Sorry this took so long. Freezing weather kept knocking the lights out over the last couple of days. Hope someone's still interested!
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Lois and Clark shared breakfast in en-route to MDFCS the following morning, deciding they might have indeed had a story come to them. They arrived with five minutes to spare and asked for directions to Ms. Grange's office.
Dana Grange was a young black woman that carried herself with an air of power and authority. She extended her hand to Clark when she came down the hallway to greet them.
“You must be Clark Kent," she said with a smile.
“Yes,” he replied as he shook her hand.
Dana withdrew and looked at Lois. “And you don’t need an introduction. I recognize you from your photos.” She reached to shake Lois’ hand.
“Thank you, I think.” Lois shrugged slightly at Clark.
“I didn’t realize you were bringing your partner, Mr. Kent.”
“Isn’t this about a story?”
“No. This is personal.” The woman's expression had grown quite serious.
“Personal? I’m afraid I don’t understand. I wasn’t aware I needed the assistance of your agency," Clark stated in confusion.
“No, I’m sure you weren’t,” Ms. Grange replied.
Her cryptic answer didn’t sit too well with Lois. She shifted next to Clark, but he settled her with a gentle touch to her arm.
“Shall we speak in private?” Ms. Grange asked Clark.
Clark glanced at Lois before speaking. “Ms. Grange, Lois isn’t just my partner at work. She’s also my fiancé. Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of her.”
Dana appeared to look Lois over before she smiled. “This may make things a little easier then. Please, come to my office.”
Clark looked at Lois before taking her hand as they followed the woman down the hall to her office. She offered them a seat and took the one behind her desk.
“I’m not exactly sure how to say this. First, Mr. Kent, do you know a Kimberly Logan?”
Clark was puzzled by that question, but could answer immediately. “Yes. She and I went to college together, but I haven’t seen her since.”
Dana nodded her head as she sifted through some papers. “You and she were part of Midwestern State class of…”
“1987,” Clark helped out.
“Right.” Dana put the papers down and leaned back in her chair to look at Clark. “About a month ago, the Oregon Department of Family Services contacted us. Ms. Logan passed away two years ago.”
Clark was silent for a moment before he spoke. “I didn’t know.”
“She died in a car accident.”
“I don’t see where this has anything to do with me,” Clark told her with a frown.
“Well, you see, Mr. Kent, Ms. Logan left behind a shocked, grieving father and a son.”
Clark's mind raced through his memories of his relationship with Kim and suddenly he felt as if the wind had been knocked from him. He'd shared an intimate relationship with Kim and now a social worker was speaking of a son. Did they believe him to be this child's father? Was it possible the girl he'd known could have done something as terrible as to keep such information from him? Sure, they'd had a rough time at the end of their relationship, but had he *really* not known her at all?
Lois’ eyes immediately shot to Clark. Judging by his reaction, she had very good reason to be concerned over this news.
“Mr. Kent,” Dana continued. “We have reason to believe Ms. Grange’s son is…”
“Mine,” Clark finished for her.
Now it was Lois’ turn to catch her breath.
“Oh, God,” Clark gasped and dropped back against the chair.
Dana reached for the papers on her desk again. “Jackie Davies from Oregon DFS was put in charge of the child's case when his mother died. His grandfather was no longer able to care for the boy after a month and has since died of heart failure. That left the minor ward of the state as Miss Logan had no other family. Miss Logan left a will, but unfortunately the only named caretaker for her son was her father. However, the will did go on to state the names of the men that could be the child’s father.”
“Names?” Lois was temporarily snapped from her thoughts. “How many?”
“Five, counting Mr. Kent.”
Lois was numb, unable to determine which emotion she felt more. What kind of woman had Clark been involved with? Or was this some cruel joke? She could stare between him and Ms. Grange incredulously.
This couldn't be happening. Not now. He finally had everything he could possibly want. What if this child was his?
