Chapter Nine: And the Ca[l] is Out of the Bag
"No. Freaking. Way." Chloe whispered.
No, it couldn't be. It was preposterous.
'Callie couldn't be…Clark and Lois' daughter? Could she?' Chloe thought.
She watched them once more as she walked further into the house. Now that she really looked at Callie it was as if she were looking at her for the very first time. She saw Clark's eyes, Lois' personality, a mixture of the both of them in her face, and she already knew she had most of Clark's powers. It was as clear as day that this girl before her was the product of the both of them. But Lois and Clark? In the future? She knew that Lois had feelings for him and vice versa if Clark would let himself admit it, but for them to have a child together? That was something she was going to need to wrap her head around.
Moving closer to them, Callie finally turned around and spotted her. "Hey, Chloe."
Lois and Clark turned around and all three of them stood side by side with Callie in the middle.
"Chlo, what are you doing here?" Lois asked.
"I…uh…" Chloe couldn't even think as she stared at them. "I…uh… need to talk to Callie for a second."
That was far from the real reason she had come out there. She had tried to call Clark's cell phone, but he hadn't picked up. She had found disturbing new evidence of unexplained incidents all over Metropolis that could spell out trouble in terms of Zod or some other new villain on the scene.
Callie looked at her quizzically. "Okay."
"Let's go out here," Chloe said pointing outside.
Callie nodded and followed her out to the driveway. "Is everything okay, Chloe? You seem…"
"Freaked out." She finished for her.
Taking a deep breath she took Callie by the shoulders. "I'm going to ask you something and I need a straight answer."
"Okay…" she said hesitantly.
"Okay." Chloe breathed out trying to compose herself. "Are you…Lois and Clark's daughter?"
Callie's eyes widened. Her mouth moved, but nothing came out. Chloe knew she had just blurted this out and had caught her off guard, but she had to know. Looking at the ground she quietly heard Callie whisper, "Yes."
"Oh, my go—are you sure? What am I asking? Of course you're sure! They're your parents! I mean come on… the sarcastic apple doesn't fall far from the sarcastic tree."
"Chloe, just calm down."
"Calm? How can I be calm? How did this…this…this… happen?" She said waving her hand at Callie.
"Well, you see Chloe, when a man and woman love each other very much and they want to share that love in an intimate way…"
Chloe gave her a stern look. "You know that's not what I meant."
Callie smiled at her, obviously trying to lighten the mood. "Oh, come on. You have to admit it was a little funny."
"I mean Clark is so different… I don't even think that he thinks that it's possible." She said, seemingly just talking to herself. "How did this happen?" She asked again.
"I don't know, I didn't ask. I still choose to believe that the stork dropped me on the doorstep…which is not what happened so don't think that someone just left me as a gift. My mom was pregnant with me. I've seen the pictures no matter how hard she tries to hide some of them."
"I can't believe it." Chloe said.
'But it's true' she told herself. 'Just look at her.'
"Chloe, listen, you can't say anything. Me being here is bad enough. All I've ever known is that time travel is nothing to play with and if you change one thing you can change everything. They can't know who I am," she pleaded, "If they do…"
"They might be together for the wrong reasons." Chloe finished.
"Or worse things can happen. So, do you promise?"
Chloe looked at Callie's eyes. The look that she was giving was killing her. It was a mixture of relief and fear, but mostly fear.
Chloe nodded, "I promise. If anyone can keep a secret, you should know that I can."
Callie smiled, "Right. But can you just pinky swear?"
Chloe chuckled and extended her pinky. Callie wrapped her pinky around hers. Chloe stared at her once again.
"Wow. I just…Wow." She said as her hand dropped back to her side.
"Now that you know, I sort of need a favor."
"What kind of favor?" Chloe curiously asked.
"I need you to find a woman named Zatanna for me."
"Zatanna?" she gasped. "Why would you…"
"Since I don't have a Legion Ring she's the only other thing that I could think of in terms of getting me home. Is there any way that you could get in touch with her? I would ask Clark, but if I do that will just raise more suspicion."
