Forever and All Eternity II: Kismet

by Bratling

Clark arrives on New Krypton. What challenges will her face?

Forever and All Eternity II: Kismet

By: Laura Davies brightfeather1.geo@yahoo.com

Rated: PG-13

Submitted: May 2003

Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me. I'm just

playing with them for a while. G Aw, heck. The main

reasons for fanfic to exist is a basic dissatisfaction with

the way a series ended (or didn't end), what-if scenarios,

and/or a desire to mess with our favorite characters'

lives. I'm just contributing! ;) Any resemblance to any

other work of fiction is strictly coincidental. All

characters besides those specifically mentioned in the

series are figments of my chocolate and PEZ high

imagination and belong to *me* and this version of New

Krypton definitely belongs to me. g All other bits of

weirdness can be attributed to sleep-deprivation. ;)

Authors note: My thanks goes out to the writers of the

original New Krypton Arc. I also need to thank all of my

wonderful beta readers who assisted in this project, Avia,

Breanna, Doug, and Jenni. Special thanks go to my friends:

Wanda, Mary, Lote, and Missy as well as all of the readers

on Zoom's message boards for staying in for the long haul--

it's taken seven months to get this far. Thanks to Missy,

Chief Pam, Paul, Colin, SQD for giving me suggestions for a

certain scene. I also need to thank the regulars on

#lanekent... Without y'all this story would have never been

begun, let alone finished. This is Book II, so I'm afraid

you'll have to read Book I for this to make much sense.

****

Zara watched Clark as he fingered a pendant that hung

around his neck. She supposed his wi... concubine on Earth

must have given it to him before his departure. Her lips

tightened as she watched him run his finger over its

surface and open it. Perhaps convincing him to stay forever

would be harder than she had previously thought. She simply

didn't understand his attachment to this Earth woman... He

was Kryptonian nobility and should be attached to his

rightful wife... her. She rose from her seat and began to

cross the room to speak with Kal-El...

Zara jumped when Ching came up behind her and unexpectedly

laid his hand on her arm. Zara, don't. He sent.

Why not? He is *my* husband.

Zara, how many times do you have to hear that he loves

his wife? What you're contemplating may very well drive him

from us; he is only with us to protect his children from

Nor. Don't rip his family apart more than we have

already.

Ching, you are not my keeper! *I* am First Lady. *I* know

what is best for me and for our people. Kal-El is *my*

husband and consort. He is the key that will keep us from

plunging into civil war. One single family is not so

important when weighed against an entire civilization. I

don't want his children to be hurt, but at the same time,

he is necessary for saving my people! You, despite your

heritage, are only a bodyguard and a lieutenant. You will

obey my orders as well as Kal-El's.

Fire flashed in Ching's eyes as he nodded his acquiescence.

Deep inside his mind, behind layer upon layer of shields

where he hoped that Zara could not see, he vowed that he

would help Kal-El preserve his family... even if it

involved crossing Zara's wishes.

Zara stared at Kal-El for a few more minutes. She hadn't

expected him to be broadcasting such great waves of...

pain, loneliness, and fear. Momentarily, she wondered if

she and the Elders of the council had been right to bring

him to New Krypton. They weren't infallible--they were only

Kryptonian after all.

With a shake of her head, she banished the thought; Kal-El

was *her* husband... He's also been married to someone

else for six cycles, a little voice in the back of her

head said. Yes. but-- Zara sighed, turned and began to

walk back to her quarters.

****

Lucy listened as Jimmy explained Lois's current situation.

Lois would probably not ask for help, but Lucy loved her

sister, so she decided to take matters in her own hands. If

Clark couldn't be there to help with the children, then it

was time she came to the rescue. Her schedule at the

hospital was hectic, but she was sure that her bosses would

cut her some slack so that she could help with Kiley and

Joseph.

"Jimmy," she began, "I have an idea... Lois is going to

need help with the kids, and I know she couldn't stand

having our mother there. We probably won't be able to see

as much of each other this way, but I'm going to move in

with Lois for a while to help out. Would you mind?"

Jimmy studied her earnest face for a moment before

replying. He had only given her the cover story for Clark's

absence; she was still in the dark about Clark's second

career. "I tried to come up with a way to help, but I

couldn't think of anything. Lois and the kids *are*

family... I'll miss you, Lucy, but moving in with Lois is a

good idea." Jimmy smiled. "There is one question I would

like to ask you first..." Jimmy dropped to one knee and

pulled a box out of his pocket. "Dr. Lucy Lane, I love you.

I never thought I would meet someone like you... I feel

like I've found part of myself that I never realized I was

missing until I found you. I'll never rest until I know..."

He opened the box, revealing a diamond ring. "I would share

the rest of my life with you... Lucy, will you marry me?"

Lucy's face broke into a smile. She loved Jimmy; she had

for a long time. Wordlessly, as her face lit up with joy,

she nodded. She stood up, pulled him to his feet, and into

a sweet kiss. "I love you, Jimmy Olsen." She said quietly

as he slid the ring on her finger. "Now, you can help me

pack." She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards her

bedroom.

****

Kiley wandered into her parents' room with Clarkie-bear

clutched firmly under one arm and her rag doll, Annie,

clutched under the other. She couldn't sleep. It was far

past her bedtime... she wanted her Mommy and Daddy. She

rubbed the back of her hand across her eyes, scrubbing away

the beginnings of tears that threatened to fall. "Mommy?"

she said, snuffling.

"What is it, punkin?" Lois answered as she pushed herself

up.

"Clarkie-bear, Annie, and me can't sleep 'cause Daddy isn't

here. Can we sleep with you, Mommy?"

Lois turned back the bedclothes and motioned to her

daughter. "Come on up, sweetie."

Kiley climbed into the big bed. She missed 'Feeling' her

father's presence in the house. He had been gone for less

than a day, but he was already so far away from them that

it was getting hard to 'Feel' him anymore. She cuddled

close to her mother, taking comfort in the fact that at

least she was still there. Hurry home, Daddy she thought.

"Please send Daddy back to us soon, God," she whispered

quietly.

Lois hugged Kiley tightly and stroked her daughter's hair

back from her face. Her mouth twisted into a wry smile as

she heard Kiley's heartfelt plea. It was the same prayer

she had carried in her heart and found herself whispering

since the inevitable decision had been made. It wasn't long

before Kiley's soft breathing told her that her firstborn

had finally fallen asleep.

Lois turned her face to the pillow and breathed in Clark's

scent. Soon she slipped off into dreams of Clark's return.

****

Clark flopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. He

missed Lois and the kids desperately. He hadn't yet been

gone a full day, but the fact that they were now millions

of miles away and that he would not see them for months was

a constant ache. Mentally, he pictured the brownstone, as

it would look at this hour. Images of his family in their

sleep flooded through his mind.

Mentally, he saw Kiley curled up with Clarkie-bear and

Annie, fast asleep. His mind's eye flashed to Joseph curled

up around Ted E. Bear in his toddler bed. He smiled at the

mental image of his children cuddled up with the toys his

mother had made for them upon their birth.

In his mind's eye, he saw Lois curled up in their bed with

her nose buried in his pillow. He made an inarticulate moan

of pain low in his throat; they needed him and yet he was

far away. His fists clenched as a single tear rolled down

his cheek. He buried his face into the pillow and prayed

that he could go home soon.

****

Lois woke to the insistent ringing of the doorbell. She

rolled over, looked at the clock, and groaned; 6 AM.

Carefully, so as not to disturb Kiley, she slid out of bed,

threw on Clark's robe, and padded downstairs to answer the

door. She looked through the peephole and was surprised to

see Lucy standing on the stoop.

Lois quickly unlocked the door and opened it. "Lucy?" she

asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I heard about Clark going undercover," Lucy began, "and I

thought you might be able to use my help with the kids... I

talked to the hospital about switching me to day shift. I'm

here as long as you need me."

Lois started to say something, but Lucy dropped the

suitcase she was carrying and put her arm around Lois's

shoulders. "Lois, you've done so much for me; you're my

sister and you practically raised me. Let me help. Joseph

and Kiley would be a handful even if you *weren't*

pregnant..."

Lois hesitated then nodded slowly. She knew that she could

use help with the kids, but at the same time, asking for

help would be another reminder that Clark was gone. But

since her sister was offering... "Come in, Lucy," she said

quietly.

Lucy picked up her suitcase and walked through the inner

door. "I'll take Clark's parents to the airport," she

asserted quietly. "I'm on call today, but otherwise I'm all

yours for the rest of the week." Lucy looked at Lois

seriously. "Sis," she began, "What are families for but to

help each other?" Lucy set the suitcase down and hugged her

sister.

Lois stood passively in her sister's embrace and broke it

after a few minutes. She turned around, expecting to see

Clark's solid presence behind her and almost burst into

tears with renewed grief when he wasn't there. The Kents

were leaving, Clark was gone, and it felt like nothing

would be right ever again. She hadn't felt so alone in

years. Lucy had come with an offer of help when she needed

it the most. Without Clark, her world was a much quieter,

sadder place--but Lucy's presence would help fill the

silence.

Lois choked back tears as she stumbled over to the couch

and sat down heavily. She wanted her husband back. He had

been gone for less than twenty-four hours, but she already

missed him desperately. Just the thought of his months-long

absence without means of communication hurt badly. A few

lonely tears escaped from her eyes as she wrapped her arms

around herself, momentarily forgetting Lucy's presence.

As Lucy watched her sister's collapse, her heart ached

fiercely for the big sister who had always seemed

indestructible to her. For as long as she could remember,

she had looked up to Lois. Cautiously, she stepped over to

the sofa, sank down on to it, and put her arms around her

sister. Somehow, she knew that the best thing she could do

at this moment was to let Lois cry on her shoulder. She

knew how she would feel if Jimmy suddenly had to go

undercover and not be able to contact her... especially if

she had two small children to care for as well as being

pregnant.

Wordlessly, Lucy gently pushed Lois's hair back from her

face and hugged her tightly. She hated to see Lois fall

apart, but at the same time, she knew how temporary this

was. Her sister was a fighter; she would keep going until

the happy day that Clark returned. So wrapped up was she in

her sister's pain that she was surprised to hear a small

sleepy voice at her elbow.

"Aunt Lucy?" the little voice questioned.

Lucy turned her head to find Kiley standing beside her.

"What is it, sweetie?" Lucy asked.

"Why is Mommy crying?" she asked, her big brown eyes filled

with concern.

Lois drew in a ragged breath, quelled the majority of her

tears and held out her arms to her small daughter.

"Punkin', I'm just sad because I miss your Daddy so much."

Kiley snuggled into her mother's embrace and hugged Lois.

"Mommy, Daddy will be ok. I dreamed that he told me to tell

you that he loves you an' that he's hurrying home."

A soft smile stole over Lois's face as the rest of her

tears dried up. She gently stroked her baby girl's hair and

pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I know,

sweetheart," she said quietly. Somehow, holding Kiley made

the bond she shared with Clark seem stronger; she could

feel his love for her through it as if it were almost a

tangible thing. As she held her firstborn close to her, the

sadness of separation seemed to slip from her, replaced by

a feeling of unconditional love that she had not known...

until she met Clark.

Lucy released her sister and watched in amazement as Lois's

tears stopped falling with Kiley's embrace. Sadness still

lurked in her sister's eyes, but somehow in this moment,

she was not quite as devastated as she had been a few

minutes before. A hint of jealously entered her heart as

she watched Lois and Kiley. She envied Lois her happy

family. She hoped that she and Jimmy could marry soon...

she wanted what Lois had, a home and maybe even children of

her own--Jimmy's children.

****

Clark woke slowly, obeying some internal alarm that had

nothing to do with ship time. He stared at the ceiling and

absently reached out his hand to find the warm, soft body

of his wife, momentarily forgetting that she wasn't with

him. He frowned sleepily as his hand encountered the wall

that his single bed stood against. His eyes flew open as

memory flooded back.

* Lois* he thought longingly. For a moment, he could have

sworn he felt her lithe, warm body next to his and her head

lying on his chest.

The last time they had been separated for any length of

time had been during their first aborted attempt to get

married when Lex had kidnapped her. At least this time, she

was safe. This time, he didn't have to worry about Lex

Luthor hurting his beloved or their children. As long as

the people he loved were safe, he could survive this

experience. He hoped. He swallowed around the lump in his

throat. He missed them terribly. He had been gone for less

than twenty-four hours and already he would give anything

to feel his wife slip her small hand in his, his children's

arms around his neck, and to hear their childish voices

calling him the name that had become so precious to him--

'Daddy'.

Slowly, Clark sat up and reached into the bag beside his

bed for the journal that lay nestled in his favorite

sweater. He counted himself lucky that he still had the few

familiar items of clothing that had been in the bag; Zara

had insisted upon taking the worn clothes he had arrived in

away 'to be cleaned'. Somehow, he doubted he would ever see

his favorite old clothes again. He opened the leather-bound

book and stared at the smooth white paper underneath the

cover before he reached over and pulled a pen from his bag.

He uncapped the pen and stared at the paper a few more

moments before he began to write.

Over the past few years, he had become used to having

someone to confide in... since Lois wasn't available, he

guessed that a journal would have to do. As much as he

loved writing, he had always tried to avoid leaving a

personal record of his life as both Superman and Clark Kent

to try and ensure that the public would not finally put two

and two together. This, however, was different. Not only

had Perry made him promise to keep the journal but also he

needed an outlet for the emotion that threatened to

overcome him. He couldn't afford to give in to his sadness,

loneliness and the fear that he would never make it home...

****

Zara sat cross-legged on her bed and pondered her birth-

husband. He had seemed so happy when she had observed him

with his family, but in the past day or so, some of the joy

that had seemed to make up part of his character had

faded... and she was responsible for that. While it was

true that it hadn't been her idea to come and bring him to

New Krypton, she still felt a little guilty for taking away

some of his joy.

She knew that he was the best hope for her people... But

all of her earlier motives now seemed... false in light of

his now palpable pain. He was a good man--she knew that.

Some people from New Krypton would have taken advantage of

the powers granted to Kryptonians on Earth, but Kal-El had

not.

Instead, he used his powers to help wherever he could with

no thought of tangible reward. She admired him for that...

and envied him in that he had found someone to love.

Despite her protestations to the contrary and her rather

predatory thoughts concerning him, she had begun to believe

it was as Ching said--she did not really love Kal-El; it

was just a crush.

She was within her rights to demand more of him... they

*were* married after all. Somehow, she just wasn't sure

what she wanted from him personally anymore...

****

Lois reached into the backseat of the Jeep, carefully

unfastened the straps of Joseph's car seat, and picked him

up. She grabbed her briefcase and purse and threw them over

the other shoulder before she locked up the jeep and headed

to the elevator. Gently, she pushed Joseph's hair back from

his forehead and hugged him tightly as she entered the

elevator and pushed the button for the lobby.

Joseph looked at his mother with wide eyes as his thumb

began to travel toward his mouth. He reached for Lois's

hair instead and grabbed a handful of her long tresses.

"Why Mommy sad?" he asked.

Lois smiled sadly and kissed Joseph on the cheek. "Sweetie,

I just miss Daddy."

Joseph threw his arms around her neck and gave her a hug.

"Jo'eph miss Daddy too." He looked at her through solemn

brown eyes. "Daddy come back," he said. His face broke into

a sunny smile. "I love you." He planted a wet kiss on her

cheek and laid his head against her shoulder.

"I love you too, scout," she said quietly and held him

closer to her as the elevator opened into the lobby of the

Planet. She walked slowly across the lobby toward the

Planet's daycare facility and went inside. Reluctantly, she

walked over to Ms. Linda and began to hand Joseph to her,

but Joseph tightened his arms around her neck.

"Mommy no go? Mommy 'tay wiv Jo'eph?" he asked hopefully.

"Sweetheart, I have to go to work, I'll be back in a little

while." Lois said, dropping a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"Jo'eph 'tay wiv Mommy?" he asked, as he gave her a puppy

dog look.

"Scout," Lois began with a sigh, "you go with Ms. Linda and

play with the toys, ok? If you need me, I'll be here really

fast."

Joseph stuck his lip out in a pout for a minute and hugged

his mother again. "I love you, Mommy," he said before

loosening his grip and allowing Ms. Linda to take him.

"I love you too, Joseph." Lois said quietly before she

quickly strode out of the daycare and headed toward the

elevator. She pressed the elevator call button and waited

impatiently for it to arrive. Finally, the doors opened in

front of her and she hurried inside and pressed the button

for the newsroom. Lois propped her body against the side of

the elevator, sagging against the wall.

Resolutely, Lois refused to give into the tears that still

threatened to fall. She felt as if she had been crying for

a very long time and didn't want to give in again. Instead,

she forced herself to think of the holographic message she

had received the previous night as well as Clark's message

to her. It would only be a matter of time before she could

retrieve the globe from their safety deposit box and find

out what Lara had meant by the cryptic message on the ship.

How could she communicate with Clark when, by now, he was

thousands of light years away from her? It simply wasn't

possible. At least, she didn't think it was... She felt a

warm, comforting feeling pass through her. It was almost as

if... Lois gasped and straightened up. Maybe there was

something in the messages Lara had left for her after all;

if she could feel Clark's love for her while he continued

to travel further and further from their small family, than

anything was possible. She squared her shoulders and strode

out into the newsroom.

****

Clark closed the journal with an audible snap and stuck the

pen in it. Carefully, he popped part of the back off of

the wardrobe and slipped it in the compartment that he had

discovered the night before. He wasn't sure just how far

he could trust Zara; the almost predatory looks she had

been giving him made him cautious enough to hide all of the

important things, like photographs of his family, that he

had brought with him. He wasn't exactly sure what had

prompted this new cautionary behavior, but he had a feeling

that Zara wanted to create a rift between himself and

Lois... Zara wanted to take Lois's place...

Sooner or later, he would have to set her straight, but she

had not yet done anything that he could confront her about.

Clark closed the compartment, walked around to the front of

the wardrobe, and pulled it open. He rifled through its

contents, grimacing as he came upon some particularly

ornate garments.

He sighed in relief as he came upon a set of plain clothes

much like the ones he had worn for practice the day before.

Quickly, he dropped his new mental shields and scanned the

area for people as he had been taught. Finding no one, he

pulled on the clean clothes and began to tidy up the room.

He had been told that Ching would come for him when the

time came, and he wanted to be ready...

****

Perry stood at the door to his office and watched Lois

work. He grimaced in sympathy as he noticed the black

smudges underneath her eyes... It was obvious to him that

she hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. The last

time he had seen her this broken up about something had

been years before... when Clark had... 'died'. He knew

that there were a few things that he needed to talk to her

about today. He had decided, however, that it would be

best to let her settle in before he told her of this

decision. He glanced at his watch and changed his mind,

she had been there long enough; she needed to know right

away.

"Lois," he called, "in my office, *now*!"

"Coming, Perry," Lois said. She stood up, reluctantly made

her way over to Perry's office, and walked inside.

Perry ushered her over to the couch, walked over to the

door, and shut it tightly. He pulled up a chair in front

of the couch and seated himself in it. "Lois, honey, how

are you holding up?" he asked gently, concern written over

his face.

"I miss him," she said quietly. "I've always been able to

feel his presence... I know it may sound a little silly,

but we've always had this... connection. Even in the

beginning when I was so horrible to him, I felt it... It's

only gotten stronger over the years, but..." her voice

caught on the word as a lump formed in her throat. "It's

getting harder to feel him..." she choked out. Lois drew in

a deep breath. "I know he's coming home, but I can't help

but worry..."

Perry moved to the couch and put his arm comfortingly

around her shoulders. "Awww, honey. It will be okay. You

know that Clark would walk on water for you or drown

trying... So, what are you gonna do?" Perry pulled a

handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to her.

Lois looked down at the handkerchief and started playing

with the edges. "Just... Keep going. Clark will come home;

I just have to wait until he can... Until then, I just have

to keep breathing and take things one day at a time." Lois

looked up from the handkerchief; her eyes brimming with

unshed tears. "I need him, Perry, I need him..." she

whispered hoarsely.

Perry patted her on the back and hugged her gently.

"There's something I need to talk to you about, honey. I

want you to wrap up all of your current investigations, and

then I'm offering you an assistant editorship position

until Clark comes back... I promised him to watch out for

you; he'd kill me if I let anything happen to you or the

kids. After you file those stories, you're officially

desk-bound."

"I should have expected this," Lois grumbled.

"Now, Lois you know that this assignment would be coming in

a month or so, anyway... and without Clark here to back you

up, I'd just feel better knowing that you're not out

getting into trouble. Besides, this job has regular hours,

so you can spend more time with the kids..." Perry looked

at her anxiously and hoped that she wouldn't put up too

much of a fuss; he just wanted to ensure that she would

still be there when Clark came home.

Slowly, Lois nodded her acquiescence. Normally, she would

have argued with him, but she was simply too tired at the

moment to fight him over it. It was company policy for her

to be desk-bound at six months anyway... Perry had just

grounded her a month and a half early. "Is that

everything, Perry?" she asked quietly.

"Not...quite," he began hesitantly. "I was wondering if...

maybe... one day in the next week or so... I could borrow

Joseph and take him to the park for a long lunch... I

figure that he'll be missing his daddy... and I want to

spend some time with him... I'd like to spend some one-on-

one time with Kiley too if that's all right... I know they

miss Clark."

"Thank you," Lois said softly as tears threatened to spill

out of her eyes. "You know that you're on the approved

list to pick the kids up..."

Without a word, Perry carefully gathered Lois into his arms

and hugged her gently. A spark of anger flared up in him

against the New Kryptonians who had so callously torn this

family apart. All he could do was to offer comfort to his

surrogate daughter while her husband got closer and closer

to what might be his final destination.

****

Lord Kav-Nor growled in frustration as his spy reported

that Lord Kal-El was en route to New Krypton. His

movements were now curtailed; it would more difficult to

use Kal-El's family against him... without the benefit of

the locator chip and the name Kal-El had used on Earth,

they would be impossible to find among the masses of people

who lived there. At least his enemy had decided to come to

him; it was much more satisfying to eliminate the

competition himself rather than by proxy. New Krypton would

be under his absolute control. He would show the rest of

the universe how sublime darkness could be... and then

bring it, too, under his iron rule...

****

Martha sat at her kitchen table, playing with a cup of

herbal tea. They had arrived home a few hours before...

and she had yet to do anything but sit and stare at the now

stone-cold tea. She knew that her boy had made the right

decision. After all, with the threat to the children, no

other choice could have been made...

Yet her eyes filled with tears as she thought of a world

where the happy little boy she had raised could... It was

bad enough that he had been forced into leaving the family

that he loved so much behind, but combined with the fact

that he could actually die... Martha shook the intolerable

thought out of her head and stared blindly off into space.

Her boy was coming home. She had to believe that. He

would be back from this trip to New Krypton in a few months

and they would welcome him with open arms. Her baby

*would* come back to them.

Abruptly, she stood up and ran into her studio. She

grabbed her palette and some brushes and began to

meticulously work on a painting of their family that she

had started last week. Lovingly, she carefully began to

fill in the shadows around the painstakingly painted

figures. She had intended to give the painting to Lois and

Clark for Christmas, but had changed her mind with recent

developments... as soon as she could finish, she would give

it to her daughter-in-law...

****

Ching led Clark to the practice ring to begin lessons in

self-defense. Because of his promise to Lady Lois, Ching

was determined to teach Kal-El to defend himself better

than the majority of the nobles on the council. He

wouldn't put it past Nor to try and assassinate Kal-El

before the official acknowledgment of his rule.

Unfortunately, unless Kal-El was the type that would insure

fanatic devotion in his corps of bodyguards, men could

still be bribed to allow a hired killer to slip through...

By the time he was finished, he hoped to have Kal-El able

to hold off an assassin long enough for help to arrive.

Ching hoped it would be enough; from Kal-El's memories, he

knew he did not wish to face Lady Lois when she was angry.

As they entered the practice room, he closed the door and

turned to Clark. "Kal-El," he began, "What do you know of

self-defense? That is, what do you know that doesn't

involve superpowers? New Krypton, like Krypton, has a red

sun..."

Clark smiled as a joyful memory surfaced. "I know some

martial arts... my wife made me take lessons..." he

answered with a far away look in his eyes. He remembered

that night as if it were yesterday... Intergang had gained

possession of kryptonite and tried to kill him... again.

He had been lucky that Jimmy had been snooping around,

discovered where they had been holding him, and disposed of

the kryptonite...

When he got home, Lois had rushed over and hugged him

tightly... babbling about how worried she'd been. She

elicited a promise from him that night to accompany her to

her Tae Kwon Do classes and learn how to defend himself...

just in case. Lois had buried her head in his chest and

murmured something about how she didn't wish their baby to

grow up without a father...

"Lord Kal-El... Lord Kal-El!" Ching's insistent voice

interrupted his happy memory of the evening that Lois

accidentally let slip the news of her pregnancy with

Kiley...

"Yes?" he answered with a sigh.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your memories, m'lord, but today I

must find out what you know and teach you more... I

promised your wife that I would make sure to return you in

one piece... and I have no wish to incur her wrath..."

Ching said gently.

Clark nodded mutely and began to follow Ching's

instructions.

****

Lois parked in front of the First Bank of Metropolis and

went inside to fetch the globe. Carefully, she opened the

safety deposit box and pulled out the locked metal box that

lay inside it. She stuck the box in her briefcase, closed

the safety deposit box, and left the bank. Lucy had

offered to pick up Kiley from preschool, so she had time to

find out what messages Lara had recorded upon the globe for

her. Lois climbed into the jeep and left for home.

A few minutes later, she walked into the master bedroom,

closed the door, and sat in the middle of the bed with the

box in front of her. She held the key in her hand, looking

at the box in front of her with a bit of trepidation.

Decisively, Lois jammed the key in the lock and with a

fluid motion, pushed the lid up.

Lois eyed the glowing globe for a moment... As much as she

wanted the information recorded on it, she felt a jolt of

nervousness about handling it when it was glowing... She

drew in a deep breath and snatched the globe from the box.

The globe began to hum and levitate over her hand as a

hologram issued forth from it. The image was that of Lara,

Clark's biological mother. Lara's image seemed to look

straight at Lois before she began to speak. "My darling

daughter," the image began, "If you are viewing this

message it means that my son has been called away and you

have discovered the message on the ship that carried him to

Earth. It also means that you are his Kreh'kle'vshta.

This globe and the messages upon the ship have been encoded

to respond to your touch... the bond between you and my son

enables this device to recognize you."

"My daughter, there are some things that you must know

about the Kreh'kle'vshta bond. Children from the union of

two such bonded people are said to be special--their

abilities and gifts tend to develop earlier. Your little

ones will be extraordinary. I only wish I could meet you

and possibly even my grandchildren." The image of Lara

smiled sadly before continuing.

"No matter the distance, it is possible for you to speak to

Kal. Kryptonians are telepathic. While Earth humans are

generally not, the Kreh'kle'vshta bond will enhance any

latent abilities that exist. Though the bond is rare, it

is well known from our history that those without the gift

may still speak mind-to-mind with a telepathic partner...

My daughter, I will tell you how this may be

accomplished... in this manner you may talk to my son...

"Clear your mind, Daughter. Clear your mind and focus on

Kal. Keep that focus and look within yourself for the

Kreh'kle'vshta bond--the link between you. Once you have

found it, focus on it and concentrate on talking to him.

Send your thoughts on this link and he will hear you.

"This connection will remain with you always... It is said

that the Kreh'kle'vshta bond remains in place after death;

it is simply recycled in the next life. You and my son are

now connected forever... Remember my instructions so that

the lines of communication remain open. Take care of my

son..."

The image faded from view as the globe went dark. Lois

stared at it for a moment before locking it back in the box

and placing the box on the dresser. She settled herself on

the bed again and began to attempt to follow Lara's

instructions.

****

Clark lay face down upon the bed in his quarters. He was

supposed to be resting, but all of his thoughts were turned

inside... to his heart, to Lois, to their children. He was

tired. Ching had ran him around the practice room all

morning and finally sent him back to rest. He had stripped

off his sweat-soaked tunic and collapsed upon the bed.

Restlessly, he pulled at the waistband of the too-tight

pants they had provided... his suits were much more

comfortable than the clothes he now wore...

He rolled over and winced slightly as one of his muscles

protested the movement. He had only experienced soreness

like this after being attacked with Kryptonite... a day and

a half without the effects of the yellow sun were already

starting to make its results known. He still had a few of

his powers, but if the soreness of his muscles after a

morning's exertion were any indication, by the time he

arrived on New Krypton they would have completely

dissipated.

Clark closed his eyes and began to imagine Lois, as she

would be at that moment. His imagination and memory took

him back to a happier time. His mouth curved into a smile

as, in his mind's eye, he watched her bend over her

keyboard typing furiously to finish a story before

deadline. He imagined Joseph eating lunch, smearing it all

over his face. He watched Kiley playing on the preschool

playground with the other kids...

With a happy sigh, he surrendered himself to his memories

and began to relive the last night with Lois. The memory

was bittersweet, but remembering that night hurt far less

than the emptiness caused by her absence from his side.

Clark? he heard. He sat up suddenly, not quite

believing the voice that echoed through his head... his

heart leaped, it sounded like... Lois. But it couldn't

be the little voice in the back of his skull argued. Lois

is on Earth... Clark? he heard again.

Clark ran his hand through his hair before answering.

Lois? He sent incredulously. Honey, is that you?

How are you doing this?

Clark, I miss you so much! I love you. It has something

to do with the fact that we're soulmates... Lois sent

with some effort. It really wasn't easy to talk to him

like this.

I miss and love you, too. Clark started as he heard

the chime that signaled someone knocking at his door.

