Author's Note: Well, I promised years ago that I would never completely abandon this story and believe it or not, I haven't, but I also haven't wanted to post anything until it was done. I'm close enough to that point where it's safe to start posting what is done. This is one of six new chapters already done and I think the seventh will finish up the whole thing. It's been too long for me to offer up apologies or explanation so instead, I'll do a brief recap, lol.

Another World was the story of when Smallville Clark Kent was accidentally sent to the same universe that Lois & Clark, The New Adventures of Superman inhabit. They try to help Clark work to get home while Chloe desperately does the same back in her universe. Things don't always go as planned and Lois ended up trapped in the Smallville world until Chloe was able to figure out that the only way to return Lois and retrieve her Clark was to go and bring him home.

Back in the Smallville Universe Bruce Wayne and Martha Kent have been left to work with the pair of geniuses that accidentally sent Clark in the first place to finally make everything right. Lois who had been suffering from disturbing dreams about her childhood triggered by the name Chloe Sullivan confronted her parents only to discover that in truth, she had been born with the name Chloe Sullivan as well. Chloe and Clark, finally together figure out how much they mean to each other and are eager to start their next adventure as a couple.

At this point Chloe and Clark are scheduled to be retrieved that night but Clark was called out to assist the other Clark on a fire and Lois and Chloe were called down to Star Labs after Dr. Hamilton called about some shocking test results.

Previously on Another World ~

I'm infected." She swiped at her eyes and angrily dashed away the tears. "There's nothing I can do but wait for the day I go off the deep end like ninety-nine percent of the rest of them."

"Actually Ms. Sullivan," Dr. Klein spoke up from across the room as he switched out another sample under the microscope, "that's not true."

"…while samples of your hair confirmed you were as you say 'meteor infected', your blood sample proves you are no longer."

Chapter 44 - The Ifs, The Ands, and The Butts

Chloe's mouth went dry. She didn't understand, but it sounded like Dr. Klein just ended her nightmare. She gulped down the rest of her coffee, willing the caffeine to bring clarity. Milton and Victor gathered up their new hair sample and silently slipped out to their lab.

Chloe stood and took a wobbly step toward Dr. Klein. "Say that again," she demanded.

Dr. Klein answered while he continued staring into the microscope. "You are no longer 'infected' by the kryptonite."

"You're sure?"

"Am I sure?" He paused and looked up, puzzled by the question. "Well, yes. I was pretty certain of my hypothesis after testing the initial hair samples, but this blood sample confirms everything. The kryptonite is no longer an active element in your cellular structure."

"Not active? You're saying I still have kryptonite in my cells, but I'm not infected any longer." Chloe grabbed a stool and scooted it up close, not trusting her balance when every other sentence left her off kilter. "How is that possible?" She challenged even while hope bloomed. Lois stood supportively behind her.

He scratched his head. "How can I explain?" He plucked a gray hair from his head and held it up for examination. "As you probably know, a strand of hair is comprised of dead cells that leave a kind of timeline to the state of your health: a record of your nutritional levels, medicines you took, illnesses, etcetera, etcetera."

Both Chloe and Lois nodded. Dr. Klein picked up off the counter a small slide with a hair trapped under a thin layer of glass, slid it under the microscope, and invited Chloe to look. She stood, eagerly looked and saw… a piece of hair…a huge piece of hair…in desperate need of a good conditioner… and maybe dandruff shampoo. She narrowed her eyes. There seemed to be something different about the top of the shaft, but she couldn't be sure. Chloe sighed and remembered all the time she spent daydreaming about Clark rather than paying attention in biology lab.

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I'm not sure what I'm looking for."

"Look near the root." Chloe looked again while Klein explained. "My earlier tests suggested the dead cells were, for want of a better explanation, in communication with the kryptonite, but evidence also suggested that stopped with the very newest growth from the last couple days. A blood test confirmed my hypothesis."

"Past couple days?" Chloe gave up trying to see what Klein saw and sat down, heavy with confusion. "What would my coming to this world have to do with my cells and kryptonite no longer texting?"

Dr. Klein leaned forward and in a hushed tone confided, "Kryptonite can be a very volatile substance."

Chloe did her best not to roll her eyes and shout DUH! She forced herself to sit still during the doctor's explanation.

