Hearts United 
By Pam Jernigan <chiefpam@nc.rr.com> 
Rated: PG-13 
Submitted: November 2005

Dedicated to Elena.  With much gratitude to Claire Hess, Rachel, 
and Wendy Richards, who beta read for me, Erin Klingler who was 
my long-suffering GE, and to Wendy Richards and Sara Kraft and 
all the participants in (Inter)National Finishing WIPs Month 
(NaFinWipsMo) -- without the motivation and encouragement, this 
might never have been finished.


~Hearts United~


Lois Lane awoke slowly, trying to clear the cobwebs out of her 
brain.  She'd had the weirdest dreams.  First, she'd dreamed she 
was her comic book counterpart, living and working with her very 
own Clark Kent, but she'd had that dream lots of times since she 
started reading the comics.   That wasn't the really weird one.  
The other dream had been something about being undercover, then 
kidnapped -- to a spaceship! -- and then falling in love with one 
of the aliens, who loved her too, but couldn't stay...  She 
wondered fuzzily if she'd eaten too much pizza last night.

"Wake up, Cinderella..."

Lois smiled.  She knew that voice.  It was the voice of her 
dreams, the voice of Clark Kent, the voice of the handsome 
alien...  Her eyes flew open.  It was a real voice -- her dreams 
had come true.  Lord Kal-El of the house of El of New Krypton was 
here, and he was all hers.  She squinted against the light to see 
that he was crouching down by her bedside, his face close to 
hers.  "G'morning."

"Good morning," he replied with gentle good humor.  "It's time 
for breakfast... what would you like?  I can set out cold cereal, 
or..."  He paused for effect.  "I *think* I can manage microwave 
pancakes."

"Um... pancakes."  A huge yawn nearly cracked her jaws.  "Why am 
I so tired?"

He leaned in for a brief kiss.  "Probably because we were up half 
the night working on the Tsunami thing.  I'll go get breakfast 
started then, and let you get dressed."  Still smiling, he got up 
and left the room.

Lois stared at the doorway he'd disappeared through, slowly 
processing that he was really here, and remembering.  There had 
been aliens, and a spaceship -- and Kal-El had given up his 
chance to rule a whole planet, just so he could be with her.  It 
seemed too good to be true.

Maybe, once he'd been here for more than a week, she'd be able to 
relax.  It had been a busy few days since he'd returned to Earth, 
but that had been working.  Now that that was wrapped up, she 
looked forward to spending more time with him.  Maybe she could 
talk him out of his noble insistence in sleeping on her couch 
rather than next to her.  The thought was thrilling and scary, 
all at once.

She focused on that corner of her mind that held her mental 
connection to him.  A shey-ana bond, he'd called it.  It wasn't 
telepathy, exactly, just an awareness of his presence in her 
world.  She visualized it as a floating ball of fire.  At the 
moment, the ball was burning evenly and cheerfully, radiating the 
warmth of Kal's contentment.

It felt very odd to always have that connection with him.  Odd, 
but she was finding that she liked it.

The distant ding of her microwave brought her attention back to 
the here and now.  She'd have to hurry up and get ready for 
breakfast.

****

Kal-El regarded his soulmate across the tiny kitchen table.  She 
was looking beautiful this morning, and a little shy.  It had 
probably occurred to her, as it had to him, that they still had a 
number of unsettled issues between them. 

"You know," Kal observed, "one of the things I always loved about 
Earth was the amazing variety of foods." 

Lois looked up at him expectantly.  "Yeah?"

"Oh, yes.  Indian, Chinese, American, French... I tried all sorts 
of things when I was here before."

"So, you can cook?"  She smirked at him.  "I thought you lords of 
New Krypton didn't sully your hands with that sort of thing."

Kal grinned.  "Let's just say, I went out to eat a lot.  I ate a 
lot of pre-packaged foods, too.  My favorite was probably the 
pop-tarts."

Lois didn't quite laugh, but he could feel her amusement bubbling 
beneath the surface. 

"That's at least half the diet of college students everywhere, 
you know.  The other half, traditionally," she added, "has been 
macaroni and cheese."

"Well, you know me.  I'm very traditional."

She laughed at that.  "I'll have to remember to stock up for 
you."

Kal glanced down at his plate.  She'd just touched on one of the 
peskier unresolved issues.  "Yeah, about that..."  She looked up.  
"What about it?"

"Now that the immediate crisis is resolved... I can't..."  He 
paused, and rephrased.  "We have to talk about permanent living 
arrangements."

Lois narrowed her eyes warily.  "What do you mean?  It's been no 
trouble sharing.  It's been nice.  Hasn't it?"

He reached across the table to capture her hand.  "I want to live 
with you, shey-ana.  Don't ever doubt that."

"I know."  She quirked a smile.  "I can feel it.  So then what's 
the problem?"

"We're not yet married." 

"Yeah, so?  We're both adults..."

He sighed, trying to find a way to explain himself.  "Lois, 
living here, making love to you... that would be how a man 
behaves with a concubine.  And I don't want you as a concubine."

She raised an eyebrow at him, a faint sense of amusement 
trickling through their link.  

"Okay, part of me wants you any way I can get you," he admitted 
with a grin, then sobered.  "But the larger part... well, we need 
to get married first."

She frowned at him, and the sense of her amusement dissipated.  
"I distinctly recall you *asking* me to be your concubine."

"And I distinctly recall you being quite insulted at the 
question," he replied wryly.  "Look, that was when I thought I 
had no choice but to marry Zara.  I didn't believe I had anything 
more to offer, and I was desperate not to lose you.  But now, 
well, I can treat you with all the respect you deserve." 

Come to think of it, while they'd both been assuming it would 
happen, he hadn't yet formally asked her to marry him.  He'd held 
off, due to a vague sense that she deserved the most romantic 
proposal he could muster.  He needed to spend some time planning 
that.

She still seemed unconvinced.  "What if I tell you it really 
doesn't matter to me?"

He shrugged slightly.  "I'm afraid it really does matter to me.  
You deserve the highest honor I can give you -- and, to me, that 
means getting married first." 

She took a deep breath, studying his face.  Kal thought about how 
much he loved her, and valued her, and let that affection and 
respect flow full-force through their bond.  The mental image of 
her emotions brightened.  He felt the moment she decided to stop 
fighting.

"Hmm..."  She smiled wryly and reached for his hand.  "Okay.  But 
we'd better get married as quickly as possible."

Kal smiled.  "My thoughts exactly." 

"Well, then."  Lois squared her shoulders and lifted her chin.  
"We need to get you some new identification."

Her sense of determination was rubbing off on him.  "Yes -- I 
used to have a number of things under the name 'Kal Lewis,' but 
I'd gotten rid of them."

"It's just as well, really," she assured him.  "I do *not* want 
to go through life as Lois Lewis.  Not when we've got a choice in 
the matter."  She pushed back her chair and stood, carrying her 
empty plate to the dishwasher and setting it inside.  "But it 
will probably take a few days to get decent fakes."

"I don't know if he's still there," Kal replied, copying her 
actions, "but I knew a guy in West River who does very nice 
work."

She raised an eyebrow, smiling.  "You would.   Tell you what, 
it's a beautiful day outside -- let's you and I go for a walk.  
Since it takes me longer to get ready than you, and if it 
wouldn't wound your male dignity too much," she smirked at him, 
"maybe you could clean up the kitchen."

"Oh, I think I can handle it."  He grinned.  "And you're just 
looking for an excuse to call me a sexist creep again."

She grinned back, not denying it.  "I'll be ready in a few 
minutes."  She disappeared into her bedroom, leaving only a 
mental echo of laughter.

****

Lois walked slowly around her block, hand in hand with Kal, just 
enjoying the mere fact of his presence.  It was a beautiful day, 
and she was happy.  Still, practicalities refused to go away 
entirely.  "I hope your guy in West River is still there.  I've 
never had to worry about getting fake identification before now."

Kal glanced sideways at her.  "And you don't really like the 
idea, do you?"

She sighed, trying to put her uneasiness into words.  "Well, no, 
I don't.  My whole life has been about following the rules and 
respect for authority.  This just goes against everything I 
believe in."  She squared her shoulders.  "But it's necessary, so 
we'll do it anyway."

"I do know how you feel, you know."

She glanced up at him.  "Yeah, I guess you would, from what 
you've told me about growing up on..." her voice dropped to a 
whisper, "...New Krypton." 

"Yes.  But I've had a little more experience at bending the 
rules.  It does get easier with practice."

She snorted softly.  "Yeah, that's what I'm worried about.  But 
never mind, I'll deal with it.  The more pressing question is, 
what name to use?"

"You said you didn't like 'Lois Lewis,'" Kal commented.  "Does 
that mean you're planning on sharing this new name?"

Lois shot him a startled look.  "That's what I was thinking, 
yeah.  Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, not at all."  He looked rather startled in turn.  "It's a 
very traditional NK thing to do, and it's pretty traditional 
here, too, from what I've seen -- but it's gotten less popular in 
the last few decades, hasn't it?"

"I suppose."  She pondered that as they turned a corner.  "I 
hadn't been keen on the idea of changing my name, to be honest.  
But under the circumstances, I think I'd better, don't you?"

"Why's that?"

She glanced around to see if anyone was close, and then lowered 
her voice anyway. "Well, if you're going to be Superman, I can't 
really stay Lois Lane, can I?  It'd be a dead giveaway."

"Ah, good point." He grinned.  "I guess that means I can't call 
myself Clark Kent?"

She rolled her eyes.  "That would seem to follow logically, yes.  
I kind of wish you could, really, but it would be *way* more 
trouble than it's worth.  No, you should stay Kal -- it's kind of 
unusual, but this *is* Metropolis.  We've got immigrants here 
from every corner of the globe, and they all have different types 
of names."

"There's an idea -- we can go through the phone book later and 
see if we spot anything we like."

"Sounds like a plan.  Seriously, though, we have to do something 
to protect our privacy.  Even if I change my name now, there will 
still be all sorts of records with the old one." 

"True.  Do you have any ideas?"

"At the moment?"  She sighed.  "No."

They approached the neighborhood news stand and she slowed down, 
pulling Kal to a halt as well.  The National Whisper and Metro 
Post were both running pictures of yesterday's near-disaster, but 
she skipped past those to find and purchase a copy of the Daily 
Planet.  The headline screamed, 'TIDAL WAVE AVERTED, CONGRESSMAN 
IMPLICATED.'   She grinned up at Kal.  "Nice work."

He peered over her shoulder.  "What do they know about the tidal 
wave?"

"Pretty much everything, except for how it was stopped," she 
reported, skimming through the article.  "They've got Harrington 
and Rourke.  Arms-dealing, bribed politicians, sabotage -- the 
works.  Well, there's no mention of us, but the cops know more 
than half of this stuff came from me."

"Hey!"  Kal gently jostled her shoulder. 

"Okay, okay, it's from me and my new partner," she corrected 
herself cheerfully.  "Let's go peruse this in private."  She 
folded up the paper and started walking.

"Hey, I thought we were old partners," Kal teased.

Lois flashed him a grin.  "Yes, but I didn't think I could 
explain the whole spaceship thing to the cops."

"What's so hard about that?  Just tell them you were kidnapped by 
aliens."

"Yeah, that'd work.  Has anyone explained the term 'funny farm' 
to you yet?"  Laughing, she led them into the lobby of the 
apartment building.

***

Kal waited until they were back inside her apartment before 
drawing her close.  As she giggled, he pulled her into his arms 
for a kiss.  He closed his eyes, concentrating on feeling her-- 
with his lips, his hands, and with his mind.  Her presence 
sparkled in his mind's eye, giving him a warm feeling of 
contentment. 

He'd never believed in love.  Not growing up on New Krypton, 
where life was harsh and marriages were arranged.  But there had 
been a legend of an emotional bond that some couples formed -- 
"shey-ana."   He hadn't really believed in that, either, until 
he'd experienced it for himself.  With Lois.  Now he was always 
aware of her -- could feel an echo of her emotions.  It was 
strongest when they were actually touching, but never really went 
away.  He tended to visualize it as a standing waterfall, with 
varying colors and intensities, but that didn't do it justice.

**I love you, Lois.**

She moaned into his mouth, then broke away, her eyes wide.  "I 
heard that.  Normally I don't hear you thinking.  I can feel you, 
get some idea of what you're feeling, but usually that's it."  
Her speaking pace picked up as her excitement grew.  "And I know 
you said you could read my surface thoughts, if you choose.  But 
I didn't think it went both ways.  Does this shey-ana thing 
include telepathy?"

He shrugged helplessly.  "I don't know.  It might have to do with 
how close we are to each other."

She smiled slowly.  "I guess we'll just have to experiment a 
lot."

"Hmm, sounds like it.  It might require some long-term study," he 
warned her, tracing a finger along the side of her face.

"Oh, that's terrible," she replied, sounding distinctly 
unalarmed.  "But if we must, we must.  The things we do for 
science..." She sighed theatrically, then leaned in to kiss him 
again.

****

"Morning, Francine!"  Brenda practically bounced into the 
theater's back office.

Francine winced at the young black woman's energy, but smiled in 
spite of herself.  "Good morning, Bren."

"Have you seen today's Metro Post?"  Without waiting for an 
answer, Brenda moved to her desk, dropping a tabloid on 
Francine's desk as she passed.

Francine rolled her eyes.  "No, and you shouldn't either.  It's 
full of crap, you know that."

Brenda grinned at her.  "Well, they do claim Earth has been 
visited by aliens."

Francine snorted at that.  "So what has you so excited?"

"It's the story about the tidal wave."

Francine sighed and pulled the paper closer for a look.  "Mystery 
Man Defuses Tidal Wave," she read aloud.

"Check out the picture."

"Okay..."  Francine glanced at it.  "It's a shot of the tail end 
of the wave."

"Yeah, now really look at it, girlfriend.  They've helpfully 
circled the important part."

Francine squinted to focus.  "It's a blurry shot of ... wait a 
minute."  She sat up straighter.  "Are they saying this little 
blob is a person?"

"Yep.  There's an enlarged version inside, and it sure looks like 
a guy to me."

"A guy who can float in midair?"

"Just like Superman, yeah."  Brenda smiled smugly.  "I've been 
reading up -- since we're friends with Lois and all.  And it 
occurs to me that she's hanging out with a certified, authentic 
alien these days."

"You think this is Kal?"  Francine threw her partner a pained 
look.  "Bren, he can't fly."

"Not as far as we know.  But hey, just by looking at him, you'd 
never guess he was from another planet, either.  And the timing's 
interesting, don'tcha think?"

"Well... I guess it couldn't hurt to ask them.  Think she'd tell 
us if it really was him?"

"She'd damn well better, after everything we've been through."

"Yeah," Francine conceded.  "Being harem girls together does make 
a sort of a bond."

***

"So, is it true?"

