Sorry it took me so long to post, guys. I was in the hospital for a bit, so that threw me off a bit. I hope you enjoy this one. And as always, you know I love feedback.
This part is rated PG.
~Around speech indicates Kryptonian speech.~
<Around speech indicates telepathic speech.>
Here’s a few reminders: Beth Winters is Ben’s mom. Danny Green is Jenni’s father and is a nurse that works at S.T.A.R. Labs. Dave Masters is Los’ descendant and is from the future. Jessi is Caitlyn’s younger sister.
Here's the
Table of Contents ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From part 45:
J’on J’onzz said, “Los is getting very stressed. The surgery has lasted quite a bit longer than Jon’s. Is there a reason for that?”
Caitlyn answered, “He has a lot more damage.”
Suddenly Los’ nose started bleeding then his body tensed. Amanda announced, “He’s starting to seize.” She gave him some medication to help with those symptoms. She looked up towards Bernie who had just walked in the room to check on things. “Dr. Klein, I believe we may have to put him on a ventilator. Could you get one set up?” Bernie nodded and left.
J’on said, “Can you stop for just a moment?”
Mak nodded. “A very brief one. Lord Los-El, we are almost done. Hang in there.”
J’on took a deep breath. “How close to being done are you?”
Caitlyn answered in a worried tone. “We are closing up his kidney, and then we can start finishing up.”
J’on shuddered. “That’s a good thing because Los is unconscious. I’ve taken over total control of the part of his brain allowing this, but I can... mmmm... feel what you are doing. Might want... to... have that kryptonite ready.” At that point, J’on no longer appeared in his human form.
Zara gasped and turned to look at Clark. She said in awe, “A Martian. He’s a Martian. I thought they were all dead.”
Clark raised an eyebrow. “I guess we failed to tell you that’s why he’s such a powerful telepath.” Then he said softly, “J’on, what can we do to help you?”
<Just... help Los.>
Although J’on had been unable to say more, Zara and Clark decided that they would just try to help in any way that they could.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dave Masters paced back and forth in front of the Kent home. Someone named K’al had let him in through the front gate, and now he waited very impatiently for someone to come to the door. He absolutely must speak to Clark Kent. He was the only person he knew who might be able to find Superman. He’d tried to call out to Jon - Steel Lightning, or to Hannah - the White Tiger, but perhaps he was just too worried because neither seemed to have heard his calls.
He’d just found out that his wife, Harmony, was pregnant, and he was afraid. He was afraid of what that could mean for the child. They’d been trying, but now that she was pregnant, he was just afraid. His wife knew about his strange dreams of the future, but she had assumed, as she always had that he was just dreaming of the place where he had come from. And, of course, that’s exactly what the dreams were - both of the place he’d come from and of the future. But he’d been unable to tell her what he’d found out about being a descendant of Superman’s. It just seemed all too fantastic to be true - let alone put it into words.
Finally, the door opened, and Dave found himself face to face with K’al. He stuttered, “You’re... You’re...” He swallowed hard, unable to complete his sentence.
K’al nodded. “I’m K’al. Clark Kent isn’t home right now. How can I help you?”
“You... don’t remember me? I saw you at the hospital when you examined Steel Lightning. I’m a nurse and helped take care of him.”
K’al cocked his head sideways. “No, that was my brother - my twin - Los.”
Dave swallowed hard. “Oh. Twins. Um, well... I guess... I really wanted to ask Mr. Kent if he could arrange a meeting with Superman.”
K’al was at a loss for words. He wasn’t quite sure what to say or how to handle this man. He was afraid he would say something he shouldn’t. In fact, he may have - had probably - already said too much. Finally, he said, “I can tell Clark Kent that you were here.”
Dave thought it very odd that this person kept using both the first and last name of Clark Kent instead of calling him Clark or Mr. Kent. It seemed as if he thought it was quite normal to always use the first name and the sir name of a person. He was frustrated that he wasn’t going to be able to talk to Mr. Kent, but then he realized something was quite strange that the twin of his grandfather was at the Kent household. And he had called Ultra Man, Los. It was then that he had a sudden flash of insight. He looked at K’al and said simply, “Can I speak to Jon?”
K’al cocked his head sideways. He wasn’t sure what had just happened, but he had other things to worry about - the least of which was someone looking for his father or for Jon and the most of which was Marisol Stuart. He glanced upstairs and noticed that Jon was awake. He shrugged and motioned for Dave to follow him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A New Hero: Part 46 Caitlyn and Mak quickly finished up the surgery on Los. As soon as they were done with the suturing, Clark led J’on away from the surgical suite towards a room with a bed. He helped him lie down. As J’on rubbed his temples, Clark said quietly, “Thank you, J’on. Are you feeling better?”
J’on nodded. “Yes, I’ve been through worse, Kal-El. And I believe you would have done the same for me.”
Clark nodded somberly. “Yes, I would have.” He cocked his head. “Do you have children, J’on?”
J’on answered sadly. “I had a wife and daughter on Mars.” He turned his head away and sighed heavily. “I can never have more children. I *am* the last living Green Martian.”
Clark frowned. “You don’t think it’s possible to have children with a human woman? I know you’ve dated women, and you’ve told me that you are a male so I’m assuming if you tried to have more children that would be the way it would work...”
J’on rubbed his eyes. “No, Kal-El. I don’t think it’s possible. I’ve been on Earth for a long time...” He sighed. “And, yes, I’m male, but I am *also* an alien.”
