This Child Belongs to You
By Jenni Debbage <jdse08662@blueyonder.co.uk> 
Rated: PG
Submitted: April 2005


I've read a number of stories that explain the origins of the 
baby from 'Family Hour,' yet I never had the inclination to write 
my own... until now. I can't explain why the need to account for 
the child came into my head, I only know that it did.

I wanted to stick with the correct time-scale for this story and 
since in 'Toy Story,' Martha and Jonathan celebrate their 35th 
wedding anniversary, and Lois mentions that she and Clark are 
just 34 years and 6 months behind them, I assumed that Lois and 
Clark had been married for 6 months. Again, using dialogue from 
the show, 'Family Hour' takes place a week later and my story 
follows directly. 

Also, some readers might not agree with my assumption of the age 
of the baby left abandoned in Lois and Clark's dining room, but I 
hope they will be prepared to accept my choice.  

This is not a prequel to my 'Family Kent' series and it will be a 
stand-alone story. I'm also hoping that it will be a fairly short 
story... but who knows! <g>

I'd like to thank my beta-readers for all their help with this 
story and SQD for giving me advice about the private adoption 
process. 

The rights to these characters does not belong to me and I've 
only borrowed them for a time to give myself the pleasure of 
writing 'Lois & Clark' again and in the hope that some readers 
might derive some enjoyment from my work.


Chapter One
Surprises 

Lois patted the baby's back one more time as she paced back and 
forth across her living room.

"I know, I know, little one. You must be hungry and we're getting 
you food as soon as we can." Nervously, she looked at the baby, 
holding it awkwardly, praying she could comfort him. Him? Maybe, 
no her! Anxiously, she peered at the fragile bundle, its screwed-
up eyes and tiny, so tiny... clenched fists. 

The baby poised mid-scream and regarded the strange person with 
eyes full of hurt while its tiny bottom lip trembled in fright 
and confusion.

"You must be scared, I know, I know, but I promise, everything 
will be fine!" Lois added soothingly, at least she hoped her 
voice was soothing, maternal.... Babies were so helpless and they 
needed people who knew how to look after them, and she wasn't 
sure she qualified. "You know, Clark, I think whoever left him... 
or her in our dining room might have been obliging enough to 
leave some formula as well as that letter you're holding!" Her 
circuitous wandering about the living room of the Hyperion Avenue 
townhouse had brought her to a halt by the couch where her 
husband sat, studying the note intently -- probably using his 
vision gizmo, she decided. "And that's another thing, we've never 
checked if it's a him or a her! Unless you've already... you 
know...." 

"No! No, I haven't! But there's no time like the present, honey."  
Placing the note on the coffee table in front of him, Clark stood 
up, then walked a couple of steps to take the infant from his 
wife. "And that might be another reason he's crying. His diaper 
might be wet!"

"How do you know that, Clark! That never even crossed my mind!" 
She stared at him for a second, wondering if that sort of 
knowledge came with being a farm boy from Kansas. Maybe he was 
right. He knew stuff like this... was grounded, she reassured 
herself. OK then... breathe deeply! She could do this. "Or her 
diaper. Or it could be dirty." She hoped she sounded 
authoritative, like she knew how to handle babies and diapers, so 
she sniffed the air as she passed the bundle to Clark. Yeah, 
Clark was right. "That's another thing we need to buy!"

Clark cradled the child comfortably against his chest. "Mom and 
your mom will know what to bring back, honey."  The elder Lanes 
and the Kents had set off earlier to the nearest all-night Wal-
Mart to buy supplies, just as soon as Clark and Lois had shown 
them the baby. "We just have to wait patiently."

"Clark, babies don't do patiently! How'll we manage meanwhile?" 
She craned over Clark's shoulder, watching closely as he placed 
the baby on the couch, lifting the gown to remove the diaper. 
"Oh! It is a boy!" 

"Yup! And he does have a dirty diaper." Clark stated the obvious, 
trying not to turn his sensitive nose away from the unpleasant 
smell, and smiling apologetically at the tiny boy for the 
instinctive reaction. "Honey, do you have any of those 'wipes' 
you use? I can clean him up a bit, at least."

"Yeah, hang on!" Lois ran up the stairs and into their bathroom, 
hunting around in the cabinets till she found what she was 
looking for, then raced back downstairs. "There! Lucky I have 
sensitive skin and use baby wipes. They're the mildest, you 
know."

Clark grinned at his hyper-active wife as he gently cleaned the 
baby's tender skin.

Lois was trying very hard to keep her nerves in check and just 
about succeeding. But she had to admit that finding a baby in 
their house without any explanation other than a very brief note, 
a blanket and a Superman shield was pretty disconcerting. Not 
unwelcome, of course, since Dr. Klein had just told them they 
couldn't have their own children, and that horrible woman had 
said they were unfit... well, not Clark, but she was unfit to 
adopt a child.

Now that the offending material had been removed, the little boy 
quieted and stared up at the large concerned faces above him.

"He's watching us," Lois whispered in awe. She stretched out her 
hand, caressing the infant's soft skin, willing him to know he 
had nothing to fear and that he was safe.

"Yes, honey. Smile at him." Clark wrapped the dirty diaper in the 
plastic trash liner Lois had also supplied. 

"I am!" she said, smiling through unexpected tears. He was hers, 
this baby from god knew where, just maybe he was hers.

Clark reached out a finger toward the baby's tiny waving fist, 
his own eyes growing damp as the baby caught hold. "He has quite 
a grip."

"Oh, Clark, he's such a little sweetheart. Who would abandon a 
baby like this? You have to admit that it's not a natural thing 
to do... to just walk into someone's house and leave a baby 
behind." 

"Who knows!" As Superman, he'd seen people do some extremely 
strange things, but, normally, babies were left at the entrance 
to the hospitals, or on the steps of an orphanage; some, sadly, 
were even deserted in parks, or in trash bins, or somewhere 
equally unacceptable. In his case, he'd been sent off in a 
spaceship... for his own good, they'd discovered much later. But 
Lois was right... a baby left in his bassinet in their dining 
room seemed even more bizarre. He shook his head in puzzlement. 
"The note wasn't signed and I didn't recognize the writing."

The single leaf of notepad lying on the table could be the only 
link to their mysterious visitor and Lois stared at it, 
illogically willing the innocuous object to reveal its secrets. 
"Are there any fingerprints on the paper?"

"They're kinda smudged, and not any that I know. But then I don't 
go about checking people's fingerprints." Clark was softly 
tickling the baby's toes as he spoke and the baby reacted with 
something that sounded vaguely like a chuckle.

"Oh, Clark, listen! That was so sweet. Do you think we can really 
keep him?" Lois asked tentatively, finally giving in to her 
fledgling longing. Though she might lack confidence in her 
mothering skills, she couldn't deny the strong feeling of 
connection she'd been experiencing since picking up the wriggling 
baby from Clark's old, refurbished crib that his parents had 
arranged to have sent from Smallville. "That note does say 'Lois 
and Clark, this child belongs to you.'"

Clark's gaze swung quickly to his wife and his heart ached for 
her. He understood her yearning. God, he even shared it, but they 
couldn't give into it... not yet. The note could be wrong, and he 
had to keep a clear head... for both their sakes.  "I really 
couldn't say, sweetheart," he replied evenly. "We should try to 
find who his parents are, and I'm sure we have to tell the Child 
Welfare Department. People are going to start wondering where we 
got a baby from out of the blue. Mom and Dad might be able to 
give us some advice."

Lois moved to sit on the couch beside the baby, letting her hand 
smooth the silky hair while her eyes stayed riveted on his tiny 
features. "Yes, they should know! I mean it's not like they could 
announce to the world how they found you, but they did adopt you 
legally, didn't they?" She kept her voice low, even though her 
thoughts were in a turmoil. Babies had some kind of radar that 
picked up emotions from the adults around them -- she'd read that 
somewhere. 

"In the end, yeah. But they had help from old Doctor Warner and 
his sister who worked in the local children's home. Mom and Dad 
didn't mention the space ship, but they did say they found me 
abandoned in one of their fields. Between the four of them they 
managed to come up with the correct paperwork and the adoption 
was legalized. Only that was Smallville in the sixties; everyone 
was so pleased that Mom and Dad had a baby, finally, that no one 
really asked too many questions. This is Metropolis in the 
nineties and 'child care' laws have been tightened up."

"But babies still get abandoned, Clark, and they find adoptive 
parents. We can apply to adopt him."

"That might not be so easy, honey. I think you need parental 
consent for a private adoption, and I certainly wouldn't want to 
risk County Adoptions and Ms. Bailey again."

"That... shrew! If the decision was left up to her, we'd never 
get to keep him. She hated me... and she fancied you. We should 
have gotten her charged with discrimination." As she was reminded 
again of that weird woman, Lois' voice started to rise and she 
felt the baby tremble in response. That radar thingy must be 
true! "Oh, I'm sorry, baby," she cooed, scooping him up into her 
arms and rocking him back and forth. "Did Mommy frighten you?" 

After a few moments, the baby once again relaxed against Lois' 
breast, and Clark felt a silly grin form on his face at the 
picture he'd so often dreamed about. He hated to destroy his 
wife's enthusiasm, but they had to be realistic. "Honey, I think 
it's maybe a bit premature to be calling yourself Mommy." 

"The note said the baby was ours!" Lois reiterated, glaring 
belligerently at Clark.

"A note from an anonymous source, even if it was addressed to 
us." As the light died behind Lois' eyes, Clark felt guilty, and 
he sought to make amends. "But the baby was left inside our 
house. Whoever left him here must have been very determined that 
we should have him to break in...."

"That's it! They broke in here. Did you check the locks?" Now 
that the shock was wearing off, Lois' investigative skills were 
surfacing.

"I'm a lunkhead! The front door was intact, because your parents 
and mine left that way and they had to unlock the door. So the 
person must have come in the back way."  

Clark strode through the dining room to study the patio door with 
Lois hurrying behind, carrying the baby. "Nope, that one's OK." 
Together they went into the kitchen to check the only remaining 
outside door, but that too was secure. Clark lowered his glasses 
and did a complete check of the ground floor. "How the heck did 
they get in? None of the windows have been tampered with and I 
doubt they got in upstairs. I would have heard them, but until 
the baby cried there were no unusual sounds."

"Clark, a baby can't just materialize in our dining room... or 
can he?"

"You're thinking H.G. Wells and his time machine?" At Lois' nod, 
Clark continued. "It would certainly explain the presence of my 
shield. But as I recall, that contraption was pretty noisy on 
entry."
 
"But that other thing he had... the mini thing that hung round 
his neck, that didn't make a sound. Maybe he used that."

Clark shrugged, feeling a little out of his depth. "I guess it's 
possible.... I know he's a bit eccentric, but don't you think 
he'd stay around to explain? A two-line note is pretty cryptic 
even for him. And why would he bring us a baby anyway?"

"Not just any baby, Clark, *our* baby! Is it our baby from the 
future?"

"I have no idea, but I know how we can check." Suddenly inspired, 
Clark pointed toward the living room.

"The book... he autographed your edition of 'The Time Machine.' 
It's bound to have his fingerprints on it."

The two almost ran back into the living room, directly across to 
the bookshelves, where Clark quickly found the object in 
question.

"Careful, Clark, you don't want to mess up any prints." Lois 
waited with bated breath while her husband took the book over to 
the table where he'd left the short note. She watched him stare 
at the two intently. "Well, do we have a match?"

"Sorry, honey, but no...."

"No, they're too smudged to tell or no, they're not from the same 
person?"

"They don't belong to H.G., that's for sure. And the writing is 
totally different. Take a look for yourself."

She believed her husband, but she couldn't help but check. The 
message on the book read, 'To Clark from a traveling companion,' 
and underneath Wells had signed with a flourish. It didn't in any 
way resemble the neat concise script of the letter.

"So much for that idea then."

Any other notion the couple might pursue was at that moment 
interrupted by the return of their parents. Lois and Clark 
watched in amazement as the four struggled through the door laden 
down with boxes of varying sizes.

"Did you buy out the store?" Clark asked.

"Of course not, son, but a baby does need a lot of provisions and 
you're starting from scratch," Jonathan informed his boy as he 
edged in lugging a baby carry-seat, while Sam followed, balancing 
boxes of diapers.

"Listen to your father, dear. This little one will get through 
all this stuff, though we might have gotten a little carried 
away." Martha laughed as she came over and placed her packages on 
the coffee table. "But I expect the most important thing right 
now will be the formula. That baby's sure to be hungry."

"Yes, and as we didn't know which one would suit him best, we 
decided to get a few brands," Ellen added, knowingly. "Best to be 
prepared because we don't want to upset his little tummy."

At that, both women crowded round Lois and made cooing baby 
noises at the latest addition to the family.

"How did you know he was a he?" Lois asked, astonished at her 
mother's doting expression.

"Well, we didn't, but Martha said he looked a little bit like 
Clark when she and Jonathan found him in that field, so we 
guessed a boy. Such a sad story.... Lois had told me you were 
adopted, but abandoned in a field...."

"Yes, mother, but that's not important now," Lois interrupted, 
not wanting to have to clarify that story. "Maybe we should go 
make up a bottle for the baby before he starts crying the house 
down again."

"Gotta good pair of lungs, has he?" Sam joined in the 
conversation as the whole group made for the kitchen, Clark and 
Martha picking up cartons of baby milk as they went. 

"You think he looks like Clark did, Martha?" Lois couldn't help 
but pick up on that hopeful tidbit.

"I'd say there's a resemblance. Clark was a little older and he 
had more hair, but there is something about this little one. 
Don't you think so, Jonathan?"

 Jonathan couldn't fail to notice the meaningful looks he was 
getting from his son. Clark was trying to be cautious, and he 
could understand his son's thinking. It wouldn't do for the women 
to get too attached if it were still possible that the real 
parents would turn up to claim their child.

"I'm not sure, Martha. Babies tend to look like babies to me, and 
it was a long time ago."

Obviously, Martha had been looking for some confirmation from her 
husband, because she threw him an exasperated look when he didn't 
back her up... and Jonathan hadn't told the whole truth either. 
Whenever he'd seen the baby, he'd been reminded of the child 
they'd lifted from the spaceship. There was something familiar 
about the boy... and not just the blue blanket and the S shield. 
The baby, however, put an end to the conversation by deciding 
he'd waited long enough to be fed and let his needs be known by 
screaming his little head off.