“Miss. Logan stated in her will that she had been assaulted,” Dana went on. “Did you know about this?”
“Yes,” Clark replied. “She had been to a frat party during spring break. Four guys raped her in one of the rooms of the frat house. She was too humiliated to turn them in because she'd indulged a little more than she should have. I tried unsuccessfully to change her mind, but she insisted no one would believe her.”
“So I guess you were the boy scout whose shoulder she cried on?” Lois asked sarcastically, unable to remain quiet any longer. It wasn't a fair assumption to make, but the pain she felt from this news was starting to take over. Lashing out was her way of dealing with those types of situations.
Clark looked over at Lois. “Come on. Don’t do this here,” he pleaded in a fierce whisper. The last thing he needed was for Lois to blow things out of proportion without hearing all the relevant details first. Of course, he could certainly understand how she felt. He was incredibly shocked by this revelation. Yet, right now he needed Lois to remain calm because he was certain he'd need her more than he ever had.
Lois tried to glare at Clark, but failed miserably. While she knew this was neither the place nor the time to get into a heated debate over Clark's past relationships, she couldn't stop the feeling of betrayal welling inside her. Just the night before they'd discussed the intimacy issue, and she'd opened up to Clark about her past. Why hadn't he done the same? Was he ashamed of the things he'd done? This felt remarkably the same as when she'd finally learned his other secret.
Dana began to doubt her earlier conviction that Clark’s impending marriage was a good idea after all when she saw Lois drop her head and Clark sigh heavily. She could tell the young couple loved one another and desperately needed to discuss this. However, she had a job that needed to be done. “Anyway, the boy was born in 1988. When he was left to the state, Mrs. Davies did everything she could to place him with a good family until the men on that list could be ruled out.”
“And this took two years?” Clark asked, unable to stop the question from leaving his lips. No matter if this boy was his or not, the little guy hadn't deserved to be without a secure and loving home.
Lois forced her mind to remain open, her nerves calm as Clark spoke. It was definitely something his compassionate nature would lead him to ask. Even if his words did make him sound like he was... Well, he didn't *really* sound glad. But...
<Please don't let this be happening.> Lois pleaded with whomever might be listening.
“You have to understand that this isn’t the only case our offices handle, Mr. Kent. Things like this take time. And there were four other men to discount.”
“Discount?” That jumped out at Lois. “You’ve proven these men weren’t the father?” <Oh, God, please no.> If the other men were not the father, there was a very good possibility that Clark could be. And if he is? What would that mean to them?
“Yes, Ms. Lane. The other four men could not possibly be this child’s father. The tests were conclusive. You see, the child has a very… odd blood type. In fact, it’s so odd, the labs have been unable to determine the type.”
Clark wanted to panic. Until just now, he hadn’t even thought about the blood tests. Of course, he was aware that paternity was proven that way. He couldn’t take a test like that. Someone might discover more about him than he wanted them to know. But what about this child? Whether the boy was truly his son or not, there should be proof. As his mind rushed forward to search for a solution to this mounting problem, he looked to Lois with an anguished expression.
She, too, had paniced when Ms. Grange mentioned blood tests. Wide, fearful eyes searched Clark's for answers to the many questions building around them.
“It’s amazing really," Ms. Grange continued, temporarily distracting the couple from their fears. "The child’s blood isn’t radically different from any other, but it does contain properties not seen before.”
“Properties?” Clark needed to know as many details as possible. Finding out about a potential child and losing his identity all once was too much to contemplate.
“Healing properties, a few more white blood cells, and doesn’t break down as easily. The scientists say he’s simply incredibly healthy. Other than that, nothing extraordinary. So, proving or disproving you as the child’s father should only take a matter of hours. The lab knows exactly what to look for.”
“And I’d have to give a blood sample?” Once again, he felt panicked. How could he do that? Needles couldn’t puncture his skin. Lois shifted in her chair, a sure sign that she was afraid of that scenario as well.
