Martha followed Jonathan out to the barn, and was just as horrified to see the ship, as her husband was.
"What do you think this means?" she asked him.
"Martha, if I knew that....if I had thought that after all that we've been through, that we would ever see this thing again....I'm going to load it into the back of my truck and drop it off of the old Cassidy bridge. With any luck it will sink to the bottom and that will be the end of that."
Martha shook her head.
"Honey, this thing came back from God knows where. I mean, what makes you think that dropping it down the deepest ocean, will do any good?"
"I don't want Clark seeing this thing." Jonathan said firmly. Neither heard Clark walking up behind them.
"You don't want me seeing what?" he asked.
Then he saw it. He looked at his parents.
"What's going on here?"
"Clark, the damned thing just reappeared! Your mother and I were talking about getting rid of the thing....you know, just dropping it into a river or something."
But Clark could not take his eyes of the ship that had brought him here. The ship that had begun to unlock some of the secrets of his true origins....none of them that great.
"No," Clark said, mesmerized by the sight still. "Leave it."
"You can't be serious!" Jonathan cried out. Martha touched his arm.
"Clark, honey, why don't you want to get rid of it?"
"Mom, I can't escape what I am. And everywhere I turn, what I am hurts people."
Jonathan and Martha looked at one another, then at their son.
"Where is that coming from?" Jonathan asked, looking concerned. But Clark knew he couldn't really say anymore. Not until he heard from Dr. Swann.
"Let's just leave it here for now." was all he said. "Is Lana in the house?"
"Son, let's talk about what you just said. Is there something going on? Do you know why this ship is back?" Jonathan asked. Martha peered at her son as well.
"No, Dad, I don't. All I'm saying is that if we don't fumble with it, we'll be fine, for now. I'm going in to see Lana."
"Clark, she's fine. I mean I made her some lunch and she's sleeping in one of the guest rooms. She was so relieved to get a clean bill of health from the doctor. I wonder if anyone heard anything about Chloe or Lois?"
Clark rubbed the back of his neck. Jonathan frowned. His son always did that when he was being less than honest about something.
"Clark, talk to us! Maybe we can help."
"Yes, maybe. But not now. I'm just going into the house to check on Lana." he said, turning and walking out of the barn. Clark knew he had not done that great a job in allaying his parents suspicions. If anything, he had made things worse. He glanced back at his worried looking mother. Jonathan was covering the ship with tarp.
Was it possible that that ship was back because of what had happened between Lois and him? It just seemed so far fetched, but it was also too coincidental. Then again, why would the two events be related anyway?
Clark walked up towards the house. He could see that Lana was out on the porch talking to someone. It was Chloe's father, Ned Sullivan(I don't know what Chloe's father's name is, so I just gave him one!). Lana looked at him and Mr. Sullivan turned around.
"Hello, Clark. How are you?"
"Good.....is there any news on Chloe? Or Lois?"
"Uh, yes and it's not good. I have to get to Los Angeles right away."
"Is that where they are?" Clark asked. Lana walked down off of the porch and linked arms with Clark.
"Uh, yes, and that's really all I can say. I actually came over to speak to your folks, Clark. Are they around?"
"Out in the barn." Clark said faintly, barely feeling Lana's touch. She looked up at him, as Mr. Sullivan walked past him and out towards the barn.
"Are you alright?" Lana asked, stroking his arm.
"Uh yeah....no. What did Mr. Sullivan say to you about Chloe and Lois?"
"Not much more than he said to you....oh, but he did say something about going to the police."
"The police?! Because of Chloe or Lois?"
"Probably Chloe. I know this is a terrible thing to think or even say, but I'm feeling kind of relieved."
"What?!"
"I know how horrible that sounds, but I'm getting the feeling that there is no 'disease'. I mean, I don't know what those people really died of, but I just think that whatever is happening to Chloe and Lois, is just happening to them. Maybe we don't need to worry."
"Lana, if Mr. Sullivan has went to the police, then he thinks someone did something to Chloe...maybe even Lois." he said, trying to sort out the information in his mind. Connor was the last person he saw with Chloe. And he knew what had happened to Lois.....
