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Luck and Consequence - Part 3

** Chapter 5 **

It was almost four weeks later that Lois again felt her feet on the patio of her home. She couldn't help but voice a “Wizard of Oz” moment as she whispered, “There's no place like home.” She watched Clark smile at her impromptu Judy Garland impersonation. Lois reflected that these had been the most amazing weeks of her life. She was confident that Clark shared that assessment.

Fortunately there had been no call for Superman’s help during the time they were gone. They had checked the short wave radio a few times each day for an emergency call that had never come. With this freedom, Clark had shown her just what kind of vacation is possible when you have the Superman travel agency. Very simply, they had been everywhere...

Exploring the ruins of Machu Picchu...

Days on tropical islands so remote that they might have never seen the foot of man…

Nights alone where the only light was the moon and stars…

But it wasn't just the warm tropics. They had seen penguins in the Antarctic and Yaks on the Asian tundra. These were many of the places that Clark had experienced and explored alone during those wandering years before he had come to Metropolis. He had been ecstatic about sharing these with her.

But for all the incredible sights and experiences, the foundation of this trip had been the opportunity to have an extended period of time alone together. Above and beyond everything else that Lois had felt during these weeks was the sense of togetherness and connection with Clark. She had always known that they were fortunate in that they were able to work together, but this time had been incredible.

As they were entering their home, Lois felt warmed as she realized that they had just entered their home in the same way that they had gone everywhere during those three weeks, hand in hand. Once inside, she couldn't resist jumping into Clark's arms with a playful question, "Does it have to end?"

Clark held her close and smiled down at her, "I know what you mean. I've never known a feeling like this before."

He carried her over to the sofa and sat down with her still in his arms. "Lois, you know I felt a connection with you the very first time I saw you. Well, that's nothing to what I've felt during these weeks. The more time we spent together, the more I wanted to be with you."

Words simply couldn't express the joy and love that she was feeling at that moment, "Clark, I feel the same way. I’m pretty sure that I felt that same connection. I probably would have figured out how much I loved Clark Kent a lot sooner if it wasn't for… well, that distracting guy in the blue tights. After all, I was sure that I felt a connection to him. But I know what you mean. It's as if that connection that we both feel has grown even stronger. It's almost like what I felt before was the potential for us and now I know the realization."

Lois was delighted to have the next few moments occupied by gentle touching and kissing.

Some time later Clark finally broke the silence. "You know, it may turn out that Superman might have recurring duties on New Krypton that will require him to make more regular visits in the future. Do you agree Mrs. Superman?”

Lois couldn't help but laugh at that and reply in a mock-serious tone, "Oh definitely. I'm afraid that my husband has ignored these responsibilities for far too long."

Lois was feeling an inner warmth and happiness that she had never known in the time before Clark. She leaned into her love and closed her eyes. "I can't believe what I'm feeling. What ever happened to Mad Dog Lane?"

Clark laughed softly and replied, "I think she's still around. Once we get back to work, I suspect it won't be too long before we come across a story worthy of her attention."

Lois considered the changes that had worked their way into her life. “Clark, it’s funny now to think that my first reaction to being teamed with you was ‘What rotten luck!’ You know, that’s why I hate the idea of depending on luck. Sure, it’s great when it goes your way but it’s too easy for it to turn bad.” Then Lois gave her husband her most tender smile, “But that’s where you were different. You turned my ‘rotten luck’ into the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Clark couldn’t resist replying, “Well that’s actually my real super power. I turn bad luck into good luck for those I love.”

For Lois and Clark, most of the rest of the evening was filled with activities that didn’t depend on speech.

****

When she stepped off of the elevator and into the Daily Planet newsroom, Lois was almost surprised at the warmth of the welcome that she received. She thought back to the conversation from the previous evening and the marked improvement in her interactions with her co-workers as compared to the old pre-Clark days.

