Okay, here is part 2! Please let me know what you think. Like I said before, I have most of this written, so I'll post more as soon as I know somebody out there is reading. wink

From lastime:

What had he said his alien name was? "Kal-El?"

The boy's eyes widened momentarily. "Ka nit to wan kif. Jo sot nit."

"What?" Oh, great. What was this? His alien language? He was dressed like a human, in a t-shirt and jeans. Did they change his clothes before taking him from Krypton? "I don't understand. Erm, English?"

He furrowed his eyebrows but didn't speak.

She stood and took his hand, leading him out of the warehouse. "Come on. I need to make a phone call."

---

She knew Detective Henderson wasn't satisfied with her vague suggestion that he send an ambulance down to Hobbes' Bay, but she wasn't in the mood to explain the details. Especially not about the little boy currently tucked under her arm in the back of a cab. She knew instinctively that it couldn't get out about Superman being in the present as a kid. Luthor wasn't the only one who would like to manipulate him. Besides, a small part of her couldn't help but add, who better to look out for him than a good friend? Who knew more about Superman than her? She should be the one to raise Superman, at least until she could get him home.

But how was she supposed to do that? It wasn't like you could phone Krypton. She'd tried fiddling with the time machine before leaving, but there were no labels and she didn't want to risk ending up in the stone age. Maybe once Tempus came to, she could coerce him into explaining the thing.

The cab came to a stop and Lois quickly paid. Kal looked up at the Daily Planet building in wonder as she is led him towards the lobby doors. "Pretty impressive, isn't it?" She grinned down at him. He grinned back. "Just wait 'til you see the view from the roof."

When they reached the bullpen, the usual flurry was somewhat dampened. A crowd had gathered in front of the news monitors. On the screen, Superman was helping victims out of the rubble of an office building. The caption indicated an earthquake the night before had ravaged Kyoto. A small woman clung to Superman as he lifted her and her son away.

Kal pointed at the screen. "El. Totu ko nos. Disti Jor-El?"

"Huh?" Lois bent down to hear better. "I'm sorry I don't understand."

Kal opened his mouth to speak again, but seemed to think better of it. He looked at his toes instead.

So frustrating! How was she supposed to interact with the kid much less help him if she couldn't even speak to him?

You mean, how are you going to leave an impression besides 'slasher-woman'? a voice in her head piped up. Yeah, Superman is going to think the world of you after this.

Oh shut up! She wasn't out to manipulate Superman's future feelings for her. For crying out loud, the kid was almost still a toddler. He needed help. And he probably won't remember me anyway. The thought left her vaguely depressed.

That's it--chocolate!

"Come over here, Kal." She took his hand and led him to her desk. She lifted him into her chair, grunting at how heavy he was for his slight frame. From the bottom drawer, where she kept her secret stash, she pulled out a double fudge crunch bar with a flourish. "The perfect solution to a bad day."

He looked skeptically at the bar as she unwrapped it and held it out for him.

"You're supposed to eat it."

Kal glanced up at her.

"Like this." She took a small bite. "Mmm, good. See?" She held it out for him.

He bit off a corner and smiled. "Mmm, good. See?" He mimicked her words.

She covered her mouth to keep from bursting out laughing. "Yes, I see."

"Lane! This is a newsroom not a babysitting service." Perry thundered over to her desk and Kal sank into the chair in the face of his imposing form. "What's with the munchkin?"

Lois bit her lip. What could she say? Should she tell Perry the truth? He'd probably want her to take him down to the precinct. Not a chance.

"He's, uh, my nephew."

"Your nephew?" Even Perry had not escaped Lois' ranting when her infamous bachelorette of a sister had stayed with her last year.

"Well, my mom's sister's grandson. I'm watching him for the--well, for a while." She smiled her most innocent, radiant smile. Perry was not impressed.

"Elvis."

They both glanced down at the little boy, who was pointing to Perry's tie. It featured a silhouette of the King in front of a microphone. And Lois thought Clark's ties were bad.

"You know the King?" Perry squatted down to eye level with Kal. The boy just stared. Perry pointed to his tie.

"Elvis."

How did he know about Elvis Presley? Lois couldn't help but wonder. I mean, those crazy gossip rags claiming he was an alien--no. Impossible. But how?

"That's right, kiddo. And what's your name?" Perry was positively beaming.

"His name is Kal," Lois replied, afraid the boy would start babbling in Kryptonese again.

Kal pointed to himself. "Kal."

"Hi, I'm Jimmy!" Lois jumped as Jimmy appeared over her shoulder. "And this is the Chief. Can you say Chief?"

"Chief!" Kal giggled.

"Dang it, Jimmy. My name is not Chief, you hear me Kal? You call me Mr. White."

"Chief!" He pointed at 'Mr. White.'

Jimmy laughed. "What a cute kid. Whose is he?"

"Lois' mothers' something-or-other." Perry rolled his eyes. "Hey kiddo. Why don't you come into my office and I'll show you some great photos of Elvis. We'll let Lois here actually get some work done."

"I don't know, Chief--" What if Kal said something to give himself away? Or worse, did something super! He hadn't done anything out of the ordinary yet, but how much sun exposure did he need for his powers to appear?

"You want to see Elvis?"

"Elvis!"

Before Lois could get another word out, Perry had taken the kid's hand and led him halfway back to his office.

"Just for a little while then." Her words were drowned out as Perry launched into a story about Elvis getting his first guitar at around Kal's age.

Lois rolled her eyes and plopped into her chair. What was she going to do? The double fudge crunch bar lay partially-eaten on her desk. She took a big bite and glanced up at the television screen. Superman was still hard at work in Japan. He should know about what's happened. As soon as he got back, Lois resolved to find a way to tell him. She glanced at her partner's desk. Empty. Could she trust Clark? He would want her to report the kid to Henderson too, but she knew how to manipulate Clark. He'd go along with her plan of secrecy in the end. He could probably get in touch with Superman sooner too.

The phone rang. Maybe it was Clark? She answered, only to be on the receiving end of a very angry Bill Henderson.