The Longest Road: The Roads They Walked Alone By Raconteur Rated: PG – 13 (note: this story includes significant depictions of violence) Submitted: March 2007 _________________________________________ Author's Note: This story picks up immediately where "The Longest Road: Belief and Sacrifice" left off. It will make more sense if you read that story first. Don't worry, that story is only about a tenth the size of this one. I'd like to thank my beta readers, Ray and Avia for all of their wonderful suggestions and their patience with me over the years it took to write this. I would also like to thank my wonderful General Editor, Tricia, for all of her help shepherding this through the process of archiving. Any and all comments welcome. ___________________________________________ "I'm pregnant," Lois whispered through tears. Martha hugged her daughter-in-law tightly, her own emotions swirling about in a chaotic storm. "You should sit," Martha said gently as she led the younger woman to the sofa. On wobbly legs, Lois managed her way to the couch before collapsing under the weight of some unseen but unmistakable pressure. Martha sat down beside Lois and hugged her as her slender frame shook with sobs. When the tears finally stopped flowing, Martha gently asked, "Are you sure?" Lois looked at her and nodded feebly, trying to maintain a brave face as she calmed herself down enough to speak. "I felt sick, and I thought it might be kryptonite, but it wasn't. I didn't want to believe it, but I took the test, and it was positive, and I couldn't stop staring at it and thinking that there's no way I could do this without him." Her lip trembled and her voice broke. "How am I supposed to take care of this baby without him? I'm not ready, I can't, I don't know how. God, I'm so scared," she confessed. "It'll be all right," Martha crooned. "I don't...I don't know what to do..." Lois whispered. Martha's heart sank; she was unsure what to tell the younger woman. She tried to put herself in Lois's place. Her husband was gone, she felt alone and scared, asked to fill shoes that were daunting under the best of circumstances, and now this. Martha had wondered whether Clark would be able to have children or if he would face the same difficulties she and Jonathan had. She'd hoped desperately that Clark would be able to have a family, but never had she imagined this would happen. Her heart ached both for her son who wasn't here and who couldn't even know what was happening--that he would be a father--and for her daughter-in-law, who was faced with the possibility of raising their child alone. "You're going to be fine," Martha tried to reassure her. "And we'll be here to help you, no matter what. We'll do whatever we can to help." "I don't know what I would do without you," Lois admitted. Martha hugged the younger woman tightly. "Shhh, everything will be okay," she promised. "But you should try to rest." She stood up to collect a thick quilt from the old wooden rocking chair and wrapped it around Lois's shoulders. Her daughter-in-law looked so small, so fragile wrapped up in the faded, old blue and white quilt. The quilt was Clark's favorite; it had been since he was a little boy. It was worn at its edges and rounded corners and threadbare in places from years of use, abuse, and trips through the washing machine. Several of the squares were much brighter than the others, replacements added on over the years for those spots that had been torn or tattered. Lois held the beaten up quilt tightly around her shoulders as though she were cold. The sight tugged at Martha's heartstrings and she felt the deep aching that she'd grown to know well over the years - the pain of caring so very much for someone who felt as though they were facing the world alone, the pain that came from having to stand back and watch, knowing it was a burden she couldn't fully share. Martha would do what she could, but she couldn't make things right. She knew that. "Let me get you some tea," she said quickly before adjourning to the kitchen. She returned a few minutes later with two mugs in her hands. Lois gratefully took one of the cups with a quiet 'thank you.' She sat on the couch with her legs tucked underneath her. She held the cup of herbal tea in her hands and sipped it in silence, her eyes closed. After a long moment, she began to speak, at first in a whisper, as though she were trying to find her own voice. "I used to wonder what it would be like. I wasn't even sure it was what I wanted, but I knew Clark would be an amazing father, and I found myself wanting to give him that. I thought I'd just follow his lead, learn as I went..." Martha leaned back in the rocking chair opposite the couch, sipping her own tea. "You'll be a wonderful mother," she replied. "That's easy for you to say." Lois gave her a weak smile. "You're the world's best mom." "Heavens, no," Martha replied with a genuine smile. "I was terrified when we found Clark. I had no idea what to do. I was overwhelmed, but we managed. We learned. And we're pretty happy with the way he turned out." Her tone became serious. "I know this is hard, but I promise you won't have to face this alone." "I just...I know I should be happy, but I'm so afraid..." Lois admitted. "I know," Martha replied. ******** Ching paced stiffly with long, measured strides across the gymnasium. He lectured in his stern, disapproving monotone, a sound Clark had grown quite familiar with over the weeks. Clark felt a drop of sweat roll down his forehead, over the bridge of his nose and fall to the ground, followed by another. He tried to still his arms but they trembled despite his demands that they stop. His muscles burned as his arms shook, aching and cramping further with every second. He closed his eyes. "You should not be under the impression that your new station will be one of privilege. All men and women of New Krypton are equals. But you are not merely a citizen, you are also a servant. The people have rights to make certain demands of you. Everything from law to social niceties and tradition will serve to remind you of that fact. Do you understand?" "I get it, Ching," Clark hissed through clenched teeth, his face inches above the ground, his arms bent at ninety-degree angles, his body ramrod straight. A tremor began in his calves and worked its way up his legs, seizing the cramped muscles in flurried bursts of twitches and spasms. "Do you understand?" Ching replied, placing a foot on Clark's back. With an unceremonious thud, Clark fell to the mat, drawing in a deep breath. He exhaled as the burning slowly leeched its way out of his muscles. "I understand," he replied raggedly. "Good, get up," Ching responded crisply. Clark dragged himself to his feet, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. He stood up straight at attention, and with his hands in front of him at sternum height, elbows bent at right angles, he placed his right fist against the open palm of his left hand and bowed ceremoniously. Ching returned the gesture. "Now go, there is work to be done on the bridge." "Do you always step on the backs of your equals, Ching?" Clark demanded. He stared down the other man. Ching was more slender in build than Clark, but he still cut an imposing figure. His determination and control and his perpetually harsh expression ensured it. Ching regarded Clark silently for a moment. "If it is what I must do to make them my betters, to ensure that they are men and women I would be proud to salute and honored to follow." "We can end the drill instructor routine. You don't have to hide the fact that you don't like me." Clark pressured him, unwilling to let the subject drop. "Whether or not I like you is irrelevant. It is my duty to serve, Kal El. But it is not you I serve. It is not even Zara that I serve. I serve your offices, no more. It matters not to me who you are, or whether I like you. My duty is to serve the people of Krypton above all others." The tiny tic of his eyebrow in his otherwise stoic expression belied the fact that Ching was quite agitated. He turned to walk away. "You and I both know that isn't true. You're in love with her, and you're convinced that I'm trying to take your place." "That's absurd," Ching snapped. "Well, yeah, it is. I'm not trying to steal Zara from you," Clark replied. Ching's eyes narrowed as he glared at Clark. "You could not begin to understand..." "Why don't you try me?" Clark replied icily. "You think I don't know what it's like to be kept apart from the woman I love? You think I want this? These are your rules, not mine. I'm just playing the game because you asked for my help. If I could get out of the whole deal and let you take my place, believe me, I would." "So that is it, you would give up your duty, your responsibilities, just like that?" Clark groaned in frustration. "What do you want from me? Do you want me to pretend that I'm glad to be here, that I don't miss my friends or my family or my wi...or Lois? I came here to help, that's all. When my work is done, I'm going home. End of story. I'd rather not have to deal with the passive aggressive act until then." Clark strode out of the gymnasium without even waiting for a reply. His jaw was sternly set, his brow furrowed. He was angry and he was tired. All he wanted was to go to his quarters and be alone. Alone, with only his thoughts to keep him company, he could escape from this place, at least for a little while. Instead, he made his way to the showers, relieved to find them mercifully deserted. He peeled off his black uniform slowly, his muscles tired and knotted. Purple, green, and yellow bruises had formed on his arms and on his sides from countless hours of combat training. The more substantial of them were old and fading, nearly unnoticeable. He'd learned quickly, and the mistakes that had led to those painful lessons were not repeated. Clark winced slightly as he stepped under the stream of hot water; the bruises and strained muscles were still tender. Pain blossomed deep in his limbs and slowly drained away as the hot water relaxed his body. He slowly scrubbed away the sweat and grime, at the same time clearing away the thoughts and frustrations of all things related to the Kryptonians and his mission. His thoughts drifted to Lois, as they always did. Only in his own head, when he was thinking of her, did anything make sense. He had to hold onto those thoughts, those memories, those dreams, just to stay sane. She was the anchor that kept him connected to the world, without her, he was just drifting, purposeless. After a long while, his body rejuvenated by the hot water and his bad mood suitably appeased by having a few minutes of quiet to himself, away from the pressure of the tasks that lay ahead, Clark turned off the water, dried off and put on a clean uniform. He walked down the corridor and passed the door to his quarters with a wistful glance. If only he could just go inside and go to sleep. He would dream about her, he always did. Dreams so real, so vivid, he would swear he was awake. Dreams in which the sound of her voice, her laughter, the warmth of her embrace, the feel of her skin against his, the silk of her hair, the taste of her lips, all surrounded him, wrapping him up in feelings so intense he could barely stand it. He lived for his dreams. And he mourned the ends of the nights, grieved for the dreams interrupted, and cursed the waking world that waited for him. But the dreams, no matter how real, how amazingly intense they were, were doing nothing to help him get home to her. It was what he did in those waking hours that he loathed so much, all the training and preparing for a responsibility more daunting than any he'd ever contemplated, that mattered. He had to do everything in his power to get this right if he wanted to get home. At the end of the long, narrow, winding corridor, the door to the bridge waited for him. It glided open silently as he approached. The sparse crew paid him little mind and continued with their tasks. Only Zara seemed to notice his arrival. "Kal El," she began, her tone grave. "We have news from New Krypton. The situation grows more dire by the day and we are still weeks from our arrival. I will speak with several members of the Council via communicator later today. I would like you to be present." Clark merely nodded. Over the weeks, they'd received scraps of information about the situation on New Krypton - none of it was good. Skirmishes had begun in the outlying regions of the settlements. Saboteurs and guerrilla fighters had launched attacks on the relatively defenseless frontiers of the civilization. Nor had denied connection with the armed attacks and had claimed that only an administration under his guidance would be able to restore peace to the colony. The divisions in the Council were growing deeper. A powerful group of Councilors was demanding Nor's immediate confirmation as First Minister. Nor, for his part, had made a public plea to Zara to return from her foolish quest and help him heal the wounds of their world. As slick as an oiled serpent, he seemed to slither into every possible mess and come out unscathed. He'd trumped up a state of emergency, creating chaos on their planet and then promised with false earnestness to restore peace and order. Apparently fear and apprehension had driven a fair number of people into the camp of his supporters. The death toll from the attacks was steadily mounting and the Council was paralyzed by its divisions. He and Zara were expected to step into the vacuum and set things right. Countless lives depended upon them. Clark walked slowly to the thick paned window and gazed out at the retreating stars. He found his own sun, a little brighter than the others because it was so much closer, but otherwise, undistinguished from his vantage point. Pulling the chain out from under his uniform, he stared down at the perfect little gold band that hung from it and silently wished that Lois were with him. She would know what to do; she would have helped him through this. ******** Lois considered her reflection in the mirror; she turned profile and regarded herself carefully. She placed a hand on her stomach, as flat as ever. Soon it wouldn't be. She felt a lump form in her throat as she thought about the tiny life growing there. A life she and Clark had created. A life created by their love. A life he didn't even know existed. Tears pricked at her eyes and she cursed the fates for their cruelty. She knew Clark would have given up anything to be here with her at that moment. If only he'd known. He deserved to be there, to see their child born, to watch their baby grow up. She wondered when she'd feel it kick, or hear its heartbeat and knowing that Clark wouldn't be there clawed at her soul. She could imagine the awe in his expression and picture in her mind the way his eyes would light up when he listened to the baby's heartbeat, or felt it kick. Dammit, it wasn't fair. He should have been there. He had every right to be there. Instead, she would have to do this without him. She had to bring their child into the world without him, had to raise a baby, wondering if he or she would ever get to know Clark. She had to stop thinking that way. Clark was coming back to her. >From her conversation with Zara, it seemed that the trip would take months, at least, so she couldn't be sure he'd be back before the baby was born, but he would come back, she knew that. Deep down, she knew that Clark was going to find a way to come back home. This baby was going to have a daddy that loved him or her very much. Until then, she'd have to do her best. She'd have to do everything she could, even though she was scared, even though the thought of being a parent terrified her. She loved this baby, this tiny little life that she'd known about for only a few hours. This baby was a link to Clark, but it was so much more. One day, it would be a tiny little person of its own, and he or she would look to Lois for love, support, and guidance and Lois knew at that moment she would do anything for this baby. She silently made her way to the front porch of the farmhouse. Martha and Jonathan had gone to bed long