From last time:
“Sir, I cannot begin to apologize for my failures. Whatever malfunctioned in the ship, I should have caught it before hand, I should have found her before this happened, I shou…”
“Ching,” Clark interrupted forcefully. “You’ve done nothing wrong. You saved Zara’s life. I won’t belittle your feelings for her by telling you that you did your job well. You did everything humanly possible to protect her. I know that you won’t get a moment’s rest tonight because you’re going to stand obstinately outside this door until you know she’s all right. So take the day off.”
Ching gave him a somewhat startled look. “Aye, sir,” he said at last.
“Good,” Clark replied crisply.
********
New Stuff:
A soft rustling woke her as a gentle breeze flitted into the room, like a harbinger of tidings unknown. She sat up, her eyes focused on the large picture window in Clark’s bedroom. The lights from a neighboring building and from a neon sign high overhead spilled into the room through the curtains, casting long shadows on the floor. With a judicious use of her powers she managed to stand in one simple, fluid motion despite her awkward shape. She walked to the window, pushing aside the billowing curtains.
The windows were closed.
She looked around, puzzled. A sudden gust of wind swirled up around her, causing her to shiver from the cold. She frowned. She shouldn’t have felt the cold, but goosebumps were definitely beginning to form on her skin. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms. Lois continued to stare out the window, searching the sky for Clark’s star.
She took a hesitant step forward, and then suddenly leapt backwards, her heart stopping as it jumped up in her throat. She blinked hard, silently begging her eyes to stop deceiving her. He floated down casually, much like he probably had every night for years, almost as if he hadn’t been gone these last eight months, three weeks, and four days. The window opened gently and he stepped inside. In the dim light, she could see a small smile on his face.
“You don’t leave these open for me anymore?” he asked almost wistfully, nodding back toward the window. “It hasn’t been that long, has it?” Long shadows fell over him, but she thought she saw a look of sadness on his face.
She drew in a ragged breath, tears slipping down her cheeks. She felt her entire body shiver. He stepped forward, closing the distance between them, and wrapped his arms around her. Her body shook with sobs as she clung tightly to him. “You shouldn’t leave the windows closed,” he whispered, wrapping his cape around her. “You’ll keep the cold locked in.”
“Oh Clark,” she sobbed, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. She breathed in his familiar scent, drinking in the warm security of his embrace. His solid, comforting presence a balm to her wounded soul.
“Shh…it’s okay, I’m here,” he soothed. He caressed her cheek, wiping away the tears with the pad of his thumb. “No more tears.”
She kissed him. Passionately. Hungrily. Desperately.
He smiled and sighed as he pulled away. “Look at you,” he whispered gently, his hand slipping between their bodies to come to rest against her abdomen.
“You came home,” she managed, biting back a sob, her voice tiny and thin.
He slowly fell to his knees in front of her, placing his head against her stomach. “Of course, I did. Did you think there was anything that could keep me from being here now?” he asked.
“I love you so much,” she said, the end of her sentence swallowed up in a sob. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close, certain that if she didn’t anchor herself to him, she wouldn’t be able to continue standing on her wobbly legs.
“I’m here, sweetheart, I’m here,” he assured her. “And I will never leave you again.”
She closed her eyes as another tear rolled down her cheek. Her lips trembled and her body shook as she drew in a deep breath.
“I will always be here with you,” he whispered. His words cut right through her, reverberating deep inside and she couldn’t help but believe. He was her touchstone -- her very definition of truth.
Lois woke with a start. She could feel her heart breaking in her chest. She looked at the empty space beside her in the bed, noticing the dark spots on her pillow where her tears had fallen. Silently, she slipped out of the bed and padded softly to the large window. She drew back the curtains to stare out into the night’s sky. A thick blanket of clouds hung low overhead. Fat snowflakes drifted lazily toward the ground. Lois X rayed through the gray barrier of clouds, searching, as always, for his star. She located it easily, having months’ of practice under her belt. For a long while, she merely gazed up at it, so tiny and quiet from where she stood, wondering what was happening there, what Clark was going through at this very moment. She wished for the millionth time to be able to get a message to him. She wanted so badly to tell him about everything that had happened since he’d left, and to know whether or not he was all right.
All she really needed was to hear his voice, just once, assuring her that he was okay and that he’d come home to her.
********
The first thing she became aware of was the pain. Her head swam, her mind feeling disconnected from her body. She opened her eyes slowly, the light pouring in painfully. The shapes, backlit by what seemed to her to be blinding light, were fuzzy and indistinct.
