Jor-El spent the following morning deeply preoccupied with the question of how to break the marriage agreement. It was certainly possible, as Lara had said, but a very delicate matter, one that could give great offense if not handled properly. It seemed the only approach was simple honesty, to humbly lay before Zee-Vah his very great error, and beg her cooperation in righting the wrong.

To his surprise, Zee-Vah saved him the trip to call on her, coming to see him that very afternoon, bringing Kal-El along with her.

Jor-El was flustered to find her at his door. "It is an honor to receive the House of Vah," he remembered to say after some awkward seconds had passed.

"The honor is ours," Zee-Vah assured him.

He invited her into the salon, and Kal-El followed a few steps behind. He kept his head down, and Jor-El could not read his expression.

"Please sit down," he told Zee-Vah. "May I offer you tea?"

"Actually, if it is no imposition, I would like to speak with you privately."

Jor-El looked from her to Kal, who still would not meet his gaze. "Of course."

He led her to his study, gestured to a chair. "Please."

They took seats, and he waited with a polite expression for her to begin. She did not speak at once, as if gathering her thoughts. It was a true testament to his self-restraint that he did not just start quizzing her.

At last, she said, "I have come to seek your guidance on a matter of some importance."

"You honor me with such a request. I fear I am not worthy to give counsel to a member of the house of Vah, but I am eager to assist you in any way I can."

She acknowledged the compliment with a nod of her head. "Thank you, Jor-El." Again she hesitated, "As we all know and rarely admit, there is a considerable adjustment to be made in marriage. I hope you will not think me untoward if I tell you that I cried most every day for the first month of my azerim."

It was rather a bold admission, and Jor-El answered it as candidly as he knew how, "Taking on adult responsibility does not come without its sorrows."

"Indeed." She smiled ruefully. "The match was not of my choosing, needless to say. I preferred a young man I had known in school, but my father desired a more traditional union for me. As any dutiful daughter would, I bowed to his wishes."

Jor-El's first impulse was to say something about the nobility of such obedience, the predictable response, but the words tasted impossibly bitter in his mouth.

"Sometimes the sacrifices asked of children are very great," he answered honestly.

"In fact." She met his eye more directly that was technically proper, and to his surprise, he rather admired her for it. "I see that we understand one another on this subject." She let out a little sigh. "I have come to see you today, as I'm sure you must realize, to speak of Kal. While I find him utterly charming and sweet, and believe he would be a fine husband, try as I might I cannot make him happy. I hoped at first that it was merely being separated from you and his mother that was grieving him, but I cannot delude myself any longer."

She stopped and took a long breath, trying to find the right words, and Jor-El felt a stab of sympathy for her. There was no delicate way to put what needed to be said.

"I believe that there may be someone who has a greater claim on Kal," she said plainly. "If you are amenable, we can simply dissolve our agreement, with no dishonor on either side.

Jor-El put away his pride, "I have made a very grave error, have acted dishonorably by you, my son and...another. I thank you, Zee-Vah, for allowing me the opportunity to correct my mistake."

She nodded and rose. "I am pleased we could come to so easy an understanding. Now, I shall see myself out, and you can relay to Kal-El what has been decided." At the door, she turned to make one last request, "You will give Kal my best wishes for his future happiness, won't you?"

He bowed. "Of course. And thank you."

Jor-El went at once to the salon and found Kal pacing by the windows, looking rather agitated.

When he saw his father, he stopped mid-stride, his face very pale. "I'm sorry, father. I tried. I really did. I never meant to shame you."

Jor-El shook his head. "You have done nothing wrong, Kal." He went to his son, put a hand on his shoulder. "I am the one who has acted shamefully, and I hope you will forgive me."

"Father?" Kal said in confusion.

Jor-El took in a long breath and then unburdened his conscience, "Your Earthman was willing to endure much to win you, even risk death itself. I should have seen that his motives in wishing to marry you were proper, but my powers of observation have not been served me very well in this matter."

He reached into his pocket, took out the necklace and pressed it into Kal's hand.

"I had no right to keep you apart, but please believe that I only worried for your happiness. You do not know how cruel people can be, Kal-El, and there will be many who look down on you for making such a marriage. But if you still want your Earthman, then you shall have him."

Kal turned the necklace over in his hand. "Do you really mean it, father?"

Jor-El smiled. "I do, my son."

Kal broke into a smile, his face shining with the light of Inaure once again, and if Jor-El had had any lingering doubts that he'd chosen well they were gone now.

But then Kal's shoulders drooped once more. "Lex probably hates me, after...everything."

"Perhaps the Earthman's pride is hurt, but I cannot not believe that he hates you." Jor-El touched Kal's face. "Do not grieve, my son. I will speak with Lex Luthor. I will explain. All will be well, you will see."