After only a few seconds she felt Clark tugging on her sleeve and noticed that Perry was signaling them to come to his office.

As soon as the door was closed, Perry came over and gave Lois a huge hug. “Darlin’ you look great! I don't know exactly what was on your mind before you two left, but you look like you feel a lot better now.”

Perry then got a more serious look on his face and got down to business, "So, what can you tell me?"

Lois was still beaming from Perry's greeting as Clark replied a bit defensively, "We really can’t tell you very much. I guess it would be fair to say that these weeks have been amazing, but not in a way that is anyone else's business." On seeing the frown on Perry's face, Clark quickly added, "Perry, I promise you that none of what we did or saw represents news that would be worthy of the Daily Planet."

Perry maintained the skeptical look on his face. Lois finally jumped in, "Chief, what's it been like with no Superman around?"

Perry knew she was deliberately changing the subject. After a brief pause he turned to Lois and answered, "It started out on the wild side. For the first day or two it felt like all the bad apples in Metropolis thought it was going to be a free ride. But the police were ready for that kind of reaction and all that ended up happening was a huge surge of arrests. After that, it got really quiet. And it's not just in Metropolis. It's like the whole world felt that if Superman needed to take a break, then everyone else should do their part to help out."

Perry paused for a minute, "I assume that Superman is back?"

Lois took this one herself, "He said that he’ll be back to regular patrols by this weekend."

Perry pressed the issue. "So, do either of you have an article for me?"

Lois continued, "Perry, we talked about this and he doesn't want to make a big deal out of being back. I don't think he's very keen on the idea of a headline like 'Superman Returns' on everyone's front page."

Perry gave her a condescending look and said, "Lois honey, that headline will be there as soon as he's seen anyway."

Clark spoke up, "Perry, I’m confident that no other media outlet will get a scoop on the Planet when he appears."

Perry looked skeptical, “You sound like you have inside information.”

Clark realized he had said too much but there was no going back now. He responded with a noncommittal, “I might.”

****

That evening Lois could see that Clark was feeling a bit guilty about refusing to provide Perry with a head start on recognizing Superman's return. She suggested that he time a patrol to coincide with the deadline for the Planet's morning edition. Sure enough, Clark had found an excuse to help out with a relatively minor traffic accident and was able to get that story submitted in time for the morning edition.

Perry got his headline. Superman was back.

****

Once it was time to get back to work, Lois had no problem diving in with as much energy and enthusiasm as ever. After being gone for those weeks, there was a vast backlog of stories on which to stay busy. With such a backlog, she was working longer days than usual, even for her. Lois was convinced that she was putting in so much extra time that if she kept this up, in very a short time she would have more than made up for those weeks that she and Clark had been away. She really felt like her old self again.

Everyone in the office had been very welcoming of the return of the Lane and Kent reporting team. After an initial buzz about where they'd been and what they had done, things had gotten pretty much back to normal. Some of the more observant on the Planet staff noticed that Lois and Clark seemed to be together more and spent a lot more time in physical contact with each other.

A few weeks after their vacation Lois realized that she was late for her period. At first she refused to believe that this was anything other than coincidence. After all, that had been what had caused all of the anxiety in the first place. There was no way she was going to talk to Clark about this until she had something more definitive.

After another couple of days she broke down and got a home pregnancy test. Actually, she got two different tests that used slightly different methodologies. Both came back positive. It was time to tell Clark

****

Lois knew that this was not going to be a typical evening. Along with Clark, she had put in a long day and was looking forward to a quiet dinner at home. She was still struggling for the exact right moment to tell Clark her special news. She was actually surprised at her feeling of unease. After all, this wasn’t bad news. She could tell by the way he kept stealing secret glances in her direction that Clark knew something was on her mind. She thought about telling him over dinner, but during the meal she just never could find the exact right moment. Dinner conversation consisted primarily of news and work related chat.

