Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Jimmy had found out about the Orbit Room from his roommate, Glenn. The band playing tonight was supposedly pretty good, at least according to Glenn's cousin in Star City. A real 'Pearl Jam' vibe. It was surprisingly crowded for a Thursday night, but the cool spring air left him grateful to be inside.

The club was packed with twenty-something-year-olds, mostly women, excited to see the five-man grudge band. The dim lights pulsated to the beat of the DJ playing right now while the band set up on stage.
Jimmy was near the back of the room in his black jeans and dark blue T-shirt when he saw her.
Lucy Lane.

She was at the bar, her hair longer now than when he saw her last time. Wearing blue jeans and a burgundy tank top that showed off her toned arms, she looked amazing. Jimmy froze. It had been nearly two years since Johnny Corbin. She had vanished from Lois’s life and his when she left town after her then-boyfriend tried to kill Superman.

And now here she was, like a ghost with good timing.

Jimmy felt the old ache stir - longing, confusion, and apprehension.

He took a breath and started walking.

Back in the day, Jimmy had developed a crush on Lucy. The kind of crush that had him watching the elevators a little too long at the Daily Planet, hoping she’d swing by. Of course, Lois had shut him down as soon as she'd caught wind, told him not to even think about it. Dating her kid sister was absolutely off-limits. No explanation, no wiggle room.

Jimmy had spent more than a few late nights wondering why. Did Lois think he wasn’t good enough? Was he too young for Lucy? Did he not have enough ambition at the time? He had only started at the Daily Planet a few months before. Or was it something else—something about Lucy?

And now, seeing Lucy here, in Metropolis, sitting at the bar by herself. Jimmy couldn’t help but wonder: Did Lois know? And if she did, why didn’t she say anything? Or was this as much a surprise to her as it was to him?
Jimmy straightened his shoulders as he made his way through the crowd, trying to look more confident than he felt. The music thumped behind him, but his focus was locked on Lucy. She hadn’t seen him yet.

As he got closer, he concentrated on her voice.

“Brett told me to wait here,” she said to the bartender, her tone light but edged with something tighter. “You don’t understand. I have to listen to him.”

Jimmy slowed, the name catching in his ears—Brett. Not familiar. Not family. Not good.

Something in her posture had changed. She wasn’t as relaxed as she had been a few minutes ago. She was trying to stay calm. And Jimmy was worried, knowing the difference in her tone.

“I’m gonna need you to move, though,” the bartender said, wiping down the counter with practiced indifference. “My manager’s already on me about folks camping out. I can’t have you sitting here having one or two drinks all night.”

Lucy didn’t look up. Her fingers tightened around her glass.

“You don’t get it,” she said quietly. “If I don’t do what Brett says… he gets angry. And I’ve managed not to make him angry the past few days. I’d like it to stay that way.”

There was a flicker in her voice—part fear, part exhaustion. Jimmy, still a few feet away, felt his stomach drop.

“The band’s not on for another twenty minutes,” the bartender said, already turning to grab a bottle from the shelf. “If you’re gonna wait, do it at a table up front—and buy your own drinks. I’m not running a charity.”

Lucy didn’t respond. Her eyes stayed fixed ahead of her, shoulders tense.

Jimmy stepped in, voice steady.

“She’s with me,” he said, placing a twenty on the counter. “Her drinks are covered.”

He didn’t have the extra money, but for Lucy right now, he would give away his rent money to protect her. The bartender glanced at the bill, then at Jimmy, then back at Lucy. He shrugged and moved on.

Jimmy moved closer to her, but didn’t sit. Not yet. He just stood there, waiting for Lucy to look up.

When Lucy finally turned, Jimmy caught it all in an instant—the worry etched between her brows, the hurt tucked behind her eyes. It wasn’t just a surprise. It was the way her eyes crinkled closer and how her smile didn’t catch those eyes of hers.

“Please,” she said, voice low and urgent. “Don’t tell Lois. I can’t bear to hear her disappointment again.”

Jimmy didn’t answer right away. He just nodded, gently, like he understood more than she thought she would. Lois Lane was anything but forgiving. When someone messed up, Lois told them and kept telling them until they learned.

“I’m not going to tell Lois anything you don’t want me to,” Jimmy said, his voice steady as he reached out a hand. “Come on, Lucy. Let’s get you out of here.”

She shook her head, eyes darting toward the door, then the stage.

“I can’t,” she said, almost a whisper. “Brett would kill me.”

Then, quickly, she added, “Not like that. I just mean… he expects me to be close and watch the show. Not to close that I distract him, but so that he can look out and see I’m safe.”

Jimmy didn’t pull his hand back. He just nodded, slow and careful, trying not to scare her.

“Well,” Jimmy said carefully, “would you rather I call Lois…she can deal with Brett? Or I can get you out of here, somewhere quiet, somewhere safe.”

Lucy’s eyes flickered around the room, trying to look for Brett, the exit, and maybe a way out of her life.

“Jimmy, you don’t understand,” she said, rising from the stool like the earth would swallow her up if she did the wrong thing. “It’s not that easy.”

Her voice was low, tight. Not angry—just tired. Like she’d been on edge for too long.

“If I bail, he’ll get angry,” Lucy said, following Jimmy with reluctant steps. “He’ll play horribly, and it will be my fault. If he doesn’t know where I’m at, I’ll be the reason the band plays badly.”

She offered a faint smile, trying to ease the tension.

“Thanks for the drinks, though. I only had a seven and seven, and two sodas.”

Jimmy turned to her, realizing what she was trying to do.

“As much as you can be a distraction in the best possible way, I don’t think you can ruin the band’s entire set,” Jimmy said gently, brushing his hand against her arm as he guided her toward an empty table. “How long have you been with him?”

Lucy hesitated, then sat down slowly.

“I’ve been with Brett a little over a year. The band was playing in Star City and had just gotten this tour,” she explained, looking around. “This is our third stop in the past two weeks.”

With the music from the crowd and the DJ, he had to lean in closer. He noticed the band starting to set up with their amps humming and the cables snaking around the stage. Lucy’s eyes looked toward a man who looked to be a bit older than her sister. He had long, dirty blonde hair that was pulled back in a ponytail. He was tuning his bass with such focus that Lucy knew not to interrupt him.

Jimmy noticed her watching the guy and thinking that must be Brett.

“Lucy… you don’t have to stay with him,” he said, steady but gentle. “If you need a place, one of my roommates just moved out. He left the bed and dresser. The room is yours if you want it”

She didn’t answer right away. Just kept watching Brett like she was trying to figure out what he would do when he realized Lucy wasn’t where he left her earlier in the night.

Lucy gave a soft laugh, the kind people use when they’re trying not to cry.

“That’s sweet, Jimmy. Really. But I’m fine. I just need to stay out of the way and let Brett do his thing.”

She turned slightly, eyes drifting back toward the stage. Jimmy followed her gaze—and that’s when Brett looked up. His eyes looked between Lucy and Jimmy, then back to Lucy.

Without hesitating, he put the bass down, moved off stage, and walked straight up to their table, eyes locked on Jimmy.

“Who’s this?” Brett asked, voice flat but sharp. “Friend of yours?”

Lucy stood quickly, her smile tight.

“Just someone I used to know from Metropolis,” she said. “He was leaving.”

Jimmy didn’t move.

“No,” Jimmy said calmly. “I’m not leaving.”

Brett stepped in closer, his hand closing around Lucy’s wrist.

“Doll, I asked you to stay at the bar,” he said, voice low and stern.

Lucy’s body stiffened, and her eyes went wide.

“I told you not to call me that,” she said, pulling her arm back. Then she glanced at Jimmy, a flicker of something—relief, maybe—crossing her face.

She glared at Jimmy, her eyes begging for help.

Jimmy stood, calm but firm.

“Let go of her,” he said, voice low but clear enough to carry.

A few heads turned their way. Not many, but enough that the bartender paused mid-pour. A couple at the nearest table stopped talking. The tension had shifted—just slightly.

Brett didn’t move at first. His grip stayed tight on Lucy’s wrist.

Jimmy didn’t flinch.

“I’ve got friends,” Jimmy said evenly, “who wouldn’t take kindly to you grabbing her like that. Real protective types. Real fast.”

Jimmy knew a female reporter who wouldn’t take kindly to someone manhandling her sister, plus there was her husband, and their ‘super’ friend.

Brett’s eyes narrowed, but he released her.

Lucy stepped back, rubbing her wrist, her expression unreadable.

Jimmy moved to stand between Brett and Lucy.

“I don’t care who you think you are,” Brett snapped at Jimmy. “She’s coming with me. She’s mine.”
Lucy froze, stunned. His words hit like a slap—like she was something to be claimed.

“I’m standing right here,” she said, voice rising as she moved, so both men could see her. “Enough. Both of you.”

Her eyes locked on Brett’s. “I’m done, Brett. You want to be able to see me while you play, but what you don’t realize is that I see you, too. I see you flirting with every other girl in front of the stage. I’m done with the way you call me ‘Doll’, knowing I don’t like it, and the way you grab me. I’m done.”

A hush fell over the bar as Lucy’s voice got louder, and it cut through the music and chatter. The DJ stopped and even the rest of the band stopped what they were doing.

Someone near their table muttered, “Damn.”

A woman at the bar raised her eyebrows and whispered to her friend, “Did you hear that? She’s done with him.”
A few people exchanged glances—some uncomfortable, some impressed. One guy clapped quietly, then stopped when Brett shot him a glare.

Jimmy stepped back, hands raised, impressed by Lucy Lane, once again.

And Lucy? She stood tall, breath shaking but steady, she was channeling her sister. Standing up for herself.

“Brett!” the lead singer shouted, his voice hoarse and sharp. “Stop horsing around.” Brett hesitated, glancing at the stage, then back at Lucy. His expression hardened.

“You’ll regret this, Lucy-loo,” he told her as he leaned toward her. “Remember what I did before.”

“Now!” The lead singer shouted. “Or we’re done.”

He turned without hesitating, weaving through the crowd as people stepped aside, watching in stunned silence.
For a moment, the bar held its breath.

Brett didn’t look back.

Lucy stood still, heart pounding, the noise of people clapping, and saying ‘way to go’, made her heart swell. She felt seen. Not just by a man who wanted something from her, but from people proud of her.

Seconds later, Jimmy reached out for her hand and they wove through the crowd—past the gawkers, the whisperers, the ones still watching like it was a show. Lucy didn’t flinch.

“How about a drink?” Jimmy asked as she took his hand, leading her toward the bar.

She didn’t smile. Not yet. But the weight on her shoulders felt a little lighter.

“Sure,” she replied with a small smile.

What they didn’t notice was Brett storming back toward them.

“Hey!” Brett barked as he grabbed Jimmy’s shoulder and spun him around. Suddenly, Brett threw a fist into Jimmy’s jaw.

The crowd gasped. A glass shattered somewhere while someone screamed.

Jimmy stumbled back, catching himself on a barstool, dazed but still upright. Blood welled at the corner of his mouth.

Lucy poked at Brett’s chest. “What the hell?”