Clark closed his eyes. “Well, I have children. And I’m an alien, too.”
J’on sat up. “But you appear human. And it’s quite likely that humans and Kryptonians may have the same origins. That’s not true with me.” He chuckled. “I definitely don’t look human. I can appear human, but that’s it.”
Clark bit his lip and raised an eyebrow. “Would you *like* more children?”
“Yes, I suppose I would. I suppose that we’d all like children, wouldn’t we?
“Have you ever tried? I mean, Mars and Earth are in the same solar system. There may be some common origins there.”
J’on pursed his lips. “Hmm... I don’t think so. But no, I’ve never really tried. There have been a couple of
ladies... but they didn’t know my true origins, so it’s not like I could take a chance.”
“Ah. Do you have a special lady in your life right now?”
J’on smiled. “Yes. And I believe I’m in love with her. I've not felt like this since... Well, last time I felt like this, I was still living on Mars.”
“Does she know about you?”
“Yes. I told her. But I’m not sure that she truly realizes what that means.” He shrugged. “She has mentioned that she might like more children some day, but we haven’t... well, we haven’t yet. And I’m not so sure she’d like little green children.”
Clark laughed. “They might not be green, you know.”
J’on’s eyes twinkled. “It’s a moot point, Kal-El. I doubt that it can ever happen.”
Clark cocked his head. “Well, you know... Maybe Los could help?”
“I’m not sure it’s even right to pursue such a relationship, Kal-El. I have... a lot of mixed feelings about it.”
Clark smiled. “Shouldn’t you let the said lady make that decision?”
J’on shrugged and stood up. “I’m leaving. If you need me, call. Oh, that meeting has been rescheduled for tomorrow morning. I’ll pick you up.”
Clark sighed heavily. “I don’t guess I’m going to get out of this, am I?”
“No. Besides Ice has set her sight on you and you might have to set her straight.”
Clark rolled his eyes. “I’ve tried that. She’ll drop it for a while, and then she’s right back at it.”
J’on grinned. “Well, you might have to tell everyone the truth - at least part of it.” He winked as he walked out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marisol was sitting by Los’ side. She was so worried about him. Zara was also by his side and she was comforting Mari. “I’m sure he’ll be fine, Lady Marisol.”
Mari sniffled and nodded. She looked over at Caitlyn and Mak who were sitting on the other side of the bed. “How long will he be on the ventilator?”
Caitlyn touched her hand to her temple. “He’s already breathing mostly on his own, so we should be able to take him off in a bit.”
Clark had just walked back in the room. “Good. That’s good to hear. Is he still unconscious?”
Mak nodded. “Yes. And when he does wake up, please don’t try to communicate with him telepathically. I want that part of his brain to rest for awhile.”
Clark nodded. “That makes sense.”
Zara looked up at Clark. “Is J’on J’onzz okay?”
Clark nodded. “Yes. He’s already left.”
Danny Green stuck his head in the room. “Do any of you need anything? If not, I’ll be cleaning up the surgical suite.”
Caitlyn nodded as she rubbed her forehead. “That’s fine, Danny. Thank you.”
Danny nodded. “Oh, there’s some guy that managed to get in the lab and is insisting on seeing Lord Los-El. Says his name is Ching.”
Zara raised an eyebrow. “Send him in.”
Ching entered the room. His face revealed a mixture of hurt and anger. He pouted and spoke to Zara. “Why didn’t you tell me that Lord Los-El was having surgery. He is my... He’s like my *son*, Zara. I should have been told.”
Clark narrowed his eyes. “I rather thought you had distanced yourself from being Los’ or K’al’s father in any way.”
Ching pouted. “I still raised them, Lord Kal-El. They could not be allowed to call me father because they may have forgotten and done so in public. Because you weren’t there, it was especially important that they and that all the people remember that you are their father at all times. I also could not take a chance of appearing like their father in public.”
Clark nodded. “That didn’t have anything to do with you finding out of the existence of Lord Zar-El and finding out that he was with me?”
“It did upset me, but it had nothing to do with why I could not allow Lords K’al-El and Los-El to call me father.” He narrowed his eyes. “I still don’t understand how you managed to make me forget about him for so long. But he should not have been allowed to leave New Krypton. The more children of the House of El there are on New Krypton, the better.”
Zara sighed. “I’ve tried to explain all this to you, Ching.” She took his hand and murmured softly, “He’s where he’s supposed to be.”
Ching sat down in a chair. He rubbed his leg. “Why didn’t you tell me about Los, Zara?”
Zara took a deep breath. “There was a... reason, Ching. I can’t tell you now.”
Mak stood up and approached Ching. “How is your leg? You appear to be stronger.” She briefly touched his leg.
Zara looked at Clark. “He’s getting over a fractured tibia.” Clark nodded in understanding.
Ching frowned. “I’m able to walk short distances without assistive devices now. What is they are called in English? Crutches or some such?”
Mak nodded. “But I believe they are not quite the same.”
Caitlyn interrupted the conversation and mused, “Tell me why you don’t have to be called Lord Ching.”
Ching shrugged. “Because I don’t wish to be called ‘Lord Ching’.”
Caitlyn bit her lip. “But how do you get away with it? I tried to tell Healer Mak that she didn’t need to call me Lady Caitlyn, but she insists that she has to.”
Zara smiled. “Ah. Only I can allow that. And since Ching doesn’t wish to be called ‘Lord’ I have decreed that he doesn’t need to be called that.” She turned to Mak. “If Lady Caitlyn does not wish to be called ‘Lady’ then you do not need to do so.”
