"I can't believe you're a mom." Lucy said in awe, staring down at her niece as she cradled her in her arms. Lois and Clark were sitting across the table from her and Chloe and Jimmy were sat either side of her. Martha and Sam were over by the counter grabbing some of the food that had just been put out and everyone else was busy talking amongst themselves.
Lois was still having trouble recovering, first from seeing her father and then Lucy turn up, but then when her father had held Phoebe, the pride and adoration in his eyes had been astounding. She had never seen him like that, not since before her mother died. But as he'd held his granddaughter in one arm, whilst wrapping the other around her shoulders and dragging her closer for a hug, it made her heart melt and she realised that she had lived most of her life waiting for the day when her father would be this open around her again. She had missed that the most.
So far, Phoebe seemed to adore him too, her little eyes searching his face and she had laid quietly in his arms for almost an hour, just watching him as if she were fascinated. Which of course, pleased the General greatly, and he had been reluctant to even hand her back to Lois when she'd needed to feed her.
"I still can't believe you haven't called me since my wedding day." Lois grumbled.
Lucy stuck her tongue out at her and grinned. "Well, I've been busy Lois."
"Too busy to give your one and only sister a call?" She smirked.
"You know how it is, I've just been trying to sort some things out. But I am sorry that I wasn't around. I know I should've called more. I can't believe I missed out on my sister being pregnant. That must've been a sight, Lois with a big round…"
"You're here now Lucy, that's all that counts." Clark interrupted, nudging her on the leg subtly and Lois knew he was just trying to prevent any disruption to the afternoon.
He was right in a way, Lois was still a little annoyed at her sister, but she wouldn't let it ruin what Chloe and Clark had done for her here today. Lois still couldn't get over how much effort they had put in to this whole thing. She also couldn't believe how many presents she'd gotten and not all of them were for the baby.
She had received sets of bath salts, scented candles and incense burners, all stuff designed to help her relax and de-stress. Clark had even given her a ticket he'd made himself that stated she was owed a full body massage at a time of her choosing and her skin practically tingled in anticipation of that. That man had magical hands.
"I guess. I was so shocked when daddy called, he said, and I quote: 'Lucy, you're to be at the airport…" She put on her best impersonation of the General. "At oh-eight hundred hours and if you're not, I'm coming after you'. Man my jaw almost hit the floor when he told me that we were coming here because you'd just had a baby. You certainly didn't waste any time did you Clark?" She grinned, making Clark blush. Lois rolled her eyes, trust her sister to make a comment like that.
"It was kind of a surprise for me too Lucy." He replied quietly and Lois squeezed his hand, knowing exactly what he was thinking. There was a part of him that still couldn't believe that Phoebe was real. That maybe he was dreaming because he was always destined to be alone on this planet. Well, she had proved him wrong hadn't she?
"Can't have been much of one though, I mean you were there when she was conceived right? Or were you?" Lucy giggled, bouncing Phoebe lightly in her arms.
"So not funny Luce." Lois warned.
"I'm kidding. You know I'm only kidding right Clark?" Her face sobered when Phoebe's eyes grew wide and then her face started going a little red. "She really is the most precious thing I've seen though you guys. Oh just look at this hair, and these eyes, her eyelashes are so long and dark I doubt she'll ever need to wear mascara. My little niece is gonna grow up to be a super model. Well done."
"Thanks sis." Lois replied, leaning against Clark. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, kissing her on the temple before taking a sip of his drink.
"Though how on earth are you back to that size Lois? You had her what, three days ago?" Lois felt her anger flare up a little, her sister was exactly the same as she'd always been, always making jokes, could never be serious for a moment. No wonder she was always getting into trouble.
"It's all carefully hidden Luce, but thanks for bringing it up." She deadpanned whilst fussing with her baggy sweater. That had been the main reason she had chosen to wear it, she didn't want people questioning her and she had to admit that she felt a little more secure with it on.
Which was funny when she thought about it. If she wasn't back to her regular size and she was still carrying baby weight, she probably would've been just as self conscious but seeing as this was not exactly a normal thing to happen to her, the more attention she received, the worse it made her feel.
She felt like she was cheating in a way, that she should be going through what other new mothers had to go through. But with her husband being who he was, there was no getting around the circumstances and she supposed that she shouldn't really be complaining.
"No problem sis, it's what I'm here for. But seriously, you do look great and I am happy for you. Both of you."
