Christmas 2015: Matchmaker Chronicles Vol 1 CG2

By KenJ <ken.janney@kjanney.com>

Rated PG-13

Submitted: December 2015

Summary: This is the second part of the prologue for a longer
NextGen story and follows up on the events of Thanksgiving and
deals with events around Christmas 2015.

Story Size: 10,018 words (53Kb as text)

Disclaimers: Some of the characters in this story are property of
DC, December 3rd productions and Warner Bros. No Copyright
infringement is intended. I have just borrowed the characters for
a short time.

I wish to express my thanks to my Beta reader Ray Reynolds for
his invaluable help. This was a VERY rough draft when it first
landed in his hands.

/"text"/ indicates telepathic communication

*text* indicates bold

Comments are always welcome at ken.janney@kjanney.com

This story follows on from ">Thanksgiving 2015 -- Matchmaker
Chronicles Vol 1 CG1."

***

From Thanksgiving 2015 -- Matchmaker Chronicles Vol 1 CG1

***

In the evening of Friday, November the twenty-seventh, the
doorbell was rung and when Lois answered it, Bud Kyle was on the
stoop, holding a pumpkin. When she had opened the door, she said,
"Well, Bud, did you want to see Jon?"

When he looked up she could see that he had some healing bruises
on his face and around his eyes and he said, "I came to replace
the pumpkin I ruined." He proffered the large orange squash to
her, "and to say that I'm sorry."

Lois accepted the pumpkin and said, "I hope you have learned a
lesson."

In a somewhat belligerent tone, he replied, "Yeah, I have." As
he turned away, she saw that he moved stiffly, as if he were in
pain. Using her x-ray vision, Lois checked and saw bruising and
red welts on his back and ribs.

Bud didn't hear her gasp of dismay. She stopped him, "Bud!"

He turned back to her as she asked, "What did your father do to
you?"

He hung his head and said, sullenly, "Nothin'. He didn't do
nothin',' as he turned away and left.

***

Lois placed the pumpkin on the porch where the other had been and
called her husband, /Clark!/ as she stepped back into the house.

Having just returned from a rescue, he replied, /I'm upstairs./

She rushed upstairs and plopping down on the side of the bed, she
said, "I think we have a major problem."

"What would that be?"

"Bud Kyle was just here to deliver the replacement pumpkin.
Clark, I think he is a victim of child abuse. I think his father
beat him because of what he did. His face was bruised and when I
checked using my x-ray vision, so is his body and he had red
welts on his back."

"Lois, you know we aren't supposed to violate an individual's
privacy by using our x-ray vision on them."

"This was justified. That kid was injured."

"I know and I sympathize, but there are just some things we
don't do."

Chagrined, Lois replied, "I know. It's just like old times. I
was jumping in before checking the water level, but it was
probably my fault! I was the one that took him to the police."

He could sense that she was on the verge of breaking down, so
taking her in his arms, he said, "Look, maybe the appearance in
family court will help. We can only hope that it will and that
they will be ordered into counseling."

Lois relented and slumped in his arms, "Yeah, you're right. I
guess we'll just have to wait and see."

The prologue continues.

***

Chapter 1

***

%%%

Universal Locator Designation

Alpha 023 x Gamma 004 x Tau -120

Local designation -- Canon Universe also called Prime

2015

%%%

Things had been fairly quiet for the Kent family since
Thanksgiving, but it was approaching the middle of December.
Since it was common knowledge that Lois and Clark had a
continuing relationship with Ultra Woman and Superman, Clark was
contacted at the Daily Planet by the Clerk of the Court. When
Clark took the call, he was surprised at the request, "Mr.
Kent?"

"Yes, this is Clark Kent. How may I help you?"

"My name is Janet Harris. I am the Clerk of the Family Court
here in Metropolis."

Clark, who usually sat somewhat slumped in his chair to disguise
his posture, unconsciously sat up a little straighter in his
chair as he replied, "How may I help you?"

With a little, embarrassed giggle, she said, "I realize that
this is not how things like this are usually handled, but ..."

Clark's curiosity was piqued by this, and he encouraged her to
continue, "Yes, unusual. Please go on."

"Well, you see, it's this way, we need to get hold of Ultra
Woman and short of going up to the rooftop and shouting, 'Help,
Ultra Woman!,' this was the only way I could come up with.
Everyone knows how close you and Ms. Lane are to the superheroes,
so I thought that just maybe; you could get a message to her."

"I would be happy to. I'm always happy to help the courts. What
message would you like me to give her?"

"Well, I can't go into the details over the phone with anyone.
I really need to speak with her. Could you have her call me and
set up a meeting?"

"Sure, just give me your number."

He wrote as she dictated the number and she finished with,
"Thank you for your assistance. I look forward to hearing from
Ultra Woman," and hung up.

Clark sat there, thoughtful, for a moment before standing and
taking the number to Lois. As he handed it to her he kidded,
"Have you had any rescues involving kids recently?"

Smiling, she replied, "You know that most of my rescues involve
kids. Why?"

"Has someone accused you of abusing their child recently?"

Becoming concerned, Lois concentrated and came up with nothing.
"Not that I can recall, why?"

As she took the note, he said, "I just had a call from Family
Court asking that I pass on a message to Ultra Woman. They want
to talk to you."

Taking the note, Lois mused, "I wonder what this is all
about."

Smiling, Clark replied, "One way to find out, call."

Lois nodded and they moved into the conference room. Picking up
the phone, Lois called the number that Clark had written down.
When it was answered, she said, "This is Ultra Woman. I'd like
to speak with Janet Harris."

She heard a gasp from the receiver and then, "Ultra Woman?"
There was a pause and then she heard, "I don't mean to doubt
you, but over the phone I could be speaking to anyone. Could you
come into the office? I have a matter that I need to discuss with
you."