“No, no. Your mouth would be swabbed. It would only take a second.”
Unable to trust her emotions a moment longer, Lois shot to her feet, mumbled 'excuse me, and hurried from the room. She’d wanted desperately to hear every detail, but the shock of the whole situation, compounded with her fear over Clark's identity would no longer allow her to remain seated. She entered the hallway just as the first tears that had been threatening spilled down her cheeks. How did she deal with this? Just this morning she and Clark had been blissfully happy. The fates seemed to thrive on making their lives miserable. This time she’d also been incredibly… hurt. How was she supposed to feel about this? She'd only just gotten over the whole Superman issue, only to find out Clark was keeping more secrets. Granted, he hadn't exactly lied to her this time, but he hadn't told her the entire story. Even when he'd had the opportunity during their discussion the night. They might have been interrupted by Ms. Grange's phone call, but he'd had ample time to tell her about his past.
She sighed heavily as she paced the hall. It wasn't exactly being fair for her to assume that Clark might have known he could have a child out there somewhere. It was obvious that he was just as shocked by this news as she was. Yet, all the reasoning in the world would not change the fact that she was hurt... incredibly hurt. She felt betrayed, even if she shouldn't. The wounds from finding out about Clark's secret identity were just too fresh in her mind.
And speaking of Superman, there was the paternity issue. If Clark submitted to such tests, would his secret be revealed? What would that mean to him? To them? It was all just so overwhelming.
Clark rose and watched her hurry away. He knew this had to be an incredible shock to her, but what was he supposed to do? He had to find out what was going on and determine this child's paternity for certain. His mind was already racing ahead to dealing with this new obstacle. The social worker's voice brought him out of his musings.
“I’m sorry about that,” Dana told him.
He looked down at her and tried to force a smile as he eased back into the chair. He had to settle his nerves so that he could handle this situation with a clear head.
“I know she has to be upset,” Dana went on. “This is a shock.”
“You could say that again. I had no idea this child existed.”
Dana gave him a sympathetic smile. “Miss Logan stated this in her will. She said that she hadn’t contacted any of you because she wasn’t sure how to handle the situation. She hadn't wanted her son hurt in any way, saying he would be better off.”
“Yeah. Better off,” Clark mumbled more to himself than to the social worker. How could Kim have possibly thought such a thing? How could she have done something like this to anyone, especially him? He thought they'd been close enough during their relationship for her to come to him if she needed some kind of help. Undoubtedly, he hadn't truly known Kim at all.
“Believe me, I understand how you must feel. We contact fathers all the time who never knew they had children.”
Clark didn’t know what to say or do. He and Kim had stayed in contact for nearly a year after she’d decided to move to Oregon with her father. That meant she knew about the baby then. He was born before they stopped communicating. How could she have done this to him? To anyone? Granted, the boys who’d assaulted her probably didn’t deserve to know. If they’d been able to do such a horrible and disgusting thing to Kim, surely they wouldn’t want to be told they might possibly be someone’s father. But he and Kim had been so much more to each other. How could she have kept something so important from him?
“Mr. Kent, I hate having to move so swiftly, but we need to get this test done. This child has been bounced around for over two years. His last foster parents wanted to adopt him.”
Clark’s eyes shot up to Dana’s. He may not have known about this child, but was this something he wanted? He’d been adopted and though he’d gotten really great parents, he was quite sure if this child was his that he should be the one to take care of the boy. That thought alone was scary. Add in everything else in his life, mainly Lois, and he became absolutely terrified. What would this all mean to them as a couple? No matter the test results, where did they go from here?
“We can’t decide what to do either way until this test is done,” Dana continued.
Then there was the issue of the paternity test itself. Was this something Clark could safely do? Would there be repercussions for Superman? Would his secret be discovered? He figured he should know such things before hand. How he wished Lois were here with him. He needed her, to talk this over with her. He needed his best friend.
“You said you swab the inside of the mouth?” Ms. Grange nodded. “What happens then?”