So, for the next hour or so, Lois and Clark had no time to spend 
wondering where the baby had come from as they concentrated on 
feeding, burping and bathing the little boy. Lois was pleasantly 
surprised to be instructed only a couple of times on the correct 
procedure by her mother. She had to admit, though, that she was 
feeling out of her depth and was grateful for Ellen's and 
Martha's help. 

Finally, the bassinet was transported upstairs to the main 
bedroom where the new mother and father could keep watch on their 
charge. Lois laid the baby inside his little bed, and he snuggled 
down happily beneath his new blankets, the blue one with the 
shield having been spirited away almost at once; it wouldn't do 
for Sam and Ellen to be reminded of what they had so recently 
forgotten.

 It had been an eventful and surprising evening and everyone 
agreed they were ready for bed, particularly since it was fairly 
certain that their sleep would be interrupted by a hungry baby 
demanding to be fed. Any further investigations would have to 
wait until next morning. 

*****

Chapter Two
Beginnings  

High in the stratosphere a small Orb ship held a geostationary 
orbit above the townhouse, while the three-man crew watched the 
happenings of the night with a mixture of interest and 
apprehension.

"It's not enough! I have to go back." The long-haired woman took 
a turn around the pristine interior. "Lois and Clark need more 
information about their child."

"Zara, you can't! It's dangerous," the grey-haired man stated. 
"Our enemies are closing in, and since they managed to interfere 
with our cloaking device, even for a few minutes, our presence 
has been picked up by Earth's listening stations. All of this 
world's governments are more security conscious since the visit 
of Nor and his renegades. It's only a matter of time before they 
detect us."

"Trey, that's not so!  Is it, Ching? You've reconfigured our 
stealth device and protected it from outside sources."

The younger of the two men shifted uncomfortably, as if he really 
didn't want to answer.

"Ching?"

"Yes, Zara. I've reset the firewalls... but no system is 
infallible."

"But you've bought us some time?"

"Probably," Ching answered grudgingly. "But that doesn't account 
for the 'Nor' faction, and we can't ignore their encroaching on 
our position back on New Krypton. We have to get back home 
quickly." 

At that reminder, Zara's shoulders dropped. Whoever would have 
thought that Nor's defeat and death would not have been the end 
to their problems at home? It was true that the more liberal 
councillors led by Trey had backed her inauguration as sole 
ruler, and had furthermore accepted Ching as her husband and 
consort, but not all were in accord. And Ching would never have 
exactly the same standing or influence as Kal-El. He was not of 
noble blood and, though New Krypton might have made some inroads 
toward more democratic rule, it was not prepared to relinquish 
the past totally.

Yet being given permission to marry Ching had seemed like a 
wonderful beginning. In fact, life had seemed very promising for 
Zara and her people. For the first time, she'd experienced true 
happiness in her personal life and conditions on their barren 
rock had begun to improve. Now that there was no longer a threat 
of war, the scientists and biologists had turned their attention 
into creating a new, kinder environment. The New-Kryptonians had 
also found time to engage in cultural pursuits, and though they 
would never be so broad-minded or risqué as the people of Earth, 
they were learning to enjoy themselves.

And Zara, her husband and councillors had been grateful to Lord 
Kal-El for making these changes possible. This was the main 
reason why they had been more than happy to help Lois and Clark 
when they found themselves in difficulties. 

Very soon after it was known that Kal-El had chosen to stay on 
Earth with the woman he loved, Zara had been approached by 
Malaki, their top medical researcher, who had made the discovery 
that Kryptonians and Earth women were not biologically compatible 
to have children together. During the short time Zara had spent 
with Clark, he'd spoken often of his deep love for Lois, of his 
dreams of marriage and of raising a family on Earth. How 
disappointed Lois and Clark must have been to realize that was 
never going to happen for them. 

Zara's heart ached for her friends so far away, especially since 
she and Ching were already contemplating giving Krypton an heir. 
She had jumped at Malaki's suggested answer to Lois and Clark's 
problem, and the council had given their blessing. Project 'baby 
Kent' had begun and had reached a successful conclusion to the 
satisfaction of everyone involved. Why then did fate have to be 
so cruel as to complicate the simple delivery of the baby to his 
parents?

When had the first rumblings of discontent begun on Krypton? Zara 
believed that none of the people on this craft could answer that. 
It was only when Cro had applied to the High Council to take over 
his cousin's fiefdom that the warning signs had begun to flash in 
Zara's brain. But even then, she'd allowed herself to be lulled 
into a false sense of security, believing, as her councillors had 
reiterated, that Cro was not necessarily an evil man like his 
blood relation.

And it was true that Cro-Nor wasn't quite the megalomaniac his 
relative had been. But he did have ambition, and a desire to be 
revenged on those he saw responsible for besmirching his family's 
reputation. He believed his role in life was to reinstate the 
name of Nor to the great dynasties of New Krypton, and he didn't 
agree with the council giving their blessing to the union between 
Lady Zara-Ra and an upstart military man. With that in mind he 
had begun his insidious plan of discrediting Zara and her 
husband.

It soon became clear, also, that Cro-Nor certainly didn't approve 
of spending time and effort to help Kal-El, the man he saw as a 
traitor, a leader who had abandoned his proper status in life for 
an inferior world.

If only they knew why Cro had followed them to Earth and what his 
intentions were now. Would he attack Clark Kent and his wife? Or 
were Zara and crew the sole targets of his wrath? They didn't 
even know if Cro was aboard the other ship, or if he had simply 
hired assassins while he took advantage of Zara's, Ching's and 
Trey's absence back on New Krypton?

It was that first thought which was Zara's most pressing worry. 
"Ching, we can't leave here without first warning Clark that 
another alien presence might be intent on taking revenge on this 
world."

"Much as I'm afraid of what is happening back home, I have to 
agree with Lady Zara, Ching." Trey came and stood by his ruler's 
side. "We can't allow this world to become the battlefield for 
yet another Kryptonian power-struggle."  

"Do you think Cro is aboard that enemy ship?" Zara asked her 
husband.  

"That is not an *enemy* ship! If they managed to interfere with 
the stealth-device codes, it has to be one of ours."

"I realise that! But whoever is at the controls has no clearance 
to be here." Zara glared at her husband, wondering if he was 
being deliberately obtuse. He'd agreed with this course of 
action, though he had been less enthusiastic about her 
accompanying Trey and himself on this journey. Was he somehow 
jealous that she would take such a personal interest in helping 
Kal?

"How do we know?" Ching demanded. "They could have been sent to 
inform us of some catastrophe back home." His suggestion was 
based more on obstinacy rather than logic.

"I doubt that, Ching," Trey added reasonably. "We've been in 
communication with New Krypton and no one has mentioned a single 
thing about another ship or any emergency."

"It's been a while.... Perhaps something has happened since!"

"Not that long! That ship would have had to travel much faster 
than any speed we've yet attained to beat our last communication 
with home. Besides, why haven't the crew contacted us? Taking 
down another ship's 'shields' is against military code of 
practise. You know that, Ching."

Ching grimaced at Trey. Trust the incorruptible old man to point 
out the obvious. "I can't deny that. Forgive me, Zara. I don't 
understand what's got into me. I just have a bad feeling about 
all this."

"But you agreed...." 

"In principle, yes. But we are far away from home and this 
mission has so many risks...."

Zara's eyebrows rose and she folded her arms across her chest, 
closing herself off to her husband. "You mean, I'm too far away 
from home!"

"Yes," Ching quickly agreed, not at all ashamed at wanting to 
keep her away from danger. "I don't understand why you insisted 
on coming. Trey, Malaki and I could have done the job just as 
well."

"I had to do this, Ching." Zara relented a little in her stance 
and her voice took on a note of supplication. "I wanted to thank 
Lois and Clark in person for what they did for our world and for 
us. Without them, New Krypton and I would be living under the 
heel of Nor. That would have been a disaster, especially for me, 
as the wife of such a monster. I would have thought that you of 
all people would have understood my motives."

"I do, but I'm your husband. I could have passed on your best 
wishes. I make no apology for wanting to keep you out of harm's 
way."

"We don't yet know if I'm in harm's way. Remember we're 
invincible on Earth."

"And have you forgotten that Nor and his cohorts were killed by 
the people of Earth?"

The two squared off against each other, neither prepared to give 
an inch. Trey coughed behind his hand and moved between them. 

"The General who ordered the use of the kryptonite gas was, I 
believe, court-martialed. Besides, the people only did what they 
could to protect themselves. Even if Earthlings were to discover 
our presence, I doubt they would attack first without sending 
Lord Kal-El to discover our purpose."

"Perhaps that's true," Ching conceded. "But it would be better 
for everyone concerned if we left before we were discovered."    

"I would rather our visit went unnoticed, but we can't leave 
until I explain everything to Lois and Clark... nor until we find 
out the purpose of the Kryptonians on that other ship. And since 
our cloaking device blocks any telepathic communications with 
Clark, I have to go in person. You must see that, husband." Zara 
emphasized the last word, hoping to remind Ching that their 
unattainable dream had come true thanks to Kal's help.

"And I have to back Lady Zara. However, I believe we should ask 
the council back home if they have any knowledge of our sister 
ship. Our communication beacons should soon be in range, and I 
think this unexpected arrival warrants our breaking out of 
Earth's orbit to make contact with home."

Zara nodded determinedly. "Then we have a plan. You two take the 
ship to a higher orbit while I return to Metropolis and talk to 
Lois and Clark."

"Zara, have you listened to a word I said?" Ching asked, his mind 
hovering between exasperation and worry. "I always thought you 
spent far too long on this world. It's too dangerous for you to 
go alone."

"You didn't object to my taking the baby to Lois and Clark 
alone!"

"That was before I realized we had company!"

Once again the old councillor intervened. "Please, please, this 
arguing is getting us nowhere. My Lady, in this circumstance, I 
believe Ching is correct. While we don't know the intentions of 
the crew of that ship, it would not be prudent for you to venture 
alone to the surface... and, since I don't know how to pilot this 
craft, we must all wait for information."

"But what about the baby and Lois and Clark?"

"The baby will be safe with its parents. I believe that Lord Kal-
El... Superman is perfectly capable of keeping his family from 
harm."

Zara shrugged, giving in reluctantly to Trey's more reasonable 
arguments, and Ching looked a trifle happier that his wife would 
be staying within his protection.

"Good! I'm glad we're in agreement. Now, Ching, if you could take 
this ship to the point of communication."

The younger man gave a curt nod and went to do as he was bid, 
while his wife walked over to the large window, sighing sadly as 
she watched the planet below her diminish in size. This mission 
of mercy was not going according to plan.

**** 

Chapter Three
Investigations

Fortunately for the inexperienced foster-parents, the baby slept 
soundly for a few hours before deciding that hunger was an 
uncomfortable experience he wasn't prepared to endure. Within 
seconds he made his plight known to the rest of the inhabitants 
of his small world.

Clark woke almost immediately, but was surprised to see Lois at 
the bassinet before him. Was that some kind of mother's 
intuition? 

"Clark, he's hungry. Can you go make him a bottle?" Lois 
whispered, as she lifted the baby into her arms.

"Sure, honey, but why are you whispering?"

"Our parents are asleep, Clark!"

"I doubt that they're sleeping through that noise," Clark grinned 
in amazement, while the baby increased the volume. "If you think 
you can handle him for the moment, I'll be back as soon as 
possible."
 
"Of course I can handle him! He's just a little baby," Lois 
stated, but her actions seemed a little less sure than her words. 
"It would help if he had his bottle," she added pointedly.

Giving Lois and her noisy, red-faced bundle a final glance, Clark 
hurried downstairs without using his powers. Sam and Ellen could 
appear at any moment and it wouldn't do for them to witness him 
using super speed. He made straight for the kitchen and the 
fridge, only to find his father there before him. 

"Is this what you're looking for, son?" Jonathan smiled and held 
up the baby bottle.

"Thanks," Clark took the proffered item and moved toward the 
sink, turning his back to the door. "Dad, can you keep a look out 
while I heat this thing up?"

"Sure thing, but do you know what you're doing?"

Clark's eyebrows raised at his father's question. "You've seen me 
do this before. What makes you think I'd mess up now?"

Opening the door a crack, Jonathan looked toward the stairs. 
"You've heated up food for an adult before, son, but this is a 
baby and you don't have much experience with them."

"So, I just turn down the heat a bit. Should be a piece of cake! 
Is the coast clear?"

"Yup!" Jonathan couldn't help but grin a little as he watched 
Clark concentrate on his task. He was trying so hard to pretend 
that he was taking all this in stride. A second or two later the 
young man shook some of the contents onto his wrist.

"Isn't this what you do, Dad?"

"Huh-huh, it's what I did with you."

Clark, however, was still looking a little puzzled. "Do you think 
that's right?" he asked, walking over to his father.

"Mind you, modern technology is a wonderful thing. There's a 
bottle warmer there that's set to just the right temperature."

"Where?"

"Right there on the counter." Jonathan pointed helpfully. "You 
just put the bottle in the holder and it buzzes when it reaches 
the correct temperature."

Clark did as he was told and watched as the display flashed red. 
"Too hot," he announced, almost to himself, removing the bottle 
and blowing cold air onto its surface. Once more he replaced it 
in the little machine and listened for the buzz, which was a few 
minutes in coming. "Looks like I need a little practice at this." 
Clark grinned sheepishly as he waited.

"Don't worry, son. Every new family goes through this, and you 
and Lois have been thrown in at the deep end. Relax, and you'll 
soon get the hang of it."

The anticipated beeping cut off Clark's next question to his dad. 
"I have to get this upstairs before the baby drives Lois nuts, 
but I'll be back. I need your advice."

"That's what your mom and I are here for." Jonathan spoke to 
Clark's back as he disappeared through the swing doors.

The elder Kent shook his head in a mixture of amusement and 
perplexity as he poured two coffees in preparation for his son's 
return. Old memories assailed him of Martha and himself learning 
to take care of the man who'd just supersped up the stairs. Was 
it really over thirty years ago since they'd found their baby? 
And now history seemed to be repeating itself with the origins of 
this child just as mysterious as Clark's had been at that time. 
Or perhaps not entirely so....

The door swung open again, heralding Clark's return and breaking 
into Jonathan's train of thought. "How's Lois doing with the 
baby?" 

