Forever and All Eternity I: Fate by Laura Davies Rated: PG-13 Submitted: November 2002 Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me. I'm just playing with them for a while. Any resemblance to any other work of fiction is strictly coincidental. Authors note: This is a re-write of the New Krypton arc, so my thanks goes out to the writers of the original New Krypton Arc. I also need to thank all of the beta readers who assisted in this project: Erin, Tricia, Helen, Avia, Breanna, Doug, Wanda, Jenni, Mary, and Missy as well as all of the readers on Zoom's message boards. I also need to thank the regulars on #lanekent and #loisclark... Without ya'll this story would have never been begun, let alone finished. This is Book I, so I'm afraid you'll have to read Book II to get the ending. All Feedback welcome. **** Clark woke to the sound of his small son sobbing. Beside him, Lois stirred slightly, beginning to wake up. "I'll get him, honey," he said softly, "go back to sleep." Clark climbed out of bed and hurried into the child's room. "Joseph, sweetie, what's the matter?" He asked as he picked his son up out of the crib. "Mon'ter, Daddy!" the little boy sobbed. "Shhh," Clark said soothingly, "Daddy's here." He patted Joseph on the back. Slowly the boy's sobs subsided as he fell asleep in his father's warm encircling arms. Clark gently laid his son down in the crib. Just as he began to leave, Joseph's eyes opened. "No go, Daddy," he demanded. "Daddy 'tay wiv Jo'eph." Clark sighed a bit as he regarded his two-year-old. He scooped up the child and headed back to the master bedroom. He knew that the experts advised against having children sleep with their parents, but he was simply too tired after yesterday's hurricane in Hawaii to deal with this right now. He supposed that he could get Lois, but at four and a half months pregnant, she needed the sleep more than he did. He laid the child down on the bed and slid under the covers, making sure to cover his son up with a blanket. "Tank you, Daddy," Joseph said sleepily as his thumb found its way to his mouth and slipped off into dreamland. Clark smiled as he softly kissed Joseph on the top of his head and closed his eyes. He was glad Kiley hadn't been woken up by Joseph's sobs; at four she was likely to protest and wake her mother. He glanced through the wall to check on her; just in case. She was sleeping peacefully, almost the spitting image of her mother at the same age. Clark closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep; all was right with the world. **** Lois cracked open her eyes as the alarm sounded. She sleepily reached out a hand and smacked the button; turning off the alarm. Her other hand flopped over the other side of the bed; searching for Clark. As her hand encountered empty air rather than her husband's solid form, she frowned; it had been a long time since she had woken up alone. Carefully, she used her arms to lever herself up in bed, only then noticing the form of her small son curled up beside her. She smiled tenderly as she smoothed back the rumpled crown of fine dark hair that covered the small head. Lois dropped a soft kiss on her baby's head; he was the spitting image of Clark at the same age, but he had more of her personality. She gently picked the child up and held him in her lap. "Wake up, sweetheart," she said softly. Joseph opened one sleepy chocolate brown eye and grinned. "Hi Mommy," he said as he threw his little arms around her for a hug. Joseph kissed Lois's tummy, "Hi baby!" He looked around the room. "Where Daddy Kiley?" he asked. Without waiting for an answer, he slid off of Lois's lap and announced, "I find Daddy Kiley." Joseph made a beeline for the door and ran straight toward his sister's room. "Kiley," his little voice called, "wake up!" Joseph barreled into the room and looked around for his big sister. A wide, happy grin spread over his little face. "Daddy!" Joseph yelled as he ran forward and wrapped himself around Clark's leg. Clark gave the ponytail holder one more twist to secure the end of Kiley's braid before gently disengaging Joseph's arms from around his leg and scooping up his son for a good morning hug. "Lois?" he called softly, "Are you awake?" Lois, who had followed Joseph, albeit a little slower, walked into the room. Kiley bounced up to her and exclaimed, "Mommy, Daddy braided my hair!" Lois looked at her daughter and chuckled. "Sweetie, he only got half done," she said with a smile, noting her daughter's hair. Clark had parted it down the middle and begun to braid it in twin pigtails, but he had only succeeded in finishing one braid before Joseph had interrupted. "Kiley, I'll finish fixing your hair." Lois sat down on Kiley's bed and picked up the brush. "Come here please," Lois said. Kiley came over and stood where Lois could reach her long dark brown