She Has Her Daddy's Eyes

By Andrea Gidusko 
DaniPayson@aol.com

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I don't own the rights to these characters and I never thought or said I did. DC Comics and Warner Brothers own everything (and I mean everything) including every character from Superman to Batman. The kids are mine though!
 _____________________________________________________________________________________


Everyone thought that there would be this dramatic change once we hit the 21st century, but here it was 2003 and everything was exactly the same. There was a new way to watch movies of course, but other then that, technology had stalled...for the time being that was.

The Daily Planet had not changed much either, with the exception of the few people who had retired or been given lovely pink slips of paper. Perry White had just celebrated his 59th birthday and he was still editor and chief. Catherine Grant and flown back into town five years before and regained her position of Gossip columnist, and Jimmy was twenty-five and had actually moved up to the photography department. 

Then there were the two most trusted and well known reporters in Metropolis and for the world, Lois Lane and Clark Kent, partners in work and in life for the last six years, and now maybe the most important title of all, parents.

Lois had given birth to Samantha Martha and Joanna Ellen on December 8, 1997, they arrived a month early, but were not in any way behind. Both girls were exceptionally bright at four years of age and were already attending kindergarten...a very private kindergarten where Lois had applied for her daughters to attend while they were still in the womb, given at that time she only knew of one child...but Rockingham School had made in exception in her case and allowed both girls admittance.


********

"Guess what?" Clark said as he bounded into the newsroom, not exactly a happy bound...but a bound nonetheless.

"What?" Lois said not even looking up...too enthralled with the contents of a large envelope she had just received.

"Joey Bermuda was released today." Clark said calmly.

Lois looked up pushing her now shoulder length hair out of her face, "Well, I hate to sound optimistic, but maybe he learned his lesson this time."

"Hopefully." Clark said as Lois turned back to the papers she had been reading. "What's that?"

"I.Q tests..."

"Who's...?" Clark said with that suspicious tone to his voice.

"The girls." Lois looked up as Clark shook his head in frustration, "I just wanted to make sure they weren't...mentally challenged."

"They aren't...why would they be?"

"I'm afraid all right...I admit it." Lois skimmed down the paper and her face lit up...."Oh...my...."

"What..." Clark leaned down to look also.

"180.... and 185...that's...that's...."

"Impossible..."

"No, it's genius. They're geniuses; I guess I should have figured but-." Lois closed her eyes and sighed as she hugged the papers. "My babies...."

"Yes, that's what they are, babies; at four years of age you should not be having their I.Q tested." Clark pulled the papers away from Lois, "I'm putting these away."

"Fine. Don't be proud of your children."

"I'm always proud, I don't need a test to confirm that fact."

"Are you saying I do?!" Lois said insulted crossing her arms and staring down her husband.

Lois' anger was interrupted by the gruff voice of her editor, "Lois, I never thought I would ever be saying this to you..." his voice sounding in shock.

"What!" Lois asked in fear.

"Your daughter's on line one..." Perry smiled then turned and walked away...

Lois stared at the phone, "Which one..."

"Four years old and using the phone; that's something to be proud of?" Clark questioned.

Lois picked up the phone and pressed the lit line, "Lane..."

"Mommy?" The mature voice of Samantha Kent said into the phone.

"Samantha? Why are you calling here?"

"Why do you call yourself Lane?" Samantha asked back in the same tone as her mother.

"It's just what I do...now why are you calling."

"Jennifer's mom is taking us to her house to spend the night."

"Where's your sister?"

"I don't know..."

The thoughts of a romantic Friday night without children suddenly popped into Lois' head. Actually trying to remember a Friday night without kids was the first thing on her mind. "Find her, she's going with you."

"Nooooo!!!"

"Samantha, yes, and who is this Jennifer?"

"A friend..."

"What's her last name?"

"Blazzen, mommy..."

"What's her mothers name?"

"Mommy!"

"Samantha you know I'm not going to let you stay over at some strangers house!"

"Tina she's a waitress, OKAY!"

"Where does she waitress?"

"I don't know, that place, mommy they're waiting!!"

"Fine, fine, call me when you get there..."

"I will..."

"And find your sister!"

"I WILL!" Samantha yelled into the phone before it clicked.

Lois hung up the phone and looked at Clark as he sat as his desk chuckling.

"What's so funny?"

"You, her, she's just like you..."

"And that's a bad thing!"

"No, no..." Clark defended himself as Lois walked to his desk with her hands on her hips, "So...."

"She wants to stay over at a friends. This is the first time, it kind of scares me."

"She'll be okay...she has to have the chance to be a kid. What about Jo?"

"I told her to take Joanna with her. I have my own hidden agenda..."

"Oh, and what could that be?"

"A Friday night, alone with my husband. We haven't had one of those since they were born."

"No...I guess we haven't..."

"Can't scream in ecstasy, make love on the kitchen floor..."

"Honey, aren't you forgetting something..."

"What?"

"The last part, the kitchen floor, don't you remember that's how we got those two bundles of joy."

"Yeah, I know, and actually it doesn't seem too bad. I thought I would hate motherhood, but look at me, I'm still working, have a great nanny, and only had to miss the first couple months; it's perfect."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"I wouldn't mind having another one. As long as I don't get hit with triplets."

"You never know."

"Ha, ha, NO; but I'm just so amazed with them. I mean, Joanna came home with 'Jane Eyre' and 'Great Expectations' yesterday and she's four! I didn't read those until high school."

"It's a different time, kids minds are challenged more then they used to be. Even though you do have a point, Dr. Seuss should be more her speed. Did you read a lot as a child?"

"Of course."

"So did I, it's not so amazing any more is it..."

"She finished both in six hours."

"Oh. So what you're thinking is..."

"She's starting to show those signs..."

"What about Sammy?"