ago, insisting that she stay the night. She looked up at the star filled sky on a warm, breezy Kansas summer night. A few dark clouds drifted lazily across the inky sky, lit up by countless little pinpricks of brilliant light. She looked up at the little star Clark had pointed out to her so many nights before. She spent hours each night staring at it, hoping and praying to any deities that would listen to send her husband back home to her safe and soon. Lois wondered where Clark was, and whether he was scared. She wondered if he thought about her as much as she thought about him, or if he was being kept too busy. She wondered if he dreamed the way she did, those vivid, breathtakingly, heartbreakingly vivid dreams. Lois wondered if he woke up in the middle of the night, surprised to find himself alone, swearing that just moment's before, he'd been in lying in his lover's embrace. She wondered if he whispered her name in his sleep because the sound of it soothed his soul the way the sound of his name soothed hers. Lois stared up at his star, the bright little spark blurred by the tears in her eyes. She pulled out the chain around her neck and held the large gold ring between her fingers, its smooth surface flawless and perfect to the touch. "Come back to me," she whispered. She placed her hand against her stomach. "Come back to us." ******** Clark left the bridge of the ship unsure of what had just transpired. The conversation he and Zara had just had with several of New Krypton's councilors had been brief and bewildering. Things were discussed only in the vaguest of terms, since most were certain that Nor or his followers would intercept the communication. After a rather stiff and formal 'welcome and thank you' from the councilors, they'd immediately begun bickering over what to do regarding Nor. Recent attacks by rebel forces on the colony's communication systems had meant that there had been no video feed, which had made it harder to keep track of all of the councilors. Several seemed rather skeptical of him and his intentions. A few seemed to consider him merely a convenience, but he thought there were others who seemed truly grateful for his help. From their brief conversation it became apparent that the attacks on the colony outposts were growing more vicious and more frequent. They were still a month away from New Krypton and all parties jointly wished for a safe and quick arrival of the ship and its crew. Clark made his way to his quarters. The crew would be gathering soon to eat, but he wasn't hungry. He'd been skipping meals and it certainly wasn't helping him keep his strength up, but he just didn't feel much like eating. He shut the door to his room behind him and sat down on his bunk. The room was sparse, sterile and annoyingly functional. He pulled out the picture of Lois that was tucked away in the little cabinet by his bed. A small smile started to tug at the corners of his mouth. He looked down at the image of his wife, the likeness of her reclining on his sofa, absorbed in a sheaf of papers she held in her hand. She'd been completely oblivious to him and the camera, unaware of the fact that he'd been watching her for long minutes, absolutely mesmerized by her and that he'd decided to take her picture. It wasn't something he felt compelled to do often, but he remembered how he felt just then, knowing it was one of those perfect moments, unwilling to let it merely pass by, getting lost in the jumble of countless memories imperfectly remembered. So without her knowing, he slipped away and found his camera, returning to quietly snap a picture of her, concentrating intently on her work, her long, perfect, legs stretched out in front of her, wearing one of his dress shirts much better than he ever could. The top few buttons were undone, exposing the flawless skin of her neck. During dinner, he'd clumsily spilled half a glass of red wine on her blouse and skirt. It was a rather absurd thing for a superpowered being to do, but it hadn't been entirely his fault, she'd distracted him! He'd apologetically offered to get her something else to wear, but she insisted that she could manage to find something herself. Her choice had no doubt been made as a particularly pleasant form of torture for him. How could she dress like that and then insist that they work? A small frown played at the corners of her mouth, but her expression was totally open, unguarded. He'd hesitated before taking the picture, knowing that if he did, he wouldn't merely record the moment, he'd obliterate it, too. The flash, the sound of the shutter, they would break the spell. But it had been worthwhile. Taking the picture had even been worth Lois's annoyance at the fact that he'd been too busy playing freelance photographer to get any work done. Now, he had a tangible reminder of that Friday evening, lounging around his apartment with Lois, proving that all he needed was a jug of wine, a loaf of bread (or in that case, authentic Chinese food) and her. His frustration grew as he contrasted the simplicity of that evening, of the way everything had seemed to make perfect sense in that moment to the way things were now. Everything seemed backwards and mixed up; nothing made any sense at all and things didn't seem to be getting any clearer. He prayed for the craft to hurry up and get where it was going; he was going stir crazy on that ship. It felt like they did nothing but sit around and wait. His patience for all the training and preparing was growing thin and he wanted it to end. The sooner they got to New Krypton, the sooner they could get rid of Nor and the sooner he could go home. It wasn't that simple, but thinking about things in black and white terms made them easier to stomach. He wanted to go home. He wanted to go back and take Lois flying again. It'd been a month since he'd been flying, but he wouldn't have cared if he never did it again, just so long as he got to be with Lois. ******** Martha tiptoed quietly past Clark's room, hoping not to wake her now superpowered daughter-in-law. She avoided the fifth step, which tended to creak loudly. Martha didn't know if Lois had been a light sleeper before the power transfer, but from her last few visits, Martha knew the younger woman hadn't been sleeping well and the smallest things would startle her awake. In the first weeks since Clark had left, Lois had visited them on a number of occasions. Things were at least a little easier when they were all together, though the togetherness could also merely highlight Clark's obvious absence. When she came to visit, Lois always stayed in Clark's room. The first few times it seemed like staying there had been too much for her. Being surrounded by reminders of Clark was difficult for her and Jonathan; she didn't imagine it was any different for Lois. At the same time, it was a comfort. The mix of emotions all jumbled up inside created confusion and turmoil in all of them. She reached the base of the staircase and quietly made her way to the kitchen in the dark. It was summer and the days were quite long, but it would still be a while before dawn broke. Martha turned on the light in the kitchen and jumped back, startled. "Goodness you frightened me," she said to the somber looking young woman sitting at the table. She hadn't expected to find her daughter-in-law sitting in the kitchen, alone and in the dark at a quarter to five in the morning, but she wasn't really surprised by the fact that Lois had been unable to sleep. "Sorry," Lois replied. "I guess I couldn't sleep." Martha merely nodded. "How do you feel?" "Tired, nervous, scared..." Lois admitted. "Why don't I make us some breakfast and..." "No," Lois interrupted. "I mean, thank you, but I really don't think I could eat anything." "It's all right," Martha said gently. She sat down at the table. "Yeah, they say that morning sickness passes, but frankly it doesn't seem to know the difference between morning and middle of the night..." "No, I meant the being scared part." "Oh," Lois replied. She looked up over Martha's shoulder. "Good morning," she said. "You're both up early," Jonathan replied. "Well, there's work to do," Martha answered. "That there is." Jonathan smiled. Lois stood up. "Let me help." Martha's heart felt just a little lighter at the sight of her daughter-in-law taking a brave first step back toward normalcy. "The chickens do need feeding, and I think you'll be able to hold your own against the rooster," Jonathan said. ******** "Are you sure you're okay doing this?" Jonathan asked from under the tractor. "I'm fine," Lois replied, easily balancing the tractor a few feet off the ground. "I appreciate the help," Jonathan said as he finished changing the oil. "This is much easier than using a jack." "Well, I knew these powers would come in handy," Lois replied. "Big shoes to fill, though." "You're doing just fine," Jonathan said. "For now, I guess. I'll start to show in a few months, and Ultrawoman will have to disappear." Jonathan merely grunted. "Just a little while longer," he muttered. "There, got it." Jonathan slid out from under the tractor. He wiped the grime from his hands and dropped the wrench back in his toolbox, chewing his lip, deep in thought. "I guess that's the only thing you can do," he said at last. Lois lowered the tractor back to the ground. "I mean, it's not like Ultrawoman and I can just coincidentally be pregnant at the same time. I don't need to make an announcement for anyone out there ready to connect some dots." "Speaking of announcements, does anyone else know you're pregnant?" Jonathan asked. Lois simply shook her head. "I came here as soon as I found out. I'll need to tell Perry." "Don't forget your parents." She groaned and looked away. "I hadn't even thought of that. I didn't tell them Clark and I got married, but I guess this will be a little harder to hide." "Are you worried they'll be upset?" he asked gently. "Honestly, I don't know what to expect from them," she confessed. Jonathan placed a hand on her shoulder. "If there's anything Martha and I can do, just ask," he said. Lois placed a hand on top of his and smiled tremulously. "I know," she replied. She blinked back tears for about the millionth time in the last twenty-four hours. And she'd thought the constant crying was behind her. Just when she thought she was beginning to pull herself together -- almost at the point where she'd be able to sleep through an entire night without waking because the pain in her chest where her heart used to be was so consuming she couldn't breathe, or to last just one minute without thinking of how much worse it was than the one before -- a new challenge, daunting and confusing, loomed large over her. How was she going to do this? The panic threatened to wash over her in waves. 'Calm down, Lane,' she tried to tell herself. 'One step at a time.' "I'm sorry," she said at last. "I feel like I've been constantly falling apart on you guys." Jonathan pulled her into a tight hug. "Lois, you're stronger than even you realize. Few people could endure what you're going through...and all the good you've done as Ultrawoman during a time when most anyone else would be too wrapped up in themselves to even think about helping others. And this, well, I'd be more worried if you weren't terrified. Becoming a parent can be a pretty scary thing, especially when you weren't expecting it. But you'll have help. We don't want you to feel like you have to go through this alone." "Thank you," she murmured. "And I don't. Feel like I'm doing this alone. I don't know what I'd do without you and Martha." She hugged her father-in-law tightly, grateful for his strength and support. ******** Leaving Kansas early in the morning meant getting into the Daily Planet about on time for any regular employee. Sure, she was hours late for Lois Lane, but it wasn't likely to raise too many eyebrows. Everyone had gone out of their way to well, get out of her way, as of late. That wasn't an entirely fair assessment. It was mainly the junior staff, the ones who worried about irritating a fragile, yet ever combustible Lois Lane, who gave her the wide berth. The Planet veterans didn't really seem to know how to act. They'd seen enough of Mad Dog Lane to know the tell tale cues and to know that they were nowhere to be seen. Lois wasn't looking for an argument or openly fuming these days, she also didn't seem likely to snap at the first person that decided to make a nuisance of him or herself. No, Lois seemed more likely to break like a sliver of glass than to snap at anyone. And that's what had her colleagues confused. They'd learned how to avoid an angry Lois Lane and how to stay off her bad side, but they had no idea what to do with a Lois Lane who looked and seemed just like she'd lost her best friend because she literally had. Most everyone in the newsroom would say that Clark's disappearance had resulted in them losing a friend, but no one would claim to be in the same category as Lois Lane in that regard. Lois was just a different person with Clark in her life. While none of them had known Clark before he started at the Planet, there was no mistaking the profound impact she'd had on him, either. They were just better people because of each other. Perhaps some of them were expecting Lois to revert to form in his absence, but there was really no way she was going to go back to the way she was before Clark entered her life. She certainly wasn't the Lois Lane of two months ago, either. Instead, this Lois seemed merely to be grinning and bearing whatever life threw her way, doing a heck of a lot more of the latter than the former. Things just seemed so burdensome to their once tireless colleague. It was hard for them to know what to say to her. Condolences weren't really in order. While some suspected that Clark might be dead, no one dared breathe a word aloud to that effect. They couldn't reassure her that all was being done to locate him, because there was just no way of knowing. Superman apparently had promised to search for Clark, and while the hero's word was better than gold, this was no ordinary missing person's case. Clark had been dragged into some otherworldly war zone, likely to be used as bait. There was never any news of progress or disappointments, new leads to consider and trails that had gone cold. She was literally in the dark and powerless to do anything. Her coworkers didn't pretend to have any words of comfort and strength that would magically make things better. They were too smart for that. As a result, they didn't say much at all. They'd ask how she was doing, offer sympathetic smiles and the like, but there wasn't much else they could do. The usual smiles and subdued 'hellos' were the order of the day as Lois stepped off the elevator and into the newsroom just after nine that morning. She made an earnest attempt to return pleasantries, but the fact that her heart wasn't in it was apparent to everyone. Without bothering to stop by her own desk first, she made her way to the editor's office. With a brief knock, she opened his door, not bothering to wait for a formal invitation. Lois drew in a deep breath as she entered the cloistered confines of Perry's office. Perry looked up as she closed the door softly behind her. "Morning, Lois," he said, clearly trying to sound lighthearted. She wondered how she should break the news to him, but figured that directness was as good an approach as any. She could count on Perry to maintain a confidence; a month after the fact, her marriage to Clark was still unknown to virtually everyone who wasn't present. Perry had assured them that he would file the certificate with a judge who was a close personal friend and who was the very model of circumspection. True to his word, Perry filed the paperwork and nothing happened. Not one media source had reported on the very recent nuptials of Clark Kent, hapless alien abductee, and Lois Lane. She hadn't told her parents about the wedding. She realized it was sad that she didn't feel much like sharing that with her own family, but she wasn't that close to her parents and there was no way she could make them understand the reasons for it without going