From last time:

"Ready?" Zara asked, startling him.

"Yeah," he replied. They began to board their ship. "I didn't know Enza had a daughter."

"She doesn't," Zara replied. "The child is her niece. Enza's family lived in one of the outer settlements. Her brother and his wife as well as Enza's parents were all killed in a rebel raid. The child was the only survivor." Clark glanced back at the young woman, now boarding her own craft, but said nothing.

********

New Stuff:


"Would you hand me the level?" Jonathan asked, his hand outstretched. Lois scanned the mess around them, quickly finding the tool in question. She grabbed the level and handed it to her father-in-law. In the last few weeks since they'd begun the project, they'd made real progress. Jonathan assured her that she was instrumental in that progress - heck she could knock down a wall in two seconds, X-ray the floors to find all the wiring and pipes, spot weld anything and carry up all the 2 x 4s and cement bags without breaking a sweat.

They worked more slowly than necessary to keep from arousing the suspicions of any neighbor that just happened to pass by. The seclusion of the farm, however, rendered this point largely moot. Going slower also meant that she actually learned something about what they were doing.

They'd knocked out an upstairs wall in order to extend the second floor above the den. They'd leveled the floor and were in the process of putting up the new nursery's walls. Lois had to admit to being impressed by how the project was developing. She and Jonathan made a good team.

"Do the honors?" Jonathan asked, looking over his shoulder as he held a beam in place. She smiled as she grabbed a handful of nails from the pocket of her paint and spackle spattered old jeans. . He held the cross beam steady while she effortlessly tapped in the nails with a finger.

He stepped back to admire their handiwork and checked it again with the level. "All right, all the vertical load bearing beams are up. We'll finish with the cross beams and then the window borders."

Lois nodded, putting her hands on the small of her back and stretching. "Sore?" Jonathan inquired politely with a smile.

"Nah," she assured him. She smiled, thinking about how amusing it must be to watch a five months pregnant woman doing construction work. While the superpowers made most things exponentially easier, it was tough to have them and not be able to help. Life was pretty quiet out here so it wasn't as though calls for help were keeping her up at night. But that didn't mean that people weren't calling, it meant she was too distant to notice. She felt pangs of guilt when she thought about it. She hadn't taken on Clark's powers for her own benefit, but she knew that she didn't have a choice. Once or twice a major emergency had drawn her out to help surreptitiously. It was dangerous, she knew, but it was a calculated risk.

"Coffee break?" They both turned around to find Martha carrying a tray of coffee and blueberry scones. "Lois, I've laid out the paint samples and carpet swatches downstairs for you to look at whenever you're ready."

"You're the best, Martha," Lois replied as she took the mugs of coffee, handing one of them to Jonathan.

"Yeah, but I hear those scones are a close second," Jonathan added with a wink. He liberated one of the scones from the tray. They did look amazing.

Lois took a gratifying sip of her coffee. "My ultrasound is tomorrow. I'm flying to Metropolis, would the two of you like to come?"

Martha positively beamed at the suggestion. "Oh honey, we wouldn't miss it for the world!"

"We're honored that you want us there," Jonathan said.

Lois smiled, glad but hardly surprised by their excitement. She depended on Jonathan and Martha. Often times, they were the only things that kept her sane. They made things...bearable. It didn't sound like much, but given that she'd been certain Clark's departure was going to destroy her and leave nothing of her left, it was more than she'd hoped for. She still thought about him--sometimes it seemed like every second--and at no point was he ever far from her thoughts or her heart.

She'd spent countless nights lying awake in his room, trying to draw comfort from the familiar things surrounding her. There were all sorts of things that would trigger memories of him, of his laugh, his smile, his touch. Sleeping was difficult. She couldn't imagine how she'd slept all of those nights without him before their wedding. Now, after that one night, it felt wrong to lie there at night knowing he wasn't there next to her.