curls. As Lois began to brush and braid their daughter's hair, Clark walked over and planted a loving kiss on her lips. "I'll get Joseph dressed and make breakfast," he said with a heart-melting smile. Lois nodded, dropped a kiss on the top of Kiley's head. Kiley jumped up and down excitedly, "I want Emily to see my braids. Are we going to the park today Mommy? I want to play in the sandbox and swing on the swings with Emily. We're going to climb trees and play princesses in the tower." "Of course we are punkin'," Lois said as her daughter hugged her enthusiastically. Lois reached the end of the braid and twisted a ponytail holder around it to hold the hair in place. "There you go Kiley," Lois said with a smile. "I'll meet you downstairs ok?" "Okay, Mommy!" Kiley exclaimed and bounced out of the room. Lois smiled as she watched Kiley's enthusiasm. If anyone had told her ten years ago what she'd be doing now, she would have insisted on finding them a straightjacket. Lois went into the master bedroom and began hunting for some clothes that still fit. It was a chilly late September day outside, so she settled on one of Clark's old flannel shirts and a pair of maternity jeans. Lois slipped on socks and shoes and headed downstairs toward the sound of dishes clattering in the kitchen. Kiley and Joseph were sitting at the table, slightly sticky with the syrup from the pancakes that Clark had fixed them. She walked over to Clark, put her arms around his waist, and lifted her face for a kiss. His face had brightened when she entered the room; he smiled down at her softly before brushing his lips across hers in a gentle caress. "Morning sweetheart," he said, joy lighting up his features. His hand caressed her gravid belly as he leaned down and whispered, "Good morning, baby Kent." He ushered her over to the table, setting a plate full of pancakes in front of her. He grabbed Joseph right before the mischievous little boy grabbed his sister's braids with his syrup-covered hands and hauled him away to wash. A few minutes later, Lois led Kiley into the bathroom and supervised the removal of syrup from her hands, arms, and face. As Clark cleaned the kitchen, Lois got the kids into their coats. Soon they were on their way to the park. Lois and Clark sat together on a bench by the playground and watched their children play in the sandbox. It was a rare occasion that they got to spend the whole day together like this without interference from the outside world. When Lois had gotten pregnant with Kiley, Clark had cut back his Superman activities so he could be there for his child. Together they had decided that their family came first; the rest of the world could wait. **** Lois and Clark walked past the cappuccino stand, where a man dressed in jeans and a leather jacket sat reading a paper, and through the Daily Planet lobby. They headed toward the Planet's daycare center and the elevator. Clark carried Joseph on one hip, occasionally tickling his ribs so that his small son would laugh and remove his thumb from his mouth. "So," Lois said smiling widely, "your mom has promised to baby-sit; what do you want to do for our Anniversary next week?" Clark leaned over and whispered something in her ear. Lois giggled and swatted him gently on the chest. "You're insatiable, Mr. Kent," she said with a broad smile. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the tip of his nose. Joseph chose that moment to hold out his arms to her. "Up Mommy," he said, wearing one of Clark's patented smiles. Lois took Joseph from Clark and kissed him on the cheek. "I love you Mommy," Joseph proclaimed as he threw his arms around her neck and kissed her. Lois smiled tenderly at her little boy as they resumed walking. Far too soon they were at the entrance of the Planet's daycare center. Joseph made his usual Monday morning protest at leaving his parents' side; he started screaming. "Want Mommy! Want Daddy!" he yelled over and over before beginning to whine. Clark glanced through the wall to make sure that Joseph was okay. Anne, one of the daycare employees, was holding him. Clark put his arm around Lois's waist as they walked over to the elevators. This was always the worst part of Mondays for them; they both hated to see their little ones cry, but they knew that Joseph would settle down soon enough. **** Sarah walked into the elevator, double-checking the armload of files as she did so. Satisfied that she held the correct files for Lois's and Clark's story on the proposed Hobbs Bay Revitalization Project, she pressed the button to take her up to the newsroom. Sarah grimaced to herself; if she were to claim what was rightfully hers, a long battle lay ahead. She hadn't worked at the Planet for very long, but being near and not able to touch him was exquisite torture. She considered herself lucky to belong to such a handsome