"She has some help from Mom and Ellen." Clark laughed at the 
thought of the mothers' convention he'd just left, but then his 
smile changed to a frown. "I just hope her mother doesn't upset 
Lois too much; you know how she can be." Clark's expressive 
eyebrows lifted as he contemplated his wisdom of leaving the 
women alone. 

"I'm sure your mother will be able to mediate. Besides, Ellen was 
pretty encouraging earlier. I think she's taken with the baby 
too." Jonathan squeezed into the bench seat by the table. "You 
know son, this contraption here might look good, but they really 
weren't built for someone with my girth."


Clark moved the table a few inches until his father was 
comfortable. "There you go!"

"Where's Sam?"

"According to Ellen, he's still asleep. Can you believe that? How 
can anyone sleep through that noise?" Both men's eyes looked 
upwards, though only one pair could see through the floorboards.

"Some men learn to sleep through anything. Never could understand 
it myself." Suddenly, silence returned to the house, and, seeing 
how Clark was concentrating on a certain point in the ceiling, 
Jonathan wasn't totally surprised by Clark's words.

"He's just latched onto his bottle like he hadn't seen food in 
days. That little guy sure has a good appetite!"

"Just like his dad." Jonathan nodded knowingly.

Clark, however, looked less convinced. "That's just it, Dad, we 
have no idea who his parents are."

"The note said 'This child belongs to you'!"

"An anonymous note is hardly proof! I can't even have a baby with 
an Earth woman, and, unless I've suffered a total blackout, I 
know I've never been... well, you know... with any other woman 
that way." Clark shifted embarrassingly as he accepted the mug 
from his father. "Even unconscious, I would never do that!"

"Of course you wouldn't! And that's not what I meant, but it's 
not just the note -- there's the matter of the blanket with your 
shield. I'd say whoever left that baby knows who you are."

"Lois and I had this conversation earlier when you were shopping. 
We kinda wondered if it was H.G. Wells."

Jonathan paused in mid-sip and he stared at his son 
questioningly. "What made you think of him?"

"He knows my identity." Clark settled onto the bench next to his 
dad and placed his mug carefully on the table top.

"That's true, but where would he get a baby from?"

Resting his elbows on either side of his mug, Clark cupped his 
chin in his right hand. "Beats me! He talked a couple of times 
about Lois' and my descendants, though whether they were blood 
relatives or adopted ones we have no idea. Maybe the baby is from 
the future."

"That still wouldn't necessarily explain the blue blanket."

"Dad, he talked about museums dedicated to Superman. My blanket 
could be an exhibit in the future."

"That's true, but you carried your blanket around everywhere as a 
comforter when you were a toddler. If it came from the future, it 
would look a little more threadbare."

"So, the blanket came from the past. Wells is a time traveler, he 
can go back in time too you know."

There was silence for a couple of seconds as both men 
contemplated that thought, but Jonathan shook his head again. 
"Nope, that's not it either. Your mom went up into the loft to 
fix up the bassinet just before we left and she decided to bring 
your blanket to Metropolis with us -- just to give you and Lois 
another bit of incentive," he added with a sheepish grin. "We now 
have two identical blankets upstairs in our suitcase, but one is 
a lot newer than the other."

Clark's eyes opened wider, but he decided to tackle the easy 
question first. "You hid the baby's cover?" He smiled at his 
dad's nod. "Thanks for that. It wouldn't have been wise to let 
Ellen or Sam see that. They had trouble coming to terms with 
their son-in-law masquerading in tights. That weird memory 
washing machine of Sam's cleared their minds of all the bad 
things that've happened over the past couple of days." Clark took 
a sip of his coffee. "They've both forgotten about me being 
Superman."

"Not sure that's a good thing, son. You really have to tell them 
sometime."

"I guess... but not yet! And definitely not while we're trying to 
figure out where the baby came from."

"I agree that's the top priority at the moment, but I'd rule out 
H.G. Wells. It just doesn't seem like something he'd do... at 
least, not without staying around to tell you about it."

"To tell the truth, Lois and I eliminated him earlier... the 
handwriting didn't match up, neither did the fingerprints." Clark 
focused on his coffee to heat it up, then drank it almost down in 
one swallow. "But, Dad, that leaves only one other source who 
could have access to a blanket and shield like that."

Jonathan placed his hand on his son's shoulder. "Yeah! The same 
place where yours first came from...."

"New Krypton!"

"Krypton!"

Son and father spoke in unison.

Clark sighed heavily. "Does that make sense? Why would they leave 
a baby here and just disappear?"

"I can't answer that, but somehow I prefer that theory to some 
unknown person or persons knowing you're Superman."

"I'm with you on that, Jonathan." Lois came backward through the 
swing doors into the kitchen, sheltering the baby in her arms. 
"But you know, we're maybe jumping to all the wrong conclusions. 
Perhaps this is just a mother who for some inexplicable reasons 
can't look after her child and thinks that Lane and Kent would 
make good surrogate parents."

Moving quickly to stand by his wife, Clark stared at her 
dubiously. "You don't really believe that, do you?"

"No! But wouldn't it be nice if, for just this once, our life 
wasn't complicated, and a woman showed up here tomorrow and told 
us she wanted us to adopt Matthew!" Lois was smiling dreamily at 
the infant in her arms, so she didn't notice that the face of the 
man at her side suddenly resembled a 'fish out of water.'


"Matthew?" Clark gasped.

"Yes, honey!" Lois said sweetly to her husband. "We just can't go 
on calling him 'baby', but if you don't like it... though I think 
Matthew Kent has a certain ring to it. Your mom agrees with me."

The mom in question came into the kitchen brandishing an empty 
bottle in one hand and a clean diaper in the other. "Clark, that 
little man is as hungry as you. Until now, I've never seen a baby 
devour a bottle as quickly as you did when you were that size. 
Here, Lois, if my memory serves me correctly, you're going to 
need this." Almost on command, a fairly nasty smell wafted around 
the room. "What did I tell you -- just like his dad." 

"Mom!" Clark protested, letting the women pass him by and 
stealing a quick glance through the door to see if anyone else 
was about to join them. "Isn't Ellen with you?"

"No. Gone back to bed. She says she's developing a migraine, but 
I think she's just wants an excuse to join my father in bed." 
Lois laughed, indicating that she found the thought a happy one. 

"I don't think we want to go there." Clark grimaced at the 
thought of what his in-laws might be doing in his spare room. 

"Me neither! But it does give us a chance to discuss things in 
private." Lois waved the male Kents to remove their coffee mugs 
from the table top and replaced them with Matthew, taking the 
proffered diaper from her helpful mother-in-law. "Martha, did 
Clark's pooh always smell this bad?"

"Lois!" Clark's voice rose a couple of notches.

"Worse, sometimes! But don't worry, dear, you'll get used to it. 
I did."

"Mom!" Clark turned several shades of red. "I'd rather you left 
my babyhood out of this conversation. And you can't stake a claim 
for paternity on biological plumbing. That would mean that 
I'd...." Suddenly he became aware of Lois turning away from her 
task to stare at him wide-eyed. "Lois, you have to believe me, I 
have never...."

"That hadn't even occurred to me!" But now she was remembering, 
remembering when she'd first agreed to wear Clark's ring and the 
emotional roller-coaster she'd been on when Leigh-Anne Stipanovic 
had convinced the world that her child was Superman's. Lois' 
babble gene stilled and her gut lurched as she relived that 
doubt... and now another child had turned up with links to 
Superman. Her happiness at finding Matthew evaporated.

In the kitchen no one spoke; even Martha restrained her impulse 
to mediate, intervene... interfere while Lois searched her 
husband's face.

And what she saw there in Clark's eyes was the truth. She'd been 
doubtful about little Jesse at first, but she'd been wrong. 
Slowly, Lois smiled and she touched her husband's hand. "Relax, 
Clark, I know. You'd never... well, I know you'd never." She 
turned back to the child, half diapered, on the kitchen table, 
unaware that the three adults in the room were now breathing 
normally again. 

"Matthew, do you think you could hold still for Mommy? Mommy is 
very new at this, so you're going to have to be patient."

The baby smiled up at the pretty lady above him and tried to do 
as he was told, but he was just a few weeks old and the words 
were in a language he wasn't sure of, though his smile 
accompanied with a happy gurgle seemed to work wonders, as the 
four adults grinned back.

"Isn't he just the cutest little thing," Martha declared. "Can I 
hold him?" she asked, as Lois finished up.

"Would you like to go visit with your grandmom, Matthew?" She 
scooped up her new son and gently deposited him in Martha's 
waiting arms. While the baby stretched and yawned contentedly, 
both women cooed tenderly to the infant.

Clark gazed in shock at his wife and parents, taking in their 
bemused expressions as they concentrated on the tiny child. More 
than anything he longed for a family, but this was just surreal. 
He couldn't allow himself to be swept up in such wishful 
emotions. At any moment Matthew could be snatched away from 
them.... Matthew! No, that was not the child's name. He had no 
idea what the child was called, but he was sure that it was not 
up to Lois or any of them to name the baby. He really hated to 
disappoint Lois, but he couldn't let her get too enthralled with 
motherhood. Besides, by the look on his parents' faces, it wasn't 
just Lois who was getting carried away.

"Hey, guys! Don't you think you're all jumping the gun here?"

Lois' hand stilled as she stroked the fine silky hair on the 
baby's head and her gaze locked with her husband's uneasy stare. 
"No, I don't. Someone meant for us to have this baby, and while I 
do agree with you that we have to investigate where he comes 
from, I intend to look after him as my own. Whatever you do is up 
to you."

Oh boy, Clark had never seen Lois act so territorially. She was a 
lioness ready to fight for her young, even against her mate. It 
left him feeling a tiny bit envious, but proud too. He'd always 
known Lois would make a wonderful mother.

"And, Clark, we've already talked about the blanket," Jonathan 
stepped in. "That is no ordinary baby."

"Exactly!" Lois paused for a moment, and then spoke slowly... 
pensively. "You know, there is another possibility that we 
haven't considered...." She met Clark's eyes. "And Martha's 
already pointed out that he looks a lot like you did...."

"A clone?" Clark almost read his wife's thoughts. That theory 
didn't particularly inspire him and his brown eyes darkened. "I 
hope not, Lois. None of the clones we've encountered thrived."

Lois gritted her teeth and crossed the tiled floor to place her 
hands on Clark's chest. "They were all adult clones. Their growth 
rate was speeded up somehow. This is just a baby, Clark... just a 
normal baby."

"Normal? I thought we'd just agreed that he wasn't an ordinary 
baby, so we don't know that." He held Lois' gaze, challenging 
her.

"No, but we know a man who can find out."

"Dr. Klein?"

"Yes, first thing in the morning we take the baby to Star Labs 
and tell him what we suspect."

"Tell him about Superman?" Clark's eyebrows arched again.

"If we have to, but maybe we could ask him to run some tests for 
a start -- make sure Matthew's healthy. Then we can take it from 
there. This is very important. It's Matthew's life we're talking 
about here."

The tic twitched in Clark's jaw, but he nodded in agreement. "I'm 
aware of that, honey, and I really don't mean to be a killjoy. If 
this little guy does need a home, then I'm all for offering him 
one. I just don't think it's going to be smooth sailing. For one 
thing, child welfare is going to get involved."

Lois opened her mouth to protest, but shut it just as quickly. 
She'd rather keep this whole thing quiet, but simply just 
producing a baby in their home in Metropolis was bound to be 
remarked upon. And if they wanted to do this legally, which they 
did, they had to have parental consent to adopt, or the backing 
of the Child Welfare system. Clark was just playing devil's 
advocate -- she'd already caught him staring into the bassinet in 
the middle of the night with such a look of longing in his eyes, 
she'd been loath to interrupt the poignant moment.

"You're right, I know you're right." She reached up and placed a 
soft kiss on his cheek, but he turned his head so her kiss 
touched his lips. "Which is all the more reason that we find out 
who and where Matthew comes from."

Martha walked over to the couple and gently placed the little boy 
into Clark's arms. "We'll get to the bottom of this, Clark. But 
for the moment, why don't you take this little one back upstairs. 
There's still time for us to catch an hour's sleep."

The baby snuggled into the large warm chest and the safe arms he 
found himself in, giving a little contented sigh. The sound 
brought an answering low rumble against his cheek, and he 
experimented again, a little more loudly this time.

Clark couldn't suppress a chuckle and everyone laughed.

"See, honey. He likes you. Come on, let's take him back to bed 
before he wakes up again."

"Lois, I never said I didn't like him...."

Martha and Jonathan exchanged grins as they switched out the 
lights and followed the kids upstairs. Their laughter overlaid 
their anxiety, though. Clark might be putting up a brave front, 
but just how he and Lois would deal with losing this baby wasn't 
something they liked to contemplate.

*****

Chapter Four
Solutions?

Doctor Klein stared at the test results before him. He had to 
admit that he was still slightly in shock. He'd checked the 
results more than once, as well as the reliability of the 
equipment he'd used to arrive at his conclusions, but everything 
was in working order and the answers steadfastly remained the 
same.

Was it only a few days ago that Lois Lane and Clark Kent had 
arrived in his office at an early hour with a baby? Fortunately, 
Bernie had pulled an 'all nighter' on some puzzling piece of 
research, or the reporting team wouldn't have found him here. Yet 
neither Lois nor Clark had shown surprise, which said a lot for 
his habits! He really needed to get himself another life... get 
out more, learn to smell the roses. Bernie was afraid that he'd 
hardly be able to recognise a rose even if it was pushed under 
his nose.  

Maybe he needed to phone Caroline again and arrange another 
vacation. They'd had a wonderful time together, only he hadn't 
been comfortable with the age gap. How could a slightly odd, 
middle-aged scientist like himself hope to keep the attention of 
an intelligent, articulate and beautiful physicist? She might 
have called him a 'god,' but he was fairly sure she'd soon 
discover he was very ordinary. Still, life was too short not to 
take the chances offered, so maybe he would. Just as soon as he 
figured out the latest puzzle Lois and Clark had brought him....

He'd been shocked when the couple had told him how they'd found a 
baby left alone in their dining room, with hardly any clues as to 
where the child had come from. At first, he'd suggested they 
contact the police and child welfare services... babies not being 
his 'field of expertise,' but when he'd heard about the cryptic 
note and Superman's shield, he'd immediately agreed to help. 
Superman was his friend and patient, and if this baby had 
anything to do with the superhero then he'd be only too pleased 
to run some tests.

