A/N: In this next chapter which will end Act II: Lost, Clark and Darkseid face off, verbally this time, each with their own agendas, while the League sets out to find him. I hope you like it. Read on everyone! :D

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Chapter 14: Far from Home

Previously:

Lois was so pleased and so thankful. She went to her and pulled Martha into her arms. "Thank you, Martha."

"You're welcome, honey," Martha said hoping to cheer them up if only for a little while.

"Mom, look its Dad. He's so little, just like me," Jason exclaimed smiling at a dark-haired little boy playing with his dog.

~o~o~

Darkseid's lair on the Planet Apokolips:

Clark awoke in a room that was all too familiar to him. I've been here before. I know where I am. He closed his eyes realizing the truth. He had hoped never to see this place again. Then, everything came flooding into his mind … the fight with Darkseid, seeing Lois's chopper crash, loosing consciousness and now being back on Apokolips again.

Sighing, he tried to sit up and then a voice came to him from the door.

"I see you're awake. Welcome home, Kal," Granny Goodness said coming into the bedroom.

Clark had only one thought. At least my mind is still my own. "Yes, I'm awake," he said playing along.

"It's time to go. Your father is waiting for you. Come with me," Granny said.

Kal was surrounded by Darkseid's underlings, as he was lead through the castle. He noticed the layout of the place, as Granny brought him to Darkseid's chamber.

"Hello, son," Darkseid said testing him.

"Father," Kal said, still playing along.

Darkseid continued to taunt him. "This is your home now, Kal. Get used to it."

Kal tried to keep control over his emotions after those words. No way am I staying here and I will not be a slave. "Yes, Father. What will you have me do?"

Darkseid was pleased, but not completely convinced. He turned and walked away from Kal and proceeded to tell Kal what he wants him to do. "There's a planet I want you to conquer. You may have heard of it. It's called …" He paused for effect and then turned back to face Kal. "Krypton," he said and waited for Kal's reaction.

Clark was stunned, but he managed not to reveal his feelings. "Yes, I've heard of it, but … I've also heard the planet was destroyed thousands of years ago," he uttered hoping he hadn't said too much with that statement. He hadn't.

"You heard correctly, but recent findings have revealed life forms on a smaller unnamed planet not far from Krypton. They could very well be survivors. I want you to bring them here to be my slaves forever on Apokolips."

Clark's mind was running in circles. He's making this up. There were no survivors. I've been there myself. I'm the only survivor. I scanned all surrounding planets. Could I have missed one? No, no, that's not possible, but what if it is true? Kal's mind kept going over and over the possibilities.

"You have two days to prepare," Darkseid said dismissing him realizing that Kal had taken the bait.

Clark was led back to his bedchamber where Granny gave him his new 'suit' of armor along with instructions and the location of the planet he had to conquer. Clark still couldn't believe it. He was staring at the plans and it appeared Darkseid was telling him the truth or was it a trick, a trap to kill him? He didn't know, but he had to go. He had to.

~o~o~

Meanwhile, at the Watchtower space station:

"Is everyone ready," Batman asked the League members. After discussing their strategy to bring Clark back, Bruce waited for Jor-El to reveal the wormhole.

Bruce stared at Diana and words are not needed between them. He smiled at her. She smiled back. "I'll go first. Remember, if Clark is not himself, we have a means to stop him. I don't want to use it, but it may be the only thing we can do. He'll understand once he realizes why we had to do it."

Everyone nodded and they all said they were ready to leave for Apokolips.

"It is time," Jor-El said as the wormhole appeared before them.

They all entered the wormhole one by one and then the wormhole closed and disappeared.

It felt like an eternity to them, but it was only a matter of a few moments and they suddenly inside Darkseid's castle. They were all a bit confused and disoriented, but fortunately for them, they had reappeared inside an unoccupied portion of the castle. They hear noises and manage to hide from the underlings making rounds.

"How do we find him?" Diana whispered to Bruce.