man; even though he still remained ignorant of the fact. The elevator dinged and she walked out, searching for the husband and wife duo. Finally she saw them in front of her. Her guts twisted in envy as she watched Clark Kent turn his wife's hand over and drop a soft kiss in the center of it. She carefully schooled her face to not reveal this emotion and walked briskly toward them. She walked quietly up to Clark and glanced at him shyly through her long eyelashes before turning to Lois. "Here's the research you wanted on the Hobbs Bay Revitalization Project," she said quietly. "Really?" Lois questioned, "that was fast, I only asked for it yesterday!" "I, uh, stayed late," Sarah answered. "For that, you deserve a donut," Clark said, one of his patented 100 mega-watt smiles gracing his face. Sarah looked up at Clark refusal evident in her face. It only took a few seconds of looking at his brilliant smile before she answered, "well... um, okay," changing her mind. Clark reached over and snatched a donut from Jimmy's nearly empty box as he passed by. Just as Clark was about to hand the donut over to Sarah, Jimmy spoke up. "Not the banana cream! The Chief'll kill me!" he exclaimed. Clark dropped the donut back in the box and licked his sticky fingers as Jimmy looked at Sarah and froze. , he thought, looking her up and down. "Here," he said, "take mine." Jimmy pulled another donut out of the box and handed it to Sarah. "*Jimmy*," came the bellow from Perry who was on the other side of the newsroom. "Coming Chief," Jimmy said with a sigh. He turned to Lois, Clark, and Sarah and said, "I've gotta fly!" and ran off in the direction of Perry's office. Lois watched Jimmy disappear with an indulgent smile on her face. He'd come a long way from the gopher and copy boy that he used to be. After all, Jimmy was now an award- winning photographer and was shaping up to be a darn good reporter. His relationship with Perry had also changed somewhat. His errand-running days were mostly behind him; but, he still occasionally ran a few errands for the Chief. He was still a sucker for a pretty face; however, since Lucy had moved back to Metropolis he had taken to haunting her doorstep. Lois was waiting for their engagement to be announced at any time now. Jimmy had been a surrogate uncle to Kiley and Joseph and the way things were working out between him and Lucy, soon his relationship with them would be official. She really wouldn't mind having Jimmy for a brother-in-law, she reflected. He had been like a younger brother to her and Clark for quite some time now anyway. Lois smiled as she began to pull herself back to reality. She reached out and took Clark's hand in her own before focusing on what Sarah was saying. Sarah took a deep breath, trying to come up with the courage to speak to the incredibly handsome man in front of her. "Um, I know I'm sort of new here," she began, "I mean, not that new, I have been here for a month, but... do you two ever take story ideas from somebody else?" Lois smiled at the nervous girl encouragingly. From her demeanor, it was obvious that she was nervous about something; Lois chalked it up to being scared about her boldness in suggesting such a thing. "If it's a good idea," Lois answered. "Well, I was thinking; there's always so much bad news," Sarah began, "what if you did a series on people who make personal sacrifices for the good of society? Like astronauts..." "Or medical missionaries..." Clark chimed in. "Or Superman?" Lois said. "Exactly!" Sarah exclaimed. "What drives him... or people like him?" Clark looked as if he were going to reply to this remark. However, before he got the chance to open his mouth, Perry rushed out of his office. "Turn up those things *now*!" Perry yelled. Ray, the newest copy boy, ran over to the televisions and hurriedly turned up the volume. "The broadcast about the dedication of the brand new underwater research center, the Athena," Perry reminded as the entire newsroom turned towards the monitors. "It's not only the first of its kind, it's the first such research center to allow the scientists to bring their children with them." As the news anchor on the screen up in the newsroom droned on about the Athena's technological advances, the families, and the scientists aboard her, the man sitting at the cappuccino stand pulled a small black device out of the pocket of his leather jacket. The device itself wasn't much to look at, but its design somehow conveyed menace and fear. The man fiddled with it for a few moments as he listened to the announcer's voice on a nearby radio. As the researchers began to use the opportunity to say hello to the world, the man pushed a small, circular button on the device. He smiled; convinced it would work. **** The propellers on the underwater research center Athena came suddenly to life, forcing the