"I understand that, Clark. I do. And I understand that this person or persons, might still be around. I guess what I'm saying, and God knows I know this sounds terrible, but I would rather this be something like that, then some unstoppable disease that can't be identified.....though I'm still not getting why Mr. Sullivan went to the police unless, God Clark, do you think that maybe Chloe and Lois were poisoned?"
Clark realized he was uncomfortable with all of Lana's theorizing. He pulled her into his arms and planted a kiss on her lips. Lana smiled up at him.
"What was that for?" she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"I'm just glad that you're okay, that's all." he said, pulling her into his arms. He knew he would have to go out Los Angeles himself, and find out what was going on.
General Sam Lane was not buying any of his daughter's nonsense about not knowing HOW she got pregnant! And Chloe....Mother of God! He had thought she was a good girl!
But, he kept that to himself, for now. These people, here at Wolfram & Hart, seemed to think that both girls were assaulted by some kind of demonic perv! Well these people were damned well going to find out who this bastard was!
Fred, meanwhile, was in her lab, as Wesley continued to pour through book after book.
"I'm waiting for Lois's test results. I already called Chloe's father. Her baby looks as if it's human." Fred told him.
Fred had shown Wesley photographs of the 'S' emblem that was on Lois's stomach. It disturbed him that this marking was on that part of her body. It was almost as if it was supposed to announce that she was carrying a baby or something. But why?
Wesley set his book down. He had filled Fred in on what Angel told him, facts that they were keeping from the General, of course.
"There is another problem that we have all failed to consider."
"Which is?" Fred asked.
"That spell didn't completely work on Connor. Eventually, memories of Angel did filter into his consciousness. I now wonder if the same will happen to Lois and Chloe.....and the whole town of Smallville, for that matter."
"Wesley if that happens, then Angel is in trouble! I mean the police will be looking for him."
"Maybe, maybe not. And Chloe Sullivan obviously doesn't remember that she was in a relationship with Connor. So her pregnancy is a mystery to her. But you said from examining Lois, that she had sexual relations with someone very recently."
Fred nodded.
"Yes, that was very evident. I wish you all had told me about this spell, earlier, or I wouldn't have told the General my suspicions about some deviant spirit thing running around raping people. Lois had sex with someone that was not completely human and was impregnated, probably almost instantly."
Wesley reached for his book again.
"What if Lois thought that her partner WAS human?"
"So you don't think she was attacked by anything, when the spell took affect?"
"No....I think that whoever this person, or thing is, appears no different from you or I.....wait a minute. Look at this!"
"Look at what?" Fred asked, leaning over to see. Spike walked in, unannounced and joined them.
"So, what's going on with the girls? Find out anything yet?"
"Spike...." Fred began warningly. But Spike held up his hands.
"I haven't been bothering them. Hell, I don't think I could get past Lois's sodding father! Now, what have you found out."
Wesley pointed at a page that had a picture of what appeared to be scrolls in it. Spike looked from Fred to Wesley.
"What the bloody hell is that?"
"It's the So'Dath Scrolls."
"So?" Spike asked, a bit sarcastically. Fred glanced over at him.
"Well I would think that you would know a little something about them. Angel too...you know....because you were involved with a Slayer."
"What does Buffy have to do with this?"
"Nothing, specific." Wesley answered. "But the So'Dath Scrolls say that one particular Slayer will emerge. One who's mother will bear the emblem signaling his or her birth. And the child will be powerful. Powerful enough to either help, or hurt, mankind."
Spike thought the whole thing sounded like a crock! But as he glanced over at the picture, he pointed to something.
"What is that thing?"
Wesley looked at him.
"Our Ms. Lane has something like that on her stomach."
Spike hadn't had a chance to see Lois's stomach.
"You're bloody kidding me? She has handprints and a big 'S' looking thing on her belly?"
Fred shook her head though.
"You know, Wes, the 'S' on her stomach isn't really in a circle. It's more emblem shaped."
"I realize that, but what else could it be? I mean what else could have done what it's done and..."