The idea of Superman being involved with an abandoned baby 
intrigued Bernie, and the puzzle deepened, now that the test 
results were in. Not only did this baby have something to do with 
Superman, it was Superman's child. Even more surprisingly; this 
child's genes were a mix of Kryptonian and Earthling, which 
should have been impossible. 

Klein's first theory was that his earlier tests on Superman's 
compatibility with an Earth woman must have been flawed, but on 
checking those figures too, he couldn't refute the results. By 
rights, a Kryptonian male couldn't reproduce with a Terran 
female, and yet he'd seen the proof with his own eyes, even held 
the little boy in his arms. It was a very cute baby, and it had 
reminded him of someone. Now he knew exactly who -- Superman!

That didn't make sense, though. Obviously Superman was very keen 
to have a child; his asking Klein to run fertility tests had 
proved that, and his abject demeanor when told that a child was 
an impossibility had shown the depths of his longing. He'd even 
asked about other fertility treatments... such as in vitro 
fertilization, and Bernie had felt like a complete heel when he'd 
had to explain that any procedure available would have no more 
success than a natural conception. Superman had been devastated. 

So, why would he give up the very thing he'd dreamed of to Lois 
and Clark? Couldn't he or the child's mother take care of the 
baby?

In Bernie's opinion, Lois and Clark would certainly make good 
surrogate parents, but why wreathe the exchange of the child in 
mystery? Wouldn't it have avoided a lot of problems if Superman 
had just asked the Kents to adopt his child? Even if he didn't 
want the general public to know of the existence of his child, 
Lois and Clark could be trusted never to tell. They might be 
reporters, but, first and foremost, they were the superhero's 
friends.

No, Bernie had to be missing something here. He pulled out his 
handkerchief and dabbed at the sweat on his forehead. It was 
getting very warm in here. He rose and adjusted the settings on 
the AC unit, inhaling a few breaths of the cooling blast of air. 
That was much better! Wherever this research was taking him, he 
needed a cool head.

Sitting once more in front of his monitor, Bernard drew up the 
baby's DNA profile again. He stared closely at the twisting 
strands, then clicked on to the more detailed chart with both 
Superman's and the baby's genetic markers. There was something 
very odd here, something that twigged at the far reaches of his 
memory. In a flash of inspiration, he delved into his files, 
quickly bringing up another window to allow him to compare a 
third set of DNA. 

Oh, boy! The answer hit Bernie between the eyes. He grabbed the 
beaker at his hand and took a gulp, and immediately spat out the 
distasteful liquid.  Rushing over to the sink, he rinsed his 
mouth out a number of times. Yuk! That had been most unpleasant. 
How had the remnants of his earlier tests on the lab-chimps been 
left on his desk? He really had to be more careful what he drank 
from.

Pouring the offending material down the drain, he returned to his 
computer and reached for his proper drink, but before he could 
take a sip, his attention was reclaimed by the information on his 
screen. If he hadn't spotted this earlier, he really was working 
too hard. But who would have suspected?

He had had the chance to study the mother's DNA before... or a 
very close facsimile. In fact, he'd worked very extensively on 
the project to try to save the doomed young woman. Clois! The 
poor female clone of Lois Lane. Of course, she couldn't be the 
mother, she'd been dead for too long.  But, clones were like 
identical twins, so it followed that this baby had inherited the 
genetic make-up of... Lois Lane.

Oh jeez! Klein slugged back a swig of his drink and felt the warm 
spirit trace its way down his throat. The tabloids had told the 
truth. Lois Lane and Superman had been an item!  More than an 
item... and he'd just discovered the proof. What was he supposed 
to do now? How could he tell Clark that his wife had been 
unfaithful to him, particularly since Lois would probably be 
present? 

"Oh, hi, Clark, Lois! Congratulations, Lois, you're a mother." He 
spoke his thoughts into the empty room. "Oh, boy! Yes, she's 
going to destroy me. I'm toast!"

Wait a minute, though. Why did Lois not admit that she was the 
boy's mother? And why ask him to investigate the baby's origins? 
Surely she'd known her secret would be discovered....

No, that couldn't be the answer. He might be the 'absent-minded 
professor', but he didn't think he'd forget something as obvious 
as Lois being pregnant and giving birth. And even if it had 
passed his notice, Clark Kent was no fool. There was no way Lois 
could hide that from her husband. Besides, he'd stake his 
reputation on the fact that the couple had no idea how the baby 
had arrived in their home, nor its parentage.

But the paternity tests were irrefutable, and there was no doubt 
in his mind that if he had a sample of Lois' actual DNA his 
deduction would be verified... no doubt at all.

Bernard had eliminated all the possible explanations, which left 
him with the impossible... the child was a clone... sort of! If 
he ran some more experimental tests on the baby's tissue samples, 
he might even be able to prove it, though that idea was just 
conjecture. This was amazing! Stupendous! Someone, somewhere, who 
wished to remain anonymous, had perfected the yet risky procedure 
of cloning a child... a healthy child. Though the child's health 
would need careful monitoring, he hoped for everyone's sake that 
this was true. Of course, with the baby's super genes there was 
every likelihood that it would share its father's good health and 
invulnerability.

A clone of Superman and Lois! He could understand why someone 
might want a super-baby to use for their own, probably, nefarious 
purposes. There was always some megalomaniac villain scheming to 
take over the world. Only, if that were the reason, wouldn't it 
be more plausible to make a clone of only Superman? A hybrid baby 
might not have the total array of super skills.

Could it be that the cloning process needed two sets of genes to 
produce a viable baby? None of the theories he'd read on cloning 
had ever suggested that. In fact, as far as he was aware, any 
ongoing experiments were set to produce a clone of a single 
being. A clone with two sets of genetic markers hadn't yet been 
envisioned. This was cutting edge stuff, or beyond. It seemed 
this unknown scientist had created a normal healthy child using 
cell tissue from both father and mother.

And it still didn't explain Lois' involvement.

It was a well known fact that the superhero was a close friend of 
Lois, but wouldn't it have been easier to use a female who was 
perhaps involved with the experiment... or the woman Superman 
told Bernie he was dating? Could she have been Lois Lane? Somehow 
the idea of a corrupt research scientist with a romantic streak 
didn't ring true.

Besides, Bernie had never believed in the rumors of a deeper 
relationship between Superman and Lois. She was a married woman, 
and he'd often witnessed the interaction between Lois and Clark. 
It was clear they loved each other deeply. Then again, he'd seen 
the same thing between Lois and the superhero. He'd often joked 
that they acted just like a married couple.... 

Lois visited Star Labs with Superman... or with Clark. But Bernie 
couldn't remember a single time when she'd been here with both. 
In fact, he'd never seen the two men together, either! 
  
Finally the last piece of the puzzle fell into place. The baby 
was a cloned blend of Lois and Superman... because Superman was 
Clark! It explained his yearning to have a child with an Earth 
woman... a woman he was married to.

Bernie downed the last of his drink and poured himself another as 
he pictured both Superman and Clark in his mind. The second 
cocktail followed the first in quick succession. This was mind 
blowing, but he didn't need a DNA test to confirm his deduction. 

Why had he never noticed the similarities between the two men 
before? More than anyone he'd been allowed to study Earth's 
strange visitor. He should have worked it out. After all, he was 
a famed research scientist. Caroline had called him a god! A god 
who couldn't spot what was right under his nose! And yet, if he 
were truthful with himself, he was rather vague when it came to 
dealing with human beings. Give him a scientific formula or 
equation and he'd probably arrive at the correct conclusion 
sooner rather than later. Just as he had with this current 
problem. Only he'd found more answers than he'd been looking for.

Which brought him to the fact that he really should phone Lois 
and Clark and tell them he had some information. But just how 
much should he tell them he'd discovered? And even confirmation 
of the baby's parentage got them no closer to finding out who had 
left him in their care. Solving that enigma was more in the field 
of Lois and Clark. 

*****
 
Doctor Klein frowned at the anxious couple before him, but more 
often his eyes kept drifting to Clark. How could he not have 
recognized that his star patient -- actually his only patient -- 
was the man sitting before him? Of course, the flashy blue and 
red uniform was distracting, but he was one of the few people 
who'd seen Superman without it.  He'd assumed he was the only one 
who'd known for certain that the suit came off. But Lois Lane 
obviously knew that much better than he.

Superman was Clark Kent. Any vestige of doubt disappeared from 
Bernie's mind as he absorbed more similarities. Both had the same 
height and build, though Clark tried to hide his bulk... and the 
glasses were a good disguise, as was the different hair style. 
But, on closer inspection, they shared the same features, and the 
tiny mole above the lip was a dead giveaway. Holy cow! How could 
he have missed that?

"Bernard!" Lois' exasperated voice brought him back to the 
present. "I'm assuming that since you called us, you have 
something to tell us about Matthew."

"Matthew?" Bernie turned to Lois so quickly he almost slipped off 
his chair, while his brain struggled to make the transition from 
Clark to Matthew.

"Yes, our baby... the one you were running tests on."

"Oh, the baby...."

"Lois, honey, you know we can't call him ours yet." Clark's words 
were a warning, but even he couldn't quite suppress the hopeful 
note in his voice.

"Actually, Clark, Lois is right, and you can!"

That silenced the pair, and they simply stared at the man behind 
the desk. Not surprisingly, it was Lois who first found her 
voice. "We can?"

"The baby is yours, biologically speaking." Bernie wished he was 
more adept at explaining things without resorting to scientific 
jargon. "I ran paternity tests, and there's no doubt about the 
baby's mother and father. His genetic code is a combination of 
both of yours."

Again there was a moment of silence before Clark eased forward in 
his chair. "But surely that's impossible for you to know. You 
don't have DNA samples from either Lois or myself."  

"I have to admit that assumption did prove to be a stumbling 
block to my research, and I might have reached the right answers 
a whole lot sooner if you'd been honest with me," Bernie huffed 
and almost pouted, feeling more than a little aggrieved.

"But you don't, Dr. Klein. Neither Clark nor I have ever given 
you samples."

"Not as yourselves, no. But I've been studying Superman for 
nearly two years now, and I was certain you trusted me...."

"Superman? What does Superman have to do with this?" Lois' shock 
numbed her memory, blocking the fact that they'd told Dr. Klein 
about Matthew arriving with the 'S' shield.

"Superman, Clark that is, has everything to do with this, and 
don't try to pretend you don't understand what I'm saying because 
the contents of this folder prove otherwise." Bernie's agitation 
made him bold, while his fingers played with the edges of the 
file beneath his hand. Normally, he wouldn't dare confront Lois 
Lane this way, though Superman didn't scare him -- he was a 
'mild-mannered' pussy cat.

The 'mild-mannered' pussy cat folded his arms and his lips 
compressed into a tight line, making him resemble his alter-ego 
even more, and Bernie did wonder if he'd misjudged the situation. 
After a second, though, Clark stated quietly, "I take it you've 
discovered my secret identity?"

"Yes, and I have to tell you it wasn't a comfortable conclusion 
to arrive at. For a little while, I was very disappointed in you, 
Lois."

 "Why me? What did I do to upset you?" Lois rose from her chair, 
regarding the doctor stormily. "And what has this got to do with 
Matthew?"

Recognizing the warning signs that his wife was about to explode, 
Clark stepped in quickly. "Bernard, I think perhaps you should 
tell us everything you've discovered."

Starting to feel very intimidated by Ms. Lane, Bernie agreed. 
"Yes, of course. I didn't mean to insult you, Lois, really I 
didn't, but for a short time... a very infinitesimal time, I 
believed the old rumors about you and Superman." He blanched as 
Lois edged closer. "Of course, that's not true. I mean you can't 
have an affair with your husband, even if he is wearing a 
different suit...."  

"Bernie... talk!" Lois demanded.

"OK, but please remember I'm not very good at explanations... 
especially ones of a personal nature. You asked if I could find 
out about the baby's origins, and I have. I ran DNA tests and I 
very quickly recognized the Kryptonian genes, so, of course, I 
checked them against the only Kryptonian I know who lives on 
Earth...."

"Superman?" Clark stood and placed his arm round Lois' shoulder.

"They matched up. But I have to tell you, I was sorta puzzled why 
Superman should turn his baby over to you two without explaining 
why."

"Especially since you knew Superman wanted a child." 

"Exactly, Clark. Though, after working out that you and he are 
the same person, it's not surprising at all."

Clark's large shoulders shrugged uneasily beneath his jacket. As 
always, his first instinct was to deny the accusation, but Dr. 
Klein knew him better than anyone outside his family and he 
doubted that his lies would be believed... besides, he didn't 
want to mislead this man. "Can I ask what you're going to do with 
that knowledge?"

"Nothing! I would never tell anyone." If it were possible the 
doctor looked even more hurt and disappointed. "I would never 
betray your secret.  Apart from the usual ethics of 
doctor/patient confidentiality, I consider you a friend, a close 
friend. I hoped you felt the same."

"Yes, I do! And believe me, Lois and I have been debating whether 
we should tell you the truth. But you have to understand that 
this is a very dangerous secret. If it ever got out, my family 
and friends could be in danger...."

"Oh, I do understand. Wild horses couldn't drag it out of me." 
Bernie felt his insides shrinking at that scary scenario. For a 
moment he doubted his courage, and he could only pray that he 
would live up to his avowal, if he were ever tested. Then a 
second thought suddenly consoled him. "But I doubt it would come 
to that. Most people think I wander about in a fog of scientific 
research and wouldn't notice whether the sky fell in, so I don't 
suppose anyone would think to question me." 

"I have faith in you, Doc, and I'm very grateful for all that 
research -- it's saved me many times in the past. You've been a 
great friend, and I hope you'll keep helping in the future." The 
younger man's face relaxed into an eager smile and he reached out 
a hand across the desk. "I'd like to shake your hand as the 
'real' me, if you'll accept?" The question was asked with a 
certain amount of trepidation, but Clark needn't have worried. 

An answering grin lit up Klein's face as he shook the proffered 
hand. "I'm honored, and the real you would be... Clark?" 

"I grew up as Clark, but Lois will tell you I'm an amalgam of 
both." 