Brett’s chest heaved, eyes wild. But the room had turned on him. The crowd that once watched in silence now surged forward—voices rising, hands reaching to pull him back.

“Get him out of here!” someone shouted.

The bartender was already on the phone. Brett looked around, suddenly aware of the eyes, the judgment, the line he’d just crossed. He was being pulled away from Jimmy and Lucy.

She looked back at Brett one last time. “We’re done,” she said. “For real.”

She turned to Jimmy, gently touched his arm. “You okay?”

He nodded, wincing. “I’ve had worse.”

The bar buzzed with aftershock—voices rising, music stumbling back to life—but Lucy felt like she was standing in the middle of a storm that was finally clearing.

Jimmy wiped the blood from his lip, wincing. “You okay?”

Lucy nodded, then shook her head. “I don’t know. I just… I need to not be here.”

Jimmy hesitated, then leaned in, voice low. “Come to my place. It’s quiet. You can get some rest.”

She looked at him—really looked at him. No games. No posturing. Just someone offering her a way out.

“Okay,” she said.

They walked toward the door together, past the tables, past the stares, past the broken pieces of a night that had gone too far. Outside, the air was cool and clean, the streetlights casting long shadows across the pavement.

Lucy didn’t look back.

She didn’t need to.

Chapter Text

The brownstone was quiet, wrapped in the soft hush of the loving couple inside. It was a little after nine, with the Metropolis nightlife outside moving with its usual rhythm of horns, sirens, and traffic.

Lois sat cross-legged on the couch, her gray laptop balanced on her knees. She tapped the keys with practiced impatience, waiting for her notes to load. A half cup of coffee on the end table sat cold.

Clark stood by the window, arms folded, listening. He was listening to the city and beyond its borders.

“You’re not really here,” she said, not accusing—just knowing.

He turned, a small smile tugging at his mouth. “I’m here. Just… tuned in.”

She closed the laptop with a soft clack and set it aside. “You don’t have to apologize for being who you are.”
“I know,” he said, walking over and sitting beside her. “But sometimes I wish I could give you a night without the world knocking.”

Lois leaned into him, her head resting on his shoulder. “You already do. Every time you come home.”
Outside, the city kept moving. But in their little corner of Metropolis, the world held its breath—and for now, that was enough.

Lois looked at him, her voice quiet but steady. “I know now, you’ll always come home to me. It took me a long time to trust you would especially when we first started dating.”

“You mean before you knew the truth,” he retorted, patting her knee.

She paused, her gaze holding his. “Exactly. When we first started dating, I thought maybe it was a fear of intimacy. That you were afraid to let me in.”

“Lois, it was never that. It was never fear of being with you, well, part of it was. We have been through some doozies, haven’t we?”

He remembered the missteps—the ones that still tugged at him in quiet moments. Breaking up with her “for her own good.” God, what a mistake that was. She’d tried to make him jealous after that, going out with Patrick—another one of her federal disasters, as she’d later call it with a wince and a laugh.

But the worst? The moment that still echoed? When she told him she didn’t love him—right after Lex proposed.
If she’d just gotten out of her own head, she would’ve seen it. It was always him. Always Clark.

***

Lois leaned into him, her head resting on his shoulder, the quiet giving her space to think. Years of missteps flickered through her mind—moments she’d pushed him away, doubted him, tried to protect herself from what she didn’t yet understand.

She placed a hand gently on his knee, grounding herself. “Clark, I know now. You’ll always come back to me.”
He turned slightly, listening.

“It’s like you’re a very busy doctor,” she added with a soft smile, “who refuses to carry a pager.”

Clark grinned, brushing his fingers over hers. “A very busy doctor without a pager, huh?”

Lois smirked. “Tell me I’m wrong.”

He leaned in, voice low and teasing. “I’m not just any doctor—I’m a love doctor. And you, Lois Lane, are my only patient.”

She laughed, rolling her eyes. “You’re impossible.”

“Devoted,” he corrected, nudging her knee. “And fully committed to your case.”

Before she could fire back, Clark’s head lifted slightly. His expression shifted—subtle, but unmistakable. He was listening.

Lois sighed, already reaching for his glasses. “Go.”

Clark caught her hand, kissed her knuckles. “I’ll be back before you miss me.”

She watched him disappear in a blur, the curtains fluttering in his wake. The room felt quieter without him, but not empty.

Lois leaned back, murmuring to herself with a smile. “Love doctor on call.”

***

The sky used to be his safe place. The place to go when he needed to get away from the noise. Now that place was beside Lois in their brownstone. Sure, during the day, when he needed a moment and she was busy at the Planet, he would come up here. It just didn’t happen as often as it once did.

Clark soared above the city, the wind breezing past his ears, the lights of Metropolis flashing below. The sirens had come from the East River—dockside warehouses, where the night shift was just beginning. But something had gone wrong.

He heard it before he saw it: the groan of twisted metal, the sharp crack of splintering wood, and then a scream—high, panicked, cut short.

A crane had collapsed, its arm crashing through the roof of a shipping depot. A beam had fallen, pinning a man beneath it.

Clark landed in a gust of wind and dust, boots crunching on broken glass. The man’s eyes widened. “Superman—thank God.”

“Hang on,” Clark said, already crouching. He slid his hands beneath the beam, braced his legs, and lifted. The steel groaned in protest, but it rose, inch by inch, until the man could crawl free.

Clark steadied the man, scanning him quickly. “You’re going to be okay. EMTs are on the way.”
The man nodded, dazed. “You always show up.”

Clark offered a faint smile. “I try.”

He turned, scanning the wreckage again. No more cries. No more movement. Just the hush of water lapping against the dock and the distant wail of sirens growing closer.

Satisfied, he rose into the air, the city falling away beneath him.

And as he flew back toward home, he could already feel the warmth of Lois’s hand in his, the echo of her voice still tucked against his ear.

“Love doctor on call,” he murmured to himself, smiling as he vanished into the stars.

But then it hit him.

Another call. This one farther. Much farther.

A wildfire in Montana. A sudden wind shift had trapped a crew of firefighters behind a wall of flame. No way out. No time to wait.

Clark veered west, cutting through the night sky like a comet. The stars blurred overhead, the cold air biting at his skin. He pushed faster, farther, the ache in his chest not from exertion—but from the delay.
Lois was waiting.

The fire glowed on the horizon, a jagged orange line against the dark. Smoke billowed upward, thick and choking. Clark landed hard; the ground scorched beneath his boots. The heat was intense, the roar deafening. But none of that hurt him physically; only his heart for those who were trapped and hurt.

He moved fast—clearing a path through the flames, shielding the trapped crew with his body, carving out an escape route with bursts of wind and precision. One firefighter collapsed, coughing. Clark lifted him gently, carried him to safety.

“Is that—?” someone whispered.

Clark didn’t answer. Just nodded once, then turned back toward the blaze.

Minutes later, the crew was safe. The fire was contained. The danger had passed.

Clark stood at the edge of the scorched forest, smoke curling around him. He closed his eyes for a moment, listening.

No more cries. No more danger.

He rose into the sky again, heart aching with the need to get home.

Lois would still be waiting. And another call came, even further away this time. On the other side of the world, a 6.5 magnitude earthquake in Indonesia.

The clock ticked past ten. He knew it would be a long night.

Lois sat curled on the couch, the flannel shirt still warm against her skin, the lamp casting a soft halo over the room. Her book lay open but untouched, her thoughts drifting somewhere between worry and faith.

She knew the rhythm by now. The blur of motion. The silence that followed. The ache of waiting.

Outside, the city moved on—sirens, footsteps, laughter. But inside the brownstone, time held its breath.
She leaned back, eyes on the door, a quiet smile tugging at her lips.

The love doctor was still on call.

But he’d come home. He always did.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3

Jimmy unlocked the apartment door and opened it slightly. The place was quiet—his roommate, Glenn, was out with his girlfriend, something about an anniversary. Jimmy hadn’t caught the details. He rarely did.

He stepped aside to let Lucy in. Then he followed her inside, tossed his keys in a bowl by the door, and turned on the lamp next to the couch.

“Three bedrooms with one bathroom,” he said. “Henry moved out earlier in the month to live with his girlfriend. He left the furniture, including the full-size bed and four-drawer dresser.”

The apartment had the feel of three guys surviving the rent together. Mismatched furniture. A couch that had seen too many takeout nights. It wasn’t pretty, but it was clean. And it was safe.

“Rent’s brutal when you’re single and broke. And I’m definitely both.”

Jimmy could never figure out how Lois and Clark could afford their spacious, pleasant apartments when they were single. He needed roommates, or he would have been living in a tiny loft that barely gave him room to move.

He could barely afford the second-floor apartment with just Glenn and him now. They hadn’t started looking for a new roommate yet, but now they might not need to.

Jimmy showed Lucy the bedroom, and she sat on the edge of the bed, arms wrapped around her knees. The spare room was dim, lit only by the hallway glow. Jimmy lingered in the doorway, unsure whether to speak or leave her to the silence.

She spoke first.

“You ever meet someone who makes you feel like you’re on fire?” Her voice was low. “Not the good kind. The kind that burns you up and leaves you wanting more anyway?”
Jimmy didn’t answer. He didn’t need to.

“Brett was that,” she said. “He was sparks. Every time. Even when I swore I was done.”

She stared at her hands, flexing her fingers like she could still feel the heat. “He’d show up with that crooked smile, say something dumb like ‘I missed you,’ and I’d forget every reason I had to stay away.”

Jimmy leaned against the doorframe. “You kept going back.”

Lucy nodded. “I did. I knew better. Everyone told me to leave. But he had this way of making me feel like I was the only person in the room. Like I was the storm and the calm at the same time.”
She didn’t look at Jimmy as she continued. Her voice was steady, like she’d said it to herself a hundred times but never out loud.

“He’d flirt with other girls. Right in front of me. Like I wasn’t even there. I’d tell myself it was part of him being a musician.”

Jimmy stayed quiet.

“And sometimes he’d grab me too tight. Not enough to leave a mark. Just enough to remind me he could.”

She swallowed hard. “And I’d still go back. Every time. Because when it was good, it was like nothing else. He’d say the right thing, touch my face like I was the only person who ever mattered. And I’d believe it. I wanted to believe it.”

Her hands curled into fists in her lap. “I knew better. I just didn’t want to be alone.”

Jimmy stepped closer, slow and careful. “You’re not alone now.”

Lucy looked up, eyes rimmed with exhaustion but steady. “I know,” she said quietly. “That’s what scares me.”

She stood, suddenly, and crossed the space between them. “You’re not him,” she said. “You don’t make me feel like I’m burning alive.”

Jimmy blinked. “That’s… good, I think?”

“You make me feel like I can breathe,” she said. “Like I don’t have to be anything but exactly who I am.”

She reached up, brushing her fingers lightly along the edge of his jaw, just below the bruise.
“Even when you look like you lost a bar fight.”

He laughed, soft and surprised. “I slipped on my own charm.”

Lucy couldn’t help herself as she touched her lips to his. Not knowing why, other than needing that connection. It was soft. Searching. Her fingers curled into his shirt like she needed something solid, something that wouldn’t vanish when the lights came back on.