Lois opened the door wider to let her friends in.  "Good morning 
to you, too, Brenda.  Hi, Francine."  Turning, she gestured 
further into the apartment and added, "You guys already know Kal, 
of course."

Actually, it occurred to her that Francine and Brenda had known 
him longer than she had.  How strange. 

Kal put a hand on his heart and did a half-bow toward both of 
them, radiating respect.  "Greetings, Ladies."

Lois smiled at the way he managed to put a capital letter on 
that, but after the initial greeting he relaxed back into normal 
mode.

Francine smiled at him, but Brenda was focusing on Lois.  "I 
don't think we know him as well as you do, chickie."  She waved 
around a paper that Lois recognized as the Metro Post.  "Anybody 
you recognize?"

"Way to be subtle, Bren," Francine muttered before moving over to 
the kitchen.  "It's good to see you again, Kal."

"Good to see you, too, Francine," he replied with a smile.

Lois snatched the paper from Brenda's hand.  "What is that?"

Francine rummaged around in Lois's cabinets.  "Anybody else want 
coffee?" 

Brenda, now paper-less, crossed her arms. "It's a picture of that 
tidal wave, Lois.  And I want to know if that little guy on there 
is anyone we know."  She shot a pointed look at Kal before 
focusing on Lois again.

Lois ignored her, skimming through the article and then re- 
examining the picture.  "Oh, this can't be good."

Kal came to stand beside her, frowning at the paper.  "Well, it's 
not exactly detailed, is it?" he suggested.  "It could be 
anything."

Lois turned to look toward Kal.  They hadn't really had the 
chance to talk over the pros and cons of having her friends in on 
the Superman thing.  She realized she'd like to share, but would 
he? 

Maybe she could buy some time.  "Yeah, Francine, I'd love some 
coffee.  The filters are in the -- oh, never mind," she said, a 
smile twitching at her lips.  Francine had not only found the 
filters, but had already started the coffeemaker.  "Make yourself 
at home," she called over.

"Thanks, Lois," Francine replied with a hint of a grin.  "I just 
figured I'd make enough for all of us."

"Lois!"  Brenda's foot was starting to tap on the floor.  
"Hello?"

"Yeah, yeah, Brenda, okay," Lois said, while moving toward the 
living room sofas.  "I guess we have some stuff to talk about."  
She sat on the sofa; Kal automatically sat next to her.  "But 
let's wait 'til we all have our coffee, so Francine doesn't miss 
anything."

"It's a conspiracy," Brenda muttered, but unbent enough to sit on 
the other sofa.  "I just wanna know if that's Kal in the 
picture."

Lois was beginning to enjoy this.  "So, Brenda, how's the theater 
doing?  Did you get the problem with the set designer worked out 
yet?"  As an aside to Kal, she whispered, "My office is across 
the hall from theirs."

Kal's eyes twinkled.  "I had noticed that, yes."

"Don't make me hurt you, girlfriend."

Lois laughed.  "Gimme your best shot."

Kal pretended to cower.  "Ladies, please.  Innocent bystander, 
here."

Francine entered the room with a tray full of mugs, distracting 
everyone while they sorted out who had which cup.  With all the 
coffee dispensed, Francine sat with Brenda on the opposite sofa, 
relaxing back against the cushions. 

"So..." Lois looked at Kal.  "Think we should tell them?"

Kal pursed his lips for a second.  "Well, I think that if we 
don't, we're both in big trouble."

"Damn right.  Now talk!"

"Okay."  Despite all the teasing, Lois realized she was still a 
little nervous about this.  Or maybe she was feeling Kal's 
nervousness.  He gave her a reassuring glance and squeezed her 
hand slightly.  "Yeah, that was Kal."

"I knew it!" Brenda crowed, then leaned forward.  "C'mon, I want 
the whole story."

"Okay..."  Lois decided to downplay things as much as she could.  
More serious discussions could wait until she and Kal had more 
things settled.  "Well, you guys know Kal was here for a few 
years, right?  Observing the Earth, learning our cultures, etc.  
Sometime after he got here, he says he started noticing, well..."  
She motioned to Kal to take over; this was his story, after all.

"I began to realize I could do things that I hadn't been able to 
do before," Kal said.  "Like flying."

"Cool," Brenda breathed out.

"Well, it didn't seem very important, when I thought I had to go 
back to New Krypton.  Things faded out fairly quickly after I 
left Earth.  But, now that I'm back to stay..."  He shrugged.  
"We'll see."

"It seems like they came in handy," Francine observed.

"Yeah..." Lois jumped back in to the story.  "A few days ago, we 
saw Congressman Harrington meeting the bad guys in secret, and we 
investigated.  So, we had a little forewarning about that wave.  
Not enough to get the test cancelled, but... Kal was able to dive 
under the water and disrupt the wave's structure.  Or something 
like that.  Anyway, it collapsed."

"And apparently," Kal concluded with a wry grimace, "someone was 
watching the whole thing and got a few pictures."

"So what are you going to do about it?"  Francine leaned back 
against the couch, her eyes still watchful.

"I'm not sure there's anything we can do," Lois replied.  "Not 
about this picture, anyway."  With an optimism she didn't feel, 
she said, "But that's a tabloid.  Who pays any serious attention 
to the Metro Post?"

Francine cracked a smile.  "Told you so, Brenda."

Brenda waved her off.  "Never mind that.  I want to know what 
went down on New Krypton!  I mean, you're here, so I'm assuming 
you didn't do the 'marry the princess, take over the kingdom' 
routine..."

Kal grinned.  "Not exactly.  It was a little bit more complicated 
than that..."

***

"I think we've made good progress today, Kari.  One or two more 
sessions should do it.  Let me know if the nightmares return."

"I sure will, Dr. Porter."  The young woman smiled trustingly.  
"Thanks so much."

Gwen maintained a professional smile until Kari had closed the 
door behind herself.  She reached for her notepad, reviewing her 
notes from earlier.  The phone rang.

Absent-mindedly, she picked up the receiver.  "Hello."

The voice on the other end of the line commanded her full 
attention.  "Kari's useless," she reported crisply.  "I've 
hypnotized her three times, but she still can't give me any 
useful information about the enemy."

"Are you certain?"

She put the notepad back down on her desk.  "I'll put her under 
one more time, but I believe she's a fake abductee."  Within 
certain circles, it was a mark of honor to have been 'taken' and 
most of those, she'd come to believe, were faking it.  Which 
still left those few who weren't.

"Damn.  So why are you spending any more time on her?"

"Because she pays me to, Colonel."  With her daddy's credit card.  
"The Bureau is rather stingy, I find.  And I have the time."

"What else have you got time for?"

She shifted uneasily.  "Well, besides Kari, I've currently got 
three others who claim to have been abducted.  The ad we placed 
in the alternative paper has paid off.  One of them looks 
promising.  I'm starting to believe she can give us more details 
about the alien's propulsion systems."

"Keep me posted, Porter.  And since you have so much spare time, 
I'm going to give you another task."

Gwen stiffened in her seat.  Did he think she was his errand 
girl?  She was a trained professional, damn it.  This had better 
be worth it.  "What is it?"

"It's about the tidal wave yesterday."

That intrigued her, as unexplained events always did.  "Yes?"

"We have a few pictures taken moments after the wave was 
disrupted.  There appears to be a figure coming out of the water, 
hovering for a moment, then shooting straight upwards and 
disappearing completely."

She leaned in over her desk, reaching for her notepad and pen.  
The page about Kari was ripped out and crumpled into a ball.  "We 
have a picture of an alien in action?"

"We have to assume so."  The voice was smug.  "I've got experts 
working on the pictures -- they're a little blurry.  It doesn't 
show the detail we need."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I'm sending over the photographer -- she should be conscious 
again by the time she's arrived.  Make her think she was there to 
lose weight or stop smoking, afterwards.  First, though, get as 
much information as you can from her memory.  Then start asking 
around.  There are a few things from last month that I want 
checked out, too.  The guys who deliver the girl will bring you 
what details we've got."

Gwen scowled.  The request for hypno-therapy was reasonable, as 
that was what she did, both for the Bureau and for a living.  Not 
that the therapy was anywhere near as efficient and reliable as 
Trask seemed to believe.  The other part, though...  "Chasing 
rumors isn't my specialty," she pointed out coldly.

"Your specialty is whatever I say it is.  Unless you'd like 
certain documents to be mailed anonymously to the police."

"Don't be a fool," she replied with as much scorn as she could 
muster.  "I'll look into it, but I'm not guaranteeing anything."

"I'll check back with you in a few days."

"Fine."

The connection went dead.

****

"So then the ship dropped me off just outside Metropolis," Kal 
concluded.  "I found Brenda, who pointed me to Lois, and... here 
I am."

"Nice job, Kal."  Francine actually smiled at him.  "I'm glad you 
were able to work it out."

"Yeah," Brenda concurred.  "You two deserve each other."

Lois grinned, then snuggled against Kal's side.  "Are you saying 
we got what was coming to us?"

Brenda snickered.  "Something like that.  So what are you going 
to do now?"

Kal adjusted his arm around her shoulder and glanced down at her, 
wondering how much to say. 

"Well, Kal needs identification -- you know, social security 
number, driver's license, that kind of thing."

"Not that I know how to drive, you understand," he threw in.  
"I've never really needed to.  But I think I could pick it up."  
He glanced sideways and grinned.  "If Lois ever trusts me with 
her Jeep, that is."

Lois ignored his teasing.  "And I've got an investigation going."  
She glanced up at him.  "I'll fill you in later, Kal."

"Okay," he said, willing to follow her lead on this, at least 
until he could find out what she had in mind.

"So, Francine, how's show business?"

Francine smiled slightly. "Coming right along, thanks."

"She's actually pretty good at the business side of things," 
Brenda added.  "So I stick to the creative side."

"Sounds like a good partnership, then," Kal said. 

Lois smiled at them.  "You know, gals, when I first met you, you 
could barely stand one another."  Francine had been a bitter, 
fading blonde, resentful of the younger, outspoken black woman.  
Under pressure, however, they'd managed to come to terms, and had 
both been a tremendous help to Lois on the spaceship, helping her 
keep her emotional balance.  Nowadays, they not only got along, 
but they were on their way to being successful theater-owners, 
which was quite a change from being dancers in a club floor show.

Brenda grinned.  "We've come a long way, baby."

"You're telling me."  Lois smiled at her friends.  "It still 
surprises me sometimes that we all get along so well.  I never 
really had any female friends before, or not for long.  This is 
nice."  She grinned.  "Which is good, considering my PI office is 
in the same building as your theater."

"And speaking of which," Francine said with a glance at her 
watch, "we've got to get going -- I've got a meeting with the set 
designer, and I think there are some girls coming in for 
auditions."

"Damn," Brenda said, standing up.  "I didn't know it'd gotten 
this late.  We've gotta go.  Are you coming in to the office 
today, Lois?"

Kal and Lois stood as well, escorting their friends to the door. 

"I don't think so, Brenda -- I'm considering this my day off.  
But if you see any fabulously wealthy would-be clients hanging 
around the place, call me."

With a laugh and a round of hugs, Brenda and Francine took their 
leave.

"I'm glad they've been friends to you," Kal observed quietly.  "I 
know it can't have been easy, when you first returned."

Lois smiled at him, leaning against the inside of the door.  
"They were great.  I'm not sure what I would have done without 
them."

Kal smiled a little, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Hey, don't feel guilty, Kal."  She reached up to touch his 
cheek.  "And anyway, now I have you *and* them, so I figure I'm 
doing pretty good."

****

"Hmm."  Kal smiled at her, reassured.  "They bring up a good 
point, though.  If I'm to use these powers of mine, we have to 
find a way to protect our privacy.  It was bad enough that all 
this made you give up your military career."

"Kal, that's not your fault."

He shook his head, unwilling to avoid responsibility.  "You had a 
life, and then I blundered in and--"

"And you improved it," she interrupted.  "Kal, there have been 
lots of changes, yes, but mostly they're for the better."  She 
laid a hand on his arm.  "I wouldn't change it back even if I 
could."

He allowed himself to be convinced.  "Still, I don't wish to be 
responsible for wrecking your *new* life, which is what would 
happen if anyone found out what I could do."

"Not necessarily," she protested, she didn't seem confident.  She 
walked away from the door and sat on the sofa.  "And even if it 
did, it would be worth it."

He recognized that stubborn tone of voice.  Well, he'd do some 
more thinking about it, and bring up the topic later.

"I mean, really," she continued, "it's based on a comic book for 
goodness sake.  That's hardly proof.  Nobody's accusing Lex 
Luthor of trying to take over the world... well, okay, I am 
investigating him, but even *I* think I'm crazy, half the time."

He sat next to her, taking her hand.  "Only half the time?"

She snorted at that.  "Well, there are a few strange things..."

****

Kal listened as she quickly related what little evidence she had 
on Lex Luthor and his possible involvement with the Toasters. 

"It's not proof, though, is it?  Honestly, it's not very 
convincing."

"No, it's really not."

"Then why do you keep working on it?"

"Because my old Colonel believes it.  Or at least he's strongly 
suspicious.  When I resigned my commission, he suggested I look 
into things -- dig up things that he couldn't.  Except I'm kind 
of at a dead end."

Kal shrugged.  "Maybe you should check back with him, then.  Show 
him what you've got.  See if he has any ideas."

"Yeah, I guess I could."  She moved toward the kitchen, then 
stopped.  "I don't want to do it over the phone."  She glanced at 
the wall clock, calculating traffic times.  "I guess I could go 
see him at Fort Truman.  It's not that long a drive, and that way 
I could talk to him without being overheard."

"It's a shame it's not dark out," Kal commented, grinning. "We 
could get there even quicker if I took us."

She looked at him with a new gleam of interest.  "Flying?  Oh, 
yes, please.  After all, you've got a lot of comic-book precedent 
to live up to."

"Not in broad daylight, shey-ana."

She sighed.  "No, I guess not.  How about after dark?"

He grinned.  "Try to stop me."

"All right, I'll drive -- but we have got to find you some sort 
of outfit."

****

Half an hour later, they were parking at Fort Truman.  Kal got 
out of the car and looked around with professional interest.  It 
was a different style of military than what he was used to, of 
course, but seemed well organized. 

Lois locked the car and came around to his side.  "The Colonel's 
office is over this way."  She took his hand and pulled him after 
her.  In a more contemplative tone, she added, "It's really weird 
to be here, you know." 

He thought he could guess, but... "Why is that?"

"Well, I'm not in uniform, for one thing."  She shrugged.  "And I 
have to keep reminding myself not to salute."  There was a brief 
pause before she said, "It's busy here today.  Normally, it's not 
quite this... I don't know.  Intent."

Kal glanced around and noticed a building further down the 
street.  The parking lot was full, and a few cars were double- 
parked.  "There seems to be a lot of activity over there..."

Lois leaned over to see which one he meant.  "Oh, that's 
Satellite Intel.  And it's much busier than normal.  I wonder 
why?"  They reached a front door, which brought her attention 
around.  "And here we are."