"Doctor's Davinhoe and Hamlish theorized that the energy you passed through in order to enter this universe reacted with the kryptonite in your cells and, I'm of course speaking metaphorically, cauterized and sealed it away from the rest of the cell. Its continued presence explains the slightly raised white blood cell count I'm detecting, but the kryptonite is cut off from active DNA interchange."

He removed the slide from under the microscope and returned it to a labeled rack on the counter. "Given enough time I could have determined what changes to your DNA the previously active kryptonite would have potentially triggered, but I understand you will be going home tonight?"

"Yes, home. Home," Chloe tensed. "What about the return trip? Could that energy reactivate the traces still in my blood?"

"Reactivate?" Klein shook his head. "No, no. At this stage, further exposure to the affected cells would have no meaningful effect." A gleam came into Dr. Klein's eyes. "Interestingly though, your cells still can recognize the mineral's presence. The way it acts as a marker is extremely exciting."

"How so?" Lois asked, picking up a vibe.

Dr Klein selected a slide dabbed with Chloe's blood. "This blood sample holds the potential to unlock a combined human/Kryptonian physiology." He sighed in wonder. "It might take me a year, but this should solve Superman's infertility problem."

Lois gasped and grabbed Chloe's arm. Dr. Klein, realizing his indiscretion, turned a mottled red. His eyes darted madly from the girls to the guards and he began stammering. "Problem? Did I say problem? No problem. Just hypothetical. All just speculation. Makes sense, right, only one from his planet. One of a kind. All just speculation." Words kept spilling from his lips like water over a falls and his babbling brook continued to flow.

"It's not like Superman fell in love with an earth women and came to me as both his friend and physician, asking if they would ever be able to have children. And it's not like I had to tell him I couldn't help and though he was stoic and noble and brave," he sniffled and his voice stared to waver, "and said nothing but 'thank you', it's not as if I could tell I was crushing his hopes and dreams the one time he has ever asked for something for himself." Dr. Klein pulled a wrinkled, though thankfully clean, handkerchief out of his front pocket and noisily blew his nose.

A moment passed before he warily looked up, likely aware he couldn't possibly have fooled them. Klein dismissed with a glance the guards far out in the hallway and seemed to do the same thing to Chloe, but he turned his concern to Lois. "Ms. Lane, I trust as one of Superman's closest associates, you will keep this information to yourself?"

"Yes, yes, my lips are sealed," she waved his question away and zoomed determinedly back to the important part. "Dr. Klein, are you really saying something in Chloe's blood would allow Superman and um, an earth woman, the chance to conceive?"

"If you couldn't tell, I was actually trying very hard not to say that again."

Tears swam in her eyes and a high squeaky sound came out of her mouth.

Klein frowned in horror, "No, no, no, don't cry. Why are you crying?" Chloe left her stool and urged Lois to sit on it instead while she retrieved a cup of Klein's corrosive coffee.

"I'm just so happy…for him." Lois explained while she fanned at her watery eyes. Her hands still trembled as she took the cup of caffeine from Chloe. "Are you sure, really sure, it will work?" She asked again, as if afraid she might have misunderstood.

Klein nodded solemnly. "My biggest obstacle was getting cells to recognize one another so they could do what they needed to do. Now, if I can isolate the chemical marker and insert that trigger in the human DNA, nature will take over from there."

"In a year, you said you could do this in a year?"

He shrugged. "Half that if I had a bone marrow sample."

"Done." Chloe volunteered succinctly.

Dr. Klein was able to perform the extraction in his lab. One hour and one sore hip later, the procedures were completed. In addition to the bone marrow cells, he also took a tiny bone sample to "confirm a theory", and conducted both a CT scan and a comprehensive MRI.

Chloe wasn't certain what she thought of the Dr. Klein's more outlandish claims. It was one thing to say a strengthened immune system was indicated in part by her increased white blood count, but when he began hypothesizing the unusual cellular renewal in the bone sample could still mean self-healing or indefinite longevity – that veered into crazy…but it would explain why her bruises from her very bumpy arrival faded so fast. It was too much to think about now.