After dinner, they retired to the sofa. As they sat down, Lois could see that Clark was going to press the issue of what she wasn’t talking about. It was clear that he could sense that whatever was on her mind needed to be forced out into the open. Finally he asked, "Are you going to tell me what's been on your mind all day?"

"Was it that obvious," Lois asked.

"To me it was," Clark replied.

Lois stuttered for an instant, "It's nothing bad. But... Well, I'm confused."

"Lois, what's going on?"

Lois took a deep breath, "I'm pregnant!"

Lois was more than a bit amused at the look on her husband’s face. Apparently Clark had been caught completely off guard. "What? That's impossible!" Very quickly he seemed to realize what he had said. He came over and pulled her into a hug. "I mean, that’s great! But honey, how?"

Lois suddenly needed the closeness of her husband and held him in a tight embrace. She finally replied, "I don't know. I was late this month so I took a home pregnancy test and it was positive."

"Could there be an error?"

At this she was almost annoyed, "Clark, I took two different tests."

She quickly recovered from the annoyance when she saw the look on Clark’s face.

He was clearly elated and moved to look her directly in the face. "This is wonderful news."

Then she saw Clark pause. He took a deep breath and with a concerned look on his face asked, “Lois, how do you feel about this?”

She replied cautiously, “Clark, I’m confused about how this was possible, but I am happy.”

She had barely gotten that out when Clark exclaimed, “So am I!” He then picked her up in a hug and spun her around in joy. Further conversation was suspended in favor of a series of kisses.

After several minutes Clark finally asked her, "What do we do now?"

Lois had given this question a lot of thought already, "Well, if this was a normal pregnancy and we were a regular couple, I would see my obstetrician."

Lois waited as Clark thought for a moment and then said, "Doc Klein said that all the regular tests on me showed up as perfectly normal for a human. I think we should proceed as if there was nothing unusual about the pregnancy and you should see your regular doctor. Once the pregnancy is verified then we may have a talk with Bernie."

****

Lois was able to get her appointment within that week. The test results proved that the pregnancy was for real. Based on the tests conducted by her doctor, everything looked perfectly normal. Lois was put on prenatal vitamins and given the usual warnings about foods to avoid and the possibility of morning sickness. Now it was time to decide what to do about Dr. Klein.

Clark’s position was clear in his initial response, "Lois, he knows the most about my biology. You and I have talked about this before and I think it's time to bring him in on the secret of who you are."

That had been Lois’s original opinion also. However, right now she didn’t feel quite so confident in Dr. Klein’s abilities. She finally offered, "Well, I felt better about the idea of bringing him in before. But to be honest,” she put her hand on her abdomen, “I’ve lost a little confidence in his abilities. I mean, I'm really glad he was wrong in this particular instance, but based on this, do we still want to trust him?"

Clark replied, "Lois, I don't know what happened to cause the error, but Bernie is the best there is for Superman's biology. I think he's a good enough scientist to accept that he made an error and learn from it. Honey, even considering that he made an error, I still trust him. I guess the question is, 'Do you?'"

Lois pondered this for a moment. "Yes, I guess I do. He's a good man and he's always treated you right. If you are ready to trust him with our secret, then so am I."

Clark perked up at this, "I'll see him tomorrow. How do you feel about Superman inviting him to come to the Kent's house to meet Superman's significant other? "

"I think that will work. Inviting him here will provide a big clue about your identity, but… well, so what if he does figure it out since we’ll be telling him anyway."

The rest of the evening was filled with low voices, gentle smiles, and lots of touching and kissing.



** Chapter 6 **

Bernie Klein was only a little surprised to learn that Superman was in his outer office waiting to see him. He met him at the main entrance and invited the hero back to his private office. As Bernie closed the door, Clark asked, "Have there been any developments in the fertility research?"

He figured that this would be the issue. Bernie wished he could report a breakthrough, but all he could say was, "Well, I'm continuing the research but I don't have any news yet."

