Here's part 3. It's longer than the first two parts and it's got *some* fluff, but it does not end that way! I hope it provides a laugh or two...
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Previously...
It was now 4:00 am and Zared had been pacing. He couldn't sleep. His eyes were red from crying. They were too young to be parents. No matter, they were going to be parents. Criminy, they weren't even out high school yet. Graduation was in two weeks; it would not be the graduation he had imagined. He wished his mom was here, and he desperately wanted to speak to his dad, but some idiot had shot him. How anyone had gotten any kryptonite, he didn't know. And now, Jenni and he were going to have a baby.
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A New Hero: Part 3
Jenni and Zared had previously made plans to go shopping that day. Jenni had said she needed to buy some new clothes and wanted him to come with her. He thought, "Yeah, Jenni's definitely gonna need new clothes." He walked up to her front door and knocked.
Her dad answered the door. He smiled, then yelled, "Jenni, Zared is here."
"Okay, dad. Thanks, I'll be right out."
When she walked out, her dad said, "Don't spend too much money, now, baby. Okay? We can't afford it."
"Okay, dad. I won't. Love you."
"Love you, too. You drive careful with my baby, Zared."
Zared smiled. Danny always gave the same admonition. "Yes, sir. I always do."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zared opened the car door for Jenni. That always pleased her. His dad had taught him gentlemanly manners.
He got in the car, fastened his seat beat, and smiled at Jenni. "You seem to be in a pretty good mood this morning. I didn't really know what to expect."
"I guess telling you was a big relief. I finally got some decent sleep, so I feel pretty good. You look like *crap*, though."
"My sister said that, too. I didn't get much sleep. How long have you known?"
"About a week. For sure anyway."
"Why didn't you tell me as soon as you found out?"
"I don't know. I guess I just needed time to think. I tried to ignore it at first. But after I'd missed three periods, I knew I couldn't ignore it any more." Zared's eyes widened at that. "Then it took me another couple of weeks to get up the nerve to do a pregnancy test. I've known for sure for a week."
"Three periods? Gadfries, Jenni, *three periods*? Were you afraid I'd be mad? I mean, I was there after all." He could barely believe Jenni had waited so long. She must have been in major denial. "Valentine's Day, then." It was a statement more than a question. "Our first time."
"It happens," she smiled sheepishly.
"I know. I was just saying... Have you told your dad?"
"You've got to be kidding. He's gonna be so mad. He's going to be absolutely furious. His baby's pregnant. I thought *you'd* be mad."
"You know, your dad seems like a pretty understanding guy. You might just be surprised. And yeah, Jenni, I am mad. I'm mad at both of us. We're both stupid. We had planned on waiting. We didn't wait. And then we didn't even use protection. Not until the last two times. Kinda late by then, huh? But mad at you alone? No, Jenni, like I said, I was there too. You can't get pregnant by yourself." He looked at her tenderly and brushed the side of her face with his hand. "I love you so much. We're gonna get through this."
"You are so wonderful. Do you know that? Most guys would act very badly. I love you, too." Then warily she said, "You don't know my dad as well as I do, though." She fastened her own seat belt. "Well, come on, let's go. I don't want to sit in the driveway all day."
"Okay, where to? The mall? How about that new maternity boutique across from the mall?"
"Too expensive. I was thinking Wallmark's."
"Okay, but don't worry, I brought my credit card. We can use that, too."
"Zared, we are going to need so many things. Let's not do that unless we have to."
"Don't worry. I'll pay it off when the bill comes in. I pay it off every month. It doesn't have that much credit on it anyway, so it won't be any problem paying it off, even if I max it out." He didn't tell her that his dad had told him to use *his* card and had told him where to find it. He had promised his dad he would pay him back.
"So what are we going to do, Zared?"
"Get married", he said firmly.
"I guess I hadn't really considered marriage. At least not right now. Anyway, I'm not eighteen yet, remember? And I still have to tell dad I'm pregnant. Will you go with me?"
"Yes, you know I will. And no, I hadn't considered your age. Even if your dad doesn't approve, you will be eighteen in a couple of months."
"I don't know Zared. What about college? That's gonna make it pretty tough. Anyway, I'd probably be more likely to get a grant if I stay a single mother."
"No, I won't hear of it. A baby needs two parents. We are getting married and that's it."
She smiled. She supposed that was really what she wanted, but she was scared. "How about we tell my dad tonight? I don't know about marriage, though, Zared. I just don't know if I can do that. I just don't know." She just shook her head.
"Yeah, okay, we'll tell your dad tonight." He pulled into the parking lot at Wallmark's. "Jenni, just because your mom and dad's marriage fell apart doesn't mean that would happen to us."