The tests took longer than they expected and she and Lois didn't get back to the Kent's home until a quarter past eleven. Despite how close they were to the extraction time, neither Clark had tried to reach them while they were gone, nor was either Clark waiting for them when they got back to the townhome. Chloe glanced at the thick folder of information Dr. Klein handed her. As if she needed anything else to worry about.

It was difficult to not think negatively about the Kryptonite that would always remain in her cells even though Dr. Klein had assured her the trace amount wouldn't harm Clark or further alter her cells or DNA. Sure, not further alter them, just trigger a more vigilant immune system, faster healing, a younger cellular structure and somehow make her DNA compatible with Kryptonian physiology.

And Lois might be over the moon with that discovery, but Chloe was too young to do any except worry about potential offspring. She was on the pill; that should be effective still, right? Of course, that assumed sex. She was getting a little ahead of herself. Chloe pushed those thoughts away as she tucked Dr. Klein's report in her large tote bag.

On the drive back from Star Labs, she and Lois agreed to save their revelations until after the retrieval. Lois didn't want her good news to overshadow the goodbyes and Chloe wanted processing time, so she set aside that boatload of information in favor of the new pressing issue. Clark's tardiness was getting her full attention. Retrieval was only a half hour away. She sighed and reminded herself that Clark knew that. He'd be back soon.

While she waited, she changed back into the original outfit she'd worn at the beginning of her excursion. The bloodstains were gone from her simple, long sleeved aqua pullover, but her jeans now came with extra ventilation for her left knee. She thought about ripping the other knee for the sake of symmetry, but instead decided to accept the original tear as a badge of honor. Her jeans showing a sign of wear was ok, she was feeling a little battered as well.

Chloe left the Kent's guest room with her few personal items repacked in the spacious leather bag that had traveled with her across universes and followed her nose to the kitchen. Once more, a fresh pot of coffee was brewing and on the counter Lois had two white coffee mugs with Daily Planet insignia emblazoned on them waiting to be filled.

Seeing the emblem, Chloe spoke up. "That reminds me." She reached into her bag and retrieved an envelope. "I'm not going to get a chance to personally thank Mr. White or explain why "Cal" and I can't take the jobs at the Planet. A hand written note is at least a little more personal than an email. It's the coward's way out, but would you give this to Mr. White?"

"Of course." Lois accepted the white envelope hand addressed to Perry White and tapped it against her open palm. "What reason did you give for turning him down?"

"Don't laugh, but I wrote we decided to accept a standing offer to take over a small, yet thriving paper serving the English speaking population living on one of the lesser Fiji islands."

"I'm impressed. A fantasy just made to appeal to an overworked city editor. How could he begrudge you that?"

"It's a little over the top, but I didn't want him to think we didn't appreciate his offer."

"I'll make sure he knows." Lois looked down, fingering the envelope absently. "So, midnight huh."

"The boys will be back in time," Chloe insisted brightly, not sure who she was trying to reassure. "Plenty of time to get in goodbyes."

"I don't like goodbyes," Lois frowned, "especially the permanent kind."

Chloe grimaced. "Don't say it like that. You make it sound like someone is dying. We're just setting things right." She reached out and squeezed her hand. "I am sorry we dragged you into this mess."

"You're joking right?" Lois was incredulous in the face of her normally bright friend's puzzlement. She took both of Chloe's hands and pressed them between her own. "Chloe, you are our miracle. The impossible making our dreams possible."

Chloe felt her cheeks turn pink and she shook her head. "Lois, you know I didn't do anything special; I just let Dr. Klein run his tests."

"Oh, no." Lois released her hands to wag a finger at her. "You can't fool me, because if I had been in your shoes, I would have taken my good news/bad news and high tailed it as far away as I could from his needles and tests."

"No," Chloe said firmly shaking her head, "you wouldn't have."

"No, I wouldn't have," she easily agreed and poured coffee into their waiting mugs, "but I would have wanted to and so I know it cost you something, so thank you."

Chloe nodded, but continued to look uncomfortable by her praise.

"Setting aside what Dr. Klein should be able to do with your blood, I wouldn't have missed this, this…," Lois waved her hand and groped for the right word.

"Adventure?" Chloe offered half-heartedly while reaching for her own mug.