Chloe thought for a second. The last time she had encountered Zatanna she had been transformed into Lois and had made Clark think he was a regular ole Joe. Even though by the end of it she had embraced her Watchtower calling she was still a little skeptical as to what could happen if Zatanna were involved in all of this.
"Are you sure? I mean the last time Zatanna was here things got a little out of hand."
"Believe me. My greatest desire is to get home, what could go wrong?"
She really wished that she hadn't said that. Looking at Callie's face she could see how desperate she was.
"I'll see what I can do and I'll try to get in touch with Oliver, and who knows where in the world he is. I can't guarantee anything, but I'll do my best."
"Thank you, Chloe." She said, pulling her into a hug.
"That's what family is for." She said as she embraced her. But, as she hugged Callie tight she missed the smile that fell from Callie's face when she said those words.
~\~
"Okay… they seem to be hugging now." Lois said, spying on the two girls through the kitchen window.
"Lois, I don't think you should be doing that."
"Lighten up, Smallville. It's not like I'm at the window with a glass to my ear."
She looked to Clark who just shook his head at her. Moving around the counter she tidied up some of the loose papers. As she put everything together a card fell on the floor. 'To My Son on His Birthday…' it read. Obviously it was from Mrs. Kent.
Lois' mouth opened when she saw it. 'I missed his birthday,' she thought.
She had missed so much being away that it killed her. Chloe had been a mess and Clark had been distant. That whole pocket of time held so much misery that she wished that she could make it go away. She wished that Jimmy was still alive and that Doomsday had never existed. She couldn't change what happened, but she wasn't going to let the people she cared about go down a lonely road. Clark missing his birthday was just the last straw.
"Clark!" She exclaimed holding the card in her hand and turning to him.
"What?" he asked, startled.
"I can't believe it. That whole time I was…away… I missed your birthday." She said choosing her words carefully.
"Lois, it's not a big deal…"
"Not a big deal? Smallville, your birthday was in the middle of this whole mess. I bet that you didn't even acknowledge it, did you?"
He hesitated, "Lo—"
"No," she interrupted, "it's not acceptable Clark Kent. You're going to get a birthday whether you like it or not."
It may have sounded weird, her demanding that Clark have a birthday, but something inside her told her she had to do this. Instead of sulking around she wanted to do something happy. She knew she needed it and everyone else located at the Kent farm at that very moment needed it too.
As Callie and Chloe came back inside she exclaimed, "Okay I'm going to need you two over here."
"Huh?" Callie asked as Lois pulled her into the kitchen.
"Clark here never celebrated his birthday and since all his friends are in this room we should do something about that. Now, we're going to need some stuff," she said tapping her chin with her index finger, "Oh and I'll have to bake a cake…" she exclaimed.
"NO!" Callie, Chloe, and Clark all called out in unison.
"Oh, come on, they are not that bad," she said putting her hand on her hip, "and Callie, why are you so quick to protest."
Looking from Chloe to Clark then back at her Callie was about to speak when Chloe interjected, "Well, I'm sure Clark must have said something about your baking skills. Right, Clark?"
"Uh, right…" Clark said.
"Gee, thanks, Smallville." Lois glowered.
"You know", Callie said, "this whole birthday thing doesn't sound half bad. I mean we've had a good day so far. We should top it off with something nice. Pick up a pizza and eat some cake…"
"Exactly. See, even your cousin's in on it." She said, staring at Clark, "How about you?"
Clark looked to each of them before caving and saying, "Fine."
Lois clapped her hands together. "Great. I'll go order the pizza." Getting her cell phone she said, "Then Clark and I will go pick it up."
"We will?" Clark questioned.
"Fine, I'll go by myself then," she said cupping the phone. As soon as the pizzeria guy answered she went over into the corner to order. When she was finished she hung up the phone and grabbed her purse flashing a scowl in Clark's direction.
Clark let out a groan as he grabbed his keys off the table. "Let's go, I'll drive."
