Lois was in the kitchen busy skinning potatoes - music sounded from the living room where Jason was watching TV - when she felt a breeze and heard an excited squeal from Jason. Lois rushed to the living room to find Superman hovering by the window.

"Hi," Lois said, lost for words.

"Hello Lois, Jason. Am I disturbing?"

"N-No, no. Come in."

Superman floated through the open window, and Lois straightened her skirt, hoping her face wasn't as red as it felt.

"Nice of you to drop by."

Jason hopped around Superman in adoration - the TV completely forgotten - obviously full of questions but unable to decide which to ask first.

"It's been a while. How are you doing?"

"We're OK."

"Superman, do you think happy thoughts when you fly?"

Lois and Superman stared at the little boy.

"Jason, why are you asking that?"

Jason turned to his mother.

"Mr Clark read Peter Pan to me and he said that you can only fly when you think happy thoughts. If you don't, you fall. Did you ever fall, Superman?"

Lois shot a small smile at Superman.

"Yes, I fell not so very long ago, remember."

Jason's round face fell a little as he recalled that event.

"Mommy said you were very sick."

"I was."

"But you're better now, aren't you?"

"I'm fine now."

"Er - I probably should … - " Lois pointed to the kitchen. "I was preparing dinner."

"Oh, yeah. I'll talk with Jason."

"Do you … want to stay for dinner? I could make you something…"

“No, that’s alright. I just dropped in for a short visit.”

Lois nodded and moved back into the kitchen, wiping her sweaty hands on her blouse as she went. Why did Superman always cause her to act like a pathetic lovesick schoolgirl? Swooning, sweating, blushing and stammering.

Because he’s smoking hot!

Lois started peeling potatoes again, daydreaming about Superman’s perfectly shaped figure that she wanted to explore, the strong jaw line she wanted to trace with her fingers, the adorable mop of dark hair that she wanted to run her hands through and those impossible eyes… He really had very nice eyes.

Like Clark.

Lois lowered her knife for a moment. Where did that thought come from? True, Clark had nice eyes behind those ridiculous glasses of his, but that had nothing to do with Superman.

She took a few steps back to see how Jason and Superman were doing. They were sitting on the couch, talking. The big red cape lay draped over the seat. Just talking.

Well, what did you expect? Superman is not going to play horsy with him, only Clark does that.

Lois giggled quietly as she recalled the moment; Clark on his knees, a delighted Jason perched on his back. The poor man had been crawling around the table with one hand, preventing his glasses to fall from his nose with the other…

Lois smiled fondly. Good old Clark.

Would Superman be just as good with Jason as Clark? Jason was Superman’s son after all. What type of dad would Superman have been if everything were different? Would Superman take Jason to the park on Sunday, just to play ball? Would he carry Jason on his neck in the zoo, so Jason could see the giraffes better? Lois doubted it. That just didn’t seem like Superman.

Superman was there, clad in his blue suit. Terribly romantic, but always out of reach. It was the mysteriousness that made him so attractive, but it also made him distant. Like he always hovered an inch from her snatching fingers, and Lois was always nervous when he was around.

Lois laid down her knife.

It was that feeling of comfort and carelessness that she missed with Superman, and that she liked so much in Clark. But Clark lacked Superman’s thrill and excitement that made her knees go weak and made her want him to sweep her of her feet. Lois didn’t think there would be a man on this earth who had both.

There’s no such thing as a perfect partner, remember! Hell, not even Richard…

Lois clapped her hand for her mouth, her eyes wide.

Oh, my God. Richard! Here I am, comparing men, when Richard … - alright, these thoughts are stopping right now!

Lois forcibly pushed Clark and Superman out of her mind and returned to the job at hand. Potatoes. She didn’t look up again until the potatoes were almost ready and a soft knock on wood sounded.

Superman was leaning casually against the doorpost, smiling. Lois’ breath hitched.

“I’m going off, again.”

“Thank you for stopping by.”

“You asked me to drop in a little more often.”

Lois smiled.

“And you listened.”

“I always listen.”

“I know.”

Superman walked towards her and gently tucked a curly strand of hair behind her eyes. His eyes blazed with an emotion Lois couldn’t read, but she felt the tingle in the air and it made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

“Goodbye Lois.”

“Bye Superman.”