By Alyssa Copeland (Copea713@aol.com)
Rated: PG
Submitted: August 2001
Summary: This different explanation for the baby at the end of the episode "Family Hour" has Lex unwittingly being the good guy.
This story has a minor WHAM at the end and a bit of violence. Just a warning. It picks up right at the end of "Family Hour"
I wrote this because I always wondered why the baby was always from some other time, and time travels back to Lois and Clark. I decided that he very well could have been in the right time, and so this story was born. This is my first fanfic, so, be gentle, but I am always willing to receive feedback. As always, all recognizable characters are copyright to DC Comics, but everyone else is mine.
***
Later that evening, after Martha and Jonathon had convinced Ellen and Sam that there was no point in calling the police that night, and that they would make sure Lois and Clark called in the morning, Lois and Clark were sitting on the couch with the baby in Clark's arms.
"He's awfully cute, isn't he?" Clark cooed to the baby.
"Yeah, but who is he? Where did he come from?" Lois asked, in full reporter mode.
"I don't know, but I *do* know that he's at least mine, so we have to keep him. Although, more questions can come in the morning. This guy's tired, and you need your rest too," said Clark as he headed up the stairs with the baby in his arms and Lois in tow.
"Now just how much *rest* are we actually going to get?" asked Lois mischievously.
"Lo-is."
"All right, all right. Well, little guy, here's your stop." Lois said as she took the baby from Clark's arms and put him in the bassinet, which had been moved to Lois and Clark's room, courtesy of Jonathan. "Good night, little one," sighed Lois as she settled into her husband's arms. "Good night, Clark."
"Night, Lois. Night, little one."
***
The next morning was hectic. Not only did Lois and Clark sleep in accidentally, from being up with the baby all night,they had to get him ready, too. Martha had brought over some baby stuff that morning, so they could take care of the baby. As they were getting their coats on, they heard the doorbell.
"I'll get it. You've got your hands full," said Lois as she spied Clark with the baby in one arm, and all of the baby supplies in the other.
"Hello?" asked Lois, as she opened the door to a mailman.
"Lois Lane?" asked the mailman.
"Yeah, I'm her," stated a bewildered Lois.
"Sign here, please."
"Yeah, ok? What's this all about?"
"All finished. Oops, one more thing. I was requested to tell you to read that *immediately*. Something important, I guess."
"Ok. Thank you," said Lois as she closed the door and opened the envelope.
Lois started reading, wondering what it was, and not realizing it contained the shock of her life. "Oh my God. You have *got* to read this, Clark."
My name is Amanda. You don't know me, but I know you and I know Clark is Superman. I'm not gonna tell anyone, and I'm not gonna blackmail you either — well, maybe a little. All I want is for you to raise my baby.
He's more yours than mine, though. My boss decided he couldn't fight Superman alone, so he decided to even the playing field. By the time I met him, his clones had all died and he realized that they wouldn't work. So, he decided to go a different way. Apparently, there is a way to take two people's DNA and create an embryo. He used both of your sets of genes: Clark's because he was Superman, and Lois's because he was still madly in love with you and wanted your baby, if he couldn't have you. So, what I'm trying to say is that Clayton Allen is, biologically, both of yours. The only reason I'm even involved is that he hired me to carry Clayton, as a surrogate mom.
The first two letters of his names are for the people responsible for him: "C" for Clark, "L" for Lois, "A" for Amanda, and the other "L" for Lex Luthor. I guess Clayton is the one good thing he ever gave you. You must be wondering how Clayton is only 4 days old, yet Luthor helped create him. As you've probably guessed, he survived the tunnel collapse. He spent the next two years looking for a surrogate mother, figuring out the DNA to embryo thing and implementing it. He purposefully stayed out of the public's eye so you two wouldn't try to stop him. On that note, you won't have to worry about him coming after Clayton. We were walking, and he stepped out on the curb and got hit by a passing car. By the time I got over to him, he wasn't breathing and he didn't have a pulse. I can assure you that even after he supposedly died three times, he is *dead* now. If you don't believe me, go to the Shady Valley Cemetery and exhume the remains of Leonard Lynch. He'll be there.
Well, anyway, I didn't know about any of this when I agreed to carry Clayton. When Lex died, I was under the impression he wanted a child, so he got a donated egg, implanted it with *his* sperm and had me carry it. After he died, I managed to get into his computer and found out that my baby was a super- baby with Lois for a mom. I considered calling for Superman after I gave birth, but as I read the file, Clark's name was being exchanged for where "Superman" should have been. When I remembered you two were married, I realized you two would be best to raise him. So, to that end, I created a Superman blanket, so *you* would know he was a super-baby, and left him on your doorstep. I also realized Social Services would try to take him, so I filed adoption papers with the Law Offices of Cahill, McGraw, and Trumbull.
I enclosed the copy, so all you have to do is sign the papers and bring them there. They know about the situation, but they don't know Clark is Superman. They will also take care of everything if you don't want to adopt Clayton, but I really hope you do.
This is getting kind of long, so I am going to go now. When Clayton gets older, tell him all about this, and that I really loved him, OK?
Amanda
"Oh my," replied a—for once—speechless Lois. "What are we going to do now?"
"I'll tell you what we're going to do. We're going to sign those papers and raise this little one the best way we know how. Sometime soon, we'll find this Amanda and make sure she won't say anything about me. To be honest, though, I don't think she will. She really loves him, and was crying by the time she finished. I could see the teardrop. She wouldn't want to hurt him, and he would be if I were found out," Clark said, half-cooing to the baby.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, little *Clayton*, you ready to go? *Mommy and Daddy* are going to be late to work," said Lois, addressing Clayton.
To Clark, she said, "We can fill out the papers at work and bring them to the lawyers at lunch time." With that, they walked out the door, and began their new lives as parents.
In an apartment across the street, a figure was watching Lois and Clark leave with their new baby. "Goodbye, Clayton," Amanda said, with a tear falling down her face. "They'll take care of you, and raise you like you should be raised. I know it."
THE END