The Foundling - Matchmaker Style 1/10
When Virginia proposed the challenge of taking a first season story and having it result in Lois and Clark being married I took up the challenge and "The Green, Green Glow of Home - Matchmaker Style" was the result.
That was all well and good, but then I started thinking - What about future episodes? How would the fact that they are now married affect the dynamic? For instance, how would "Pheromone My Lovely" have been changed by the marriage? How would it affect "Honeymoon in Metropolis" and "All Shook Up", "Witness", "Illusions of Grandeur" and "Ides of Metropolis"?
In the previous stories, you've seen my take on the answer. So, now, to answer the question - ‘What if Lois and Clark were already married when The Foundling happened?' I offer the following.
The Foundling - Matchmaker Style
Rated PG-13
Disclaimers: The characters in this story are property of DC, December 3rd productions and Warner Bros. No Copyright infringement is intended. I have just borrowed the characters for a short time.
In this, the sequel to Ides of Metropolis - Matchmaker Style. Lois and Clark have been back from the assignment in Smallville for a few weeks. The events of PML were delightful; however, Lois really has no recollection of what happened. Clark finally had a chance to give Lois a real honeymoon. Then her life had been threatened because she had witnessed a murder. Next they investigated the kidnappings of the children of wealthy families. Now they are dealing with an innocent man accused of murder and a threat to the internet.
Lois and Clark now have returned to Clark's ‘old' apartment.
In this particular story a lot of the dialogue is taken from the script text. I wish to express my thanks to my Beta readers Artemis and Ray Reynolds for their invaluable help. This was a VERY rough draft when it first landed in their hands.
* * denotes emphasis
< > denotes thoughts
As always comments are welcome. (ken.janney@kjanney.com)
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Chapter 1
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Universal Locator Designation
Alpha -34 x Gamma 255 x Tau -225
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Winter had faded into spring in Metropolis. Spring - the season when a young man's fancy turns to the woman that he loves, but that is not apparent from what we see.
Lois was in bed, alone, clutching Clark's pillow to her breast so that she could breathe in his masculine, musky scent. This hadn't been done consciously, but reflexively. Clark had left the bed almost an hour before, having been awakened by a neighbor's radio broadcasting an emergency request for Superman. An Air France flight was circling Orly Airport, running out its fuel prior to attempting to make an emergency landing because the port side main landing gear would not lock in the down position.
Superman had responded and immediately had seen the problem. He had cleared the jam and had pulled the gear down manually. After doing that he had flown up next to the cockpit and signaled for confirmation. The flight engineer had checked his panel and confirmed a green light so the pilot had signaled okay. Superman had stayed with the plane, actually flying under the port wing as it landed so that if the gear collapsed he would be able to support the wing and prevent a tragedy. The tragedy was averted and the plane landed safely.
Being mindful of having left Lois alone in bed, Superman didn't stick around for the media coverage, but instead claimed another emergency demanding his attention and flew off.
He had been gone just over an hour when he landed on the balcony and reentered the bedroom of the apartment. As soon as he stepped in he spun into his sleep shorts and stopped in his tracks, taking in the scene before him … the object of his fancy.
Lois was curled around his pillow with her face buried in it. Most of the covers had been thrown off and he had a perfect view of her slender shapely legs from the point that the shortie nightie and her bikini bottoms ended.
He marveled, not for the first time that this woman, this most beautiful of women would consent to marry him. Him, of all people, an alien, not exactly a stranger to the planet, not of this Earth, yet of the Earth. Born on another planet, but growing up here as an Earthman yet having his powers. The simple fact that she accepted him, as he was, with all of his quirks and abilities amazed him once again. He knew that she loved him, as much as he loved her and that too was unbelievable him.
He wondered, not for the first time, how long it would have taken to get to this point in their relationship if Herb hadn't given her the future memories. Herb had told them that there were many parallel universes in the multiverse and that in almost all there were versions of each of them. He tried to imagine how things would have worked out without that interference. She hadn't been too thrilled, initially, about being teamed with him and seeing the interest that Luthor was displaying in her he wondered if perhaps he might have made a play to woo her.
