Hearts Divided

Previously: Kal's crew (and concubines) used subterfuge to get aboard Nor's ship. Lois, Brenda & Francine have freed Zara, and Kal's given Nor the chance to surrender.

Ching stared at him, much more comfortable now that he could aim his own weapon in the right direction. "I serve Lady Zara," he stated baldly. "And she deserves far better than you."

Nor arched an eyebrow, infuriatingly calm. "Really? How odd, that's not what she said the last few times."

Ching felt his fingers tense and had to consciously restrain himself from firing. He reminded himself that Zara had said she was fine, but Nor's words spoke directly to his worst nightmares.

"Granted," Nor continued with an evil smile, "she was less than impressed at first, but once I taught her to please me-"

A bullet was much too good for this piece of slime. With a tiny smile of his own, Ching engaged the safety and tucked the gun back into his belt. He was aware of Kal's telepathic warnings of caution, but ignored them. Then he lunged forward, eager to get his hands wrapped around Nor's soft, white throat.

And now, Chapter 7

"Oh, hell," Kal muttered as Ching took the bait and lunged. All hope of a peaceful resolution was now gone - not that Nor had seemed likely to cooperate anyway. Kal looked around and located Sev watching the fight from a corner. "Sev, stay there!" Kal ordered, with little hope of being obeyed.

He turned back, watching the fistfight that had by now crashed to the deck. Nor was a little taller and heavier than Ching, but didn't seem nearly as well trained, and was presently getting much the worse of the confrontation. Kal couldn't help sharing some of his friend's primitive desire for revenge. Even if his latest innuendo was entirely false, which he was almost certain it was, Nor had still crossed far beyond the bounds of acceptable behavior. And yet ... they couldn't usurp the law, or they would be no better. Kal sighed. Time to rescue his enemy from his friend.

Keeping a wary eye on Sev, Kal tucked his gun into his waistband and carefully approached the two wrestling on the floor. He'd probably be able to just pick them both up, but that display of strength would give away far more than he wanted either Sev or Nor to know. "Ching ... Ching, that's enough!"

Ching paused, mid-punch, a suspicious look on his face. "My lord?"

"Leave him to the Council, Ching. They'll take care of him."

On the floor, with several smears of blood on his face, Nor began to laugh. Kal ignored him, reaching out for Ching's upraised arm. He didn't realize what the pounding sound under the laughter meant until three new guards burst into the room.

"Oh, hell," he swore again as the first one leapt on his back and toppled him to the floor.

Lois watched the corridor where the bridge crew had disappeared, but it was quiet. "Not that I'm complaining," she said, "but does anyone else wonder where they've gone?"

Francine shrugged. "Maybe they're making a run for the life boats, or whatever they call them on a spaceship."

"Yeah, maybe," Lois said, but she didn't believe it for a second. Those thugs had gone off to help their captain - probably summoned telepathically - and she itched to be in that fight, watching Kal's back. She tried to reach out to him mentally, but only received a confused jumble of images, probably all imaginary. She reassured herself that he was still invulnerable, but he wouldn't be able to use his full capabilities. Besides, if she was stuck here, away from the action, she was missing her chance to take a little personal revenge on Nor.

Zara was bent over a control panel, frowning and punching buttons. Lois recognized some of the control stations; Nor's ship was designed the same as Kal's, and she had gotten Kal to teach her some basic functions. The one Zara was working at, though, was unknown to her. Lois hated the unknown.

With a satisfied exclamation Zara straightened up.

"Is it fixed?" Lois asked, before remembering the language barrier.

Zara nodded, her eyes sparkling with pride and perhaps a touch of malicious glee.

"Good." So Zara seemed able to understand her ... interesting. Perhaps Kryptonian telepathy acted as a sort of translator, picking up on whatever she was thinking loudest at the time. It was a little scary to think that her thoughts weren't entirely private. But she had managed to fool Sev, she reassured herself; so there were clearly limits to it.

Speaking a little slower than usual and doing her best to project curiosity, Lois asked, "Um, what does it do - or what did it do?" Belatedly it occurred to her to worry that Zara might be one of those death-before-dishonor types who would see suicide as a good way out of a bad situation. Somewhat fearfully, she added, "Boom?"

Zara grinned. "No boom." She spoke a few more incomprehensible words, then gave up the effort with a frustrated grimace.

"Well, if you're done here, maybe you guys should go back towards the shuttle we came over in ... Francine, Brenda, you go with her."

"Wait a minute, girlfriend," Brenda spoke up. "I'm not so sure that's a great idea. There's probably still some goons wandering around this ship."

Lois shook her head. "I'm sure they're all busy fighting Kal and Ching."

Brenda stared at her. "So you think we should just sneak out?"

"Well, that would be safest," Lois said, a little taken aback at Brenda's sudden combativeness.

"Huh, the hell with that. No, now that I've got this defense training, I wanna use it to kick some bad guy butt."

Lois still didn't like the idea. "Francine?"

"Don't worry, sweetie. We can handle them. We took down those two earlier, didn't we?"

"Well, yeah, but they weren't expecting-"

"Goons never do, Lois. Not from women like us."