into a great many things they were better off not knowing. Perry, on the other hand, was more of a father to her than her own father. It only seemed natural that she was telling him about the baby before her own parents. Of course, she hadn't actually said anything yet, and the long, drawn out silence was quickly becoming awkward. "Lois, are you all right?" he asked. "I'm pregnant," she blurted out. Well, she had decided to be direct. "Oh," he said, as though incapable of forming actual words. "Oh," he repeated, this time with more emphasis. Perry stood up and started to walk around his desk toward her. "Well, uh, are you okay?" "A bit shaky," she admitted. Lois gave him a tremulous smile. "But lucky for you, I think I pretty much cried myself out for at least a good week." Perry seemed to stop dead in his tracks. "Honey, I'm so...I mean, I..." he began, clearly unsure what to say. She quickly realized what he thought she'd meant and rushed to clarify. "Not sad crying," she explained. "Mostly just scared. I mean, this isn't exactly the ideal situation and I can't go five seconds without wishing Clark were here, but I, I want...this, you know?" Perry nodded with a slight smile and stepped toward her to envelop her in a warm embrace. "I guess congratulations are in order then," he said. "I think, for now, they should be pretty quiet congratulations," she replied. "Of course. No champagne and funny hats, then," he said with a smile. "Well no champagne for you either way," he amended. "I don't think it would have an effect," she said offhandedly. "Not that I'm going to test that theory." She chewed her lip, realizing that there was a lot that neither she nor anyone else knew about superbeings carrying superbabies. Well, that would have to be remedied as soon as possible, though that was easier said than done. The insistent churning of her stomach served as a reminder that she was certainly susceptible to morning sickness like any other pregnant woman. "I should probably get to work," she said at last. "Take good care of yourself, darlin'," Perry repeated his now familiar paternal advice. "Still superpowered, remember, Perry?" she resisted more out of habit than any actual protest and he nodded in recognition of that fact. She smiled as she retreated from his office; feeling as though a weight she hadn't even known was pulling her down had been lifted. Talking to Perry hadn't eliminated her questions or concerns, but telling him had made her feel better anyway. She only wished the same would be true of telling her parents. ******** The quarterstaffs met with a thunderous crack that echoed through the gymnasium. Clark defended against a flurry of attack combinations, successfully beating back Ching's offensive. He exhaled in a sharp hiss as he blocked an overhand attack. Clark tried to take in a deep breath, but for some reason, he couldn't ease the burning that spread in his lungs. He felt his legs buckle as the same fire that blossomed in his chest consumed his muscles. With closed eyes and clenched teeth, he repelled the attack, but was unable to counter. Leaning on his quarterstaff, Clark breathed heavily, his chest rising and falling with the exertion. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears, his blood near boiling in his veins. He just couldn't get enough oxygen; it was like trying to breathe in space. Clark fully expected a merciless assault to rain down upon him, but none was forthcoming. He glanced up to see Ching with his staff at the ready, apparently also taking a much needed break. Ching was also breathing heavily, though he seemed in better condition than Clark. "I don't know why I'm so winded," Clark confessed. "They've been slowly reducing the oxygen content in the ship's atmosphere," Ching explained nonchalantly. He stood on the balls of his feet, shifting his weight nimbly from one foot to the other. Apparently at least one of them had gotten a second wind. Ching moved more quickly now, preparing himself to do battle again. "New Krypton had a proto-atmosphere when we landed there. Over the last thirty years, we've worked to create an atmosphere that we can actually breathe. Unfortunately, it's nowhere near as oxygen rich as the one to which you are accustomed. Our facilities are all oxygenated, but you must be prepared to fight in rather inhospitable places where the air is thin and the climate unwelcoming." The usual condescending tone was absent from Ching's voice. "Ready?" Ching asked with slightest twitch of a smile. He readied his staff in the 'en garde' position. Their little break was over. Clark took a last deep breath and launched an attack combo - he might as well go on the offensive while he was fresh. ******** Ellen Lane paced in the living room of her apartment. It made Lois nervous. Then again, she would have been nervous regardless of what her mother was doing. Nevertheless, Lois still really wanted her to stop. "Mother, please." Lois gestured at the open space on the couch next to her. Her father was seated in a chair across from the sofa - a safe enough distance from Ellen, or as safe as they were going to get with all of them in the same room. Ellen sat down. "It's just that I know that this is a difficult time for you and I wish you would turn to me--us, instead of always turning to Martha and Jonathan." With a sigh of exasperation, Lois rolled her eyes. She tried not to, but she couldn't help it. At least she wasn't nervous anymore - now she was annoyed. "Mother, their only son is missing. Have you at all considered the possibility that I might be turning to them because they need it as much as I do?" "I'm just saying that we want to be here for you, and you push us away as you always do..." Ellen started off into what was going to turn into a tirade unless it was quickly nipped in the bud. "I asked to see both of you today, didn't I?" Lois countered. "Princess, what did you want to talk to us about?" Sam asked impatiently. Lois looked down. God, this was so much easier with Martha. Even telling Perry had been a million times easier than this. "I'm pregnant," she said softly. "What?!" Ellen exclaimed. The older woman nearly jumped off the sofa. "Pregnant? Are...are you sure?" Sam asked. Neither of her parents seemed particularly thrilled by the revelation. Then again, this was her family, what was she expecting? "I'm sure, Daddy," she replied. Lois looked up to make eye contact with her father. He frowned slightly. "Did Clark know?" Ellen demanded. "What?" Lois was thrown by the question. "No, no he didn't know. I just found out." "Well, he seems to have impeccable timing anyway," Ellen snipped. She got up and started pacing again, threatening to send Lois over the edge. It probably would have been a good time to try that counting to twenty thing before getting really angry and shooting your mouth off, but counting would have only irritated Lois more. At the moment, she was both ticked off and really, really impatient. "Are you insinuating that Clark would have left voluntarily if he had known?" She demanded, her voice eerily even. "I'm just saying that men are men, they run away from their responsibilities. I should know!" Ellen exclaimed emphatically. "I was a fool for marrying your father, a philanderer who broke every promise he ever made." "Can't you wait until I'm actually out of earshot to bad mouth me behind my back?" Sam grumbled loudly. This was going even worse than she'd expected. "I will not sit here and listen to you attack Clark. He is the most decent and caring person I've ever known and he's probably going through hell at this very moment." The words were uttered forcefully, but Lois could feel the quiver in her throat, her voice about to break. Ellen's expression softened. "What about you, Lois? What about what you're going through? That's all I'm concerned about. Even if he didn't mean it, he's putting you through hell, too. Leaving you here, unmarried and pregnant..." And so went Lois's very last nerve. She leapt to her feet. "That's what you're worried about?!" she asked angrily. Tears pricked at her eyes, but the only thing she felt at that moment was fury. "I can't believe you, I can't believe the nerve..." "Princess, that isn't what your mother meant, she's just worried about you..." Her father suddenly attempted to step into the role of peacemaker - a duty he'd never performed well. "How dare you?" Lois demanded, ignoring her father outright. "How can you be so petty? Even if you aren't happy, can't you try to be supportive?" Lois started for the door. There was no way she could stay and deal with this. "Lois, please..." her mother tried to interrupt. Lois stopped and turned around. "I'm not the one passing judgment on you, but people talk and the man who got you into this mess isn't here to straighten it out..." Ellen Lane was doing nothing to help her case. Lois took several long steps back away from the door and into the living room. "Mess? I'm pregnant, not dying. I'm going to have a baby. But all you seem to care about is the fact that the baby is illegitimate. Well guess what? Clark and I were married. We eloped." Lois had no idea why she was saying what she was saying. She knew that it didn't matter, that it shouldn't have mattered and that she previously had no intention of telling her parents about the wedding. But now that she'd started, she saw no reason to stop. She'd been angry with her parents before, but couldn't remember being this angry with them in a long time. Something inside her had snapped. Suddenly, she needed to turn her mother's self-righteousness back on her. Halfway between where Ellen Lane was standing and the doorway that meant freedom, Lois paused and stared her mother right in the eye. "I got pregnant on my wedding night," she said, trying to mask the tremble in her voice. Her mother and father both remained mute, probably still stunned by the news of her wedding. "So you see, the baby was conceived in wedlock." Lois turned to walk out of the apartment. "Honey, wait!" Sam called after her as he stood up, but Lois didn't stop. "I hope you'll sleep better knowing your grandchild won't be a bastard," Lois said without turning around as she opened the door and walked out of the apartment. Behind her, she heard her mother break down into tears, but she couldn't bring herself to feel anything other than anger and contempt toward her parents at that moment. Tears pricked at her eyes and she angrily wiped them away as she stormed down the hallway and out of the building. She ducked into an alley at the first possible instant and spun into the suit. Without a coherent thought in her head, she flew to Clark's apartment. Lois landed softly on the balcony and let herself in. At the moment, she was paying rent on both of their places, but she wouldn't be able to afford to do that indefinitely. She'd decided not to renew the lease on her own apartment when it expired in two months. It was a nice apartment with a great location and she'd miss it, but there was no way she could bear to give up Clark's place. Everything in it was his and everything reminded her of him. It was one of the few places she could go and be surrounded by memories of him. She could almost feel his presence here in the imprint he'd left on the place. In the stillness, he seemed to echo in the silence of this space, like he wasn't really gone, as if at any moment, he'd walk through the door or land on the balcony and be home again. She took a deep breath. His smell had faded long ago, but she could still imagine it lingering in the air. With a tremulous sigh, she made her way to the bedroom. She changed out of the Ultrawoman costume mechanically and crawled into his bed, curling up in a ball under the blankets. Tears welled up in her eyes again and she didn't fight them. ******** "Center yourself and purge the mind of any errant thoughts. Take a deep breath, and focus." Clark inhaled deeply, his eyes closed, and his mind clear. The gymnasium, the ship, everything began to disappear. "Good, exhale," Ching instructed in an even monotone. Clark let out the breath he'd been holding in as Ching's voice faded away. He felt as though reality was tuning out as he retreated deeper into his own mind. Every muscle in his body was relaxed and he felt his mind seem to disconnect from his physical being. He focused on that single point, growing until it filled his consciousness, blocking everything else out. And then that single point exploded into a chaos of light and fury and sound and pain. Clark clapped his hands over his ears, screwing his eyes shut tighter, but he was unable to block out the blinding light. His skin was on fire with the charge of every disturbed electron in the air, he could hear the metal of the ship hum and creak as it sped along. He was connected to every sound wave, every particle of light and every physical thing that surrounded him. And it hurt. Then it stopped. He slowly lowered his hands and felt himself collapse on the mat. He could hear the sound of his own heart pounding and heavy, labored breathing. From the depths of oblivion, Ching's voice became clear again. "It is all right, Kal El," Ching counseled. "Crossing the total consciousness barrier is a difficult task and one that will take time and practice to learn. We train for years to do it and you have made substantial progress in only a few weeks." Clark opened his eyes, looking straight up at the ceiling of the gymnasium, willing it to come back into focus. Eventually, the ship stopped spinning and the blurred images became clear again. With a ginger shake of the head, he slowly stood up and stretched his now aching muscles. "Zara is in her quarters and wishes to see you." The edge that had been so noticeably absent these last few days, crept back into Ching's voice. The issue of Zara was still a sore point for him. The ever-present crew, their over-developed senses of propriety, and single-minded dedication to their missions were still keeping Ching and Zara apart. Clark wasn't to blame, but he seemed to present an irresistible scapegoat for their situation. Clark merely nodded, unwilling to get into another shouting match with Ching over the issue. He left the gymnasium and headed for Zara's private quarters. He passed Ensign Rul, who greeted him with a slight, deferential bow, as he made his way through the maze of hallways to Zara's room. He knocked softly on the heavy door. "Come in, Kal El," she called from within the room. He opened the door and entered her quarters. The room was Spartan and identical to his own. Zara stood up from her desk and turned to look at him. She wasn't wearing the simple, utilitarian black uniform that every member of the crew wore while on duty. It was late in the evening, (or so the clocks suggested, time was relative in space) and Zara wore a long, white dressing robe - simple, but made of a rather impressive fabric, like silk, only more fluid. "You wanted to see me about something?" Clark asked. Zara smiled. "Yes, I wanted to see how your training is coming along. You and Ching have been working long hours." "Well, as Ching likes to point out, I have a lot to learn," Clark replied in perfect Kryptonian. "How is the meditation training?" she asked. "Like everything that's ever happened since the beginning of time, happening all at once," he responded. She smiled again. "Yes, that's a fairly accurate description of the total consciousness barrier, but your progress has been quite remarkable, Kal El." "Clark," he corrected. "My apologies, Clark," Zara repeated. "Even Ching is impressed by your aptitude." Clark merely arched a brow. "I know that things between you are tense," she began. "Probably because Ching doesn't like me," Clark replied succinctly. "Well, there is the jealousy." "There's nothing for him to be jealous of!" Clark exclaimed. "Are you certain?" Zara asked. "Of course I am," Clark replied, a note of irritation creeping into his voice. "The subject seems to make you uncomfortable." Clark sighed. "I'm just tired of feeling like I should feel guilty for something. I haven't done anything wrong. I love Lois. I always will. Besides, you and I do not and will not