Shaking his head at the thought, he wondered how something like that would have played out. Would she have married Luthor? How could he have competed with Lex Luthor? Talk about an uneven competition, a working stiff against the third richest man in the world. How could he compete in that arena? But thanks to Herb and the memory transfer here she was, his wife, sharing his bed and her body with him, deeply in love with each other.
Floating so as to make no noise he moved over the bed and positioned himself so that he would be spooned against her back and sharing her pillow when he lowered himself to the bed.
As he settled onto the bed she stirred. He put his arm around her waist and she sighed in contentment and relaxed back against him in her sleep. Not for the first time, he marveled at how well they fit together, the feeling of completeness he felt when she was in his arms. Her sigh of contentment told him that she felt it also and he smiled in that knowledge.
Suddenly a bright light shone out into the room. It was bright enough to awaken Lois. In a sleep slurred mumble she asked, "Why'd you turn on the lights? It's not time to get up yet." She opened bleary eyes and looked at the clock, "It's 4:02 in the morning, Kent. We aren't in Kansas anymore, farmboy. We don't have to get up with the chickens."
Looking around in surprise, he replied, "I … I didn't! I don't know what that is." He finally spotted the source of the light emanating from the last place he would ever have expected, a small chest on his bookshelf. The light was streaming out of the crack where the lid met the body of the chest as well as miscellaneous cracks between the slats of the chest. He let out an explosive breath as he recognized the source. He said, "I don't … how??"
Lois asked, "What? What is it?"
"The globe!"
"Globe? What globe?"
"Oh, yeah. I never told you. Remember way back when we broke into the Bureau 39 warehouse on Bessolo Blvd?"
"Yeah, there was a lot of junk that Trask thought could have come from UFOs. I didn't see anything that even came close to convincing me of UFOs."
"I never told you … he had my ship."
Wide awake now, Lois was startled, "He had
what??"
"Trask had my ship, the ship my parents found me in. He also had a file about Smallville in 1966. Apparently he found it where my dad hid it. He had dug it up or his predecessor had. It must have been his predecessor, he wasn't that old. Whoever it was they had the ship and the file."
Sitting up, Lois felt some anger stirring. She challenged, "Why didn't you tell me about it at the time?"
Clark was somewhat sheepish as he replied, "Well, that was before we were close … and … and at that time … all you could talk about was Superman. You weren't too thrilled about me being there with you."
"Okay, I guess you're right, but what is this?"
"Along with the ship there was this small globe. It looked like an Earth globe until I picked it up and then it changed … the colors changed and the continents changed shape and I had a mental image of a word … Krypton. That was when I knew the name of the planet of my birth."
"How come I didn't see it while we were in the warehouse?"
"As soon as I found it, I put it in my coat pocket. With my jacket unbuttoned it wasn’t too obvious. You were busy looking around on the other side of the room."
"So, you took Superman's, your, globe and stuck it in your pocket and never said anything to me, your partner, about it."
"I planned to … I just never got around to it."
Lois was becoming impatient, wanting to see this object and started to gesture as she said, "Well, now's as good a time as any. Let's get it out and take a look."
Clark climbed out of bed and pulled a small key from a nightstand drawer. Walking over to the bookshelves he picked up the small chest and carried it over to the nightstand. After setting it down he used the key to unlock it and open the top. When he did, bright light flooded the room.
When he opened the lid Lois and Clark could see the face of the Earth on the globe. But when Clark reached in to pick it up, however, it changed color, becoming predominantly reds and greens, and the continents melted and flowed into those of Krypton.
Suddenly, the light from the globe increased in intensity and several beams of coherent light streamed out from the globe and where they intersected they formed into a life sized holographic image. What Lois and Clark saw was the image of a man. A very distinguished man that to all appearances was about the same age as Clark with somewhat longer hair and looked very much like him dressed all in white with Superman's crest on his chest.
