Here's another part. No sex, Ann, I promise... There is a lot of interaction between Clark and his kids in this part.
<Around words means telepathic thought.>
~Around thought means Kryptonian speech~
Meowoof, Two Bark
and Bear make appearances!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From Part 30:
He sighed and closed his eyes. "Okay." He stood up and headed towards his room. "So when are we getting married? You gonna stay with me tonight?" He said as they entered his room.
"Hmmm... No. Not til were married."
"Well... I'm sure there is somewhere we could get married at 1:00 am. Las Vegas doesn't do that anymore. Maybe Atlantic City."
"Actually, you can do that in Troy City, about 30 miles from here."
"Yeah, I know where it is, but I didn't know they offered twenty-four hour marriage." He waggled his eyebrows. "Wanna go now?"
She swatted his arm. "Clark! I'm tired. *You're* tired."
"I'm serious." He quickly changed clothing. "Come on, m'lady. You're driving." He took her by the hand and led her down the stairs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A very pretty lady with long dark brown hair appeared in the music room of the Kent family home. She fumed that the T-5 did not bring her to where K'al and Los were. Now what she was she supposed to do? She looked up and noticed the large black oddly shaped 'thing' with legs that sat in one corner of the room. It had a seat in front of it. Along the side of the thing where the seat was, she noticed strange, skinny long blocks that were black and white. She wondered what ever in the world the thing could be. She knew she shouldn't approach the strange thing, but curiosity won out. She walked over to it and lightly touched one of the blocks. It pinged. She touched another one - a different ping. Her hand slipped. Bang! Ping! Ping!
She was very frightened and began breathing rapidly. Hide. Where could she hide? Behind the thing! If she was lucky, no one would find her there. She could see through the window that it was night outside, and she couldn't try to find K'al or Los until daylight. She prayed she would be safe.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Jon heard the noise. He was with Hannah in the den and had fallen asleep there. When he sat up, Hannah awakened. "What... Was that my piano?" He frowned. "I'm going to go see."
"Oh, Jon. It's probably just one of the cats. I'm going to go to bed." She motioned toward the door. "You should go to bed, too."
"The door is supposed to be shut so the cats can't get to it." He stood up. "But you're probably right." He kissed her lightly then headed towards his room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A New Hero Part 31 Jon was half way up the steps when he decided he had better make sure the cats couldn't get to the piano. He loved the animals dearly, but he was very protective of his baby grand piano and didn't want any scratches on it. He walked to the door of the music room and noticed that it was slightly open. He opened it and walked in shutting the door behind him.
He stood in the dark room looking at his beloved piano. He knew he shouldn't play right now, but he was drawn to the instrument in a way he couldn't explain. Maybe just one little Bach fugue. He sat down and turned the light on over the piano. He picked up his book of Bach fugues and flipped through it, quickly picking a piece. He began to softly play.
He finished the piece and closed his eyes, thinking about the song he had just played. He wondered what J.S. Bach would think of a piano. Bach's keyboards had been a harpsichord and a clavichord. He smiled at the thought that Bach might be impressed by a piano, but he certainly wouldn't be impressed by Clark's nine children. He chucked softly. Bach had *twenty-one* children. He sighed and stood up. He couldn't play anymore right now. It was just too late.
He wished, not for the first time, that the room had sound proofing. His dad had resisted the idea, saying that the family enjoyed hearing him play. He supposed his dad was right. The way it was now, the room could be opened into the living room and the formal dining room. If the room was soundproofed then they wouldn't be able to do that. His dad had suggested an electronic piano as an alternative. That way he could use headphones and could play anytime he wanted. He had briefly cosnsidered the idea, and perhaps he would get one later, but they just didn't have the same touch and feel to them as a real piano.
He closed the lid covering the piano keys, turned and headed toward the door. When he opened it, he was greeted by Two Bark. He bent down to give the friendly blond dog some loving. "How are you, girl? Did you hear me prowling around this time of night? Did you, huh?" The dog was prancing and showing his love for Jon. Jon smiled. "Well, yes, I love you, too, girl." He scratched her head and stood back up. "Well, I'm going to bed. Good night, girl." He reached for the doorknob and pulled the door shut before he headed for the stairs. He failed to notice that Bear and Meowoof had entered the music room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the door to the room opened, it was everything she could do to not scream. She took a quiet deep breath and tensed. She would fight if she had to. When she realized he hadn't seen her, she calmed and made the resolve to remain silent.
It wasn't long before she felt more at ease. She felt relatively sure that the man making the 'thing' sing would never hurt her. She could tell he was a gentle man, but she was still afraid.
Lady Rya was truly amazed at the marvelous sounds coming from what she now knew was a musical instrument. She listened with rapt attention. The sounds it had made when she touched it certainly didn't sound like this. The melody was absolutely beautiful. The man playing this instrument was very talented.
When he stopped playing, she had almost spoken. She didn't want him to stop. She'd had to put her hand over her mouth to keep herself from saying anything.