Bernie noticed that Superman looked as though his emotions were even more “under control” than usual. After pausing for a moment, Superman said, "Dr. Klein, I realize that I've been asking you to perform these tests with only half of the data. I want you to meet my companion."

Bernie was shocked at this. He had hoped that he would eventually meet this woman, but Superman was so private about that part of his life that Bernie was half-expecting that it would never happen. After composing himself, Bernie replied, "Superman, I'd be honored to meet her. I assume that she’s okay with this?"

"Yes. We've talked this over and we both think that it's time. However, I'd like to have you meet her away from Star Labs to protect her identity."

"That will be fine.” Bernie paused for a second. He felt that he needed to provide an honest assessment of the impact that this would likely have on the research. After taking a deep breath he continued, “Superman, I have to tell you that I don't know how much my meeting her will help my research. But, on the chance that it might provide some insights, I would like to meet her. You know I'll treat her identity with the utmost confidence."

"Bernie, if I didn't believe that, I wouldn't have suggested that you meet." Clark paused for a second. "Can we meet at the Kent residence? You know both Lois and Clark, and your visiting their house for dinner wouldn't seem overly suspicious. Will you be able to come tonight?"

Bernie’s mind was racing. Why the Kent residence? They must have even more knowledge of Superman than was generally believed. He suddenly realized that Superman was waiting for an answer, "Yes, tonight will work. Are they going to be there?"

"Yes. They know everything."

Even though that only confirmed what he had been thinking, hearing Superman verify it so casually took him off-guard. "Superman, I knew you were close to Clark and Lois, but I'm surprised that you and your companion would be so trusting as to expect a pair of investigative reporters to keep a secret like your relationship."

"Bernie, they can be trusted with this information. Try to not worry about it. Please be at the Kent residence at around 7:00 tonight. Do you have the address?"

"Yes Superman, I have their information."

"Good. Then I'll see you tonight."

After Superman had left his office, Bernie had to take a few minutes to regain his composure. He was certain that this was going to be one of the most memorable evenings of his life.

****

Bernie arrived at the Kent home at five minutes after the hour. Lois and Clark met him at the door together and Lois greeted him, "Doctor Klein, welcome to our home."

He was surprised at how calm they looked. One would think that they had Superman and his “significant other” visiting on a regular basis. "Thank you for having me over. And please, Ms. Lane, we aren't at Star Labs, call me Bernie."

Lois’s voice took on a more relaxed tone as she replied, "I'd be happy to. But that means that had better be the last time I hear 'Ms. Lane' for the evening. This should be Lois, Bernie and Clark. Please come in and make yourself comfortable"

He was feeling decidedly unsettled as they led him into the living room. Before Lois or Clark could even begin to start a conversation, Bernie decided to deal with his own nervousness head-on, "When will Superman and his companion be here? I'm nervous and, to be honest, a bit excited to meet her. What's she like? She must be a really special woman to be in a relationship with Superman."

He saw Clark smile and then reply, "Yes, she's an incredible woman and truly one-of-a-kind."

Clark paused for a minute and then continued, “Bernie, Lois and I would like to share some special news of our own with you."

Bernie realized that Superman must be running late and they were just trying to kill some time. “Yes?” he asked as he looked back and forth between them.

After a brief pause, Lois smiled, "I'm pregnant."

"Congratulations. That's wonderful", Bernie said. Then after a brief pause, "It’s fascinating that you two are starting your family now. I guess you know that Superman is trying to do the same thing."

Lois got a strange and somewhat distracted look on her face. Then she smiled and said. "Actually, we're all so close that it's not really surprising."

This was an odd statement, Bernie thought. So they really were all very close. Well, that’s interesting and he was happy for the Kents but he came here to meet Superman’s companion.

With just a trace of impatience in his voice Bernie asked, "So, when do you expect that Superman and his companion will be here?"

Clark cut in, "Do you think you could be wrong about Superman's ability to have children?"

