Hi! There were a few people asking me to write a story that is a bit longer, than my last (and first) one. Well, this one is longer and I hope that you'll enjoy it. This is my second fanfic and of course I welcome every comment.
This time I have a beta reader and so I need to thank LaraMoon very, very, very much.
Parts of this fanfic will take place in Germany and so you'll get in contact with a little bit of my native language. But don't worry, I translated everything. So unless you have a bad allergy against german words, this won't be a problem.
This is set at the end of season 4 and some kind of replace for "Family Hour". I used the storyline of the last few episodes before the final the way I liked and not the way it is actually in the show. However, I've done only slight changes.
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Silent Agreements February 1999Europe, Germany, Cologne University Hospital The semester hadn’t started yet. A visitor unaccustomed to University habits might have assumed that the campus was abandoned for those two months in summer. But Carla Seefeld knew that it was nearly as busy as ever.
Carla had just left the streetcar and wasn’t really surprised that some of her fellow students were on the streetcar as well. She had an appointment with a professor who was helping her obtain her doctorate degree. Cold wind cut in her face as she walked down the street that led her to the University Hospital. The tall and unsightly ward of the hospital was the first thing she saw.
The University Hospital had two towers, a high one and a smaller one next to it. The tallest ward had seventeen floors. By Cologne standards, these were tall buildings, but for a city like Metropolis, they would have seemed pretty low in height. She approached the ward, crossed the street and passed the meadow where she spent most of her free time between lectures in the summer.
Soon she reached the path between the garden and three of the last remaining buildings from a time before the Second World War when bombs had destroyed most of the city. These were the most beautiful buildings belonging to the University Hospital. However that didn’t mean much, as they were in bad condition. The Hospital lacked money and would certainly not put any effort in restoring them. Carla followed the path until she reached the smaller tower.
She entered the building, welcoming the warmth, after being out in the cold winter air. The place was not especially inviting, but it was the central meeting point for students. She hoped to see some of her friends, but they hadn’t come here today. She turned to her right and sat down on one of the benches. They were ugly, green and very uncomfortable. There was still half an hour left before her meeting began. She waited.
“Das ist ein wichtiges Projekt, dessen Chancen wir nicht unterschätzen dürfen (This is an important project and we shouldn’t underestimate its prospects)”, said a man, whose voice Carla did not recognize.
“Ich sage ja nicht, dass es nicht wichtig ist, aber ich glaube einfach nicht, dass wir es durchführen können! (
I don’t mean it isn’t important, but I just don’t believe that we can carry it out.),” another man replied.
“Es könnte ein Durchbruch für die Medizin sein! Ein wichtiger Schritt! (
It might be a breakthrough in medical science! An important step !)”
“Ich weiß doch, wie wichtig es dir ist, dass in unserem Land wieder internationale Medizinforschung betrieben wird, aber er wird niemals zustimmen! Überlege nur mal, was sie mit diesem Haar gemacht haben. Er wird uns nicht vertrauen!” (
I know how much you want our country to do international medical research, but he will never agree with it. Remember what they did with that hair he had donated. He will never trust us ! )”, the other man argued.
“Dann müssen wir mit ihm reden. Er wird uns zuhören und wenn ich mich nicht irre, liegt es auch in seinem Interesse möglichst vielen Menschen zu helfen. (Then we must speak with him. He will listen to us and if I’m not mistaken, it’s in his interest to help as many people as possible.)”
“Ja, ich weiß, Superman ist ein Wohltäter. Trotzdem glaube ich, dass es nicht einfach wird ihn zu überzeugen. (
Yes, I know that Superman is benevolent. Nevertheless I don’t think it will be easy to convince him ).” The last sentence was closer to a whisper than the rest, because the two men went away.
Carla hadn’t even seen them. A scientific project concerning Superman? Medical research? She was thrilled. What could that possibly be? And why would Superman decline? And how could a hair be the reason for him to say ‘no’?
* * *
September 1999 USA, New Troy, Metropolis Saturday
Lois and Clark were enjoying a weekend off. It was a sunny Saturday and they walked through the streets in the mild air of the fading summer. Clark held Lois in a light embrace, his arm wrapped around her waist. They were watching people around them and talked about the newspaper, the next story and other things. Lois hadn’t seen Clark this relaxed for weeks, but today everything seemed fine with him. Lois knew that the last weeks had been quite busy for his alter-ego. This was the first time for days that the city was peaceful.
“Clark, weren’t your parents coming this evening?” Lois asked her husband.
He nodded.
“Yes, honey, they said so. I volunteered to pick them up at the airport, but they didn’t want me to leave you. Depending on the traffic, they will arrive in....oh my God...just an hour, including the time they spend stuck in traffic,” Clark answered, a bit shocked at forgetting the time so completely.
Lois stopped at once and changed directions.
“Then we should go home, shouldn’t we? I’m so glad to see them both this weekend. They’re so nice, so totally unlike my own parents,” Lois said with a broad smile and kissed his cheek softly.