"You are," Lois added, smiling too. Usually, when someone got too 
close to Clark's true identity, her reaction was dread, but she 
didn't mind this trustworthy doctor knowing the secret. 
Particularly since they now had Matthew to worry about. He was 
Kryptonian too. Only, he wasn't just Kryptonian.... "Bernie, that 
explains some of what you said, but how do you know Matthew 
shares my genes? As far as I know, I've never given you any 
sample tissues."

"Not you, Lois, but I did study your clone very closely."

Clark drew on what he'd learned of scientific theory over the 
years. "And clones are like identical twins?" 

"Exactly, Clark!" Bernie was happy that one of his visitors 
understood where he was leading. "I remembered that I'd come in 
contact with Matthew's second set of genes before... not that it 
came to me right away. It was all very bewildering at first...."

"Bernie, we would have pointed you in the right direction, but we 
really had no idea," Clark admitted apologetically.

"Wait a minute!" Lois interjected. "How can Matthew be ours? 
Neither Clark nor I have ever had a child."

"Lois, how galactically stupid do you think I am? I might be 
thought of as the 'wacky professor', but I am aware of that 
fact."

Lois had the grace to blush. She might be unnerved by the 
situation, but it was very unfair of her to attack the person who 
was trying to help them. It seemed that Bernie forgave her, 
however, and he continued to explain.

"Which is why I've deduced that Matthew too might be a clone."

If there had been moments of silence in the small lab before, now 
its sound was positively deafening. Lois and Clark were 
completely stunned. Even if they had toyed with a similar 
conclusion, neither were overjoyed to hear it confirmed. Cloning 
was still in the experimental stage... and Lois was suddenly very 
afraid for her baby boy.

"Dr. Klein, none of the clones we ever encountered lived very 
long." She swallowed hard and asked in a small voice, feeling 
grateful for Clark's arm around her shoulder. "Is our baby going 
to die?"

"No, no! I doubt that very much." Bernie understood how hard this 
must be for a couple who longed for a baby but were unable to 
conceive in the normal way, and he cared very much what happened 
to his friends. "Why don't we all sit down, and I'll try to 
explain as simply as possible. Though I have to say that I'm not 
at all informed about this procedure either. However, I will tell 
you what I believe."

Clark settled Lois back in her chair, moving his closer and 
holding her hand tight. "Just tell us what you do understand, 
Bernard, please."

"Right... and I'll try to keep this simple." Bernie's lips 
twitched in a rueful grin, hoping to lighten the mood. "I've 
studied the baby's genetic make-up thoroughly and I've found no 
trace at all of doppelbuufo frog DNA, which was the particular 
agent that accelerated the growth rate of those earlier clones. 
Not all the clones which have been created in the world have had 
life spans of only a few weeks...."

"I know! But hasn't the only success, so far, been 'Dolly' the 
sheep? I can't see why some research scientists from Scotland 
should break into our house and leave a baby behind," Lois sighed 
in resignation. They were no further forward in finding out who 
had brought Matthew to them and thus how they could legally and 
publicly become his parents. It wouldn't be the wisest course of 
action to announce to the world that their child was... somewhat 
unusual.

"There have been some other successful attempts, Lois.  That lab 
has quite a good track record, considering this is on the cutting 
edge of science. But as far as I know, neither they, nor any 
other legitimate facility, has cloned a baby. In theory it's 
possible, but it's far too risky and complicated a process to try 
with human beings, even if there have been some irresponsible 
researchers who have claimed otherwise." Bernie was warming to 
his subject. "Do you know how many attempts it took to create 
Dolly? And neither Leek nor Mamba could create a healthy clone. 
We all know what happened to those poor people. Not one of them 
lived more than a couple of weeks."

Once more a hush fell over the room as the three occupants 
contemplated the tragic lives of those Luthor had so cavalierly 
had created for his own ends.

"But, that's maybe not so," Lois' eyes lit up excitedly. "What 
about those other two clones Mamba made for Lex? He told me they 
had an unlimited lifespan...."

"You mean the ones Luthor stole from Star Labs?" Bernie enquired, 
rubbing his head sympathetically in the remembered trauma of that 
break-in. "I'd already tested those ones, and they weren't much 
different from the others. Maybe a smaller content of that frog 
spawn, but they definitely wouldn't have lived to a ripe old age. 
It's a good job they were crushed in that fall-in before they 
were brought to life. I'd have given them a matter of months at 
most. If Luthor thought otherwise, then Mamba was probably too 
terrified to tell him the truth. It was never a good idea to 
disappoint Lex Luthor."

Lois' heartbeat raced as she learned how close a call she'd had 
with death. Thank goodness her very own superhero had come to 
rescue her, even if she hadn't recognized him at the time. Clark 
had always been there for her, whether she wanted him or not.... 
Just as he was now, taking her chilled hands into his own, 
lending her his quiet strength.

"Bernard, I'm sure that the history of cloning is very 
interesting," Clark conceded, yet he needed to draw Lois' memory 
back from that dire period in their lives. He didn't like to 
dwell on it either. "But could we stick with Matthew here? He's 
the important one."

"Sorry, Clark. I tend to get distracted. It's why I gave up 
general medicine. I always ended up confusing my poor patients."

Clark gave a tight grin. He could well imagine the truth of that 
statement, but another train of thought was forming in his mind. 
His teeth worried at his bottom lip as he tried to put together 
whatever information he had on cloning. "Aren't clones normally a 
copy of a single person?"

"As you said earlier... identical twins really." Bernie nodded. 
"With a number of years between them, depending on when the 
procedure was carried out. Both your clones were created with DNA 
which was taken from you as adults. I assume they would have 
started life as babies, if Leek and Mamba hadn't incorporated the 
doppelbuufo element which speeded up maturation, exactly as 
Luthor wanted. But once that gene was activated it couldn't be 
turned off and all the clones completed their lifespan in a very 
short time. Fortunately, we don't have to worry about that in 
Matthew's case."

"You're sure? I need to know Matthew's going to be well." Lois 
couldn't easily put aside her nightmare concerns for her son.

"Totally! I wouldn't lie to you." 

"Thank goodness for that!" After a moment of heartfelt relief at 
the doctor's assurances, Clark's brow drew down again in 
concentration. "But you said Matthew has both Lois' and my own 
DNA. Is that possible?"

"Correct, Clark. It shouldn't be possible, and, strictly 
speaking, I'm not sure the term 'clone' actually applies to 
Matthew, or at least, not as we know it. Unless both you and Lois 
have been transported to the future where they've perfected the 
practice -- and we all know that's completely out of the question 
-- someone's invented a way to produce designer babies. Should be 
a money making scheme, if it was considered ethical or legal, 
which I'm sure it won't be."

Lois and Clark exchanged a pointed look, but thankfully Bernard 
was lost in contemplation. Was it possible that they had taken a 
trip in time which they'd forgotten about? No, they'd already 
ruled out H.G. Wells and the only other person with a time 
machine was Tempus and he wanted to destroy the Lane-Kent 
bloodline, not propagate it.

Which left them with only one other option... the New 
Kryptonians, but did they have the ability to create such 
children? They were certainly far more advanced than Earth, 
scientifically and technologically.

Bernie sat back up in his seat, returning to the conversation 
with renewed interest. "Clark, is it possible that those extra-
terrestrial relations of yours could be involved? Not all of 
those New Kryptonians were bad people you know. In fact, I had 
the pleasure of having a very brief meeting with one of their 
medical researchers. Now what was his name? Malky or something 
like that! He wanted to give me some medical pointers in case you 
should have any long term after-effects from the Kryptonite gas." 
 
"That's right, Clark. I remember there was a physician who took 
care of you when they brought us back to the mother ship. You 
were unconscious and could hardly breathe. I was so worried about 
you." Lois shivered again at the memory of running into the haze 
of green gas to find Clark lying on the ground so still and 
lifeless. "He was kind enough to take time to tell me you would 
recover, though he did ask if you had a doctor on Earth. I didn't 
know he visited you, Dr. Klein."

"It was a very quick visit. In the aftermath of Nor's attack on 
Metropolis, he felt it wasn't prudent to linger. But he was very 
concerned with your well-being, Clark. In fact, I wish he could 
have stayed longer because I'm sure that between us we could have 
come up with an antidote for your reaction to Kryptonite 
radiation."  

"Now that might have made that whole terrible disaster 
worthwhile, Bernie," Clark sighed. His reaction to Kryptonite was 
still his biggest threat.  "I think the man you're talking about 
is Physician Malaki, one of the more caring Kryptonians I 
happened to meet."

"Probably because he was a friend of your father...." Bernie 
mused while still formulating possibilities for creating an anti-
K vaccine.

"What?" Clark shot out of his chair in less than a second, 
causing Bernie to jump like a startled rabbit.

"Didn't he tell you?" 

"No!" The reminder of how he'd been treated by most of the 
councillors and crew of that ship knotted Clark's stomach. For 
his parents' sake he'd chosen to help his own kind, only he'd 
found himself a stranger in a world he couldn't understand. "But 
then no one was exactly encouraged to talk to Lord Kal-El, unless 
it was to instruct me in my duties or the laws of Krypton." 

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Lois remarked sardonically.

"Lois, they did come through for us in the end." Conversely, 
Clark found himself defending his race. 

"Maybe, Clark, but not until they'd allowed their resident power-
hungry moron to annex Smallville and conquer Metropolis.... Not 
to mention finding you guilty of treason and having your 
molecules scattered clean across the galaxy. They might be your 
people, but don't expect me to think of them with high esteem."

"I wouldn't expect that, honey...." Sliding his arm around Lois' 
shoulder, Clark pulled her up into his embrace. "Even if I did 
come to an understanding with Zara and Ching, I can't say the 
experience lived up to my expectations either."

"Have you ever thought that they might be trying to make amends 
by bringing you the one thing you want but can't have?"

Bernie's question intruded on Lois and Clark's comforting hug. 
Together, they turned toward the doctor, though their arms still 
rested round each other.

"You mean Matthew?" Clark asked. "But how would they know we're 
incompatible?"

"Your father's friend was a very intelligent research doctor and 
he asked me a lot of knowledgeable questions about Earth biology. 
I'm also assuming the Kryptonians knew you were Clark Kent and 
that you intended to marry Lois."

"They wanted me to go back with them to New Krypton, but I told 
them that my place was here on Earth with Lois."

Bernie digested that piece of information for a moment before 
continuing, "You know, I'd say that Malaki had a pretty good idea 
you'd run into trouble when you wanted to have children. It 
wouldn't take rocket science for a man like him to work that out. 
What am I saying? These people have rocket science down to a fine 
art."

"But a clone, Bernie?" Clark was still having difficulty with 
coming to terms with the fact that their baby was created in a 
test tube.

"Perhaps that's the way they breed on New Krypton," Bernie 
suggested, wrinkling his nose in sympathy for a race of people 
who might never experience the joys of physical passion. Not that 
he did... very often, but the option was there. 
 
"It's not!" 

"Oh?" The doctor's voice rose an octave and he leaned across the 
desk, gazing at Clark in enthusiastic expectation.

"Don't ask me how I know, just take my word for it... and it 
wasn't through personal experience." Clark flushed and glanced 
sideways at his wife. A tiny smirk turned up the corner of her 
lips. The little minx was enjoying his embarrassment.

The moment passed, however, and Lois returned to the more 
pressing subject. "Ok, let's say that the New Kryptonians 
discovered we wouldn't be able to have children. Would they have 
been able to create a cl... no, create Matthew?"  This was her 
baby, no matter how he began.

"If they had the know how and the DNA material," Bernard gave his 
considered opinion. "They treated Clark after the gas exposure, 
so it's a fair assumption they would have done blood tests or 
taken tissue samples."

"Not only then. I had to go through this extensive physical exam 
before they'd sanction my 'supposed' marriage to Zara. They 
wanted to make sure I hadn't picked up any Earth diseases that 
would contaminate the Royal bloodline."

"The nerve of these guys!" Lois' stiffened in Clark's arms as she 
bridled at the insult to her husband. "You risk your life... you 
leave everything and everyone you love behind, and they treat you 
like some leper."

"Lois, don't! It's all in the past, and I really didn't care. I 
just wanted to get through it all as quickly as possible so I 
could get back to you."

"Those relations of yours have a lot to make up for...." Moving 
away from Clark, Lois started pacing, feeling the need to express 
her pent-up annoyance.

"They did try to atone for the mess Nor created. They put 
Smallville and Metropolis back in order," Clark offered 
mollifyingly. 

"It was the least they could do...."

"I know, Lois, but it could never make up for the fear they 
created... the people who were hurt or killed." Contrarily, and 
as was his habit, Clark took the burden of guilt upon himself. 
"I'll never forgive myself for what happened." 

"Clark, no!" A quick couple of steps brought Lois back to Clark's 
side and she wrapped her arms around him. He rested his head 
against her soft hair.

Yet comfort came from another source too. "I don't think you 
should take the blame in any way, Clark. You didn't ask them to 
come here," Bernie announced with uncommon conviction. "You're 
not responsible for what they did, and I'm glad your parents sent 
you here instead of packing you off to New Krypton. The good that 
Superman has done for Earth far outweighs any of the bad things 
that happened back then."

"See, I'm not the only one who believes in you, honey, and I'll 
tell you as often as you need to hear it -- I'm very, very glad 
that your mom and dad sent you here to me," Lois leaned back and 
smiled lovingly into Clark's troubled face. Then she brushed a 
light kiss across his lips, which quickly deepened into something 
more.

"Hum-hum!" Bernie tried to attract the couple's attention. He was 
pleased that his friends were happy, but didn't they know he was 
a very busy man with deadlines to meet? Seconds ticked by, and 
Bernie cleared his throat, loudly. "Excuse me! I do have a few 
more questions. I thought you might have some too."

Lois and Clark broke apart, Lois smoothing down her husband's 
jacket while Clark tucked a stray lock of hair behind Lois' ear. 
"Sorry," both replied sheepishly in unison and returned to their 
seats.

"What did you want to ask us?" Lois sat up straighter and crossed 
her ankles demurely. They really needed to stay on track here.

Bernie stood up and came around the bench. "Lois, is it possible 
you left some tissue on that spaceship, inadvertently perhaps?"

"I guess, yes. I was on it a couple of times, not for long, 
though. I didn't eat or drink there, and I didn't touch much of 
anything, except Clark, but I guess I might have... shed a few 
hairs for example." Lois suddenly remembered preparing for Lord 
Kal-El's inspection. "Yes, I definitely brushed my hair. Can't 
they use hair samples?"

