Uncerntain...

Snuggling into my pillow, I sigh heavily and shiver. The day brought so much new information and a new person into our lives. According to them, anyway. I'm still not sure what to believe. Seeing Lana Lang or Lana Luthor in my house was almost more than I could bear, even after we established she was not the same woman who tortured Clark and me, both. Everyone was so convinced, even Chloe, who is usually the skeptical one. Not me, I couldn't keep my eyes off of her nor look at her, either.

"Here is the article you asked for, Clark." Chloe handed a paper to Clark and shrugged innocently into the rocking chair as if to say we shouldn't kill the messenger.

"Thanks, Chloe." He scanned it with his usual speed-reading and relaxed. Handing the paper to Oliver, he walked to the table. "So, how are we going to present this information to the FBI?"

Oliver read and his brows folded in concern.

"What does it say, Ollie?" I was frustrated that not enough was spoken.

"Here," He handed three sheets of paper to me and sat down beside me. Looking out at the group, he interjected. "I'm not sure we can tell them about clones, Clark."

Each paper was a copy of a newspaper story and even though the paper was full-size, the articles were reduced to fit and consequently very small. The first headline read, 'New Luthor Bride Target of Corporate Espionage?' Too frustrated to try and read the small print, I looked at page two. The headline read, 'Is Lana Lost?' The final paper looked like it might be another newspaper article, complete with a picture of Lana hugging young school children, but it was written entirely in Japanese.

"Well, we need to find a way. Lex can't get away with this again." Chloe leaned back into the chair and crossed her arms indignantly.

Dropping the sheets of paper to my lap, I sighed in frustration. "Wait, what do these mean?" Everyone else understood, "I mean, how are these supposed to help?"

Clark turned to me with his brows folded in confusion and Oliver took the papers from me gently, speaking patiently. "Basically, Beth, Lana is claiming to have blown up her Luthor clone and the first article proves that there was a bombing. Lex is quoted in the second one saying she was only hurt and is spending time with her aunt in France to recover."

"And?"

"Well, the date on it is the same as the date on the Japanese article that states and pictures Lana involved in a local charity."

I frowned some more and Chloe sat forward, "Even if Lana wasn't killed, she can't be in two countries at the same time. It proves the Luthor Corp Cover-up Machine was in full swing."

Lana pulled her head out of her hands and stood, breaking her silence, "The only thing I can figure is that Lex had more than one clone or had my memory downloaded into a new one, which is why he still found out about Clark's secret." Clark turned toward the window and she stroked his arm, "I'm sorry, Clark. I didn't mean for any of this to happen." He glanced at her hand and she pulled it back and shoved it awkwardly into her jeans pocket.

Chloe stood energetically, "I've seen articles on Luthor Corp's cloning involvement. This can't be too complicated. We can present these articles to the Feds, and since there's no footage of Clark, his secret will remain sealed."

Clark tugged his fingers tensely through his hair and sighed heavily. Everyone in the room dropped their chins and I realized for the first time that we all knew Clark was taking blame once again. "What about Beth's footage?" He choked out, bringing tightness to my throat.

Oliver stood and paced, "We can 'lose' that footage, but it really doesn't reveal your secret either. And, it will go a long way in helping prove that the Luthors have pushed the envelope too far."

Chloe whined, "You mean they've spit on, burned and hacked up that ethical envelope."

I knew they were talking, but I wasn't hearing. With the mention of my footage, memories of the torture flooded through me. I jumped when someone touched my hand and realized I'd been holding my breath. Clark was squatting in front of me with concern and sadness crumpling his steely composure. "Sweetheart, are you okay?"

Swallowing, I was finally able to answer in a squeak, "I'm tired, can you take me upstairs?"

Clark nodded his consent, smiling pitifully, and as he lifted me from the sofa and walked me up the stairs, I could hear Lana ask, "God, what did they do to them?"

Chloe whispered in response, but I couldn't hear. I don't ever want to hear.

--

"Miss Colleen," I gesture to the kitchen table, "I need to speak with you."

"Oh, okay," my friend and nurse pulls a chair out as I retrieve her mug and fill it with fresh coffee. "What's on your mind, angel?" I can hear the uncertainty in her voice. I can't blame her, I'm uncertain about this myself.

Filling my mug, too, I take them both to the table and sit in a chair on the end. "It's decaf." She nods understanding, but averts her eyes to the mug in front of her. Pulling my mug into my hands, I lean into the back of my wooden chair and zero my vision and hearing in to Beth's sleeping form upstairs. Once again, she's exhausted. "A wild day, wasn't it?" I choke out.

Absently, Miss Colleen nods again and she twitches a little. She takes a quick breath and holds her hands up to me. "Mr. Kent, if this is about my scolding you earlier, I'm sorry, I-"

"Mr. Kent?" I search her eyes, she looks worried. "Miss Colleen, this has nothing to do with, wait, what do you mean scolding?"