By day, life in Smallville had settled into a nice routine. She wrote her weekly column, but it was often like pulling teeth. She told herself that she just needed to get her bearings. She'd gotten to know just about everyone in town and they welcomed her into their community right away. But there was still the talk. Lois had already heard about the infamous small town gossip and having superhearing just meant that she was able to confirm its notorious existence early on. She didn't try to eavesdrop, but sometimes it was difficult to avoid hearing things. It wasn't that anyone ever said anything malicious, but there were always the hushed comments about 'poor Lois,' and was she gaining enough weight and the speculation of what effect all the stress and strain would have on the baby as well as the general walking on eggshells. She did notice, however, that the big breaking story about her and Clark having eloped was received with some relief. Small town notions of propriety, after all, carried the day around here.

Not everyone had welcomed the news. Jimmy still seemed upset with her, as evinced by his failure to return her last few phone calls. Perhaps she should try to straighten that out while she was in Metropolis. Going back to Metropolis filled her with a certain degree of anticipation and dread. It was funny that she found it less painful to be here, where everything related to Clark, than in Metropolis. Perhaps it was because Metropolis to her, at some point, began to represent the life that she and Clark had planned to build there. The thought crept into her mind, unbidden and unwelcome. She felt that ache in her chest as pain tightened its grip around her heart.

Tomorrow was just another day that he wouldn't be there for, even though he had every right to be. It was another thing taken away from him without his even knowing it. She knew that when he returned, regrets and a longing for the things he'd missed would plague him. She tried to never entertain thoughts about him never coming back, because when she did, it was all she could do to not go catatonic. No, Clark was coming home. She just didn't know when. It wasn’t fair. Sometimes she wondered if Clark was being punished for being such a good person. How much could one guy be expected to take? Lois sipped her coffee in thoughtful silence.

God, she missed him.

********

The craft began to descend slowly. He looked around out the windshield at the other transports floating downward toward the barren plateau between the craggy peaks jutting up, breaking the line of the horizon. The ship touched down roughly in the high wind, jostling its passengers slightly. He undid the safety restraints and grabbed the supplies as the craft's door opened.

Clark and Zara descended to join the other crews. Ching was already organizing the effort. Word had come from Talan that she and her troops had begun escorting the survivors though the Northwest Pass. Without fuel, they'd been forced to move on foot. Smaller, agile vehicles had been dispatched to retrieve the wounded. The rest of them had come as far as they could by way of their bulky transports. They would make the rest of the way on foot, accompanied by small supply vehicles which could navigate the terrain, to rendezvous with Talan and assist in the evacuation. It was a half-day's trek to where Talan's forces expected to establish a camp for the night.

The rescue party, well armed and supplied, moved with surprising speed. The air was cold and thin and the wind stung bitterly, but no one complained. They continued through the desolate, rocky pass in quiet. Clark felt his lungs struggle to draw oxygen from the fragile air. The sky began to turn from dusty orange to dark purple as night fell. The weak sun, which provided little warmth but at least gave some light, descended into the distant mountains.

After what seemed like an eternity, they reached the encampment. The soldiers had established a perimeter while Renmo's survivors had gathered at the camp's center, recovering from their exhausting exodus. Having only recently arrived, the confusion was just starting to settle in. Families would begin looking for wayward members and neighbors would seek each other out to see who had made it through the ordeal. The soldiers greeted the evacuation party with relief and sincere appreciation. Supplies were made available and sentries were relieved of their posts so that they could at last eat and rest. Ching began to organize his men for the task of taking over the camp's protection.

Clark approached him through the chaos. The officer stopped giving orders to his forces to listen to him. "Ching, I'll take the medics to set up a triage in the camp. Any of the seriously wounded that we can get out of here tonight with the supply vehicles need to be identified."

"Aye, sir," Ching replied. "Medics, you are now under Kal El's command."

"I'll also need two of your troops to find the lost children," Clark added.

"Lost children, sir?"

"Yeah, orphans, those separated from their parents in the evacuation. We need to find their closest relatives and make sure they're taken care of."

