"Lois! Clark! Sweeties, your right on time!" Martha Kent embraced her son and daughter in law and ushered them off the porch. Soon Jonathan Kent appeared from the kitchen and the room was alive with excited chatter. Clark, with some help from his father brought in the luggage and set it upstairs in his old bedroom.
Martha was grateful for the few moments alone with the woman she considered a daughter. She pulled the younger Kent out onto the porch, where they could steal a few minutes alone together.
"Did you tell him?" She asked Lois excitedly. Lois's face fell.
"No. There just never seemed to be any time. Superman was on overdrive all week, and I really didn't want to tell him at work. I mean, seriously, how romantic would that be?" Martha crinkled her nose in disgust.
"No. Definitely not. But," she continued pointing her finger at Lois in a teasing manner, "you have no excuse not to do it while you're here. There has to be at least ONE night when Superman isn't in such high demand and the two of you can sneak away for a few moments. You know, a walk in the corn field at sun set, you take his hand..."
"But I wanted to do it in the house, in front of you and Jonathan." Lois interrupted.
"Sweetie I already know."
"Yeah, but Jonathan --" Lois stopped when she saw the guilty plea on Martha's face. "You told him."
"I'm so sorry, Lois. I just couldn't help it; it's such big news. Such wonderfully big news, and I just couldn't keep it to myself. I mean every time I looked at the man I practically ached.... What?" Lois's big brown eyes twinkled and she was smiling from ear to ear.
"And farmboy says I babble. No wonder he has an ear for it." Martha's cheeks grew bright red.
"Tonight, Lois. You have to." Lois let out a breathy laugh.
"Yes mom. I'll tell him tonight." Martha squealed with delight and embraced her daughter. "Do you have any idea how important tonight is going to be?"
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A lone ship was out on the water off the east coast of Martha's Vineyard. Onboard, three very nervous and very happy men were gazing longingly at the water. Each of them lost in their own thoughts.
It wasn't long before Dr. Klein, or as the two other men would call him, Ree-Jai began to pace again. In his mind he was putting the pieces to a very complicated puzzle together. Or to be more exact, he was figuring out how to explain the pieces of a very complicated puzzle.
The secret identity thing was easy to explain, especially to Clark. Who if not him would understand why he kept his origins a secret? The pretending not to understand the many aspects of Superman came with playing the part of Dr. Klein. Such as, pretending not to know whether or not Clark could get Lois pregnant, and countless other things Clark had inquired about. With a few pieces of information, Ree was certain that he would understand.
What he was having trouble with, was the more delicate matters. Pretty soon they would be knocking on a farm door in Kansas and Clark's world would forever change. What were they going to do? What would they say? What would Clark say? The selfish part of him begged the expected arrival to be alive, and to recover so that he may explain to his child all that has been left unsaid. The more rational side of him remembered Nul's warning. It was almost foolish to think that a man could orbit space for thirty years and still be alive. It was a foolish hope, and yet he clung to it for dear life.
Ree-Jai's head spun around when he heard a sob. He watched a single tear glide down Nul-Zay's face. He approached his friend and embraced him tightly. The third, younger man watched the exchange with a sad smile on his face. Nul pulled away and a lock of his curly brown hair fell over his stormy gray eyes.
"I'm so frightened Ree. I don't remember feeling this much anxiety in quite some time." Ree nodded his head slowly.
"I know what you mean. I'm nauseous... for the first time in decades I'm sick to my stomach." Nul laughed nervously, and then his stomach reminded him that he too was feeling odd. "But you know, that no matter what happens here, tonight, we kept our promise. Kal is safe and happy. Lara's gone to a better place, and soon Jor will join her. It will feel good to finally put him to rest."
"Indeed."
"So why are we this nervous? If we're doing what we've dreamed of doing for so long, why are we THIS nervous?" Ree shifted his weight uncomfortably.
"Perhaps it is the fear of the unknown. He may descend and all we find is brain tissue and the tracker. You never know."
"Jesus Christ, I hope not."
A few moments passed in silence before a sonic boom snapped all three men into attention. Six eyes fallowed an object streaking through the sky. It appeared to be a coffin sized asteroid. In a cosmic sense it was almost amusing, but nobody was laughing. As soon as the chunk of rock was safely within reach the men flew up towards the sky, stopped it in its path and carried it to the deck of the ship.
Nul and Ree did a quick examination of the outside and Ree had to choke back a sudden gasp. To their right, sticking out of the rock was a hand. Both Nul and Ree immediately recognized the ring, which still graced the pinky finger. They had found Jor-El's remains, whatever they may be.
Ree gave a nod to the third man, Nul's son, Lom. Lom took his time removing the layers of rock that surrounded Jor's body. After all, what was the hurry? It wasn't long before Lom perked up his ears. He concentrated for a moment and then turned to the other two.