He followed her inside the building, down a few corridors, and 
past a secretary into Colonel White's office.

"Thanks for seeing us today, sir."  Lois smiled at the older man.  
"This is my friend and partner, Kal, um... Kal..."  She glanced 
at him, wide-eyed, and he could almost hear her asking him what 
name to give. 

"Kal-El," he supplied helpfully, trying not to smirk.

"Kal... Ellison, yes," Lois recovered smoothly.  "He's from out 
of town."

Colonel White reached across the desk to shake his hand. 

"It's an honor to meet you, sir," Kal murmured.  "Lois speaks 
highly of you."

As they sat down, Lois slipped him a brief glare.  He tried not 
to laugh aloud.

The Colonel was watching them with great interest.  "So, what can 
I do you for?"

"Well, it's about that project we spoke of before, sir.  But if I 
may ask -- what's happening over at Satellite Intel?  People were 
looking worried."

He sighed.  "I probably shouldn't tell you this, Lois."

"That's your call, sir."  She smiled at him, reminding Kal that 
she'd said her Colonel was also a friend of her father's.  "But I 
wish you would, anyway."

He snorted.  "Well, I suppose I can trust you -- but what about 
your friend here?"

Kal looked him directly in the eye.  "I have been a man under 
oath, sir, and have never betrayed a trust."

"Even at great personal cost," Lois said quietly, nearly to 
herself.  She glanced over at Kal, the remembrance of past hurt 
clear in her eyes.

Kal reached over to hold her hand.  She smiled at him softly, 
then directed her attention back across the desk.

Colonel White studied Kal, with a few occasional glances at Lois.  
At length, he cleared his throat.  "All right, then.  It's not 
like you could do anything about it anyway, as long as this 
doesn't get around to the general public."   The Colonel sighed, 
looking down at his hands.  "We want to avoid a panic," he began 
obliquely.  "But we've detected an asteroid out there, heading 
right at us.  It's days away -- almost a week -- but the brain 
boys say it's going to hit us.  Hard."

Lois's face lost color, and she gripped Kal's hand tighter.  He 
tried to project reassurance through their link.  "How hard?"

"Depending on where it hits..."  He paused again, leaning back.  
"It could wipe out most of humanity."

"That's end of the world stuff, sir."  Lois seemed almost in 
shock.

"Which is why news can't get out!  We've got everyone working on 
options, but it's early days yet.  Still, I'm sure they'll come 
up with something," he added without much conviction.

"Yes," Kal replied, giving Lois's hand a gentle squeeze.  "I'm 
sure someone will come up with something."

****

"Okay, that should work," Francine was finally able to tell the 
set director.  He had had his own notions about what should go 
where, and those notions clashed with her own.  It hadn't been 
easy to come to an agreement -- although, she thought with a 
mental smirk, it had gotten easier after she'd reminded him that 
she was the one paying the bills.

She brought the mail in from the front box and sat down to sort 
through it.  A few of them could get shuffled right on over to 
Brenda's desk, as she was, among other things, the casting 
director.  And a few could be tossed into the trash.  The rest, 
she had to deal with.  Bills and invoices, mostly.

Running a theater was a far more complicated proposition than 
being a dancer had ever been.  And, to add insult to injury, she 
was actually making less money now -- she and Brenda both wanted 
to invest as much as they could into creating a successful 
showplace.  It was hard work, but, to her own surprise, it was 
work that she loved.

Although paying the bills was not her most favorite activity.  
Her mind tended to wander, and after only a minimal struggle to 
concentrate, she leaned back in her chair.  It was like Lois said 
earlier -- things had changed a lot in the past few months. 

Next time her ex-husband paid one of his rare visits, she'd 
greatly enjoy telling him off.  She'd confronted and beaten up 
alien bad guys.  Harry was nothing compared to that -- and he 
couldn't even claim that he'd gotten her this job and therefore 
she owed him.  She'd have to warn Brenda not to fall for any of 
the bastard's tricks or sob stories.  He'd manipulated her for 
the last time, thanks to Kal.

In fact, now that she was free of Harry and Johnny, and standing 
on her own two feet, maybe it was time to think about having a 
*good* relationship for a change.  Not that she knew many 
candidates; the only one that came to mind was Bill.  She'd 
always thought there was a spark between them, but neither one of 
them had ever acted on it.  Still, if she happened to run into 
him again... She knew she was reasonably attractive, and last 
she'd heard he wasn't involved with anyone... well, who knew what 
could happen?

She smiled a bit, remembering how Kal and Lois had looked this 
morning.  Totally in love, and showing it more than they probably 
thought they were.  Lois deserved to be happy, though... and she 
was forced to admit that Kal was a decent guy.  Always had been, 
really, even when he'd been just another of the Metro Club 
patrons, though she would never have said so.  Finding out that 
he was an alien had been... well, shocking.  Enough of a surprise 
for even a cynic like her to look at him through new eyes.

And then this morning, they'd surprised her again.  Kal could 
fly?  And who knew what else he could do?  She was dead certain 
Lois hadn't told them everything.  But hey, a girl had a right to 
a few secrets.  Besides, Brenda would get Lois to 'fess up to 
everything sooner or later. 

Brenda, in fact, had pretty much already decided that Kal was 
Superman come to life.  Francine felt that was stretching things, 
but supposed it wasn't impossible.  She certainly wouldn't mind 
seeing Kal in skin-tight spandex.

That mental image made her smile, and then provoked a question.  
If Kal wanted to play Superman, he'd need a costume -- something 
high-quality, but which couldn't be traced back to any costume 
shop or tailor.

It was a good thing for them that she was a pretty darned good 
seamstress.

She laughed at herself for that grandiose thought, and shook 
herself back to reality.  Time to get back to work and pay some 
bills.

****

Lois mechanically processed what little information the Colonel 
had on Lex Luthor, jotting down a few notes, but her heart wasn't 
in it.  When she'd first heard about the asteroid, she had 
thanked God for sending Kal to them.  But then, upon reflection, 
she wasn't so sure what Kal could do.  He didn't even have a ship 
to use.

He certainly seemed very cool and collected.  His mental echo was 
a touch more uncertain, but not by much.  He turned his head to 
catch her looking at him, and he smiled.  She needed to talk to 
him.

"Thank you, sir," she told Colonel White as he seemed to run out 
of steam.  Apparently, his heart hadn't really been in it, 
either.  She stood, and Kal followed suit.  "Um... we'll be in 
touch."  She managed a ghost of a smile.  "Probably not before 
next week, though."

"Ah, it's not that bad, I'm sure," he replied, managing half a 
smile. 

They all shook hands goodbye, and then Lois reached for Kal's 
hand again.  Their bond worked better when they were touching, 
and she needed the reassurance.

****

The drive back to Lois's apartment was very different from the 
earlier one.  Then they'd been laughing and joking.  This time 
they were silent, and Lois seemed lost in thought.

"Don't worry, Lois," Kal said again, feeling her anxiety. 

"I'm not worried," she snapped at him. 

He considered contradicting her, then decided to let it slide.  
It was more important to lessen her worry than to badger her into 
admitting to it.  "I can take care of this all by myself, you 
know."

"Oh, really?"  She scowled at him.  If she'd been standing, he 
thought, she'd have crossed her arms.  "Just going to fly on out 
there, in vacuum, and knock it out of the sky?"

"Something like that, yes."  He'd been considering the best 
approach to the problem.

"Kal, be reasonable.  You don't know what you can do out there.  
Yeah, I know you've gone all over space and all that, but that 
was in a *ship,* ya know?  It makes a difference."

"Yes, Lois, it makes a difference, but think about it.  I'm 
invulnerable -- the lack of pressure won't be an issue.  I'll 
have to see how long I can hold my breath -- I've never had 
occasion to check, before -- but there are such things as air 
tanks."

"It's still too risky, Kal."  Her scowl faded, and her worry 
shaded toward outright fear.  "Anything could happen."

"Shey-ana, it's more risky if I *don't* go."  They parked behind 
her apartment building and just sat there for a moment.  "You 
heard Colonel White.  They haven't got any idea what they're 
going to do, if they can even do anything..."

"They're working on it, Kal.  Give them a chance, okay?"  She 
looked across the front seat at him, silently urging him not to 
leave her.

He sighed, hating the thought of distressing her.  "Okay.  We'll 
give them a day... but Lois, that thing is getting closer every 
minute."

"It's just..."  She faltered, reaching for his hand.  "You've 
hardly even gotten here."

He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it.  "After all the 
work I put in to come be with you, there's no way I'm going to 
let some space rock wreck everything." 

She looked at him again for a long moment, then took a deep 
breath.  She brightened somewhat, to both his inner and outer 
sight, and managed a smile.  "Okay, let's go in."

****

As they entered her apartment, a thought occurred to Lois.  "You 
know, I should really get you a duplicate set of keys."

He tilted his head, considering that, then smiled.  "Either that, 
or always leave a window unlocked."

"Yeah, that could work, too."  Dwelling on the mundane was 
comforting somehow.  "The first thing we should do, though, is to 
get you a new identity.  Do you think your guy in West River is 
still there?"  As the plans formed in her head, her speech 
speeded up, giving Kal no chance to answer.  "Would he be open 
now?  Could I come with you, or should you go alone?  Because I 
think that's got to be our very first priority -- to get you 
legal standing, I mean, even if it's done illegally."  That 
thought still made her a trifle uncomfortable, but it was 
necessary, so they would do it.  "I was thinking of what name to 
use this morning, but I didn't--"

"Actually," Kal interrupted, "I liked the one you gave me."

"Huh?"

"Kal Ellison," he elaborated.  He looked at her with a warm 
smile.  "If I understand the naming conventions properly, that 
means 'son of El.'

"Oh.  I hadn't thought of that."  She pondered briefly.  "Well, 
that's not it exactly, but yeah, that's the idea.  We could 
certainly use it that way.  That's a nice idea."

"Yes, it is," he replied solemnly.  "Thank you for coming up with 
it."

That drew a smile out of her.  "I think it was mutual."

He shrugged, not disputing the point.  "So, do we like that 
name?"

"Well, let's see..."  She tested how it sounded when said aloud.  
"Kal and Lois Ellison.  Lois Lane Ellison -- although," she added 
in a quick aside, "I think I'd just as soon drop that; the name 
is far too famous for safety.  So... Lois Ellison.  Mrs. Ellison.  
As long as we never name any daughters Allison, I think 'Ellison' 
should work just fine."

He grinned at her.  "I'll keep that in mind."

"So, let's go get you legal.  And to celebrate afterwards," she 
informed him, "you can take me out to dinner."

****

Kal held the door open for Lois as they left the pawn shop.  Just 
as Kal had remembered, the forger worked out of a backroom.  And, 
given enough monetary incentive, he'd agreed to set Kal up.

"Is it just me," Lois asked crossly, "or did that take forever?"

Kal reached over to hold her hand, just because he could.  It 
seemed strange to be here -- where he'd spent three years alone - 
- with Lois, the woman he'd fallen in love with while on a 
spaceship.  He decided it was the combination of factors that 
felt odd -- and exhilarating.  He was on his way to realize the 
dream of his life.

Well, there was still an asteroid to deal with, of course, but he 
refused to believe it would be especially difficult.

"It took a while, yes," he belatedly replied.  "But he was just 
being thorough."

"Well, it was kind of fascinating," she allowed.  "I had no idea 
it would be so complicated."

"Yes, but worth it."  He held up the envelope.  "With this birth 
certificate, I can apply for a social security number.  
Everything else will follow."  He smiled down at her as they 
continued down the street. 

"Yeah, I guess so.  I never really gave it much thought."

"Well, don't worry.  It shouldn't take long -- it's just 
paperwork."   "Speaks the man who's never worked for the federal 
government," she pointed out.  "It could take them *weeks.*"

He laughed.  "I hope it's not that bad.  And I think I can apply 
in person, which will speed things up.  So, where to next?  It's 
a bit early yet for dinner."

Lois looked around, getting her bearings.  "Well, I think if we 
hurry, we can get to the courthouse before it closes for the day.  
I want to know what marriage laws we've got to deal with, here.  
Maybe we could get started on some of the paperwork.  Maybe," she 
glanced up at him, "they don't have any waiting period at all, 
and they'll take a birth certificate as proof of identity..."

"That would be nice.  But like you say, this is the government 
we're dealing with."  Kal began scouting for a convenient dark 
alley to duck into.  The December daylight was already fading, as 
the sun sank low enough to cover the city in shadows.  "Let's try 
this next alley," he suggested quietly.

They turned the corner into a narrow passage, barely large enough 
for the garbage trucks that toiled there.  The noise of the busy 
street faded behind them. 

"I don't know if you know where the courthouse is?"  Lois looked 
up at him.  At his headshake, she continued.  "It's about fifteen 
blocks this way, then--"

The rest of her sentence was lost as a screech of metal filled 
his hearing.  Instinctively, he pushed Lois behind him and toward 
the side of the alley as he surveyed the threat.  It was a 
wrecked station wagon, wedged into the alley mouth at an awkward 
angle.  Someone had taken the turn much too wide and much too 
fast.  The car was no longer moving, except for some incidental 
late breakage, but even as he watched, a flame sprung up from the 
crumpled front hood.  He could hear a few screams from out on the 
street.

"Stay back!" he told Lois, before moving forward to investigate 
more closely.  He would probably be able to help, if he didn't 
mind the risk of discovery.  Actually, he realized, he was going 
to have to help.  There were two young women in the front seat of 
the car, and neither of them were moving.

"Don't let that fire get to the gas tank," Lois urged from right 
behind him.  Blistering words of reproof formed in his mind, but 
he pushed them back.  Lois was not under his command.  Besides, 
she was right.  That fire could be deadly.

He moved forward again, almost to touching distance.  The one 
good thing about the fire, he discovered, was that it provided a 
literal smoke screen between him and the growing crowd of 
onlookers he could hear out on the street.

"Blow it out," Lois urged from a few paces behind him.  "Freeze 
it!"

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her, and promptly blew 
cold mist onto the fire.  It hissed and sputtered to an almost 
immediate stop. The smoke and steam both began to dissipate, and 
he heard voices from on the street.  Time to get out of here.

He turned, collected Lois, and super-sped down to the other end 
of the block.  He tucked her into the shadow of a dumpster.  "I 
hear an ambulance already," he reported after a moment's careful 
listening.  "I think it's coming here.  Those women should be 
okay 'til it gets here."  He turned toward her and sighed.  "I 
wish I could have done more."

"Well, you couldn't -- not without a disguise -- and they'll be 
fine," Lois said, trying to peek over the edge of the dumpster.  
She turned back towards him and patted him on the chest, smiling 
up at him.  "You were great."

He shrugged uncomfortably.  "I didn't do much."

