As the man who was obiously in a hurrt took the corner he heard sniffling and paused outside the door to listen.

"My son, I hope someday you will remember how much you are loved." The voice was soft and filled with grief. "I should be the one rocking you to sleep, kissing your hurts, and teaching you of life." She spoke staring at the bluest eyes she had ever seen. "I cannot predict what your life will bring you; your father says that you have a destiny. I just want you to be happy. Find love, your mate, and have children. Know that wherever I end up after this life is over I will always keep you in my heart." The tears a steady stream now and the baby became more restless. The woman stood and pressed the child to her shoulder and patted his tiny back. She began to sing a soft lullaby.

"Lara," Jor El spoke entering the room.

"NO!" she spoke turning fiercely. "Not yet, it's too soon," she cried. "It's too soon," she closed her eyes and kissed her sons head.

"My love, the hour is nearly here. If he doesn't get sent soon than he will certainly die with us."

"How can you so casually send our son away? No tears, damn you!" She spoke trying to commit everything to memory; sight, sound, and the perfect baby smell. "I should be the one that sees his steps in growth; not some stranger on a strange planet. What if they don't like him, if they don't treat him well? How can a mother let go of her son?"

"Simple my love," Jor El said approaching and put a free hand on her check. "With great courage."

"I don't think I can do this." Lara spoke feeling her heart break as the rumblings of the dying planet began again.

"My love," Jor El spoke. "We have run out of options." He spoke. "Why don't I hold him and you gather the things you want to send with him, alright." The woman was no longer able to talk. She nodded and handed over her son to his father.

The man held him close to his heart. "My son, there is much we don't know about what your life will be like. I wish there were another way," he spoke, his voice cracking. "You were our miracle. I will always be proud of you, no matter what. Your mother is right. I do believe you are destined for great things." He spoke holding his son so he could see his face. The child cooed and smiled. It broke his fathers' heart even more if possible. "I love you my child, with the love only a father may have for his son. I should be teaching you how to be a man, making sure you have room in your heart for your mate." He kissed the smiling baby's forehead. He then uttered a prayer in ancient Kryptonian. "Live well, Love well, and don't be afraid of who you are….Kal El."

Laura entered the room and held her husband and son. They sniffled as they made there way out of the tiny room and out toward the lab. He set the baby in the tiny space ship and Laura set his things next to him. She leaned over and kissed his forehead, eyes, nose, and chin. "Live well, my son and know that if there were any other way," She hiccupped. "Please forgive us for this….I love you." The baby smiled and giggled. Jor El neared the child and whispered in his ear and the shut the lid to the pod. They backed behind the barrier and hit the launch button. Lara buried her face in the shoulder of her husband. The cry of pain shattered his soul.

"Our legacy will live." he whispered in her ear. She pulled back and shook her head and ran to their room, sobs racking her body.

Jor El wiped his own tears and then moved to the door at the other side of the lab. He opened it and a blonde boy no more than 4 was sitting on the bed in the corner holding his legs tight to his body. Jor El sniffed. "It's time nephew." He spoke. The little blond boy nodded. He climbed off the bed and took the extended hand of his Uncle.

"Tao Ra, adopted son of the house of El," he spoke kneeling and hugging the boy. "You too will survive. Please protect my son, help him fulfill his destiny."

"Uncle, I love you" his tiny voice spoke. "Say hi to my mommy and daddy when you see them" he spoke his eyes filled with tears. "Tell Aunty Lara that Kal El will be safe." He spoke. The boy was dark eyed like Jor El's sister in law. He definitely had the chin of his brother, blessed with that dimple.

"I will nephew. Your parents would be so proud of you." The room was rocked with a violent quake. Jor El scooped up the child and put him in the other ship that he told Lara was only a prototype. The child had some of his favorite things and when the lid to the pod was nearly closed Jor El spoke. "I love you too my nephew. Live well, Love well, and leave room in your heart for your mate." The lid closed and Jor El hit the launch button. He was knocked to the ground.

A few moments later Lara entered to see him on the ground. She knelt at his side; he sat up and held her. They grieved in each others arms.

The tiny ships were on a trajectory for earth and 20 minutes after they broke the gravity of Krypton the Planet exploded in an eerily beautiful display of light and color….

--

Space a noiseless airless void that is littered with light and character; worlds devolving and being born, echoes of lives past and life's future. Unbeknownst to the little blue planet known as earth, a cloud of rock from a dead planet and two intergalactic travelers' were on a collision course. One little ship held the hope of a father and the heart break of a mother. A child who would be raised by strangers, one who as his little craft hurdles through space, sleeps with sounds of his mothers lullaby and the warmth of his favorite blanket.

The other child was one who had already suffered great loss when both of his parents were killed in a quake. He was adopted by his Uncle and Aunt. His mother had come from the Ra clan. A people who were not only known for their telekinetic abilities but for their compassion for their fellow Kryptonians. The nearly 4 year old held his little green blankie tight and sucked his thumb, watching as the stars peaked through the remnants of his home. The sounds in his ship weren't lullabies or soft music, but the words of his uncle.

"Tao—we have learned much of the people of earth. Their customs are still very different but the language you should be able to pick up by the time you arrive. If on cue the sounds of Sesame Street began to filter through the ship. He fell asleep to "A is for Apple, B is for Ball," not knowing what the items were but how to spell them. Millions of lessons played during his journey. Finally the soft music came and the sounds of his mother and father filtered through, the sounds recorded from the day he was born. If anyone were able to peer into the ship they would have seen a sight to break any mother's heart, tears down the round and rosy cheeks and a small smile on his face of hearing the love in his mothers voice.

And From the Heavens Angels Fell

If the world was divided into rags and riches than the two families that were about to have their worlds irrevocably altered were the representations of those labels.