“Ching?” she whispered hoarsely, her throat scratchy and dry.
“Your faithful aide is just fine, ma’am, and will be glad to hear that you’re awake,” a warm, distant sounding voice replied. Relief and sadness both washed over her. Where was she? Where was Ching? Was he truly all right?
“Commander Rin, my crew…” she continued
“The commander is still in surgery, the rest of your crew is recovering from their injuries,” the reassuring voice explained.
Her eyes finally adjusted to the light and the man behind the pleasant voice was revealed to be Tao Scion. “Where am I?” she asked at last, looking around the sterile and almost empty white room, trying to focus despite the throbbing pain in her head and the wound in her side.
“Very much at home,” Tao Scion said with a smile. “Ching and the rescue crew brought you back this morning. You were in surgery for hours. Your physicians have retired for the night, but Kal El asked me to stay with you in the event that you woke.”
“Thank you,” she replied. “I imagine that I’m a bit older than your usual patients.”
He smiled, somewhat sadly. “Indeed, my charges are generally much smaller and younger, but you’ve been just as good a patient as most of them.”
Zara noticed the old man swallow roughly. She frowned. “Tao Scion, is something wrong?”
“I am afraid I have bad news,” he began gently.
********
“I am so very sorry,” he said, his voice gravelly.
She stared dumbly at the physician for a long moment. “You…” she cleared her throat, her voice threatening to break. “You are certain?” she managed.
Tao Scion merely nodded. “Do you want me to tell your parents and Kal El?”
Zara shook her head slightly. “No,” she whispered.
“Very well,” he replied. “I will not say anything of it. Still, I should summon them; they will be relieved to know that you are awake. And you should try to rest.”
Zara watched in silence as he retreated from the room. She turned her head to look away from the door and stared silently at the wall, overcome by a sense of sadness. She closed her eyes, willing herself to suppress the emotions she had no intention of dealing with at that moment. After a long moment, she managed to steady herself, rebuilding bit by bit, her composure. There was a knock at her door and it opened slowly. She turned to see her mother and father standing in the doorway.
********
The quiet, persistent, hum of the machines that monitored her condition and were supposed to make her more comfortable faded into the background. She smiled wearily at Kal El. He looked tired, but he returned the smile.
“Your doctors want you to rest a few weeks. No work, no stress,” he said softly.
The thought of not having any stress or worries for a while, especially now, seemed tempting. A short while of visiting with her parents and a brief conversation with Kal El had worn her out entirely. Maintaining pretenses with them had been mentally exhausting.
She knew that people, especially members of the Council, had been talking constantly about what had happened since the moment word of her ship’s disappearance had been announced. In just a short while, she and her crew had been rescued, and news of that spread just as quickly. For now, they had people to deal with the questions of inquiring councilors and citizens alike. A few days of quiet sequestration had been afforded her.
Kal El placed a gentle hand on top of hers. “You had us all worried,” he said with a slight smile. “Take care of yourself and try to get some rest.”
“Thank you,” she replied gratefully, glad to have both his friendship and support, even though there was so much she was not telling him. She knew that he would manage just fine for as long as she was unable to fulfill her duties.
“There’s someone else who wants to see you, if you’re up for another visitor.”
She looked at him questioningly, secretly hoping that her guess of whom he was referring to was right. He nodded slightly and she noticed the smile, not at his lips, but in his eyes. She allowed herself a slight, tremulous smile as Kal El quietly walked to the door and exited the room. Before the door could close behind him, Ching slipped inside.
He closed the door silently and stood perfectly still. For a long moment, no one moved or said a word. She doubted that either one dared to breathe. It was as though all the air had been drawn from the room.
“Hello,” she managed at last with a small smile.
A hesitant smile spread across his face. “Hel…Hello,” he said, clearing his throat. In long strides, he walked to her bedside and sat beside her. She reached out a hand to him and he took it with both of his. He closed his eyes and silently held her hand to his lips for a long moment.
“How are you?” he whispered.
“I will be all right,” she assured him, not entirely honestly. Outwardly, she would be fine. She would be able to resume her life as though nothing had changed. No one would ever need to know anything else.
“I am so sorry.” Uncharacteristically, he didn’t make eye contact with her, keeping his head bowed.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” she whispered fiercely. “The ship was sabotaged, and from the looks of it, by an expert.”
He shook his head. “And we should have caught it. We should have noticed.”
“You saved my life and the lives of my crew,” she said simply.