Bernie was starting to get annoyed. Superman wasn’t here and every time he tried to ask when he might arrive, they seem to want to change the subject. Oh well, Lois and Clark were friends also and he could humor them for a while longer. He considered the last question, "With a human woman? I don't think so. The test results have seemed to be fairly conclusive."

"But how would you feel if you were wrong?” Lois asked.

"Well, actually, I'd be delighted. First, the most exciting discoveries in all science start out with 'something' being wrong. And second... Well, I saw the look on Superman's face when I first explained that he was incompatible with human women. Nothing would make me happier than to learn that, in this particular instance, I was wrong."

Lois smiled at this and said, "Well Bernie, I guess you should be happy."

"What do you mean?"

"We told you. I'm pregnant."

What did she mean by that?

The way she said he should be happy must mean that he was wrong about Superman’s fertility…

Somehow that was related to Lois being pregnant…

Bernie froze like the proverbial “deer in the headlights.” It’s like his brain went into sensory overload. When he finally recovered, he managed to stutter out "What? You mean that Superman is...?"

He saw Lois nod slowly back at him.

Bernie sat silently as a rush of confused thoughts assaulted his mind.

Lois Lane is pregnant by Superman.

Clark is right here and she told me this right in front of him.

What’s going on?

Bernie looked over at Clark. He was completely calm. He wasn’t showing any outward signs of jealousy at all. As he stared at Clark’s face, Clark’s expression changed to one of a gentle smile.

Bernie’s mind was still spinning. How can Clark be happy about this?

Then it struck him, that he had seen that face earlier today. Could Clark be…? No wonder Lois seemed to be around Superman all the time but married to Clark Kent. No wonder they are so close. Clark is Superman.

Finally, Bernie just had to shake his head. Then he looked over to Clark and said, "Now that I know, I can't believe I didn't put all the pieces together before. So, what should I call you, Clark… or Superman?"

"I'm Clark unless I'm in ‘the suit.’ Superman is what I can do. Clark is who I am."

Lois spoke up in an almost impatient tone, "But back to business. I'm pregnant and you said that couldn't happen."

Bernie was suddenly even more excited. He thought back to his own words of just a moment before and realized that *something* really exciting was going on. He was going to get to do the research into what happened and why. Finally he replied, "We need to get you into the lab so I can run some tests. Can you come in tomorrow? As early as possible will be best. If you can both come in as Lane and Kent 'the reporting team' I can give you an 'interview' and we can run a few tests."

"Great, we'll be there" Clark said. "So, can you stay for dinner? I'm sure you have a lot of questions and now many of them can be answered."

****

The next morning Bernie was so excited about the pending visit that he could hardly function. He knew that the Kents would be in early, so he didn’t even try to work on anything else. For the most part, his morning was filled with thinking about what tests to perform and making sure that all of his equipment was ready. For this first visit with Lois, he wanted to limit the tests to only the most noninvasive that he thought might provide valuable information.

It was barely 9:00 am when the receptionist notified him that Lane and Kent were here for his interview. Bernie went right out to meet them in the reception area. He then led them back into the Superman research section of the building.

As they entered the inner lab area, he turned to them and said, "This is really a perfect chance to try out a new sensor that I've been working on.” He looked at Clark, “I was about to invite Superman in to test it anyway, so this is really fortuitous timing."

As they went through the next door, they entered a large lab with a solid door and no windows. Bernie turned and engaged a security bolt on the door. "Now no one can walk in on us by accident."

He led Lois and Clark to his new sensor apparatus. Down at the far end of the lab was an area that looked like some sort of huge shallow black cave with strange looking camera out front. He suspected that to the Kents, it must have looked like something out of an old B movie. While it would be obvious to a lay-person that this section of the lab was configured to do some sort of imaging, this particular camera was capable of a kind of imaging that had never been achieved before.