“Very well.” Mak smiled at Caitlyn and nodded. “Caitlyn, it is.”
Caitlyn nodded and rubbed her eyes. “Cl... Kal. I have a migraine.” She closed her eyes tightly. “Can you take me home?” He nodded. She turned to Mak. “Call if you need me. I’ll have my phone.”
Zara turned to Ching. “Ching, I’m sorry, but you must return to the ship. How did you find out that Lord Los-El was having surgery anyway?”
“Lord K’al-El told me. He came aboard the ship. And he was quite upset about something.” Ching pointedly looked at Marisol.
Zara smiled. “Ching, may I present Lady Marisol Stuart to you. She is Lord Los-El’s wife.”
Ching frowned. “Lady? I thought she was the Queen of Wheat.”
Zara sighed, “She is part Kryptonian, Ching, and I have rightfully given her the title of Lady. That’s all you need to know for now.” She didn’t want to mention the rape because of Ching being Hannah’s biological father.
Ching narrowed his eyes. <~And you have sanctioned their marriage?~>
She nodded. <~Yes, of course, Ching.~>
<~Then I believe there may be a problem. Lord K’al-El has had their marriage annulled.~>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
K’al walked up the stairs with Dave Masters. He offhandedly pointed to Jon’s room. “That’s his room.” Sapphire plaintively meowed on seeing these people. He was walking back and forth in front of the room Zara was staying in. K’al muttered, “Cat’s looking for my mother.” Then he stalked off and entered the room he was sharing with his wife. Dave raised an eyebrow and wondered about the rudeness of the young man. He shook his head and knocked on the door.
Hannah answered the door and her face registered total shock. “Dave! Dave. Umm... Umm...” Sapphire ran into the room and meowed at Hannah. She reached down and patted his head. “Are you missing, Zara, boy? She’ll be back.” With that, Sapphire ran over and jumped up onto the windowsill.
Jon was sitting cross-legged in the bed and was holding a pillow against his abdomen. Meowoof was sitting beside him acting like she wanted to help him in any was that she could. He was coughing, but motioned for Dave to come in and sit down.
Dave swallowed hard. “Have you been coughing like that a lot?”
Jon shook his head no. “I just got a little choked on some water. Glad I’m not coughing like that. It hurts.” He grimaced, then said, “How did you find me? I take it you are ready to talk?” Jon had quit coughing and so Meowoof was once again content. She lay down at the foot of the bed.
Dave sighed. “It was an accident. I came looking for Clark Kent to see if he would arrange a meeting with Superman. K’al... uh... brought me up here.” He grinned and bit his lip. “I take it your last name is Kent?”
Jon raised his eyebrows and rolled his eyes. He leaned forward and held the pillow to his abdomen.
Hannah swallowed and brushed her hand against his cheek. “Let me get you something for pain.” Jon nodded.
Dave bit his lip. “You do look a bit better. But I take you are in quite a bit of pain?”
Jon shrugged. “Off and on.” As Hannah gave him something for pain, he turned to her and said, “Thanks, honey.”
Dave twisted his mouth. “So my grandfather has a twin.”
Jon nodded. “Yes. You mentioned you wanted to stay here. If you do, it might not be a good idea for you to mention any of this to those that you haven’t already told. I think you shouldn’t say more than is absolutely necessary.”
Dave nodded. “So, in other words, I shouldn’t call Los ‘grandpa’.”
Jon chucked every so slightly. “Something like that.” He lay back on the bed. “Hope you don’t mind if I lie down.”
Dave minutely shook his head. “Of course not.” He fidgeted with his hands. “I’m... um... well, I um... this morning... my, um... my... umm...”
Jon grinned. “Dave, just say it. I told you that you could trust me.”
Dave took a deep breath. “This morning, my wife, Harmony, told me she was pregnant. We’ve been trying, and now... Well, umm... I don’t know what that’s going to mean for the child.”
Jon chewed his lip. “I don’t know, Dave. We don’t know what percentage Kryptonian you are. If Marisol is your grandmother then your parent from that line would be ¾ Kryptonian. If your other parent was fully human, you would be 3/8th’s Kryptonian and your child would be 3/16th’s Kryptonian, but we still don’t know what that would mean for your child. The only experience we have is with half Kryptonians. I suppose your child could have powers or not have powers. Your child could have telepathy or not have telepathy. Dad thinks that maybe the powers and the telepathy are not genetically connected since Kryptonians that are on New Krypton still have telepathy but have no powers. We don’t know why you don’t have powers. You did mention being a little stronger than most humans seem to be, didn’t you?” At Dave’s nod, Jon continued, “That might be the extent of your ‘powers’.”
Dave sighed and nodded. “So I still don’t know what this will mean for my son or daughter - whether or not my child will have powers or will be telepathic.”
Jon bit his lip. “No, but your wife should be checked out by Bernie or ‘Doc’ at S.T.A.R. Labs to make sure the pregnancy is proceeding okay. There seem to be a few differences in the pregnancies. Mom always had a huge appetite - more than most women seem to have. The pregnancies were also shorter, but with a child that is more human than Kryptonian that may not be true. Mom’s babies were always a bit small, too, but that may have been because of her size.” He grinned at the mention of ‘Doc’. He rather thought he’d call Caitlyn that from now on. “Bernie always saw mom, and he saw my sister-in-law. Harmony can still see her regular doctor, too.”