Lois shook her head, "I caught her with Cosmo...now I didn't read that crap when I was four and I still don't. What does a four year old need to know about achieving the ultimate orgasm anyway? I tried to take it away from her, but she just pulled it right back out of the trash. Hopefully she doesn't understand what she's reading and if she does hopefully she won't act on it. She does just as well as Joanna at school, they're equally smart, but have different interests."

"And Joey is calm and laid back and Sammy is..."

"Like me, I see your point; she's bossy, but everyone goes through that phase and if you say I'm still in it you can forget ever seeing that tile close up again."

Clark smiled and shook his head, "I'll shut up now."

"Thought so."


***************

"You are such a brat!" Joanna said as Samantha pulled her arm to Jennifer's car.

"You're a geek! All you do is sit in the library."

"I like it, it's quiet." 

Samantha pushed Joanna into the mini-van and pulled the door shut after she got in herself.

"Change in plans." Jennifer said.

"Why?" Samantha asked almost whining.

"My mom has to pick up a shift at work, so she's taking us to my aunts house."

"Okay." Samantha said.

"But-" Joanna got out before Samantha covered her mouth with her hand.

"Nothing, nothing." Samantha finished her sister's sentence.

Tina dropped the girls off at her sister Karen's house, Karen's 13 year old daughter, Cheryl Marie sat on the steps in annoyance.

"Great, baby-sitting."

"It's not that bad. You're helping family." Karen said as she touched up her makeup.

"Five year olds are pains!"

"Look, your father just got home after six years, I gave you the option to see him."

"Dad was in prison! Why would I want to see him?!"

"He made a mistake."

"Mom, he went to jail TWICE!"

"I'm willing to give him a second chance, okay third, why can't you do the same?"

"Because you're hard up. I'm not."

Karen pursed her lips, but refused to get violent with her daughter. The doorbell rang and she went to the door.

"Tina!" Karen hugged her sister as the girls ran into the house, "Cheryl will be watching the girls, and I'm off to see Joey."

"Oh." Tina said quickly.

"Everyone deserves a second chance."

"THIRD!" Cheryl yelled from the other room, Karen just smiled at her daughter's remark.

"Teenagers." Karen said before she walked her sister out of the house, locking the door behind them.

The girls stood in front of Cheryl as she sat on the steps, "What!" Cheryl asked.

"Give us something to do." Jennifer said.

"I don't care what you do, just stay out of my face!" Cheryl said before turning around and walking up the steps into her bedroom and slamming the door behind her.

"Now what?" Joanna asked.

"I wanna show you guys something!" Jennifer said excited as she led the girls down the basement stairs.

The basement looked like any other basement, boxes everywhere and between the boxes was a refrigerator.

"What's that?" Joanna questioned.

"It's a refrigerator, and you say I'm stupid." Samantha answered.

"Shut up!" Joanna said back.

"It's really cool, let me show you." Jennifer led the girls to the refrigerator and with all the strength in her five year old body, she pulled the door open and what lay inside was green mold, strings of it connecting to one another all over and around the shelves.

Samantha and Joanna coughed a little, then went for a closer look, "What is it?" Samantha asked.

"I don't know, but it's so cool! I took some home in a jar and it grew really fast."

"It's gross!" Joanna said turning away and sitting down on the steps opening "David Copperfield" the book she had been carrying around with her.

"I want some! Samantha exclaimed.

"Cool! Let me get a jar."

**************

There was soft music playing as Lois sashayed down the stairs in her robe, Clark sat in front of the fireplace in his robe with a bottle of champagne in an ice bucket beside him and two glasses in his hands.

"Trying to recreate our honeymoon?" Lois asked as she sat down and took the glass from his hand.

"Maybe, where's the teddy?"

"Clark, it's been five years and two kids have passed through this body, do you really expect it to still fit?"

"Yes."

"AH HA!" Lois untied her robe and as it fell down her shoulders revealed the same teddy she had worn on their wedding night.

"I guess I said the magic word."

"My favorite word." Lois leaned over and kissed Clark softly on the lips, "It's so quiet. No yelling, no fighting, just...peace..."

"Mmmm" Clark said as Lois placed her head on his shoulder, "I love having kids."

"Excuse me? Who *had* the kids?"

"Okay, I love being a father, but this is just so nice to relive."

"Yes it is...." Lois yawned

 Clark looked down at her, "Tired?"

"Joanna had a nightmare last night. I got maybe 4 hours sleep, at most."

Clark nodded and put the glass down, then stood up and picked Lois up into his arms.

"What are you doing?" Lois asked in shock.

"Taking you to bed, you need your rest."

"Clark, this is the first night we've had alone in a LONG time I am not going to bed to sleep."

"Well, *we'll* go to bed and then see what happens from there."

"And I was looking forward to the floor, guess I waxed for nothing."

"We still have the morning." Clark said as he carried Lois to the stairs.

"Oh yes." Lois purred, "Can't wait for summer camp. How early can they go?"

Clark just laughed and kissed his wife as he walked up the stairs.



********************************************

Joanna lay in her bed clutching onto her teddy bear and staring at her sister as Samantha pulled the jar of mold out of a shoebox from under her bed.

"Wow." Samantha gasped as she opened it, and then coughed a little. "It grew!"

"Sammy..." Joanna barely got out, her voice hoarse.

"Ain't it cool!" Samantha coughed again then closed that jar, "Moms coming." She put  the jar  back in the box and pushed it under the bed; hearing her mothers footsteps coming closer to the door, Samantha jumped up on the bed and picked up the magazine she had been reading, Glamour. 

Lois opened the door to see Samantha sitting up facing her, the magazine upside down.

"What are you up to?" Lois asked suspiciously.

"Nothing." Samantha replied defiantly.

"Did Stacy give you your baths?"

Samantha shook her head, "She had a date; so daddy let her leave early."

