Chapter Five
Explanations... of a kind?
Following their visit to Star Labs, Lois and Clark had spent the rest of the morning and afternoon at the Planet, putting in some work on a current story to keep Perry satisfied. Then they'd come home a little earlier than normal to take over their new roles as Mom and Dad, which they both had to admit, weren't exactly easy. Thank goodness they had Clark's parents to help out.
Lois' father and mother had left the house on Hyperion Avenue the day following Matthew's arrival, Sam to return to his backstreet lab and his work on his strange experiments and Ellen to visit an old 'Bridge Club' friend in Florida. Both Kent couples had been surprised at Ellen's travel plans, since it was clear she was still enamoured of her ex-husband. Yet, she was acting diffidently, making Sam work for his redemption, and neither Martha and Jonathan, nor Lois and Clark could blame her. Besides, it was probably for the best that Lois' parents weren't too closely involved with the details of Matthew's origins.
In the early evening, after Matthew had finally gone down to sleep for a few hours, Lois and Clark had, at last, found time to relate all Dr Klein's findings to Martha and Jonathan.
"So, that's where we're at now!" Lois concluded, settling closer to Clark on the couch. They both felt slightly overwhelmed. Where did they go from here? It was the question that filled their thoughts.
Wide-eyed and silent, the elder Kents sat on the opposite couch, having listened intently to the amazing litany of revelations. Just like the younger couple their hands were entwined. Even for Martha and Jonathan, who had raised a superboy from another world, this was fairly staggering information.
Martha was the first to speak up. "Ok, so Matthew is a clo... sorry, Lois, a... test tube baby?" Lois gave a brief nod of her head, preferring that description, but only just marginally, and Martha continued. "Created from DNA, which someone... the New Kryptonians, you think, managed to collect from both of you while you were on their spaceship?"
"I know it sounds a bit 'scifi-fantasy', Mom, but that's about it in a nutshell!" Clark leaned nearer to Lois, realising she was in need of the physical contact.... Sheesh, he needed it too! "Pretty mind-blowing, eh?"
"Son, nothing surprises your Mom and me much any more," Jonathan chuckled as he answered. "But I have to say this comes pretty close! The important thing is, though, that Matthew is *our* grandson -- *your* child. Seems to me the rest is just detail!"
"Exactly,!" Lois agreed, her expression brightening a little, pleased that the level-headed Jonathan had once again cut straight through to the crux of the matter. "You've no idea how relieved I feel, knowing that strangers aren't going to turn up at our door to claim Matthew back."
"Me too, honey. That was the one thing I was dreading and my fears just grew worse with every minute he was with us. You don't know how many times I've considered picking up you and Matthew and flying away, if that had happened."
Lois smiled gently into her husband's face. He'd tried to keep his emotions in check, but he couldn't hide how he felt. "You think I didn't know that, Clark." She nudged his shoulder with her own and they stared into each other's eyes, silently reaffirming their commitment to each other and now to their son.
Her beauty still had the power to take his breath away, especially when she looked so vulnerable... but there would be time for private comfort later, or maybe not, now that Matthew was sharing their room. A slow smile spread over Clark's face as he realised how much this little guy was going to alter their lives, but he welcomed the changes, and he knew, without a shadow of doubt, that Lois felt exactly the same.
After a moment, though, Clark reluctantly broke away from his wife's gaze and faced his parents again. Right now, they had a problem to solve. "Mind you, The New Kryptonian part is still supposition... but they do seem to fit the profile."
"Have you tried contacting them telepathically, dear? You could do that last time they were here."
"Yes, Mom, it was the first thing I tried when we left Star Labs, but either I've lost the knack, or no one is listening!"
"Maybe they just sent Matthew in one of those transporter things. Like the ones they have on that TV programme... you know, 'Beam me up!'... or in this case, down!" Lois was prepared to consider every angle. "Maybe they never came near Earth."