"That doesn't seem big enough, but ok, I wouldn't have missed this adventure for a Peabody or a Pulitzer," Lois paused and tilted her head to the side, "well maybe, no, no, not even for a Pulitzer. Beyond the excitement of finally catching all the players behind Intergang, I found out the truth about my childhood." A far off look left her eyes unfocused. "Maybe remembering was inevitable, but I can't imagine getting through this and still feeling like me if I hadn't met you. I would be questioning everything I believed about myself."

The same introspective look fell over Chloe. "Funny, this 'adventure' is what had me questioning everything I thought I knew."

"Like?" Lois prompted.

"I thought I knew that Clark and I were only friends and that would never change." She bit her lower lip.

Lois smiled. "And now?"

Chloe smiled too. "And now I realize we have never been only friends and THAT will never change." She glanced up. "I realized something else too, and since we're passing out thanks, I'll give you mine. Meeting you, being here, let me start believing in my dreams again."

"I don't understand. You've already gotten in at the Planet. I've read your work; Perry's read your work. You're good, the kind of good that goes places. It's only a matter of time before you get out of the basement."

"Well, lately I've started wondering if I was going to have to make a choice between helping Clark or getting where I wanted at the Planet."

Lois looked startled. "A choice, as in give one up?"

Chloe grimaced. "Just thinking about it hurt, but I can't help but see the importance of what Clark is doing and getting my name splashed under all the big headlines seems trivial compared to saving the world."

Lois put her hands on her hips. "Why in the world would you think it has to be one or the other?"

Chloe laughed. "Honestly, I'm not sure. Maybe some part of me thought that by spending more time helping Clark, I could guarantee a place in his life when he finally realized being a hero was a calling rather than a hobby. Maybe I was trying to be worthy of a guy who would one day bring hope to everyone, not just me." Chloe shook her head. "I don't know what I was thinking, but the chances Mr. White gave me reminded me why since I was old enough to read, I've wanted to be a newspaper reporter."

Lois sipped her coffee and watched a familiar fire burn in Chloe's eyes.

"A reporter searches for truth and works to find justice and understanding. Superman didn't prove Mindy Church was using her retail stores as a front for Intergang; that was the writing team of Lane and Kent.

Mr. White allowed me to run the article proving the FBI acted recklessly at Bride Lake, letting the people hold them accountable, which means we get the chance to make everyone safer in the future. Even in the smaller stories are valuable. When we make sure the news is accessible and understandable it means a better informed public, equipped to make good choices. I may not have Clark's abilities, but I can weld my pen and make a difference and still be there whenever Clark may need help."

"Here! Here!" Lois lifted her mug in a salute.

Chloe blushed and hid behind her coffee cup. "Sorry, didn't mean to go on and on while on my soap box."

"Please, don't be sorry," Lois waved away her concern. "It's my soapbox as well. I enjoy the view."

They drank their coffee in silence, sharing the comfort of being in complete understanding. Inevitably, Chloe's eyes darted to the kitchen clock. Time was passing quicker than she liked. The retrieval was scheduled to happen in twenty-five minutes. She reached into her pocket and fidgeted with the tag that would allow Victor and Milt to bring her back. Lois noticed her actions.

"You are worried about Clark getting back in time."

This time she didn't bother to deny it. "Maybe I should turn off my locaters just in case." Chloe bit her lip in indecision.

"Don't touch those switches." Chloe looked up to see Clark coming through the kitchen door.

"Clark!" Miraculously, her coffee mug found the counter top when she half launched herself at Clark, his arms securely folding around her. "You're late," she chided even as she slid her hands along the back of his neck.

"If this is how you are going to punish me, I may never be on time again."

Clark smelled fresh and her fingers brushed through the damp ends of his hair. He must have hit the lake again. "How was the fire?"

"Good. I mean we rescued everyone and kept the fire from spreading past the top two floors."

"Must have been hard for the fire hoses to reach."

"The sprinkler systems eventually put out most of the fire, except in one corner, but we got the fire department in close." Clark grinned. "Kent lifted the truck and I got to aim the fire hose."

Chloe laughed and ran her hand through his dark hair. "We should get you a Fireman's hat." She hugged him again tightly.

"I made you worry," he sighed into her hair.

"You don't ever have to apologize for saving lives. I'm just nervous about the retrieval actually happening."

"Is that all?" He searched her face.

