Okay, I've decided to start posting again. I'm not sure that's wise, but I'm hoping it will make me start writing again, although I am a bit more focused on “Gestation” right now. I am headed for a four week trip to Asia in a few weeks and while most of it is work related, my husband will be with me which means it's unlikely I'll get much writing done. I hope to finish “Gestation” before I leave and I have enough of a buffer of this to post until right before I get back (and I'm hoping that I'll be able to finish what else I need before I leave). So, aside from the fact that last time I was in China access to this website was sporadic at best, I should be able to keep posting. As I recall, I had no issues in Japan and while this will be my first trip to India, I don't imagine that I will have issues there (except for the first week when we're on vacation and thus staying in cheaper hotels that may not have internet access).

I know it's been awhile since I last posted, so a brief synopsis of where we are (If you'd rather go back and read it, here's a link to the TOC ):

Clark has moved to Metropolis but hesitated a take a staff job at the Daily Planet. While he does now have a job, the fact that he started as a freelancer means Lois has a bit less respect for him. Also, Clark has not decided to become Superman. And in his place, a different Clark has come to fill in and be Superman full time.

Superman has asked to live with Clark, but as Clark is currently living in the Apollo hotel, he is staying with the Kents for now.

When we last left them, men posing as government agents had stormed the Planet looking for information on Superman. Perry determined that the warrants these men used were phony which just stepped up the desire of Lois to find Superman before they did. During a night spent working late, Clark told Lois that he and Superman were friends, but despite her persistent questioning, Clark would not tell her much else which has just added to Lois' annoyance.

As always, thanks to Beth and Mary Beth for their help!

And now on to the story…


It was five in the morning before Lois finally got home and crawled into bed. She was feeling increasingly frustrated. While she had not wanted to admit it to Clark, she had not had any great ideas that had driven her back to the office. She just thought that perhaps she would have one if she worked alone. She was not used to working with a partner and she was only moderately impressed with Clark's skills as a reporter, so thought that perhaps working alone would allow her to have the types of randomly brilliant thoughts she was used to.

But then Clark had shown up shortly after she had gotten settled. Of course, that would not have been so bad if he had been able to give her any information on Superman. The news that the two knew each other had been a complete surprise. And the fact that they were friends was even more surprising. She could not think of any two people more different than Smallville Kent and out-of-this world Superman.

But while Lois could not fathom what it was that Superman saw in Clark Kent, she considered their friendship serendipitous if it allowed her to learn more about Superman. However, Clark had been surprisingly closed lipped and vague in answering her questions. Lois was not sure she had ever met a more infuriating person.

She rolled over in bed again. Despite the late, or really early, hour, she could not fall asleep. Clark's announcement had stirred multiple questions she wanted answers to about Superman.

With a sigh, she finally gave up, and reaching over, pulled her laptop into bed with her. The dial-up connection was slow, but it would be okay for checking her email. Five minutes later, she was finally connected with the Daily Planet server. She had known it was a long shot that she would have a new email since she left the Planet offices at four and so was surprised to find an email from someone she did not know.

Reading the email, she smiled. It would be worth it to let Kent in on this interview just for the pleasure of waking him up now to tell him about it. She sorted through her emails to the one Clark had sent her earlier in the day with the number at his hotel.

************************

Lois thought she would regret the decision to involve Clark later, but the interview went so poorly, she was unable to even focus on that. The man had contacted her, told her he had information on the men who had stormed into the Planet. He had presented himself as a source. But it was all a lie. He had not intended to give her any information at all. He wanted to interview them!

She had ushered Clark out of there as soon as she realized that. And then what happened? The hack decided he did not feel well and should go home. He had been on the job what? Like three minutes and he was already heading for home. Still, Lois had not let on how she felt about this. It allowed her time to investigate on her own. So instead, she had tried to sound sympathetic as she had said, “Sometimes you have to put yourself above the story.” She had even offered him a ride, although she was glad when he had turned her down.

Moments later, she was following Thompson.

************************

Filled with an irrational fear, Clark had fled to his parents' farm. Thompson had a file on Smallville, Kansas. It was hard to understand why, but it filled Clark with a strong desire to make sure his parents were safe.