She watched him as he left the room. She also watched with wide eyes as just before he shut the door, two creatures entered the room. Would they hurt her? Were they intelligent? What was she to do?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two hours after Clark and Caitlyn had left for Troy City, they came to the front door of the Kent household, and they were both giggling like teenagers. Clark stopped Caitlyn. "Well, I can't actually carry you over the thresh-hold, but how about if I float you over?" He laughed and grinned and floated them both through the door. He locked the door behind them then sighed. "I wish I had all my powers back. This is getting old."
Hand in hand, Caitlyn and Clark walked up the stairs slowly. "Clark, you've told me it's taken you up to two weeks before to get over kryptonite exposures. Well, this time, you had a pretty good amount of kryptonite *inside* of you. It's only been a month since you were hurt, and it's only been three weeks since the second surgery. And you've had to be exposed to kryptonite a few times since then for IV's, etcetera."
"I know, I know," he said as he opened their bedroom door and motioned for her to enter. "It's just that it's so inconsistent. I've had bad exposures and gotten better very quickly. Then I've had exposures that I didn't think were as bad, and it took me longer to get over it. It's just aggravating. Hmmm.... I wonder if kryptonite has different grades or strengths?"
"Hmmm.... I don't know. It is radioactive, so it makes sense that it could produce different levels of radioactivity. If I see Carolyn Klein tomorrow, I'll ask her. But it could have to do with whatever state your immune system happened to be in at the time."
"Well, I don't think that would necessarily make sense, either. You know I told you how I got sick after Mindy Church exposed me to Kryptonian germs?" She nodded. "Even though I was getting over that, *and* I'd been exposed to a whopping dose of kryptonite, I was able to fly right away."
"But weren't you saving Lois' and your parents' lives?" He nodded. "And didn't you tell me that after that you were still a little weak?" He nodded again. "Maybe you reached deep down inside yourself to make that happen."
He shook his head thoughtfully. "Yes, I guess you are right."
She smiled, "I'm going down to the room I've been staying in and get some of my stuff."
He raised an eyebrow. "Hurry back. We're newlyweds, you know."
She cocked her head to the side. "Clark. You know you.. we... can't, don't you?"
He sat down on the bed. "You sure about that?"
She sat down beside of him. "Um..hmm. Clark, you *are* getting over major surgery. And I wouldn't want you .. or us...to be... umm... disappointed."
He pursed his lips and shook his head slightly in confusion. "Disappointed?"
She sighed. "Well, you did get a blood transfusion, but your blood count is still very low, and you know... well... umm... certain activities require..."
When Clark realized what she was talking about, he grinned broadly at her discomfiture. His eyes twinkled.
She smiled back and said, "You know exactly what I mean, don't you?"
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I get it, Caitlyn. Unfortunately, I get it." He sighed. "I guess I'll have to settle for some nice snuggling, won't I?"
She raised an eyebrow and stood up. "Yep. Even if your blood count was okay, you'd still have to 'settle'. Like I said, you are getting over major surgery. I'll be back in a couple of minutes." She turned and left.
Clark yawned and pulled his clothes off. He pulled his sleep shorts on, pulled the covers back on the bed and lay down. He hoped K'al and Los wouldn't be too upset about not getting to see their marriage - such that it was. Mostly it involved paying the fees and signing some papers. They'd just have to have a nice reception. That would have to suffice for the celebration Los had said that he and K'al would like to share in.
He ran his hand through his hair. He was tired. He'd had far too little rest the past day and a half. He realized that Caitlyn was right in telling him he needed to get a lot of rest. His eyes kept closing, seemingly against his will. He needed to stay awake until Caitlyn returned so he could tell her good night and tell her that he loved her. He shook his head again, desperately fighting sleep. It didn't matter how hard he tried to fight sleep, he was losing the battle.
Five minutes later Caitlyn returned to what was now their room. She couldn't help but smile when she noticed that Clark had fallen fast asleep. He hadn't had nearly enough rest the last day or so, and she was worried about him. She bit her lip lightly as she watched him sleep. He was so cute. He'd fallen asleep with his glasses on, and they were now askew on his face. She bent over him, brushed the back of her hand against his face then took his glasses off, laying them on the bedside table.
Clark jerked his head towards her touch. He opened his eyes sleepily, looked up at her and rewarded her with a smile. "I.. Umm... "
She kissed him on his forehead and then lightly on his lips. "Go back to sleep, Clark. I was just taking your glasses off."
"Oh. Did I leave them on?" He slurred.
She nodded. "Yes, you did, silly."
He smiled sloppily. "Not too silly. Married you, didn't I?"
