Chapter Thirteen

A few weeks after the wedding, Clark and Lana went to the doctor's office. They waited in the exam room as Lana sat on the table. Her stomach was starting to grow bigger now. The doctor walked in and closed the door.

"Hello, Lana," the doctor said cheerfully. She looked at Clark. "I see we've decided to bring the father this time. Oh, and congratulations on your wedding."

"Thank you," said Lana. The doctor lifted up Lana's shirt to expose her stomach. She squirted some gel onto it and placed the scanner on it. Clark came over and stared at the screen. An image came onto the screen.

"And there's your baby," the doctor said. Clark stared at the ultrasound image, amazed. "I'll leave you two alone."

The doctor walked out as Clark stood by Lana. She took his hand, and smiled.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" asked Lana. Clark looked at her and sat next to her.

"Amazing," Clark told her. He kissed her and they stared into each other's eyes. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"I didn't ask," said Lana. "When I found out you were back, I wanted us to find out together."

"Have you thought of names?"

"Well, I thought that if it was a girl," Lana speculated, "and since our mothers' names were both Lara, what about Lara Louise?"

"It's perfect," said Clark. "I was thinking if it was a boy…Hiram for my grandfather and Dexter for your great uncle."

"I love it," Lana smiled. They kissed as the doctor came into the room.

"Well, would you like to know if it's a boy or a girl?" asked the doctor.

"Actually, we'd like to find out the old-fashioned way," Clark told her.

"Yeah," said Lana.

"Alright," said the doctor. "Well, the baby is perfectly healthy."

"Thank you," said Lana.

"How'd it go?" asked Jonathan as Clark and Lana entered the house.

"Well, the baby is fine," said Clark. "And we're not finding out what it is until it's born."

"Well, have you thought of names?" asked Martha.

"Well, if it's a girl: Lara Louise," Lana told them.

"And if it's a boy…Hiram Dexter," Clark said. Jonathan looked at him.

"Hiram?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Clark as Martha finished putting the food on the table.

"Time for dinner," said Martha as everyone sat down. Everyone filled their plate before Martha spoke up again. "So, have you decided what to do with that check?"

Clark looked over at Lana. "Actually, I've taken care of it this morning…I bought us a house."

"Are you serious?" Lana asked.

"I want the baby to have everything," Clark told her. "I want you to have everything. But, I also knew that it was too much, so…I used ten thousand to buy the house, five thousand to put away for the baby, and the other five thousand…" Clark pulled a five thousand dollar check out and handed it to his parents.

"Clark, we can't accept this," said Jonathan.

"Yes, you can," Clark insisted. "Think of it as payback for the last sixteen years." Jonathan smiled proudly. "Besides, it's not my money in the first place."

"Thank you, Clark," said Martha. With that, they went back to their dinner.

The next day, Clark was driving down the country road to their new house. Lana was in the passenger seat.

"Can I open my eyes?" asked Lana.

"No," Clark laughed. "We're almost there."

They drove a little further before Clark turned onto a dirt road. They drove for a few feet before finally parking. Clark got out, went around to the passenger door, and helped Lana out. As Lana kept her eyes closed, Clark held her hands and led her forward a few feet. They stopped.

"Okay," Clark whispered into her ear. "Open your eyes."

Lana slowly opened her eyes and gasped. Standing before them was a small, quaint house. It had only one floor, but it was beautiful.

"Oh, Clark…" she said. "It's perfect!"

It had a wraparound porch, a small garden out front, and a small shed out back. The farmhouse was painted a brilliant sky blue with white frames.

"It's everything I've ever dreamed of," Lana said as she hugged Clark. "Thank you."

"There's more," said Clark as he took her hand. "Come on."

They entered the house, and Lana looked around at the interior. The living room with a fireplace was to the left, the dining room and kitchen were near the back of the house, and the bedrooms and bathrooms were down the hall on the right. The décor was traditional: it had nice sofas, black oak shelves, oak table and chairs, and a brick fireplace.

Clark took Lana down the hallway to the bedrooms and turned to the doorway at the end of the hall on the right. He opened the door to reveal a nursery filled with a baby crib, a changing area, a small toy chest, and a rocking chair. It didn't have a theme yet since they didn't know if it was a boy or a girl, but it was definitely furnished for a baby.