Lois giggled as she saw Lucy's nose wrinkle up, obviously smelling something untoward.
"Uh guys…"
"I'll get it." Clark said, laughing as he stood up to take Phoebe from Lucy. "You two girls catch up. I'll be right back,"
"We're just gonna go and grab some food Lo, you want anything bringing over?" Chloe said, almost dragging Jimmy out of his seat.
"Uh no thanks, I'm good."
"We are? Oh…yeah, I'm hungry, I forgot." Chloe rolled her eyes at his not so subtle attempt and dragged him away, leaving Lucy alone with Lois. She studied her younger sister for a few minutes, noticing the differences in her appearance and wondering why she hadn't heard from her in over a year.
"He's really great with her isn't he?" Lucy said, watching Clark walk over to the bag they'd brought, take out a fresh diaper and head into the back.
"Yeah, he is. Well now he is anyway, not so much at first. You have no idea how funny it was watching him trying to change a diaper. But he's got it down now," She laughed, but then her smile faded. "So where were you Luce? And don't tell me you were in some prison." She asked, running the tip of her finger around the rim of her coffee mug.
"Your faith in me is astounding Lo…" Her sister replied dryly, flicking her shoulder length brown hair over her shoulder. "No as a matter of fact, I have been very busy. I got a job playing with a great orchestra in Italy and I'm living there now."
Lois was genuinely impressed. "That's great, about time you settled down somewhere. But why did it have to be Italy?"
"Well, I uh…I met someone. He's really great Lois, you'd love him."
"So why didn't you bring him with you to meet me? Scared he won't make the cut?" Lois joked.
"Yeah cos I really need your approval to be dating a guy." Lucy said sarcastically. "No he's busy, he couldn't come over right now. But I would like you to meet him eventually. His name's Kurt and he plays with the same orchestra that I do now. Actually, that's how I got the job, I met him, we started dating and he introduced me to a few people and there you have it. See? I'm not a total screw up Lo, I can actually take care of myself. All that bad stuff, that's in the past now and I'm looking to my future."
Lois reached over and laid her hand over Lucy's, squeezing it gently. "I'm glad you're all sorted Luce. But please don't be a stranger anymore huh? I miss you."
"I promise I will keep in touch more. Besides, you'll have to write something to me when you send me all those pictures of my niece."
Lois laughed. "Yeah, there is that."
"Oliver, will you stop that?" Kara moaned as she raised her donut to her lips.
"Stop what?" He asked, briefly breaking eye contact with her but then, as if drawn, his eyes returned to hers. They were sitting in the corner of the Talon in one of the booths that offered a little privacy.
"You're staring at me."
"So? Can I help it if I think my wife's beautiful?" He grinned, that charming grin that she'd first fallen in love with.
"And that would be fine, if that's what this was about. But it isn't. You keep staring at me like you expect me to vanish at any second. What's up?"
He let out a quiet sigh and surveyed their surroundings, watching as Lois and Clark's guests mingled with each other, the atmosphere light and loving. "I'm worried about you Kara. I'm sorry, I can't help it."
She smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I love that you worry about me, but you don't have to. I feel fine. There's nothing at all to worry about. I'm sure this is just a temporary glitch or something. Maybe like solar flares from the sun, that could affect my powers."
"Except then why isn't it affecting Clark too? Something like that would affect the both of you."
"Smart ass." She grumbled. Okay so that excuse was out. What else…?
"Well, okay so I don't have an explanation right now. But it can't be serious or I would've lost my other powers by now." She frowned, was she trying to convince him, or herself? She wasn't sure.
She had to admit that it was getting beyond freaky that she still couldn't fly. It was very strange being grounded and now she knew how Clark had felt when she'd first arrived in Smallville and shown that she could fly but he couldn't.
"I still think you need to get checked out."
"By who? Helen's still in a coma and it's not as if she knows anything about my species anyway."
"She knows enough, she's studied Clark's blood for years."
"Yeah, let's not go there." Kara waved her hand and picked up her soda. "Regardless of which, she can't help us if she's not conscious. Stop worrying, I promise you I'm okay."
"Hey guys," Kara looked up to see her cousin standing in front of her, baby in his arms and sappy grin on his face. She could still feel Oliver's eyes watching her, but at the moment, she was too happy to worry too much about it. The first thing she did was reach her arms out and Clark deposited her niece into her arms before sitting down opposite them.