Lois smiled triumphantly. Following his lead she turned back to Chloe and Callie and called out, "We'll be back!"
~\~
Callie watched Lois and Clark leave. She found comfort in the way they were acting with each other. It's exactly how they've always acted. The banter, the looks, it's what made them Lois and Clark. It's what made them her parents. Turning to Chloe, she noticed that she looked like she was studying her."What?" She asked, a little irked.
"I'm sorry. I'm still adjusting."
"I understand. This is still pretty new for you to handle…"
"So, Callie… Callie, that's a different name. Can I ask how you got it?" Chloe said sitting at the counter.
Callie nodded and smiled at the thought of her parents naming her. "I'm named after my father. A female version of the name of course."
"I don't exactly get Callie from Clark."
"Think another name…" Callie trailed, giving Chloe something to think about. "Give you a hint. My middle name begins with an 'L'. My mom's little joke to my dad."
"Callie L… Callie L…" Chloe mumbled to herself. Suddenly her eyes popped out of her head when she came to the realization of what Callie, telling her, "Kal-El."
"Bingo." Callie said, grabbing some cups and plates from the shelves.
Chloe shook her head and smiled. "I just can't believe it."
"I know, right? I still can't believe I'm here either." She said, her thoughts drifting back to her predicament.
She had only been there a few days, but at moments it seemed like she'd been there so much longer. She wanted to get home as quickly as possible, but there were also experiences she wanted to still savor while she was stuck in the past.
"It must be really hard to be away from your parents and yet not at the same time." Chloe said, bringing Callie back to the conversation at hand.
Callie chuckled, "You have no idea. I have to think of their names just so I don't slip up and accidently call them 'Mom' or 'Dad', though I did sort of slip last night…"
"What happened?"
Taking a deep breath Callie explained, "Ever since I was little I've had nightmares. Eventually, they went away when I got older, but ever since I've been here they've come rushing back. All the things I was scared of as a child, I just can't seem to get them out of my head. Maybe it's because they still exist here…" Callie said, thinking of all the evil villains that invaded her dreams as a kid. Getting back to the conversation she added, "And to top it all off I had a nightmare last night about my time, the future, and when I shouted for my father I just so happened to grab Clark in the process."
"What did he say?"
"What could he say?" Callie stressed, getting some things out of the fridge. "I explained what I was dreaming and I think that's all he took it for. I called for my dad and he just happened to be there."
"I just can't believe that they don't see it." Chloe said mesmerized by that fact.
"Yeah well, my parents can be oblivious to some real obvious stuff. It's actually kind of annoying to experience first hand. I can't believe my dad is so blind here. The things I've said and gotten away with… he would never let that happen in the future. I mean I'm grateful for it at this point, but seriously, the guy needs a pair of glasses…" Callie then started to laugh at the realization of what she just said.
"What?" Chloe asked, evidently curious to why she was laughing.
"Sorry, future thing." She said grabbing plates from the cabinet and walking to the dining room table.
"Right." She said. Cocking her head to the side and taking a serious tone, "Callie, what exactly happened that got you here? I know you sugar-coated it before. If you can tell me what exactly happened, I might be able to help you if the whole Zatanna thing doesn't pan out."
Placing the plates she was handling on the table she walked back to Chloe.
"It started out like a normal day. My family was here at the farmhouse, we were…um… celebrating my birthday." She said quietly.
"Wow, transported on your birthday. That's rough."
"Yeah, happy birthday to me." She said mockingly. "Anyway, we were waiting for my…." Callie stopped not wanting to give away another piece of information. "We were waiting for someone else to arrive when my dad went outside to get me some surprise gift. I was in this very room with my mom and grandmother when we felt this rumbling shake the house. I knew something wasn't right. He had been gone way too long. I super-sped outside and that's where I saw a mysterious woman in black standing over him."
Taking a deep breath she continued reliving the moments again in her mind, "He looked like he was in so much pain. He didn't want me to fight her, but I ignored him and did it anyway. We were up in the air, there was a flash of green light or something and the next thing I knew she wasn't in my grasp anymore and I fell through the roof of the barn."
