~~~~~ indicated flashback or memory
From Part 4:
"He's dead?" Trey-En, head of the council, asked.
"No, not quite. He's almost dead." Beth-El shook his head sadly. "At this point, there is no hope for his recovery."
"And you're quite certain of this?"
"He was raised on a planet with a yellow sun. It's made his physiology different than ours. He can't handle the Kryptonian virus that he was infected with."
"Do we know how he got infected yet?"
The doctor shook his head. "No and it's unlikely we ever will."
"Then so be it. Miss Lane and Zara will return Kal-El to Earth for burial."
The rest of the Council nodded their assent.
"Upon her return, Zara will continue with us back to New Krypton, where she will be installed as the new maharani to rule as the widow of the late Kal-El, who will have passed, never having taken his rightful place as maharajah of New Krypton."
Lois watched from behind the one way mirror and prayed silently to whatever greater being might be watching over the universe that this would work.
*****
Part 5
*****
He tried again.
This time his eyes responded.
Slowly.
It hurt.
The light hurt.
Where was he?
And would someone please shut the curtains?
Curtains?
There hadn't been any curtains on board the ship.
He squeezed his eyes tightly shut and then opened them just the slightest little bit.
Gingham.
The curtains were made out of gingham.
Were they trying to make him feel like he was at home?
He peeked just a bit more.
Outside was... a barn? Was that right?
It was the barn on his parents' farm.
Or something that appeared to be.
Finally, he made himself open his eyes wide.
It was real.
He was in the living room at his parents' house.
He seemed to be in a bed or cot of some kind that was shoved under the window.
He had no sheet, no covers of any kind, he realized, and was wearing precious little.
He moved slightly to see that he was dressed only in a pair of boxers.
Why?
A small cry jolted him and he heard footsteps running towards him.
He turned and before he could even get a good look at her, Lois' head was on his chest, her tears soaking his skin.
"Clark, you're awake. You're awake."
He managed to move one arm to stroke her hair and tried to quiet her.
He opened his mouth but nothing came out.
"Water. You need some water."
He watched as Lois reached for a glass and held the straw to his lips.
He swallowed and managed to squeak out a couple of words. "What happened?"
He watched the face of his wonderful wife as she explained how she and Zara, with the help of Ching and Beth-El, had made him appear dead and sent him back to earth for burial. His mother had wanted to put him in the barn where the big doors would allow for unobstructed sun access, but they had quickly decided that this would be better – next to the living room window, shades pulled back so that he could soak up the yellow sun that always seemed to make him feel better.
And now, after being home only three days, he was starting to get better. His fever was down, his color was improving and he had regained consciousness – always a good sign.
*****
"Well, hells bells, kids." Lois could practically see Perry shaking his head over the phone. "I expect to hear the *whole* story when you get back. From your actual honeymoon that is. You have to be back at the first of the month and not a minute before, you understand me?"
The first of the month?
That was a good two weeks. It would take Clark several more days, at least, before he was back to normal, and then they'd be able to actually take that honeymoon they'd dreamed about.
"And if you talk to Superman," she heard Perry's voice crack a bit. "Tell him that I'm glad he's going to be okay."
Well, he hadn't become editor because he could yodel. It really shouldn't surprise Lois that he knew Clark's secret.
"I will, Perry. And I know he'll appreciate that." Lois spoke softly, trying not to let tears well up in her eyes again. She'd done enough crying in the last few days.
She quietly hung up the phone and turned to see Clark smiling at her. He was sitting in a recliner, soaking up the sun streaming in through the window.
"He knows." It was a statement, not a question.
"Yes."
"I thought he did. Ever since Superman had to leave Metropolis during the heat wave – I think if he didn't figure it out then, he certainly knew something was up."
Lois sat in the chair next to him and grasped his hand lightly. "You up for a little walk?"
"How little?" Clark grimaced at the thought of even walking all the way to the barn.
"Just out to the porch swing. It's sunny there right now." Lois didn’t add that she wanted to be closer to him and that was the best place at the moment.
"I think I can handle that, but much farther..." Clark smiled. "I guess I'm not doing too bad since I've only been conscious for a few hours."
Lois helped him stand up and he leaned slightly on her as they headed towards the door.
"Clark, what are you doing?"
The voice made Clark turn. "Dr. Klein. What are you doing here?"
"Lois called and I had to come."
"He knows, Clark."
"I figured so, since he's here." Clark smiled. "It's good to see you, but we're headed to the porch. Can we continue this there? I'm feeling better, but I don't think I can stand here indefinitely."
The three made their way to the porch. Lois and Dr. Klein helped Clark settle onto the swing. Lois sat next to him and reveled in the comfort of Clark's arm around her. Dr. Klein took the rocker nearby.
Clark closed his eyes and soaked in the sun. There was something about getting the sun without anything in the way... It was much nicer than getting it through the window. He could practically feel his strength returning.
He didn't even turn as he heard the tires of a car crunch in the driveway.
"Clark!! You look wonderful!!!" Martha practically ran up the steps in her rush to hug her son. "We had to go to town to pick up a few things. We didn’t want to leave, but... You weren't even awake when we left this morning!"
Clark reached up to hug her. "I'm a fast healer, Mom. I always have been."
"I know. Your fathers will be so happy!"
"Fathers?" Clark was confused.
"Yes, your fathers – yours and Lois'."
He turned to Lois. "Your dad's here?"