His parents were safe, of course. Superman was staying with them. How could they not be safe? And yet something about the man's presence there had bothered Clark. When he came into the farmhouse, Superman had been there alone, his parents in the barn. Superman was watching a ballgame on television. While he knew it was unfair, some part of Clark was angry at this. His life was in turmoil. Thompson had a file on Smallville. He likely knew something about Clark. Something about how he came to Kansas perhaps – where he came from and what he was. Someone Clark was not sure he could trust knew more about him than he did. The whole world seemed tilted on its axis. And somehow, in the midst of this, Superman was watching a ballgame?

Clark tried to remember that Superman was here to help him, but he found himself suspicious. Superman claimed he was here to help, but so far, aside from the space station incident, he had spent his days in Clark's parents' house, his nights sleeping in Clark's old room. And on top of this cushy life he appeared to be living, he had gained Lois' affections. It just did not seem fair.

Still, in an effort to behave in a way of which his mother would approve, Clark tried to keep his voice calm when he took in the form of Superman lounging in his father's recliner. “Are Mom and Dad in the barn?” he asked.

Superman looked up in surprise. “Yeah, what's up?” His tone was casual and Clark wondered at the fact that they were supposed to be the same person, but they were feeling so completely differently right now.

“Nothing,” he said, “I just need to talk to them.”

Superman peered at Clark more closely. Then suddenly he nodded his head. “The file?” he asked. Clark just looked at him quizzically. “The file in Thompson's briefcase on Smallville, right? I know it seems scary, but I promise, it's not so bad. I'll go get them.”

“What's in it?” Clark asked before Superman could go.

But Superman just shook his head, “I'm so sorry, but I really can't tell you.”

He looked sincere and Clark immediately felt guilty for his earlier thoughts.

“I'll go get your parents,” Superman repeated. “And then I'll go for a little while, leave you some time alone.” Superman decided a flight over Metropolis would not be a bad idea. He was pretty sure he had not really started doing patrols over Metropolis until after Trask had left the first time, but decided there was no reason not to start now.

Clark looked at his parents earnestly when they came in. “I want to hear everything you remember about how you found me,” he told them. “Everything.”

His parents explained how they had seen something in the sky and found him in Shuster's Field and taken him home. Then his dad mentioned that a few days later, some government men came by claiming to be looking for debris from a Russian satellite. Clark bristled at the thought that he was a Russian experiment, although he was not sure why.

But then he forgot about that when his parents told him that they had decided they had to destroy the spaceship to erase any evidence of how Clark had reached them.

Recalling the incident seemed upsetting and Clark felt a bit badly for putting his parents through it. Reaching out to place a hand on his father's, Clark tried to reassure him. “It's okay, Dad. Destroying it was probably the right thing to do.”

Jonathan looked up at him with tears in his eyes. “Probably. But I didn't. I couldn't. It was part of you, Son. I just couldn't.”

Clark stood to move over and engulf his father in a hug. Part of him was eager to go find the ship, but part of him just wanted to thank this man for caring so much for a baby that landed out of the sky and he had no responsibility for. It was hard to imagine what his life would have been like if it had not been his parents who had found him.

Still, within a few moments, Clark let go and wordlessly the three moved outside. As Clark watched his father pace from the wagon wheel, trying to uncover the spot where he had buried the space ship, his mother grabbed for his hand. “Are you okay?” she asked. “I know this must be hard on you.”

The pain was clear in her voice, though, and Clark rushed to reassure her. “You and Dad are my parents. You know that. Nobody will ever replace you.”

His mother's smile in response was clear even in the darkness. “You wouldn't be human if you didn't have questions,” she said.

With a deep breath, Clark voiced his other concern. “Mom. What if I'm not human?”

Moving to wrap an arm around him, his mother sighed in his ear. “Maybe we shouldn't have told you about being adopted.”

Clark laughed slightly in response. “That would have been hard after I started bench pressing cars.” His mother laughed as well and the two watched as his father walked the last few paces.

“Six feet down,” his dad announced.

Moving over to the spot, Clark took a deep breath. This was it. He was about to see the space ship he had arrived in. He closed his eyes tightly, and when he opened them again, he used his x-ray vision to scan the area his father was pointing to. There was nothing there.

“Dad, are you sure about this? I don't see anything.”

“I'm completely sure, Clark. You don't forget something like this,” Jonathan assured him.

With a sigh, Clark decided to go for a different approach. With a deep breath, he started to spin like a top. Three feet down. Four feet down. Five feet down. Five and a half feet. Clark paused, then with a sigh, spun again, finishing the remaining half a foot. Nothing. There was nothing there at all. Spinning around again, Clark went down another foot. Still nothing.