She smiled broadly and started to tell him how much she loved him, but he was already asleep. Caitlyn Kira was a very happy woman.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meowoof decided to let Bear check this person out. The lady was like her new 'Daddy' and three of the others in this house. Would she be okay? She wasn't human, and the other non-humans and the human / non-human mixes seemed to be okay, but Meowoof wasn't going to take a chance with this one. She was shaking and was so scared. She could *hurt* a little cat like herself. Bear was bigger, and even though Meowoof knew Bear wouldn't hurt anyone, he definitely looked threatening. Bear even sort of *looked* like a wolf.
Bear was brave. This strange one was like two of his people. He loved them a lot. What was this silly one so afraid of? He was just a dog, after all. And Meowoof was just a cat. He sniffed the air. He smelled fear, but he didn't sense that this strange one was ready to lash out. Bear also smelled curiosity. To let the strange one know he meant no harm, he walked over and touched his nose to the bottom of the strange one's chin. The lady calmed down and scratched Bear on his head. Bear lay down next to her and told Meowoof everything was okay.
Meowoof also snuggled up to the lady and demanded that her head be scratched too. Odd, she thought. The other non-humans and the human / non-human mixes responded to her communication attempts. This one didn't. Was she too afraid? It was possible, she supposed. No matter, Meowoof was with her friend Bear and both of them were getting lots of petting and loving. She began contentedly purring.
Lady Rya could not decide what to think about these two creatures that were so alike yet so different. She very briefly thought they were trying to contact her telepathically, but she decided that wasn't likely. She just couldn't be sure. One thing she was sure of though: They had decided to be her friends. She smiled. She was so tired. She hadn't had any sleep in over a day. It wasn't long before she curled up against her two new friends and went to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At 7:00 am, Clark awoke and felt very nauseated. He ran to the bathroom and once again started throwing up. He wondered if this was because of something Los had done. He was so *tired* of being sick! He leaned over the sink and splashed cool water on his face. He rinsed his mouth, stood up and realized Caitlyn was behind him.
She started rubbing his back. "Come on. Lie back down. I'll go wake up Los and see if he can help."
Clark rubbed his forehead. "I have an idea that he's responsible for this."
"Probably. He said that it make take two or three treatments to get that organ aligned properly. But once it is, it should stay that way unless it gets damaged again. He said it was really fortunate that you only injured one of them."
Clark groaned. "Whatever. I just know I feel like crap."
Clark walked out of the bathroom and sat on the bed.
Caitlyn walked to the door and opened it to go get Los. Her eyes went wide when she saw him standing there.
He smiled a little. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I didn't know how to announce my presence."
Caitlyn said, "You just knock. Like this." She demonstrated for him.
He nodded. "Oh. Okay. Father is ill?"
Caitlyn nodded and frowned slightly. "How did you know?"
"I.. umm... kept a tenuous connection to him. Just enough so I would know if he... what do you say?... ummm....again."
Caitlyn smiled. "The word you used, regurgitate, will work, but we usually say throw up or vomit. Actually there is a whole lot of words that could be used - some a little too descriptive, but those will do." She turned as Clark ran to the bathroom. She quickly followed.
She walked in just as Clark sank to the floor of the bathroom. He was breathing hard. He ran a shaky hand over his cheek then ran it through his hair. She wiped his face with a cold wet wash cloth. Then she handed him a glass of water so he could rinse his mouth. "You want to brush your teeth?" He nodded. After he had brushed his teeth, she helped him stand up and walked him back to the bed.
Los' face showed great concern. "Please lie down, Father."
"Okay, but I hope you aren't going to make me do that again," he said suspiciously. He lay down on the bed.
"No, that usually only happens the first time." He looked up. "Caity, do you want to see what I'm doing?" She nodded. He took her hands and showed her what he was doing. He quickly performed the procedure.
Clark took a quick deep breath. "Oh. Hey, the nausea's gone. Oooh. Good." He started to sit up.
Los put his hand on his chest. "Unless you need to use the... umm.. facilities, then I want you to lie flat for the next two or three hours."
Clark nodded. "Okay. Thank you, Los."
He smiled lightly. "You're welcome, Father." He fidgeted for a moment then said, "If it's okay, I'm going to go back to bed. I'm very tired."
Clark nodded his head. "Los, you don't have to ask. Sleep as long as you want and as long as you need to. Okay?" Los nodded, turned and left the room.
Caitlyn ran her fingers through his hair. "You didn't get much sun yesterday. I know you had hoped you could go to church with the family today, but I want you to sleep. When you wake up, I want you to spend the rest of the day outside. Okay?"
He nodded. "Are you still going to try to go? I'm sure the kids would like that."
She smiled. "Ummm.... maybe. Someone needs to keep an eye on you."
"I can always call if I need someone."
"Yes, you're right. That's going to take some getting used to."
Clark shook his head in confusion. "What? What do you mean?"
"You calling people. You know - the telepathy."
"Oh," he said in understanding. They heard a knock on the door. "Come in." It was Jama. "Hey, honey."
"Hi," she said quietly. "I hope I'm not disturbing you. I know you are really tired, but I saw Los coming out of your room." Clark smiled to let her know it was okay. "I just.. wondered if you were going to be able to go to church today."