"You mean those molecular-transport pods? I don't know much about them, honey, but I did learn they don't have the range to reach from New Krypton to Earth." Clark let go of Lois and walked over to the large window, pulling aside the drapes. "If they brought Matthew here, they have to be somewhere up there, fairly close."
"Or they've already headed back to New Krypton." Lois followed Clark and slipped by him to stare up into the heavens. Twilight was colouring the sky and a few brave stars twinkled dimly against the deepening purple. She felt his arms come around her again, enclosing her with his gentle strength. "Whatever they have planned, I think we should forget about them for now and concentrate on how we can legally make Matthew our own!"
"I don't think we have an alternative." Clark's breath was warm on her skin as he spoke softly into her ear and Lois felt her legs grow weak. Even now, he had the power to touch her....
"You need to adopt Matthew. It's the only way to make his position secure." Martha's voice broke into Lois' comfort zone and she shook herself mentally. This was not the time for lingering in the safe world of her husband's caress, and Superman's strength wouldn't help them solve this dilemma. In fact, the superhero's involvement in this case was definitely not an option.
Lois took hold of Clark's hand and pulled him with her back to the couch. "We've known that from the moment we found him, Martha, but adopting Matthew might be easier said than done!"
"Yeah, Mom, as we've already told you, Metropolis County Adoption Department have recommended that we're not parental material."
"You mean, I'm not, Clark! Ms Bailey thought you'd make a great Dad." Lois' shoulders slumped a little.
"Lois, we're a team, remember. We're in this together."
"Yes, and since both partners have to be approved, we struck out!"
Jonathan rested his elbows on his knees, and leaned forward. "But that was just one woman's opinion. Maybe when you applied this time, you'd be assigned another social worker...."
"Dad, I'd like to think so, but I'm pretty sure that Ms Bailey's findings will be recorded. She only checked us out a few days ago. Even if we did get another agent, it's sure to come up again."
"And in the meantime we'd have to let Child Welfare know that we'd found a baby." Lois' fingers nervously pushed her hair away from her face. "Given Ms Bailey's opinion of me, they'd probably take Matthew away immediately and place him in a foster home while we were investigated...."
"And there would be no guarantee that we would get him back. Knowing Matthew's genealogy we can't risk that!"
"Definitely not!" Martha was of the same point of view. "You know, I think maybe we should ask Doc Warner to help again."
Lois looked surprised. "The same old Doctor who helped you adopt Clark? Isn't he dead?"
"No, dear," Martha replied. "He wasn't that old when Clark was a baby, though he's probably a little over 70 now. He's retired, but every so often he helps out at the local practise if some of the other doctors are on vacation or sick. The people of Smallville trust him and he's still as sharp as a tack! The towns' folk won't let him hang up his stethoscope for good."
"Does he know about Clark?" Lois asked, intrigued despite their present predicament. She'd learned about most of her husband's life but, apart from knowing that Clark was legally adopted, she'd never really heard the details of that particular chapter.
"Officially, I'd say no... but, unofficially, I've always suspected he put two and two together," Jonathan joined in the conversation. "We never did tell him, but Doc Warner doesn't miss much."
"Neither did his sister, Miss Margaret." Martha nodded thoughtfully. "She was quite a few years older than her brother and when she died he asked Maisie and me to help clear out her personal things. I found a copy of the Daily Planet that headlined Superman's début into the world. She'd had it framed and there was a scrap book with a few other articles on your rescues. Course she died the same year, but she always told anyone who was willing to listen how lucky the world was to have Superman."
"You never told me that, Mom!"
"Clark, you had enough to worry about that first year, learning how to be a superhero and how to balance both your jobs! Not to mention trying to get a certain lady reporter to notice you existed!" Martha and Jonathan shared a grin.
Lois had the grace to blush. She wasn't exactly proud of the way she'd treated Clark back then, yet her mood changed quickly as she searched for information; perhaps they could use something that could help them out now. "So, she knew and she never told anyone! But how did Miss Warner help with the adoption?"
