Lois had finished showering and was wearing a terrycloth robe, when her mother knocked twice, then entered her room.

"I think we need to continue our conversation." Ella said stoutly.

Lois sat on the end of her bed.

"Okay. What do you have to say to me?"

"Lois, you were in JAIL! Now I want to know what happened?"

"I was covering a protest, things got out of hand and a cop claimed I grazed his cheek with my fist. Or his nose."

"You hit a police officer?"

"Kind of."

"And yet you don't have a word of gratitude for Kal-El, do you?"

Lois stood up.

"Mom, Jor-El and his spawn are dangerous. I'd be living in the dorms right now except that I can't help but worry about you. They can FLY! And we know what kind of strength they have! Anything could happen to you! In some ways I'm just glad it's only you I have to look after. Lucy not being here, whatever the circumstances, is a blessing."

Ella smiled wanly.

"Honey, Jor-El would never hurt me. But, I am concerned about Kal-El's relationship with Chloe. She is a sensitive young woman and she cares for Kal-El deeply."

"Oh I can assure you she loves him. And I don't think he feels all that much for her, Mom." Lois said, standing up off of her bed and walking over to her closet. She decided that dark clothing would be right for this occasion.

"Lois, I think that you should at least thank Kal-El for getting you out of jail."

Lois sighed, then turned back to face her mother.

"Mom..."

"Lois, I know he's got problems. But I have always truly felt that he cared something for you. If he didn't he would have left you to rot in jail. He has saved you numerous times from all sorts of scrapes and you have shown him nothing but ingratitude."

"He slept with my sister. Lucy no longer lives here like SHE did something wrong."

"Your father was the one that insisted that she not be anywhere near Kal-El. Or me. I was grateful he didn't send you away."

"Daddy didn't send me away because he knew I would never fall for Kal-El's lame come ons. Frankly, I think you ought to tell Uncle Gabe about this whole thing."

"No. He's never been supportive of my leaving your father. No one really was. But I love Jor-El. It was like magic from the beginning."

"You met him at a gas station, Mom! For someone who is so 'super powered' he didn't know how to work a gas pump! And he's a scientist!" Lois huffed.

"Honey, he's been kind to you." Ella reminded her.

"Fine. I'll thank Kal-El. Now I really have to get to this meeting."

"Will this meeting land you in jail again?" Ella asked wryly.

"No. And it may even land me a section of the paper before page six. Now I have to go. I will thank Kal-El before I leave."

Ella nodded and walked over to hug Lois. She then let her daughter go and left the room. Once the door closed Lois shook her head. No, she was NOT thanking Kal-El for anything! Not with that 'custody crap' he pulled on her. She noticed he didn't have the guts to tell her mother that!

Lois dressed in a black sweater, black slacks and adorned her face with huge black sunglasses! She then picked up her purse and left her room, then stopped. Damn! Her car was still parked in downtown Metropolis!

She headed down the wing where Kal-El's room was. She would ask Chloe to borrow her car. Lois stopped outside of his door and then put her ear to it. Jeez! What would she be interrupting if she knocked?

She knocked softly.

"Chloe? Chloe, can I borrow your car? If you are naked or anything, just open the door a crack and hand me your keys."

There was no answer.

Lois put her ear to the door again, then reached down and turned the knob slowly. She bit her lip, hoping she wouldn't find them doing it on the floor or anything! But when she looked inside, the bed looked empty.

Unfortunately, Lois could hear why.

Kal-El and Chloe were in the shower! Lois made a face and eased into the room to look for Chloe's keys. As she looked around for her cousin's purse, Lois's eyes fell upon Kal-El's keys! That piece of dirt! He could've picked her up in his car but he flew there on purpose, just so he could fly back with her and make her queasy!

Lois snatched up Kal-El's keys and left the room. She would be back before he ever knew his car was gone.


Lois drove to the Talon and parked in an alley. Her 'source' was standing nearby, pretending to read a paper. Lois thought he looked stupid. Who read a newspaper in an alley?

Then again, Lionel Luthor, father of the president of the United States, probably hadn't spent much time in alleys...

"Miss Lane. You're late." Lionel said, now folding the paper. He was wearing sunglasses as well.

"Hey! You're the one that asked to meet me, remember? And I got held up." Lois sniffed.

"You mean put in jail." Lionel corrected.

Lois folded her arms.

"You know, I did not realize you sat on the board of Dulberger's. So how long have you known about the dog fur?"

"I actually wonder if I'm speaking to the right journalist? That is an internet rumor, something YOU should know!"

"The hell it is! Look, I don't want talk about what a savage YOU are. You said you had something to tell me about the Kryptonians. Is this something you learned through Lex?"

"Alexander no longer speaks to me. So I am not privy to anything that comes out of the White House." Lionel informed her.

"Okay, so what is it?"

"The Kryptonians have a problem. Someone left their planet with a crystal. One that could keep the planet from exploding."

Lois frowned.

"Wait a minute. A Kryptonian left Krypton, with something the planet needed to save itself? Why would this person do that?"

"I'm unsure about the details on that. But this person is Zod's son."

"The Vice-President has a son?"

"And a wife. Back on Krypton."

"Okay...well...is this 'son' in hiding someplace?"

"Yes. But there is a 'back up' plan if Zod's son is not found." Lionel warned her.

Lois said nothing for a moment before speaking.

"If the Kryptonians can't find Zod's son or this crystal, then they need to make plans to leave, right? And live someplace else? So that's why they're really here?"