"Yeah, maybe, but I don't know. What do you think we'd live on? I don't think your cage cleaning job and my job at Mindy's will be enough."
She loved to tease him sometimes. "I do more than just clean cages, you know. I do like working at the zoo, but it doesn't pay very much." He wasn't about to *really* tell Jenni that was mostly all he did. "I can get a better part time job, maybe even full time. And ummm... Instead of living in college housing, dad said we could live at home. He even said we could do something to fix us up some private quarters."
She rolled her eyes. "You told him then? I should have known you would. You are so close." She smiled at him.
"You're not mad, then?"
"No, I'm not mad. Didn't you have a hard time catching your dad, though? What part of Europe is he in again?"
"Ummm... No, I didn't have any problem finding him. When we're done shopping, I'd like to find someplace quiet to talk. Somewhere where we won't be interrupted."
"Now you behave. I don't want to today. I was nauseated this morning and my stomach is not quite settled yet."
Holding hands, they began walking towards the store. "No, no. I don't mean that. I need to tell you something. Something big. I should have already told you. You might be mad." Yeah, she is definitely going to be mad.
"You mean there is something major in your life you haven't told me about? Why, Zared," she grinned playfully, "I thought we knew everything about each other. Seriously, though, I'm sure we have a lot to learn about each other. But something major... What? You going to tell me you're related to Superman or something?" She just giggled.
He stopped walking for a second. It was a good thing she was in front of him right now because he knew he had a really silly, sheepish look on his face. He gave a nervous laugh. She didn't really seem to notice.
She was a huge Superman fan - a giddy, giggly, little girl Superman fan. Man, was she going to be embarrassed; she had acted that way around his dad. Most of the time, she was a very mature, smart, and level headed lady, but when she'd get worked up about Superman one would swear she was eleven or twelve. She was worse than 'Brat', which was what he called his nine year old sister. Talk about someone who was going to be embarrassed. Dad had tried to dissuade her, but it hadn't worked. And she was just too immature to be told the truth.
He and Jenni were still holding hands, and she was heading straight to the baby section, pulling him along. "Hey, I thought you needed *clothes*."
She flashed him a big smile. "I know. I just want to look."
They spent the next hour looking at everything from diapers to baby beds. When they finally got to the maternity section, it took her exactly fifteen minutes to pick out two tops and a pair of pants.
"Oh, come on, you need more than that."
He started to pick out some more stuff.
"No, Zared. This is enough. I wouldn't even get pants, except that some of mine are starting to get tight. "I've got enough to start out with."
"No, I want you to get more."
She sighed, "Well, maybe just a couple of more things." She ended up getting three tops, a dress, a pair of jeans, and a pair of pants. He couldn't talk her into anything else. She said, "No, this is already too much. Come on, let's go check out." It took some convincing, but she finally let him pay for the new clothing. He was definitely going to have to find a better job.
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When they got back to the car, she said, "Let's drive out to my grandmother's house. She is in Florida for the next two weeks." It was understood that meant they would be alone.
They had a pleasurable drive to her grandmother's house, which was about fifteen miles outside of Metropolis and was in a quiet setting with no other houses around. It reminded him a little of Gramma and Grandpa Kent's farm. Zared was just a bit too anxious to get there, though. Ten minutes away from the house, the police pulled him over. He said to Jenni, "Oh, no! Not a speeding ticket."
"Maybe not. Just be humble and your usual sweet self." He blushed.
The officer looked at his driver's license and registration. He was scribbling on his pad, rubbing his beard, "Kent. Kent. Why's that sound familiar? Wait. You Clark Kent's son?"
"Yes, sir. I am."
"Well, I'm sure your dad would tell you to slow down. I'm tellin' ya' the same. Now, I'm just gonna give ya' a warning but don't let me catch ya' goin' that fast again. Understand?"
"Yes, sir. And thank you, sir."
When Zared had pulled away from the side of the road, Jenni said, "See, you didn't get a ticket."
"Got lucky," he grumbled. Clark Kent to the rescue *this* time. "It's a good thing he seems to like my dad."
They drove on in silence, just enjoying each other's company. They occasionally shared a smile.
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At her grandmother's house, they sat on the couch and turned to face each other. She said, "Okay, what's this big 'thing' you need to tell me?" He was really nervous. She said softly, "It's okay, tell me. No matter what it is, I love you."
"Okay, just promise you won't scream at me. Okay?" She nodded. He had his head down, looking at the bright red shirt with the Superman emblem across the front that Jenni had given him. He felt silly wearing it, but it made her happy. The things a guy'd do for his lady.... "My hero!" she'd say. He grinned a little before he looked back to Jenni. "Well, like I said. You might be mad. And maybe emba... maybe more." He had started to say embarrassed. He'd let her figure that out on her own. "But mostly Jenni, you can never tell anyone."