Martha sat forward in her seat as she took up the tale. "Margaret ran the local orphanage. Any abandoned child would have been taken there, but, like you two, Jonathan and I had already approached the adoption agency -- we were a little further down the road though. Margaret and the Doc just sped up the process for us. They suggested it was pointless taking the baby away from the home that was going to become his anyway. As the Warners were a very well thought of family, the rest of the adoption board agreed. We got to keep Clark and the legal papers were signed pretty quickly."
"Right!" Lois huffed. "No one was ever going to suggest that either of you wouldn't make good parents!"
"I'm not so sure about that, Lois," Jonathan leaned over and touched his daughter-in-law's hand. "We went on those 'civil rights marches' in the sixties, and though we never did get arrested, I can tell you, Martha came darn close a time or two. Boy, she had my heart in my mouth a few times!" The older Kent grinned and shook his head as he reminisced. His wife's elbow digging into his ribs surprised him.
"Jonathan! That was years ago!"
"I know, I just don't want Lois thinking she's the only 'rabble rouser' female in this family."
A tiny smile turned up the corners of Lois' mouth, but again she returned to current matters. "Ok, so what could this Doctor do to help us now?"
Taking a firm hold of Lois' hand, Jonathan answered as honestly as he could. "I can't say for certain, but I think he'd want to do what he could. I think he might be prepared to sign a paper to say he was present at Matthew's birth, which might help in getting a birth certificate. The mother's name could be registered as unknown."
Clark's eyebrows rose at his Dad's words and he didn't need his superpowers to hear Lois draw in a quick breath before she asked. "And why would he be willing to lie for us? I've never even met the man!"
"Doc Warner is one of a kind, and... well, he has a 'soft spot' for Martha...."
"Jonathan!" Martha spluttered again.
"Don't be coy, Martha, pretending you don't know! Besides, the Doc was way too much a gentleman to do anything but admire from afar, so it was never a problem. But apart from that, he's always taken an interest in Clark. He was real proud when you went to Metropolis, son, and got a job with the Daily Planet...."
"He took out an annual subscription for the paper then..." Martha injected, smiling. "And he was thrilled when you two finally made it to the altar. Every time your Dad or I meet him, he asks how you're doing. So yes, I think it would be worth our while for me to make a phone call."
"Mom, maybe I should ask," Clark suggested. "This is for Lois and me."
"No, son, let your mother talk to Doc; she knows just how to wind him round her little finger!" Jonathan said with a wink at the pair still sitting opposite.
Martha shrieked. "Jonathan, will you stop it! You're giving Lois and Clark the wrong impression of my friendship with the doctor. I can assure you, he's a real sweet man, full of old-world charm perhaps, but he'll want to help only because it's the right thing to do!"
"I know, but I just couldn't help kidding you a bit." Jonathan and Martha exchanged a look of gentle understanding built upon long years of living with each other's habits and idiosyncrasies. "But there's no time like the present. Why don't you go call him now."
Patting her husband's shoulder, Martha stood. "You're right. And if you don't mind, I'll phone from the kitchen. I don't think I need any distractions from you." This time it was her turn to tease, but she dropped a kiss on Jonathan's head as she turned to walk out of the room.
An interminable period of time passed for the three people left behind in the living room, and Lois was even wishing that Matthew would wake up, crying for attention to take her mind off the conversation taking place in her kitchen. Beside her, she noticed Clark fidgeting with his glasses and unconsciously touching his ear a couple of times. Clearly he was tempted to eavesdrop on his mother's phone call, but his parents' teaching and his own self-discipline prevented him from doing so. Jonathan was the only one who seemed fairly calm.
At last, after an eternity which was closer in reality to ten minutes, Martha returned.
"Well?" Lois jumped up, unable to contain herself any longer.
"Doctor Warner is willing to say that he brought Matthew into the world." The older woman grinned as she related the most important point.
"He is?" Clark stood too.
"Oh yes! He never regretted helping out the first time round, so he doesn't see any reason why this current crisis should be any different."
