I'm back! I hope you enjoy this next chapter. I'm still trying to flush out the next few chapters, while getting into the busy time of year at work. Thanks again to Mak5258 for the beta.
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Lois luxuriated in his embrace, his kisses falling gently upon her face. She snuggled deeper into the satiny folds of the sheets, reveling in his love. She hoped that this moment would never end; she was where she belonged, in the arms of her beloved Kal El.
Lois woke with a start, to find that she really was back in Kal El's bed, in the Fortress. She looked around, taking in the breathtaking beauty that surrounded her. Looking towards the doorway, she watched as Kal El entered the room, wearing the same white outfit he wore after he gave up his powers, a steaming cup in his hand. She gasped as the feeling of déjà vu overwhelmed her.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," Kal El said, a smile lighting up his face.
Lois shook the cobwebs from her head, and inhaled deeply, "Is that for me?" she asked nodding towards the cup.
Kal El sat down on the bed, next to Lois, and handed her the cup. She noticed that it was the travel mug that Richard had picked up for her as a joke, with Grumpy Dwarf from Snow White painted on the side with the words "Wake up, Grumpy" arching around the picture. She smirked at him as she took the cup,
"Not many good days start with this cup," Lois said, as she finished downing her morning allotment of caffeine. Ever since Jason was born she had tried to limit her caffeine intake, tried to control her blood pressure in the event she should ever conceive another child. Though the current outlook on that was not too promising.
"How did we end up here, anyway?"
"You fell asleep in my room while I was listening to Zod's interview." Clark said.
"That doesn't explain how I ended up in your ice-palace."
Clark rolled his eyes. "When I was getting ready to fly Jason back to Metropolis, Perry called Richard."
"Richard, how did the interview go?" Perry asked anxiously. Something didn't quite sound right to Richard.
"I think it went fine. I don't think he realized I wasn't Clark," Richard said.
"Have you watched GNN this morning?" Perry asked, his voice getting more unnerved.
"It's five in the morning here, Perry. Your call woke me," Richard said, as he reached for the television remote, then stopped as he realized that Jason was still sleeping in the bed.
"What's going on Perry?" Richard asked, dreading that the answer would be on par with 9/11.
"Zod is being released today." Perry said.
Lois gasped as Clark explained the situation to her. GNN had been running the story all morning on how the Daily Planet had teamed up with rogue elements from the CIA to derail Zod's case.
"GNN has received evidence that Daily Planet Reporter Lois Lane, and Assistant Editor Richard White, who is actually a CIA plant, had interrogated the alleged tyrant, and alien refugee General Dru Zod of the Planet Krypton.
"Lois Lane who is well known as Superman's press agent, and has been rumored as being romantically linked the Kryptonian. Lane attempted to pass off White as her long time partner Clark Kent, with whom General Zod had originally requested to conduct an interview. Mr. Kent, who has been on an extended leave of absence, and has just recently returned to the Daily Planet staff, has been unavailable for comment."
"I can't believe they would do such a thing," Lois exclaimed,
"Those f…," Lois stopped as Jason came running into the bed chamber.
"Mommy!" he shouted as he launched himself at the bed and into his mother's arms.
"Clark?" Lois looked at her partner, her eyebrow raised.
"After Perry called Richard, my mom called me. Early this morning someone from CSD paid a call to your house. She demanded to speak privately with Jason. It seems someone reported that you took Jason onboard Luthor's yacht.
"Mom told them that he was with us," Clark said.
"I didn't think I should take Jason back to Metropolis, and with what is going on with Zod, I didn't want to risk leading anyone to Smallville, so I brought us here."
"Where's Richard?" Lois asked.
"He stayed behind in Granville, so he could meet with the warden. The warden didn't meet with you last night because he was called to DC about Zod's release.
"Lois, the warden never made it there, his car was found in a ravine, both he and the driver were dead. Richard is launching his own investigation. Something big is going on," Clark said.
Lois looked at hers and Clark's son. He was so full of wonder, looking around the crystal fortress. He was so innocent, who would want to pull him into the middle of some political intrigue?
"So what is going on with Zod?" Lois asked, finally setting Jason down onto the floor.
Clark looked over at Lois and mouthed; "wait," then walked over to Jason. Kneeling down in front of him, "There is somebody I'd like for you to meet, okay?"
"Okay," Jason said shyly.
Clark took Jason by the hand and led him to the large main chamber of the Fortress. Stepping up onto the dais, he moved a large crystal from one slot to another. As light filled the room, Jor El's image appeared before them.
"We have guests. Father, I would like to introduce you to Lois Lane, and her son Jason," Clark said.
"Welcome, Lois Lane, welcome Jason, Son of Kal El. I am Jor El; Kal El's father, your grandfather," Jor El said. Jason's eyes went wide.
"I did not intend to frighten you, my grandson. I apologize if I did." Jor El said humbly.
"Seems like everyone knew about Jason before I did," Clark mumbled. "How did you come to know, Father?"
"After you restored the Sun Crystals to the fortress's controls, the system began monitoring the planet again, watching for alien life-forms. There should have been only four, as that is all that is logged into my memory. When I found mixed Kryptonian DNA I sent a probe to scan it. To my delight, I discovered that you had fathered a son."