"No." He sighed. "Caitlyn and Los have both told me I have to stay in bed." He patted the bed. "Come here, sweetie." She sat down. "You've been awfully quiet, lately. What's wrong?"
She shrugged her shoulders and looked down. "Everybody has been worried about you."
He patted her cheek. "Yeah, but I think something else is wrong. Is there?"
"Oh, I don't know. Nothin'." She kissed him on the cheek and stood up. She smiled at Caitlyn, "Morning, Caitlyn." Then she turned to leave.
"I love you, honey," Clark said.
"Love you, Daddy."
Caitlyn watched her leave and said quietly, "She's the quiet one, isn't she?"
"Very. She's always been very quiet and shy. She can be quite talkative if you get her started, though. And she's really smart and very insightful."
"And she loves the ground you walk on."
Clark smiled and nodded. "Yes, she adores me. I imagine this 'accident' has affected her more than anyone. I haven't been able to really get her to talk about it much, though."
Caitlyn pursed her lips. "Maybe that's why she's been complaining of her stomach hurting."
"Maybe so. I might have to give her the 'I insist you talk' speech tomorrow." He sighed. "Los said I had to stay on my back, didn't he?"
"Yes, he did." Clark nodded and closed his eyes.
Caitlyn kissed him lightly then said, "Go back to sleep." She realized that he must have been really tired, or else Los did something to make him sleep, because he was asleep before she finished speaking.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was just after noon and the family was arriving home from church. Jon headed straight for the music room. When he opened the door, Bear and Meowoof both ran out. He said, "Have you two been in here all night?" He reached down and petted them both. "I bet both of you are hungry and thirsty, eh?"
He closed the door and walked over to the piano. He sat down and looked at the music he had sitting on the piano. He decided to practice the piece that had been driving him crazy. Jon did not notice the sleeping lady hidden behind his piano. As soon as he started playing, she was startled and let out a blood curdling scream.
He jumped up, knocked over the piano bench and ran to where she had been hiding. She was very much trying to fade into the background. He could tell she was terrified. He smiled and said gently, "Who are you?" She just looked at him and her eyes got even wider. She was hugging her knees to herself. "You... don't understand me, do you? Hmmm.... ¿Habla Español?" He paused. "Português? Français? Deutsch? Svenska?" She continued to stare at him blankly. "Italiano?" He sighed and raised his eyebrows. He wondered if his Dad was awake.
She didn't know what he was saying, but she had already decided this man wouldn't hurt her, so she decided to take a chance. "~Please help me. You won't hurt me, will you?~"
Jon's eyes went wide. She was speaking Kryptonian. "~You... you.. you're Kryptonian?~"
She nodded and said with a touch of fear. "~What do you know of Kryptonians?~"
Jon chewed his lip. "~Well...~" He paused and wondered if he should tell her the truth. He decided that honesty would work best with her. She was so frightened. "~I'm part Kryptonian. My father is Kryptonian.~"
"~Your father?~" She stood up. She wore a long dress that flowed loosely around her. It didn't look like what he thought of as typical Kryptonian garb. But what did he really know about that?
Jon nodded and smiled "~Yes.~"
"~And who is your father?~"
"~Hmm... Are you from New Krypton?~" She nodded. "~Then you would know him as Lord Kal-El.~"
She took a deep breath and looked at him pleadingly. "~Lord Kal-El?~" He nodded. "~Can you take me to him? Maybe he can help me find Lords K'al-El and Los-El..~"
Jon reached his hand out to her. "~Come. I know where K'al and Los are. Would you like me to take you to them?~"
She nodded excitedly. "~Yes, please. I would very much like to see Lord K'al-El. I am Lady Rya, and I am his wife.~"
Jon's mouth was hanging open. "~Wife. Oh. His birth wife. Oh.~"
"~Was. We have undergone the Ceremony of Union.~"
Jon nodded. He was surprised and wondered if his dad knew about this. He thought that it was probably a really good thing that they were officially married. He led her out of the room and stopped by a bathroom, explaining its purpose to her. She nodded appreciatively. She entered the room. "~Well, okay, then. When you're done, meet me in that room there.~" He pointed to the kitchen. She nodded.
Jon called to K'al but didn't get an answer. Maybe he was asleep. He made a general call to his family. <Anybody seen K'al?>
He got multiple answers. <Out here.> He followed to where 'out here' was. There he found Brook, Lara, Jama, Chloe, Claire, Hannah, and Jenni softly giggling. K'al was swimming in the pool with no concern for any clothing. He seemingly didn't notice his audience.
Jon rubbed his forehead and blushed lightly, feeling embarrassment for his brother. "I don't suppose any of you have bothered to say anything?"
Jenni giggled, "We didn't want to embarrass him. Besides he has such a nice body."
"Hey, you're married!" Jon said indignantly.
"Doesn't mean I can't notice."
Lara pulled on Jon's shirt. "Yes, sweetie?" He bent to pick her up.
