Author's notes: This story is a sequel to “Just Like Lois”. It takes place in 2017, which is nearly three years after “Just Like Lois”. At least it does so most of the time, but you'll see what I mean with that. Lara, the oldest of the Kent children, is now 17 years old and has been going steady with Kris Starr for more than two years now. (Kris, being the son of Karen Starr, aka Powergirl, is half-Kryptonian and moonlights in tights as Powerboy.) Apart from that, Lois and Clark had had two more children since JLL, the fraternal twins Jason (Jay for short) and Diana (called Di). Don't worry, there won't be any more children – yet.
Just Like Back to the Future
1994
It was late at night when Lois stood in front of the door to her apartment, probably the last time before her impending wedding. Somehow, the thought of leaving her home forever gave her a strange feeling. Wasn't it exactly what she wanted? She'd soon be living in a penthouse far above the rest of the city, together with her doting husband. While she was still pondering these thoughts, she opened the countless, but very effective locks on her door and entered her apartment. At once she realized that something wasn't exactly right. There was light streaming in from the kitchen, and Lois was absolutely sure she hadn't left any lights on, much less in the kitchen. As quietly as she possibly could, she put her keys down on the dresser and looked around in search of a suitable weapon, but in vain. The only thing that could be considered a weapon – in the broadest sense of the word – were the high and very pointy stiletto heels of her shoes and the iron that lay abandoned on her ironing board. And in order to use her iron as a weapon, she'd have to heat it first. Did she have time for this? Or should she try to bluff whomever was in here and claim it was hot already? Lois dismissed this idea. And since the two near-suicidal heels of her shoes were better than no weapon at all, Lois slipped her feet out of the two torture instruments and grabbed them, stiletto heels pointed forwards. She'd either scare her unwanted visitor to death, or he'd be laughing his head off. Either way, Lois wasn’t going to question the result.
Listening intently, she inched forward along the wall, until she was directly beside the door leading to her kitchen. She couldn't hear anything apart from a rather strange breathing sound, so she turned around in a whirl and stood to face the intruder, armed with both her shoes and still wearing her evening gown. Then, she silently shook her head, not sure she could trust her eyes. On her kitchen table, there were an open tub of Rocky Road ice cream, an obviously used spoon beside it, a cup of coffee – and in the midst the head of a sleeping woman. The woman's face was hidden by her dark brown hair that would reach her shoulders if she sat up. Still, something struck Lois as odd. She felt like she had seen the stranger before. Apart from that, the woman was emanating a soft snoring noise that Lois sure hadn't heard ever before. She knew she'd remember that particular noise if she had. Anyway, this stranger didn't look threatening at all. Slightly calmer, but all the more enraged, Lois did what she did all day long as a reporter: Ask questions. Or one, anyway. “Okay, what's this supposed to mean?” she demanded, letting go of both her shoes which fell to the floor with a loud clatter.
The woman jumped, and Lois got a first glimpse at the stranger's face. The stranger's face? Well, as a matter of fact, it was her very own face looking back at her. This woman could pass for her mirror-image, if she so desired. Scenarios of lost twins and other impossibilies went through Lois' head...
“You're back! Finally! Where have you been all this time?” her twin asked her at least equally furiously.
“What is that supposed to mean, 'Where have you been?' First you break into my apartment, then you drink my coffee, eat my ice cream – and still dare to demand something of me?” Lois was nothing short of mad. How dare this woman!
The other woman looked at her through squinted eyes before she answered her own question. “Ah, I understand. The opera in Milano.”
Lois' jaw hit the ground. How was she supposed to react to the inexplicable knowledge of this woman?
With an apologetic shrug, the stranger explained, “I remember the dress.”
Lois was hopelessly confused. How could someone she hadn't even met before actually remember *her* dress?
“It's rather uncomfortable, especially under your armpits, the sewn in corselet pinches you in the sides, and there's one seam that rubs at your side with every step you take. But at least the label is very famous – and equally expensive. Besides, it does look good on you,” the stranger added with a big portion of cynicism.
And she was right with each and every one of her claims, which didn't particularly help improve Lois' mood. Defiantly – and, secretly slightly intimidated – Lois crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Okay, so you know quite a lot about me. The only thing is that *I* still don't know anything about *you*. So, spill it!” Her body language added a very unmistakeable “Right now!” to her spoken message.
The stranger rolled her eyes theatrically. “Isn't it obvious?” Since Lois decided to remain silent, the woman continued undauntedly, “I am you.” Still, there was no reaction from Lois. “I really am you,” the other Lois confirmed before she took a deep breath and added, “I'm just about twenty years older than you. Twenty-two, if I'm not mistaken.”
The younger Lois said what came to her mind first, “You look good, considering your age!” Carefully, she looked her older self over , “As a matter of fact, you nearly look younger than me. How do you do this – assuming you told me the truth?”
The older Lois merely shrugged. “Well, children help to keep you young. And superpowers do so even more,” she explained with a mischievous smile.
The younger Lois, who had just pulled out a chair for herself, fell rather unlady-like onto it. “Super powers? How did you get super powers?” she inquired with a fair amount of surprise.
With an amused grin her older twin harrumphed, “And and I thought you'd ask me how I ended up having kids.”
Impatiently, the younger Lois waved her hands through the air. “He is a man, you are a woman – the rest is pretty much obvious,” she explained with grandeur.
“Nothing is obvious,” the older Lois disagreed, “You don't even know who the father is!”
Her younger counterpart showed her the sparkling monstrosity on her ring finger triumphantly. “I know who I'm going to marry. Who else would be the father?”
“You don't know anything, nothing at all!” the older Lois stated angrily. “Believe me, you are so not marrying that… that criminal!”
Defiantly, the younger Lois glared at her older self. “Now you sound just like Clark!”
“Because he's right!” the older woman confirmed vehemently. After a short and uncomfortable silence, she continued with less volume and more dignity, “And he is going to prove it to you.” Seeing the disbelief in her younger counterpart's eyes, she began rummaging in her purse until she found what she was looking for. With some triumph, she retrieved her driver's license only to throw it towards the younger Lois.
She, in turn, caught the document out of reflex and quickly scanned it. “Lois Lane-*Kent*? Have you lost your mind? How could you even consider marrying Clark?” she put words to her dismay.
In contrast to her, Lois Lane-Kent was as calm as calm could be. “How I could think of marrying him, much less actually doing it?” She shrugged. “Just like that. And because I love him.” The last sentence was barely above a whisper.
Lois Lane without Kent countered this with sheer volume. “Just like that? You can't be serious!”
“You're right, it wasn't quite that easy,” the older Lois agreed with a remorseful smile. “It took about three proposals and two weddings – with each other, that is, not counting the other ones – before we finally managed to actually get married. Not to mention a blond district attorney, a dark-haired agent, a doppelganger, a clone, a dangerous and obviously insane time-traveller, amnesia, a break-up for my sake, a trip to Clark's roots and, of course, invading aliens – among other things. Still, there's not much I regret, because all of this has only managed to make us even stronger,” she explained quietly, but with conviction.