"Is there anything else you can tell me about her?"
"Not really. Though, in my dream I was fighting her again and she said, 'Tempus neminem manet.'"
"Time waits for no one." Chloe translated.
"Yeah, we both know it sure as hell isn't waiting for me." She said getting more of the supplies to bring out.
If she kept moving and focused on Clark's little party she wouldn't have to go over again all the things that had been swarming her head for days. She was constantly thinking about it, and while it was nice to vocalize it to someone other than Shelby she still didn't want to stop and think about it at that very moment.
Chloe frowned as she looked at Callie. "Callie-" She began.
"I know," Callie said, cutting her off. "We'll find me a way home. I just hope that I get home in time."
"Did you ever think that maybe you're here for a reason?"
"Like what?" She asked, confused.
"Like maybe you were meant to be here. I mean I saw you with Clark. He was… smiling. He was happy."
Callie smirked as she thought back to the activities of the day. "He was, wasn't he?"
"Yeah, and I think that has something to do with you."
"Maybe a little, but mostly that was all someone else's doing…" Callie grinned.
~\~
As Clark and Lois drove in the truck there was total silence. Clark couldn't believe that this could be happening because with Lois there was never silence, especially uncomfortable silences, she hated them. Glancing in her direction a couple times he could see that she was just staring out the window. When he reached a stop sign he turned to her and asked, "Lois, why are you really doing this?"
She looked at him then returned to the window. Letting out a sigh she said, "I was missing, Clark. MISSING. A chunk of time is gone from my life and it kills me that I don't know where I was, who I was with, or what I was doing. I just want to get back some normalcy. Besides, parties make people happy and even though she tries to hide it, Chloe is still very much in despair over what happened and I know you could use one, too. I think we all need some kind of fun even if it's for one night."
Clark nodded his head, "Okay."
He could understand where she was coming from. It was true. He had been having a good day today. He felt a little lighter and being with Lois and watching her made him feel at ease. He was still worried about her, but she seemed to be okay.
'What if she decides she's well enough to leave?' he thought. 'Wait, where did that come from?'
Taking a quick glance at her he moved his eyes back to the road and glued them there. Once he made it into the center of town he parked the truck to the side of the road.
"You go get the pizza, I have to get something real quick." Lois ordered as she hopped out.
He didn't know why, but he obliged to her commands. If it made her happy he'd let her do it. Lois didn't remember anything about what happened when the Legion ring transported her. This whole last month had been lost to her. He wished that he, too, could forget the last month. He had been so immersed in saving people and looking for Lois on the side that some of his actions were things he wasn't proud of. But he concluded that he had done it for a reason, to be a hero, and he was sticking to that. The tough issue was he could visibly see that all the walls he had constructed were slowly being demolished by two hurricanes named Callie and Lois.
Getting the pizza he waited by the truck for Lois. A few moments later she came out of the drug store hiding something behind her back and had a big bag hanging off her other arm. His sudden curiosity tempted him to use his x-ray vision, but decided against it.
"Close your eyes." She said as she stood before him.
"Why?" he questioned.
"Just do it, Smallville."
Sighing, he closed his eyes and felt Lois' hand touch his left one. The sensation of her touch made his heart begin to race. He hadn't felt that way in a long time. He felt alive.
Feeling her hand enclose his fingers over the object she heard her say, "Okay, you can open them."
He opened his eyes and his hand at the same time and stared at the object.
"I would have gotten you a compass, but this seemed better for navigating your state of mind." She explained.
He looked up at her then back at the object, "What is it?" he asked examining it
"Are you kidding? It's a mood ring. You put it on like this…" She said as she took the ring from him and adjusted it so it was big enough to slide onto his finger. They both looked up at each other at the return of her hand on his. Pulling back she continued, "and you watch as the color changes and tells you your mood."
Clark stared down as the color in the circular shape began to change.