"It's possible, if a follicle is attached. They could extract DNA 
from minute samples, especially with their technology...."

The floodgates of Lois' memory opened up, reminding her of the 
time she'd tried hard to forget. "And they took a blood sample 
from me. I guess they didn't want to put their precious First 
Lord at risk either."

Clark, however, was lost in his own thoughts. "Lois, what 
happened to the concubine's dress?"

"I left that on board. It wasn't exactly something I'd normally 
wear to the office...." 

"Pity!" Clark cocked his head to one side and wiggled his 
eyebrows expressively as he too relived the scene of spotting 
Lois in the control room of the floating palace.

"The New Kryptonians have something you wore? I expect they could 
have found traces on that," Bernie suggested, knowingly.

"Sweat traces? I don't know about you, honey, but I certainly did 
a fair bit of sweating when I saw you in that pink dress -- that 
leash must have appealed to my baser instincts." 

"No kidding. What about me?  That black skin-tight outfit they 
put you in really was a turn on."

"No, not sweat traces -- they're just water, but perhaps skin 
particles. I'd be more inclined to go with the hairbrush or the 
blood sample, though." Bernie found the questions intriguing, but 
seeing that Lois and Clark weren't listening to him, and fearing 
another romantic interlude looming, he brought them quickly down 
to Earth. "Well, between us, I think we've safely established the 
how and the who, because I really don't believe anyone on Earth 
has the capability."

"Adding the blanket and my shield into the equation, I'd say 
you're right, Bernie, but that still doesn't explain why they 
left Matthew in our house and disappeared without a reasonable 
explanation."

"And it doesn't make it any easier for us to get legal custody of 
Matthew," Lois said, blowing out a breath in frustration. 

"I can give written proof of paternity...."

"And how would that help, Bernie? Just how would you explain our 
becoming biological parents without an actual pregnancy? The 
stork delivered him?  Because that would be just as probable as 
cloning!"

Sighing audibly, Bernie sagged against the wooden bench. "Yes, I 
can see how that would create a problem."

"Not to mention we really don't want to attract any more media 
attention to our family. We have a secret to protect." Clark 
stood again, realizing the meeting was coming to an end.  His 
hands dug deep into his pockets and he looked as perplexed as the 
doctor.

"It looks like we have another secret to protect now, and I think 
I'd prefer that Matthew isn't referred to as a 'clone' ever 
again," Lois declared adamantly. "He might have been created a 
'little' differently, but from now on he's just a baby... our 
baby." She rose to stand by Clark's side and slid her arm through 
his, seeking warmth. 

Immediately, Clark squeezed Lois' arm, tucking it closer to his 
body. "I understand completely, honey, and I'm sure Bernie does, 
too." The doctor nodded his head vehemently, confirming Clark's 
words. "Thanks, Doc. We appreciate all your work. At least we 
know something about our son now. It means a lot to know he 
really does belong to us, even if we can never tell anyone else."

"That's OK. I was glad to help... and don't hesitate to come 
back, if you have any problems with Matthew. Not that I foresee 
any," Bernie rushed to calm Lois' and Clark's alarm at his 
tactless words, then he turned to pick up the file he'd left on 
the desk and handed it to Clark. "I think I'd rather you took 
care of this. It's my findings on the paternity tests. I trust 
Star Labs security systems completely, but I think this is for 
your eyes only. And remember, from now on, I have two patients." 

"Thanks, Bernie. We'll be in touch." Clark waited while his wife 
slipped the folder inside her briefcase, then with his hand at 
her back they walked together through the door. 

Watching them go, Bernie tugged at his bow-tie, his collar 
suddenly feeling very tight. "That went better than expected," he 
told himself, returning to his seat behind his desk. Yet he did 
feel conflicted. There was one important piece of information he 
had kept to himself. The very fact that a hybrid baby was alive 
and well was confirmation that Kryptonians and Earthlings were 
genetically compatible and only the insemination process wasn't 
in harmony. Which meant that he might eventually be able to 
rectify the couple's infertility problem. Of course, it would 
take a lot of research and perhaps his quest would never be 
successful, so he'd made the decision to say nothing. To raise 
Lois' and Clark's hopes on such a flimsy supposition would be too 
cruel, but Bernie wasn't about to give up on his friends. Perhaps 
one day Matthew would have a brother or sister.

*****

Chapter Five
Explanations... of a kind?

Following their visit to Star Labs, Lois and Clark had spent the 
rest of the morning and afternoon at the Planet, putting in some 
work on a current story to keep Perry satisfied. Then they'd come 
home a little earlier than normal to take over their new roles as 
Mom and Dad, which they both had to admit weren't exactly easy. 
Thank goodness they had Clark's parents to help out. 

Lois' father and mother had left the house on Hyperion Avenue the 
day following Matthew's arrival, Sam to return to his backstreet 
lab and his work on his strange experiments and Ellen to visit an 
old 'Bridge Club' friend in Florida. Both Kent couples had been 
surprised at Ellen's travel plans, since it was clear she was 
still enamored of her ex-husband. Yet, she was acting 
diffidently, making Sam work for his redemption, and neither 
Martha and Jonathan nor Lois and Clark could blame her. Besides, 
it was probably for the best that Lois' parents weren't too 
closely involved with the details of Matthew's origins.

In the early evening, after Matthew had finally gone down to 
sleep for a few hours, Lois and Clark had, at last, found time to 
relate all Dr. Klein's findings to Martha and Jonathan. 

"So, that's where we're at now!" Lois concluded, settling closer 
to Clark on the couch. They both felt slightly overwhelmed. Where 
did they go from here? It was the question that filled their 
thoughts.

Wide-eyed and silent, the elder Kents sat on the opposite couch, 
having listened intently to the amazing litany of revelations. 
Just like the younger couple their hands were entwined. Even for 
Martha and Jonathan, who had raised a superboy from another 
world, this was fairly staggering information.

Martha was the first to speak up. "OK, so Matthew is a clo... 
sorry, Lois, a... test tube baby?" Lois gave a brief nod of her 
head, preferring that description, but only just marginally, and 
Martha continued. "Created from DNA, which someone... the New 
Kryptonians, you think, managed to collect from both of you while 
you were on their spaceship?"

"I know it sounds a bit 'sci-fi-fantasy', Mom, but that's about 
it in a nutshell!" Clark leaned nearer to Lois, realizing she was 
in need of the physical contact.... Sheesh, he needed it too! 
"Pretty mind-blowing, eh?"

"Son, nothing surprises your mom and me much any more," Jonathan 
chuckled as he answered. "But I have to say this comes pretty 
close! The important thing is, though, that Matthew is *our* 
grandson -- *your* child. Seems to me the rest is just detail!" 

"Exactly,!" Lois agreed, her expression brightening a little, 
pleased that the level-headed Jonathan had once again cut 
straight through to the crux of the matter. "You've no idea how 
relieved I feel, knowing that strangers aren't going to turn up 
at our door to claim Matthew back."

"Me too, honey. That was the one thing I was dreading and my 
fears just grew worse with every minute he was with us. You don't 
know how many times I've considered picking up you and Matthew 
and flying away, if that had happened."

Lois smiled gently into her husband's face. He'd tried to keep 
his emotions in check, but he couldn't hide how he felt. "You 
think I didn't know that, Clark." She nudged his shoulder with 
her own and they stared into each other's eyes, silently 
reaffirming their commitment to each other and now to their son.

Her beauty still had the power to take his breath away, 
especially when she looked so vulnerable... but there would be 
time for private comfort later, or maybe not, now that Matthew 
was sharing their room. A slow smile spread over Clark's face as 
he realized how much this little guy was going to alter their 
lives, but he welcomed the changes, and he knew, without a shadow 
of doubt, that Lois felt exactly the same.

After a moment, though, Clark reluctantly broke away from his 
wife's gaze and faced his parents again. Right now, they had a 
problem to solve. "Mind you, the New Kryptonian part is still 
supposition... but they do seem to fit the profile."

"Have you tried contacting them telepathically, dear? You could 
do that last time they were here."

"Yes, Mom, it was the first thing I tried when we left Star Labs, 
but either I've lost the knack, or no one is listening!"

"Maybe they just sent Matthew in one of those transporter things. 
Like the ones they have on that TV program... you know, 'Beam me 
up!'... or in this case, down!" Lois was prepared to consider 
every angle. "Maybe they never came near Earth."

"You mean those molecular-transport pods? I don't know much about 
them, honey, but I did learn they don't have the range to reach 
from New Krypton to Earth." Clark let go of Lois and walked over 
to the large window, pulling aside the drapes. "If they brought 
Matthew here, they have to be somewhere up there, fairly close."

"Or they've already headed back to New Krypton." Lois followed 
Clark and slipped by him to stare up into the heavens. Twilight 
was coloring the sky and a few brave stars twinkled dimly against 
the deepening purple. She felt his arms come around her again, 
enclosing her with his gentle strength. "Whatever they have 
planned, I think we should forget about them for now and 
concentrate on how we can legally make Matthew our own!"

"I don't think we have an alternative." Clark's breath was warm 
on her skin as he spoke softly into her ear and Lois felt her 
legs grow weak. Even now, he had the power to touch her....

"You need to adopt Matthew. It's the only way to make his 
position secure." Martha's voice broke into Lois' comfort zone 
and she shook herself mentally. This was not the time for 
lingering in the safe world of her husband's caress, and 
Superman's strength wouldn't help them solve this dilemma. In 
fact, the superhero's involvement in this case was definitely not 
an option.

Lois took hold of Clark's hand and pulled him with her back to 
the couch. "We've known that from the moment we found him, 
Martha, but adopting Matthew might be easier said than done!"

"Yeah, Mom, as we've already told you, Metropolis County Adoption 
Department have recommended that we're not parental material."

"You mean, I'm not, Clark! Ms. Bailey thought you'd make a great 
dad." Lois' shoulders slumped a little.

"Lois, we're a team, remember. We're in this together."

"Yes, and since both partners have to be approved, we struck 
out!"

Jonathan rested his elbows on his knees, and leaned forward. "But 
that was just one woman's opinion. Maybe when you applied this 
time, you'd be assigned another social worker...."

"Dad, I'd like to think so, but I'm pretty sure that Ms. Bailey's 
findings will be recorded. She only checked us out a few days 
ago. Even if we did get another agent, it's sure to come up 
again."

"And in the meantime we'd have to let Child Welfare know that 
we'd found a baby." Lois' fingers nervously pushed her hair away 
from her face. "Given Ms. Bailey's opinion of me, they'd probably 
take Matthew away immediately and place him in a foster home 
while we were investigated...."

"And there would be no guarantee that we would get him back. 
Knowing Matthew's genealogy, we can't risk that!" 

"Definitely not!" Martha was of the same point of view. "You 
know, I think maybe we should ask Doc Warner to help again."

Lois looked surprised. "The same old doctor who helped you adopt 
Clark? Isn't he dead?"

"No, dear," Martha replied. "He wasn't that old when Clark was a 
baby, though he's probably a little over 70 now. He's retired, 
but every so often he helps out at the local practice if some of 
the other doctors are on vacation or sick. The people of 
Smallville trust him and he's still as sharp as a tack! The 
towns' folk won't let him hang up his stethoscope for good."

"Does he know about Clark?" Lois asked, intrigued despite their 
present predicament. She'd learned about most of her husband's 
life but, apart from knowing that Clark was legally adopted, 
she'd never really heard the details of that particular chapter.

"Officially, I'd say no... but, unofficially, I've always 
suspected he put two and two together," Jonathan joined in the 
conversation. "We never did tell him, but Doc Warner doesn't miss 
much."

"Neither did his sister, Miss Margaret." Martha nodded 
thoughtfully. "She was quite a few years older than her brother 
and when she died he asked Maisie and me to help clear out her 
personal things. I found a copy of the Daily Planet that 
headlined Superman's début into the world. She'd had it framed 
and there was a scrap book with a few other articles on your 
rescues. Course she died the same year, but she always told 
anyone who was willing to listen how lucky the world was to have 
Superman."

"You never told me that, Mom!"

"Clark, you had enough to worry about that first year, learning 
how to be a superhero and how to balance both your jobs! Not to 
mention trying to get a certain lady reporter to notice you 
existed!" Martha and Jonathan shared a grin.

Lois had the grace to blush. She wasn't exactly proud of the way 
she'd treated Clark back then, yet her mood changed quickly as 
she searched for information; perhaps they could use something 
that could help them out now. "So, she knew and she never told 
anyone! But how did Miss Warner help with the adoption?"

Martha sat forward in her seat as she took up the tale. "Margaret 
ran the local orphanage. Any abandoned child would have been 
taken there, but, like you two, Jonathan and I had already 
approached the adoption agency -- we were a little further down 
the road though. Margaret and the Doc just sped up the process 
for us. They suggested it was pointless taking the baby away from 
the home that was going to become his anyway. As the Warners were 
a very well thought of family, the rest of the adoption board 
agreed. We got to keep Clark and the legal papers were signed 
pretty quickly."

"Right!" Lois huffed. "No one was ever going to suggest that 
either of you wouldn't make good parents!"

"I'm not so sure about that, Lois," Jonathan leaned over and 
touched his daughter-in-law's hand. "We went on those 'civil 
rights marches' in the sixties, and though we never did get 
arrested, I can tell you, Martha came darn close a time or two. 
Boy, she had my heart in my mouth a few times!" The older Kent 
grinned and shook his head as he reminisced. His wife's elbow 
digging into his ribs surprised him.

"Jonathan! That was years ago!"

"I know, I just don't want Lois thinking she's the only 'rabble 
rouser' female in this family."

A tiny smile turned up the corners of Lois' mouth, but again she 
returned to current matters. "Ok, so what could this Doctor do to 
help us now?"

Taking a firm hold of Lois' hand, Jonathan answered as honestly 
as he could. "I can't say for certain, but I think he'd want to 
do what he could. I think he might be prepared to sign a paper to 
say he was present at Matthew's birth, which might help in 
getting a birth certificate. The mother's name could be 
registered as unknown."

Clark's eyebrows rose at his Dad's words and he didn't need his 
superpowers to hear Lois draw in a quick breath before she asked. 
"And why would he be willing to lie for us? I've never even met 
the man!"

"Doc Warner is one of a kind, and... well, he has a 'soft spot' 
for Martha...."