Bernie knew that various groups had been attempting to record the human bioelectric field for many years. The most well known was the Kirlian techniques but these were generally known to be nothing more than crude images of high voltage electric discharges. What Bernie had developed was a sensor that could detect the unique field that surrounded Superman. It also proved to be capable of imaging the low level electromagnetic fields that were present in other biologically active entities. His studies of the behaviors of KEs provided the foundation for this sensor.

Bernie wanted to try to explain that they were going to be looking at, "This is my latest development; it is capable of detecting a bioelectric field and has been designed to be particularly sensitive to Clark’s Kryptonian physiology. This whole section of this lab is shielded against external energy and radiation. That black area is actually a copper hemisphere coated with a highly conductive non-reflective material."

It was already powered up and operational. "I made sure that this was ready before you arrived. Please watch the screen while I stand in the sensor area." He moved to stand in front of the camera. On the monitor, there was an outline of Bernie glowing pale blue-green against a pure black background. Bernie had always thought the image looked a lot like a simple thermal-imaging scan that people saw all the time on television. He continued his explanation, "You can see my normal human bioelectric field. I've taken scans of several different people of various backgrounds and what you see is pretty typical for everyone so far."

It was time to get the testing really started. "Now Clark, would you please stand in front of the sensor?" Bernie asked.

As Clark moved to stand in front of the detector, the difference in the appearance of his image was immediately obvious. For Clark, the glowing field extended farther from his body and instead of a steady blue-green, the field was a swirling mix of yellows and reds.

Lois had been standing behind Bernie in the control area. She remarked, "Wow, that's a bit obvious."

Bernie was too pleased to speak right away. This was the result he had hoped to see, but until he had Superman actually in front of the sensor, he couldn’t be sure it was going to produce the result that he had expected.

Finally he responded to Lois, "Well, this machine is extraordinarily sensitive to exactly the kinds of energy patterns that make Superman’s biofield unique. This sensor was designed specifically to look for a Kryptonian biofield. The fact that it detects a human biofield at all is just a fortuitous side effect of the overall design."

Lois was curious about the image she was viewing. "Why are there multiple colors that move around? Your field didn't do that."

"Actually, no normal organism shows any field like that at all. During its development, when I tested this on a range of people, the colors were always in the blue to green color range and always basically monochromatic. I have tried it on some extreme athletes and at best they are slightly more green that other people."

Bernie smiled, now is where it should be interesting. “Clark, please move out of the sensor area. Lois, would you please step in?”

As Lois moved into the sensor field and she saw the image, Bernie heard her catch her breath. Her image was clearly green except for one small area centered in her lower abdomen. The area was small, really nothing more than a spot, but quite distinctive. In this one tiny area, Lois’s image had a patch of yellow-orange.

“Lois, please stand as still as possible for a minute while I get a magnified image.”

Bernie adjusted the sensor to zoom in on just that area. When it was enlarged, the spot resolved into a zone of swirling red and yellow. He smiled and said, "I guess we don't need a paternity test to identify the father." As he studied the image more carefully he commented, "Your own field appears to be substantially brighter and more green than most of the people that I have tested earlier. Based on this, it looks like the baby's field is mixing with your own. I wonder how that will affect the pregnancy."

Bernie went on, "Now, if you don’t mind, I'd like to try a few tests to see if we can get a feel for how the pregnancy was possible. Lois, could you please move so that you are standing near one edge of the sensor area.”

The display was positioned so that Lois could see herself in the monitor. She moved a little to the right so that her green shape was at one side of the display.

"Clark, please go stand near Lois so that you are on the far left side of the sensor area."

Clark positioned himself so that he was about two meters to Lois's left. Bernie studied the monitor for a minute. He pointed at the right side of Clark's image. "Look, there is a slight displacement of the field toward Lois. Clark, are you trying to do this?"

"No. Would you like me to try to make it do that?” Clark asked.