She nodded again, thinking that this should be interesting.
"Well, you know I'm adopted, right?"
She nodded again, thinking, "What's that got to do with anything 'big'?"
He took a really deep breath and said, "Well, Jenni, I wasn't born around here." He took another deep breath and swallowed. "I wasn't born on earth." He just looked at her to gage her reaction.
She laughed, "Yeah, right. You're joking." He didn't smile. He was extremely serious. She stopped smiling, too, saying hopefully, "Okay, so you were born on the space station?" She was fairly sure, though, she would have known about that. Very few babies had been born on the space station and it made big news when one was. She was somber.
"No. I was born a little farther away than that." He just wasn't sure how this was going to go. She was a giddy Superman fan after all. She knew he was Kryptonian; she knew his name was Kal-El; she knew everything that the public could find out about him. Sometimes she even knew things that completely surprised him. He cleared his throat and took another deep breath, then spoke quickly running everything together. "I'm Kryptonian. I was born on New Krypton. My Kryptonian name is Zar-El and Kal-El is my father." He stopped and looked at her solemnly.
She just looked at him rather skeptically. All she could say was, "Ummm.. Kal-El never went to New Krypton." She just looked at him still thinking this might be a joke.
He very calmly and assuredly said, "No, Kal-El never went to New Krypton." She knew a lot about The New Krytonian Crisis, as it had come to be called, and would know about Zara. "However, Lady Zara was pregnant before she left earth. Lady Zara didn't think Kal-El could have children so she sent me to earth." There was much more to it than that, but they would talk about that later. He stopped to let her think.
He didn't expect what she said next, but she was quite serious. She was in awe. "Superman has had sex?" When he laughed, she smiled a little.
But not with Zara! Oh, well, he'd explain all that later. He just nodded, trying not to think about his dad having sex. Then he thought of that, oh, so intimate telepathic memory. He started to blush. He tapped lightly on his forehead. No no no no no no.... He couldn't think about that. He focused on Jenni.
"You're teasing me."
They were both sitting cross legged. He took her hands and they began to float. "No, Jenni. I'm not teasing you."
She looked down at the couch and then back at Zared. "So your mom and dad adopted you since it's not like Superman could raise a kid, right?"
He waited for her to continue to see how much she would figure out.
"Wait, you said Lady Zara didn't *think* Kal-El could have children. If I got pregnant..." She paused, thinking about that. "If I got pregnant, then, then..." Her mouth formed an 'oh' and her eyes got wide. "Does he have children? I mean, other than you. Is he married?" She looked pensive, "Nah, Superman couldn't - wouldn't - be married. It wouldn't look good for Superman to have a wife and kids tucked away somewhere and no one knowing about it, now would it?" She took a breath but barely paused. She rambled, no babbled on. He was reminded of his mother. "Wait! He has a secret identity, doesn't he? Some people have thought so. So he *is* married. I wonder who she is?" Then, excitedly, "Who's *he*?" She stopped and cocked her head looking at him curiously. "Why aren't you out flying around saving people, too?" She looked at him expectantly.
"Well, I have done some of the super stuff, but I'm still getting used to it all, you know? Dad thinks I should be a bit older before I make a public appearance. How do you feel about that? I mean, a public appearance." He floated them back to the couch.
She nodded solemnly. "I would never want you to *not* help people. You have a gift that you must share. And which 'dad' are you talking about?"
She didn't get it. Maybe she didn't *want* to get it. Maybe she *was* embarrassed to think about all the times she had carried on to his dad about him 'knowing' Superman. What had happened to his smart, intuitive Jenni?
He grinned. Maybe he'd have a little fun with her and not tell her his dad, Clark Kent, *was* Kal-El, just yet. "Uh, my dad, Clark," he decided. He dropped his head hoping she wouldn't see the mirth on this face.
"Oh, yeah, dad... father... good way to keep them separate. So... When can I meet him? You know I'm a big fan. Why *haven't* you introduced me to him? Clark never would either. He just always gave me that big smile and would shrug his shoulders." Then it occurred to her that maybe Zared didn't even know his real father. "Wait, you *do* know him don't you?"
He was trying not to laugh and kept his head down. "Yes. And I'll see what I can do about you meeting," he paused, "Superman."
"I guess he's never been at your house when I have, huh? So now that I'm carrying his grandchild, I'm sure he can take time out of his busy schedule to meet me. Right? So *when* do you think I can meet him?" She was looking at him expectantly.
He just looked at her with his mouth slightly open. He thought his look said 'duh'. But maybe not. "Well, he is still recovering you know."
"Oh, I had forgotten about that. How is he?" She looked like she could not *believe* she had forgotten what had happened to Superman.