Jimmy didn’t move at first. His heart thudded in his chest, and for a second, he let himself feel it—the closeness, the warmth, the ache.

Then he pulled back, gently.

“Lucy…” His voice was quiet, almost apologetic. “I don’t think we should.”

She blinked, her expression unreadable. “Why not?”

He hesitated, then gave a small, crooked smile. “Because I like you. And you’re hurting. And I don’t want this to be something you regret.”

She looked away, jaw tight. “You think I’m using you?”

“No,” he said quickly. “I think you’re looking for something steady. And I want to be that. But not like this.”

She sat back down on the edge of the bed, arms wrapped around her knees again. “I didn’t come here to be alone.”

Jimmy crouched beside her, voice softer now. “You’re not. I’m here. Just… not like that.”

She nodded, slowly. “Fine.”

He stood, gave her a gentle look. “The bed has clean sheets. I’m going to go get you something to sleep in, then I’m going to crash.”

Lucy didn’t answer right away. “Thanks.”

Jimmy lingered for a moment, then turned and walked down the hall to his own room. A few minutes later, he was handing her a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, then left her alone again. After a bit, she lay back and looked at the ceiling, trying to think where everything had gone wrong.

And for the first time in a long while, she didn’t feel like she had to run.

***

After he handed her the clothes, he grabbed a bag of ice from the freezer, wrapped it in a dish towel, and headed toward his room. The door clicked shut for the rest of the night, but he couldn’t stop thinking about her.

This wasn’t what he’d pictured when he offered her a place to crash. He’d thought maybe they’d talk, maybe she’d sleep, maybe he’d feel like he’d done something good.
But that kiss.

It was still there—on his mouth, in his chest, echoing in the quiet. Not just the kiss itself, but the way she’d looked at him. Like he was safe. Like she wanted to believe he could be.

Jimmy sat on the edge of his bed, pressing the ice to his jaw. The cold bit into his skin, but it didn’t clear his head. He knew tomorrow there would be questions. Questions that he didn’t have the answers to. Questions that he didn’t want to answer, especially to Lois.

He didn’t regret saying no. Not for a second.

But he wasn’t sure he’d ever forget the way her lips felt on his or the way her hand curled into his shirt.

***
The next morning, rain tapped against the windows—fitting, really. Dreary, like his mood. Jimmy hadn’t slept. Not a wink. Not with Lucy in the next room, curled up in sleep. He’d had his chance. No regrets about pushing her away. Not exactly. But the way she’d held onto him… that lingered.

Jimmy had imagined kissing her years ago—just a dream, then. Now he knew exactly how she felt pressed against him. Could he really turn her away again? Tossing and turning hadn’t dulled the ache. If anything, it sharpened it. And now there was another problem: Lois. Her little sister was back in town. And sleeping in his apartment.

The elevator doors slid open with a mechanical sigh. Jimmy stepped out, his jaw bruised and slightly swollen, the corner of his mouth crusted with dried blood. Brett had landed a clean punch. No warning, no words—just knuckles, jealousy, and fury.

The bullpen buzzed with morning energy: phones ringing, keyboards clacking, coffee being poured. But Jimmy didn’t hear any of it. His eyes locked instantly on Lois.

She was at her desk, halfway through a sip of coffee, her gaze flicking up as if she’d felt him arrive. Her expression froze. Mug paused midair. Her brow furrowed, lips parting slightly.

He wasn’t sure what he’d say. About Lucy. About Brett. About the ache in his ribs and the one deeper down. But he knew one thing—Lois was going to ask. And he wasn’t ready to lie.

Instead of lying to her, which was something he couldn’t really do, he’d avoid her. He was never good at lying to Lois. One look, he’d cave and tell her the truth. Jimmy couldn’t do that to Lucy. Not yet. Not until Lucy let him know it was okay to tell Lois. So, the only thing he could think of was to stay clear of Lois Lane.

Lois stood halfway up from her chair, concern etched across her face. Jimmy could feel her eyes on him, waiting. Wanting something. An explanation. A confession. Maybe both.

Jimmy couldn’t even say ‘good morning’ to her. Nope, he’d avoid her like the plague today if he could. So he kept walking.

“Jimmy!” Perry’s voice boomed from his office, sharp and impatient.

Perfect timing.

Jimmy passed right by her without a glance, away from her questions. If he didn’t stop, didn’t look at her, didn’t let her ask—he wouldn’t have to lie.

He disappeared into Perry’s office, the door swinging shut behind him.

Chapter Text

Lois Lane hated mornings that began with unanswered questions.

She stood at the edge of her desk, arms folded tight, watching Clark shrug off his coat. “Did I do something?”

Clark glanced over, brow creasing. “Why?”

“Because Jimmy completely ignored me. He couldn’t even look at me. Is something wrong with him?”

“Besides the bruised jaw and the fact that he won’t make eye contact with you?” Clark asked, moving over to Lois’ desk.

Lois rolled her eyes. “Very funny, Clark. But yeah—that’s exactly what I mean. And where’d the bruised jaw come from? He looked at me once, immediately when he stepped off the elevator, then he hasn’t looked at me since.”

Her voice was steady, but the worry behind it wasn’t subtle.

Clark gave her a look—soft, knowing. “Lois… you’ve shown up with bruises before.”
She blinked. “That’s different.”

“Is it?” he asked, voice low. “He’s young. Single. Maybe he went out last night and flirted with the wrong woman.”

Lois didn’t answer right away. Her gaze drifted toward Perry’s office, where Jimmy had vanished.

“It’s not just the bruises, Clark. He’s hiding something.”

Clark nodded slowly. “Then we find out what. Just… maybe give him a little room first.”

Before Lois could press further, Perry’s voice cut through the bullpen like a foghorn when he exited his office.

“Staff meeting in ten! Let’s move, people!”

Jimmy slipped out of Perry’s office and headed straight for the conference room—no glance, no hello.

Lois watched him go, then turned to Clark, who was already collecting his notes. “We’ll circle back to Jimmy,” she said under her breath. “First, we find out who’s embezzling money from the Hearthstone Foundation.”

Clark nodded, his voice quiet. “And maybe why Jimmy looks like he’s carrying the weight of it.”
Lois grabbed her notebook and headed toward the conference room. She wasn’t done with Jimmy. Not by a long shot.

The conference room filled immediately—reporters sliding into chairs, flipping open notepads, nursing half-full coffee cups. Perry sat at the head of the table, sleeves rolled to his elbows, and his tie askew.

“Listen up,” he barked. “We’ve got a mess. The Hearthstone Foundation—one of the city’s most respected charities for the homeless—is missing roughly fifty thousand dollars. Embezzled. Vanished. And no one’s talking.”

Lois leaned in, pen poised. Across the room, Jimmy stood near the door—rigid, distracted, not really listening. He hadn’t looked her way once. And he wasn’t in his usual seat near her and Clark. No, today he hovered like he was ready to disappear the moment the meeting ended.

Clark followed her gaze, brow furrowed. “He’s definitely off.”

Lois didn’t look away. “He’s hiding something.”

She leaned closer, voice low. “Unless he’s got a secret identity. In which case, I hope it comes with a cape.”

Clark’s mouth twitched. “Knowing Jimmy? Way too many zippers.”

Perry looked up from his notes. “Something you two want to share with the class?”

Lois straightened, all business. “Just strategizing.”

Clark nodded, flipping to a fresh page in his notebook.

Perry pressed on. “Clark, you’re on the human angle. Talk to the families, the volunteers. I want to know what this loss means to the kids who are affected by this.”

Clark jotted a quick note.

Perry turned to the rest of the room. “Everyone else—dig. I want paper trails, donor lists, board members, and vendors. If someone’s skimming off the top, we’re going to find out who and how.”
Reporters murmured, exchanging glances and assignments. The hum of urgency settled over the room like static.

“Jimmy,” Perry added, “help with the research. And maybe take some photos of some of the families affected.”

Jimmy gave a quick nod but didn’t speak. He stayed by the door.

Lois didn’t move. Her eyes stayed on him. He hadn’t flinched. But something in his silence was louder than the rest of the room combined.

Clark didn’t say anything more—but his pen hadn’t moved either.

“Now get busy, people. The paper can’t write itself,” Perry barked, rising from his chair.

Before Lois or Clark could say a word, Jimmy slipped out the door, fast and silent.

Lois and Clark exchanged a glance, then got up quickly, trailing after Perry.

“About Jimmy,” Lois said, cutting in before Perry reached his desk. “Did he tell you what happened last night?”

Perry looked between them, sighing. “Whatever it was, it’s his business. He’s young, Lois. Single. You’ve come in looking worse than that more than once.”

“Yes, but I was chasing a story,” Lois shot back. “Not hanging out at some club.”

She took a step closer, lowering her voice. “Perry, he’s acting strange.”

Perry sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Strange how? He’s quiet, sure—but maybe he’s just tired. Or embarrassed.”

Lois crossed her arms. “He didn’t even look at us. That’s not tired. That’s hiding.”

Clark finally spoke, calm but firm. “Something’s off. We just don’t know what.”

Perry looked between them, then raised an eyebrow. “Have you come out and asked him? That usually helps.”

Lois hesitated. “Not yet.”

“Then maybe start there,” Perry said, moving around his desk. “Before you turn it into a conspiracy.”

***

Lois and Clark returned to their desks, the newsroom hum fading into the background as Lois’s thoughts narrowed to Jimmy. His bruised lip and the way he wouldn’t look at her. He was helping everyone but her. Something was off. And maybe confronting him was the only way to cut through the silence.

Clark didn’t sit. He stepped closer to her, his expression shifting—not quite alarmed, but alert. His head tilted slightly, eyes unfocused, listening.

Lois noticed the change instantly. She lowered her voice. “Clark?”

He didn’t answer. Just stood still, every muscle quiet, like the world had paused around him.

“I’ll be back,” he said, brushing a soft kiss across her lips. He rushed off through the newsroom, heading toward the stairway.

Forty-five minutes later, she stood in the bullpen, surrounded by the sounds she was so used to, such as ringing phones, rushed footsteps, and coworkers talking. It was the same chaos she thrived on for years. Now it felt different.

She told herself it was just Clark she missed. But as she scanned the room, something deeper stirred. The stories, the chase, the adrenaline—it wasn’t the only thing that mattered anymore.
Instead of dwelling on the feeling, she turned to her desk and got to work.

Another thirty minutes she was still nowhere. No leads, no Clark, and—most suspiciously—no Jimmy. He’d been dodging her all morning. Never offered to help like usual. When she would catch a glimpse of him he’d slip out of sight. She scanned the bullpen again. Nothing.

For a moment, she let herself imagine the absurd: maybe Jimmy was secretly a superhero, off saving the world in a red cape. She almost smiled. But no—there was only one Superman, and she knew exactly who he was.

Which meant Jimmy was hiding something. And whatever it was, it wasn’t heroic.

Inside the photo lab, the air was still. No sound of keyboards clacking or phones ringing. Jimmy stood at the counter, sorting negatives with the kind of focus that only came from trying not to think.

