By Vanna (spinto@montreal.com.br)
Summary: A story that picks up from the series finale episode, "Family Hour," which offers an explanation of how a baby arrived mysteriously in Lois and Clark's house.
Author's note: I wrote this based on what Tim said on IRC after FH aired.
***
Martha, Jonathan, Sam and Ellen were stunned when they saw Lois holding the baby. Lois and Clark couldn't help but smile as their parents asked them about the infant. Those new parents were so happy that they even forgot to ask themselves about this baby's origin and who left him with them.
Although Lois and Clark were planning to have a baby they weren't counting that it would be so soon, so they haven't done any shopping yet. Clark thought about flying and finding somewhere in the world an open store but decided to spend the whole night with his baby and wife. "And we have the crib," he thought.
As all of them calmed down the unanswered questions started to annoy Lois' journalism instincts and Clark's as well. The baby got tired of all the attention and fell asleep in Lois' arms. Clark went upstairs and set up the crib in their bedroom next to their bed. A short time later Lois came with the baby and lay him on the crib and smiled at her husband.
Lois woke up several times at the night worried because the baby didn't cry. A gold ray of sunlight penetrated the window and met Clark's face. Without opening his eyes he rolled to his other side and rested his hands on his wife's waist. Lois turned to him and planted a soft kiss on his lips. With a low cry in the background the moment broke and, in a second, both of them were standing by the side of the crib. The baby opened his eyes and looked up at his father's face as Clark took him in his arms.
"He stopped," Clark said with a smile in his face.
"I'll go to the kitchen to prepare a bottle for him. I'll get back when it's ready, ok?" Clark was so entertained with his son that didn't answer his wife.
Lois entered in the kitchen to find her mother-in-law fixing breakfast for the six of them.
"Good morning honey."
"Good morning Martha."
"Did you sleep well? I heard something at night but I was so tired I didn't even get up."
"Yes, I was just worried. I always heard a thousand stories that babies wake you up at night and you don't sleep well that I was checking on him every half an hour and you know what? He didn't even whine. Is that normal?" Lois asked as she put the milk bottle in the pan.
"Oh honey, that's nothing to worry about. Some babies are just quiet, that's all."
"Wasn't he supposed to be hungry?"
"He ate well last night…"
Lois checked the temperature of the bottle on her wrist. Seeing it was fine she turned off the fire and took the bottle with her. When she got in the living room she found the little baby in her husband's arms.
"Here it is," she said breaking the silence
"Oh! Hi honey," Clark said as he kissed her.
Lois moved to sit by his side on the couch as Clark started to feed the baby. After a few moments of silence and admiration Lois said:
"Clark, was there a name in that letter when we found him?"
"No. Thinking about names huh?"
"Well we never talked about this before. I always liked Jonathan, Kyle, Collin, Sean … How about you?"
"Umm let me think … Charles, Nicolas, Alexander, Michael … You don't like them that much do you?" he asked as he saw the expression on her face.
"We could take one that I like and one that you like or we could try to find one in common."
"Ok, you choose yours and I choose mine," Lois said.
"Lois, those names doesn't go with each other."
"What you mean?"
"Jonathan Charles, I don't think so."
"Bad huh? So … why don't we both pick one and decide on the other?"
"Because it's not gonna work?"
Lois reached to the coffee table and took some paper and started to write all the names down.
"What are you doing?"
"We're gonna raffle two names and then we out it in order."
"I pick first."
"Nicolas."
"And mine is … Collin. Nicolas Collin or Collin Nicolas?"
"Umm why don't we try again"
"Ok. Me first this time. Charles."
"Ummm.. Kyle."
They looked at each other not sure if they liked those names. Their look broke when they heard Martha coming out of the kitchen to call them for breakfast.
"Mom, we need your help here."
"Yes honey."
"Charles Kyle or Kyle Charles."
"If I can only choose between those two I say Kyle Charles."
"Thanks that's what I was thinking," Lois said.
