Rated: PG or K+
Genre: Hurt/Drama
Summary: Story 4 of Blast series. Four months later and it is not certain if CJ has inherited his father's abilities…
Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Lois and Clark. I'm simply borrowing them to fulfill a little dream fantasy of mine.
A/N: I wasn't thinking of doing a series, but the storyline I set up was begging to continue in some way. Also, I'm not a scientist or a science person so I made everything up. Hopefully it sounds realistic in this case, but it's fiction so I'm not too overly concerned. I hope you like what I have planned and reviews are always welcome and appreciated! Enjoy!
Test Results
By: Erik'sTrueAngel
A mother always knows.
The pain sliced through her stomach like fire, searing her flesh and insides. She tensed up, her screams echoing in the cold room. She wanted it to go away so the agony would end. This was too much. She couldn't do it anymore.
Vaguely, in the distance, she could hear voices encouraging her to keep going. Mustering the extra strength she had left in her, Lois could feel the pressure slipping away. She opened her eyes to find both Dr. Kleins with tears in their eyes.
"What? What's wrong?" Lois demanded, breathlessly. "Why isn't the baby crying?"
They didn't answer. Frantically, she searched the room for her husband. Clark… he would tell her what's wrong. He couldn't lie to her.
The room was dark, but eventually she found his tall shape in the shadows, his face obscured.
"Clark?" she whispered. "What's going on?"
He stepped towards her, the closer he came to her bed, a heightened sense of dread started to bubble in her. Why wasn't he answering her? Couldn't he have told her from where he stood? Then she noticed a tiny bundle in his arms. It was wrapped up in some sort of blanket, and when Clark was standing over her, she recognized the 'S' emblem blazing on top. However, the material appeared to be wet.
Lois gazed up into his face… the tears streaming down his cheeks.
Her body tensed up as the air froze around her. No… it couldn't be…
"Lois," Clark choked. "He's gone. Little CJ is gone."
Lois jerked in her sleep, waking up to find her skin cool and damp with fresh tears. Brushing them away, she looked to find Clark missing beside her, much to her relief. Another rescue for Superman, she thought. Her heart was still racing so she took several deep breaths to calm herself down to avoid alerting her husband. No need for him to come rushing home when it was only a nightmare.
It had been so real…
The same unsettling chill from her dream settled over her. CJ wasn't dead, she knew that. He was fine, just sleeping the night away. But something was nagging her. And this nagging was going on for the past six months.
Grabbing her robe, Lois threw it on and crept down the hall to the twins' room. She tip-toed to the cribs and first looked down at Lara, and then at CJ. Both babies were breathing heavily, their chests rising and falling, a soothing lullaby for an anxious mother.
Her heartbeat was slowing down to its normal rate. Good. Hopefully Clark hadn't heard. She hated to worry her husband, especially when they (well, mostly her) was having certain suspicions.
Lois studied the babies intently, one then the other. Both heads were covered in a mass of dark hair—CJ's being a couple shades darker than Lara's. She knew, without seeing them, the color of their eyes. Lara had her hazel eyes; CJ had his father's dark coca brown. Even their coloring was different—Lara was pale like her, CJ had Clark's olive complexion. It was no doubt that he was his father's son and she her mother's daughter.
However, there was something missing.
Lois sat in the rocker, eventually falling asleep, to the sounds of their breathing. She stayed until the first rays of dawn filtered in. Lara stirred and Jordan was doing the same in his room. But CJ… he continued to sleep.
xxXXxx
"Clark, I'm concerned."
It was one of those rare evenings when no one was calling for help and the children went to bed without a fuss. Now, the superhero and his wife were snuggling on the couch, the fire in the fireplace losing its embers. Clark didn't bother to get it going again since they would be heading to bed soon.
"What about?" He frowned, not liking his wife's tone.
She sighed. "CJ. Clark… we have to talk about it."
"Lois, he's fine. There's nothing to be concerned about. We went over this already."
Lois bit her lower lip. "Listen to me Clark. We've been in denial long enough. We have to admit that—"
"There is nothing to admit. CJ is fine. He's most likely developing slowly due to what happened. He'll get them."
Lois got up from the couch, turned to her husband, her arms crossed. "He doesn't wake to the sun!" she hissed. "Not like Lara, Jordan, or you."
"So it takes him a little longer to wake up. That doesn't mean we should jump to conclusions."
"Dr. Klein is worried too. I think we should let him do that genetics test to see what is going on. Maybe you're right, but I want to have a peace of mind first."
"Lo—"
"No 'Lois' me. Clark, we are his parents. And as the parents we have to make the tough decisions and be strong for the kids. Even when it is something we are afraid to know. We are only hurting him by staying in the dark."
She was right. Like always. He wasn't doing his son any favors, but Clark wasn't ready to face the truth. Not yet.
xxXXxx
A few weeks had past and Lois was tired of waiting. She and Clark were fighting on and off about making the appointment with Dr. Klein. Lois knew this was difficult for Clark, for the both of them, but it had to be done. They had to think about what was best for CJ.
It was nothing short of a miracle, but it took Ellen Lane to make up her husband's mind. Her mother's visit had thrown her in for a loop since it had been months when they last saw each other. In fact, it was right after the twins' birth when Ellen found out how super her son-in-law really was.