have an intimate relationship." "We must," Zara replied. "Huh?" Had he missed something somewhere? Just what exactly did Kryptonians consider a 'sham marriage' to be? "Our relationship is not a romantic one, but it must be an intimate one," Zara clarified, but not really. "You will have to trust me, as much as you've ever trusted anyone and I will have to do the same. You will be asked to place your life in my hands, to trust the fate of New Krypton and its people to my judgment and I will do the same. To the world, we must always appear as of one mind. Despite any disagreements we may have, we will always have to stand united. The fate of one of us is the fate of both of us. There can be no pretenses between us, no formalities. We are far beyond decorum. In public, we owe one another complete loyalty, in private, complete candor." "And hasn't Ching shown that he's completely loyal to you, too?" Clark challenged. Zara nodded. "He has, but my duty requires that my full attention be paid to the people I serve." "You love him." "And in a different world, that would be paramount, but I cannot allow my feelings to interfere with my responsibilities." Zara's words were rehearsed and mechanical, as though she'd been repeating them to herself for some time, trying to make herself believe. "You know that whole bit about serving your office and not you is a lie." Clark wasn't about to let her go unchallenged. "First Minister or not, Ching would lie down and die for you." Zara looked away. "I know how he feels," she admitted. "And he knows my feelings. I'm afraid that will have to be enough." "Well, so long as we're all being completely honest..." Clark repeated her words back to her. He opened the door and left her quarters. ******** "I don't know why I did it, Martha," Lois confessed. She paced around the ceiling in Clark's apartment, the cordless phone in hand. She didn't know why she was pacing. Pacing around the ceiling just seemed more...proactive. Even if she couldn't control the events in her own life at the moment, at least she could openly flout the laws of physics. "Is it such a bad thing that they know about the wedding?" her mother-in-law gently inquired. "No," Lois admitted. "It's not that. I mean, it's fine that they know, but it was like I was seventeen years old again and having to justify every detail of my life to them, you know?" "I do," Martha replied. "My parents weren't exactly thrilled with me dating Jonathan. They kept reminding me that I was a Clark, and would never be content to be a mere farmer's wife. But I hoped that if they met him, they'd see what I saw in him. I thought that since they were my family, they would have to understand. They didn't." "That must have been awful, what did you do?" Lois asked. She'd never heard anything of this before and it took her by surprise. How could anyone not see how much Martha and Jonathan Kent loved each other, how perfect they were together? "It was awful," Martha agreed. "And I, actually, didn't do anything. It was Jonathan who told my mother to stuff a sock in it." "Oh my god." Lois found herself giggling. She stopped pacing and looked down at the couch below. She floated gently down and flopped on the sofa. "Well, my mother didn't find it nearly as funny as you seem to," Martha replied. "What I realized from that was that I loved Jonathan, and that was the important thing. I didn't have to get their approval, I knew it was right." "Did they ever come around?" "Eventually," the older woman answered. "And once the shock wears off, honey, I'm sure your parents will come around, too. You've got a good head on your shoulders. Even if it takes them a while, they'll see it and they'll know that you're doing what's right for you." "Thank you," Lois replied, the gratitude heartfelt. "Anytime. Should we expect you for dinner tomorrow night?" "I'll be there." Lois felt her spirits lift a little. ******** "Things are not well here." The somber voice of Councilor Shai sounded tinny through the communications system. "Rebel groups continue to attack the outer settlements, our supply and communication lines are being disrupted, various guilds have gone on strike and the Council is paralyzed. Rae Et's supporters grow in number and legal proceedings for your removal have been initiated." "We are still over a week away," Zara replied dismally. "Then you will come home to find our world at total war. We've begun calling people to active duty. Just guarding against saboteurs will strain our resources." "How do you think the people will respond to our return?" Ching asked. "There are still many who are loyal to Zara and among them, there are those who are prepared to welcome Kal El, but support for our position must be further galvanized. If the attacks continue at this rate and with this intensity for long, the people may well demand a change in leadership. They are afraid." "We are returning with all possible speed," Zara said. "And we anxiously await your return. An Interceptor has been launched to rendezvous with your ship and escort you back to New Krypton. For now, I fear I must go." Shai begged his leave of them. "We thank you for your help, Councilor," Clark replied in earnest. "I look forward to welcoming you, Kal El. Safe travels to you all." With that, the communication ended and Ching, Zara, and Clark were left standing in the communications bay of the ship. "The closer we get, the more we're in danger of being attacked by forces loyal to Nor and Rae Et," Zara explained. "Will they try to intercept us?" Clark asked. Zara shrugged. "We don't yet know the extent of military support they have, but I would not place it outside the realm of likelihood." "Then we should be prepared," Clark mused. "I will place the crew on heightened alert and personally monitor all communications," Ching replied. Zara nodded in approval. "And we should all get more rest while things are still calm. Clark, your training?" "Is largely complete," Ching answered dispassionately. "He's mastered the meditation techniques and proved himself more than adept with all major weapons styles." Clark was almost taken aback by the forthright praise from his generally ill-tempered teacher. "Good," Zara replied. "Because we all need the rest." The three exited the communications bay and headed toward their respective quarters. ******** Zara walked quietly down the corridors of the ship. She'd been unable to sleep and the restless hours spent doing nothing in her quarters had left her in an agitated state. Without conscious thought, she'd made her way toward Ching's quarters. A small stream of light from under his door indicated that he was awake. Not really knowing why, she knocked softly, hesitantly. "Enter," came a voice from within. She opened the door and stepped in to find Ching sitting up in bed, reading. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to disturb you," she said as she turned back toward the door. This had been a mistake, Zara thought to herself. "Please," Ching replied as he placed the book on a shelf. "It is no disturbance. Stay." Zara merely nodded and turned back around. Ching looked down at his bare chest. "I should get dressed," he said. 'I've seen you a lot more naked than that,' Zara thought to herself, but she turned her eyes away as he stood up and pulled a uniform out of the bureau and put it on. "I noticed your attitude toward Kal El has changed." "He has surprised me with his ability to learn. And the crew respects him. That is the most important quality one seeks in a leader," Ching replied with no trace of embarrassment or reluctance in his voice. "But you still do not like him." "That is irrelevant." Ching finished dressing and turned to face her. "He has proven an able student of both weapons and strategy. He still allows his passions to rule him, but he will learn." "And you will be confident following him?" "That is my duty, to advise him as best I can and to obey his orders," Ching said. Zara looked down. Without looking at him, she began to speak. "If I asked something of you, if I asked you to do something, would you do it for me?" "Without hesitation," he replied simply. Zara nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer. Her head down to avoid making eye contact with him, she regarded her advisor, confidante, and the person she loved most dearly in the world, carefully. With practiced nonchalance she probed further. "Would you expect me to do the same?" "Do what I asked you without hesitation?" he asked, a frown on his face. "I suppose if your life were in danger, I would hope that you would allow me to protect you without questions." "That is not what I mean," Zara clarified, wondering if Ching were dodging the question. "Then I am afraid I do not understand the question," he replied. His hands were clasped in front of him, his posture stiff and formal. Ching never was one to slouch, avoid eye contact, or mumble in the event that he needed further clarification or did not have the answer that was expected. He had too much respect for those he served to behave in such a manner. Ching's directness was usually welcomed, but just this once, she wished that he would drop the formality and forget for one instant that he worked for her. "Ching," she began, an almost pleading note creeping into her voice as she abandoned all pretenses. "We have known each other since childhood. I loved you even then. I love you more now, but our relationship has never been one of equals. I ask, and you do, but you never ask of me in return." "Because I cannot. We are not and can never be equals," he said. She thought she heard a note of sadness in his voice. "My birthright does not make me your better," she replied, certain of the truth of her statement. "No, it does not," he agreed. "But we serve very different things." "We both serve the people of our world," she challenged. Ching shook his head. "I have sworn my life to your service. You cannot do the same for me. You cannot place me above any other citizen. Your duty is to the good of all, mine is to you. There is no conflict between the oath I've sworn and the passions that would rule me. My heart, body, and soul are yours." His words touched her deeply. "How can you say that, and not even hope that your devotion is returned?" Ching smiled a sad, but knowing smile. He stepped toward her and took her hand in his, indulging in the intimate gesture despite his words. "My devotion needs no response and expects none. I know that you belong to the world, to hope to claim you as my own would be selfish." "I want to be yours again," she whispered and lifted his hand to her lips. "I know," he replied. "And it means more to me than I can say." ******** Lois paced nervously in Perry's office. They'd discussed her options thoroughly and rationally, but she was still uneasy. "You're sure this will work?" she asked her boss for the thousandth time. "Positive," Perry replied. "Everything's set. I've got the headline for tomorrow's paper and the story complete with quotes. Making Ultrawoman disappear for a while is the only sensible thing to do, you're the one who said it first." "I know, but I just can't imagine walking away from this. I feel like I'm letting everyone down." "You're doing what you have to," Perry insisted. "You shouldn't ever feel bad about putting the baby first, that's what parents do." "You're right," she replied. "So where do we go from here?" he asked. "I figure I'll announce the pregnancy in a few weeks--another month or so and I won't need to make an announcement. And after that...well, I've been talking to Clark's parents, and we all think that me moving to Kansas makes the most sense. I want to have the baby there." "I don't want to lose my best reporter," Perry replied wistfully. "I've hardly been your best reporter lately." "Aw, heck, you can out-write the rest of the staff with both hands tied behind your back," Perry drawled. "Stay on as a columnist. That way you can live in Kansas and get paid to have opinions." Lois laughed. "I'll think about it," she promised. She looked at her watch. "I need to get going." "Meeting with a source?" Perry seemed hopeful. She shook her head. "Doctor's appointment." The editor arched a brow. "Sort of," she clarified. ******** "Bernie?" Bernard Klein turned around in surprise, nearly knocking over an Erlenmeyer flask full of an amber liquid in the process. "Lois, you startled me!" "I've been calling your name for a while now," she replied, confused. "Oh, well, what can I do for you?" he asked as he lifted up his safety goggles. "It's a bit complicated, but I've been on a directness kick lately, so here goes nothing, and please, don't breathe a word of any of this to anyone," Lois began. Bernie nodded politely. "I've got Top Secret government clearance, no need to worry about a thing." "Clark is Superman." "Oh my," Bernie replied. He stepped back, bumping into the lab table. "I'm Ultrawoman." "Oh my," he said again, slightly more emphatically, as he groped for the countertop to steady himself. "And I'm pregnant." "Oh my!" He lost his balance and almost slipped to the ground. Trying to catch himself, he managed to knock over the flask, shattering it and send the liquid spilling all over the countertop. He jumped back awkwardly to avoid the chemical. "I'm so sorry!" Lois exclaimed. "It's all right, not a problem," he assured her. "But just a suggestion: lab? Not the best place to deliver Earth shattering news." "Uh huh," she replied, her eyes fixated on the chemical eating into the countertop. "But wow, a baby, huh? That's great." "It is," Lois replied with a slight smile. "I didn't even know Superman would be able to have children with an Earth woman," Dr. Klein mused aloud. "To be honest, neither did we," Lois confessed. "How fascinating, a half Kryptonian pregnancy..." he began. Lois tried to cut him off before he could begin waxing scientific. "Well, I'm glad the issue interests you because..." Bernie merely continued, "I wonder if the pregnancy will proceed like any other..." "Wanna chance to find out?" "Huh?" He seemed to have been shaken out of his reverie at last. "What? Oh, wait, you don't mean, do you?" Bernard Klein suddenly grew very nervous. "I'm not an obstetrician; I don't even have human patients." "But you're Superman's personal physician, you're the only person in the world qualified. Even if the pregnancy is completely normal, I'm not, and any doctor will figure that out. I wouldn't ask if I didn't really need your help, but I do." "I guess you're right," he conceded. "But I have to warn you, we're both going to be learning this as we go." They set up a time for a preliminary check up. The entire process was quite awkward, as Lois had expected it would be. On top of the fact that she knew Bernie as a friend, there was a reason why he'd never practiced medicine. Bernard Klein was a lab rat, through and through; human patients were just not his forte. Nevertheless, he was the only person in the world with scientific knowledge of Superman's physiology and was thus the only person at all qualified to monitor this pregnancy. Even if she knew of another physician she trusted enough with her and Clark's secret, she'd no doubt have to bring Bernie into the process in order to get the necessary background information on Kryptonian biology. Asking Bernie to be her doctor simply reduced by one the number of people who'd have to be brought in on the secret. In thirty years, Lois had been the only person Clark had ever told about himself, in the six weeks since his departure, she'd already told three people, but was hoping not to have to divulge the information to anyone else. "Thank you, Bernie," she said gratefully as she prepared to leave. "Sure, no problem," he replied, briefly glancing up from the notes he'd pulled out on Superman. "I still can't get over the fact that Clark and Superman are the same person, I mean, I never would have guessed it..." She smiled. "Yeah, it took me a while, but I was a lot madder when I found out." "Not surprising." Bernie smiled. "Say, how long have you had these powers? I mean, you're not from Krypton, too, right?" "No, I'm just a plain old regular person. I