She caressed his cheek and briefly pressed her lips to his. "No, there is something else, but it can wait until we're home." He might have pressed her for details, but he was distracted when they heard an excited whoop coming from the living room. They exited the kitchen and saw Clark lift his wife in the air and spin her around. He had barely set Lois back down on her feet when he came over, picked up Chloe and gave her a hug and an appreciative kiss on the cheek as well.

Lois beamed. "I couldn't wait."

"Thank you Chloe, thank you."

"Glad to be able to help."

"What's going on?" Martha asked as she and Jonathan came downstairs.

"Oh, I shouldn't have said anything yet."

Kent let go of Chloe and wrapped his arm around Lois's waist. "Mom, Dad, we'll fill you in after midnight. I promise, it's good news."

Martha gasped and clutched Jonathan's hand. He lifted their linked hands and held it over his heart. "Son," his father began, "does this have something to do with…"

"I promise to give you details later."

Clark frowned in confusion. "Chloe?"

She shook her head and whispered. "It's nothing really. Kind of embarrassing though. I'll explain when we're home." She bit her lip and pleaded with her eyes. He nodded and let it go.


********In another universe…

"Bart! Where did you come from?" Startled, Martha glanced from the compact young man wearing a red hooded sweatshirt to the elevator doors that remained closed.

Oliver winced and flipped shut his phone. He watched his overly eager compadre do the same. "What part of 'I'm busy right now' did not translate?" Oliver grumbled. The aptly dubbed Impulse ignored him and opened his arms wide.

"Aw, Mrs. K, you know a tiny thing like a mondo amount of stairs ain't gonna get in my way."

Martha smiled and Oliver noted the strain in her eyes easing for the first time since she joined them that evening. She had seemed at first bewildered to find him in his own apartment on the evening of Clark's possible retrieval, but she'd masked her confusion quickly and brought out the open, friendly, and seemingly unflappable political façade that sources said was serving her well in Kansas's State Senate. He'd already heard buzz suggesting the neophyte politico was top on her party's list of whom they wanted in D.C., or at least the top of Lionel Luthor's list, which these days amounted to the same thing.

All politicians needed to be good poker players and Martha Kent knew how to hide her cards well, but Oliver didn't need to be a card shark to see she was uncomfortable with his presence. He doubted Clark had told his mother about his out of boardroom power plays since she didn't seem uncomfortable with him so much as unhappy that someone else was there to witness her son mixed up in another example of the odd and strange.

Once Bruce explained that his arrival had led to the completion of their quest for a stable power flow, Mrs. Kent shifted all her worries to whether the AU-Ray was going to do at the stroke of midnight what Victor and Milt promised it would. Clearly bringing Clark back consumed all her concentration, though Mrs. Kent did bring a basket of blueberry muffins and made sure a fresh batch of the special coffee he brought back from Seattle would be waiting for Sullivan when she returned.

The two, hotshot, geniuses who started this whole mess were immersed in their final checklist when Martha arrived. They didn't glance up at Bart's arrival either.

Oliver raked his glance over Bart and Mrs. Kent. From Bart's comment, she must know about his speed. He was still wondering over their relationship when she answered Bart's open arm invitation and enfolded him in a big, warm hug.

"Oh Bart, it is so good to see you! Look at you. You've grown so," she marveled before pulling him back into her embrace.

Oliver frowned to himself, recognizing, but not liking the envy that leapt in his chest as his junior associate continued to grin and soak up Mrs. Kent's motherly affection as if it was his natural due. Martha Kent had always been kind and generous to him too, but the closest she'd come to treating him like family was last Thanksgiving. Since he and Lois stopped dating, he no longer had claim to any kind of kinship.

He looked away before the longing and regret could sink their claws in deeper and saw that Bruce also watched the pair. Instead of looking away as Oliver had, he stared unblinking, as if he wouldn't risk missing any nuance. Martha released Bart, but not before she laughed and ruffled his unkempt mop of brown hair.

A splinter of memory slipped through from Oliver's past. A pat on the head. A kiss on the cheek. Him, sullen and silent - resentful of being left behind. Turning his back during a final goodbye – not knowing it was THE final goodbye. His memory flowed into a cold hallway, the stares from servants, hushed whispers of "that poor child" as doors closed. Two men in expensive pinstriped suits following a woman clutching a bulging briefcase. She'd worn a navy skirt and had a run in her stockings. "Sit down. I have bad news."