"And he isn't even curious about where Matthew came from?" Lois was having difficulty getting her head around someone who would want to offer such altruistic and unquestionable support, which could very well land him in trouble with the authorities, if it got out.
"I asked him that in particular, sweetie, and he told me that Matthew's past wasn't important -- he was more interested in making sure that the baby had a safe future."
"He does know that we're not the biological mother and father? At least, not publicly." Clark was still wary of giving away too much information, even to someone who probably knew a lot more about his history than he'd ever imagined.
"Oh, yes, Clark, I kept that part quiet. I just told him that the baby was abandoned on your doorstep, but you couldn't go through the normal channels, since you'd had some previous difficulty with the local adoption agency because of your life threatening jobs."
"And that didn't worry him, Mom?"
"Of course not!" Martha crossed to where her daughter and son stood side-by-side. "It all boils down to the fact that Doctor Warner has complete faith in you both. He knows you'll love Matthew and take good care of him. In fact, he was kinda tickled at the 'lost baby' bit, saying it was funny how history repeated itself! But he's happy to play his part again. Which just leaves the travel details to be settled."
"Travel details?" Clark asked.
"Yes, he wants to know if Superman is going to fly you, Lois and the baby out to Smallville, though I think that was asked with a wink. Or maybe you'd rather Superman flew him to Metropolis. Truthfully, I think he'd prefer the latter option, cause he mentioned he'd been waiting a long time to fly with the Boy in Blue, and he'd rather do it while he was still 'young' enough to enjoy the experience!" Martha couldn't help but laugh at her kids' bemused expressions. "Oh, and I'm to tell you he is looking forward very much to meeting his hero."
"Superman?" Lois asked.
"No, dear, I expect he knows he's already met Superman. He means Lois Lane. He does admire all those exposes you've written -- putting all those criminals behind bars. He says he might be in his dotage, but he still appreciates a brave young woman, especially one with a lovely pair of eyes!"
Lois found herself laughing unexpectedly. "I think I'm looking forward to meeting Doc Warner too."
"Yeah," Clark gulped, not really sure that this time he was in complete agreement with his wife.
In the corner of the couch, Jonathan found himself laughing heartily. "Don't worry about it, son. Doc Warner's bark is worse than his bite. He's been a confirmed bachelor for many years and I doubt he's thinking of changing his status this late in life."
"Clark, you can't tell me you're jealous!" Lois swung round to stare at her husband. "This is the man who almost brought you into the world, even if he does fancy himself as an ageing beau!"
"Will you two stop!" Martha sent a disapproving glance at her husband and daughter-in-law. "Doc Warner is an old man who likes to tease, but it doesn't change the fact that he wants to see Matthew settled safely as part of this family. He's free tomorrow night and you're to let him know if he's coming to Metropolis or not."
"Ok, I guess I owe him a flight, even if he is going to ogle my wife!" Clark finally joined in the fun. "But just behave yourself, Ms Lane. No one knows better than I do how you can send a man's blood pressure through the roof, and I'm Superman! I'd rather he signed those papers before he died of hyper-tension!"
Lois allowed herself to be pulled into her husband's arms for a kiss. "I'll be good, and on the way Superman can tell the doctor that Clark Kent is a very jealous man, so he'd better be on his best behaviour." But once again Lois' teasing mood disappeared, leaving her dispirited. "So, now we can establish Matthew's birth, but that idea about the mother remaining anonymous would send us right back to Child Welfare. Before we begin a private adoption process we need a mother's consent."
"You've been doing your homework too, honey?" Somehow that didn't surprise Clark. "And we have to at least attempt to look for a father to get his co-operation."
"Clark, we can get round not having a father, but where are we going to get a woman who'd be willing to perjure herself by signing an affidavit stating she's giving her baby to us, and then keep quiet about it for the rest of all our lives?"
"Yes, it does seem an impossible project, and even if we could find someone, how would you feel about that, Clark?" Martha stared steadily at her son.