She pointed at K'al and said softly, "Jon, what is that? I don't have one of those."
Jon closed his eyes tightly and thought about the joys of having little sisters. "That's because your not a boy."
She said questioningly, "Yeah, but..."
Hannah took her from Jon. "I'll rescue you, Jon."
"Thanks," he said. "I was getting to it, but... you go right ahead." He grinned.
Hannah took Lara to a chair and started answering Lara's question.
K'al suddenly seemed to notice his audience. He stopped swimming and stood in the pool. He smiled. "You have a... very nice bathing pool. It's big.. enough to swim in."
Brook, ever the big mouth, said, "Well, that's 'cause that's what's it's for - swimming." She giggled then bit her lip.
Lara said loudly, "So that's what that thing is! Daddy's told me about those." Most of those present succumbed to laughter at Lara's honesty and sweetness.
K'al looked at Jon, cocked his head, and said, "Have I done something wrong?"
Jon looked at all the females and snapped, "Go!" He motioned them away. When they had left, Jon sighed lightly. The thought, 'When in Rome...' came to him. After all, a swimming pool was very much like the ancient Roman bathing pools. Maybe they had such things on New Krypton. He said quietly, "Well, K'al, this pool is for swimming. We bathe in the house."
K'al smiled. "Oh. Okay. I've just... been swimming anyway." He returned to his swimming.
Jon cleared his throat. "K'al, we don't swim in the nude." He heard Hannah giggling and amended, "At least usually." He thought to Hannah, <I thought I told you to go away.>
<I wanted to see how my valiant knight handled this situation.>
Jon blushed. <Umm... Now go away.>
<Oh... Okay. You're no fun.>
K'al climbed the steps out of the pool and stood there 'in all his glory'. "What... does... nude mean?"
"Naked?" Jon said in a half question, half answer.
"I.. don't... know that word," K'al said guilelessly.
Jon was blinking rapidly. He tightly pressed his lips together. "No clothes. It means, without clothes."
K'al suddenly blushed furiously at his faux pas. "~Oh, my, I should have known better. I just assumed since there was only one pool that the bathing facilities were for both sexes. Oh, oh. What have I done?~"
Jon grinned broadly. "You're babbling. Dad must have babble genes, too. It's okay. You didn't know. I think the girls quite enjoyed it, actually." He paused and looked around. "Where are your clothes?"
"Upstairs."
Jon giggled aloud then apologized for laughing. "I'm sorry." Jon took a minute to compose himself. "You mean you walked all the way down here without anyone noticing your state of undress?"
K'al blushed, "Well... most everyone was still... at the meeting place."
Jon nodded and said with amusement, "Oh." Jon ran to the laundry room and back in less than a second. He handed K'al a shirt and a pair of sweat pants.
K'al quickly donned the clothing. He looked at Jon and swallowed hard. "Lord Jon... please don't tell Father of this."
Jon looked at him, trying hard not to guffaw. "I won't say a word, but he probably already knows. He seems to know a lot of things. Now come on. You have a... visitor."
K'al looked perplexed. "A vistitor?"
"Yes, your wife is here."
"Rya!" He said in shock. "Rya is here?" Jon nodded. "Where? Where is she?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Clark was still asleep when Caitlyn came in the bedroom. He opened his eyes when she closed the door. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he sat up. He looked at his watch and said, "Wow, I can't believe I slept so long."
She smiled sweetly. "You still look tired. Why don't you put some swim trunks on and go sleep by the pool. The sun will do you good."
He nodded sleepily. "I remember not so long ago, I was begging for sunlight, and my doctors wouldn't let me near it."
She just smiled and shrugged. Clark went to the bathroom and she changed clothes.
He walked back out and said, "Hey... You're supposed to wait and do that in front of me.
"Chill, mister, chill! I see you already put your swim trunks on." She raised her eyebrows. "You didn't wait for *me*."
He shrugged and twisted his mouth. "We're even then, aren't we?"
"Hmmp..." She took his arm, and they walked downstairs together. Clark immediately headed toward the pool. Caitlyn said, "Don't you want to eat something first?"
He shook his head no. "No. Don't feel like eating."
He walked out and noticed that nearly the entire family was in or by the pool. He smiled at everybody and grumbled a hello. He considered diving into the pool but decided that wouldn't be a good idea. He walked down the stairs and proceeded to float on his back. He thought he heard something about someone swimming in the nude. He chose to ignore it, and despite the noise around him, he quickly fell asleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rya was sitting behind the kitchen table. K'al-El hugged Rya fiercely. "~Rya, my love. Why are you here?~"
"~Lady Zara sent me. You've been gone for a fortnight, K'al-El!~"
He shook his head in astonishment. "~No. I've been here for less than a day.~"
Jon interrupted, "~Dad told us that it's possible for the time lines to be off with these things. Or maybe she has just come to the past.~"
Rya said seriously, "~I know not. I only know that Lady Zara sent me here for protection. I've missed you so much.~"
"~Protection?~" K'al said in puzzlement.
