[Chapter 11: Thanksgiving]Clark’s heart was thudding in his chest as he silently zipped into the barn.
He couldn't believe what was happening, but Kal's words from before echoed in his mind.
'Don't wait for the perfect time, because that will never come,' he had said.
Well, he wasn't sure if this timing was perfect, but he doubted he would have a better moment to finally tell Lois the truth. He just hoped it all went well.
"Clark?" Lois called, sounding confused.
"In here,” he answered.
She entered and came around to where he was, shaking off the snow from her shoes.
“Hi,” Lois said breathlessly.
“Hi,” he returned, suddenly wondering how to begin as he realized he had no plan.
“Superman told me you were in here,” Lois started, stepping forward.
“Yeah,” Clark said.
Lois blinked, confused. “Yeah?”
Clark took a deep breath. “I need to talk to you.”
Lois straightened and looked thoughtful. “That’s funny, because I need to talk to you too.”
Clark forced himself to keep breathing as she stopped before him and placed her hand on his arm.
“This past week has been . . . crazy, but it made me do some thinking,” Lois said, looking up at him. “I know our relationship has always been . . . difficult to define, but when I thought about what had almost happened. . . . If Kal hadn’t shown up . . . Clark –”
“I know. I know, Lois,” he said, interrupting her as he brought his hands up and reverently held her face. “And I’ve done some thinking too. I haven’t always made the best decisions, especially in how I’ve handled my . . . feelings, but I’m ready now, and I’m ready to tell you something I should have told you a long time ago,” he said as her eyes widened, and Clark knew she was recalling the words Superman had uttered only minutes before.
“Clark?” she whispered in disbelief, his hands still cupping her face.
He slowly swallowed, his eyes holding hers as she saw something galvanize deep inside him.
“Lois, I’m Su–”
Lois leapt forward, silencing him with her lips on his own as her hands came up and gripped the front of his light jacket. He didn’t resist, and instead brought one of his hands down from her face to pull her closer as he allowed himself to fully express what he felt in the deepest kiss he had ever given or received.
Taking what he had recently learned, he pulled at his aura, enveloping her in it as much as he could and hoping she would feel all the love and gratitude he had for her. He was dimly aware of his feet leaving the floor as her hands slid around him. He moaned in delight as he sensed what could only be
her love for him seeping into his aura and overflowing into his soul.
Kal had not quite told him it could do this!
After a moment, they pulled back and he rested his forehead against hers, both slightly out of breath.
"Wow," she managed, before looking down. She giggled. "I guess if I needed further proof, I have it."
He smiled sheepishly and slowly floated them down before beginning to pull back his aura that was currently reaching two inches beyond his skin.
"Wait!" she shouted. "Leave it. It's . . . nice," she said with a blush.
"Okay," he said softly as she took his hand.
"So, should we head to the house? Will your parents begin wondering where we are?" Lois asked tentatively.
"Kal saw us arrive, so they know where we are," Clark said before tilting his head and focusing his hearing. "But dinner is almost ready."
"Alright. We can talk after we eat then," she said, squeezing his hand.
So they walked back to the house, hand-in-hand.
O o O o O
Lois looked up at Clark as they made their way across the field, her mind still buzzing from the revelation as her body tingled from the aftermath of their kiss.
So many things began to make so much sense.
Clark’s lame excuses and disappearances, his ability to contact Superman, heck, even his criticisms of the hero!
And then something else clicked.
She stopped with a gasp.
"What?" Clark asked, concerned.
"Kal! He's married to my alternate self!" she marveled. "Oh my gosh! No wonder he–! And he's a P.I. too? And you! No wonder you were freaking out when he first showed up!"
Clark chuckled nervously. "Yeah, it was pretty startling," he put in as she continued without pause.
"And – Whoa. This is nuts. You're Superman and Kal's the alternate you! And your parents! They raised– and when you said your mom made your suit, it was Martha?! And you were meeting with the UN for
days, reporting on
yourself. This is way more complicated than I had thought!" she said, taking a few more steps before stopping again with another gasp. "And those assassins that Kal warned us about! We've got to get on that! And New Krypton! What if they try to take you?!"