As a last hope, Lois turned to Zara. "Lady Zara," she began, hoping the other woman's telepathy would get the idea across. "We have a shuttle that can take you to Lord Kal-El's ship; you'd be safe there."

Zara smiled serenely. She held up one finger. "Ching." Then she held up a finger on her other hand. "Zara." Then she brought the second finger across towards the first, and hooked them together for emphasis.

Lois gave up, laughing quietly. "Okay, okay, I'm outnumbered. The Lady and Concubine Strike Force is on its way."

Ching felt himself calming down and slowly coming back to rationality. Nor was on the floor beneath him, looking satisfactorily battered, but then he began laughing, and Ching decided hazily that he needed to be punched just one more time. Before he could connect, however, several bodies toppled onto them, and it dawned on Ching that Nor's reinforcements had arrived.

He rolled with the others, then extricated himself and crouched against a wall, evaluating the new enemy. There were three men wearing Nor's livery, and currently they were all ganging up on Kal-El. Kal seemed to be handling himself, but Ching had no intention of letting his lord - and somewhat surprisingly, friend - down. Taking a deep breath and better control of his wayward emotions, Ching charged back into the thick of the fight.

The sounds of fighting were clear long before Lois reached the bridge. No gunfire that she could hear, though, which she supposed was good. She gripped her own weapon, hoping that Kryptonian goons would realize the damage she could do with it. "Let me go first," she hissed to the others.

"Glory hog," Brenda commented, but without conviction.

"I want to try to stop this. But if it doesn't work, I'll need you guys."

"We're here," Francine assured her. She looked much less confident now, but still determined.

"Wish me luck!" With that, Lois rounded the last corner and found herself standing just inside the doorway. It was chaos within the formerly pristine room, but after a moment she was able to recognize the struggling figures within. Kal-El was warding off two guards, and somehow Lois could tell that he was restraining himself, using only enough strength to defend himself. Ching, on the other hand, was exchanging blows with one other guard with every evidence of enthusiasm, grinning and gasping out insults. Nor, Lois noted with approval, was on the floor, albeit propped up against a wall, yelling commands to his men.

Lois took another step forward, aiming her gun at Nor's chest. In an attempt to make her threat clear to goons who might not be familiar with projectile weapons, she filled her mind with images of Nor's splattered corpse. She saw his startled gaze turn towards her, and in the loudest, most forceful voice she could muster, she yelled, "Freeze! Or I blow Nor to atoms!"

For a moment, the struggles stopped, and Lois was peripherally aware of pleased expressions on both Kal and Ching's faces. Then suddenly, an arm wrapped around her neck, and Lois felt a small cold circle of metal against her temple. She went very still.

"Drop the gun," Sev ordered hoarsely. "Or I'll blow your head off."

Lois met Kal's eyes across the room. For a moment he looked frantic, then his expression changed. Suddenly, she heard his voice in her head. **It's not loaded,** he told her. **You can handle him.**

Kal took advantage of the other guards' distraction and shoved them across the room, knocking them down. Lois took advantage of Sev's distraction by stamping on his instep, ramming her elbow into his gut, and then bringing her fist up to smack him in the face. He slumped to the floor.

Kal laughed when he saw Sev crumple. He had briefly been terrified, but a quick mental inventory and burst of x-ray vision had assured him that Sev was still using his weapon from the earlier ruse. They had wanted Sev to look like he was in charge, but at no point had he been given actual ammunition. Without the worry about a bullet, Lois had been able to dispose of him handily. It was amazing how much he loved that about her.

After that, it was fairly easy to subdue the remaining guards. Working together as a team, he and Ching herded them into a corner with Sev's limp body. The arrival of Brenda and Francine was almost more of a hindrance than a help, given their tendency to keep hitting the guards even after they'd effectively surrendered.

"Come on, ladies," Lois laughed. "Leave the guys alone, okay? Kal, are these all the goons on board?"

Kal looked around, and tried to listen for any more thudding feet. All was quiet. "You took care of those two from earlier, right?"

She nodded. "They're shoved in a cabin down the way, and Zara did something to the lock; they should be out of commission."

"Well, then," Kal looked at her and grinned. "I think we won."

Nor coughed, a harsh sound in the quiet room. "Not quite yet. I have one last card to play."

Ching glowered at the man who'd been tormenting them all. "You're bluffing."

Nor glared right back. "You wish." With evident difficulty, he fished inside his tunic and pulled out a small device. "This is my last resort, and I hope you won't force me to use it."

Kal narrowed his eyes. "What is it?"

Nor shrugged. "This trinket? Nothing much ... but if I push *this* button," he flipped open a protective cover to reveal a red button, "it will set the ship to self-destruct. You cannot stop it. And I would prefer to die here rather than go back to New Krypton in disgrace. Therefore, it is now my turn to dictate terms. I want you to give your weapons to my men. Kal-El, you and Ching will decamp to the nearby mining station, to be retrieved later - if I'm in a good mood, that is. Your lady friends - well, possibly not all of them," he amended, with a baleful glance towards Lois, "will remain with me."

Ching watched him, mentally calculating angles and wondering whether it would be at all possible to knock the device out of Nor's hands. Possibly ... not. The alternative was awful but not unthinkable, and at least Zara should be safe.