"Wait a minute!" Spike interrupted. "How does one get one of these circles on you? I mean come on! Did Lois have to shag any bloke in the street to get that? Or someone in particular?"
Wesley paged through the book.
"It doesn't say."
"Great! Well you can't tell that girl in there that." Spike warned. Fred bit her lip.
"Spike's right. I mean it is bad enough that they think some demon rapist got ahold of Lois. This would just compound the problem."
"What about the other girl? Her cousin?" Spike asked.
Wesley glanced at Fred.
"She's just pregnant in a normal, ordinary way."
"So back to Lois....does this mean that she's a Slayer herself, or the mother of a powerful one to be?"
"It looks like the mother of one. If Lois had anything in her that remotely seemed Slayer like, she would've been approached long before now." Wesley answered.
Chloe got out of her bed and sat next to Lois's. Lois was swiping at tears.
"Lois, we'll find out what happened to both of us."
"You know....I don't even so much care about the fact that I'm pregnant. I really don't. But the way my father looked at me just now...."
"Please! Wait until my father gets here. I guess maybe it's hard for them to understand that we honestly don't know how we got into this predicament."
"Predicament? You call what's happening to us a 'predicament'? Who's going to believe that you don't know who the father of your baby is Chloe? Huh? And these markings on me and.....I just wish I could remember something!"
"I've been thinking about that. Why don't we remember anything? Fred tested us for drugs and nothing, but yet, we clearly were drugged. Especially you and....."
Chloe stopped talking when she noticed Lois's face contort with pain.
"Lois? Lois, what is it?"
"I.....I don't know! I think this baby is kicking....HAAAAARRRDDD!" Lois began to scream. Frightened, Chloe jumped off of the bed and ran out of the room to get help. Lois suddenly stopped screaming, as the kicking subsided. She struggled to sit up and pull up her gown.
Her stomach was distended! Mother of God! What had she done to deserve this? What? She was generally an okay human being! Why was this happening to her?"
Chloe came running back with Fred and General Lane. Lois looked at them, then felt herself beginning to pass out. For what Lois saw, were the skeletal forms of Chloe, Fred and her father. Kind of like what one would see on an X-Ray.
Harmony jumped up, as Lex Luthor entered Wolfram & Hart. Damn! Damn! Damn! What she wouldn't do to be able to look in a mirror right now!
God, how she's love to get with Lex! Mrs. Lex Luthor.....Harmony Luthor....of course, the vampire thing would be tricky but....
"Harmony Kendall?" he asked, taking her hand and kissing it. "No one told me that the new liaison to the Senior Partners would be so beautiful."
Harmony giggled and slowly removed her hand.
"Thank you Mr. Luthor...."
"Call me, Lex. Why don't you take me to General Lane now. And after, we can have a little chat. I am in need of your firm's research lab for a little problem I now have."
Angel got out of his car that he parked on the side of the road. The sun had just went down.
He stared at the Kent farm. Something had drew him here. Something that told him that the key to what was happening to Lois Lane, lay with one of the inhabitants of this residence.
Angel cracked his knuckles. Was it possible that Clark Kent had had something going with Lois on the side? And now because of Connor's spell, neither Lois, nor Clark, remembered it? Was he her baby's father?
Angel turned and got back into his car. He then turned on his car light and picked up the secret file that he had forced Harmony to get from the Senior Partners. Only Harmony and himself, were the only ones that knew. This was not good, since Angel had never known Harmony to be able to keep a secret.
And of course, he hated lying to Wesley and Fred.
The file was on Clark Kent. As Angel read through it, he realized that it explained a whole lot, but did not definitively mean that.....
Angel pulled out a picture that had an 'S' inside of an emblem. He then put the picture aside. It was time to find out what was going on here, and whether the spell that was cast upon this town, could be reversed in someway.
Angel got of his car again and began to walk up towards the farmhouse. It was then that a noise startled him. A noise coming from the barn.
Angel slowly veered away from the house, crouching and hurried towards the barn. He slipped in through an unlocked door and looked around. The noise, a humming sound, was coming from underneath that tarp over there.