By this time Kyle was already asleep in Clark's arms. Without waking him up, Clark went to their bedroom and put him in his crib.
When he got in the kitchen his parents had already eaten and Sam wasn't up yet. He took a plate and when he was going to sit the phone rang.
"I'll get that son," Jonathan said as he made his way out of the kitchen.
"Hello. Hi Perry. Yes one moment please. Lois or Clark, it's Perry on the phone," he said briefly opening the door.
"Oh I completely forgot to call him," Lois said as he ran out of the kitchen.
"Hi Perry. I was going to call. I'm sorry."
"What happened? Do you and Clark have any intentions to come to work today."
"To be honest we don't."
"What?"
"Let me explain …"
After telling him about all that happened in the previous day she hung up. She completely forgot about the "where did the baby came from?" question until Perry asked her. Now Lois Lane, the investigative reporter was back.
She sat on the couch and started to think. The more she thought she gave to it the more confused she was getting. The person who left this baby with them obviously knew that Clark is Superman but as far as she knew only she and Clark's parents knew. So who would have left the baby there? Lois thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Clark coming from the kitchen.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked as he sat on the couch in front of her.
"Kyle."
"What about him?"
"Clark, we still don't know where he came from or who left him here. He was covered by a blanket with Superman's shield. It was probably someone who knows that you are Sup…" Lois stopped as she heard her father getting in the room.
"Good morning Lois. Good Morning Clark."
"Morning dad."
"Good morning Mr. Lane"
Lois waited 'till he entered in the kitchen to finish. "Clark, I'm so lost in this whole thing that I don't even know where to start."
"I know, there isn't much to look for."
It was early evening and none of them had found a clue. Tired of thinking and getting nowhere, Lois went to have a nice and relaxing hot shower as Clark waited for his turn watching TV with Sam and Jonathan in the living room.
Martha and Ellen were setting the table for dinner when the door bell rang. Clark got up and opened the door to welcome Perry and Jimmy. Clark told them to get in and led them to the couch.
Less then five minutes later Lois came from upstairs wearing shorts, a T-shirt and a towel on her head. Without even greeting the visitors she excused herself and went back to the bedroom to finish getting ready. Clark smiled to himself when his wife left.
"Excuse me but it's my turn in the shower," he said as he got up and went upstairs.
Perry and Jimmy went to Lois and Clark's bedroom to see Kyle. As if knowing there were people to see him the little boy woke up to greet his new friends. Perry was so exited as if his own grandson were born and Jimmy looked like a proud uncle. They seemed not to know enough compliments for the baby.
When they went home Lois decided to give her mother and Martha a break and offered to clean the dinner table. Clark went to clean the living room. After cleaning everything they both sat on the couch and Clark out his arms around his wife. Minutes later Clark got up and went to the other room without saying a word. Lois followed him and asked:
"What are you looking for?"
"You know honey, we thought about every possible and impossible thing that might have brought Kyle here but we never looked for material clues."
"And that would be..?"
"I don't know, a card, digitals, hair wire or… this." Clark said showing her a rock. A gold rock.
"It is gold" Lois said "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"HG Wells?"
"Or Tempus."
"But why would Tempus bring us a child. It doesn't make any sense."
"You are right, he had no motive to do that. But it wasn't Mr. Wells either," said an unknown third voice that came from a dark side of the room. The twenty-something years old figured moved to the light so Lois and Clark could see that he was … not familiar.
"Who are you?" Lois asked
"Thanks to you my name is Kyle Charles. I'm not complaining but I think you could have picked up something nicer."
"But how?" Clark asked as confused as Lois.
"Time travel. Why don't we sit down, we have a lot to talk about." he pointed to the couch next to them.