"When did you do this?" asked Lana.

"This morning," said Clark. "I figured we could finish decorating after the baby's born. Do you like it?"

Lana wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him. "I love it." They smiled as they admired the nursery. "When do we move our stuff in?"

"Let me take care of that," said Clark. "It won't take me more than an hour."

"You are an angel," said Lana. They kissed as Clark left to get their things.

Clark walked into the building to find the lights off. He was supposed to be meeting Lana here to figure out plans for the baby.

"Lana?" Clark called.

"Clark!" Lana called, sounding panicked. Clark switched on his x-ray vision and saw her tied up over in the corner. The lights came on as Clark's vision returned to normal. He started to rush over, but Lana called out. "No! Don't come any closer!"

Clark stopped as he spotted the kryptonite around her. There was a bomb strapped to her, and she was tied to the wall.

"What's the matter, Clark?" came a voice behind him. Clark turned to see a familiar face mocking him. "Cat got your tongue?"

"You're the reporter that was in our house," Clark said. "What do you want?"

"I want you to feel my pain," he said. "You see, I've put all the pieces together. The meteor shower…that was the first day you showed up in Smallville. Wherever you came from, you brought the meteor rocks with you. I can't believe I never figured it out before. You see, ever since I saw you were weakened in the presence of the rocks, I did a little research. You're quite the hero in Smallville; you're at a lot of crime scenes. You use whatever powers you have to save the day, and everybody likes you. You get a girl, a family, friends…a child…and all I get is pain. When I got my powers, I lost everything. My wife, my two children, my job…I swore on my life I would find whoever was responsible…and make them suffer."

Clark watched him carefully.

"You're gonna know the pain of losing the two people you love the most," the reporter said as he pressed a button, and the bomb started counting down.

Clark charged suddenly, running in light speed straight for him. The reporter struck out his hand, and latched it onto Clark's chest. It stopped Clark in his tracks; it felt like he was being drained. A white energy flowed from Clark, and into the man. He let Clark go as he fell to the floor.

"Clark!" Lana cried out. Clark got up and looked at the man.

"My power is to take other people's powers," the man said. Clark began to worry. "Oh, don't worry; you still have your powers…I just leveled the playing field."

The man sped forward and socked Clark across the jaw. Clark flew into the concrete wall, and fell onto his knees. He shot some heat vision at the reporter, knocking him across the room. The man slowly emerged from a pile of debris with some cuts and bruises. He stared in confusion at his bloody hands.

"But…you aren't…" the man wondered.

"Looks like you got my powers, but you're still human," said Clark. "My invulnerability isn't a power…it's part of what I am."

The man attacked, racing towards Clark, but he deflected him, and the man soared into the wall. Apparently, that was a holding tank for something flammable, because it burst into flames. Without Kryptonian invulnerability, the guy didn't have a chance. Clark watched in regret and then headed for Lana.

"Clark, you can't; it'll kill you," Lana told him.

Clark readied himself and approached Lana. The pain hit him head-on, and he doubled over. He took a deep breath and carried on. He reached Lana, and braced himself against the wall. He grabbed the cords binding the bomb to Lana, and pulled. He strained against the pain as he pulled. The cords started fraying and then tore free. Clark collapsed to the floor, drained.

"Clark!" Lana cried as she knelt down next to him. She got him to his feet as they stumbled toward the exit. Clark looked back at the digital readout: five seconds.

"Get down!" Clark yelled as Lana crouched on the ground. Clark threw his arms around her, trying to protect her from the blast. He squeezed his eyes shut as an explosion rocked the building. Fire engulfed the two of them as Clark endured the flames. The kryptonite had made him weaker; his invulnerability wasn't as strong. The heat seared him as his jacket burned, and the ends of his hair were singed. He gasped in pain as his skin began to burn. He blacked out as the flames dissipated.

Lana felt the heat of the flames disappear as the explosion ended. Clark had successfully protected her from the fire, but she then felt him collapse. She spun around to see him unconscious on the floor.