Lois stepped in, her heels quiet against the tile. “You’ve been dodging me.”

Jimmy didn’t look up. “I’ve been busy.”

“Busy getting punched in the face?” she said, nodding toward the bruise across his jaw. “Because that’s not in your job description.”

He sighed, finally meeting her eyes. “It’s nothing.”

“Not buying it,” Lois said, her tone flat but edged. “You’ve been ducking me since sunrise. At the staff meeting, you practically bolted before Perry finished his sentence. You’re acting like I’m the last person you want to talk to—and I need to know why.”

He shook his head, eyes darting toward the door. “It’s not my secret to tell. I hurt her already. I can’t do that again. Not after what I saw last night.”

“Her?” Lois blinked. “Who is she? And why would—wait, you can’t possibly mean—” Her breath caught. “Oh god. Where is she? What happened? And how did you hurt her feelings?”

Before Jimmy could respond, the door to the photo lab creaked open. A junior staffer leaned in, eyes flicking between them.

“Uh, Jimmy? You’ve got a call. Line two. Said it was urgent.”

Jimmy’s shoulders stiffened. “Thanks,” he said, already moving toward the door.

Lois stepped aside, watching him go. “We’re not done,” she said quietly.

Jimmy paused in the doorway, not turning around. “I know.”

Then he was gone, leaving Lois alone in the dark photo lab, her pulse thrumming with questions and the echo of a name he hadn’t said.

Chapter Text

When Lucy opened her eyes in the unfamiliar room, her first thought wasn’t fear. Instead, there was quiet. A stillness that settled in her chest like a hug, she desperately needed. There was peace for the first time in what felt like forever. But as she sat up and took in her surroundings, the truth landed hard. The only thing she had was her outfit from last night.

Lucy swung her legs over the side of the bed and stretched, wincing at the familiar ache. The ache wasn’t only in her muscles, but deeper. Deep in her soul.

The ache came from making the same mistakes over and over. And she wasn’t the only one. Well, she was now. One of them had learned. Lois was past all that now—happily married to Clark Kent.
The mistake was choosing the wrong type of man. Men who treated them like objects or possessions, disappearing for days, or flirting with anything in a skirt.

Nope, Lois was past all of that now. Why couldn’t Lucy learn? Lucy felt horrible about not making it to Lois and Clark’s wedding. She couldn’t even give Lois a good excuse.

Lois had wanted Lucy at the wedding. She’d asked, gently, persistently. But Lucy had dodged every invitation with practiced ease. She was happy for her sister, truly. But watching Lois walk into her forever while Lucy still couldn’t find the starting line—it was too much. Lucy felt that if she went to the wedding, it would be celebrating in something she didn’t believe in.

Lois always went for the men in suits. First Lex, with his empire, his silk ties, and that charm. Then Superman—larger than life, impossible to touch. And now, Clark, the man who taught Lois how to relax more. Lucy didn’t know the secret behind that last one, not really. Just that Lois had finally found someone who made her feel safe enough to stop running.

Lucy never chased suits. Her men were muscle and motion with fast hands, fast tempers, the kind who made promises with their bodies and broke them with silence. She didn’t pick them because they were good. No, she picked them because they were far from the kind of man who left without saying goodbye. She chose the men who were nothing like her father, the man who cheated and vanished.

Lucy padded into the kitchen, the floor cool beneath her bare feet, the borrowed T-shirt hanging loose around her frame. The apartment was quiet, the kind of quiet that didn’t press or judge, it just let her breathe.

She moved slowly, not from sleep but from the weight of everything else. The ache behind her eyes, the tightness in her chest. She reached for the fridge, more out of habit than hunger, and that’s when she saw it.

A note, taped to the door with her name on it.

She peeled it off gently, unfolded it.

Hey Lucy, Had to head to the Planet early. Help yourself to whatever’s in the kitchen. I’ll call later—just in case you need anything. —Jimmy.

No orders. No pressure. Just care, tucked into a few lines.

She stared at it for a moment, thumb brushing the edge. It wasn’t a grand gesture. But it was something. And lately, something felt like everything.

Lucy took a minute before she stared at her bare legs, the chill of the mid-morning air pressing against her skin. She needed clothes, her own clothes, not borrowed ones that were too baggy and smelled like unfamiliar laundry detergent. And the only way to get them was to go back to the motel.

To Brett.

Remembering how he punched Jimmy last night, she swallowed hard. No warning, no reason. But Lucy knew the truth—Brett wasn’t angry at Jimmy. He was angry at her. Or maybe at himself. Either way, Jimmy had taken the hint for her. He didn’t complain. Didn’t get angry. Instead, he took her hand and led her out of the club.

Lucy hadn’t let herself think about that part. Not until now. Now she had to face the consequences of leaving that club with another man.

She wasn’t going back just for the clothes. Lucy was going back because she had found something last night. Not just courage, but clarity. Now she had to confront Brett one last time.
Changing into her clothes from last night, she folded the T-shirt and put it at the end of the bed. Afterward, Lucy found the phone hanging on the kitchen wall. Dialing the cab company, she gave them the address, paying attention to where Jimmy had taken her last night. Now the cab would take her back to the pain of uncertainty.

Locking the door to the apartment, she walked away after a soft click. After going down the stairs, she stepped outside and waited. The drizzling rain and cloudy skies didn’t help her mood.
She didn’t want to go. Not really. But she needed her clothes, her makeup, and the few belongings she went on tour with. And she needed to see Brett also. Not to fight. Not to explain. Just to look him in the eye and ask why.

He’d told her to sit still. Always did. But she’d seen him—flirting with the girls in the front row, hand on a thigh that wasn’t hers, smile too wide, too practiced. And then last night, the punch thrown at Jimmy, the fingers digging into her arm like she was something to control.
The cab pulled up in front of Jimmy’s building. Lucy stepped forward, opened the door, and slid into the back seat.

She leaned into the back seat and said, “Route 9. Evergreen Motel.”

The driver gave a silent nod, pulling away from the curb.

She let her head fall back against the seat, eyes slipping shut for a moment. The bruises on her arm would fade—she knew that. They always did. But the ache in her chest, the quiet shame of falling for another man who didn’t know how to love without hurting—that would linger longer.
Lucy doubted that Brett was even coherent yet, which would make it easier to get her things and get out of there. Unless he picked up some girl after he got thrown out of the club.

Maybe getting thrown out of the club would finally teach Brett something. But she doubted it. Missing a set, letting the band play without him—that kind of humiliation stuck harder with him than an angry girlfriend or an ex-girlfriend.

Lucy didn’t hold her breath. Self-control wasn’t exactly his strong suit. But maybe, just maybe, waking up with no stage, no spotlight, and no one would teach him. She wasn’t going back to fix it. She was going back to get her things. And to stop pretending he’d change.

The cab pulled into the gravel lot, tires crunching beneath the weight of silence. Lucy stepped out, the neon “Vacancy” sign buzzing faintly overhead. Room 12 looked the same—the curtain half-drawn, and his 1988 black Ford Mustang in front of the room. He loved that car more than he loved any woman or his guitar.

She walked up slowly, her heart steady. Not racing. Not afraid.

She knocked once, soft and quick. The door opened almost immediately.

Brett stood there, eyes rimmed red, shoulders slumped. “You came back,” he said, voice rough, looking around. “Didn’t think you would. Where’s your friend?”

Lucy didn’t answer. Her gaze drifted past him into the room where she could see two beer cans on the nightstand—one upright, opened, and the other on its side also opened. The air was stale, thick with sweat and regret.

He looked pitiful, not drunk, just worn out. It was like two beers didn’t dull the ache or help him sleep.

She stepped inside, the door clicking shut behind her. Her chest tightened—not with longing, but with clarity. This was the version of Brett she used to try to fix. The one who made her feel needed just long enough to keep her close.

“I came for my things,” she said.

Brett nodded slowly, like the words took a moment to land. “I messed up,” he said. “The band dropped me. Said I was out of control.”

She crossed to the bed, where her duffel bag sat half-zipped.

“I miss you,” Brett added. “Come back to Star City with me. We’ll figure it out. I’ll fix it.”

Lucy turned to face him. “Jimmy’s just a friend,” she said. “Like a big brother. He let me crash in his spare bedroom.”

Brett opened his mouth, then closed it again, but stepped closer.

“You grabbed me,” she said. “You threw a punch that wasn’t about Jimmy. You flirted with every girl who looked at you and told me to sit still like I was part of the furniture.”

“I didn’t mean to,” Brett said, voice cracking just enough to sound real.

Lucy turned, duffel still in her hand. She opened her mouth to respond—but he stepped forward and kissed her.

It wasn’t rough. Not like before. It was sudden, yes—but soft. His hand hovered at her waist, barely touching, like he didn’t trust himself to hold on too tightly. His mouth tasted like beer and regret and something familiar she hadn’t let herself miss.

She froze.

The kiss caught her off guard—not rough, not demanding, just soft enough to feel like a memory. Her breath hitched. For a second, everything narrowed—the tipped-over beer can, the half-drawn curtains, the ache in her chest. That flicker of belief, the one she’d buried, stirred. Part of her wanted to believe he could be better, do better, and be the man she deserved.

Then he pulled back, just enough to whisper against her cheek.

“I need you, Lucy, baby. I love you.”

It wasn’t slick or rehearsed. It sounded broken, raw, like he’d been drowning and she was his lifeline. Her fingers loosened around the strap of her duffel bag, letting it drop to the floor.
She leaned into him.

The kiss deepened, slow and searching. His hands stayed light, trembling slightly, like one wrong move could make her run. For a moment, she let herself fall into the kiss and into the feeling of being wanted. She remembered what he did to her to make her scream his name in pleasure, not pain.

The fire that had pulled her to him the first time—the reckless, electric ache of wanting—was still there. Still alive. And she couldn’t move away, not yet anyway.

They stumbled toward the bed, breath tangled, limbs unsure. The room blurred around them as the last sixteen hours faded. Only this moment mattered between them. Not last night, not the punch to Jimmy. Jimmy was the last thing on her mind as Brett and she fell onto the bed, undressing each other, and making another type of connection.

***

It was a little after noon.

The room was quiet, the air thick with leftover heat and the hum of the wall unit. Lucy lay curled beside him, her head resting near the crook of his shoulder, one leg draped over his. Her fingers traced the edge of the sheet absently, like she was trying to memorize the shape of the moment before it slipped away.

Brett’s arm was around her, loose and warm. He hadn’t said anything coherent since they’d collapsed into bed. She could still feel the sensation of the joining of their bodies. The fire that had pulled her to him the first time was still there. Yet the physical attraction between them was never the issue.

Lucy enjoyed these moments with him. The peace and fulfillment of their connection.
He shifted slightly, brushing her hair back from her face. His voice was low, almost tender.
“You know,” he said, “if you hadn’t stormed off last night, none of this would’ve happened.”
The words landed like a slap.

Lucy blinked, her body still against his, but her heart pulled back. He didn’t even realize it and kept talking. He had unraveled any progress they made, realizing that once again, he wouldn’t change.