got the powers last time because of that red kryptonite laser. This time..." "Electricity transfer, right?" he finished. "Right," she confirmed. "So it was planned that you'd take over for him...while he was away?" A note of sympathy crept into his voice. "That was the plan," Lois replied. "That and he figured I'd be less likely to get into mortal danger with superpowers." "I'll bet," Bernie said with a laugh. "But Ultrawoman will be taking a sabbatical for the rest of this pregnancy." "Smart plan," he concurred. "I'll see you on Tuesday, then. But call me if you need anything before that." "Thanks," she replied with a smile. "I really appreciate it." "Anytime, Lois." ******** "Welcome home, Zara, and welcome home to the crew of Star Runner Five, and welcome and good tidings to Kal El," a voice announced over the communicator. "Thanks and good tidings to you, Lieutenant Commander," Zara replied. Clark, Ching, and Ensign Parth, the navigator, were gathered with her in the communications bay to receive the transmission. "Our path is clear and there are no signs of trouble," Ensign Parth confirmed. "Our information suggests the same. We shall escort you the rest of the way to New Krypton. I anticipate that we will arrive within three days." "Very well, Lieutenant Commander," Zara replied. "Lines of communications will remain open between Star Runner Five and Interceptor Six One, please keep us informed of any changes or causes of concern." "Aye, Ma'am," the Lieutenant Commander replied and the transmission ended. "Now that the escort is here, we should take the crew off heightened alert," Clark mused aloud. "Aye, sir," Ching replied with unfamiliar deference to the other man. He depressed a button on the communications console and spoke into the microphone. "All crew, revert back to normal shift schedules. We are standing down from heightened alert. That is all." Ensign Parth turned toward the other three. "Ma'am, sirs, I should return to my post." "Of course, Ensign, good work," Ching replied. "And I will relieve the pilot of her duties," Zara added. With polite bows, she and Parth left for the command bridge. "If I, too, may beg my leave to return to my post," Ching began. "Ching?" Clark turned to the other man in puzzlement. "Your training is complete, sir, and you've proven yourself able to lead. It is now my turn to follow your orders." ******** "First Superman, now Ultrawoman," Ralph proclaimed loudly as he strolled into the bullpen, shaking his head with dramatic disapproval. "Shut up, Ralph," Jimmy replied as he crossed the other man's path. "Aw, come on, Jimbo, everyone knows you're just defending Ultrawoman because you're in love with her," Ralph retorted. Jimmy stopped abruptly and turned around. "Listen, both Superman and Ultrawoman have helped us and asked for nothing in return. Superman left to stop a war, and I know Ultrawoman's reasons for leaving are as good as his. You're nothing but a loudmouthed jerk with no right to talk..." "It's all right, Jimmy." Lois had heard the fight from across the newsroom and intervened to defuse the situation. Jimmy had been struck dumb when she'd told him she was pregnant. After a long moment of silence, he'd rushed to congratulate her, all the while trying awkwardly to figure out if she was happy about it. She assured him that she was, but he commented nonetheless that it wasn't fair that she had to do this without Clark and that it wasn't fair that Clark wasn't here and didn't even know that he was going to be a dad. She was hard pressed to disagree with his logic. Lois also told him that as a result, Ultrawoman would be retiring from service for the rest of the pregnancy, and that she wanted him to know before it was announced. Again, he seemed grateful that she felt comfortable keeping him in the loop. In reality, she appreciated the part he played in her support network - the only thing that kept her functioning these days. She placed a hand on the young man's shoulder. Seemingly mollified, he mumbled that everything was fine and continued on his way to the darkroom. Ralph, however, continued to linger, looking as sullen as a struck puppy. "Don't you have work to do?" Lois asked in exasperation. Without waiting for an answer, she returned to her own desk. She'd barely begun to work when Perry's voice, booming across the newsroom commanded her attention. "Lois, my office, pronto." Lois looked up to see the editor standing in the doorway, a mug of coffee in his hand and a look of consternation on his face. Lois made her way to his office. They entered and he closed the door behind them. "If Ralph's mother weren't on the paper's board I'd have fired him ten times over by now," Perry grumbled as he put the coffee mug on his desk and sat in his chair. "It's okay," Lois replied. "I bet at least half the people in Metropolis are thinking the same thing he is." "That isn't true," Perry said emphatically. "The people of this city trust Ultrawoman the same way they trust Superman, they know she'll be back because she promised she would." "You make being a paragon of honesty and virtue sound so easy," Lois replied. Perry winked. "Fake it, honey." The comment elicited the laugh it was no doubt intended to draw out. "I really appreciate everything you've done for me and Clark," Lois said. "I wouldn't be able to keep this up without you." "Hey, I back my reporters one thousand percent, no matter what." "You're going well beyond the call of duty, Chief," she said. Perry grunted. "Yeah, but I like you two more than most of my reporters," he said with an affectionate smile. Perry got up and walked across the office to hold the door open for her. He replaced the smile with a more fittingly dour expression. "Now get back to work." ******** Clark watched the rapidly approaching landmass with bated breath. For the first time in months, he could stare outside the windows of the ship at something other than the darkness of space. They were closing in on New Krypton and the planetoid now filled their field of vision. He could just barely see the outlines of the main colony. The sky over New Krypton was orange and cloudless, the ground the color of rust. Thin blue rivers like veins stretched out over the dry terrain. The ship noticeably slowed as they approached. "Sir," Ensign Parth called to him. "You'll want to take a seat for the landing; it might be a bit rough." "Thank you," Clark replied as he took his seat on the command bridge. He glanced over at Zara, who was expertly bringing the ship in for a landing. "We have clearance for our approach," she stated calmly. "The escort will remain in a holding pattern until we've landed," Ching announced. "We will be on the ground in a few minutes, everyone. Final check of landing systems." "All systems are operational, sir," Ensign Rul responded from her seat at the bridge. They remained in silence for the remaining few minutes of their flight. Clark couldn't believe that the trip was finally over and that he'd once again be able to set foot on solid ground. Of course, this solid ground wasn't the planet he'd called home for the last thirty years. The ship landed and docked noisily and the crew broke into enthusiastic, but controlled applause. "Very nicely done, everyone," Ching said loudly. The communications system clicked on. "Welcome home and good tidings to the crew of Star Runner Five. Good tidings to you, Zara, and a warm welcome to you, Kal El." "Thanks and good tidings, Command," Ching replied. "It is good to be home." The pressure lock was secured and the exterior doors of the ship slid open. The crew lined either side of the corridor to the exit, standing at attention. Ching gestured for Clark to proceed. He and Zara made their way down the corridor side by side, with Ching just behind them. They walked through the long tunnel to the command bridge of the colony's docking station. "Take my arm," Zara whispered to Clark softly as they walked toward the waiting welcome party. Clark obligingly held out his arm stiffly and Zara looped her arm through his, her hand settled at the bend of his elbow. Zara nodded in approval and gave him a slight smile. They finally reached the end of the seemingly infinite corridor and stepped through the doorway to the command bridge. Zara allowed her hand to slip from Clark's arm and they stopped in unison and bowed respectfully to the collection of Councilors and officers gathered at the bridge. Their crew stood at attention behind them, under Ching's watchful eye. "Thanks and good tidings to the esteemed Councilors and Guardians who toil endlessly so that New Krypton may prosper and her citizens be free and at peace," Clark said, repeating the phrase Ching had drilled into his head. "Thanks and good tidings to my esteemed brothers and sisters who work side by side and whom I have the pleasure to serve so that our people may be free and at peace," Zara recited her own salutations, different from Clark's because she had already accepted the duty to serve New Krypton. "Welcome and good tidings to you all," Councilor Shai responded. His eyes were as dark and fierce as they had ever been, though his body was now frail and bent and his hair thin and gray. "On behalf of the Council, I extend thanks to you, Kal El, for answering our call. With your arrival and Zara's return, the Council will be able to confirm its new First Ministers and place upon your shoulders the mantle of governance that you might take up the responsibility to our people and serve at their pleasure." "We welcome the Council's decision," Zara replied. Shai nodded. "First, you shall rest, and the Council will be convened. Lieutenant Commander?" Ching stepped forward. "Esteemed Councilor?" "Assemble your guards and see Zara and Kal El to their quarters. Watch over them as we are not safe even here." "Aye, sir," Ching replied with a solemn bow. "Parth, Rul," he called to his two subordinate officers, who followed him as he led Clark and Zara down another hallway. ******** Lois chewed her lip as she regarded the sentence she'd just typed. It wasn't quite right. She held down the 'backspace' key and the blinking cursor gobbled up the previous two and a half lines of text. She frowned and started typing again; her fingers flew over the keyboard, tapping out an uneven staccato, punctuated by the louder sound of her thumb hitting the space key at the end of each word. It still wasn't right. Holding down the 'backspace' key again, she consigned the offending words to oblivion. She paused and stared at the bright monitor and the five paragraphs of a story that certainly wasn't writing itself. Without the sounds of her own typing to fill the air, the other sounds of the newsroom managed to work their way to the forefront. In the background she could hear a copy machine in the copy room as it rattled off page after page. The coffee machine whirred and hissed almost silently on the other end of the bullpen. Reporters and editors yelled back and forth as eight different conversations unfolded simultaneously. A dozen people having more luck than she with the writing process typed like maniacs on their keyboards, filling the bullpen with the clattering of plastic keyboard keys. Over the din of the newsroom, her computer's hard drive whirred, as though patiently waiting for her to give it something to do, to make it part of the magical process of crafting an award winning article. Fat chance. Lois's fingers were not busy typing. They hovered over the keys, waiting for inspiration. She closed her eyes and tried to block out the million and one distractions that the newsroom afforded its staff during any given moment in the workday. A soft sound intruded upon her ruminations. It didn't quite sound like the computer fan, or at least it didn't sound like the computer fan did when it was working properly. The computer wasn't subtly trying to tell her that it was on the verge of crashing was it? She strained to listen to it, distilling it out from all the other sounds in the newsroom, willing the rest of the newsroom to go quiet. There it was: fluttering, faint but unmistakable, and certainly not imagined. She'd been listening for that sound for weeks now. And there it was, as if it had always been there, waiting for her to hear it. Tears immediately formed in her eyes and soon threatened to spill. She tried to move or speak, but could do neither. Lois was struck dumb. As far as she was concerned, the whole world had come to a grinding halt and there was nothing left in it save that miraculous, whisper soft sound. She sat frozen for several minutes, aware of nothing except the sound of the baby's heartbeat. After a long while, she finally dared to breathe, afraid that even that slight sound might drown out the heartbeat and she'd lose the ability to tune in to it. But the sound stayed with her. It was with her all afternoon, bringing a smile to her lips; one that finally reached her eyes. One felt throughout every fiber of her being. Later, curled up under the covers and with the phone to her ear, she tearfully relayed everything to Martha, keeping an ear tuned in to the sound of the baby's heartbeat. She couldn't believe how much this simple thing could affect her. She'd known it would happen, and soon. It wasn't unexpected, but it caught her off guard nonetheless. She spent hours that night just listening to it. And wishing Clark were there with her. Lying in his bed, she could picture them sitting together, all through the night, just listening to that wonderful sound. ******** Clark saluted Parth, who maintained his vigilant watch outside Zara's quarters, and knocked on the door. "Enter," she called from within. Parth opened the door for him and Clark walked inside. The rooms were nicer than the ones on the ship--with real beds and furniture instead of bunks and metal chairs--but they were still simple, functional, utilitarian, and soulless. Zara was pulling on the long, black mantle over her uniform. "It's almost time," he said. "I know," Zara replied as she adjusted the heavy, metal cuffs on her wrists. "Shai suggested that the vote might be close. Most of the Councilors are glad to have your assistance, but some are still skeptical." "I don't exactly blame them," Clark replied. There was another knock at the door. "Come in," Zara called. The door opened and an older man Clark hadn't yet seen stood in the hallway. "Good tidings, my daughter," he said with a smile. "Father!" Zara exclaimed as she ran across the room to embrace him. "It is good to see you, again," her father said as he hugged her. "We have missed you terribly." "It is good to see you, too," she replied. She stepped back. "I'm sorry, I forget myself. Kal El, this is my father, Tek Ra." Clark bowed deeply and respectfully. Tek Ra bowed in response. "I am very pleased to meet you, sir," Clark said. "And I am honored to meet you at last, Kal El, son of Jor El and Lara. My thanks to you for responding to our request. Though I knew that if you were a man like your father, you would not deny us your assistance." "I hope that in some small way, my coming will help bring peace to your people," Clark replied. "I owe at least that much to my parents and their memory." "This world is sorely in need of peace. I trust that you and my daughter will do all that you can to restore it. I am certain that you will want to know more about your parents, who they were, what they were like. I will tell you all that I can, later, when there is more time. For now, come, let us away, for the Council awaits the two of you." Tek Ra walked ahead of them as once again, Clark took Zara's arm, as protocol demanded. They walked, surrounded by guards, toward the Council Chambers. ******** "You're leaving?" Jimmy exclaimed incredulously. "You can't leave!" He paced anxiously in the conference room. "I have to, Jimmy," Lois explained. "I need to be with Clark's parents." He stopped abruptly. "But you don't have to leave the Planet to do that, you can be there in like five seconds, right?" "I want to have the baby there," she replied. "Oh," was all Jimmy could manage. "I'll still come by to see you and Perry, I just need to get away from here for a