"And how is my favourite baby girl?" She cooed, nuzzling her nose against Phoebe's.
"Changed, fed and clean, though probably not for long." Clark replied with a grin so wide she was surprised his face didn't split. But he'd been wearing it since he'd brought Lois and Phoebe home. Not even having to go out and stop crime and rescue people could put a dampener on his happiness. In fact, it seemed to strengthen his resolve to help this planet even more. Every day he went out there with a purpose and every day, he came home to his family. Perfect.
"Oh wow!" She exclaimed, her eyes widening.
"What?" He asked, leaning forward. "Did she spit up?"
"She smiled at me." Kara replied, her voice cracking slightly. She ran a fingertip down the side of Phoebe's face and was amazed at the warm fuzzy feeling just one simple smile could evoke.
Clark frowned. "Uh Kara, I hate to be the one to tell you this but newborn babies can't smile. It was probably just gas."
"Why do you have to be such a buzz-kill?" She retorted. "And besides, she's special, if she wants to smile, she can smile."
Clark and Oliver both chuckled. "Okay, if you say so."
"I do." She replied, but she moved Phoebe to lean against her chest as she started patting and rubbing her back, just in case Clark was right. "So where's your wife?"
"Over there talking to Lucy." Clark pointed behind him.
"She looks great, how's she doing?" Oliver asked as Clark turned back to them.
"She's good. A little tired because Phoebe is needing to be fed constantly. I sit with them during the night but there's not much else I can do. She's one hungry baby."
Kara laughed. "From what I remember from Aunt Lara, you were the same. She could never quite get you filled, you were always screaming for more." As Clark's smile faded a little, Kara cursed herself for bringing up that subject. She knew it still pained him to know that he would never know his real mother, but then he smiled, a glowing smile that lit up his whole face.
"It's nice to know I passed something down to her then."
"Well that and your eyes." Kara chuckled. "They are just beautiful aren't they sweetie?" She murmured in Phoebe's ear as she continued rubbing her back.
"Thanks." Clark winked. Kara smirked at him and then frowned, a sudden strange feeling coming over her. The back of her head started to tingle, and her eyes became a little blurry.
"Clark take her, quick!" As Kara lurched forward, Clark caught Phoebe in his arms and positioned her close to his chest as Oliver caught Kara to stop her from toppling off her chair.
"What's wrong?" He asked, holding her arm as she swayed in her seat. Oliver was holding her upright as she leaned on the table and put her head in her hands.
"I don't know. This is…strange, I've never felt this before. What is it?" She asked, confused and a little scared because now the whole room was spinning. This was unfamiliar to her. The only time she'd felt ill was when she'd been close to the green meteor rocks. But this wasn't like that.
"What does it feel like, describe it to me Kara." Clark said softly, moving a little closer to her.
"It's like…my head feels weird, and the room is moving."
"Like you're dizzy?"
"Yeah, maybe. Oh wow, that's so strange. Make it stop." She said, pressing the heels of her palms against her eyes.
"Clark," Oliver's worried voice came out on a breath and she just knew what his eyes were asking as his voice trailed off.
"Hang on, I'll be right back."
"Kara, honey you're scaring me. What's going on? Talk to me." Oliver said and she hated the tone of his voice, he was seriously worried and she wasn't feeling much better herself.
"I don't know Ollie, I really don't."
A minute later, Clark reappeared with Lois at his side who was now holding Phoebe. The baby started fussing in her mother's arms, wriggling and crying softly and Kara wondered if she was picking up on the worried vibes of the people around her. She didn't want that, this was supposed to be a happy day and she was ruining it.
"Kara, are you okay?" Lois asked, sitting down next to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"Yeah, I think so. It's fading a little now. But it felt so strange." She took the risk and removed her hands from her eyes, looking around a little, she was relieved to see that the room and everyone in it was now standing still. "It's stopped."
"Okay come on, let's go." Clark said, holding his hand out for her to take. She frowned up at him.
"Go where?"
"Jor-El. I think it's time we got some answers." His expression told her he wasn't going to take no for an answer and with Lois and Oliver watching on with similar faces, she had no choice but to get up and go with him.
Oliver came around the other side of the table and grasped her shoulders. Looking deep into her eyes, he swallowed hard. "You come straight back to me okay?"