Oliver clenched his jaw and fought against the ghosts of his past. He concentrated on to the question Bruce was asking.

"Mrs. Kent, how do you know this hooligan?"

Oliver wanted to know too. Kent and Sullivan had known his impossibly fast friend, but Bart and his magpie ways were only recently in solid reform and seemed incompatible with the old-fashioned virtues he associated with Martha Kent.

Martha smiled with easy affection at Bart. "A few years back he stayed with us while he was going through a rough patch."

"Us?" Bruce repeated, looking for clarification, and Oliver suspected, also fishing for confirmation that the 'mysterious' Clark Kent knew Bart too.

"My husband and son," she answered and in an unconsciously maternal gesture, casually smoothed some of Bart's unruly hair. She then narrowed her eyes on Oliver. "He works for you now?"

"Relax Mrs. K." Bart said, as he started sniffing and poking at the basket of muffins. He grabbed one for each hand and inhaled half of one in a single bite. Through a full mouth, he mumbled, "Oliber hasth muh runnin," he swallowed the mouthful, "errands." He gave her a cheeky grin. "No one better," he bragged and handed Oliver a stuffed manila envelope.

Oliver scoffed, "Anyone who knows how to follow directions would be better. I told you on the phone to leave the package at the office. We don't have time for a social visit and you have a schedule to keep." He willed Bart to think about the suspicious facility in Panama that was undergoing a shift change in…Oliver glanced at his watch to check the time; it was eleven forty, which left five minutes until the next shift. Bart's assignment was to bring back photos of both departing and arriving workers. Oliver practiced on Bart the same glare that cowed the billionaires in the Queen Industry boardroom. Bart snorted.

"I have plenty of time for some more snackage." He polished off the second muffin and grabbed two more.

"Bart!"

"Chill, no need for the old man to burst a blood vessel." He rolled his eyes at Oliver's continued glare and waved a blueberry stained paw at Martha. "Sorry Mrs. K, talk to you later. Gotta keep those pay checks coming."

"Stop by the house anytime." She frowned. "Actually, I'm not home much, but I'm sure Clark would be glad to see you." Tension once again mapped her face.

"No prob," he agreed casually, concentrating on wolfing down his fourth treat. "Home or not, you always have the best leftovers in the fridge." He retreated toward the stairwell door, pausing as he opened it. He looked over his shoulder and wagged his eyebrows. "Send my regards to the delicious Chloeicious."

"Bart!" Oliver scolded.

"What?" He protested, mock-innocent. "You told me she dumped the chump and was flying single again."

"Bart!" He commanded, his patience gone.

"Adios." He saluted and vanished, leaving the door to close slowly on an empty stairwell.

Oliver ran his hand through his hair and glared at Bruce. "And you expect me to thank you for sending Bart my way?" Wayne only chuckled and Oliver regretted his complaint when Mrs. Kent's sharp eyes went from concerned over Bart's reckless departure to deeply measuring.

"You both know Bart very well, don't you?" She asked carefully, as if wondering how much she really wanted to know.

Wayne nodded, still looking amused at Oliver's expense. "I ran across him and thought Ollie might have a place for him in his organization."

Martha seemed to decided that no, she didn't want to know and changed the subject. "Are we really getting my boy and Chloe back tonight? Are you sure everything is ready?"

"Short answer? Yes."


"Come with me," Jonathan Kent urged Clark. "Chloe was running low on coffee and my boy and Lois followed Martha. We only have a few moments while she runs upstairs, but I need to say something." Jonathan Kent drew Clark deeper into the dinning room for some privacy.

"What is it?"

Mr. Kent's bushy grey eyebrows pushed together and his normally open and cheerful face became grave and urgent. "I know this will seem to come out of nowhere, but after hearing about your father's death, I couldn't help but imagine what I would want if I had to leave my Martha alone."

For Clark, the reminder of his father's death triggered a familiar urge to rub the ache over his heart. Clark ignored the urge and instead paid attention to what would probably be the last advice he ever received from Jonathan Kent. He hadn't previously seen the resemblance between his father and this universe's Jonathan Kent, but he saw it now in the affable man's stubborn determination to speak his peace.