"Oh, Clark…" said Lana. His jacket had burned off, and his shirt was smoldered. His arms were red and burnt, and the patches of his skin that could be seen through his shirt were burnt also. His face had blisters on it, and it was kind of red. His hair was a little singed, too. Lana ran over to him, and tried to rouse him. "Clark! Clark, wake up! Come on…"

He wouldn't wake up, so Lana grabbed his arms and began to drag him to the car.

"Where are you, Lana?" Chloe asked. She was at their house, waiting for Lana. She was supposed to meet her a half hour ago. The door burst open, and Chloe turned to see Lana dragging Clark into the house.

"Oh, my gosh," said Chloe as she saw what state Clark was in. Lana was having trouble getting Clark into the house, so Chloe helped her get him onto the couch. Chloe got a sheet out and placed it under Clark to get him off the rough fabric. She ripped the rest of his shirt off as Lana got a bowl of water and a cloth ready. They both sat down on the coffee table next to the couch as Lana bathed Clark's wounds with the cloth.

"What happened?" asked Chloe.

"A reporter with superpowers tied me to a bomb," Lana explained. "He put kryptonite around me so Clark couldn't get to me. He wanted revenge for the meteor shower, and they fought, and the guy got himself killed. Clark got me untied, but was weakened by the rocks. He protected me as the bomb went off."

"But he's not around the rocks anymore," Chloe said. "Usually, he heals when kryptonite is taken away."

"I don't know," said Lana. "I'm gonna call his parents."

Lana got up and dialed the Kents. Within a half hour, Martha and Jonathan walked through the door.

"Where is he?" Martha asked anxiously.

"In here," Lana called from the family room. The Kents came around and saw their son.

"Oh, my gosh…" Martha said as tears slid down her cheeks. "What did he do to you?"

"Why isn't he healing?" asked Jonathan.

"We're not sure," said Chloe.

"Did you check for meteor rocks?" Martha asked.

"Lana…" Clark muttered. His eyes were closed; he was talking in his sleep. Lana came over and held his hand.

"It's okay," she whispered with tears in her eyes. "I'm here."

Clark winced as Lana stroked his hair out of his face. Jonathan came over and started searching for kryptonite. He stopped suddenly.

"There," he said, pointing to Clark's shoulder. There were green veins stretching out from a burn wound. The small rock was almost on the surface, so Jonathan pulled it out. He tossed it out the window, and came back to Clark.

Clark's wounds closed up as his skin turned from red to peach. He stirred and woke up.

"What happened?" he asked Lana.

"The explosion burned you," she replied.

"Yeah…I noticed," Clark replied as he sat up. "Are you okay?"

"Thanks to you," said Lana.

Clark stood at the loft window, staring at the sunset. Lana walked up behind him.

"Is something wrong?" asked Lana. She came up beside him as he stared at the horizon. "If it's possible, you seem more burdened than usual."

Clark was silent for a minute. "He was right. The meteor showers…the people that were infected…your parents…it's all my fault."

"Don't even think for a minute that you were responsible for all that," Lana told him, insistent. "Did you cause your planet to be destroyed? There was no way to stop it. It was going to happen whether you had come to Smallville or not."

Clark finally tore his eyes away from the setting sun to look at Lana. She placed a hand on the side of his face, and smiled. They kissed as the sun sank below the horizon.

Clark and Lana knocked on the front door of the Kent house, and Martha opened the door.

"Hi!" she exclaimed as she hugged Lana and then Clark. "Come in! Come in!"

Clark handed her a small box. "Happy Mother's Day, Mom."

"Thank you, Clark," said Martha as she closed the door. "How's it going, Lana?"

"Ugh," sighed Lana as she plopped into a chair at the dining room table. "I feel like I'm ready to pop."

"Just a few more weeks," said Clark as he sat down next to her.

"When's your due date?" asked Jonathan.

"May twenty-fourth," Lana told them. "Although, I don't know how much longer I can last."

"It's too bad the baby wasn't born earlier," said Martha. "Then you could celebrate Mother's Day."

Lana smiled, then registered a look of shock on her face.

"Don't worry, Lana," said Martha. "You'll be able to celebrate it next year."

"Actually, I'm gonna be celebrating it sooner than you think," Lana told them as she placed a hand on her stomach.

Clark looked at her, worried. "What do you mean?"

Lana looked at him, her eyes wide. "My water just broke."