Lois, honey, I have to go. There's someone knocking at

my door. I love you.

I love you, too, sweetheart.

Clark felt the telepathic link waver and break off. The

feeling of Lois's presence by his side lessened. He sat up

and sighed a little before answering the door. "Come in."

He called.

Ching entered the room. "Milord," he began, "The Council

wishes to speak with you." Ching rummaged in the wardrobe

and pulled out a set of slightly more formal clothing than

Kal-El had was wearing. Quickly, he laid them out on the

bed. "You must hurry, milord. They will be waiting to

have speech with you in an hour." Ching turned and walked

toward the door. "I will be back for you in a few

minutes." He walked out the door and headed back to the

control room.

Clark sighed deeply and pushed himself off the bed.

Talking to Lois had helped, but the last thing he wanted to

do was speak to the men responsible for taking him away

from his family. Slowly, he made his way to the sonic

shower cubical to get rid of the traces of the exertions of

the day. A few minutes later, he returned to his sleeping

chamber to pull on the clothes that Ching had laid out for

him.

He grimaced as he fastened the collar; it was far too tight

for his liking... in fact the entire outfit was a bit

snug... Clark walked over to the mirror and combed his

hair. He was beginning to really dislike the ridiculous

clothing they insisted that he wear. He tugged at the

collar and wished that he were home in Lois's arms.

He walked over to the armchair that sat in the corner and

picked up the hand-held computer that rested on the table

beside it. Slowly, he began to read through the English

translation of a Kryptonian law primer that Ching had

provided. Ching would be back for him soon to take him to

talk to the Council.

****

Kav-Nor paced back and forth in the front room of his

mansion, deep in thought. He had to gain control... as he

stood in thought Kal-El sped towards New Krypton. There

had to be a way to stop Kal-El from taking the throne. He

scowled as he contemplated the thought of his most hated

enemy having power over him.

"Father!" he heard a small voice call. Kav-Nor turned

around and scooped up his seven-year old son, Tak-Nor. He

held his child close for a moment before a smile crept over

his face. He settled the child on his hip and beamed down

at him.

"Tak, you've just made me very happy... How would you like

to get a new... playmate?"

Tak looked trustingly up at his father through big blue

eyes. "I'd like that, Father." He said quietly. It was

always best to agree with Father... he tended to hit Mama

when she disagreed with him.

Nor smiled evilly; he had to contact the Council

immediately.

****

Perry smiled to himself as he held Joseph securely in his

arms and began to walk towards the front doors of the Daily

Planet. The daycare facility employees had been surprised

to see him; he rarely picked up one of the Kent children...

especially not in the middle of the day. He hugged Joseph

gently as he began to walk to a nearby park.

"Gan'pa Pewy?" A little voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Where we goin'?"

"Well, scout," Perry began, "I thought we'd go to the park

and feed the pigeons."

"Jo'eph like birdies." Joseph buried his face in Perry's

shoulder for a moment before turning to look at Perry.

"When Daddy come home?" Joseph asked.

"He'll be home soon, scout." Perry said as he lifted his

hand to stroke the child's hair.

Joseph's thumb found its way to his mouth as his other arm

crept around Perry's neck. "I miss Daddy," he said around

his thumb.

"I know you do, kiddo," Perry said as Joseph sat up a bit

straighter and began to look around. It wasn't long before

they reached the park. Carefully, Perry set the child down

and sat upon a nearby bench to watch. It was rare that he

found time to spend with little Joseph like this, but he

always enjoyed watching the child try and catch the

pigeons. He smiled as he watched Joseph walk quietly up

behind the bird and try to capture it.

"C'mere, Joseph," he called. He reached into his pocket

and pulled out a sandwich baggie full of crumbs. "I've got

food for the pigeons."

Joseph grinned winningly, came over, and thrust his hand

into the bag that Perry held open for him. "Tank you,

Gan'pa Pewy," he said happily.

Perry leaned forward. "Scout, what are you gonna do if you

catch one of the pigeons?" he asked.

Joseph looked at him blankly and ran off to stalk the

pigeons once more. It was obvious that Joseph didn't know

what he'd do with a bird if he caught one... Perry supposed

that the fun was in the chase; just as his fun was in

attempting to catch Joseph. He didn't know what he'd do if

he actually caught him; but he had to try...

He had missed out on so much with his own children and now

his grandchildren that he wanted to catch every moment he

could with the grandchildren that Lois and Clark had

provided him with. He hoped long after he was gone that

Kiley, Joseph and any other little ones that his heart-

children produced would fondly remember times spent with

himself and Alice. He'd have to remember to convince Lois

to allow the kids to come over and play soon; Alice missed

them terribly after a few weeks separation.

Perry sat in the warm sunshine for a while longer, giving

Joseph more breadcrumbs when the toddler ran out. After a

few more minutes, he looked at his watch and called to

Joseph. "C'mon, scout! Time to go!" Joseph glanced back at

him as a mischievous smile spread over his face. Giggling,

he ran in the opposite direction. Perry chuckled and gave

chase. Joseph stopped every once and a while and turned to

make sure Perry was still on his trail.

"Gan'pa Pewy come get Jo'eph!" he called.

Perry caught up and swung Joseph into the air as the little

boy squealed in delight. He pulled up Joseph's shirt, blew

on his tummy, and grinned at the laughter coming from the

little boy. His grandson would be okay... He knew that

Joseph missed Clark, but during the child's short life,

Clark had gone away for short periods of time before... In

Joseph's mind, it was just like the newswriters convention

in Washington that he had sent Clark to the month before.

"Scout, it's time to go back to play with your sister,"

Perry said gently as he headed in the direction of the

Planet.

"Jo'eph want down," he demanded, "Jo'eph walk."

Perry chuckled and put Joseph down. Joseph flashed a 100-

megawatt smile at Perry and walked alongside him,

attempting to stretch his little legs into Perry's longer

steps. Suddenly, Joseph stopped and threw his arms around

Perry's leg. "I love you," he said with another smile. He

let go as they approached the street.

"Joseph," Perry began holding out his hand, "Hold my hand

while we cross the street."

"NO!" Joseph said, stomping his foot. "Jo'eph hold *own*

hand." Joseph slipped his right hand into his left and

started across the street. Perry rushed over to the child

and snatched him away just as a car zipped over the place

that the child had been standing just moments before.

"Joseph Samuel Kent! Don't you *ever* scare me like that

again!" Perry hugged the child close. "You can hold your

own hand, all right, but we're crossing the street

together." Perry carefully crossed the street and made his

way back to the Daily Planet, thankful that he had managed

to catch his grandson in time for disaster to be averted.

He'd have to tell Lois of this recent development... Just

in case Joseph decided to try and cross the street by

himself again... It seemed as if Lois wasn't the only one

who had a tendency to jump in without checking the water

level first.

****

Clark stood between Ching and Zara in front of the view

screen. Warily, he watched the men who sat upon the

Council Seat. The only person he completely trusted in

this crazy place was Ching; the rest of them were at fault

for his departure from home. It wasn't usually in his

nature to be suspicious of people he hadn't met, but

somehow his suspicion seemed warranted if he were to make

it home alive.

"Kal-El, my name is Xek-Lo," a white haired man began in

perfect English. "Thank you for coming to help us in our

time of desperate need. Lord Kav-Nor is marshaling forces

even as we speak. With you coming, he will have to stand

down for the present... Law and tradition govern war, like

everything else in our society..."

Xek-Lo's gaze softened as he looked upon Clark. "We are

grateful that you survived to return to us as the leader

you were born to be. When you arrive home, Kal-El, the

remaining members of your extended family wish to meet you,

our lost child."

Clark faced the Council and carefully assessed its members.

"Sirs," he began, wishing to make his position clear from

the beginning. "I will assist you in your quest for a

peaceful New Krypton... But I have a life on Earth that I

must return to. I knew nothing of any of this until Lady

Zara and Lt. Ching approached me. My wife and my children

await my return to Earth, and I have promised to return."

"Kal-El, we eagerly await your arrival... and we understand

your position... Hurry to us to prevent Kav-Nor from

tearing our world apart." Xek-Lo said.

With that the transmission cut off, leaving the trio in

silence. "Why and how did he learn to speak English?" Clark

asked finally.

"Xek-Lo is the only member of the Council that does; it's

why he was the one to speak..." Zara began. "He is

something of a linguist and studied your language once it

was found out where you had been sent... We're not even

sure where he managed to learn it, or even why he did, but

we think it was just in case we ever found you... Don't

worry about learning Kryptonian; your Aunt has the gift of

Memory... she can give you the language when we arrive."

Clark nodded slowly to show he understood. The world and

culture he came from seemed stranger the more he got to

know about them...

****

Lord Nor stood in front of the door to the Council chamber,

awaiting admittance. He had come to make his proposal

today... Victory would be so much sweeter if it was given

to him by the rule of law. He could always dispense with

the Council once he had consolidated his power. Power and

how it was used were the most important things.

Pain and Power. These things drove him to great lengths.

Pain and darkness in particular fascinated him. People were

his pawns. Their only purpose was to serve and amuse him.

He found their pain particularly amusing...

He had never understood the wording behind the traditional

covenant. To him, endless all-encompassing darkness was

nothing to be afraid of. He loved the feel of being

surrounded by it; he loved feeling its arms wrapped around

him. Soon he would introduce the entire world to his joy.

They would embrace it and help him initiate the rest of the

universe into his darkness.

****

"Kal-El," Zara began quietly, "Come, I will show you the

way back to your quarters... I am sure that you must have

questions about your family on New Krypton." Zara headed to

the door with Clark trailing behind.

She glanced over at her silent companion, mentally

cataloging what she had to tell him. "Kal-El... Clark, you

have some family left on New Krypton... Your mother's

sister... Kyrin-Wys. She has a daughter named Kirim and a

son named Grsek... and your Uncle, Ganul-Wys, is on the

Council. Is there anything else you want to know about your

family?" Zara looked at him expectantly. At the mention of

the word 'family' she saw pain flash in Kal-El's eyes.

"No," he answered hoarsely. "My family is back on Earth...

where I belong."

Zara looked at him worriedly. They needed him on New

Krypton... and with the chip still in his arm Nor would be

able to find both him and his wife and children. Silently,

she led him to his quarters. "Here are your quarters, Kal-

El... If you want or need anything, just call... "

Clark looked at her sharply. He still didn't quite trust

her, but somehow he sensed that she was telling the truth.

"Thank you," he said quietly before he turned and entered

his quarters. He loosened the collar of the tunic and

dropped down on to the bed. He missed her. He wanted Lois

beside him...

Zara leaned against the wall and dropped her shields. With

the way he was broadcasting his feelings, she needed to see

if she couldn't manage to throw some shields around his

emotions... Nor had strong empaths in his employ that could

use Kal-El's emotional state against him... She carefully

'looked' into the room behind her and was sucked into the

maelstrom that occupied his heart.

Zara slumped against the wall, shocked at what she found...

Kal-El's emotions raged through her consciousness. His

loneliness, pain, and grief over his absence assailed

her... But at the center was great love for his wife,

children and parents on Earth. Quickly, she threw up a

shield around him, linking it to draw power from his own

gifts.

Zara knocked hesitantly on Kal-El's door, and was startled

when he answered almost immediately. "For what it is worth,

Kal-El, I am sorry we had to drag you into this mess."

Zara turned and walked away quickly, leaving a bewildered

Kal-El standing in the doorway and vowed to talk to Ching

about teaching Kal-El to shield the empathic gift that he

had to possess in order to draw her in...

****

Perry dropped Joseph off in the daycare center and went

upstairs to his office. He sank down in one of his office

chairs and dropped his head into his hands. If he had been

one second later, Joseph would be seriously injured at best

and maybe even dead. He knew exactly how lucky he had been.

He didn't want to add to her pain ... but Lois had to be

told. He sighed deeply before heading over to the door.

"Lois, I need to see you in my office," he called.

"Coming, Perry," Lois called. She pushed away from her desk

and walked over to his office. She had come straight back

to the Planet in a happier mood after talking to Clark.

Perry shut the door behind her and motioned for her to take

a seat. "Lois, honey... I thought you should know what

happened today when I took Joseph out..." He cleared his

throat and looked down at the floor uncomfortably. "On our

way back from the park ... he said he could hold his own

hand; he wouldn't let me... and he ran out into the

street... If I had been any slower..." Perry trailed off.

Lois closed her eyes for a moment, attempting to clear the

images of her baby boy being hurt out of her head. She took

a deep breath... "Is he okay, Perry?" she asked urgently.

"He's fine, Lois." Perry answered. "I just can't shake the

thought of what might have happened."

Lois stood up and laid her hand on his arm. "But it didn't,

Perry. Joseph is safe and so are you. Don't torture

yourself with might-have-beens." She looked at him

pleadingly before continuing. "Perry, I've been thinking...

could I still work as an assistant editor from Smallville?

Not right away, but I'd like to be there for the baby's

birth. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem, but since I

have to fly commercial with Clark gone... I mean, with

faxes and email, it would be just as easy to edit articles

there as here... And I wouldn't have to worry about Joseph

or Kiley wandering out into the street when I start blowing

up like a balloon again..." she finished.

Perry looked at Lois consideringly for a moment before

replying. "I don't see why not," he said finally. "So, when

are you thinking of leaving us?"

Lois looked down at her hands. She knew that airlines

didn't like to let women on the planes after their sixth

month, so it would have to be soon; she was almost five

months pregnant as it was and liable to pop out any day

now. "Two weeks?" She said with a question evident in her

voice.

Perry nodded, stepped forward, and pulled her up into an

embrace. "All right, darlin', two weeks... Have you told

your parents that Clark isn't here yet?"

"No... I haven't," Lois said uncomfortably. "I mean,

they're back together, but my mother is still likely to

overreact..."

"Darlin'," Perry began, "you have to tell them, sooner or

later they're going to come to visit..."

"I know, Perry, I know." Lois began. "Tonight. I promise,"

she said with a sigh.

****

Zara stared out the window and sighed. She had been sitting

in the same place for the better part of an hour, trying to

figure out what she should do about Kal-El. His emotions

had surprised her... while she had known that he missed his

wife and their family, she hadn't realized the depth of

feeling that lay behind it.

For the most part, members of the noble class among her

people simply weren't like that. Marriages were arranged at

birth with little thought of love involved. In her case,

her guardians had even encouraged her infatuation by

telling stories of Kal-El that probably had very little

basis in reality.

One thing she knew for sure, she and her people had no

right to put him through more pain than he was already in.

Zara vowed to do her best to see that his time on New

Krypton was at least relatively happy... and that he would

be able to go home as quickly as possible.

****

Lois sat on the sofa and stared at the telephone with

dread. Ellen had mellowed over the years, but she was still

afraid that her mother would deliver a lecture on how men

couldn't be trusted. She picked up the telephone with

trepidation and began to dial.

"Hello, Mother?" Lois began. "I... There's something I need

to talk to you and Daddy about... Perry sent Clark away on

an undercover assignment... No, we don't know how long...

*Mother* he has *not* deserted me and he is *not* cheating

on me. Clark would *never* do that! The kids and I are

going to go to Smallville for the baby's birth... It may

take Clark that long to crack this story wide open... No

Mother, I am *not* trying to run away from you. Tell Daddy

I said hello. I have to go now. Bye." She hung up the phone

in relief. Now that her parents had been informed, it was

time for communication of a different kind...

Lois walked into Kiley's room, dropped a soft kiss on the

child's head, and pulled the blankets back up from where

the little girl had kicked them. She stood there for a

moment and watched her daughter sleep with her bear under

one arm and her rag doll under the other. She turned and

walked out of the room, carefully shutting the door behind

her before entering Joseph's room to check on him.

She walked over, knelt beside his bed, and smoothed his

hair back from his face before kissing him on the cheek. He

looked so sweet and peaceful when sleeping that it was

sometimes hard to remember what a holy terror he often was

when awake. Gently, she tugged his thumb out of his mouth

and covered his arm up with the blanket. Lois rose and

quietly tiptoed out of the room and across the hall into

the master bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

Lois settled herself comfortably in the middle of their bed

and leaned back against the pillows. Clark? She sent

with a grunt of effort and waited for an answer. She hoped

that this would work a second time; as long as he answered

her, she knew he was safe.

Lois! his voice echoed in her head clear as a bell. I

don't know what you said to Ching, but he seems determined

to make sure I can defend myself half-asleep with one arm

tied behind my back

Lois sent laughter back to him... talking like this was

easier the second time around. Sweetheart, at least we

know that he's taking his promise to keep you safe

seriously...

Clark answered. So what have you been doing, Lois? I wish

I were there... he sent wistfully.

Clark, I talked to Perry... We'll be in Smallville in two

weeks. Hurry home, sweetheart. I miss you.

I miss you too, honey. Love you... I have to go... kiss

Kiley and Joseph for me.

I will. Love you too. With those last words, Lois

cuddled down under the covers and drifted off to sleep. She

spent that night and many nights to come happily dreaming

of being with her Clark and sleeping in his arms...

****

"Lords of the Council. I, Lord Kav-Nor, stand ready to

attack the capitol city, Ka'tra'anl. I will stand down my

forces and send them home if a compromise is reached as to

the true leader of New Krypton. We as a people know nothing

of Kal-El or the world he was raised on. He is as alien to

us as we are to him."

"Only one raised in our culture might possibly understand

it. Therefore, I come before the Honorable Council today

with a proposition. Let there be an alliance between the

House of El and the House of Nor. My sources say that Kal-

El has a four-cycle old daughter... the same age as my

son."

"Such unions are not unknown in our illustrious history...

I... rather Lady Zara and I will rule as regents for them

until they are of age, and Kal-El may return to his life on

Earth, leaving his daughter here to rule. By ancient law,

Zara is her legal mother, so she would have as much

protection as any other noble child would on our world...

Zara may act as an advisor to the children until they come

of legal age."

"Milords, please consider this proposal... for continuing

peace on New Krypton." Nor bowed to the Council and left

the council chamber. He had one of the Lords in his pocket.

Soon his new plan would be set into motion. After all,

children died so easily... Kal-El, his son, and his

concubine could be taken care of afterward to further

eliminate any claims on his seat of power. The concubine

could be pregnant after all... Lady Zara would be easily

disposed of after the children were out of the way...

Becoming First Lord shouldn't be that hard once the Council

agreed to his plan...

****

As soon as Lord Nor cleared the Council Chamber, the

discussion commenced. The head of the Council, Lord Sarn-

Ra, spoke first. "Nor's proposal makes a kind of elegant

sense, but we must not forget who we are dealing with. Kav-

Nor is, to be frank, insane. He should have been placed in

the care of the mind-healers years ago."

"Such illnesses of the mind are said to be inherited... can

we really afford to take the chance that his son will be as

dangerously unbalanced? If we consent to this union, it is

very possible that in twenty years we might be dealing with

a lunatic for a First Lord." Sarn-Ra looked around for a

moment. "Lord Fryn-Trey, you may speak next."

"I agree with Sarn-Ra that the idea has merit, but we are

forgetting a few things. The child is half Terran... While

we are almost genetically identical, Terrans are much more

fragile than we are. Their planet not only has a yellow

sun, but lighter gravity. My studies have shown that the

Kryptonian genes are 99.9% likely to become the dominant

ones, but there is a slight possibility that the child

would not survive the radiation from our red sun or the

effects of our heavier gravity." Trey looked at the rest of

the Counselors seriously.

"I also oppose taking the child away from her biological

mother and the only home she has ever known. We have

already taken her father away from her... must she lose one

parent or the other? From Lt. Ching's observations, Kal-El

is not likely to leave his daughter here with us either. As

long as she remains, so will he." Trey finished.

"So noted," Sarn-Ra said. "Lord Ganul-Wys you are

recognized."

"According to our laws, both parents must consent to such

an alliance," he began. "Neither Lord Kal-El nor Lady Zara

have consented to this. From the reports, it is highly

unlikely that my nephew would consent to marrying his

daughter to Nor's son. Zara also is unlikely to do so... to

grant Nor access to the child is tantamount to signing her

death warrant. Nor has already kidnapped Kal-El's children

once. By all rights, we should have left bodyguards on

Earth with them. After all, they are of the royal household

and should be under our protection." Ganul-Wys fiddled with

the edge of his robe... He should have sent bodyguards with

Zara and Ching to leave with his nephew's family. He hoped

that he could still remedy the situation.

"The alliance is a good idea, but placing Nor at the head

of our government as regent is not. The binding ceremony

between Zara and Kal-El has not yet been solemnized. To

agree to any of this now would be extremely premature. I

move that we table the proposal and send bodyguards to Kal-

El's family to protect them lest Nor make any more attempts

on their lives."

"An excellent proposal," Sarn-Ra began, "Lord Jen-Mai, I

believe you have something to say?"

Jen-Mai stood and faced his fellow Lords. He could not let

them dismiss Lord Nor's request. After all, Nor... knew

certain things about him that could get him exiled at the

very least if they were to see the light of day. The money

Nor gave him for supporting him in open council didn't hurt

either. "Milords, all the points made have been excellent

ones... But what better way is there to protect Lord Kal-

El's firstborn child than to have her with us?

"The new quantum singularity drive has been shown to be

faster and more effective than the old hyperlight drives

and should be able to reach Earth in two weeks. She would

arrive here soon after her father and be under our

protection. We can also leave bodyguards with Kal-El's

family to insure that Nor cannot attack them again." Jen-

Mai sat down quickly.

"Does anyone else have anything they wish to say?" Sarn-Ra

asked, looking around the chamber. "Since it seems no one

has anything else to say, we will put it to a vote. All in

favor of tabling the alliance for the time being please

show by the uplifted hand." He looked around the room and

noticed that all of the counselors had their hands

raised... still, procedure must be followed...

"Any opposed by the same sign." Not a single hand was

raised. "All in favor of bringing Lord Kal-El's daughter to

New Krypton for her own protection and leaving bodyguards

with his family, please show by the uplifted hand." All

hands in the Council chamber raised... except one. "Any

opposed by the same sign." Tentatively, Lord Fryn-Trey

raised his hand.

"Yes, Lord Trey?" Sarn-Ra asked.

"Lords of the Council. I must once again voice my objection

to taking the child from her biological mother's care. She

is only four cycles old... such an experience would be

frightening for her and potentially damaging. Surely her

best interests must be considered."

"Duly noted..." Sarn-Ra thought for a few moments. Blood

was always a bond he could not overlook... and Kal-El did

have relatives on New Krypton... "We will send one of her

cousins along to care for her and give all members of the

party the language. The mother will know where her child

is, and we will provide everything possible for the care

and well being of Lord Kal-El's daughter. Lord Kal-El and

Lady Zara will also be notified. Is this sufficient, Lord

Trey?"

Reluctantly, Trey nodded.

"So let it be done. Outfit the quantum singularity drive

prototype ship immediately for the care of Kal-El's

firstborn. I will hand pick the bodyguards that will

protect Kal-El's family. The ship will leave by the end of

the week."

****

Nor snarled at the missive from Lord Jen-Mai. The Council

had refused to make a decision... and they were decidedly

against having him as regent in any case. At least they

decided to send for Kal-El's firstborn. he thought. He

supposed that half a loaf was better than none; Jen-Mai's

clearance was not high enough to discover where Kal-El had

lived on Earth... His family was inaccessible as long as he

knew not where they were.

Even then, it would take far too long to fetch any of them

to use to convince the Council into taking his course of

action. They had played into his hands by sending for Kal-

El's daughter... The ship had already departed... Darkness

would be forthcoming.

****

Clark stood at the window, contemplating the starfield as

it moved past him. More than anything, he wished he were

home with Lois. He had been en route to New Krypton for

three weeks and his prolonged absence from her had created

a hole inside of him... a hole that could only be filled by

Lois and their children. Without his soulmate, he felt

like a shadow of his former self. He mentally prodded his

memories of their life together. Remembering both the good

times and the bad hurt, but the pain of remembering was

infinitely better than the aching sense of loss that walked

with him night and day. He missed Lois horribly. His wife.

His beloved. His lover. His best friend. The mother of

his children. His soulmate. Without her, he would never

be whole again. Just being able to talk to her had brought

a measure of healing, but he knew that until he could again

hold her in his arms, it would never be complete.

Ching walked quietly up behind Kal-El. He had expected to

feel pain coming from his Lord because of the separation

from his family, but the gaping wounds he sensed went far

beyond what should be. He had to find out what the cause of

these open sores were... now was not the time to quibble

about ethics; it was time for action. Carefully, Ching

entered Kal-El's mind, searching for how to ease the

emotional distress. His eyes widened in shock as he

discovered... It can't be... he thought. The Bond is

rare enough among our own people... It was true however.

Lord Kal-El was one of the chosen who had found his

Kreh'kle'vshta... And they had separated them.

Zara and the Council had to be informed. To meddle with

the bond was said to bring death and destruction upon the

entire society... Zara must be made to see sense; Kal-El

literally belonged to someone else just as if his wife had

tattooed her name and 'hands off' all over him. Silently,

he broke contact, turned around, and went to see Zara.

****

"Zara?" Ching called as he stepped into her quarters.

Zara put the brush she was holding down and turned to face

him. "Yes, Ching?"

"Zara, something has come to my attention... something you

must know of."

"What is it, Ching?" she asked quietly. From the

expression on his face, she knew that it was serious... and

could mean trouble.

Ching sighed before he continued. "It would be easier to

show you..." He stepped forward and lightly touched the

back of her hands, allowing her to see his memory of what

he had just discovered.

Zara nodded slowly and withdrew her hands from his. She

was surprised to discover that she... missed the contact.

"I see... And I was going to..." she closed her eyes in

shock. "By the One Who Holds Us All! I didn't know... I

didn't realize..." Zara looked at Ching again. "I must beg

his forgiveness... if he will still help us, our 'marriage'

will be in name only; I will even insist on separate

rooms..." As Zara began to turn away, her mind

inadvertently made more contact with Ching's than she meant

to. She closed her eyes again and took a deep breath as

she accidentally discovered his... She turned to him

quickly, surprise flashing in her eyes. "You... *love*

me?" She asked incredulously.

Ching hung his head before her, refusing to look her in the

eye, his posture one of defeat. Convinced that she could

never care for him, he had hidden his feelings for a very

long time... Now that they had finally been revealed he

was very much afraid. He glanced at Zara quickly and

noticed not disgust as he had feared, but an air of quiet

contemplation had settled over her.

Long ago, after their first meeting, Zara had recognized

something within herself that could quickly turn to love.

Ruthlessly, she had suppressed it, knowing that she could

not choose Ching--her choice had been made for her long

ago. She had nurtured her crush for Kal-El, knowing that

he was safe to love for he belonged to her and she to him.

Since meeting him, she had begun to recognize her crush for

what it was but at the same time had tried desperately to

hold on to it. She knew true love when she saw it... and

she saw it in Kal-El's eyes for his wife. He and Lois

obviously loved each other; she would do her best to re-

unite them.

Slowly, Zara held out her hand to Ching. "I never knew,"

she began quietly as he took her hand. "I never thought

you cared at all... I knew my crush on Kal-El for what it

was... But you of all people know what my life is like--

cajoling Councilmen into doing what is best for New

Krypton. I never dare to show emotion for fear of being

labeled as an 'emotional' woman... never can let anyone too

close for fear of them either trying to use me or being

used against me... My crush on Kal-El was different...

showing emotion about the person you're married to is

safe... especially since he wasn't around."

"I know, Zara," Ching said softly. Hesitantly he slid his

hand into hers, lacing their fingers together. "I think...

perhaps... we should go talk to Kal-El?" Zara answered

with a sharp nod and they headed towards the observation

room where Kal-El had been seen last.

****

Clark wandered over to a soft chair and sat down. It was

hard to believe that in a few short days, they would be on

another planet... Zara had mentioned something about

getting the chip immediately removed from his arm upon

their arrival and having the doctor give him inoculations

for Kryptonian diseases. After all, he didn't have the

proper antibodies and if he caught what might be, to them,

a minor illness, there was the possibility that he might

become seriously ill.

He didn't like the thought of getting sick; the only time

he had ever gotten sick before he'd almost died. He

supposed it would be a really good thing if he could obtain

some medical information... after all, if one of the

children ever got sick their Kryptonian heritage might

cause problems... Clark pulled the locket out from

underneath his shirt and opened it. He ran his finger

gently over the picture, as if he could really touch them

through the paper of the photograph. He was so wrapped up

in his memories that he didn't hear Zara and Ching

approach.

"Kal-El?" Zara's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Yes?" he answered, closing the locket and tucking it away

again.

"Clark," Zara began firmly, playing with a strand of her

waist-length hair as Ching stood behind her and offered his

moral support. "I need to apologize... I know I already

told you that I'm sorry we had to involve you in this...

But I just wanted you to know that I had thought to

convince you to stay with us--I am sorry for that. After

the Ceremony of Union, which makes it legal for us to..."

Zara colored prettily, "...consummate the marriage, I will

insist on separate rooms."

Zara regarded hum seriously, "If you had told us from the

beginning that you and Lois are Kreh'kle'vshta... in your

language it would be 'soulmates', this would have been a

little more clear from the beginning... I swear by the One

That Holds Us All that I will make sure that you make it

home to your wife..." Zara trailed off.

"Thank you," Clark said softly, his eyes bright with unshed

tears. "You can't know what this means to me..."

Ching leaned over and grasped Clark's hand. "Yes," he

began quietly, "I think I do."

