’t see that now.  What’s going on?”

“Um, nothing, Perry,” Ron answered defensively.

“Troupe,” Perry said impatiently.

“It’s difficult to put into words,” Ron muttered evasively.

“Especially when you don’t want to tell me what really happened,” Perry added knowingly.

“Perry, I’m not sure what you’re trying to imply,” Ron said apprehensively.

Perry looked intently at the younger man and reminded himself, I have to be careful with this.  I don’t want to spill the beans if he hasn’t already figured this out.  Aloud, he said, “Let’s at least be honest with each other here, Troupe.  Something happened that you don’t think I should know about – something that also makes you think you don’t need to worry about the kids.”

“You’re reading an awful lot between the lines,” Ron objected.

“We’re journalists!  That what we’re supposed to do!” Perry pointed out gruffly.  He let out a deep sigh and paused for a moment before turning and leaning against the stoop beside Ron.  He then somberly told him, “Under normal circumstances, we could beat around this bush all night and pretend that we don’t know what we know.  But things aren’t normal right now.  For one thing, there are two young children loose somewhere, and I don’t want to tell either of their parents that they went missing on my watch.”

“I’m sure they’ll be fine, Perry,” Ron interjected.

“Care to share why you’re so sure about that?”

“Um,” Ron began cautiously.  He opened his mouth to speak several times, but snapped it shut each time without saying a word.

“Can’t bring yourself to say it,” Perry stated irritably.  He pitched his voice low and said, “All right, let me tell you what I think.  I think we’re both protecting a secret.  Maybe even the same secret.  But neither of us knows that for sure, and neither of us wants to be the one to spill the beans if that’s not the case.  And I have a better poker face that you do – you’re not sure if I really know the secret, or if I’m bluffing to try to trick you into spilling it.”
 
“Something like that,” Ron admitted.

“Well, if we’re going to track down these kids, one of us is going to need to make a leap of faith,” Perry declared sternly.

“Perry, I’m not sure what you want me to say,” Ron protested.

“And you’re too loyal to Kent to give up his secret,” Perry whispered.  Ron eyes grew impossibly wide and Perry thought, Bingo.  He saw the kids do something ‘super’.  Based on the way he’s been staring up at the sky, I have a hunch on what that was.  The older man was silent for a moment, before pitching his voice low and asking, “Were they both flying or was Kara doing all the lifting?”

“Perry!” Ron exclaimed.  “You know about–”
 
“Keep your voice down!” Perry interrupted in a loud whisper.  After a brief pause, he added, “That was it, wasn’t it?  You saw a couple flying munchkins and finally figured out what Kent really does when he pulls a disappearing act on us.”

Ron nodded and whispered, “How long have you known?”

Perry wasn’t about to admit he’d just figured it out himself.  Instead, he harrumphed and said, “I’m a lot more observant than some of you give me credit for.  You really think I couldn’t see past a pair of glasses?”

“I didn’t and I’ve spent a lot more time around him,” Ron pointed out.

“I’ve got a newsroom full of journalists who are supposed to be the finest in the world, and with one possible exception, nobody saw past a simple pair of glasses,” Perry complained.  “I should fire the whole lot and start over.”

“You can’t mean that, Perry.”

Perry was quiet for a moment and then admitted, “Actually, it’s probably for the best that they haven’t figured it out.”  He looked at Ron intently and adamantly added, “We’re protecting this secret.  And that means you don’t discuss this with anyone.  Especially not at the office – assume the place is bugged.  And we cover for Kent, if he needs us to.”

  “You got it, Chief” Ron agreed eagerly.  “Does anyone else know?  Besides Lois, I mean.”

“Not that I know of,” Perry replied pensively.  “Oh, and don’t you dare tell either of them that I know about this.”

“Chief?” Ron replied curiously.  “What’s the harm in letting them know that you know?”

“It’s easier this way,” Perry replied enigmatically.  Further discussion on the topic was interrupted by the ringing of his satellite phone.  He fished it out of his inside jacket pocket and checked the display before answering, “Richard?  I hope you have some good news.”