"Well I have work to do, so daddy will give you your baths." Lois walked to Samantha to kiss her on the forehead, and looked at Joanna.

"Joanna?" Lois asked as she went to her daughter, Joanna coughed.

"She has a cold." Samantha said.

Lois kneeled down in front of Joanna and felt her head, "She's burning up! Why didn't Stacy tell daddy?"

"She did. Then daddy left."

"He left you alone!" Lois was angry as she pulled the covers off of Joanna and picked up her tiny body. Joanna rested her head on Lois' shoulder.

"For a second, I can always hear them." Clark walked into the bedroom in his dress shirt and slacks.

"I know you can." Lois' replied her voice now calm again.

"What's wrong?"

"Feel her forehead."

Clark placed his palm on Joanna's forehead, "101."

"Daddy?" Samantha asked confused that her fathers palm could work as a thermometer. At school they put that icky glass thing under your tongue that made you gag. The daddy way seemed much easier.

"It's a guess sweetie." Clark said to his well daughter, "We've never been in this situation before."

"They've never been sick before." Lois said quietly, all the while Samantha could hear every word.

"I don't get sick." Samantha stated proudly remembering that the only time she had the icky thing in her mouth was for their regular check ups.

"We know honey." Lois humored her daughter as she stroked Joanna's long brown curls.

"Well, she's hot, we should give her a bath, cool her down." Clark said tucking Joanna's hair behind her ear.

"Do I need a bath?" Samantha asked obviously feeling left out.

"She has your ears." Lois said through clenched teeth.

"You can take a quick shower with mommy tomorrow morning okay?" Clark said realizing his daughters need for attention and whom she got that DNA strand from.

"Okay." Samantha said, "Will you tuck me in daddy?

"I'll start the bath." Lois said before carrying Joanna out of the room.

Clark walked to Samantha's bed and as he approached it, coughed a little, then stood in shock.

"What's wrong daddy?" Samantha asked.

"Nothing." Clark shook his head and picked up his daughter, shockingly feeling a tiny bit of pain as he lifted her into his arms.

"Can I float this time daddy?" Samantha asked for the nightly ritual where Clark would hold his daughters up with his pinkie and tell them they were floating as the covers came over them.

"Not tonight sweetie; lets wait till Joey can enjoy it too."

Samantha gave the look of disappointment, then conceded, "Okay."

Clark pulled the covers back and gently placed Samantha in her pink and white sheets.

"Daddy." Samantha whispered motioning for her father to move closer to her.

"Yes Sammy?"

"Tell Joanna that I hope she gets better." 

"Feels better sweetie." Clark said before he kissed her baby soft forehead, Lois' forehead, her face an exact mirror image of her mothers.

"I know." Samantha smiled and winked, "Just testin ya." Samantha finished before she turned over and closed her eyes.

Joanna sat on the sink, her head hanging down as if she didn't have the strength to keep it up, as Lois started the cool water in the tub.

"Joanna?" Lois said lifting her head up by her chin.

"Mommy?" Joanna coughed, her face so pale.

Lois seeing her own face in this state scared her even more. It was hard enough being sick herself during her entire pregnancy, but she felt that it was worth it under the belief that with Clarks genes the girls would never be sick, but here was her little girl, pale and ill.

"Does you tummy hurt?" Lois asked pulling Joanna's socks off of her tiny feet.

"Uh huh."

"Do you wanna throw up?" 

"Unt uh." Were the only words Joanna had the energy to utter.

Lois' eyes welled up and she had to bite her lip to stop herself from crying.

"She's asleep." Clark said walking into the bathroom and closing the door.

Lois nodded and Clark looked at her reflection in the mirror, "I think you're taking this worse then she is." Clark said rubbing his wife's shoulders.

"Look at her!" Lois choked "My baby is sick!"

Clark went to the bathtub and turned off the water as Lois pulled off Joanna's nightgown "Her skin is so hot."

"We'll take care of that honey." Clark took a clean washcloth out of the cabinet as Lois picked up Joanna and as she held her daughter close to her own body the tears began to fall, "Clark." 

Clark nodded and took Joanna from Lois' hold, "Now sweetie, this may be a little cool." Clark placed her bare body into the bathtub; Joanna's small frame tensed up quickly and she clenched her eyes.

"It's cold!" Joanna cried out as tears fell down her cheeks.

"It will help you honey." Clark said as he soaked the washcloth, Lois stood behind him crying and shaking, quickly turning into the emotional wreck she had always feared becoming.

Joanna's body became accustomed to the temperature and she began to breath easily as Clark rubbed the washcloth back and forth on her back, arms and chest. Joanna opened her eyes and sniffed away the tears. 

Lois stopped crying suddenly, "Is she better?"

Clark placed his other hand on her forehead, "99, not normal but much better then before."

"That was quick!" Lois said as she sniffed and wiped away the already fallen tears.

"Well we kryptonians are like that, fast healers."

Lois chuckled a little. "Don't forget, she has the best of both worlds,er planets."

"What's kryptonian?" Joanna asked blinking.

"You'll find out soon enough sweetie." Clark kissed Joanna's forehead. "Just to be safe, maybe she should sleep with us, just in case it's contagious I don't want Sammy getting it."

"Oh fine, but let me be the sponge!" Lois joked taking a towel and placing it around her daughter after Clark pulled her out of the bath.

"I think you can handle being ill more then your children being ill." Clark said toweling Joanna off.

"I guess you're right. I just thought we could have a nice, night." Lois said twiddling her thumbs and eyeing her husband.

Clark's eyes widened and he looked down at Joanna, "Do you feel well enough to sleep in your own bed?" Clark asked quickly.

"uh huh..." Joanna nodded.

"Oh I love you honey." Clark kissed her forehead almost twenty times before Joanna stepped away.

"Can I go to bed now!" Joanna said wiping off her forehead.

