by
© 5-Dec-09
Rating: K
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
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A/N: This was written for a blind writing challenge. The idea was that no one would know who the authors were until the very end. So although this fic takes place in my Revelations-verse many details are vague to avoid people figuring out too easily it was my fic and also to avoid spoilers- although this may become AU in the future.
Sometimes Richard would come home early and imagine nothing had changed.
He could sit on the couch and pretend that any moment now Jason would run downstairs to welcome his Daddy home. That just before dinner Lois would open the door and begin complaining about the latest corrupt politician or the lack of a decent coffee just before deadline.
Then the night would wear on and reality became harder to ignore. The reality of the truly empty house and the startlingly harsh reality of the unanswered wedding invitation on the coffee table.
He leaves the country on their wedding day. He tells himself he was planning to go but the timing to start his new job was unfortunate. As the plane takes off he imagines it's true.
As he settles in his new apartment and tries to wrap his tongue around the local language he imagines Lois coming to her senses and calling him up. Realising Clark wasn't right for her after all.
At least that's one dream Richard knows won't come true. Although he doesn't think he'll ever understand what she sees in Clark 'the klutz' Kent of all people even he couldn't deny how much they loved each other.
His dreams change after he meets his future wife. Not by much to be honest, he still wants that happy future with kids and a family that doesn't get ripped apart by bumbling ex-boyfriends in glasses coming home from world trips, but the woman he wants in it is different and after he proposes he wonders how he could have imagined anyone else but her.
Richard still flies back to America on his son's birthdays and at Christmas and Jason visits at least twice a year but it's not the same as it used to be. Jason isn't his anymore, he's Clark's son and Richard just borrows him.
When he gets married Lois and Clark accept his invite. He supposes it's different to go to your ex-fiancé's wedding when you're already happily married yourself. Their little daughter plays bridesmaid while Jason's the ring-bearer.
As Lois and Clark continue to add to their family Richard imagines that one day the phone will ring and Jason will be on the other end apologizing about how he can't come out this time because life's just so much better over there. He probably wouldn't say it in those words, Clark's raised him too well, but he'd still mean it.
But as the years go on the only calls Richard gets from Jason are joyful ones. He's top of his class, he's got a great new job, he's meet a girl. His visits, far from slowing down, become more regular. Richard is always so happy to see him he doesn't ask how he can afford the plane tickets.
It's a while before he finds out Jason never travelled once on a plane to come visit him.
Finally one of Richard's dreams becomes reality when has a son he can call his and only his. When Jason comes over and asks to meet his new brother Richard's day dreams of Clark being revealed as a jerk vanish completely. He can't help but admit that if he had to lose his son to anyone he was glad it was Clark.
Richard knows the truth by the time he gets one of the most urgent calls Jason's ever made. His niece comes to pick him up and he's at the hospital in minutes as opposed to the hours it usually took.
Clark meets him in the waiting room and Richard wonders how he ever hated the man. All his dreams of the tall farm boy getting tragically killed by tripping over the side of a building seem incredibly childish and downright nasty now.
Jason's terrified and it takes both Clark and Richard to calm him down. When the time finally comes Jason disappears into his wife's room. Clark ducks out to do his other job and for a brief second Richard can pretend it's just him, like it used to be before Superman returned.
Funny how if everything had turned out the way he wanted back then, his life wouldn't be half as great as it is now.
A few hours later in the nursery, Clark holds Michael and Richard holds Matthew. Twins. It's almost as if they knew that, even with one grandfather gone, there'd still have to be enough for two.
Michael wakes up and waves his arms cheerfully up at Clark who grins back while Matthew remains asleep in Richard's arms.
When Jason was little Richard used to imagine that when he got the call he was going to be a grandfather it would be for him and only him.
He hasn't thought like that in a long time.
And as his grandsons open their startlingly blue eyes and look up at their grandfathers Richard knows this is a thousand times better than he could have imagined.
Because this time it isn't a dream.
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