"Miss Lane, the Kryptonians will not just be 'living' here. They will be ruling. All of this integrating is just so we can get used to seeing them here. And they will probably use some divide and conquer strategy." Lionel said coolly.

"Okay but how do you know all of this for a fact?" Lois asked him.

Lionel's eyes swept over her briefly before answering.

"Why don't you ask your step-father? Or even your step-brother? They are a big part of this. Because if they do not find that crystal, then Jor-El will have to make sure that his WIFE escapes the planet."

Lois's mouth dropped open!

"What do you mean, Jor-El's 'wife'? She's dead. Jor-El is a widower!"

"He wishes. Now, run along and ascertain what I have just told you. And then we can meet again. I will have more to tell you then." Lionel said before he started to walk away.

But Lois grabbed his arm!

"Mr. Luthor, you cannot drop a bomb on me and then just walk off like this! If my mother is being made a fool of..."

"She is. Most assuredly. And I doubt she is the only Earth woman to be in a marriage with a Kryptonian who is actually married. But try and keep in mind that the information about Zod's son is more pressing than your family drama. And let go of my arm!" he hissed. Lois let go of him and watched Lionel slink out of the alley and walk off in an eastwardly direction.

Lois turned and headed towards Kal-El's car. If what Lionel had told her was true, then it would change everything. She didn't think her father would take her mother back..though Lois shoved that thought to the back of her head. One step at a time.

She had to prove that Jor-El had a wife on Krypton. It could explain Kal-El's coolness towards her mother, though Lois had always found Kal-El to be rather robotic like anyway. So maybe that didn't mean anything. But still, what son would go along with a farce like that, knowing it would hurt his own mother?

Maybe Kal-El's mother WAS dead and this wife on Krypton was another step-mother? One he cared nothing for?

Lois's thoughts then settled in on her mother. She could not go to her with something like this without having proof. Damning proof that was undeniable. And yet suddenly, Lois felt overwhelmed by the task of finding out. It's not like she could pull marriage records from Krypton.

Lois got into the car, turned on the ignition and tried to make a u-turn in the alley, but found the space was too confined. Confined but not impossible...

She heard a scraping sound as the front of the car grazed the brick of a building on her right, as she turned the car. Oops, Lois thought, hopefully that would not show...

Once the car was straightened, Lois drove out of the alley and turned right-in the direction back home.


Kal-El and Chloe emerged from their shower, draped in towels. He planted a kiss on the back of Chloe's neck, as she moved towards the bed.

"Kal-El," she giggled, "I can't stay. I skipped work and have nothing to show for it."

Kal-El dropped his towel and walked over to his phone to check his messages.

"You will tell that boss of yours..."

"Mr. White."

"Well tell him that you have a story on the CEO of LuthorCorp. That will get you out of trouble." Kal-El said, now setting down his phone and smiling at her. Chloe walked back over to him.

"Really? You'd do that to help me out?"

"Of course. And it just might net you the front page and take you out of intern status."

Chloe smile faltered a bit.

"Before Lois."

Kal-El rolled his eyes!

"You cannot be concerned about that. And Lois is quite capable of succeeding using other means. She will be fine. Now, I have a present for you and I realize I left it in my car." Kal-El said as he looked around for his keys-which he was not seeing.

"You have a present for me?" Chloe now grinned. But Kal-El moved away from her and looked all around the room. His keys had been next to his phone! He was sure of this!

Chloe could see the agitation in face.

"What is it?"

"My keys are gone! They were on this nightstand next to my phone and now they are not!" Kal-El snapped and then he stopped. He used his special hearing to hone in on the sound of the front door slamming from the first floor. Somehow, he knew Lois and his missing keys were connected!

"Lois has my keys! I know it!" Kal-El hissed and put on a robe. Chloe grabbed his arm!

"Kal-El! Maybe they are just on the floor someplace here! Let's look." Chloe said, praying his sense about Lois was wrong! He was already pissed off enough at her cousin in just one day!

But Kal-El gently removed her arm from his, then left the room. When he got to the first floor, he saw Lois looking through the mail in the foyer, jiggling his keys and whistling!

"You little..." Kal-El seethed as he snatched his keys from her. "You took my vehicle without asking?"

Lois set down the mail. She smelled blood in the water here. Lionel Luthor was not a gossip. He had told her the truth. And she was going to find a way to prove it. But now that she knew for sure that she had been right to feel the way she had all of this time, it made Kal-El oddly easier to deal with.

"I scraped your car. It looks kind of messed up. Sorry. I'll pay for the damages." she said calmly.

"You certainly will!"

"I said I would." Lois said and turned from him as Jor-El and Ella came out of the study.

"What is going on out here NOW?" Jor-El asked, his manner cross.

"I damaged Kal-El's car. I'm going to use the money that Grandpa Lane left me, to pay for the repairs. I'm going to change for dinner." Lois said turning from her mother and step-father and looking up the staircase. Chloe was hurrying down-dressed.

"Hey, Chloe! Why don't you stay for dinner?" Lois asked, now looking at Kal-El. "You'd like that wouldn't you, Kal-El?"

Kal-El said nothing. And not because he was stunned at how easy it had been to get Lois to confess to her crime.

He was suspicious.

No drama. No hysterics. No yelling. No blaming anyone for her own mistakes. Kal-El looked from Lois to Ella, who was beaming at Lois's 'maturity'. Even Jor-El looked well satisfied that everything was fine.

Kal-El was not. Lois had left here to meet with someone, being the same witch she always had been. She had returned acting like a decent human being. Why?