Clark chuckled to himself, put Joanna's nightgown back on and lifted his daughter up into a flying position, 
"You want to fly into bed?' Clark asked happily.

"YEAH!" Joanna cheered and Clark literally flew her into her bedroom...

Lois fell back against the sink in relief, and looked up at the ceiling "God, please don't make me go through that again!"



*****************

Clark sat at his desk reading the morning edition of the Planet when Perry approached him.

"Clark, where's Lois?" Perry asked looking at Lois' empty desk.

"We had a rough night Chief, I thought it would be best if Lois slept in."

"What kind of rough are we talking about?"

"One of the girls was sick, it was nearly three am before we got her to sleep again."

"Oh. Then why are you here?"

"I don't need much rest, Chief." Clark looked up behind Perry as Lois walked in yawning; she placed her bag on her desk and looked up at Perry.

"Sorry I'm late." She said, still yawning.

"It's okay, Clark told me what happened. So what was it, stomach bug?"

"We don't know." Lois said crossing arms and walking to her husband's desk. "I called Stacy to come watch her, dropped Samantha off at school then came here."

"How was she when you left?"

"Sleeping. I tried giving her some oatmeal, but she fell asleep at the table." Lois sat down at the edge of Clarks desk and he took her hand in his, " I feel so helpless."

"If you need time off, just tell me. Isn't that what the family leave bill is all about?" Perry said then walked back into his office.

"What are we going to do?" Lois asked quietly, "We can't exactly take her to the hospital."

"Dr. Klien gave them their shots for the little things when they were born, and with the exception of regular check ups they really haven't needed a doctor since." Clark said, equally as quiet. "And now that he's retired, I don't know what to do or where to go."

"Something has to be wrong. Maybe she's dying." Lois said with no emotion, as if she herself didn't believe what she was actually saying.

"Don't say that."

"Clark, she's obviously more kryptonian then Samantha is, maybe something has gotten into her system and she can't fight it off."

"Honey, you're forgetting something; she felt better last night when we put her to bed."

"Yes, but she was sick again this morning, so whatever it was came back."

"She'll be okay." Clark kissed his wife's emotionally drained hand, "You just have to have faith."

"It's something I'm losing a lot of these days."

"Guys.." The voice of Jimmy Olsen said behind them.

Lois looked up and Clark turned to see Jimmy,  "Yes Jimmy." Lois said in a zombie like state.

"Does the name Cheryl Marie Bermuda ring any bells for you?" Jimmy said holding a pile of faxed pages.

"Isn't she Joey Bermudas daughter?" Lois asked Clark.

"Only Bermuda I know. Why, what happened?" Clark replied.

"She was kidnapped." Jimmy handed Clark the faxed pages he was holding. "Also heard it on the scanner, the mother was all emotional."

"What about Joey?" Lois asked, a tiny spark of energy returning as she took the fax out of Clark's hand.

"No mention of him. It doesn't sound like he's living with the mother; not that I can blame the woman for moving on. What a loser." Jimmy said, "Do you want to interview her mother? I have my camera all ready. I still can't get over the high of being head photographer instead of gopher boy."

"You deserved it Jimmy." Clark said standing up and patting him on the shoulder.

"Yeah." Lois said smiling, "Can you get me some coffee?"

"I don't do coffee." Jimmy said, but couldn't help but notice the tired look on Lois' face, "But I do help my friends. I'll be right back." Jimmy said before rushing off. "Maybe you should go home and be with Joanna; I can handle this." Clark said.

Lois yawned and dropped the paper she was holding, "I'll be fine. I just need coffee, and like you said, I have faith that my daughter will be fine."

"Good. You're learning fast." Clark kissed his wife and helped her stand up so that he could kiss her again.

********************

Lois, Clark and Jimmy arrived at the house of Karen Bermuda at precisely nine am. The news cameras had already left, but Karen was still in tears. Lois and Clark sat on the couch interviewing Karen as Jimmy took pictures of the outside of the house and the family pictures on the mantel.

"I don't know how this could have happened..." Karen said after wiping her eyes.

"When did you notice your daughter was missing?" Lois asked turning on a tape recorder and placing it on the table in front of them

"Last night, I had to work late at the hospital and left Cheryl home alone, she's thirteen she can take care of herself, I came home around two and she was gone."

"What makes you think she was kidnapped, could she have run away?"

"There was a broken window on the kitchen door and some blood droplets in Cheryl's bedroom, she was also on the phone talking to her friend Rachel, Rachel said that they were talking around ten when the line went dead."

"Sounds like kidnapping to me." Clark said.

 Lois nodded. "Where was your husband?"

"Joey? Joey has been staying at a hotel-"

"So, you're separated." Lois cut in.

"Not from me, from Cheryl. I thought it would be best if he gave her time to adjust, she isn't very happy with her father these days."

"Gee I wonder why." Lois thought to herself, "Could Joey have taken her?"

"Joey would never hurt Cheryl, and I can't see why in the world you would think that he would kidnap her, he could come see her anytime he wanted."

"But she doesn't want to see him." Lois added.

"Yes that's true, but he still wouldn't take her like that...not in that way."

Lois was ready for the really hard questions when her beeper went off, she opened her bag to look through it when suddenly Clarks went off also.

"Oh God!" Lois cried as she began to throw things out of her bag, Barbies, lollypops, various magazines she had caught Samantha with.

"Is something wrong?" Jimmy asked as he walked over to them.

Clark pulled the pager off his belt, "I don't know the number." Clark became quiet then shook his head.

Lois found her pager and looked at the number and looked up at her husband, "NO! NOT NOW!"

"Lois, you know...." Clark pleaded with his wife as he stood up.

Lois grabbed hold of his pant leg "Clark Kent don't you dare leave me alone like this! I can't handle this alone!"