while. You understand that, right?" "Sure," Jimmy replied. "I guess that makes a lot of sense. So when are you leaving?" "Two weeks. It'll be announced tomorrow." "Oh," he said again. "I'm going to miss you," she said at last. "Me, too. I'm gonna miss you too, Lois." ******** "The emergency session of the High Council of Elders will come to order. With the seats of First Ministers still vacant, I assume, as elder of the Council, the responsibility of presiding over these proceedings." Shai's loud voice boomed throughout the cavernous Council Chambers. Like the rest of the central compound of the colony, the chambers were made of a reinforced metal and were utilitarian and almost militaristic in design. The large, semi-circular room resembled a lecture hall, with small desks crammed close together on the inclined floors. At the front of the room was a speaker's podium, where Shai stood, and behind it were the two vacant chairs of the First Ministers. To Shai's left stood Ching, Zara, and Clark. Slightly more than half of the seats in the chambers were full, noticeably absent were Rae Et and her followers. "In the absence of our protesting brethren, have we a quorum present?" Shai demanded. The Council Guard stepped forward. "Yes, Councilor, barely," he said. "Then we shall proceed with the day's order of business. We have gathered here to vote on the accession of Zara and Kal El, heirs designate, to the positions of co-First Ministers. Are there any who oppose the motion?" "We are not aware of Kal El's credentials. How can we determine his fitness for the post?" A young councilor seated near the back of the assembly called out. Ching stepped forward. "If it pleases the Council, I am here to speak to the issue of Kal El's credentials. I have known Kal El for several months now and am responsible for his training. I can assure you that he has demonstrated the necessary aptitude in training to assume his tasks, but moreover, his conduct on his adopted planet speaks for his character. In his world, he was known as a champion for the causes of peace and justice. At great cost to himself and to the people who took him in as a child and raised him, he left that world behind to bring peace to ours. He has demonstrated that his moral character is unimpeachable and that he is willing to make great sacrifices for a noble cause. As servant to the people of New Krypton, I give you my word and stake my reputation on his worthiness as a leader." If he hadn't already been silent, Clark would have been stunned into silence. Ching's glowing praise made it sound as if he thought the world of him, as opposed to Clark's long held perception that Ching barely tolerated him. He supposed there was something to be said for praise from those who usually begrudge it. Ching was no sycophant, nor was he a liar. The only explanation was that he believed the things he was saying about Clark. Clark figured you didn't have to like someone to respect them, and though Ching's attitude toward him had changed ever so slowly in the last few weeks, he was still surprised to know that the other man actually did respect him. "Councilor, are you satisfied as to Kal El's credentials?" Shai inquired. "I am satisfied that Lieutenant Commander Ching's word is as good a vouchsafe as one could want," the councilor replied. Another councilor stood and spoke. "I and others have spoken with Kal El during his journey to New Krypton and our opinion of him was favorable. I believe his desire to help us is honest and that despite the fact that he was denied his proper training, he is equal to the task. If the Lieutenant Commander is willing to guarantee his fitness, then I, too, am satisfied. "Then if there are no further objections," Shai continued. "Let us proceed with the vote, first on the issue of the accession of Zara to the position of First Minister of New Krypton. All in favor?" The aye votes were quickly tallied. "All opposed?" Shai demanded. Zara's confirmation was easily assured. "Now to the issue of Kal El's accession..." "Hold!" a voice from the back of the chambers boomed. A lanky, thin man with slicked back brown hair and a neatly trimmed goatee rose to his feet. "I object to these proceedings," he stated calmly. "Nor, you have no standing to object," Shai responded angrily. "On the contrary, I have all the standing required. My name has been put forward as an alternative to Kal El. Unlike him, I am one of you, my place is here on New Krypton, its people are my people." Ching signaled discretely to his guards before placing himself in front of Zara. "Bad form, Commander," Nor chastised him. "I am a free citizen of New Krypton, in violation of no laws, besides, you don't think I came alone, do you?" "He is right, Commander, you have no authority to arrest or remove him from these premises," a voice from the assembly added. "He is a threat to the First Minister," Ching growled. "This body is corrupt and it turns to a mongrel betrayer of the people to rescue it from its own failings. The decisions you make here carry no weight with the people. But if you insist on carrying out your charade, so be it. When he fails to protect our people from danger, do not say that you were not warned." Clark stared at Nor - a man who had been his enemy in theory long before this meeting. Nor's face was expressionless, his eyes dark and unreadable. Clark guessed the only reason that Nor wasn't being attacked by Ching's men was that the Council, fragmented as it was, threatened to splinter even more over the issue of Nor. Several of the Councilors previously had seemed hesitant to blame Nor for the attacks on the settlements and outposts. Some had hoped that a negotiated settlement could be reached and had registered their support for Kal El on the condition that peaceful methods toward solving the problems be attempted first. Nor and the men on either side of him left the assembly hall, unimpeded by the guards. A commotion rose up among the Councilors. They murmured among themselves about the significance of Nor's unexpected appearance. "Secure the chambers!" Ching ordered his forces. "And sweep the perimeter." The guards rushed to comply as Ching returned to Zara's side. "There will be order in these chambers," Shai demanded. "Let us return to the vote. On the issue of the accession of Kal El to the position of First Minister of New Krypton, what say you? All in favor?" Clark waited in trepidation as the vote was taken. It was going to be close. "All opposed?" The nays were tallied and Shai mulled over them for a long moment as Clark, Ching, and Zara waited with bated breath. "By a majority of a quorum of this body, Zara and Kal El have been confirmed as its First Ministers. Their accession is immediate." Shai pounded his gavel. ******** The announcement that Lois Lane was leaving her position as an investigative reporter wasn't particularly surprising to the veteran members of the Planet, though they and the rookies alike had a tough time imagining a Daily Planet without Lois Lane. What was surprising, to every member of the staff save two, was the reason -- she was pregnant. Most couldn't help but think that when it rained, it poured for Lois. On top of losing her fiancé, she was now facing the intimidating task of raising a child alone, and Lois didn't strike any of them as the maternal type. Nevertheless, there was no challenge they would have placed beyond her and the way she'd held up in Clark's absence had been no less than inspiring. Announced that morning, news of Lois's impending departure fueled the gossip machine all day long. Eduardo, and several of the other reporters stood around the coffee machine and spoke in low tones, constantly scanning the newsroom for Lois's presence. "I can't believe it," Eduardo began as he sipped his coffee. "First she loses him four days before they're supposed to get married, now she finds out she's pregnant," Stephanie, the society columnist who had replaced Cat Grant, mused aloud. "Unless she knew before he was taken," Rick, one of the younger Sports reporters, replied. "I mean, she really doesn't look pregnant yet, but what do I know?" Eduardo shrugged. "I guess it's possible." "If it were me, I'd have fallen apart a long time ago," Stephanie confessed. "I don't know how she does it." "I guess she just doesn't have a choice," Rick said. "What else is she supposed to do?" "What really gets me," Eduardo said, "is Clark. He's out there somewhere, maybe dead, maybe not, but most likely he had no idea that he left his fiancée knocked up." "Oh that's real sensitive," Stephanie shot back. "Hey, all I'm saying is that any way it comes out, this situation sucks. Say Clark is okay, and he comes back. Suddenly, the world's biggest Boy Scout has been a deadbeat dad, and he didn't even know it. Say he isn't, say he's dead, and Lane's stuck raising the kid all by herself. Chances are, she'll never know what happened to Kent. Let's just say I don't envy her." Rick nodded in seemingly reluctant agreement. "And a few months ago, if you'd asked me to name the one person who had everything and had it all together, I would have said Lois," Stephanie replied sadly. ******** "Lois, you with me here?" Perry asked. He sat on the edge of his desk, frowning Lois mentally shook herself and turned her gaze away from the door. She tried to tune back in to what Perry was saying. Sometimes she hated this superhearing. "Sorry, I was a million miles away," she replied. "I noticed. Something wrong?" Lois shook her head. "No, it's nothing." ******** "So this is another big day, I guess?" Clark asked as he adjusted the high, stiff collar of his heavy black mantle. He looked at his reflection in the mirror in his room. Behind him, Zara stood, wearing an equally somber and regal looking black outfit. She seemed uneasy. He was downright nervous. Yesterday, they were voted leaders of the planet, today they were supposed to get married. He had to hand it to the Kryptonians - they were efficient. "A wedding, an accession ceremony, a civil war to avert, it should be rather eventful," Zara replied. "Is it supposed to be this tight?" Clark asked as he tried to fit his index finger under the collar to tug it loose. "You'll get used to it," she replied. He turned around. "I didn't put this thing on backward, did I?" he asked as he looked down at the get up they'd put him in. "You look fine," Zara replied with a smile. "You, too," Clark said. "I mean, you look good, very...regal." "Ready to go?" she asked. "I'm not allowed to say no, am I?" he asked. Zara shook her head. "Then let's go," Clark replied. Accompanied by several guards, they walked down the corridors. Just past the Council Chambers there was a large, well-lit room, where councilors, officers, and officials had gathered. Clark looked through the doorway into the most sumptuously decorated room in the entire colony. Large, ornate rugs covered the floor, and on the blue walls hung portraits of people Clark presumed to be important figures in the civilization's past. The vaulted ceiling was painted with constellations of stars. Comfortable looking chairs lined the room and at one end, on a raised platform, stood an immense crystal altar. A middle aged man, dressed in a long white robe, with a solemn expression upon his face stood in front of the altar, his hands folded in front of him. Around the room stood others, wearing similar white robes or black military uniforms like the ones the ship's crew had been wearing. Clark and Zara stopped at the threshold and bowed before entering the room. The room's occupants all ceased talking and bowed in response. They took their places - the guards standing at all the entrances and the others sitting around the room - as Clark and Zara entered the room and walked toward the altar. Following Zara's lead, Clark knelt in front of the altar. "We are here to witness the rites of union and accession of our First Ministers," the somber looking man in the white robe announced. "As Chief Jurist of New Krypton, I verify the legality of their selection, accession, and union. As they will be united to one another, so shall they be united to our world. As they are bound to one another's service, so are they bound to the service of New Krypton. As they place the other above themselves, so too must they place New Krypton above themselves. As they protect one another, so too must they protect New Krypton and its people. "Zara, do you accept the duties of union to Kal El and the mantle of First Minister?" "I do so, gladly," Zara replied. She raised her hands up, her head still slightly bowed. The Chief Jurist delicately removed the heavy silver cuffs from around her wrists and placed them upon the altar behind him. He then opened one of two boxes on the altar and removed the larger, heavier cuffs within. He placed first one and then the other on Zara's still outstretched arms. Zara lowered her hands. "Kal El, do you accept the duties of union to Zara and the mantle of First Minister?" "I do so, gladly," Clark said. He raised his hands just as Zara had and the Chief Jurist opened the second of the two boxes and removed the other set of wrist cuffs to place on Clark's arms. They were large, awkward, and surprisingly heavy. "Now rise," the Chief Jurist commanded. Zara and Clark stood up and turned toward the assembled group. "I present to the people of New Krypton, their First Ministers, Defenders of our Civilization, Servants of the People, and Guardians of a Sacred Trust." Clark surveyed the room; the notion that he was supposed to lead these people hadn't begun to settle in. Beyond that, it was just surreal. Then again, so was the notion that he was technically married to Zara. He wondered how the Kryptonians would react if they knew that he was already married. He looked at the crowd of expectant faces, all eyes on him and Zara. Ching stepped forward, a grave look on his face. He held his hand against the tiny communicator on his ear. "Sir?" He broke the solemn silence. "My humblest apologies for the interruption, but we have an incoming transmission over all channels." "What is it, Lieutenant Commander?" the Chief Jurist inquired. The color drained from Ching's face. "It is from Rae Et...on behalf of the renegade councilors...they've denounced the appointment of Kal El as illegal...they've declared themselves outlaw, and reject the authority of the colony over them." Ching frowned. "They're planning secession." A murmur rose up in the group. "We are declaring this gathering adjourned," Zara commanded, easily slipping into her role as leader. "All military personnel stand by for orders, the Council will hereby be placed on notice - an emergency meeting will be convened post haste." A wave of anxiety washed over the group as the dignified air of the ceremony dissipated and was replaced by unease. A door that Clark hadn't realized was a door opened up in one of the walls. A man in a black military uniform strode grimly into the room. He immediately turned toward Clark and Zara. "Sir, Ma'am, Commander Talan is en route from patrols in the Outerlands and requests an audience with you to brief you on the situation with the renegade councilors. It is most urgent." "Of course," Clark replied. He wasn't sure he wanted more urgent news at this point, but the situation was so confusing he was grasping for any kind of information to shed light upon the recent events. "Lead the way, Sergeant," Zara ordered the soldier, who complied with a polite bow. He walked through the doorway again, with Clark and Zara in tow. Ching quickly ordered a subordinate to place all forces on alert and followed them. To Clark's surprise, a military briefing room stood empty just on the other side of the doorway. The sergeant requested permission to take his leave of them and exited a door on the opposite side of the room, so that only Clark, Zara, and Ching remained in the room. Unlike the gathering room they'd just exited, the briefing room resembled the rest of what Clark had seen of the colony - modern, utilitarian, and sterile. Bright lights reflected off the metal walls and surfaces. A large conference table dominated the room. Along the walls were