Lois nudged him and said, "You'd look good in white. Did you ever consider that when you were planning the costume?"
Clark was staring at the image floating in the air of the bedroom and just shook his head. "No, Mom thought that bright primary colors would be best ..."
If he was going to say any more about the costume design process she would never know, because he was interrupted not by any audible sound, but by a mental voice:
"My name is Jor-El, and you are Kal-El, my son. The object you hold has been attuned to you. That you now hear these words is proof that you survived the journey in space and have reached your full maturity. If you have found your life mate and she is also attuned to you, she will also hear me. Now it is time for you to learn about your heritage. To that end, I will appear to you five times. Watch for the light, listen, and learn."The holographic scene shifted and instead of a blank background it now showed what appeared to be a laboratory. There were tables with consoles scattered around with other equipment. Jor-El was standing before a waist-level console, which he was manipulating by weaving his hands in the air above it. Attached to the console was a large view screen on which multicolored lights swirled. To one side was a long work table, strewn with odd bits of metal and plastic. To the other side, was a large, plain pedestal upon which, egg-like, rested a capsule of some transparent material. The interior of the capsule was suffused with mist.
As the scene panned across the laboratory they continued to hear Jor-El speaking,
"Time grows short and we continue to search. The immensity of space is both a blessing and a curse. In that near infinite variety there must be some place suitable. We search for a suitable refuge. Hope and desperation drive us in equal measure."As the hologram continued to play a woman, dressed elegantly in purest white almost Grecian style robes entered the scene. Her long chestnut colored hair cascaded down her back past her shoulder blades. Her features held a classical beauty. She also had the Superman crest on her robes.
Looking back and forth between the couple in the hologram and Clark, Lois thought to herself, <With parents that looked like that, it's no wonder Clark is so devastatingly handsome.>
As they continued to watch the woman joined Jor-El who was standing next to the capsule. She gestured toward the screen and Jor-El simply shook his head. Moving closer to the capsule, they both peered inside. Lois and Clark could see a vague form in the capsule, through the mist.
Jor-El continued his narrative over the video scene,
"My life mate, Lara, works by my side. She is tireless and endlessly patient. Considering what is soon to come, this is my greatest consolation: that we are together."Suddenly the audio cut out and the scene started to shake, not that the image was unsteady, but that the objects being recorded were in turn being shaken by a planetquake. In the background one of the consoles started flashing an alarm. As the shaking proceeded, Lara sought the safety of her life mate's arms. After less than thirty seconds which seemed an eternity the quake subsided and the console stopped flashing its alarm. As Jor-El released Lara the beams of light retreated back into the globe.
Shaken by this experience, Clark, with trembling hands, replaced the globe in the chest and closing the lid relocked it.
Lois was the first to say anything, "Wow! That was amazing. I wonder if this has something to do with why you are here."
Still almost in shock, Clark muttered, "Kal-El. My name is Kal-El."
Lois put her arms around Clark and said, "Yes, now we know your Kryptonian name. Kal-El. I think I like it. It suits you, Kal. The ‘El' part must be the family name, like Kent. I like it, but I think I like Clark Kent better. Wow, we might finally find out why you were sent here. It doesn't look like you were abandoned. It sure looks like there was a problem, all that shaking, like an earthquake. Did they live in a place like California or was this a planet-wide problem?"
As he was replacing the chest he said, "I don't know. I guess we'll have to hear more before we will know for sure."
After Clark put the chest back on the shelf Lois pulled him back toward the bed, "Come on, Honey. It is still 4:30 in the morning. I need some more sleep. Tomorrow is Saturday. We have the day off so we're going to have a long day ahead of us. I think we ought to go to Smallville and talk this over with your parents."
"Are you sure we need to talk this over with my parents?"
"Yes, I do. As your adoptive parents, they're involved. I'm right and you know it."
"Why are you always right?"
"I just am and you'd better not forget it, Mr. Kent."
"All right, Mrs. Kent."