The younger Lois was rather still and thoughtful all of a sudden. “Hasn't it ever occurred to you that all these obstacles were a sign? That you weren't meant to be together?”
Lois Lane-Kent was forcefully reminded of her very own, very similar words of so long ago. But still... “Well, yes,” she admitted hesitantly. “But fortunately Clark was able to convince me that it wasn't true.”
“And? Are you happy? With Clark, I mean?” the younger Lois asked carefully, as if she feared the answer.
This time, it was a radiant smile the older Lois gave her. “Oh yes, absolutely. There's only one problem – but that's why I'm here. I need your help. It's a matter of life and death.”
Everybody else would have been upset by the sudden change of topic, but not Lois Lane. She simply took it in stride and looked her older counterpart straight into the eyes. Then, switching into her 'successful reporter mode', she asked for more details, “Okay, what is this all about? And how can I, of all people in all times, help you?”
Lois Lane-Kent took a deep breath. This was it, and everything depended on her, on her and her ability to convince her younger self. She began speaking with a little tremor in her voice. “It's about my daughter. One of my daughters, to be accurate...”
She didn't get any further, because a very shocked Lois Lane interrupted her, “*One* of your daughters? As in 'daughters, plural'? How many daughters do you have?”
The older Lois should have prepared for this exact question, because she remembered only too well how afraid she had been of founding a family. There had been times when she had seriously considered sterilization as an option, but then she had stopped short of it because of its permanency. So, she shouldn't have been surprised that her younger self was getting all worked up by the prospect of having several children. Maybe that was the reason Alt-Clark's Lois was nowhere to be found: Someone had told her of her fate, and she had run and gone into hiding. Anyway, she had to tell her younger self how many children she had, preferably without spooking her... “I have eight daughters...” The younger Lois gasped something that sounded remotely like 'eight', but the older Lois continued, undaunted, ”and six sons.” Now she waited comfortably for the explosion that was bound to happen.
“Are you nuts? Fourteen children! That's absolutely *insane*!” the younger Lois accused her.
“This is not about me – it's all about my daughter and whether or not she can be saved,” Lois Lane-Kent replied rather coldly, getting her younger self back on track.
But Lois Lane wouldn't be Lois Lane if she gave up that easily. Besides, she wasn't called Mad Dog Lane for naught. Quite often, she found herself compared to a pit bull on a pant leg: Never giving up, never letting go before she had gnawed the bone clean. This trait was what made her a great reporter, but it also made conversation with her rather hard. “I mean, how did you manage to get *fourteen* children?”
The older Lois chuckled. “Well, he is a man, I'm a woman – the rest is rather obvious.”
But the younger Lois wasn't satisfied that easily. “Nothing's obvious!” She wanted to say more – a lot more – but stopped abruptly, and suddenly both women burst out laughing when they realized that they'd had this very same exchange before – only with reversed roles.
After they finally stopped laughing, the younger Lois spoke up again, “Well, I really don't want to complain, but it's late. Really late.” She emphasized this statement with a yawn. “So, either we wait for tomorrow, or I need a coffee right about now. A strong coffee. Do you want one, too?” she asked her guest. The older Lois accepted gratefully, and the younger Lois started to make coffee for both of them. This gave her enough time to grill her older self a little bit more, “Honestly, Lois, fourteen children! That's positively insane. Haven't you heard about contraception?” After only a split-second of thinking about it, she answered the last question herself, “Of course you know about contraception, after all, I do, too. And if you're really me in 23 years, then you can't possibly not know.”
“Oh, I know a lot about contraception,” the older Lois replied with conviction. A conviction her younger self didn't quite share, as her raised brow suggested. “Really,” the older Lois emphasized, “there isn't anybody who hasn't studied medicine who knows more about it than me - especially concerning the possible mistakes and glitches. I really am the leading expert.”
“That, I can believe,” the younger Lois jibed. “But fourteen? Hasn't it ever occurred to you to get Clark sterilized? It's only a very small cut, isn't it?”
“Oh, by now, I am sterile,” the older Lois assured her. “But shouldn't I start at the beginning?” Since the young woman facing her nodded, she launched into her tale, “Well, our first child was Lara. She was a planned child. She was born seventeen years ago. And a mere three months after her birth, I conceived again, and we were really looking forward to the birth of our son, JJ. Since he and Lara are only 11 months apart – he was a little early – we had our hands full enough, and we didn't want to add to our family any more. That's why I started taking the pill.”
“Shouldn't that have been the end of the story?” the younger Lois inquired.
“Usually, yes,” the older woman confirmed, “but only usually. Did you know that certain drugs reduce the effect of the pill?” Since the younger Lois nodded vigorously, the older one continued in the same vein, “Do you also know which drugs do so?”
“Ahm, well, I'd have to look them up in the package leaflet,” the younger Lois admitted, showing clear signs of discomfort.
The older Lois nodded knowingly. “Same here. And who thinks about looking things up in a package leaflet with a high temperature? Anyway, I was on antibiotics – which are listedin the leaflet as being able to interfere with the pill – and that's how we happened to conceive Lucy and Sammy. They were our first set of twins. They're fourteen years old now. You would think we had learned our lesson by then, wouldn't you?” Lois Lane nodded, and both women chuckled.
“Well, that might have been it, but after a while, I couldn't take the pill any more due to an adverse reaction, so we were looking for an alternative. We decided on the fertility awareness method, which is supposed to be very safe.”
“But?” the younger Lois prompted. After all, she could still count to fourteen.
“But I got pregnant again, and with twins to boot, Jack and Jim. They're the two rascals in the family, though Ally and Abby aren't far behind. Anyway, should Clark's or my hair ever turn grey, it'll be their fault. But back to the story. When we found out I was pregnant again, we still believed we had done something wrong. But when I found myself pregnant soon after they were born – this time with only one girl, Ari – we looked for another solution to our little problem. Unfortunately, condoms can't deal with our passion. That’s how we got Bernie, which makes a total of eight children so far – more than enough, if you ask me.” Lois Lane-Kent paused for breath, and her young host served their coffee. The older Lois took a first sip and grimaced. “I totally forgot how badly artificial sweeteners and low-fat creamer can spoil a good cup of coffee,” she remarked off-handedly.
The younger Lois, who had taken her first sip rather carefully – after all, the coffee was *hot* - lookad [looked] askance at her. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Well, since I got these super powers, I drink my coffee like Clark, with real sugar and cream. You know,” the older Lois explained to her younger self, “these super powers have perks. Now that I have them, I can eat like an eight-year-old and still look like... well, you know.” She motioned downwards, indicating her slim waist. “But back on track, we were talking about my family – and how I got it,” Lois Lane-Kent went on as if nothing had happened, “We've just reached number eight – so there are six more to talk about.”