communications systems and display screens. "Apparently the Commander's Expeditionary Forces took significant fire on their patrols. They were ambushed and suffered some casualties," Ching explained. "Whoever is responsible for the attack had at their disposal heavy firepower, ordinance unlike that which we've seen from the rebels so far." "What was Commander Talan's assessment?" Zara inquired. "The attack was planned and carefully carried out with superior intelligence. And the perpetrators were either extraordinarily brave or very foolish, or both." "Why?" Clark asked "Because Commander Talan's Expeditionary Forces are the most formidable among our military and because the Commander is one of the most respected leaders and tacticians in the history of our command." "And he's a man you trust?" Clark asked, looking at both Ching and Zara. Ching arched a brow but before he could say anything, the door on the other side of the room opened. Commander Talan entered the room with long, measured strides and Ching saluted his superior. Clark tried quickly to disguise his shock and sheepishness. He blamed his gaffe on a combination of stereotype and the fact that the Kryptonian language had no gender specific pronouns. Commander Talan returned Ching's salute and turned to the new First Ministers. "Sir, Ma'am, I bring bad news," she said. Talan's expression was grim and serious, though Clark thought she looked like someone who was rarely anything other than serious. The Commander stood sharply at attention, a full inch or two taller than Clark. She was slender, but broad shouldered and leanly muscled, cutting an imposing and formidable figure. Her blonde hair was pulled back severely and her uniform was covered in mud and soot. Her gray eyes, under a furrowed brow, surveyed the situation quickly and efficiently. Her features were sharp, angular and hard, mirroring a demeanor that implied nothing of softness. She was beautiful, breathtakingly so, and intimidating. Talan was likely a few years older than Clark, he surmised. Having grown up on New Krypton, she had probably been familiar with hard work, discipline, and sacrifice from early childhood. The lessons of trying to eek out an existence in an unforgiving world had etched themselves into everything from her posture and the measured way that she spoke to her movements, which were graceful and efficient, but suggested conscious control and restraint. Every sane person on any planet would be struck by Talan's appearance. In that, she had one thing in common with his Lois. Either one could walk into a room and command the attention of everyone in it. "What is it, Commander?" Zara asked. "Synchronized and well coordinated attacks by the rebels. My forces were led into a trap. They knew how many soldiers we had and what sort of arms we were carrying and their attack was planned accordingly. My forces sustained some casualties, two dead, seven wounded, three critically, but the impact on the civilian population was far worse," she recounted the attack dispassionately. "While we were under fire, they attacked civilian installations in the outposts at Ebam. Scores dead, many children. We fought back the attack and are evacuating the survivors to the main colony." Clark thought he saw a flicker of anger and sadness in the Commander's cold, gray eyes, but it disappeared quickly. Zara nodded grimly. "Do you suspect that the rebels had inside knowledge of our military deployments?" "I do not know," Talan confessed. "But I am requesting permission to assemble a reconnaissance force to patrol the Outerlands. These attacks were timed, they coincided with several smaller assaults and were planned to send a message to the people of New Krypton. I do not doubt that they were coordinated by Nor and the renegade Councilors." "But we have no information on where they are, do we?" Clark asked. He knew he wasn't going to like the answer to his question. Their situation seemed to grow more dire by the second and he was at a loss as to what to do. Not for the first time, he wished that a Superman enforced solution were possible, but this time, he'd have to solve a major world crisis without the benefit of godlike superpowers. Talan shook her head. "No, sir. The transmissions could have been sent from anywhere on New Krypton and previous attacks were so dispersed as to give us no indication of where they are headquartered." "And it's your opinion that the reconnaissance team will be the best way to gather information on them?" "It is the only way to fight them, sir," Talan replied simply. "And it must be kept confidential. If the rebels are receiving information from within, we must limit their access." Zara looked at Clark, who nodded slightly. "Then permission is granted, Commander," she said. "All forces have been placed on deployment notice. You are free to call up all the units you need." "Thank you, ma'am," Talan said. The video communications system informed them of an incoming message. Ching quickly prepared the system to receive the signal. A large display came to life and they were immediately face to face with Shai's somber visage. "Kal El, Zara, the rest of your Advisory Council has been convened," he said. "We are on our way," Zara replied. "Commanders? Please accompany us," she said to Ching and Talan. The transmission ended and the four exited the briefing room, walking briskly down the corridors toward what, exactly, Clark wasn't sure. Zara and Ching, however, led the way ably past the Council Chamber and through the labyrinth of offices surrounding it to another conference room. Around the conference table sat another somber looking group, among them faces both familiar and unfamiliar to Clark. Everyone stood as they entered the room. Shai greeted them solemnly. "First Ministers, we are assembled to provide you with whatever information and assistance we can. Kal El, you are already acquainted with your military advisors, Commander Talan and Lieutenant Commander Ching. I will serve as your liaison to the Council. This is Trey, your Chief of Staff," he said, gesturing toward a well groomed, silver haired main who nodded politely in greeting. Shai continued the introductions. "General Commanders Goren and Flad, chiefs of the Air and Ground Commands." The two older men in black military uniforms bowed slightly. "Rab Dun, the colony's chief engineer." The thin, middle-aged woman nodded, a grim expression on her face. "And Lieutenant Enza, your legal advisor." The last was by far, the youngest at the table, a woman who was at least a few years Clark's junior. She wore a military uniform and the same somber expression as the others. She looked about Lois's height with dark hair and eyes and soft features that had been unnaturally hardened by a life full of tribulations. Clark looked around at the handful of people gathered in the room. These were the people who would advise him and Zara as they tried to navigate a solution to the planet's problems. He was going to rely on their wisdom and experience and he would have to convince them of his ability to lead their people. Clark had had the entire weight of a world on his shoulders before, but somehow, this time he felt it more acutely. Perhaps it was because he felt so out of his element, or perhaps it was because he wasn't bringing anything uniquely helpful to the table - this wasn't a problem that a red cape and super strength would solve. He could command respect and cultivate an air of authority as Superman and that made defusing the most complex situations possible, but how could he do the same as Kal El when he didn't have any idea what it meant to be Kal El? The group sat down together around the table and immediately, they began discussing the current situation and likely next steps. For now, he'd have to follow along, learn the game, and ask the right questions until he was comfortable enough leading. Every waking moment of his two months en route to New Krypton had been filled with mental and physical training for the task of leadership, but he still felt woefully unprepared and out of his league. Thankfully Zara was able to provide the direction and leadership needed. She'd been raised to do it and it showed. ******** He checked his surroundings again in irritation. His source was late and he was tired of sitting on a hard bench outside the Hall of Records pretending to feed the pigeons. Annoying, brainless, little, disease infested rats with wings. Every once in a while, one would get too close, pecking at some invisible speck of nothing idiotically and he'd kick the disagreeable thing. They were undeterred. No matter how many times they'd find themselves on the wrong end of his size twelve wingtips, the blasted things would keep coming back, still cooing stupidly and pecking at nothing. He checked his watch again. Didn't the darn clerk realize that he was a busy man? He had places to be, sources to meet, leads to follow, or at least, make up. Digging up dirt was both Jerry Schultz's passion and his profession. He'd made a career doing it, and it showed. Jerry had slimy friends in places both high and low. Well, 'friends' was too strong a word. Not one of them would have so much as blinked before selling him out for the right price and he wouldn't have had it any other way. People with scruples were no use to him. No, his relationships were built firmly on a foundation of 'what's in it for me?' Folks who were always looking out for number one were much more predictable and much easier to influence. So long as he treated his sources well, they took care of him. So long as they were useful to one another, the relationships flourished. That's the way tabloid reporting worked. Plain and simple. He'd found himself in the enviable position of covering all the seamy, tawdry details of Superman's departure. Well, such details didn't really exist, per se, but he wasn't above vague allegations and insinuations that couldn't be proven to be false. The bit with Lane and Kent was just icing on the cake. He despised "investigative journalists." They were such arrogant jerks, so certain they were better than everyone else--above it all. Blah, blah, public trust, yadda yadda, yadda, fourth estate, sacred duty, and all that nonsense. Journalism was a business, just like any other. What Jerry wrote sold. And it made him a lot of money. He'd almost felt sorry for Lois when he heard about the pregnancy. Almost. Hey, it was still just business and he needed to find an angle to the story. Pregnancies out of wedlock just didn't sell papers the way they used to; especially when the parents to be were engaged and should have been married months ago were it not for the interference of a psychotic billionaire criminal mastermind brought back from the dead in a plot that Jerry couldn't have thought up in a million years. Man, he would have sold his soul (if he'd had one) to nab that story -- even if it was true. Sure, there was the human interest side of it all -- woman loses fiancé, finds out she's pregnant, and faces having to raise the baby alone, all the while hoping against hope that her beloved would find his way home -- but who cared? Stories like that certainly wouldn't send copies of the Dirt Digger flying off the checkout stand shelves and he wasn't writing Hallmark made for TV movies, here, or trying to earn a spot in Oprah's Book Club. "You won't believe what I've got," a triumphant voice exclaimed from over his shoulder. Jerry turned to look up at the smug young clerk. "So why don't you say it louder so that everyone knows and that way it's of no use to me and I won't have to bother paying you for it!" he hissed. Nick sat down on the bench, thoroughly stung by Jerry's rebuking of him. 'Good,' Jerry thought. He didn't have time to baby-sit wet-behind-the-ears court clerks. He wordlessly shoved a manila folder toward Jerry. Jerry took the folder and flipped through the contents. Now that the court systems were all on a single computer network, he only needed to know one unscrupulous clerk in order to get all the vitals on someone - outstanding arrest warrants, criminal records, driver's licenses, the works. Any clerk could forge a judge's signature on a request for records from another office and they'd show up promptly. He looked at what Nick had managed to dig up for him. Birth certificate, driver's license, a couple of parking citations, a record of a jury summons...so far, nothing unusual. Wait a second, what was that? The last item in the stack. A marriage certificate. Lois Lane and Clark Kent's marriage certificate. Jerry let out a low whistle. This was big. Really big. Lois Lane and Clark Kent had been married by Perry White the very day before Clark disappeared and just four days before they were supposed to get married for real. Why had they eloped? And why hadn't they told anyone? A slow smile spread across his face. This was good. This would make his copy sing. Really sing. He didn't need the reason for their sudden and secret wedding. The story would probably sell better without it - you couldn't give them all the facts, speculation was 2/3 of the fun of gossip. That, and the story would be enough to put Lane's feet to the fire. The reasons would come out in due time and he might well be in a position to make this a series instead of a one shot deal. "This is good stuff," Jerry said at last. "Way to not screw up, kid. Check's in the mail as usual." With that, he clapped the young man on the shoulders, got up, and walked away. ******** Klein frowned enigmatically as he scribbled something in that illegible handwriting of his on the damn clipboard he always had with him. Lois had tried x-raying it a few times, but even when she had figured out how to x-ray through the right paper thin layers to where Bernie was writing, she was thwarted by his completely unintelligible script, written backwards from her perspective. His chicken scratches made her handwriting look like that of a third grade penmanship teacher's. How he ever deciphered his own notes was beyond her. "Everything looks all right," he muttered without bothering to look up. He finished writing and hooked his pen into the clipboard. "You could stand to gain a little more weight, though. You're actually a few pounds lighter than what you said your normal body weight is. Not a problem yet, but remember, get plenty of sunlight and eat." Lois merely sighed. She knew she had to take better care of herself. The superpowers meant that her lack of food and sleep wasn't doing her any harm, but she wasn't the one she was worried about here. "You don't have a choice here," Bernie continued sternly. "If you want the baby to be healthy, you have to take care of yourself. And I don't care if you aren't hungry or tired; given what you've told me about Clark's childhood; it's likely the baby has to be nourished the old fashioned way. Also, it'll be a good idea to reduce your level of stress. You know that didn't sound like the most outrageous request ever in my head. Well, at least try to reduce your level of stress." "You'll be very proud to hear that I've taken a desk job," Lois replied. "You? A desk job? I never thought I'd see the day..." Lois could understand Bernie's surprise. She herself could scarcely believe it. She hated thinking of herself as weak and fragile and in need of protection. If she'd been asked a year ago whether she would have taken a desk job in the event that she'd gotten pregnant she would have scoffed at the very idea. Lois Lane was not a china doll and she would have continued investigating until she'd gotten too big to crawl through windows on breaking and entering missions or to chase down the bad guys effectively. Especially now that she had superpowers, she shouldn't have had the slightest concern. But unfortunately, that wasn't the way things worked. Being without Clark was taking its toll on her. Constantly worrying about him -- about whether he was safe, about whether he was scared, about whether he was being asked, as a leader, to make decisions no one should ever be forced to make, about whether she'd ever get him back, about whether he'd ever forgive himself for missing this -- was wearing