"Lois, Lois! It's going to be okay. Kal has already started helping me with preparations and he's told me about the assassins and what had happened on his Earth," Clark quickly reassured. "If they come here, we'll be ready."
Lois sagged in relief before leaping at him again, embracing him. "Thank G-d!"
"Everything okay?" a voice called from the house.
Lois looked up and spotted Martha on the front porch, just beyond the door.
"Yeah, Mom!" Clark quickly answered.
"Okay. Well, dinner is ready whenever!" she returned before going back inside.
Lois took a deep breath.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" Clark said with a start, looking at her. "Kal is relaxing his aura while he's here, so don't be surprised if you feel it when he's nearby."
"Oh, okay. How close is 'nearby'?" Lois asked, intrigued.
"About seven feet. He can extend it pretty far when he wishes, but whenever it's settled and he's relaxing, it's seven feet," Clark explained.
"Settled?" Lois asked.
"When he holds it back for an extended period, it apparently needs to go further out before calming. I haven't really inquired much beyond that," he said before frowning in thought.
“Do you think . . . that could become an issue for you?” Lois asked.
“I don’t know. I have to really work at extending it the amount I am, but from what Kal has displayed, it’s not hard for him at all. However, from what he had told me, he accidently shredded his aura a few years ago. It almost killed him,” he admitted.
"Oh. Yeah, you should avoid doing that," she stated pointedly.
"Duly noted," Clark said with a smile, before they made it to the porch, the smell of dinner wafting forth.
O o O o O
Lois smiled as Martha handed her a coffee mug the next morning. She was sitting in the living room with Kal and Jonathan.
Clark had just stepped out for a rescue, which was so surreal for her, but it was oddly reassuring.
There he was, dashing out again, but now she knew why!
He had insisted Kal to remain, since it wasn't a big rescue and Kal was supposed to be relaxing.
The previous night had involved hours of discussion, both with just Clark and with everyone in the house.
They were all relieved and happy she now knew the truth, and it was easier than she might have thought it'd be after entering in on a huge family secret.
She and Clark had spoken into the wee hours of the morning after everyone else had headed to bed. She had asked him about everything she could think of, and he had happily answered.
Thinking about how much had changed for her and Clark, she glanced at Kal sitting beside the coffee table as he sipped at the tea he had just 'buzzed' with his good eye, causing it to steam.
She could see Clark in him (or a Clark), now that she knew, but the differences were clear.
Kal always held himself straighter, even when he was relaxing, and she could tell he was relaxed because she could feel it from the fringes of his aura. But there was also an age to him that Clark did not have, and it wasn’t because he was two years older. She couldn’t quite describe it, but the simplest way she could put it was ‘old soul’. Of course, perhaps it was because he was missing home.
"Well, I'm going to start preparations for the turkey," Martha declared before turning back toward the kitchen.
"Do you need any help?" Kal asked, about to stand.
"No, no. Right now it's just a one-person job. You three relax and wait for Clark to get back," she assured before disappearing into the kitchen.
Lois was personally relieved, certain that if she tried to help, she'd somehow find a way to completely ruin Thanksgiving dinner that evening.
"So any stories in the works?” Jonathan asked Lois.
"Well," Lois said with a glance to Kal. "Technically, Kal is the primary story, but Clark and I are going to be looking further into Dr. Hamilton when we get back to Metropolis. Hamilton’s been arrested, of course, and before the police got to him, he had destroyed his research - that had brought Capone and his gang back to life - which I think was the only wise decision he made in the whole mess. Anyway, there’s still things to uncover, specifically where he got his funding and who else helped him. He obtained DNA samples, cloned people, sped up their growth, and kept it secret for a long time. One guy can’t do
all of that, and if he can, the world has a massive problem.”
