Driving was like riding a bike, Sarah thought, as she sped along a deserted country road toward the Kiwatchee reservation. You don't really forget how, and Sarah thanked her lucky stars that the car she'd borrowed was an automatic transmission. A five speed would have been a problem for sure. She'd even found a station that played music she was familiar with, wincing at the use "oldies", her left foot tapping to "Think I'm in Love." The speedometer showed 80 miles an hour, but Sarah was sure she was driving faster, Sam and Gabe had always teased her about driving fast, and Ella had called her the silver streak. Also, the flashing red and blue lights in her rearview mirror were a dead giveaway. Sara pressed her foot down on the gas, seeing the back gates to the Reservation open and just ahead. The County Sheriff would have no authority over her in less than five seconds. Not being able to speak was a problem, Sarah thought, making the sharp turn onto the reservation, I want to sing. The flashing lights stopped at the gate, and the deputy jumped out, a small, angry figure in Sarah's rearview mirror. Tribal police would be looking for her soon and Sarah had every intention of not letting them find her either.
"I don't want to be difficult, General Lane." The tribal police chief said, pushing his hat back on his head. "Being a vet myself, I still have a hard time not saluting all those stars. But you have to see my point. This is a festival day. Sacred. You rolling on to the rez' with your armored vehicle? Might as well go to Queen of Heaven on Main Street Sunday morning and ask Father John to roll up the aisle in it." A ranshackle bus passed them, filled with laughing, dark eyed children who pressed their noses against the glass to stare at the General. The police chief waved the driver on with an annoyed glare.

"This is personal." Sam Lane told him. "I'll leave the damn thing here and come in on foot if I have to. I have reason to believe my sister is here."

"Your sister?" Chief Thomas laughed. "I believe we're all brothers and sisters, too, General. Unless she's on the guest list, she ain't here." His radio barked and Chief Thomas answered. "Go."

"Black Honda speeding toward the sacred grounds," the voice, one of Thomas' deputies spoke quickly. "Stopped a County from crossing in, but I'm after it now. "

Chief Thomas looked at the man in front of him. General Lane stood at ease, but his face was all attention. "We're getting back up." He spoke into the radio, and his deputy first sputtered in shock, then was silent. The Police Chief and General stood in silence and then the General cleared his throat.

"Black Honda?" General Lane nodded. "That's the car my sister is driving."

Thomas handed the General a set of keys. "Take my truck. I want to avoid stirring up all kinds of trouble today with the shaman."

"Check." General Lane took the keys. "Thanks, Chief Thomas. By the way, what branch of the service did you do your saluting in?"

"Marines." Thomas grinned. "Good luck, General."

"Look there." Bruce said, and Clark sighed. There were county deputies all over the back entrance to the reservation. "She beat us here."

"Wouldn't have happened if I were driving." Lois muttered, and Kara giggled.

"Whatever." Bruce dismissed Lois' complaint. "Clark?"

"Get past them somehow." Clark replied, shaking his head doubtfully. Bruce grinned.

"Sometimes, it pays to be simple." Bruce pulled up to the deputies, and rolled down the window. "Sorry, officers, we're here for the festival ceremony, and we made a wrong turn or something."

"Oh." The deputy nodded. "Go on, follow the dirt road to the left and then you should see the town. I could make you go around to the main gate, but that's another half hour of driving, and it's all blocked up with traffic." The deputy looked at Bruce. "You tribal?"

"Yes." Bruce smiled smoothly. "But, it's been a long time…"

"Hey, I understand." The deputy smiled. "Got a rough deal with my folks too. Go ahead."

"Thanks.." Bruce pulled past the deputies and drove on, following the straight road.

"You lied." Kara's voice was awed. "You lied to that law enforcement official."

"Yes, yes I did." Bruce replied, not the least bit guilty, and Clark grinned.

"I'm very upset with you." Kara sighed, folding her arms and joining in the disgruntled silence in the back seat.

"Well, three for three." Bruce chuckled. "That's got to be a record or something. Okay, which way now?"

"Right." Clark pointed. "I can see a dust cloud, I wonder if that's Sarah."