Lois yawned, pulled him down next to her and pulling his arm across her stomach, snuggled into his side. She closed her eyes and was quickly asleep.
Sleep didn't come as quickly for Clark. He watched her sleep and thought about what they had seen and heard.
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Lois and Clark, Martha and Jonathan sat around the kitchen table having breakfast. Seeing that Lois had finished her eggs, Martha asked, "More eggs, Dear?"
Lois patted her lips with her napkin, then patted her belly and said, "No thanks, Martha. I've had plenty. It's all so delicious. I love your breakfasts. I'm glad you taught Clark how to cook. I've always been helpless in the kitchen."
Clark stopped her and said, "Not anymore you aren't."
Martha gave her a look and raised an eyebrow.
In reply to the unasked question, Lois smiled and said, "Clark's been teaching me. We started off with simple things. I'm becoming a breakfast chef, although, I'll never be as good as you or Clark, but I can make eggs several ways, French toast and even pancakes and I usually avoid providing a burnt sacrifice in place of breakfast."
Martha smiled and said, "Good. Next time we are in Metropolis, I'll let
you cook."
With a frown, Lois said, "Me and my big mouth," but secretly she was pleased that Martha was willing to give her a try.
Clark, Martha and Jonathan all laughed at that one. Eventually, Lois even joined in after she came to the realization that Martha, because of who she was, wouldn't be judgmental if she failed.
Jonathan asked, "So, tell me, what was so important that you needed to make a special trip out here this morning?"
"It is because of the globe."
Not comprehending, Jonathan said, "If you need a globe, I think we still have the one we had when you were in school around here somewhere."
"No, Dad. We don't need a globe. This is about the one we have."
"What's so special about this globe that you needed to come out here?"
"This is a very special globe. It was in the ship that brought me to Earth. When Lois and I broke into Bureau 39's warehouse ... I found my ship under a tarpaulin. On the nose there was a little globe showing the map of the Earth. Out of curiosity I touched it, it, sort of, spoke to me. When it did the image changed and became a map of Krypton. Somehow I knew that it belonged to me so I … stuck it in my pocket and … and I didn't tell Lois anything about it."
"Why didn't you tell Lois about it, son?"
"This was back when I first started at the Planet, before we were together. Lois had a thing for Superman …"
Lois chimed in, "You can say that again. All I could see was Superman. I couldn't see the great guy right there next to me, but that's all ancient history now."
"With all that's been happening, pheromones, nightfall, murders, kidnappings … I just never got around to telling Lois about it. It just sat there in the chest … until last night, or rather early this morning. "
"But why now? Apparently you've had it for months. What happened this morning," Martha asked.
"I don't know, Mom. Except, Jor-El, that's my father's name, said it was 'attuned to me and my companion.' Maybe it and I weren't meant to be separated for so long. Maybe it's taken a while to … warm up and maybe to add Lois."
Lois added a thought, "Or perhaps it took a while for us to be attuned, whatever that means. Could that mean that we are becoming more simpatico or maybe something deeper? Herb said that I was being changed and that eventually that would make it so that we could have babies. Maybe that's the kind of change needed for me to be attuned to you."
Jonathan asked, "What did it show you?"
"My biological parents, their names are, Jor-El and Lara, he called her his life mate, and a world in chaos." He gave Lois a grin and said, "I guess that makes Lois my life mate."
Jonathan was now finding this to be awkward, as the adoptive parent to be speaking of the biological parents, "The people, Jor-El and Lara, do you have any memory of them at all?"
Clark shook his head and said, "No, none."
There was a moment of shared silence that was broken by Lois, "How do you feel about this, Clark?"
"Scared. Excited. Overwhelmed." He paused in thought before he looked at his parents and continued, "I've gone my entire life not knowing how or why I was left on your doorstep. So many unanswered questions ... What was Krypton like? Who were my parents? Did everyone there have powers like me? Will I continue to age normally? Can I die?" He paused again before he continued. He threw up his hands and said, "Now I'm about to find out."
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