“There will be a simple typing analysis of the specimen. As I said earlier, the child’s sample is already patterned, so a match will only take a few hours.”
“There are no extensive break-downs or studies of the sample?”
Dana's brows furrowed in confusion from his question, but she answered, “No. Simple match process.”
“What happens to the sample when you’re done?”
Again, an odd question, but she’d answer his inquiry. “The samples are dipped in a solution for the testing process. It’s virtually useless for anything after that, so samples are destroyed.”
Clark nodded before he grew thoughtful. Finally he came up with another question. “And what happens after the test?”
“Well, if the test proves he’s your son, you will have authority to grant adoption if you’d like. I can tell you that he was very happy in the Sanders' home. Oregon officials had removed him after the Sanders expressed an interest in adopting him because that's procedure. But they are still very interested. Of course, you also become custodial parent. If you should choose to exercise that right, Oregon would transport the child out here and you’d take physical custody once all the paperwork is signed.”
“And just like that I’d be someone’s daddy?” Clark said softly, almost mournfully. If it was proven he was this child's father, no matter what decision he made about the child's welfare, Clark knew his life would be forever changed.
“Unfortunately, it only takes a moment to become a father. Becoming someone’s daddy will take a little more time than that. Our office will spend a few hours or so acquainting you with the child before we turn him over to you. And, if you decide you can’t handle the responsibility, the adoption option would remain open. His foster parents in Oregon wanted whoever is determined to be the father to know that fact."
Part of him wanted to protest anyone adopting his potential child, but rational thought told him he should get all of the facts before making any kind of decision. He also liked Ms. Grange's answer about being a daddy. Her answer reminded him a lot of something his father would say. He decided he liked the young woman and that she was genuine in her concern for this boy. Clark was also concerned about the child's well-being.
“And if he isn’t my son?”
“If it’s proven that you’re not the father, the foster parents will move ahead with the adoption. It’s a good thing, too. If you’re not the child’s father, we have no idea who could be. As I’ve said, Ms. Logan specifically named you and the others as possible matches.”
Clark nodded. He was still incredibly shocked and a little hurt. If this child was his, that meant that Kim had deliberately kept that knowledge from him all these years. Even if she hadn't known for sure that he was the baby's father, he would have been more than willing to help her in any way he could have. And remembering how close he and Kim used to be, that help might have lead to much, much more.
He had to mentally shake himself. What could he possibly be thinking? Kim hadn't been the one for him. His feelings for Lois proved that beyond doubt. He felt things for his partner he'd never once felt for Kim, even though they'd had a much more intimate relationship than he and Lois shared now. Simply put, he was completely in love with Lois and had never been with Kim.
How ironic, he thought. He'd possibly had a son with a woman he hadn't been in love with and may lose the woman he *did* love because of it. He mentally sighed and tried to refocus on the situation at hand. He couldn't put off the inevitable forever... even if he wanted to.
“How soon can we do the test?”
“We can get your DNA sample right now. We have a collector on site.” Dana rose and started for the door, taking for granted that he was ready to give the sample needed for the test. Clark took a deep breath and followed.
In the hallway, Lois was pacing furiously. She stopped and faced him.
“Well?” she demanded.
“They want to take a DNA sample.” Clark could only ask for her to understand with his pleading expression. He knew she was upset. Heck, he was upset. Right now though, he really needed her.
Lois could only stare at him. How could he be agreeing to do this test? Didn't he realize what it could mean for him as Superman? For them as a couple?
<<Well, what do you expect him to do?!>>
Lois knew Clark would want to know for sure if he was this child's father. Heck, she wanted to know. The rest of their lives hang on that fact. If this child was his... if the test showed...
<<What Lois? What if the boy *is* Clark's? What then?>>
She didn't know what would happen then, but she had to know the results for sure. Lois also knew that Clark would not agree to a test that would put his super side at risk of exposure. She finally looked away before reluctantly following Clark and Ms. Grange at a discreet distance.