"It could be a wrong number!" Clark said not trying very hard to get away from Lois' clasp.

"To both our pagers! Something's wrong I KNOW IT!"

"Ten seconds." Clark ran out the door oblivious to his surroundings.

With wet eyes, Lois looked at her pager, then at Karen. "Where's your phone!" She yelled.

"Over there." Karen said pointing to the phone on the end table as she watched the distraught reporter lunge at the phone and pull it off the charger.

Lois' hands shook as she pressed the all too tiny buttons, "Dammit..." she cursed as the tears fell.

"Let me dial Lois." Jimmy said as he took the phone and pager from Lois' clammy hands, after dialing he handed the phone back to Lois.

"Thank you." Lois said trying to calm herself down.

Stacy sat in her car staring at the ambulance in front of her, the twenty year olds face was red and she shook as she held onto the steering wheel. The cellular phone next to her began to ring and she jumped at it.

"LOIS!" She cried into the phone.

"Stacy! What happened?!" Lois said now more petrified then before.

"She stopped breathing!!" Stacy cried as the tears fell down her face, "She was on the couch watching TV, and she fell asleep, so I took her to her room and when I went to check on her she wasn't breathing!"

Lois fell down against the wall onto the floor, she tried to stay calm but couldn't as she held onto the phone her face frozen. Jimmy rushed to her and pulled the phone out of her hand.

"Stacy?" He said questioning.

"WHO IS THIS!" Stacy cried even harder as her vision blurred making it so she was unable to see the cars moving in front of her or hear the cars honking behind her.

"Jimmy Olsen." Jimmy said now worried himself after hearing the young girls terrified voice.

"WHERE'S LOIS!" Stacy choked and started coughing due to her crying.

"She's right here, now tell me what's going on?"

Stacy stopped coughing and wiped her eye's after being jolted by the car who decided to tap her on her bumper to get her to move, she began to move forward again, "Joanna stopped breathing, I called 911 and an ambulance came and is taking her to." Stacy looked out every window of her Volvo, noticing that the ambulance was no longer in her view. "DAMMIT! I lost it!"

"Taking her where Stacy..."

"Children's Hospital, I'm on my way now if this lane EVER start's moving!"

"So are we, thanks Stacy." Jimmy turned the phone off and looked back at Lois, she was blinking but still looked to be in a daze.

"I'll drive you to the hospital Lois." Jimmy said helping her stand up.

"Clark." Lois said blankly.

"He'll find us, or I'll find him."

Lois nodded and Jimmy put all her belongings back in her bag, then picked it up and helped her out of the house.


*************

What Clark had heard was the end of a 911 dispatcher calling an ambulance to his address, and he didn't make it to the ambulance until it had already picked up his daughter. After passing over Stacys Volvo...Superman/Clark landed on the back of the ambulance and after it slowed down due to rush hour, he pulled open the doors...

"Superman?" The paramedic asked Clark rushed over to Joanna.

Clark looked at his daughter as she lay limp and lifeless. There was an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. Clark found himself helpless and unable to move just looking at his daughter in this state.

"Superman?" The paramedic said again...

Joanna's eyes slowly opened and she looked up at her father, "Daddy?" she barely made out under the mask, but the paramedic heard it and looked up at Clark as he knelt down and picked her up.

"Daddy's here." Clark pulled the mask off Joanna's mouth and she coughed.

"Uh...Superman...she kind of needs that..." The paramedic protested, "to breathe."

"She can't if she's flying."

"So, ou'll take her to the hospital for us?"

"No...I can't." Clark said before he flew out of the ambulance leaving the paramedic in shock

*************

Lois' head rested against the window as Jimmy sat in the drivers' seat of her Jeep, stuck in traffic.

"Someone better be dead." Jimmy cursed.

"Don't say that Jimmy." Lois said softly.

"Sorry..." I didn't realize.

"It's okay..." Lois looked up after noticing the flashing lights of an ambulance; she immediately jumped out of the jeep and ran to the flashing lights.

The paramedics stood at the ambulance talking to a police officer, Lois ran up and was stopped by another officer.

"This is a crime scene ma'am." Officer Harlty stated flatly.

"My daughter's in that ambulance!" Lois yelled loud enough for the paramedics to hear.

The paramedic who was in the back noticed Lois, "DAVE! She's the child's mother, let her through!"

Hartly removed his arm and Lois rushed to the ambulance, immediately noticing that it was empty, she then turned to the paramedics. Jimmy had followed and was standing behind the officer with his camera in tow, but having to decide whether or not to use it.

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" Lois asked hysterical once again.

"Ms. Lane, your daughter was abducted from this vehicle as it was en route to Children's Hospital." Officer Jennings stated.

"Oh GOD!" Lois started crying, "BY WHOM!" she cried.

"Superman."

Lois' crying stopped abruptly, "Superman? Superman took my daughter?"

"Yes ma'am, I'm just as shocked as you are. If I didn't see it with my own two eyes I wouldn't have believed it."

Lois looked around in confusion, "What exactly happened? Did Superman say anything to you?"

"It was very odd, your daughter called him daddy."

Lois' face of fright turned to a uncomfortable smile, "She has a tendency to do that, it's a stage she's going through, every man is daddy every woman is mommy."

"Well, he said that he couldn't take her to the hospital and pulled the oxygen mask off her mouth which we applied after giving her CPR."

Lois nodded trying to figure out a way to clear Superman's name, "He was just trying to help. I know where she is, no need to press charges..."

"But she needs medical attention, your daughter needs to be in a hospital." The paramedic stated.

"I know, but-" Lois found herself stammering as the paramedics and police officer looked at her as the worst mother alive.

"Ms. Lane, your daughter stopped breathing! Aren't you concerned?"

"Yes, I am." Lois stated as six pairs of eyes stared down at her, "But I also know that she's in very capable hands. Hands I trust more then any others."