"Right away, sir," Ching replied. "Anything else?"

"A couple of people to help us unload and distribute the supplies," Clark added. He looked over at where Zara had already begun the distribution process and was in significant need of help.

"Very well, sir." With that, Clark and his small band of soldiers made their way toward Zara and began assisting the relief effort. He looked around the camp, dismayed. The worst of the wounded had already been evacuated, but all around him were people whose very lives had been shattered. Many of them regarded him and Zara curiously, amazed that their evacuation merited the attention of the new First Ministers. Clark knew that Zara's demand that they go along was unexpected and unorthodox, but he was grateful for it. He needed to see this, to see the horrible, messy reality of this war if he was going to stop it. When the initial work was completed, he walked around the camp, talking to whoever felt up to talking with him.

He'd been standing watch when Talan approached him some hours after his arrival. She'd been meeting with Ching for several of those hours. "Thank you, Commander," Clark told her. "You've done good work here."

"I only wish we had arrived at Renmo sooner," she replied, staring out at the darkened camp.

"I know," Clark said. "I know how that feels." Talan regarded him quizzically. "You should get some rest before morning. Ching's forces will be on watch," he said.

"Thank you, but I'll hold my post," she replied, intending to relieve him of his watch. "Goodnight, sir."

Clark nodded. "Goodnight, Commander." He started to walk away.

"Sir?" She called after him. He stopped and turned around. "They're all very grateful that you came."

Clark smiled slightly and walked toward his tent. Ching stood guard outside it, not for a moment forgetting his duty to the First Ministers. He saluted Clark as he approached.

Clark returned the salute. "Is Zara asleep?"

Ching looked puzzled. "I do not presume to know, sir."

"Good night, Ching," Clark said with a slight shake of his head.

"Good night, sir."

Zara was, in fact, not asleep. She sat awake in the tent, reviewing maps and the briefing reports that Talan had prepared at some point between securing the settlement, launching a massive evacuation, and setting up this camp. Zara glanced up briefly at him to verify that the new person in her tent was in fact, her ceremonial husband and not some unknown intruder, before turning back to her papers.

"You've seen things like this before, haven't you? On Earth?" She said without looking up.

"Yes," he replied. "Not exactly like this, but I've seen wars, refugee camps, natural disasters, you name it."

"I haven't," she admitted. "I've had so much training, and life here has already been very difficult for my people, but this is different. Before, we suffered together because we had to in order to survive. This pain, someone, a human being, caused it, intentionally. I've heard all sorts of reports, been briefed on every atrocity, but I've never come out to see them for myself."

"You want to know if it gets easier, don't you?"

"Does it?" she asked.

"Not really, no. You learn how to do your job, to not dwell on it in the moment, but the anger and the frustration are still there. You still wonder how anyone can cause all this pointless, stupid suffering."

"I think we've underestimated you, Kal...Clark. All this time, we've tried to compensate for what we saw as a lack of training for your birthright, but here, you've done so much more than any of us could."

"I haven't done anything..." he interjected.

"You have. These people, our people, they trust you. You've proven to everyone here in this one day that your place is as First Minister."

"Thanks," he replied.

********

"Mr. and Mrs. Kent?" Martha and Jonathan looked up at the harried looking, middle aged man in a lab coat.

"Yes, we're..." Jonathan began...

"Lois is waiting for us down the hall," the man they could only guess was Dr. Klein said. They followed him down the corridors. "Sorry for the cloak and dagger bit," he whispered. "We're just trying to keep this all...well..."

"We know," Martha assured him. "And we appreciate it, Dr....?"

"Well we know, I mean, I know, no one else knows, you know?"

"Yes, no...thank you, Dr...?" Jonathan began, throwing in his own attempt to get the good doctor's name.

"Any time, sir. I may be government sponsored, but I still know how to keep a secret," the curious doctor replied with a wide grin. "That was a joke, of course, I mean, I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize the integrity of the secret."