Dave sighed. “If I can convince her. I don’t know how I’ll ever get her to believe all this.”
Hannah smiled. “Maybe we can help.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
K’al entered his and Rya’s room and slumped down on the bed where she was reading a book - in English. She also had the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary by her side.
She looked up and smiled at him then immediately frowned when she saw the glum look on his face. “K’al? What’s wrong?”
He frowned and looked down-hearted. “Marisol lied about her heritage. She is no longer the Queen of Wheat. The title is only held for a year.”
She leaned forward with concern. “But it still would mean something, I’m sure. How did you find this out?”
“I left the lab earlier and came home. I guess I was feeling hurt because I wasn’t telepathically helping Los. I...”
Rya furrowed her brow. “You weren’t helping?”
He shook his head no and switched to Kryptonian. “~No. So I decided to come home and talk to you, but you were asleep. I was restless, and Brook suggested I play a computer game. In the process of showing me how to do that, she showed me something called the ‘Internet’. It’s a computer system that connects multiple information sources around this planet. You can find out almost anything about anyone on this Internet. I decided to find out more about Marisol so I could honor her and her people. What I found out is that she has no people. She was given the title of the Queen of Wheat after participating in something called a ‘pageant’. She had to produce some type of science project, had to wear a pretty dress, and she won some money.” His nostrils flared. “I am very angry about what I found out. Queen of Wheat! It really means nothing. She made a fool of Los. And she made a fool of me.~” His eyes darkened. K’al-El would not be made a fool of. Los was innocent in the ways and wiles of women, so he felt that his brother had to be protected. It was true that Marisol was now pregnant, and that meant that she had certain rights as the future mother of a child of the House of El, but her rights would be few and only those of a concubine. And that was only if she actually managed to give birth. There was so much that could happen to the unborn.
He sat quietly thinking. It was a shame that Ching was not a member of the council because things could have been taken care of more quietly, but hopefully, since there was only one council member aboard the ship, this would still be kept relatively silent. Considering that Lord Ximon-We was Lady Edrika’s father, he had been pleased with the idea of a union between his daughter and Lord Los-El. So, the annulment of Los-
El’s marriage and union to Marisol had been done in secret. The marriage - the same as a birth marriage - of Lord Los-El and Lady Edrika-We was accomplished without any fanfare. There would be more of that when they underwent the ceremony of union. Lord Los-El and Lady Edrika weren’t even yet aware of their marriage.
Rya sat watching the emotions crossing her husband’s face. Finally, she softly said, “~K’al. What did you do? Please tell me you didn’t do anything without speaking to your mother. And please tell me you didn’t do anything foolish.~”
K’al took a deep breath. “~I had Los’ and Marisol’s marriage and union annulled. I really had no choice.~”
Rya put her hand to her chest and took a deep breath. Her mouth dropped open. “~You did this without speaking to Lady Zara?~”
He shrugged. “~Of course, I was trying to spare her pain from this whole fiasco. I’m quite sure that she was not aware of Los’ and Mari’s situation.~”
Lady Rya breathed hard and clenched her fists. “~Lord K’al-El. Sometimes you act too much with your head and not with your heart. You have acted with stupidity. I spoke with Lady Zara early this morning. She is well aware of Los’ and Mari’s ‘situation’ and she called Mari ‘Lady Marisol’. I’m assuming she would not have done that without cause. Did you not tell me that Lady Marisol's father was Drull? And Drull was a lower lord of Lord Nor’s house. Even though Lord Nor’s house is in disgrace, Lady Zara could still have named Mari a lower lady, and I assume that’s what she did. You have acted *shamefully*!!~” She stood up and began pacing. “~After all that Los did for us, I can’t believe you would have done all this without even speaking to him. Or without speaking to your mother. Los put his career - his very Lordship in jeopardy for us.~” She shook her head sadly. “~And now he is going to have to pay for your stupidity - for your cruelty.~”
K’al frowned. “~But... she... I was trying to protect him...~”
She shook her finger in his face. “~You were *not* trying to protect Los. You were only worried about how this might reflect upon you. As often is the case, you acted selfishly. K’al, how can you ever expect to be an even adequate leader to your people when you only think of yourself? You know that Los and Marisol are madly in love. Just like we are. And Los protected us, our love and our daughter. Unlike him, you acted without compassion.~”
K’al stood up and the set of his jaw was hard. “~How dare you speak to me like...~”
“~I’m your *wife*, K’al. I have every right to speak to you in such a manner. Now, leave me. I don’t wish to speak to you further right now. Go!~” She turned her back to him. When he didn’t leave, she picked up little Lady Jonna and left the room herself. She shook her head sadly, and not for the first time, sorely cursed her decreased telepathic powers. Lady Zara surely needed to know of her son’s idiocy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Clark drove Caitlyn home in silence. He could tell that she was miserable. As they were pulling up to the house, he said, “Don’t you have something to take?”
She nodded. “I took something. It hasn’t helped yet. I’m sorry you had to drive. You aren’t supposed to drive yet.”
“I’m fine, honey.” He walked around and opened the door for her. “Come on. Let’s put you to bed.”
As they walked up the stairs and then towards the master suite, she said, “I want to check on Jon before I lie down.”
He nodded and kissed her cheek. “I’m going to see how Claire is doing. Chloe was pretty upset about her sister, too. They were both asleep when I left this morning.”
She turned and knocked on Jon’s door. Jon called, “Come in.”