"Oh, before I forget, these are the meanings of the colors." She said, handing him a piece of paper. "Happy Birthday, Clark."
She smiled as he watched her climb into the truck. Looking down at the ring he watched as the color turned blue. Glancing at the list he looked up blue. He chuckled inside himself as he read it. Lively.
'Who knew…this thing might actually work.' He thought as he took another gaze at Lois and then moved to the driver's seat.
The drive home was silent again except for the few instances where Lois criticized the speed he was driving at. Finally making it back she grabbed the bag she had been carrying and Clark grabbed the pizza. Walking into the house he saw blue and red streamers strewn throughout the room. Callie and Chloe jumped up from the couch and screamed, "Happy Birthday!"
Lois walked in and was as surprised as he was. "Wow, you guys did great. Where did you get all this stuff?"
"I found some decorations for the 4th of July in the barn." Callie said.
Clark knew that was a lie and it was confirmed when Callie gave him a knowing smile. Placing the pizza down on the counter everyone crowded over it and started taking pieces.
"Don't worry, Smallville, we'll leave enough for you." Lois said, patting his shoulder.
As she moved in front of him her dark hair brushed against him and he found himself closing his eyes and taking in the scent of it. He quickly opened his eyes after realizing what he was doing and backed away from her.
As they were all eating Clark couldn't help but let his guard down. He enjoyed the atmosphere around him, he really did. He and Chloe hadn't been close in what seemed like a while, but having her there it was like old times. They still had issues to work through, though. There was Callie, the girl who literally dropped into his life. There was something about her that he couldn't put his finger on, but he knew that he was going to find her a way home. Then, there was Lois. He watched as she laughed at something Chloe said to her. Her head bobbed up and down and her eyes had a certain sparkle in them. His stare lingered a little longer than he had intended and he was almost caught when Lois looked his way.
As soon as they were done, Lois pulled out a blue and red decorated cake. Getting looks from everyone she said, "Don't worry, you all know its store bought."
Placing it in front of Clark she put a few red candles in it and lit them. "Okay, Smallville. Blow out your candles and make a wish."
Clark took a moment and then blew out the candles, but he didn't need to make a wish. His mouth tugged into a smile as he looked from Callie, to Chloe, and then to Lois, her smile catching his eye again. Staring at Lois he knew he didn't have to make a wish because it had already come true. She was home.
~\~
"Well, Clark, tonight was certainly something." Chloe said as Clark walked her to the car.
"Yeah, you can say that again."
"Living with Callie and Lois under one roof. That's got to be interesting." Chloe said as she watched Lois and Callie laugh on the porch.
"Well, I haven't had a hot shower in two days, and the constant teasing is pleasant. In some strange way it's nice having them around. I mean I'm glad Lois is safe and then having Callie around, it kind of takes the loneliness out of the house." Clark said, watching Lois and Callie as well. "It makes me think that one day maybe…I don't know."
Chloe looked at Clark and wondered if he knew, but his facial expression showed that he didn't. She wished that she could tell him what she knew. She wanted to scream that Callie was his daughter. That he and Lois were her parents. She wanted to point out all the things about Callie that should be so obvious to the naked eye. That Callie was a combination of Clark and Lois' traits. Defeated, she knew she couldn't, so she let it go and decided to talk to him about what she had come for in the first place.
"Look, Clark, when I came here earlier today it wasn't exactly to hang out."
"I figured."
Sighing she said, "I've been diving into my Watchtower duties lately and I've been coming up with disturbing new evidence of unexplained incidents all over Metropolis that could spell out trouble in terms of Zod or some other miscreant on the scene. Last time Zod was here we received Dark Thursday. I know I don't want to see a Dark Friday."
Clark nodded as he listened to her.
"Clark, I don't want you to go all out like you have been. Just keep your eyes peeled and I will too."
She could see the distant look come over his face again. She knew this was going to be hard, but she had seen so much progress that she hoped it would last.
"Please Clark, just be careful." She pleaded. She wanted him to be safe. She always wanted him to be safe, but now there was more at stake. There was Callie.