“Exactly,” the younger Lois agreed,” I really want to know how you managed to have six more children.” Before her guest could say anything in reply, though, she held up her hands. “I know, he's a man, you're a woman – this part is obvious. It's the other part I'm interested in.”
The older Lois had to smile at that. “Okay, the *other* part. After Bernie was born, we decided to get Clark sterilized. So far, so good. At least, that's what we thought. But did you know that men have quite a bit of sperm in store and that it takes awhile for them to truly be considered sterile? Well, before you have unprotected sex, you need to wait between six to eight weeks. We waited twelve weeks, just to make sure. But even three months weren't long enough where Clark was concerned. It was only later that we found out his sperm is extremely long-lived. Or, rather, Dr. Klein found out about it. Anyway, that's how we got Ally and Abby, our third set of twins. They're eight, just in case you wondered.”
“And how did you get the other four children if Clark was sterile by then?” the younger Lois asked interstedly. Suddenly, her eyes widened. “You didn't actually cheat...?”
Lois Lane-Kent's eyes widened in shock. “No, of course not, what're you thinking? I'd never even think of it! No, it wasn't anything like *that*. Clark... he heals quite well. Too well, if you get my drift. So what is a small cut to him that severed his 'spermiduct thingy'? Nothing that can't be healed... At least it nearly took three years before we conceived Roger...”
“And you still didn't even think of getting yourself sterilized,” the younger Lois remarked, after she did some calculating. They'd just arrived at child number eleven, which meant there were three more to go.
“Well, it had occurred to us, but it was more theoretical,” the older Lois admitted. “By that time, there was a new method available, a contraceptive implant that works like a permanent pill,” she explained, remembering the KISS-principle. Keep It Simple, Stupid...
Lois Lane took another sip of coffee before she asked skeptically, “And that's supposed to work?”
Her older self nearly choked on her coffee when she saw the doubt in the younger Lois' eyes. “In theory, yes. At least as long as the implant isn't rejected, doesn't get inflamed or even encapsulated... Do I have to go into details?”
“Yes, I'd really like to know the name of the child that owes its life to this brilliant invention,” the younger Lois replied without losing a beat.
The older one of the two laughed, but answered none the less, “Michelle Lois, but we always call her Elli.”
“Do all your children have two names?” the younger Lois asked after another sip of coffee.
“Of course,” she was informed, “Do you want to know them right now?”
The younger Lois gesticulated wildly, fending off that question. “Thanks, but no, thanks. I'm hopelessly confused anyway – and that's not from the champagne I drank on the flight.” This earned her an understanding smile, and a short period of silence before they resumed sipping coffee. “But haven't we just reached child number twelve?” Lois Lane without Kent asked suddenly.
“As a matter of fact, yes.” Before she could continue, her young host muttered something about 'cheaper by the dozen', and Lois Lane-Kent groaned in exasperation. “You won't guess how often I've heard that line, especially during my pregnancy with Elli. Honestly, before that pregnancy was over, I was seriously considering getting pregnant again, if it only stopped people using that line on me. But then, I didn’t really want to. That's why Clark and I didn't do... you-know-what. We never actually went all the way, even though it was hard on both of us.”
The younger Lois stared at her, obviously doing some quick thinking. “And how did you conceive the remaining two? I seriously thought it took the obvious...”
To her surprise, the older Lois blushed, which made her look like a schoolgirl. “Well, this is how it happened,” she started her explanation. “The pregnancy with Elli was rather hard on me, more so than the previous pregnancies. I felt like a beached whale, my feet were swollen so they resembled little pumpkins, and I was constantly suffering from an aching back. And I was so desperately tired all the time. And, to make things worse, Elli was a week overdue. To make a long story short: I wanted to get this over with. Maybe you've heard of some common ways to induce labor ...”
“For real?” the younger Lois inquired, astonishment evident in her voice.
“Oh yes,” the older woman confirmed. “Spring cleaning – especially when the floor needs to be scrubbed diligently – ten low knee-bends and then jumping up as far as you can get or... mmmpf. You know? The obvious. Anyway, after I got up, I started with some exercises.” The married Lois actually winked at her younger self while telling her this, “then I started scrubbing the floors on all the floors in our house – did I mention we have a big house? And, last but not least, when Clark returned home, we did some *exercising* together. And... well, it worked, that's for sure. And I guess, we have a fair idea of how long his little critters can survive.”
“You can't be serious!” the younger Lois exploded.
“Serious as a heart attack,” her older self replied. “And, of course, we had twins again – Jay and Di. Our only set of fraternal twins.”
“And then you finally used what was left of your mind and got yourself sterilized?” the younger Lois inquired.
“It wasn't quite like that,” the older woman answered. “I was in my seventh month, and all of Metropolis' resident superheroes were somewhere in the Indian Ocean helping to clean up after a tsunami... But then, you know my luck. I chose this day to get run over by a car and was seriously injured. Still, I was lucky, because three more young superheroes were more than eager to join the superhero business, and they used this opportunity for their premature debut. They took me to the hospital, where I had mergency surgery. I was suffering from severe bleeding from my uterus, and it had to be removed to save my life as well as the lives of my children,” the older Lois said impassively, as if she was telling a story about a stranger.
“Oh,” the younger woman summed up her feelings quite adequately. Then, another yawn nearly split her face in two. “It really is late,” she stated, “but before we go to bed, I want to know one more thing: How many resident superheroes does Metropolis have in your time?”
The older Lois yawned, too, but then she answered willingly. Somehow, this question didn't surprise her at all, after all she remembered all too well the crush she had had on Superman. “Oh, there's Superman, Ultrawoman – that would be me – Powergirl, Martian Manhunter and Nightwing. And that's only the adults. Then there are Ultragirl, Martian Boy, Wondergirl, Missy Marvel, Powerboy, Superboy, Invisible Girl, Nightfire, Spoiler – not the original one, a new one – and the three youngest that I just mentioned. They're Boy Beetle, Booster Boy and Spidergirl. Did you keep track?” Since her host shook her head quite adamantly, the older Lois did some mental calculating. “Sixteen, isn't it? No, seventeen. Quite a lot, don't you think? And there will be even more in the near future...”
“And you happen to know this because...?” the younger Lois interrupted her incredulously.
“I just happen to know that most of these young heroes have younger siblings,” she admitted to the younger Lois but didn't offer any more information on the matter. “Anyway, didn't you say something about a bed?”
***
Lois Lane awoke, not to the twittering of birds and the first rays of the morning sun on her face, but to the honking of rush hour traffic and the smell of gasoline in the air – and something else, something slightly burnt. And, last but not least, coffee. Since coffee was exactly what she needed, she got up and quickly threw on her terry cloth robe. Only belatedly did she realize that there shouldn't be any coffee brewing in her kitchen. Did that mean that this episode from her dreams – the one with herself from the future – wasn't a dream at all? Curious, Lois peeked into her kitchen – and was greeted by her mirror-image, wearing her other terry cloth robe.