"You did as much as you could, and you saved them both, plus 
probably a few people on the street."  She paused for emphasis.  
"It was enough.  Although we really need to start thinking about 
a disguise for you.  And right now..."

"Let's hit the courthouse," he finished for her.  "Okay.  After 
you, m'lady."

****

Gwen Porter looked around the seedy bar and suppressed a shudder.  
It was for moments like this that she had invested in a small 
handgun.  The place was filthy, badly lit, and smelled strongly 
of spilled alcohol and stale tobacco.  She tried to breathe 
shallowly and mentally cursed Trask again.  She moved forward, 
gingerly stepping around chairs, tiny tables, and the occasional 
debris on the floor, and wincing as the bottoms of her shoes got 
progressively stickier.

Her target was in one of the back corners, a noisy group of six 
or eight people.  She could just make out Kari's face, which 
looked faintly green in the uncertain lighting.  She angled 
around to her side of the table, then spoke.  "Excuse me.  Have I 
found the UFO meeting?"

The people, mostly men, around the table looked up at her in 
varying degrees of suspicion and hostility.  Kari seemed 
dumbfounded.  "Yeah, that's us... Dr. Porter, what are you doing 
here?"

A very good question, she thought bitterly.  "May I join you?"

"Yeah!"  Kari jumped to her feet, an eager smile on her face, and 
offered her seat.  "C'mon, guys, get me another chair.  This is 
my hypno-therapist, Dr. Porter.  She's been totally amazing." 

After a swift doubtful glance, Gwen sat in the vacated chair.  
"Thank you.  Yes, I'm a therapist, specializing in repressed 
memories, particularly those of alien abductees."

The crowd seemed at least partly impressed by this, so she 
continued.  "I'm also investigating, shall we say, strange or 
inexplicable events."  She pulled a pencil and a small notebook 
out of her bag.  "I was wondering if you could tell me of 
anything odd that's happened in this area recently."

That seemed to open the floodgates, as nearly everyone at the 
table attempted to tell her things at the same time.  She held up 
a hand.  They quieted down.  Some.  "I do want to hear from each 
and every one of you.  However, I cannot listen to you all at 
once."  Turning to her right, she suggested, "Shall we begin with 
you, sir?"

By the uncertain look on his face, he wasn't quite sure what 
'shall' meant, but apparently he'd caught the part about 
beginning, and started talking.

****

Lois entered her apartment with Kal close behind.  "I'll have to 
visit the bank tomorrow," she thought aloud.  "I've got a safe 
deposit box.  The lobby opens at eight, as I recall."

"Okay," he replied, with an annoying hint of humor in his voice.  
"I don't mind if we have to wait a day or two."

She hung her coat in the closet then turned to stick her tongue 
out at him.  "Yeah, go ahead, laugh it up."

"Well, you must admit it's ironic."  He grinned at her.  "There I 
am, with my identification right at hand, and we get turned away 
because you haven't got yours!"

"Plus there's a two-day waiting period.  Which won't start until 
tomorrow.  Stupid regulations."  She kicked off her shoes.  "I 
was born right here in Metropolis -- can't they just look it up 
or something?"

"Apparently not."

"Well, they need to update their system."  A thought struck her.  
"I know, they should get you to do data-entry!"

"What?"

"You'd be the fastest way."  She grinned, her spirits reviving.  
"I can see it now -- there you are, in full Superman costume, 
sitting in a basement somewhere typing in old records... think 
they'd pay you more than minimum wage?"

He rolled his eyes at her.  "I don't think we're going to find 
out."

"What, haven't you got any civic spirit?  You'd look cute in one 
of those little visors."

"Laugh at me, will you?" he asked darkly.  He began pacing 
towards her.  "I'll have to teach you a lesson."

She grinned at him.  No matter how menacing he was trying to 
look, she couldn't feel any real anger.  There had been a flash 
of it earlier, but none now.  "And what would that be?" she 
challenged him, raising her chin a bit.

He pulled her into a hug.  "Give me a minute.  I'll think of 
something."

She pulled her arms free and began running her hands over the 
outsides of his arms and shoulders.  "While I'm waiting... think 
there's anything we could do to pass the time?"

"Oh, I think we can come up with something," he murmured, one 
side of his mouth twitching upwards. 

"And then, Kal, for tonight," she said softly, "I'd really like 
it if you'd sleep with me, instead of on the couch."

He pulled back, frowning slightly.  "Shey-ana, I really don't 
want--"

"We can just sleep," she hurried to reassure him, launching into 
the argument she'd been thinking about all day.  "Like we did on 
your ship that last night.  I know you want to wait, and while 
that's frustrating, I also kinda like the idea that you respect 
me too much to skip the formalities.  But there's really no point 
in you looking for an apartment, because by the end of the week, 
God willing, we'll be married and you'd have to cancel the lease 
almost immediately after you signed it."  His frown had faded, 
and she suspected he was beginning to be amused, but she'd built 
up too much momentum to stop now.  "And I know you can afford it, 
what with all those diamonds and rubies you found lying around on 
New Krypton, but honestly, I can think of better uses for that 
money, and if I have anything to say about it, you're never going 
back to New Krypton to look for more of them, so--"

Her words were abruptly stilled as Kal's lips closed over her 
own.  For half a second, she was upset at the interruption, but 
then gave that up in favor of enjoying the kiss.  Long moments 
later, he released her and said, "Yes."

"Yes?  Yes what?  That you want to wait, or that it's 
frustrating, or..."

He smiled warmly.  "Yes to all of that.  And yes, I'd love to 
fall asleep with you in my arms."

"Oh.  Good."  That had been easy.  Maybe too easy.  She squinted 
at him suspiciously.  "It won't make you see me as a concubine?"

"No, Lois."  He shook his head, looking almost embarrassed.  
"It's not -- well, let's just say that concubines are mostly 
there when you're awake, and then they leave.  Sharing sleep is 
different.  You're the only woman I've ever slept the whole night 
with."

"Really?"  She pondered that for a moment, then smiled.  "Okay, 
then.  I like that."

"You like being the only woman I've slept with?" he teased. 

She poked him in the chest.  "I like being the only woman, 
period, from now on.  You are *mine,* buster... and I don't 
share.  Got that?"

"Yes, m'lady," he murmured, right before kissing her again.

****

"But before that," Kal murmured a moment later, "I think we 
talked about going flying..."

Her eyes lit up.  "Yeah, we did -- think it's dark enough out?"

"If we wear dark clothes and head out of town... yeah, I think 
so."

"Cool," she breathed.  "So... what do we do?"

Kal tilted his head.  "Well, I'll have to hold you, I guess." 

"You guess?"  She looked skeptical.

"I've never really had to think about it," he said defensively.  
"I tried not to use my powers much when I was here before, and I 
sure never took anybody with me."

"I suppose you wouldn't.  Hah.  There's another first for me -- 
your first passenger."  She laughed softly.  "If we go by the 
comics, you'd hold me in your arms, sort of in a cradling 
position."

He grinned.  "Like this?"  He swooped her up, one arm behind her 
back and the other beneath her knees.

"Whee!  Yeah, like this."  She settled her arms around his neck.  
"I always wondered how this would feel."

"Or how this would feel?"  He levitated a few inches up off the 
carpet and moved them toward the window.

"Wow, it's a smooth ride.  I mean, I figured it would be, but 
that's not the same as experiencing it..."

He stopped at the window.  "Will you do the honors, m'lady?"

She grinned at him.  "Certainly.  But first, let me down."

Surprised, he set her back on her feet.  She opened the window, 
then turned and hugged him, running her hands up his arms to rest 
on his shoulders.  "I always thought it would be more fun this 
way."

He rubbed her back, enjoying the feel of her body against his.  
"Good thinking."  With his arms securely around her waist, he 
lifted off, angled through the window, and shot upwards.

****

Gwen closed her apartment door and sighed in relief.  Her first 
priority was to kick off her shoes before she could track any 
residue of that bar onto her pristine carpets.  Next, the jacket 
came off.  She sniffed at it and scowled.  She ought to bill 
Trask for her dry-cleaning.  She walked in stocking feet to her 
bedroom and quickly stripped off the rest of her clothing.  The 
lingering smell of smoke in her hair convinced her that she 
really needed a shower.

Twenty minutes later, she finally felt clean.  Wearing her 
softest velvet and cashmere lounging outfit, she settled in on 
her couch to review her notes.  She needed to organize first, and 
then decide which things to pass along to Trask.

She glanced at her watch, grimacing at the late hour, then set up 
three piles.  One for first-hand experiences, another for second- 
hand accounts, and a third for the 'friend-of-a-friend"/urban 
legend type of story.  That third pile should really go straight 
into the trash, but it was possible that Trask would want to have 
the notes.  She intended to make no mistakes.

****

Half an hour later, they flew back in the window.  Kal set them 
both down and released Lois.  She was smiling widely, her eyes 
shining.  "I could have done that for a few more hours."

"Let's wait 'til I have a costume, okay?  Have you thought of any 
names for me, by the way?"

"Not really.  Everything I come up with sounds silly.  Krypton 
Man?"

He winced.  "Maybe not."

"Exactly my point.  Well, we might as well sleep on it." 

Kal stilled, suddenly unsure.  "Uh, yeah.  About that..."

"I've got first dibs on the bathroom," Lois said, not quite 
meeting his eyes, and in no time at all, she called out, "Your 
turn!"

He took care of his nightly ritual, then stepped into the 
bedroom.  He felt just a little awkward, sliding into bed next to 
Lois.  They were both fully clad -- sleep shorts and a t-shirt 
for him, a pair of cotton pajamas for her -- but just the act of 
getting into bed together was intimate.  They had shared sleep 
before, of course, but that hadn't been a planned thing.  And 
sleep would be all they were sharing, no matter what his body was 
urging.

Lois smiled shyly, lying demurely on the other side of the bed.  
"Hey, you."

"Hi there."  That shy look only increased his physical reaction 
to her, he realized ruefully. 

Her eyes widened slightly.  "This bond thing is going to be 
interesting."

After a confused moment, he realized what she meant.  With very 
little effort, he could *feel* her welcoming reaction to him, 
which was intensifying his own feelings... which were probably 
spilling over back to her.  "I love you, Lois."

"Yeah, I know."  She smiled.  "You're burning bright."

He looked askance at her, and she blushed. 

"Oh, sorry -- it's how I think of you, in my mind.  I guess it's 
stupid, but it's like I can see you there, as this floating, 
well, ball of fire, I guess.  And it changes with whatever you're 
feeling.  Like I said, it's stupid."

He smiled, sliding closer to her, and reaching out to hold her 
hand.  "It's not stupid.  At least, I hope it's not.  Ever since 
we were on the ship, I've sensed you the same way.  Except you're 
not fire, you're a waterfall."

She moved closer, cuddling up beside him.  "A waterfall?  Like 
Niagara Falls?"

"Not exactly... it's like this thin, shimmery curtain of water."  
He wasn't quite comfortable describing it aloud, but she'd 
already done it.  And if anyone could understand and approve, it 
was her.  "It sort of speeds up or slows down, or changes colors, 
like it's lit from behind, depending on what you're feeling."  He 
hesitated, then added, "It's beautiful." 

She pondered that for a moment, shifting slightly to rest her 
head on his shoulder.  "I like it."  She yawned, then continued 
sleepily, "I'm glad I'm not the only one -- I didn't know what to 
think about it at first." 

"Ah, shey-ana... don't you know?"  He kissed the top of her head, 
and said softly, "You'll never be alone again."

She looked up, her eyes filling with unshed tears.  "I love you 
so much."

That called for a kiss, then a few more, before Kal brought 
things to a halt.  "Sleep, my lady.  We've got plenty of time for 
other things later in the week."  She settled against him again, 
yawning, and soon falling to sleep.  Holding her, he smiled and 
slept, and dreamed of waterfalls.

****

Lois woke, feeling more rested than she had in months, and too 
content to move.  Kal was lying close next to her, an arm thrown 
over her waist.  The weight and warmth of it felt wonderful.  She 
moved slightly to get a better view of his face.

His eyes opened.  A moment later, he smiled.  "Good morning, 
Lois."

"Good morning, Kal.  I'm glad you're here; this feels so nice..."

"And in only a few days," he murmured in a husky tone, "it'll be 
even nicer."

She grinned and stretched, pressing towards him.  "Yes, I think 
it will."

"But for now," he said, scooting backwards, "we need to get up 
and get going."  He got out of bed, then stopped, looking down at 
himself ruefully.  "I need some new clothes."

"We can do some shopping this morning, maybe," she offered, 
looking him over shamelessly.  Going shopping had never been her 
favorite activity, but with the incentive of seeing Kal try on 
multiple outfits, it might be a fun outing.  Speaking of multiple 
outfits... "You know, you need a costume, too."

For a moment he looked confused, then his expression cleared.  
"Oh, for do-gooding?  Yes, I do."

"Like that car fire earlier."  She propped herself up against the 
headboard with a pillow, thinking aloud.  "With a costume you'd 
have been able to do a lot more."

He sat on the edge of the bed.  "I suppose so, yes.  Well, we had 
been talking about me becoming Superman, as it were.  He's got a 
costume, hasn't he?"

"Yep.  Blue suit with a big yellow and red S-shield.  Which looks 
rather like your El symbol, actually.  Well, depending on who's 
doing the drawing.  Some of those so-called artists for the 
comics have tried all sorts of variations, to show off -- 
assuming they're not trying to get it right and failing 
miserably, which I would also believe."

His face twisted.  "I just can't see myself in those bright 
primary colors."

She felt a pang of disappointment; she would love to see him in 
the traditional suit. Still, privacy was important.  "There's an 
idea -- maybe we should forget making you an imitation Superman.  
With the names and everything, it's just too risky."

"Lois!  You know I can't be here and not help..."

"Oh, I know!  I was just thinking -- what if we said you were 
some *other* super-powered guy?  With your own suit and 
backstory."

Kal pondered that.  "I guess... you know, I've just about decided 
that a Kryptonian's visited Earth before, and H.G. Wells knew 
about it, and what powers he would have had.  Then he built the 
whole hero thing around that.  We could explain that, to cover 
the similarities."

"Maybe..." Lois stood and began to slowly pace.  "You know, you 
really don't look that much like the way Superman's always been 
drawn.  They tend to give him a huge square chin, with one little 
curl of hair on his forehead -- and blue eyes, of course."  She 
turned to look at him.  "This could work."

"I think I'd like to wear black and burgundy -- those are the 
colors of the House of El."

"You wore that on the ship, didn't you?  Of course, it would have 
to be skin-tight," she smirked.  "That would look really good on 
you."

"You'll have to help me get it right, then," he said, looking 
only a little nervous.  "And I want to keep my house symbol, but 
if we stylize it so that it *doesn't* look like an S..."

She nodded.  "Yeah, that could work.  Maybe.  We'll have to try 
it.  I can sew a few things, but I'm no expert.  And we wouldn't 
want to buy anything off the rack; it'd be traceable."

