A/N: Since this is another shorter chapter, I'm updating twice this week to make up for it.
Thank you so much to my lovely readers - new and returning! Lizz - I wasn't able to reply to your (guest) review, but to answer your question: sadly, no, I've removed the old version. I didn't want them to get confused (same fic name, etc) or compared. It didn't feel right to leave it forever incomplete and an outdated example of my writing. Thank you for reading, nevertheless. I'm glad you enjoyed it and are enjoying this new version too.
2: Personal Trials
'What took you so long?' Clark crossed the front yard to confront Lois. 'You've been gone for hours. Ethan won't stop crying. Hey, Chloe.'
'Hi, Clark.' Chloe gathered bags from the back seat and headed into the house.
'I told you I went to get supplies.' Lois rolled her eyes at his snappy mood, tossing him a tin of formula. 'Do you have any idea how insane baby stuff is? Smallville wasn't up to scratch, so we went to Metropolis. Then we had to cross-reference prices and certified reviews. I mean, do you really want your kid sitting in a faulty baby seat?'
'What would it do, eject him?' Clark asked sarcastically, as she unloaded bags into his arms. 'He'd not even old enough for that yet. Don't you think you got a bit carried away?'
'No, I don't. Look, I went out on a limb for you here, okay? Least you can do is say thanks. You can pay me back later.' Her tone was non-negotiable. 'Don't ask me how the seat works. I'm not sure whoever wrote the instructions actually speaks English.'
'Thanks.' He peered into a box of toys and clothes. Had she cleaned out an entire isle? 'I think...'
Chloe was in the kitchen, watching Martha feed Ethan his bottle. Clark could breathe again. His son was calm and sleepy, instead of crying non-stop with an impressive lung capacity.
'Lois filled me in,' Chloe said. She smiled warily at the baby. 'I thought she'd finally lost it, but he's your son? That's amazing... and weird. Why would the mother wait six months to tell you, and then just disappear?'
Jonathan grunted by the dining table. He hadn't said a word since putting the custody papers down so Clark could run them over to the courthouse.
'Chloe, you gotta believe me. I didn't know,' Clark insisted. 'He just showed up with his birth certificate and everything. I have legal custody.'
'It's definitely legal?' she asked. 'I mean, that fast?'
'It is. Sheriff Adams put in a good word for me, and Pete's mum called the judge.' He shrugged, not sure how the legal system worked regarding child custody. Martha had stepped in to get things sorted so he didn't have to do more than show up and sign forms.
'I believe you.' Chloe nodded. 'The Clark Kent I know is the most generous and self-sacrificing person I've ever met. You wouldn't just abandon your son like that if you'd known.'
'Thanks, Chloe.'
'Of course.' She smiled. 'What are friends for?'
'Great.' Lois handed her five packets of bibs. 'You can help us unpack.'
One awkward late breakfast, a fed baby, and eight boxes of supplies later - the situation was no less strange or unbelievable. Chloe stayed to help, then had to finish things at the Torch even though it was a Saturday.
'Chloe took it well.' Clark settled on the couch. 'She didn't even interrogate me about it or demand to see the birth certificate.'
'Consider yourself lucky.' Lois huffed, stacking diapers. 'Because believe me, that wasn't the case three hours ago.' She poured herself another cup of coffee.
Shelby made himself comfortable beside the father-son duo, his tail wagging as he peered at Ethan with curious and adoring eyes. He'd barely let the newest Kent out of his sight all morning.
'Do you think he knows who I am?' Clark lay Ethan on his lap so they could see each other. The world around them faded away.
'It's hard to say.' Martha said, folding baby clothes. 'If he's yours or not, he certainly seems calmer when you're around.'
'He is well-behaved.' Clark smiled, slipping his finger into Ethan's tiny fist. His son yawned, then tightened his grip.
'Speak for yourself, Smallville.' Lois rolled her eyes. 'That baby is a menace to my ears. It's practically a superpower.'
'Or karma,' he teased.
That earned him one of her finest dead-panned glares.
... ~ ...
The mysterious "Kelly" remained that.
Clark tried to remember her, with no luck. He could almost picture her light hair and pearly smile, but it was out of focus. Having gotten her hands on the birth certificate, Chloe offered to investigate. He convinced her to leave it alone. Or hoped he had, knowing his best friend and her insatiable curiosity.
Jonathan made excuses about chores, while Martha tried to figure out where to put everything Lois bought. Ethan still needed a crib, but no one brought it up.
The weight of his shame deepened the longer his parents avoided him. He'd disappointed them. Clark couldn't explain what led to Ethan's existence and refused to consider that he had other options.
