It's been nearly an hour since Rachel found out about what happened to the fathers of her children. And if it weren't for her unborn children's powers, she would definitely have trouble pinning down Superman's exact location in the secured facility, where the Kryptonian's unconscious body was currently kept. There were cameras and guards everywhere and Rachel was only able to teleport in the underground facility safely because of her children's help.
Despite her children's gestational age, it seemed that they were developing so fast and Rachel suspected that she wouldn't need to carry her children for an entire nine months before she gave birth to them. This was also the moment when Rachel realized that her children already had inherited Superman's x-ray vision after they mentally warned her about the number of highly-trained guards stationed around their father's room.
Meanwhile, Rachel had to contend with the surprising number of cameras inside the room, where the electrical devices were purposely directed towards Clark Kent's unmoving figure. Fortunately, she had a thousand years of knowledge in her arsenal that Rachel was able to cast an invisibility spell on herself and keep herself hidden.
However, as soon as Rachel entered Superman's mind with the intent to wake him, she was definitely not expecting to end up appearing in Clark Kent's mindscape and staring at the exact replica of his family's farm house. Now, she could only look at the Kryptonian in apprehension. The superhero appeared to be unconcern. He probably wasn't even aware about what happened to him and Rachel already felt guilty for being the bearer of bad news and possibly shattering the peaceful sanctum within Superman's mind.
With his broad back turned towards her, Rachel Roth carefully watched as Clark Kent meandered aimlessly through the corn fields. He was clearly deep in thought. Rachel knew that she only had a few minutes with Superman before someone would come into his room and check on the superhero again. So she really needed to hurry and wake up the unconscious Kryptonian soon.
'Talk to Papa, mama!' One of her children mentally told her while the rest wriggled inside her womb in complete excitement for finally being able to meet one of their fathers.
'I will, little ones...but promise me not to talk to him just yet. This is not the right time for anyone of your fathers to know about you, ok?' Rachel said to them worriedly.
'But why?'
'Because they won't understand how you even exist, sweethearts. You were created in an unconventional way...and they won't understand that. They will probably assume that I stole their DNA and created you for nefarious reasons. I really don't want them to think that...so it's best that we keep your existence a secret at this time, alright?' Rachel suggested gently.
Even without voicing out their thoughts, she sensed her children reluctantly agreeing to her a moment after, but she could also feel the wave of crushing disappointment coming from them as well when she asked them not to speak to their father just yet.
Despite their obvious sadness, Rachel was determined to keep her children a secret until it was the right time for her to reveal them to their fathers. She already had a plan on how to go about it but it would probably take years for her to accomplish. Of course, this would involve Rachel machinating an accidental meeting with all the fathers of her children and hopefully she would be able to establish some kind of connection with them at the very least.
A moment later, Rachel decided to make a move at last just as her children were getting restless again. With her hand resting protectively over her large belly, she started waddling down the steps of the front porch. She still wasn't used to being pregnant with quintuplets that her legs were a bit unsteady when she climbed down the stairs.
With her attention focused on watching her steps, Rachel wasn't even aware that Superman had finally noticed her presence until a shadow suddenly fell over her. When she noticed the looming shadow, Rachel looked up and her violet eyes instantly met a pair of cobalt blue orbs that belonged only to the Kryptonian superhero hovering mid-air in front of her with his red cape flapping in an imaginary wind.
Rachel could only stare at Superman whose expression was openly curious as he regarded her slowly. She observed how the superhero's eyes settled on her very pregnant belly right before he locked his gaze with her once more. Inside her womb, she could feel her babies wriggling in joy for finally sensing one of their fathers nearby.
"Hello," Superman greeted.
"Hi," came Rachel's almost shy response.
She waited for Superman to say something else, but he simply frowned at her in obvious puzzlement.
"I'm really sorry to impose, Superman.." She began nervously, "But I had to come in here and help you wake up. You probably don't remember this, but a few hours ago, you fell from the sky and had been unconscious since then."
"What? I fell unconscious? But why?" The Kryptonian asked.
"It's because our timeline has been altered completely, which affected you and other people as well." Rachel explained without going into further details.
"And how did you come to know this information?" Superman asked. He sounded more curious than suspicious. Once again, the Kryptonian scrutinized her from head to toe. However, this time his frown deepened when his gaze lingered on Rachel's large belly.
Rachel felt her children moving happily when they sensed their father's attention on them.
"It doesn't matter how I found out about this. What matters is that you need to wake up, Superman, because the world still needs you." Rachel stated firmly.
"I don't understand…" Clark Kent began softly.
Rachel furrowed her brows when she noticed the way Superman kept on glancing from her round belly and back to her face repeatedly.
"You don't understand what?" came her wary question while an uneasy feeling settled at the pit of her stomach.