“I should have kept you safe,” he disagreed.
“Ching there are things in this world even you cannot keep me safe from.” She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “I love you.”
He squeezed her hand back in response. “I love you so much.” He leaned forward and kissed her hesitantly, his touch feather light. “You are so beautiful,” he said as he reached out a hand and gently touched her face.
“You are a better liar than you used to be,” she said with a smile, knowing that her face was covered with cuts and bruises. She imagined that she was a ghastly sight, but he managed to make the words sound completely sincere.
“I never lie,” he said, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. “And you are beautiful.”
********
“I am sorry to disturb you, sir,” Ensign Parth apologized as he entered the First Ministers’ chambers.
“It’s all right,” Clark replied, standing aside to let the quiet young man in. “What can I do for you?”
“Reports are coming in, sir, of a disturbance in the town of Breksin, about the same time as First Minister Zara was rescued.”
Clark frowned. “What happened?”
The young officer cleared his throat and looked downward before continuing. “It is not entirely clear. Intelligence is still being gathered and the commanders wanted to acquire a clearer picture before bringing this to your attention, but I felt there was something you needed to know immediately. The reports are rather gruesome. Wanton slaughter of civilians and widespread destruction. The initial accounts are that the attackers were members of the expeditionary forces.”
“What?” Clark exclaimed, unable to believe what he was hearing.
“Survivors accurately described the uniforms of the attackers as being like those of the expeditionary forces, sir,” Parth continued.
“This has to be a mistake…” Clark began.
“It is worse, sir,” Parth interrupted uncharacteristically. “Several accounts suggest that the attackers were in radio contact with their superiors. A few witnesses reported hearing that the attackers answered to a commander named Ching.”
Clark opened his mouth to vehemently protest, to declare with all the force of Superman’s will that such a thing was not and could never be true and that he would never believe it. But he didn’t. He said nothing and merely closed his mouth. What good would an outburst in front of a junior officer do? Who would Parth report to, and who would overhear? He had to choose every word carefully and watch his back even more so than usual. “I want information, everything we know,” he said at last.
“The commanders intend to brief you within the hour. I merely wanted to give you as much advanced notice as possible, sir,” Parth replied, his hands clasped together in front of him.
“Not a word of this to anyone, Parth,” Clark cautioned.
“Of course, sir.” With a bow, Parth excused himself.
Clark crossed the room in long, quick strides to his desk and punched the button on the intercom. “Get me Enza immediately.”
********
Ching walked down the deserted corridor away from the medical wing. It was late afternoon and while he’d heeded Kal El’s command not to work today, he had not yet gotten any rest. He was finally beginning to feel the exhaustion set in after the stress and tension of the last few days slowly drained out of his body.
Ching wearily wandered through the maze of hallways toward his own quarters, slowly becoming aware that the echoing footsteps in the halls were not only his own. He looked up as a pair of guards turned a corner and approached him.
“Sir,” one of them said as the two came to a stop in front of him, effectively blocking his way.
“What is it, Sergeant?” Ching asked.
“Something has happened at Breksin, sir,” the Sergeant replied.
“What?” Ching demanded.
“Please come with us,” the other guard insisted.
Ching realized immediately that the situation was more dire than the two young guards would let on. His mind raced as he wondered what had happened. “Sergeant, explain,” he said curtly.
“Sir, please,” the sergeant replied quietly.
Ching frowned and shook his head wearily. Suddenly it became clear. The guards were not here to escort him to a meeting, they were not here to brief him on events. He was being taken into custody. “Let us go,” Ching said at last.
********
“How is it that Zara survived?” Nor demanded angrily as he paced in his mother’s office.
“Sir, if I may?” Jen Mai began.
“Shut up!” Nor snapped.
Rae Et pursed her lips, a look of amusement playing upon her face. “Son, calm yourself,” she warned.
“I will do no such thing, mother!” Nor continued his tirade.
Rae Et stood up, the amusement in her expression gone and replaced by a cold, hard gaze. She glared across her desk at her son, her jaw sternly set. Nor stopped his restless pacing, and folded his arms across his chest in petulant defiance. He jutted his chin out like a stubborn child, silently challenging his mother. “Despite the failure to kill Zara,” she shot Jen Mai a look, and he squirmed uncomfortably under her withering stare. “The attack on Breksin was quite successful. The reverberations from that attack will likely be felt throughout the seat of power and the very foundations of that administration will be shaken.”
“This has gone on too long, enough games!” Nor snapped.