“The whole thing is just insane to me,” Kal put in. “I mean, can you imagine what he could have accomplished if he had focused his efforts on curing something? Or even just cloning organs? He successfully cloned several people so well that they somehow maintained their original memories? Good grief. It’s stuff from a B-rated sci-fi movie.”
Lois laughed. “Exactly!”
“And cloning. . . . As far as I know, there hasn’t been any cloning done in my world, or at least not successfully with humans,” Kal said.
“So there wasn’t ever a clone of you?” she asked, stunned.
“
What?! Someone cloned
me here? Clark, I mean? When? How?” he asked, appalled.
“Last year. Someone stole a lock of Superman’s hair he had donated for charity. We never figured out who was responsible,” Lois said before growing still. “Though, knowing what we know now, I frankly wouldn’t be surprised if Luthor was involved there as well. He’s the only one I can think of who had the means and desire. . . . Clark and I will definitely look into his old holdings. See if there are any connections to Hamilton.”
“So, Kal,” Jonathan asked as Lois began making a mental to-do list. "You're a P.I.? When was your first case?"
"Oh. When I was 18. I had left home a few months before and was exploring China," Kal answered, before shrugging helplessly upon their astonished looks.
"You what?" Lois asked.
"I decided to travel after high school. I wasn't sure about college and wanted to figure out what I wanted," Kal explained. "And then . . . stuff just happened."
"What happened?" Jonathan asked.
"I . . . sort of stumbled upon a human trafficking ring," Kal admitted. "After that, I knew what I wanted to do."
"Wow. Well, I guess that explains a few things," Lois said thoughtfully.
"Oh?" Kal asked.
"Why you're so different from our Clark," Lois said with a nod to Jonathan. "I mean, a large part of why we are who we are is due to our life experiences."
Jonathan nodded in agreement. "He always wanted to be a journalist, so Clark went to college for that right out of high school. Afterwards, he traveled the world, freelancing."
"Did you go to college?" Lois asked curiously.
"Sort of. I got a degree but I can't really say 'I went to college'. I needed a particular degree for an undercover investigation," Kal said. "It's legitimate, but things were nudged a bit by my then employer."
"Oh, that sounds interesting. What degree, and who hired you?"
"Astrophysics," he said. "And it was a general."
"You better not leave it there," Lois all but threatened.
"Have you heard of Bureau 39?" Kal asked.
Lois gasped as Jonathan stiffened.
"I see you have. I met a US Air Force General and he asked for my help. He didn’t know how different I was, at least not at first, but as luck would have it. . . . Anyway, long story short, he got me in the Air Force so I could help him bring down a man named Trask. Afterwards, I completed my commission and was honorably discharged as a lieutenant. Burton is a good man. He's helped me many times," he said.
"Burton . . . as in, General Newcomb?!" Lois asked, stunned.
"Yeah, that’s him. Is he still active here?" Kal asked, curious.
"Uh, no, he retired. But he helped us before with Trask," Lois explained, thoughtfully.
“So you completed your commission?” Jonathan asked.
“Yeah. Four years. Burton helped wave all the medical stuff away for me, and later he helped me get the Foundation going. Most recently, he oversaw the counter attack against the Parasites and my rescue,” he said.
Jonathan nodded slowly, glancing at his eyepatch. “Ah. Yes. Clark has told us a bit about what you had told him. I can’t say I’m too eager to meet any New Kryptonians.”
“Can’t say I blame you,” Kal replied. "Which is why I will do everything I can to help ensure Clark is ready in case they do exist here and come."
Jonathan smiled. "Thank you."
Kal nodded in reply.
"So how does your world treat you?" Jonathan asked. "I mean, you seem to be very . . . open with them."
"Very well. Of course, there had been some initial fear and uncertainty, but I weighed the risks of being more open and decided they were worth taking," he said.
"And it's worked out?" Jonathan asked, hesitant. "I mean, there hasn't been any . . . trouble?"
Lois stilled as she felt thick emotion ebb from Kal’s form. Compassion and understanding.
"You're afraid that if Clark becomes as open as I am as Superman on my world it will backfire?" Kal asked.