"I saw him this morning at S.T.A.R. Labs. That was the first time I've gotten to see him. Security is really tight. He's bored and wants to come home. The docs say he's not ready yet, though. He's still pretty pale and in a little pain. I helped him shave this morning." He stopped and grinned, still incredulous that she hadn't gotten it yet. After all, he'd told her he had spoken to his *dad* this morning, too. He was reminded of the stories about how long it took mom to figure it out.
"You *shaved* him? Wow. Wait, how'd'ya do that?"
"Heat vision. I'll show you sometime."
"If security is so tight, then why this morning?"
He raised his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders. "He needed a shave?" She didn't catch that he had phrased that as a question that held definite irony. She also didn't seem to notice the wide smile he now had on his face.
She was still giddy and gushed, "You know, I did sort of meet him once - when I was little. He was taking off and said hello to me. Oh, gosh, I bet you think I'm acting like a little kid, going on and on about your father like this. I do get a little silly, don't I, but oh, my, I just can't wait to meet him. He's just, he's just...." She sighed, "He's Superman."
He just looked at her and couldn't take it anymore. He started laughing. He tried to stop, then started laughing even harder. "You...." He was really having a hard time stopping his laughter. Maybe it was because of all the anxiety he had been feeling. Then he took a deep breath and said deadpan, "You've met him a few times - that's my dad, *my dad*, "he said again for emphasis, "you're gushing over."
At first she was confused. Why in the world is he laughing? She just looked at him a minute. Wait. He said Kal-El wanted to come home. Come *home*. Then it hit her... and she blushed profusely. His *dad* wanted to come home. Dad. Father. One in the same. "Oh, my gosh, I can't believe... I bet Clark thinks I'm silly. A silly little girl."
"No, but he does find the whole thing very amusing. You think you're embarrassed? What do you think's gonna happen when 'Brat' finds out?"
"She doesn't know yet? And her name's not 'Brat'."
"She'll always be 'Brat' to me. No, she doesn't know. I don't know if *Lois Brook* could keep her mouth shut. Then he became very serious, "Jenni, do you understand that this is a dangerous secret? If anyone ever suspected that you know, it could put you in grave danger. It could put our families and friends in danger. Do you understand that?"
"Yes, I understand." She smiled at him. "I love you."
"I love you, too." They shared a quick kiss.
After they had discussed her seeing Dr. Klein, she said, "I'm hungry. You must be, too. You told me you didn't eat breakfast."
"I hadn't thought about it, to tell you the truth." That was unusual for him not to think about eating. He had too much on his mind, he supposed. "I don't *have* to eat."
"You don't have to eat?"
"Nope, not at all. But I like to." He narrowed his eyes a bit, grinning. "I thought you knew *everything* about Superman. You didn't know that Kryptonians don't have to eat?" He winked at her and then yawned. "Yeah, I guess I am hungry."
She just shook her head no. She smiled, "Well, I have lots of energy today. You didn't sleep much last night. How about you take a nap? And I'll fix us something to eat."
"You sure? I mean, you are the pregnant one." He yawned again.
"Yes, I'm sure. Take a nap." She sighed a little. "We'll talk more... later." He was already nodding off as she walked into the kitchen.
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The man liked the way Jenni moved. He liked her smile. He liked that her dark blond hair was long and cascaded down her back - like sand shimmering in the sun. No! No one was supposed to be here. He hadn't planned on this. No, NO! *Must* have a plan...
But oh, she was beautiful. And sometimes the *need*... It was so strong. It reminded him of the desert.... No food. No water. Nothing. No one.
*She* would fill the need. At last he had found her. But he *thought* he had found her *before*. He shook his head again. Surely, *she* was the right one. And here she was. So close. He imagined touching her. He stretched his neck to the right, to the left.... He had to relax. He must be ready. He felt desire. He hungered to touch her soft skin, touch her hair... An oasis. An oasis to stop the thirst, the hunger... He rolled his head and stretched first one shoulder forward then back then then the other shoulder forward and back. Yes, this was definitely *her*. He languished in his feelings, closing his eyes, licking his lips....
He felt for the small pouch in his pocket. No. He didn't need anything 'special'. This was *her* after all. She would be compliant. He was ready. His eyes smiled. Not a friendly smile. A demonic, evil, dark smile. He checked the chamber. He double checked. No, it wasn't loaded with anything 'special'. Wait. Maybe, he should reconsider... Maybe... No, no. She *would* be compliant. He'd need nothing 'special' at all. He lovingly fondled the gun, thinking of all the pleasure it had brought. He drew it and slowly walked towards the back door....
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Part 4 coming soon. I hope you will find it exciting...
Nancy