"Look, if the mother doesn't want to press charges I can't do anything." Officer Jennings said to the paramedic, he then turned to Lois, " Now Ms. Lane, are you sure your daughter is all right?"

"I'm sure of it. Now I need to go now." Lois pushed herself away from the crowd that had gathered and smack into Jimmy with his camera. "Jimmy."

"Yes?" Jimmy said like a child who had been caught doing something wrong.

"Please tell me you didn't take pictures."

"Lois, Superman committed a felony."

"No he didn't. "

"I can't believe you're not pressing charges! Who knows where your kid is!"

"I do."

"What would Clark do?!"

"The same thing Superman did." Lois held out her hand, palm up, to Jimmy, "Give me the film Jimmy."

"No Lois. It's my job to take pictures of news worthy events, the chief would kill me if I missed this one."

"Fine Olsen, and next time something private happens in your life, I'll be sure to record it for the world to see." Lois walked past Jimmy after taking her keys from his hand.

"Lois." Jimmy said sympathetically, but she brushed him away, not facing him as she walked back to her car.


******************

The doorbell rang once again as a woman in her fifties walked to the door and opened it. Clark stood there in regular attire, holding Joanna in his arms.

"I need to see Dr. Klien." Clark said looking helpless.

"Oh. Come in.' The white hared woman opened the door wider as Clark walked in.

Joanna's tiny head rested on his shoulder as Clark walked into the main room.

"Bernerd!" The woman called.

"Yes Beth-" Dr. Klien said as he walked into the living room with a plate in one hand and a fork in the other, he looked up at Clark and Joanna, "Clark?"

"Dr. Klien...." Clark's eyes welled up, holding onto his daughter even tighter.

Joanna lifted her head for a second, "No doctors daddy." She said softly, then lay her head back onto her fathers shoulder.

"Beth, can you go back to your stories, I need to speak to Clark alone."

"Sure dear. What an adorable little girl." She said admiring Joanna.

"Thank you." Clark said, forcing himself to smile.

Beth walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.

"What happened?" Dr. Klien asked putting down his dinnerware and giving full attention to Joanna.

"She was sick last night, fever of 101. We gave her a cool bath and put her back to bed, she was fine. Then at 2am she woke up coughing and it took an hour and putting her in bed with us, before she got back to sleep. At 6am, I woke up carried Joanna to her bed, letting Lois sleep in and went to work. Lois said Joanna was tired and couldn't eat this morning and at around 930 the baby-sitter called to say she stopped breathing."

"What about the other one." Dr. Klien said as he lifted Joanna's limp head and pushed open her eyes.

"Samantha is fine. They tried to take Joanna to the hospital but I kind of intercepted."

"You mean Superman intercepted don't you?" Dr. Klien smiled a little.

"Yeah, I guess he did." 

"Why don't you lay her down on the couch." 

"Okay." Clark placed Joanna on the couch; she stirred a little, but fell back asleep.

The sound of a car speeding down the street came to a sudden halt, which was then followed by two high-heeled feet coming closer to the house. Without even ringing the doorbell or knocking, Lois rushed into the house.

"CLARK!" She yelled as she closed the door.

"In here!" Clark called out to his wife.

Lois rushed to the living room and to her daughter, "IS she??"

"Mommy?" A small voice said, this time her eyes didn't open.

Lois dropped to her knees, "Mommy's here sweetie, mommy's here." Lois caressed her daughter's cheek. "Do you know what's wrong yet?"

"No, we just got here."

"But what's doing this to her!" Lois asked again.

"Maybe the genes are fighting." Dr. Klien said.

"WHAT?" Lois and Clark both said at once.

"I know it sounds dumb, but I haven't practiced anything other then my hook shot in three years."

"Is she dying?" Lois cried.

"I don't think so, but I'd have to run tests and for that I need my lab, which-'

"You no longer have." Lois cut Dr. Klien off as she sat on the floor losing all hope.

"I do, But it's locked-"

"Do you at least have a key?" Lois cut the man off yet again.

"Yes. Sometimes I miss all my chemicals and formulas, but I really do think I should look at the other girl. She could become sick later."

"She's fine." Clark said, realizing that he hadn't even thought about Samantha since Joanna got sick; but he forgave himself knowing that making Joanna well was the most important thing, " Right now we need to focus on Joanna."

"I understand that, but whatever has effected Joanna may effect Samantha later on. Do you want to go through this twice?"

"You think Superman should have two kidnappings on his record?" Lois asked her husband.

"It doesn't count if it's your child." Clark stated defending himself.

"Yes, but only we know that. You still shouldn't have done it." Lois continued. When she was upset she argued, it's just the way she was.

"I had to! I couldn't let them take her to the hospital! Running those tests that they run!" Clark was now shouting, causing his daughter to whimper.

"Look! Do you two want to bicker, or save your daughter!?" Dr. Klien finally interceded.

Lois and Clark looked at each other and nodded, "Sorry." They said simultaneously.

"Now Superman or Clark, whichever one Daddy chooses to be, you go get Samantha. Lois, you bring Joanna with you to my lab."

"And we'll meet you there." Clark said as he walked to the door.

"No, here. My lab is in the basement."

"But I thought-'

"Do you really think Star Labs would let me keep a non functional lab in operation!" Dr. Klien laughed; neither Kent was amused.

"Clark? Lois said.

"Yes?" Clark replied.

Lois tossed him the car keys; "Clark Kent has a much better chance of getting his daughter out of school then Superman does."

Clark smiled and walked out of the house.

*********************

Cheryl Marie sat on a bed staring at the flickering television in front of her.

"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you..." She said over and over again.

Joey walked out of the bathroom and into the small main room of the motel.

"You didn't have to claw my face off! When did you grow those!" Joey commented on Cheryl's long nails as he patted the bandage on his cheek.