"Okay, hang on." Bruce pulled the car off the road, and drove faster, ignoring Lois' remarks through clenched teeth about paying for her car detailing when this was over.
"I don't see her, but I see two motorcycles. Tribal cops. I'm not getting past these guys so easy, Clark. You and Kara better hop to it." Bruce stopped the car as the tribal police got closer. "Get moving."

"Come on, Kara." Clark got out of the car. He looked toward the low, sloping hills. A strange, low hum hung in the air. The archive and Sarah had to be that way.

"I'm coming too." Chloe said, hopping out before Kara. Clark nodded, lifted Chloe and then looked at Kara. "This is just like our runs at the farm, okay?"

Kara nodded solemnly. "I can find the archive now, Clark. Can't you feel it?" She looked around. "It's humming."

"GO." Bruce yelled, stepping on the gas to lead the tribal police away from his friends, kicking up a large cloud of dust behind him.

"You heard the man, Kent. Let's fly." Chloe tapped Clark on the chest, and he smiled at her. Kara looked up at him, waiting for Clark to tell her what to do next.

"Run, Kara. Run toward the hum." Clark said, as the tribal police veered off behind Bruce and Lois. And before Chloe could even shriek in delight, they were at sacred caves.

Sarah stood at the mouth of the caves, a slight figure in light blue. Silently, she waved at Chloe.

"Mom." Chloe gasped. "What are you doing?" Sarah blew her daughter a kiss, turned and disappeared into the cave.

"We'd better go." Kara said, taking Chloe and Clark by the hand. When Chloe hesitated, Kara turned, never looking more like an angel. "Why are you afraid, Chloe? It's just a library."

"A library. Right." Chloe nodded, taking a deep breath. "And my mother."

"Come on." Kara pulled on Chloe's arm. "She's waiting for you, too."

In spite of the early hour, it was already fairly warm, a fact Chloe hadn't paid much attention to until she entered the damp half light of the cave. She shivered, looking around at the petroglyphs and Kryptonian symbols that dotted this cave, much like the one near Smallville. There was some light source someplace, because the caves were filled with a diffuse glow that made it easy to see anything that might be in their path, like outcroppings and such, but not enough to keep the drawing from seeming to move as they passed. As a matter of fact, it was easy to see how the two would be confused based on a photograph. They were nearly identical.

"They are identical." A woman's voice echoed toward them from the deepest part of the cave, as if reading Chloe's thoughts. "They serve a similar purpose."

"Mom?" Chloe called out. "Is that you?" Her voice echoed around them like bells.

"Yes, my darling." Sarah replied, "Come closer."

Clark and Kara looked at Chloe. "Maybe you shouldn't." Clark said to her, concern taking over. "We don't know for sure what we're going to find."

"Clark, I've come this far. I can't just stop now." Chloe shook her head. "I'm going."

"Ssh." Kara waved to Chloe. "I can't hear it now."

"Hear what?" Chloe asked, and Clark had tipped his head, listening, too.

"The hum. It's gone, you're right." Clark closed Chloe's hand in his own. "Okay, come on. But if things get strange, get out of there fast. "

"I'm trying to explain, officers. I feel like a complete idiot." Bruce held up his hands. "The deputies let me in, and I think I made a wrong turn."

"You bet you did." One of the tribal officers looked at him over his sunglasses. "This entrance is for Kiwatchee only. Nothing out this way but hills and grass."

"I realize that NOW." Bruce agreed. Lois leaned in stony silence against the car, arms folded. "You were right, honey, I should have listened."

"Don't speak to me, Wayne. I mean it." Lois rolled her eyes.

"Look…Mr. Wayne, I have you on the guest list for today's festival, so we can do this one of two ways. I can let you go, and you follow us to the town, or, I escort you off the reservation and you drive around to the visitors entrance." The officer took off his sunglasses. "I'd hate to have you not be in the expensive seats you bought." This last was said very much like the officer thought nothing would be better than that exact thing, and Bruce didn't miss it.

"I'll follow you, of course, officer." Bruce said amiably. A battered pick up truck of unidentifiable color was barrelling toward them, and the officers began to mutter amongst themselves.

"Well, Chief Thomas is coming, so we'll let him handle it." The officer who had been silent the whole time said, eyeing Lois as she craned her neck to see who was driving the truck. She smiled smugly, leaning back again against her car.