~\~
After Chloe had left, Clark stayed outside. From the driveway, he looked out into the distance as the sun was setting. He had let himself forget for a little while the dangers that awaited him out there. He had appeased Lois' wishes and let her take away the pain he had just for a few moments, but he had a job to do.
"Clark, you coming in?" He heard Callie yell to him.
He didn't turn back. A few moments later he heard her footsteps come up behind him.
"Hey, what are you looking at?" She asked, standing beside him.
"I have to go." He said bluntly.
"Oh." She said, her voice dropping, the cheeriness from before dissipating. "So I guess you'll be home late?"
"I'm sorry."
"Yeah, well, it's your job, right? Just don't do anything stupid." She said, leaving him alone again.
He closed his eyes. He could hear the hurt in her voice, but this was something he had to do. This was something he had gotten used to doing.
Speeding off to the city he stopped some crimes being committed but nothing seemed remotely related to Zod, only involving a few gangs that were famous around Metropolis. Hours later he found himself perched on top of the Daily Planet roof looking down on the city.
Staring down at his hands he realized that he had never taken off Lois' gift. He yearned for it to turn clear. Clear. Emotionless. He looked down again at it. It had been so easy before to shut out his life and turn cold. Now, he was finding it more difficult. He had told Callie that he had been trying to be more like himself, but this other force kept winning out. In that instant, that other part of him wasn't even putting up a fight.
~\~
"Why is it that with him it's like he takes one step forward and then three steps back." Callie said as she yet again stared out the window. She turned to the dog that was sitting next to her. "You don't know either, do you? Didn't think so."
Turning to the television she turned it on and flipped through the channels from the chair. She stopped on the news hoping to get some kind of indication of where he might be.
"Metropolis is still reeling from the effects from last month's attack." The woman newscaster said.
Showing a video from a cell phone she could make out Doomsday attacking the city. She didn't want to look but her eyes wouldn't listen to her brain and she continued to watch. Other pictures and videos were shown as the newscaster continued to speak over them. Callie's mouth went dry.
"No one knows exactly what happened to the creature, but the explosion at the geo-thermal plant is still under investigation."
"Don't even go there. Don't even go there." She chanted to herself. Wiping her face with her hands she turned off the television and twisted back toward the window. The TV was supposed to have calmed her down and now all it did was make her more apprehensive. She pet Shelby and closed her eyes, telling herself she would just rest them for a moment, but fatigue prevailed over her.
Callie opened her eyes and saw that she once again was home. A sudden pang of fear hit her. Feeling the intensity of a threat looming she ran through her house. No one was home and she could feel danger coming. It was coming. As she ran down the hallway the whole house shook as if an earthquake had hit. As she made it to the living room something large crashed through the wall and whipped past her. Below the debris the only thing she could see was green.
"Oliver." She said.
She ran over to him and started tossing the debris off his body. He was badly hurt, but her super-hearing revealed he was still slightly breathing.
"Ollie! Ollie!" She cried. "Please, come on!"
She lightly smacked his face a couple of times, hoping that the action would make him open his eyes and look at her.
"Oliver! What's going on? Please! Don't leave me!"
She could see that his lips were trying to move. He was weak and she had to get him to a hospital, no matter what force had thrown him in here.
"I have to get you out of here," she said, preparing to move him.
"No," he managed, "Doomsday."
It was the last thing he said before she heard him take his last breath.
"No!" She sobbed. "No! NO! No, no, no, no, NO!"
The tears poured out of her eyes as she looked at Oliver's limp form. Then she felt it. Doomsday was almost there. She quickly got up and ran down the hallway again. She opened the door to her room, but as she stepped inside and slammed the door it suddenly wasn't her room, but a rooftop in Gotham.
Callie looked around and again was greeted by silence and darkness. A dark figure then landed, startling her.
"Callie, we need to go now."
"Batman?" She asked. Realizing it was him she started to hyperventilate as she remembered what had just happened. "It's Green Arrow, he's…he's dead. And…Doomsday! We need to warn my father."