"You would know," he agreed.  "Actually, it's a good thing you're 
a private investigator; you'll know all the tracks we need to 
cover."

"That's the theory, anyway," she agreed.  "But in the meantime, 
we'll have to be very New Kryptonian and--"

"--make do with what we have," he finished for her, grinning.  
"Come on, let's get that marriage license!"

**** 

"So we went back this morning," Lois explained as she stood in 
the doorway, sorting her office mail.  "We've officially applied 
for a license.  We have to wait two days, but then on Friday, 
we're getting married!" Lois was so happy and excited she was 
bouncing a little on her toes.  "And it won't be a big thing, 
just a civil ceremony, but you guys have to be there."

Francine leaned against her desk and hid a smirk.  She pretended 
to think.  "Well, I don't know... we're going to be pretty 
busy..."

"Francine!"

"Don't listen to her, Lois," Brenda advised cheerfully.  "Of 
course we'll be there."

Francine's smirk emerged, though she tried to tamp it down to a 
polite smile.  "I wouldn't miss it for anything," she admitted.  
She'd watched Lois and Kal's courtship, separation, and reunion.  
The wedding was the essential next step.  Even if it wouldn't be 
very fancy... "Actually, I'd like to arrange a reception for you, 
if you don't mind."

Lois looked rather more surprised at the offer of help than 
Francine liked, but she was also clearly happy.  "That'd be a 
great idea!  Thank you!  I hadn't even thought about that."

"Well, it won't be a long guest list," she pointed out dryly.  
"But if you think of anyone you'd like me to invite, Lois, just 
give me their addresses.  No, wait," she corrected herself.  "The 
wedding's only two days away.  Better give me their phone 
numbers."

Lois grinned.  "Thanks, Francine, but like you say, it'll be a 
short list -- and I should probably do the inviting, myself.  
Since this will be the first time anyone's heard about this whole 
wedding thing, and all."

"Heh, good point," Francine replied, leaning back over her 
desktop to grab onto her day planner.  "I'll get it set up and 
let you know the particulars."

"So," Brenda asked cheekily.  "Where's the groom this morning?"

"Shopping," Lois replied.  She gathered her mail together and 
made a small move towards her office, across the hall from 
theirs.  "He said he wanted some new clothes."

Francine would just bet that Kal was shopping for something more 
valuable than clothes, but it wasn't her place to say so.  A 
faint ringing was heard, and Lois turned her head to follow the 
source of the sound. 

"I think that's my phone."  She waved at them and vanished.

"Yeah... Hope it's a client, not a creditor!"  Francine called 
after her.  She looked over toward Brenda and cracked a smile.  
"We've got a wedding reception to plan."

"What do you mean 'we,' white girl?" Brenda asked with a laugh in 
her voice that made it impossible to take offense.  "But okay, 
I'm in.  This is gonna be fun."

****

Gwen shuffled her notes one more time, then told herself to stop 
stalling.  He was expecting a phone call from her today, so she 
would have to call him.  It wasn't entirely due to his possession 
of some embarrassing documents, either.  Unexplained phenomena 
had intrigued her since she'd been a child, and she'd seen enough 
to be convinced there were aliens afoot.  The Bureau was one of 
the very few groups that shared her concerns.

Resolutely, she reached for the phone and dialed Trask's number.  
"Gwen Porter here," she announced as soon as she heard his voice.  
"I've got a few things to report."

"You were able to find the right people to talk to, then?"

"Of course I did.  I could hardly be in this business and not 
know about UFO groups."  She'd made it a priority, in fact, to 
keep tabs on them as unobtrusively as she could.  She could 
usually get her patients, who often were plugged into such 
informal groups, to talk about them.  They were a bunch of 
amateurs, but every now and then, they might stumble across 
something.  "I spoke to one such group last night.  They had a 
few tales to tell."

"Good -- write it all up in a report.  Anything significant?"

"The most interesting was a story of an auto accident yesterday 
in West River.  Two young women took a curve badly, and their 
engine caught fire after they hit the corner of a building.  One 
of the women in the group last night claims to have seen the 
whole thing."  Of course, Kari also claimed she'd been abducted 
by aliens, which Gwen had already disproved to her satisfaction.  
"The car crashed, the engine caught fire, lots of smoke, then 
suddenly the fire vanished.  She thinks there was someone on the 
other side of the car, but when the smoke cleared, there was no 
one there."

Trask snorted. 

Gwen ignored him and carried on.  "There was another account of 
someone saved from a fire -- this was second or third hand.  I'll 
try to verify."

"Another mysteriously-quenched fire?"  He sounded skeptical to 
the point of derision.  But then, he always did, unless he was 
giving orders.

"No, the building was totaled."  She'd double-checked that.  
"Supposedly, a man who had collapsed on the top floor was found 
by paramedics at the rear of the building, totally unconscious.  
With no idea how he'd got there."

"Hmm.  See if you can talk to that man."

She scowled, secure in the knowledge that he couldn't see it.  "I 
told you, I'm checking.  There's also a report of a fairly 
standard abduction.  I've got her coming in for regression 
therapy tomorrow.  On a more non-standard note, a few weeks ago, 
the entire floor show of the Metro Club -- four dancers -- 
disappeared into thin air overnight.  Two of them have since 
returned, but the other two have not.  This was about the time 
the Metro Club closed down, however," she qualified, "so there 
may be nothing there."

"Find out," Trask said crisply.  "If they seem promising, get me 
a background check on them."

"I'll pass along any names or addresses I get," she promised.  
They shouldn't be too hard to track down.

"Fine.  What else?"

"Apart from several Elvis sightings, not much."  She dared slip 
into sarcasm.  "Unless you'd like for me to investigate the man 
who claims Harry Truman is living in his blender."   

"Don't try my patience, Porter.  Anything else?"

"I've asked about the alien from the tidal wave, but all they had 
was speculation.  Nothing else."

"Keep looking.  Keep me posted.  Out."   Trask hung up on her.

****

Kal turned the key in the lock with a slight smile.  Having a key 
to Lois's apartment was a little thing, he supposed; he was 
temporarily staying with her, and needed his own access.  
Perfectly sensible and mundane.  He was a little surprised by how 
good he felt about it.  He opened the door and entered the 
apartment.  A perfectly normal apartment.  What was 
extraordinary, he decided, was that *he* was welcomed there.  Not 
as a noble, or a fellow officer, but him personally.  He tried to 
recall when he'd last felt that.

Maybe this was what people talked about when they said, 'home, 
sweet home.' 

He became aware that he was standing in the middle of Lois's -- 
no, *their* living room, staring out the window at nothing in 
particular, and smiling.  He gave himself a mental shake and got 
back to business. 

He hadn't yet found a ring.  None of the engagement sets he'd 
looked at had felt right.  Lois deserved something very special - 
- he wasn't quite sure what he was looking for, but he would know 
it when he saw it.  He just hoped he saw it soon; he was running 
out of time.

He'd bought new clothes and accessories instead, but only enough 
to last a few days.  Kal wanted Lois to go with him when he 
picked out the rest of the wardrobe.  After all, she was the one 
who was going to have to look at him.  He wasn't entirely sure 
where to put the things, so he figured he'd just lay them on the 
sofa for review.

Where was Lois, by the way?  She'd planned to go into work and 
catch up on things, but he thought she'd wanted to be home by 
now.  He tried to focus on the bond, but the mental image didn't 
tell him much.  Well, wherever she was, she was fairly happy.

He flicked on the television -- naturally, it was tuned to the 
all-news station.  At the moment, though, they were going on 
about some high-profile case of assault, so he wandered over to 
the kitchen to see if there was anything to snack on.

He'd barely scanned the cupboards when he heard the sound of the 
*other* key in the lock.  He turned towards the door with a big 
smile.  "Hi, Lois!"

"Hi, yourself, Kal," she replied, coming over to give him a kiss 
and a hug.  "I missed you."

He grinned at her, holding her loosely in his arms.  "Lois, it 
was only four hours."

She gave him a wide-eyed, innocent look.  "Is there a minimum 
amount of time before I can miss you?  I mean, I knew the police 
wouldn't look for missing persons until they'd been gone for two 
days, but I didn't think that would precisely apply here.  Oh, I 
know!" she exclaimed, as if the thought had just occurred to her.  
"We should practice spending time apart, so I'll get used to not 
missing you."

"Lois!"

She laughed.  "Or not.  What did you get today?"

"Clothes, mostly."  He waved toward the living room.  "See what 
you think."

That caught her attention and led her to look over the back of 
the sofa to inspect his purchases.  "These are nice.  Pretty 
basic... basic black, mostly," she added as she sorted through 
the small pile.  She turned to smile at him.  "Wasn't that one of 
the outfits you had on board -- a black suit, with the S on your 
chest?"

He chuckled.  "It's not an S; it's the Kryptonian symbol for the 
house of El.  I brought one with me, actually."

"A souvenir?"

"Something like that, I guess.  The house line ended with me, 
so..."

She grinned.  "Oh, not necessarily.  Baby Allison can carry on 
the traditions."

He hadn't looked at it that way.  "I guess she can.  Sort of, 
anyway.  The context will be completely different."

"We'll make do with what we've got," she told him.  "Isn't that a 
very New Kryptonian attitude?"

Kal laughed.  "Yes it is, actually."

"There ya go, then," she concluded, glancing down at the clothing 
again.  "So, you want lunch?"

"Sure.  What've you got?"

"I'll have to go check," she said, suiting action to words.  
"I'll be right back."

While he waited for the results of her food investigation, a 
burst of music reminded him that the television was on.  Now they 
were talking with a field reporter.  "--won't tell us exactly 
what's going on, but they have said there's some trouble with a 
satellite, and this gathering of astronomers and other experts is 
studying the problem."

The studio anchor replied, "Bob, isn't that a lot of intellectual 
firepower for a satellite malfunction?"

"Yes, Dana, it is.  But for the moment, it's all we know."

"Okay, thanks, Bob.  And now, let's check in with CeeCee over at 
our sports desk--"

Kal turned the TV off, no longer hungry.  The chances were 
getting greater that he was going to have to do something.  He'd 
like to be prepared, too, just in case.  He'd seen a sporting 
goods store that morning that might have the air tanks he'd 
probably need... but he knew it would upset Lois.  Well, he 
didn't have to tell her just yet. 

"You know what, Lois?"  He tried to make his voice sound normal.  
"I, um, forgot something this morning.  And I'm not really that 
hungry, so I'll just dash out to the store to pick up the, uh, 
thing."  He winced inwardly, knowing he was doing an incredibly 
poor job.

She frowned at him from the kitchen.  "Are you okay?  You're kind 
of nervous."

Oh.  Darned bond.  At least there were limits to what she could 
sense.

"It's just something I meant to get, earlier, but then I forgot."  
He wracked his brain trying to find a suitably innocuous item to 
name.

She took a few steps toward him, concerned, then suddenly 
stopped.  A look of enlightenment crossed her face, and she 
smiled a little, leaning against the door jamb.  "Don't tell me 
there was a limited supply."

"Actually, I think there is.   They might run out."

A smile played around her mouth.  "You'd better get going, then.  
I'll be here for a little while, then heading over to my office 
again.  The number's written down by the phone."

"Okay -- I'll be back soon, I'm sure."  He didn't know what she 
thought he was going to do, but he appreciated her willingness to 
play along.  She seemed to be enjoying this just a little too 
much, in fact.

"Happy shopping," she said blandly.

"Thanks.  Um..."  For a moment he hesitated, then walked over to 
give her a quick kiss.  He stepped back again before her kiss 
totally distracted him, and let himself out of the apartment.  
"See you soon!"

He decided he really didn't like lying to Lois.  Which was just 
as well, he figured, as he seemed to be spectacularly bad at it.  
Well, at least she knew he was lying.  That made it seem better, 
somehow.

****

Francine looked up from her desk at the sound of someone coming 
in the building.  She waited, counting footsteps, wondering idly 
if the person was headed for her office or Lois's.  If it was a 
member of the public, they probably wanted Lois; the only people 
who came into the theater's back office were delivery guys.

"Francine?  Brenda?" 

Well, that answered that question.  "In here."

A woman's head appeared in the doorway, followed closely by the 
rest of her.  She was tall and seemed scrawny, though it was hard 
to tell, given that she was dressed in an over-large, ill-fitting 
dress. 

Francine supposed the style could, charitably, be described as 
'vintage' -- but it must have been a very bad year. 

"If you want to audition you'll have to come back later," 
Francine said, though there was no way Brenda was going to hire 
her.

The visitor scowled.  "I'm not here to audition.  I'm here to 
talk to you."  She paused, probably waiting for Francine to 
recognize her.  And she did seem vaguely familiar, but... "I'm 
Kari Shankenberg."  She paused again, but to no avail.  
"Melanie's friend!"

"Oh, right!"  Francine sat up straighter, wishing Brenda was 
here.  Kari had visited once before some weeks ago, and she'd 
already been told the cover story.  It hadn't seemed to satisfy 
her.

"I want to know where Mel is."

"Look, the last I heard, she was perfectly happy and not 
interested in coming back.  To Metropolis."

"Yes, but you never said where she went!"

"I told you, we were held on a ship of I don't know what country.  
So she fell in love with a sailor and went with him back to 
wherever." 

Melanie had always been into crystals, universal transcendence, 
whatever that was, and similar screwy notions.  When she'd gotten 
the chance to live on an alien planet, she'd jumped at it -- 
well, she probably wouldn't have if it hadn't been for her 
falling for Zak like that, but it was a big plus, in her mind, 
that she'd be going to another planet. 

But Francine couldn't very well say any of that to Kari.

"But don't you even know what country it is?  How would you ever 
be able to get in touch with her?"

Francine shrugged.  "She knows how to contact us, if she needs 
to."

Kari frowned.  "Unless she's in one of those backwards societies 
where women aren't allowed to drive or go outside unless they're 
covered from head to toe!"

Well, if total coverage was the ideal, they'd love Kari.  "No, 
it's not that bad.  It is kind of a backwards society," she said, 
remembering some of the darker aspects.  "But they're trying to 
modernize, and Mel's in good hands.  Zak loves her, and the, uh, 
queen of the place was personally going to look out for her."  
Kal had said he'd made Zara promise that before he'd left.  "The 
king, too," she added before Kari could object.

"It still sounds fishy to me," Kari objected, crossing her arms.  
"And I don't like the way you just wave it off, like she's not 
important.  Anything could be happening to her!"

"Look, sweetie, anything could happen to her here, too."  Like 
being kidnapped as a concubine, for instance.  "Trust me, she 
traded up."

This didn't mollify Kari in the slightest.  "I have no reason to 
trust you.  Melanie never liked you, and from what I saw, you 
didn't like her, either."