"I have a Kryptonian device that was made by Jor-El. It should work in locating him," Bruce whispered thankful for Jor-El's help. "Follow me," he instructed as they all got behind him.

Kal's bedchamber was not far, and soon they entered it undetected. Clark must be slipping as he didn't even turn around. He was too intent on his calculations for his trip to Krypton.

Bruce spoke up. "Are you ready to go home now?"

"Bruce, what the …?" Kal said shocked by the League's appearance in his bedchamber.

"How did you get in here without getting caught?" He had to ask.

"Your father was very helpful. Let's go Clark, we don't have a lot of time," Bart said.

"I can't leave," Clark said sighing.

"What did you just say?" Bruce asked shocked, not believing what he'd just heard.

"Bruce, I heard voices, we have to hurry," J'onn whispered urgently.

"You have to go back without me for now," Clark said and showed them the plans. "Darkseid said there may be survivors on a planet not far from Krypton. I have to check it out. In two days time, I'll know if there are any survivors besides me. I have to do this," Clark said hoping his friends would understand.

"But didn't you say you checked all the planets around Krypton and there were no survivors? Clark, it must be a trick," Diana said.

"Clark, we won't leave here without you," J'onn stated a fact as they all realized Clark might need some persuasion.

"You have to leave before Darkseid finds you here. Go, go NOW" Clark whispered urgently trying to get them to leave.

Bruce stared at his friends and realized they had no choice. "I'm sorry, Clark, we can't let you stay here." He reached inside his cape and took the green kryptonite from the lead lined box.

Clark immediately felt the affects. "Don't … do … this, please," Clark begged. He fell back onto the floor. They picked him up and then Bruce revealed the wormhole and they were all gone within seconds.

No sooner had they disappeared from Clark's bedchamber, the door opened and a furious Darkseid appeared not believing Kal had escaped.

~o~o~

The Watchtower space station a few hours later:

Clark awoke in his room inside the space station. He sighed as he realized that he was home again.

Bruce came into his room then. "Clark, I have Lois on the communicator."

He left the bed and went to sit at the monitor. He wanted to be cheerful. He knew she must have missed him terribly. "Lois? Lois, are you there?"

"Oh, Clark, you're home. Are you alright?" Lois was at the Watchtower headquarters in Metropolis. Bart had brought her there while Clark regained his powers. It would take a few days for that to happen.

"I'm alright. Are you alright, Lois? I saw the chopper crash. Is the baby ok?"

"Yes, honey, the baby is fine. I'm fine. When are you coming home? We miss you."

"In a few days, I think. We have a few things to do here first before that."

"What things? Why can't you come home now?" Lois was confused. He looked fine to her eyes.

"I'll explain everything in a few days. I promise, honey," Clark said being evasive.

There was a pause as Lois thought about it. "Alright, Clark. Call me when you're on your way home. I love you sweetheart. Bye for now," Lois said smiling.

"I love you too. Bye, Lois," Clark said and turned off the communicator. "That was a private conversation, Bruce."

"Are you avoiding your wife?" Bruce was shocked at Clark's behavior.

"Of course not, I just need to regain my powers, that's all."

"Right, Clark. This is me you're talking to. You have to accept the fact that Darkseid was sending you to your death. You must know that," Bruce said trying to get him to see reason.

"I have to find out if Darkseid was telling the truth," Clark said.

"And how do you intend to do that? Don't answer that," Bruce said knowing what he was going to say.

"I have to go there myself," Clark said as the pain lanced inside his chest at the thought of leaving his family and friends again.

"Clark, you really, really need to think about what you're saying. You're going to be a father again. You can't leave Lois now. She won't forgive you this time. You know that, don't you?"

Clark got up from the monitor and went to lie down on the bed. He felt such pain in his chest that he actually thought he might split apart at the mere thought of leaving his family. He took a shuddering breath as tears sprang into his eyes. Lois wouldn't forgive me. Jason probably wouldn't either. He suddenly felt a strong hand on his shoulder.

"Clark, I'll let you rest. Please, please think about this," Bruce said and left him alone.

