Here it is...RL finally let me alone long enough so I could finish it!
"Zebedee's Sons"
Their next stop was Steven McBride High School. In the front office, Lois introduced herself and Clark to the secretary.
"I know who you are, Ms. Lane and I wish I could help, but as I told all the reporters who've called, we aren't able to give out any information on John or Jamie."
"We're not looking for personal info on them," Lois assured her. "We were wondering if you could check the curriculum and tell us what their English class is studying."
The secretary looker rather confused. "I... suppose that's alright." She walked around a corner and returned with a large looseleaf notebook. She flipped to the middle of the book then turned a few more pages until she found what she was looking for. "It looks like they just finished reading 'Romeo and Juliet'. Does that help?" she asked, looking up at Lois.
Lois smiled at her. "Yes, very much. Thank you."
~*~*~*~
Back in the car again, Lois pulled out into traffic and headed for the Daily Planet.
"You don't really think…" Clark began.
"Yes, I do," Lois interrupted him. "Think back to when you were 18. Well, maybe not you , but a normal 18-year-old. They're frustrated with having no control over their own lives; tired of being told what to do, how to think, who to see…"
"Yeah, but do you really think they'd do something so stupid?"
"Again, we're talking about teenagers. Add raging hormones to the mix and they really would do something so stupid. You'd be surprised how many stupid stunts I pulled at that age."
"Oh, really ?" Clark asked. "Do tell."
"Never you mind."
Clark chuckled. "So, they rented the boat, cast off at the dock in front of witnesses, then sailed to the north shore and capsized the boat."
"That's the theory," she confirmed.
"Okay. Once we get back to the office, you check on bus schedules and I'll call the taxi companies," he suggested.
~*~*~*~
Lois sat at her desk and turned on her computer. She realized that Clark was right. John and Jamie's plan to fake their own deaths really was stupid. She figured they wanted to hurt their fathers, but didn't they think about what this would do to their mothers? She knew how painful it was to lose an unborn child; she could only imagine loving a child for eighteen years and then losing it. It must be like losing an arm, or worse. The more Lois thought about it, the angrier she got at these two kids and their thoughtlessness.
"Lois?"
Lois looked up to see a woman from research holding a small bundle. "Grace, hi!" she greeted with a smile, her dark mood temporarily forgotten. "I thought you extended your maternity leave."
"I did. HR needed me to sign some forms, so I figured I'd bring Steven for his first visit."
Lois stood to look at the tiny angelic face nestled in the blanket. "He's so adorable," she gushed.
"Would you like to hold him?"
"Oh, could I?"
"Sure." Grace gently laid the newborn into Lois' arms then took a step back. The baby fussed for a second, but settled back to sleep quickly.
***
At his desk, Clark happened to look up to see Lois holding a baby and swaying. He saw Grace Robinson standing there and knew who's baby it was, but for just a moment he let himself imagine how it would feel to see Lois holding their own child. He saw those images again; the same ones he'd created before the miscarriage; of Lois feeding the baby, giving the baby a bath, rocking the baby in the rocking chair his parents had given them when they moved into the townhouse – that same chair that his mother had sat in to rock him – and Lois singing to the baby in the bassinet. Eventually, he let the fantasy dissolve as he watched Lois give the baby back to Grace and wave goodbye. The rocking chair and the bassinet were still up in the attic and they were still a family of two.
***
After checking both bus lines, Lois walked over to Clark's desk and sat in her usual chair. He was still on the phone.
"So, you couldn't be sure it was them? Okay, thank you." He hung up and looked expectantly at Lois.
"Neither bus line went anywhere near the north shore Sunday night," she supplied. "What about cabs?"
"I only found one who picked up two people last night and I did manage to talk with the driver. He said they were definitely a guy and a girl, but she had a scarf wrapped around her lower face and he wore a hood. The driver really couldn't tell me anything about them. He did say he dropped them off at the..." Clark checked his notes. "'Stumble Inn Motor Lodge' on Reynolds Drive."
"That place is a dive ," Lois insisted. "Jamie's mother would have a fit if s he knew that her daughter was there."