"Do you hear that?" He asked. The two older men exchanged a glance. Soon all three were frantically digging at the rock. Fast enough to free the trapped man but careful enough not to injure him further.
"He's breathing!!" Ree squealed in delight.
"More like wheezing, it's definitely labored." Nul chimed.
"Air... is going.... into his... lungs," Ree puffed while breaking up pieces of rock. It was compacted very tightly, and by all accounts their excitement was distracting. In other words, the task was taking a lot longer than it needed to.
"True, my friend... very true."
They all stopped. Lom took a sharp intake of breath. The figure that lay before them was terribly pale. He was tall, and his nose and lips were unmistakable. His hair was gray at the temples and scraggly beard and mustache that now graced his face was completely white. Most of his body was covered in debris of some sort or the other. The skin they could see was dotted with deep bruises in all-different shapes and colors. But the only thing that mattered was that his chest was rising and falling in a fluid pattern. He was breathing. He was alive.
"My god he's beautiful." Ree murmured.
"And he's breathing. He's comatose but he's beautiful and he's breathing."
Three men loaded an injured and bloodied fourth man into the bed in the captain's quarters in the hull of the ship. Lom quickly set course back to shore while his father and the man who had been like an uncle to him examined Jor-El meticulously.
The thought brought a tear to Lom's eye. For years he'd heard stories, adventures really in which his father, Ree-Jai and Jor-El had traveled all over the many galaxies of the known universe. The three of them were, in his father's words "mischief brothers."
And now, the three of them were back together again, at least in one sense of the word. Maybe miracles did happen after all.
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"Need some help, mom?"
"No, I don't need any help, and I'd thank you to keep your paws out of my potatoes." Martha playfully swatted her son's hand away from the bowl as he snuck a finger full of garlic-mashed potatoes. One thing he loved about being at his parent's house was that he didn't have to do all the cooking. And the ingredients were straight off the farm fresh.
"Come on mom. There must be something I can do." Martha laughed softly.
"When I need to clean under the couch I'll give you a call, until then, relax. Isn't this supposed to be your vacation?"
"Okay, okay, I get the picture. I guess it's gonna take me a few days to really relax and enjoy my time off."
"I know what you mean," Clark and Martha both turned at sound of Lois' voice. The air caught in Clark's throat at the sight of her. Her shoulder length dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She was sporting one of Clark's "Smallville High school" T-shirts and a beat up pair of gray sweatpants that Clark recognized instantly. He loved seeing her this way. Relaxed and happy. "I'm still in work mode, myself. I'm afraid it'll take me a while to unwind." Clark took her in his arms and planted a few soft kisses on her forehead.
"I'm sure and I can find some way to aid in that process." Neither noticed the huge smile on Martha's face, or the few stray tears that slid down her cheeks. She couldn't help it, they were just too beautiful.
"Well, well, Mr. Kent aren't you the helpful one this evening?" Lois cooed.
"That's what you get for marrying a boy scout, Mrs. Kent." Their lips met in a deep, romantic kiss that threatened to turn into something much more, but soon they could feel eyes on them, and they pulled away. Clark smiled sheepishly at his mother. "So, umm when is dinner going to be finished?" Martha laughed and returned to her cooking.
"As soon as your father is finished with the steaks we'll be done. You have a few minutes if you want to, you know, take a nap or something."
"MOM!!" This time Martha's laughter was loud and hearty, and to Clark's surprise, so was Lois'.
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"That's right, man, just keep breathing. Everything's going to be okay." Ree-Jai checked Jor-El's vital statistics one more time. His breathing was labored, by the sound of it he had some fluid trapped in his lungs. His pulse was unstable, teeter-tottering from strong to weak, and his heart rate wasn't any better. But he was breathing on his own. Slowly in, and even slower out. At that time it was the most comforting sound in the world.
"How is he?" Ree met Nul's eyes carefully, and the latter man released a heavy sigh. "Is he going to live? Do you honestly think there's a chance?"
"Knowing Jor-El we should prepare for anything. If he fights to stay alive then honestly, I think he could make a nice recovery, if he doesn't, then.."
"I can't believe he's breathing on his own."
"It's amazing, isn't it?"
"Indeed." Silence fell. The boat ride had been quick and the ride to the helicopter's launching pad was even quicker. On the way Ree and Nul, then later, Lom had managed to clean their injured friend off, and dress his obvious wounds. This included a particularly nasty gash above his left eye. Most of the wounds, the men knew would heal themselves with a good dose of sunlight. Until then they just need to be kept clean. They had dressed him in a typical hospital gown. Now the roof of Star Labs was in sight and Lom signaled that the passengers should prepare for a landing.