Caitlyn walked in and approached Jon and sat down on the side of his bed. She didn’t say much. She just started pulling up Jon’s shirt to check his incisions.
Jon touched her hand. “‘Doc’, you look awful. What’s wrong?” Then his face fell. “Is Los okay?”
She nodded. “He had a rough time and became unconscious during the surgery, but he was stable when I left. As for me, I have a migraine.”
Dave stood up and approached her. “Aunt Caity. Why are you here?” He began rubbing her shoulders.
Caitlyn turned to look at him. “Well, I did help with...” She nodded at Jon. “...his surgery.” She slumped her shoulders. “Mmm... Thanks, Dave. That feels great.”
Dave smiled. “I know Jon’s name. And I hope this shoulder and neck rub helps some.”
Caitlyn nodded. “Why are you here?”
Dave fidgeted, obviously uncomfortable with answering, so Jon said, “Well, since you have a headache, I’ll give you the quick explanation. Dave is from the future and is a descendant of dad’s.”
Caitlyn closed her eyes tightly and looked at Jon. “You are doing well.” She turned to Dave. “Don’t you dare... Don’t you even dare tell Harmony or her mother that I was here. You hear me?”
Dave furrowed his brow. “Jessi? Why don’t you want Jessi to know you were here? And why would I tell her anyway? I’d keep Jon’s secret.”
Caitlyn just shook her head. “Just don’t mess with a woman with a migraine. Don’t tell them. Don’t even tell them you saw me.” She turned and walked out the door.
Jon shrugged. “I guess I’ll have to ask ‘Doc’ about getting rid of the catheter later.”
Dave sat back down. “Wait! ‘Doc’ is Caitlyn?” He frowned. “Well, yeah, she does work at S.T.A.R. Labs. So she can check on Harmony?”
Jon nodded. “You want to tell me why you called her ‘Aunt Caity’?”
Dave shrugged. “She’s my wife’s aunt.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chloe and Claire sat in the floor quietly talking. Chloe picked at her nails. “Who do I tell first? Dad? Ben?”
Bear lay with his head on her lap and commiserated with her silently.
Claire shrugged. “I don’t know, honey. Not only do you have to tell them you are pregnant, but you have to tell them you are having twins.” Two Bark lay beside Claire. Two Bark and Bear both knew that their red haired girls were very upset. But Chloe was expecting a litter. Shouldn’t that be a joyful thing?
Chloe pouted and nodded her head yes. “Yeah,” she agreed dejectedly.
Claire patted her sister’s hand. “Why don’t you try to eat something? I know you’ve been nauseated today, but like you said, that’s probably mostly from stress.”
Chloe shook her head no. “Don’t feel like it.”
Someone was knocking on the door. Claire looked at the door then back at her sister. “It’s Dad.”
Chloe sighed. “Maybe I could pretend to be asleep.” Tears spilled down her face.
Claire sighed. “Just get it over with, honey.” She closed her eyes tightly. “Come in, Daddy.”
Clark smiled. “How are my favorite twins?” At that Chloe started sobbing.
Claire swallowed hard. “You have another set of twins now. You can’t really say that now.”
Clark nodded. “Twin daughters then.” He sat down beside them and looked at Claire silently questioning Chloe’s tears. Chloe held her knees and sat rocking.
Chloe murmured. “You tell him.”
Claire shook her head no. “No. You have to do that.”
Clark took her hand. “Tell me what?”
Chloe put her arms around Clark and cried on his shoulder. “I’m pregnant, Daddy. With twins.” As she started sobbing harder, she sniffed, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Claire touched her dad’s arm and softly said, “You know she would never have had sex if not for Alex. She had always planned on waiting.”
Clark nodded sadly and ran his fingers through Chloe’s hair. “We’ll get through it, honey. Shhh.... It’s okay.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Los was now off the ventilator but still had the tube in his throat in case he had difficulty breathing again. Danny Green smiled at Mak as he entered Los’ room. “Dr. Sommers wanted me to draw some arterial blood to check his oxygen levels. Is he still unconscious?”
Mak closed her eyes briefly and telepathically checked his level of consciousness. “Yes. He is.”
Danny nodded. “In that case, I’ll need to expose him to a bit of kryptonite to draw the blood. You’ll need to step back.” He looked over at Marisol, who had fallen asleep in a chair. He thought for a moment then said, “I believe she is far enough away. It’s a very small amount.” Mak took a few steps back. Danny opened the small container and put it at Los’ wrist. He looked at Mak. “Can you feel that? I want to make sure Marisol is far enough away.”
Mak smiled. “No, I can’t feel anything.” Los began moving about restlessly. Mak swallowed hard. “Los evidently *does* feel it.”
Danny nodded soberly. “It won’t take me long.” With that, he quickly drew the arterial blood. He snapped the container of kryptonite shut. “Healer Mak, if you can hold pressure at the site, I’ll go ahead and run this. Hopefully, we can get rid of that tube.”
Mak took over holding pressure to Los’ wrist with the gauze pad that Danny had placed there. “Why didn’t you draw the blood from the central line?”
He shrugged. “Sometimes, we can do that. But Dr. Sommers wanted to make sure that we got pure arterial blood and not venous or mixed blood.”
She smiled. “Yes, that makes sense. Have you seen caregiver Shalla? I know she was helping you clean up.”
“Caregiver? Isn’t she a nurse?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Well, that description is close enough.”
“Oh. Yes, she has been very helpful. She’s eating pizza.”