“Well, I guess I’m a lucky man,” Clark grinned, returning her kiss with a more passionate one. “Two wonderful parents and the most beautiful wife in the world!”
Lois didn’t reply but felt a familiar flutter in her belly. She kissed him again softly to thank him for the compliment. Then they went home, discussing dinner on their way, when suddenly a young woman practically ran into Clark. He stopped at once.
“Entschuldigung,” she mumbled absent-mindedly. “Er..I mean sorry,” she repeated, in English.
“Ist mit Ihnen alles in Ordnung? (I
s everything all right ?)“ Clark asked her, concerned.
He knew that an encounter with the Man of steel could be painful.
“Ja (
Yes ),” she answered with a surprised glance. “Sie sind auch aus Deutschland?” (
Are you also from Germany ?)
“Nein (
No ),” Clark replied, smiling. “Ich bin nur fremdsprachenbegabt. (
I’m just good at foreign languages ).”
Lois tapped on Clark’s shoulder.
“What language is that?” she asked him.
“German,” Clark replied with a smile.
“Can you please translate, Clark? I don’t understand a word.” Lois hated not being able to follow a conversation.
“That’s not necessary,” the young woman told her with a smile, “I speak English as well, just not as well as German. I just wondered if your companion wasn’t German, I don’t even hear an accent.”
“He’s a very talented man,” Lois said with a big grin.
“I’m definitely not German,” Clark couldn’t help but chuckle. “My name is Clark Kent and this is my wife, Lois Lane.”
“And I’m Carla Seefeld,” the young woman said. They shook hands with each other.
“Are you visiting Metropolis?” asked Lois, always the reporter.
“Oh, yes, that’s right” she nodded and then fell silent for a moment. “Wait, did you say you were Clark Kent and Lois Lane?”
“Yes, like we said.”
“The reporters?”
“Yes, you have heard of us?” Lois was surprised.
“What a coincidence! I was planning on seeing you this Monday.” Carla said, excitedly.”
“You didn’t come the whole way all the way across the ocean, just to meet with us, did you?” Something about her behavior irritated Clark. Why would someone from a different country want to meet them? But he felt that it was important for her. The young woman blushed.
“That was a major reason,” she admitted. When Lois and Clark looked at her, not believing what they had just heard, she continued. “Well, this is exaggerated. Let’s say, it was the major reason for choosing Metropolis as the place to spend my holidays. I wanted to travel to the USA, anyway. What I found out made me do it this year. ”
“Well, now that you’ve met us, how can we help you, Ms. Seefeld?” Lois inquired.
“I know, that the two of you have a special relationship with Superman. He is in danger. Some people want him to do something for them. I don’t really know what it is. All I’ve heard of it, is that it will be for the world sake, something only Superman will be able to do. But there are groups of people who want to prevent this for different reasons. Ethics and ideologies, for all I know. They are about to do anything to achieve their goal. There were strange things happening back in my city. I will tell you more about it on Monday. I don’t want anyone to overhear our conversation by accident. I did find some material and I was afraid that it might get into the wrong hands if I didn’t make sure that you got it first,” Carla explained.
“I’ll make sure that Superman finds out,” Clark replied firmly.
“That would be great!” Carla smiled. “But also tell him not to trust the people wanting him to do whatever it is that they want from him, exactly. I’m not so sure whether it is such a good thing for the world as they claim.”
“Don’t worry, Superman is always careful.” Lois assured Carla.
“I really hope that you are right, Superman is too important to the world.” Carla sighed with relief. ”That’s all I intended for now, thank you very much. I won’t disturb you any longer.”
“You’re not disturbing us.” Clark gave her a smile. “Anyway, you might have done a lot for us if your concerns are justified. We will see each other on Monday, and maybe we can find out something more about this. ”
“Great. I’m sure you can do a lot more about it than I can. Have a nice weekend.” Carla shook hands with the Kents again and said good-bye.
Then she turned around and walked into the other direction. After a few yards she stopped and waved at the Kents, then continued her walk. Clark and Lois went further along the street, heading for their house, each of them thinking about the information Carla had given them.
* * *
“A strange woman!” Lois started. “What do you think?”
“Well, crossing the Atlantic ocean just to meet the two of us? Yes, I guess that’s strange. But I could feel that she was serious about this. She wasn’t showing off. But what kind of plan can be so important and so controversial?” Clark wondered.
He didn’t really like the thought of something that would make a young German woman cross the ocean. She obviously wanted to speak with them personally, or she would have taken the easy way: the telephone.
“I don’t know, Clark, but how about solving this mystery on Monday. We are already a bit late for our guests,” Lois suggested, not completely convinced that the young woman did indeed know something important. Hadn’t she heard Carla saying that talking to them was a major reason for her coming?
“I can’t believe it. Lois, the great investigative reporter, postponing a possible Pulitzer-story?” Clark teased her with a grin. Then he became serious. “Lois, I really think, this is important. She came across the ocean!”
“Come on, Clark. Where is your proof? She could be saying anything. Her saying it doesn’t mean it’s true.”