Instinctively, he turned to watch her. She was gazing at Nor with disgust, but a complete lack of fear. **My love,** he sent, **we may have to accept his terms.**

**What?** She turned to him in surprise, then a look of enlightenment crossed her face. **Oh, no, you won't.**

Before he could guess what she was up to, she strode forward toward Nor, who was still dictating terms.

"Once Zara does me the honor of accepting my humble suit," Nor sneered, "I may send a ship to release you both." He stopped when he realized that Zara was daring to confront him. "Come to beg for mercy, my dear?"

"Do you know what I've always hated about you?" Zara asked conversationally.

He stared at her in blank surprise, clutching his device a bit closer.

"You talk too much. You will kindly cease. Kal-El is now in command of this vessel, and that device of yours is useless."

His face worked with rage and Ching moved closer, ready to protect Zara.

"You think so, do you?" Nor panted. "How will you like it if I do this?" Defiantly, he pressed the button.

Zara made no move to stop him. "Why should I care? All that does is send a message to the control on the bridge, remember? You told me so yourself. And I'm happy to say that the control on the bridge is no longer functional." She turned away from him then, clearly dismissing him from her thoughts, and winked at Lois. "No boom."

Behind her, Nor screamed with rage, and from the sounds of it, hit the button repeatedly. Zara just walked away from him, confident that Ching and Kal could now handle him. **He's all yours, my love,** she sent to Ching, and she felt his savage satisfaction when he took control of the now-babbling Nor. Lois was laughing with delight, but Zara was focused on Kal.

Her steps slowed as she approached him. He had been raised almost as her brother, they had been friends for years, and she would shortly be marrying him. But she hadn't seen him in three cycles, not since before she met and fell in love with Ching. Meeting him again now was proving awkward. "My lord," she greeted him.

He bowed slightly. "My lady, it is good to see you."

"Thank you for ... everything." A hand vaguely gestured to Nor's ship and the fallen guards.

Kal grinned crookedly. "I had a lot of help ... including from you. Thank you."

She nodded, discounting this as mere politeness. "I do my duty."

"I know that you do - and I know that you are capable of much more," Kal said softly, but with a note of respect that confused her.

Kal liked her, she knew that, but she hadn't thought he'd realized that she was, in her own way, working very hard for the benefit of New Krypton. Perhaps that was her fault though; they hadn't been close in recent years - not at all while he had been away - and she had kept herself largely hidden from him, showing only her docile public persona.

It hadn't always been that way; as children she'd done her best to win every strategy game they'd played. At least until her father and Aunt Alys had scolded her for it. "Women don't need to know strategy," Father had said flatly. "We mustn't trample on their egos," Aunt Alys had added later in private. "There are other ways to get what you want." After a series of confrontations on the issue, Zara had given up playing the games altogether. Looking back now, she thought that Kal had been disappointed to lose his sparring partner, so perhaps she should have given him more credit.

"I couldn't have done as much without help," she said, still minimizing her own contributions out of habit and changing the subject. "Will you introduce me to your new friends?"

"We found some unexpected allies on Earth," Kal explained, reaching out to grasp Lois's hand and pull her closer. "This is Lieutenant Lois Lane, of the Earth military forces."

Zara smiled at her in genuine pleasure. "I'm honored to meet you," she said, mostly for Kal's sake since Lois didn't speak Kryptonian.

Lois smiled. "Believe me, Zara, the honor is mine." Her glance flickered briefly to Kal's face. "Kal's told me a lot about you."

Using telepathy, Zara was able to pick up not only the surface meaning of Lois's strange words, but also some tantalizing emotional undercurrents. The fact that Kal was touching Lois and not her took on new significance. And had Lois merely replied out of politeness, or had she somehow understood what Zara had said? To test it, she asked, "Have you known Kal long?"

"Only a few days," Lois replied a little sadly. "We met on Earth, and then ... well, it got complicated."

Zara noted that for future reference, but had to ask, "How is it that you can understand me now, when you couldn't before?"

"Oh, right..." Lois glanced at Kal again, who was looking a little confused himself. "I think Kal is kind of translating for me. Mentally, I mean."

Zara gave Kal a startled look; did he realize what that could mean? He seemed surprised by the realization, but his mind was tightly closed to her. How fascinating. She was hardly in a position to complain, of course, even if Kal didn't realize it yet. Perhaps she ought to tell him, just to be fair, but the risks were too high. She looked forward to some private time where she could discuss it with Ching. "And your other friends?" she asked.

"This is Brenda and Francine," Kal obliged. The supposed concubines both came forward and each shook her hand. "I hadn't planned to bring them along," he explained earnestly. "And none of them is a real concubine. But Sev saw them before we left and thought he'd help himself. I'm fortunate that they forgave me for his sins."

Lois waved an airy hand. "He didn't get a chance to sin much, just trapped us on board the ship before it took off." She winked at Zara, obviously not harboring any grudge. "The next time I saw him, I laid him out like a pastry."

The words were unfamiliar to Zara, but the accompanying mental image made her laugh.

Kal smiled, remembering his stunned amazement when he'd first met Lois. It was strange to think that in a mere four days she had become so essential to his happiness.

