Kal-El called Jor-El, who requested that they meet at the mansion. Kal-El decided not to waste time driving and flew to the estate. When he arrived, he was a little surprised to see that they had company in the form of Chloe's mother, who looked nothing like her. She had dark hair, very blue eyes and resembled Ella and maybe Lucy.

Kal-El only saw her and was not introduced, as Ella said something about getting back to the hospital to be with Chloe and that 'Moira' would be resting upstairs. She asked Kal-El about Lois and he told her that she was with Chloe now. He ignored the look of relief that crossed his step-mother's face. He didn't have time for emotions at this moment. There were things that needed to be taken care of.

Ella hurried out and Kal-El faced his father.

"Lor-Zod is at Wayne Enterprises. Bruce Wayne wants our help in making sure he is captured. I told him that we would not do anything until the weaponry they have against Kryptonians is either destroyed or put in Kryptonian hands." Kal-El said.

Jor-El walked over to the sitting room door, closed it and faced his son.

"We have another problem."

"What is it?" Kal-El asked.

"Ella's sister, Moira. To make a long story short, she is very aware of us. And has been for awhile. Long before we came to this planet."

Kal-El raised a brow.

"I don't follow you, Father. How could any earthling have known about us before we arrived? Much less that far back?"

"Because ZOD has been to this planet before! Zod was here and had an affair with Moira. And I have pieced together enough to realize that Zod lied to Faora about 'creating' Lor-Zod. Moira gave birth to him and Zod took him from this planet and presented him to Faora."

Kal-El scoffed!

"Father, that is ridiculous! Lor-Zod would have been half earthling. I mean genetically, that would have revealed itself."

"Yes. That is when Zod began his 'experiments'. Ones that turned Lor-Zod into a monstrosity. Kal-El, I cannot in good conscience turn him over to the authorities on this planet. Zod has lied to us. That does not surprise me, but I have to wonder what else he is keeping from us." Jor-El said firmly.

"Father, this sounds like Zod's affair, not ours. I think this is our best chance to get what we want from General Lane and Bruce Wayne. They will never be able to stop that thing Lor-Zod changes in to."

"Kal-El, if we offer to help him, medically, we can get the crystal we need and leave this planet. I feel we should help him escape Bruce's trap." Jor-El revealed.

Kal-El said nothing because he did not know how to say what he wanted to say, without sounding disrespectful. He was actually spared from having to speak at all, when the door to the room opened and Moira peered in.

"Moira? Ella said you were resting?" Jor-El asked. Moira took his words as an invitation to come into the room. She closed the door behind her and walked up to them.

"I was eavesdropping. I'm sorry but you were talking about my son. I want to help him. Ella said he and his wife are expecting a child?"

"Yes, I am aware of that." Jor-El replied.

"If you were listening, then you know that Lor-Zod is going to be captured in Gotham?" Kal-El asked.

"Yes and I know that Sam is determined to capture him. I know that Davis, the name he goes by on this planet, came to see me. He knows I am his mother. And I am determined to be there for him. Zod stole him from me. I won't let him come between us again." Moira said.

"And what about Chloe?" Kal-El asked blithely. Jor-El gave his son a look of reproach.

"Moira, Kal-El did not mean..."

Moira focused on Kal-El.

"I know what he meant. Ella is going to break the news to Chloe that I am well. We will deal with her brother later. Ella also does not feel that your relationship with my daughter will end well, considering your affair with my niece, Lucy."

Kal-El was tempted to give her an answer she would never forget, but Lois came to mind. He was NOT being the best boyfriend he could be to Chloe right now. And he would not be able to once she was better. Ella was not wrong. She was just unaware of the true facts.

Jor-El decided to interfere.

"Moira, these are matters to be taken up at a later date. I have decided that Kal-El and I are going to rescue Lor-Zod. Your being there..."

"Will just be an additional person that we have to take care of." Kal-El told his father. "Moira should wait here and rest. Or better yet, show some concern for her daughter."

Jor-El took a deep breath and ignored his son. He addressed Moira.

"Maybe you should do as Ella wishes. We will take Lor-Zod to a safe place, then take you to see him."

Moira folded her arms.

"And Zod? What do you plan to tell him about all of this? Ella said he is the Vice-President of this country! Will he be coming back here to see about what has happened?"

"Probably. I'm sorry, Moira, but he is a big part of our plans here. We will keep him away from you if you wish."

"I don't care about me. Just make sure Davis's wishes are followed. There has to be a way to help him." Moira said softly. Kal-El, personally, didn't believe her bit about Zod. This whole story was scant on details. Why did Zod come here, all those years ago, anyway? And did he force himself on Chloe's mother or was it an affair gone wrong?