“Yes, I had some of that. I liked it.”
Danny grinned. “It is good.” He turned and walked out of the room with the blood sample in his hand.
Mak was still holding pressure on Los’ wrist when he opened his eyes. His other hand immediately went towards the tube, but he stopped as soon as Mak said, “No.” She brushed his hair out of his eyes. “Natural reaction, isn’t it?”
<Yes, it...>
“Stop. I don’t want you to use any telepathy. You had a seizure and became unconscious during surgery. I want that part of your brain to rest lest something else happens.”
He nodded and made a motion with his hand that seemed to indicate that he was asking what was happening. Because of the tube, he was unable to speak.
She winked at him. “Well, as you can tell, we have taken you off the ventilator, but you still have the tube in. We hope to take it out in a few minutes.”
A look of discomfort crossed Los’ face and he threw up. He shrugged in an, ‘I’m sorry’ sort of way.
Mak picked up a washcloth and started cleaning him up. “You have no need to apologize, Lord Los-El.”
Shalla walked in about that time and also began helping. “~He’s also sticky and sweaty. How about we give him a bath?~” A brief frown crossed Los’ face. Shalla smiled. “~It will make you feel better.~”
Mak agreed. “~Yes, it will.~” She wondered why Shalla had not also been asked to learn English. It would have been easier. She shrugged. Together, they quickly and efficiently began bathing Los.
Los was a bit embarrassed but what could he do but endure the bath?
When they were nearly done, Mari touched his arm. “Hi, sweetie.” She looked up at Mak. “Did he throw up?”
“Yes.” Mak squeezed his hand. “I’m going to give you something for pain and nausea. Okay?”
He nodded and again gestured with his hand. He wanted to know about the surgery and he hoped that Mak understood. He also scanned the room as if looking for someone.
Mari bent over and kissed his forehead. “You mother left in a bit of hurry after Ching visited. He was quite worried about you. And Clark took Caitlyn home because she had a headache. I don’t know where K’al is.”
Los wondered why Ching would have been there when he was sure his mother didn’t want him there until the circumstances of Marilyn’s rape had been explained. He guessed he’d have to ask about that later.
Mak squeezed his hand again. “You want to know about the surgery? Right?” He nodded. She looked up at Shalla. “~Shalla, why don’t you go back to the ship and rest. We will probably need your help caring for him tonight.~”
Shalla nodded. “~Yes, very good~” She turned and left.
Mak also wanted her to leave so they could expose Los to some sunlight. They had purposely kept all the window panels closed. They did not want Shalla to inadvertently find out what the yellow sun did to Kryptonians. Mak wasn’t sure she herself even wanted to be exposed, but Lady Zara had assured her that it was okay and that they had no choice in the manner. She sighed. “Well, we were able to repair most of the damage - but not all of it. We were able to stop the process though so that you won’t have further damage.”
Los frowned and shrugged knowing that since there was still some damage that couldn’t be repaired that he would still have some chronic pain.
Mari echoed his thoughts when she said, “So does that mean that he will still have some pain?”
Mak nodded sadly. “Unfortunately. But it will be much less than what he has been having. The damage will no longer be continually worsening as it has been.”
Mari was saddened. “I’m sorry, honey.” Los shrugged.
Danny walked in with a big smile on his face. “Well, hello. You are awake! Want to get rid of that tube?” Los nodded enthusiastically. He was glad to be getting rid of the tube, but for some reason he had a feeling of foreboding.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
K’al was sitting on the bed wondering whether or not his mother had really named Marisol a lady when his mother burst in the room. She was not happy. Not happy at all. He bit his lip. “I take you talked to Lady Rya?”
“I did. I just saw her in the hallway. But I found out what you did from Ching. I immediately went back to the ship to try to ‘fix’ things, but you have mucked things up badly. It’s not like I could come right out and tell Lord Ximon-We the whole truth, now could I? That you’d acted a fool? That you didn’t have my permission to do what you did? I cannot *believe* that you acted so callously. I cannot *believe* that you didn’t speak to me.”
“I didn’t think you knew. I was trying to protect...”
“Be quiet!” She sighed heavily. “Let me tell you what I found out yesterday evening. Lady Edrika is actually interested in Lord Ch’ing. You see, he has been sending her love letters that she thought were from Los. Imagine Lord Ximon-We’s surprise when his daughter told him of her wishes to marry Ch’ing. But he acted in good faith today, and he is not willing to annul the marriage of Los and Lady Edrika. And you know that Lady Edrika has a temper. She was *not* happy when she found out that she is now married to your brother - the wrong brother. And now your twin will have to pay for your foolishness.”
K’al held his head high. “I did what I thought was right.”
“Well, it wasn’t right. And since Lord Ximon-We is the only member of the council aboard the ship, this is something that I can’t fix without his approval.” She shook her head sadly. “K’al, sometimes you show such promise, and then sometimes you have no compassion. I wonder sometimes if it wouldn’t have been better if Los had been the first born.”
K’al looked stricken. “So, did you really name Marisol a lady?”
“Yes, I did and rightfully so.”
He stood up, towering over his mother, and crossed his arms. “But did you know of her treachery? The title, ‘Queen of Wheat’, means nothing!”