****

Lois sat in the living room, watching Kiley and Joseph

play. She smiled as Joseph scooted his cars around the

floor, making "vroom, vroom" sounds. It felt strange to be

in Smallville without Clark... She still missed him

horribly, but being able to 'talk' to him on an almost

daily basis helped immensely. Lucy had been surprised when

she was informed of their planned trip to Smallville, but

she was happy to be able to spend time with Jimmy once

more. With a weary sigh, she settled back in her chair and

laid her hand on her distended abdomen. She smiled as she

felt their baby kick.

What she wouldn't give to have Clark beside her so that he

could feel their child move! They had yet to discuss

names, but it was still months until her due date, so they

didn't have to worry yet. She half-closed her eyes and

imagined Clark beside her, his strong arms encircling her

in a loving embrace. It was the little things she missed

the most, his soft breathing beside her at night in the

darkness, his arms holding her close as they slept, the way

he teased her when she needed it. Every day and every

night, the prayer was the same--'Please, God bring him home

to us quickly.'

"Mommy?" a little voice interrupted her musings.

Lois looked up to see her daughter holding a tiny teacup

and saucer. "Yes, punkin'?"

Kiley held out the dishes, "Clarkie-bear, Annie, and me are

having a tea party. Would you like some, too?"

Lois smiled and accepted the cup and saucer. "Sure,

sweetie... I'd like that."

Kiley walked over to a small table where her 'tea things'

sat. After putting cups and saucers in front of Clarkie-

bear and Annie, she carefully picked up the teapot, walked

over to her mother, and poured a light brown liquid into

Lois's cup. "It's choklat tea, Mommy," Kiley said with a

big grin.

"Thank you, punkin'," Lois raised the small cup to her lips

and took a sip. It tasted like... chocolate milk.

"Chocolate milk, sweetie?"

"No, Mommy. It's choklat *tea*." Kiley insisted.

Lois laughed, set the tiny cup and saucer down, and pulled

Kiley into an embrace. "Chocolate tea, then," she agreed.

"Thank you for the chocolate tea, Kiley."

Kiley wiggled out of her mother's arms to go put plastic

cookies in front of her bear and her doll. "You're

welcome, Mommy... Want some more?"

Just as Lois was about to answer, the doorbell rang. "Jut

a minute, punkin'," she said as she levered herself out of

the chair and headed towards the door. She opened the

door, expecting to see the Irigs; they had been planning on

visiting that day. She was shocked to see the slender form

of a woman dressed in what she considered outlandish

clothing... who was the exact image of Lara in the

hologram. Quickly, she shut the door and turned to her

children. "Kiley, take Joseph and go find your grandma and

grandpa... they should be in the barn. *Now*."

Kiley took one look at her mother's face, and grabbed

Joseph's hand. "C'mon, Joseph. Let's go find Grandpa."

Joseph wrinkled up his face. "No! Play cars."

Kiley grabbed the cars and stuffed them in her pocket.

"We'll play cars with Grandpa. C'mon."

Joseph pouted for a moment before following his big sister

through the house and out the back door. Lois watched them

leave before taking a deep breath and opening the door.

"May I help you?" She asked, struggling to keep her voice

steady.

"Lois Lane-Kent?" the woman asked in a slightly accented

voice.

"Lois Lane," she asserted quietly. "I don't use my

husband's name much."

The woman inclined her head in response. "I am Kirim-

Wys... your husband's cousin. The Council sent me to warn

you... and offer you some protection from Lord Nor. May I

come in to explain?"

Lois opened the door a little wider and ushered her inside.

She really didn't know what to think. Why had they come

back? They had already taken her husband from her... what

more did they want? Lois collapsed into the chair she had

vacated earlier, gesturing to Kirim-Wys to take a seat

opposite her on the couch.

"The situation with Lord Nor has deteriorated," Kirim-Wys

began. "A few weeks ago, he approached the Council with a

proposal... he asked for an alliance between the House of

El and the House of Nor." She paused for a moment and

glanced at Lois, trying to figure out what her cousin's

wife was thinking... "He has a son near enough in age to

your daughter. His proposal is to marry them and put

himself on the throne as regent. The Council has yet to

make a full decision concerning that, but they are in

agreement about one thing; Nor must not ever gain the seat

of power."

"Lois, my father is sure that there is a leak in the

Council. It may only be a matter of time before Nor's

informant tells him where to find you and your children.

We found you by the simple expedient of accessing the

records of where your husband landed... especially since

you were not present at the last location Lady Zara and

Lieutenant Ching sent us a message from. If Nor's informant

lets him see the records, he will find you, the children

will be taken, and you and Kal-El's adoptive parents will

be killed. The council sent me with the bodyguards your

family is entitled to under ancient law as part of the

House of El. They also sent me to bring the Heir, your

firstborn, to New Krypton... to Kal-El. They believe that

as the current Heir, she is in grave danger and will be

safer with her father, surrounded by the Elite Guard until

this matter with Lord Nor is resolved."

"Let me get this straight," Lois began, fire igniting in

her eyes. "In the six weeks we've known about you, you've

ripped my husband away from us, taken him to another planet

where his safety and well-being is in question, and now you

want to dump a covey of bodyguards on us and steal my

daughter as well? Call your Council, however you do that

and tell them that they can have my daughter over my dead

and lifeless body. It's bad enough that you've taken my

husband, you will *not* get my daughter as well!" She

pushed herself up and pointed toward the door in an

imperious manner. "Out. *Now*."

Kirim-Wys stood and quietly walked toward the door.

"Milady," she began, "We only wish for your safety... I

will be back." With that thought, she exited the house and

walked off to disappear into the trees.

Martha and Jonathan came in a few minutes later, carrying

Kiley and Joseph. "Lois, honey, what's the matter? Kiley

said there was a strange woman here." Carefully, they put

the children down and sat down on the couch. Kiley,

sensing her mother's distress, came over and climbed into

her lap. Lois hugged her tightly and kissed her on the

forehead fiercely.

"Kiley, sweetheart, I need you and Joseph to go into your

room and play in there for a while... I need to talk to

Grandma and Grandpa."

Wordlessly, Kiley slid off Lois's lap and took Joseph by

the hand. She knew something big was happening, but when

her mom looked like that, it was best to obey without

argument. She headed towards the stairs, pulling Joseph

behind her. He resisted at first... until she offered to

share the treat that Grandpa Kent had given her earlier

that day.

Lois watched them start up the stairs before turning to

Martha and Jonathan. "The woman's name is Kirim-Wys...

she's Clark's cousin. She was sent to leave bodyguards in

case Lord Nor comes hunting for us... and to take Kiley

back with them because she's our eldest child." She drew

in a shaky breath. "Damn them," she whispered hoarsely.

"First Clark... now they want Kiley. Will it never end?

Will they come back for Joseph and our baby next?"

Martha came over and put her arms around Lois, hugging her

tightly. "We won't let that happen! They won't be allowed

to take our grandchildren without a fight. How do we know

that we can believe their intentions are good? Did she say

why they wanted Kiley?"

Lois grimaced. "She says the Council wants to make sure

that she's safe from Nor. They want to surround her with

something she called the 'Elite Guard' to protect her.

They think that Nor might be able to find us, take the

children, and kill us. She said that they're leaving

bodyguards to protect us just in case. They have yet to

offer us any proof that they're on Clark's side."

"If they're telling the truth, and assuming we let them

have her, are they going to send her to Clark?" Jonathan

asked quietly.

"Yes," Lois answered slowly. "If she's telling the truth,

and if we let her go."

"Are they convinced that she'll be safer there than she is

here... does Clark know?" Martha asked.

"Yes... No..." Lois looked at her in-laws with anguish in

her eyes. "I don't know..."

"Then I guess the question is, how do we keep them away

from her..." Jonathan began. "Our safety is in our

anonymity... and they'll take her when hell freezes over."

Lois's eyes filled with tears. She didn't want to send

Kiley with these people... and with Martha and Jonathan on

her side, she wouldn't have to. Nor would never get his

hands on her little girl... none of the New Kryptonians

would.

****

Clark pulled at the uncomfortable collar of the colorful,

form-fitting tunic that Zara had insisted he wear. He

wasn't looking forward to meeting the Council in person...

or the Ceremony of Union that would make his 'marriage' to

Zara legal in the eyes of New Kryptonian society. They

were to arrive in Ka'tra'anl, the capital city, within the

hour where he would almost immediately be confirmed as

First Lord. He was thankful that Zara had come to him and

apologized... She had assured him that she, as well as

Ching, would do her best to see him safely back to Earth

after Lord Nor was defeated.

Abruptly, he stood up and crossed the room, his boot heels

clicking against the floor of the ship. Clark stopped near

an observation window and stared out into the endless

darkness of deep space. He closed his eyes and imagined

Lois with him... she had always loved to fly among the

stars cradled in his arms... Clark smiled-he could almost

feel her arms slip around his neck and her small, lithe

body press against his. He opened his eyes and glanced

around the room; for a moment there, he had thought he

smelled his wife's perfume.

Leaning against the wall, he tried to decide if he had

finally lost his mind; it wasn't the first time that he had

sensed Lois beside him, smelled her perfume, and even felt

her arms slip around his waist and hold him tight. He

sighed, sure it was a hallucination brought on by his

longing to be at home with her and their children.

Some nights when he closed his eyes, he could see her and

the evidence of her advancing pregnancy. He wondered if it

really could be a sign that he was losing his mind... then

again, it could be part of the fact that they were

soulmates... Zara and Ching had implied that being

Kreh'kle'vshta meant something special to Kryptonians, but

hadn't said much about how it worked. Ching had promised

that his Aunt would explain such things, hopefully, he

wouldn't have to wait very long.

****

Kirim-Wys stood quietly as her crew put in a call to the

Council. As the images of the twelve Lords shimmered into

life on the screen, she stepped forward and bowed. "Lords

of the Council," she began, "The Heir's biological mother

has listened to our plea and, understandably, steadfastly

refuses to allow her child to leave with us. I await your

orders." Kirim bowed again and stepped back to wait for

the transmission to go through.

"Lady Kirim," Sarn-Ra began, "are you sure that she will

not permit the child come?"

"Yes sir... Her public thoughts as well as her words are

definite on that. She already isn't too happy with the

fact that we forced her husband to come to New Krypton...

taking her child will most definitely not endear us to

her." Kirim wisely decided not to say anything to the

Council of Lois's pregnancy... after all, if there really

were spies on the Council, it would put her cousin's wife

in yet even more danger...

Sarn-Ra sighed heavily. Sometimes he hated this job.

"Kirim, the Heir must be protected. Tonight, you must

fetch her... Leave the message ball and the bodyguards; we

know they will protect Kal-El's Terran family--the memories

questioned them extensively. Report directly to me when

you have left Earth with the child and come back to us at

full speed. We will have the Naming ceremony for the child

after you arrive. Take care of her for us, Kirim; we are

counting on you."

Before she could reply, the transmission cut off. Kirim

grimaced and began to make plans. She was thankful that

she had convinced the Elders of the Council to include a

two-way communicator in the message globe... That way, Lois

could be assured of her daughter's safety. With a nod to

the captain of the ship, Kirim hurried off the bridge and

toward her quarters... she had a note to write.

****

Lois walked soundlessly into the children's room and

carefully pulled the covers back up from where Joseph had

kicked them. She leaned over and kissed her son tenderly

before moving over to Kiley's bed. Gently, she tucked the

blankets more securely around her daughter and pushed a

curl off her forehead. She pulled a chair up beside the

bed and sat down for a few minutes to watch her baby girl

sleep.

Lois smiled as she watched her daughter. Kiley slept

curled around her two favorite toys, Clarkie-bear was

clutched tightly to her with one arm while Annie's dress

was held tightly in the little girl's fist. The doll's

dark brown hair was tangled wildly with Kiley's own. Lois

kissed her daughter gently and wondered how anyone could

contemplate taking her away... It was the same kind of

wrong-headed thinking that caused Clark to break up with

her 'for her own good' years before.

Lois tugged the covers up gently around Kiley and stood to

make her way to the door. Days started early on the farm,

and it was high time she joined the rest of the house in

slumber. Lois changed into one of Clark's old football

jerseys and slid underneath the blankets on Clark's old

bed. His presence was still tangible in the room he grew

up in. It had not changed much since the first time she

had ever slept in it... remnants of his childhood still lay

scattered all over the room. She hugged the pillow to her

chest and let the good memories of this place wash over

her.

Lois smiled as she remembered the times they had spent

together on the farm, the lazy weekends away from work

where Superman emergencies were unlikely to interrupt them.

It was here that Martha and Clark had finally succeeded in

teaching her how to cook... here that Kiley had been

conceived... and here where the holidays had been spent

together as a family even before the children came along.

Lois cradled the memories close to her heart and as she

fell asleep, she could have sworn that she felt Clark's

arms around her.

****

Kirim walked into the transport with four bodyguards

trailing behind her. The men were outfitted with a full

kit and prepared to spend the next few months roughing it

while they protected their Lord's family. If the conflict

had not been resolved by then, replacements would be

sent... They understood that their duties would include

helping on the farm as needed as Kal-El's adopted father

was getting on in years. Kirim checked the handwritten

note and the message globe once more before tucking them

into the pocket of her charcoal gray suit.

She hated to do this, but it was imperative that the Heir

be kept safe on New Krypton while Nor was in position to

gain power. They entered the transport and flew down to

land in the farmyard. Silently, they exited the vessel and

the men dispersed to secure the perimeter. They had

devices with them to help monitor the property... if

anything larger than a cat entered the Kent's land, they

would know.

Kirim entered the house through an unlocked window and

crept up the stairs, checking each sleeping chamber as

silently as she could for the child. Finally, she found

the children's room. She stared at the face of the little

one who was the hope for New Krypton's future, barely

registering the presence of the younger child in the next

bed. She carefully untangled the Heir from the bedding and

picked her up, making sure to bring along the toys that the

little girl had clutched in her arms, leaving the message

ball and the note on the little girl's pillow. She froze

as Kiley stirred slightly and gently brushed a curl away

from the child's face.

Kirim crept soundlessly out of the house through the same

window and made her way back towards the transport,

cradling the child close to her body. She entered the

transport, laid the Heir down on a small couch before she

opened her mind to give the men their final orders. She

glanced over at the couch, noticing how the Heir had curled

herself in a tighter ball around her playthings. Sev,

Jau, Foler, and Vdi. Remember, it is your duty to protect

Lord Kal-El's family. See that no harm befalls them or you

will not just answer to the Council, you will answer to me

personally. Assist them in any way they require; you are

to obey their orders... Lady Kyrin gave you the language,

so there should be no problems in communicating. But above

all, don't let down your guard--Lord Nor has agents

everywhere.

Yes, Milady came the response from all four of them.

Kirim nodded to the pilot, who immediately took off and

flew back to the ship to make their way back to New

Krypton. She picked up the little girl and carried her out

of the transport. One of the officers offered to take her,

but Kirim refused--she knew that the child was safe with

her and she trusted few others with her charge's safety.

She walked quickly back to the child's quarters and laid

her on the bed, covering her with warm blankets. She looked

around the room, satisfied with the toys and other objects

of childhood that lay scattered around the chamber.

Tomorrow she would obtain clothes for her cousin and have

her checked out by the ship's doctor--it would be necessary

to have a locater chip implanted in her arm and she would

need vaccinations against the diseases that she might come

in contact with.

Kirim drew a soft chair up to the edge of the bed and

arranged it into a reclining position... When the Heir

awoke, she knew her presence would be required; the little

one was sure to be scared when she awoke in a strange place

far away from the people she loved.

****

Clark pulled at his collar nervously as they approached the

landing site outside Ka'tra'anl on New Krypton. He clasped

his hands behind his back and stood stiffly between Zara

and Ching as the vidscreen began to come to life.

"Relax, Clark," Zara murmured, poking him with an elbow.

"They'll give us an hour or so for you to meet your family

here before the Ceremony of Union which will solemnize our

alliance... Once it becomes known of your Kreh'kle'vshta

bond with Lois, no one will expect us to consummate the

union... It is said that to do so would bring destruction

upon our race. They won't bite... hard." She looked at

him with mischief dancing in her eyes and he couldn't help

but smile a little.

"She's right," Ching whispered, "Your tek'l or... aunt gets

to see you first. She has the gift of Memory, so she can

give you the language... it will be like you grew up

speaking Kryptonian..."

Clark took a deep breath and nodded as the image of the

Speaker of the Council of Elders popped up on the

vidscreen. "Welcome to Ka'tra'anl, Kal-El. My name is

Sarn-Ra, I am the Speaker for the Council of Elders. We

welcome you to your home, New Krypton. Your people

joyfully await your presence. We will see you in the

Palace in a few hours." Sarn-Ra bowed low and the image

winked out.

"I'm not so sure about this," Clark muttered uneasily.

"I'm just a reporter... How do you people expect me to

lead an entire society?"

Ching grasped Clark's shoulder. "You're not just a

reporter; you're also Superman... you've *been* helping to

lead an entire world for nine years... And right now, all

you have to worry about is meeting your tek'l--Lady Kyrin-

Wys." Ching moved away from Clark, sat down at the control

panel, and brought them in for a landing before standing

and joining them.

The threesome made their way over to the correct wall and

went through the exit. A small group stood waiting for

them at the edge of the landing platform. An elderly woman

stepped forward and walked gracefully over to where they

stood. Clark gasped in recognition; the woman looked like

an older version of the holograms of Lara from the globe.

The woman reached out and grasped Clark's hand. "My little

lin'dra. How you have grown! " She began in heavily

accented English. "The last time I saw you was at your

Naming... somehow I expected you to still be the tiny baby

my sister and her husband put in their ship... Come, Kal.

We will find a quiet place so that I may give you your

native tongue... and my personal physician must see you to

deactivate the locater chip and give you some

vaccinations..." She smiled at him softly, "We can also

talk. My little love, I would very much like to hear of

your life on Earth." Gently, she tugged him towards a

hovercar while Zara, Ching, and the rest of the crowd

tagged along. The car dropped them off at a large house

and Kyrin led him into a small sitting room.

"Kal, I need your permission to do this... I want to give

you our language... May I?" She twisted a long strand of

hair around her fingers and looked at him quizzically.

"I guess so..." he said skeptically as he dropped into one

of the chairs. "What do I need to do?"

Kyrin smiled and studied him for a moment. "Just relax,"

she said softly, "and drop your shields." She watched her

nephew relax before walking over to him and carefully

rested her forehead on his. She accessed her language

memories and began to implant them in his head, building

the language up from an instinctive level, just as it would

be if he had grown up speaking it. He needed to know how

to read and write in his native tongue as well, so she

carefully added memories of written language with the

memories of the spoken language.

With a happy sigh, she delicately broke contact and

withdrew from his mind. "My little nephew," she murmured,

"How I missed seeing you grow up... Zara told me that you

have a family on Earth... I very much would like to meet

the woman who stole your heart and the great-nieces and

great-nephews that must be back there."

Clark started as he realized that not only was she speaking

to him in a language that he'd never heard more than a few

words of, but that he actually understood it. "Aunt

Kyrin..." he began in perfect Kryptonian, "How am I doing

this? I've never heard this language before..."

"It is the gift of Memory..." Kyrin began. "Those with the

gift can impart memories... discern truth from falsehood...

give language to others... and if they're not lucky or

careful, fall into a state of never-ending Memory where

they literally live only in their memories until they

die..." Kyrin pressed a button next to her chair. "My

physician should be here in a few minutes to remove the

chip and check you out."

Kyrin regarded him with a slight smile. He looked as she

had pictured him and almost as the hologram age

progressions had predicted. Kal was her long-dead sister's

only child... who must have children of his own by now.

She had often wished that Jor and Lara had sent him to her

rather than Earth, but Ching had said that her nephew was

happy there. His happiness was what she had desperately

hoped that he possessed for years. "Will you tell me about

your family and your life on Earth?" she asked quietly.

Clark nodded and pulled the locket out from under his

shirt. "Would you like to see what they look like?" he

asked, opening the locket.

Wordlessly, she stood and came over to join him as he

opened the locket. Kyrin smiled as the pictures came into

view. "Is this your wife?" she asked, running a finger

over Lois's picture. Kyrin looked at him suddenly. "She's

pregnant isn't she?"

"Yes," he answered quietly as he caressed the tiny braided

lock of her hair with one finger. "I didn't want to leave

her... Her pregnancy with Joseph was difficult... she was

sick and was confined to bed for most of it... even then,

he came a month early and the doctors couldn't stop the

labor. Come to think of it," he said thoughtfully, "Kiley

was born a month early too."

Kyrin laid her hand on his arm. She wanted to hug her

nephew and press a kiss to his forehead as she had when he

was a baby, but despite her memories of him, he was a

stranger and she was unsure how he would react. "And these

are your children?" she asked, pointing to Kiley and Joseph

in turn. "They're adorable!"

"That's Kiley, and that's Joseph." He said softly. "And

these are my parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent."

"I want to hear all about them," she began, "But first, we

need the doctor to see about the chip in your arm. Since

we don't want you to get sick and you probably don't have

immunity to our diseases, my physician also needs to give

you the full complement of shots..." She tipped his head up

so that his eyes met hers. "I know you miss them, Kal, but

they will be all right... and it is very possible that you

will be reunited with them soon," she said softly before

she hurried off to answer the door chime.

****

Lois woke and stretched slowly. Her dreams the night

before had been wonderful and filled with Clark. She

smiled as she felt their baby kick. "It's okay, little

one," she murmured, "Daddy will be home as soon as he

can..." She swung her legs over the side of the bed and

rose to dress. She pulled on one of Clark's flannel shirts

and a pair of maternity jeans before heading to the kids'

room to get them up and dressed.

Lois paused in the doorway, anticipating the peaceful sight

of her little ones sleeping. She looked around the room,

expecting to see both Kiley and Joseph curled up in their

beds. Noticing that Kiley's bed was empty she hurried over

to it, thinking that her daughter might have rolled out of

bed in the night as she sometimes did.

It can't be she thought as her eyes lit on the pillow

where a note and a globe exactly like the one from Clark's

ship sat. The globe is back in Metropolis in our safety

deposit box! Lois reached over and grabbed the note,

hoping for some sort of explanation. Kiley had been

learning how to write and loved leaving pictures lying

around for her to find. It was remotely possible that

Kiley was playing a game... despite the fact that the paper

the note was written on was unlike any she'd ever seen

before. Lois opened the note and began to read... at the

first line, she fell to the ground in a dead faint from the

shock of what it said...

Joseph opened his eyes and looked sleepily around the room.

Something was wrong. Clutching Ted E. Bear close to him,

he scooted out of bed and walked over to where his mother

lay crumpled on the ground.

He leaned over and looked at her quizzically. "Mommy

seepin'? Mommy sick?" he asked and waited for an answer.

Upon receiving none, he laid his small hand on her cheek

and began to pat it soothingly. "Mommy, *wake up*!" His

lower lip began to tremble as he still received no answer.

"Mommy?" he said as he began to sob. "MOMMY!" he yelled,

trying to obtain a response. Joseph tugged at her hand,

frightened.

Martha hurried into the room, alerted that something was

wrong by Joseph's cries. "What's the matter, sweetie?" she

said before noticing Lois's crumpled form. "JONATHAN!"

Martha yelled as she checked Lois's pulse and began to try

and pull her up. Joseph abandoned his bear in favor of

latching on to Martha's leg. He buried his face in her long

skirt and held on for dear life.

Jonathan, after hearing Martha's cry, ran up the stairs and

into the children's room. Upon seeing Martha attempting to

move Lois, he ran over, shoved the globe out of the way

where it promptly became lost in the bedclothes, and helped

his wife lift her onto the bed. "Martha, what happened?"

Jonathan asked.

"I don't know, Jonathan," Martha said as she reached down

to disentangle Joseph's hands from her skirt and pick him

up. "I'll stay here with Lois while you go downstairs to

call Doc Robinson." Martha patted Joseph gently on his

back as he hid his tearstained face in her chest. "Good

thing he still makes house calls," she said softly.

Jonathan turned, walked to the door, and paused for a

moment to look back. "Do you think she's okay?" he asked

quietly. "I mean, with the baby coming..."

Martha looked at him with a touch of fear in her eyes. "I

hope so, Jonathan... hurry!"

Jonathan hurried out the door and to the nearest phone. He

hoped that Old Doc Robinson would hurry... He wanted to

make sure that his daughter-in-law would be okay...

****

Kiley opened her eyes slowly. She sat straight up,

noticing right away that she wasn't in her room with Joseph

at her grandma and grandpa's farm. The room she was in was

much fancier than her own... and someone was asleep in a

reclining chair next to the bed. Kiley slid off the bed,

taking Clarkie-bear and Annie with her. She didn't know

where she was, but her experience of a few weeks ago had

made her a bit wary. Carefully, she tiptoed around the

still sleeping adult and started looking for a place to

hide.

She spotted a wardrobe and struggled to open the heavy

door. After much tugging, the door opened enough for her

to slip inside and shut it behind her. Kiley burrowed

behind the clothing and huddled in the corner. She was

scared. Where was her family? She had gone to sleep in

the familiar, loving atmosphere of her room at her

grandparents' farm and woken up in a strange room with a

strange person beside her.

Kiley's lower lip began to wobble as she contemplated her

situation... Daddy was far away on New Krypton, so he

couldn't come to help her. She buried her face in Clarkie-

bear's fur and began to cry. Daddy, Mommy she thought

longingly. She wanted her parents, her brother, and her

grandparents. She wanted to be at home.

Kiley started as the door to the wardrobe swung open. She

shrank back in the corner, hoping to avoid detection. She

knew that the last person who kidnapped her had wanted to

hurt her and Joseph... why should this person be any

different?

Kirim winced slightly as she felt the waves of fear coming

off Kal-El's daughter. She had heard of the kidnapping by

one of Nor's creatures and she supposed that the child's

fear was part of the after effects. She slowly held out

her hand to the little girl. "Little one, you have no need

to fear," she began, broadcasting soothing thoughts at the

same time. "I'm Kirim, your father's cousin... your

cousin, too. We're taking you to him."

Kiley looked at her suspiciously. "I don't believe you!"

She shrank back in the corner, away from Kirim's

outstretched hand. "*Daddy*!" she yelled, with voice,

heart, and mind. "DADDY" she screamed again as tears fell

faster down her face. Kiley curled up in a tight ball as

far away from Kirim as she could. She looked up at Kirim.

"Go away." She ordered through her sobs.

Kirim recoiled a bit from the child's mental screams. She

made a low soothing sound deep in her throat as she reached

into the wardrobe and pulled the sobbing child out. She

carried the struggling child over to the couch and sat

down, arranging the girl in her lap. "Shhh. Lin'dra, it's

okay. You're a strong one, child. We'll have to see about

teaching you how to control those gifts of yours."

Kirim drew the child closer to her, and began to murmur

soothing, inarticulate nonsense in her ear. She stroked

the crying child's cheek, knowing that the blood

connection, the Lishra' kre'vatha, would help calm her.

The blood connection was older than time immortal... For

hundreds of years, it was speculated that it had something

to do with their race being telepathic, but no one was

sure. Blood literally called to blood... all it took was a

connection of three generations, and they could feel it.

Fathers to children, children to fathers, cousin to cousin.

They were all bound by blood forever.

****

Clark leaned back in the chair as the physician, Hir-Qre,

ran a device over his right arm. "Almost finished, Lord

Kal-El," the doctor murmured. "This device is keyed to

vibrate the molecules of the chip and disintegrate the

biological components... the mechanical ones will be

naturally flushed out by your body after the organics that

keep it in place are gone..." he explained as he passed the

device over Clark's arm a final time. "There we go," he

said before he turned around to pull a few vials out of his

bag.

"Now for those vaccinations..." Hir-Qre began to prep the

needle carefully, gesturing for Clark to roll up his

sleeve. He carefully inserted the needle into the top of

the packaging for the vaccine and withdrew the correct

amount. Just as he prepared to inject the vaccine, Clark

suddenly sat straight up.

With a far-away look in his eyes he gestured the doctor

away. "Something's wrong with Kiley," he said worriedly.

"I can hear her screaming!"

"But Kiley's on Earth... or she should be," Kyrin said

quietly. "How can you hear her from here?"

Clark shook his head. "It's in my head... she's screaming

my name." Clark reached out his hand and grasped hers.

"Let me show you," he said, before connecting her to what

he heard.

Daddy! she heard, DADDY!!. It was the

heartbreaking sound of a terrified child. "Lin'dra, if you

can hear her, she can hear you... We'll find out what's

going on; I promise. It's probably just a nightmare... I

will have one of our long-range telepaths look into it for

you... But right now, we need to keep you healthy." Kyrin

gestured for Hir-Qre to administer the vaccination and

stepped back.

Clark sat back and closed his eyes. Kyrin was right... It

probably just was one of Kiley's nightmares... But

nightmare or no, Kiley was his baby girl, and he would do

almost anything to be there for her when she needed him.

Kiley, punkin', hang tight... Everything will be okay.

I love you. He gritted his teeth and hoped it would be

enough. He desperately wanted to know what had so upset

his little girl and set things right... personally.

****

Martha smoothed Lois's hair away from her face as Joseph's

sobs began to quiet. Kiley wasn't in the room, but the

door to the bathroom had been closed when she had hurried

past, so she logically assumed that her granddaughter was

in there.

Joseph rubbed his tearstained face once more against

Martha's shirt before looking up into her face. "Mommy

sick?" he asked anxiously as he tugged on Martha's sleeve.

Martha kissed Joseph. "Yes she is, sweetie. But your

grandpa went to call the doctor. Doctor Robinson will make

her better."

"Where Kiley?" Joseph asked.

"Scout, Kiley is probably in the bathroom," Martha said.

"Nuh uh," Joseph began. "Jo'eph seepy. Pitty lady up

Kiley. Kiley go bye bye with lady. Where Kiley?"