~o~o~

Meanwhile at the Daily Planet bullpen:

Lois returned to the office after speaking with Clark and her instincts were going crazy. Something was wrong with her husband. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she knew him well enough to know when something was bothering him.

Her phone rang just then. "Hello, Lois Lane-Kent here," she answered.

"Hey, Lois, it's Richard. How's Clark?"

Lois sighed. "He seems fine, but …"

"But what?"

"I can't put my finger on it. Clark isn't himself. Something is bothering him," Lois said thinking about their earlier conversation.

"And he won't talk about it?" Richard asked finding that hard to believe.

"No, he won't. I have to see him in person, so I can get him to open up to me." Lois had to see her husband right now. "I'll call you later Richard. Bye."

"Bye, Lois," Richard said and hung up.

She called the Watchtower headquarters hoping to get someone to help her. Bart answered the special line. "Mrs. Kent?"

"Yes, Bart, it's me. I have to see Clark right now," Lois said getting right to the point.

"Umm, I can patch you through, but you have to come here, Mrs. Kent," Bart said wondering what was going on.

"I'll be there in ten minutes," Lois said and hung up. She grabbed her bag and left the bullpen determined to get answers.

~o~o~

The Hall of Justice on the Watchtower space station:

Lois materialized at the station, head spinning for a moment as Batman stood before her. "You'll be alright in a moment," he said steadying her by the arm.

Bruce felt that Lois could talk some sense into her husband.

"Where is he?" Lois wouldn't be deterred.

"Follow me," Bruce said.

Within a few minutes, they were at Clark's door. Bruce knocked and peeped inside. Clark appeared to be sleeping, but on second look, he was not asleep but he was lying there wiping at his eyes. Lois was so worried about him. "Clark, what is it?"

Bruce quietly left them alone.

"Lois, what are you doing here?" Clark quickly wiped his eyes and sat up not wanting her to see him like this.

Lois didn't answer him, but sat down on the bed and pulled her husband into her arms. She hadn't seen him in days and she had to hold him to be sure she wasn't dreaming or something.

Clark pulled her tight against him knowing she was alright. What was I thinking? I couldn't leave her again. I'd die inside, I know that now.

Lois pulled back and wiped her husband's tears away. "Are you ready to tell me what's wrong?"

"In a minute, just let me hold you for a little while. Here," Clark said as he scooted over a little and Lois lay down beside him. He pulled her close. They both sighed content to be each other's arms again.

"I missed you so much," Lois said as she kissed his cheek.

"Me too," Clark said and kissed her sweet lips. Lois moaned as their tongues met and clashed against each other. Clark pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. "When I woke up and I realized where I was, all I wanted to do was go home and see you and Jason again." He sighed. "Lois, I want to tell you what happened, but it's hard for me to talk about it."

"We don't have to talk at all," Lois said needing to be close to him again as she pulled his head down and kissed him with all the love she felt for him. She thought she had lost him. She knew he would return, but she couldn't help that small part of herself that wondered if he would ever come back to her. He kissed her back slowly coaxing a response that he desperately needed and wanted.

"You're so beautiful. I love you, Lois," Clark sighed against her temple.

"I love you too Clark. Make love to me."

To answer her, he got up, went to the door and locked it.

"Good idea," Lois said smiling.

Clark slowly removed his robe and draw string pants, loving the look on her face.

"Is that for me?" She asked quirking an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah, no one else," Clark said and sobered suddenly.

Lois's eyes swept over her husband, admiring his handsome face, his masculine beauty, his broad chest, flat stomach and his jutting erection. "Come here," she said and held up her arms. She never tired of looking at him. She licked her lips in anticipation of his next move.

Clark pulled her up on her knees and helped her remove her blouse and her bra. He couldn't help staring at her bosom noticing how sensitive and larger they were now. He smiled, leaned down and took a rosy nipple in his mouth swirling his tongue eliciting a gasp and a moan from his wife. He was so turned on by her moans and sighs, he had to stop for a moment wanting this to last as long as possible. We were only apart for a few days. I can't imagine us being apart for longer than that. I can't even bear the thought.

