"Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Happy New Year!" the entire Luthor mansion filled with fancily dressed Metropolis citizens counted down in unison. Everyone kissed someone when they finished saying Happy New Year.

Clark spun Lana around, and dipped her back as he said, "Happy New Year Lana,"

She smiled at him, as he pulled her up, and they kissed again.

"Clark I have something important to tell you." Lana said, taking his wrist and pulling him to the Luthor mansion balcony.

"Clark, have you ever looked at a rose?" she said pulling one off the gigantically tall rose bush growing onto the balcony.

"Yeah….." he said

"No, have you really looked at a rose?" she said again, spinning it around in her hand

"Um…I guess…."
"A rose isn't anything like most flowers, roses are, different, more delicate, you know what I mean?"

"Um, to be honest, not really."

"O.K., the difference between a rose, and let's say a daisy, is that roses are like graceful ballerinas and daisies, well, aren't."

"OhKay…….starting to understand, but why are you telling me this?" Clark said

"Champagne?" the butler said, carrying a tray filled with tall champagne flutes,

"Thank-you," Clark said

"None for me, thank-you," Lana said

The butler left, and Clark looked at Lana with a confused expression, as he took a sip of champagne.

"Clark," Lana took a deep breath, and let it out, "This conversation is symbolic, like.." then she started talking really fast, and combining words that really didn't make sense, and then she threw the word

"pregnant" in, and Clark froze, "Wait, back up, what?"

"Clark, I'm pregnant,"

The champagne glass slipped from Clark's hand and smashed into a million pieces on the ground.

"What?" Clark said, trying to keep a smile on his face.

"Clark, I'm-"

"No, I heard you, I just can't--How did this happen?"

"Well, we- Clark, you know how it happened."

"Well that part yeah, but didn't we use-"

"Yes, but that doesn't work every time,"

"Since when?"

"I don't know,"

"Well, what are we going to do?"

"I don't know….."

"Are we keeping it, are we not, are we telling anyone…? What?"

"Well, I want to tell your parents first, then Nell, then we can work it out from there,"

"My parents are all the way back in Smallville,"

"A bus leaves tomorrow at 9:00,"

"How do you know the bus schedules for Metropolis express buses to Smallville?"

"I checked them,"

"Oh, so were telling my parents tomorrow…?"

"Yes,"

"That's great, what do think they'll say!"

"That's great you two good luck?" Lana suggested

"I hope, what if they don't approve…?"

"Clark you're 22, it doesn't matter if they approve or not,"

"Well it matters to me,"

"O.K., then I'm sure they will,"

"Oh my God,"

"What?"

"I forgot, I'm supposed to be supportive, so I'll start over," he cleared his throat, and said, "Oh my God that's fabulous!" he ran to Lana, and picked her up, and spun her around, "We're not only going to be known as Clark and Lana, but Mom and Dad, how strange, and cool will that be?" he said setting her back down.

"I don't know, but I can't wait to find out," she said

The next day, Clark went into the living room of they're Luthor corp. view apartment to find Lana completely packed, for both of them, and was sitting in front of the door on her suitcase.

"Um, what are you doing?" he said

"Oh, I couldn't sleep last night, so I got a jump start on packing,"

"Sounds like more of a skyrocket jump on packing,"

"Well, I even packed for you," she said patting his suitcase, and smiling

"Thanks," he said, "Sounds like you're in a big hurry to tell my parents about the baby,"

"Well, sort of, so it's out in the open, and everyone knows, I guess,"

"Well, you can never be too early to catch a bus, so why don't we leave now?"

"O.K."

Lana bent down to get the suitcase, and Clark said, "Oh no, let me get it," he picked up Lana's handbag, black suitcase, brown suitcase, navy blue suitcase, her pink suitcase, and his black one, and headed out the door. Lana laughed to herself and shook her head, as she took her make-up bag, and slung it over her shoulder, and followed him out of the door.

They Greyhound bus bound for Smallville was a very small Greyhound bus, in fact the smallest Clark had ever seen, he didn't think theses buses were supposed to be any shorter than fifteen feet, but this one was at least ten or nine, he looked at it, then looked to Lana,

"It's a little…small."

"Really? I've never been on a bus like this before…."

"Well, let's hope we all fit in it,"

Clark didn't realize how stupid that statement was until they were actually on the bus, it had about six people on it, including him and Lana.

"Well, it looks like we just might all make it Clark," Lana said, then they both laughed, as he handed the driver Lana's kingdom of luggage.