"I am pleased that you were unharmed," Zara said, still smiling at Lois.

Ching came back into the room at that point. "My lord," he reported, standing to attention. "The prisoners are secured."

Kal's smile widened. Good old Ching, giving a perfect imitation of the emotionless Kryptonian ideal. It was reassuring to know that he wasn't nearly as repressed as he appeared. "Ching, after what we've been through, I think you can call me Kal."

Ching looked startled, almost disapproving at first, but slowly relaxed. "Thank you, my - Kal."

"Where did you stuff them?" Lois asked.

"There is a series of private cabins just off the main corridor; Sev, Nor, and his guards are the new occupants. It was not difficult to set the door lock systems to keep them inside."

"Let's hope they get claustrophobia," Lois muttered.

Kal nodded absently. "That will do for now. We need to get everyone home as safely as possible. Ching, if you could take the ladies back to the other ship, I'm going to make sure that this ship is functioning properly on auto-control." His mind raced through various options. They had two ships now, which expanded their options, but he was uneasy about keeping seven men onboard as prisoners; they didn't have nearly enough men to guard them properly. "Come back after you've delivered the ladies, Ching. We have a problem to discuss."

Lois frowned. "I'd like to stay with you, if you don't mind."

Kal noted the speculative look on Zara's face, but he ignored it. "I was hoping you could look after Zara for me, Lois." She was looking mulish. His initial decision had been more impulsive than rational, but he was starting to see an underlying logic. "With Ching and I gone, I need you to be in command of the ship." Visions of Nor somehow re-taking his ship and attacking the other one danced in his head. "I need someone there I can trust, in case ... in case anything goes wrong."

Lois opened her mouth to argue, then slowly closed it. "Don't worry, I'll take care of her. But you know, if you're worried about Nor's guards, why don't you take his advice?"

Kal frowned, glancing at Ching and Zara to see if they'd followed that. Apparently not. "What advice do you mean, exactly?"

She grinned. "Don't you remember, he was going to strand us on the mining station?"

Kal laughed. "Of course. We have to take Nor back to New Krypton for trial, but his underlings - not to mention Sev - can very well wait here until we can send another ship for them."

Ching showed a ghost of a smile. "Most appropriate. And I can guarantee that there's plenty of room for them."

"But first," Kal reminded him, "we need to move the ladies to safety."

"Yes, my lord," Ching replied, his eyes darting hungrily to Zara's face. "Lady Lois, if you could lead the way?"

Kal watched the small procession exit towards the shuttle, noting that Lois seemed to be keeping the other two dancers away from Ching and Zara. Kal sighed. He would have to do something about those two sooner or later. His marriage to Zara would be a business arrangement, nothing more, so he had no objection if she found happiness with Ching, as long as they were suitably discreet. Telling them so, however, was likely to be awkward at best. He'd almost rather face Nor again.

It was a quiet ride on the shuttle. Brenda and Francine had begun the ride in good spirits, but when none of the other three had responded, they'd retreated toward the back of the small compartment. Lois sat behind Ching, who was piloting, allowing Zara to sit next to him

Lois had never liked being part of a rear guard, preferring to be right in the thick of the action, but she could see the need to be prepared in case Nor got out somehow. Tactically, it might have made more sense for her to stay with Kal while Ching went to command the second ship, but it was too late for that now. She suspected that Kal was still trying to protect her, which was both annoying and sort of sweet, but all the same, she meant to carry out her mission to the best of her ability.

She'd have to confer with Zak and find out exactly what the ship could do. Kal probably expected her to hightail it out of there if anything happened so that she could protect Zara. Kal didn't know her well enough yet. Lois was determined that she wasn't going to abandon her crewmates if she had any other options, and she was sure she could think up some options.

Very likely nothing would happen. Nor had seemed like a broken man when Ching had led him out, and he didn't strike her as the overly energetic type. She doubted he'd be able to threaten anyone anymore, Not without his bully boys to back him up, and she trusted Kal and Ching would deny him the opportunity. But if anything did happen, Lois intended to be prepared.

She glanced toward the pair in the front seats. Ching and Zara had barely spoken two words to each other since coming on board, and they weren't even looking at each other. Lois considered it a waste of a good opportunity, and started to worry that she'd misjudged the situation. Ching was definitely hung up on Zara, and she had seemed attached to him, too - at least until she'd seen Kal again and gone all stiff and formal.

Zara had it tough, Lois supposed, trying to feel sympathy for her. She was a bright woman in a system that considered that an oxymoron, and she had to pick a husband based on political considerations. Even if she had found love - sheyana - with a household guard, there was no way she could publicly express it. It was rather like the non-fraternization rules in the military, enacted to prevent sexual harassment between officers and their troops, but which sometimes interfered with real and healthy relationships. At least military personnel had the option to revert to civilian status, at which point the regulations no longer applied. Zara and Ching were stuck, drafted before birth and unable to opt out.

