A/N: I know, I know. It's been a while. I hope that this chapter makes up for the long break between chapters. I promise the next chapter won't take as long.

Thanks to my betas for their work in making this story more readable. Sometimes my fingers pick a comma when it should be a period, or leave out letters that should be there.

Lois watched helplessly as the CSD worker and the two police officers walked off with her son. Clark placed a firm hand on her shoulder, "We have to let them go."

Lois's anger erupted. "Let them go! We just let them take our son. You stood by and did nothing! HOW COULD YOU LET THEM TAKE OUR SON?"

"They had a court order. We had to let them take him. Nobody is above the law, Lois. We both know that. It is something that MY son has to understand." Clark stood before her, but his bearing was that of his alter ego. "We have to teach him to respect the law and those who enforce it, even if they are fallacious. He has to learn to do the right thing, no matter what the consequences, or he will become another Zod." Clark put his finger under Lois's chin lifting her face to look into his eyes. She knew that it was as difficult for him as it was for her, maybe even more so. But there was a different type of pain in his face, physical pain. Was there kryptonite nearby? She was puzzled.

"Jason will be okay, Lois," General Lane promised as he placed his hand on her other shoulder.

"They were expecting Superman to show up, weren't they?" Lois asked, looking over to her father, "They had kryptonite, didn't they?"

General Lane didn't answer. She looked to Clark, his eyes averting hers; instead he looked off into the distance, watching as the car carrying their son disappeared down the street.

"They did!" Lois was frantic. She lowered her voice. "They exposed our son to kryptonite! They exposed you. You couldn't do anything, but why was Jason so strong?"

The group gathered together on the dock huddled together against the cold. The waves knocked the small plane against its moorings.

"Lois, I promise you, they won't hurt Jason. I'll send my best person to keep an eye out for him." Sam tried to console his daughter.

"Your best person? We just finished his funeral." She hissed looking up into the sky where a short while ago Richard's remains were released to the wind. Clouds had moved in and rain began pelting down. A chill threatened to turn the rain into slush before morning. The incoming storm felt like a metaphor for Lois's life at the moment.

"Richard was good. He was the best person to take care of you, of Jason - at the time. Now, if I understand correctly, Superman took Clark's mother to Met General. Shouldn't you both be there?" Sam tried to divert Lois's concern.

"But they just took my son!" Lois argued, then, with an accusatory look snapped to Clark, "And you LET THEM!"

"Lois, it would be best if you and your husband continue this discussion later. General Zod is using one of the oldest strategies in the book: divide and conquer. Go take care of Mrs. Kent. I'll see to Jason. Nothing will happen to him on my watch, you have my word."

"Some good your word is," Lois snipped. "You all just stood there as the grabbed him from my arms."

General Lane ignored Lois's last comment. He pulled a cigar from his pocket, and carefully cut off the ends. It was a sign Lois knew well. He had a plan, and he wasn't going to share it.

"After you get Clark's mom taken care of, I'll meet you at the hospital. Mr. Olsen, will you make sure that the kids get to Met General? Ms. Grant, you know what to do?"

Kat nodded to the General.

"Ms. Lane, if you give me the keys to your car, I'll drive you and Mr. Kent to the hospital," Jimmy offered, knowing that was the best thing for him to do at the moment. Lois looked at the young man in confusion.

"Ms. Lane?" Jimmy asked again.

"Oh, right. You need my keys." Lois paused, "They're hanging on the hook by the garage door, in the kitchen."

Jimmy smiled as he jogged towards the house, happy that he could do something to help ease his friend's burdens. The others slowly made their way back as well.

Perry opened his umbrella and handed it to Clark. "Don't want my best reporters out because they caught cold."

Something about the way that Clark Kent looked at officer Powell shook her to her core. She could have sworn that his looks could kill, the way his eyes glowed…. She shook the absurd thought from her mind; people can't shoot fire from their eyes. Well, MOST people. Superman could, but there was no way that that dork could be Superman. Jessica looked over to the little boy who was strapped into a booster seat next to her. He was a very pretty boy. It was a shame that his mother cared so little for him. He was standing very close to the edge of the dock, and the woman didn't even seem to notice. Granted, she just said goodbye to her fiancé, but he could have fallen in the bay!

Jessica noticed that the boy's complexion was a bit pasty, and his skin had a bluish tint to it. He also had a slight wheeze. She put her hand on the back of his head to check his temperature. He did seem a little warm. They said he was sickly, that he had some pretty severe allergies and lung problems.

"How about we get you something to eat?" She asked the child, hoping that eating would smooth the transition to State's care. He'd be taken to the family court building and placed in a suitable foster home, but for now it was her responsibility to take care of the child. Jason just looked at her with big blue sad eyes and shrugged.