Martha's eyes widened in shock. "We'll find out,

sweetheart." She said quietly. Frantically, she began to

scan the room, looking for some clue as to what had

happened. She spotted a crumpled piece of paper on the

floor near the bed and snatched it up. The paper was of a

heavier weight than they kept around the house and it also

seemed to be made of a strange material. Quickly, she

scanned the note, growing angrier as she read.

"To Lord Kal-El's family, the Kents.

The Heir is safely with us and guarded. I am sorry I had

to take her, but Nor has made it a necessity... Despite

your wishes to keep you with her, the Council of Elders has

decreed that she be brought to New Krypton, placed in her

father's care, and under the Council's protection.

You need not fear for her safety and well being. I will

make sure that she is well taken care of. The globe I left

in her stead will allow you to see her and bring some

measure of reassurance. It also contains a message from

the council. Four bodyguards have been left behind for

your protection.

I am sorry.

Kirim-Wys"

How could they do this? They had already taken Clark with

them, why did they have to have Kiley too? Martha clenched

her fists in anger. She was beginning to question whether

Clark should have even left with them. Why couldn't they

leave her family alone? If they could steal Kiley from her

bed, would they steal Joseph and the baby after it was born

too? Would her family ever be rid of these people?

Joseph began to whimper again, so Martha took a deep breath

to calm herself before turning back to her grandson.

Jonathan hurried back into the children's room. "Old Doc

Robinson is on his way to check on Lois," he said.

Jonathan stopped as he noticed the anger in Martha's

expression. "Martha, honey, what's the matter?"

Wordlessly, Martha handed him the note. He scanned it

quickly, his face tightening in anger as well. "They're

long gone by now," he said quietly. "Unfortunately, I

don't see that we can do anything about this... What are we

going to do? Call the intergalactic police?"

"I know, Jonathan... If anything happens to that baby, I

swear that they'll regret the day they were born." Martha

sighed. "I also don't like the idea of having Kryptonian

bodyguards on the farm..."

"Neither do I; but I don't see how we can get rid of them,

and it wouldn't be right to unleash four potentially

superpowered people on the world... Here at least, we can

hide them and teach them to use their powers responsibly...

and I won't hesitate to put them to work to earn their

keep."

Martha grimaced. "There isn't that much to do around here

in November... and the only place they can sleep is in the

barn--I'm not letting them in the house if I can help it."

Jonathan nodded slowly. "Right now, let's wait for Old Doc

Robinson to check out Lois... I'd better go find these guys

and let them know about the doc coming to visit so they

won't do something foolish..." Jonathan leaned over the bed

and pushed Lois's hair back, stroking it lightly. He

straightened up and hurried out of the room, determined to

stop the bodyguards they had been gifted with before Old

Doc Robinson got hurt.

****

Zara and Ching waited patiently with the others in the

antechamber of Lady Kyrin-Wys's manor. Zara knew it

wouldn't take long for the physician to administer the

vaccinations to Kal-El... it was necessary for him to have

them. They had not yet managed to completely conquer

disease and they did not wish for Kal-El to sicken... with

as little immunity he had to their illnesses, it would be

like the plague of 9345... he might not survive the

experience.

The Ceremony of Union was to take place as soon as they

arrived at the Palace; all of the nobles would be there to

watch their union be solemnized while it would be broadcast

to the rest of the people by vidcam. After the Ceremony of

Union, Kal-El would be the First Lord of New Krypton.

Zara smiled as Kal-El emerged from the sitting room with

his tek'l close at his heels. "Come, Kal-El," she said

quietly, "there is much to be done."

Clark nodded shortly as they headed back to the hovercars

and started on the short trip to the palace. Zara sat next

to him in the car, wondering how they could manage to carry

out this farce. Political marriages were the most common

type among the nobility, but they never took place when one

of the participants was Kreh'kle'vshta with another.

The true state of affairs would have to be explained to the

head of the Council fairly soon... It was inevitable that

she would share a suite of rooms with Kal-El, but she would

make sure that they had separate rooms within the suite.

He had given up everything to come with her to save her

world and protect his family. It was the least she could

do.

****

Lord Nor stood concealed in the masses of nobility waiting

for their new leader to arrive. Soon enough, he would be

expected to swear his loyalty to his new Lord... and he

wasn't looking forward to it. His vow would, of course, be

false, but swearing loyalty to anyone went against the

grain. He was Lord Kav-Nor, soon to be master of this

planet and one day ruler of the universe.

He should not have to declare his fealty to another

ruler... especially not one who would soon be pulled from

the seat of power by one who was much worthier to wield it-

-himself. He, like Zara had heard tales of the last son of

the House of El since childhood... and he hated Kal-El

because of them. It was like growing up with a perfect,

invisible brother.

In his guardian's eyes, Kal-El could do no wrong. For that

only, he would see Kal-El dethroned, humiliated, and have

his daughter taken from him. Later, he would keep him

alive to watch first hand the destruction of everything he

held dear... only after he had witnessed his own complete

downfall would Nor let him die.

This world, as well as Kal-El's Earth, would be his for the

taking.

****

Martha held Lois's flaccid hand in her own while Doctor

Robinson began to examine her daughter-in-law. He

carefully pried open one eye at a time and peered into

them. "How long has she been unconscious?" he asked as he

checked her pulse.

"Almost an hour now," Martha said, looking worried.

"There's no concussion, but it looks like she hit her head

when she fainted... I'd like to bring her into the hospital

overnight for observation. Has she been under a lot of

stress lately?" Doctor Robinson looked at Martha and

Jonathan expectantly.

Joseph squirmed in Jonathan's arms. "Mommy sick?" he

asked.

Doctor Robinson held out his arms to Joseph who willingly

went over to him. He tickled Joseph's tummy gently.

"Little one, your Mommy is a little sick, but we're going

to make her better."

Joseph threw his arms around the doctor's neck. "Tank

you," he said sweetly.

"Yes, she has," Martha said.

"And how far along is she?" Doctor Robinson asked as he set

Joseph down on the floor.

"She's around five months... why?" Jonathan said as he

leaned over the bed to stroke Lois's hair.

Doctor Robinson grimaced. "There's a slight chance that

whatever caused her to faint may cause some...

complications... I'm going to order an ambulance... I need

some of the equipment in the hospital to check her out and

make sure that both she and the baby are okay... Can I use

your phone? It's in the kitchen, right?" At Jonathan's nod,

Doctor Robinson headed out of the room and down the stairs.

Joseph scrambled up on to the bed and sat beside his

mother. "Mommy be ok?" He asked.

"Yeah, scout, your mom is going to be just fine," Jonathan

promised. He leaned over, picked his grandson up, and shot

Martha a worried glance. "Just fine," he repeated softly

as if by saying it everything would be okay.

****

Zara and Clark approached the doors to the audience chamber

with Ching following three paces behind to the left. Zara

slipped her arm in his as they reached the doors. It's

for appearances, Clark. She sent quickly.

He gave her an almost imperceptible nod as the doors opened

automatically and they strode forward. Clark had been

drilled in this maneuver over the past few weeks in transit

to New Krypton. Zara let go of his arm and he walked

forward, his empty palms open and his arms outstretched.

He stopped a few feet away from the dais. As the audience

fell to their knees murmuring his Kryptonian name, he

greeted the Council of Elders. "Brothers in bonds, I greet

thee thrice."

"Lord Kal-El, I am Sarn-Ra, chief among your Elders." A

white-haired gentleman began as he stepped down from the

platform and came forward to greet him. "On behalf of your

people and the other Elders of the Council, I welcome you

to New Krypton."

Sarn-Ra gestured to Zara. "Lady Zara, come forward." Zara

quietly walked forward to stand next to Clark. Sarn-Ra

placed Zara's hand in Clark's. "Let the Ceremony of Union

begin," he said. Sarn-Ra stepped back as sonorous music

began to issue forth from the corners of the room.

Simultaneously, Zara and Clark stepped forward to the dais

and kneeled as Lord Fryn-Trey, dressed in full regalia,

wrapped an ornamental rope around their joined hands.

"Kal-El and Zara, married since birth. On this day, the

10th of Gysh'na we meet together to bring this decades-old

union to fruition. Thou shalt be bound together as the

rope now binds thine hands. Thy lives, once two, are now

one. One life, one path to travel. May this binding bring

both of thee joy, and thy children as well." Trey held out

a wine cup to each of them in turn, from which they both

took sips. "By drinking from this cup, thou hast entered

into a covenant... and this union has become legal. In the

name the One Who Holds Us All, this union is now declared,

in this solemn assembly, to be legal, and its consummation

sanctioned by law."

Trey helped them stand and turned to the crowd. "People of

New Krypton, Your new First Lord and First Lady-- Lord Kal-

El and Lady Zara, may they rule long and in peace."

A cheer erupted from the crowd. They stood on the dais for

a few more minutes before Trey led them out of the Council

Chamber and down a long corridor. A young boy walked

before them, swinging what looked like a censer as a bell-

ringer walked behind them using his instruments to announce

their approach. "Milord and Milady," Trey began, "here are

your chambers. Dinner will be sent up in two hours, and

your things will be brought from the ship, Lord Kal-El...

have a nice afternoon and evening. Your first meeting with

the Council is tomorrow morning."

As the doors opened before them, Trey and the boys left,

leaving Zara and Clark alone. Together, they entered the

royal apartments. Zara turned to Clark as the doors closed

behind them. "Clark," she said quietly, "I'll talk to my

uncle, Sarn-Ra, and the Chief Elder, Fryn-Trey, tonight and

make our relationship clear... There's another room next

door to mine that you can have. I'm afraid that while the

upper levels of the Council will understand, the people

will not, so we'll have to stay in the same chambers..."

Zara studied his face intently. There was something

amiss... "Are you okay, Clark?" she asked softly.

Clark sighed heavily and flopped into a nearby chair. He

felt horrible... He knew that it would be a marriage in

name only, but it had felt akin to cheating on Lois when he

let himself be married to someone else. He was also

deceiving a planet full of people... it was like pretending

to be Superman, but on a much grander scale. He had always

hated lying--he wasn't very good at it either. It was

another mark against the New Kryptonians that he now had to

act a lie everywhere he went.

"It's this whole situation," he began quietly, "I just

feel... horrible about it. I mean, now I'm a bigamist, I

have to act a lie all the time, and I don't even really

want to be here. I'd rather be at home with Lois and our

kids."

Zara laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know,

Clark," she said. "I promise I'll do my best to help you

get home after we defeat Nor... I know how much you miss

them; especially Lois."

Clark sighed again, softer this time. "I do miss her...

like I'd miss my right arm. I love her more than words can

express..."

"Then I'll go take a look and make sure your room is made

up while you talk to her! It's well known that the

Kreh'kle'vshta bond lets the bonded ones speak to one

another over impossibly long distances..." Zara gave his

shoulder a final pat before heading down a hallway to check

the room next to hers.

****

Martha, Jonathan, and Joseph waited impatiently outside the

hospital room while Dr. Robinson finished the last battery

of tests. A few minutes later, he walked out. "Mr. and

Mrs. Kent, I'm afraid I have some rather unsettling news

for you..."

"What is it?" Martha interrupted, looking anxious.

"Lois woke up briefly while I was examining her... To be

frank, she freaked out. She was saying something about her

little girl being stolen..." Dr. Robinson looked at them

quizzically.

"Joseph and Kiley were kidnapped from their beds a few

weeks ago," Jonathan explained, "We got them back, and

Kiley is visiting her other set of grandparents right now."

"She's been having nightmares about the children being

missing... especially since Clark was sent away undercover

on assignment," Martha added softly.

Dr. Robinson nodded slowly. "That makes sense... I've

prescribed a mild sedative for now that won't hurt the

baby. The bad news is that Lois is showing signs of going

into premature labor. I'm going to give her some drugs to

stop that, but she needs to be kept in bed for at least a

week and take it easy after that. I'm keeping her here

overnight for observation as well."

"Thank you, doctor... may we go in and see her?" Martha

asked.

"Yes... she was asking for you."

Jonathan picked up Joseph and followed Martha into the

room. He hoped that Clark would be able to come home

quickly... they needed him badly.

****

Kiley snuffled once more and looked up at the adult who

still held her. "Why did you take me away?" she asked

stuffily. "I want to go home."

"Lin'dra," Kirim began, "we wanted to make sure that you

would be safe... We were afraid that Nor might try to take

you away and hurt you. We're taking you straight to your

father... Your mother knows where you are as well."

Kiley's lip began to tremble once more, "But I wanna be

with Joseph and Mommy and the new baby will be born soon...

I wanna help name her... and what does 'Lin'dra' mean?"

Quickly, Kirim moved to reassure her. "Little one, we'll

try to get you and your Father home by then..." Kirim

sighed. "Child, it's hard to translate... I suppose that

the closest I can come to it in your language is

'sweetheart'... Now, what is your name, Lin'dra? We were

unable to find out before we were sent to get you." Kirim

pulled out a handkerchief and blotted the remnants of tears

from the Heir's eyes.

Kiley looked at Kirim shyly through the long silken fringes

of her eyelashes. Somehow, she trusted this person. She

didn't know why... after all, this was the same person who

had been with her when she had awakened, but somehow she

knew that this person who called herself 'cousin' would not

intentionally hurt her. "I'm Kiley Christine Kent," she

said quietly. "What's your name?"

"I'm Kirim-Wys... your cousin." Kirim smiled at Kiley.

"On New Krypton, do you know what your name is?"

Kiley shook her head vigorously.

"It's 'Kiley-El'... at least for now," Kirim said matter-

of-factly. "On New Krypton, your Daddy's name is 'Kal-

El'..."

"Is Mommy's name Lois-El?" Kiley asked, with an interested

look on her face. "What do you mean by 'for now'?"

Kirim winced... this wasn't something she wanted to try and

explain to a four-cycle-old child. "I'm afraid not,

Lin'dra. If your Mommy and Daddy had been married on New

Krypton, it would be, but our laws do not allow for

marriages off-planet... and your Mommy couldn't come with

us because the One did not build her body to withstand the

higher gravity of our planet as we were built. When we get

to New Krypton, we will have your Naming... and you will

get your Kryptonian name..."

"Who is the One? What's gravity? Why do I need another

name?" Kiley asked, trying to digest this new information.

Kirim sighed... It was going to be a very long journey...

****

Lois slowly opened her eyes and winced at the pain in her

head. "Kiley," the word escaped with a low moan. The New

Kryptonians had taken her daughter... and goodness only

knew where in hell she was now. There was absolutely

nothing she could do about it, either. It wasn't like the

Smallville, or even the Metropolis police could hunt for

her in outer space!

Slowly, she looked around the room, attempting to figure

out where she was. The first thing she saw was Martha and

Joseph asleep in the chair beside the bed. She was in the

hospital... again. Lois grimaced--she *hated* hospitals!

She closed her eyes and attempted to focus enough to talk

to Clark, but the pain in her head prevented her from

concentrating on anything for too long.

With a heavy sigh, Lois began to roll over on to her side

and stiffened as she felt something like a cramp. It was

much too early for Braxton-Hicks contractions... she hoped

that something wasn't wrong with the baby...

You're overreacting, Lane she thought, It's only one

little cramp... everything will be okay. With a heavy

sigh, Lois pulled the covers further up around her. She

wished that they had never heard of the New Kryptonians...

and that they had been more militant in their denial of

help at the first meeting. If they hadn't showed up, both

Clark and Kiley would be safe at home with her.

With a heavy sigh, Lois closed her eyes and soon drifted

off to sleep with thoughts of Clark and Kiley running

through her head.

****

Zara walked slowly down the corridor towards her

bedchamber. She hated seeing Kal's--Clark's pain and guilt

over their course of action. She looked up to him... over

the past few weeks, she had begun to see him as the brother

she had never had. She hoped that he would come to see her

the same way... as an ally, a friend... a sibling.

She passed the door to her chamber and strode up to the

next door. She opened it, stepped inside, and palmed the

lights up. Zara gasped in shock as she took in the decor.

The last time she had entered this room, while the

furnishings had been as rich as any in the Royal Chambers,

they had not been meant for... a child. In her absence,

the room had been stripped and completely remade into a

child's dream room. In fact it was much like the room she

had occupied as a child.

A large, heavy, white-painted canopy bed stood in the

center of the room covered in a heavily embroidered pastel

counterpane. The walls were decorated with paintings from

their most beloved children's folktales and toys of every

kind lay scattered around the room in colorful piles. A

large bookcase stood against the wall, filled with picture

storybooks of every description. The El crest seemed to

play a large part of the decorating scheme...

Zara strode forward into the chamber and headed toward the

closet. She threw open the door and peered inside.

Inside, she found clothes appropriate for a four cycle old

little girl... suitable for the heir to the throne of New

Krypton.

Zara narrowed her eyes. She knew the law... the prepared

room spoke of something she had not ordered... something

that the Council of Elders had no right to order. Her

Elders had some serious explaining to do. Quickly, she

composed herself and let her eyes drift half-shut. Lord

Sarn-Ra, she sent and waited for an answer.

Yes, Milady? came back the answer in her uncle's strong

mind-voice.

Assemble the Council immediately. she shot back.

But Lady Zara, it is your wedding night. Sarn-Ra

answered.

Wedding night or not, this cannot wait. I must see the

full Council tonight... half an hour ago would be nice.

Yes, Milady, Sarn-Ra sent with a purely mental sigh.

Good. Zara sent and broke off the contact. She strode

out of the room, shutting off the lights behind her. She

walked across the wide corridor and checked in the room

that lay across from it. She peered inside and nodded

sharply to herself... it would do nicely.

Zara left the room and walked purposely toward the room

where Clark sat... and where the doors led out. "Clark,"

she began as soon as she came into his view, "I have to

leave for a little while. There is some... business I have

to attend to... I promise I'll tell you about it later."

Sunk deep into his thoughts, Clark barely noticed when Zara

entered the room. "Okay," he said absently as Zara slipped

quietly into the outside corridor that led to the main part

of the Palace.

Zara walked quickly to the Council Chamber, growing angrier

by the moment. She reached the doors and stormed in, fire

flashing in her eyes. Mentally, she made herself calm down

before addressing the Elders assembled before her.

"Elders of the Council," she began, suppressed fury evident

in her voice. "Why have you sent our people to steal Lord

Kal-El's daughter from her home?" Zara glared at the men,

daring them to come forward.

"Mmmilady," Lord Ekwe-Rit began, "Wwwe... did not precisely

s--"

"Must I remind you that lying to me may be considered

treason?" Zara said coldly.

Sarn-Ra cleared his throat, "Lady Zara. We did send for

her... The new quantum singularity drive ship was

dispatched to fetch her from Earth. We wanted to make sure

that she would be protected from Nor's plans... and we left

bodyguards to protect Lord Kal-El's family so that Nor

cannot use them against him... us."

"So... let me get this straight," Zara began. Under the

force of her anger the room became utterly silent. The

Elders had never seen her this angry before... every muscle

in her lithe body spoke of her ire. "You sent a virtually

*untested* ship across five galaxies into a solar system

where the only planet that contains life has no idea that

we exist and, if discovered, could very well launch nuclear

missiles at it, to rip Kal-El's firstborn away from her

mother, brother, and grandparents?"

Zara's face hardened as she took a deep breath to continue

her tirade. "You're bringing that child *here* to what has

the potential to become a *war-zone* in a ship that we know

may only work in *theory* to place her in further danger by

the close proximity to Lord Kav-Nor? We all know that he

has a vendetta against the First Lord and he will not

hesitate to kill the child if he thinks it will bring him

any kind of gain! By The One, he'll most likely want to

kill her anyway just to see Kal-El suffer!"

Zara strode forward and brought her fist down with a loud

thump on the rail in front of the Council of Elder's seats.

"Darkness!" she exploded. "What were you *thinking*? Are

you *trying* to get her killed before her fifth cycle?"

"Milady," Lord Jen-Mai began as he attempted to pacify her.

He held out his hands in a conciliatory gesture. "An offer

of a marriage alliance between the House of El and the

House of Nor has been placed on the table... we felt that

the child must at least be here... and that the offer must

be considered. As her legal mother, you have the right to

approve any offer made... that is, if you and Kal-El can

come to an agreement about it."

"Never." Zara said firmly. "I would rather face the

Darkness than allow that sweet child to be joined to any of

Kav-Nor's get. Tak-Nor is a normal, nice little boy at the

moment but his father's influence will change that rather

quickly. As you so kindly pointed out, I *am* her legal

mother. I will *never* allow any daughter of mine to be

shackled to a madman or the child of a madman!"

Zara crossed her arms over her chest. "The safety of that

child is now our first priority. I want no less than two

of the Elite Guard near her at all times. Before the men

are assigned, I want our best Memory to give them a truth-

examination. In fact, with the exception of her father and

myself, *anyone* who comes near her unless she is with one

of us is to be put under examination."

Zara leaned forward and placed her hands on the bar in

front of her. "She is to have all the vaccines for our

diseases administered and quickly. If that child sickens

because of your carelessness and foolishness I *swear* by

the stars, the ground, and all things in between that I

will see you punished to the fullest extent of the Law."

Zara shot a furious glare at each Elder in turn.

"Tomorrow, before open Court, you will admit your folly and

apologize to Lord Kal-El... the Old Way. And you'd better

pray to the One that he is more forgiving than I--if it

weren't for the fact that, according to Law, I can do no

more than reprimand you, I would see you banished to your

estates at the very least... But even I am not above the

Law."

As one, the Elders stood and bowed to her deeply. "Yes,

Milady," they murmured.

"You are dismissed," Zara said coldly. She turned and

walked out of the door, wondering how she would explain

this to Clark.

****

It was Sarn-Ra who spoke first. "I have never seen her

this angry before," he said seriously.

Ganul-Wys looked over at his long-time friend and grimaced.

"It's the instinct of a parent for a child," he began

softly, "she may not realize it yet, but somewhere deep

inside her, she knows that she is responsible for that

little girl... I've seen it myself with my wife when she

thought that Kirim and Grsek were in danger... though my

wife is not quite as... formidable when she's upset."

"I think we had better do as she says," Xek-Lo said

seriously. "Not only is she First Lady, but I don't think

I'd want to cross her in this..."

Murmurs of agreement followed this remark as Sarn-Ra pushed

a button to call the Elite Guard. "Her wish is our

command," he said ironically as the guards began to appear.

Quickly he gave them instructions to report to Lis-Mir, the

top Memory for a truth examination. Those born with the

gift of Memory could discern truth from falsehood with

nothing more than a thought. They could literally see into

the memories of others without help and the strongest ones

could see through the densest mind-shield.

He dismissed them quickly and turned back to the other

eleven men who comprised the Council of Elders. "Let us

hope that Kal-El will forgive us... and we must pray to the

One to keep that baby safe." With those words, the Elders

dispersed; each sunk in his own thoughts of how to protect

the Heir.

****

Nor smiled as he read Jen-Mai's missive. The Heir would

arrive in two weeks... and he had plans to make. Kal-El's

daughter would have to be the center of his scheme. After

all, whether the Council approved the alliance or not, he

could always force a marriage between his House and the

House of El.

He had always wanted to marry Zara--it would strengthen his

claim immensely, but he would have to wait until he could

dispose of Kal-El. The Ceremony of Union bound them

together for life... Such unions were permanent... unless

one partner found their Kreh'kle'vshta.

Mentally he sneered at the concept. There wasn't a record

of a Kryptonian finding their Kreh'kle'vshta in the past

200 cycles. It was highly unlikely that such a thing

existed at all. Bah. He thought. Tales for children.

He dismissed it from his mind and began to entertain more

pleasant thoughts of becoming the absolute ruler of New

Krypton...

****

Zara entered the suite with trepidation. She had been

pacing the hall for over two hours, trying to come up with

a way to inform Clark of the Council's idiotic decision.

Frustrated, she twisted a strand of her long hair between

her fingers, yanking on it occasionally. Zara heaved a

sigh as she walked quietly over to where Clark sat. She

could have sworn that he hadn't moved a muscle since she

had left him a few hours earlier. Zara laid her hand on

his arm to get his attention. "Clark?" she said softly.

A light snore was her only answer. Zara stared at her

sleeping friend for a few moments, trying to decide what to

do with him. She knew he was tired; Ching had been running

him ragged in the practice-room so that if worst came to

worst, he would be able to hold off one of Nor's assassins

until help could arrive. Leaving him in the chair simply

wasn't an option--not only would the servants talk, but

sleeping in that position simply could not be comfortable.

Ching, she sent. Could you come and give me a hand,

here? Clark fell asleep in the antechamber and he's too

heavy for me to manage on my own.

I'll be right there. Ching sent in response. A few

minutes later, Ching entered the suite and assisted her in

taking Clark to the bedchamber across the hall from hers.

While Ching supported his weight, Zara pulled down the

bedcovers. Carefully, Ching lowered his lord on to the

bed, pulled off his boots, and covered him up.

Zara and Ching walked quietly out of the room, closing the

door behind them. "Ching," Zara began softly, "We have a

problem... The Council went behind my back and sent Kirim-

Wys to fetch Clark's daughter. I just found out and it's

too late to stop it. I was going to tell Clark tonight,

but he's obviously exhausted--it's not even dark outside

yet." Zara bit her lip worriedly. "I'm going to try and

keep her either with me or with Clark... neither he nor

Lois will ever forgive us if anything happens to that

child!"

Ching stepped closer to her and pulled her into an embrace.

"Zara," he said quietly, "We'll figure it out. I promise."

Ching caressed her hair gently. "I swore to keep Clark

safe for Lois... I think that same oath applies for little

Kiley as well."

Zara sighed heavily. "I guess the only thing we can do now

is... wait." Zara brought her arms up around his waist and

held him tightly. She hoped when Nor was defeated that the

Council could be convinced to allow her to form a new

marriage contract--with Ching. She was exceedingly

grateful that she had finally noticed what had been right

under her nose the entire time; she didn't know what she

would do without Ching's love and support.

She smiled happily as Ching carefully pushed her waist-

length hair away from her face. Zara looked up into his

face, wondering at the love she saw in his eyes. With bated

breath, she watched as he began to lower his head closer to

hers. Even with all the time they had spent together, he

had yet to kiss her...

A shiver of anticipation ran through her as his mouth drew

closer to hers. She felt his warm breath on her skin and a

sharp tingle ran up her spine. As his lips softly brushed

her own she pulled him closer, deepening the encounter.

Slowly, she opened her mouth under his, brought her arms up

around his neck, and tangled her hands in his hair.

They broke off the kiss a few moments later, gasping for

air. "Wow." Zara murmured softly.

"I love you," Ching said quietly.

"I know... I love you, too," Zara said. She took his hand

in hers and began to gently tug him in the direction of the

sitting room. "I think we need to talk..."

****

Kirim sighed in exasperation as she tried to get the bear

away from Kiley for the fifth time that day. Normally, she

wouldn't have even tried, but the bear was in serious need

of a bath. A few minutes in the sonic washer and it would

be as good as new, but Kiley refused to let it out of her

sight. She had even tried to borrow it in the middle of

the night, but the child had begun to wake up. She decided

to try another tactic.

"Kiley. Lin'dra. You know how you got clean in the sonic

shower last night?"

"Uh huh."

"Well, Clarkie-bear is getting dirty, too. We need to give

him a bath."

"No." Kiley cuddled Clarkie-bear closer to her.

"Little one, doesn't your Mommy wash him sometimes?" Kirim

asked patiently.

"Yesss. But that's Mommy's job. Daddy won Clarkie-bear

for Mommy a long time ago.... Before I was borned... Before

they got married. Mommy gave him to me when I was borned."

Huge tears began to well up in Kiley's big brown eyes.

"Daddy an' Mommy are a long ways away..."

Kirim melted under Kiley's gaze. She gathered the child to

her and hugged her gently. "Lin'dra, I'll tell you what.

You and I will take Clarkie-bear to the sonic washer and

we'll watch him wash, okay?"

Kiley nodded and rubbed her face against the sleeve of

Kirim's gown. "Can Annie take a bath with Clarkie so that

he won't be lonely?" she asked.

Kirim smiled, grabbed Annie off the bed, and handed her to

Kiley before picking the child up. "Lin'dra, it's time

your friends got their baths." She headed out the door and

down the corridor to the sonic washing unit. Carefully,

she lifted Kiley up to put the toys in the machine and

helped her push the button.

Kirim pulled a chair in front of the machine and set Kiley

on it. She absently stroked the child's hair as she began

to contemplate the events of the past few days. The

physician had given her a clean bill of health and Kiley

hadn't objected to the vaccinations and the implantation of

the chip... much. Over the past few days, she had learned

much about children Kiley's age... she had been amazed to

discover how much dirt the child could manage to find in

the brand-new pristine ship.

While Kiley often seemed animated and happy, Kirim could

tell that not all was right--a lingering sadness lurked in

the depths of the child's eyes. Absently, she began to

twist a few of the Heir's curls around her fingers. She

was such a sweet little girl that her sadness hurt...

Kirim wanted to make it go away, but she knew that the only

remedy would be to reunite the little girl with her

parents.

Captain, she sent, At our present speed, how long

will it take for us to reach New Krypton?

It will take another two weeks, Milady came the

response.

Can we achieve a greater velocity? The Heir needs to be

reunited with her sire.

Yes, Milady. At top speed it will take a week, but it

has not had as extensive tests performed on it as the one

at which we are currently traveling.

Captain, on my authority, speed up. We were assured that

the ship would function within defined parameters. The

Council of Elders will not thank us if we dally.

Aye, Milady.