Grabbing a pencil and paper, Lois said, "I'd be happy to. What
is your address?" Lois wrote as it was dictated. "Got it. I'll
be there shortly."

Clark smiled and asked, "Need any help?"

Lois shook her head and said, "I don't think so. I'll see you
in a while." She walked out and entered the stairwell as Clark
returned to his desk.

Thirty seconds later, Ultra Woman was standing in front of a desk
in a Clerk of the Court's office.

Sensing a presence, Janet Harris looked up from the papers she
was perusing and was startled to see Ultra Woman standing over
her. Her hand flew to her throat and she exclaimed, "My, when
you said, shortly, I thought you meant later in the afternoon."

"The extent to which you went in order to contact me seemed to
make it urgent."

Having second thoughts, she said, "How can I be sure that
you're Ultra Woman?"

Lois thought for a second and then spotting a cup of cold coffee
on her desk, used her heat vision and then said, "Enjoy your
coffee."

Looking at her cup, Janet saw steam rising from it and picked it
up to take a cautious sip of her steaming, hot coffee. She sighed
in pleasure and all questions of the identity of her visitor
removed, asked, "Would you like to have a seat?"

"No, thank you. I prefer to remain standing," and she crossed
her arms over her chest.

"Oh, okay, well, the reason I needed to contact you is ... last
month you brought in two teens. They were charged with vandalism
and littering. As a result of the fine being imposed, a family
court hearing has been ordered. I have been asked by the lawyers
involved to arrange for you to appear at the hearing."

Lois nodded and said, "If you will let me know when it is
scheduled, as long as I am not called away for a major rescue, I
will make every effort to attend."

"We appreciate it. It is scheduled for the seventeenth at three
PM."

"Thank you. As I said, I will make every effort to be there."

***

After she returned to the Planet, Lois pulled Clark into the
conference room and said, "What am I going to do, Clark? They
want me to appear at Bud's family court hearing. What am I going
to say? I saw what his father did to him."

Putting his arms around her, Clark comforted her and said, "All
you can do is answer any questions they ask, within reason, and
tell the truth."

"I'll have to tell them about the bruises I saw."

"Lois, stop and think. Who saw the bruises?"

"I did."

"When?"

"When he dropped off the pumpkin."

"Who is going to be in court?"

"I am."

"Be specific, who will be in court?"

"Ultra Woman."

"Be specific again, who saw the bruises?"

She thought for a second before answering, "Lois Lane. Wow, it
is really coming home to me just how complicated your life has
been ever since you created Superman. It gets confusing, doesn't
it?"

He snickered and said, "You have no idea. You never worked with
the best investigative reporter in the world and tried to keep a
secret like the one I was keeping. Sometimes it was hard to
remember who saw or said what. There were times I screwed up;
fortunately, you didn't pick up on them. You just thought that
Clark and Superman talked together a lot, exchanging bits of
gossip."

***

When Ultra Woman entered the courtroom, the judge welcomed her
and said, "I know how valuable your time is so if you will take
the stand, we will precede."

After the bailiff swore her in, the judge addressed her, "Ultra
Woman, are you aware of why you were asked to appear?"

"I assumed that it was to testify about the evening I
apprehended two teenage boys in the act of damaging private
property and littering."

"Yes, actually, it is about that night, but not about that
act."

The lawyer standing next to Bud and his family started to speak
and Lois was astonished at what she was hearing.

"Bud claims that you beat him up for this minor infraction
because you and Superman have a special connection with the Kent
family." He produced some pictures and said, "Your honor, I
have here pictures taken of Bud shortly after he was picked up by
his parents from the precinct. They clearly indicate bruising of
the face and black eyes. These injuries, he claims, are the
result of the handling he received from Ultra Woman. These are
the pictures already placed into evidence." He then handed the
pictures to the judge.

The judge leafed through the pictures, a thoughtful expression on
his face as he refreshed his memory. As he placed them down on
his desk, Ultra Woman asked, "May I see them?"

The judge nodded said, "Certainly," and handed them over. Ultra
Woman looked them over and then handed them to the judge.

The judge asked, "Do you have anything to say?"

"Yes, Your Honor, those injuries look real enough, but he did
not sustain them by my hands. When I dropped him off at the
precinct, he was ... unblemished."

Bud's lawyer challenged, "Then how do you explain these
injuries?"

"I have no explanation. All I know is that he was uninjured when
I dropped him off. The sergeant on the desk that night can verify
my statement. If he sustained his injuries after I dropped him
off and before he was picked up by his parents, they were either
self-inflicted or else he had a fight with the other teen that
was with him when apprehended."

The judge said, "I thought of that and asked for the cell tapes
for the night in question. Unfortunately the camera in the cell
was malfunctioning. I had already tried to contact the sergeant.
Again, unfortunately, he is unavailable. He just got married and
is on his honeymoon."

Ultra Woman thought for a few seconds and then a thought came to
mind. She said, "That night, when I brought them in, there were
a number of patrolmen there. Some of them were taking pictures of
me. Perhaps the boys could be seen in some of those pictures."

The judge smiled and said, "There will be a short recess while I
contact the precinct and request that those patrolmen email those
pictures to me. We will reconvene in one hour." He banged his
gavel and said, "We stand in recess."

When Ultra Woman made that suggestion, Bud started to sweat. His
lawyer closely scrutinized him, and as the judge exited, he said,
"We have to have a discussion." Inviting Bud's parents to
accompany them, he led the way from the room.

***

Lois had been blindsided by this accusation and hadn't known
what to do. Instead of being there simply to testify as to what
Bud had done, she had been the one placed on the defensive. She
continued to sit in the witness stand as she watched Bud, his
family and lawyer leave. She knew she was innocent, but had no
way, other than possibly the pictures taken by those patrolmen to
prove it. She decided that she needed to talk to Clark.