once stable research center into motion toward the Mariana Trench. Inside the research station, the scientists and their families fell to the deck, unprepared for the sudden movement of their temporary home. Each one found something to hold on to and prayed to survive the experience. **** In the newsroom of the Daily Planet, the staff watched in horror as the Athena moved inexorably in a course toward the deepest pit on Earth. The anchor on LNN had just announced the problem when Clark quietly excused himself, saying that he would contact his sources in the Navy, and left in the direction of the stairwell, loosening his tie as he ran. Perry began to order his reporters to get information for the story; desperately trying to insure that the Planet would not be scooped. Sarah watched Clark go, a small smile adorning her face, before turning to face the monitors to watch the drama unfold. Clark flew up the stairwell of the Daily Planet while spinning into the supersuit. At superspeed, he dived for the Athena, grabbed it, and began to pull backwards. Every muscle in his powerful body strained as he struggled to prevent the Athena's disastrous dive into the Mariana Trench. For what seemed like an eternity, Superman was losing his battle with gravity. Every molecule of his being struggled to stop the disastrous descent of the research center. The lives of the scientists and their families were at stake, for the Athena simply didn't have the hull strength to stop the tremendous pressure of the Earth's internal gravity from crushing them to death. Slowly, ever so slowly, the research station began to respond. At first its response was infinitesimal. It crept out of its seemingly unintentional course and, with Superman's help, began to regain its former position. Finally the Athena's propellers cut off, letting the research station resume its position anchored to the ocean floor. The people aboard released their death grip on the makeshift handles inside the submerged facility and gingerly made their way to the nearest porthole. They waved their thanks to the drenched superhero and resumed their work. Superman waved at them before flying tiredly back up to the surface. He flew toward Metropolis, flexing his aching muscles as he gratefully let the warm sun play over them. The sun had done its job of partially re-energizing his exhausted body before he reached the roof of the Daily Planet. Summoning one last ounce of speed, he spun himself dry and into his 'Clark clothes'; his movements too fast for the human eye to see and walked slowly down the stairs. He dragged himself into the newsroom, his face screwed up in a puzzled expression. "Did I miss anything?" Clark asked Lois doing his best to seem ignorant of the Superman rescue that had just occurred for the benefit of anyone who happened to be watching. Lois stood up when Clark entered the room, joy lighting up her face; he had saved the oceanographers and come back to her undamaged. Her eyes caught his, wordlessly telling him how proud she was of him and of her relief that he was unscathed. She wanted to kiss him right there to assure herself that despite the recent adventure, he really was still with her. "Superman saved the research station," she replied instead, knowing that kissing him senseless in the newsroom when a big story was breaking might not be a good idea. Jimmy looked at Clark, the awe he felt from what Superman had done still evident on his face. "Man, he was like a fly on the windshield except this time the fly stopped the car! Look at the pictures on LNN! I mean, his handprints are on the body of the Athena! Whammo!" Jimmy gaped at the handprints that were still visible on LNN's broadcast. He was astonished that one man could fight gravity over such a heavy object and still manage to return victorious. Perry stood up, walked over to Lois and Clark, and started issuing commands. "Lois, Clark, I want everything we've got on this story pronto. I want to know why a multi- billion dollar research center tried to re-enact the sinking of the Krusk." Perry turned to look at Sarah and Jimmy. Sarah was standing nearby, simply staring at Clark as Jimmy continued to watch the television screens. "Hey, what is this, a rock garden?" Perry asked as he clapped his hands together twice. Jimmy muttered something about having to load some film and hurried off. Sarah, however, stayed a little bit longer. She looked at Clark longingly before bidding him goodbye and going off to her corner where unfinished work stood in slightly unsteady piles. Perry winked at his favorite reporting team and strode off to his office, whistling as he went. Now that no eyes seemed to be trained in his direction; Clark slumped forward, catching himself on Lois's desk. "Are you okay?" Lois asked quietly while surreptitiously checking Clark for hidden