She nodded. "He treated Superman once before, remember?"
Clark nodded. "But he didn't know."
"He figured it out. He could see how strongly I obviously felt for you even though he knew I was in love with Clark and when he heard we were here and you were sick... he flew himself out. I'd already called Bernie, but it was good they were both here. Two heads are better and all that."
"Between what I already knew of your physiology and what Dr. Lane was able to bring to the table, I think we... well, actually, I don't think we really did anything. Your body started to heal itself almost immediately."
"Dr. Klein, don't sell yourself short." Lois turned to Clark. "They were able to give you some very strong antibiotics that... are experimental and not quite FDA approved. They helped. A lot."
The conversation was interrupted by Sam and Jonathan's arrival on the porch. The seven of them chatted amiably for a few minutes, all marveling at Clark's quick recovery.
But it wasn't long before Clark started to drop off. The men helped to lay Clark down on the swing where he could continue to soak in the sun while getting the rest he so desperately needed.
*****
It was dark by the time Clark awoke. He stretched, grateful that this swing wasn't the old wood one that had hung there for years. It had finally fallen apart a couple of years ago and his dad had replaced it with one much more comfortable, including cushions and pillows.
He struggled to sit up, then yawned, and stretched some more. He was feeling much better than he had been – not super, but almost normal.
He rested his hand lightly on the wall as he made his way into the kitchen where he could hear sounds of muffled laughter. Even though he didn't really remember much, he knew the atmosphere was much lighter than it must have been 24 hours earlier.
"CLARK!" The exclamation seemed to come from everywhere at once. Martha and Lois were at his side in an instant. They helped him to a seat, despite his protests that he was strong enough to do that himself.
As soon as he was seated, Martha started to load his plate with fried chicken, ham, corn bread, mashed potatoes, and filled his glass with buttermilk.
He laughed as he watched the food pile up. "That's plenty, Mom. If I want more, I'll get more." He took a long drink from the glass. "Buttermilk, it's good for what ails you."
Jonathan laughed. "You got that right."
"I've got some hamburger, too, if you want a burger."
"I'm good, Mom, really."
The rest of the table chatted quietly while Clark ate like he'd been on a deserted island for over a month.
*****
Several days later, Lois snuggled into the bare chest of her husband, one hand idly drawing patterns on his skin while he slept.
It amazed her how well he healed. His powers were back, though he still seemed to tire a bit more easily than normal and actually needed to eat at the moment. They'd stayed with Martha and Jonathan another three days. They felt a week was long enough – Clark had been unconscious for three of those, woke on the fourth and had spent three more days soaking in as much sun as he could.
Fortunately, there hadn't been any rain the whole time they were there. It was actually Martha who suggested they finally go on their belated honeymoon. Clark was able to fly again, albeit a bit more slowly than normal. They decided to forgo the Hawaiian trip they had originally planned – their reservations had been for weeks ago and the last minute rate was ridiculous – so Clark had flown them to a little island he'd bought several years earlier.
He'd promised it was the only time he'd used the gold mine – except when he needed to run HG Wells' time machine – to buy this island as a place he could go when he needed to be alone. He used it often as his 'safe house' before he moved to Metropolis. When someone would get a little too close for comfort, he'd take off and head here until he decided where to head for next. It was complete with a little hut, a shower, and even a hot tub – well, a tub that turned in to a hot tub with a little heat vision.
He'd told her that he'd fly their things out first, but she'd refused to let him go. Even though his powers were back, he still wasn't completely up to par.
She giggled as she remembered the conversation.
~~~~~
"Lois, I'm going to fly ahead with the luggage and I'll be back to get you in a few minutes."
"No way, Clark. There's absolutely no way you're leaving without me."
"But, Lois..."
"No buts, Clark, I can carry a suitcase and in a couple days, you can come back for the rest of our things."
"Are you sure you're actually going to need 'your things'?"
"MARTHA!" "MOM!"
"Well, you're newlyweds on your honeymoon, do you really need the suitcases?"
Lois and Clark turned eight shades of red.
"Seriously, Clark grab some swim trunks if you want or a T-shirt and shorts – it's not like you burn – and Lois would need a swimsuit – I'm sure she's got something... suitably skimpy," Martha grinned as her son and daughter-in-law glanced at each other. "And some sunscreen, of course, because she will burn and *that* would ruin the rest of your honeymoon. Maybe something sexy... You can easily fit all of that in a pocket or two."
Lois was grateful that their dads and Dr. Klein weren't anywhere to be found.
Clark mumbled something and hurried up to his room before his mom could say anything else.
~~~~~
Lois' face burned as she remembered her embarrassment in front of Martha, but Martha had been right. A bikini and some sun screen and she was set. Well, and the black teddy Clark had bought her. She'd been wearing Clark's flannel shirt and the shorts that she'd worn to the Kryptonian ship. That would do if she really needed something more to wear. She wore the teddy underneath so Clark wouldn't realize that she'd brought it with her until she was ready to show him. Clark hadn't brought much more with him and for that she was grateful.
He shifted in her arms and his eyes fluttered open.
"Good morning, Mrs. Kent."
"Good morning, Mr. Kent."
"So are you going to wear that little swimsuit again today or are we going to go skinny dipping?"
Lois laughed softly. "You'll just have to wait and see."
He kissed the tip of her nose. "You know what I'd like right now?"
Lois smiled at him seductively. "More?"
"More."
Fin.