“Dad, there's nothing here,” he called up to his father.

“It's there, Clark,” his dad assured him, although fear was creeping into his voice.

Shaking his head, Clark levitated out of the hole. “There's nothing there,” he told his father.

Looking over the edge of the hole, Jonathan exclaimed, “It was here!”

Using his x-ray vision to look over the area one more time, he told his parents, “Not anymore.”

No one said anything as the three moved back to the farmhouse. No one wanted to voice their fear over where the ship had gone.

************************

Superman said nothing when he came back in later. Taking in the somber faces around the living room, he made his way upstairs to Clark's boyhood room. He felt sad in a way that was hard to explain. He wanted to help this Clark deal with the realizations he was coming to about himself, but he promised Herb he would stay out of this.

It was hard, though, to come in and see the looks on the faces of the Kents and not to go down there and tell them everything he knew about his origins. He was better off ignoring them for now.

Then he realized he could not ignore them completely. He had to at least warn Clark about the cries for help he would soon be hearing. He came down the stairs somewhat noisily so that he would not surprise them.

“Clark,” he said, his voice soft, and tried not to react at the look of sadness in the eyes that looked back at him. “I… well, in my world, I did patrols of Metropolis at night to make sure things were okay. I just wanted you to know I started those tonight. Probably tomorrow or the day after, people will start to realize that I'm sticking around. So, you may hear cries for help. But you can just ignore them all. I'll take care of them.”

It was hard not to notice that Clark was still too wrapped up in the events of earlier this evening to comprehend what he was being told.

“Clark,” Superman called again.

Clark looked up at him with blank eyes. “I know that things seem pretty awful right about now, but they will get better,” Superman assured him. Then, before Clark could ask any questions he was not comfortable answering, he turned around and went back upstairs.

************************

Clark arrived at the Planet early the next morning, even beating Lois for the first time. While he suspected it was not going to pan out, he decided to start looking through old files on government investigations into extraterrestrials. The men had asked Lois if Superman had told her his mission here on Earth. Clark assumed this meant that they thought Superman was an alien. It was a slim connection, but then he had no other ideas.

He was just about to give up when Lois came up behind him. “Project Blue Book?” she asked. “Clark, the Air Force got out of the UFO business in 1969. This is old news. Way old.”

“It was just a hunch. It didn't pan out,” Clark said, wishing Lois had not witnessed this failure.

Her understanding response just made him feel worse. “It's okay, Clark,” she said, patting his shoulder. “It takes experience to understand what is worthwhile to investigate and what's not.” It was subtle, but there was definitely an undercurrent to her words that was patronizing.

Just as she started to walk away, though, Clark saw it. Taking his glasses off, he looked closer at the photograph. The man in the photograph looked like the guy who had stormed in here the other day. Clark almost said nothing to Lois; he did not want her to be suspicious of his excellent eye sight. But then he realized there was no reason for her to be suspicious. Clearly, she thought Clark was a normal guy. Really, there was no reason not to. And he thought that perhaps this was something someone normal with keen eye sight would see anyway. “Wait a minute,” he called to Lois as he put his glasses back on. “Isn't this the guy who was here? This Jason Trask guy?”

Lois came back over and looked over his shoulder at the picture. Squinting at it, she nodded her head. “I think you're right. Good work, Farmboy!”

Despite the fact that Clark found the nickname degrading, he could not help but smile.

************************

The two of them headed directly for Perry's office where the three hashed out the consequences of this find.

Looking through her notes, Lois began speaking. “This other guy in the photo? General Burton Newcomb? He's retired and lives right here in Metropolis.”

She and Clark immediately got up to go interview him, but when Lois got to her desk she found a note. There was pain in her eyes when she looked at Clark. “It's Thompson,” she told him. “He's been found in Metropolis Harbor. The coroner's got him.”

Clark looked up somberly. Another death he could have prevented, even if he was not sure how.

“It's not like he was much help, anyway,” Lois said. But Clark could hear the tone to her voice. While she may be trying to downplay her feelings, it was clear she was just as affected as he was by the death of someone they knew.

“It's a sign, though,” Clark said, as the realization hit him. “A sign of how serious these people are.”

Lois nodded in agreement. “Well, then, that just means we need to step up our efforts.”