All the same, Lois was disappointed that they weren't trying harder to finagle the regs, somehow. It wasn't as if Kal would mind. She heard a slight noise and looked up to see that Zara had turned toward Ching, her eyes dancing as if at some secret joke. Ching was still looking straight ahead, but his mouth was twitching, and Lois felt like an idiot. Of course, they were telepathic - they didn't need to talk aloud, and especially not when others could hear them. She turned her head to the side, determined to study the floor and not intrude into their precious moment of privacy.

It was reassuring, in a way, that Ching and Zara weren't blindly conforming to their society's stupid rules. It reaffirmed her faith in human nature, even if these two weren't exactly human. And yet, it still wasn't enough. Lady Zara would not be allowed to marry Lieutenant Ching, so she would go ahead and marry Lord Kal-El.

And Lois Lane would go back to Earth, alone.

"Lieutenant Ching and I have been discussing ideas, and we think we have a workable plan," Kal announced. "We'd like to present it to you ladies," he nodded to Zara and Lois, "and get your reactions before we proceed."

Zara sat up a little straighter. If Kal seriously wanted her opinions, she welcomed the chance to show her intelligence. She just wished she didn't feel so sleepy, but that was probably just a reaction to the tensions of the day.

It had been lovely to spend a little time with Ching in the shuttle on the way to this ship, but when he'd left again, her nerves had returned, full force. It had been difficult to communicate with Lois, but she knew they were both facing the same worry. Thankfully, Lois had seemed to have a plan, and a determination not to abandon Kal or Ching. And in the end, all the worrying and planning turned out to have been for nothing. Nor had ensured loyalty from his men by threats; once the threat evaporated, the loyalty had gone, too. It had been a long laborious process to transfer the lesser prisoners to the mining station one at a time, but now they were safely stowed away, so Kal and Ching had returned to join the ladies.

Melanie and Francine had volunteered to make dinner for them all, which Zara appreciated. Even if she hadn't felt compelled to remain on the bridge, she would have been helpless in a kitchen without servants. And now, after dinner, Kal had invited Ching, Lois, and herself to a conference in the Terrace.

"No problem," Lois replied cheerfully. "I always have an opinion. And I'm sure Zara will, too - right?"

Zara nodded. "I have not always spoken them aloud, but yes - I always have an opinion."

"Great," Kal smiled at her. "I hope you'll trust me enough to share. We have several goals that need to be met. The Lady Zara must be returned to New Krypton as quickly as possible to keep things stable, politically."

Zara sighed, not relishing the prospect. At Kal's inquiring glance she decided to elaborate. "I understand that, and I will do my duty ... but it's frustrating to be treated as just a symbol - a lucky token. I'm the closest thing New Krypton has to a leader right now, but all they require of me is public appearances and a pulse. I don't even speak in Council meetings."

"Well, have you tried?" Lois asked reasonably.

Zara was stunned for a moment. "I - the taboo against a woman speaking in Council - it's never even occurred to me," she admitted finally. "It did cause a bit of a stir when I insisted on attending the meetings; I suppose I didn't want them to change their minds and throw me out. And I have spoken to individual councilors at other times to try to influence votes on one or two issues."

"That's great," Lois smiled. "See, you're more than just a symbol. Not that being a symbol is a bad thing, either." Her glance flickered to Kal and back. "As long as you're standing for what's right, and doing what you can to fight for it."

"And you will be able to do more once you're married," Kal added a bit awkwardly. "Things are just a trifle ... unsettled right now."

Zara raised an eyebrow. She had thought that marriage would spell the end of her fledgling influence, but perhaps not. Kal-El seemed to be implying that he would allow her to continue working for New Krypton and not insist that she spend all her energy on the household and future offspring. She also noted that Lois had lost some of her smile at the reference to marriage, while Ching was looking particularly stoic. "Yes, well, we can discuss that later. I do need to return home, and I admit I have missed Aunt Alys."

Kal smiled then. "So have I ... but that may have to wait a little while longer. I have promised to return Lois and her friends to Earth. They've been ripped away from their lives there, and I owe it to them to get them back home as quickly as possible." His eyes strayed to Lois's face for a moment, and Zara caught a glimpse of longing there before he covered it up. "Luckily for us, we have two ships, so if we split up, we should be able to accomplish both objectives in good order."

"Split up? How, exactly?" Lois demanded anxiously.

Zara tried to do a better job of hiding her own anxiety. "Elaborate, please."

Kal fidgeted in his seat, darting a glance at Ching before facing her once more. "We've inspected Nor's ship and believe that it can return to New Krypton from here on computer control, for the most part, if a pilot is available for any emergencies. Lord Nor is still imprisoned there, and we've reinforced his cell, so he should not have the opportunity to cause trouble. It makes sense to me that you should return on that ship, Zara." Kal took a deep breath, not quite meeting her eyes, "and I believe Ching should accompany you."

Zara stared at him, trying to work this out. It was obvious to her that Kal suspected something between them ... and he was condoning it? Or was he simply covering up his own desire to spend more time with Lois, and embarrassed to admit it before his future wife? **Ching, what is he talking about? What does he know?**

**I'm not sure,** Ching sent back in a worried tone.

"That would be acceptable," Zara replied carefully. "Lieutenant Ching has served in my household before-"

Kal met her eyes then and said gently, "I think there was a little bit more to it than that, Zara."