“Nor, be silent!” Rae Et’s voice boomed.
Nor scratched his bearded chin, looking like a chastised little boy. Her son may have been the figurehead of this uprising, but there was never any real question as to where the true power was. Even he, thick as he was at times, understood it. She had cleared the path for him, guiding his every move. He was the key to their triumph. She was content to let him play boy king. From the background, she would be the one pulling the strings.
“We will continue as planned,” Rae Et continued calmly as she slowly lowered herself to her seat. “And Jen Mai, I will not tolerate future failures such as this one. Do not let us down again.”
********
“Lois, are you sure you’re up for five alarm chili?” Jonathan asked, a cautious note in his voice.
“I’ve still got the iron stomach,” Lois replied as she set the plates on Clark’s round dinner table. She tried to keep her tone light, as she had for the past few days. Her dreams for the past few nights had been unusually vivid. More often than not, she dreamt about him at night. But over the months, the dreams had lost something. They’d grown fuzzy and indistinct. She didn’t hear his voice as clearly, didn’t feel his arms around her. He was still there, but only as a reassuring presence, familiar, but far away. Now, much like the first few nights after he’d left, these dreams had been jarring enough to wake her and to leave her unable to sleep again.
“Five alarm it is, then,” Jonathan called to her. She looked over her shoulder, a smile pasted on her face. Jonathan continued to add the cayenne and habanero pepper to the bubbling pot.
“Do we have any cream soda left?” Lois asked as she wandered back into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator door and poked her head inside. A quick search produced the cans in question. She juggled them in her hands as she pushed the fridge door closed. “Hey, that smells terrific.”
“Have a taste,” Jonathan replied.
She placed the soda cans on the kitchen counter and took the spoonful of chili Jonathan was holding out to her. “Wow,” she said as she sampled the chili, hot enough even for her invulnerable taste buds. “Whoa.” A frown set on her face. She felt an odd muscle tremor in her abdomen, something she assumed would have hurt had she not been impervious to harm.
“Too hot?” Jonathan asked.
“No. It’s not the chili,” she responded, placing a hand against her stomach.
“What? What is it?” her father-in-law asked anxiously.
“I think that was a contraction,” she replied, her brow still furrowed in consternation.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“No, I don’t know. I don’t know what they’re supposed to feel like,” she said honestly.
“But you aren’t supposed to be due for another week and a half,” Jonathan murmured.
“Well, it looks like the little guy here is impatient. Or maybe Kryptonian pregnancies aren’t as long as Earth pregnancies,” she mused aloud, her hand still on her abdomen.
“Does it hurt? Should I call Bernie? What should I do?” he peppered her with questions.
“No, probably, and I don’t really know.”
“Maybe you should sit down,” Jonathan replied.
“Good idea,” she said with a nod and made her way slowly to one of the chairs at the table, Jonathan just a step behind her. He darted back into the kitchen and returned quickly with the cordless phone.
He punched a series of buttons in rapid succession. “Hello, Bernie?” he spoke into the receiver. “Yes, it’s Jonathan Kent, we think Lois’s contractions have started. Yes, we know it’s early…no, we’re not sure. Okay, all right, I’ll tell her…thanks, Bernie.” Jonathan hung up the phone.
“What did he say?” Lois asked.
“That we should wait, see if there’s another contraction and figure out how far apart they are.”
“Right, that sounds right,” Lois said absently with a nod.
Jonathan looked down at his wristwatch. “Well, let’s see, the last one was two minutes ago, so we’ll time from then,” he said. He paused and frowned. “How far apart are they supposed to be?”
“No clue, this is the first time for both of us.” She managed a smile.
Jonathan turned the heat down under the chili pot and the pair sat at the table, waiting and wondering if the next contraction would occur soon, or whether it had been a false alarm. The front door opened and Martha entered, shaking off the light dusting of snow as she transferred the paper bag she was carrying from one arm to the other. “I’m back,” she announced cheerfully. “They had these great bread bowls at the bakery around the corner and I figured they’d be perfect for your chili Jonathan,” she said as she made her way toward the kitchen. She saw both Jonathan and Lois at the dinner table, wearing matching looks of surprise, and stopped. “What is it?” she asked. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Lois replied. “We…well, we think the contractions might have started.”
“Contractions? Oh my! The contractions?” Martha exclaimed. “But you’re not due for another ten days!”
“Apparently math is not the baby’s strongest subject,” Lois replied. She frowned again. “Speaking of which, I think that was another one. How long was it?”