She put her hand in front of her and lowered it slowly indicating that she wanted K’al to kneel in front of her. Her look said that she would tolerate no nonsense. He knelt in front of her. “I wouldn’t call it treachery, K’al. Los was well aware what her title ‘meant’. But, yes, they *both* lied to you. But you still should not have done what you did without asking your brother about it or without talking to me. Especially not after all that he has done for *you*.” She turned and left the room - leaving K’al on his knees.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Caitlyn awoke, it was just beginning to become dark. She was glad that, except for Los’ surgery, she’d had the day off. She hated migraines. She immediately reached for the phone to call the lab and check on Los. Satisfied that he was doing well, she stood up.
Clark walked in as she was headed towards the bathroom. “Hey, sweetie. Do you feel better?” She nodded. He continued, “Is it time for your period or did you start? Is that why you have a headache?”
“No. Some other reason. That’s not the only time I get them.”
“I know.” He sat down and waited for her to exit to the bathroom. When she did, he looked at her sadly. “Chloe is pregnant.” At Caitlyn’s wide-eyed look, he explained how she had found out.
Caitlyn fidgeted and didn’t know what to say. She finally muttered, “I... um.... she should be...” She sighed heavily. “Is she okay?”
Clark nodded. “She’s upset, but she seems to be okay. She went to tell Ben.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chloe was hoping that Ben would be home from work now. She swallowed hard and then tentatively knocked on the door of the apartment.
Beth opened the door and smiled. She looked around outside. “Chloe. Come in. Hmm... How did you get here?”
Chloe ignored the question. “Hmm... Is Ben home yet?”
“Oh, he was home. I sent him on an errand for me.”
Chloe bit her lip. “Mmm... Okay. Is it all right if I wait for him?” At Beth’s nod, she said, “You look nice.”
Beth smiled. “Well, I actually have a day off from work, so I’m going out. John is getting dressed now. He said he had a rough morning so he came over to take a nap. He doesn’t live around here.”
“John?” Chloe said neutrally.
“John Jones. We’ve been dating for a while.”
“Yes, Ben mentioned that you’d been dating someone. He said that he hadn’t met him.” Chloe smiled. She worried her lip and wondered why the name John Jones sounded familiar. She shook her head as if to clear her mind. It must be because it was such a common type of name.
Beth nodded. “He met him a few minutes ago.”
Chloe stubbed her toe against the carpet and muttered, “Oh.”
John walked into the kitchen where Chloe and Beth were sitting. He was dressed in a suit. He raised an eyebrow. “Chloe.”
Beth frowned in astonishment. “You know Chloe?”
“Hmm... well, I... know her dad. We haven’t actually met.”
Chloe cocked her head and looked at him a moment then thought, <You are telepathic. That’s how you know my name.>
<Well, yes, but I’ve seen your picture, too. > He held out his hand. “I’m John Jones.” <You might know me better as J’on J’onzz - the Martian Manhunter.>
Chloe’s eyes widened. <Does Beth know?>
<She does. I’m not sure she understands what that means. Does Ben know about you?>
<Not yet. That’s one of the things that I’m here to tell him.>
Beth looked at first one then the other then cleared her throat. “John. Chloe. What’s going on?”
Chloe bit her lip. <Does she know you are telepathic, Mr. J’onzz?>
He chuckled. <Yes. And you can call me John - or J’on depending on the circumstances.>
Beth interrupted, “You were talking to her like you have talked to me before, weren’t you?”
Chloe looked at him pleadingly. <I really don’t want Beth to know that I’m also telepathic.>
He nodded in understanding. “Yes, Beth. I admit that I was.” <Don’t worry, Chloe. I can communicate telepathically with anyone so she won’t find out.>
Beth smiled but wasn’t quite sure what to say. She looked at John and hoped he would know what she was thinking. <So, she knows who you are?>
And, of course, he did. <Yes, Beth. We’ll talk about it later.> He looked at Chloe. <You know she will ask me more questions.>
Chloe shrugged and went over to the couch and flopped down. She really didn’t want to discuss it further. She just wanted to see Ben. And she was glad John and Beth were leaving.
Ben walked in the apartment and handed his mom a bag from the store. He grinned. “One pair of pantyhose in your size.”
Beth took the pantyhose from him and headed towards the bedroom. “Chloe’s here, Benjie.”
“Oh, Mom! Don’t call me that!” Then he muttered under his breath, “Makes me sound like a dog.”
Chloe giggled. “An Irish Setter?”
He rolled his eyes and sat down beside her. “Oh, Chloe!”
Beth walked back out and kissed Ben’s cheek. “Thanks, sweetie. You kids have fun.” She gave them a warning look that said, ‘Behave’. “Come on, John, let’s go.”
John nodded and took Beth’s arm. Chloe suddenly remembered what he’d said about Beth asking more questions. She bit her lip and thought, <Please...>
He winked. <It’s okay, Chloe. I’ll just say that your dad is a friend of mine. That’s true.>
She nodded and waited for the two of them to leave. “Ben, I...”
At the same time, Ben kissed her. “You hungry? We have leftover pizza and stuff from last night.” He bounded off the couch. “I’ll warm it up!”
She sighed. “Mmm... Okay.” She really didn’t want to eat. She had no desire to eat, but she figured Ben was hungry. She supposed working all day at the Chicken Shack had been hard work. She called to him, “I’m going to the bathroom.” She pouted as she realized that going to the bathroom a lot was going to be a fact of life for awhile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth pulled out of the apartment parking lot. “What was that all about, John?”
J’on J’onzz shrugged. “Chloe’s dad, Clark Kent, is a friend of mine. Let’s just leave it at that for now. Okay?”