“Good morning, breakfast is just ready! Coffee, orange juice, toast and pancakes – everything just done!”
The younger Lois was amazed. “What, *you* can make pancakes?”
“More or less,” Lois Lane-Kent admitted sheepishly. “The first doesn’t usually turn out edible, but the others are just fine. Some of them have a hole or two, but who cares? They'll be chewed to bits anyway.”
Lois Lane smiled happily in response and sat down at the breakfast table. “I see. But I can't talk – it's still more than I can manage.” With that, she winked at the older Lois teasingly.
Both women ate breakfast in silence. Only when they were finished did the younger Lois make an attempt at conversation. “Yesterday, you said you were here on a matter of life or death. Considering that, you don't seem to be in much of a hurry.”
The older Lois shrugged. “Well, actually, I am. But how do you think I got here, to your time?”
“If I didn't know better, I'd believe you came here by time machine,” the young reporter joked.
“Exactly,” the older woman confirmed, “and that means that, no matter how long we stay here, we'll arrive just in time.”
Lois Lane's lips formed a silent 'oh', when she realized what that meant. “Does that mean you take care of whatever you need to take care with my help, and then you go back to... then you return to your own time?” she corrected hastily when she realized she was going to use the title of an old science fiction comedy in three parts. No, she wouldn't use that title, she swore to herself.
Lois Lane-Kent, who certainly realized the small alteration, didn't pursue it further. She remembered that she couldn't stand those movies, but since she knew time-travel was possible, she had watched all three of them with Clark time and again and discussed everything with him. “Actually, my plan is slightly different,” she corrected. Glancing at her younger self, she realized she had her full attention, and continued, “I need you to come with me to my time. That's why I'm going to take you back with me.”
The young woman's eyes popped wide open. “You mean you're taking me back to the future? Just like that?”
Her older self grinned and stood up. “Exactly. Back to the future. Are you ready?” That was another thing that certainly hadn't changed a bit: Lois Lane hated to waste time.
***
2017
The younger Lois took in her surroundings with growing discomfort as she was climbing out of the vehicle that was supposed to be a time machine. Somehow, the ride was similar to the ride on a rather boring roller coaster in an out-of-date amusement park. It jerked a little, it turned around and besides that, it emitted some fog while they were inside. Nothing spectacular, really. But her surroundings weren't the same any more. Instead of still being in the back alley behind her apartment building, Lois found herself in a big garden that nearly deserved to be called a park – at least if it weren't ranked with weeds as it was. After a short look around, Lois found a small playground: A sandpit, several slides and swings, a wooden castle and even several tree-houses that could be considered little forts. “Where are we?” she finally asked her older self.
“Oh, this is our garden,” Lois Lane-Kent answered, clearly feeling well at home. “And that,” she said, motioning to the victorian style villa, “is our house.” The younger Lois' looked at the house, her jaw dropping again. “You know, fourteen children and their boy- or fiancées need space. Lots of space.”
“I guess so,” the younger Lois agreed with her, “but how did you manage to pay for this thing?”
“One half was financed with travel journals and novels taking place in far-away countries, the other half with 'The Adventures of Wanda Detroit'. You know, you really should finish your novel,” the older Lois advised.
“So, if this is your home, where are your children?” Lois Lane asked her. She'd rather not ask about Clark, because the thought of her older self being married to *Clark* was still too much for her. It made her all queasy – or was it something else?
“Clark and the children are where they usually are on Wednesday mornings: At school, at work, in kindergarten... You know the drill,” the older woman answered. “I didn't want to scare you the first time you got here by unleashing my whole family on you,” she added, only half in jest.
Privately, Lois Lane had to agree with her older self's assessment. If she took into account that she was wearing clothes borrowed from the older Lois, clothes that weren't quite to her *current* taste, she couldn't say she felt too comfortable anyway. Even worse was the red-haired wig the older woman had made her wear. As if a stupid wig would fool anybody! “That's really nice of you,” the younger Lois said, “but what are we going to do now?” She really wanted to get this thing over with as soon as possible. She wanted to go back to her time. Back to the present. Or was it back to the past? That whole time-travelling stuff was simply beyond her.
“Well, first of all...” Lois Lane-Kent didn't manage to get any further because she was interrupted by a Superman-is-landing sound and it's echo. She squinted her eyes and rushed towards the house.
The younger Lois decided to rush after her, and shorly afterwards they met a couple of older teenagers, a young man with bright blond hair and tanned skin who had his arm around the shoulders of a slightly younger girl whose red locks fell down to her waist. But even the beautiful coppery reflexes on her hair couldn't quite distract from the fact that she was looking extremely pale. It was quite obvious she wasn't feeling well. With a look at the two women standing in front of her, she shook off the young man's hand and ran inside, one hand clasped in front of her mouth – a hand that was adorned with a gold band.
Since there was only one person left the older Lois could ask what was going on, she quickly turned on him. “Kris, what's wrong with Lara?” The younger Lois vaguely remembered that Lara was the name of Lois Lane-Kents firstborn. So, this young woman she hadn't seen ever before was her *own* daughter – or would be in about five years. *Her* daughter with *Clark* *Kent*. Although, come to think of it, it was still a mystery to Lois from whom said daughter might have inherited her red hair.
The young man the older Lois had addressed blandly stated the obvious, “She doesn't feel well.”
Lois Lane realized that her older self was near to exploding, and she discretely took a step back. She knew from experience that it wasn't pretty if she unleashed her temper, and she had no reason to assume *that* would change in the future.
“I can see for myself that she isn't well,” Lois Lane-Kent retorted gruffly, “The only question is why that is so. It isn't normal!”
While the younger Lois still wondered why it shouldn't be normal for a young girl to get sick on occasion, Kis agreed with the enraged mother of his fiancée, “No, it isn't normal.” That was all he was going to say about that matter.
“So how did it happen? Dug up any red-glowing crystals?” the older Lois asked, her face clearly implying her annoyance. Still, Lois Lane couldn't shake the feeling that she was missing something. Something big. At least her reporter's instinct gave off a constant alarm.
Kris blushed furiously, which made a cute contrast to his lightly colored hair. “Uh, no. We didn't dig up any glowing crystals. No red ones, no green ones and no other ones,” he stated firmly.
This made the older Lois even more suspicious, and she just opened her mouth to say something when the girl – Lara – returned. Her face was still ashen, but she was still looking much better than before. “No, we didn't dig up anything,” she confirmed the young man's words as if she had actually heard them, which added to the younger Lois' suspicions. “But who knows what sort of stuff I was exposed to at the Röntgen Museum yesterday.”
Lois Lane-Kent wasn't quite satisfied with her daughter's answer. “What does some Nobel Prize winner have to do with *that* stuff?”