"How about we get you a nice grilled cheese sandwich and some tomato soup, and maybe some cocoa?" She asked as the officer driving the car started to pull into a restaurant parking lot. "It'll help take some of the chill off."

Jason looked at her shocked. Didn't she know that he couldn't have that? Mommy usually told people what he could eat before he went with them. Even his friends' mommies had a list.

"I can't eat that." He stated matter-of-factly, "No wheat, no dairy."

Ms. Powell was confused, "No wheat? No dairy?"

Jason shook his head. "They make me sick."

Okay, so much for traditional kids fare. "How about fried chicken?"

"Not fried, the breading." Jason shook his head. This lady didn't know much, did she?

"Right, flour. Clam chowder?"

Jason scrunched his nose.

Fine. "Then we'll get some grilled chicken and French fries. Doesn't that sound yummy?"

"I'm allergic to potatoes."

Allergic to potatoes? She'd never heard such a thing.

"Last time Mommy brought me here they put bread in my salad, even when she told them not to. And the food is nasty."

"Okay." It was taking all her training to keep her cool with this child. Did he expect her to believe that he was allergic to all those things? She wondered how much was allergies, and how much was just being difficult. "If you don't want to eat here, where would you like to eat?"

Jason paused a moment. "My Gramma's! She makes me stuff I can eat, and it doesn't taste like cardboard yuck. And no macrobiotic shakes!"

Jimmy pulled into the drive for the hospital, pulling up to the visitor's entrance to drop his friends off at the door. They had been uncomfortably silent the whole trip to the hospital. Clark sat in the front passenger seat while Lois sat in the back. She glared at him the whole time.

"I'll, um, I'll go park your car, and then I'll leave your keys at the desk. Mr. White is going to pick me up and take me back to the office. That is if you don't need me for anything else?" Jimmy asked, hoping that his friends would say something, anything.

"Find out what you can about Jessica Powell," Clark responded as if coming out of a fog. Then adding, "Thank you for driving us here, Jim."

"No problem, CK"

Lois handed the court order to Jimmy. " See what you can find on this judge as well. It seems that he has a problem with Superman. Let's find out what that problem is."

Lois looked over at her husband; the fire was back. Clark opened the door and slid out, getting Lois's door before she could. Lois accepted the gesture, taking his hand as she stepped out of the car. Jimmy knew that she would have ranted at any other man. He hoped that this was a sign that things were on the mend between the two, and that Lois's anger towards Clark would dissipate before too long. It would be great for things to get back to the way they were. Maybe he'll even get his mojo back.

"Everything is going to work out. Just you wait. Superman got your mom here in time, she'll be fine, and Ms. Lane, I'm sure your dad will get Jason back for you. You are a good mom, and I know that Mr. Kent is going to be a great father."

As Jimmy pulled away in the car, Lois placed her hands on Clark's chest. "You are going to be a great father, IF we ever get Jason back."

She looked into Clark's face, something more was troubling him, and if she thought about it, something he said back at the house bothered her. There was a deeper meaning to the conversation they were having that was so rudely interrupted; something to do with Zod, and mercy.

"What is it, Clark? This is more than your mom or Jason. You look as if you are struggling with something."

Clark smiled at the woman he loved. Even though it had been five years, she still knew him better than anyone else. No matter how hard he tried to hide, Lois would always find him and draw him out. Taking a deep breath to try and calm his fraying nerves he explained, "It was something Jor El said while he was healing Mom. He told me I'm going to have to kill Zod. I don't know if I can do that, Lois. But if I don't, and he ends up doing to Earth what he did to Krypton wouldn't I be just as guilty?"

Lois wrapped her arms around Clark, and he buried his head into her hair, breathing in her scent. That always calmed him. Her knowing his secret made things so much easier, but more complicated at the same time.

"I know you'll do the right thing, Clark. You always do." She placed her hands against his chest, and put on her 'good soldier face.' "But right now, we need to go and take care of your mother."

Ben paced the hospital lobby. Superman promised that Clark would arrive shortly, but it had been almost an hour. Even though he had presented the hospital with Martha's Power-of-Attorney, he was denied access to her room, or any information on her condition. Only family was allowed into the ICU, and, as they weren't married, he was shut out.

His stride was interrupted as the entrance doors slid open. A couple entered, but not the couple he was waiting for. Slumping down, disheartened, into a nearby chair he tried to divert his attention by watching the faux fish on the TV. The plants in the lobby were mostly silk, even the fountain in the center of the room turned out to be just resin. A sign near the elevators beckoned him to visit the serenity garden on the second floor, but when he had tried to access it, the doors were locked.