"The children…" Superman stated as his cobalt blue eyes now remained fixed on her large belly. "They are half-Kryptonian, aren't they?"
At once, Rachel became alarmed by Superman's question and she couldn't help but blurt out, "How did you know that?"
However, as soon as she asked this, Rachel instantly regretted it because she saw the expression on Superman's face, which seemed to confirm his suspicion about the children she was carrying.
"I know this because of the children's heartbeats. Since I was the first Kryptonian child born in a natural way after eons of using the Growth Codex, my father - who was a scientist at that time - recorded everything from the time of my mother's pregnancy until the day she gave birth to me. My father noted his observations, which included the unique heart rhythm of a natural Kryptonian child in utero," Superman informed. "Also, a Kryptonian child has a faster heartbeat than a human child."
Thereafter, Clark Kent looked at her expectantly and Rachel knew that Superman was silently asking her the question that he probably didn't dare ask out loud.
"I - I think it's time for you to leave this place before your condition worsens," She stated instead of answering Superman's unasked question. She avoided his intense blue-eyed stare and she wondered if one of her children might inherit his eyes because they were truly disarming.
"May I know who you are first and why are you helping me?" was Superman's question, looking far more interested in her than before.
"You can call me Raven and I'm helping you because I know a lot of people will really need you once you are out of here. So it's really important that you wake up soon," Rachel responded.
"Is that the only reason you are helping me?" Clark Kent asked.
"Does it really matter to you what my reasons are?" was Rachel's response.
"Yes, it does...and so does my desire to know how you came to bear five half-kryptonian children, considering that there are only two Kryptonian left in this world and one of them is my cousin Kara Zor-El..."
Rachel nearly forgot that Clark Kent had recently defeated General Zod and his lackeys in this timeline. She also felt that there was a question somewhere there in Superman's statement. Rachel could tell that he wanted to ask the question that was clearly bothering him. However, he seemed to be almost apprehensive about voicing those out and finally finding out the truth.
So Rachel decided to save him the trouble and said to him, "I'm sorry but I can't tell you anything. Not yet anyway."
"Why?" Superman said. He sounded suspicious now.
"I just can't, ok?" Rachel responded while she ran a hand over her belly, when she sensed her children getting agitated. "So why don't you just take my hand and I will get you out of here. It's really important that you wake up soon before something else happens."
"They are mine, aren't they?" Superman ignored her suggestion in favor of finally asking the very question that he seemed too afraid to ask. "But I don't see how this is even possible. You are far too young for me to have - to have...amm..."
Superman trailed off awkwardly and Rachel flushed scarlet at the superhero's implication. She couldn't even believe that she was having this conversation with Superman.
"And I will certainly remember it if I did...unless this is something else, perhaps you stole the necessary genetic material from me and you took this chance to impreg - " Clark Kent started and Rachel felt the sudden surge of raw anger in her at what the Kryptonian was about to say.
"Don't you even dare finish that sentence! Don't you dare!" Rachel interrupted angrily. Her eyes flashing red without her knowing about it. Meanwhile, she could feel her children growing alarmed at her angry outburst towards their father.
"I'm sorry if this offends you, but that is the only possible reason that I can think of that will explain your current condition." Superman said quickly.
"Well, you thought wrong! Because I definitely didn't steal your goddamn sperm, you idiot!" Rachel hissed furiously.
"Please calm down...I can sense the children getting distressed with your heightened emotion," Clark Kent said to her hastily in obvious concern while Rachel saw him instinctively reaching out for her as if to soothe her.
"And who is to blame for that?" Rachel retorted as she hastily stepped away from him before he could touch her.
With her current condition, Rachel's hormones were all over the place and she could already feel the unshed tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. Rachel swallowed the lump in her throat while she tried to stop herself from completely breaking down. After just a few hours of finding herself pregnant, the reality of her situation finally crashed down on her like a tsunami, where she was instantly buried in a sea of tumultuous emotions.
"It wasn't my intention to upset you, alright?" Superman stated. He looked guilty as he looked at her. "I just met you so I apologize if my abrupt conclusion regarding your current condition bothers you. However, that's the only possible reason that I can come up with to explain your pregnancy. Since I have a girlfriend already, I wouldn't dare betray her like this and you looked so young so I know that I would have never touched someone as young as you. How old are you even?"
"As you can see I'm old enough to get pregnant and soon raise my own children!" Rachel couldn't help but snap at him.
Superman looked like she had just slapped him right in the face by her quick rebuttal.
"Alright, you are still obviously hurt by what I just said and I'm really sorry for -"
"Just stop!" Rachel interjected. "You don't know what I'm going through right now but I'm not going to start by telling you everything about me, especially regarding my children. Like you said, you don't know me so if you have something else to say, just keep it to yourself, ok? Now, why don't you just take my hand so that I can leave once I've done my part in helping you out of here."