Lara spoke up again, “Did you know this guy, Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, discovered X-rays? Anyway, even though this museum has more lead in it than all other museums in Metropolis put together, there are also some radioactive exhibits.” Lois Lane couldn't quite make head or tail of it, but she sure knew something was off. What the heck did radiation have to do with her future daughter's sickness?
Kris, his arm once again wound around Lara's waist, turned toward the mother of his fiancée, conveying a calm that neither Lois thought was warranted. Somehow, this reminded the younger Lois forcibly of Clark, and she couldn't help but wonder if this boy maybe wasn't Lara's *boyfriend*, but maybe her half-brother or something. But no, not if the ring the Lara wore was any indication. “You know, they even have some strange exhibits, like the hand of this professor...”
He didn't get any further, for he was interrupted by a strangled exclamation of a rather green-faced Lara that sounded remotely like his name. The meaning was made even more clear by her elbow that hit his ribs.
Kris, though, simply turned back to the young lady in his arm, an apologetic smile on his face. “Sorry, honey.” With his free hand, he put a strand of her hair back behind her ear which reminded the younger Lois even more of her former reporting partner.
Before the older Lois managed to ask any more questions concerning her daughter's health, said daughter decided to avoid further questioning by a sudden change of topic. She regarded the younger Lois critically. “Mom, who did you bring with you?”
Lois Lane without Kent wasn't prepared for this particular question. What was she supposed to answer? To her relief, her older self jumped in. “This is my cousin, Joanne,” she said before turning back to 'Joanne' and started to introduce her 'cousin' to the two teenagers. “This is Lara, my firstborn, and the young man is her fiancé, Kris.”
The younger Lois, who resented being called by her middle name, decided to play along, smiled friendly at the young couple and exchanged handshakes with them. Then Lara adressed her innocently, “I don't think we've met ever before, have we?”
'Joanne' threw an odd look at Lois Lane-Kent before answering, “No, I don't think so. I haven't seen your mother in quite a while, either. Last time I met her was sometime in the nineties, 1994, to be accurate.”
Lara looked her up and down with squinted eyes, and the younger Lois had the uncomfortable feeling that the girl had seen through her act. As a matter of fact, she turned to face her mother, arms crossed in front of her. “Okay, mom, spill it. What hare-brained scheme have you hatched this time?”
Both Loises shared a look, and the older woman tried to confuse her daughter with her most feared weapon, her babble attack. Unfortunately, Lara Kent, being graced with the Lane babble gene herself, was quite immune to her mother's babbling. It even seemed as if she had taken the look the older women had shared to be half a confession. “Mom, I know you. And if I look closely at the facts... First, Uncle Herb turns up unannounced, then you disappear with his time machine, and now you're back, together with a woman that looks exactly like you and that you haven't seen since 1994 – and this woman just happens to wear a wig because she actually wears her hair just like you in exactly the same shade of brown...” Lara took a deep breath. “'Cousin Joanne' – she's really you. You from 1994.”
Both women shared a moment of slack-jawed speechlessness. Lara's way of combining seemingly unconnected facts to a whole, thereby guessing the – often incredible – truth... it wasn't new to either of them, but usually it was them surprising others with their deductions. This time, though, they were beaten with their own weapons, and they knew it. And they didn't like being on the receiving end of the infamous Lane logic. Not at all.
It was the older Lois who recovered first. “Yes, you're right,” she confirmed her daughter's suspicions, if grudgingly. At the same time, she was rather proud of her girl. But before Lara could insist on having her first question answered – the question about her mother's hare-brained scheme – she turned on her heel, dragging 'Cousin Joanne' with her. And while the two women took refuge behind a big bush, Lara smacked her hand against her forehead. “Mom, come back!” she called out, but too late. All the answer she got was a tell-tale 'Whoosh' telling of her mother's departure.
Kris took er into his arms. “What's the matter?” he asked.
Lara cuddled closer to him. “I fear I know what she has in mind...”
***
Lois and Lois flew over the suburbs towards Metropolis, the younger Lois – now without wig – in the arms of the older Lois, who was now clad in her pink-and-teal spandex suit. Unlike Superman, she preferred to carry her passenger by wrapping her arms around her waist, though. This way, both women were looking in the same direction.
“Am I mistaken, or haven't you told me yet how you got your superpowers?” the younger Lois asked off-handedly while she was enjoying the view.
Lois Lane-Kent, aka Ultrawoman, smiled mischievously. “You might be right there,” she agreed. “You remember me telling you about my youngest twins? The story with the accident?”
The young woman in her arms nodded. “Of course, how could I forget about something like that?”
“Anyway, that wasn't the whole story. You know what it's like with us: What we do, we do properly. Anyway, I was in the hosital, and to make things even worse, I caught a bad infection there, something with super-resistant bacteria. Nothing the doctors did was helping any, so Cl... Superman came up with this idea that a super immune system could save me. And since he knew exactly how to transfer his powers to me... Well, as people say, the rest is history.
“Are you telling me he actually sacrificed his super powers for you?” the younger Lois exclaimed in disbelief. At the same time, something else occurred to her. The older Lois' slip hadn't slipped her mind. Cl... Was that supposed to mean Clark? Clark as Superman? The thought was absolutely ridiculous. Or wasn't it? On the other hand, they did look a lot like each other. Same height, same build – Lois knew that one for sure, for the towel she had seen Clark in hadn't left much to the imagination. Both men were dark-haired and had the same brown eyes. Was it possible, after all?
Lois remembered having made the same discovery. “What we've got here is an example of human evolution: 'before' and 'after'. Clark is the 'before'. Superman is the 'after'. Make that: way, *way* after.” Oh my God, had she really said that out loud?
“That's what it looked like at first,” Ultrawoman confirmed, thereby conveniently disrupting the younger Lois' very interesting train of thought. “But this wasn't permanent, for after about a week his powers started to return. It was pretty much like major kryptonite poisoning.”
“What, that stuff does exist for real?” Lois had a hard time believing it. Maybe Trask hadn't been such a nutcase, after all? But why had he been looking for this kryptonite in Smallville, of all places? Slowly but steadily, the pieces of the puzzle started to form a picture – a picture Lois wouldn't have considered even remotely possible before. But now, things were different...
All of a sudden, she was reminded of a piece of conversation from the night before – the night before that happened 23 years ago: ”I can eat like an eight-year-old – and still look like... well, you know.” Didn't her older self use these exact words? And didn't Clark have the same eating habits? ”You eat like an eight-year-old but look like Mr. Hardbody. What's your secret, and can I have it?” Obviously, she could. Only it would take a while. And something else started to make terrible sense... ”If you were just an ordinary man leading an ordinary life, I'd love you just the same. Can't you believe that?” He didn't. And neither would she have been able to believe her very own statement, given the circumstances. Lois' heart sank. How could she have been so blind, so galactically stupid?