her down, and it showed. Pregnancy itself wasn't a picnic, even with superpowers, though Bernie assured her that the fatigue and nausea would pass as she got into the second trimester. Lois had an exciting, stressful, and amazingly rewarding job that she loved passionately. But she wasn't doing it very well these days. She was distracted, and her reporting suffered for it. Also, she needed to get out of the newsroom. The bullpen had always been like home to her. Its familiar sounds and smells -- reporters yelling to copy boys, editors yelling at reporters, everyone yelling at everyone else over the next big scoop and saving column inches in the morning edition, all over the sounds of dozens of hands flying over keyboards at rapid clips, producing thousands of words every minute, the smell of linotype and news room coffee sitting heavily in the air -- were comforting, like a security blanket. She couldn't imagine the wide-open bullpen ever seeming anything but inviting. But recently, she'd felt caged in there, like a trapped animal, disoriented and pacing anxiously around the invisible boundaries of her own prison. Lois couldn't take the newsroom anymore. She didn't need the sympathetic glances of her colleagues or the break area gossip or the constant din and hum, which seemed blaring to her overly sensitive ears. Her beloved newsroom was making her jumpy and skittish and she needed to get away from it. "And in Kansas," she added helpfully. "You're looking at the planet's newest columnist, already slated to be syndicated in dozens of papers across the country." "Hey, that's terrific!" Bernie replied enthusiastically. "So I take it you'll just be zipping in to town for appointments and stuff?" "Yeah, oh wait, I didn't even think...the flying, is that okay for the baby? I mean, I know women aren't supposed to fly late in their pregnancies, is it dangerous?" "Oh no, you don't have anything to worry about there," Bernie reassured her. "Flying late in pregnancy is bad because of the change in pressure. That really isn't something that affects you, or the baby, thanks to your aura. Flying under your own power isn't a problem. Also, the x-ray vision? It doesn't really use x-rays or anything of that nature and is completely harmless." Lois sighed with relief. "Those are both really good things to know." "So then, you'll take care of yourself, eat right, rest, and try to lower your stress level, and I'll see you back here in a month. We'll be able to do an ultrasound then, but I imagine you'll be able to see the baby much better yourself before then." "Right. Thanks, Bernie," she replied with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "You're welcome, Lois. Call if you need anything." She nodded and quietly left his office. She walked down the corridors of the office building on the STAR Labs campus and stepped outside into the oppressive, muggy heat of an August day in Metropolis. The humid air hung thickly all around, had she been without her powers, it would have clung to her skin, making her feel warm and clammy, just like all the other denizens of Metropolis not so blessed with invulnerability. The heat radiated off the hundreds of square miles of blacktop and reflected off the glass of the forests of skyscrapers crammed into the neat city blocks, creating a pressure cooker that ensured the city was set to simmer in its own steam all summer long. In just a few weeks she'd say goodbye to Metropolis and its unbearably hot summers and streets choked with pedestrians and traffic jams and construction sites, and to all of the millions of city sounds that pulsed day and night, that gave the city it's vibrant and constant rhythm. There were times when Lois couldn't believe that she, a life long city dweller, was moving to a little farm in Smallville, Kansas. There was no question, however, that she needed to do this. She needed to be closer to the Kents. She'd have to work out with Bernie the logistics involved with the end of the pregnancy and labor, but that was something that they still had time to consider. For now, she needed to be near the people who could help her through this, who were experiencing the same pain she was, but who worked so hard to live their lives as best they could in his absence. She needed to be with her family. Lois pulled the chain around her neck out from under her blouse and held the large gold band between her fingers. She paused as she gazed at it, a gossamer thread that connected her to Clark despite the distance between them. The corners of her mouth turned upward in the faintest hint of a smile as the familiar tattoo invaded her consciousness. The sound never ceased to give her pause whenever she heard it. It humbled her, left her in awe. The smile faded, though the sound remained, singing steadily its tempo, almost too quick to measure. The individual beats blended together to create a low hum, like a purr. Lois loved to listen to it. The sound made her feel connected to something, to something greater, more important. It connected her to the baby, and it connected her to him. Just like the ring she wore around her neck did. He was always with her. No matter the distance. ******** It was late when Clark and Zara finally called an end to the meeting with the Advisory Council. Wearily, they'd made the very short trip from the meeting room to the Ministers' Residence. Clark was just starting to get his bearings about him and he'd realized that the Ministers' Residence was right at the heart of the main colony, in the same complex as the Council Chambers, the seat of the Court, and the bureaucratic offices. The next ring around the seat of governance was comprised of civilian housing, as well as schools, meeting halls -- all the things that held a community together, even when the community was a rough hewn colony carved into an inhospitable place like New Krypton. Radiating out from the center of the colony were different wings, dedicated to military and civilian manufacturing and production, the Ground and Air Commands of the Kryptonian forces, the scientific research labs, and the university. Kryptonians held learning in such high regard it bordered on reverence. They knew that it was through their science that they had managed to survive, and the dedication to that science was stronger than ever. Similarly, those placed in charge of instructing the next generation of scholars were admired above all others. The tasks involved in keeping their colony alive, however, had militarized Kryptonian society; every Kryptonian citizen was a soldier as well as a scholar. It was a society that valued integrity, discipline, and knowledge - all very admirable traits, but he wondered what they'd given up to achieve this. It wasn't that Kryptonians showed no love or kindness, he'd seen both of these. While they may have been more formal and more reserved than the people he'd lived with his entire life, they demonstrated these things, even if that demonstration was subtle. What they lacked were joy and wonder. Theirs was a society that couldn't hold the universe in awe since they spent most of their life in a heroic struggle against it. And simple pleasures seemed beyond them. How could you run barefoot through summer grass as a little kid if your world didn't have grass, or seasons for that matter? How could you lie on your back and watch clouds float across the sky if your atmosphere couldn't support clouds, or sustain the breeze necessary to send them drifting through the sky? What Kryptonians seemed to lack was the ability to be happy for no reason at all. Their lives were spent trying to win points to tally on the cosmic ledger in a battle against a hostile universe that would concede to them nothing. That left very little time to goof off, do nothing productive, and just enjoy the time alone or in good company. Clark sat down on the corner of the bed in his chambers. The guard had directed him and Zara to their private quarters at the end of the hall and had bid them a good evening. They'd entered together walking first through the sizable study, with its pair of large desks, and complicated communications system to find a large, round, room with soaring, vaulted ceilings. Bookcases, tall bureaus, and ornate dressers stood against the walls. Soft lights from all around bathed the room in a warm glow. A large bed, covered in pillows and thick blankets was the focal point of the room, drawing the eye of any observer immediately to it. On either side of the bed stood identical night stands. "That's a bit presumptuous, isn't it?" Clark asked as he regarded the bed skeptically. "Actually it isn't," Zara replied. "The designers tried to presume as little as possible; there are separate bedrooms on either side of this chamber." She gestured toward more of those almost invisible doors, well hidden on opposite sides of the room. He walked over to one and with a simple touch, it slid open. Behind the door stood a much simpler looking room, not unlike the one where he'd spent the previous night. A smaller bed stood against one wall. Opposite it was a large desk. A small table and two chairs sat unobtrusively in one corner and at the other end of the room was the door to his washroom. It was late now and he was alone in his darkened room, having bid Zara a good night a short while before. He'd taken off his heavy mantle with its stiff, uncomfortable collar and had changed for bed. While it looked rather absurd, he'd had to keep the heavy wrist cuffs on - Zara had informed him that while he could remove them to wash, at no other time was he to be without them. They were a symbol of his service to the people and unlike all other servants of New Krypton, at no point was his time his own. There was no separation between private and public personas. At every moment of every day, he served New Krypton. Well, it wasn't as though he was going to settle down, join the PTA, get a mortgage, and a timeshare here. His personal life, who he was, was still on Earth. He held the ring between his thumb and fingers and looked down at it. How simple, how perfect it was. How much it reminded him of its owner and of everything waiting for him a million worlds away from this place. How much it represented everything he wanted, and everything he was supposed to have. He read the inscription in it, long ago memorized, and the words gave him comfort. 'I have loved you from the beginning.' And he had loved her from the beginning. He'd loved her from the moment he'd met her and he would love her every day of the rest of his life. He would love her long after. Whatever happened, that was the one thing that could never change. "I love you," he whispered quietly, just as he did every night. He let the ring--warmed by his hand--go. It hit his chest with a soft bounce and hung there on the end of its chain. ******** "A visitor to see you, sir." Clark's head snapped up as he looked around for the source of the voice. He recognized it as Rul's, but he was still very much alone in his quarters. 'Probably some hidden announcement system,' he mused as he tried to adjust the collar on his greatcoat. He scratched as his neck where the harsh fabric had been chafing his skin, leaving a red ring around his throat. His eyes darted across the room in search of an intercom, but if the device existed, it was hidden from view. He opened his door and entered the antechamber, where Zara sat engrossed in the military briefing reports that had been prepared in the scant hours since they'd retired for the evening. It was early in the morning, but the nights of little sleep were likely to become routine. "Good morning, Kal El," she said without looking up from the communications screen in front of her. "Did you hear that?" he asked. "Ensign Rul's announcement? Yes, I imagine she is on the other side of the door." "Right," Clark replied. He opened the door to find, as expected, Ensign Rul waiting for him. She bowed politely and he returned the gesture. "My apologies for any disturbance, sir," she said. "But you have a visitor." "Who is it?" Clark asked. "His name is Tao Scion," She replied. "I haven't met him, have I?" Clark asked. "No sir," Rul said. "He is a physician." "All right." "And a friend of your father's," she continued. "What?" Clark exclaimed. "Tao Scion says he was a friend of Jor El's, many years ago, before your father died," she replied. Clark felt his mouth go dry. "Take me to him, please," he managed. Rul bowed again. "Of course, sir." They started down the hallway, Rul a half step ahead of Clark, subtly leading the way to the receiving room, where his visitor was waiting. Clark swallowed uncomfortably, his throat dry. Anticipation grew in him, forming a hard knot in the pit of his stomach. He'd met a few people who'd made vaguely sympathetic noises when mentioning his parents, but if this man truly was a friend of his father's maybe he'd finally get some answers to the questions that had plagued him his whole life. He appreciated the globe his parents had left him, but it couldn't slake his thirst to know more about them - who they were, what they were like. At the end of a long hallway, many twists and turns from their starting point (which Clark was quite sure he couldn't find from here) Rul opened a set of double doors to the receiving room. The room's only occupant, a severe looking old man with a shock of white hair turned to regard them. He wore long white robes in ethereal contrast to the simple black military uniforms Clark and Rul were wearing. His expression was set grimly and the worry lines etched into his face were so deep and frozen that his entire face seemed carved of stone. His darkened mood, however, soon lifted and the harsh lines relaxed until a genuine smile crept across his face. He stared at Clark in disbelief. "By the fates," he muttered softly to himself as he shook his head. He walked toward Clark, each step more hurried than the last until he was practically running toward the younger man. "Sir..." Clark began before finding himself in a distinctively un-Kryptonian embrace. Tao Scion stepped back, still smiling. A younger man might have felt sheepish about throwing the First Minister and Commander of the Forces of New Krypton into a bear hug but Tao Scion was too old and too practical to concern himself with such things. His smile faded a little, sadness creeping into his expression. "From the depths of time, Jor El and Lara stare at me through those eyes," he said. "How they would have longed to see the man their son has become. Come on, Kal El, there is much that this old man must share with his former patient." Tao Scion put an arm around Clark's shoulder. "I was there when you were born, you know," he began with a chuckle. ******** "Lois, honey, I have no idea how this scumbag found out, but when I figure it out, well, fire and brimstone won't begin to cover it," Perry seethed. Lois stared distantly at the full color scandal rag in her hands. The headline screamed at her "What Were They Hiding?" in 72-point typeface. The photo to go along with it came from their aborted first attempt at a wedding. She felt the bile rise up in her throat at the memories the image evoked. The insert boxes suggested tawdry possibilities from the expected and silly speculation of a 'shotgun wedding' to the more sinister suggestions that Clark's disappearance had nothing to do with the New Kryptonians and everything to do with being a dad-to-be with cold feet or that the baby wasn't Clark's. She was sure there was more puerile drivel inside, but she didn't have the stomach to open it up and check for herself. She dropped the offending tabloid on the corner of Perry's desk and started to pace. God, she wanted to scream. She could feel the blood reach a simmer and then break the boiling point in her veins. Couldn't she get just one lousy, measly little break here? Were the Fates really out to get her that badly? She tried to take a deep breath and stared through the blinds out into the bullpen. What was it Bernie had told her about stress? Right, it was bad. Something to be avoided. Good luck with that one, Lane. "It's no one's fault," she said, surprised at