Lois's heart raced as he helped her remove the rest of her clothes. Clark groaned as he buried his face in her neck, his tongue licking and tasting its way to her ear. His mouth came back to hers again and again, slanting to gain more access to her hot mouth. When his fingers finally touched and teased her moist curls, she nearly flew off the bed. "Now, Clark, please," she said unable to bear the pressure anymore.

Clark positioned himself and thrust inside her heat. She felt so good that he almost lost it for a moment. Her moans and thrusting hips assured him she was just as hungry for release as he was. He saw her expression and felt her body tense and the contractions beginning from within. She arched her back and threw her head back into the pillow. "Oh, Clark, oh," she moaned. She grasped his arms and held on as wave after wave of sensation swept over her. He covered her mouth with his spearing his tongue inside as his climax crashed over him a few moments later. They came back down to earth caressing and kissing each other. Several minutes passed as they pulled each other close content to be together again.

Lois suddenly realized Clark was being very quiet and she could feel him tensing up. "I know something is bothering you, Clark. Do you want to tell me what happened? Maybe I can help," she said hoping he would open up to her.

He sighed. "Something happened on Apokolips," Clark began. He sat up in bed pulling Lois close to him.

"Tell me," Lois encouraged him as she stroked his chest.

"As I was pretending to be hypnotized by Darkseid's Omega Effect, he told me there were survivors on a small unnamed planet not far from Krypton. At first, I didn't believe him, but as I studied the facts and the coordinates, I realized that maybe it was true. Then, as I was preparing to go there, the League arrived and forced me to come with them."

Lois stared at him shocked. "They forced you to come home?" She shook her head, not believing what she was hearing. "So you wanted to stay?"

"No, Lois that was the last thing I wanted. I wanted to find out the truth about this unnamed planet and if there could possibly be any survivors," Clark said trying to explain.

"But Clark, he could have been lying to you. It could have been a trap," Lois said.

Clark sighed. "I know that, but I had to know the truth," he said trying to make her understand.

"So you were willing to risk your life, leave us behind again to maybe find survivors on some unnamed planet? I can't believe you would think of doing such a thing," Lois said running her hands through her hair, closing her eyes as thoughts of them being apart again for such a long time.

Clark took her by the shoulders. He could see she was getting upset. "Lois, please try and understand. It was a shock hearing those things. I thought there were no survivors, that I was the last Kryptonian. Can you imagine what it felt like to think maybe, just maybe there was someone, anyone out there just like me?"

She pulled the sheet up to her chest, trying to think, trying to understand what he must have felt. It was hard thinking about being away from him again and to think it could have been for so much longer than just a few days. Her mind couldn't fathom it or understand it.

"I should leave. We both need to think about this. I can see by the look on your face that you're actually considering leaving." She shook her head not believing this was happening to them.

"Lois wait, please don't go. We need to talk," Clark said grabbing her arm to stop her from leaving.

"Clark please, I can't talk about this right now. Just let me go." She pulled free of him, grabbed her clothes and went into the bathroom closing the door firmly behind her. She stared at her face in the mirror, trying not to cry. She splashed cold water on her face, got dressed and steeled her emotions against him.

Clark followed her to the door trying to make things right. "Lois, I know you're upset, but you know I love you."

"I know that Clark, but we can't do this again. I can't do this again." She went to the door and turned back to face him. "You have some decisions to make. You should stay here for a few days and think about what you really want." And with those words hanging between them, she left him standing there with a shocked expression on his face.

End of Act II: Lost

TBC!

A/N: Oh, dear, trouble for the newlyweds? Tell me what you think. Thanks for reading! I will be taking another break after this Act. Act III: Destiny, the final act, will start in two weeks, on Monday, May 3rd!! Reviews are love! Please tell me what you're thinking. Remember, 2 weeks from today! And thanks for reading!!