She reached out and cupped his cheek, leaning in to kiss him. "Don't worry Ollie, you can't get rid of me. Till death do us part remember?"
He kissed her for a few silent moments and then glanced at Clark who was saying a quick goodbye to his wife and daughter.
Oliver watched them walk out of the Talon, telling his mother that they were going to run a quick errand so that she could come up with something to tell people, and then they were gone.
"She'll be okay Ollie, Clark will take good care of her." Lois told him, standing up.
"Isn't that supposed to be my job now?" He asked in a quiet voice, hating that he hadn't been able to go with her.
She tilted her head and smiled sympathetically. "Well, that's the price we pay for who we married, sometimes there are things out of our control and we can't do anything about it. Us humans just have to wait on the sidelines until we hear something. It sucks, believe me I know it sucks, but that's the way our lives are. Would we have the two of them any other way?"
He glanced over at her and put one of his arms around her shoulders. "No, I guess not Lois."
"Jor-El!" Clark yelled as he and Kara walked into the giant ice palace that was known as his Fortress of Solitude. The last time he'd been here was when Lois had been having tests performed on her so that his father could determine the health of the baby. He knew that he would have to bring Lois and Phoebe here soon, within the next couple of days so that he could run some tests to make sure that Phoebe really was okay. The knowledge reassured him somewhat, because even though Helen had run every possible test she could think of, her methods were no match for Kryptonian technology.
"Kal-El my son. Why have you come?" His father's artificial voice boomed through the icy structure.
"We need your help. Kara's not well."
"What is wrong with her?"
"I'm right here." She said, stepping forward towards the crystal console in the centre. Clark stood by her side, ready to catch her if she felt dizzy again.
"Kara." Jor-El welcomed her. "What is it that troubles you?"
Kara stayed silent for a few minutes and Clark got the impression that she was finding it difficult to find the right words.
"She's lost her ability to fly Jor-El." Kara looked over at him and he couldn't make out whether her expression was one of gratitude for him stepping in, or annoyance for him taking over.
"When did this occur?"
"About four days ago. Also, she's getting sick…can you help her?"
"Kara, do your other powers remain intact?"
When she hesitated, Clark frowned. "Kara?"
"No." She replied. "I lost my strength."
Clark's eyebrows shot up. "When?"
"Yesterday."
"Why didn't you tell anyone?"
She shrugged sheepishly. "I didn't want you to worry."
Jor-El cut off Clark's response. "Kal-El, are your powers affected?"
"No, I'm fine."
"Kara, you must lie down on the console to your right. I shall perform the necessary tests to ascertain the cause of your problem." Clark watched as Kara did as she was told, Jor-El's voice had a surprisingly gentle quality to it.
"Clark?" He went over to Kara and knelt down beside her. "I'm scared."
He reached out and smoothed her hair back from her forehead. "You'll be okay Kara, I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."
"Good. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ruin the party." As a bright lavender coloured light filled the space between them and flowed all around Kara, she gripped his hand tightly, but it lacked the strength that she usually had.
"Stop that, your health is more important than a party Kara and Lois understands. She's just as worried about you as we all are."
An hour later, the light slowly started dissipating, eventually disappearing altogether.
"You okay?" Clark asked, helping her sit up.
"Yeah, I feel fine now. Everything feels okay." She smiled and she looked a little better than she had earlier. Since Kryptonians never got sick on this planet, it had been unnerving to see her looking so pale and Clark knew from experience that it couldn't be anything good. Had she been poisoned somehow? Or maybe exposed to something?
"Jor-El." Clark called. "Did you find out what was wrong?"
"There is nothing wrong with her my son. The tests I performed were all negative, except for one."
Kara frowned at Clark. "What is it?"
"Kara…" His voice trailed off and Clark had to remind himself to stay patient. But it seemed his father still preferred to leave his sentences unfinished.
"I fear the loss of your powers is irreversible, temporarily." Jor-El replied. "Though I do not know why they are fading."
"What do you mean? Am I going to lose the rest of them?" She raised her eyes to Clark's and he had to grip her hand tightly to keep her from shaking.
"I do not know."
She blew out a breath and stood up, marching up to the control panel though she knew it would do no good. "Jor-El, please, I can't handle the cryptic answers today. Just tell me."
There was silence for a few moments, the only sound coming from the wind howling through the Fortress.
Then, eventually, he spoke. "Kara, my niece, you are with child…"
To Be Continued...