Francine shrugged.  "Things change.  We got to know each other a 
little better, is all.  Heck, just look at me and Brenda -- I 
couldn't stand her before.  And now we share an office.  Oh, and 
Brenda and me leaned on Zak pretty good, to make sure he'd take 
care of Melanie.  Look, I didn't have much time for her before -- 
I thought she was a silly kid -- but did you ever hear her say I 
went out of my way to be nasty to her?"

"Well, no."  Kari bit her lip.  "She wasn't a kid.  She was 
twenty-two."

"Still is, as far as I know," Francine pointed out.  "But at my 
age, Kari, anyone under thirty seems awfully young."

Kari looked frustrated at that reply, but was clearly struggling 
to come up with anything to say.  After a moment or two, she 
calmed herself down and said, "Okay, Francine, say I trust you.  
I still don't have the foggiest idea where Melanie went.  I'm 
sure that you do, but you won't tell me.  So that means you don't 
trust me."

Francine groaned inwardly.  "It ain't that simple."

"No, really -- I think it is."  Kari drew herself up in righteous 
indignation, and said with a tremendous effort at dignity, "Thank 
you for your time."

"Aw, come on, Kari..." Francine started.  She did sympathize with 
the girl.  There just wasn't anything she could tell her.

Kari pretended not to hear her and sailed back out the door.  The 
outer door thumped closed with unusual force. 

**** 

Lois looked at her closed door and laughed softly.  Kal was such 
a bad liar.  She'd been concerned at first, until it had occurred 
to her that he was probably off to buy an engagement ring.  With 
that settled, it had been fun to watch the rest of his stammering 
performance.

Gosh, he was cute.  Of course, he'd need to get somewhat better 
at lying convincingly -- to people other than her, of course -- 
if he wanted to be a superhero.  And what were they going to call 
him?  She'd have to help him out with all that.

But first, they had a wedding to arrange.  This was going to be a 
very short guest list, she realized ruefully.  Her parents were 
overseas, she hadn't kept up with any school friends, and she'd 
never gotten that close to anyone in the service.  With one 
exception.  Before she could talk herself out of it, she picked 
up the phone and dialed a familiar number.  After only a short 
negotiation with his secretary, she was connected to Colonel 
White.  "Hello, sir, it's Lois Lane."

She heard a warm chuckle.  "I recognized your voice.  So what's 
new since yesterday?"

"Well, not too much," she replied happily.  "But I thought you'd 
like to know that I'm getting married."

"What?  That's terrific, Lois, congratulations."  He sounded 
surprised but pleased.  "Have you set a date?"

"Yes, actually.  Friday."

There was a short pause.  "Of this week?"

She grinned.  "Yes, sir, this week.  I know it's awfully short 
notice, but we don't want to wait."

"I see," he replied more thoughtfully.  "You, ah, sure about 
this?  And who's the groom?  You know your dad is going to ask 
me."

"Yes, sir.  You met him yesterday -- Kal Ellison."  The name was 
starting to sound more natural.

"Ah.  I thought there were some serious undercurrents going 
there.  How long have you known him?"

"Long enough," she assured him airily.  "He's a great guy."

"Good, good... so, that's your ship captain."

Lois blinked.  "Um... what?"

"I'm only assuming here, but it seems to me like he's the captain 
of that ship you were held on."

"Why would you think that?" she asked, curious and stalling until 
she decided what to say. 

"Speaking as an old friend of your dad's... Lois, before you were 
kidnapped, you had no social life.  And from what you said, when 
you came back... well, I just put two and two together, is all."

"Oh."  A smile spread across her face.  "Well... I can neither 
confirm nor deny that."

"Heh.  I'm happy for you, honey."

"Thanks, sir.  So, I called to invite you to the reception.  The 
wedding itself is going to be very small, just a civil ceremony 
downtown, but a friend of mine is planning a party for 
afterwards.  I don't have all the details yet, but--"

"When you know, call my secretary; she'll arrange for me to be 
there."

"Good.  So..." Lois steeled herself to ask the question she 
didn't want to ask, switching from personal to professional mode.  
"How are things coming with that asteroid?"

"Not very well."  He sighed.  "And the news crews are starting to 
notice all this unusual activity.  So far, we're telling them 
it's just a satellite problem, but they're not all buying it.  Of 
course," he added with a tinge of humor, "the Metro Post would 
have everyone believe we've been contacted by aliens and are 
trying to negotiate with them."

"They would."  Lois allowed herself a brief grin then paused, 
toying with the phone cord.  "So... do I take it no one's come up 
with a brilliant plan yet?"

"'Fraid so.  They're talking about hitting it with rockets or 
missiles, but those wouldn't be very effective *or* accurate 
until the rock is fairly close."

"And by that point, there won't be much time to try anything 
else," Lois filled in, fatalistically.  "Do they think they can 
hit it?"

"Well... they keep talking about how even a partial hit to the 
asteroid would up the odds of the human race's survival.  And 
there's a lot of talk about doing everything possible to survive 
it hitting us.  Underground complexes, bomb shelters, that kind 
of thing."

She closed her eyes.  "Damn."  Somehow, when fantasizing about 
living in the comics, she'd always focused on the fun parts, not 
the bits where Superman had to go off heroically to save the day 
even if it killed him.

"Yeah.  But they don't think it'll hit 'til Saturday, maybe 
later, so I'll still come dance at your wedding.  There's really 
nothing else we can do."

"It doesn't seem like it, no."  Unless Kal could stop it.  In the 
comics, of course, he'd be able to.  But she didn't think she 
could put too much faith in comic book precedent.  "Well, I've 
got things to do, Colonel, so I'll say good-bye."

"Good-bye, Lieutenant.  Until Friday, that is."

****

Kal walked home from the sporting goods store, thinking.  He'd 
had no idea scuba gear was so complicated, but apparently it was, 
with a bewildering array of options and accessories.  From what 
the salesman had said, though, he thought he could get by with 
just a back-pack style twin tank and a decent diving regulator to 
breathe through.  He didn't need to breathe much, anyway, so that 
shouldn't be a big deal.  He hoped the pressure wouldn't be a 
problem; the equipment was made to withstand external pressure 
from the water, not for flying in vacuum.  Still, that was only a 
logical extrapolation from the decompression process, and they 
were also built to withstand that, weren't they?  So he was 
probably in good shape.  He already had a pretty good idea of 
what he wanted to buy.

He didn't think there'd be any way to communicate, though, not 
without powerful and expensive radio equipment.  It wasn't as if 
there was a large private market for them, so very likely the 
only usable set-ups were run by governments or scientific 
researchers.  In short, they were inaccessible.  He'd manage 
without them, then.

So, that only left the most dangerous part of the whole adventure 
-- breaking the news to Lois. 

He became aware that he was walking more slowly, to further 
postpone the inevitable.  That was unacceptable.  He picked up 
the pace and, for good measure, found an alley short-cut he could 
speed through.  Lord Kal of the House of El was no coward.

He slowed to normal speed as he approached the apartment 
building.  It belatedly occurred to him to check on her emotional 
state.  She wasn't as happy as she had been earlier, he thought.  
Suddenly, being with her was his most important priority.  He 
barely restrained himself from using super-speed into the 
building and up the stairs.

"Lois?"  He unlocked the door to find her sitting at her kitchen 
table.

She smiled at him, but it wasn't up to her usual standards. 

"How are you?"  He walked over to stand behind her and began 
gently massaging her neck.

"Oh, I'm fine.  Still tired from yesterday, I guess."

"What have you been up to?"

"Oh, I thought I'd call all my friends to tell them about the 
wedding..."  She looked up at him with a rueful smile.  "But 
apparently I haven't got any friends who don't already know about 
it.  I hadn't really thought about what a social life I didn't 
have in a while."

He tried to work out the syntax in that last sentence, then 
mentally shrugged.  He sat down next to her, leaning in close.  
"For the record, Lois, you are the best friend I have *ever* 
had."

Her smile widened.  "Ditto."

"We're getting married, Lois; that's the main thing.  So what if 
it's a small party?"

"Yeah, you're right.  I did invite one person, though -- Colonel 
White."

Kal raised an eyebrow at her.

Glancing up at him, she amplified, "He's not just my ex- 
commanding officer; he's also an old family friend -- served with 
my dad for a long time.  My folks are overseas at the moment, and 
I've no idea how to get in touch with Lucy, but at least I can 
have someone there."

"Well, that's good," he concurred, sighing as his thoughts turned 
back toward the Nightfall asteroid.  "Did he say anything about 
them finding a way to stop that rock?"  "Nope.  Well, he said 
they had a plan but that they weren't very hopeful that it would 
make much difference."

Kal folded his hands on the table, looking down at them.  He knew 
the obvious next step, and so did she.

"This means it's time for Plan B, I guess," Lois said with an 
attempt at lightheartedness.  "Or in this case, Plan K, where the 
K is for Kal-smashing-the-asteroid."

He looked at her.  "Are you okay with that?"

"No, I hate it."  She shrugged.  "But the alternative is worse, I 
guess."

"I'm afraid so."

"Well, then," she straightened up and looked him in the eye.  
"We're going to do everything we can to get you back in one 
piece."

"Right."  He still didn't really believe there was any great 
danger in it, but he appreciated her determined attitude.  "Well, 
let me tell you what I found out about scuba equipment today."

****

When the phone rang, Francine looked up from the paperwork she'd 
been studying, but before she could reach for the phone, Brenda 
had picked it up.  She didn't pay much attention to the 
conversation -- if Brenda thought it was something that concerned 
her, she'd get her on the line.  In a very short time, Brenda put 
the phone back in the cradle and for a moment, stared at it with 
a puzzled look on her face.

"What is it, Bren?"

"That was Lois," her partner reported.  "She wanted to come over 
right away, and said she and Kal had something to tell us."

"Well, we already know about the wedding.  Unless they couldn't 
wait and flew to Vegas this afternoon?"

Brenda grinned.  "After all the trouble Lois went to?  If Kal 
suggested a shortcut now, she'd probably deck him, just on 
principle."

"Or not," Francine replied dryly.  "I don't think he's very deck- 
able."

"Hey, he can have whatever superpowers he likes, but this is Lois 
we're talking about.  He'd be toast."

"Nah, my money's on Kal."

"You want to put some real money on it?" Brenda challenged, 
grinning.  "I'll bet you a nickel."

Francine laughed.  "You're on.  But I'd rather not have any 
occasion for her to try."

"Well, sure--" Brenda started, then turned, frowning slightly.  
"Was that our door?"

As Francine paid attention, she could hear quick footsteps in the 
hall, and a moment later their office door was opened to reveal 
Lois and Kal.  "You guys got here quick."

"Oh, you know," Lois muttered as she sat in her usual guest 
chair.  Kal stood behind her, leaning against the wall, looking 
more gorgeous than normal, dressed all in black.  "Faster than a 
speeding bullet and all that."

Francine lifted an eyebrow at that.  "You turning him into a 
full-fledged Superman, Lois?"

Kal looked surprised, but Lois just laughed.  "I'm working on it.  
But that's not the problem today."

"Okay, then, spill it," Brenda urged, scooting her desk chair a 
bit closer to the group.

"Well, the military's still trying to keep this top-secret, but 
I've got connections -- and if I can't trust you guys, I can't 
trust anyone."  Lois took a deep breath.  "There's an asteroid 
out there headed right for us.  Depending on how it hits, it's 
going to wipe out most of the human race -- maybe even all of 
it."

Francine blinked, but otherwise kept her face as straight as she 
could.  Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Brenda's jaw drop.  
"No way..."

"Unfortunately, she's telling the truth," Kal said quietly. 

There was a rather strained silence for a moment.  Francine let 
the papers she'd been holding slip through her fingers.  They 
didn't matter now.

Brenda stirred first.  "Damn.  I knew we should have gone to New 
Krypton!"

Lois laughed a bit at that, but the tension didn't leave her 
face.  "They say it won't hit until the weekend."

Short honeymoon, Francine thought, but didn't say aloud.  "I 
see."  "So why are you telling us?"

Kal shrugged.  "Well, because Lois is going to need your 
support."

Suddenly, Francine figured out what he must be trying to say.  
"And because... this sounds like a job for Superman?"

Kal arched an eyebrow at her, but nodded.

"Yeah, pretty much," Lois confirmed.  It was obvious she was 
unhappy with the situation, but she soldiered on anyway.  "We've 
got some gear for Kal to wear -- air tanks, mostly.  And the dark 
clothes, of course, to try to avoid another picture.  We're not 
sure how long it'll take him to get out to the asteroid -- 
they're calling it Nightfall, by the way -- and it's still pretty 
far out there."

"Whoa," Brenda whispered.

Francine glanced at her partner; Brenda was never quiet.  She 
looked shaken, her eyes unfocused.

"So, what's the plan?"  Francine asked.

"I'm going to put on the gear and take off," Kal replied.  
"Actually, I was hoping to use the alley behind this theater; 
it's secluded enough that no one should notice me."

"And then, once he's gone," Lois added, "you two are going to be 
propping me up until he gets back."

"You've helped us before, so we know we can count on you."

Francine nodded slowly, remembering the ruse under which they'd 
infiltrated Nor's ship.  "Sounds a lot simpler than the last plan 
you asked us to help with."

Kal flashed a grin, showing a glimpse of perfect white teeth. 

"Also more dangerous," Lois said, getting to her feet.  "But 
we're doing it anyway.  So -- we left the gear out in the alley.  
Wanna come watch?"

"What, you're leaving now?"

"I haven't got anything more important to do," Kal pointed out.  
"Have you?"

"More important than saving the world?"  Brenda pretended to 
ponder.  "No, guess not."

Kal lead them all out to the alley, then picked up a bundle of 
tanks, straps, and hoses.  It took a few tries until they 
collectively figured out how to get him into the harness to hold 
the tanks on, but in no time whatsoever, he was standing there, 
ready to go.  He looked taller somehow, Francine decided. 

"There ya go, Kal!" Brenda patted him on the upper shoulder and 
stepped back, smiling bravely.  "Have fun out there in space, 
okay?"

"And take a sweater," Francine added, tongue firmly in cheek.  
"It might get cold."

As hoped, that pulled a giggle out of Lois.  Kal gave that heart- 
stopping grin again.  "I'll be careful.  Okay, I might as well 
go... step back a bit, ladies." 

Francine and Brenda stepped back, but Lois lingered for a moment 
at Kal's elbow.  He looked down at her and brought up a hand to 
cup her cheek.  "I'll be fine, Lois.  I promise."

She nodded, then reached up to give him a brief kiss.  "For 
luck."  She paused.  "And this one's for me."  Pulling him close, 
she kissed him thoroughly. 

Francine looked away to give them a moment of privacy.  Soon, 
though, Lois stepped back to join the others.

"I don't know how long this will take, exactly," Kal warned while 
gently floating upwards.  Francine tried not to goggle at him, 
but it was hard.  "It might be a few hours.  I'll come back here 
when I'm done -- or Lois, if it's late, I'll just head home, 
okay?"

"That'd be fine," Lois said, her arms crossed closely in front of 
her.  "I just want you back."