Jonathan took a deep breath. “People have tried to kill Clark several times since he became Superman. Trask introduced us to kryptonite last year. Trask is dead now, but Clark doesn’t have an ally in the government like you do.”
Kal straightened. “I don’t know all of the differences between my world and yours, but from what I have seen so far, the human psyche here is the same as at home. This world has welcomed me with just a single statement from their Superman, and that is because they trust him. Mark my words, that trust and support will only strengthen when they see that he trusts them back.”
Lois glanced at Jonathan, who wasn’t looking too sure, as Kal wisely continued before he could interject.
“He doesn’t need to reveal everything, but enough to show he has a deep connection to Earth and wants that connection to deepen. Clark and I are very different, but there are plenty of ways to obtain the same positive results. As I told Clark soon after I arrived, this isn’t my world. What he chooses to do is up to him,” Kal said.
Jonathan relaxed, and Lois wondered how much of it was because of Kal’s words versus the sincere earnestness ebbing through his aura.
A comfortable silence rose and then Martha called, informing them she needed someone to peel potatoes. Kal quickly answered before Lois or Jonathan could offer their assistance. With a smile, he then supersped into the kitchen.
O o O o O
He looked like her son, until he turned and revealed the blue eyepatch.
He could fly like her son, but he moved with a calm certainty that came from tested experience.
He even spoke in her son’s voice, but his words held weight she scarcely heard her son use.
Martha turned as Kal entered the kitchen.
"How many potatoes do we need, Mrs. Kent?" he asked.
"I think six should do us," she said with a smile.
He returned the smile and got to work.
He was more at ease than he had been the day before when he had arrived with Clark, but she could tell he was still uncertain and cautious, which, after the conversation he had just had with Jonathan that she had overheard (she was just in the other room), she wasn't surprised.
She checked on the turkey and was happy with what she saw. It would be a few more hours, but there was still much to do.
His aura brushed against her side as she brought the casserole dish to the table. She looked up, struck by the feelings she could sense were bubbling just beyond her reach.
"Sorry," he apologized, clearly having felt her surprise.
“You’re fine,” she assured as they both continued their respective tasks. “I heard what you told Jonathan, and I think you’re right.”
He repositioned a potato in his hand and made the next peeling stroke as she continued. His aura tentatively settled and she could feel it on her arm, so she could unobtrusively move beyond it if she wished. But she didn't.
“I was a little worried when he first became Superman, but I always knew he would do amazing things and that he would eventually need a way to fully do what he was capable of,” Martha explained. “I think being . . . more honest with the world will help him in that.”
“It’s helped me,” Kal said.
Martha smiled before her thoughts went elsewhere. She stopped working for a moment and looked at Kal. “The crystal his . . . mother left him. We haven’t really had a chance to discuss it in detail with him yet. Is it dangerous?”
“It has potentially dangerous knowledge, but it’s not dangerous to him. Other than requiring him to sleep for three to five days and being somewhat uncomfortable for a bit, it’s . . . I found it worth doing,” Kal said honestly.
"How has it helped you?" Martha asked him, even as his aura relaxed around her.
"It answered questions I had about Krypton and my parents, and it provided information I was able to use to better position myself in regard to New Krypton's politics, as well as Earth's now that I think about it," Kal explained.
Martha hummed thoughtfully, before she went to the question she really wanted to ask. “And it won’t . . . change him?”
Surprised confusion pulsed through his aura before it was replaced with realization and gentle certainty. His eye met hers.
“
No. No, it won’t change him. Just as reading a book doesn’t change you. It can give you a different perspective, of course, but what you do with that knowledge is still up to you,” Kal said.
“Did it change your perspective?” Martha asked.
“It . . . showed me what can happen to a people if they take things for granted. If they become too sure of themselves, too prideful. It showed me the importance of choice and freedom, of enjoying the simple things. The essential cost of knowledge. The vital cost of power.”
“And what’s the cost of those things?” Martha asked.