“I mean, I get it,” he added. “You were mad. But you always do that—run off, make a scene. It’s exhausting.”

She didn’t move, not yet. The fire was still there, but it burned differently now. A few seconds passed before Lucy sat up slowly, the sheet slipping from her bare shoulders. Her spine straightened as the words settled in.

“You think I made a scene?” she said, voice low but clear. “I was talking to a friend.”

She turned, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. The floor was cool beneath her feet, grounding. She reached for her jeans, pulling them on with quiet precision, each movement deliberate.

Behind her, Brett shifted, the mattress creaking under his weight. “Well, your friend got me banned from the club and thrown out of the band,” he said, lacing his hands behind his head like it was just another inconvenience.

Lucy didn’t look at him. She stood, tugging her tank top over her head.

“No,” she said. “You got yourself thrown out. You punched him. He never laid a hand on you.”

Brett sat up, the anger flickering in his eyes. “No,” he snapped, “but he touched you.”

She paused, hand halfway to her duffel.

And just like that, the fire that had pulled her into bed with him was out.

“I knew it,” she said, looking for her shoes, her voice low but steady. “You’re not going to change. Your kisses, the sex, the way you say my name like it’s a lifeline—it’s not enough anymore.”

She didn’t look at him, just slipped on her shoes. Lucy didn’t need to be reminded about another mistake.

Brett sat up, the sheet falling to his waist. His jaw clenched, eyes narrowing as the sting of her words settled in.

“Go run back to the Boy Scout,” he snapped. “I’m sure your sister would approve.”

Lucy stilled, one hand on the strap of her duffel. The air between them thickened, sharp with the kind of heat that didn’t come from longing.

She turned slowly, her gaze cool and unreadable.

“That’s what you think this is?” she said. “Approval?”

He didn’t answer. Just stared, chest rising and falling like he was trying to hold something back and failing.

She shook her head, more tired than angry now.

“You never saw me,” she said. “Not really. Just the version that made you feel bigger.”

He didn’t answer.

Slinging her duffel over her shoulder, she moved toward the door.

“If you walk out that door,” Brett said, voice low, “it’s final. No more. When it doesn’t work out with the Boy Scout, don’t come running back. Everything in Star City—it’ll be gone.”
Lucy paused for a moment.

“You think this is about Jimmy?” she said. “You think this is about anyone but you?”

He didn’t move. Just sat there, jaw clenched, eyes unreadable.

She reached for the door, fingers steady.

“You ended it,” she said, voice low. “I’m just making sure there’s no sequel.”

Then the door clicked shut behind her, and the silence held.

Chapter Text

Lois drove her Jeep through the streets of Metropolis. The rain wouldn’t let up. When Jimmy took the phone call, she could tell it wasn’t good news. No, far from it. After he hung up, she made him tell her what was going on.

Now she was on her way to the Evergreen Motel. She wasn’t taking no for an answer. Jimmy was in the passenger seat watching the gloomy streets go past him.

“Tell me what happened last night,” Lois ordered as they drove across town.

He explained about finding Lucy at the club and how Brett didn’t want Lucy near the stage. Jimmy told Lois that Lucy broke up with the dirtbag and punched Jimmy afterward.

“Do I have to remind you what I told you three years ago?” Lois questioned as she turned left onto Route 9. “I knew you had a crush on her, but I can’t let this happen between the two of you.”

Shaking his head, he put his head back and looked at Lois. “You sound like her mom, not her sister.”

Sighing, Lois slammed on the brakes at the light. “You’ve met my mother, damn it,” she stammered. “I sound nothing like her.”

“Lois, you know me. Do I look like the type that would break your sister’s heart?”

The light turned green, and Lois lightly touched the gas pedal. “This isn’t about you. It’s about the men Lucy and I would attract.”

Jimmy looked outside, the rain pelting on the moving vehicle. “Clark is nothing like Luthor or some of the other men you dated.”

It finally dawned on her the way she had said “the men Lucy and she would attract”. She didn’t attract those types of men anymore. Lois had married a relatively honest, selfless man, who wasn’t boastful about his accomplishments and didn’t ask for anything in return.

“You’re right, Jimmy. He isn’t. He is the most caring, selfless man and it took me forever to see that he wasn’t like every other man,” Lois stated as she relaxed. “I turned him away so many times that I almost lost him.”

Remembering back to the missteps in their relationship, Lois had a chill up her spine on how many times they came close to losing each other.

“You think I’m worried about you hurting Lucy?” She asked in shock. “Yes, you can be a bit of a player, Jimmy, but you’re nothing like the men either of us has dated. You’re more like Clark than you think.”

Jimmy looked over in shock.

“She’s my little sister. If it didn’t work out, I didn’t want to pick sides, because, no offense, I’m not sure which one I’d pick.”

Lois turned into the motel parking lot and noticed her sister standing under the yawning at the office. Lucy looked like a drowned rat, with her duffel bag in her hands. She started shaking her head as soon as Lois pulled up in front of her.

“I know. I know. I’m the last person you want to see,” Lois said, seconds after getting out of the car. “Right now, all I ask is that you get into the Jeep and come to the brownstone and get cleaned up.”

Lucy looked at her sister, then at Jimmy, who was still in the passenger seat. Then back to Lois.

“I can’t do that,” Lucy said.

She shook her head, stomped her foot down, then turned back toward the Jeep.

“Get in the Jeep, Lucy, before we both drown,” she ordered.

Lois opened the back door, then got back inside the driver’s seat without saying a word.

“Where do you want to go?” Lois asked, reaching over to turn on the heat in the Jeep.

She caught the slight way, Lucy reached up to Jimmy.

“My apartment,” Jimmy answered firmly.

***

Lois did exactly what Lucy wanted and dropped her off at Jimmy’s. She sat in the Jeep for a few minutes, wishing Clark were with her. She needed to vent. Needed to understand what was going on between her sister and Jimmy.

What Lois didn’t realize was that Clark was on his own mission. A mission to get behind the families that didn’t have a place to call home. The families with children who didn’t have a permanent bed or their own space. The families who were living on the streets or struggling to stay in cheap motels just have somewhere comfortable to rest their head.

The main charity in Metropolis to help these families had thousands of dollars disappear. What did this mean to those families? And how would they get back on their feet?

Now, Clark was back at the Daily Planet writing up the story on a family he met at one of the homeless shelters. The husband had lost his job, by no mistake of his own, and it only took three months before the family was evicted from their apartment.

Both the husband and wife applied for jobs, but they were overqualified for every fast-food job. Not sure how to get out of the struggles, no one would rent to a family with an eviction on their record. Starting over was hard to do when no one would give them another chance.

When Clark was finished with his article, he emailed it to Perry. It wasn’t lost on him that Lois and Jimmy weren’t around, but he wanted to make sure things were okay. He sat still, letting everyone around him disappear as he narrowed on Lois’ heartbeat. Clark found it, a little higher than usual, but it was getting closer.

“I’m sorry, Lois, but it’s not what you think,” Jimmy said, stepping off the elevator. It had been twenty minutes since Lois had dropped Lucy off at Jimmy’s.

Lois didn’t wait for more of an explanation. She caught Clark’s eye and wandered down the ramp toward him. Her stiff pose and angry steps told Clark everything he needed to know. Whatever Jimmy was hiding earlier had been revealed, and Lois wasn’t happy about it.

She sauntered over to Clark, grabbed him by the tie, and kissed him passionately. Lois needed that connection.

When they broke the kiss, their foreheads touched.

“I missed you,” she whispered. “And do I have a story to tell you?”

Clark’s eyes stayed on his wife even though he could feel Jimmy near him.

“I’m not sure what I did to deserve that, but I’ll take it,” Clark whispered to her. “I guess you found out Jimmy’s secret.

He leaned back, taking her hand and squeezing it.

Lois looked at their joined hands then gazed into his eyes. Her heart sank for a moment replaying what she was told and how Lucy didn’t want Lois’ help.

“Lucy is back in town and staying with Jimmy,” she stated solemnly. “She doesn’t want my help.”

Lois couldn’t believe it. Her own sister would rather have help from Jimmy. It wasn’t Jimmy’s fault that Lois and Lucy grew up with an absentee father. Sure, Lois had a better relationship with her parents now, even her parents were getting along. It had taken a few missteps at first, such as last Christmas when both of her parents showed up. Her dad with his artificial girlfriend, and mother trying to warn her about Clark.

Lucy, on the other hand, avoided spending much time with either parent. Lois understood her dad a bit more now. In a way, she was more like her dad, than her mother. She had let her career take control of her life. The only thing that mattered at one point was the next headline, unraveiling the last conspiracy, and finding the guilty parties. Lois enjoyed uncovering the truth.

This was until Clark stepped into her life. Now that latest story wasn’t the most important thing. No, her career took a back seat to her marriage with Clark. Her partner, best friend, husband, and lover had become more important than any would be story. And Lois wouldn’t have it any other way.

Chapter Text

It had been a few weeks since Lucy had come back to Metropolis. She was still staying at Jimmy’s. At first, it felt a bit strange, especially when she replayed that kiss in her mind. The way she had thrown herself at him. Trying to forget the hurt she had felt, trying to feel anything but embarrassment. He had pushed her away.

When they first met, she could have sworn he had a crush on her. The way his face would light up when she stepped off the elevator at the Planet when she’d visit Lois. Yet now they were roommates.

Jimmy helped her get settled. They’d make dinner together, sit on the couch next to each other while eating, and tell each other about their day. They laughed, yet enjoyed the silence between them. Neither of them asked for more.

There were a few people who had a problem with Lucy staying with Jimmy. One of them was his roommate, Glenn. It wasn’t that she was messy, but she wasn’t a neat freak. Not like their last roommate. No, Lucy left things out. Even tended to eat something of Glenn’s. Jimmy didn’t complain.

When it came to Lucy, Jimmy would let it go. ‘Give Lucy a break,’ he would tell Glenn. He would remind Glenn that she had it rough before moving back to Metropolis. Plus, Glenn wasn’t there much these days anyway.

Glenn was usually with his girlfriend, Courtney. Courtney was the other issue. She didn’t appreciate another female around the apartment. But Jimmy once again told Glenn that Lucy wouldn’t be an issue. And for Jimmy, she wasn’t. She was a breath of fresh air.

Finally, Lois had a problem with Jimmy and Lucy living together. But that didn’t stop her from helping Lucy find a job. A doctor who owed Lois a favor needed someone who had reception and scheduling experience. Now she worked at a family practice, helping with filing, answering phones, and scheduling.

When Lucy moved out of Metropolis a couple of years ago, she had taken a few college courses. She had moved to Venice, California, far away from anything on the East Coast that reminded her of the city where she grew up and what she left behind.

She paid for college by waitressing at a nightclub, and that is where she had met Brett. He was passing through Venice, and when they met, sparks flew. Next thing she knew, she had quit school and moved back east, this time to Star City.

They had only known each other for several weeks before she had moved to Star City with him. Now she had moved on without Brett. Lucy was happier, laughing more, and even thought about applying for aid to finish up those courses.

It was a Saturday night, and Lucy was sitting next to Jimmy on the sofa. They were so close, their legs were almost touching.