"Jonathan!" Martha spluttered again.

"Don't be coy, Martha, pretending you don't know! Besides, the 
Doc was way too much a gentleman to do anything but admire from 
afar, so it was never a problem. But apart from that, he's always 
taken an interest in Clark. He was real proud when you went to 
Metropolis, son, and got a job with the Daily Planet...."

"He took out an annual subscription for the paper then..." Martha 
injected, smiling. "And he was thrilled when you two finally made 
it to the altar. Every time your Dad or I meet him, he asks how 
you're doing. So yes, I think it would be worth our while for me 
to make a phone call."

"Mom, maybe I should ask," Clark suggested. "This is for Lois and 
me."

"No, son, let your mother talk to Doc; she knows just how to wind 
him round her little finger!" Jonathan said with a wink at the 
pair still sitting opposite.

Martha shrieked. "Jonathan, will you stop it! You're giving Lois 
and Clark the wrong impression of my friendship with the doctor. 
I can assure you, he's a real sweet man, full of old-world charm 
perhaps, but he'll want to help only because it's the right thing 
to do!" 

"I know, but I just couldn't help kidding you a bit." Jonathan 
and Martha exchanged a look of gentle understanding built upon 
long years of living with each other's habits and idiosyncrasies. 
"But there's no time like the present. Why don't you go call him 
now."

Patting her husband's shoulder, Martha stood. "You're right. And 
if you don't mind, I'll phone from the kitchen. I don't think I 
need any distractions from you." This time it was her turn to 
tease, but she dropped a kiss on Jonathan's head as she turned to 
walk out of the room. 

An interminable period of time passed for the three people left 
behind in the living room, and Lois was even wishing that Matthew 
would wake up, crying for attention to take her mind off the 
conversation taking place in her kitchen. Beside her, she noticed 
Clark fidgeting with his glasses and unconsciously touching his 
ear a couple of times. Clearly he was tempted to eavesdrop on his 
mother's phone call, but his parents' teaching and his own self-
discipline prevented him from doing so. Jonathan was the only one 
who seemed fairly calm.

At last, after an eternity which was closer in reality to ten 
minutes, Martha returned.

"Well?" Lois jumped up, unable to contain herself any longer.

"Doctor Warner is willing to say that he brought Matthew into the 
world." The older woman grinned as she related the most important 
point.

"He is?" Clark stood too.


"Oh yes! He never regretted helping out the first time round, so 
he doesn't see any reason why this current crisis should be any 
different."

"And he isn't even curious about where Matthew came from?" Lois 
was having difficulty getting her head around someone who would 
want to offer such altruistic and unquestionable support, which 
could very well land him in trouble with the authorities, if it 
got out.

"I asked him that in particular, sweetie, and he told me that 
Matthew's past wasn't important -- he was more interested in 
making sure that the baby had a safe future." 

"He does know that we're not the biological mother and father? At 
least, not publicly." Clark was still wary of giving away too 
much information, even to someone who probably knew a lot more 
about his history than he'd ever imagined.

"Oh, yes, Clark, I kept that part quiet. I just told him that the 
baby was abandoned on your doorstep, but you couldn't go through 
the normal channels, since you'd had some previous difficulty 
with the local adoption agency because of your life-threatening 
jobs."

"And that didn't worry him, Mom?"

"Of course not!" Martha crossed to where her daughter and son 
stood side-by-side. "It all boils down to the fact that Doctor 
Warner has complete faith in you both. He knows you'll love 
Matthew and take good care of him. In fact, he was kinda tickled 
at the 'lost baby' bit, saying it was funny how history repeated 
itself! But he's happy to play his part again. Which just leaves 
the travel details to be settled."

"Travel details?" Clark asked.

"Yes, he wants to know if Superman is going to fly you, Lois and 
the baby out to Smallville, though I think that was asked with a 
wink. Or maybe you'd rather Superman flew him to Metropolis. 
Truthfully, I think he'd prefer the latter option, cause he 
mentioned he'd been waiting a long time to fly with the Boy in 
Blue, and he'd rather do it while he was still 'young' enough to 
enjoy the experience!" Martha couldn't help but laugh at her 
kids' bemused expressions. "Oh, and I'm to tell you he is looking 
forward very much to meeting his hero."

"Superman?" Lois asked.

"No, dear, I expect he knows he's already met Superman. He means 
Lois Lane. He does admire all those exposes you've written -- 
putting all those criminals behind bars. He says he might be in 
his dotage, but he still appreciates a brave young woman, 
especially one with a lovely pair of eyes!"

Lois found herself laughing unexpectedly. "I think I'm looking 
forward to meeting Doc Warner too."

"Yeah," Clark gulped, not really sure that this time he was in 
complete agreement with his wife.

In the corner of the couch, Jonathan found himself laughing 
heartily. "Don't worry about it, son. Doc Warner's bark is worse 
than his bite. He's been a confirmed bachelor for many years and 
I doubt he's thinking of changing his status this late in life."

"Clark, you can't tell me you're jealous!" Lois swung round to 
stare at her husband. "This is the man who almost brought you 
into the world, even if he does fancy himself as an ageing beau!"

"Will you two stop!" Martha sent a disapproving glance at her 
husband and daughter-in-law. "Doc Warner is an old man who likes 
to tease, but it doesn't change the fact that he wants to see 
Matthew settled safely as part of this family. He's free tomorrow 
night and you're to let him know if he's coming to Metropolis or 
not." 

"OK, I guess I owe him a flight, even if he is going to ogle my 
wife!" Clark finally joined in the fun. "But just behave 
yourself, Ms. Lane. No one knows better than I do how you can 
send a man's blood pressure through the roof, and I'm Superman! 
I'd rather he signed those papers before he died of hyper-
tension!"

Lois allowed herself to be pulled into her husband's arms for a 
kiss. "I'll be good, and on the way Superman can tell the doctor 
that Clark Kent is a very jealous man, so he'd better be on his 
best behavior." But once again Lois' teasing mood disappeared, 
leaving her dispirited. "So, now we can establish Matthew's 
birth, but that idea about the mother remaining anonymous would 
send us right back to Child Welfare. Before we begin a private 
adoption process we need a mother's consent."

"You've been doing your homework too, honey?" Somehow that didn't 
surprise Clark. "And we have to at least attempt to look for a 
father to get his co-operation." 

"Clark, we can get round not having a father, but where are we 
going to get a woman who'd be willing to perjure herself by 
signing an affidavit stating she's giving her baby to us, and 
then keep quiet about it for the rest of all our lives?"

"Yes, it does seem an impossible project, and even if we could 
find someone, how would you feel about that, Clark?" Martha 
stared steadily at her son.

Clark drew in a deep breath and his lips pursed visibly as he let 
it back out. His gaze took in the others in the room. "Pretty 
much the same way as I do about Doc Warner's part in this, I 
guess. You all know how much I hate lying... how I always try to 
stand for the truth. But this isn't about me; this is about 
securing Matthew's birthright and keeping him safe. For the sake 
of my son, I'm more than willing to live with my conscience." 
Clark's voice softened on the words 'my son' and his lips twisted 
involuntarily into his lopsided grin.  He'd been afraid he'd 
never get the chance to say those words. They sounded... 
incredible!

"Looks like that's our plan of action, then," Lois stated firmly. 
"But I have no idea how to begin. Does anyone else have any 
suggestions?" 

"Why don't we take this into the kitchen? I'll make us some 
coffee and we can have a brainstorming session," Martha spoke as 
she headed through the dining room, followed by the rest of her 
family. 

"Coffee, coffee, would be good!" Lois murmured, but suddenly she 
collided with an immovable force as, in front of her, Clark 
stopped to listen. At the familiar action, Lois' heart sank a 
little. "Oh, no, don't tell me there's some emergency you have to 
rush off to? This is important, Clark." For the most part, she 
didn't mind the rest of the world borrowing her husband, but this 
was a family crisis.

"No, sweetheart, I was just checking that Matthew was still 
asleep." He smiled down at her and slipped his arm gently round 
her shoulder.

"And?"

"He's sleeping like a little angel! Come on, let's see if we can 
think up some solutions before he wakes up for another feed."

Yet no matter how hard they tried, an answer to their problems 
didn't spring to mind. At one point, forgery and masquerading 
were mentioned, but no one could really take them seriously. 
Three cups of coffee later and Clark finally voiced an idea 
which, it had to be said, was born of desperation.

"Lois, what about Lucy?"

"What about her?" Lois was standing by the sink, rinsing out her 
mug. She'd debated with herself about having yet another coffee, 
but felt a bit waterlogged, and with this much caffeine, she 
probably would have trouble sleeping later. Though that might not 
be a bad thing, given that Matthew was still waking up every few 
hours.  Suddenly, she turned to face her husband. "Clark, are you 
thinking what I think you're thinking?"

"Maybe!" He shrugged, looking very uncomfortable. "I wouldn't 
bring her into this if we could come up with another way, but is 
it possible... no, forget, I mentioned it. Bad idea!"

"Yes, it is! I wouldn't ask Lucy to tell such a huge lie for us, 
Clark... to say she's the baby's mother." Lois' voice rose 
unusually high. "It just wouldn't be right. Maybe if she offered, 
that might be different. But she doesn't even know we have a 
baby, so that's not going to happen... and no, I'm not going to 
tell her about this." She leveled a finger at Clark. "Not until 
everything is sorted!"

"If it ever is," Clark uttered with uncharacteristic pessimism, 
and cringed at Lois' glare of disapproval. 

In the background, Martha and Jonathan exchanged anxious glances. 
The kids' nerves were fraying badly.

"Besides, I wouldn't sully Lucy's reputation that way." At Lois' 
statement, Clark's eyebrows lifted skeptically. "And before you 
say anything, I know Lucy does have a certain penchant for guys 
with an unsavory reputation, but as far as I know, she's never 
been foolish enough to become an unmarried mother. So just forget 
that idea, Clark."

"OK! I didn't really care for it anyway...."

"And, I don't know what we could tell Lucy that would justify why 
we need her to do this. You know, Clark, I love my sister.... I 
really do, even if it doesn't always seem that way, but she can 
be a bit of a flake, and I'm not sure we could rely on her. I 
mean, she wouldn't purposefully give us away, and using Lucy 
would definitely be preferable to a complete a stranger... but 
she...." Lois' babble halted as Clark's last sentence penetrated 
her brain. "You don't want to use Lucy, either?"

Crossing to Lois' side, Clark placed his arm around her and led 
her back to a seat at the table, pulling her onto his knee as he 
sat down. "I don't want to use anyone, sweetheart. And I was 
wrong to think of putting Lucy in that position, but not because 
I don't trust her. I think she'd be very good at keeping our 
secrets. The Lane women happen to be very smart, you know."

"Except my mother!"

"Even your mother!"

"You think so?" Lois' brow furrowed in consideration. Her mother 
had proved pretty stable lately and very supportive. 

"I do." Clark smiled encouragingly into his wife's face. "Ellen 
went through a lot, you know. Being cheated on by someone you 
love very much must be pretty hard to take. It's not too 
surprising she fell apart. I'm sorry that meant you had a really 
hard time growing up, honey, but I can't be too mad at either of 
your parents. They made you -- the best wife, the best mother in 
the world, and I'm very thankful that they did."

"Oh, Clark, how is it that you always manage to say the right 
thing?"

"Just telling it how I see it, Lois."

"Clark's right, sweetie. Your mother and father are really trying 
hard to make amends for their past mistakes," Martha ventured her 
opinion. Even knowing Lois had an unhappy childhood, she couldn't 
help but like Ellen and Sam.

"I know, Martha, and I'm pleased about that, I really am." Lois 
slid her hand down Clark's arm and her fingers intertwined with 
his. "Though I can't help but be a little uneasy about them 
getting back together. I'm just not sure that can work, and I 
don't want to see history repeat itself. But that's not up to me 
and I'll try to back whatever they decide."

"Your mom isn't rushing into anything, Lois; that has to be a 
good sign," Clark suggested.

"True! She's acting fairly wisely for once, so perhaps there is 
hope for them," Lois agreed, then sighed and leaned into Clark 
for support. "I just wish there was such a silver lining ahead 
for our plans. You know, Clark, I think we're back to the crazy 
idea of me donning a secret identity as Matthew's biological 
mother, signing an affidavit saying I want to give my baby over 
to *me* to take care of for the rest of his life! Geesh!"

"How many checks would they run on that?" Jonathan asked, not 
treating the plan as impossible. It was 'out there', but if it 
was the only option, what choice did they have? "I mean apart 
from Doc Warner's statement that he was present when you give 
birth, wouldn't you need some proof of identity... like a social 
security number, or a driver's licence... maybe a passport?"

"Oh boy, this is getting even more complicated!" Clark shifted 
uneasily in his chair, nearly unseating Lois. He pulled her back 
onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her securely. "Do you 
think Bobby Bigmouth would be able to find us a good forger?"

"Clark, we can't involve any strangers in this!"

"I know, honey. I was just thinking out loud again. Do you have 
any other suggestions."

Lois couldn't help but grin conspiratorially. "Well, you could 
sneak into the relevant offices and steal some blank forms. Then 
you can draw pretty good, so you think you can copy well too?"

"Lois, Superman doesn't break in and steal things!"

"Clark, you've done it before when we've been in tight 
situations, and you said you'd be willing to do anything to 
protect Matthew. That's what all this is about, keeping your son 
safe."

"I know!" Clark hugged Lois against his chest comfortingly.

"Actually, Lois, you've got the wrong person in the family if 
you're looking for a forger," Jonathan said, looking pointedly in 
the other direction to the couple. "Martha's the resident 
copier."

"You are, Martha?"

"Yes, dear, but don't ask me to explain at the moment. It was a 
long time ago, before Clark came along."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with why you almost got 
arrested, would it?"

Thankfully for Martha's sake, Matthew chose that moment to wake 
up, and both Lois and Clark hurried upstairs to see to their son.

"Jonathan, did you have to bring that up?"

"I'm only trying to help the kids. This whole business is 
stressing them out."

"Yes, dear, but I'm not a very good forger, otherwise we wouldn't 
have got caught when we showed our passes to get inside that 
base. Thank goodness they just took us for crazy kids and threw 
us off the premises. Contrary to what you thought, I didn't 
really want to get a criminal record."