She swallows hard and her eyes widen for a second, "Well, first it was Lana, only it wasn't Lana and I couldn't believe you hugged-," she looks to the dark window. "And then when Beth fainted, I needed you to-," Her breaths blow out, lifting her hair from her forehead and she deflates. "Yeah, it was a wild day."

Laying my hand on her forearm, I wait for her to stop and look at me. "Please, please don't worry about any of it. I didn't feel like you were mothering me and if you were, I probably deserved it. This isn't about anything you've done or said, well-" I roll my eyes to the ceiling and close them.

A warm hand closes over mine and I look up to a calm and curious Colleen. "What is it?" Her warm brown eyes are quietly searching my face. "What did I say?"

I lean back into my chair again and she pulls her hand back to her fresh mug of coffee. "It's not what you said, as much as the subject. I need," I take a quick breath and lean on my elbows over the table top, "I need to clear up something. I do not carry the meteor infection." She watches me, not much change in her face. "Neither does my unborn child."

I've left enough silence, and she screws up the courage to respond. "Angel, I've seen what you can do, I saw the kind of people the Luthors collected, and they were meteor infected." Her dark eyes settle on me as if she's waiting for further information to process.

Why is this always so hard? "I, uh, am not from this Earth; I'm not human." There, I've laid it out. Will she believe me? But there's nothing coming from her, no gasp, no tsk, and when I look at her, I don't see denial on her face; she's not shaking her head, nor has she backed up from me. I offer more, "The reason the Luthors took me is because I am affected by the meteors. They are poison to me, radioactive elements from my home world, Krypton."

Her chair squeaks against the hardwood floor and I look up expectantly. But she's just turned the chair to face me more squarely; there's not a hint of fear or disgust on her face. "So, you really are an angel." She rubs her forehead in a way that describes human feelings of overwhelmed proportions.

I raise my whole face to hers; I can't believe her response. Her eyes scrutinize me, studying every feature of me and I cringe on the inside, just knowing she'll either argue or point out something that truly is different. Taking a sip of my coffee, I look up again. She's dabbing tears from her eyes. "Miss Colleen?"

"And your baby is, not human, too, I guess." She sits forward with her eyes wide in worry, "And Beth is carrying him." Standing from the table, she walks toward the picture window and her hand comes up to rub the tension in her shoulder.

I stand and move toward her. I could never forgive myself if she fainted and hurt herself. "Colleen." I'm dying to know what she's thinking and afraid all at the same time.

She glances down at her fingers, which are flitting like she's counting. "Angel," she turns to me and nearly grabs my arms. "What if the baby uses that strength inside her, during the birth… and your speed could literally rip through the delicate tissues…"

"Miss Colleen," I put my hands on her arms. She pauses with her mouth open in alarm, "He, or she, won't have my abilities at birth." Lord, the thought of a little girl with my abilities, that brings me up short for a moment. "The weight of the baby might be an issue…"

"And the divergence of mixed blood, particularly if there is any hemorrhaging…" She swallows.

I tug my hands through my hair tightly, I hadn't considered that. "I'll have to make sure to get her into the sun." My heart skips a beat at the gravity of Beth's situation. I hadn't thought all of this through. Her getting pregnant so swiftly and easily lulled us into believing this could be possible. What if it's not?

"The sun?" Colleen touches my shoulder.

"The sun heals me." The words fly from my mouth without me thinking, I can't think, my stomach is churning.

"The sun healed Beth, didn't it?" She clears her throat. "After she was shot, you took her away from the hospital. It was months later when I heard she was coming in for prenatal visits."

"Because of the baby, because the baby has my blood." My chest tightens and I look up at my old nurse with my heart in my throat, "Colleen, what if there really is a problem with the blood differences?" She looks up at me with concern and love shining from her eyes. "And once the baby is born, the healing properties will no longer help her, Lord, please," I step past her, "what have we done?"

--

He's falling apart right in front of me. "Clark, angel," I reach out for him. His fists clamp tightly and he turns his face to the top of the stairs.

Glancing back at me for a second, he utters through his tight jaw, "Goodnight, Colleen."

"Goodnight, ang-.." My hair blows back and he's gone. Other than him bidding a goodnight, I don't even know where he just went. There's no physical evidence to show his direction or that he was even here a second ago. I shake my head as I move back to the kitchen. "He may not be human, heavenly Father, but You are Lord, God of all the universe, and You care for this young man as much as every other human."

Placing my empty mug in the sink, I reach up and rub the back of my neck. As much as I want to consider his origins and what he can do, I can't; my heart is hurting. Images from my memories are flying through my mind, all the expressions I've seen of Beth, her joy, her weary smiles, her tears and then to Clark and the encyclopedia of emotions flitting across his face over the time I've known him, all in a new light of his secret. In desperation, I fall to my knees on the Kent's carpet and sniff back the tears that are tightening my throat. "Guard them, Father. Please give the doctors wisdom and my hands the motions needed. Please let it be Your will… …this man needs his family."

--