Clark waited silently.

"There's no doubt," Jonathan began, "in my mind, that no matter where Martha goes or what she does, I would always be with her in her heart, just as she would always –always- be with me in mine if something, God forbid, were to happen to her."

Clark nodded; he recognized the love between Martha and Jonathan Kent remained unchanged no matter what the universe.

Mr. Kent removed his glasses and rubbed at the bridge of his nose before resettling the frames and with them, his thoughts. "My wife, she's a brilliant woman who probably never accomplished all the things she could have if she hadn't been tied to a little farm in Kansas."

He held up a hand when Clark opened his mouth to protest. "I'm not making light of our life. We've been happy and there has been so much love, but if I were gone," he paused and laid his hand on Clark's shoulder. "If I were gone, I wouldn't want her to hold back from whatever she wants to do because of the farm, anymore than I would want it to hold back my son from choosing the life that would bring him greatest happiness."

Clark nodded again, fighting back a lump in his throat.

"I know it really isn't my place, but if I am anything," he said, emotion strengthening his aging voice, "I am an expert on how much Jonathan Kent loves his Martha and I would want to make certain she knew she had my blessing to keep on striving for happiness, wherever that takes her." He squeezed Clark's shoulder. "Promise me son, make sure your mother knows too. Promise me," he entreated.

Clark nodded solemnly even as his eyes shimmered with emotion. "I promise."

Satisfied, Jonathan smiled broadly. "Good. One more thing before you go. I am also an expert on how proud Jonathan Kent has always been of his son."

Clark tried to slide his gaze away, but Mr. Kent shook his head. "No. Look at me son."

Clark reluctantly glanced up.

"Your father would be very proud of the steps you've taken and the choices you have made. Don't ever doubt the pride he'd feel as you become your own man." He clapped Clark on the shoulder.

For a moment, Clark basked in the warmth of the older man's approval, feeling too full of emotions to speak.

"Clark?" Mrs. Kent called his name from the living room. She called for him a second time, this time using the same exasperated tone as his mother did when she couldn't find him. "Now just where did that boy get to?" He heard her grumble to herself. A smile tugged at Jonathan's lips.

"Best not keep her waiting."

"No," Clark grinned, "best not," he agreed and followed Mr. Kent back into the living room.

"Ah there you are."

Martha was holding something in front of her. Behind her, Lois and her Clark descended the staircase holding hands and still grinning like they won the lottery.

Mrs. Kent looked around. "Now where is Chloe?" The kitchen door opened and Chloe came out with her bag swung over her shoulder and a travel mug in her hand.

"Were you looking for me?"

"Well, actually yes, but specifically that bag of yours. Do you have room for this?"

Chloe accepted from Mrs. Kent a medium sized bundle wrapped in tissue paper and tied with twine. She looked up. "What is it?"

"I took a stab at redoing Clark's costume. The dark color just doesn't suit like I thought it might.

Chloe peeled back a corner of the tissue paper and smiled approvingly at the bright red and blue. The smile turned to mild panic when she realized the suit was not sewed together.

Seeing her gaze, Martha explained. "I only had time to design and cut out the pieces."

The daunted look stayed on Chloe's face. "I don't know about Lois's skill level, but in home economics even my straight lines came out in zig zags." She pushed the pieces back toward Martha. "I couldn't possible put together the suit."

Mrs. Kent laughed and held her hands up, refusing to take back the bundle. "Oh, Hun, if you are anything like Lois, be honored that I'm even letting you carry the pieces." She pressed her hand to her mouth to keep from laughing again. " No, I was thinking you could give them to the Martha Kent in your world, from one mother to another." Chloe sagged with relief.

Martha's eyes twinkled. "With the way my Clark would burst though his seams when he was a little boy, I know she must be an old hand at stitching. Heavens, if I hadn't had that old machine, the boy would have had his way and run around naked."

"Mom." Clark groaned.

"He was almost five before he could see any sense in wearing clothes fulltime. I think he liked the sun on his skin. Oh, he had the cutest little tushie."

"Mom!"

Jonathan tucked his wife's arm under his. "Now Martha, don't embarrass the boy."

Unrepentant, Martha patted one of her son's pink stained cheek. "Well, you did."

Lois smirked and patted the other one. "Still does."