Jonathan fumbled with his watch. “Seventeen minutes,” he announced. “I’ll call Bernie.”
“Was that the second one?” Martha asked.
“The second one that I’ve noticed. I’m not sure though. I know they’re supposed to hurt, but they don’t, so I don’t know if I’ve been having them for a while and just didn’t feel them,” Lois explained.
“Just relax and try to breathe deeply,” Martha suggested. “The first stages of labor could take quite a while.” She gave Lois a sympathetic smile.
********
“What happened at Breksin,” Clark demanded as soon as his young legal officer entered the conference room. He stood next to the large table in the center of the room, but made no movement to sit down. Instead he began pacing restlessly.
“We are still investigating the matter, sir,” Enza replied, a bit off guard.
“But we know that a town full of civilians was attacked, right?”
Enza nodded grimly. “Yes, sir.”
“Did you know that Lieutenant Commander Ching was arrested?” he asked.
Enza’s face fell. “No sir, I did not.”
“The attack happened while Ching’s rescue party was coming to Zara’s aid, right?” Clark asked but he quickly continued without waiting for an answer. “Apparently survivors are claiming the attackers were from the Expeditionary Forces, and that they answered to Ching. As we speak, he’s being placed in detention.”
“I am certain a full investigation of the events is being launched…” Enza began.
“That’s not good enough, Lieutenant,” Clark interrupted. “The sabotage of Zara’s ship, this attack on Ching, whoever is planning these attacks has the highest level of access in all circles of power.”
Enza frowned, her arms crossed tightly across her chest. “You believe the attack was staged solely to dispose of Ching?”
“Yes,” Clark replied simply. “You said before that you do not answer to the regular military chain of command, right?”
“No, I do not, sir. My duty is to the law, not the chain of command.”
“But you are still my legal advisor, is that correct?”
“Aye, sir,” she replied.
“And you must follow any legal order that I give, correct?”
“Aye, sir,” she repeated, her brow slightly arched.
“Good. I want you to drop all of your current responsibilities. From now on, your only duty is to this investigation.”
“But, sir…” Enza started cautiously.
“Lieutenant, there is someone tearing us apart and killing us from within. I need to know who it is,” he said forcefully.
She nodded slowly in understanding. “If I might ask one question, sir?”
“Go ahead.”
“Why me, sir?” He could hear the uneasiness, the hesitance in her voice. Her question was not one of false humility. She knew enough to know that such responsibility in their situation could be a terrible thing. She wasn’t certain she was equal to the task. But he was. “Surely there are counselors with far more experience…”
“Because I trust you,” he replied simply. “I’ve seen what this war has done to your family and I’ve seen what you fight for, Lieutenant. There are very few people that I trust. You are one of them.” Clark could see the look of surprise settle on her face. “I need absolute discretion in this matter. Tell no one about it.”
“Of course,” she replied. “Is there anything else, sir?”
He shook his head. “Good night, Enza.”
She bowed humbly. “Good night, sir.”
*******
Lois bit her lip and sat quietly still for a long moment. “Was that another one?” her mother-in-law asked.
“Yes,” Lois replied as soon as the sensation subsided. “It felt stronger though.”
“Seven minutes apart,” Jonathan said as he looked at his watch.
“Maybe you should walk around a bit,” Martha suggested helpfully. “I’ve heard that moving during the early stages of labor makes it easier.”
“Okay,” Lois replied. She began to stand up from her chair at the table, but froze.
“What is it?” Jonathan asked, the concern evident in his voice.
“Are you all right?” Martha asked.
“My water broke,” Lois replied deadpan.
The three glanced at each other in a brief moment of confusion. Martha turned to her husband. “You call Bernie--”
“I’ll call Bernie--” Jonathan said at the same time.
Her in-laws began racing around the apartment, quickly preparing for the delivery with such speed that she had to wonder if Clark’s powers hadn’t rubbed off on them at some point.
“Bernie’s on his way,” Jonathan called out from the kitchen.
Lois felt herself get swept up in the nervousness and excitement that made all other pregnant lady mood swings pale in comparison. The entire apartment seemed to spin with the constant activity all around her. She felt an odd sensation of disconnectedness, the lack of pain, which should have been paramount in her mind, made it seem like everything was happening to someone else and she was just a confused, startled bystander. But her protruding abdomen bore evident testament to the fact that this was really happening to her. “Looks like you’re on your way, whether we’re ready or not, huh, kiddo?” she whispered quietly.