Lois walked out of the courtroom, down the hall and out the door
so the she wouldn't disturb anyone any more than necessary. Once
outside however, she moved faster than the eye could follow and
within a split second she was on the roof of the Daily Planet
building. As she passed through the roof access door, she spun
back into her beige business suit before descending the stairs at
super-speed. Exiting the stairwell, she crossed to Clark's desk
and said, "We need to talk. Conference room."

Clark could see that she was upset, but had no idea as to the
cause so he stood and walked with her to the conference room, his
hand at the small of her back. He could feel the tension in her
body which added to his concern. As soon as they were inside, he
closed the door and the blinds, then he turned to her. He could
see that she was having difficulty restraining tears. In a
comforting tone, he asked, "All right, what happened?"

Stepping to him and throwing her arms around his neck, she
sobbed, "Oh, Clark, they accused me of child abuse."

"What? How could they?"

"Remember the night that Bud brought over the replacement
pumpkin? I told you about the bruises. He is claiming that Ultra
Woman did that to him."

Clark stuttered out, "But you didn't. You wouldn't have.
There's just no way."

"I know, but he had pictures and is claiming that I did that to
him."

"There's always someone looking to turn us into a big payday.
Don't they have surveillance on the cells? What about the desk
sergeant?"

"They already thought of that. The camera was on the fritz and
the desk sergeant is away on his honeymoon."

"There has to be someone. What about the patrolman that put them
in the cells?"

"Fortunately I thought of them and some of them were taking
pictures of me which may have the kids in the frame. For once I
am very happy about the skin tight suit. If not for that, they
might not have been taking pictures."

Pulling her in tighter, he said, "I love you in that suit.
Frankly, though, I love you better ... out of it."

Smiling, she tilted her head up and kissed him, then she sighed
and said, "You always say the sweetest things."

***

While this was going on, the lawyer was talking to the Kyle
family, "You said this would be a sure thing."

Bud replied, "It should have been. I noticed the out of order
sign on the camera. I knew it would take Pop a while to get
there. In that time they were sure to have a shift change so the
same guy wouldn't be on the desk. I threatened Mike until he hit
me a few times, hard enough to make bruises. I forgot about those
cops takin' pictures of Ultra Woman."

"All right then, the only thing to do is say it was all a
mistake."

Bud's father stopped him and said, "Nothin' doin'. I hired
you to keep my kid out of juvie and to keep me from havin' to
pay that fine and make some money in the deal. You're gonna go
in there and convince that judge that she done it. Then we all
get a big payday."

"That is going to be impossible if those pictures show him
unblemished."

"Maybe they won't. We're just gonna have to wait and see."

***

When the hour had elapsed they had all returned to the courtroom.
The judge addressed Ultra Woman, "Please resume your place in
the witness box."

After she had resumed her seat, he said, "I just received the
pictures." He pulled them up on his laptop and said, "It is
hard to tell. The pictures are rather small."

Ultra Woman zoomed in with her microscopic vision and in her
anxiety went too far, seeing a field of dots spaced wide apart
without seeing a picture. She backed off on the magnification and
scanned the pictures. Pointing to two of them, she said, "If you
have these two enlarged and printed, I believe it will show that
Bud was unblemished at the time the pictures were taken. From the
angles, I would say that these were taken by two different
individuals."

The judge checked the original emails and saw that her
supposition was correct. He looked at the lawyer with a stern
expression, "Well, councilor, what do you have to say?"

The lawyer was in a panic and chose to throw his clients under
the bus, "I didn't know anything about that, Your Honor. They
came to me with the pictures and told me that Ultra Woman had
done it. That's all I know."

Bud's father responded with a loud snort.

Hearing that, the judge replied, "Councilor, if there was any
way I could prove that you willingly participated in this
attempted fraud, I'd have you disbarred. As it is, all I can say
is -- get out of my courtroom and thank your lucky stars that I
can't prove it."

The lawyer hastily grabbed his bag and left. As the door closed
behind him, the judge muttered, "I hate ambulance chasers,"
then turned his attention back to Ultra Woman, "I want to
apologize for doubting you and taking your time this way. You are
excused."

"Thank you, Your Honor, but might I ask what is to be done
here?"

"I have to say, I don't like what has happened here. First,
there was the incident that brought this young man in, in the
first place, but complicating that is what they tried to do to
you. I don't know if I should blame the child or the parents. I
think it is apparent that the parents had some level of
involvement."

"May I speak on their behalf?"

"You want to speak for them, after what they tried to do to
you?"

"Yes, Your Honor. The attempt has failed. They paid for a lawyer
unless he was working on commission. I think there is a fine for
littering. Let that be the end of it, unless you feel that family
counseling would help."

"I am inclined to agree with you." He turned so that he was
facing the Kyles and said, "The fine for the littering will be
fifty dollars and I agree with Ultra Woman. I think that family
counseling is needed and it is so ordered." He brought his gavel
down with a loud thwack. "Pay the bailiff. Court dismissed."

As Ultra Woman was leaving, she could hear Bud's father
grumbling and muttering indistinctly. She couldn't make out the
words, but the tone was a threatening one.

***

As soon as Lois was back at the Planet, she sat on the corner of
Clark's desk and looked at what was on his computer screen. It
was a write-up of a recent Superman rescue.

He asked, "How did it go?"

"I'll never complain about my uniform being too tight again."

"The pictures showed that he was uninjured."

"Sure did. Their lawyer threw them under the bus, claiming he
had nothing to do with the attempted fraud, but I think the judge
knew better."

"All's well that ends well."

"Yes, all's well that ends well and this ended well. They've
been ordered into family counseling."

"It just might do some good."

"To borrow a phrase from Herb, 'Only time will tell.'"