"He knows."
"Where is he? And where is my mom?"
"I can't tell you, I'm sorry, but I promised him that I'd get you to safety."
As Batman reached for her, she swatted his arm away. "No way, Bruce. You tell me where my parents are. You do remember what having parents is like right?"
She knew it was a low blow. Deep down she didn't mean it, but she needed to know.
"You're father is…" Before he could finish he fell to the ground face first with a metal pole shoved in through his back.
Callie gasped and cupped her hands over her mouth. The tears started again as another member of the Justice League was killed in front of her. As she slowly looked up she saw red eyes staring at her. Waves of fear came over her body. Everything was telling her this was it. She breathed shallow breaths, wondering which one was going to be her last. She saw Doomsday move toward her then something impaired her vision. It was someone in a red cape.
Fending off Doomsday he turned his head toward her and asked, "Are you okay?"
She nodded joyfully through her tears. Her father had come.
"You have to get out of here."He managed to say as he hit Doomsday off the roof.
She grabbed a hold of him, "No! I can't leave you. He killed Ollie and Bruce. He can kill you too. I can't…no I won't leave you."
Doomsday then jumped up the side of the building and struck, breaking her from her grip of her father. She watched as he flew through the brick wall of the building, his blood staining her clothes and the floor.
"NOOO!" She screamed.
Doomsday then completely ignored her and went in after him. She tried to use her power of flight or her super speed, but nothing was working. She tried to see what was going on but the dust of the debris was too much. She tried to swat it away, but it did no good.
As she went back to the door she had come through she tried desperately to open it, but it was no use. She placed her back against the opposite wall and slid down until she was huddled into a ball. She sobbed as she prayed for her father to come out of the hole Doomsday had created with his body.
Soon she heard footsteps coming and slowly lifted her head. She was greeted with the sight of Doomsday carrying the lifeless body of her father. She couldn't breathe.
Doomsday came closer to her. He tossed the body to the ground like he was tossing a bag of dirt. Callie was numb. She couldn't make a sound. She was screaming on the inside, but nothing audible came from her mouth.
"First Arrow, then the Bat, then your father…now you."It said.
Callie used her arms to shield her face waiting for Doomsday to kill her. She closed her eyes tight and took a deep breath. Suddenly, she felt someone pushing the hair out of her face. She felt warmth and love in the touch. She felt safe with the familiar contact. Letting the touch calm her down she realized exactly who it was. Then she opened her eyes.
"Mom?" She breathed out as her eyes snapped open.
As her eyes adjusted she saw it was Lois.
"No, it's just me. You looked like you were having a bad dream again."
"Yeah, I was. You have perfect timing." She breathed wiping the sweat that beaded at her brow.
"Clark still not back?" She asked, sitting on the edge of the chair staring out the window with her.
"Not yet." Lois gave a sympathetic look to her. "You know what. I was thinking of totally ditching work tomorrow to desperately get away from that guy across from me, but I think I have a better idea." She said playfully bumping her shoulder into Callie's.
"What's that?" Callie asked, looking up at her.
"How about you come with me?"
"What is it 'bring your friend's cousin to work' day?" She smirked.
"No." She smiled. "I just think maybe you need to get out of the farmhouse."
"I don't know… I have…responsibilities…"
"Oh, do not play the 'Clark Card' and say you have to milk the cows. You're going to come with me. I'll show you the Daily Planet. Come on, it'll be a good experience and will sound really good when you tell your professors." She said.
"And of course when I drop the name Lois Lane they'll have to give me an 'A'" Callie joked.
"So, what do you say?"
"Okay. But I don't have anything nice to wear."
"As long as you don't come in flannel, you should be fine. I'll even let you borrow something." She said smiling. "And don't worry about Smallville out there, even though he's acting very selfish for being out all night…"
"He's an owl." Callie said dryly.
"Oh, Clark Kent is an owl now?"
"Clark Kent is many things."
"Tell me about it." Lois said.