It cut Lois deeply when her mother walked out of the hospital room. She knew keeping the secret about Clark and Superman would be a mistake, but never in a million years did she expect her mother to walk out on her grandchildren. Ellen could punish Lois; she had no problem with that, but the kids? That was a low completely unfair move.
It wasn't their fault. The kids shouldn't be blamed for what their parents did. But Lois was afraid, that besides the secret, Ellen ignored them was that the children were part-Kryptonian and not completely human.
Sam, her father, had insisted that wasn't true. He would come to visit as much as he could, accepting the fact that his son-in-law moonlighted in tights. He would always pass on Grandma Lane's love to Jordan who would be asking all the time why Grandma didn't come around anymore. The excuse was the same: Ellen was ill. They didn't want to alarm the toddler that she was angry with Lois and Clark. The last thing anyone wanted was for Jordan to blame himself for whatever reason.
Sam would tell the couple how Ellen would be faring and kept assuring them that in time she would come around.
"Be patient with her. This is a lot for her to take in, and I know my own betrayals hadn't helped either, but she won't ignore those kids for long. She loves them so much," Sam told Lois one evening.
Lois wanted so desperately to believe her father. She knew her mother would love the kids no matter what, but to not be there? Lois truly hoped it wasn't out of shame that their father was from a different planet, although she would never dare say it aloud. But it was her fear and insecurities talking. Then again, Ellen might think differently now that Jordan had developed his first superpower. It would only serve as a reminder of Lois' past indiscretions about her husband. Yet, this was significant part in her child's life and Ellen had missed it.
Then one day Ellen Lane appeared out of the blue. She talked to Lois, then Clark. The three of them had a lot to discuss and get off of their chests, especially Ellen. It had been an emotional day for mother and daughter as they finally bonded in a way that both secretly wanted. And Lois was so thankful that she had her mother back in her life.
Which it now led to this moment.
Lois and Clark were sitting in the waiting room with Lara and CJ in their carriers while Jordan was busy entertaining them with his toys. The test on CJ had been conducted a week ago and they were anxiously awaiting the results.
They held each other's hands, gently squeezing the other to calm their nerves. They knew what was coming, but this would help it become a reality.
The wait wasn't too long, but it felt like years as the nervous parents stood when Dr. Klein walked in.
His expression was unreadable.
Good news? Bad news? They waited in abated breaths.
"You may want to sit," Bernie began. Lois and Clark exchanged looks. That definitely wasn't a good sign.
Before the scientist could tell them what they found out, he kneeled down beside Jordan. "Hey, Buddy. Why don't you go and find Aunt Carolyn? She wants to hear all about your superpower."
Jordan didn't need to be told twice as he took off to find Carolyn. Giving the couple a sheepish look, he shrugged. "I figured you two didn't want him to hear this either. Not until you told him yourselves."
"We appreciated that Bernie. Thanks," Clark said sincerely. Lois nodded as well.
Standing upright, Dr. Klein cleared his throat. "Right. Well, as you know, we carefully looked at CJ's genetic code and broke it down. He does have the Kryptonian genes—no mistakes about that. Not when Clark… well you know is one-hundred percent Kryptonian.
"At first, we couldn't make too much out of it. But since we had Jordan's DNA on file after you brought him here as an infant we decided to compare them. What was found… We noticed there was an anomaly. Unlike Jordan, CJ"s Kryptonian DNA is dormant."
"What does that mean? Dormant?" Clark interrupted.
Bernie sighed. "Think of it as a light-switch and a light-bulb. The bulb is CJ's Kryptonian side. The switch is on but the light isn't glowing. It's dark. Dormant."
"So… the Kryptonian in CJ isn't active?" Lois asked.
"Precisely. His cells don't react to the sunlight; therefore, he is not absorbing the yellow sun's rays. This explains why CJ doesn't wake at dawn like Jordan and Lara."
"CJ is human," Clark whispered.
"In a sense," Bernie corrected. "He is half-Kryptonian. He might inherit some other abilities."
"But will he have superpowers?" Lois questioned, which was preying on everyone's minds.
"It is too soon to tell, but judging from the inactive genes and the lack of sun absorption I would say no."
Clark could feel himself getting lightheaded. "Never?"
"I didn't say never. Who knows? The genes might awaken and CJ will develop powers. Yet, for now, it is too early to say."
"So it's possible?" the female reporter asked.
The older man sighed. "Honestly? It could go either way. This is Kryptonian biology we're speaking of. Even though I learned and studied so much thanks to Superman, it still remains a mystery to me. Remember, I once thought you two wouldn't be able to have kids and look how wrong I was."
That put a smile on the couple's faces, although they were lacking humor.
"I'm really sorry I couldn't bring concrete results."
Clark took a deep breath. "It's all right Bernie. At least Lois and I know what to expect or not expect."
"Poor CJ," Lois said softly, turning to look at the blissfully unaware baby. "This is going to be hard on him. All of them if CJ doesn't have superpowers."
"We're going to have to take it when it happens. If it does," her husband said.
"Clark's right," Bernie added. "I'm sure CJ will be all right. He has a wonderful support system with people who love him. He'll be fine."
What if he isn't?
That was the unspoken question between the three adults. And that was one answer they were afraid to know.
The End