"We can't let the police or the parents know where they are," Clark agreed. "Mr. Burke is likely to have John arrested for kidnapping. Let's head over there and see if we can convince then to go home on their own."
~*~*~*~
At the motel, Lois insisted that the desk clerk would never tell them which room was the right one, so Clark agreed to take a quick peek at each one until he found the teenagers. There were a few rooms whose occupants made him blush, but he finally found them in an upstairs room.
As they made their way to the correct room, Clark asked, "How are we going to get them to open the door?"
"Let's try knocking," Lois replied, sarcastically.
"No, seriously. These kids are smart enough to ask who it is before opening the door, especially in this neighborhood."
"See, that's just it. They're 'book smart,' not 'street smart.' I have a funny feeling we won't have a problem." That said, Lois knocked on the door and was not surprised when it was opened by Jamie Burke.
"You're very overdressed for delivering pizza," Jamie commented.
"My name is Lois Lane and this is my partner, Clark Kent," Lois announced, holding up her press ID. Realizing they'd been found, Jamie tried to shut the door again, but Clark blocked it. "Please let us in, Jamie," Lois implored. "We need to talk to you and John."
"NO!" Jamie insisted. "We're not going back and you can't make us, so you might as well just leave."
"We're not going anywhere until we've talked," Clark told her.
"I'll call the cops," Jamie threatened.
"Go ahead," Lois called her bluff. "I dare ya'."
Reluctantly, Jamie backed away from the door, allowing Lois and Clark entrance. Clark shut the door behind him as John came out of the bathroom and went directly to Jamie's side. Clark, knowing they'd get further by treating them like adults, introduced himself and Lois, shaking John's hand.
"You're wasting your time, Mr. Kent," John told him. "We won't go back on our own. Once we go to Delaware and get married, no one will be able to tell us what to do ever again."
"Okay," Clark started calmly. "After you're married, then what?"
John and Jamie sat down on the end of the bed and John put his arm around Jamie. "What do you mean?" he asked.
Clark dragged the only two chairs in the room over to face the bed and he and Lois sat in them. "What do you plan to do after you're married?" Clark clarified.
"We are going to go to college," Jamie insisted.
"Part time?" Clark asked. "Do you realize how long it will take you to get a degree that way?"
"Then we'll go to school full-time," John stated.
"Which means you'll have to work part-time," Lois pointed out. "How are you going to afford an apartment, at least one car and two tuitions on a Wal-Mart salary?" She was trying very hard to control her temper. If she yelled at these kids and told them to just grow up, like she wanted to, she knew they'd never listen.
"We'll make it work somehow," Jamie answered, fighting back the tears.
Lois suddenly remembered how it felt to be seventeen and in love and her heart melted. She leaned forward toward Jamie, looking directly into the girl's eyes. "I know what you're feeling," Lois told her. "I thought I was in love when I was your age, too. In fact, I thought I was in love three times before I met the right guy."
"We are in love," Jamie insisted.
"I know, but real love will wait. You know, 'love is patient and kind.' If your love is real, and I'm not saying it isn't, then don't you think it's better to wait until you've finished college to get married?"
Jamie broke eye contact with Lois and hung her head, finally letting the tears fall. "But my father is making me go to Princeton and John's going to be stuck here at Met U."
"So? Princeton isn't that far. There's still email, weekends and holidays," Lois suggested. "It's not like you'll never see each other again."
"Long distance relationships never work," John pointed out.
" Any relationship works if you work at it," Clark told him. Comte DeBussy-Rabutin said, 'Absence is to love what wind is to fire; it extinguishes the small, it enkindles the great.' Think about that. Being apart really can make you grow closer." He looked over at Lois. They both knew they'd said all they could. Whatever happened next was up to John and Jamie. "we're going to wait outside," Clark continued, rising from his chair, "and let you talk alone."
Lois also rose, but stopped before following Clark to the door. "Just one more thing," she began, "I almost forgot to give John a message. Your mother asked us to tell you how much she misses you."
John was shocked. "But, we saw the news last night. If everyone thinks we're dead, why would she say that?"