damage. Intellectually, she knew he couldn't be hurt. However, when he took care of an incident of that magnitude, her head and her heart often didn't agree. Clark rotated a shoulder and stretched out his cramping back muscles before replying. "That was the toughest thing I've ever done," he said softly, "I almost didn't stop it." Lois reached over and gently brushed away the lock of hair that was forever falling forward onto his forehead. "But you did," she said softly, "And that's the important thing. So... Star Labs?" Clark pushed himself off of her desk. "Absolutely," he said, "And we can check on Joseph on the way." Lois and Clark turned around to leave. To their great surprise, they ran smack into Sarah. Sarah glanced up at Clark from under long, silken lashes. "Hi. I just wanted to, um, say that if you need any research for your story, let me know." Sarah shot one more wistful glance at Clark before hurrying back to her corner. As Sarah began to busily rearrange her piles of waiting work, Lois turned to look at Clark and slipped her hand in his. "I think someone has a bit of a crush on someone," she said teasingly as they walked toward the elevator. "But I'm a married man," Clark said with a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "All the more tempting," Lois said as she playfully butted him with her hip. "Someone else isn't jealous are they?" Clark looked at Lois with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Not in the least," Lois said as Clark pressed the elevator call button. "Because," she said huskily, "You are irrevocably *mine*." The elevator arrived just as she finished that statement. Lois and Clark stepped inside. As Clark reached over to press the call button, Lois slipped her arms around his neck and pulled his head closer. She captured his lips in a passionate kiss. After a few moments, they pulled apart, breathing heavily. "Staking your claim, Ms. Lane?" Clark asked teasingly. "You better believe it, flyboy," Lois answered with a happy smile as she leaned forward and kissed him again. Lois slipped her hand into Clark's as the elevator continued in its downward path. Together, they walked out of the elevator on the ground floor and over to the Planet's daycare facility. Clark smiled as he remembered Lois's fight to get the facility in operation when her pregnancy with Kiley had been discovered. It had been operating for almost five years now, and the Planet employees who had children were thankful that it was. The facility had a picture window near its entrance that allowed parents to check on their children. Lois and Clark crept slowly up to the window and peeked in. Joseph was playing happily with the trucks that lay scattered around him. Clark smiled as he watched his son scoot a truck around the floor, making 'vroom, vroom' sounds in lieu of engine noise. Lois leaned over and kissed Clark on the cheek gently. "He's fine," she said, "let's get over to Star Labs" As Clark nodded his agreement, they slipped away from the window and headed to the parking garage to retrieve the Jeep. **** As Dr. Klein began to explain the specifics of the malfunction aboard the Athena, Lois took the opportunity to look around the lab. It wasn't often that the two of them came to Star Labs; after her first pregnancy, there simply hadn't been much of a reason for it. When she had gotten pregnant with Kiley, the first order of business had been to inform Dr. Klein. After all, he was the closest there was to an expert on Kryptonian physiology, and their children were the first ever Kryptonian-human hybrids. They had been uncertain of any problems that might arise. As a result of this, Dr. Klein was one of the few people who knew that Superman was, in all actuality, Clark Kent. Looking at the lab bench in front of her, the first thing she noticed was a laser beam device that split one beam into two. She refocused her attention on what Dr. Klein had to say; ruthlessly yanking her recalcitrant thoughts away from the fascinating sight in front of her. "Seconds before the main propellers initiated," Dr. Klein began, "the research station received a very brief, tight beam microwave transmission. It sent in a computer code that overrode the automatic controls and started the engines." "Do we know where the transmission came from?" Clark asked a bit urgently. Just as Lois was giving in to her insatiable curiosity about the experiment in front of her by reaching for the top of the plexi-glass box that enclosed it, her movement caught Dr. Klein's eye. "Don't touch that!" He said urgently. Lois's hand jerked back suddenly. "Sorry," she muttered, the redness of a blush spreading quickly over her face. "What is it?" She asked finally. "I'm measuring the electron flow along the plasma wake as the laser passes through different gasses." Dr. Klein said, staring at the laser device meditatively. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers. "Plasma wake. That's it!" He exclaimed before hurrying over to the computer and typing madly. "Dr. Klein?" Lois looked at the scientist in puzzlement, what could he be up to? Dr. Klein didn't answer, his attention was entirely taken up by his computer. Lois glanced over at Clark, a question evident in her face. Clark grinned slowly. "Caution," he whispered, "mad scientist at work." Finally, Dr. Klein glanced up. "No matter how brief it was, the microwave beam must have left a trail of agitated molecules along its path." "I'd say something was agitated." Lois quipped. Dr. Klein plowed on, oblivious to Lois's comment. "Agitation means heat. Therefore, by using the infrared detectors on some low orbiting satellites, we should be able to identify and backtrack down the column of heated molecules to its source. Ha ha gotcha!" Lois and Clark walked around Dr. Klein to look at the computer screen; it was covered in sets of seemingly random numbers that streamed past at an alarming rate of speed. "I don't see anything," Clark said. "I'm switching to the NIA spy satellite. We'll get real- time photos now that I have a lock on the molecules." Dr. Klein explained. "A spy satellite?" Lois asked, a skeptical look on her face. "You can do that?" "The name is Klein, Bernard Klein," Dr. Klein said in an appalling imitation of Sean Connery. He smiled suavely and waited for recognition. Lois and Clark exchanged blank looks as Dr. Klein deflated. "You know, James Bond?" "Oh yeah," Clark said. He hadn't really recognized Dr. Klein's reference. After all, he reflected, he was more a fan of the Lethal Weapon movies than of 007. "We were just teasing," Lois said comfortingly, "it really was very good." Privately, she thought otherwise, but in the nine years that Clark had been her partner, some of his tact had rubbed off. Dr. Klein smiled happily and resumed working with the computer. Within minutes, the numbers running across the computer screen had been replaced with a very high altitude shot of North America. The picture began to slowly zoom in, first showing a suburb, then a neighborhood, then a house, and finally a satellite dish in the backyard. The picture froze on the satellite dish and coordinates popped up on the screen along with an address. "Twenty-seven forty-two Creel Drive, Metropolis." Clark read out loud. "Of course," Lois grumbled, "where else would it be? Every villain in the known universe seems to operate out of Metropolis! For once I wish we could have a villain in Maui. Or Aspen. Or Monte Carlo." "How accurate is this?" Clark asked. "Plus or minus five feet," Dr. Klein answered. "I'd say that's close enough. Thanks." Clark said before he and Lois rushed out to follow this interesting development. **** Clark parked the Jeep in front of a split-level house in the suburbs of Metropolis. He got out of the car, walked around to the other side and helped Lois out of the car. "Are you okay, honey?" He asked. Clark planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I'm fine, Clark," Lois said, "My back hurts a bit, but you can give me one of your special massages later." Clark nodded his agreement and put his arm around his wife as they walked up to the door of the house. Lois began to knock on the door, hoping that someone would answer her summons. Clark couldn't help but notice the Century 22 'For Sale' sign on the front lawn behind the white picket fence. He doubted that anyone lived there to answer the door, but he knew that, to be on the safe side, knocking was necessary. As Lois continued to knock, he seized the opportunity to look around. Recently, they had been discussing the possibility of looking for a new house to accommodate the needs of their growing family. The brownstone on Hyperion Avenue had been a wonderful home, but, with their third child on the way, and the fact that they had decided upon a large family, they were fast outgrowing it. Clark could imagine their children playing in the front yard... swinging on the tire swing that he would place in the large tree there. He surveyed the house, using his x- ray vision to peek inside. He liked what he saw. "Nice yard," Clark commented. Lois gave the yard a cursory glance. "Yeah, it's cute," she said. Clark could tell that she wasn't really thinking about the house-her mind was almost completely focused on the story. He pressed on anyway. "Nice fence. Good driveway, too. Lois, can't you just see the kids here? They'd love it!" "I know. I like the lattice work around the porch," Lois answered distractedly. Clark looked at his wife; he was a bit surprised by her answer. After all, they'd had several disagreements over this very issue. They both knew they were beginning to need the extra space, but Lois wasn't too keen on moving out of their