Her eyes twinkled as she glanced at him. “Okay, but I’m pretty sure there is more to the story than that.”
J’on rolled his eyes. “Are you sure you want to just go to Arctic Cellar in town? I know it’s a nice restaurant, but wouldn’t you rather fly to France or Italy?”
“The Arctic Cellar is fine, John. You can take me to Paris or Rome some other time.”
He shook his head in amazement at the idea that the woman he loved would rather eat in Metropolis than in Europe.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ben busied himself in the kitchen preparing leftovers. Chloe walked in as he was sticking the pizza in the oven. “Pizza is always better warmed up in the oven rather than the microwave.” He wiped his hands on a dish towel. “I’m glad you came over, Chloe. I thought I might visit you. I miss you.”
She blushed ever so slightly. “Yes, I bet you do.”
He pulled her into his arms and waggled an eyebrow. “Are you telling me that you didn’t miss me?”
She smiled against him and floated up just a little to see if he noticed. “I did. I almost came back over here last night.”
“You did?”
“Yeah. I wanted to talk to you. You know how I told you that Alex almost raped Claire?” He nodded. “Well, it turns out that he didn’t ‘almost’. He *did* rape her. I was pretty upset about that and... some other stuff.”
He hugged her tightly. “Oh, Chloe!”
She quickly told him about what she had found out then she said, “Claire is strong. Stronger than she thinks. She will okay. And she will get through the trial okay.”
He sat down, disheartened. “Yes, I’m sure she’ll be okay. I bet your dad would like to kill Alex.” He frowned. “I wouldn’t mind having a go at him myself. I bet I could pummel him.”
“Yes, Ben, at 6’5’’, I’m sure you could. But he’s in jail now.” She leaned back against the cabinet. “We’ll talk more about that later.” She shrugged. “Daddy knows.”
“Knows?” Ben questioned. “You mean...” He gestured between the two of them. She nodded. “How... Did you tell him?”
She shook her head no. “He just figured it out. Daddy’s... well, he’s a smart man.” She’d get around to telling Ben later that it had been her dad’s sense of smell that allowed him to find out. The bell went off indicating the pizza was ready. She pulled the door open and pulled out the pizza - without oven mitts. Ben didn’t notice that, either. She rolled her eyes.
He stood up and fixed them both something to drink. He handed Chloe a plate. She picked up a couple of pieces of pizza. She actually found that her appetite seemed to have returned. She picked up a third piece. Ben chuckled but didn’t say anything. He motioned to her to sit down. “Eat. Then maybe we can go for a drive.”
She sat down and started eating. “I had something else in mind. Hmm... Do you think after we eat that you can change into your black hooded sweatshirt and some black pants?”
He gave her a strange look, but said, “Surrre...” Then he cocked his head. “You have on black, too - including a hooded jacket. Is there a reason for that?”
She was already finished eating and pushed her plate away. “Yes. Hurry up. I want to go for a walk.”
He quickly finished eating, went to his bedroom and changed, and walked back out. He motioned up and down his body. “Okay, I’m in black. What’s all the mystery, Chloe?”
“Ben, did you notice anything unusual this evening?” She bit her lip. When he shook his head no, she rolled her eyes. “Okay, Ben, I have a couple of things to tell you.” She quickly unzipped her jacket and pulled it open. She had on the Blue Fairy suit. She also changed her hair to blue. “First, I’m the Blue Fairy.” She zipped her jacket back and changed her hair back to the red color that it normally was.
Ben stared at her with his mouth open. Then he narrowed his eyes. “You are pulling my leg.”
She grabbed his hand and pulled him outside. She walked with him to a darkened, grassy area and looked around. Satisfied that no one was around, she faced him and put one arm around his shoulder and the other around his waist.
He took advantage of that and kissed her. When he stopped kissing her because he needed to take a breath, he opened his eyes. What he saw was magic. What he saw was the milky way. He started to pull away to look at the marvelous sight around him.
Chloe held on to him tightly. “You are protected by my aura. You have to let me hold onto you.” She looked around. “It really is beautiful, isn’t it?” She pointed at the quarter moon. “The next time it’s full, we’ll come back.”
He took a deep breath. “Wow! This is beautiful.” He looked perplexed. “Wait, how am I able to talk? How are you able to talk? Aren’t we in a vacuum?”
She smiled sweetly. “Yes, we are. I don’t understand it all either. It has to do with my aura, and that has to do with my Kryptonian heritage.”
“Kryptonian?” He wondered. “You mean like Superman?” Then a dawning of knowledge crossed his face. “Wait... Superman was at your house. Last night, you acted like it was no big deal to know him... He’s... He’s...”
Chloe ran her hand through his red tresses. “Yes. My father is Superman.” She giggled. “And like I said last night, you really are a lot taller than he is.”
He let his breath out in a shuddering sigh. “Oh, wow, Chloe. Oh, wow. I just don’t know what to say. Oh, wow.”
She bit her lip. “How do you feel about it?”
He cocked his head. “What do you mean?”
With downcast eyes, she whispered, “Does it bother you?”
He pulled her into an embrace. “Oh, god, no, Chloe. I love you. I love you so much.”
She began their descent and set them down a few feet from where they took off. “Well, that’s good to know because... Hmm.... I needed my feet on the ground for this. Hmm...” A tear ran down her cheek. “You were right, Ben. I am pregnant. In fact, I’m pregnant with twins.” She looked at him with all the hope and fears that she held in her heart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~tbc~
Feedback Thread