"Because she doesn't believe you're gone," Lois explained. "Without proof, she refuses to give up hope. I understand why you'd want to hurt your fathers, but did you ever stop to consider how your plan would effect your mothers?" That said, she turned and walked out the door being held open by Clark. Clark followed her out then quietly shut the door behind them.
"That last bit of guilt was worthy of your own mother," Clark told Lois, shaking his head.
Lois closed her eyes and held her hand in the air, palm toward Clark. "Please, I feel bad enough already." She lowered her hand and looked at him. "But they needed to hear it." Clark comforted her with an arm around her shoulders while Lois rested her forehead against his for a moment. "So, how long do you think we should wait?"
Before Clark could answer, the motel door behind them opened, revealing Jamie, with John standing behind her. Each was holding a small packed bag. "We're ready to go home," Jamie announced, drying her eyes with her free hand.
~*~*~*~
Back at the office, Lois and Clark presented Perry with the exclusive story of how the missing teens were found alive and well to be tearfully reunited with their parents. As usual, the editor-in-chief didn't ask why they felt the need to investigate so deeply; he was just very glad they they had.
As they were shutting down their computers and preparing to leave for the day, Lois' cell phone rang.
"Lois Lane. Oh, hi! Okay, we'll be right there."
"Who was that?" Clark asked as he helped Lois into her coat.
"Dr. Klein. He says he has some news for us and asked if we could meet him at Star Labs."
~*~*~*~
Once they were inside his office, Dr. Klein shut the door. "This room is sound-proof, so we can speak freely in here," he assured them. "Please have a seat."
"Lois said you had news," Clark started. "Did you finish your research?"
Dr. Klein sat behind his desk and smiled. "Yes," he answered. "After eliminating all the...uh...maybe I should just get to the point. I've finally found a way for you to have a baby together."
"That's wonderful. But how?" Lois asked.
"Well, I was able to prove that the reason you lost the first baby was the fetus was...too strong, so your body rejected it. At first, I focused on trying to change the baby. Unfortunately, that seems to be impossible."
"Then how?" Lois asked again, impatiently.
"Right. The answer is so simple, I'm surprised I didn't think of it sooner. We just have to make Lois and the baby more compatible. Since we can't make the baby all human, we have to make Lois seem half-Kryptonian."
Lois rubbed her eyes. "I thought you were getting to the point," she muttered to herself.
Clark took Lois' free hand and lightly rubbed her thumb across her palm. "Bernard, how can you possibly make that happen?"
"By giving her monthly transfusions of your blood."
"That...could actually work," Clark admitted.
"How are we supposed to get blood out of you when no needle can pierce your skin?" Lois pointed out.
"There is one way to weaken me enough..." Clark suggested.
"No," Lois insisted, catching his meaning.
"Lois..." Clark started.
"No," she interrupted him. "I won't let you put yourself in danger. It's not worth it."
"Yes, it is," Clark answered calmly. "Sweetie, I know I said I'd be happy just being a family of two, but I'm starting to realize that it's not enough anymore. I am willing to take any risk so we can have children."
"There would be very little risk," Dr. Klein assured Lois. "Clark would only need to be exposed to the Kryptonite for a few seconds and I would be right here the whole time."
"I understand you're worried," Clark told her, "but I want to do this. However, I won't if you really don't want me to."
Lois chewed her bottom lip, looking from her husband to his doctor and back again. She knew how much she really wanted a baby. Holding Steven Robinson earlier today just reinforced those feelings. But she didn't want just any baby -- she wanted to have Clark's baby. She hadn't realized until now just how much Clark wanted kids too. Yet, he was putting their entire future in her hands to decide. "Well..." she looked back to Dr. Klein, "if you promise to keep the exposure to a minimum..."
Clark's face broke into a grin and he nearly leapt out of his seat, lifting Lois into a bear hug in the process. "Let's go straight home and begin this procedure right away," he whispered with a playful leer.
"Actually...I think Stage One may already be in progress." Clark put Lois down and held her at arm's length, waiting for her to continue. Lois rolled her eyes. "I didn't say anything because I figured we shouldn't get our hopes up since we were just going to lose it again anyway."
"Well, then," Dr. Klein took charge again, "let's get a pregnancy test for Lois and that little bit of home for Clark, shall we?"
The End