“As a matter of fact, it does,” Ultrawoman confirmed Lois' realization about kryptonite, “but you'll find out about it soon enough. All I can tell you is to beware glowing crystals, either green or red.” She decided to leave it at that, cryptically as it might seem.
Still, the younger Lois remembered all too vividly the conversation with Lara and Kris which was evolving around certain red or green glowing crystals. Unfortunately, her – by the way – very interesting train of thought was interrupted by the super-powered Lois.
“How about a city tour?” Ultrawoman offered. “Metropolis has undergone some profound change since 1994, especially since Superman has gotten some super helpers. The crime rate is somewhere around zero, and this, of course, has effects on the cityscape. You won't recognize Suicide Slum, I bet. By now, Suicide Slum is often referred to as 'Little Vegas' - and for good reason, I assure you...”
As Lois Lane-Kent droned on, her still unmarried self was zoning out. There was so much to keep her mind busy. Clark was Superman, had been Superman from the very beginning...
***
“Oh, I have to get down there,” Ultrawoman remarked out of the blue. She hadn't even been able to finish her report on the “Reeperbahn of Metropolis” - an area Lois easily recognized as belonging to Hob's Bay. Without further warning, Ultrawoman dropped out of the sky, setting her down in a back alley directly in front of a merrily burning fire that had originated on the topmost floor of an apartment building. It was quite obvious to Lois that Ultrawoman wanted to save the day, just like Superman used to in her own time.
Without further ado, Lois' older self disappeared into the burning building, only to emerge mere seconds later, carrying two children that were covered in soot and coughing, but seemed otherwise unharmed. She quickly handed the children to the chief of the fire brigade and told him that there was nobody else in the building. Then she took a deep breath. Lois Lane, having seen Superman do the same countless times, already guessed at her older counterpart's intent. Just as expected, Ultrawoman used her super breath to blow out the flames. So far, so good.
Lois searched the pocket of her jacket, and soon she found what she was looking for. Evidently, her older self hadn't changed her habit of keeping a notepad and a pencil in each of her jackets. And since she was here anyway, Lois could do what she did best. Thus, she fought her way to the front of the gaping mob and called out her questions for Ultrawoman, who, in turn, answered them with a certain gleam in her eyes. Ultrawoman took a few steps in her direction when, suddenly, a flashlight went off. Lois and Ultrawoman turned around to find themselves face to face with Jimmy Olsen and his very modern – depending on the point of view, futuristic – digital camera. For Lois Lane, this encounter was surprising; even though this man was undeniably Jimmy, he was much older and way more mature than she remembered him. Plus, he emanated this aura of authority that reminded her forcibly of Perry.
James Olsen, who had followed Perry White as Editor in Chief of the Daily Planet, looked stricken. There, in front of him, was his sister-in-law, wearing her teal-and-pink spandex suit, together with his sister-in-law whose pencil danced unperturbed over the notepad in her hand. The only problem was that he had only *one* sister-in-law... “Lois, what hare-brained scheme have you hatched this time? I mean...” Confused, his finger triggered his camera once more before he began wildly gesticulating back and forth between his *two* sisters-in-law.
Before Lois Lane could think of a response, Ultrawoman took over. “I'm very sorry, Mr. Olsen, but Miss Lane and I have an appointment.” No sooner than she had issued this not-quite-explanation, she grabbed Lois around her waist and took off with her.
***
They were flying high over Metropolis in order to avoid crashing into any of the countless new skyscrapers, and Lois – the one from 1994 – asked the other Lois: “Jimmy was acting rather strange, wasn't he?”
Ultrawoman chuckled. “Well, Jimmy knows my little secret,” she explained, “after all, he's family.”
“How so?” the younger Lois asked, clearly puzzled.
“Isn't it rather obvious? He is a man, Lucy is a woman,” Lois Lane-Kent replied with a slight teasing note to her voice.
The younger Lois furrowed her brow, thinking this over. “I guess that means I should be a little nicer to him, considering he'll end up being my brother-in-law,” she remarked.
“It sure can't hurt,” the older Lois agreed. “You owe him – big time – even if you don't even know it yet.”
It was mere minutes later that Lois and Lois landed in an alley between to large buildings belonging to STAR Labs, where the older Lois quickly spin-changed into her civvies. This done, she held out the red wig to her younger self.
“Do I have to?” the young woman pleaded.
“Yes, you do,” Lois Lane-Kent replied evenly.
“Why can't *you* wear this stupid thing?” the younger Lois asked her happily married older self.
“It's quite simple,” the older Lois answered her with just a touch of satisfaction, “we're going to meet a few people I know – and you sure would mix up their names. That's why you'll be 'Cousin Joanne' again.”
“If you say so,” the younger Lois relented grudgingly, placing the well-hated wig on her head. Together, the two women entered the research facility that had grown immensely since the nineties. By now, the younger Lois had to admit to herself, she could get lost in there. At least her older self seemed to know where she was going.
As a matter of fact, Lois Lane-Kent almost seemed at home at STAR Labs, promptly launching into another speech that would do a tour guide proud. And, truth to be told, right here and right now, she was sort of a guide to the younger Lois who was, after all, a strange visitor from another time.
***
While the younger Lois – once again masqueraded as 'Cousin Joanne' – tried to understand the complicated agreement between the local superheroes and STAR Labs (which stated, in a nutshell, that all of them and their families would get medical treatment for free if they agreed to the scientists doing research with some samples from said superheroes), the older Lois discretely lead her into a hallway. There were several doors, and the older Lois decisively turned to one of them and knocked. A soft, barely audible 'Come in!' answered them, and Lois Lane-Kent entered the adjoining room briskly, 'Joanne' following her quickly. If she could trust one person to know what she was doing, it would be herself, no matter from which time.
The first thing 'Joanne' noticed in the room was an oversized sick-bed. In this bed she saw a red-haired girl whose large eyes were sunken in. This only added to her worn-out and haggard appearance. Her cheeks were hollow, and the color of her face was anything but healthy. On the side of the bed sat a young boy her age, his ebony-skinned hand holding her white one incredibly tenderly, as if he feared a wrong touch could break it.
“Kenny, are you skipping school again?” Lois Lane-Kent admonished him, although she sounded somewhat resigned. 'Joanne' got the distinct impression that it was not the first time Kenny was skipping school to be with the sick girl.
Kenny smiled, flashing a set of radiant white teeth. “Well, I know how much Ari hates to be all alone in here,” he replied.
While Lois softly closed the door behind them, 'Joanne' mentally noted that this girl had to be one of Lois' daughters. One of her very own daughters – in some time to come. And deep in her subconscious mind, she asked herself if all of her children with Clark would have red hair. That was really strange. Maybe something Kryptonian...
Ari, unlike her friend, did not smile, quite the contrary. She actually looked as if she had cried not too long ago, like she had only recently regained her composure. “It's not as if it would be going on for much longer, is it?” she asked with an unmistakeable edge to her voice.