Callie looked up at Lois and glanced at their current position. They were sitting at the window waiting for him to come home. Lois had no idea that in the future she would experience nights just like this.
~\~
Clark quietly opened the front door and closed it, making sure he didn't wake anyone.
"You have some nerve." An unexpected voice said.
Adjusting his eyes to the darkness of the house he saw Lois sitting on the stairs, a cup of coffee in her hand.
"Lois?"
"No, it's the Easter Bunny."
He glared at her.
"Don't give me that look. I don't deserve that look. You on the other hand, deserve that look plus some obscene gestures."
"What's your problem?"
She scoffed, "My problem? What's your problem? I saw you this afternoon, Clark. You were having fun, you were yourself. Then when darkness falls you turn into…I don't know what you turn into."
"I had some things I needed to do." He said, hanging up his short black coat. It wasn't his trenchcoat, he still hadn't retrieved that. Instead, he still wore his black clothes on patrol, but without his insignia drawn on his chest or the trenchcoat. He thought he had been ready, but he still wasn't comfortable wearing it. He hadn't earned it yet. Luckily for him, when he returned home it raised less suspicion. Wearing the symbol on his chest would create more questions for Lois to ask than the plain clothes he was caught in.
"In the middle of the night?"
"Why are we having this conversation? Are you my keeper or something?" He asked, leaning his hand on the banister.
"No, but when I walk down stairs to a girl who is whimpering in her sleep only to have her wake up and tell me she was waiting for you it means something."
"She had another nightmare." He said, concern washing over his face.
"Yes, and you're right, it was pretty bad."
Clark glanced at Callie who was asleep on the couch.
"She's fine now. I used the Lane charm. By the way, she's coming with me tomorrow." She said sipping her coffee.
His head whipped back toward Lois. "With you?"
"Yeah, she's coming to the Daily Planet with me."
"What is it 'bring your friend's cousin to work' day?" He said sarcastically as he folded his arms across his chest.
"Weird." She whispered.
"What?"
"Nothing." She shook her head, "Actually, I think she needs to get out of this house. Besides, with you running errands at sporadic times she doesn't need another day being alone in the house."
"Lois…"
"Don't even try to argue with me. I'm taking her so accept it."
"Can you guys quit arguing? Someone is trying to sleep over here." Callie called from the couch.
"So much for the Lane charm." Clark smirked.
"You know I busted my butt to give you a nice belated birthday. Maybe I should take my gift back…"Clark gripped the ring that was still on his hand protectively. "…Or maybe I could be nice and let you keep it, though I don't know how much it's working."
She stood up on the bottom stair so she was taller than him and pressed her index finger into his chest.
"You better shape up, bucko. You're always talking about responsibility. Well, start taking some because you have a cousin at home who you're responsible for now. She may be tough on the outside, but inside she's vulnerable. Take it from me. She needs you. So balance whatever you have to and be here." She removed her finger. "Think about that."
Taking another sip of her coffee she turned and went back up the stairs. Clark moved over to the couch where he knew Callie was still awake.
"She really laced into you that time." She mumbled.
"It happened again?"
Callie sat up. "I'm fine. Teaches me to watch the news before sleeping."
"I'm so—"
"If you say 'I'm sorry' one more time I'm going to find that Nerf gun and pelt all the balls into your head."
Clark chuckled at the comment even though he knew she was serious.
"You better get some sleep; sounds like you have a big day in the morning."
As he turned to leave he heard her say in a little voice, "Clark."
He turned back. "Yeah?"
He watched as leaned back into the couch. She was about to say something when her mouth closed. She then smiled and said, "Nothing, never mind." Clutched the red blanket close to her and said, "Good night."
"Night." He said.
Now was when he started to kick himself. Lois was right; Callie was a part of his responsibilities. He should have been there to help her. Luckily, Lois had managed, but he remembered what Callie looked like the night before, all shaken and terrified. Taking one last glimpse at Callie from the stairs and cupping the ring on his left hand, he promised himself that tomorrow would be different.