The loft was his refuge. He stared at his son, memorising every little dimple.
'I'm needed at the Talon,' Lois said. 'Apparently one of the waitresses had a better night than we did. She's too hungover to cover her shift, and I'm the first unlucky person they called to cover. You gonna be okay?'
'Yeah.' He couldn't take his eyes off the soothing rise and fall of Ethan's chest as he slept, secure in his father's arms. 'Thanks – you know, for the stuff. I'll pay you back, I promise.'
'Don't sweat it,' she said. 'I have a feeling you'll be broke for the next eighteen years anyway. But hey, if anyone can get a handle on this whole parenting thing – it's you. Ethan's pretty lucky, ending up in a family like yours.'
Clark smiled. 'Yeah.'
It was real.
Ethan would also grow up among a life of cows and corn. He'd have his biological father, and the best grandparents any kid could ask for. He'd be safe and loved, for all the days of his life.
Was he also fated to share his father's burden of keeping secrets and hiding his abilities? They hadn't drawn blood to test it with kryptonite yet, as Clark was reluctant with the method despite being the one to suggest it.
He needed to show his parents the truth and determine if his son was like him. Everything else would sort itself out. He had to believe that.
Clark fed and burped Ethan, then changed him into a blue onesie that matched his eyes.
The driveway stretched forever, as Clark second-guessed himself. Like him or not, could his infant son handle super-speed? His heart was certain that Ethan was part Kryptonian. Could he risk being wrong?
'Hold on, buddy.' He secured Ethan close to his chest, then sped a few feet away.
Ethan gurgled back at him as if nothing happened.
Fears sedated, Clark sped to the cave. He traced symbols marked on the octagon table, glad he'd finished reuniting the stones for Jor-El a month ago. It granted passage to the Fortress of Solitude, for all the wisdom and privacy it provided.
Crystals and snow were in visible harmony, glimmering in the Arctic sunshine. The sky was as clear as his thoughts were not. Humans got cold there. He should've at least wrapped Ethan in a blanket first. Though his son ignored the wintry chill, Clark tucked him into his jacket and zipped it part-way.
'Jor-El?' he called out. 'I need your help. Someone left a baby on my doorstep and said he's my son. I need to know if it's true.'
Light beamed from above, surrounding them. Ethan cried at the sudden brightness and whooshing until it was over. A tiny fist latched to Clark's shirt, refusing to let go.
'The child is yours, Kal-El. A hybrid that is also part human.' At least Jor-El's voice lacked the disappointment Jonathan's carried. 'How did this come to be?'
'You tell me.' Happiness at the news was dampened by his belief that Jor-El was partially to blame. 'How do I know this isn't some kind of plan to continue our race here on Earth? It happened when you tricked me into becoming Kal-El.'
'This was not my doing,' Jor-El said.
An explanation didn't follow, yet a rush of relief washed over him. His son, tucked against his chest, was his to raise regardless of biology. Yet no longer was there a "last son of Krypton". The responsibility on his shoulders only grew. There were many questions left unanswered, but the truth wasn't as liberating as he'd hoped.
'Is he like me?' he asked. 'Will he have powers?'
'Only time will tell the extent of his powers, but he will show his Kryptonian side,' Jor-El said. 'As his father, it will be you who decides his destiny now.'
'No, he gets to decide his own destiny.' Clark frowned, doubt creeping in. 'But what do I do? I'm only eighteen. I don't know how to be a father or if I'll be a good one. I'm not ready for this.'
'The personal trial of parenthood far exceeds any I could have set for you, Kal-E,' Jor-El said. 'You asked for guidance, but you do not need it. The answers lie within you, my son. The struggles you face at the beginning of this new journey may benefit from opening yourself to a change of surroundings. It may be the key to gaining the knowledge and strength you require to overcome these unexpected trials.'
Clark looked into Ethan's innocent and curious gaze. His perspective already shifted. Could he have placed his son into a spaceship and sent him to another planet? His biological parents missed his childhood. He refused to miss a single moment of his son's life.
'His name is Ethan,' he said. 'In honour of Krypton and what we've lost, from this moment on, his Kryptonian name is Dan-El. He will know where he came from.'
Crystals shimmered and glowed as a pulse of energy passed through them.
'The fortress will also guide and protect Dan-El,' said Jor-El. 'I hope he brings you as much joy as you have brought me. I know you will make me proud, my son.'
'Thank you...' Clark hesitated. 'Father.'
A/N Clark has confirmation! How will the Kents take the news? Graduation is upon us and difficult decisions lie ahead...