"I'll try to explain this briefly. I'm your great, great, great grandson." After a moment of silence he continued. "Is this silence a hint for me to continue? … A man called Samuel J Mazik had a diary written by Tempus that passed in his family generation through generation. You might know about this diary, there we can find every historical facts and event until 22nd century and we can also find Superman's secret identity. Tempus mentioned that the future would be utopic and this utopia would be created by Superman's descendants. All Superman's descendants try to pass to the next generation the concepts of right and wrong, that's what my parents intended to teach me but Samuel kidnapped me and raised me to be a criminal as powerful as him. I don't know what happened with my parents, they were probably killed and I grew up as the best criminal in town. I don't think I have to say that there isn't a utopia anymore."
"So you are saying you are a criminal?" Lois asked.
"I was one 'till last week when I was waiting for a friend of mine in an alley and Mr. HG Wells showed up. He told me all about time travel, Tempus and about the world that didn't exist anymore. I even took all this time to realize how Mazik had ruined my life and other people as well so I took the machine and kidnapped me. I left me in a much safer place 'till I solved everything."
"How did this Mazik guy get the diary? I remember burning it?" Clark asked.
"It seems that Jason's brother had access to the diary before him and instead of putting up a fight with his brother he made a copy of it and used Tempus' information to make some money here and there and passed it to his son. He was much more intelligent than his brother."
"I don't want to be rude but how will we know that you are who you are saying you are?" Lois asked skeptically.
"That's the part I can say I'm lucky" the boy said as he tugged his shirt from his pants 'till his chest and pointed to the mark on the right side of his navel. "See this? It's a birthmark, haven't you ever noticed this on Kyle?"
Clark looked at Lois and said, "Yes, we have."
"So, it's safer for you to get you to your proper time already?" Lois asked.
"No, not yet. I'll get back to the future and catch Samuel when he goes to kidnap me and put him on jail. Then I'll come back here and take me to my parents. I just wanted to let you guys know what was going on, I know you are great investigative reporters and I didn't want you to think you were losing your edge," he said with a grin.
Kyle started to look around as if he knew something was about to happen.
"You didn't tell Wells you were doing this, did you?" Lois asked.
"You got me!"
"I'm afraid I have," said HG as he slowly exited the time machine.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Wells, but I just had to do this."
"Lois, Clark," Wells greeted them gently motioning his hat. "It is fine. I'm proud of you young man."
"Thanks. I'm glad you are here because I don't have fuel to come back, that's why I'm here since yesterday."
"Here," Wells said as he handed Kyle some gold rocks. "The sooner we go the better."
"I'll see you guys soon," Kyle said as he went out the house.
"This was the most strange 24 hours I ever had," Clark said trying to get a smile out of his wife but seeing how unsuccessful he was he asked: "What's wrong, honey?"
"Nothing. I just wanted to be able to spend more time with him, that's all."
"Me too but if he is our great, great, great, great grandson …"
"Great, great, great grandson."
"What?"
"He is our great, great, great grandson not our great, great, great, great grandson."
"Whatever that's not the point. If he is that it means that we will, sooner or later, in a way or another, have a baby of our own. Does it help?"
"A little but I'll still miss him."
"I know."
They headed to their bedroom. After this, all they wanted was to get in bed and have a nice long sleep. When they put their feet in the bedroom Kyle started whining.
"I'll get the bottle," Lois said making her way to the door but Clark held her arm. "I'll go, you went this morning, remember."
Lois walked to the crib and took Kyle in her arms to lay him on her bed. She leaned over him so if he rolled he wouldn't fall. Short minutes later Clark handed her the warm bottle of milk. Before feeding him, Lois tested the temperature in her wrist. Before even finishing the bottle, Kyle fell asleep in Lois' arms and she gently placed him on his crib.
Ellen and Sam had already gone. A week had passed and there was no sign of old Kyle. One part of her was happy to spend more time with the baby than she thought she would but the other part told her that she wouldn't miss him as much as his mother is missing him right now. At least she gained experience, now she could even put a diaper in its right place. Lois and Clark told Martha and Jon the whole story and asked them to stay 'till everything was solved.
Although they were very happy with the baby, the couple seemed not to be able to stay away from work so Perry gave them homework. It wasn't the hottest assignment but at least it was something. It was around 10 p.m. when they heard a familiar sound of a time machine. Soon they saw Kyle who sat in the couch next to them.
