Beginnings

By Anonpip <anonpip@gmail.com>

Rated: PG

Submitted: September 2008

Summary: A sequel, or sort of, to this author's "Secrets."

Author's Note: All characters are the property of Warner Bros, December 3rd Productions, ABC, and anyone else who may have a legal claim on them. The story, however, is mine.

***

~Smallville, Kansas 1966~

"What was that?" she asked, peering out the passenger window.

"I don't know," he replied, shrugging his shoulders as he did.

"Let's go look," she suggested, sounding excited as she reached for the door handle.

"Martha," he started to plead with her, but he stopped when she turned around. He was powerless to say no to that smile.

"Come on, Jonathan. It will be fun."

With a groan of defeat, he followed her out of the car.

~Baldwsin, New Troy 1966~

"What was that?" she asked, her voice just barely a whisper.

"I'm not sure," he replied. "But I don't think we should go outside for a little while."

"Of course not!" she said, surprised he even mentioned it. "Who would go outside in this?"

~Smallville, Kansas 1966~

"Oh, Jonathan," she whispered, watching the baby in her arms. "He's beautiful."

"He sure is," Jonathan agreed, reaching out a finger to run gently down the infant's cheek. "And you are going to be an amazing mother to him."

"Not as good as you are going to be a father," Martha replied, leaning over to kiss him. "It's like all our prayers have been answered."

~Baldwsin, New Troy 1966~

A heavy snow fell all night, covering the small capsule. As it had landed in a small field that was unowned, it would be days before the snow would melt around it. By that point, the little capsule would be buried under other muck and would be difficult, if not impossible, to find.

~Smallville, Kansas 1977~

"Look, Mama!" little Clark cried. "Look what I found."

Martha held out her hand and then stifled a scream when Clark put a frog in her hand. Quickly closing her other hand over it, she walked Clark to the door. "I think this belongs outside, sweetie."

"But Mama, can't I keep him as a pet?"

"Would you like to be kept in a cage, Clark?" Martha asked gently.

"No, Mama," Clark said glumly. A minute later though, he saw his father walking up the drive.

"Daddy!" he screamed as he ran to meet Jonathan. Jonathan leaned over to grab him in his arms. "How are you, son?"

"I found a frog, Daddy."

~Baldwsin, New Troy 1977~

There was a soft hiss as it opened. The tiny infant within had not grown for the first several years it had been sitting on this spot. A few months ago, though, that had changed, and now the infant, more a toddler actually, was straining to get out. He pushed and the sides of the ship fell open.

The boy crawled out and holding tightly to the side of the capsule, he stood. He took tentative steps away from the capsule and soon was several feet away. He kept wandering until he came to a door. He tilted his head all the way back to look up, but there was no way over or around it. With a sigh, he sat down, his head moving left and right, taking in the sights of the world around him.

A woman walked up to the door, her arms full of bags and stopped abruptly just before she reached him. She placed her bags on the porch, leaning over to look at him closely.

"Why, hello, little one," she said. "Where did you come from?"

He just looked at her quizzically. With a sigh, she opened her door and grabbed some of the bags in one hand and took his hand with the other. Once she had him sitting inside and had brought all the groceries in, she left him inside for a moment to take a look around outside. There must be someone looking for him anxiously, or a note, or something.

It took her five minutes to find the small capsule, the sides still open. She picked it up gently, feeling a little afraid of it, before she brought it inside. Was this somehow related to the boy in her house?

She placed it down in the middle of her living room and the boy waddled over to it, climbing inside to lie down. She stifled a gasp. He fit. Nearly perfectly.

"Carrie?" the voice came from the doorway.

"Jack, you have to see this," she said, her voice soft.

Her husband walked over, looking at the sight on his living room floor warily. "Carrie, what is this?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "He was sitting on the porch when I got home. I brought him inside and then went to go look around and found this. As soon as I set it down, he climbed inside."

"Well, what are we supposed to do with him?" Jack asked.

Carrie shrugged her shoulders. "Keep him here for a few hours. Someone is bound to come looking for him."

"Unless he came in that... spaceship," Jack said.

"You really think it's a spaceship?" Carrie asked.

Jack shrugged. "No, not really. But I think I should show it to Joe."

"Joe? Why?"

"Well, if it is a spaceship, he'll know what to do with the boy."

"Jack, what are you talking about? You can't turn this little boy over to the government like he's a science experiment gone wrong!"

"What are we supposed to do with him? Keep him?" From her look, he felt himself tense. She could not really mean to keep this boy. "Carrie, we've talked about this. The life of an NIA agent is not conducive to having a family."

"I know that," Carrie said quietly, trying to stop the tears she could feel building behind her eyes. "But this wasn't us deciding to have a baby. This little boy found us."

"And now we un-find him," Jack said.

"You can't mean that!"

"Carrie, I'm a government agent. If this ship or this boy has information on life on other planets, life that could attack us at some time, I need to report it."

"Jack, look at him. He's a little boy," Carrie pleaded. When Jack did not respond, she repeated, "Look at him!"

Jack leaned down to look at the little boy curled up in the small ship. He fit in there perfectly, although if he tried to extend his legs, he would be too long. The boy would probably be more comfortable in a bed.

Jack reached down and lifted the sleeping boy up from the ship and carried him to the guest room. He would let the boy sleep here tonight, but tomorrow he was going to talk to Joe.

When he placed him on the bed, though, the boy's eyes opened. He looked around the room inquisitively and seeing Jack sitting on the edge of the bed, he moved over, snuggled himself against Jack's leg. With a sigh he fell back to sleep. And Jack Olsen was in love.

~Metropolis, New Troy 1994~

"But... but Jimmy... you're flying!" Clark said, astonished.

"I know, CK. But this really isn't the time to talk about it. Lois is going to have your hide if you don't get back in there."

"But you're flying!" Clark repeated.

"I'm from Krypton, too. My parents were friends of yours and they decided to send me to Earth as well. We can talk about this some other time, CK. You need to get back to Lois."

Clark seemed to regain control of his breathing and he reached over to pat Jimmy on the shoulder. "Thanks, Jim."

"No problem. It feels good to do this," Jimmy admitted, before flying faster, leaving Clark behind and zooming towards the emergency where he was going to learn how to help others like Superman.

THE END