That shut Superman up, who looked like Rachel had just inflicted a physical wound on him.
Rachel stretched her hand out for Superman to take but the Kryptonian simply glanced at her hand before he met her eyes again.
"So that's it? You are leaving after you are done helping me?"
"Yes," was her firm response.
"What about the children?"
"What about them?" Rachel asked as she eyed Superman warily.
"Their mine," Clark Kent stated simply. However, Rachel swiftly realized where the conversation was heading. Hence, she immediately put a stop to it before the tall Kryptonian could say anything else, "I'm sorry, but I thought you consider yourself to be only a sperm donor? So I don't see why you are suddenly interested in my children? And you certainly got the nerve to even point out that you are the father when you had immediately assumed that I stole your genetic material to impregnate myself!"
Superman winced at her harsh words.
"Well, it doesn't matter what you want or even think, considering that you will forget all of this as soon as you wake up," Rachel told him.
"What do you mean that I will forget all of this?" Superman said to her in alarm.
Rachel didn't respond to his question. Instead she simply grabbed a hold of his hand before Superman realized what she was about to do.
"Just like I said. You won't remember a thing that happened here." was the last thing she said to him while Rachel finally used her power to launch them back to the real world.
Right before she moved, Rachel vaguely sensed it when Clark Kent's hands instinctively found its way on her pregnant belly the moment her power surged around her. She felt her children's sheer joy the moment their father reached out to them protectively.
However, the moment Clark Kent woke up from his deep slumber, Rachel Roth was already gone. She had already done her part to wake up Superman and was instantly moving to take care of the rest of her children's fathers.
She hoped that her spell to make Superman forget worked. However, she should have known better when it came to the Man of Steel himself.
Months after…
"Clark, are you alright?"
He heard Lois ask from beside him and Clark tore his gaze away from the baby in the stroller where he had been listening to the child's heartbeat and trying to find something different about it. There was none and when he realized this like many other times before, Clark always felt a pang of disappointment and melancholy afterwards.
"I'm fine, Lois. Why do you ask?" He said to his girlfriend.
"Because you've been staring at the baby for a while now and you looked incredibly sad…" was Lois' careful observation.
Clark fell silent. He didn't exactly know what to say to his girlfriend.
How do you explain to your girlfriend his growing desperation in finding out about his children? Because it's been months now since Clark met the pregnant young woman with five half-kryptonian children. It's been months of searching and overexerting his super hearing with the hope of finding out that distinctive heartbeats of his children amongst millions of humans.
At first, Clark was certain that he was going insane after falling unconscious from the sky. However, as months passed by, Clark began to realize that the strange dreams that he had been having about the pregnant young woman were actually real. He soon figured out that his memories had been tampered with.
He recalled that the young woman's name was Raven. Clark also remembered that she had a lovely pair of violet eyes, but the rest of her features eluded him. His memories of her were tricky at best. Every time he tried to grab a hold of it, her image slipped away from him like sands in the wind. Clark knew by this time the young woman, who called herself Raven, must have given birth already and Clark only grew more anxious at the thought of his children being raised by someone who was clearly too young for the responsibility.
He often wondered about what happened to them, where he grew increasingly worried at the thought if Raven had a job to support herself and their children. Or was she alone out there raising five newborn half-kryptonian children on her own? This possibility drove Clark nearly mad with concern that he had spent months searching the earth trying to find them.
It no longer matters how Raven had gotten herself pregnant with his children, but Clark knew for a fact that those children were his and his instincts told him that he needed to find and protect them. He was not going to let them slip away from him so easily. They were his family, his legacy and all of Krypton's future rest in their little hands. He really needed to see his children again and make sure that they were alright, even if he had to scour the entire world looking for them.
And if he found Raven and his children, what was he going to do next?
"I'm really fine Lois." Clark finally said to her after she waited for his reply.
"You don't look fine at all, Clark. You've been distracted lately and really moody.." came Lois' comment.
"I'm just thinking about something...that's all." He said to her.
Clark despised lying to her, but how do you even break the news to your girlfriend that he had five children somewhere out there?
He knew that Lois wouldn't take it very well the moment he admitted it. Clark just hoped that he could find a way to make things work with Lois once he had his children with him.
Author's Notes: Don't worry. In the following chapters, Raven will still be meeting the fathers for the first time. Although I will be writing each perspective from all of the fathers after their initial meeting with Raven afterward. I really hope you like this chapter so far and please don't hesitate to tell me what you think! Also, please check out the Aesthetics, Cover/Banner and other graphic edits that I made for this story. I will be creating more of these for each of the characters so I hope you check them out when you have the time.