"Last summer, while you were in JAIL!" Cheryl Marie faced her father with disgust, "You kidnapped me!"

"I'm your father! It doesn't count."

"I hate you!"

"You said that already." Joey sat down next to his daughter, "Why do you hate me?"

"You're a liar! You said that you would be good and you weren't!"

"Honey I was framed..."

"Don't call me honey! I'm not your honey..." Cheryl got up off the bed, "Where are we?"

"I'm not telling you."

"I want to go home!" 

"No..."

"You won't get away with this! I'll call mom!"

"And tell her what?"

"That you took me!"

"And what will she do?"

"She'll come get me!"

"And how will she do that? You don't even know where you are."

Cheryl paused, "I hate you."

"You used to love me, you used to say it all the time.'

"Well yeah I was six!" Cheryl crossed her arms, "And I was stupid." Cheryl then looked away from her father, "And I did love you, " Cheryl then looked back at Joey, "And you lied. You said that you straightened up; that you loved us too much to ever go to jail again, and then you screwed up! You tried to kill 
Superman!"

"No...it wasn't me! Well, it was partially me, but someone else thought of the idea and supplied everything." Joey started defending himself to himself.

"But why! Daddy!"

Joey looked up at his daughter and shook his head; he could see her tears fall through the small ray of light that shown between the curtains.

"In the fifth grade, we were supposed to write a paper on our heroes, everyone did their mother or father, I couldn't."

"You have every right to be angry."

"You're damn right I do!"

"CHERYL! You know not to use those words!"

"Well I'm mad! What do you expect to come out of my mouth?!"

"Look, is there anything I could do to prove my love for you, anything to make up for all the crap I've done?"

Cheryl shrugged, "I don't know."

************


Dr. Kliens basement lab was an exact duplicate to his lab at Star Labs. Lois stood by the steps holding Joanna who seemed to be getting better as she was in her mother's arms. Dr. Klien was busy unlocking cabinets and drawers as he went on about Genealogy and anything else with the word ology in it.

"In the end it could just be a virus that she was unable to fight off, or asthma; lot's of things." Bernerd said as he pulled out a case of vials.

"But Dr. Klien, after they were born you did all those tests and determined that Joanna had more of Clarks genes then mine, and she's never been sick like this before." Lois' voice cracked as she rocked her daughter in her arms.

"I know Lois, but as we grow our body changes; puberty can affect children in many ways."

"She's four years old, she can't be going through puberty!" 

Dr. Klien opened his vials and Joanna looked down and even from ten feet away she could see the needles, "No needles mommy." Joanna pleaded with her mother, her eye's wide open and alert.

Lois looked at her face, "Joanna?"

"No shots!" Joanna said shaking her head.

Lois began to wonder if Joanna could even feel the pain of a needle in her almost impervious skin, "It won't hurt sweetie. At least it shouldn't, well not very much."

"Lois, can you put her on the table, I want to do a blood test."

"BLOOD!" Joanna cried and hid her head in the crook of her mother's neck.

"Dr. Klien, she seems to be fine now, I don't want to put any stress on her."

"Lois, you are a very caring mother, but you know what's best don't you?"

Lois nodded and carried Joanna to the table and sat her on it, but even in her weakened state, Joanna was still strong enough to hold onto her mother and not let go; or be pulled off.

"Joanna..." Lois pleaded trying to pull her daughter's tiny arms off of her neck, "you have to let go sweetie."

"NO!" Joanna cried, "I wanna go home!" 

"We will, we just have to make you better first!"

"I AM BETTER! I WANT DADDY!" 

Lois looked up at Dr. Klien in pain, "My four year old daughter is stronger then I am. How sad is that?"

Joanna looked up at her mother and slowly unlocked her hands letting them fall to her lap, "Did I hurt you mommy?"

"No sweetie." Lois rubbed the back of her neck, and coughed a little, "I'm fine."

Joanna bit her lip and looked down at her hands, "I'm sorry mommy."

Now Lois was the one to feel guilty, and she knelt down in front of her daughter, "You were scared and you couldn't control your strength. Daddy gets like that too."

Joanna nodded, "Sorry anyway."

Lois smiled and kissed her daughters forehead, a commotion could be heard outside and Lois knew what it was.

"I was actually having fun!" Samantha yelled as Clark pulled her down the stairs to the basement.

"Well you can have fun later."

"I don't want later!" Samantha looked up at her sister sitting on the table, "This is your fault isn't it!"

"Leave me alone!" Joanna yelled looking down again and playing with her hands.

Clark picked up Samantha and placed her on the table next to her twin, Samantha crossed her arms and looked in the other direction, away from her sister. Clark stepped back and Lois rested her head on his shoulder looking at her girls.

"Okay, is everyone ready?" Dr. Klien asked as he prepared one of the needles.

"Ready for what?"  Samantha looked at the needle and jumped off the table. "NO WAY!" 

Lois bent down and picked her up placing her back on the table and giving Clark a good view of her neck, "Lois! What happened?" Clark asked feeling the red marks on it.

"It was nothing, just a very tight grip is all." Lois said taking his had away from her neck.

"Who's?" Clark asked.

Lois didn't want to say anything; she just looked at Clark and moved her eyes toward Joanna.

"Oh no..."

"I'm fine really, it was just an accident; I'm getting used to it." 

Clarks face still showed concern as he looked at Joanna, who was playing with her fingers, "She looks better. What happened?"

"I don't know, she just looks well..."

"I hate you!" Samantha said to Joanna.

Joanna looked away, "I wanna go home."

"Samantha, stop it!"

"I do! I mean it! You made me miss show and tell and I brought something really cool too!"

"What did you bring?" Lois asked in fear and curiosity.

"I'll show you!" Samantha hopped off the table and picked up her back pack, opened it and pulled out the jar of mold.