***

Chapter 2

***

%%%

Universal Locator Designation

Alpha 023 x Gamma 004 x Tau -120

Local designation -- Canon Universe also called Prime

2015

%%%

Once the issue with Bud and the family court appearance had been
resolved, the Kent family was able to concentrate on the upcoming
holiday.

Since Grandma and Grandpa Kent had come to Metropolis for
Thanksgiving, the younger Kent family was going to be visiting
Smallville this holiday. Christmas was on a Friday this year, but
the schools were closing after only a half day on Wednesday, and
the children did not have to be back in school until January 4th
of 2016. Accordingly, on Wednesday, as soon as everyone was home,
they finished their packing and loaded their fifteen passenger
van. The van was equipped with a DVD player for the rear
passengers and in a strategic move; they started out later in the
evening.

After a little over an hour, Jessica, Jimmy, Lucy and Sam (8, 6,
4, and 2 years old, respectively) were all asleep in their child
safety car seats and to the joy of Jon, Lara, Sean and Celeste,
while Lois continued to drive, Clark slipped out through his
window and while flying beside the van, spun into The Suit,
picked up the van, and started flying with it just above the tree
tops. When they were over a deserted stretch of Kansas
countryside near Smallville, he lowered the van to the road and
reversed the process by changing and slipping back inside.

Half an hour later, they pulled up in front of the Kent farm
house. Jonathan and Martha were sitting up, waiting for them, and
when they saw the headlights, they came outside to welcome them.

As they came out, the side door of the van slid open and the four
older children, Jon, Lara, Sean and Celeste all piled out and
surrounded their grandparents who welcomed their hugs and
kisses.

Lois and Clark watched in amusement as the kids mobbed their
grandparents and smiled seeing the affection displayed. After
reveling in the display for a time, they opened their doors and
started to release the remaining children who had all started to
stir as soon as the van had come to a halt. Lois could start to
feel the strain on her cheek muscles from her irrepressible smile
as she watched each child as they were released from their
restraints join their siblings greeting their grandparents. After
the last had joined the mob, she and Clark simply stood by the
van, arms around each other, watching the love on display until
Jon and Lara saw them. Breaking away from the pack, they took
their parents' hands and dragged them over to join the group.

Lois and Clark were both laughing as they were dragged over to
join the group hug. They were both super pleased that their
children loved their grandparents so much. In recent years the
senior Kents had been virtually their only grandparents.

***

Sam and Ellen Lane had reconciled after the Bad Brain affair,
first moving in together and then re-marrying. Sam had taken the
robot he had created, the one he had called Baby Gunderson, and
sold her to a department store to be used as a 'living' manikin
in their store windows. Sam had given up on his get rich quick
schemes and using the seed money from the sale of Baby Gunderson,
had gone back into legitimate practice with Ellen as his nurse.
The practice had flourished and he had brought in two other
physicians as partners. Building the practice had taken a lot of
time, and Lois and Clark hadn't seen that much of them. They did
drop by now and then, but it was nothing like with the regularity
of the older Kents even though they were right there in
Metropolis.

As the practice had prospered, Sam's relationship with Ellen had
prospered. He had decided that they could afford to 'give back'
to the community. So, with the agreement and assistance of his
partners, he had started a small clinic in the Suicide Slum
section of town. The doctors in the group all staffed it on a
rotating basis. The only problem was that, in spite of signs
stating that no money or drugs were stored on the premises, there
were frequent burglaries. After the fifth break-in, they had
decided to close the clinic, but Sam still wanted to 'give
back' so he talked it over with Ellen and they had decided to do
missionary tours with *Doctors Without Borders*. Once they had
started this, they had found it difficult to stop because the
work had been so rewarding, not in a monetary sense, but
emotionally.

They had engaged in this endeavor shortly after the birth of the
twins in 2004 so Jon had only been four at the time and Lara two.
As a result, this set of grandparents were almost strangers to
all of the Kent children when they did show up. They had returned
to the states briefly a year and a half earlier, when Lucy was
about six months old and Sam had just been conceived.

Currently, they were helping relief workers in northern
Afghanistan. They had been working as a doctor and nurse surgical
team in a hospital under more or less battlefield conditions for
almost six months. They took great pains to try and 'blend in'
with the local population. Ellen didn't mind wearing a niqab,
but she preferred the hijab. The niqab didn't bother her because
she was so used to wearing a gown, mask and head-covering while
in surgery. (A/N -- The niqab is a head covering and veil which
leaves an opening for the eyes as well as a burka like robe to
cover the body. The hijab is a head scarf that covers the hair,
but leaves the face exposed.)

Lois and Clark had both been concerned for the continued welfare
of Sam and Ellen and had told them that if they ever needed help
that Superman and/or Ultra Woman would always be available.

The incident that had made their reconciliation possible occurred
at the end of the Bad Brain adventure. When the Bummer-Be-Gone
had malfunctioned, it had erased all of the bad memories that had
constituted their relationship. Along with that, they had both
lost the memory of just who Superman was, and Lois and Clark had
deemed it necessary to keep them in ignorance. They had simply
been told that a call to Lois or Clark would galvanize their
close friends, the superheroes, into action.

***

Two months earlier

***

Recently, Lois and Clark were even more concerned about Sam and
Ellen's welfare. Truth be told, Lois was almost frantic. There
had been a period of no contact, and Lois was about to fly out to
investigate whether Clark accompanied her or not. There had been
an accidental bombing of a hospital, a friendly fire incident,
but they hadn't been in the facility at the time. At literally
the last second, they had gotten a call from them. Realizing that
Lois and Clark would worry about them, they used a satellite
phone they carried with them to call.