Kirim dropped a kiss on the top of Kiley's head and prayed

to the One that it would be sufficient for the child's

emotional stability. She would break the news to her young

charge that night... Hopefully, it would be sufficient

to allay the tears that had fallen every night since their

departure.

****

Martha pulled up the blankets and tucked them gently around

her daughter-in-law. Doctor Robinson had performed some

tests that suggested that premature labor was a distinct

possibility. So while he had signed her release papers from

the hospital the previous day, he had insisted upon her

getting strict bed rest for at least a week. Lois had

regained consciousness for a little while in the hospital,

but Dr. Robinson had given her a light sedative... he said

that the extra sleep would be good for her and help her

heal...

Martha smoothed the bedclothes one last time before going

into the children's room to straighten it up and make the

beds. She was worried and frightened for Clark and Kiley.

Her lips twisted into a grimace of pain that matched the

ache in her heart as she thought about her two lost ones.

Clark had been her miracle, but Kiley had been an even

greater one. Her children had been told that conception

was an impossibility... and then Lois had become pregnant.

When she had held her grandchild for the first time, she

knew that the baby was the greatest miracle of all... She

*knew* that they would find their way home together, but

having Kiley stolen--no matter the what the supposed 'good'

intentions were and Clark already in that far-away place

hurt horribly.

Martha slowly pulled the covers into place on Joseph's bed

and tucked them in securely. Next, she moved to Kiley's

bed. As she shook out the blankets, the globe that the New

Kryptonians had left rolled off the bed unnoticed and

soundlessly hit the carpet. It continued in a path that

ended in a stack of Joseph's toys. Martha finished her

self-appointed task and walked slowly back to Clark's

childhood bedroom. As she sat in a chair beside the bed,

she stroked Lois's hair gently and prayed for the safe

return of her son and her oldest grandchild.

****

Zara knocked softly on Clark's door. Clark? she sent,

and waited for an answer. She had to tell him-- he

deserved to know.

"Coming," Clark called as he came to the door. He stood

uncertainly in the doorway and tugged nervously at the

collar of his tunic.

Zara inspected him quickly. "You'll do," she said with a

small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Then,

remembering why she had come, Zara bent her head to look

down at the ground and played with a strand of her hair

nervously. "Clark... I found out something last night that

you're not going to like... I don't like it myself... I-I-I

got pretty mad about it in fact... I haven't lost my temper

like that in years; I usually can't afford to."

"What is it, Zara?" Clark asked quietly.

Zara ducked her head further down, studying the carpeted

floor as if it were the most fascinating thing she had ever

seen. "Without my knowledge or consent, the Council of

Elders decided that Kiley would be safer here... so they

sent the new prototype of a quantum singularity drive ship

to go get her. Apparently, Nor approached them with a

proposition... a concubine provided him with a son named

Tak who is Kiley's age. As long as he acknowledges the

child, Tak is his legal heir... He offered a marriage

alliance between the House of Nor and the House of El..."

Clark's face clouded over with rage. "They want to marry

*my* baby daughter off to the son of a madman? They snatch

my four-year-old little girl from her mother and her home

in some sort of insane plan..." Clark's hands balled up

into fists. "I tell you, Zara, they will marry my little

girl off to one of Nor's get when hell freezes over," he

snarled.

Zara laid her hand on his arm. "It's okay, Clark... They

can't agree without our consent anyway... According to

Kryptonian law, the Council must have the agreement of the

parents as well as the agreement of the First Lord and

First Lady... I already told them no. I'm sending her back

as soon as we can spare the ship... and if we're lucky, Nor

will have been defeated, and we can send you home with her

as well. They're going too fast for us to even contact

them..."

Clark took a deep breath. "But they think she'd be safer

here? They're bringing *my* little girl into what might

become a *warzone*?! Are they crazy?"

"I swear to you, Clark," Zara began, "I will keep her safe.

It wasn't my idea... but she will get back to Earth... to

your wife... safely. They should be slowing down within

encoded communications range fairly soon... you can see her

and talk to her then... and we can tell them to turn

around." A slightly evil smile crossed Zara's face and

mischief danced in her eyes. "I told the Council that

they had to apologize to you--the old way. It dates back a

few thousand years ago to when the First Lord was more like

an emperor... and courtiers could be beheaded if they

didn't bow properly. I know it won't make this situation

get much better, but it will be fun to watch."

Clark closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. He needed

to be calm--he didn't think he could afford to yell at the

Council. Zara reached out and touched his arm once more.

"My Lord, the Council of Elders awaits..."

"Zara, I need to contact Lois... can the Council wait? I'm

worried about how she's taking it. I mean, it's only been

a few weeks since Tez kidnapped the kids..." Clark looked

at her expectantly.

Zara's face softened. "Yes, they can wait..." She reached

out, took Clark's hand, and led him into the antechamber

toward one of the soft chairs. Ching, she sent,

Please inform the Council that we need a few minutes...

Yes, milady came his reply.

Clark took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Lois? he

called. He waited a few minutes before trying again.

*Lois?* He frowned worriedly and began to concentrate

on the bond. Nothing came from their connection but

silence... and darkness. He could still feel her, so she

wasn't dead, but still... Somehow he got the feeling that

she was unconscious. Was she hurt? What had happened?

He opened his eyes and looked worriedly at Zara. "She's

not answering!"

Zara frowned grimly. "Something more that the Council will

have to answer for... I think we had better go meet with

them..."

Clark, after hours of instruction, knew the protocol. "Yes,

my Lady," He said as he held out his arm to Zara.

Zara rested her hand on the soft sleeve of his court attire

and walked by his side as they exited the Royal apartments.

Ching and three other bodyguards from the Elite fell in

around them as they walked. She gave him directions

telepathically as they wound their way through the maze of

the Palace. The doors to the Council opened before them

and they entered.

The Elders fell to their knees upon Kal-El's entrance and

bowed down to the ground. "We are exceedingly sorry,"

began Sarn-Ra, "For our presumption in sending for thy

daughter." Each Elder apologized separately then rose to

join the group of those who had already made their

apologies. After the last Elder apologized, they bowed

before him as a group, and began to chant ritualized

pleadings for forgiveness. Clark glanced at Zara and saw a

glimmer of mischief still evident in her eyes. This

is... weird. He sent, feeling uncomfortable.

Just wait, she sent with a rather evil chuckle behind

her mind-voice. It gets better... the First Lord who

instituted this had a strange sense of humor... Just as

Zara finished the thought, the Elders began to do a strange

dance to the beat of their chant. I know you've heard

the Earth phrase about... um.. singing for your dinner...

here it's dancing for forgiveness... or at least it used to

be...

Clark suppressed a tiny hint of a smile at the sight of the

dignified Elders' weird performance, but at the same time,

he couldn't help but worry--he didn't know where his

daughter was, he couldn't contact Lois, and he didn't know

what was going on at home. As he watched the Elders dance,

he couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable--the customs

of this place were extremely outlandish... and he was not

quite successful at suppressing his anger at what they had

done to his family.

His little girl was in danger because of them... Lois's

lack of response was most likely due to the fact that they

had snatched his baby daughter. Definitely weird... but

this doesn't excuse what they've done... he sent, anger

flowing freely though his transmission. The dance ended as

the Elders once again sank to their knees and bowed low to

the floor.

Zara nodded to the Elders. "You may rise," she said

quietly. "Make sure this does not happen again. The child

will be here in a few weeks; as soon as they are within

encoded communications range, the order must be given for

them to turn back... We require the latest reports on Lord

Kav-Nor's activities."

As the Elders hastened to comply, Clark stopped them with a

wave of his hand. "Elders of the Council," he began

softly, determination visible on his face. His hands

clenched into fists as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Just in case Lady Zara has not made this perfectly clear

to you... The House of El will be united with the House of

Nor over my dead body."

Clark glared at the members of the Council, taking on a

presence he rarely had except as Superman. "How *dare* you

kidnap her? By doing so, you've placed her in more

danger... On my parents' farm, she was protected by

anonymity! You have taken that away from her. Now, my

four-year-old will be the target for every whacko, every

assassin, and every madman on New Krypton!"

Clark's voice contained a hint of steel and anger shone

through visibly on his face as he continued. "If

*anything* happens to my daughter, I will do *everything*

in my power to see all of you punished within the confines

of the law. Is that clear? We also *must* know if anyone

was... hurt when you stole my little girl."

In one motion, the entire Council bowed before him. "Yes,

Milord," they murmured.

"Lord Kal-El, according to Lady Kirim," Sarn-Ra began, "No

one in the house woke... No one was hurt at all."

"For your sake, you had better hope that your information

is correct. Continue... We require the information on

Nor's activities," Clark said. He was still worried about

Lois, but the only thing he could do was wait until she

contacted him...

"Milord, Milady," Sarn-Ra began. "Nor withdrew his troops

from around Ka'tra'anl a few hours before your arrival. It

is our opinion that he will re-group until he has a plan...

Nor would rather take the kingdom by law than by force--he

wants this world whole, not torn apart by war."

Trey walked over and handed them a palm-sized computer.

"Here are his troop deployments and their current

locations... The Guard has been called up and all of the

people from the surrounding countryside have been relocated

within the walls for the time being." Trey regarded Clark

seriously. "He only has enough troops to attack one city

at a time... but if he does it right, he could have us

under siege here for quite some time."

Other members of the Council began to come forward with

information. Jen-Mai smiled to himself--they did not know

of Nor's exact troop deployments... and he intended to keep

it that way.

****

Jonathan watched the bodyguards warily from the kitchen

window as they began to do the chores for him. In

curiously accented English their ranking officer, Captain

Foler had explained that they were to help with the

chores... and that they were there to keep his family safe

until his son could return to them. Apparently, one of the

reasons that these particular members of the Elite Guard

had been picked was for their background in farming. All

four of them had been raised on farms... and many of the

animals on New Krypton were similar to the ones indigenous

to Earth.

He held his grandson on his lap while Joseph happily played

with his cars. "Vroom, vroom," the little boy said as he

ran the cars all over 'Gampa road'.

"That's right, scout," Jonathan said absently as he ruffled

Joseph's hair.

"Gampa, Jo'eph potty." Joseph said, squirming slightly in

his grandfather's grasp.

Jonathan got up and carried Joseph upstairs to the

bathroom. "Need any help, scout?" he asked.

"Jo'eph do." Joseph asserted as he climbed on to his

special seat.

Jonathan smiled at his grandson and waited patiently for

him to finish. A few minutes later, he pulled up the

child's pants and held him up to the faucet to wash his

hands.

"Gampa down," Joseph demanded after his hands had been

washed. Jonathan put him down and watched him run towards

his parents' room. He leaned against the wall for a brief

moment and prayed that Clark and Kiley would be home soon.

He pushed himself off the wall and went downstairs,

carefully latching the baby gates behind him.

****

Joseph toddled quickly into his parents' room in search of

his mother. He spotted her on the bed and walked over to

her. Lois was sleeping peacefully with one hand dangling

over the side of the bed. "Mommy seepin'," he said

quietly. Joseph planted a wet kiss on her hand and went in

search of his grandmother.

"Gan'ma?" he called as he wandered into his and Kiley's

room. Martha wasn't in the room, but he spotted something

new... a toy that he'd never seen before. Joseph wandered

over and touched the toy. "Pitty ball," he said as he

reached over to pick it up. He stood up and passed the

ball from hand to hand before putting it down and rolling

it as fast as he could.

Joseph chased the ball into the hallway before it rolled to

a stop and he picked it up once more. He held the ball

with both hands and began to walk down the hallway, still

looking for his grandmother.

"Joseph!" he heard his grandmother's voice call.

Joseph reached the landing at the top of the stairs. He

grinned happily and stuck one hand in between the spindles

of the staircase and waved. "Hi Gan'ma!" he called.

Joseph stood on his tiptoes and dropped his new toy over

the edge of the banister. He squealed happily as he

watched it fall through the air.

The ball landed with a thump that made Martha wince. She

walked over to look at what he had dropped and was

surprised to discover a globe almost identical to the one

that had been in the ship with Clark when they had found

him. She picked up the globe and stuck it in the large

pocket of her apron to examine later before climbing the

stairs to get Joseph.

Martha leaned down and picked him up. "How would you like

to go help Grandpa, scout?" she asked as she swung him

around to straddle her hip.

"Jo'eph help," he said with a sunny smile.

Martha laughed and kissed him on the cheek before heading

downstairs. She couldn't help but think, as she carried

Joseph into the kitchen, that she and Jonathan were getting

far to old for this kind of thing... Her son was on another

planet, her daughter-in-law was under light sedation

upstairs, the same aliens who had taken her son away had

taken her granddaughter as well, and they had a two year

old to chase. Life couldn't get much more interesting than

that.

****

Kirim handed Kiley a nightgown and helped her pull it over

her head. As Kiley scrambled into bed, Kirim picked a book

of Kryptonian fairy tales to read for a bedtime story. She

walked over to the bed and pulled up the blankets around

her young charge. "Lin'dra," she began, "I have some news

for you."

Kiley looked up at her worriedly, "Is it good?" She asked.

"Jal'her'a, it's very, very good," Kirim picked up a brush

and began to run it through the child's hair.

"What does jal'her'a mean?" Kiley asked.

Kirim laughed softly. "It means "little one," she said as

she began to braid Kiley's hair. They had gone through a

similar routine every night since Kiley had joined them.

At first, the heir had resisted having anyone in on her

bedtime regimen. She had informed everyone that she could

manage on her own... at least until they got to New

Krypton... and her father. She had stringently objected

the first few nights to having her long hair braided--her

parents had never braided it at bedtime, so why should it

be braided now?

"Jal'her'a, I talked to the captain today..." Kirim got to

the end of the braid and bound it securely with a ribbon.

"He said that we should reach New Krypton in about a

week..." she brushed the remaining curls at the end of the

braid into one ringlet. "Which means that you'll get to

see your father very soon."

Kiley turned around and looked at her hopefully. "Does

that mean that Daddy and me can go home?" she asked.

"Lin'dra, I'm afraid not... at least not right away..."

Kiley sighed and settled down in the big bed. "Okay, " she

said, sounding resigned. "I miss Mommy and Joseph and

Daddy."

"I know, jal'her'a, I know." Kirim caressed Kiley's hair

gently, pulled out the book, and began to read Kiley a

story. She finished the story and, with a quick kiss on

Kiley's forehead, Kirim stood up to leave the room.

"Goodnight, Kiley," she said softly.

Kiley watched her leave the room before sliding out of bed

and kneeling beside it. She carefully folded her arms as

she had been taught and began to pray. "Please, God," she

began, "make them let Daddy and me go home soon..."

Kirim sighed as she heard the small voice through the

cracked open door. Not for the first time, she wondered

how they could have conspired to cause this one family so

much heartache. As Kiley's voice continued to speak in her

room, Kirim quickly went through her own nightly rituals

and slipped into her bed with an electronic book for

company. She hoped that they could defeat Nor quickly...

****

Lois opened her eyes and slowly began to scan the room.

She vaguely remembered the events of the previous day. She

glanced at the clock and was surprised to discover that it

was already past Joseph's bedtime. How could she have

slept so long? Her eyes widened as she remembered one fact

about the day before--the New Kryptonians had taken her

daughter.

"Kiley," she whispered as her eyes filled with tears. Lois

hugged the pillow close to her body as silent tears slipped

down her face. Once again, her child had been stolen from

her while she was asleep. This wasn't even something they

could report. What would she say? 'Officer, aliens stole

my little girl?' They'd send her to the state asylum

immediately. It was a story worthy only of the Dirt

Digger.

Lois took a deep breath and tearfully began to compose

herself to talk to Clark. Over the past few weeks, the

daily telepathic communication had made it easier to talk

to him like that. By now, it was almost second nature to

be able to hear him... Clark? she sent as she wiped

away more tears. Sweetheart?

Lois, what is it? I've been worried... Clark's anxious

voice sounded in her head.

Clark... they came... and took... Kiley Lois's tears

began to fall faster as she thought of her missing

daughter. Was she okay? cold? hungry? scared?

Lois, honey, she's okay. I promise. Zara says that the

Council was in contact with Kirim right after they left

Earth, and they should be in range for images today.

Lois felt a warm feeling sweep over her, just as if Clark

had just pulled her into an embrace. Did Zara order

this? she demanded as her tears began to slow. I

fainted when I found the note and hit my head.

Are you okay, honey? I don't know what I'd do if

something happened to you! To answer your question... Zara

didn't know until we got here and she found a room prepared

for her. She's promised to get her home as fast as she

can... and Ching says that his oath to you extends to Kiley

as well. Clark concentrated on sending his love and

support through the bond. He could 'feel' that she was

crying and he wished he could hold her and comfort her as

he had so many times before.

I'm fine! Lois sent impatiently. Promise me that

you'll make sure that she'll be okay?

I promise, sweetheart. I love you. Zara says to tell

you that she plans on keeping Kiley close to her, and that

she will personally guarantee that both of us will be home

soon. She says that the globe will show you holograms of

Kiley and probably even me when I'm near her... it's

something to do with the chip they're putting in her arm...

Zara says that they'll deactivate it when she can manage to

get us home...

Clark, Lois began, I love you, too

Honey, get some rest... please? I need you and the baby

to be healthy... Clark wished he were there, holding his

beloved.

As her worries for Kiley began to recede, Lois yawned. The

conversation with her Clark had taken more out of her than

she realized and she was suddenly tired again. She smiled

sleepily... it almost felt like Clark was beside her,

holding her close. She knew he was on New Krypton, but she

could practically feel his familiar warm bulk beside her,

the weight of one of his hand on her stomach while it felt

like the other one was occupied in stroking her hair. I

will... love you. Lois drifted off to sleep, holding the

images and feelings close to her heart.

****

Jonathan walked quietly into Lois's room. He hadn't been

able to sleep, so he had gotten up to check on his family

one more time. Logically, he knew that the bodyguards were

outside to make sure that they would be safe, but it was

his responsibility to protect his loved ones. Jonathan

lowered himself into the chair next to the bed and looked

at Lois.

Jonathan pushed her long hair away from her face and

caressed it gently. He was exceedingly thankful that she

would be okay. He had loved her as if she were his

daughter long before she and his boy had even started to

date. As far as he was concerned, she was as much his

daughter as Clark was his son.

Jonathan stood and straightened the bedclothes. He

carefully pulled them up around her, concerned that she

would get cold. Years ago, he had performed the same

joyful task for his little boy. He remembered those days

with nostalgia as he leaned over the bed and kissed his

daughter on the cheek. Jonathan gave the blankets one

final pat before walking quietly out of the room.

He strode down the hallway and entered Joseph's room. He

crept up beside the child's bed and watched Joseph sleep

for a few minutes. He smiled at the sight of Joseph curled

up on his tummy with Ted E. Bear underneath one arm.

Silently, he crept out of the room, crossed the hallway,

and entered the master bedroom. As he slid back into the

bed, Martha cuddled up next to him. "Are the kids okay?"

She asked sleepily.

"They're fine, Martha," Jonathan answered. He put his arms

around his wife and stooped down to steal a kiss from her.

He leaned back against the pillows and closed his eyes--the

morning would come far too soon.

****

Captain Foler stared off into space lost in thought. He

*had* to talk to his charges... he daren't let them go

anywhere without a bodyguard... perhaps even two. If Nor

had come when they had taken Lord Kal-El's concubine--wife

to receive medical attention, the damage would have been

irreparable. He was a captain in the Elite Guard... the

last line of defense between the headcases and assassins

and the Royal Family.

His people owed Jonathan and Martha Kent a great debt.

They had taken in an orphaned foundling from another

universe and raised him to be a good man. Without them,

Lord Kal-El might not have been worthy of his heritage...

His duty would have gone unanswered while Nor took over the

planet... and perhaps more. Foler wasn't kidding himself;

he had long known the evils that some men would stoop to in

order to gain their selfish desires. Nor was, perhaps, the

most evil man he had ever come across.

It was his privilege and honor to protect the parents that

had raised his Lord as well as Lord Kal-El's Terran wife

and their children. He prayed to the One that Nor would

ignore this small family... with only three men under his

command, it was unlikely that they could hold off a

superior force. Briefly, he wondered if the Kents would

trust them... After all, they had taken away both Kal-El

and the little girl. Fervently, he hoped they would--if

Nor decided to come after them, he and his men were their

best hope for survival.

With a shake of his head, he got up and walked over to the

bedding he had laid out earlier. It was night here, and

his guard shift would come around far too quickly. Between

the four of them, they were maintaining a twenty-four hour

watch on the house to make sure that no intruders entered

it. Vidi was currently on duty and he would be up in

another three hours. He lay down on the blankets and

closed his eyes. Foler's last conscious thought was that

he would have to speak to Lord Kal-El's family in the

morning to make better arrangements for their protection.

****

Martha walked into Lois's room, carrying a tray of

breakfast. She carefully set it down on the desk before

turning to Lois, who was sitting on the edge of the bed

with her feet dangling over it. "Lois, honey, what are you

doing trying to get out of bed?" Martha said reprovingly.

"But, Martha--Mom, I need to..." Lois gestured in the

general direction of the bathroom.

Martha strode over to the side of the bed and helped her

stand. "All right, I'll help... but after that you are

going straight back to bed." She put her arm around her

daughter and supported her as they walked over to the

bathroom. When Lois emerged, she helped her back to bed

and placed the tray over her lap.

Listlessly, Lois picked up her fork and began to move food

around on her plate. Despite the conversation with Clark

the night before, she was still very worried about Kiley.

Where was her little girl? Was she okay? Sad? Hurt? Lois

pushed the tray away. "Thanks for bringing me breakfast,

Martha, but I'm not hungry." she plucked at the bedclothes

and wished that Clark and their little girl were with her.

Suddenly, she remembered the globe that Clark had mentioned

the night before... "Martha," she began, "Clark mentioned

something about a globe... he said that it was left for us

when Kiley was taken..."

"It's in the pocket of my apron downstairs," Martha said.

Lois swung her legs over the side of the bed. "I'll get

it," she asserted.

"Lois Ellen Lane-Kent!" Martha began. "You get back into

bed, eat your breakfast, and take your medication! The

doctor said you were to stay in bed for at least a week."

"But..." Lois began.

"No buts, young lady! I'll get the globe for you."

Martha's voice softened. "Honey, you have to take care of

yourself and the baby... I'll get Joseph and the globe...

You just stay in bed and rest!"

After watching to make sure her daughter followed her

instructions, Martha hurried down to the kitchen, grabbed

the globe, picked up Joseph, and headed back upstairs.

"Gan'ma?" Joseph questioned as she hoisted him up onto her

hip.

Martha brushed a kiss across his cheek. "Your Mommy's

awake, scout... I thought you'd like to go see her..."

Joseph's face brightened. "Jo'eph see Mommy?"

"Yeah, scout... we're going upstairs to see her." Martha

opened the gate and climbed the stairs, closing the second

gate behind her. Joseph squirmed excitedly, impatient to

get to Lois.

Martha walked into Lois's room and deposited Joseph on the

bed. "*Mommy*!" he squealed as he threw his arms around

her. "Mommy beder?" he asked.

Lois hugged Joseph tightly. "I'm better, sweetie." She

smiled at him, thankful that the New Kryptonians had not

taken him as well. Clark, bring Kiley home! she sent

quickly.

Joseph leaned down and kissed Lois's stomach. "Hi baby."

Joseph laid his ear against his mother's abdomen. A few

minutes later he looked up at her with round eyes. "Jo'eph

hear baby heardbead." He said as he kissed her stomach

again. "Baby come out soon." He said sternly, crossing his

arms across his chest.

Lois laughed. He looked so much like Superman... She

hugged Joseph again before shooing him off the bed. "Go

play, sweetie," she said softly. "Mommy has some work to

do... we'll read some stories together later, ok?"

"Okay, Mommy," Joseph said sweetly before running out of

the room.

Lois watched him go before she turned to Martha. "Thank

you," she said quietly.

Martha came over and gave her a much-needed hug. "Oh,

honey, you're welcome!" Martha placed the globe in Lois's

lap and gathered up the breakfast tray. "I'll be back in a

little while... I think maybe that message is meant for

you..." Martha left the room and shut the door tightly

behind her.

Lois stared at the globe as it took light and began to

glow. Carefully, she reached out and picked it up.

The globe took off from her hand and began to float upward.

Her mouth tightened into a frown as a hologram issued forth

from the object. Twelve men sat upon padded chairs in

front of her. One of them stood and began to address her.

"This missive is for Kal-El's Terran wife. I am Sarn-Ra,

Speaker for the Council. I am addressing you in the

language of your people, rather than our native

Kryptonian... If you are viewing this message it means that

Lady Kirim-Wys has succeeded in her mission of acquiring

the Heir for a journey to New Krypton so that she may be

protected from the nefarious Lord Nor. Milady, please

believe me when I assure you of her continued safety and

well-being."

"Your child will be given everything and protected by the

Elite Guard until such a time when it will be safe for her

to be returned to you. When you wish to see her, hold this

globe in your hand, concentrate on her, and her image will

appear. Milady, please accept the gift of the bodyguards.

By the laws of our society, since you were not united to

Lord Kal-El on our world, you are considered a concubine...

However, as a member of the House of El, you are entitled

to our protection. Thus, we have sent four members of the

Elite to you to make sure that Nor cannot harm you, your

child, and Kal-El's adoptive parents."

"Be well. May your mind be at ease. Be safe, Milady." The

image winked out, and the globe floated down to rest in her

hand, leaving Lois alone in silence. She took a deep

breath and concentrated on Kiley while looking at the

globe. A screen like hologram emanated from the globe.

She watched for a few long minutes as the image panned

across a heavily decorated curvilinear room and settled

upon a familiar little face.

Kiley was sitting on a crooked-legged chair dressed in

rich-looking, unfamiliar dress, flipping through a book

filled with strange characters. Clarkie-bear sat upon her

lap, while Annie, dressed in an identical outfit, sat

beside her. Lois's breath caught in her throat as her baby

girl looked up suddenly... a hint of sadness peeped out of

her large brown eyes. Her hair, instead of the familiar

braids, was arranged in cascading curls with jeweled pins

holding it back from her face.

With an aching heart, Lois watched as Kiley set the book

down on a nearby table and picked up her toys. Kiley's

mouth moved as she told them something and tears began to

slip from the corners of her eyes. Lois reached for the

image, desperately wishing that she could hold her little

girl and wipe away the tears. As her hand penetrated the

hologram, the image vanished.

Carefully, Lois put the globe on the nightstand before she

rested her hands on her knees. She could talk to Clark,

but she could neither see nor touch him. She could see

Kiley, but comforting her was an impossibility. "Why?" she

whispered hoarsely as she rolled over, buried her face in

the pillow, and began to sob.

Martha, who had been walking by Lois's room, heard her

daughter's sobs and entered. She walked across the room,

silently sat upon the side of the bed and began to pat Lois

on the back, offering what comfort she could.

****

Kiley clung tightly to Kirim's hand as the shuttle began

its final approach to the landing pad near Ka'tra'anl.

Frightened, she held Clarkie-bear close to her while Annie

dangled from her hand. With a soft bump, the ship landed

and the door appeared. Kirim tugged gently on her hand as

she began to walk toward the opening in the side of the

ship. Obediently, Kiley walked with her and exited the

small shuttle.

Kiley stood in front of the throngs of people shyly as

Kirim spoke in an unfamiliar language to the waiting masses

and they began to cheer. Her head jerked up as she 'Felt'

a familiar presence that had been missing for the past few

months. She dropped Kirim's hand and began to scan the

landing platform. With a squeal of glee, she ran across

the pad and threw herself into her father's arms.

"*Daddy*!" she yelled as his arms came up around her and he

lifted her up.

"Kiley!" he exclaimed, his face breaking into the first

real smile that any of the New Kryptonians had ever seen

from him. She wrapped her arms around his neck tightly, and

her toys fell unheeded to the ground. Clark held her close

to him, thankful that he finally knew she was safe... at

least for the time being. He still wasn't all that happy

that she was on New Krypton at all, but it felt good to be

able to hold his little girl once more.

He had heard from Lois the night before and was horribly

worried for her. Old Doc Robinson had been by to see

her... Still unhappy with her condition, he had decreed

another week in bed was the answer. He needed to tell her

that their little girl was with him... and that between

himself and Zara, she would be safe. "I missed you,

punkin'," he said quietly and he caressed her hair gently

with one hand.

"I missed you, too, Daddy," she said, burying her face into

his shoulder. She pulled back for a second and looked at

him through tear-filled eyes. "You're not leaving again,

are you?"

Clark kissed her on the cheek softly. "I'm not going

anywhere, sweetie... you are going to stay near me or your

Aunt Zara until both of us get to go home to Mommy, okay?"

Kiley nodded, laid her head on his shoulder once more, and

began to cry. She had missed him so much... and being

surrounded by total strangers for so long had been pretty

hard.

Clark patted her back soothingly and began to walk toward

the edge of the platform as Ching picked up Kiley's

forgotten toys. He walked down the steps leading to the

platform and was immediately approached by Lord Sarn-Ra.

"Lord Kal-El," he began, "We must have her Naming

immediately... right now, by Kryptonian law, she is

Nameless... and thus not protected."

Clark looked at Sarn-Ra in exasperation. "She *has* a

perfectly good name," he began, "her name *is* Kiley

Christine Kent... and that's enough of a mouthful for a

little girl her age."

Sarn-Ra shook his head. "But that is her *Terran* name...

she must be traditionally Named in order to be your legal

issue. Otherwise, she is simply an unwanted, Nameless

orphan... Her name is after her grandmothers...

traditionally that is."

The corner of Clark's mouth quirked up. "She has three,"

he began, "What's her name supposed to be... Lara Martha

Ellen-El? I think I much prefer the name her mother and I

gave her!"