Clark drew in a deep breath and his lips pursed visibly as he let it back out. His gaze took in the others in the room. "Pretty much the same way as I do about Doc Warner's part in this, I guess. You all know how much I hate lying... how I always try to stand for the truth. But this isn't about me; this is about securing Matthew's birthright and keeping him safe. For the sake of my son, I'm more than willing to live with my conscience." Clark's voice softened on the words 'my son' and his lips twisted involuntarily into his lopsided grin. He'd been afraid he'd never get the chance to say those words. They sounded... incredible!
"Looks like that's our plan of action, then," Lois stated firmly. "But I have no idea how to begin. Does anyone else have any suggestions?"
"Why don't we take this into the kitchen? I'll make us some coffee and we can have a brainstorming session," Martha spoke as she headed through the dining room, followed by the rest of her family.
"Coffee, coffee, would be good!" Lois murmured, but suddenly she collided with an immovable force as, in front of her, Clark stopped to listen. At the familiar action, Lois' heart sank a little. "Oh, no, don't tell me there's some emergency you have to rush off to? This is important, Clark." For the most part, she didn't mind the rest of the world borrowing her husband, but this was a family crisis.
"No, sweetheart, I was just checking that Matthew was still asleep." He smiled down at her and slipped his arm gently round her shoulder.
"And?"
"He's sleeping like a little angel! Come on, let's see if we can think up some solutions before he wakes up for another feed."
Yet no matter how hard they tried, an answer to their problems didn't spring to mind. At one point, forgery and masquerading were mentioned, but no one could really take them seriously. Three cups of coffee later and Clark finally voiced an idea which, it had to be said, was born of desperation.
"Lois, what about Lucy?"
"What about her?" Lois was standing by the sink, rinsing out her mug. She'd debated with herself about having yet another coffee, but felt a bit waterlogged, and with this much caffeine, she probably would have trouble sleeping later. Though that might not be a bad thing, given that Matthew was still waking up every few hours. Suddenly, she turned to face her husband. "Clark, are you thinking what I think you're thinking?"
"Maybe!" He shrugged, looking very uncomfortable. "I wouldn't bring her into this if we could come up with another way, but is it possible... no, forget, I mentioned it. Bad idea!"
"Yes, it is! I wouldn't ask Lucy to tell such a huge lie for us Clark... to say she's the baby's mother." Lois' voice rose unusually high. "It just wouldn't be right. Maybe if she offered, that might be different. But she doesn't even know we have a baby, so that's not going to happen... and no, I'm not going to tell her about this." She levelled a finger at Clark. "Not until everything is sorted!"
"If it ever is," Clark uttered with uncharacteristic pessimism, and cringed at Lois' glare of disapproval.
In the background, Martha and Jonathan exchanged anxious glances. The kids nerves were fraying badly.
"Besides, I wouldn't sully Lucy's reputation that way." At Lois' statement, Clark's eyebrows lifted sceptically. "And before you say anything, I know Lucy does have a certain penchant for guys with an unsavoury reputation, but as far as I know, she's never been foolish enough to become an unmarried mother. So just forget that idea, Clark."
"Ok! I didn't really care for it anyway...."
"And, I don't know what we could tell Lucy that would justify why we need her to do this. You know, Clark, I love my sister.... I really do, even if it doesn't always seem that way, but she can be a bit of a flake, and I'm not sure we could rely on her. I mean, she wouldn't purposefully give us away, and using Lucy would definitely be preferable to a complete a stranger... but she...." Lois' babble halted as Clark's last sentence penetrated her brain. "You don't want to use Lucy, either?"
Crossing to Lois' side, Clark placed his arm around her and led her back to a seat at the table, pulling her onto his knee as he sat down. "I don't want to use anyone, sweetheart. And I was wrong to think of putting Lucy in that position, but not because I don't trust her. I think she'd be very good at keeping our secrets. The Lane women happen to be very smart, you know."
"Except my mother!"
"Even your mother!"