It had been a couple of days since the accidental bombing and
also without Sam or Ellen calling. Lois was just about to pick up
the phone and call Lucy to babysit when the call came in. Because
of the time difference, Lois and Clark were at home when the call
came in. The caller ID displayed the source of the call and Lois
leaped to answer it. "Hello? Mother? Daddy?"

Ellen's voice came through the receiver, "Hi, Lois, it's Mom.
Listen, honey, we're fine. I know it has been a few days. We
didn't want you to worry so we decided to call."

Relieved, Lois asked, "Wasn't that the hospital you have been
working in that was bombed?"

"Yes, it was. You know, we are very short handed, so we don't
get many breaks, but we just happened to be out of the facility
when the bomb hit."

"That's a relief. We were afraid that you had gotten
injured."

"No, we're just fine. A little overworked, no, a lot
overworked. There are not only the patients we already had, but
now those injured in the incident. We just heard that it was an
accident. Friendly fire. We're making do."

"Is there anything we can do for you? Superman or Ultra Woman
could bring you whatever you need."

Ellen laughed, "That would be a pretty tall order. What we could
use is more doctors and nurses, and I don't think that they
could supply them."

"How are things going otherwise? Are the locals treating you
well?"

"Yes, we've been here for a while now and the local population
all knows us and that we work in the hospital. They treat us well
enough. They know we're non-combatants."

"Are you guys going to be coming home anytime soon?"

"You know how it is. You can't tell from one day to the next
what is going to happen. Things change very rapidly and without
warning. We can only hope that the fact that we are here to help
will keep us safe."

A serious tone entered Lois's voice as she said, "We are aware
of how rapidly things can change. All I can say is, keep the
satellite phone handy and give us a shout if you need help."

Ellen's tone, which all things considered had been light,
changed to one of seriousness as she said, "I don't go anywhere
without it. It is a bit larger than a cell phone, but it is more
reliable. I carry it in my bag at all times. Sam carries a spare
battery, and I try to remember to keep this one charged. If we
need help, we'll shout."

Lois's tone turned bantering as she said, "You'd better."

Ellen's tone was serious as she replied, "I will, Lois. I
don't have a death wish and neither does your father. As soon as
there is a potential problem, we'll call, rest assured."

"I want you to continue to check in with us on a regular
basis."

Don't worry, dear. We will. I need to go. It's time for our
shift to start."

"Mom!"

"Yes, dear?"

"We love you, Mom."

Ellen's tone was soft as she replied, "I know, and we love you
too." Lois could hear her talking to her father even though her
hand had apparently been placed over the mouthpiece before she
came back on, "Gotta go. We have patients backed up into the
hallway. We are working emergency, and apparently there was a
firefight down the street. Bye."

Lois said, "Bye, Mom," as she heard the connection broken.

Lois turned to Clark and said, "I'm worried about them."

"I am too, Honey, but there isn't a lot we can do about it
until they call for help. It isn't like we could fly over there
and pick them up and bring them home as Superman and Ultra Woman
without their consent. They are doing important work over there,
and they would really resent the intrusion."

"I know, but that doesn't keep me from wishing things were
different and that they were home. Why did Daddy have to decide
to do something so dangerous?"

"I think that subconsciously, he is trying to make amends for
what he did in the past. Those enhanced boxers were potentially
dangerous. We can only guess why Luthor was financing that
research. When we found the documentation on that after Luthor
finally died, it opened the door to all kinds of speculation. It
was obvious that at least one of his purposes was to create
someone that could take me on. After that failed, he created that
clone of me and indoctrinated it with his values."

"Fortunately, your innate goodness came through, and he rebelled
against his 'father'." Lois draped herself over him with her
arms around his neck as she said, "As for the boxers, I for one
am glad that Daddy failed." Lois kissed the side of his neck.

"Unfortunately, his research was the foundation for Metallo. By
the same token, it was a good thing because that was the
foundation for the creation of Baby Gunderson. If not for that
invention, he might not have gone back into legitimate
practice."

"Yeah, and it was Baby Gunderson that put us on to The Mechanic
when he tried to kill us with the microwave."

"There, you see. There was a lot of good that came out of that
research."

"I wish we could convince him of that."

***

That had all taken place a couple of months ago and now it was
Christmas week. On the Thursday of Christmas Eve, the kids were
all up early, almost as early as Martha, and by the time Lois and
Clark came down with Sam, who still shared their room, the rest
of the children were in various stages of having breakfast. Lois
placed Sam in his highchair and proceeded to feed him while the
kids that were finished eating all went out to 'help' Grandpa
Kent with his chores.

The weather was brisk with a light overcast. During the day the
temperature was in the fifties while at night it was dropping
down close to freezing, but unfortunately there was no snow in
the forecast.

At eleven o'clock, when the chores were all finished, they all
piled into the van, all that is except, Jon and Lara who rode
with Grandpa Kent in the truck while Grandma Kent rode in the van
with the rest as they headed into town to purchase a Christmas
tree.

Once they arrived, Sam was placed under Celeste's charge, and
Lucy was to be watched over by Sean, an assignment that would
fall to his lot, well into her pre-teen years, to his chagrin.

The children all dispersed and each was looking for 'the
perfect' tree. While they were all running from section to
section, covering and recovering the entire lot, Lois and Clark
strolled leisurely around the lot chatting with Clark's parents,
amused by, smiling and commenting on the activity.

Suddenly, Lois heard Sean calling from off to the extreme left,
and she led Clark in that direction. When they arrived, they
noted that they were actually off the lot when they spotted Sean
and Lucy. Lucy was standing there staring at a scrawny little
tree, obviously a reject, and crying.

As she approached, Lois said, "Lucy? Why are you all the way
over here? What's the matter, sweetie?"

Without even looking at her, tears streaming down her face, Lucy
replied, "Mommy, I feel sorry for this little tree. Nobody is
going to want it."