“Actually, it’s not Richard.  It’s Lois.”

“Well, it’s about time, Lane!  Sawyer’s none too pleased about your impromptu trip over to the Vanderworth place this afternoon, by the way.  Neither am I.  We’ve got the biggest news day of the millennium, and my two most productive reporters have been AWOL all afternoon.  When can I expect you to get the story in on whatever it was that happened out there?”

“I’ll get it in as soon as I can…  Perry, Richard said you called my dad earlier.  Do you still have the number with you?  I need to get a hold of him.”

“Hold on.  I’ll check the redial list,” Perry replied.  He fiddled with the menus on his phone for a moment, and then said, “Got it.  You ready?”

“Go ahead.”

“703 555-1207.”

“Thanks, Perry.  By the way, if you see Ron, would you let him know that Clark’s got the kids?”

  “So what am I now, an answering service?” Perry complained brusquely.

“Sorry, Perry, but there aren’t many working numbers right now,” Lois reminded him.  “Clark’s is working, and so is Richard’s, so he was able to call through just now.  He thinks that maybe Ron thought he was supposed to be watching the kids, but he couldn’t find him to verify that.  If I know Ron, he’ll be worried sick if he thinks the munchkins disappeared on him.”

“Well, Troupe’s around here somewhere.  If I see him, I’ll let him know,” Perry answered gruffly.

“Thanks, Perry.  Gotta go.”
 
“Good bye, Lois.”

“That was Lois?  She’s okay?” Ron asked hopefully.

“Yes, and so are the kids,” Perry confirmed.  “She said that they’re with Kent.”

“What a relief,” Ron said cheerfully.  He lowered his voice to a whisper and added, “Did she say how Clark managed to tell her that, given that all the phones are out?”

“I knew there was a reason I kept you around, Troupe,” Perry commented.  “She said that Clark and Richard’s phones were both still working.  Don’t know how much of that is true, and we know Kent’s got way too much on his plate this afternoon to take time out to watch the kids.  He probably left them with Lois, but how did they explain that to Richard, after I told him they were here?  I suspect that there’s more to the story there than we’ll ever find out from Lois.”

“Oh, Geez.  I almost forgot about Richard,” Ron observed.  “Things haven’t been easy for him lately.”

“No, they haven’t, but the writing’s been on the wall for a long time.  There’s nothing we can do about it except hope it doesn’t get ugly when Lois finally leaves him.”

“You really think their problems are that serious?” Ron asked skeptically.  “I know Jason’s paternity threw them for a loop, but they’ve always seemed so good together.”

“Maybe as ‘friends with benefits’, but ‘happily ever after’ was never in the cards for them,” Perry explained somberly.  “Lois’ heart was never in it and you had to be blind not to see that she really wasn’t interested in marrying Richard.  But he never saw that.  His head was buried in the sand these past six years, seeing what he wanted to see and thinking it was meant to be.  Well, the feeling wasn’t mutual.  Lois never thought it would last and planned for it accordingly.  And now Kent’s back, which I think is the catalyst that’s forcing Lois and Richard to confront the problems that have been there all along.  I serious doubt that they’ll still be together come Thanksgiving.  Hell, they’ll be lucky to make it to Halloween.”

“That’s not quite how I saw things between those two,” Ron objected.

“Just because they didn’t seem to be fighting before Kent got back doesn’t mean there wasn’t trouble,” Perry pointed out.  “Troupe, can we discuss this some other time?  I’m freezing my ass off out here.”

“Oh.  Sorry, Perry,” Ron replied quietly.

“Now, let’s get our story straight…  If anyone asks, Kent picked up the kids…”

“Why, yes he did.  In fact, I just ran into him a few minutes ago,” Ron added.  “He’s probably still around here somewhere if you’re looking for him, but you’d better hurry if you want to catch him.  I think they were about to head home.”

“Troupe, you’re still a lousy liar, but that’s a start…  Now that that’s settled, I’m getting the hell out of here and finding something dry to put on.”

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