They sat down in the seats, which were like plastic, and not very comfortable. Clark was trying to sit on his jacket, when Lana started rummaging through her purse.

"What are doing?" Clark said

"I have two travel pillows in here somewhere,"

"On-huh…."
"AH-HA! Here they are," Lana took out these foam like pillows out of her bag that were quite large, and there seemed to be no way that one could fit in there, let alone two."

"Thanks," Clark said taking the pillow from her, and placing it on his chair.

The ride to Smallville didn't seem long at all, Lana and Clark talked most of the way, and they looked out the window at stuff they remembered here, when the bus stopped in front of the Kent Farm.

"They drop you off at your exact destination?" Clark asked Lana

"Well, look at how many people are here, they might as well give you first class," then she laughed, as she and Clark got off the bus.

Martha and Jonathan were very surprised to see Lana and Clark, but they hadn't seen them in about three years, so it was a nice surprise.

"Clark! Lana!" Martha said, running to greet them

"Hey Mom," Clark said, hugging her, and kissing her on the cheek.

"Hi Mrs. Kent," Lana said

"Oh, call me Martha, you're married to my son now, I would say we're definitely on a first name basis!" she said, hugging Lana. Jonathon came over to them, and hugged Clark and Lana, and asked why they came to visit.

Martha was on to what they were going to tell them, so she hurriedly said, "Um, why don't we talk inside, it's a scorcher out here!" Martha said, fanning herself with her hand.

Jonathan walked ahead to go inside, and Martha winked at Lana and Clark.

Lana and Clark exchanged panicked glances, and then followed Martha and Jonathan inside the house.

"Mom, Dad, we have something important to tell you," Clark started, then he looked to Lana who was staring at Martha who was trying so hard not to smile, because she obviously knew something.

"Um, we…well….we're….Clark," Lana said

"Lana's pregnant," he said, putting his arm around her.

"Oh that's GREAT!" Martha said jumping up. Lana and Clark smiled at her, but Jonathan stared at her like she had just lost her cookies,

"That's great news, congratulations," Jonathan said, then turned to Martha and said, "Um, you can sit down now,"

"I feel no need to sit Jonathan Kent, I am going to be a grandmother!"

"Yes, Martha you are, but standing isn't going to bring the child here any faster," Jonathan said, pulling her back down.

"So how far a long are you?" Martha said very excited

"Um, a few months," Lana answered

"Do you have any names picked out yet?"

"Yes, I've had names picked out since I was thirteen,"

"What are they?"
"Well if it's a boy, Lewis, after my dad, and if it's a girl, Katelin."

"I love the name Katelin. Katelin Kent….what a wonderful name!"

"Yeah, I've always thought so,"

"What about middle names?"

"Well we haven't had a chance to talk about them yet,"

"Oh, well let me know when you do," Martha said

"Of course," Lana said, smiling.

"Mom, Dad, so sorry this visit was so short, but we have a doctor's appointment back in Metropolis at eleven thirty, and it takes a while to get there, so would we be totally rude if we left now?" Clark said

"Oh no not at all, doctor's appointments at this time are very important," Martha said, practically shooing them out the door.

They all said their goodbyes and hopped back on the bus as it pulled in. They were on the bus about twenty minutes when Clark noticed Lana. She had her arm against the window, and her hand was folded, leaning her head on it, she was staring ahead with a very stern look on her face, she always looked like that when she was thinking, when she could've been thinking about meadows and bunnies.

"Lana," Clark said, hoping to get her to stop looking like that

"Hm?" she said cheerfully, turning to him.

"Are you afraid?" he said

"Afraid of wha- Oh, no, Clark, why? Are you?"

"No, but, in a way, kind of,"

"It's O.K. Clark, when the baby's born, I know you'll make a great dad, and this baby is going to be the best thing that has ever happened to us."

"You're right, thank-you,"

"Anytime," she said

Just then, Clark heard beeping, and not pager beeping, like bomb beeping. He looked ahead of him, then at Lana who was turning the pages of a parenting magazine, then he said, "Lana, do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"That beeping, don't you hear it?"

"Oh yeah, what is that?"

"I think it's a bomb,"

"A bomb? What?"

"I'll be right back," he moved up a few seats, and sat in the row behind two old women, and listened, sure enough, "Beep, beep, beep."

Clark sighed, then stood up, and said to the old woman sitting in the aisle seat, "Excuse me ma'am?"

"Yes, sonny?" she said

"I have reason to believe you have a bomb strapped to your back,"

"What!" she said, hurriedly throwing her jacket at the woman sitting next to her, and sure enough there was a bomb with a little clock with red digital numbers flashing on it.