Lois was immediately cast back many years into her past. Unlike
now, Christmas had never been a happy time for Lois. After her
parents' divorce, there hadn't been enough money to satisfy her
mother's thirst and also pay for decorations. After she had met
Clark, things had begun to change. Finally, she had decided to
celebrate Christmas. She had ordered in a complete Christmas
dinner and sent out invitations. She had gone looking for a tree,
but by that time, they had been very picked over, but she had
found a scrawny tree that had actually grabbed her fancy. When
the night had come, the only one who had shown up had been Clark.
He had told her that his flight had been cancelled due to snow.
She knew very much better now. He had delayed his plans of flying
out to Smallville so that she wouldn't be alone on Christmas. It
had turned out to be a magical night.

Identifying with Lucy, Lois knelt next to her and said, "Tell
you what, why don't we give it a home and decorate it. We can
have a mama tree and a baby tree. How about that?"

Lucy threw her arms around Lois's neck and sobbed, "Could we,
Mommy? Could we?"

"We sure can, Sweetheart. We will."

Clark said, "Wait right here. I'll be right back." He went in
search of the salesman.

A few minutes later he returned and the salesman wrapped the tree
up and handed it to Clark who carried it to the truck and placed
it in the bed.

As this was being done, Lucy's tears stopped and she started to
smile. She hugged Lois and said, "Thanks, Mommy."

Lois returned the hug and said, "I just want to see my little
girl happy."

"You're the bestest mommy in the whole wide world! I love you.
Mommy."

"And I love you, sweetheart."

***

Eventually they found another tree and after loading everything
and everybody, they headed back to the farm.

Jonathan and Clark set up both trees, one on either side of the
fireplace, in the corner, at a safe distance.

While they were setting up the trees and arranging the
decorations, they had the radio on in the background playing
Christmas music.

Everyone was enjoying the process as they placed the decorations
on the trees when suddenly the music was interrupted, **"We
interrupt this broadcast for a news bulletin. Flash: Afghanistan
-- ISIS rebels, who had been massing in northern Afghanistan are
striking south, moving through Khorasan Province. They have been
actively attacking the Taliban in that area and are now starting
to seize territory. We now return you to your regularly scheduled
program." **

As the music resumed, Lois asked Clark, "Isn't that where
Mother and Daddy are?"

"I'm afraid so."

"I'm going to call home and check the answering machine."

"Okay. I hope everything is okay."

Lois replied, "So do I," as she picked up her cell phone and
dialed.

As the phone on the other end was ringing, Lois heard a beep,
indicating an incoming call. Hitting the 'flash' button, she
accepted it. "Lois Lane."

She could hear what sounded like shooting or explosions in the
background as she heard a familiar voice, "Princess?"

"Daddy? What's happening?"

"Princess, we need help! The city is being overrun by ISIS
fanatics. It won't be long until they are in the hospital. We
have heard that they don't give any special treatment to medical
personnel. If you are not Muslim they capture you, make you
slaves or kill you. Can you get your friends, Superman and Ultra
Woman to come and pick us up?"

Lois tried to remain calm as she said, "Consider it done. We are
in Smallville. Do you mind if they bring you here?"

"Anywhere will be better than here before too much longer.
Please ask them to hurry."

"We will." She closed the connection. Looking at Clark she
said, "You heard?" At his nod, she turned to Martha and said,
"Clark and I have to go out for a while. Would you mind a couple
more visitors?"

"No problem. The sofa pulls out into a bed." With a
conspiratorial wink, she added, "Go get them. Keep them safe."

Lois said to Jon, "Jon, we have to go out for a while."

"Can Lara and I help?"

"Not this time. We will have passengers."

"Okay, Mom. We'll see you when you get back."

Nodding to Clark she led the way out the back door. As soon as
the door was closed behind them, they spun into their uniforms
and took to the sky.

***

Chapter 3

***

%%%

Universal Locator Designation

Alpha 023 x Gamma 004 x Tau -120

Local designation -- Canon Universe also called Prime

2015

%%%

Lois and Clark, AKA Ultra Woman and Superman, stayed in close
formation as they crossed the continent and soared out over the
Pacific Ocean. At any other time they might have loitered to take
in the majesty of the broad expanse of water, but there was an
urgency to this trip.

They landed in Madras, India and found an isolated spot to spin
into their regular clothes. They landed near a market area and
quickly found a bazaar that had clothing of various types. They
started looking for something they could use as disguises. The
Muslim population of India was in the minority; however there
were numbers of them throughout the country. With a minimum of
haggling, Clark purchased two sets of Muslim attire, a niqab for
Lois and a burnoose and knit cap for himself. The niqab would
hide Lois's uniform, the only part visible being part of her
mask showing through the opening in the head covering. The
burnoose would not disguise the fact that Clark was clean shaven,
but the disguises should hold long enough to do what they had to
do. Returning to the same secluded area, they spun back into
their uniforms, carried the disguises as bundles, and took off
again. It was only a short hop from Madras to northern
Afghanistan. They stayed high and used their telescopic vision to
scout the area. They could see the firefight already in progress.
They were high enough that they were unobserved while they
decided their next move.

Spotting a deserted house with a courtyard, they put on a burst
of speed and moving faster than the eye could follow they
descended into the courtyard. As soon as they landed, they each
put on the disguises over their uniforms.

"I think the hospital is two blocks away. The firefight is on
the other side of the hospital from us. Ready? Remember, walk a
pace or two behind me."

This rankled Lois's feminist leanings, "Must I?"

"That's the way it is over here. If we don't want to attract
attention, that's what you'll have to do."

With a smirk, she replied, "As if your red boots and my hot pink
ones showing below the disguises won't attract attention."

"We can only hope that they don't look at our feet. As long as
you don't show someone the sole of your boot, we should be
okay."

Mystified, she asked, "Why is that?"