Bernie considered this. He wanted to keep this first session as short as possible and generate a set of baseline observations. There would be opportunities in the future for this sort of testing. Finally he replied, "Please don't try to manipulate the field, at least not today. We might try some tests like that later. For now, please just try to be relaxed. Would you both move toward each other so that you are about a meter apart?"

They both moved to cut the distance of their separation in half. The difference in the way their fields interacted was obvious. Clark's field practically reached out to overlap that of Lois. Her field seemed to be energized by the interaction with Clark's and the color brightened to a yellow-green.

This was really amazing, Bernie thought. He studied the image. "Clark, are you sure you aren't doing that deliberately?"

"Bernie, I swear that I'm not doing it on purpose."

As he stared at the distorted field, Bernie wondered if that distortion would occur for any other person or was there really something about Lois that was triggering this effect.

"Lois, please let me take your place for a moment."

Lois moved out of the sensor’s field of view and Bernie replaced her. The change in Clark's field was immediate. The Kryptonian field collapsed back to the size and shape that it had been when Clark was alone in the sensor field. Doc Klein's field didn't seem to be energized at all by his proximity to Clark.

As he considered this behavior, it was apparent that either there was some sort of natural affinity between Lois and Clark or the manipulation the field was taking place at a subconscious level. Here was another set of conditions to test at some point in the future. Bernie stepped out of the field of view of the sensor shaking his head. So many possibilities…

“Lois, would you please go back to the same spot again?” he asked. Lois returned to her previous position and Clark's energy field immediately re-expanded to overlap Lois.

Bernie verified that the field size and interactions were essentially unchanged from earlier. It was time to move on to the next test. "Now, move a little closer and would you please hold hands?" he asked.

Once they touched each other, Clark's field spread into Lois. The sensor now showed that their individual fields seemed to merge into one continuous field that was dominated by the Kryptonian elements. This combined field was comprised of a writhing mix of all the colors of the rainbow. The reds and yellows of the Kryptonian field became the dominate colors, but in Lois’s image, her green was still present. Bernie was fascinated by the mixing of their fields but hardly surprised. "Well, I think this explains a bit. But at this point it isn't that much of a surprise. I want to try something else. Stay close together but don't touch each other.”

Lois and Clark, almost reluctantly, disengaged their hands. The intensity of the Kryptonian field in Lois fell but the swirling yellow and red remained.

“That can’t happen!” Bernie exclaimed.

“Dr. Klein is something wrong?” asked Clark.

“No. It’s just that my research into your biofield suggested that it could extend into another body or person but it shouldn’t persist once physical contact is broken.”

Bernie thought for a moment, then asked, “Clark, let me take Lois’s place again. I want to check something.”

Lois moved out of the sensor area again and Bernie replaced her.

“Now Clark, would you hold my hand as if you were going to do something… super.”

Apparently Lois found this amusing as she let out a short laugh. Clark just smiled and grasped Bernie’s hand. As with Lois, the Kryptonian field surged into Bernie’s body. Bernie studied the image on the monitor and commented, “Interesting. I don’t feel anything.”

Bernie continued, “Now Clark, let go of my hand.”

As soon as contact was broken the red and yellow field in Bernie’s body disappeared. “Now that’s what’s supposed to happen.” Bernie remarked with a tone of satisfaction.

Again Bernie left the sensor field mumbling and shaking his head.

“Lois, please go back into the sensor area, hold Clarks hand again and then let go.”

As Lois entered the sensor area, Bernie noticed that the Kryptonian field was present in her even before she grasped her husband’s hand. Once she let go the field remained as it had before.

This has to be it, Bernie thought. For some reason, once the field was established in Lois, the Kryptonian field would linger. But what was special about Lois? More questions for later, he thought.

For now he needed to finish collecting data. Next was to determine under what circumstances the field in Lois would collapse.

"Clark, would you please back slowly away from Lois?"