Deciding that it was time for him to take some action, he once again approached the nurse's station, hoping that he would finally be granted access to Martha's bedside. "Ben!" He heard Clark call. "How is she?" Clark, and his beautiful wife walked up to him.

"They won't tell me. I'm not family," Ben commented bitterly. Lois put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure that they'll let you in, now that Clark is here."

Clark walked up to the desk. "We're here to see my mother, Martha Kent."

The nurse looked up and up at the tall man who was standing over her desk, then she turned back to the computer screen, quickly typing something on the keyboard.

"She's in ICU, family only. I'll need to see some identification." She glared at the older man who had been pestering her for the last hour.

Clark showed her his press badge and his driver's license. "This is my wife, Lois Lane," Lois gave an annoyed 'humpf' "Kent, Lois Lane Kent." She smiled sweetly back at the nurse. Unfazed, Clark continued. "And my mom's friend Ben Hubbard. I do believe you have his Power of Attorney. Now, will you please tell us what room Martha Kent is in?"

The nurse felt intimidated by the reporters, and knowing Ms. Lane's reputation she would be ripped to shreds in her next editorial, probably worse than when she tied into Superman. Resigned she allowed, "She's in room 4029. Take the elevator to the second floor, then the skyway to the next building. She's on the fourth floor. Please sign here and I'll give you each a security badge. I'm sorry I didn't let Mr. Hubbard in. I was just following hospital rules."

Lois smirked, "I guess we should follow the rules, no matter how fallacious, right, Clark?"

Clark ignored the dig at his earlier comment. "Thank you," he said congenially, taking Lois by the elbow and motioning for Ben to follow.

The lady that took Jason from his mommy was walking him into a very big, scary-looking building. He recognized the words Family and Court chiseled into a big rock, and wondered what they meant together. His mommy always told him that he could find the meanings of words by other words around them. She called it context. She told him he could learn a lot about things from context. Sometimes what people said and did was not what they meant to say or do, but he could find out what they meant by the context of their words or actions. His daddy Richard told him he could learn a lot from watching people, and by watching his surroundings.

She walked Jason down a long hall, and through some double doors that locked behind them. "Am I going to jail?" Jason asked innocently.

The woman laughed, "Heavens, no! I'm just taking you to a place where you can play until you're safe. And hopefully we'll find out who your father is, too while we are waiting.

Jason tried his best to be polite and calm. "If you want to know who my father is, all you have to do is ask."

The woman was stunned, could it really be that simple? After all the days she's fought to get to the secret of this boy's father, he would simply just give it up? But then, he is a five year old. Children usually are very cooperative and honest at that age. And would they have even told a five year old the truth? It couldn't hurt to ask who he thought his father was.

"So who is your father?" She asked sweetly.

Jason giggled, then took on an air of seriousness. "My father is Clark Kent. Richard White was my daddy." Jason's voice cracked as he said his daddy's name, "He died. Superman wasn't able to save him."

A voice came from behind, "Superman can't save everyone." Jason, and Ms. Powell both turned to see who was speaking. Ms. Powell recognized General Zod's assistant.

"Ms. Powell, I'm Linda Danvers, I was sent to pick up the boy." The tall blonde woman handed the smaller woman some papers that were neatly folded.

"I don't understand. I thought…"

"The General wants what is his. Everything is in order." She nodded to the papers, "There is nothing you can do to stop me. "

"She looks more intimidating in person," Jessica thought to herself, noting that she had the same red tint to her eyes that Mr. Kent had earlier. She wondered if there was something to do with the light reflecting in their glasses causing it.

"If you will excuse me, Jason has a very sensitive system. This stress is not good for him." As if on cue Jason vomited all over Ms. Powell's shoes.

"I'm sorry," he said his blue eyes welling up with tears.

Ms. Danvers scooped the boy up into her arms. "I'll take him to the restroom and clean him up. I suggest you go do the same," she called over her shoulder.

Lois and Ben almost had to run to keep up with Clark's long strides. The ICU was at the end of a horseshoe hallway on the opposite side of the hospital complex. It wasn't anywhere near where Superman had rested after he fell back to Earth. Clark paused as if listening before he opened the door marked 4029. Lois knew the look, someone needed Superman, and he was struggling with the decision to leave. She placed a hand on his back, and asked him quietly if it was bad. Clark nodded the affirmative.

"Ben and I will sit with your mom, why don't you go and take care of the paperwork." she suggested, giving Clark the out he needed. Then she added, "I know how hard it must be." Clark smiled back, his eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"Go, do what you have to do," Lois prodded.

As Clark started to walk away, his phone rang. Pulling it out of his pocket he checked the number. "Clark Kent here, I've been expecting your call. Do you have him?"