"Showing the sole of your shoe to someone is the supreme insult
in this culture. Remember when the U.S. military, at the request
of the locals, tore down the statue of Saddam in Iraq? One of the
first things that happened was a local leaped up on the fallen
statue, took off his shoe, and started beating the face with
it."

"I wondered about that."

"U. S. servicemen are warned against showing the sole of their
boots. Evidence of what the Muslims think of our presence can be
seen in news clips. I saw in one, coalition troops on patrol and
as they walked by, a Muslim sitting on a stool in a doorway
crossed his leg presenting the sole of his sandal to the troops.
It is very subtle, but it is there. Unless you knew that about
them, you'd miss it."

"Now that you mention it, I remember seeing that clip."

"To the uneducated eye, there is nothing amiss, but knowing
that, the meaning is obvious. There is a definite clash of
cultures." He looked her disguise over and said, "Looks like we
are ready to go. Remember, two paces behind."

"If you insist."

"You could also tilt your head down. That should hide your
mask." As she tilted her head down, he said, "Okay, here we
go."

They exited the courtyard and started down the street.

There must have been something in their gate or posture. They
couldn't be sure what it was, but something gave them away. As
they walked down the street, there was a shout from behind them,
"Allahu Akbar," which was followed immediately by a burst of
automatic rifle fire. Subconsciously, Clark recognized the sound
and identified the weapon as an AK-47, Kalashnikov, as he felt
slugs slam into his back. He spun and using his heat vision
melted the action seizing the weapon making it useless for
anything more than a paperweight. While he did this, Lois used
her super-speed to close with the shooter and using one finger
knocked him out.

Standing over him and looking down at her handiwork, she said,
"Serves you right, shooting at unarmed people."

Clark said, "I think we need to be on our way."

"Right. What was that again, two paces?" she asked
sarcastically.

"Let's try to get there without any further incidents, shall
we?"

"He did it, not me."

"I know, and I appreciate the restraint you showed by just
knocking him out."

She fell in behind him as he moved off.

After a couple of minutes, they located the hospital. There was a
lot of hustle and bustle as patients were prepared for
relocation. Unfortunately, there were a number that were just too
badly off to be moved. They found Sam and Ellen working
frantically to prepare one of the less injured. As they watched,
Ellen said, "That's the last of the semi-ambulatory. Those are
all that we can help. I hope our transport arrives soon. They are
almost at the doors."

Ellen was startled by a voice behind her, "Somebody here call
for a cab?" After she spoke, she became concerned thinking that
her parents might recognize her voice. She sent, /"Maybe you
should do all of the talking."/

Ellen snapped around and with a startled look stared at the woman
in the niqab. Suddenly she spotted the hot pink mask through the
slit in the niqab and knew that it had to be Ultra Woman. The man
in the burnoose next to her lifted his cap off and she recognized
the slicked back hair of Superman. When she did, she released a
sigh of relief.

Superman took the lead from that point and asked, "Do you need
to recover anything from your rooms?"

Sam replied, "No, we have been in the habit of carrying our
passports on our persons. We have them in pouches slung around
our necks. All that is in our rooms is some clothing. Easily
replaced."

Ellen stepped to the side and picked up two tote bags. She said,
"The satellite phone and other valuables are in these. We are
ready to go."

They each pulled clothes from the totes and put them on. When
they finished Ellen was also wearing a niqab and Sam was wearing
a pair of loose pants and a long loose tunic with his head bare.

Superman said, "That's great. We will walk out together. We
found a secluded area that we can take off from. It is only a
couple of blocks away. We will keep you safe now."

Ultra Woman sent a thought, /"I suggest single file. You lead
and I'll bring up the rear, that way they are between us."/

/"Good idea."/ He then told Sam and Ellen, "I suggest single
file. I'll lead and Ultra Woman will bring up the rear, that way
you are between us."/

They headed out and were almost to the house when a group of
armed men appeared in front of them and Ultra Woman shouted,
"There's more behind us!"

Superman shouted, "Sandstorm!" and accompanied the shout with a
telepathic message, /"Super-breath. Sand."/

Ultra Woman picked up on his ploy instantly and as soon as she
turned to the rear she used her super-breath as Superman was,
blowing at the ground, stirring up the sand and sending it at the
men gathered at either end of the thoroughfare.

The men were armed with a mishmash of weapons, predominately
AK-47s, some M-4 carbines that they had captured from the U.S.
military and RPGs. Sighting the four in the street, they brought
their weapons to bear and started shooting. Until the leading
edge of the artificial sandstorm hit them, Superman and Ultra
Woman were kept busy catching or deflecting the bullets. When it
reached their assailants, they forgot all about shooting and
threw up their arms to defend their eyes from the stinging grit.

Once their assailants had stopped shooting, reaching back,
Superman placed one of Ellen's hands in one of Sam's and took
Sam's other hand. He sent Lois a telepathic message as he
started to lead Sam and Ellen away, /I have your parents. We need
to get to the house. Back up slowly and keep the sandstorm
going./

Superman and Ultra Woman kept up the sandstorm until they found
the house they were after and ducked inside, closing and bolting
the door behind them. Lois sent a telepathic message, /Let's
stay in the disguises. The less they can see of me the better
I'll like it. With a close inspection they may recognize me./

/Good idea./

Once the door had been closed and barred, all four of them ran
through the house and into the courtyard. They allowed Sam and
Ellen a second to catch their breath before Superman moved next
to Sam, and Ultra Woman stood next to Ellen to place their arms
around their passengers. Superman said, "Hold onto your hats.
We're going to take off ... rather fast. Once we are high
enough, we will slow down. Don't worry, our auras will protect
you." He paused a second while Ellen put an arm around Ultra
Woman's shoulders and then he said, "Okay, here we go," and
the two of them took off at extreme velocity.

