49

Three months later

Kent Family Reunion

Smallville, Kansas

"What a beautiful day!" said Phyllis as she and George toted a large drink cooler out towards the picnic area.

"Yep, kind of amazing when you realize the world was about to blow itself up three months ago," agreed George.

"Didn't you say you had invited Guer-On to the reunion?"

"Yes, but he said he needed to monitor the seismic activity of New Krypton for awhile since we went back there and irradiated the surface with the ilium 349-a rays. I told him someone else could do that, but he said he started the project, and he wanted to see it through. I think that he just felt like he would be intruding, though."

"As if he could! I may have met a more humble man in my lifetime..."

"Looooong lifetime!"

"Watch it, Buster! ...In my lifetime, but I really can't remember when that was. And no, I'm not relapsing into amnesia again."

"Hey, look! Chris and Margot's kids are flocking around Jimmy. I don't remember when he received this much attention!"

"Hey, man!" said a tall skinny kid of about fifteen. "How much weight can you press. Coach has me up to fifty-five pounds."

"I can do... uh... a little more than that." said Jim.

"Oh, yeah, Well, I guess so. You are a little older than me, aren't you? Hey, didn't you graduate this year?"

"It's... Dean, isn't it?"

"Yeah, man. That's me."

"Yep, I managed to squeak by. I almost flubbed it, though. I came this close to failing history. Luckily, I had a teacher that took pity on me. He gave me an extra - credit assignment that pulled me up enough to get by."

"Hey, big brother!" hollered Noel who was walking with a young blonde girl about her age. "Have you met Terri? She wants to know if you can..."

"Yeah, yeah. I know! If I can fly, right?"

"No," she replied with a look like she had no idea what he could be talking about. "She wants to know if you could get the rest of the sodas and bring them to the picnic tables. I think we're all about to eat!"

Silly me, thought Jim as he headed for the sodas.

"Yes, Margot." said George. "I'm taking a little extended time off. Phyllis and I are making some adjustments in our lives now that she is spending much of her time in Themyscira, but we're determined to make it all work."

"We're going to take a cruise - an Alaskan cruise - before I return," added Phyllis. "And I've already promised George that I would return home to Fort Worth at every opportunity."

"Why don't you just all live on Themyscira?" asked Margot.

"I've already committed a transgression just by allowing a man to set foot on the island, but that was unusual circumstances, of course. Now that things are getting back to normal, it wouldn't be proper."

"What about that business with that criminal?" asked Chris of George. "What happened to her?"

"We stopped at Mars Hamilton Department of Justice on the way to New Krypton. Guer-On released her from the Phantom Zone to police custody. I gave a deposition, but it wasn't really necessary. Jennifer practically begged them to put her in jail. Evidently, a cell was far more preferable than the Phantom Zone."

Phyllis turned to see Jimmy nearing them with twenty cases of soft drinks towering above in his arms. "Jimmy, didn't I tell you not to show off!" she scolded.

"Sorry, Mom," said the super-strong boy of steel. "But Terri dared me to do it. I couldn't back down." He set the cases down carefully and began un-stacking them. "Oops! Wait a minute! I gotta go. Someone's fallen into a river and can't swim!"

"One of the kids!" cried out an alarmed Margot.

"No, Aunt Margot. Relax. It's someone in Nebraska. I picked it up with my super hearing. 'Scuse me!" In exactly two point four seconds, Jimmy was airborne and on his way, presumably headed to Nebraska.

"Will I ever get used to that?" George asked Phyllis as their son disappeared into the sky.

"Lois got used to it. So will you. Come on, the sandwiches are unpacked. Let's eat!"