"~The Thanae attacked a six days ago. They specifically attacked with the intent of killing both you and Los-El. I guess they were pretty unhappy that you shamed their leader when you nearly killed him.~"
"~He provoked it! He attacked me!~" K'al said angrily.
"~Yes, I know. They were still angry. They are very stubborn and illogical.~"
"~I must return immediately and join the fight.~"
"~No! Lady Zara wants you and Los to stay here. She feels you will be safer here.~" She caressed his face. "I have a note that she sent you.~" She handed it to him, and he read it quickly.
He looked back to her with a troubled look on his face. "~Mother said that you could possibly be in danger. She said you would explain.~" She was trembling. "~It's okay, my lady. You are okay.~" He leaned forward and caressed her face.
~Oh, husband, before Lord Jon found me, I was so scared.~"
Jon raised an eyebrow. "~Yeah, about that. Why didn't she just call you?~"
K'al brushed his hand against her face. "~How long have you been here, Rya?~"
"~Many hours. It was still night, and everything was very quiet. Except when Jon made the strange object sing.~" She looked at Jon. "~I arrived shortly before the first time you made it sing.~"
Jon was shocked. "~You've been here that long?" He turned to K'al. "~She's been here for nine or ten hours.~"
K'al looked sad, "~I'm sorry, Rya. I know you must have been very frightened.~" He turned to Jon and answered his earlier question. "~When Rya was very small, she became extremely ill. It affected her in such a way that she lost most of her telepathic abilities. She can still 'hear' some telepathic thought, but she can't respond unless another telepathic person is in physical contact with her. She copes well, but it can be very difficult at times.~"
Jon's eyes were wide in sympathy. "~Yes, I can imagine that would be so.~"
Rya smiled, "~The two creatures helped me very much. They helped calm my fears.~"
Jon furrowed his brow and said, "~Creatures?~" He thought for a moment and then said, "~Ah. You mean Bear and Meowoof. Bear is a dog. Meowoof is a cat. They are pets.~"
She nodded. "~Oh, like my Martia.~" She looked at K'al for confirmation. He nodded.
Jon gave K'al a half smile. "~And what is Martia?~"
K'al nodded thoughtfully. "~Martia is her.. our pet zil.~" Rather than trying to describe a zil, he showed Jon a mental picture of Martia.
"~Hmm... Kind of looks like what we would call a meerkat. A little bigger, I think, though. Meerkats are fairly small.~" Jon looked at Rya. "~So Lady Zara thought you needed protection, too?~"
She smiled broadly, "~Ah, yes. I carry K'al's child.~"
K'al's mouth dropped open. "~You... you're. Why didn't you tell me? How far?~"
"~A little more than nine mez."
K'al's eyes were wide. "~You've been keeping quite a secret.~" He ran his hand over her abdomen. "~Ah, yes, you are wearing loose clothing.~" He turned to Jon and smiled, "That's a almost seven of your months.~" He turned back to Rya and swallowed hard. "~Does mother know how far you are? Maybe we can keep it from her~" She bit her lip and shrugged.
Jon shrugged. "~Why shouldn't she know?~"
K'al swallowed hard. "~We haven't been married that long. That's why. We've been married for six of your months. She is farther along than that.~"
Jon giggled. "~Sounds familiar.~"
K'al shook his head. "~I don't understand.~"
Jon slowly nodded his head. "~Ah, well, Jenni is also pregnant.~"
K'al drew in a sharp breath. "~Oh.~"
Jon asked somewhat tentatively. "~I didn't say anything when I first saw Lady Rya, but... I thought it fairly obvious. K'al, how could you not notice? I mean, she isn't huge, but...~"
Lady Rya defended him. "~K'al has been very busy with affairs of state.~"
K'al blushed. "~I must admit that I just thought you were gaining a little weight.~"
She grinned. "~Oh. Yes, I struggle with my weight on occasion.~"
Jon cocked his head. "~Really? Kryptonians can have weight problems? Hmm... How about that.~"
Rya's eyes got wide. "~Humans don't have such problems?~"
Jon nodded. "~Yeah, but Kryptonians living on Earth don't - at least so far.~"
She replied with interest. "~Hmm... how interesting.~"
Jon nodded. "~K'al, Rya, Kryptonian pregnancies only last seven months. That means you are close to delivery. Right?~"
She blushed. "~Yes, I am. I think one of the reasons Lady Zara sent me here was with the hope that I would deliver here. Then it would be easy to... arrange things.~"
K'al took a deep breath in understanding. Jon was perplexed. "~Arrange things?~"
K'al hung his head. "~If it becomes common knowledge that she was pregnant when we entered into the Ceremony of Union, then it could cause a rift among the houses. That could be really bad." He turned to Rya. "~Rya, which healer have you been seeing? Healer Zor-Te?~"
She bit her lip. "~No. I don't... much care for him. I have been seeing Los-El.~" Then she added quietly. "~Healer Zor-Te was killed in the Thanae attack.~"
K'al was troubled. "~How many?~"
"~Nine. It could have been much worse. The fighting has stopped for now, but New Krypton is still on guard. Ching defended your Mother valiantly.~"
K'al swallowed hard. "~Ching? Is he...~"
She smiled, "~He was hurt, but he will be okay.~"
K'al nodded then grinned. "~I can't believe you have been seeing Los, and he didn't tell me.~"
Rya responded somewhat chidingly, "~K'al-El, you know that a healer cannot tell what a patient does not want known.~"
He twisted his lips. "~So when did you first see him?~"
She smiled, "~About two mez after we married.~" K'al rolled his eyes. She suddenly put her hand over her stomach. "~The baby is kicking.~"
She took his hand, and he looked at her in amazement. "~Wow.~"
Jon smiled and decided to leave them alone awhile. "~K'al, she is probably hungry. You know where the food is?~" He nodded and Jon walked out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Clark was still floating in the water. He woke up when he felt someone poking him. He stood up. "Hmmm?"