Her mother winced. “What are you trying to say?”
'Joanne' easily noted the barely concealed panic in her older self, and she couldn't help but wonder what that was all about.
Laboriously, Arielle sat up in her bed, never letting go of her friend's hand. “What I'm trying to say is that I saw my test results. They're getting worse and worse. Don't you think I know what that means?” breathing heavily, she sank back into her pillow, beads of sweat running down her face from the exertion.
Kenny squeezed her hand and spoke up softly, obviously saying what Ari didn't have the energy to say for herself, “We read through her report. Lately, her blood test results are worsening rapidly. It's obvious Ari has entered the final stage. Maybe three months, probably less...” The boy gulped, and a single tear was running down his face. And, like him, Lois was fighting to keep her composure, but without success.
'Joanne' approached the two children to address the girl, “What... what's wrong with you?”
A sad smile rushed over Ari's face, but it was Kenny who answered in her stead, “Ari is suffering from leukemia. Blood cancer.” Determinedly, he wiped the tear from his cheek.
'Joanne' hesitated. She was far from an expert when it came to leukemia, but she was rather sure there was a chance. “Wouldn't a bone marrow transplantation be able to help?”
Ari shook her head slowly, and Kenny once more answered for her, “No, because there isn't a single suitable donor in the world. She inherited some very unusual factors from her father which can only be found in her relatives. And her relatives' have a different combination of usual and unual factors, so they are unsuitable as donors.” He pressed his lips together as if forcibly keeping himself from telling her more.
But 'Joanne' already knew what Kenny did not dare to say. That he was referring to Clark being a Kryptonian with different genes.
Lois, though, stared at him in wide-eyed astonishment. “What, exactly, do you know about Clark's 'very unusual factors'?” she suddenly demanded.
Kenny simply shrugged. “Everything. Ari and I share everything, as we have been doing for years,” he commented in a low voice, but with unmistakable vehemence. This was confirmed with a slight nod from Ari.
Lois was unable to hide her surprise. “What it sounds like, 'for years' – you're only eleven!”
“Nevertheless, it's true,” Ari replied in barely more than a whisper. Still, it was quite obvious she was willing to put up a fight if her mother wanted to discuss this further.
Just then, the door opened, and a woman with a white lab coat whom 'Joanne' guessed to be in her late thirties, entered the room. She was wearing her hair put up straight, making her look rather strict. A stethoscope dangling from her neck revealed her as a physician, probably the family doctor. Only belatedly 'Joanne' recognized that woman as her once vivacious and carefree younger sister Lucy.
“Hi, Ari, how are we today?” Lucy greeted her niece. Without waiting for an answer, she turned to the boy at her side. “Hi, Kenny, visiting Ari again?” With that, she gave him an encouraging wink – a gesture that made her seem so much more like the Lucy the younger Lois remembered from her time.
It didn't even take a second for Lois Lane-Kent to take over the conversation. “Just a minute, you actually catch Kenny as he – once again, I might add – skips school, and you don't have anything to say about that?”
Doctor Lucy took this accusation without even a flinch. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I don't. Because it is good for Ari.” Seeing the half skeptical look of her older sister, she decided to explain, “Do you remember how Clark's presence helped with your healing after your accident? It's the same with Kenny and Ari. And, curious as I am, I asked them to sit in front of our aura-monitor. And you know what? When they touch, their respective auras merge, just like yours and Clark's. This merging is even more complete than when Lara and Kris touch. I'd advise you to better get used to Kenny...”
“Then it's not surprising Kenny looks like he's in not much better shape than Ari herself, she's taking all his energy. Hasn't that thought ever occurred to you?” Lois Lane-Kent reproached her younger sister.
“What are you talking about?” Lucy asked her, her eyes squinted to resemble small slits.
“Well, it was a theory Clark and I came up with. Way back then – you know, when I was in hospital – he felt totally drained. Thus, we concluded I must have used up his energy, which he lacked as a consequence. Maybe it would help if Kenny had his very own super powers...” Lois trailed off, considering.
“And how am I supposed to know about your theory if you don't tell me about it? You know, *I* am not a telepath,” Lucy snapped
“Me neither,” the older Lois replied with a hint of amusement. “And I don't think that Kenny and Ari can read your thoughts, either.” Lois decided it was time for a little change of topic. “So, care to explain to me how they happen to have found out about Ari's condition?”
Lucy's eyes went wide, and she tried to come up with a satisfactory answer. Only Kenny was faster. “Quite simple, we used the computer. 'Daily Planet' and 'Labrat' are not quite what I'd call safe passwords...”
“There are other safeguards, too!” Lucy protested, but all she got was a shroug from both children. “In this case, it's your responsibility to improve the system. It's become STAR Labs policy after my husband created the system.” Lucy smiled fondly. “As a matter of fact, that's the way he was awarded the honor of creating it; he had hacked into the old one...” Suddenly, her eyes fell on the younger Lois in the unusual attire. “Lois, whom did you bring here?” she asked her sister – or the woman she recognized as her sister.
It took Lois a moment to cope with this sudden change of topic since her younger self had managed to make herself inconspicious enough for Lois to actually forget about her for a minute. Now that she thought about it, young Lois might have heard more than she was expected to, but that couldn't be helped. Anyway, Lucy was still waiting for an answer... “Uh, that's our.. cousin. Our Cousin Joanne,” Lois replied lamely.
But Lucy had wisened up considerably in the last twenty-or-so years, and she wasn't to be fooled. “We don't have a cousin with that name,” Lucy stated with conviction. She looked at her alleged cousin with close scrutiny before returning her gaze to her older sister. “What hare-brained scheme have you hatched this time, Lois?”
Lois was getting defensive. “Why does everybody have to ask me that? First Lara, then Jimmy, now you...”
Lois was interrupted by a knock at the door. Before Ari could ask him to come in, Clark entered the room, a small-grown gentleman in old-fashioned clothing following right behind. As a matter of fact, said gentleman was looking so old-fashioned that even his black suit of ancient cut looked somewhat dusty and seemed greyish in color. Even before the strange man managed to close the door, Clark asked his wife, “Lois, what hare-brained scheme have you hatched this time?”
***
In the ensuing confusion – which Lucy had avoided by quickly leaving the room – the younger Lois at least understood part of what was going on. It seemed that her older self had taken her into this time so *she* would have a baby for them, a baby that might be a suitable donor for Ari. By now, Lois had figured out that said hypothetic donor would have to be haf-Kryptonian. She also figured that all of the fourteen half-Kryptonians she knew about (meaning her other thirteen children plus Kris) were unsuitable as donors, so a baby of her and Clark was the only hope for Ari, *her* future daughter. And since her older self was rendered sterile – who'd ever do something that stupid, anyway? - the only way Ari could get a young sibling was if she, Lois Lane from the year 1994, would have a baby. A baby with Clark. At least that's what her older self had just confessed to her husband.