Jimmy had rented Labyrinth for them to watch. It was one of Lucy’s favorite movies and Jimmy enjoyed it just as much. Watching it together, with the lights dimmed except the one above the stove shining into the living room, made it seem more intimate.

This is what Lucy needed. More nights like these with someone who wasn’t trying to get in her pants. In the past couple of weeks, she noticed how much Jimmy and she actually had in common. The music they listened to, the movies, and even some television shows. They understood each other and could laugh at the same jokes.

“I don’t know what it is about this movie I find so fascinating,” Lucy said, taking a bite of her pepperoni pizza Jimmy had ordered earlier.

Jimmy chuckled. “The fantasy world of Goblin City or David Bowie’s charm as Jareth.”

Lucy glanced over at Jimmy while taking another bite. “Definitely Jareth, but I don’t know if I call it charm.”

“So you go for the rugged bad boy types?” Jimmy asked, putting down his pizza. He wondered if that’s why she wasn’t interested when they first met.

“Jimmy, come on, you know it was. Kind of how I ended up in this predicament,” she said, looking away.

Sighing, he didn’t want her to think so low of herself. He thought she was happy living with him.

“Gee, I guess I should be honored you’re slumming it with me,” he said sarcastically before standing up and taking his plate to the kitchen.

Lucy was shocked by the tone of his voice. And how he just got up and left. She reached for the remote control and paused the movie.

“You know that’s not what I meant,” she told him, moving her plate to the coffee table. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.” Waving her hands. “This apartment, being my friend, and standing up for me when it comes to Lois and Glenn.”

He put his plate in the sink and kept his back to Lucy. Jimmy saw her as more than just a friend, but he couldn’t tell her that, or Lois. He couldn’t succumb to his feelings for her. That first night at the apartment, he told himself, he needed to keep his distance from her. It was hard to do when they slept in bedrooms just a few feet apart.

Lucy had something no other woman he dated had. She had more courage than several of the women in his past put together. She understood his jokes, and when she laughed, it warmed not only his heart but another part of his body. No, getting involved with Lucy Lane was a bad idea.

Then there was Lois. She was right when she told Jimmy that if he got involved with Lucy and it didn’t work out, how would it affect their working relationship? She had come out and even told him, it wasn’t him breaking Lucy’s heart she was worried about. No, it was Jimmy’s heart that Lois was afraid would get shattered.

“Jimmy, I want to be here. You weren’t second choice. You were my only choice,” she told him as she put her hand on the back of his shoulder.

Feeling her hand on his shoulder, knowing she was so close. All he wanted to do was turn around and kiss her. But he couldn’t. Yet, when she said things like that, it made him think about throwing all caution to the wind.

“Lucy, please,” he begged. “I know you didn’t mean anything by it. I guess work is just getting to me. Or having all these happy couples around knowing that we can’t have that.”

He heard her gasp.

“What do you mean WE can’t have that? As in with each other, or in general?” she asked, stepping back. Did she have the same feelings?

Hesitating.

“In general. I mean, Lois and Clark didn’t have it easy when they started dating. Now they’re so blissfully happy it can be a bit nauseating at times. Then, the Chief is romancing Alice, his ex-wife,” he explained, not moving, just standing there with his hands on the counter, his hands gripping hard onto the counter. “When the Chief was our age, he was already married with one child already. Hell, even your parents are trying again.”

He heard her move away from him, turning away.

“My parents' relationship, I don’t understand and I don’t want to,” she admitted. “Neither of them was really there for me. For so long, it seemed like all I had was Lois. Neither parent wanted to be around, and when my mother was, all she did was complain about my dad.”

Jimmy turned around, noticing her pace back and forth through the kitchen, she kept shaking her head and mumbling to herself.

“Did I tell you I had an absentee father?” he asked, taking a step toward her. “He would send presents once in a while for my birthday and Christmas. A few times, it was just a card. Once or twice, he even skipped it together.”

Jimmy flashed back to last year when he found out who his dad really was. He trusted Lucy with the information, since Lois and Clark already knew. It’s not like Lucy would run an ad declaring that James Bathrlomew Olsen’s dad was a spy.

“I thought he was just an engineer,” Jimmy started, looking up. “Last year, I found out he’s actually a spy for the NIA. All of those missed moments with him, he was out saving the world.”

Lucy stopped pacing and looked up to Jimmy.

“Wouldn’t you rather have had him around? Being your dad instead of taking care of everyone else?” Lucy wondered as her shoulders curled in and her body tensed up. “My dad wanted to save lives, help others, and chase anything with a skirt. Why weren’t we enough?”

Jimmy stepped closer to Lucy, took her hands in his, and stared into her eyes.

“I had to learn it the hard way, Lucy, just like you. We were enough, we are enough,” he told her. “It was never our fault. It was theirs.”

Lucy slowly relaxed and took a deep breath.

“If I ever become a mom, I won’t let my child ever think they’re not enough. I’ll be there through the bad, the good, and the boring,” she said, smiling at Jimmy.

He realized just how smart Lucy was. A lot of people thought that Lois was the smart one, but Lucy could hold her own next to her sister. Yes, the Lane sisters were quite a pair. Not only were they beautiful, tenacious, and intelligent, but they were also survivors.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Lois was at the Planet working on her latest assignment. There had been several cases where single women in Metropolis were being burglarized. The only things missing were a few pieces of costume jewelry. The strange part was a tulip spray-painted on the bedroom door. Most of the burglaries took place while the women were at work, but a couple of times they occurred when the women were out on dates.

“Jimmy, did we find anything these women had in common?” Lois asked, looking through the police reports again.

“Other than being in their 20s and single?” Jimmy said, stepping over to her desk. “No.”

“I’m glad Lucy isn’t living alone,” Lois stated, looking up at coworker and friend. “How is she, by the way?”

Jimmy stopped midway to her desk and looked over at the elevators, where Clark stepped out.

“Look, CK finally decided to make it,” Jimmy commented before turning around and heading back to his desk.

Before Lois could comment, her phone rang.

“Daily Planet, Lois Lane,” she answered, shaking her head at the way Jimmy didn’t want to discuss her sister. Suddenly, Lois’s body tensed.

“Oh, hello, Mother,” she said, pinching her nose. Christmas was the last time Lois had seen her parents, and that was almost two months ago. “Yes, you heard correctly, Lucy’s here in Metropolis.”

Lois smiled as her husband came over and squeezed her shoulder, leaving a latte on her desk. She flashed back to the moment this morning when they were heading out the door to the Daily Planet when he heard the sounds of sirens.

Clark sat at his desk and started typing up the story of the fire. A house fire had occurred on Murkinson Street. When Superman arrived, he found out the house just happened to belong to a fireman and his family. He had six children and twenty-five memories in the house.

Between the measurements in the door frame of his children, the family photos on the mantel, or the years of memories, all of it was up in smoke.

The firemen stayed inside too long trying to grab some of his family’s belongings. He knew better, being a firefighter for over twenty years, that it was just stuff. But when it was his family, his memories, he couldn’t walk away.

So Superman flew into the living room as the firemen stopped fighting the fire and instead tried to grab some of the mementos. Superman pulled the man away, leading him out of the house. Before Superman could use his breath to blow out the rest of the fire, an explosion occurred. It was too late, there would be nothing left. Nothing salvageable.

Lois continued her phone call with her mother as Clark worked on his story, using quotes from the other firemen, and seeing the devastation first hand how it felt to lose everything.

“No, mother, Lucy isn’t staying with Clark and me,” Lois said. “She’s staying with Jimmy.”

Hesitation. Frustration.

Lois looked over to Clark, mouthing the word ‘Help’. “No, it’s not like that.”

She continued to listen to her mother spew her criticism about Lucy. How Lucy had no direction for her life. Lucy wouldn’t stay more than a few months at a job, then run off in another direction. Ellen even complained about how she hadn’t seen Lucy in years.

“Yes, I know, mother. He had a spare bedroom, though.” Lois said, mouthing, ‘Please’ now to Clark and shaking her head. “Fine, I’ll tell her.”

A few seconds later, Lois hung up the phone, her shoulders sagged, and she sighed. Getting up from her desk, she walked over to Clark.

“Everything okay?” she asked, leaning against the desk.

Clark gazed up at his wife. “Tough call this morning,” he said as he reached for her hand. “Should I ask how your mother is doing?”

Lois rolled her eyes and squeezed her husband’s hand.

“They are coming to visit in a couple of days. Mother thinks it’s time that Lucy gets over her ‘issues’ and talk to Daddy,” Lois said, leaning over, touching her forehead to his. “Mother wants all of us to have dinner together.”

“WHAT?” Jimmy asked, raising his voice from his desk next to Clark’s. He stood up and walked over to them. His eyebrows came together as his mouth moved, but nothing came out.

A few seconds later, he said.”She won’t agree to that.”

Lois leaned back from Clark, straightened her shoulders. “I know she won’t. It’s why I need you to help.”

“Oh no. No way, Lois,” he told her, crossing his arms over his chest. “She is finally settling in. And you want me to ruin it.”

She wasn't sure why he was making such a big deal of it. All of them playing nice for the parents would benefit everyone. Lois might not have a perfect relationship with either of her parents, but at least she had tried. Why couldn’t Lucy?

Lois learned to move on from the heartache of her childhood. Clark helped her see that holding onto that pain wasn’t worth it. Of course, Clark saw the best in everyone, including her mother.

Now that her parents were back together and putting in an actual effort, Lois had to give them credit. And Lucy should try like she did.

She straightened up and stepped closer to Jimmy. Her lips pressed together, creeping into his personal space.

“She owes me,” Lois told him, poking a finger into his chest. “Lucy didn’t show up for our wedding.”

“Which one?” Jimmy asked full of sarcasm. “I believe you tried three different times.”

Lois stepped back, and Clark stood up, pushing his chair back forcefully.

***

“Jimmy, that’s not fair. At the first wedding, Lois wasn’t actually there. I married a clone,” Clark said.

Clark remembered how the clone Lois acted so young, by buying an entire new wardrobe. Even though he wanted it to be a happy time, those few weeks without ‘his’ Lois were some of the hardest times of his life. He wasn’t sure what hurt more: sleeping next to someone who looked like your soulmate or having that soulmate choose someone else because of a case of amnesia.

He felt Lois’ hand in his, bringing him back to the present moment.

“Jimmy, I listened to every excuse Lucy gave me about why she couldn’t be here,” Lois stated, standing next to Clark. They held hands as both of them looked at Jimmy. A united front.

Clark knew how much it hurt Lois not to have her sister there for their wedding. She might not have come out and said it, but Lois missed her sister during the years she wasn’t in Metropolis. Even though they didn’t get along well these days, they were thick as thieves when they were younger.
Lois’ eyes widened as she sniffled. “I didn’t question her excuses, at first, but the more times I asked, the worse her excuses were.” She glanced over at Clark. “Was it seeing me happy? Was that the reason she stayed away?”

Jimmy stepped back. “I don’t know, Lois, I don’t,” he answered. “You’re going to need to ask her.”