Lara hugged him and giggled. "You shouldn't be sleepin' in the pool. Might be dangers."
He stretched and smiled at her. "Yes, I imagine you're right. I had planned on just floating for a minute or two and getting out of the pool, but I fell asleep. I guess I'm pretty tired."
She grinned. "Uh-huh." Then she whispered conspiratorially in his ear. "K'al was swimming in the pool without nothin' on. I learned somethin' new."
Clark started laughing. "Yes, I guess you did, didn't you?"
"Um-huh. So tell me. You're a boy. Do you have one of those?"
Clark nodded. "That's generally the way it works."
"Oh, yeah. And when I grow up, I'm gonna get breasts, right?"
Clark rolled his eyes. "Yes, Lara. Just don't grow up too fast, munchkin, okay?"
She splashed him and said, "'Kay." She took off and started swimming laps.
He watched his little athlete with pride for a few moments then climbed the steps and exited the pool. He sat down in one of the lounge chairs and leaned back. "Hey, Zared, what time is it?"
"It's about three. You've been floating a long time. We've been keeping an eye on you."
"Thanks." He stretched. "I thought you'd be spending the day with Jenni. You are newlyweds."
"She's taking a nap. And what about you."
Clark's head jerked towards Zared and his eyes opened wide. He and Caitlyn had decided to tell everyone together. "What... what do you mean?"
Zared grinned. "Jon has come up with a theory."
"Oh... What's that?" He asked calmly.
"He thinks you two eloped sometime in the past week or so." He raised his eyebrows in a question.
"Really? Hmmph." He lay his head back and closed his eyes.
Zared cleared his throat. "Well... Did you?"
"What in the world would give you that idea, Zared?" He gave him a look that said he wasn't saying another thing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hannah's look was incredulous. "So you're telling me that you think your Dad and Caitlyn eloped? Why would they do that?" She was sitting on Jon's butt giving him a back rub.
Jon grunted. "Yes, I do. Maybe they didn't want to take away from Zared's and Jenni's wedding. I don't know. But I think they're married." He moaned. "Oh, man, Hannah. You've got the touch. That feels great."
"Thanks." She bent forward and kissed his back. "Did I tell you I talked to Caitlyn?"
"About what?" He wondered.
"You know... our appointment."
"Hmmph," he muttered in surprise.
"It's at 11:00 am tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? What if I'm busy tomorrow?" He said warily.
"You're not. Your dad knows about the appointment, too. He says you aren't canceling another one."
"So you still think I'm having kidney problems?" He pouted. "I told you I'm fine!"
"Maybe so, but better safe than sorry. And after I mentioned to your dad that you had been rubbing your back a lot, he noticed it too. I'm worried about you, Jon. I love you!"
He frowned. "I love you, too." He sighed heavily. "You do realize that if I have an infection that it means a kryptonite exposure, don't you?"
She slid off his back and lay down beside him. "I know, Jon. I know."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Clark knew Zared had given up and left, but now he felt like someone was staring at him. He opened his eyes. He smiled. "Hi, Jama. How's my baby girl?"
She shrugged. "Don't know."
"Yes, you do. I know you very well. Talk to me, honey. I know something's wrong," he pleaded.
She leaned forward and whispered, "I started."
"Oh." He nodded his head in understanding. "And you aren't too happy about that?"
"No. It hurts." She frowned and a tear slipped down her face.
He sat up and leaned forward touching his forehead to hers. "When?"
"Yesterday." She stuck her lip out and pouted.
"Did you take any ibuprofen?" He asked as he brushed her hair out of her eyes.
She nodded. "Didn't seem to help. I just figured that's because I'm Krypterran."
He nodded. "Could be. Medication still worked for Chloe and Claire at your age, but everybody's different. Did you talk to your sisters?"