****
“This is painless,” the man collecting the DNA sample told Clark as he slipped on his latex gloves. He lifted the long swab, ready to take the evidence that would decide Clark’s future. “Open wide.”
Lois gulped loudly as she watched the process. Of all the things to be happening today, this was certainly not anything she could have imagined. She wanted to yell out for him to stop, but knew they could not move on until he had. Blinking to stop the sting of more tears, she kept her eyes rivoted to the scene playing out before her.
Clark opened his mouth to allow the cotton end of the stick to be rubbed inside his cheeks, even as his mind raced to process all that was happening. How could he have fathered a child and not known it? How could he have lived day in and day out without ever knowing he had a flesh and blood relative somewhere out there? And what about the boy? He'd lived the last two years thinking he was alone. Was the child showing signs of being super? Had others noticed? So many questions...
He was brought back from his fugue as the man began to withdraw from him. When the procedure was finished, the swab was placed in a sterile container and sealed with tape.
“Thank you,” the man told Clark.
“Yeah.” Clark’s normally polite manner seemed to escape him right now. Somehow he couldn’t bring himself to respond with a cheery tone. “How long before we know?” he asked Dana.
“I’ve asked for priority on this one. Normally it would take about forty eight hours, but we should know something by 3 pm.”
Clark nodded and looked up at Lois. She averted her eyes from his, causing his heart to clench.
“Mr. Kent,” Dana went on. “If the child is determined to be your son, we would like to move ahead with the acquaintance process. That is, if you are prepared to take custody.”
How did he respond to that? His compassionate side wanted to shout that if this child was his, of course he’d take custody. Yet, right now his selfish, fearful side was demanding to be heard. The reality was that this situation could ruin the life he was trying to build with Lois. He momentarily wasn't even sure he wanted to know at all if he the father. Ms. Grange had told him there was a good family willing to adopt him and for the briefest of seconds, he wanted to say he'd agree to the adoption without ever knowing if the child was really his. But he couldn't do that. And he couldn't make such a huge decision now. He had to talk to Lois and could only hope she'd be open and willing to discuss this rationally.
Then there was also a part of him that was tingling in anticipation. If this was true, the child would be his only true link to this world. To the alien part of him, this could mean a great deal. But, he realized as he saw the expression on Lois' face, this could wreck his life as he knew it. At this point, no matter what the test proved, there would be a long, hard road ahead for him and Lois as a couple. He sighed and focused on Ms. Grange again.
“How about we just wait for the results first? I think we need a little time to process this all,” Clark told her as he rose from the chair.
“Yes, of course. I will call you as soon as we know.”
“Thank you.” Clark pulled a card from his pocket. “This is my number at the Daily Planet.”
“I’ll talk to you this afternoon.”
Clark nodded and turned to open the door. Lois beat him to it, snatching the knob in agitation. She hurried through and down the hall. She wanted to put as much distance between herself and Clark as she could to have a moment to think.
Clark had just managed to make it into the jeep before Lois shoved it into gear and left the parking lot with a squeal of tires. He knew his partner well enough not to say anything until she regained a little control.
Neither said a word until Lois stopped inside the parking garage at the Planet. She snatched the keys from the ignition before twisting toward Clark.
“This is unbelievable!”
“Tell me about it,” Clark mumbled.
“A son, Clark! That’s… that’s… I just don’t know how to handle this!” Her voice had risen considerably, her hands gripping the steering wheel until her knuckles nearly turned white.
“Oh, and I do?! Lois, this isn’t exactly something I’d ever imagined.”
Her head shot back around to glare at him. “So, this is definitely a possibility? This child *could* be yours?”
He wished so desperately he say no. He’d run over his time with Kim over and over in his mind several times. They’d taken precautions. In the beginning both had taken the responsibility for protection. But the last couple of times, Clark had forgone his side of the equation, reassured that her birth control pills were enough. Unfortunately, even the most reliable methods are not fool proof.