Suddenly there was a bright light, and the image of a beautiful woman appeared next to Jor El.
"Hello, Jason," the woman said, "I am your grandmother, Lara. I am so happy to finally be able to meet you."
Jason looked up to his father, confused, "Are they ghosts?"
"Jason," Lara said gently, "our physical bodies died a long time ago. But on Krypton we were able to place what humans would call our soul, into a storage vessel, so that all would not be lost.
"Before we sent your father to this world, we placed our souls into a crystal that was carried with him in his ship. When it was time, we led him to this place to build this Fortress of Solitude, so that we could teach him. Inside these crystal walls, your grandfather and I live on. We aren't really ghosts, but we aren't people, either."
While Kal El and Jason were busy with the holographic images of his parents, Lois began wandering about the Fortress, reliving the time she spent here. This would always be a special place for her; the place where she learned about the man she loved. Where she grew to love him so much more than she had ever known was possible. This is where they became one, where their son was conceived. And this is where it all ended, with the defeat of Zod.
She walked back to the bedchamber. As she slowly walked around the bed she allowed her hand to rub across the bedding. She had never felt anything like it on Earth, and wondered if it was some sort of Kryptonian fabric.
Sitting down on the bed, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to remember how it felt to have his arms encircle her, his lips exploring her body, drinking her in. How she relished his gentle lovemaking. He was never rough, or over-anxious. Instead he followed her lead, learning more about her that day, than in all the time that they had spent together before or since.
"Lois," a gentle voice called out to her, "I wish to speak with you," Lara said.
Startled, Lois looked toward the sound of the voice, "I thought that you could only appear out there." Lois said, pointing towards the main chamber.
"We can appear in any of the chambers, that make up this place" Lara said, "Can we speak? I know you have many questions that need to be answered, as do I."
Lois was dumbfounded. She had never even hoped to speak with either of Clark's birth parents. Let alone have some of her concerns of raising a half-Kryptonian child answered.
"When my son first brought you to us, he told us that he loved you and wanted to spend his life with you. But soon after he defeated Zod, he left you, and this world. Why is that? Did you not love him, as he did you?"
Lois thought about her answer, "It was complicated. It still is. I loved him, God how much I loved him. All I thought about was him, what it would be like to be with him, to know all his secrets, to know him. And I got that chance. I got to know him, be with him. We hoped to have a life together.
"But, you told him that the only way we could be together was for him to give up his powers. When they were restored, we knew that we would have to give up our dreams, give up each other.
"Why? Why can't we just be together?" Lois cried, the anguish she had held in check for so many years finally spilling out. Her body shook as she sobbed uncontrollably.
Lara looked on helplessly, "Daughter, there is no reason why you and Kal El cannot be together. Kal El's powers were taken from him for a time so that he could learn what it means to be truly human, to see if he truly loved you. On Krypton, the joining of two souls is meant to be for life."
Lois took a deep breath and looked up at the image of Kal El's mother, and saw her smiling gently. "Until death do us part," she said, "it's meant to be that way here as well, but it doesn't usually work out that way."
"Do you still wish to be with Kal El?" Lara asked.
"There are still a lot of hurdles for us to clear, before we can have our 'happily ever after.'"
"The man you call Richard?"
That surprised Lois, "How did you know about Richard?" she asked.
"My grandson speaks fondly of his human father, almost as fondly as my son speaks of his own human father. These men are important in their lives. Your son will need his human father; to help him deal with the issues his humanity will bring him. He will be the one who will show him how to be human, as you are the one to teach him how to love." Lara's image seemed to fade a bit.
"I wish that I could have been the one who raised my son to manhood. You and Kal El have a great blessing: the chance to raise your child, together." Lara's image faded completely as finished speaking.
As Kal El quietly entered the bedchamber, he observed a very subdued Lois. He stood there, enchanted by her beauty, wondering how he had ever let her go. She was the fire that burned to his very being, and he was a fool, forever standing in the background, staring at her, allowing her to consume him with her very presence.
He was worried about her. It was not normal for Lois to sit so silently, so still. But he also knew that she would soon be a blazing inferno once again. Pensively he approached her.
"Do you think we'll ever get to have our happily ever after?" She asked.
He looked at her and smiled sadly, "Only if we are willing to do whatever it takes to get there," he answered.
"What is going on with Zod, Clark?"
Clark sat down next to her, taking her hands to stop her from picking at her nails, the cuticles already bleeding from her constant attack.
"He is meeting with the State Department later this week. They are discussing who should the control of the Fortress. They want me to turn any evidence I have against him over to them, so that they can decide who gets control."
"You have got to be kidding me," Lois said.
"We aren't going to let them get control of it. I've already removed Jor El and Lara's crystals from the matrix. I'm currently making a very limited copy of the AI, more limited than what I had left when I went to Krypton. The library has also been removed. It is all going to be placed somewhere safe," Clark explained.
"But what about CSD and Jason?" Lois asked.
"There is only one reason why CSD would be interested in him at this moment. Someone wants to know his paternity. All they will be able to prove at this point is that he is Clark Kent's son. They'll find nothing unusual."
"Nothing unusual? How can you say that, Clark?" Lois asked.
"Trust me," was all he said.
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