"No, Milord... Unfortunately, the Terran grandparents do

not count... by the laws of our society, Zara is legally

her mother... Her name is Lara Ziveh- El." Sarn-Ra said.

Clark glanced at the Speaker, anger evident in his

expression. "*Zara* is not my little girl's mother... Her

*mother* is at home on Earth... where both of us belong!"

Clark took advantage of his longer legs and strode ahead,

whispering comforting words to the small child who still

snuggled up to him, holding onto him as if she would never

let go.

Sarn-Ra tagged after his Lord, trying desperately to keep

up. Zara, he sent. Lord Kal-El is being...

difficult about the Naming.

Well, wouldn't you be in his position? she sent back,

sounding irritated. Try and put yourself in his place!

Here you are, happy and secure. You have a wife who loves

you, parents who love you, and two adorable little ones.

Suddenly, these strangers come out of nowhere and you have

to go with them to prevent assassins from murdering your

family. Next you're taken to a strange place, married off

to someone who *isn't* your wife. Then your eldest child

is stolen from your wife, brought to where you are, and

you're told that her name has to be changed and that her

mother is not legally her mother? Wouldn't *you* be just a

*little* difficult about it?

Sarn-Ra sighed. I think I see what you mean... but the

Naming must take place, you know it as well as I.

I'll talk to him... the Ceremony wasn't completely set up

yet, was it?

Not quite...

We'll have the Naming, Lord Sarn-Ra... I promise... it's

too necessary to forego.

Sarn-Ra watched as Lord Kal-El entered the royal transport,

still cradling the Heir close to him. It was obvious both

from his reaction and Zara's that his child was special...

She was their hope for the future of New Krypton. In a

way, he did understand his lord's reaction to renaming

Lara, but it was necessary.

She must have the names appropriate to her station in life.

Lara Ziveh-El would someday be their leader--she would

follow in her parents' footsteps and become the ruler of

New Krypton. Silently, he entered his hovercar and gave

his driver orders to drive to the palace. There was much

to be accomplished before the Naming.

****

Zara paced slowly toward the grand entrance hall of the

palace. She had wanted to accompany Clark to get Kiley,

but some pressing business had come up at the last minute--

Nor had started moving troops a little closer to

Ka'tra'anl. He had pulled back upon Kal-El's arrival, but

it seemed as if he had decided to start pushing again...

just a little. Fervently, Zara hoped that they would be

able to solve this problem quickly, without incident.

As much as she abhorred the Council's actions in bringing

Kiley to New Krypton, the pragmatic side of her was

extremely glad of her presence. It would do the people

good to see the Heir, the hope for their future, standing

beside herself and Clark. With a clear line of succession

tangibly established, it would be much harder for Nor to

begin his civil war.

It also helped that Kiley Kent could easily charm any adult

she came into contact with. Zara had been in touch with

the captain of the ship... not only had he been quite taken

with the Heir, but she had also managed to wrap every

crewmember she met around her little finger. That kind of

charisma would be extremely useful...

She reached the grand entrance hall and settled down in a

chair by the door to wait for Clark and Kiley. She had to

convince him to go through the Naming--without it, they

could not legally put her under the protection of the Elite

Guard. She understood his point of view, but they too had

to follow the Law.

Zara stood and exited the building to wait for Clark and

Kiley on the front steps. She smiled sadly as their

transport pulled up to the entrance and opened. "Welcome

home, Milord," she said quietly. Other vehicles pulled up

behind the transport and people began to disembark. Zara

took Clark's hand in hers as he came to stand beside her

and face their people. "Citizens of New Krypton," she

began, "We wish to have time with Our daughter before her

official Naming; We have been separated for far too long."

The people immediately dropped to their knees and crossed

their arms over them. Then, they raised their arms crossed

against their chests, closed fists near their shoulders,

and bowed their heads. "Yes, Milady," they said in unison.

At Zara's words Kiley stiffened in her father's arms before

she began to take a more active interest in her

surroundings, her tearstained face peering interestedly

over her father's shoulder. Tentatively, she extended her

hand and waved to the assemblage. Several of the people

smiled, gratified to see their hope waving to them.

I'll explain inside. Zara telegraphed as she tugged

Clark toward the door. Quickly, they strode towards the

royal chambers. Zara opened the doors quickly and motioned

Clark and Ching inside, leaving the rest of the bodyguards

to guard the doors. She motioned them over to the chairs

and watched them sit before taking a seat herself. She

watched as Clark shifted Kiley so that she was sitting in

his lap.

"Clark," she began in English so that the child might

understand, "I'm sorry, but the Naming must take place."

Zara regarded Kiley seriously.

"But--"

"I know," she affirmed quietly. "Kiley, I'm Zara... You

can call me Aunt Zara if you like."

Kiley looked at her solemnly. "You're one of the people

who took my Daddy away," she began reproachfully. "And

outside you said that you're my mommy. You're *not* my

Mommy!"

"Kiley," Zara began, "Come here, please? I promise that

you can go back to your Daddy in a few minutes."

Kiley looked questioningly up at her father. At Clark's

nod, she obediently slid off his lap and walked over to

Zara. As she stood in front of her, she kept looking back

at Clark, as if looking away would make him disappear.

Zara reached out and gently took Kiley's hand. "Jal'her'a,

I know I'm not your Mommy and I have no wish to try and

take her place." Gently, she brought her hand up to the

little girl's face. "Kiley, I promise that I will take you

and your Daddy back home so you can be with your Mommy and

Joseph..."

Kiley looked up at her hopefully. "Promise?" she asked.

"I promise." Zara affirmed.

"But why did you tell all those people that I'm your little

girl?" Kiley looked puzzled.

"Lin'dra," Zara began softly, "Because your Mommy and Daddy

weren't married here on New Krypton, the laws here don't

recognize that they're married... I'm going to try and fix

that, too... Kiley, according to the laws here, I'm your

mother--it's so that you're protected from the bad people

like Lord Nor. We're going to make sure that you're safe

until I can take you home... until then, I need you to stay

close to me and to your dad, okay?"

Slowly, Kiley nodded. "Who is Lord Nor?" she asked.

Zara brushed Kiley's hair back over her shoulders. "Lord

Nor is a very bad man who wants to be King of New Krypton.

Your dad came here to help us make sure that doesn't

happen--to keep you safe."

Kiley began to look fearful. "Does he want to hurt me?

Did I do something bad?"

Carefully, Zara leaned forward and took the unresisting

child into her arms. "Jal'her'a, you did nothing wrong,"

she began, hugging her gently. "And Lord Nor will never

hurt you; I won't let him... Your dad won't let him."

Kiley looked at Zara trustingly. Her Daddy trusted this

person... and she could 'Feel' that Zara was telling the

truth... there was also something behind her words; it was

the same kind of fierce protectiveness that she had

sometimes felt from her mother... Kiley put her arms around

Zara's neck and impulsively kissed her on the cheek. "Aunt

Zara," she began, "Won't people think it's funny if I call

you that?"

Zara looked at the child in surprise. The caress had

surprised her, but this statement surprised her even

more... the child was only four cycles old! "Lin'dra, you

may be right... but your mother is at home on Earth, and I

won't ask you to call anyone else but her 'Laj'hon'a'."

Zara stroked Kiley's hair as the child hugged her tighter.

Clark, thank you for letting me explain this, she sent.

Zara, you know more about this than I Clark answered,

his mind-voice full of wry irony. I wouldn't know how to

explain this to her... your customs and laws are just plain

strange!

I'm going to send her with Ching for a few minutes... We

need to talk about her Naming. Zara thought at Clark.

I don't see why she needs another name. I *like* the one

Lois and I gave her! Clark telegraphed waves of anger at

even the suggestion of stripping yet something else from

his little girl.

Clark, calm down. I promised to explain, and I will!

Zara sent before turning her attention back to Kiley. The

mental exchange had been quick--Kiley still clung tightly

to her as Zara's hand continued to caress the child's hair.

Zara lifted the child and held her on her knee. "Kiley,

are you okay with this?" she asked quietly.

Kiley burrowed closer to Zara, aware of her only as a

source of comfort and solace. "Noooo..." came the muffled

reply. "I want my Mommy... I wanna go home and Daddy come

too."

"I know, lin'dra, I know." Zara rested her cheek on the

top of Kiley's head, holding her close. "I promise that

everything will be okay..." Gently, she began to broadcast

waves of comfort and love to the child, letting her know

without words that she was loved, cared for, and would be

protected.

Slowly, Kiley pulled away and began to look around.

"Where's Clarkie-bear and Annie?" she asked suddenly.

Zara pressed a kiss to the child's brow before she

answered. "I think I saw your friends with Ching," she

said softly.

Ching smiled, stood, walked across the room, and kneeled

beside them so that he was at eye-level with the child. "I

think these are yours," he said with a gentle smile,

holding the dropped toys out to her.

Gravely, Kiley took the toys from him and cuddled them.

"You're the other person who took Daddy away," she began.

At Ching's nod, she pushed on. "And you love Aunt Zara

like Mommy and Daddy love each other... are you going to

marry her?"

Ching smiled and gently took Kiley's hand in his. "I'd

like to," he said, "But there are lots of things we have to

fix before I can do that... If I'm really lucky, and if she

says yes, I'll get to marry her after you and your Daddy

get to go home... Would you like to see your room? We'll

come back in a few minutes, but I think your Dad and your

Aunt Zara need to talk."

Kiley looked at Clark questioningly. "Daddy?" she said

hesitantly, unsure if going with this stranger was a good

idea.

"It's okay, punkin'," he said quietly, "You can go with

Ching and I'll be there in a few minutes. I'll be right

here if you need me; I love you."

"All right, Daddy," she began, "I love you, too." Kiley

slid off Zara's lap and smiled up at Ching. "Okay," she

said, and followed him as he began to lead her down the

corridor.

Zara watched them go with a small smile adorning her face.

"She's beautiful, Clark," she said quietly.

"I know... she looks like Lois..." he began softly. "Zara,

what is this 'naming' and why does Kiley need a new one?

Her name is perfectly good!"

Zara pulled her hair away from the back of her neck and

attempted to twist it up before replying. "Every

Kryptonian child who is claimed by their parents has a

Naming. I guess you could say that it is similar to a, um,

christening?" She looked at Clark questioningly, not sure

if that was the proper term.

She let her hands fall to her lap as her fingers played

with the skirt of her gown. "Only if the parents refuse the

Naming, then they refuse the child... refusing the Naming

is tantamount to denying the child's existence.

Fortunately, such a thing is rare... and when it happens,

the child is legally an orphan... in that case they are

offered for adoption and their adoptive parents follow

through with the ceremony."

Clark stared at her, appalled. "You mean that if this

ceremony is not performed, the parents have *abandoned* the

child?"

"For all intents and purposes, yes." Zara stated quietly.

"Fortunately, there has never been a shortage of couples

willing to adopt... You can see why we must have a Naming

for Kiley; if we do not, she will be lost to us forever."

Clark slumped in his chair, his posture a gesture of

defeat. He looked at Zara, his unhappiness over the

situation showing clearly on his face. "But why do we have

to change her name?" he asked quietly.

"This, too, is tradition... Any child of the royal

household is named after their grandparents. At least, for

public usage. The preferred method for girls is that both

names are chosen as a token of both Houses... boys are

usually named after their paternal grandfather." Zara

twisted a strand of hair around her finger. "Kiley's name

on the records *must* be 'Lara-Ziveh-El', traditionalists

will say that you are disowning her otherwise. If she grew

up here, she would then choose a name to go by. For me, it

was Zara; she could be Lara *or* Ziveh. However, her new

name will only be temporary--I promise that I will get both

of you home."

She looked at him sorrowfully. "I wish it were different

in this case, Clark, but this is the way our society has

worked for over a thousand years. Many of the problems

your world has had with unwanted children don't really

exist here because of all of this."

Zara met his eyes squarely, looking serious. "All of our

children have homes where they are loved and cared for...

It's not a perfect system, but it *does* work... at least

for the most part. Our world is like any other--we have

our good people, our bad people, and people who are a

mixture of both... just like your world. But our

traditions and laws have alleviated or minimized many of

the problems that Earth still faces."

Clark looked at her with resignation in his eyes. "Is

there nothing we can do about this? Kiley has already been

ripped away from home... must her name be stolen as well?"

Zara stood, walked across the room, and laid her hand on

his arm. "Clark, she is still Kiley--her name will only be

different on the records. Many families name their

children traditionally and call them by different names..."

Clark sighed and slumped down in his chair. This still

bothered him immensely, but nothing about his situation was

comfortable. "I guess if it must be done... When will it

happen?"

Gently, Zara took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"This afternoon," she said before releasing his hand. "It

will be all right, Clark. Kiley will stay near us... Nor

will not get his hands on her, I promise." Zara stood and

quickly walked across the room to the hallway. She wanted

to check on Kiley and Ching--just in case. She strode down

the hallway and quietly entered Kiley's room.

Zara smiled as she found Kiley curled up in Ching's lap as

he read her a story. He'll make a good father someday,

she thought. She turned as she heard Clark enter the room

behind her.

Kiley's head shot up, she slid off Ching's lap and once

again hurled herself at her father. "Daddydaddydaddy!" she

called happily.

Clark simply laughed and scooped her up in his arms.

"Kiley, punkin'," he began, "Zara promised that you would

get to see me in a minute..." He hugged her tightly, happy

to have his little girl... the only physical link to his

Lois he had... in his arms.

"I know, Daddy," Kiley began, "but I missed you."

Clark kissed her on the cheek and hugged her fiercely. "I

love you, punkin'," he said softly. He walked over to the

Kryptonian equivalent of a rocking chair and sat down,

settling Kiley on his lap.

"I love you too, Daddy," Kiley replied, throwing her arms

around him.

"Sweetie, would you tell me how Mommy, Joseph, Grandma and

Grandpa were doing before you came here, please?" Clark

asked, tickling her gently.

"They're okay, Daddy," Kiley replied. "Mommy cries lots

'cause she misses you... I think Grandma cries some too...

When are we going home?"

Zara, not wishing to intrude upon the reunion, gestured to

Ching and quietly exited the room, leaving Clark to answer

his daughter's questions. "Ching," she said softly, "Will

you stay outside Kiley's door and make sure that they're

not disturbed for a while? I get the feeling from her that

she's missed him terribly... and they deserve some father-

daughter time..."

"Of course," he replied quietly. "You're right... they

need a chance to reconnect--we all know that the children

from a Kreh'kle'vshta union have a special relationship

with their parents... and that they need the contact that

we have denied them by taking Clark from Earth... We must

resolve this soon, or we will have performed a great

disservice to the House of El..."

Zara stood on her tiptoes and stole a quick kiss from him.

"Thank you," she said with a smile. "I have to go contact

the Council about the Naming... I love you." She ended

quietly.

"I love you, too," he answered with a broad smile. "I'll

make sure that they're not interrupted... now hurry! The

sooner we can get through this, the sooner we can figure

out what to do about Lord Nor."

Zara threw him one last smile before entering the quiet of

her bedchamber. She sat gracefully in a soft chair before

she prepared to contact the Council. Lord Sarn-Ra she

sent quickly and waited for an answer.

Milady? came the response.

The Heir's Naming will proceed on schedule; we will see

you this afternoon.

Yes, Milady. It will be done.

****

Lois corrected the last sentence of the article, opened her

email, and sent it to Perry. She was thankful that it was

the last article of the day; being an editor wasn't exactly

her favorite thing to do. She closed down her laptop and

carefully put it on the nightstand beside the bed.

Lois settled back against the pillows and considered

getting out of bed. She knew that she was supposed to stay

put, but she was tired of not being allowed to get up.

She didn't think getting up to stretch would do any harm,

but it was extremely hard not to get caught. If she didn't

know better, she'd think that Martha had somehow gotten

superhearing from Clark. It was uncanny how her mother-in-

law always managed to show up just as she was either

getting up or thinking about doing it.

Distantly, she heard the phone ringing downstairs. She

smiled briefly; with Martha distracted, it would be the

perfect time to get up and walk around for a bit. Lois

pushed back the blankets and swung her legs over the side

of the bed. Carefully, she stood up and began to try and

work some of the kinks out.

Lois grimaced as the baby began to turn somersaults. "Shh,

little one," she whispered, rubbing her stomach. "Mommy

just needs to move around a bit; she doesn't do sitting

still very well." She walked over to the door, determined

to stretch her legs before going back to bed. Just as she

was about to grasp the doorknob, the door opened.

"Lois!" Martha said. "Honey, you need to get back to bed!"

Lois pushed some hair behind her ear. "But Martha--Mom, I

just wanted to get up to stretch," she looked at her

seriously. "You know that I'd never do anything to hurt

the baby!"

Martha, momentarily forgetting the phone in her hand, put

her arms around Lois and hugged her tightly. "I know,

sweetie," she began softly, "but you still need to go back

to bed!" She carefully escorted Lois back over to the bed

and helped her into it.

As Martha began to pull the blankets up around Lois, she

belatedly remembered the phone she still held. "Lois,

honey, your mom is on the phone for you," she held out the

phone to Lois, hoping she would take it.

Lois grimaced before taking the phone from Martha. She

knew her mother loved her, but she was always difficult to

take--Clark was one of the few people who could always

manage to deal with her. "Hello, Mother?" she said,

speaking into the phone.

She winced as her mother began a tirade about her actually

having the audacity to get out of bed in her condition.

"Mother," she interrupted, "One, I'm pregnant, not dead and

two I was only getting up to stretch... You know I would

never do anything to hurt the baby... Yes, I know that the

doctor wants me to stay in bed and that he has me on

medication because the baby tried to come far too early...

Mother, you are *not* coming to Smallville to take care of

me-- I'm *fine*... Yes, I've heard from Clark--he's okay

too... You're *what*? No! Mo-ther! " She handed the

phone to Martha , sighing heavily.

"Martha," she began pleadingly, "Please? Can you convince

my mother *not* to fly out to Wichita tomorrow?"

Martha took the phone and laid her hand on Lois's arm

gently. "I'll try, Lois," she said quietly.

She put the phone up to her ear. "Hello, Ellen... You

really don't need to come out here to see us... We're

perfectly fine--and we're taking good care of Lois... Old

Doc Robinson comes by every week to check on her and he's

just a phone call away... Ellen, yes, I know that you're a

nurse... Right, you are qualified to take care of Lois...

We live on a *farm*, we handle more pregnant creatures in a

year... Yes I know that Lois isn't a farm animal, Ellen,

she's your daughter and that you love her... Sam *is* a

good doctor--and it would save in medical bills... *Ellen*

the Planet health insurance is paying for this... You two

do *not* need to fly out to Wichita tomorrow! Of course it

wouldn't be an imposition... but you're coming anyway and

you'll stay in a motel if you have to? You insist and you

won't take no for an answer? You remember how to get to

the farm from your last visit so you're renting a car and

driving out from Wichita? Ellen, you *don't* need to do

this!"

Martha sighed heavily. "We'll see you and Sam tomorrow,"

she said, sounding resigned as she disconnected. "I'm

sorry Lois," she began quietly, "your mother has determined

that you need her and I could barely get a word in

edgewise. Your parents will be here tomorrow."

Lois reached for Martha's hand and squeezed it briefly.

"The only person who can talk her out of things like that

is Clark," she whispered. She looked up at Martha. "I

miss him," she said simply, "I want him home--not haring

across the universe with Kiley tagging along behind him."

A single tear escaped and rolled down her cheek.

With gentle fingers Martha reached out and brushed it away.

"I know you do, honey. Being able to talk to him isn't the

same as having him with you," she brushed a strand of hair

away from Lois's face. "A few years after we'd gotten

Clark, Jonathan had to go on a cross country trip because a

distant uncle had died and he was the only living relative.

I couldn't go because Clark had just started school, and we

couldn't take him out for the amount of time it would take

to make the trip. Jonathan called every night, but it just

wasn't the same." Martha put her arm around her daughter

for support. "I know what you're going through, honey,"

she finished quietly.

Lois drew in a deep, shuddering breath. She had thought

that she had no more tears to shed, but sometimes it was

brought home to her how much she needed her husband.

Thankfully, she clung to the promises that he and Kiley

would return home as soon as they could--she didn't know

what she'd do if Clark didn't come back. Realistically,

she knew that she would have to keep going; Joseph and the

baby would see to that. However, she didn't see exactly

how she could manage with Clark completely gone from her

life. If the connection between them was ever severed, she

wasn't sure that she could live--it would merely be an

existence. "Thank you for trying, Martha," she said

softly.

Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind that made her push

herself into a more upright position. "How are we going to

explain Kiley's absence and the bodyguards to my parents?"

she asked.

Martha took a deep breath. "Between the three of us, we'll

think of something..."

****

Captain Foler strode the perimeter of the Kent farm,

watching alertly for any sign of trouble. So far it had

been an easy assignment, but they couldn't afford to become

complacent. They had obtained Earth clothes in order to

fit in when they accompanied the Kents whenever they left

the safety of the farm. Every morning at the crack of dawn

they held practice; it simply wouldn't do to grow flabby

from lack of exercise or to lose one of their charges for

lack of fighting trim.

There were also these new... powers that they had somehow

developed. He made sure that all the members of his team

learned to control them as quickly as possible. It was

obvious to him that unless they controlled these abilities,

the new gifts might end up controlling *them*. It was also

a horrifying thought that unless the powers were brought

under control, they could seriously injure or even kill the

very people they had been sent to protect.

Long ago, each one of them had sworn an oath to keep the

members of the royal houses from harm. It was their duty,

their honor, their joy. Being a member of the Elite wasn't

just a job--it was a way of life. It was their birthright.

From childhood, those born in martial families trained

diligently in hopes of being accepted into the Elite. They

were the best of all and received special training to

protect the House of Ra and the House of El from assassins

and worse.

The nobility were usually given some form of self-defense

training. It was frightening for him to think that if Nor

decided to attack, he and his men were not just the last

layer of protection, they were the only thing standing

between the House of El as it currently existed and total

annihilation. With that sobering thought in mind, he

continued his patrol, making sure that the protections had

not been breached.

****

Ching watched Kiley and Clark, a soft smile spreading over

his face. Watching them, he couldn't help but think of

his plans for the future. Someday, he wanted what Clark

had. He wanted to marry Zara and raise a family with her--

just as Clark was doing with his Lois. As he looked at

Kiley, he dreamed of holding a little girl of his own--just

as pretty and smart as she was.

After all the time he had spent dreaming of Zara, he was

ready to settle down with her. However, the problem of Nor

must first be solved, the Ceremony of Union annulled, and

they must obtain permission from the Council of Elders to

marry. Carefully, he closed the door to Kiley's room and

moved into the sitting room to wait for Zara. Here in the

Royal Apartments, under layers upon layers of ancient

shielding, it was unlikely that Clark and Kiley would be

disturbed. He understood their need to reconnect. After

all, it was obvious that Clark was his baby's hero--and he

had been away from her for over a month. The little one

needed to assure herself that her dad was really there.

Lost in thought, Ching started a bit as he 'felt' Zara come

up behind him. He turned around, reached out, and took her

hand in his. "Hi," he said quietly. "Is everything taken

care of?" Smiling slightly, he gazed down into her eyes.

Zara reached up and gently caressed his face with the back

of her hand. "Yes," she began softly, "The Naming is set

for this afternoon." She looked at him as a troubled

expression settled on her face. "This whole mess is our

fault--if we had sent Nor to the mind-healers when he first

started showing signs of madness, none of this would have

happened! Instead, we let him go on his merry way until we

had to go and fetch Clark from Earth to sort out the whole

fiasco." Agitated, Zara yanked a strand of hair, as if

tugging on it would do some good. "Now not only have we

torn him away from his life, but we've stolen his daughter

as well and we're about to rename her and steal more of her

identity! What kind of monsters are we?"

Ching reached out and gently grasped Zara's arms.

"Ka'lindra, we're not monsters. We're stupid at times,

misguided at others, but for the most part, we're not bad

people." He slid his hand under her chin and tilted it up,

forcing her to look at him. "Zara, you know as well as I do

that this couldn't be foreseen. It's one of the inherent

problems with customs like birth-marriages--things happen

that we can't always control. Everything *will* be okay.

I promised Lois that I would bring Clark home. That *will*

happen. We'll solve our problem with Nor and take Clark

and Kiley back to Earth where they belong."

Ching reached out and pushed Zara's hair out of the way.

"We'll convince the Council to let us get married before we

take them," he said softly. "I love you too much to watch

them sacrifice you to an alliance-marriage." Carefully, he

gathered her into his arms and held her close.

Comforted, Zara slid her arms around his waist. "I love

you, too," she murmured softly. She pulled back for a

moment, and tipped her head up, silently asking for a kiss.

Ching smiled as he brought his head down close to hers.

Her eyes fluttered closed as he hesitated for a moment.

Slowly, he brought his mouth closer until it hovered over

hers. He brushed his lips gently over hers once before

capturing them for his own. He swept his tongue over her

slightly parted lips. As she immediately opened her mouth

and melted into the kiss, he slipped his tongue inside her

mouth and began to explore every crevice. A few moments

later, he breathlessly broke off the kiss and leaned his

forehead against hers. "I love you," he whispered

hoarsely.

Zara planted a quick kiss on his lips. "I know," she said

as she took his hand in hers. "I hate to intrude on Kiley

and Clark, but I have to find clothes for her to wear to

her Naming. Come on," with that, she tugged him back down

the hallway toward Kiley's room. She stopped in the middle

of the hallway and turned to look at him. "Would you mind

going into Clark's room and getting out the clothes he

should wear to the ceremony?" Zara asked quickly.

Ching leaned down and kissed her quickly. "Not at all," he

said, a smile crossing his face. He took her hand in his

as they resumed walking towards the sleeping chambers.

****

Lord Nor looked in the mirror and smoothed a wrinkle out of

his tunic. He had to look perfect for the Heir's Naming.

It simply wouldn't do to meet the First Lord, the First

Lady, and the Heir dressed anything less than immaculately.

He knew better than to hope that they had not informed Lord

Kal-El of the present political situation, but it was

common knowledge that people who lived on backwater

dirtballs like Earth were more gullible.

It was entirely possible that the fool would be trusting

enough to play into his plans. Tak's mother should be

getting him dressed as well. It was imperative for the

children to get along if he were to succeed. None of the

members of the nobility had yet been introduced to Lord

Kal-El. The Heir's Naming would most likely be used for

that purpose, so their formal best would be required.

Nor smiled evilly. If he could convince Tak to play with

Kiley, it would be simplicity itself to take her with them

upon leaving the palace. Technically, kidnapping the Heir

would mean execution on Traitor's Hill, but since he would

soon rule New Krypton, it shouldn't be a problem. He just

had to find a way to lure Zara away as well. Soon he could

marry Zara as he had always wished to and the betrothal

between Tak and the Heir would be solemnized. He just had

to find a way to rid himself of Kal-El's hold over the

people.

As a thought impinged upon his consciousness; Nor threw

back his head and began to laugh. He knew exactly what to

do...

****

Quietly, Zara crept into the room and over to Kiley's

closet. She opened the door and began going through the

clothes, looking for the naming dress she knew would be

there. Finally she located it hanging in the back. She

pulled it out before turning to Clark. A slow smile

crossed Zara's face as she took in the sight of Kiley, fast

asleep on Clark's lap as he rocked her gently.

Clark looked up and smiled suddenly. "I don't think she's

really been sleeping very well," he began softly as he

brushed his daughter's hair tenderly away from her face.

"A few minutes after you and Ching left the room, she just

kind of dropped off."

Zara walked quietly across the room and gently kissed the

child on the top of her head. "The Naming isn't for a few

hours, so we can let her sleep--I just needed to find the

proper clothes for her to wear at the ceremony."

Clark simply tightened his grip on Kiley, his posture

showing that he was still uncomfortable with the idea. "I

still don't like it," he said softly. He looked down at

his little girl and smiled as she sleepily cuddled closer

to him.

"I know, Clark," Zara said as she turned around to lay the

clothes on the child's bed. "I promise that this will only

be temporary--she's still Kiley Christine Kent as far as

I'm concerned... and still yours and Lois's daughter."

Clark stroked Kiley's hair gently, thankful to be holding

his baby girl. "I know," he began, "but she doesn't belong

here--neither of us do... despite all of the precautions

we've taken to make sure she will be safe; she is in danger

here. If she were still at home with Lois, Nor couldn't

find her to put her at risk." He looked up at Zara, his

mouth twisted into a wry smile. "With that damn chip in my

arm, I had no choice but to come--I thought that my little

girl had more options than I did.

Clark rested his cheek on the top of Kiley's head. "Lois

and the kids need me... I set my priorities about saving

the world a long time ago--my family needs me more than the

world does."

Zara turned to face him hesitantly. " It's important that

you stay here with us for the time being... It wouldn't be

that hard for Nor to find your family; Tez did it and there

are records of where your ship originally landed. It's

common knowledge in the Council that it landed in

Smallville, Kansas. Clark, I know we haven't made much

progress concerning Nor... It's just a matter of time."

"How much time?" Clark asked urgently. "A week? A month? A

year? Longer than that?"

"I don't know," she answered quietly. "I just don't know."

Kiley stirred and opened her eyes. "Daddy?" she asked,

hoping that it hadn't just been a dream.

"It's okay, punkin'," he began softly, "I'm right here."

Kiley threw her arms around his neck and hugged him

tightly. "I thought I dreamed you," she said quietly.

Clark returned the hug and kissed her on the cheek.

"Punkin', I'm right here and I'm not going any further from

you than the next room if I can help it, I promise."