Clark started edging away from Lois. Only when he was well out of the sensor area and approximately five meters away from his wife did the Kryptonian field, which had persisted inside Lois’s body, finally disappear.

So apparently it was a distance effect. He had them come together and touch again to re-establish the field. This time, after they separated Bernie had them remain within a meter for several minutes. As long as they were within close proximity, the field showed no signs or weakening or collapsing.

Bernie considered this for a few minutes. "That's all for right now. Can we go back to my office and talk for a few minutes?"

When they were all in his office with the door closed Bernie started outlining their findings. Looking at Clark he said, “First, the pregnancy appears to have been possible at all only due to Lois’s ability to persist your Kryptonian field. I know she’s your wife but I just don’t understand how that can be possible. Clark, Lois, do you have any idea why you two may have some sort of special affinity?”

Bernie saw them exchange a thoughtful look. Then Lois spoke up, “Well, we are Soul Mates.”

“Lois, I’m not sure that the fact that you’re happily married would be a basis for affecting the bioelectric field.”

Lois answered back quickly, “Bernie, when we use the phrase ‘Soul Mates’ it means a little more than you might think.” She looked at Clark, “Our connection is way more involved than an ordinary couple.”

Bernie was confused, “Lois, I’m afraid I have no idea what you are trying to tell me.”

Over the next twenty minutes, Bernie heard the most amazing tale of time travel and soul tracking that he had ever imagined. At the end he finally asked, “Are you really serious about all of this?”

Clark replied, “Yes. I know how unbelievable it sounds, but it’s all true. Lois and I are bound together throughout time.”

Bernie just sighed, “Well, I don’t know how to argue with that. I guess that with that sort of connection, I can’t be surprised at the behavior of your biofield. But even then, you two need to have stayed close together continuously for the field to be maintained. Clark, Lois, when we spoke last night you told me that during the time that Superman was supposedly gone, you were actually spending time alone together."

Clark looked sheepish. "Actually it was sort of a second..., well really, first honeymoon.”

“Would it be fair to say that you were together pretty much all the time for those weeks?”

Both Lois and Clark nodded at this question.

"Now this is important. Did you go extended periods of time where you were never separated from each other by more than five meters or so?"

Clark blushed and said, "Well Bernie, this was a very personal time for us."

He held up his had defensively. "Clark, I'm not trying to pry. But think for a minute, this may have implications that could affect to your ability to conceive children in the future."

At this Lois spoke up, "Dr. Klein, after the first few days I'm fairly certain that we were almost always within that distance of each other. I would guess that there were only a few times that we were separated by a greater distance than that and then only for only a very few minutes."

This was really all the information that he needed. Based on what he had just observed in the lab it seemed fairly obvious what had probably happened.

"That's it then. My belief is that during that critical time you were together so much that your combined field sustained the new baby. The field remained intact long enough for the new baby to attain sufficient size to generate a self-sustaining field. I suspect that this means that you can take similar steps to have more children in the future if that's what you want."

Bernie watched Lois and Clark reach out for each other and clasp hands. He could sense that they needed to end this for now and stood up. "Lois, I'd like to get some blood samples to see how your system is reacting to the baby."

****

The next day Superman came by the lab to get the rest of the results from the tests.

Once in private, Bernie said, “Clark, as near as my tests can indicate, this will behave like a perfectly normal pregnancy. I would advise Lois to use her regular doctor. It would provide valuable data if she could come in about once a month for blood samples and other minor tests."

Clark replied, “I’ll pass your request along to Lois. I’m sure she’ll agree but she really has to make that decision herself.” Clark started to leave and then turned back, “Bernie, I can’t thank you enough for all that you’re doing for us.”

Bernie was humbled by “Superman” thanking him in this way. After struggling for words for a second he finally replied, “Clark, it really is my privilege to be able to help you and Lois. I have come to think of you my friends.”

Clark smiled at this, “And that’s how we have come to think of you.” And he turned and left.

****