Kal smiled one last time, then all of a sudden accelerated.  
Francine couldn't help gasping.  As she looked up at the strip of 
sky between buildings, the small figure that was Kal rapidly 
dwindled out of sight.  "Wow."

"Well, okay, show's over," Brenda said, with a look at Francine 
that she had no trouble deciphering.  Their job was to distract 
Lois. 

She reached out to give Lois a sideways hug and maneuvered her 
back into the building.  "Who wants to play Parcheesi?"

****

Lois slowly climbed into bed.  She hadn't let her friends take 
her home until nearly midnight, and she was tired.  It had been 
an interminable evening.  The worst part was that the feeling of 
the bond was gone; it hadn't lasted more than a few minutes after 
Kal's take-off.  She'd lived twenty-six years with no one else in 
her mind and had always been fine, but now... she missed the 
warmth and cheery glow of Kal's presence. 

He would come back.  The bond was only interrupted due to inter- 
planetary distances, not anything permanent.  He'd be back soon.  
She sighed, turned over in bed, and tried to sleep.

****

The stars had been bright when viewed from the terrace of his 
ship, but it was nothing compared to this.  They were positively 
dazzling.  Kal turned slightly, using his special vision to 
locate the asteroid, then began moving in that direction.

He was relieved to find that the lack of gravity hadn't impaired 
his flying ability at all, a worry which had only occurred after 
he'd taken off.  He wasn't sure how these powers worked, after 
all.  But however they worked, they were still working. 

Through the bitter cold of vacuum, he still felt warmth where the 
direct sunlight hit him.  It seemed almost... invigorating.  He 
glanced back at Earth's sun.  It was a bright and cheery yellow, 
brighter than the duller red of New Krypton's star.  As he 
recalled, the "Lois and Clark: the Adventures of Superman" novel 
had mentioned something about Superman getting powers from the 
sun.  The author *must* have known a Kryptonian, somehow. 

Just chalk another thing up to the mysteries of the universe.  He 
turned to look outward again.  The asteroid was still only a 
small speck, blotting out the view of only a few stars.  He added 
a little speed.  The sense of her presence had gone, and he 
wanted to regain it as quickly as possible.  Even though she'd 
put on a brave face, he knew Lois would be worrying about him.  
The sooner he returned to her, the better.

He could see more of the asteroid now as he got closer.  He 
adjusted the breathing regulator to test the air tanks.  Fresh 
oxygen emerged; good, the pressure hadn't ruined anything.  He 
hadn't run out of air yet, but why take chances?  He filled his 
lungs and let himself breathe every few minutes.

Nightfall was very large; he could see that.  Definitely a 
planet-killer.  He shivered.  He'd seen recorded images of 
Krypton falling apart; it was not something he ever wanted to see 
in person.

Come to think of it... if he'd delayed much longer on New 
Krypton, he would have arrived just in time to see Lois's world 
destroyed.  He shuddered and offered up heartfelt thanks to any 
deities who might be listening. 

He poured on a little more speed.  The asteroid grew bigger, 
blotting out more stars, but didn't seem to be getting any 
closer.  Then he realized he'd misjudged the distance; with no 
scale for comparison out in the vacuum of space, he'd assumed it 
was a lot smaller and closer, instead of just looking small at a 
great distance.

It began to occur to him that this might not be quite as easy as 
he'd thought.

Still, the principle remained.  An object in motion remains in 
motion until acted upon by an outside force.  He was merely 
adding that outside force.  He was still invulnerable; in fact, 
the sunlight seemed to be boosting his energy just a bit.  He put 
his fists together in front of him, flying head-on toward the 
rock.

A few endless moments passed, then with shocking suddenness, the 
rock filled his vision and he was very close to it.  Traveling 
very fast.  Despite himself, he ducked his head between his two 
outstretched arms, and braced for impact.

****

Lois woke abruptly, shaking from the aftermath of her nightmare.  
She didn't remember much, other than the huge approaching 
asteroid slamming into her.  She took a few deep breaths, willing 
herself to calm down.  It wasn't any sort of connection to Kal; 
he would have been far beyond their range.  It didn't mean 
anything.  She was worried about Nightfall, was all; she didn't 
need any dream specialist to tell her that.

As she waited for her heart rate to slow, she realized that she 
could feel Kal's presence again.  He was back!  And alive, if not 
immediately in the apartment.  The relief was so profound it 
almost left her gasping, and she laughed shakily at her own 
theatrics.

Of course he was back safely; it had been silly of her to ever 
worry about it. 

Truly relaxed for the first time since his departure, she pushed 
herself up onto her pillow part-way to await his return.  As she 
waited, she let her mind wander.  With Nightfall out of the way, 
the most momentous thing they had to worry about was planning a 
wedding.  They weren't having a fancy affair, but they could 
still dress up.  She smiled sleepily, her eyes closing to savor 
the mental image of Kal in a black tux.  Her thoughts grew 
fuzzier, her eyes heavier, and she surrendered to a peaceful 
sleep.

****

The first thing he was aware of was confusion.  His head felt 
groggy, and a gray fog muffled thought and sensation alike.  He 
opened his eyes.  It was dark, and he seemed to be in a hole of 
some kind.  There were scattered patches of light above him, 
illuminating a few decrepit buildings, but he didn't recognize 
any of them.  He felt a stirring of wind and realized that he was 
naked.

"Hey buddy, you okay?"

He jerked his head up to see someone standing at the edge of the 
hole.  It was a man every bit as decrepit as the buildings around 
him, and just as unrecognizable.  "Uh... I guess so."  The fog 
was parting, ever so slowly, but still hiding much more than it 
revealed.  The words coming out of his mouth sounded strange and 
unfamiliar in his ears.

"Well, you can't go round naked," the man pronounced.  He turned 
away from the hole for a moment, then turned back and tossed down 
a bundle. 

The bundle revealed itself to be a shirt and pair of pants, and 
he donned them gratefully.  At least he wasn't cold.  "Um, 
thanks."

"Just give 'em back when you're done.  I'm Jed."

"Jed," he repeated.  "Okay.  And I'm..."  He stopped, unable to 
continue.  His name was still lost in the gray mists of his mind.

"Hey, don't tell me if you don't want to," Jed offered, 
shrugging.  "You gonna stay down there all night?"

Reminded of his surroundings, he made his way up to the street 
level, then stood, at a loss.  "I... don't know where to go."

Jed frowned at him.  "Well, I ain't leaving you here.  C'mon to 
the shelter with me; they'll feed ya, anyway."

"I guess."  There was a nagging sense that he was supposed to be 
somewhere in particular, *with* someone in particular, but all 
the details were still lost in the gray fog.  With a shrug, he 
followed Jed toward the shelter.  It seemed as good a destination 
as any. 

****

When Lois next woke, the sunlight was filtering into her bedroom, 
and she was surprised to find that Kal wasn't with her in bed.  
She closed her eyes, checking the bond.  His fire seemed to be 
damped down or something, but he was probably just sleeping -- 
she hadn't ever paid attention to what the bond would feel like 
when he was sleeping.  There was no need for her to worry.  
Flying millions of miles ought to be enough to tire anyone, even 
him.  She dragged herself out of bed, reaching for a robe to 
throw on over her pajamas.

Why hadn't he come to bed with her?  After last night, she'd 
thought he would understand how comforting that would have been.  
Still, the important thing was that he was still alive, and 
somewhere nearby.  She hurried out to the living room, unable to 
banish her worries, needing to feel his arms around her.  "Kal?"

The living room was empty, the sofas un-slept on.  The first 
stirrings of panic gripped her gut.  She frowned and rechecked 
the bond.  She was still learning to interpret the nuances of 
color and heat, but it was definitely still there, which meant he 
was back.  So why wasn't he here?

There must be some reasonable explanation.  There had to be.  On 
cue, the phone rang, and she lunged for it.  "Hello?"

"Hey, Lois, it's Brenda.  How's things?"

Lois sat down abruptly.  "Not so good, Bren.  He's back, but he's 
not here, and there's no note or anything..."

Brenda seemed to do a good job of interpreting that.  "Hold on, 
girl; we're coming over."

****

The shelter was fairly quiet as they geared up for another day, 
but they were already serving breakfast, cafeteria-style.  
Following Jed's lead, he picked up a tray and stood in the short 
line.

"The food ain't that good," Jed confided.  "But it's hot.  And 
we're in luck today; we got the pep squad serving it."

He looked down and across the counter.  He saw three young women 
handing out various plates.  They seemed rather dour for a pep 
squad.  "Why do you call them that?"

"Oh, they're just all idealistic about stuff.  Can't be a day 
over twenty-one, but think they know all the secrets of the 
universe.  I just ignore 'em."  True to his word, Jed shuffled 
forward and collected a tray of food without making any eye 
contact.

When he moved up to take his turn, he realized that the woman 
pouring the coffee was staring at him.  She seemed harmless 
enough in a baggy dress and braided hair.  He smiled politely 
before focusing on the food again. 

She frowned at him.  "Kal?"

He looked up sharply.  "You ... know me?"

"Well, yeah, sort of.  I'm Kari."

"Oh.  Hi."  He tried to decide what to say.  He hesitated to give 
away too much information and expose his vulnerability. 

"I'm a friend of Melanie's," Kari explained, sounding impatient 
with him now.  "I don't suppose you know where she is, do you?" 

"Um..."  Did he know a Melanie?  And was his name Kal?  It 
sounded vaguely familiar. 

Kari rolled her eyes.  "Oh, right, I forgot, it's a state secret 
or something."

He tried to figure out what that meant.  "Uh... a state secret?"

"No, never mind, forget I asked.  Here."  She thrust a mug of 
coffee at him, splashing it a bit into the air. 

Deftly, he reached out to take control of it and place it safely 
on his tray.  "Thanks.  Um... I'm sorry, I'm not trying to keep 
secrets.  It's just... well, I can't remember much of anything.  
I was wondering if you might be able to help me." 

**** 

"Where is he?"  Lois paced around her living room, looking tired.  
"I've been calling everyone I know, getting the word out that 
he's missing, but so far no one knows anything."

"Did you talk to Big Louie?" Brenda asked.  "Cause I could..."

Lois waved the offer away.  "He was the first one I called.  I 
tried to act like this was just a normal missing persons case for 
me, but I don't think he bought it.  I've been trying everyone 
else I can think of, too -- which was a short list, but I 
couldn't just *sit* here..."

"Calm down, honey," Francine said soothingly.  "You said he's 
okay, right?  So don't worry about it.  I'm sure there's some 
reason he hasn't got here yet."

"Yeah, Lois," Brenda chimed in, "he's probably just pulling a cat 
out of a tree or something."

Francine frowned repressively at her, then turned back.  "He's a 
big boy, Lois.  He can take care of himself."

"So then where *is* he?"

"You said you could *feel* him?"

"Yeah, Brenda, it's a telepathy thing -- probably empathy is a 
better term, because we can't talk to each other -- but anyway, I 
know he's alive, and I'm pretty sure he's somewhere in 
Metropolis.  I just don't know where."

"Hey, as long as he's alive and on this planet, you can work 
anything out."

"I hope you're right--"  Lois was interrupted by the shrill ring 
of the phone.  She grabbed the receiver.  "Lois Lane."  She 
listened intently for a moment, looking impatient.  "I'm fine, 
thanks.  What do you know?"  She scribbled something that 
Francine couldn't see on a piece of notebook paper.  "I'll check 
it out.  Yeah, please do." 

She hung up the phone with an expression of guarded hope and 
turned back to her friends.  "That was one of my contacts.  
Apparently a fireball crashed near West River last night.  I've 
got the address."  With quick efficient movements, she unlocked 
her deadbolts and opened her door.  "Come on, let's go!"

With a shrug towards Brenda, Francine followed her out the door.

****

Gwen Porter frowned over her Accounts Receivable spreadsheet.  
Running the practice all by herself meant not having to pay 
salaries or worry about any staff's loyalties, but it also meant 
she had to do everything.  And there were currently more accounts 
with balances due than not.  Really, she ought to consider 
implanting post-hypnotic suggestions for people to pay her bill 
promptly.  It wasn't strictly ethical, but it strongly appealed 
to her all the same.  She would only be encouraging people to do 
what they'd already agreed to do, after all.  Chances were, no 
one would catch her at it.  She jotted down a note to herself.

She was adding up a long series of numbers when the phone rang.  
She groaned, tried to finish her calculations quickly, then lost 
her place and swore quietly.  She picked up the phone on the 
third ring.  "Dr. Porter."

"Porter.  High Alert."

She rolled her eyes.  Would it kill him to say hello?  "What is 
it?"

"We've got possible alien activity."

All sense of pique vanished.  "Tell me."

"Early this morning, a small meteorite -- suspiciously small and 
fast -- entered the Earth's atmosphere.  It may have landed 
somewhere in Metropolis; it was too small to track with any 
accuracy.  We need to discover whether or not this was the 
beginning of an alien invasion."

Gwen considered that.  "Splashy misdirection?  But why bother, 
since they can visit without being detected?"

"Maybe they needed to bring in some special equipment.  I don't 
know.  I want to know.  Ask around.  If you hear anything 
interesting, report it back to me."

"Right."  There were a few people she could call.  "I'll see what 
I can do."

"See that you do.  Trask out."

**** 

Kari studied the man across the counter from her.  Was he making 
fun of her?  No, that didn't make sense.  And he did look a 
little confused.  "Okay.  Let's go sit."

Leaving Glenda and Erica to mind the cafeteria line, she directed 
Kal to an empty table.  "What do you remember?"

He shrugged, flashing a beautiful smile.  "Not much of anything, 
I'm afraid.  Did you say my name was Kal?"

"I always thought it was short for Calvin," Kari offered.  "But 
I've only ever heard people call you Kal."

"What people?"  He leaned forward hungrily.

"Um..."  Kari tried to remember.  She'd spent some time at the 
Metro Club, hanging around waiting for Melanie, but hadn't really 
paid much attention.  There was something about him... a nagging 
sense that she'd seen him somewhere besides the Metro Club, but 
she couldn't pin it down.  And the club had been closed for 
weeks, so how was she supposed to find anyone who knew him?  "I'm 
not sure."

He sank back into his seat, looking defeated. 

Kari's heart went out to him.  "The only people I know who 
*might* know you would be these two dancers," she offered 
reluctantly, still hoping to find some other solution.  "Mel 
never knew much of anything about you, though, so I doubt they 
would."

"Mel?"

"My friend, Melanie."  She made a face.  "She just *disappeared,* 
weeks ago.  I think Brenda and Francine know where she is, but 
they never liked me or Melanie, and they won't *tell* me 
anything."  She'd had to accept that, but it didn't mean she ever 
had to speak to them again. 

"Never mind."  Kari tried to concentrate on the problem at hand.  
"Maybe I should take you to a police station."

There was no mistaking the look of alarm that flashed across his 
face.  "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?"