Kiley buried her face in his chest and snuggled closer to

him. "Don't g'way," she murmured sleepily. Her eyes

drifted closed as she fell asleep again.

Clark held his daughter securely, wishing he were at home

with Lois. Their separation still ached, despite the

telepathic connection between them. He desperately wanted

to have both his wife and their son in his arms so that he

could hold them close to him as well. He pressed a kiss to

Kiley's forehead and halted what Zara had started to say

with a single look as he continued to rock his sleeping

little girl. When he returned to them, he wasn't sure if

he would ever want to let go.

****

Martha reached out a hand to steady Lois as they walked

slowly down the stairs. She had wanted to hold this family

meeting upstairs in Lois's room, but her daughter-in-law

had insisted upon having it downstairs in the living room

where they could all sit down comfortably.

As they reached the first floor of the farmhouse, Martha

ushered Lois over to a comfortable chair in the living room

and took a seat by Jonathan on the couch near her.

Lois settled back on the cushions and smiled as Joseph

abandoned the pile of blocks in the corner, came over to

her, and held up his arms in a wordless plea. She picked

him up and settled him on her ever-diminishing lap before

looking up at her in-laws.

"What are we going to tell my parents when they show up

tomorrow?" she asked quietly. "How can we explain Kiley's

absence and the presence of four bodyguards that insist on

keeping tabs not only on us, but on everyone who comes to

visit? And how can we explain their developing

superpowers?"

Martha cleared her throat and glanced over at her daughter-

in-law. She knew Lois was desperately in need of cheering

up... A smile stole over her face as she thought of

something that just might work. She shot Jonathan a look

that plainly said that he should follow her lead before she

began. "We could tell them that the President lost his pet

chipmunk--the little critter jumped out of Air Force one--

and these nice gentlemen are here to find and retrieve it."

Her smile grew broader as she continued. " They might just

have to stay a while longer because it's taking forever to

find that wily chipmunk!"

A slow smile spread over Jonathan's face. "Do you think

that they'd believe that they're well-intentioned paranoid

farmers from down the road... and that they're sleeping in

our barn because they're afraid of rabid chickens and

that's why they're so shifty-eyed and have guns?"

"What about this?" Martha asked mischievously, "Someone's

taken one of our cows and left a complete mechanical

duplicate instead, and we don't want those rascals getting

away with it again!" She looked over at Lois. "Would they

buy that?"

The corners of Lois's mouth began to turn up into the

beginnings of a smile. "No more than they'd buy that

there's kryptonite under the snow that's making it come

alive and start eating small animals, pets, and children,"

she said as a hint of laughter began to lurk in her eyes.

A wide smile began to spread over Jonathan's face. "How

about hay is worth a disgusting amount of money now and

they're here to protect it... or we found a vein of gold or

diamonds on the property?"

"Jonathan!" Martha groaned, slapping him lightly on the

arm. "We could always say that Wayne Irig's bull won't

stop trampling my flowerbeds!"

Lois looked at Martha skeptically. "In November?" She

smiled suddenly as she realized that she could use

something she had said years before... by now, both

Jonathan and Martha had heard about her old opinion of

small towns. "We could tell them that there was a robbery

in town... someone got away with $20 from the register at

the Tasty Freeze and we got nervous..."

"We could say that they're on loan from the mental

institution because they've been having fantasies about

living on a farm... it's a program sort of like the Make-A-

Wish Foundation runs," Martha suggested.

Jonathan considered it for a minute before shaking his

head. "Martha, Ellen wouldn't like us if she thought we

were letting more loonies get near Lois and the grandkids."

He smiled suddenly. "We could tell her parents that the

bodyguards are from the military's experimental 'Fresh Air

Fund' outreach program."

"They're not bodyguards, they're exchange students," Lois

suggested as she began to laugh.

Martha ran her hand through her hair absently. "They're

the prototypes of the next generation of genetically

engineered soldiers..." She grinned suddenly, "then we say

that we could tell them more but then the soldiers would

have to kill them!"

Lois started laughing harder. "My father would love

that... We could say that Clark has another family and his

other wife is jealous and has tried to kill us... But when

Clark gets back, I'm afraid that my mother would find a way

to kill him if we use it!"

Martha grinned, "They're delivering Clark's Cheese of the

Month shipment, and they have to deliver it in person, so

they're hanging around until he gets back?"

Jonathan groaned. Over the years, the Cheese of the Month

club had become something of a family joke. "*Not* one of

our boy's best excuses! How about: 'Look around. Open

lands, no one around... just one more little fence between

us and the rest of the world.' Would that work?"

"I don't know," Lois gasped as she struggled to stop

laughing. "It sounds like you're paranoid and planning on

turning the farm into a cult complex or something!" She

took a deeper breath as her laughter began to die down.

"Let's be serious now... we need a really good excuse," she

said quietly as she hugged Joseph.

She looked down at her son and smiled. He was sucking on

his thumb contentedly as he leaned against her, his big

brown eyes staring intently up into her face. She knew

that Martha and Jonathan had been taking good care of him

while she had been stuck in bed, but she had sorely missed

having him cuddle up to her like this. It was almost his

nap time anyway, and if they were lucky, he would soon fall

asleep.

Holding her baby boy like this made her long to have Kiley

back in her arms. She needed to feel her little girl's

arms thrown around her neck once more just as desperately

as she needed Clark back. It seemed as if an eternity had

passed since he had left with the New Kryptonians almost

two months before. Telepathic communication simply wasn't

enough.

Lois kissed Joseph lightly on the crown of his head before

turning back to her in-laws. "As fun as that was, we have

to come up with *plausible* explanations... I'm not sure I

really want to tell my parents the truth," she finished

quietly.

"I know you two told them before," Jonathan began

hesitantly, "but with what your father does, I'm not sure I

want him to know either... I know it's probably silly, but

I just can't seem to dismiss the idea that there are some

crazed scientists out there that would love to get their

hands on Clark... and the little ones," he fell silent for

a moment as he stared at his hands.

He studied them carefully, as if his life depended on it.

They were work-worn, calloused--worn with years of wresting

a living out of the soil to provide for his family. For

most of his life, he had used them, not only to till the

dry Kansas dirt, but also in succoring and protecting his

loved ones. He sat for a few more moments, lost in

thought. "We could tell them that Clark is undercover in

the government at the behest of the President... and that

he sent secret servicemen to make sure that if Clark's

cover is broken the bad guys won't be able to come after

us."

Martha nodded shortly. "That's plausible enough to work...

we could say that friends of the family offered to take

Kiley with them on their trip to Disneyland to explain her

absence. But Ellen is planning on staying until the baby

is born, so it won't hold up forever." Martha stood and

walked across the room to where Lois sat. "Honey, we have

to face it; Sam and Ellen will probably have to be told the

truth. If it were only Clark being gone and the

bodyguards, we could explain it away... but with Kiley on

New Krypton, we're going to have to tell them the truth."

Martha took Lois's hand gently. "Sweetie, I know that this

is hard, but it's something that you're going to have to

talk over with Clark... Telling your parents that you two

have been lying to them for over six years is going to have

immediate consequences on both of you." She leaned down

and dropped a swift kiss on the top of her daughter-in-

law's head.

Lois looked up at Martha and sighed. "I know, Martha... I

know. I've known all along... I've just been fighting it."

She hugged Joseph tightly. "Last time, knowing that Clark

is Superman brought my parents nothing but misery--I just

don't want them to go through that again..."

"Whatever you decide, Lois, we'll support you," Jonathan

stated firmly.

Martha squeezed Lois's hand reassuringly. "I understand

sweetie... will you promise me that you'll at least think

about it and talk it over with Clark?"

Lois nodded slowly and pushed Joseph's hair back from his

forehead. "I will," she said softly.

Martha leaned over and gently pulled a sleeping Joseph off

of Lois's lap. He stirred slightly as she settled him on

her shoulder, but soon fell back into a deeper sleep.

"It's time for this young man to be in bed," she said

quietly.

Lois let go of Martha's hand and struggled to stand up. "I

want to put him to bed," she said hesitantly.

"Lois," Martha began, "You know you're not supposed to

carry anything heavy... and Joseph definitely qualifies."

Lois looked at Martha pleadingly. "Please? I just want to

tuck him in--I haven't in weeks!"

Martha looked at her daughter-in-law for a minute. Lois

had a fair imitation of Clark's lost-little-puppy-dog look

adorning her face. She shook her head and sighed before

helping her up. "I'll carry him for you," she said simply.

Jonathan watched them go upstairs and chuckled. There were

few things that would vanquish Martha faster than that

look... of course Clark had taught Lois to use it to her

best advantage. Slowly he stood up and headed out the back

door. If Ellen and Sam would be arriving the next day, he

had bodyguards to talk to.

****

Lois leaned over Joseph's crib and tucked the blanket in

around her sleeping son. "Have a nice nap, scout," she

said softly. She pressed a kiss to two of her fingers and

touched him on the forehead. "I love you."

Joseph stirred and opened his eyes. "Song, Mommy?" he

said, pulling his thumb out of his mouth.

Lois tugged the blanket back up and began to rub his back.

"Of course, sweetheart," she answered. She began to sing

his favorite lullaby quietly. She watched, smiling

inwardly as his eyes began to slip closed. As the last note

of "Brahm's Lullaby" died away his eyes shut completely and

the sound of his soft breathing told her that her baby boy

had fallen asleep again.

She smoothed his blanket one last time before leaving the

room and gently shutting the door behind her. Martha was

right--she needed to talk to Clark. She met her mother-in-

law on the way past her room and reached out to give her a

hug. "Thanks, Mom," she said quietly.

Martha hugged her back before placing her hands on her

hips. "You're welcome, sweetheart. Now back to bed young

lady."

Lois sighed, made her way into her room, and climbed into

bed. She needed to talk to Clark anyway... and she might

as well be comfortable doing it. Clark? she

telegraphed and waited for an answer.

Lois? Honey, are you okay? came the answer. You

don't usually contact me in the middle of the day... Kiley

is asleep in my lap right now.

Is she okay? Lois sent anxiously.

She's fine--just tired. I don't think our little girl

has been sleeping well since they took her.

Clark? Keep her close to you. If she's with you, then I

know she's safe...

I promise, honey.

Sweetheart, we've got a problem. My parents decided that

they were the best choice for taking care of me, so they're

going to be here tomorrow...

Honey, are you okay with it? He sighed mentally. I

wish I were there... If I were, they'd have no reason to

come.

Not really... but we can't talk my mother out of it.

Clark, I may have to tell them the Secret.

Honey, I love you. Your dad took it pretty well the last

time, and your mom didn't flip out too badly, so if you

have to tell them, then do it. We'll deal with the

consequences when I get home.

Are you sure? And... is home still here on Earth? I

mean, you said that Zara was treating you like a brother

now, but she's kinda pretty, if you like that style, and

you *are* married to her... she sent, her mental voice

sounding small and scared.

Lois, honey--home is wherever you are. Are you sure that

this is the same Lois Lane that once said, 'Don't fall for

me, Farmboy' to my face? Clark teased gently. I told

you a long time ago that it's always been you, and it

always will be. I love *you*. Forever. You're stuck with

me, because I'm hopelessly stuck on you.

Lois smiled as she felt his hand caress her hair and push a

strand of it behind her ear. Clark, it's just that I'm

so fat now... and you're so far away...

Honey, you're not fat, you're *pregnant*--and extremely

beautiful. And I'm coming home to you...

How do you know that? You haven't seen me in almost two

months!

Darling, you're *always* beautiful, but you're even more

gorgeous when you're pregnant. I love you, Lois. You and

our kids mean *everything* to me.

I love you, too, I miss you... I even miss being

teased! she sent as she felt the faintest hint of

pressure on her lips. It was as if he were giving her the

barest whisper of a kiss. Sweetheart, stay with me for a

while? Baby Kent is starting to demand a nap... stay until

I fall asleep?

Of course, honey.

I love you, sweetheart. a small smile turned up the

corners of Lois's mouth as she felt his solid presence

settle in beside her. Intellectually, she knew that he

wasn't really there, but she had long since stopped

questioning how she felt after talking to him. It almost

always felt like he was really there, holding her close to

him, offering her comfort when she most needed it. She

sighed softly as she felt his arms settle around her and

slipped into a dreamless sleep.

****

Jonathan strode out to the barn, intent upon speaking to

the captain. Quietly, he walked through the door, his eyes

scanning for the familiar face of Captain Foler. A man

stepped forward out of the shadows and challenged him.

"Milord. How might this humble servant be of service to

you, O adoptive father of Kal-El?" the man asked, bowing

low.

"Lieutenant Vidi? That is your name, right?"

"Yes, Milord."

"Lieutenant, I'm looking for Captain Foler--do you know

where I can find him?" Jonathan asked quietly. He wasn't

really comfortable with all of the bowing and scraping that

these strangers seemed to find necessary in his presence,

but he supposed he could deal with it until Clark came

home.

"Yes, Milord; I will get him for you." The young man

closed his eyes for a few minutes. He appeared to be

having an internal conversation, perhaps even an argument.

"Milord, Captain Foler will be here shortly," Lt. Vidi

said, bowing low once more. "Is there anything else I may

do, Milord?"

"Please stop all of the bowing to me?" Jonathan pleaded.

"It makes you stick out around here--this is Kansas, not

medieval Europe! And, please... call me Jonathan... or Mr.

Kent if you must!"

"Yes, Milord," Lt. Vidi said quickly. "er... um... Mr.

Kent. What else do you require?"

"Nothing, thank you," Jonathan said quietly.

Lt. Vidi started to bow before he caught himself. He

grimaced and walked away, shaking his head and muttering

about Terrans and their strange customs. After all, bowing

to one's Lord was only polite and proper. They owed it to

him to show the proper respect--as the man who had raised

their First Lord, Jonathan Kent was entitled to the

greatest of honors.

Because of him, their world could be saved from the ravages

that Nor would heap upon it. It was to be heard in

whispers only that Nor was bent upon dragging their world

into Darkness--only Kal-El could prevent it. All of the

ancient prophesies pointed to him--the child raised on

another world who would, because of what his parents taught

him, stop a madman from taking over Krypton. They also

said that through his example and that of his child, he

would lead their world into a Utopia... Lt. Vidi shook off

those thoughts and returned to his duties.

A few minutes later, Captain Foler strode quickly through

the door. "Milord Kent," he began. "What might this humble

servant do for your lordship?" He said as he bowed low.

Jonathan shifted from foot to foot, still uncomfortable

with the strange behavior the Kryptonians exhibited in his

presence. "Captain," he said softly, "We have company

coming. Lois's parents will be here tomorrow and there are

some things you have to know--they don't know about you and

they don't know where Clark came from. They don't know

anything other than that he's adopted... and they really

don't know that he and Kiley are on New Krypton."

"Yes, Milord," he answered softly, "I see how that could

cause... problems. I will order the men to keep a low

profile and to practice these new... abilities we have

developed where Milady's parents will not see us." He

looked at Jonathan quizzically. "Will that suffice,

Milord? I realize that having at least one of us accompany

you when you venture out is not very convenient to this

situation--but it must continue for your own safety."

Jonathan sighed. "I don't see why we're not safe in

Smallville," he grumbled softly.

"Milord," Captain Foler began, "Smallville looks safe to

me... but I am sworn to my duty and currently that is to

make sure that you, as Lord Kal-El's father and the rest of

his Terran family is safe from the likes of Lord Nor." He

bowed deeply once more, his palms flat against his thighs.

"Until the Council of Elders says otherwise, you are my

Lord and I and my men will protect all of you with our

dying breath. We are sworn to this--breath, blood, and

body. We will keep you, Lady Lois, Lady Martha, and Master

Joseph safe... I believe our vow now includes Lady Lois's

parents as well. Until the problem with Nor is resolved,

we are yours--we owe you allegiance."

Hesitantly, Captain Foler stepped forward and laid his hand

on Jonathan's shoulder. "It is our pleasure and honor to

serve you, Milord," he finished.

Jonathan reached out to grasp the Captain's hand. "I know

you probably had as little choice as to coming here as my

son did when he left for New Krypton," he began quietly.

"I just wanted to let you know that the Lanes will be here

sometime tomorrow..." He looked up at the earnest young man

and marveled how, in so many ways, this bodyguard reminded

him of Clark. "...and to say thank you. I also have to

ask you to stop bowing all the time--we don't do that here

in Kansas... tell your men not to as well, it makes you

stick out like a sore thumb... and please, call me

Jonathan."

"You are welcome Milord... Jonathan. I will inform the

men... Now, if you will excuse me, I must go tell my men of

this news--we have two more people to protect." With

another low bow and a nod, Foler strode out of the barn and

headed off into the fields.

Jonathan watched him go for a moment before heading up to

the house. Hopefully, Lois had talked it over with Clark

and would know what to tell her parents when they got there

the next day. He had yet to see Ellen Lane truly upset,

but he had a feeling that she was the source from which his

daughter-in-law had inherited her legendary temper... and

he was sure that if Lois and Clark decided to tell the

truth, they would most likely receive a dose of it.

****

Zara laid her hand on Clark's arm. "It's time, Clark," she

said softly. "I hate to wake her up, but I need to get her

dressed for the ceremony."

"Let me do it, Zara," Clark asked quietly. "I'll get her

ready to go..." He caressed Kiley's hair gently. "It's

time to wake up, sweetie. C'mon Kiley-bug, wake up."

Kiley's eyes fluttered open slowly. "Daddy?" she said

hesitantly.

"I'm right here, sweetie," he said softly, hugging her

tightly.

Kiley's lower lip quivered. "We're still on New Krypton...

away from Mommy and Joseph, aren't we?"

"Punkin', I promise that we'll go home as soon as we can; I

miss Mommy and Joseph too."

Kiley hugged Clark and buried her face back in his chest.

"I love you, Daddy."

"I love you, too, sweetheart," he replied. Clark stood up

and settled her on his hip. "It's time to get dressed,

punkin'... we've got that silly Naming ceremony that they

want us to do."

"Don't wanna," Kiley mumbled. "I wanna go home."

"I know, sweetie," Clark answered softly. "I want to go

home, too. But we're stuck here for a little while... and

it's time to get you dressed. Okay?" He stroked her hair

gently, unwilling to break contact with his small daughter.

She was his physical link to Lois--at times in the past

month, he had almost begun to think that his life on Earth

had been a dream when compared to the realities he was now

living. Holding Kiley made it seem real--his Lois and

their life was waiting for him on Earth. And he would give

anything to be back there at that moment.

"Okay, Daddy," Kiley said, sighing softly as she laid her

head against his shoulder.

Clark dropped to his knees beside the bed and set her down

carefully, giving her one more gentle hug and kissing her

on the cheek before he released her. "Come on, punkin',

it's time to get you ready to go." He pulled the dress off

the bed and held it out to his baby girl. "They want you

to wear this, Kiley," he said quietly.

Kiley scuffed the toe of her shoe against the ground before

she turned around so her daddy could unfasten the buttons

on her dress. "I can't reach, Daddy," she said softly.

Clark unbuttoned the old dress and carefully pulled it off

before putting the new dress on Kiley and buttoning it up

for her. Just as he was reaching for the soft slippers

that matched the dress, Kiley turned, hurled herself at

him, linked her arms around his neck, and refused to let

go. "Don't g'way, Daddy," she said as a sob caught in her

throat.

He stroked her back gently and held her as he seated

himself on the floor. Clark rearranged Kiley so she was

sitting in his lap. Slowly, he began to rock back and

forth, comforting her. "Shhh," he began, "I'm not going

anywhere, sweetie."

Slowly, Kiley's sobs quieted. She pulled back from him for

a minute and dropped her arms, tearstains still evident on

her face. "Promise?" she asked, a quaver in her voice.

"I promise," he affirmed quietly as he produced a

handkerchief and wiped away the traces of tears from her

face. He brought the handkerchief up to her nose and held

it there. "Blow," he said.

Obediently, Kiley blew her nose into the square of cloth

before cuddling up closer to her daddy.

Clark rested his cheek on her hair as he began to rock

slowly back and forth. Kiley had never been a very clingy

child, but he recognized her need to stay close to him--

hell, he needed his baby near him as well; two months away

from Lois, Kiley and Joseph were two months too long!

Zara dropped to her knees beside them and, sensing Clark's

inner turmoil, laid her hand on his arm. "Everything will

be okay, Clark," she said softly. She tugged off Kiley's

shoes gently and replaced them with the matching soft

slippers. " Lin'dra," she said, "I promise that everything

will be okay--I plan to either keep you with me or with

your father until it's safe to send both of you home." She

reached out and touched the child's cheek lightly. "Now,

the Naming Ceremony is soon... will you let me fix your

hair and get you ready while your Daddy goes to change

clothes? He'll be right across the hall..."

Kiley nodded hesitantly and hugged Clark fiercely. "You'll

just be across the hall?" she asked.

"I'll be back as fast as I can," he said reassuringly.

"I guess it's okay then," she said. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, Kiley," Clark answered, hugging her

gently.

Kiley stood up and held her hand out to Zara. "C'mon, Aunt

Zara," she said, the beginnings of a smile on her face. "I

guess we have to play pretend until we can go home."

Zara took Kiley's hand and squeezed it lightly. "Yes, we

do, lin'dra, but it will only be for a short time, I

promise." They walked hand-in-hand over to the small

dressing table. She lifted Kiley up, set her on the bench

in front of the table, picked up a brush and began to brush

out the long curls.

Clark watched Zara brush and arrange Kiley's curls for a

few minutes before he left to go change clothes. He

grimaced; he really wasn't looking forward to getting

dressed up in high court gear--it was a nuisance. With a

heavy sigh, he picked up the first heavily embroidered

silken garment and pulled it on.

****

Lord Nor walked slowly down the hallway to Tak's suite of

rooms. Much still had to be accomplished before he could

take over, but he was confident that it would not be long

before he came into power. He entered his son's room

quietly, glancing around to find the child. "Tak!" he

called.

It was absolutely necessary to bring the child with him to

the palace if his plan were to succeed. Nor paced back and

forth as he impatiently waited for Tak to appear. His

mouth tightened into a grimace--the boy was taking far too

long. "TAK," he shouted with both voice and mind.

Tak-Nor sidled slowly into the room, his big blue eyes wide

with suppressed fear. "Yes, Father?" he said, his voice

higher than usual with terror. He had seen his father in

moods like this before--usually before his mother got a

beating, and he was sure that if he did anything to provoke

him, he would be his father's next victim.

"Come here, boy," Nor said gruffly. He didn't want to hurt

or frighten the child--at least not while Tak was still

useful to him. After all, though he could always breed

more sons, none of them would be the right age, as this one

was now, to cultivate the heir. Such opportunities were

not to be wasted.

Tak walked slowly toward his father, dragging his feet.

"Yes, Father?" he repeated, calmer now.

"Tak, son. Today we are going to the naming of the heir.

You are to be nice to her--she will be useful to me."

"C-c-can Laj'hon'a come?" Tak asked hesitantly.

"No, your mother can *not*. In fact," Nor smiled cruelly,

"she is dead to you until I get the power that rightfully

belongs to *me*--and she *will* be dead unless you do as I

say."

Tak bowed his head to hide the tears that had begun to

gather in his eyes. "Yes, Father," he whispered, sure that

his mother would die soon--and it would be his fault.

"Good boy!" Nor crooned. As he reached toward the boy, Tak

held himself very still, trying desperately not to flinch

as his father ran his hand through his hair to tidy it.

"Now let me take a look at you--you must be presentable to

meet the princess." He looked critically at Tak before

nodding in satisfaction. "You'll do." He held out his

hand imperiously to his son. "Come child. We must leave

for the palace." Nor turned and hurried out of the room.

After a few moments, Tak followed, trotting at his father's

heels.

****

Zara twined one of Kiley's curls around her finger, coaxing

it into a long ringlet. She glanced down at the child as

she moved on to the next curl, noticing the sad expression

on her face. "What's the matter, little one?" she asked

quietly, reaching for a jeweled pin that lay on the

dressing table.

A single tear trickled down Kiley's face. She sniffed and

wiped it away before answering. "I wanna go home," she

said with a hiccup, "I miss Mommy an' Joseph--an' I want

Daddy to come with me!"

Zara slid the pin into Kiley's hair before dropping to her

knees and pulling the little girl close to her in a gentle

hug. "I know, lin'dra, I know," she pressed a kiss on to

the child's forehead, "I know you miss them--and that you

want to go home. I don't blame you... they shouldn't have

brought you here and we shouldn't have taken your daddy

away."

Zara began to caress Kiley's hair hesitantly. "Lin'dra, I

promise that I will make this right--I will get both of you

home and I won't let anything horrible happen to you."

Kiley burrowed closer to Zara, aware of the adult only as a

source of comfort. "Promise?" she asked, her voice

quavering a little as she hiccuped again.

Zara gathered her closer, heedless of the tears that were

soaking into her own Naming clothes. She began to rock

back and forth slowly, stroking the child's hair gently as

she sang an age-old lullaby softly. "I promise," she

affirmed before resuming her song.

Kiley buried her face in Zara's neck and linked her arms

around her new aunt's neck. As her tears soaked into the

collar of Zara's ornate gown, the words of the song began

to penetrate her grief-filled consciousness.

"Little one, you are safe now,

Little one, you are loved.

The Darkness has passed--

the time of fear is almost over."

Kiley began to relax, not registering that the words were

in a language more foreign to her than the Kryptonian that

had been around her constantly for weeks.

"Little one, we will protect you,

Little one, no harm will befall you.

The Darkness cannot come here--

we have pushed it back."

Kiley yawned, giving into the soothing effect of the

ancient lullaby. She snuggled a little closer to Zara,

taking comfort in the first lullaby she had been sung since

being snatched from her home.

"Little one, sleep safe and sound,

Little one, where you are is soft and warm.

The Darkness will not return--

we will keep it at bay."

Zara patted Kiley on the back, thankful that she remembered

the traditional lullaby. She pressed a feather-light kiss

into the child's hair, continuing her soft song. It was a

lullaby that had lulled generations of Kryptonian children

to sleep--its origins had long since been lost to time.

"Little one, we are here,

Little one, we love you.

The chosen one will come--

he will drive back the Darkness forever."

Kiley sighed softly as her eyes began to slip shut. She

still longed for Home, and all that the word entailed, but

Aunt Zara was being so nice to her. "Thank you, Aunt

Zara," she murmured, anything further that she might have

said was lost in a huge yawn.

"Little one, you are well,

Little one, everything is fine,

The chosen one and his child will lead us--

lead us out of the Darkness and into light."

As Kiley once more slipped into dreamland, Zara let the

lullaby wind down slowly, the ancient Kryptonian words die

to a whisper as she continued to rock the child slowly back

and forth.

Zara stood up slowly and settled the little girl in her

arms before grabbing a handful of bejeweled pins and a

small tiara from the dressing table. Clark? she called

softly, not wishing to intrude upon him.

Zara? Is Kiley okay? I'm coming!

Before she could send anything else, Clark came running

into the room still hurriedly shoving his shirttail into

his pants. Zara looked up at him and smiled. "She's fine,

Clark," she said quietly. "I just wanted to ask if you'd

hold her so I can finish putting this stuff in her hair."

Clark reached over and gently took Kiley from Zara. He

walked over to the rocking chair and sat down, settling her

in his lap. Kiley stirred and turned towards him, burying

her face in his shoulder. "I'd be happy to," he began

quietly, "Kiley was our miracle child--the doctors told us

that Kryptonians and Earth humans were biologically

incapable of having children... I've missed holding my

little girl." Clark began to rub Kiley's back soothingly

as she started to move around restlessly. "Shhh," he

murmured, "I'm here, sweetie." She quieted at the sound of

her father's voice and slipped into a deeper sleep.

Zara grabbed a brush, walked over, and started to finish

arranging the child's hair. She finished her preparations

and carefully set the tiara in place, pinning it securely.

"Clark," she began, "I'm sorry. We never should have taken

you away from Earth--we should have foreseen what Nor would

do; we should have prevented the necessity."

"It's okay Zara--I would rather that you hadn't come for me

either, but we can't change the past... But to paraphrase

something a very smart person once said to me, you're only

one person; you can't do everything... What you can do is

enough--and you can get us home." Clark kissed his

daughter's cheek tenderly.

"This person sounds very wise... who is it?" Zara asked

quietly.

"My wife," Clark answered with a wide smile.

"Want me to take her so that you can go get your boots and

your tunic?" Zara asked quietly.

Clark shook his head. "I'll take her with me and lay her on

my bed while I put on the rest of the stuff that goes with

this cursed outfit," he said with a grimace. "I miss jeans

and flannel shirts," he muttered.

Zara grinned. "I heard that," she teased gently, "I'll

have the palace tailors come up with something--though we

use material like that for grain sacks!" She looked at him

speculatively, picturing him wearing aforesaid grain sacks.

"I don't think wearing grain sacks would suit you," she

said, mischief dancing in her eyes. "As much as you hate

Kryptonian court gear, it *does* suit you."

Clark laughed and tugged a lock of her hair gently. "I

never had a sister... but at times like this, I almost

believe that you're somehow mine," he said teasingly.

Zara smiled slowly, "I think I'd like that," she said

thoughtfully. "Now scoot! The bodyguards will be here in a

few minutes to escort us to the Audience Chamber, and you

need to finish changing!"

Clark laughed, tugged her hair once more and headed toward

the door, tightening his grip on Kiley as she stirred

restlessly. He crossed the hallway, entered his room, and

laid Kiley on his bed.

"Daddy," Kiley moaned, stirring slightly.

"Shhh, it's okay punkin'" Clark murmured, stroking her

hair gently.

Kiley's mouth turned upwards in a slight smile. "Stay with

me, Daddy," she said sleepily, "don't g'way."