"Is everything ok?" Clark asked
"Yes. My parents are safe and I didn't had to put Samuel in jail. I called the police when I had the necessary proofs of his crimes and when we got to him he ran instead of coming with us. He was executed by the police officers."
"So are you both getting to your own time, huh?" Lois asked.
"Yes" he responded with his head down.
After a moment of silence Kyle said. "So may I get Kyle? As soon as I get him back into his time I'll be able to see all those things HG told me about."
"Yeah, come with me." Clark said and Kyle and Lois followed him up stairs 'till their bedroom where Martha and Jonathan were watching him.
"Mom, Dad. This is Kyle. Kyle this is your great, great, great, great grandson." Clark said. "I got that right, didn't I?" Clark whispered to Lois.
"Yes."
After about ten minutes of good-byes Kyle took the baby in his arms and headed to the machine. In one second he was gone.
"That's was harder than I thought," Clark said to himself.
Lois and Clark didn't fall asleep soon. Although they were tired not only because of today's event but because of the big change their lives suffered in only one week.
After a week their lives had got back on track, they went back to work and managed to tell Perry a half true story of Kyle. Superman was out there saving lives as always, everything was normal again except that Lois seemed not to have recovered from the previous week's events. She couldn't wake up as early as she did and she went to bed earlier than she was used to. Clark had told her to go to the doctor but she claimed that too many things happened in a too short period of time and all she needed was a whole weekend in bed, *sleeping*.
Finally Friday came. Lois would never admit it to Clark but if they hadn't the weekend off she would probably die. When Clark opened the door all Lois could do was throw herself on the couch. Clark locked the door and walked to the couch where Lois was lying and when he got there he was surprised by an asleep Lois. He gently took her in his arms and carried her to their bedroom. He had no hopes that she would wake up anytime soon so he undressed and covered her with a blanket.
The alarm clock was set for 9 a.m. but Clark woke up before it sounded. Looking at his wife and seeing how asleep she was he decided not to wake her up, he gently moved himself out of the bed without waking her. Clark went to the kitchen and started fixing breakfast, he knew Lois would wake up and this way he wouldn't feel guilty. As the breakfast was ready he could hear Lois' steps heading to the kitchen. Clark was setting the table when Lois came from behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed his neck.
"Mmmm … good morning" she said.
"Morning" he said as he turned around to kiss her.
"Did you sleep well?" He asked as he went to get another plate.
"Yes. I'm sorry I fell asleep so early."
"That's ok. You need to rest, you spent the whole week yawning around the newsroom. You know I still think there's something wrong with you."
When Clark turned around Lois was already yawning and closing her eyes.
"Honey, are you hearing me."
"Yes, sure."
Clark decided not to plan anything tiring for this afternoon. They just stayed home watching some videos. The only time they left the house was to have lunch. When the evening came they ordered a pizza to go with Mel Gibson's Ransom. The movie ended by 9:30 and Clark suggested to call it a night.
Clark was already in bed when Lois came from her night shower. She pulled out her robe and slipped under the cover and snuggled in Clark's chest.
"Are you feeling better, honey?"
"Yeah I guess doing nothing all day was good to me. At least I don't feel as tired as I felt yesterday. I really don't know what's happening to me you know it's not like me to…"
"Shhh"
"What's..?"
Clark put a finger in her lips to keep her from talking.
"I can't believe this!"
"You can't believe wh..?"
"Shhh"
"Clark no you are starting to annoy me. Now tell me what are you hearing!"
"A heartbeat."
"So?"
"A really low heartbeat in the same rhythm as yours." He said with a grin on his face.
"Are you serious?!"
"Just one moment … Yeah I am."
Clark moved his hands to his wife's belly and started to gently rub it. Then his hands moved as he pushed her closer in his embrace. When their lips were just inches apart he whispered "I love you" to her and between kisses she whispered the same words back to him.
THE END