Robert and Laura Queen were Star City royalty. He was born into privilege and she had been his high school sweet heart, a debutante's debutante. Neither of them lived in the social circle that they could own. They felt gratitude for their lot in life and wanted to help as many as the less fortunate as they could. Robert was business personified, he was smart and lethal in the board room and his net worth was creeping towards the billions and billions mark. Their life wasn't always so rosy as they were hit with an unimaginable tragedy. The loss of a child would devastate any parents, but from the ashes does a phoenix rise….

"Robert what are we doing up here?" Laura Queen asked of her husband as he led her to the path that led up to serenity rock. It was a name they had given their special place; it was where they had their first kiss, he proposed, she told him she was pregnant and they scattered the ashes of their young son who died from an unfortunate childhood illness, he was only 3.

"Laura we are going to watch the meteor shower, it's supposed to be spectacular." He spoke squeezing her hand as he set out the blanket. She smiled and shook her head.

"Does the board know what a softy you are?" She asked sweetly."

"Nahh," he smiled as he held his hand out to her to help her sit. He sighed as he sat next to her.

"Whatcha thinking about?" she grilled as she studied the planes of his face.

"That old coot may be right about a traveler. There have been many reports about life out there that we just can't deny any more."

"So you think by us joining Veritas?"

"That we could be in the inner sanctum to help who ever is coming to be welcome? Yeah."

"You really believe in all the ET stuff?" she questioned.

"The world is changing, I never realized how much until we lost Jonas…."

She sighed and held her hand to her abdomen. She was told after their son was born that she couldn't have any more kids. "That wasn't meant to hurt you, I told you I would be over the moon if we adopted." he spoke kissing her gently.

"Well, there was that orphanage we visited in Chechnya, all those poor kids." She smiled.

He was about to respond when a meteor shot across the sky. He pulled her into the cradle of his arms and held her as the sky began to dance.

--

Calling the young farm couple rags wasn't a fair statement. They were rich beyond their means if love was being weighed. Two lovers who saw the best in each other married young. Martha took a little more convincing as she had once told her suitor he was just plain crazy for wanting to marry. Kansas bread farmers, what they lacked in money they made up for in spirit and love, of each other and others around them.

They would get looks of pity, as Martha discovered she was unable to give Jonathan children. The night she told him he took her up to the spot where he proposed and asked her to marry him all over again. It was his wish for her to simply know his love wouldn't change, no matter what.

"Hurry Jonathan it started." Martha encouraged from the front seat of the old farm truck.

"I am and we're almost their, we just have to clear Old Man Shuster's Field before we get to the look out." The woman's husband spoke.

"Ugh, it will be over by the time we do that. Here pull over and we can lay in the bed and watch." She smiled squeezing his hand. Jonathan just smiled at her enthusiasm.

--

The four sat in comfort and silence oohing and aahhing what had started out to be a very benign light show in the heavens. Some time near 11, is when it all went to hell.

--

"Robert did you see that…it fell to the ground!" Laura proclaimed as more rocks fell from the sky.

"We need to get down from here now!" he shouted, forgetting the blanket he grabbed her hand and they began to run down the path towards the trees that hid the jeep.

As they neared the middle of the path and were surrounded by trees a huge hiss and loud boom clapped over head. It was enough to knock them to the ground

"Baby are you ok?" he asked. Laura nodded her head as they helped each other up. They scanned the area and a mist seemed to rise out of no where. The faint whimpering of a child could be heard.

"Did you hear that?" she asked. Robert just followed her as she cocked her head and followed the whimpers. A few minutes later what she saw made her stop dead in her tracks…

--

"Jonathan!" Martha yelled as the first meteor seemed to land over the horizon and then the earth shook. The couple stood up and scrambled to get out of the bed of the truck when a huge hiss and loud boom clapped over head. It was enough to knock them to the ground. Martha looked to see smoke coming from the field. Everything in her told her to go and check it out while Jonathan yelled for her to stop. What she came upon made her gasp. "Jonathan!" she yelled again and her husband came running. What they found was a tiny ship with a hatch open and a baby crying inside. Not caring for her own safety Martha made her way to the precious cargo and scooped the boy out of the ship. She began to coo and whisper to him so he would stop crying.

"Martha what in heavens' name are you doing?"

"Heaven is right Jonathan, he came here from heaven and he's perfect, and really scared. Quick gather up the ship and let's get him to the farm." She pleaded with her husband.

"What if he's some experiment?"

"Jonathan Kent! Even if he was something it had to have gone wrong. Now, I know I can't give you a child but finding one is an entirely different story." She argued and took her precious cargo to the truck. Jonathan went to the ship and was surprised at how light it was. He picked it up and carried it to the bed of his truck and after it was secured he drove his wife and the baby home.

"OH MY GOD!" the two Queens' spoke. Out from them mist came a small boy in footy pajamas dragging his little green blanket. Tear stains on his face and a pout to end all pouts on his lips. Laura, gasped the similarity to Jonas was uncanny. She knelt to be at eye level at the boy who had stopped feet from them. He was sniffling and hiccupping from his crying.

"Oh sweet boy are you lost?" she asked. The boy looked at her confused. "Do you understand me?" she asked he wrinkled his brow at the unfamiliar words. She sighed as she extended a hand to him and smiled.

"It's alright boy." Robert spoke mimicking his wife. The boy studied her hand and then her face; he sniffed again and then took her hand. She pulled him gently to her and hugged him. He began to cry again in earnest. She stood and held him, his head resting on her shoulder. She rubbed his back and hummed softly while they made short order of getting out of the forest. Tao watched behind them, his ship folded into the tiniest of charms and it appeared on a chain around his neck.