beloved brownstone on Hyperion Avenue. Lois stood on tiptoe and attempted to look into the house. "And I've always liked this style of house," Clark said. "Yeah, it's pretty great," Lois allowed. "It's definitely the kind of place I could go for," Clark admitted. "Me, too," Lois said, carelessly running a hand through her hair. She stepped back from the window and began to walk around the back of the house. "Let's go check around back." Lois grabbed his hand as they walked. It wasn't long before they came face-to-face with a large satellite dish that stood tall and proud in the backyard. Clark examined it minutely, searching for any sign that it had been used as the transmitter that had put the deep-sea research center in danger. "Okay, we know that this probably sent the signal, but where is the device the signal came from?" Clark asked. "Can I help you?" said a voice that came from behind Clark. Lois and Clark turned around to find a dark haired man dressed in khakis, a white shirt, a tie, and a Century 22 Realty sports coat behind them. "Oh yes, we were just looking at the house. We were driving by and saw the sign, so we thought we'd stop. We've been looking into buying a bigger house anyway with this little one on the way." Lois patted her stomach. She had barely started to show, but the baby-bulge was noticeable enough to attract attention. The man smiled at the couple and held out his hand for Clark to shake. "Hi," he began, "I'm George Thomas. You've found a nice one." Lois looked the man over and took his measure. "Lois Lane. This is my husband, Clark Kent." "We knocked," Clark began, "but..." "I know, I heard. But I was in the restroom. Is this house something you'd be interested in?" Lois looked George over and decided to see if she could extract some information from him. "We love it," she said enthusiastically. "It's just what I've always dreamed of! And we love the neighborhood, but... we drove by here around nine this morning and thought we saw some..." "...strange people..." Clark chimed in. He recognized exactly what his wife was up to. Over the years, both of them had become adept at gathering information from the unwary. The more they had done it, the easier uncovering these windfalls had become. "...hanging around," Lois continued, "You didn't happen to notice any, did you?" "No," Mr. Thomas began, "I haven't seen anyone all morning except for my clients; they're an older couple in their sixties. This is, of course, one of the safest neighborhoods in Metropolis. If you like, I'll give you the name of the listing agent." "So you don't handle this house?" Clark asked. "No. I represent some buyers," Mr. Thomas said. "Betty Wilson is the agent for the sellers. She had another showing, so I said I'd close for her. We're old pals. But I'd be happy to show you some of my listings if you like." "Thanks, but we're really just starting," Lois replied. "I understand," he said. "Don't hesitate to call. At Century 22, we bring your future to you." Mr. Thomas smiled broadly. A few minutes later, as Lois and Clark were preparing to leave, a van marked with the emblem of Star Labs pulled up and equipment-laden people began to stream out. Lois and Clark thanked the real estate agent for his time and headed back to the Jeep. Clark glanced at his watch as he climbed into the Jeep. It was almost lunchtime and almost time to retrieve Kiley from preschool. Clark did some quick calculations in his head and realized that they had just enough time to pick up Kiley before heading back to the Planet. Kiley usually spent the afternoons playing with the other kids in the Planet's daycare facility until they were ready to go home. Since Kiley was born, they had cut back on their hours at the Planet considerably. Investigative reporting would never be a 9-5 job, but between the two of them, they were determined to make it work for their family. Clark knew that being able to keep the jobs they loved simply wouldn't be possible if Ellen, Lucy, and Jimmy hadn't made themselves available for the now rare occasions in which they had to go on stakeouts. Crime in Metropolis was down to a record low due to his Superman activities. It seemed as if the very threat of Superman made criminals think twice about trying anything. They still had an occasional twisted evil genius to fight, but in the past year, even those were becoming fewer and further between. Lois looked at her watch as she started the Jeep. She smiled as she drove the Jeep in the direction of Little Hands Preschool. Much had changed in the past few years. Many people, including herself, hadn't seen her as a mother type, but she had proved everyone wrong. Kiley was one of the highlights in her busy existence. Despite having inherited the Lane babble gene, most of the time she acted like a miniature copy of Clark. It was strange, she