"Oh not that!" Joanna said turning away.

"What the!" Lois took the jar from her daughter and looked at the green mold growing, Clark stepped away from it,  "It's Kryptonite." Lois said turning the jar.

"I can see that." Clark said stepping back even more.

"Samantha Kent where did you get this!" Lois said as Dr. Klien took the jar from her.

"Jennifer gave it to me, I have more in my room..."

"The same room both you and Joanna sleep in?" Lois crossed her arms staring down at the four year old.

"Yeah! It's cool!" Samantha continued to gleam in praise of the jar, not realizing how upset her parents were or that this was the cause of Joanna's illness.

"It's a virus! It could have killed your sister!" Lois said nearly wanted to strangle her daughter.

"Only question being, why didn't you get sick?" Clark asked Samantha.

"Because I'm strong, she's weak."

"I beg to differ my dear." Lois said crossly.

Dr. Klien placed the jar in his refrigerator, "I can't tell much now, but it's the same virus used or therefore made by Joey Bermuda."

"Does that name have to come up, again." Lois moaned rubbing her temples.

"So that's what made her sick, and if it's still in the bedroom it's going to make her sick every time she's in there." Dr. Klien said.

Clark went to Samantha and placed his hand on her forehead, "102..." Clark picked up his daughter, "You have a fever and you say you feel fine."

"I do!" Samantha said before she coughed a little.

"She just seems to be taking it better, she was with that all day but maybe only the kryptonian part of her is affected, which isn't as strong as Joanna's." Bernerd said as he examined Joanna's throat.

"Well what do we do now? It's not like there's a prescription for a kryptonian virus and I'm not putting my babies through what Clark had to go through that time." Lois said closing Samantha's backpack and picking her up.

"Well, the only thing I can advise is thoroughly cleaning the girls bedroom...get all traces of the virus out of it."

"Well that leaves me out of it." Clark smiled picking up Joanna.

"Great." Lois moaned.

"Then I would have a picnic."

"A picnic? In September, it's a little chilly..."

"Then wear coats. Just get the girls in the sun, that's the best remedy. The bath probably helped because she wasn't very infected and being away from the virus now has made her well."

"Great, then I clean you cook." Lois said to her husband.

"No needles?" Joanna asked her father.

"No honey, not now. Thanks Dr. Klien."

"It's nothing; you just take care of those precious commodities."

"Always." Lois said then kissed Samantha, Joanna and last but not least, Clark.


***************************

Cheryl and Joey sat at the small table in the motel with a large pizza and a six-pack of Coke in front of them.

"So," Cheryl said before swallowing, "Mindy Church was the one who wanted you to kill Superman."

Joey nodded as he opened another Coke, " I know I shouldn't have done it Cheryl, but you should have seen this woman."

"So, all those nights you said that you were working on my birthday present you were really making a virus." Cheryl's voice turned cold, it had taken Joey hours just to get Cheryl to sit down and talk with him, so that he could explain himself; and now they were back at square one.

"Cheryl, how many times do I have to say I'm sorry?!"

"Until you mean it!" Cheryl threw down the piece of pizza and stood up, "take me home."

"So, nothing I do is going to make you forgive me?"

Cheryl shook her head; "I don't know how to forgive you, every time I do you go and mess up again."

"People mess up."

"Okay, then you screwed up; big time."

"Cheryl, I'm only human."

"I'm starting to wonder really."

"How about I make you a promise?"

"You break promises every day."

"This one won't break, consider it a steel promise..."

"Okay, what?"

"If I ever hurt you or your mother again you can disown me for eternity, but give me this last chance; three strikes and I'm out."

Cheryl shrugged, "Fine. I'm sick of fighting anyway. Just take me home."

Joey nodded, "Can I come home too Cheryl?"

Cheryl became quiet again and looked down at her feet, "I guess, but remember your promise.'

"I will. I'll be reminded everyday I look at you precious face..."

"Okay, now I'm nauseous."

Joey smiled and stood up, he walked to the door unlocked and opened it, " You're free to go."

Cheryl walked outside to see her middle school across the street, "You kidnapped me and took me two miles away from home!"

"I was bleeding, you couldn't expect me to run very far."

"I could have just walked out this door and gone home?"

"Yes."

"You prankster!"

"Oh sorry my dear, I'm The Handyman, the Prankster is still in prison."

"Sorry daddy, stupid names confuse me." Cheryl smiled as Joey gently nudged her out the door.


****************

Lois stood in the dark doorway of her daughters' bedroom, watching as they slept, peaceful and healthy. 

Clark came up behind her and kissed her softly on her silk robe covered shoulder. He placed his arms around her waist, joining them at her belly.

"You don't need to watch them ever second. Dr. Klien said that they're fine now."

"I know, I'm just thinking about what would have happened if we didn't find out what was happening. She could have died."

"She's fine; everyone is fine."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Lois took Clarks hands pulling them from her waist as she turned to face him. "They're fine." Lois smiled and took Clarks hands leading him to the bedroom.

Clark closed their bedroom door behind him as Lois took off her robe and got under the covers. Clark did the same and climbed in next to his wife, he put his arm around her as Lois snuggled into the crook of his neck.

"So I guess everything is okay in the city that seems to never sleep?"

"Pretty much. Cheryl and Joey are back at home, she said that her father had problems but she was willing to help him in working them out."

"Girl after my own heart." Lois laughed.

"And our children are safe and healthy."

Lois nodded silently, "I never want to go through that again." Lois said after a moment.

"Kids get sick, it happens."

"Not our kids. Our kids get viruses and nearly die."

"So basically what you're saying is, no more children." Clark asked with hurt in his voice.

"No, what I'm saying is ...que sera  sera....whatever will be...will be." Lois reached up to the lamp and turned off the light. "Now, let it be!" Lois giggled letting the night and their love take over.

The End