Before either of them could say anything else, the sound of Perry bellowing for Jimmy broke up their little party.

“She works today until six-thirty,” Jimmy told Lois before walking toward Perry’s office.

When Jimmy was gone, Clark kissed the back of his wife’s hand.

“I’ll talk to Jimmy for you,” he said.

Clark was an only child and had a great relationship with his parents. They made marriage and parenting look easy, even when their son wasn’t from this world. Jonathan and Martha Kent never made Clark feel inferior or unloved. They had been there for him through every important life event.

Jonathan and Martha were there cheering on their son through football games, spelling bees, and graduations. Lois had told Clark about several of the events her parents didn’t show up at. So many events, Lois and Lucy had to celebrate on their own.

“Clark, I had your help with letting go of my anger toward my parents. Both of them made mistakes with Lucy and me growing up. Maybe it’s time I sit down and listen to what she remembers about those years.”

He knew this wouldn’t be an easy conversation with her sister. But if anyone could get through it, it was his wife.

Chapter Text

Chapter 9
Lucy felt miserable. She had thrown up twice this morning after Jimmy had left. Now it was five-thirty and she was exhausted. As she straightened up her desk area in the small space she shared with two other ladies, Lucy day-dreamed of going home and taking a long, hot bath.

She hadn’t even stayed up late last night, and the day wasn’t even that chaotic. Yet Lucy felt like she could go home and go straight to sleep for the night. Even her plan to try to cook dinner with Jimmy felt like too much.

“Are you feeling okay, Lucy?” Deidre asked an older woman in her mid-forties, one of her co-workers.

Lucy yawned after filing the last of the medical charts of the day.

“I’m so tired. Not even sure why,” Lucy answered, moving her head around trying to release the tension in her neck.

Deidre noticed the flush in Lucy’s cheeks. “Didn’t you get sick this morning when Dr. Locklear came into the office with his coffee?”

Lucy looked up at Deidre, wondering where she was going with this. “Yeah,” Lucy answered as she shut down the computer.

Deidre put her hand on Lucy’s shoulder and looked down at the young twenty-four year old.

“Is there a way you could be pregnant?” Deidre asked.

She stilled, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. No. No way. Lucy did the math in her head, trying to remember her last period.

“Oh god,” Lucy mumbled, trying not to panic.

***
Jimmy was in the kitchen browning the ground beef when Lucy opened the door. She had stopped at the drug store on the way home. What was she going to do?

“Hey, Lucy,” Jimmy said, strolling into the living room to greet her. “How was your day?”

Lucy put the bag on the coffee table and sat on the couch. Instantly, she bent over, crying into her hands.

Immediately, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close.

“What happened?” he asked with a soft tone. “Whatever it is, I’m here.”

Their legs were touching. His eyes looked down at her, while his hand rubbed her arm up and down lightly.

Lucy sat up, sniffling and trying to wipe her tears away. She reached across to the plastic bag on the table and handed it to Jimmy. He moved back slightly, opening the bag and coming across a small purple rectangular box. When he caught what the box was, he couldn’t believe it.

Looking over at her, his eyes full of surprise. “A pregnancy test.”
Nodding her head in agreement, wiping more tears away from her eyes as she kept blinking. “The past couple of days, I haven’t been able to keep anything food down. I’m exhausted,” Lucy explained, touching Jimmy’s knee. “I got sick this morning when I got a whiff of Dr. Locklear’s coffee. I’ve always loved the smell of coffee.”

Tilting his head slightly, he reached for Lucy’s hand. “What made you think you’re pregnant?”

“Deidre. She noticed how tired I was. She asked if I could be pregnant,” Lucy answered.

A knock at the door, and the smoke detector going off in the kitchen broke up their closeness. Jimmy stood up, putting the pregnancy test back in the bag, and handing it to Lucy.

“Shoot. The ground beef,” Jimmy stated. “Do you want to get the door?

Lucy took the bag from Jimmy and stepped closer to the door. When she opened it, the bag instantly went behind her back.

“Lois!”

***

She couldn’t believe it. Not only could she be pregnant, but now her big sister shows up at her door. Lucy didn’t have enough time to take the test, let alone talk to Jimmy on her plans if the test came back positive.

“Lois, what are you doing here?” Lucy asked, keeping the bag behind her back.

Lois pushed her way into the apartment. Lucy shook her head in frustration.

“Geez, Lois, why don’t you come in?” she said cursing under her breath. Lucy closed the door, then walked over to the table, wrapping the bag closed so Lois couldn’t tell what was in it.

Lois paced the room, then stopped suddenly.

“We need to talk,” Lois said, turning to her sister.

Lucy rubbed the back of her neck. “About?”

“Our parents. They are coming to Metropolis tomorrow and want to have dinner. All of us,” Lois said.

Jimmy walked into the room, hearing the last of Lois’s comment.

He cleared his throat, getting both women’s attention. “Lois, I told you I’d talk to her.”
Lucy looked between Jimmy and Lois. “Talk to me about what?” Lucy asked.

“They think it’s time that you get over your horrible childhood trauma and forgive them,” Lois said, rolling her eyes.

Lucy shifted closer to Jimmy, tilting her head, frowning. “Lois, I don’t care if they are blissfully happy or if they hate each other. I don’t want to be part of it.”

“Come on, it’s not like that,” Lois stated, reaching out for her sister. “How long has it been since you’ve seen Daddy? Five years.”

Lucy stepped closer to Jimmy and took his hand in hers. Lucy needed the strength to tell Lois it had been even longer than Lois realized.

“He didn’t show up for my high school graduation, Lois. He wasn’t there when I got my driver’s license,” Lucy explained, folding her hand around Jimmy’s. There was something about this man that made her feel safe. Made her feel stronger and made her feel adored. “I think it was your high school graduation.”

Lois took in a sharp breath. “You mean the last time you saw Daddy was over ten years ago?” she asked in shock.

Letting go of his hand and stepping toward the window, Lucy looked out toward the Metropolis skyline. Yet from Jimmy’s apartment, all she could see was the busy street outside. There were couples holding hands. Children playing. Families. Everything she didn’t have. Things she wanted growing up, but never got.

“He never cared about being there for us,” Lucy said, a tightness in her eyes and jaw set. “Why should I care about seeing him?”

Lois stepped toward her sister. “Fine, don’t come for them. Come for me,” Lois pleaded. “Come see Clark. He’d love to see you.”

“Fine,” Lucy stated, turning around, glancing at Jimmy for assurance. “Only if Jimmy comes with me.”

He grins at her, his eyes lightening up with affection.

“No place, I’d rather be,” he replied.

Lucy caught a glimpse of Lois’s eyes moving back and forth between Jimmy and her. She figured Lois was thinking about what was going on between these two. And Lucy wished she knew.

Jimmy wasn’t just a friend. Yet they hadn’t shared anything remotely romantic except that kiss that first night.

Who was she kidding? He had become her best friend, yet it didn’t mean she didn’t want more. Lucy had felt something spark that night she kissed him. Both of them wanted it. Wanted more.

Jimmy had pushed her away for all of the right reasons. It didn’t mean she didn’t want more. Many nights, she fell asleep dreaming of how it would feel to kiss him again. Now things were complicated even more.

“Tomorrow night,” Lois stated. “At seven.”

Lucy heard her sister say, bringing her back to the moment at hand.

“Fine. Seven,” Lucy replied. “We’ll be there.”

She said goodbye to her sister a couple of minutes later. Jimmy stood in the background. He was Lucy’s constant these days. When the door shut, she turned to face him.

“I don’t know what I would do without you,” she said with a smile.

Before giving her a slight smile, he glanced at the bag on the table, then back at her. “I’m going to finish dinner.”

She followed his gaze to the table, then watched him disappear. If she were pregnant, what would this mean for her relationship with Jimmy?

***
The next morning, she sat on the couch waiting for the timer to go off. Jimmy was sitting next to her, holding her hand.

Last night, they had decided to wait until the morning. Each of them had heard that it’s recommended to take the test first thing in the morning. Now they were doing that.

“Where’s Glenn this morning?” Lucy asked, trying to pass the time.

Jimmy took her hand in his and squeezed.

“Glenn and Courtney went to Central City for the weekend,” Jimmy answered, holding her hand in both of his on top of his lap. “They won’t be back until tomorrow night.”

Lucy put her head on his shoulder. He was grounding her. Keeping her calm.

“What if it’s positive?” she asked.
“Then we deal with it,” he answered, matter-of-factly. “Together.”

The timer went off. Now was the moment where Lucy’s life could change forever. And the person beside her was someone she never would have thought of. Yet she wouldn’t change it for the world.

Chapter Text

“Clark, please,” Lois begged, pushing the door open to the kitchen. “Do not disappear tonight unless the world is ending.”

It was five-thirty, and Clark had already started on dinner of beef wellington, roasted potatoes, and green bean almondine. Clark had the Wellingtons ready for the oven, sitting on a tray on the stove.

He strolled over to his wife, who was wearing a red short-sleeve sweater and black slacks. “Don’t worry, things will be fine.”

Tilting her head, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I'd better hide the wine just in case,” Lois said. “Or have a glass or two before they arrive, then hide it.”

He smiled at his wife and kissed her forehead. “I know this might not be easy, but at least Lucy agreed to come. Plus, she’ll have Jimmy with her.”

Her body tightened at the mention of Jimmy. Lois wasn’t sure what was going on between Lucy and Jimmy. They seemed to act like a couple instead of just roommates. Was Jimmy lying to Lois? Was there a relationship?

“Lois, we were close before we started dating. Had dinner together all the time,” Clark pointed out, leaning back to look at his wife.

She bit her bottom lip and tried to relax. “Yeah, we did, but we had separate apartments. Their bedrooms are down the hallway from each other,” she said. “Could you imagine if we had been roommates first?”

Clark chuckled. “Well, you would have figured out my secret sooner.”

“A lot of things would have happened sooner,” she pointed out, closing the distance. “Might have skipped a few heartaches.”

He covered her cheek with his head, her leaning into him more.

“I love you, Lois. And I know I hurt you by keeping my other identity from you,” he said, leaning down to kiss her softly. “Plus, breaking up with you for your own good.”

She huffed after the kiss. “The secret I get, but breaking up with me for my own good,” she whispered. “That had to be one of your dumbest moves.”

Lois remembered how it felt when she had come to terms with his secret identity. After Bob Fences had used her to get to Superman, Clark decided he couldn’t risk it happening again. Instead of them talking about it as a couple, like he wanted them to be, he broke up with her.

What he didn’t realize at the time was that it wasn’t her relationship with Superman that put her into danger. It was the way she had acted, her reckless tendencies. Now she didn’t jump so fast without thinking about what she could lose.

“I know. I know,” he reminded her. “I’m sorry I didn’t talk about my fears with you.”

Stopping them from rehashing a horrible time in their relationship was a knock on the door. Lois looked up at the clock. When she stepped away from Clark, she sighed.

“Who do you think it is? Jimmy and Lucy,” she said. “I still think something is going on with them.”

Clark lowered his glasses and stared at the blank wall. Lois knew what he was doing, using his x-ray vision to see who it was.