Clark leaned over and caressed her cheek softly. "I won't

sweetie."

Kiley rolled over and put her arms around her father's

hand, trapping it as she hugged it to her and snuggled

close. "Love you," she sighed.

Clark dropped a kiss on her forehead before gently

extracting his hand and reaching for his forgotten tunic.

He pulled it on with a slight grimace... he wasn't too sure

that he liked wearing clothes like these; they were too

fancy for a farmboy from Kansas--and they reminded him, in

color at least, of Daniel Scardino's shirts!

He straightened the tunic and grabbed the gold-chased belt

that Ching had laid out for him. He put it on and grabbed

the soft, low boots that accompanied the outfit. As he

pulled them on, he was extremely thankful that there wasn't

a sword to go with the mess he was wearing. He figured

that if they had given him a sword, he could have stepped

into any RenFaire and blended in perfectly.

Clark picked up the last item--a thin gold circlet stamped

all the way around with the El crest, and jammed it on over

his head. He walked over to the mirror and looked into it,

pulling a face at his reflection. While some Superman

groupies might like the way he looked at that moment, he

thought the clothes and ornaments just made him look silly.

He walked back over to the bed and picked Kiley up. "Time

to wake up, punkin'," he said quietly.

Kiley nestled her head against his shoulder and yawned

sleepily. "Nuh, uh," she muttered, still half-asleep.

"Come on, sweetie--it's time to get up."

Kiley opened her eyes and looked at him. "I'm still

sleepy, Daddy."

"I know you are, punkin'--and as soon as we get this Naming

nonsense over with, the sooner you can go to bed, okay?"

Kiley threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly

before planting a very wet kiss on his cheek. "Ok, Daddy."

She looked at him and smiled sweetly--Lois's smile, he

thought distractedly. "Daddy, can I walk an' hold your

hand?"

"Sure you can," he said laughingly. Clark set Kiley down

and offered the child his hand.

She took it gravely and they walked out the door into the

hallway where they met Zara. Kiley grabbed Zara's hand

without hesitation and pulled both of the adults toward the

door. "Let's get this over with," Kiley said a little

grumpily.

****

The bodyguards met them at the door and trailed them to the

audience chamber. Clark ignored them with resignation--he

was becoming accustomed to having them follow him around.

All too soon, they arrived at their destination. Clark

swallowed nervously as he leaned down to swing Kiley up

into his arms and settle her on his hip.

He felt almost as if giving her another name was a

betrayal--not just of his daughter, but of his wife as

well. It was Lois who had chosen Kiley's name during her

pregnancy. They had made a deal--for their first child,

she got to choose a girl's name while he got to choose a

boy's... Renaming his baby daughter was like sweeping away

the last remnants of her mother's legacy to her.

He knew it was only temporary, but the thought rankled. It

simply went against the grain to do something that could

potentially harm Kiley. For the millionth time, he wished

he were at home with Lois. Unconsciously, his hand stole

up to clasp the locket she had given him. He held it

tightly, as if by holding it, he could actually touch his

beloved wife. He desperately wished that he had her

strength to lean on--it was simple really, he needed her.

Together, they could conquer anything--it was what made

their marriage work.

Clark took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and focused on

Lois. He thought of her smile, her small hand slipping

into his, her arms around him when they were facing

something truly difficult. He expelled the breath quietly

as they approached the dais. As he opened his eyes, he

could have sworn that he saw her out of the corners of his

eyes. He drew in a breath sharply as he felt her arms slip

around him and hold him tight.

Clark stood up straighter and faced the gathering crowd,

taking strength from the feeling of Lois's presence.

Slowly, the last of the nobles filed in and, as one, sat

down upon the cushioned benches that had been prepared for

their exclusive use.

Lord Trey stepped forward and pounded his staff upon the

ground three times. "Let the family of the child step

forward at this time." He stepped back and bowed low to

Clark and Zara. Sarn-Ra and his wife stepped forward and

climbed the dais to stand behind Zara. They were the only

family she had left--all of the others had not heeded the

warnings and had perished when Krypton exploded.

Ganul-Wys stepped forward, bringing his family with him.

Kyrin and Kyrim came to stand directly behind Clark and

Kyrin put her hand on his shoulder in a supportive gesture.

Grsek came next, his wife, two-year old, and their newborn

baby with him. He joined the throng behind Clark and sent

a brief mental hello before he picked up his oldest child

and settled her on his hip.

Trey stepped forward once more and regarded the crowd

seriously. "Who presents the child of Kal-El to be Named?"

"We, her family do," said both families in unison.

"Bring forth the child."

Clark stepped forward and carefully set Kiley on the small

throne prepared for her. She shot him a look of wordless

protest at being forced to leave her daddy's arms, but

settled into the chair and began to smile slowly at the

crowd.

"The Naming of a Royal Child is a very blessed event. For

years, we have been without an Heir--now the First Lord has

been returned to us, and his Heir has been brought along as

well." Lord Trey stepped forward and laid his hand on

Kiley's shoulder. "People of New Krypton, the name she

shall be known by in this life, the name that shall be

written upon the records, and the name by which she shall

be known in the Light to come is Lara-Ziveh-El. May the

Darkness forever shun her and turn away from her presence."

His hand came to rest behind the tiara on her head.

"Lara shall be taught in the wisdom of her people so that

one day she will govern wisely over our fair world. Oh ye

fair ones, behold the heir to the throne of New Krypton,

and your princess--Lara-Ziveh-El, out of the House of Ra,

into the House of El!"

Kiley started at his words and looked around wildly. Clark

stepped forward and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

She relaxed slightly, but to anyone who was watching

closely, the signs of her fear at Lord Trey's words were

easy to see.

The crowd stood as one and dropped to their knees before

bowing their heads to touch their foreheads to the floor.

"My people, you may now come forward to present your gifts

and meet our new Heir!" Trey opened his arms to welcome

them as they stood up and began to walk forward in family

groups.

Kyrin-Wys opened her mind to assess the loyalty of the

families as they came forward--just in case. After all,

she had just rediscovered her nephew; she didn't want to

lose him because her carelessness had allowed an assassin

to slip by. Briefly, she wondered if he would let her

mother his little girl a little--after all, she knew that

he had never wanted his child to come to New Krypton. She

thought that little Kiley might need her... the

Lishra'kre'vatha would help.

Kyrin glanced over at Clark and narrowed her eyes as she

saw a slight, barely-visible figure standing directly

behind him. The shimmer of light that made up the person

seemed to be hugging him around the waist, lending him

support. She turned her head for a better look only to

discover that, where she had supposed someone was standing

was only empty air. Kyrin shook her head to clear it and

again focused her attention on the crowd in front of the

dais.

Her attention sharpened as Lord Nor strode forward, tugging

his reluctant son along with him. Her mind recoiled from

reading the sewer she knew resided inside Nor's

immaculately groomed skull and she knew that he was not to

be trusted, so she turned her focus to the child. She sent

out a careful tendril of thought towards the boy and was

shocked when she was yanked into a miasma of terror and

guilt. She found the focus of both emotions rather quickly

when she stumbled upon a recent memory of Nor threatening

the little boy's mother. This memory was linked to others

of Lord Nor beating Eyindl-Qua, Nor's concubine and Tak's

mother.

With a shudder, she yanked herself free and made her way

over to Sarn-Ra. Kyrin whispered her findings to the

Speaker of the Council before resuming her place near her

nephew. She wasn't surprised when Sarn-Ra stepped forward

to speak.

"People of New Krypton. I am sorry to interrupt this

auspicious occasion, but a matter that must be immediately

dealt with has come to my attention. Lord Kav-Nor. You

have violated the laws of our society." Sarn-Ra paused and

waited as the people began to react to this unwelcome news.

Lord Nor glared at his accuser and dug his fingers into the

boy's shoulders. "Darkness!" he spat. "Why, whatever are

you talking about?"

"One of our chief Memories has just told me of your

behavior concerning your concubine, Eyindl-Kqa and your

son, Tak-Nor. Such behavior is unacceptable--it is

unlawful to beat one's concubine. It is unlawful to

terrorize and use emotional blackmail on one's child. Kav-

Nor, it is my judgment that the child, Tak-Nor be

immediately removed from your custody." Sarn-Ra had to stop

again to allow the crowd to quiet down.

"He shall reside at the palace and his needs will be taken

care of. You are also ordered to produce the boy's mother-

-as her Lord, it is your responsibility to protect her from

harm; not to hurt her yourself. This is the law--it shall

be done."

Lord Nor snarled, snapped his fingers and shoved Tak

forward. "Take the sniveling, whining brat. He is of no

further use to me, anyway!" His mouth twisted into a cruel

parody of a smile, "But you *will not* take my property

from me--Eyindl has been mine since I took her from her

House and she shall remain with me! Keep the boy--I can

get more, stronger sons... Eyindl will do for their mother

as well!" He turned and stalked out of the audience

chamber, slamming the door behind him.

Tak fell to his knees and his hands hit the ground as he

reached out to stop his face from hitting the hard marble

floor. He pushed himself up slowly and looked at the older

man in astonishment. "You mean that I don't have to live

with Father anymore??? And that Mama is going to be safe?"

Sarn-Ra stepped down from the dais and picked up the seven

cycle old boy. "Yes it does, little one. You don't have

to be afraid anymore."

A single tear ran down the boy's face. Sarn-Ra wiped it

away and carried him up to the dais to stand with the First

Lord and his family. He set the child down and turned to

face the crowd as the noble families resumed presenting

themselves to the First Lord and his clan.

Tak began to look around him with interest, his fear fast

fading outside of his father's presence. His eyes widened

as he caught site of the princess.

Kyrin could still hear some of the thoughts that were

running through the boy's head. Absently, she noted that

he would require training soon. He broadcast his foremost

thought to her loud and clear--he found Kiley to be

absolutely beautiful. Mentally, Kyrin groaned and cursed

herself for a fool. Just what they needed; Tak-Nor

developing a crush on Clark's daughter. She knew that she

would have to warn Clark of this developing situation

later. She heaved a huge sigh and turned her attention

back to the procession of noble families.

No other family threw up the red flag--though Jen-Mai and

his family gave her some niggling doubts. She was relieved

when the ceremony was finally over. She watched with a

smile as Clark picked up Kiley and carried her out the

door. Kyrin hadn't missed the sleepiness in the little

girl's expression. Kyrin observed Sarn-Ra as he took Tak's

hand and led him towards the Ra's apartments. With a smile,

she happily took her husband's arm and left the audience

chamber.

****

Clark carefully pulled the hairpins and the tiara out of

his sleeping daughter's hair and laid them on the dresser.

He smiled and dropped a kiss on the top of her head as she

snuggled closer to him. He undressed her carefully and

pulled a nightgown over her head before carrying her over

to her bed and tucking her in.

Silently, he dropped to his knees beside the bed and,

taking his baby's flaccid hand in his own, began to pray

with a fervor he thought he had lost long ago. He hated

being away from Lois and Joseph. He hated living away from

Earth. Most of all, he hated the feeling that he was

powerless to protect his family. He wanted to be with

them; to take Kiley and run back home--to Lois. Since

fleeing back home wasn't an option, his only recourse was

prayer--pray that his family would be safe, pray that Nor

would leave them alone, pray that, when he finally was able

to return, that Lois would want him back. Pray, pray, pray,

pray! He felt like he'd rather scream.

He loved her; needed her. He still just had a few niggling

doubts that she would forgive his... desertion. He hadn't

dared talk to her about it--she needed to get some

reassurance from him, not to hear about his own

insecurities. Clark reached out and gently brushed a curl

away from Kiley's face.

He tugged the blankets up around her and made sure that

Clarkie-bear and Annie were within reach. Clark stood up

and quietly left the room, making sure that the door was

left cracked open behind him. He entered his room and

yanked off the fancy clothing, leaving it in piles on the

floor for the servants to sort out. Clark threw himself on

the bed and buried his face in the pillow, clutching the

locket tightly in one fist.

Clark sighed heavily. He missed Lois. He missed

accidentally eating her long hair when the wind blew it too

close to his face. He missed kissing her, sleeping with

her head pillowed on his chest, making love with her... He

missed cooking because she still wasn't very good in the

kitchen. He wanted to go home; that meant wherever his

Lois was.

Clark groaned softly. Thinking about her wasn't going to

help him get to sleep. Lois? he called out mournfully,

hoping for an answer.

Clark, what's the matter? came the soft reply.

Nuthin' he answered. I just wanted to talk to you...

I miss you.

Clark Jerome Kal-El Kent! There is *too* something wrong

I can feel it!

um, well...

Spill it, flyboy.

Sweetheart, um, I guess... um, I'm just kind of...

scared.

Farmboy, you're more than scared--you're terrified! I

can feel it from here. What's the matter, honey? she

asked.

Clark drew in a deep breath. I'm scared that, because I,

well... deserted you... and they took Kiley away... that

you won't want me back, he admitted quietly.

Clark, sweetheart, I love you. Lois began. You *had*

to go; they didn't leave us a choice. It wasn't your fault

that they stole Kiley--and she's safe now. As long as she

knows that we love her, she should be okay.

Clark began to smile slightly as he felt her arms come

around him. But, I still *left* and I promised that I'd

*never* do that.

Sweetheart, *it's not your fault*! You didn't want to

leave; I know that. I *love* you. Remember? I'll love

you forever...

...and throughout all eternity, he finished softly.

You've got that right! Clark, I know that you'll be home

as soon as you can. I miss you.

Clark felt a faint pressure against his lips and smiled.

I love you, he sent as he began to feel her rain

ghostly kisses all over his face. Stay with me, honey?

I need you here with me, he finished quietly.

All you have to do is ask, sweetheart, came the reply.

Clark sighed softly as he felt her small body curl up in

his embrace. He laid his hand against the round bulge

where their child was growing, convinced that Lois was

really there with him, even though she was light years

away. I love you, he whispered into her thoughts as he

closed his eyes.

I love you, too, he heard as his breathing evened out

and he fell asleep.

****

Zara puttered around her bedroom, carefully pulling the

pins out of her hair and shaking it free. She removed the

slender gold circlet that was embossed with the intertwined

symbols of her House and Clark's and laid it one her

dressing table.

She had a feeling that the next few weeks would be

difficult. After all, there was still Nor to take care of,

and now there was a lonely little girl in the room next

door whom desperately missed her mother. Silently, she

cursed the decision her father and the Council of Elders

had made. They took a happy little girl from her home and

turned her into the frightened, sad creature who was living

next door.

Zara had caught brief glimpses of the real child in Clark's

presence. She sincerely hoped that the experience hadn't

hurt the baby--four was a very young age to be subjected to

such trauma. Silently, she vowed to protect Kiley--she

would make sure that the child would be reunited with the

family that had been left behind.

With that thought, Zara quickly stripped off the gown she

was wearing in favor of a comfortable shift and robe. She

arranged herself on the bed before closing her eyes to

concentrate on finding Kiley's sleeping mind. She threw

out a line to the little one, forming a tenuous connection

that would allow her to know if the child was in distress.

It was the same sort of link formed between mother and

child before birth on her world...

Zara sighed and climbed underneath the bed coverings. The

next day would be a long one--there was still the matter of

the custody of Nor's son to resolve. His name would not be

changed, but it was essential that a noble household raise

him--he was still Kav-Nor's heir, and as such he had to

learn of the responsibilities that came with his birth.

For tonight, however, she need not worry, her father had

put him in her old room for the night.

Zara closed her eyes, but just as she was about to drift

off, she felt a tug from the direction of Kiley's room.

Quickly, she threw back the covers, hurried out of the

room, and to the child's bedside.

"No, nonononono, NO!" Kiley screamed. She sat straight up

in her bed and began to cry. "No," she whimpered.

Without conscious thought, Zara gathered Kiley close to her

and began to rock back and forth, making comforting noises.

"Shhh, what's the matter, jal'hera?" she asked softly. "It

was only a dream..."

Kiley sniffed and buried her face in the front of Zara's

shift. "The bad man who hurt that big kid took Daddy an'

he was hurting him," she cried softly.

Zara pulled Kiley in her lap and began to stroke her long

hair as she rocked gently back and forth. "Lin'dra, he

won't hurt your Daddy--I promise. Shh, it's okay." She

held her closely for a moment and began to hum the lullaby

softly.

"I want to see," Kiley said, snuffling as tears streamed

down her face.

Zara put Kiley down on the bed before standing and picking

her back up. She settled the little girl on her hip and

began to walk towards the door. "We'll go see him... and

then we'll come back in here. Lin'dra, your Daddy is

probably sleeping right now."

Kiley leaned her head against Zara's shoulder. "Want Daddy

anyway," she said tearfully.

Zara kissed her on the cheek as she crossed over the

threshold into Clark's room. "See?" she whispered softly.

"Your Daddy is sleeping, he's safe."

Kiley turned to look at her father. "Mommy's there too,"

she asserted quietly, pointing to a slight shimmer in the

air next to Clark.

Zara took a closer look and was surprised to see a slight

indentation in the pillow beside him. "Yes she is," she

affirmed. "Your Mommy and Daddy are what you would call

'soulmates'. Because of how the One made us, it means that

such things are possible; telepathy is part of it."

Kiley stared at Zara in puzzlement, momentarily forgetting

her earlier distress. "What's 'telepathy'?" she asked.

"It's where you can talk to another person without speaking

out loud," Zara explained, using the simplest terms she

could think of to put it in. "Now, lin'dra, it's time to go

back to bed." She hoisted the little girl a bit higher on

her hip and left the room quietly.

"Aunt Zara?" Kiley asked, fear returning to her eyes.

"Yes, lin'dra?"

"Can I sleep with you tonight? It's dark in there an' I'm

afraid of the dark. An' will you sing to me?"

"Of course, lin'dra. Of course." Zara changed directions

and headed to her room, thankful that there was a rocking

chair in there as well. She entered the room, sat down in

the chair, and arranged the child comfortably in her lap.

Zara grabbed a tissue and blotted Kiley's face matter-of-

factly before she began to rock back and forth. Zara kissed

Kiley on the forehead before she began to sing.

"Little one, the nightmares are over,

Little one, there is nothing to fear,

Dreams hold nothing to fear--

the evil darkness has passed us by,"

Kiley snuggled closer to Zara as she began to rub her back

gently, trying to soothe her out of her fright.

"Little one, sleep safe and sound,

Little one, I am here beside you,

The Darkness will not find you--

I will keep it away."

Kiley began to calm and her eyelids grew heavy. Zara

continued to rock her and rub her back soothingly, praying

to the One for this precious child's safety.

"Little one, your parents love you,

Little one, all will be well,

The Darkness cannot find you--

We will stop it's coming."

Kiley's eyes closed as Zara continued the song. Noticing

this, Zara began to simply hum the tune as she stood up

carefully and placed the child in the large bed. She stole

quietly out of the large room and hurried to get the

stuffed bear that had been left in the tumbled bed

coverings in Kiley's room. She snatched the bear out of

the bed and hurried back to her own chamber where the

little girl had begun to toss and turn in the bed, mumbling

in her sleep.

Zara placed the bear in the child's arms before tucking the

covers around her securely and climbing into the other side

of the bed. She stroked the child's cheek softly, sending

feelings of comfort and safety through the tenuous link

between them. "Shhh, jal'hera," she said softly. "It's

okay, you're safe." Kiley quieted and slipped into a deeper

sleep. Zara placed one more gentle kiss on the top of the

child's head before she, too succumbed to the waiting arms

of slumber.

****

Joseph sniffled as he pulled himself out of his crib and

headed towards his mom's room. He pushed open the door and

toddled over to where Lois lay sleeping. "Mommy?" he said

questioningly.

Lois opened her eyes and regarded her small son sleepily.

"What is it, scout?" she asked.

"Mommy, Jo'eph wanna 'leep wiv you. Jo'eph scaird!

Mon'ter!" he rubbed a hand across his face, smearing the

remnants of tears that lay on his cheeks.

"Climb on in, sweetie," she said softly, patting the bed

next to her.

Joseph scrambled up onto the bed and under the covers.

"Love you," he said with a sunny smile. "Baby sister say

she love you, too," he patted her stomach and planted a wet

kiss on it. He stuck his thumb in his mouth and snuggled

close to her.

Lois stared at her son in shock for a moment before she

brushed his hair back gently and kissed him on the cheek.

"Baby sister, huh?" she murmured. "It's possible, I

suppose. Even if I was hoping for another little boy."

She sighed softly and hugged her son close to her. "I

guess it's time to start discussing names with Clark," she

whispered as her eyes began to close. Slowly, her

breathing evened out and she fell asleep.

Martha peeked into Lois's room and smiled at the tableau

before her. Her daughter-in-law and her grandson were

curled up next to each other, fast asleep. It was well

past midnight and the Lanes would be there relatively early

in the morning. She tiptoed into the room and gently

tucked the blankets in around her family before quietly

leaving the room to get some sleep herself.

****

Clark woke suddenly and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He

got up quickly and went to Kiley's room to check on her.

He could have sworn that he had heard his little girl

screaming, and he had to reassure himself of her safety.

He was shocked to find her tumbled bed empty in the middle

of the night, so he hurried over to Zara's room--she would

know how to call out the guards to find his missing baby.

He knocked once on the door before entering. He sighed in

relief as he saw Kiley tucked into the middle of Zara's

otherwise empty bed.

Kiley sat up and yawned sleepily. "Daddy?" she said in a

sleep blurred voice. "The Council called Aunt Zara. It's

lonely in here without her an' I don't like the dark." She

held out her arms to him in a wordless plea to be picked

up. "Can I sleep with you?"

Clark immediately swung her into his arms. "Of course you

can, punkin'" he said as she snuggled into his embrace and

laid her head on his chest. Zara, Kiley woke up and

asked to sleep in my room, okay? he sent quickly.

Sure, Clark, came the distracted response.

Why did they want you in the middle of the night,

anyway? he asked.

Just a small matter... nothing to worry about

He frowned, sensing that it was just an excuse. He also

sensed that Zara had matters under control and she thought

that his little girl needed to be taken care of first.

Clark strode out of the room and across the hall where he

tucked Kiley into his bed. "Goodnight, punkin'. I love

you," he said softly, dropping a kiss on her cheek.

"I love you, too, Daddy," she said sleepily before her eyes

drifted shut.

Clark climbed into the large bed and watched his daughter

sleep for a few minutes before he allowed himself to resume

his interrupted slumber.

****

Lois carefully made her way down the back stairs into the

living room, gripping the banister tightly. Her parents

were supposed to arrive at any minute, and she definitely

didn't want to greet them in her bedroom upstairs, not with

what she had to tell them.

Lois got to the bottom of the stairs and started to cross

the room, lost in thought. She grimaced as she thought of

their inevitable reactions. Sam would most likely be okay,

but she was sure that Ellen would take the news badly. Her

mother had always hated not to be in on every detail of her

daughters' lives and their secret was not only the biggest

thing that she had neglected to inform her mother of, but

the most important.

Joseph came running into the room and his little face lit

up as he caught sight of her. "Mommy!" he squealed

happily as he hurled himself at her, grabbing her legs in a

huge hug. "Up," he demanded, releasing her legs and holding

his arms out to her.

Lois laughed and took his hand in hers as she hurried over

towards her favorite armchair. She sat down in it before

pulling her little boy into her ever-diminishing lap.

He snuggled up to her and patted her tummy. "Hello baby

'ister," he said happily. Joseph leaned over kissed Lois's

stomach. "Jo'eph love you."

"She loves you, too, scout," Lois said, hugging him

tightly. She looked up as the front door opened and her

mother walked in with her father lugging the bags bringing

up the rear.

"Lois!" Ellen called. "What are you doing out of bed?" she

scolded before Lois could say anything.

"Mo-ther," Lois began, "Doctor Robinson said that I can get

up for short periods of time and that it won't hurt the

baby."

"Princess!" Sam said happily as he dropped the suitcases

with a thump, leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. He

smiled and swung Joseph up into his arms. "And how's my

favorite grandson doing today?" he asked, tickling his

tummy.

Joseph threw his arms around Sam's neck and planted a wet

kiss on his cheek. "I love you Gan'pa Lane." He gave his

grandfather a sunny smile and another hug before squirming

to get down.

"Do you want down, Joey?" Sam asked.

Joseph's little face clouded up. "Me *not* Joey," he

insisted. He squirmed out of his grandfather's grasp, fell

to the ground and began to cry. "Me Jo'eph!" he yelled

through his tears. He climbed to his feet back into the

chair with Lois before burying his face in her chest, still

crying.

Lois checked him over for injuries and enfolded him in a

comforting embrace. "Shhh, it's okay, scout."

Joseph began to quiet, his little body cuddling closer to

his mother. Ellen began to look around the room, searching

for something or someone. "Where's my favorite

granddaughter?" she asked quickly. "I haven't seen her or

talked to her in months, and now that I'm here, she should

be around to give her grandmother a kiss. Lois I don't

care what the jackass doctor says, with the problems you've

had with that pregnancy since Clark went haring off on that

idiotic undercover assignment, you should stay in bed until

that baby's due date." Ellen started to pace back and forth

impatiently while continuing her rant.

"That is, unless you want to have *another* preemie on your

hands without Clark here to help take care of it. You'd

think you would have learned your lesson with Joseph, but

no, you wanted more children and you wouldn't listen to

your mother that since both he and Kiley were born a month

early and you were so sick with him that you should at

least wait another few years until you two started trying

for another." Lois tried to interrupt, but gave up in

favor of continuing to comfort Joseph.

"But what do I know?" Ellen continued. "I'm just your

mother, the woman who spent 32 hours in labor giving birth

to you. I swear, you listen to Martha Kent more than you

listen to me and *I'm* your mother!" Ellen came up for

air and took a long look at her daughter and her grandson.

Lois looked up at her. "Mother, Daddy, I was going to say

that it's nice to see you, but you really shouldn't have

come all the way out here." She stroked Joseph's hair

gently and dropped a kiss on the top of his head. "Mother,

you know that the doctors have averaged being about a month

off with me, both Kiley and Joseph were perfectly healthy

babies and I'm sure this little one will be, too."

Lois rested her hand on her swollen belly and took a deep

breath. "It's also not Joseph's fault that I insisted on

chasing leads out in cold rainy weather when I already had

a cold... that's what made me get sick, not carrying my

son."

Joseph looked up at Lois worriedly. "Mommy sick?" he

asked.

Lois hugged him. "No, scout, Mommy's fine," she answered.

"'tay," he said and brought his thumb up to his mouth.

"Love you," he said around it.

"I love you too, sweetie," she said quietly. Lois took a

deep breath and looked at her parents again. "Kiley isn't

here because she's with Clark."

"*What*???" Ellen said, looking shocked. "I knew that your

husband wasn't all that smart when he went on a deep cover

assignment, leaving you four months pregnant with his

child, but this is nothing short of imbecilic! *What* can

he be thinking to take a four year old child on a dangerous

assignment?! I don't know what you *ever* saw in the man,

Lois, but you can do better!"

Sam fiddled with his tie, not really knowing what to say.

"Ellen, calm down. Princess, I know that Clark is a good

man and that he makes you happy. There *must* be a logical

explanation for this, and I want it."

"Mother, Daddy, there's something you two need to know..."

****

Lord Nor sipped his wine and smiled at the images playing

before him on the vidscreen. Phase one of his plan was

complete. He had altered the chip in his son's arm to

transmit the surveillance video in the palace to him. He

now had visuals of every area of the palace to which the

child had access. He swirled the wine around in his glass,

chortling over the fact that the Speaker and the Chief

Memory had been stupid enough to take the bait and take his

unknowing plant into the palace. Through the boy's chip,

he would be able to track the Heir's movements. He chuckled

to himself as he contemplated his perfect plan for world

domination.

Soon he could implement his plan for a... kind of palace

coup. He contemplated the ruby red wine still in his

goblet and frowned. Perhaps it would be best to wait a few

weeks in order to lull them into a false sense of security.

After all, he would only get one chance for his plan to

succeed. If he failed, it would be certain execution on

Traitor's Hill--and that would mean that the self-righteous

goody-goodies that ran this puny planet would win.

Yes, he thought with an evil chuckle. He would play a

waiting game and further consolidate his power base. It

would also be... wise to wait until Tak became the

Princess's playmate. After all, it simply wouldn't do to

let them corrupt his son. Nor threw back his head and

began to laugh.

****

Deep down in the bowels of Kav-Nor's manor, Eyindl-Kqa

shivered at the sound of her Lord's laughter as it echoed

throughout the great stone pile. "What kind of monster

have I given myself to?" she wondered fearfully. She had

expected much of his harsh treatment of her, after all,

hadn't her father treated her the same way? But her son...

She would give anything to know if he was safe. Kav had

come to her and informed her of her baby's death, telling

her that it was all for the best anyway--he had said that

he should have saved himself the trouble and strangled the

brat right after he was born.

Eyindl pressed her body closer to the cold wall of her

prison. What kind of monster had she linked her fortunes

to? If only she hadn't succumbed to the first charming man

who offered to take her away from her father's House, if

only she had made him marry her! Her family had turned

their faces from her when she had become his concubine--if

she had married him, at least she would have somewhere to

run to and some means of support if she divorced him. She

had gotten herself into this mess, and it was up to her to

get word to the Council to get herself out of it.

She had shamed her family and caused a major scandal when

she had run away with Kav-Nor instead of submitting to the

marriage that had been arranged for her since birth.

Perhaps she really did deserve every beating she had ever

gotten--from both her father and from her Lord and Master.

Eyindl hid her face in her hands and began to sob.

The End. To Be Continued in Forever and All Eternity III:

Destiny.

(c) Laura Davies 2003, All Rights Reserved.