He shifted in his seat.  "I... don't know."

Well, Kari figured any regular patron at the Metro Club might 
have good reason to avoid the police.  She was sympathetic to 
that, so she wouldn't push him.  Especially now that she'd 
thought of a better plan.  "You need some professional help -- 
and luckily for you, I know a really great hypno-therapist."

*** 

Lois turned a corner into a back alley, immediately finding what 
she sought.  It was difficult to miss the gaping hole in the 
ground. 

Brenda followed, glancing back the way they'd come.  "Hope 
Francine has fun just sitting in the car."

Lois shrugged.  "Can you blame her?  I wouldn't want to leave my 
car just sitting around this neighborhood, either."

Brenda moved to stand beside Lois.  "Wow, that's one big 
pothole."

"No kidding."  She moved closer, scanning the ground around the 
crater for any clues.  "I don't see anything useful, do you?"

"Nah, it's all just normal alley trash," Brenda confirmed.  
"Maybe I should stayed with Francine."  She walked to the other 
side of the crater. 

"The crater's pretty clean."  Lois looked up toward the nearby 
billboard sporting a hole with burnt edges. 

"Shouldn't there be, like, a rock in it or something?"

Lois tried to remember what she'd learned about astronomy and 
asteroids.  "You'd think so, wouldn't you?"

"Maybe... it was destroyed when it hit?"

Lois shook her head.  "I don't think so.  Whatever did this was 
big enough that if it vaporized, it would have made a much bigger 
explosion."  She glanced around the alley; the damage was very 
localized.

Brenda met her eyes from across the alley.  "Interesting size, 
this hole."

Lois nodded, throttling down hope.  "Isn't it, though?  Just 
about the size of a person..."

"He's invulnerable, right?"

Lois swallowed.  "I think so.  We haven't really tested 
everything."

"Well, there aren't any body parts lying around or anything, so 
that's good, right?"

"But if he's not here, where is he?"  She looked around, hoping 
for an eye witness to pop out of the shadows.

"Well, with anybody else, I'd say he can't have gotten far, 
but..."

Lois grimaced agreement.  "Think we should check hospitals?  I 
just can't figure out why he hasn't come home, or called me."

Brenda glanced upwards, through the hole in the billboard.  
"Well, that was a pretty major impact, right?  On TV that'd be 
enough to give a person amnesia."

"Try to stay with the real world, here, Brenda."

Brenda shrugged.  "Hey, I'm not the one dating a flying alien."

Lois paused.  "Yeah, but still..."  A flicker of movement caught 
her eye, and she moved towards an intersection with an even 
smaller alley.  "Hello?"

It was an older man, obviously homeless.  He seemed to have built 
a temporary shelter, so... "Sir... can I ask you a few 
questions?"

He scowled at her.  "I ain't answering no survey."

"No, that's not it, it's about... well," she gestured, "that hole 
out there.  What do you know about it?"

"Well, I dunno -- it weren't there last night, then this morning 
it was.  Darndest ruckus, too."

Lois hesitated, unsure how to phrase her real question.  And was 
he hinting for a bribe?

Brenda stepped up beside her.  "Have you seen anyone hanging out 
around here this morning?  He might have been confused.  Lola 
here had a big fight with him, so he ran off, and he'd been 
drinking, so now we're a little bit worried."

The man nodded knowingly.  "That'd explain it."

Lois took a deep breath and smiled through clenched teeth.  
"Explain what?"

"How he come to fall into that hole, o' course.  S'why I don't 
drink."  His gaze flickered uneasily around the end of the alley, 
which featured a number of empty bottles.  "Much."

Lois fixed her eyes on his face, holding her breath.  "Was he 
okay?"

"Oh, sure.  Nothing was bleeding, anyways."

Lois closed her eyes and felt herself begin to sway.  Brenda 
grabbed her arm to steady her.

"I'd'a seen it, if he was," the man continued, cackling a bit.  
"He'd taken all his clothes off.  Couldn't seem to remember much, 
neither.  Must'a been some party."

Brenda laughed -- faking it, Lois hoped.  "Yeah, that'd be him.  
So where did he go?"

"I gave him some duds and took him to the shelter for breakfast.  
He was talking with some woman when I left.  And he ain't give me 
my clothes back yet."

"I promise, you'll get them back," Lois said.  "Actually, never 
mind that..." She dug into her pocketbook.  "Here, take this.  
That ought to cover it."

The man peered at her offering and then snatched the twenty from 
her hand.  "Thank'ee."

"So which shelter?" Brenda asked.  "And where is it?"

"Riverside," the man said, examining his new money before 
carefully tucking it under several layers of rags.  Lois vaguely 
hoped the money didn't get spent on drugs or drink, but it was 
the least of her worries.

"I know it," Brenda replied.  "Come on, Lola, honey.  Let's go 
get him back."

***

Gwen was on her way out the door when the phone rang.  She 
hesitated, then reluctantly turned back towards her desk.  She 
leaned across the clutter-free surface to grab the receiver.  
"Dr. Porter's office."

"Dr. Porter, is that you?"  The voice sounded familiar but she 
couldn't place it.  "It's me -- Kari Shankenberg." 

"Yes?"  Even with the name it took a moment to remember who Kari 
was.  Fake abductee, lots of money.  Gwen's voice warmed 
slightly.  "What can I do for you, Kari?"

"Well, it's not me, it's... this guy I know."

Gwen noted the slight pause.  Kari's boyfriend?  Not that she 
remembered Kari as having any boyfriends to speak of.  "What can 
I do for him, then?"

"He's lost his memory, I think.  I mean, I don't know him very 
well, but I think right now I know more about him than he does.  
So I figured you could, you know, hypnotize him and help him 
remember."

Gwen gently massaged her forehead.  "I daresay I could, Kari, but 
I'm afraid I can't do so today."

"But..." Kari's voice trailed off and Gwen could picture the 
girl's bewildered expression.

"There's been something of a crisis, you see," she explained.  
There was no point in antagonizing a client, after all.  "I 
haven't any time for new patients."

"Oh.  More UFO stuff, I guess..."

"Something like that, yes."  Gwen glanced at her watch.  "And 
I've really got to be going--"

"Wait!"  Kari's voice sounded triumphant.  "Now I remember where 
I saw him.  You know I told you about that car accident the other 
day?"

Gwen stiffened.  "Yes, I remember."

"Well, I think he's the guy I saw in the alley."

Gwen dropped her handbag to the carpet and leaned across her 
desk, scrabbling for pen and paper.  "Where are you?"

"Riverside shelter, it's on --"

"I know it."  She dropped the pen and grabbed for her handbag.  
"I'll be right there."

***

It took only a few agonizingly long minutes before Francine 
reached the shelter.  It felt strange for Lois to be riding in 
the passenger seat, but the older woman had pointed out her 
shaking hands and distracted mental state, and taken over.

"There's nowhere to park," Brenda observed.  "Francine, just slow 
down.  Lois, you go on in -- we'll find a place for the car."  
Lois had the passenger door open almost before the vehicle had 
stopped, and dashed in the shelter's front door without a 
backwards glance.  Once inside, she had to pause to look around, 
letting her eyes adjust to the dimmer light.

There was a man sitting at a desk to the left, and on the right 
were a set of swinging doors, one of them propped open.  Lois 
rushed to the doorway and scanned the room.  There was a counter 
along one edge of the room, obviously a cafeteria-style 
arrangement, while the bulk of the room was taken up with tables 
and folding chairs.  The place was nearly deserted, and Lois felt 
her stomach sink to her shoes.  She'd been so sure...

She spotted motion behind the counter and walked over to see a 
short man mopping the floor.  "Excuse me... I'm looking for 
someone who I think was in here this morning..."

The man turned around, and replied in a mix of Spanish and 
heavily-accented English.

"I'm sorry, um..." She tried to remember the phrases she'd been 
taught.  "No hablo Espanol."

The man shrugged, pointed back toward the swinging doors, and 
went back to mopping the floor.

Lois stepped back, at a standstill. 

From behind her a voice called, "May I help you, miss?"

She turned gratefully to see the man from the desk approaching 
her.  "Yes, I'm looking for someone... I believe he was here this 
morning." 

"Hi, I'm Gary Meeks, the director here."  He looked wary.  "Why 
do you want to know?"

"I'm a private investigator," she replied, pulling out her wallet 
to give him a card.  She took a deep breath and tried to sound 
professional.  "He's approximately six feet tall, Caucasian, dark 
hair, approximately mid-twenties.  He's been missing since last 
night, and I have reason to believe he may have lost some or all 
of his memory."

Mr. Meeks narrowed his eyes, glancing at her card before staring 
off into the distance.  "I think I might know who you mean, but 
he's not here."

Lois tried to breathe her way through a mix of wild hope and sick 
apprehension.  "Where did he go, then?"

"Well, I wasn't really paying attention, but I did notice him -- 
he was dressed poorly, but was, well, unusually clean."

Lois blinked at that.

Mr. Meeks smiled wryly.  "I've been helping the homeless and 
desperate for over a decade.  With that much experience, I know 
what to expect, and this guy didn't fit the profile.  Usually 
when people come in off the street they're in pretty poor shape.  
They've either not had the opportunity or the inclination to keep 
themselves clean.  There's usually dirt under fingernails, beard 
stubble, body odor, that sort of thing.  We help them clean up, 
of course, but... well, I noticed him."

"What was he doing?"

"I'm not sure, but this woman came in looking for him -- she was 
professionally dressed, like you, but about ten years older, I'd 
say.  She took him off with her."

Lois forced a smile.  "Thank you."  Screaming would not be 
helpful here.  "Do you know where they went?"

He shrugged.  "Haven't a clue.  Unless someone wants to stay 
here, I don't ask questions.  I was just glad he'd found someone 
to help him."

****

"Ah, here we are."  Dr. Porter announced.  Kal decided that her 
store-front wasn't that different from the rest of the small 
shops along the block -- except of course, this one had a sign 
advertising hypno- and psycho-therapy. 

He followed her inside, trying to ignore the uneasiness that 
possessed him.  Of course he was uneasy; he couldn't remember who 
he was.  That was why he was here, so that the doctor could 
*help* him.  Why did that seem like such a foreign concept?

The interior wasn't very large, featuring a desk on one side of 
the room, and two chairs on the other, with a small end table 
between them.  The carpet and upholstery were looking worn, but 
there were several healthy-looking plants -- one on the end 
table, one on the desk, and a ficus standing in the corner. 

"This is my reception room," Dr. Porter explained, hanging up her 
coat.  She surveyed him with a faint sniff, making him very 
conscious of the ragged clothing he was wearing.  "My real office 
is upstairs."  She led him to the door behind the desk and 
unlocked it, revealing a narrow set of stairs.

Kal hesitated, then headed up the stairs.  A feeling of urgency 
was growing from nowhere, bringing with it a strong urge to go 
somewhere -- if only he knew where.  He was tempted to run back 
outside and just walk around until he discovered... whatever, but 
he knew that was foolish.

The door at the top of the stairs wasn't locked, so he walked 
through it.  This office was somehow classier than the one 
downstairs.  There was plush carpet and a leather-covered 
reclining sofa, framed by more plants, and a heavy wooden desk 
under the front window, facing the couch.  Four filing cabinets 
lined up neatly on one wall, while the other side of the room had 
two closed doors.  There were a few plants and a telephone, but 
all the flat surfaces in the room were innocent of clutter.

He stood in the middle of the room, awaiting direction.  Dr. 
Porter emerged from the staircase and closed the door behind her, 
doing something with the locks.

"Why don't you sit down on the couch?" she suggested civilly.  
"So, what do you know about hypno-therapy?"

He spread his hands, palms upward.  "Not much."

She smiled at him.  "Don't worry.  Among other things, it's a way 
of getting at knowledge that you have but that your conscious 
mind doesn't want to recall."

"Do you think that's what's going on with me?"

"That would be my first guess," she replied.  She looked at the 
couch, then at her desk chair, stationed behind her desk, under a 
small high window.  "I'll move this chair over so I can sit with 
you."  Suiting action to words, she moved behind the desk and 
began pulling at her chair.

She appeared to be having a little trouble with it.  He guessed 
she normally preferred to keep the desk between her and her 
patients.  "Stand back," he directed, going to the nearest corner 
of her desk.

The desk and chair were both old, he thought.  Solid wood 
construction, leather padding on the seat.  And he could see the 
problem; there wasn't quite enough space behind the desk to allow 
the chair to move easily out from behind it. Getting a good grip 
on the side, he lifted.  He set it out a few more inches from the 
wall, then repeated the procedure on the other side of the desk, 
to make it parallel with the wall once more.  Something told him 
that Dr. Porter would prefer everything to be straight lines and 
right angles.

As he turned to face the doctor, he thought he detected a hint of 
astonishment in her gaze, but then her features smoothed out.  
"Thank you, Kal.  That old desk is fairly heavy, I'm afraid."

He shrugged, moving to seat himself on the couch.  "It was 
lighter than it looks."  Though he supposed it might still have 
been too heavy for her -- she was, after all, only a woman.

"Well, let's get back to business," she said, seating herself 
near the couch.  "You don't appear to have any serious injuries, 
which tends to rule out brain damage.  A less violent knock to 
the head, however, can prompt a memory loss -- generally centered 
around one or two things that the person is scared of, or 
disgusted at, or otherwise doesn't want to face."

He scowled at her.  "Are you trying to suggest I'm scared of 
something?" 

"Not with your conscious mind, no -- or at any rate, you wouldn't 
let it stop you.  However, your subconscious isn't so rational, 
and is hiding the information from you, to stay safe."

He re-arranged his seat on the couch, inching away from her.  "So 
how do you get around that?"

"By hypnotizing you, I can dampen out those fears, allowing you 
to access whatever it is you're blocking.  Once that's taken care 
of, generally the rest of your memories return on their own."

"Generally?"

She shrugged.  "Nothing is guaranteed.  Often, people will first 
remember moments of their life that were associated with strong 
emotion, especially negative emotions.  The hypnosis will greatly 
speed the process, but it's essentially unpredictable.  When the 
negative memories come up, try to glean as much detail as you can 
from them.  Are you ready to begin?"

She was holding up a crystal on the end of a chain and beginning 
to swing it gently.  He looked away for a moment, thinking.  He 
was uncomfortable with this idea, and he was getting tired of 
going along with other people's plans -- he was a leader of men.  
Wasn't he?  If he wanted to find out, he didn't seem to have 
other options.

"It is quite safe," she commented.  "And everything you say is 
confidential, of course."

He sighed.  "Well, let's give it a try.  What do I do?"

"Just lie back," she said in a softer voice.  "Look at the 
crystal and listen to my voice..."

*** 

It took longer than she'd expected, but soon enough, the strange 
man was entranced.  Gwen always enjoyed this moment, the rush of 
power she felt at the thought of how many things she could do to 
people or make them do.  She didn't often abuse this power, but