"You think so?" Lois' brow furrowed in consideration. Her mother had proved pretty stable lately and very supportive.
"I do." Clark smiled encouragingly into his wife's face. "Ellen went through a lot you know. Being cheated on by someone you love very much must be pretty hard to take. It's not too surprising she fell apart. I'm sorry that meant you had a really hard time growing up, honey, but I can't be too mad at either of your parents. They made you -- the best wife, the best mother in the world, and I'm very thankful that they did."
"Oh, Clark, how is it that you always manage to say the right thing?"
"Just telling it how I see it, Lois."
"Clark's right, sweetie. Your mother and father are really trying hard to make amends for their past mistakes," Martha ventured her opinion. Even knowing Lois had an unhappy childhood, she couldn't help but like Ellen and Sam.
"I know, Martha, and I'm pleased about that, I really am." Lois slid her hand down Clark's arm and her fingers intertwined with his. "Though I can't help but be a little uneasy about them getting back together. I'm just not sure that can work, and I don't want to see history repeat itself. But that's not up to me and I'll try to back whatever they decide."
"Your mom isn't rushing into anything, Lois; that has to be a good sign," Clark suggested.
"True! She's acting fairly wisely for once, so perhaps there is hope for them," Lois agreed, then sighed and leaned into Clark for support. "I just wish there was such a silver lining ahead for our plans. You know, Clark, I think we're back to the crazy idea of me donning a secret identity as Matthew's biological mother, signing an affidavit saying I want to give my baby over to *me* to take care of for the rest of his life! Geesh!"
"How many checks would they run on that?" Jonathan asked, not treating the plan as impossible. It was 'out there', but if it was the only option, what choice did they have? "I mean apart from Doc Warner's statement that he was present when you give birth, wouldn't you need some proof of identity... like a social security number, or a driver's licence... maybe a passport?"
"Oh boy, this is getting even more complicated!" Clark shifted uneasily in his chair, nearly unseating Lois. He pulled her back onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her securely. "Do you think Bobby Bigmouth would be able to find us a good forger?"
"Clark, we can't involve any strangers in this!"
"I know, honey. I was just thinking out loud again. Do you have any other suggestions."
Lois couldn't help but grin conspiratorially. "Well, you could sneak into the relevant offices and pinch some blank forms. Then you can draw pretty good, so you think you can copy well too?"
"Lois, Superman doesn't break in and steal things!"
"Clark, you've done it before when we've been in tight situations, and you said you'd be willing to do anything to protect Matthew. That's what all this is about, keeping your son safe."
"I know!" Clark hugged Lois against his chest comfortingly.
"Actually, Lois, you've got the wrong person in the family if you're looking for a forger," Jonathan said, looking pointedly in the other direction to the couple. "Martha's the resident copier."
"You are, Martha?"
"Yes, dear, but don't ask me to explain at the moment. It was a long time ago, before Clark came along."
"This wouldn't have anything to do with why you almost got arrested, would it?"
Thankfully for Martha's sake, Matthew chose that moment to wake up, and both Lois and Clark hurried upstairs to see to their son.
"Jonathan, did you have to bring that up?"
"I'm only trying to help the kids. This whole business is stressing them out."
"Yes, dear, but I'm not a very good forger, otherwise we wouldn't have got caught when we showed our passes to get inside that base. Thank goodness they just took us for crazy kids and threw us off the premises. Contrary to what you thought, I didn't really want to get a criminal record."
"I'm well aware of that," Jonathan grinned, "and I'll admit now that I was proud of the way you stood up for what you believed in. But as for not being a good forger... I know you've been practising."
"Jonathan, I thought you hadn't noticed!" Martha toyed nervously with her empty coffee cup. "You know, I'm only still standing up for what I believe in. I believe that Matthew should be with his true Mom and Dad, and I'll do anything to make sure that happens."
Jonathan's hand stretched across the table and stilled his wife's anxious twitching. "I understand, Martha. You know, Clark isn't the only man in this family who found the best wife and mother."
*****
tbc