Clark nodded and shrugged as if to tell Lois that she was right, but he didn’t agree with her. He was pretty sure that the young woman had good reasons for warning Superman. Lois knew that Clark had a strong sense for truth, but the information Carla had given them so far was anything but concrete. Lois wanted to wait until Monday before judging Carla.
“Sometimes there are things more important than this. Dr. Klein, for example, have you visited him already?” Lois changed the subject.
“Yes, I have. He said that he was absolutely sure about the results. We are not going to have children.” Clark replied hoarsely.
Once more, he felt the pain that had cut through his body like a knife when he had been at S.T.A.R. Labs. Dr. Klein had shook his head when Clark had asked him for the results. They were not compatible. Not compatible! How on Earth could a couple having defeated so many enemies and problems be not compatible? They fitted just perfectly together. But not biologically.
“So he hasn’t found anything new?” Lois asked with a hint of sadness in her voice.
Her tone hurt Clark even more. It made him wonder, and not for the first time in his life, if being with Lois was fair to her. Every normal man would have been able to give her children. He wasn’t. Neither in the natural way nor through artificial insemination. When he was with Lois, Clark felt that he could have a life just like any other human. He had always longed for that sense of belonging. But this reminded him that he was, in fact, different. It wasn’t her fault, of course. She was behaving like she always did.
Lois saw the hurt in Clarks eye. They had discussed the problem before and now the awful shock had somewhat subsided. But it was still hard for them, especially since Lois knew that Clark wanted children so much. She laid her arm around his waist and pulled him tighter, trying to comfort him.
“It’s okay, darling. No matter what the future holds for us, be sure about my love for you.” In return Clark kissed her hair and inhaled the scent of it. But a dark shadow of grief passed his face. Lois' presence could heal the worst pain. He loved her so much. But he still felt alien.
They hadn’t been far away from Hyperion Avenue and soon they had reached their house. Martha and Jonathan hadn’t arrived yet, so with a little help from Clark the guest room was prepared right in time. It didn’t take long before the older Kents arrived. Barely fifteen minutes after Lois and Clark had returned home, the doorbell rang. Lois went to open the door for her parents-in-law.
“Hi Lois, nice to see you!” Martha said and hugged her.
Martha wore a broad smile. Clark, who was right behind Lois, found it a bit forced. That was strange, because his mother lived on the bright side of life no matter what happened. Something seemed to upset her, but she didn’t want to show it. Was it something concerning the farm? Or even worse, concerning his parents’ health? They were vulnerable to the perils of life and they grew older. Clark worried about this every now and then.
Jonathan stood a bit behind Martha, carrying the bags. Clark hurried to help his father. He took three bags in one hand and embraced his parents with his other arm. He kissed Martha on the cheek and excused himself before leaving to bring the bags upstairs.
When Clark returned, his family was in the living room, sitting on the sofa and talking about the last few weeks.
“How are you, son?” Jonathan asked, changing the conversation.
“I’m fine”, Clark said earning himself an unbelieving glance from both of his parents.
So, he thought, Lois has already told them the news. The feeling of not belonging increased.
Two more people more knowing about his incapability didn’t make it easier to fit in. His parents had faced the same problem but it had been 1966 then. The medical development hadn’t been as far as it was now. Some of the modern methods were not available, then. His was a different problem, anyway.
“Okay, I’m sad about it.” Clark admitted. “But we have been able to solve a lot of problems before, this won’t stop us.” Did he mean what he just said?
“There are still other possibilities,” Lois added. “Adoption, for example. It worked for you guys.”
Yes, adoption had worked for his parents. And he should be thankful that they had been willing to raise someone else’s child. But the thought made him feel so uneasy. He had no right for this uneasiness. He owed the possibility of adoption on earth so much. Otherwise his parents would never have been able to explain his sudden appearance. If Earth parents weren’t willing to raise children who weren’t their own flesh and blood, he would have died.
The weekend was peaceful. No major rescues, no arguments. The four Kents enjoyed their time together, talking about everything but children. It was a silent agreement, made by Clark’s parents. They noticed a shaddow of grief darkening Clark’s face when the subject was mentioned. They had also noticed the restrained tears in Lois’ eyes. Children were not the right topic at the moment.
It was a problem Lois and Clark needed to deal with for themselves. The two older Kents had had their own experiences with that. There was no solution for it that could be written down in some book. So neither of them mentioned children. This would be a weekend without discussion of problems. But it was hard for Clark’s parents that they couldn’t help their beloved son. He was always the one bound to be strong. It demanded an awful lot of him, but he had no choice. Martha and Jonathan would have loved to ease his pain, but they weren’t capable of doing so. And seeing Lois so sad was hurting their hearts even more.
So Martha and Jonathan filled Clark in with the newest Smallville rumors. Lois and Clark on the other hand informed the older Kents of what was going on in Metropolis. On Sunday they watched a new play at the theater. It seemed to be a normal visit of the older Kents. All four of them were great pretenders, playing the role of the ever-happy family. Someone who didn’t really know them would have thought that everything was just fine. But it wasn’t.
t.b.c.....