“Vigilance: the constant effort of being aware of what will happen if you stop balancing knowledge and power with humility and control,” he said, and his aura suddenly bled with thick sadness for his people who had destroyed themselves before it was stemmed by acceptance and thankfulness.
Martha didn’t bother to hide her confusion at his abrupt shifts in emotion.
“What is it?” Kal asked as he finished a potato.
“I’m trying to understand what I had just felt from you. Heavy grief, and then acceptance and gratitude?” Martha said, frowning. “You’re sad about what had happened to Krypton, but you’ve accepted it and . . . are grateful for how things turned out?”
“That’s it in a nutshell,” he said with a sad smile. “My birth parents did the best they possibly could in the situation they found themselves in, and then I landed in Smallville, given to people who were just as good, if not better.”
Martha smiled tenderly. “We all have a lot to be thankful for,” she agreed.
Kal nodded. “Happy Thanksgiving, Mrs. Kent.”
She chuckled, already knowing she wouldn’t be able to get him to call her anything else, and considering everything, she understood.
She understood.
O o O o O
"Turkey is ready to cut!" Martha declared.
The table was set and the chairs were pulled out.
Clark got home after handling the pile up a few states over. Fortunately, the injuries were minimal, and the messy holiday traffic through the snow had only required a few vehicle extractions. Of course, Superman had tended to a few other things before returning, but it looked like this holiday might actually be pretty quiet.
“Wow, Mom, this all looks and smells wonderful!” Clark praised as Jonathan began carving the turkey to begin setting the plates.
There was everything one typically expected in a fully homemade Thanksgiving meal: turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, corn, stuffing, green bean casserole, rolls, cranberry sauce, tea, and pumpkin pie.
Clark sat down next to Lois and across from Kal, who was beside Martha. Jonathan’s place was at the head of the table with his wife and son on either side.
They quickly settled and, after a quick prayer of thanks, they dug in.
“So was it just primarily slick roads out there, Clark?” Jonathan asked.
“Yeah. I’ll do another sweep later, but the storms are easing up and the roads are much clearer,” Clark said.
“That’s good,” Martha said.
“Oh, I also went to the UN real quick to pick up a package. They finished the treaty proposal. So in a few days, I’ll return with any suggestions, and hopefully they’ll then vote on approving it,” Clark said before looking at Kal. “It’s a little different from yours, of course, but I followed your advice and got them to keep things to ten pages. And having yours certainly helped streamline things." He grinned.
"That's good. I firmly believe all important documents should be short and concise. If it can't be kept to a reasonable length, it is too complicated and is opening the door to corruption," Kal stated.
Jonathan smiled knowingly. "I imagine you love politics."
"Yeah, as much as green kryptonite," Kal answered, causing them all to laugh.
Dinner continued, and Clark could tell his father had warmed up to Kal, not that he was surprised. From Kal’s personality alone, it was impossible not to see he was someone worth knowing. Worth trusting.
Clark took a quiet deep breath. He was so grateful Kal had come when he had. He didn’t know what would have happened if he hadn’t.
Those bullets probably would have ended Clark’s life. Sure, the man would have lived on, but his life as Clark would have ended and any future he now had with Lois would have been prevented.
But instead, Kal had appeared.
And now the world was forever changed.
And so was Superman.
It was scary, but it was a . . . good scary.
He was learning things about himself, about his people, and about Earth – learning that all of them were more capable than he had ever imagined.
He had more things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving than he had ever known, and he knew, looking at Kal from across the table, that he would do everything he could to help Kal return to his world.
O o O o O
The house was quiet, and all the remaining food had long since been put away. The sky was dark and the night air outside the farmhouse was frigid and dry.
Everyone was asleep, laden with rich food and sweet pie.
Clark lay on the living room couch, and Kal was on a cot against the far wall. Lois slept in Clark’s bedroom, while his parents were asleep in the master bedroom.
The kitchen clock ticked lightly, and the winter wind outside hushed over the roof.
But then something shifted. Something pulsed and expanded.
And in an instant, all but one within the house woke up as rage and fear solidified.
O o O o O
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