"Jor, we're almost there. Hang on. Please hang on." Nul pleaded as he ran a few fingers through Jor-El's soft black hair. A deep groan rang threw the cab of the helicopter. Nul and Ree exchanged glances.
"Did he just make a noise?" Lom called from the cockpit in disbelief. As if to answer the question, Jor groaned again, louder this time. His brow furrowed and his face winced slightly.
"Look at his eyes!! HIS EYES NUL!! They're fluttering!"
"I can see that! He's... he's trying to open them!" Suddenly Jor-El's eyes snapped open. If there was any doubt before of his identity it immediately evaporated. Those eyes were unmistakable. On a planet where 95% of men had gray or brown eyes Jor was gem. Staring up at Ree-Jai and Nul-Zay were the most perfect pair of crystal blue eyes that either of them had ever seen.
"Jor?" Nul asked softly. "Jor, it's me, Nul. Jor, if you can hear me say something."
"Kal.." Jor's voice was soft and without superhearing would probably be undetectable.
"Kal is fine. Don't worry we're going to retrieve him as soon as we get you situated. Jor? Jor, no! NO!" And just like that his eyes snapped shut again, and he lay motionless.
"Damn." Muttered Ree, who until then was silent. Just then the doors to the cab flew open and a team of experts pulled Jor-El's stretcher out of the helicopter. Lom, Nul, and Ree watched the men rush their friend into an elevator and down into a previously prepared room.
"To Kal?" Ree questioned.
"To Kal." Nul replied.
...........................................................................
"I'm stuffed." Jonathan declared. He sat back in his chair and sighed happily. In a quick motion he unbuckled his pants to make room for his expanding stomach. His wife was no doubt multitalented. She could sow; she was an excellent farm hand, and a fabulous artist. But Jonathan's favorite skill of hers was her cooking. No matter how bad the crops where from one time to the other, she could always turn them into a fresh, filling meal. Sure, he made the steak but she whipped up the seasoning mix to grill it with. That coupled with a hearty helping of her delicious garlic mashed potatoes, some fresh garden salad, string beans, fresh out of the oven rolls, and a tall glass of milk had made for a wonderful meal.
"Jonathan, we have company!" Martha hissed under her breath when she noticed her husbands undone pants. It was fuetile effort, though, she realized. Clark's soft chuckles floated to her ears and she flushed slightly. Yet another reminder not to try to outsmart superhearing.
"What company? It's just the kids!" Jonathan exclaimed out loud. Martha ate another spoonful of her potato's slowly. She was tense, and she hated it. Of course Lois and Clark wouldn't care whether or not her husbands pants were buttoned, and on a normal night neither would she. But this wouldn't be a normal night. At least she hoped it wouldn't be. She glanced up at her daughter in law and their eyes connected. Martha could feel the nerves of the younger woman jumping, and suddenly a sharp stab of guilt washed over her for being so impatient. She just couldn't help herself. Her son was about to be the happiest man alive, and she was dying to see the look on his face when he realized how truly blessed he was.
Lois cleared her thought. Martha and Jonathan exchanged a knowing glance.
"Honey," Lois began, taking Clark's hand, "there's something I wanted to tell you." Clark scanned her eyes for a second. No doubt searching for any signs of distress. When he found none he smiled sofly.
"What is it, baby. You know you can tell me anything, right?"
Lois nodded. She opened her mouth to tell him the wonderful news. The news they once thought of as impossible, but she was interrupted. A loud knock on the door snapped the anxious family out of their reverie.
"Who the hell could that be?" Martha said frowning and annoyed.
"Let me get it, Martha," Jonathan redid his pants and stood up, "you never know. It could be trouble."
"Then shouldn't I get it?" Clark questioned. Jonathan made his way to the front of the house and opened the door slowly. Standing out on the porch were two men. The one on the left Jonathan was sure he'd never seen before. He was about Clarks height but more lanky. Older then Clark too, it appeared. His eyes were gray, and his hair was brown and very curly. The man standing to the right, Jonathan was sure he'd seen before.
"Doctor Klein?" Jonathan wasn't surprised to hear his son behind him. With a quick glance he realized that the entire family was gathered around the door.
"Clark, I'm so glad I found you!" Dr. Klein threw his hands to the sky in a dramatic gesture. "I most talk to you! It's very important. Might we come in?" Dr. Klein acknowledged his companion and Jonathan waved them inside.
"Grab a seat." Jonathan invited waving at the sofa.
"No, no." Dr. Klein replied, "I'm much too nervous."
"What's wrong Doctor?" Lois asked, her face wary.
"I have some news Clark. Important news. It's about your father." He glanced at Jonathan long enough to catch the confused look on his brow. "It's about your birth father."