Zara sucked in her breath, feeling waves of heat and chill travel up her body. "I am aware there have been certain rumors," she began, gathering steam as she went, "but I would never dishonor myself or you -"

Kal shook his head. "No, Zara, that's not what I meant ... oh, this is so embarrassing." He looked up again. "I'm sorry, I'm saying this badly. During our search for you, I began to suspect that Ching was ... attached to you, and after you contacted him at such a distance ... well, it seemed clear that you had feelings for him, as well."

Zara closed her eyes, certain that her cheeks were turning bright red. After all this time and all their caution, it was devastating to be caught.

"If there were any way you could marry him, Zara, I'd happily stand aside."

Her eyes popped open; this was unexpected.

"But the best I can do is to promise not to interfere. Your marriage must be political in nature," Kal said earnestly, his eyes once more drawn towards Lois, "but your personal life should be your own."

At last, Zara dared to look at Ching. He was sitting as silently as ever, but his eyes were glowing. **What do you think, my love?**

"Kal," Ching said slowly, "I would never have gone against your wishes, I hope you know that."

Kal nodded. "You are an honorable man."

Ching smiled wryly. "I do my poor best." The smile disappeared as Ching straightened up, very much on his dignity. "You've given us a great gift. Thank you."

"Trust me, it's the least I could do," Kal muttered, seeming very uncomfortable with the whole conversation. "So then, it's settled? Ching and Zara will take Nor back to New Krypton, while Zak and I take a side trip to return our friends to Earth."

Zara turned to look at Lois, who was staring resolutely out at the stars, surrounded by an almost visible aura of sadness.

"Yes," Lois said quietly. "That sounds like a plan."

"That went pretty well, I think," Kal commented, once Zara and Ching had left the Terrace. "I mean, I was pretty nervous about bringing up the whole subject, but Zara seemed to take it well, don't you think?"

"Yeah, she did." Lois stared out at the stars, hardly seeing their brilliant sparkle. The whole conversation had been depressing, hammering home the fact that Kal still planned to marry Zara.

"It would have been pretty embarrassing if I'd guessed wrong about their relationship." Kal laughed softly, evidently working through his nerves after the fact. "I was sure about Ching - well, you were the one who told me, and it was obvious. It's hard to read Zara, though; she has this public face she puts on to keep everyone guessing. Some of the glances going back and forth, though ... well, I figured I was on pretty solid ground."

"Yes, you were."

Her soft tone seemed to catch his attention. "Lois, is there anything wrong?"

Lois considered how to answer that. The man she loved was going to marry another woman and move to another planet; did he have to be blindly insensitive on top of that? "Only the obvious."

"Oh, yeah. That." Kal came to stand behind her, hesitantly sliding his arms around her waist. She could see a dim reflection of them in the window, and resisted the impulse to lay her head back against his chest. "I wish it were that easy for us."

"If you call that easy." She knew that now was no time for this sort of discussion; she was tired and wrung out. But she didn't want to let Kal's rosy assumptions stand, and somewhere within her there was a spark of anger. She just wasn't sure what she was angry at - the neo-feudal system that was so hostile to love, or the man who so unthinkingly participated in it. "How much togetherness will they be able to manage, really?"

Kal shifted slightly. "A fair amount, I suppose ... Zara has a large household with a number of servants. All we need to do is add Ching on as a household guard again - actually, we should probably promote him to chief security officer for the House of El; he'd do well in that position. Zara can create as much privacy for herself as she wants, really. At least on the private estates. Rumors might spread eventually, but as long as I don't object, nothing will come of it."

"So they'll still be stuck pretending most of the time," Lois concluded grimly. "And you think that's fine?"

"No, it's not fine," Kal said, with an apologetic tone, then added gently, "But it's the best they can do. And it's definitely better than nothing."

There didn't seem to be much of an argument against that. As she stood there, studying their reflection against the stars, a lump formed in Lois's throat at the thought of a lifetime without Kal. It hadn't seemed like such an awful prospect one short week ago. Why was it now so chilling? Why had the universe shown her that this man even existed if it wasn't going to allow her to keep him?

"Actually..." Kal shuffled his feet, turning her around to face him. "That reminds me of something I wanted to ask you. Lois, this last week ... it's been amazing. I've never met anyone like you - I never thought I would. You're beautiful and smart, and you have such passion for life."

Lois allowed herself to smile, warmed by his words and by the intensity of his gaze, feeling the chill of depression retreat.

"Maybe there were women like you on New Krypton and I just never noticed, I don't know," he admitted humbly, "but I don't think so. I can talk to you ... I can work with you. I've barely met any men I'd trust the way I trust you - and you've got to admit, with my background, that's kinda incredible." He grinned.

Lois grinned back, loving the way his smile lit up his face. "Sexist creep," she teased.

Kal laughed. "Not any more! You've cured me of low expectations, believe me. And I want to cure a lot of other people, too - there are so many changes I want to try back home." He sobered, watching her intently. "But it's going to be awfully hard to do it without my partner."

Lois held his gaze, unable to squelch a flicker of hope. "What are you saying?"