The truck stopped about ten feet away, and General Lane got out. "Lois Joanne Lane, why am I not surprised?" He shook his head, trying to stifle a laugh. He spent a great deal of time trying to not be amused at the antics of his oldest child, and it came out as harshness, but today, Sam Lane could only see his late wife in his daughter's defiance and sarcastic nonchalance, not just her beauty.

'Hi, Daddy." Lois waved brightly. "Just in time."

"Your middle name is Joanne?" Bruce asked, grinning. Lois scowled at him, walking to her father. The tribal officers had also gone over to the General, both rapidly admonishing his intrusion on the sacred space. Bruce now leaned against the car and looked out in the direction Clark, Kara and Chloe had all disappeared in. The tribal officers spoke with General Lane, and with resentful nods, they got back on their motorcycles and headed off, leaving Lois, the General and Bruce alone.

"What in the Sam Hill are you doing out here? Where's Chloe?" General Lane snapped at Lois, and Bruce admired how she simply remained herself.

"She got out of the car back that way." Lois gestured toward the hills. "She and Clark went to explore the caves. Chloe found a set of coordinates that indicated that area in one of Aunt Sarah's journals. And don't yell at me." Lois said to her father angrily, throwing her hair off her shoulders. "You don't get to yell at me today."

"Oh, I don't? Lois, we depend on you to keep an eye on your sister and Chloe. You're the older one…" General Lane wiped the back of his neck with his hand. His eye fell on Bruce. "You, whoever you are, how could you let those kids run off?"

"Let them?" Bruce raised an eyebrow calmly. "No offense, sir, but I stopped your daughter and niece from coming out here alone. I don't know if you've noticed, but Lois isn't exactly someone who cares to listen to good advice."

"You sure know how to make things better, don't you?" Lois sneered, as Bruce grinned proudly. "What are you trying to do, make me hate you?"

"I thought you already did – no harm done." Bruce shrugged. "But…"

"Never mind." General Lane peered at Bruce over his sunglasses. "You're that rich guy, that Wayne kid."

"Kid?" Bruce nodded. "Haven't been called that in some time, but yes."

The General turned back to his daughter as if seeing her with new eyes. "Bruce Wayne?"
"Okay, Daddy, stop drooling. We're over. He's just a friend of Clark's." Lois folded her arms. "They went that way, so why don't you go save America from unruly teenagers and leave me alone."

"Lois." General Lane put his hands on her shoulders. "Come on, spitfire, you know I love you." He looked down into her face. "And, I think you need to be a little more fair to someone else." The General looked over at Bruce. "You think you can straighten your mess out if I leave you to it?"

"I think I can give it a fair shot, sir." Bruce replied, nodding. "If the lady is willing."

"He's obstinate, arrogant and bossy. Not to mention mysterious and secretive." Lois turned to Bruce, and smiled at him. "I really do hate you." Bruce nodded, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"I know, but I always welcome a challenge." Bruce replied, looking at the General. "I'll take good care of her, sir."

"Okay. I'm going after Chloe and Sarah." The General nodded, kissing his daughter on the cheek, taking her completely by surprise. "You will always be my little spitfire, Lois. Count on that."

"I love you, too, Daddy." She admitted as he got into the truck. "Oh, by the way, LOVE the upgrade."

"Cute, Lois. Very cute." The General saluted her and drove off, leaving Lois alone with Bruce.

"So." Bruce hugged Lois closer. "You hate me. I can live with that."

"Good." Lois said sulkily. "I don't want you getting any funny ideas, either. I mean it this time."

"Absolutely. "Bruce turned her around. There was no trace of any kind of emotion on his face to betray his thoughts. Lois felt herself collapse a little, and her eyes stung with tears. There was no way she wanted to lose Bruce and it was time to come clean.

"I don't mean it." She said, looking down. "I don't want, well,…" Lois looked up again. "Funny ideas are welcome." Her smile was brave and just a trifle silly. "I'm looking forward to them."

"Good, because I wasn't going anywhere anyway." Bruce said solemnly. "I know better than to listen to you." He took her in his arms, and looked down into her face. "This is one of my funny ideas." And when he kissed her, Lois suddenly felt like she'd come home, and that was the best feeling in the world.