"No. I didn't want to tell anyone." She laid her head on his shoulder.
"Why honey?"
"Don't wanna grow up. That means I'm growing up." She sniffed.
He rubbed her back. "I'm sorry, honey. You know most kids can't wait to grow up."
She shrugged. "I know. I don't know what's wrong with me."
"Nothing is wrong with you, honey. You are a beautiful young lady, and you have nothing to fear about growing up. You hear me?" He winked.
She sighed. "Except cramps. And all that *stuff*."
Clark saw Chloe and motioned to her. She walked over to him. "Chloe, Jama is having some cramps. Do you think you can help her out with some well placed heat vision and show her about heating pads and ice packs and such?"
Chloe smiled and nodded. She took Jama's hand. "Come on, sis. I'll show you the ropes."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Clark stood up and yawned. He heard a wolf whistle and turned toward the sound. He just rolled his eyes when he saw who it was.
Jenni giggled and said, "I always did want to do that when Superman was around. I always wanted to pinch that lovely behind, too. First time I see you in the suit, I'm going to fulfill that little fantasy."
Clark shook his head and tilted it backwards looking at the sky. "Don't you have your own, private superhero now? FireWind? Hmmm? Besides, I thought you'd given up your Superman obsession."
She grinned and waggled her eyebrows. "Never, Clark, never! But yes, I do have my FireWind, now, don't I?" He rolled his eyes again. She sighed, "Have you seen him?"
"Umm... no, not recently. He was out here a bit ago. I don't know where he is now."
"Okay, thanks!" Clark turned to walk towards the pool. Jenni giggled and pinched his behind.
Caitlyn walked up and smiled at him. "Hey, I thought that lovely behind was all mine. How do you feel?"
Clark just sighed in exasperation and kissed her on the cheek. "Do you know that Jon, and now Zared, seem to have this idea that we eloped."
"I didn't tell," she said demurely.
"I know. I know." He smiled a little and said. "I'm going in. I'll sit by a window, but I want to sit in a nice comfy seat right now."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The phone rang and someone hollered at Claire telling her it was for her. She picked it up. "Hello."
"Hello, Claire," Alex said in a sultry voice.
She sighed and frowned. "What do you want? I told you we were through."
"Now, now, Claire. We were meant to be together. After all, how many times have you told me feel 'weak in the knees' when I'm around. If we weren't meant for each other, then why would you feel that way?"
"I was deluded," she snapped. "Now leave me alone." She slammed the phone down and walked off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Los heard a knocking on the front door. No one else seemed to have noticed. He answered it. There stood a a beautiful woman with long blond hair that hung past her waist. She had the prettiest blue eyes he thought he had ever seen. After he closed his mouth, he spoke, "Hello."
"Hi." She smiled. "I'm Marisol Stuart. Is Clark Kent in?"
"Clark Kent?" He said dumbfoundedly.
She nodded. "Yes. He does live here, doesn't he?"
"Oh, yes. Clark Kent. He's my Fa... friend. Please come in." He flirted with her a little and then said, "Your hair is beautiful. Have you ever cut it?"
She flirted back and shook her head no. "Thank you."
He led her to the living room. "Sit down. I'll go find Clark."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Los headed towards the family room where he knew Clark was sitting. He found Clark curled up in a chair, and he was using his laptop computer. "Father." He nodded towards the computer. "What are you working on?"
Brook, who was sitting on the floor, looked up and said proudly, "He's finishing up his latest book. It's gonna be another best seller."
Los nodded. "You are an author?"
Clark nodded. "Yes. If you can read English, you can read them."
Los nodded. "Yes, I can read English."
Brook smiled. "They are really good! What I've read anyway. He wouldn't let me read 'The Janus Contract'. Said it was too graphic."
Los nodded politely. "Father, there is a lady here to see you."
Clark looked up. "Oh?" Then his eyes narrowed. "It's not Mayson Drake, is it?"
"Mayson? That sounds like a man's name." He shook his head. "No, her name is Marisol Stuart. She's very pretty." Clark's eyes widened. "Do you remember where my office is?"
He nodded. "I'll see her there."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Los showed Marisol to Clark's office. He wasn't there yet. As he turned to leave, he ran into K'al. He was very excited and grabbed Los' shirt. "Rya! Rya! Come. She... she..."
"Rya? Rya is here?"
K'al nodded. "She's... she's..."
Los took K'al by the shoulders and said, "Calm down! This isn't like you. Tell me."
K'al was breathing rapidly and he swallowed hard. "She has pain. The pain. ~Oh, you know. She is in labor!~"
Los said, "I'm sure it just a few pre-pains. She's early."
"No, no. She came from later. I mean... To her, we've been gone a fortnight."
Los' eyes widened. "Oh. Ohhh. Where is she?"
"In the room we stayed in."
"Okay, just calm down. I want you to go find Caity, okay?" He spoke comfortingly.
K'al just nodded in excitement and took off to find Caitlyn.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
tbc