Clark had never disabled a bomb without his superpowers before, this wasn't going to be easy, so he just started slowly pulling out wires, "Red wire, green wire, yellow wire, blue wire," he said, the bomb's clock set itself to "2.00" Uh-oh, Clark thought, he then just yanked it off of the old woman, and threw it out the bus window into a near-by corn field, and yelled for everyone to duck, then ran back to Lana, who was already sitting on the ground, he put himself over her as there was a huge KA-BOOM! Fire and smoke were everywhere, but everyone on the bus was saved--without superpowers.

"Clark, you saved all these people, without using superpowers, how?" Lana said

"I don't know, but I definitely wasn't going to let all of these people blow up."

"That's great, maybe you don't need them….?"

"Maybe." Clark wasn't comfortable with that thought, he needed his powers, they were a definite part of him, and he couldn't live without them, but he didn't regret what he did to loose them, that was for sure.

Everyone one on the bus came up to Clark at least twice, thanking him for saving their lives, and he told all of them, "Oh it's no problem, I stand for truth, justice, and the American way." By the time they reached Metropolis, they took a cab to the Metropolis medical center. They were in a room, and Lana was changing into her hospital gown thing when the doctor came in,

"Hello doctor," Clark said, "Lana'll be just a second, she's changing,"

"Clark, could you help me? I can't tie the baa-hi Dr. Mollis." Lana said

Clark dove in front of her and tied the back ties, and helped her to the table.

"Alright, Ms. Lang," He said

"Actually, it's Mrs. Kent, I'm married to Clark,"

"Ahh, I'll make a note of that. Anyway, are you feeling nauseous, tired, or anything out of the ordinary?" Dr. Mollis said

"No, not really," Lana answered

"That's good, we're going to do an ultrasound and see how the baby's doing, alright?"

"Great." Lana said

When the doctor had the ultrasound picture on the screen, she pointed out where the baby was, and that it wasn't deformed. Then she noticed something unusual about the fetus, she noticed that when her wedding ring was near Lana's stomach that fetus would twitch slightly, she did that about seven times, before Clark said, "Um, what are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing, I just noticed my ring seems to upset the fetus,"

"WHAT?" Lana said

"Can I see the ring?" Clark said,

"Sure," Dr. Mollis said removing the ring, and handing it to Clark, his veins instantly turned lime green, and he felt sick, Lana's eyes widened when she saw that,

"Clark are you alright?" Dr. Mollis said

"Yeah," he said, handing her the ring back.

"Um, can I have a moment alone with Clark, please?" Lana said

"Of course," Dr. Mollis said, "I'll be right outside,"

"Clark what was that!" Lana said, whispering loudly

"That ring was made of Kryptonite,"

"WHAT!"

"Yep, and that means our baby's Kryptonian too,"

"Oh for the love of Moses,"

"Yeah," he sighed, "Wait! If I was affected by Kryptonite, I must have my powers back!" he ran over to a table with a bunch of scalpels and operating knifes on it, he picked up a scalpel and said, "Well, this is steril," he gently slid the scalpel down his arm, and no cut, he tried again, and his arm moved in super speed, and then he set the scalpel down, and said, "I have my powers back!" as he jumped up and down.

"That's great Clark," Lana said

"I'll get Dr. Mollis," Clark said

When she re-entered the room, she wanted a sample of Lana's blood, then Clark's. Clark couldn't give her his blood for a number of reasons, it was foreign, she would match it with the baby's, and he had a problem with needles.

"Um, Clark can't." Lana said

"Why? I need to see why this baby does that when it's near my ring,"

"Um, well, I um," Clark started

"He has a problem with needles," Lana whispered

"Yeah…" Clark said

"Oh, well, um, I'm sorry Clark, but this is quite important, this could be a matter of the baby's life."

"Look, doctor, there is a serious reason I can't do this,"

"What?"

"Well, try and draw my blood, and you'll see,"

"Alright," Dr. Mollis said leaving the room, and going to the lab.

"Clark what are you thinking?! She's going to find out!" Lana said

"There's nothing I can do Lana,"

"Alright, let's draw that blood," she said, she prepped Clark's arm, and then took the needle, and tried to put it into Clark's arm, and when it hit Clark's arm it shattered, into about 2,000 pieces right in Dr. Mollis' hand.

"What!" she said, "How? Your arm, the needle, it just, broke!"

"Yes, which is what I warned you is my problem with needles,"

"Now I know why the baby twitches, you're from Krypton,"