"We'd better get going, Father." Kal-El said and walked to the door, he opened it and stepped outside into the hallway. Jor-El smiled wanly at Moira before following after Kal-El. Once they left, Moira felt like collapsing! She could feel Zod close by! She had always had that ability when they were together, to sense him, and then nothing all of this time-until Davis came to see her. How did her son know about her? Did Zod tell him?

She was also unnerved to see that Ella was married to a Kryptonian, though Jor-El seemed nice. But there was no way, Moira was going to allow this 'relationship', Chloe had with Kal-El continue. She sensed that he was not that into her daughter, though she had no real proof of this.

Moira ran a hand through her glossy brown hair and looked around the room. There was nothing she could do but wait. But was she waiting to be reunited with her son? Or waiting to come face to face with Zod again? She herself, did not know.


Chloe got the surprise of her life when her hospital door opened and she heard Lucy's voice!

"Lucy? Oh my God? What are you doing here?" Chloe cried, stretching out her hands until she felt Lucy's clasp her own.

"Daddy did not want me to come back but I just couldn't stay away. God, I went by the Daily Planet on my way here. It looks totally destroyed." Lucy confided.

"I bet. I'm actually glad I can't see that!" Chloe sighed.

"Well, I'm not the only one that's back in Kansas. I've actually been working for the White House." Lucy told her.

"What? No one said anything about that!"

"No, that's because no one knew. I haven't talked to Mom in like forever, like she cares. And Daddy just thinks I'm interning there. I didn't tell him that I actually am working for Lana Luthor as her assistant. She's back in Smallville to check on her aunt. There's no telling where that creature is these days." Lucy sniffed.

"Okay, Lucy. Why would you think that Aunt Ella wouldn't care to know that you're working at the White House?"

"Oh all she cares about is Jor-El! And I was sent away because she was afraid I was going to seduce her stupid husband."

"Who told you that?" Chloe asked incredulously.

"No one had to tell me anything. It's just a feeling I had." Lucy said. She let go of Chloe's hands and walked over to a window to peer out before facing her cousin again.

"That's not true, Lucy. Come on! And Lois has managed to survive."

"Oh please, Chloe! Lois is the favorite! Daddy wouldn't dream of sending her anywhere and Mom has always slobbered over her as well. By the way, where is Lois? Why isn't she here with you?"

"Well she's off getting a story. They have that creature trapped in Gotham City. That's all I can say. Though, Lois is seeing Bruce Wayne. That's kind of exciting for her." Chloe revealed.

"Lois managed to rope in Bruce Wayne?" Lucy asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Well it's a work in progress. And of course, I'm seeing Kal-El." Chloe said uneasily.

"Chloe, there was never anything between Kal-El and me but a good time that turned into a misunderstanding. Besides, I'm seeing someone."

"Really? Who?" Chloe asked, smiling.

"No one I can talk about."

Chloe's smile disappeared.

"Why? Is it because you aren't supposed to be seeing this person?"

"Something like that." Lucy answered cagily. "Though he takes care of my 'daddy issues', that's for sure."

"Meaning he's older?" Chloe asked with concern, just as Ella walked in. Ella blinked twice when she saw Lucy, as if she were witnessing a mirage!

"Lucy? Oh my God! When did you get here? Your father said you weren't coming?"

"Hi Mom. I should get going." Lucy said before turning to look at Chloe.

"The First Lady might want to pay you a visit, you know since you went to high school with her. Do you think I could arrange that?"

"Uh sure." Chloe said. Ella tilted her head.

"You work for the First Lady?" Ella asked.

"Yes, Mom."

"Well how long has this been going on?" Ella asked, feeling her daughter's hostility but trying to cut through it.

"A few months. I received a promotion from intern to the First Lady's assistant...oh wait...you didn't even know I had been in an intern, did you, Mom?"

Ella had had quite enough!

"Young lady, this family has bigger problems than your bitterness over the past. You can see your cousin has been blinded and..."

"Yes, Aunt Moira woke. I know. Is she staying at the mansion?" Lucy asked casually. Chloe sucked in a breath and Ella walked up to Lucy and grabbed her arm-hard!

"You leave-NOW! And when I do see you again, I hope you have an apology for your cousin."

"For telling her the truth? And you won't be seeing me again. I'm spending Thanksgiving with Daddy and then returning to Washington. Tell Lois I said 'hi'." Lucy said blithely as she yanked her arm out of Ella's grip and walked out of Chloe's room. Ella turned to walk over to Chloe and sit on the edge of her bed.