“You’re right, it’s Jimmy and Lucy,” Clark said, moving his glasses back up. He leaned in to hug her once more, then kissed her forehead. “Play nice. It doesn’t matter if she’s with Jimmy or not; what matters is that they are leaning on each other. They have each other, no matter what type of relationship it is. Be happy for them.”

Lois sighed, nodding her head. Clark was right. Both of them seemed happy, and Lucy was excelling at her new job. Lois had even checked in with her friend, Dr. Locklear, and heard Lucy had caught on quickly.

Walking out of the kitchen toward the front door, she walked out to the foyer and opened the door to greet her sister and Jimmy. They were wearing coordinated outfits. Jimmy was dressed in dark jeans and a gray button-down shirt, while Lucy had on a long gray floral skirt with a matching gray blouse.

“Great, you made it,” Lois said, opening the door. “I must admit I was worried.”

She heard her sister sigh and even noticed how Jimmy was holding her hand. “I told you I’d come,” Lucy replied, looking around the brownstone.

Suddenly, Lois remembered Lucy hadn’t seen her home she shared with Clark.

“You’ve been back in Metropolis a little over a month, and you haven’t been here yet. Do you want me to show you around?”

Lucy kept hold of Jimmy’s hand as he led her through the living room. Lois noticed how they stood so close to each other. She could even tell that Lucy was quiet. A few whispers between them.

“I know. Just breathe,” Jimmy mumbled to Lucy.

The way Lucy was clinging to Jimmy was something she hadn’t seen before.

“Do you guys want a glass of wine?” Lois asked, turning her head toward the kitchen. “I figured we could use one before Mother gets here.”

Lucy stilled instantly, glanced over to Jimmy, then shook her head. “No,” she said quickly. “I ca-.”

Jimmy cut her off. “We’re good, Lois. We’ll just have water with dinner.”

Abruptly, Lucy stilled and squinched up her nose.

“What’s that smell?” she asked, her face turning a shade of green.

Lucy covered her mouth and flinched. Jimmy didn’t hesitate and led her toward the bathroom beyond the dining room. Instead of dwelling on what was happening, Lois rushed into the kitchen.

“Clark, I need you to use your ‘super’ hearing on them,” she demanded, keeping her voice down.

His eyes went wide.

“No, Lois,” he said, his eye’s widening. “You know I can’t do that.”

She took a few steps closer to him. Putting her arms around his neck, her fingers slowly playing with the nape of his neck. “For me. I’ll make it up to you.”

“It’s an invasion of privacy,” he replied, putting his hands on her hips.

“I’ll do that thing with my tongue later if you do this for me,” she teased, licking her lips.

Smiling and pulling her closer. “We still have to talk to Dr. Klein about whether it’s possible.”

Interrupting their moment was the doorbell ringing. Lois sighed, put her head against Clark’s chest.

“Showtime,” she mumbled before turning away. Lois headed to the kitchen door, and before she pushed it, she turned to Clark. “Listen for them, please?”

Lois walked through the brownstone toward the front door. When she answered it, her mother came barreling in without Lois even welcoming her.

“Where is she?” Ellen asked, rushing past Lois.

Sam Lane stood in the doorway, fidgeting with his jacket. He kept shifting his weight side to side as he looked around Lois.

Lois welcomed her dad into the foyer and hugged him. “Hi, daddy.”

“Is she here?” he asked, looking Lois in the eyes.

She nods her head after pulling back. He walked past her toward Ellen.

Lois pulled back, and he walked past her, heading toward Ellen. Lois looked up when she heard Jimmy’s voice.

“We need to get confirmation and see how far along,” Jimmy stated.

Jimmy walked in from the dining room first, with Lucy following behind him. When he noticed Sam and Ellen Lane, he came to an abrupt stop.

“I’ll call Monday, and–,” Lucy cut herself off as she bumped into Jimmy’s back. With a frown, she looked up, her eyes darting first to Jimmy and then across the room to her father.

“Lucy,” Ellen said, taking several steps toward her youngest daughter.

Lois noticed the instant Lucy reached for Jimmy’s hand and moved beside him. Their shoulders touched as if he were holding her up, like he was her anchor.

“Dinner’s ready,” Clark stated, stepping into the room. He looked over at his wife with a slight smile and nodded his head.

Within a couple of minutes, the three couples were seated at the table. Small talk between them ensued, and Clark asked how Lucy liked her new job.

“New job?” Ellen asked. “Lois said something about a family practice. Is that right?”

Lucy took a sip of her water. She had declined coffee and even covered her mouth for a moment when she got a whiff of Lois’. Lois noticed. Lois noticed everything. She noticed how Lucy took small bites. Didn’t make eye contact with their dad.

After a few minutes, Ellen straightened up and asked. “How far along are you?”

Lucy dropped her fork, glanced over at Jimmy, then reached for his hand, which he took instantly.

Lois couldn’t believe it. It made sense now. The way Lucy turned green when the smell of Clark’s dinner hit the living room earlier. There had been a couple of moments when Lucy covered her stomach with her hand. Her little sister was pregnant.

Chapter Text

“What are you talking about?” Lucy asked, trying to gain some composure, her hands trembling slightly.

Jimmy didn’t let go of her, almost squeezed her tighter.

“I was a nurse long enough,” Ellen replied, putting her fork down slowly. “And I’ve been pregnant three times, I know the signs.”

Lucy and Lois both gasped at their mother’s admission.

“What?” Lucy questioned as her dad kept eating. He didn’t even seem shocked at the announcement.

Lucy pushed her chair back, her body becoming tense. So many lies between all of them. Even Clark sat there like he didn’t have a secret to keep.

Ellen sighed, peeked at Sam, and sat back in her chair.

“We never told you. Lois, you were too young to remember,” Ellen admitted, lowering her eyes.

Lucy shook her head. “Never too young to remember things,” Lucy stated before biting down on her lip.

Sam put his fork down, knowing it was time to tell his daughters the truth. “I know I made mistakes with the two of you.”

Lucy huffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest. It was more than that. He didn’t just make mistakes; he wasn’t even there to make mistakes. Around the age of seven, she stopped depending on the man showing up. Lucy didn’t get the luxury of having her dad around like Lois did. She remembered him being there for Lois’s sixteenth birthday and even her high school graduation. But Lucy never got that.. By the time she was sixteen, Lois was in college, their mother a full-fledged alcoholic, and their dad nowhere to be seen or heard of.

After Lois left for college, Lucy had resented her for a long time.

She'd still been a kid, really, with five years between them. In Lucy's young mind, it had seemed like her big sister couldn't wait to leave. Like she'd taken off at the first chance she got.

It had been so hard without her.

Lonely.

Lucy had made her own dinners at night, eating by herself in front of the TV, wishing she still had her sister to talk to. There had been no one to distract her from whatever her mother was spewing about that day.

Her whole life, it had always been the two of them. It was hard not to feel abandoned.

Still, Lucy had gotten a lot of perspective since then. She understood why Lois couldn't have stayed, couldn't have put her own life on hold just to keep her company. Lucy knew her sister had done the best she could, for as long as she could. And even after she left, she'd always been there for her, whenever she needed.

Lois had done the right thing, and Lucy knew it. Rationally anyway. Even though that old heartache sometimes still flared up inside her whenever they fought.

Lucy could feel her mother’s glare; even Lois had glanced over at her.

“It’s okay. I’m here. Use me,” Jimmy whispered, tilting his head, leaning closer, and putting his hand on her shoulder.

He was her rock these days. Just a touch from him made her feel grounded, like she could take on the world. When she unfolded her arms, she patted his hand that was on her shoulder.

“I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Lucy didn’t feel alone anymore. The rest of the people in the room disappeared when she looked at him. She could feel his strength. She wasn’t even aware that her parents and Lois and Clark were watching them intently.

Yet that didn’t stop Ellen Lane. This woman did things on her own time.

“When you were almost three years old, I had a miscarriage,” Ellen confessed, her eyes on Lois.

Suddenly, the little bubble of Jimmy and Lucy popped.

“It was a boy,” Sam responded, his voice breaking and shoulders dropping.

Lucy couldn’t believe it. “Is that why you weren’t there for me?” she asked her dad, looking over at him, her eyes wide. “I wasn’t him.”

“Lucy, sweetheart, it’s okay,” Jimmy murmured with ease. “Remember what I said. You’re enough.”

She caught a glimpse of Lois and Clark looking at each other. Was this what it was like with them at the beginning? The gentle touches, the soothing voices, and the affirmations. They were partners first, then friends, and best friends before dating. Lucy and Jimmy skipped a few steps.

Friends and roommates. And whatever this was between them now. They were more than roommates and friends. No, he was everything to her.

“You took it out on me,” Lucy muttered, looking over at her dad. “Losing your son.”

Everyone looked over at her then their eyes were on Sam Lane.

“No,” Ellen interrupted with a pained expression. “We both did.”

Shaking his head, Sam disagreed. “I think after the miscarriage, I felt such despair, and it had nothing to do with either of you girls.”

Lucy huffed again and pushed her chair back.

“That’s a bunch of bull,” she said, her eyes flaring wide. “I’m done here. Jimmy, please, can we go?”

Jimmy looked over at Clark, then at Lois. Lucy wondered if he felt like he had to ask permission. They weren’t his boss - just coworkers. “Jimmy.”

He hesitated briefly before pushing his chair back. Both of them headed out of the dining room, but before disappearing fully, she turned to them.

“Yes, I’m pregnant. And Jimmy and I will be better parents than either of you ever were,” Lucy said, her eyes locked on her parents.

***

He drove them home in his yellow Mustang. Jimmy kept glancing over at her, but she sat quietly fuming.

When she found out she was pregnant this morning, he promised her he would be there for every moment. There was no doubt that he wasn’t the father of this baby in a technical way. Yet, he would be the father this baby deserved.

“We didn’t talk about it,” Lucy muttered as they turned on their street. “Not officially, I mean.”

Reaching over, he squeezed her knee, then put his hand back on the steering wheel. “There’s nothing to say.”

The biological father couldn’t be in the picture. Jimmy recalled his disgust at what happened when Lucy told him the truth about how she fell into bed with Brett when she went back to the motel. He had said the right things at first, apologized, and even kissed her like it was the first time. In a way, he understood, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t jealous. Jealous of the man who swept Lucy off her feet. Instead of Lucy staying with Brett and trying again, Brett had something stupid, making her realize once again Brett was not the right man for her.

“If you don’t want to, I understand,” she said as he parallel parked near their apartment building. “I mean, I can always find somewhere else to live. I’d do it on my own. Doubt I could pull off college courses, work, and being pregnant. I’d make it work, though. Maybe just forget about going back to school.”

Shaking his head before turning off the engine, he turned toward her. “You’re not alone in this. I’ll be at every doctor’s appointment, ultrasound, and right there every step, if you’ll have me.”

Nodding her head, she smiled softly. Jimmy would be the father, and she would put his name on the birth certificate. No one would be the wiser as the two of them would keep this secret. James Bartholmew Olsen and Lucy Samantha Lane would be having a baby together.