mused, that although Kiley resembled her, she acted like Clark. Joseph was the same way-he looked like Clark, but acted like Lois. Lois glanced over at her husband. From the joyous look he was wearing on his face, she knew that he, too, was thinking about their babies. Lois smiled fondly at her love. They hadn't been married for long when they had mutually discovered that they had a form of non-verbal communication that allowed them to know what the other was thinking. It had proved useful on many occasions, and she hoped that it would continue to do so. Before she could continue thinking along that tangent, her cell phone rang. As she talked to her source, Clark got out of the Jeep. "I'll be right back, honey," Clark walked inside the preschool and came out a few minutes later. Kiley clung to one hand, the remnants of tears still on her face. In his other hand, he carried his daughter's backpack and a note from her teacher. Clark opened the door to the Jeep and helped his daughter in, making sure that she was fastened securely in her safety seat. "Daddy," Kiley began in a tremulous voice, "will you kiss my boo-boo and make it better?" She held out her bandaged knee to her father, hope warring with tears in her big brown eyes. She knew what the note from her teacher was about and that she might possibly get in trouble for what she had done that day. Her knee really didn't hurt all that much, but she needed her adored daddy's reassurance that he still loved her. "Of course, sweetheart." Clark said, leaning over to kiss her knee and give her a hug. He saw the uncertainty in his daughter's eyes and knew that she needed some reassurance right now. "Kiley, we will always love you," he said softly and kissed her on the cheek. Kiley suddenly broke out in a smile. Her tears were temporarily forgotten; she was once again the cheerful, sunny child whom they loved so much. "I love you, Daddy," she said. Clark simply smiled and kissed her again before closing the door and climbing in himself. They needed to get back to the Planet and back to work... the truth about what had actually happened to the Athena wasn't something that would get figured out on its own. Lois continued to talk to her source as they drove back to the Planet. She peeked into the back, hoping that Kiley had fallen asleep. She'd seen the tearstains and knew that, whatever else, Kiley must have had a rough day. Lois smiled as she saw that her daughter had, indeed, fallen asleep. She quickly finished her conversation and turned to Clark. "The U.N. is in an uproar," she said in an urgent whisper. "They cancelled their science conference to deal with the research facility. No terrorist group has claimed responsibility, the NIA thinks it's a lone gunman." "Great. Just great," Clark replied, "Where is he going to strike next? The Eiffel Tower? The Parthenon?" Clark shook his head, remembering the disaster of September eleventh the previous year. "All it ever takes is one lunatic to bring the whole world crashing down around our ears!" "Not the whole world," Lois said, capturing his hand in hers as she drove. Clark looked lovingly at his wife. After all these years, he still wasn't sure how he had gotten lucky enough to have managed to marry her. "What? What're you looking at?", Lois said, noticing for the first time that he was staring at her. "You." Clark said. "I was thinking how different my life would have been if we'd never met." "What if you'd never left Smallville?" Lois asked thoughtfully. "Smallville? What if I'd never left," his voice lowered a bit so as not to wake Kiley, "Krypton?" Lois squeezed his hand as she pulled the Jeep into the Planet's parking garage. "Yeah," she said with a grin. "Your family might have had their hearts set on a daughter- in-law from Jupiter." "How'd you know about her?" Clark asked teasingly. Clark got out of the car, opened the back door, and began to unfasten Kiley's restraints. "You know, I bet they would have really liked you and the kids...Jor-El and Lara." "You think about them much?" Lois asked as she got out of the Jeep and walked around to the other side. "Sometimes," Clark said as he picked up Kiley and her backpack. "But that's behind me now. What's in front of me is *us* and *our* family." Clark used his free hand to gently caress her abdomen. Lois moved closer to him and leaned in as he captured her lips in his. After a few moments, Lois pulled back, smiled at him and took his hand in hers as they started walking toward the Planet daycare center to drop off Kiley. **** George Thomas sat in a dark, windowless room. A metal table stood in front of him covered in electronic components and the beginnings of what looked like an exotic, star-shaped bomb. He loosened his tie and began to fiddle with the device in front of him. A few minutes later, he stopped and looked at his watch.