Lois looked down at her bulging belly. It had been a little over 9 months, and she was going stir crazy, both because of the house arrest and because her due date had passed a week and a half ago. She sat down in a chair facing the window, her only link to the outside world. She stole a look at the beefy, bad-smelling Kryptonian that guarded the front of the house faithfully, unless you counted the rare outing with their guard, whose name was Mel-Id, as a link to the outside, which she didn't.

The puppy now almost full grown now nuzzled her hand, and she stroked the top of his head. They had learned he had left a large hole in Lois' apartment building and toppled over a few structures in an effort to get to Kal-El and Lois to save them when they had been captured. He had apparently sensed the danger they were in, but he hadn't quite made it in time. The Kents had informed the Council that the puppy was loose and wrecking havoc on Earth. Lois and Kal-El had finally decided on a name. It was corny, but it seemed to fit, Hero. Lois was happy to have the dog. He provided some comfort and distraction during her house arrest.

"I know you're miserable," Kal-El told her softly, crouching down beside her.

"I'm not miserable." She saw the disbelieving look he gave her. "At least not completely. It's just this society of yours. It's not for me. I realize that in another few months I will be free to walk around the city of the plastic bubble, but what am I going to do with myself? What can I do with myself? It won't be much different from this stupid house arrest. Don't get me wrong, Kal-El. I don't mind being stuck in here with you, and I know that soon we'll have a child, who I will love and will likely keep me busy. It's just… this sounds selfish, but I need to work. I have to work. I need to know that I'm doing something productive and important."

"If I could make it any better for you, I would."

She smiled and touched his cheek. "I know you would."

"I'm going to do it," he said suddenly. "I don't know how, but if I can't talk them into letting us go back to Earth then we can change things here. We will change things here."

Lois was surprised by his sudden determination. "Careful, Kal-El. You may get more time under house arrest."

"It's worth any risk. In fact, I think I might have an idea, but I don't want to make any promises."

A look of great distress crossed her face.

"Of course, if you don't want me to…"

She shook her head, her lips tightly pressed. "It's not that. I think it's time." She looked down. "I know it's time."

He helped her stand up and took her to their bedroom.

"You wait right here. I'll get help," he instructed once she was safely lying down on the bed.

Lois rolled her eyes. She was in labor and under house arrest. Where was she going to go?

Kal-El was back in record time, and he brought Lara with him.

"Do you want me here during the birth?" Lara asked.

Lois smiled. "Of course, I do." She was grateful to have someone who had been through this before with her, and she knew how much it would mean to the kind woman to be there for the birth of her grandchild.

"Mel-Id went to get medical help," Kal-El explained.

"Quick, this is our chance to escape," she joked before another contraction took hold of her.

It didn't take long for the doctor to arrive. After a quick examination, he told Kal-El, "The birth is proceeding naturally for one of her species."

The doctor took a step back from Lois. She looked ready to hit him for a comment that made her seem like an animal. The only thing that saved the doctor was that she was in too much pain to get up.

The doctor spoke something quietly to Kal-El, sensing that another comment in the moody mother's hearing from him would likely not end well.

"What?" Lois demanded.

Kal-El cleared his throat, "The council, not including my father of course, waits outside the house. They would like to witness the birth in person."

"Excuse me?"

"You see this is a momentous occasion to them. It has historical significance. It will be the first child of both Kryptonian and Earthly heritage."

"I am not having a bunch of old men standing around and watching this like it's some sort of a documentary or science experiment. I am not giving birth to a prince, and even if I were, I still wouldn't let them into the room. Tell them to forget it."

Kal-El left momentarily to inform the council in a more polite way that the mother wanted privacy during her birth. When he came back, the baby was finally ready to make an appearance. The doctor was preparing to get the baby and telling Lois that she needed to push. Lara had one of Lois' hands. Kal-El took the other. Despite the fact that Lois' squeezing hurt his hand, he never let go, and it wasn't long before a crying filled the room.

The doctor cleaned the baby up and passed it off to the father. "I will go and inform the Council that the first child of both Krypton and Earth is a son."

Kal-El brought their baby to Lois. She felt a love cascade over her the moment the infant was placed in her arms. She didn't know what the future held for them, but she knew that with such a beautiful family, she could face life whether they ended up stuck in Argo City for the rest of their lives or on Earth. Yet, she desperately hoped that Kal-El was able to succeed in whatever plan he was forming.