Once they were at twenty-five thousand feet, they came to a hover
and Superman asked, "Everyone okay?"

Ultra Woman, other than the comment in the hospital had
maintained her silence, fearing that Ellen or Sam would recognize
her voice. She hadn't had as much practice at disguising it as
Clark had.

At nods from both Ellen and Sam, he said, "Okay, next stop, the
U. S. of A."

They slowly descended to ten thousand feet as they headed
south-east, flying over India, the Indian Ocean, over Australia
and then north-east across the Pacific Ocean. It wasn't too long
until the California coastline appeared before them. They altered
course once again to almost due east and finally landed in the
front yard of the Kent Farm house.

As they we being set upon their feet, Sam asked, "Why here? We
belong in Metropolis."

Clark replied, "When Lois and Clark asked us to pick you up,
they asked us to bring you here because this is where they are.
Now, if you'll excuse us, we have somewhere to be." So saying,
Superman and Ultra Woman took off in a blur. Once they were out
of sight of the ground, they reversed course and approached from
the rear to enter through their bedroom window.

Once they had removed the disguises and spun into their regular
clothes, they were ready to welcome their guests.

It was just about that time that there was a knock on the door
and then Jon's voice shouting, "Grandma and Grandpa Lane!"

Lois and Clark exited their room and headed downstairs,
appropriately surprised at the unexpected arrival of Lois's
parents.

They were quickly brought inside because they were dressed for
weather quite a bit hotter than the fifty-three degrees that the
thermometer read.

Jonathan was just putting the finishing touches on the fire he
had built in the fireplace.

Martha took charge, "Ellen and Sam, so good to see you. Superman
warned us you may be stopping by. Come on in and get warm by the
fire. We'll have to see about getting you some warmer
clothing."

As they sat on the couch, Lois and Clark entered the room. Lois
picked up Sam and said, "Mother and Daddy, this is our youngest.
He's named after you, Daddy."

Sam's smile was so big it almost split his face, "Come to
Grandpa, Sam," as he held out his hands to him.

Next, Lois called Lucy over and said, "This is Lucy Ellen. I
guess I don't need to tell you where she got her middle name."

Ellen smiled and held out her hands, saying, "Come to
Grandma."

This broke the ice and then there was a general
getting-to-know-you session as the grandparents met their
grandchildren.

After a time, Ellen turned to Sam and said, "I don't think I
want to go on any more mission trips." She indicated the
grandchildren and said, "Look at all we have been missing."

Sam nodded and said, "Yeah, you're right. I think we're gonna
stay home from now on. I want to see this family grow up."

Lucy jumped down and started pulling on Ellen's hand, "Come
help me decorate the baby tree."

Ellen stood and followed her granddaughter.

Sean addressed Sam, "Do you want to help decorate the tree,
Grandpa?"

As Sam stood up, he said, "I can't think of anything I'd
rather be doing."

Lois and Clark stood near the stairs and watched. Lois had tears
streaming down her cheeks as she watched her children as they
bonded with her parents.

Clark pulled her into a hug and said, "Merry Christmas."

"Yes, it is, isn't it? The best one ever."

***

Over dinner, Sam and Ellen kept the grandchildren entertained
with tales of their adventures in foreign lands working as
medical missionaries.

Lois let Ellen help baby Sam with his dinner, and afterwards they
all gathered in the living room and sang Christmas Carols while
the lights twinkled on the trees and the flickering flames of the
fire lit the room in an amber glow.

Years earlier, Jonathan had made an ingenious device which
clamped to the fireplace mantle without marring it which would
hold the stockings. He installed this, and each of the children
hung up their stockings. Sam lifted Lucy and Sam up for this
purpose.

As she was being placed on the floor, Lucy tugged oh Lois's
skirt and asked, in a worried tone, "Mommy, if Grammy and Grampy
Lane are sleeping here in the living room and there's a fire in
the fireplace, how is Santa going to deliver the presents?"

Lois smiled and said, "Santa is magic. He can do it even if
there is a fire, and he won't even disturb Grandma and Grandpa
Lane. Just you wait and see."

Her fears relieved, a smiling Lucy said, "Okay, Mommy."

Lois smiled in return and said, "Now, the sooner you are in bed,
asleep, the sooner Santa can come and drop off the presents."

Without even waiting, Lucy turned on her heel and made a dash for
the stairs, shouting over her shoulder, "Nite, Mommy!"

"Don't forget to brush your teeth."

"I won't, Mommy."

Lara said, "I'll make sure."

"Thanks, Lara. Sometimes I don't know what I'd do without
you."

Sam and Ellen had been standing there, arm-in-arm as this had all
played out. Ellen said, "Lovely children and so loving. You've
done a wonderful job, raising them."

Lois stepped over and gave her mom a hug, "It's all Clark's
influence. He's been good for me. The best person to come into
my life."

Ellen returned the hug and said, "That is obvious. You work well
together." Looking around, Ellen noted that they were the only
four in the room. In a conspiratorial tone, Ellen whispered,
"Why didn't you tell me?"

Lois was shocked, and blurted out, "Tell you? Tell you what?"

She held Lois at arm's length and said, "Lois Olive Lane, or
should I say, Ultra Woman, I recognized your voice when you spoke
in the hospital. Did you think I wouldn't recognize my own
daughter's voice?"

Lois gave Clark a crestfallen look as she said, "I was afraid of
that. I didn't think of that until after I spoke."

"The silence was also obvious. So when were you going to tell
us?"

"We weren't sure we should, but now that you know, I'm glad
you know."

"I've got a million questions. How did it happen and when?"

Most of the remainder of the night was spent in explaining the
whys and wherefores of Ultra Woman to her parents.

***

When the children all trooped downstairs in the morning, they
found presents and filled stockings and everyone had fun.

THE END