"We're sure you won't," Martha said, a note of impatience almost creeping into her voice. "Dr...?"

"Einstein's afro! Where are my manners!" Martha and Jonathan shared a smile as realization finally dawned on him. "I didn't ask you folks if you'd like anything to drink. We have coffee and some great herbal teas. They keep the best stuff up in Data Processing on ten, but I manage to get a few bags of it every day."

"We're fine, Doc," Jonathan assured him.

"But we would appreciate one thing," Martha added.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Your name."

Their erstwhile host smacked a hand against his bald head. "Bernie Klein," he said, rubbing the spot on his head where he'd apparently hit himself harder than expected. He juggled his clipboard to extend a hand to them.

"Very nice to meet you, Dr. Klein," Jonathan said warmly.

"Call me Bernie," the scientist responded. "Anyway, we're right here." He nodded toward a reinforced door. He punched in a combination on the keypad lock, swiped his ID card and then submitted himself to both hand and retina scans in order to open the door. "And this is just the way to the break room. You should see how much security we have for the labs!" he joked. He led them to the makeshift exam room where Lois was waiting, sitting on an examining table in a blue hospital gown.

"Hey, you made it," she greeted them.

"Just barely," Martha replied with a smile. "I'm half expecting secret government agents to jump out of the ceiling and arrest us."

"Oh, don't worry, those guys have the day off," Bernie reassured her. He turned on the ultrasound machine and monitor and looked over at Lois. "Ready?"

"Not getting any readier," she said, lying back on the exam table.

"Okay, cold gel time," Bernie announced. He applied the gel to her abdomen and then placed the transducer against her skin. "All right, here we go. But while I've got you here as a captive audience, I'll say that I'm pleased with your weight gain but you're still a bit below average and I highly doubt Lois Lane has ever been below average at anything in her entire life."

"Very funny, Bernie."

Bernie smiled and turned the monitor so that Lois and the Kents could all see it. "And we have contact, Houston," he said as the fuzzy image on the ultrasound monitor settled on the baby. He pointed at the screen. "Here's the heart and this little string of pearls here is the spine. Have you already peeked, Lois?"

Her breath caught in her throat. It was a long moment before she managed to answer Bernie's question. "I've resisted the temptation and I swear it's killing me."

"But you want to know the baby's gender?"

She merely nodded.

"Congratulations, mom, it's a boy," Bernie said. Lois looked at the monitor, at her son. Tears formed in her eyes and slipped down her cheeks. She looked up at Jonathan and Martha, through the blur, looks of awe and wonder on their faces as they got their first look at their grandson.

"Everything looks perfect," Bernie said with a smile.

********

Clark trudged along near the back of the procession as it made its way through a particularly narrow part of the pass. He heard his communicator signal him and he fumbled to dig it out. "What is it, Ching?"

"The weather ahead looks particularly unpleasant, sir. It might slow us down a bit."

"Do you suggest we wait it out?" Clark asked.

"No, I think the best thing is to push through. The sooner we get to the transports, the better, sir."

"I trust your judgment," Clark replied.

"Thank you, sir."

They pushed forward slowly through the cold and biting wind that stung exposed skin like a swarm of wasps. The exceptionally versatile Kryptonian clothing was surprisingly warm, but being out here was still a miserable experience. Clark looked around him at the people silently marching through the pass, cold, hungry, tired. He noticed a young girl, no more than fifteen or sixteen, carrying a little boy. She struggled to carry the child, who was crying piteously. He made his way toward them and offered to carry the boy. The girl looked up at him gratefully and handed him the little boy. Clark continued walking beside the girl, whose name was An Mai, knowing the little boy would want to stay as close as possible to the one person Clark guessed was his only living family left in the world.

"It's all right," Clark soothed, wrapping the blanket more tightly around the little boy. "It's all right." His cries subsided to a small whimper. It wasn't much further. Soon Clark would be able to get the little boy someplace warm and safe, at least safer than this place.