"Honey, Lucy didn't lie. I have something to tell you about your mother. Actually, I have a lot to tell you."

And Lucy Lane had a lot to tell her family, but she wasn't about to. The first reveal would have been that she did not work for First Lady Lana Luthor.

Lucy Lane actually worked for Vice-President Zod.


"Why did you bring me here?" Lois asked in a pissed off tone. The helicopter Bruce and her had flown to Gotham City in, landed on Bruce's estate! Lois had no doubt that Davis Bloom was not holed up in Bruce's house!

They were in the foyer and Alfred walked up to them. Bruce ignored Lois's question and spoke to Alfred.

"Make sure that Miss Lane is comfortable while I am out."

"So that means you're not taking me to watch Davis Bloom get captured, right? Nice, Bruce! Really nice!"

Bruce grabbed Lois's arm and dragged her down a hallway! He then hit some buttons on a wall, and the wall itself slid back to reveal the one and only bat cave! Lois recognized the vehicle that the Batman drove! She gaped into the cave, then looked at Bruce.

"Wh...what is this?"

"You know what it is. You don't think I care anything about you. If you think for one moment I didn't want to find you before Kal-El could put his hands on you, then you are very blind and stupid! I would not show you this if I didn't want to prove to you that I am very serious about you. Oh and I never had any intention of letting you get within two feet of that creature that Davis turns in to! Alfred will look after you until I return." Bruce told her matter-of-factly, as he turned and walked off.

Lois dragged her eyes off of his retreating back and took in the fact that Bruce Wayne was indeed Batman. She slowly made her way to his car and looked around to see heavy duty surveillance equipment, dozens of Batman costumes, medical equipment, gadgets, etc..

"Oh Bruce." Lois sighed quietly as she shook her head. Alfred entered and cleared his throat, pulling Lois out of her reverie.

"I did not think it wise for Master Wayne to show this all to you. But he is trusting you with his secret, even though from what I have read, you don't care for the Batman very much."

"Let me tell you something, Alfred," Lois snapped, "one of the reasons I never liked Jor-El or Kal-El, was because they had the ability to be saviors to mankind but won't be! I have actually watched them, on the very few occasions they have bothered to be heroes, save people's lives! But you know what the difference is between what they have done and what Bruce does? They cooperate with the authorities. They will tell the police what they are going to do or even assist them. I have seen some of 'Batman's' handiwork. He beats up criminals, works outside of the law and under the cover of darkness!"

"Miss Lane, Master Bruce cannot do what the Kryptonians can do. He cannot just 'fly' a criminal to the police. He is an earthling. He has to rely on brute force and cunning. But he still has saved many lives." Alfred sniffed.

"I'm not saying he hasn't! I just...I don't know where we go from here now." Lois said morosely.

"Master Wayne will not give this up. Even for you. I believe he has revealed this to you, so that you can decide if you can live with it or not. And when he returns from capturing the creature, he will be expecting an answer from you." Alfred informed Lois.

"Well then the answer is going to have to be 'no', I can't deal with it. I like you, Alfred and I care about Bruce. But right now, this is just a little too much on my plate right now! My future is in peril no thanks to a Kryptonian mark on my thigh, that only goes away if I sleep with that said Kryptonian. And if I don't, I become so drowsy, fatigued and nauseous that I'd have to go on disability! Oh and my cousin has been blinded, so THIS, I have no time for! I have to go. I'll call a cab myself." Lois told Alfred regretfully as she walked out of the batcave and back down the foyer. She knew she was being insensitive and maybe even wrong, but now that she knew Bruce was Batman, she couldn't see herself writing anymore stories about him.

As Lois strode towards the front door, she began to wonder if silencing her, with regards to her heavily negative Batman stories, was the real reason Bruce bought the Daily Planet? She shook her head as she opened the front door, stepped outside and pulled out her cellphone to call for a cab or some kind of vehicle to take her back to Smallville! Lois could not see herself sticking around to tell Bruce how she felt, in person.

There was a limo parked out front with the motor running. Maybe Bruce had not left yet? Lois walked up to the back window and knocked on the tinted window. It slowly descended...

"No!" Lois gasped.

Bruce was sitting in the back, naked, with the exception of the Batman cowl mask! His immense, stalk like shaft was upright and appeared to be pulsating in anticipation! Before Lois could move, the door opened quickly and she was yanked inside!

Alfred stood in the doorway and watched the back window close again, then open quickly, as the dress Lois had been wearing, was discarded onto the drive! The limo then raced out of the Wayne Manor drive, off towards parts unknown.