"I'm well aware of that," Jonathan grinned, "and I'll admit now 
that I was proud of the way you stood up for what you believed 
in. But as for not being a good forger... I know you've been 
practicing."

"Jonathan, I thought you hadn't noticed!" Martha toyed nervously 
with her empty coffee cup. "You know, I'm only still standing up 
for what I believe in. I believe that Matthew should be with his 
true mom and dad, and I'll do anything to make sure that 
happens."

Jonathan's hand stretched across the table and stilled his wife's 
anxious twitching. "I understand, Martha. You know, Clark isn't 
the only man in this family who found the best wife and mother."

*****

Chapter Six
That Silver Lining?
 
The next day at the Planet Lois and Clark were closeted in their 
editor's office for sometime, as they'd decided to let Perry and 
Jimmy into part of the story of Matthew's arrival and their 
intentions for the future. Both men were surprised, but not too 
much. After all, strange things often happened to Lois and Clark 
-- a baby abandoned on their doorstep wasn't too far off the 
scale.

"That's quite a story, kids, and you have absolutely no idea who 
the baby's parents are?" Perry asked, leaning back in his chair 
and watching closely his two star reporters' reactions. Lois kept 
her expression bland, but something flickered briefly in Clark's 
eyes. Was it remorse or embarrassment, or a little bit of both? 
Clark never had been as good at hiding his inner feelings as 
Lois, but the boy was improving, Perry thought. Must be living 
with Lois that's doing it! He could be wrong, but he was certain 
he hadn't been told the whole story. Then again, did he want to 
know the truth? Probably not! So, instead he grinned helpfully up 
at the couple, waiting....

"No, Chief!" Lois finally offered, choosing her words carefully. 
"We still have no idea who left him with us."

She glanced over at Clark, her look conveying the point that she 
hadn't told an outright lie, but he answered with a non-
committal, minuscule shrug. Clark had stated that he was willing 
to hedge the truth to protect his son and he was discovering that 
he'd be prepared to go a lot further down that road than ever 
before. Matthew's helplessness simply magnified the protective 
instinct in Clark.

"That sucks!" Jimmy decided to join the conversation. "Poor 
little guy! But whoever did it, must have known they were leaving 
him with the best people ever. I mean, everyone in Metropolis 
knows Lane and Kent's reputation for fighting for truth and 
justice...."

"Isn't that Superman, Jimmy?" Lois asked with just a hint of an 
exasperated smile.

"Sure, but you two do it too... in your own way. Maybe someone 
thought you'd make good parents. And weren't you checking up on 
adoption...."

"Jimmy!" This time it was Clark who cut in. "I don't think we 
want too many people to know about that, not now with Matthew 
involved. The last thing we want is Child Welfare or County 
Adoptions breathing down our necks. So, Lois and I would be 
grateful if you kept this quiet for the moment, until we can sort 
out what to do."

"Hey, CK, no sweat!" Jimmy quickly agreed. "I understand. Who 
would want someone like that 'dragon lady,' Ms. Bailey, chasing 
you around? Boy, did she have a face like an old prune!"

"I think we can do without your colorful remarks, Jimmy, but in 
this case, you're right. Lois, Clark, you know you can rely on 
our discretion. Also, I probably don't have to tell you, because 
I'm pretty sure you're already doing it, but you can use the 
Planet resources to look for... whoever abandoned your baby," 
Perry said helpfully. "And if you want any legal assistance, 
don't hesitate to ask and I'll talk to the Planet's legal team. 
If you're planning on adopting Matthew, I'm guessing you'll have 
to do so privately, so you're going to need a lawyer."

"Thanks, Perry." Clark stood up, intending to close the 
conversation. "We'll be sure to let you know if we need extra 
help."

"Oh, and in the meantime, you two can work more flexible hours if 
it will help with child care... until you've got something more 
permanent worked out. But don't you let that cat out of the bag," 
Perry said with a wink. "I don't want the rest of the newsroom 
thinking I've gone soft."

"Thanks, Chief. Martha and Jonathan are helping out just now, but 
they can't stay here forever. The farm won't run itself and we 
don't want to bankrupt them. We're lucky to have them here. This 
parenting business isn't as easy as I thought it would be," Lois 
admitted with a blush. "Babies don't keep the same hours as the 
rest of us do!"


A loud laugh issued from Jimmy. "Oh, that's why you two have been 
dragging yourselves around these past couple of days. Here I was 
thinking you were getting all ho... you were... well, you know 
what I was thinking, " Jimmy finished feebly. He was aware of 
being stared at. "Look if you don't need me any more, I'll just 
go... go stick my head under a cold tap!" With that final 
declaration, he backed out of the room, and the three others 
finally let their anxieties go with a hearty laugh.

"I guess you two should get back to writing some copy," Perry 
suggested. "This is still a newspaper, and I do need something 
from my best team. Just keep me informed on what's happening with 
Matthew, and maybe I could stop by and meet the newest member of 
the Kent family, if you wouldn't mind, that is."

"No, of course not, Perry. Look, why don't you make it this 
weekend, say Saturday for dinner?" Clark asked, heading for the 
door.

"Yes, and, Perry, bring Alice, if she'd like to come," Lois 
added, slipping past Clark and out into the newsroom.

"Hey, Lois, how did you know I'm seeing Alice again? I thought 
I'd kept that quiet!"

"Chief, Clark and I have sources everywhere!" 

Lois' laughter echoed round the door just as Clark closed it 
behind them, leaving Perry alone in the room, staring open-
mouthed. Then he too continued to laugh. Lois and Clark weren't 
the only ones who knew secrets, only he kept them to himself!

***** 

As arranged, later that evening, Superman duly picked up Doc 
Warner, and, since the old gentleman seemed to prefer to pretend 
that the hero and Clark Kent were two separate people, Clark 
played along. Superman flew carefully and slowly toward 
Metropolis as the doctor looked more frail than he remembered. At 
first, they traveled in silence, but the older man's lively 
personality soon emerged, and Clark spent most of the journey 
answering questions on his latest rescues. 

Finally they arrived above the park near Hyperion Avenue, and 
Superman warned the doctor that he planned on landing in the 
cover of the trees where Clark was waiting nearby to drive him 
the short distance to the brownstone. The old man felt his feet 
touch the ground and he was grateful for the hand that steadied 
him while he found his balance, then the brightly clad figure 
faded into the shadows. Moments later, Clark appeared, glasses 
fixed firmly on his nose and dressed in casual clothes. He shook 
Doc Warner's hand warmly, enquiring whether the doctor had 
enjoyed the flight, before escorting him to the Jeep and home.

*****

The rest of the family welcomed the old man in and made him 
comfortable in the living room, Martha offering him something to 
drink, and not in the least surprised when he ordered his 
favorite beverage.

If Lois was surprised at her first sight of the elderly doctor, 
she kept it to herself. No one had described the man to her, but 
she hadn't been expecting him to look quite so old... and tired. 
He was tall but stooped, though she had the feeling that once his 
back had been ramrod straight, and that his now deeply lined 
countenance had once been very attractive. Yet, when she was 
introduced to him, his eyes lit up from within and his smile 
beamed brightly. He took her hand and shook it gently, as if she 
were made of fine porcelain, and Lois realized she was seeing the 
real Doctor Warner. The old man's body might be failing, but his 
spirit remained undaunted.

"Ms. Lane," the doctor said in a voice that was only a little 
stronger than his physique. "I've been waiting a long time to 
meet you. Did Clark tell you, you're my favorite reporter? He's a 
close second, of course, but I do think you are much prettier! I 
know I shouldn't say that. These days, young women like to be 
known for their brains and not their looks, but it doesn't hinder 
to have both, you know... and you do!"

"Well, thank you, Doctor Warner, and I'm pleased to meet you too. 
Won't you sit down? You've had quite a journey!" Lois led her 
guest over to the couch.

The old man's eyes seemed to sparkle even more as he sank into 
the thick cushions. "Oh, yes, flying with Superman. An 'out of 
this world' experience if I've ever had one, but I'm sure you're 
quite used to it by now, Lois. May I call you that?"

"Of course, you may." Behind her, in his brand new baby carrier, 
Matthew began to stir -- not crying, not yet. Lois decided to 
lift him, just in case. After all, her son probably wanted a 
cuddle and Lois was very happy to provide one. Deftly, she lifted 
him into her arms -- she really was beginning to get the hang of 
this -- and turned to face her visitor. "Doctor Warner, we 
thought you'd like to meet Matthew, too."

"I would indeed," the old man replied, patting the sofa next to 
him in invitation. Lois sat with her child, showing him proudly 
to the doctor, who reached out a hand to touch the baby's soft 
cheek. "Matthew's a handsome boy, Lois, and do you know, he 
reminds me of Clark that very first time I saw him." For a 
moment, Doc Warner appeared flustered as he relived his memories, 
but he quickly composed himself. "Of course, that's not possible, 
but I can't help but feel like a surrogate grandfather here."
 
Lois smiled. This clever old gentleman certainly knew a lot more 
than he was willing to admit, but she wasn't perturbed. "For what 
you're about to do for us, you are practically family!" 
  
"Which brings up a good point! Dr. Warner, are you sure about 
this... violating your code of ethics?" Clark asked gently. He 
was grateful for the help, but felt he should give the doctor 
another chance to back out. "You know, you can still change your 
mind. We'd understand." 

The grey-haired doctor accepted the Irish coffee Martha had 
brought into the room and turned to smile at the young man he'd 
watched grow into one of the finest, truest, most compassionate 
beings on the planet. He supposed it was difficult for Clark to 
understand his motives. Young people saw things mostly in black 
and white, and real life was never so easily judged.

"I'm over seventy, son, and I've lived a long and mostly happy 
life, but this heart of mine isn't working as well as it was." He 
took a sip from his mug. "Mmm, Martha, just the way I like it!" 
The liquid slid smoothly down his throat, warming his innards. 
The night air had been cool on the journey, and he'd been 
thankful his transport had been superheated. Nevertheless, his 
old bones were happy to be back indoors and sitting on a 
comfortable sofa. "You know, my doctor would be telling me coffee 
topped up with whisky and cream isn't good for my state of 
health, but I'm a firm believer in a little of what you fancy 
does you good! Mind you, I'm not planning on buying the farm any 
time real soon, but I have treated my last patient, finally. I'll 
never work as a doctor again, so there isn't much the Medical 
Board could do to me, even if they did find out I'd bent the 
truth a bit."

"What you're doing is more than just a bit!" Clark reminded him.

"True, and I wouldn't be contemplating lying for a second if I 
didn't believe it was for the best. Clark, over the years I've 
seen people be economical with the truth -- people who were in 
positions of trust who were willing to bend the rules for the 
greater good, or even for far more self-serving motives than 
we're dealing with here. Special circumstances call for special 
sacrifices, so think of my breaking my ethics as my small 
sacrifice. One I'll gladly pay to help this baby find his proper 
home in this world. My heart may be failing me, but there's 
nothing wrong with my eyesight; I can see how much you and Lois 
love that little boy."

He glanced at the dark-eyed woman holding her child, staring down 
at him as if he were the most precious gift in the world. If only 
he'd had a second chance, he might have done things differently, 
he thought. When he'd lost Laura, he hadn't wanted anyone else... 
but that had been long ago, in another lifetime. He'd dedicated 
the rest of his days to helping the people of Smallville; good 
people, like Martha and Jonathan, and now Lois and Clark. Until 
this moment, he'd never regretted that decision, but seeing Lois 
and Matthew together....

Doc Warner felt his eyes mist over and he sniffed audibly. There 
was nothing he could do to change the past, but he could make 
sure of the future for this small family. "Now how about we 
finish our coffee and get down to business. I'd like to get home 
before I fall asleep in Superman's arms."  

*****

A short time later Doctor Warner began to write his statement 
saying he was present at the birth of Matthew. Just as he had 
done with Clark all those years ago, he used his professional 
experience to estimate the baby's age, in this case about eight 
weeks old. He'd hoped for a shorter time scale that the Kents 
would have to explain away, but he didn't think anyone would 
believe the baby was younger... even eight weeks was stretching 
it a little. 

A date of birth, however, was needed to go on this document, and 
after a quick calculation, it was decided on the 22nd of February 
1997. At this point, though, the doc's powers of invention 
started to run into trouble. 

"Do we have a name for the baby's birth mother, or are both 
parents to go down as unknown?" The doctor enquired, his eyes 
alight with interest. "A father could quite plausibly remain 
anonymous, but a mother would have to have been present at the 
birth. Though, I expect it is just possible she could have left 
without telling anyone her identity and leaving her baby behind."

"Apart from that, doesn't that form have to say where the birth 
took place? And won't people wonder why it wasn't registered at 
the time?" This came from Jonathan, who'd been reviewing a number 
of questions ever since Doc Warner had gotten involved, 
determined to make sure every angle was covered.

"Could we say that the doctor left the paperwork with the mother, 
thinking she would do it?" Lois asked, realizing just how 
creative they were going to have to be in concocting a background 
for their plans. Still, that shouldn't be a problem for her or 
Clark. They were professional reporters, though normally they 
reported on fact and not on fairy tales. Lois was beginning to 
understand Clark's reluctance to fabricate stories... it led to a 
quagmire of complications and, in this situation, they couldn't 
afford to leave any loop-holes.
 
Her question, however, caused the old doctor to chuckle. "Oh, 
Lois, I wouldn't worry your pretty head about that one! I have 
been known to forget things these days.... It's a side effect of 
my dickey ticker and the medication. But I do have to warn you; 
anyone who knows me would find it very unlikely that I wouldn't 
discover my patient's first name, at least. Yet I suppose people 
might believe I would withhold it, if that mother requested it."

"But that's really not an option, Doc," Clark spoke up. "We 
already know that we need a mother's permission to apply to adopt 
Matthew...."  Suddenly Clark's voice tailed off, but instead of 
the customary tilt of his head, he simply frowned intently.

Always attuned to her husband's moods, Lois' gaze switched to 
Clark and she barely stopped herself from asking what it was he 
was hearing... but perhaps he wasn't hearing anything. Then 
again, she knew by his body language that something had 
definitely caught his attention, so she was hardly surprised when 
a knock sounded on the front door. It seemed Clark knew who was 
outside, and he hadn't had to use his X-ray vision to discover 
who their visitor might be.

Directing a warning glance in Lois' direction, Clark hurried to 
the door and opened it. Even though he was aware of who was 
standing in the vestibule, his voice still