"Lois ... I want you to come back with me to New Krypton." The words came out a little rushed, and he watched her closely as he continued. "The atmosphere and gravity aren't that different from Earth's, and I'm sure that we could handle any medical problems with you adapting - we've got some amazing medical technology. I know it would mean leaving your family and your career behind, but ... well, I *need* you, Lois. I can't face the idea of a lifetime without you. I love you."

Lois forced herself to breathe, and only by strong self-discipline restrained herself from flinging herself against him. "Are you asking me to marry you?"

A confused look crossed his face. "I thought you understood about that ... I have to marry Zara to keep things from falling apart ... but you could still be with me!"

Lois felt her mouth drop open. Her mind whirled, and she was utterly incapable of forming a coherent sentence.

"I know it's not ideal," he added, looking increasingly worried. "But Lois, it's better than nothing. Isn't it?"

She took a deep breath and backed away from him, out of his arms. "You want me to be a concubine."

Kal flinched. "Technically, I suppose so," he said defensively, "but you'd be special; everyone would know that - it's part of our traditions..."

"Well, it's sure as hell not part of mine! I cannot *believe* you asked me that!" She began to pace, too keyed up to stay still. Her hands were trembling from the effort it took not to slap him. "You're not quite as cured as you think, Lord Kal-El."

"Lois-" Kal reached out for her, looking alarmed at her agitation, but she swatted at his hands and moved further away. "I'm sorry-"

"You're damn right," she muttered, then threw her hands in the air. She couldn't stay here, couldn't talk to him any more, couldn't *think*... "I'm going to my cabin now. I don't want to see you again until we get to Earth - if then!" Without even looking at him again, she stalked out of the room.

Kal made his way back to his quarters with the sick realization that he'd just made a major mistake. He hadn't meant to insult her. As the treasured companion of the First Lord of New Krypton, Lois would have had relatively high status, nothing at all like the casual bedmates he'd dallied with in the past. In a society where marriages were political, it was not at all uncommon for men to keep company with women other than their wives, and a few had even influenced the course of Krypton's history. Lois would have been among that number, and everyone would have known of their bond, and of the high esteem he had for her.

He should have realized that she wouldn't understand that, but he'd been too desperate to think clearly. It had been very satisfying to arrange things for Zara and Ching, and very tempting to try to arrange something similar for himself and Lois.

He loved her. He knew that now, beyond doubt. He'd begun to suspect it some time ago, and it had been confirmed when she had innocently announced that he was translating Kryptonian for her. Their minds were now, at some level, linked in a shey-ana bond. Though obviously that hadn't stopped him from blundering on and hurting her deeply. Next time - if she allowed a next time - he would listen to that little voice inside his head. He was instinctively blocking her now out of sheer self-preservation, but he could feel waves of her fury and despair, and that ate at him.

Kal longed to explain ... to let her release all her frustrations at him, if she so desired. He was still supercharged, and even if he wasn't, he surely deserved whatever punishment she chose to mete out. But either cowardice or prudence stopped him from approaching her again tonight. She deserved time and space to recover herself, and if he could give her nothing else, he was determined to grant her that.

"Hey, Lois," came an annoyingly cheerful voice. "Time for breakfast!"

Lois squeezed her eyes shut and pulled a pillow over her head. "You go, Brenda," she mumbled. "I'm just gonna stay here."

Lois heard footsteps leaving the room but a moment later they returned, and Francine said, "Hey, we're not just eating it, we're making it - you don't want Kal-El to starve, do you?"

"Frankly, yes," Lois retorted, trying to pull the blanket up farther around her ears. It had not been a restful night.

There was a blessedly quiet pause, then Melanie asked softly, "Lois, are you okay?"

"Just peachy. Go away."

"Oh, dear."

The footsteps retreated once more, and Lois tried to recapture sleep. But the interruption had started her mind going again, and the clamor of whirling thoughts was forcing her awake. She'd spent half the night being furious at Kal; now she lacked the energy to do much more than wallow in melancholy. She hated wallowers, but here she was.

She had been perfectly content with her life up until a week ago - a career that was looking good, a tropical vacation planned, a reasonably loving family. It had only taken a few days to vividly illustrate what had been missing, and now the lack of Kal in her life was going to make her miserable. Morbidly, she traced her downfall. If he hadn't tried to kiss her - if she hadn't kissed him - if they hadn't talked and connected and planned and worked together - maybe she could have gone back to Earth heart-whole. But now she knew that part of her heart would always be with Kal, and she didn't know how she was going to survive that.

"Okay, here we are," Brenda's voice intruded. "We brought you cereal and toast, along with a big shot of caffeine."

Lois lifted her head and peered blearily at her friends, who were settling in on Brenda's bunk, each carrying breakfast items. "Did I ask for room service?"

"Nope," Francine replied cheerfully. "You told us to go away, which is how we knew that you needed to talk."

"We're your friends, you know, Lois," Melanie added anxiously. "We want to help you. What happened last night?"

Lois sighed and sat up, leaning back against the wall and accepting the cup of coffee that Brenda offered. "Is there any cream or sugar for this?"

"There's cream and sugar," Brenda said, handing over several small packets. "Nothing light or diet, though."

Lois shrugged as she poured real cream and sugar into her coffee. Today was not the day to worry about her figure.