“Yes,” he told Lois softly. “There’s a possibility.”
“Damn, Clark! Didn’t you think at all? You don’t play games with something like that.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” He was irritated that she didn’t have more faith in him. “Lois, Kim was not some fling. She and I never intended to start anything, but we did care for one another a great deal. We were not careless. We took precautions. Unfortunately, even the best protection in the world fails.”
“Have you ever heard of abstinence?” She added a considerable amount of sarcasm to that question. She was upset and wanted him to feel just as badly as she did.
“Excuse me? Weren’t you the one that stood in my kitchen last night and told me that you weren’t exactly a virgin?”
“But I don’t have a child!”
“And until today, I never thought I did! What do you think, Lois? I hid this child from you? That I… abandoned him? Ran out on his mother?”
“I don’t know what I think!”
Clark could only stare at her with his mouth hanging open. This hurt worse than when she rejected his declaration of love last year. He shook his head in frustration and looked out the front window. “I can’t believe you would think such a thing. I wouldn’t lie about something like this.”
“Yeah, well, the thing is you did lie… every day for nearly two years.”
He looked back at Lois with pain filled eyes. “That was different and you know it.”
“I don’t know anything any more,” she finished on a whisper before flopping against the seat. They sat in silence for a long moment before she spoke again. “How many others will show up claiming you’re their child’s father?”
“Lois…” He couldn’t believe she was doing this.
“No! Don’t avoid the issue. Answer my question!” she demanded with a pointed finger.
He’d had enough. She was being childish and he couldn’t stand another second. “Fine! There was only one other woman besides Kim. A beautiful young woman and a princess to boot. I met her in Nigeria and our relationship lasted for nearly a year. For a while I really thought she and I might have something special. But she was forced by the customs of her country and her position to marry another. We were both devastated, but I moved on and so did she. No, she will not say I’m her child’s father. I know because I’ve talked to her about three months ago. Although, she is very pregnant… with her *husband’s* baby!”
Clark took a breath and went on. “Yes, Lois, I have indulged in the pleasures of intimacy. But no, I can’t say I regret any of it. It’s not something I did outside the two relationships I've told you about simply because I didn’t feel like I was with the right person. And by the way you’re acting, it’ll be a long damn time before I experience that release again because I seemed to have found the wrong person again!”
Lois was shocked into silence as Clark threw open the door and exited. He slammed the metal back with a bang before he strode off for the stairwell. This was one of the few times in her life she couldn’t think of a single thing to say or do. All she felt was this all-consuming pain. Rationally she knew she shouldn’t be this upset, but irrationally the thought of Clark with someone else was unbearable.
That gave her pause. Is that what was really bothering her? Was she jealous because Clark had in fact *had* a life before her? She’d had one before him and expected him to just take it in stride.
<<I’m horrible.>>
She leaned her head to rest on her hands where they once again gripped the steering wheel. Lois had to admit the child bothered her as well. How was she going to deal with that? She and Clark were supposed to be planning a wedding. Now they may be shopping for toys and sneakers. Was that something she wanted? Could she, would she, stay with Clark if this child was his? She was startled when she realized she couldn’t answer that question. Oh, she was horrible.
Clark's words repeated themselves painfully in her head. In her heart she knew he'd only said what he had about not having found the right woman again was said through pain, but it didn't make it sting any less for her. Those words had cut like a knife, exactly the intention he had in mind. Or did he? Clark wasn't one to say things he knew would be hurtful. But knowing still didn't make it any easier. Of course, this situation wasn't exactly easy.
She reluctantly hauled herself from the jeep and up to the newsroom. Luckily Perry had a story that required them to do separate research. She wasn’t sure she could stand herself let alone face Clark now.
She took her information and left again just as quickly as she’d come. She’d vaguely noticed Clark was already gone. It appeared he needed to be alone as much as she did.