Lois Lane without Kent didn't know what to do. On the one hand, she could understand what must be on her older self's mind, and she herself could hardly watch the girl die – or sentence the girls parents to do so. But could she just have a baby? Just like that? A baby with Clark Kent? Superman? And if so, could she actually *make* a baby with a man who was happily married? She had to, that much was clear. But the obvious... Lois gulped.
She couldn't do *that*, no way. Maybe if she insisted on artificial insemination? At least that would spare her the obvious. But what about the baby? Would she have to leave it behind when she returned to her own time? Or would she be able to take the child with her? Hardly, Lois realized. After all, her older self did *not* have a child that was 23 years old. So it was a foregone conclusion she'd have to leave her child behind. But could she do that? Could she leave her child with the other Lois, even if she knew that Lois was her, meaning she would get to see and hold and raise her firstborn – only 23 years later than she should?
The young Lois looked up when she noticed a hand being laid on her shoulder. The hand belonged to the gentleman who had accompanied Clark. “Don't worry,” he said, patting her hand in a manner *he* seemed to consider comforting. “This problem will solve itself, without your getting involved.”
Lois looked the man in the eyes. “Who are you that you want to know the future?” she asked him suspiciously.
The gentleman took his bowler hat in his hand and straightened as he introduced himself, “Oh, haven't I introduced myself to you yet? You know, introducing myself to you is quickly becoming a habit. In my time-line, I've already done so about three times. But since you're obviously from a time before then... I am Herbert George Wells. Nice to meet you. Again.”
Lois' eyes popped wide open. “The writer?” she asked in astonishment.
H. G. Wells chuckled, for this reaction was not new to him. “Yes, the writer. But, as a matter of fact, right now I'm only 'H' and not a writer anymore.”
“Aren't you dead?” Lois asked. As far as she know, H. G. Wells was supposed to have died even before she was ever born.
“Only part of the time,” Wells replied with his signature humor. “And no, 'The Time Machine' was not a science-fiction novel, for although it was science, it was not fiction. But you already know about that part.”
The younger Lois was far from being comforted. “But since Ari's problem is supposed to solve itself,” she said, using finger quotes on 'solve itself', “why are you here? Or now, to be accurate? It's not as if your time machine was needed, is it?”
H. G. wells kneaded his unfortunate bowler hat. “Of course, thoughtful as usual,” he remarked in a conversational tone. “You don't mind me saying this, do you?” Seeing Lois nod carefully, he went on, “It's true, this problem solves itself without your getting involved, but time is of the essence. So to speak. You see, Miss Arielle Kent's chances to survive until her angel of life is born are very slim indeed. She is sure to not see the day the little girl is old enough to donate the stem cells Miss Kent needs to survive. But this insignificant obstacle can be taken out of the way with my time machine. You see, all I have to do is take her one year into the future.”
Indeed, Lois saw the logic in it, at least in the part about the time machine. The other part, though, she was still dubious about. “I think I understand the part concerning the time machine,” she agreed, “But where do you intend to get a little sibling for Ari, if not from me?”
The old man's face showed his shock. “Oh, you started from false assumptions. But that's something we shouldn't talk about in here. Why don't you come with me?” He offered his arm to Lois, and she gladly took it. Before she left, though, Lois Lane took a last yearning glance at her older self. Clark was sitting on a chair, *his* Lois on his lap, and they embraced with so much care... Even from this distance, Lois could feel the love and comfort they were offering each other.
Lois couldn't help but wonder. Could she really have been that blind to not see what a wonderful man Clark was? How could she have taken his declaration of love only to tell him that she loved him like a brother? Resolutely, Lois turned around and followed the time-traveller out of the room.
They had already left the hallway behind when Wells took up their conversation, which was not surprising if he wanted to tell her something that was not meant to be overheard by any superears nearby. “You know, nobody ever said the donor would have to be a sibling of Miss Kent's. As a matter of fact, it is her yet unborn niece that will save her life, little Miss Angela Maria Kent. Really, you should see her, she has – or rather, will have - the face of an angel, but *your* temper, my dear. Believe me, the world will never be the same again. But all that belongs in this time, and you belong in yours. Shall we?” Now the gentleman pointed towards the time machine thy had just reached.
Lois climbed in without further prompting and buckled herself in. She didn't have any time to lose, she had to take a hand in the future – her future.
To her surprise, though, Wells climbed into the time machine, but did not fasten his seat belt. Instead, he put on a pair of very dark and rather large sunglasses that looked as out-of-place on him as feathers on a dinosaur. Suddenly, he pulled a silver pen from his pocket.
“What?” Lois asked, confused.
Wells smiled at her belligerently. “Miss Lane, I cannot allow you to remember all of this.” He gestured with his hand to take in their whole surrounding, the whole situation. “This could severely endanger the time stream. And if there is something we do not want, it is endangering the time stream.”
“Of course not,” Lois agreed although she didn't quite understand what she was agreeing with. “But what if things do develop differently for me? I'm as good as married to Luthor – what happens if I really do it? Only because I don't remember?”
“You should have more faith in yourself. And in Mr. Kent,” H. G. Wells replied. Then he held the object Lois had falsely identified as a pen at her eye-level and pushed a button. At once, the 'pen' emitted a flash of blindingly bright light that remotely reminded Lois of a flashlight. “You won't remember anything since you came home from the opera. You slept well that night, you are well rested and full of energy after you had a great and satisfying breakfast...”
***
It was several minutes later that Lois Lane-Kent realized that her younger self and Herb were missing. “Clark, they're gone! What are we going to do now?”
“Who is gone,” someone asked from the window. It was Martian Boy, Lois' and Clark's sixteen-year-old son JJ in his superhero persona. Quickly, Clark sketched out Lois' latest scheme, telling him how his mother decided to take her younger self from the past into the present so young-Lois could have a child to save Ari.
JJ, who since then had spun into his civvies, nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, I understand why she did that.” Noticing his father's puzzled expression, he elaborated, “Ricky and I had even considered that it wouldn't necessarily take a brother or sister of ours to save Ari. Maybe a niece or nephew would do, too.”
Clark's face darkened, and Ari and Kenny tensed visibly in reaction. But it was Lois who was the first who regained her speech – not that that surprised anyone. “You didn't actually...?”
JJ blanched. “No, what are you thinking? First, I took Ricky to aunt Lucy to have her check if a child of ours would probably be be able to donate stem cells for Ari. Since this is not the case, we agreed we'd better wait before founding a family.” With a glance at his mother, JJ continued sardonically, “You know, it's all about checking the water level before jumping in. But still, if there had been only the slightest chance...” He trailed off.
“Son, you're only sixteen, Ricky even younger! Have you ever stopped to consider what that means?” Clark asked his son sternly.
JJ didn't get to answer for the door opened, and Lara and Kris enterd the room, holding hands. They were followed by Lucy. “I think you should listen to th