"So what happened?" Melanie prompted. "You guys all went off to talk, and then I think Ching and Zara left, and that's all we know."

"Well, you'll be pleased to know that we're now headed back to Earth," Lois announced, sipping carefully. "Ching's gone over to the other ship; he'll take Zara back home in that. New Krypton has been saved," she concluded bitterly.

Brenda eyed her shrewdly. "And I thought that was supposed to be a good thing."

"Oh, it is, it is. No civil war, lives saved, yada yada yada. And as soon as Kal gets rid of us uninvited guests, he'll go back home, marry Zara, and -" Some residual honesty prevented her from claiming that he'd live happily ever after. "And lead New Krypton into the new millennium."

"Oh, Lois," Melanie exclaimed softly. "But have you talked to him? I mean, he is *so* in love with you..."

Lois shook her head. "Doesn't make any difference. He's getting married for political reasons - he says there's no way around it."

"Well, he doesn't seem very happy about it," Francine observed. "We saw him just a little while ago, and he looked awful."

"I know he'd rather have you," Melanie added loyally, then deflated a little. "Not that it helps much, of course."

"Oh, he'd like to have his cake and eat it, too," Lois said acidly, not willing to see Kal get any sympathy at that point. "He says I can go as his concubine."

Brenda gasped in outrage. "He said that? Man, what a creep."

"Sexist creep," Lois corrected, her heart constricting painfully as she thought of all the times she'd teased him with those words. For a while there, it really had seemed like he'd learned better - for one shining moment, she had actually allowed herself to hope that he would defy convention for her, but apparently the old attitudes were engrained too deeply in him. She hadn't thought anything could hurt worse than the prospect of living without him, until she'd been offered the chance to stay, and had had to refuse it.

The worst part was, not all of her wanted to turn it down. One small section of her brain was sobbing and pleading for any chance of a life with Kal that she could manage, even if it was less than ideal. Was her pride really worth that much?

"I'll tell ya," Brenda continued, "I've made my fair share of mistakes in this life, but one thing I've always known is that it's a bad idea to sleep with the boss. No offense, Francine."

Francine snorted. "None taken. It's a lousy idea; I just wish I'd been smart enough to ... well, never mind."

"But at least he asked," Melanie said in a small voice. "Isn't that ... I mean, at least he's interested ... maybe it wouldn't be that bad."

"Yeah, right," Brenda said, her voice dripping scorn. "Have you ever dated a married guy? Trust me, it's miserable - whenever they're in public, they're with their wife. On holidays, it's the wife. The mistress gets scraps of time here and there, maybe with some cheesy gifts thrown in."

"But maybe it's different on New Krypton," Melanie persisted. "You know, with all those arranged marriages and everything. Zak's been telling me that there's a whole range of concubines - some of them are almost like second wives."

"Yeah, note the 'almost' there, Mel," Brenda countered remorselessly. "And what is Zak telling you that stuff for, anyway? If that boy thinks he can treat you like that, I'm gonna have me a talk with him!"

Melanie blushed, but kept her head high. "He told me because I asked ... I'm just interested in alien cultures, is all. I don't see why it has to be anything personal."

Francine and Brenda's eyes met for a moment, and Lois could almost see them discounting Melanie's explanation and agreeing to protect their younger friend.

Obviously, all this Kryptonian telepathy was making her read far too much into things.

"Honey," Francine said, "if you want to go with him, that's your choice ... but don't you dare let him not marry you! Trust me, that piece of paper means something, and you can get in far more trouble without it - especially in that backwards place! Besides, Zak doesn't have Kal's excuse, which, frankly," she continued with a look at Lois, "sounds like a lot of hogwash to me."

Lois shook her head. She had seen a portion of Kal's mind; she knew that he honestly believed that he was acting in the best interests of New Krypton - doing the only honorable thing in marrying Zara. Honor, duty, country ... they were all concepts she agreed with, and they wouldn't mean anything if they were tossed out the first time things got difficult ... but sometimes they came at a terribly high cost.

"Uh-huh," Brenda said. "Well, Melanie, you let us know if we need to rough up Zak any."

Melanie turned a delicate shade of pink, but tried to keep her dignity. "I'm sure Zak respects me - and if he doesn't, I can beat him up myself, thanks."

Respect, that was the key, Lois thought. Kal's offer had sounded awfully disrespectful to her ears, but knowing what she did about him, she couldn't quite believe that he'd meant it that way. In his own convoluted way, he'd probably thought he was paying her a compliment. Idiot.

"Well, what about you, Lois?" Brenda asked. "Shall we beat up on Kal for ya?"

A sudden vision appeared to Lois, of superpowered Kal cowering before three angry dancers. A smile twitched her lips. "No, I don't think that'll be necessary. But thanks for offering."

"That's what we're here for," Francine stated, finishing off her last pastry. "But if you're not going to beat him up, then maybe you should consider talking to him."

"Yeah, maybe I should," Lois conceded, although she dreaded the prospect. It would be too painful to keep saying no ... and too tempting to give in and say yes.

To be continued... :) What do you think, how should this end?

Btw, I'm on Twitter now - ChiefPam