"Do you really think so, father?" Kal asked hopefully.

"I know it, my son." He tilted his head. "Now, can you give your father another smile? I have missed seeing it very much."

Kal did, and then he hugged him. "Thank you, father."

Jor-El pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "I'm sorry that I was too stubborn to let you have your happiness sooner."

Jor-El sent a communication to the Earthman's lab, requesting to see him. Since the outcome of the Rite of Segeeth, they had conducted their business through third parties, avoiding contact at all costs. Despite his reassurances to Kal, Jor-El was not actually certain that the Earthman would agree to a meeting. So it was with much relief that he received the Earthman's reply, even it was only a tersely worded message, giving the date and time he would call.

On the appointed day, Jor-El suggested to Kal that it would better if he went to his room to wait. "Let us settle the business first," he reasoned. "Then I will send your Earthman to you, and you may discuss your affairs privately."

"If you think that's wise, father," Kal agreed hesitantly.

Of course, Kal was most eager to see the Earthman again, but on the offhand chance that the Earthman's heart had been hardened against the match, Jor-El preferred that Kal not witness it.

At the given hour, the Earthman arrived, met at the door by Lara who conducted him to Jor-El's study.

"Lex Luthor is here to see you, my husband," she told him.

Jor-El rose from behind his desk, made a bow. "It is good of you to come."

The Earthman bowed and replied stiffly, "It is always an honor to be received by the house of El."

Lara nodded to Jor-El--encouragement or approval, he wasn't entirely certain--and left them to their business.

When they were settled, the Earthman began, "If you've asked me here to try to renegotiate the Volian grain contract--"

Jor-El cut him off, "I've asked you here for an apology."

The Earthman's face darkened. "And what it is exactly that I should be sorry for?"

Jor-El shook his head. "On the contrary, it is I who wish to express regret. I did not," the words threatened to stick in his throat, but he thought of Kal, and forced them out, "act honorably in judging the Rite of Segeeth. You proved yourself worthy of my son. I should never have arranged another marriage."

"But you did," the Earthman said bitterly. "And what's done is done."

"Actually, that's not entirely accurate."

For the first time, the Earthman's stony demeanor faltered a little, a spark of curiosity shining through. "I don't take your meaning."

"The marriage agreement has been dissolved, willingly, on both sides. Kal is free to make another match, and that is why I asked you here today. To let you know that if you were to renew your proposals, I would accept them on behalf of my son."

The Earthman sat perfectly still, deep in silence. At last he said, "I'm not certain I can do that."

"Your feeling for Kal has altered that substantially in the course of a few months then?" he asked skeptically. "That strikes me as strangely inconstant for a man who was willing to risk his very life to be allowed to wed."

Anger sparked in the Earthman's eyes. "Kal chose to marry someone else. I was willing to take your damned test again, and I would have succeeded. Kal just wasn't willing to wait."

"Kal wasn't willing to watch you die," Jor-El snapped back at him.

"In the legend, Segeeth says it's as much a test of Numan's love and devotions as it is his. And Numan never lost faith, never gave up."

He said it with great vehemence, and Jor-El understood at last. Lex Luthor was a true believer, and a man who was still, despite everything, very much in love. Jor-El had greatly misjudged him.

"Numan never saw Segeeth in hideous agony from interstellar decompression and then had to send him out to face more of the same." He paused and added with brutal honesty, "And Numan's father never threatened to ruin all of Segeeth's business prospects if his son dared to defy him."

The Earthman met his gaze then, and Jor-El could read much in it, lingering bitterness and affronted pride, hatred even, but also the first glimmer of hope.

"If you honestly question the steadfastness of Kal's love," Jor-El told him quietly, "you should ask yourself how often a Kryptonian marriage agreement is dissolved."

The Earthman looked thoughtfully into the distance, and after some consideration asked, "Would you wish to begin negotiations now or prefer some other time?"

Jor-El smiled and borrowed words from his own father-in-law, "We can talk about the details later. What matters now is that everyone's happiness is secured." He nodded his head toward the door. "Go. Kal is waiting for you in his room."

Lex rose to his feet. "Thank you," he said quietly.

He was starting toward the door when Kal came rushing. "I'm sorry, father. I know you said I should wait--" He stopped, eyes fastened on the Earthman. "Is everything--" He looked to Jor-El for reassurance.

The Earthman reached for Kal then, pulled him into his arms, embraced him.

Kal held tightly to the Earthman, and his voice caught in his throat. "I'm so sorry, Lex."

"Sssh. None of that." The Earthman stroked his hair. "You have no idea how much I've missed you."

"I missed you too," Kal said softly.

The Earthman pulled back, touched Kal's face very tenderly. "I have your father's permission. So will you marry me?"

Kal took the Earthman's hand and pressed it to his lips. "You know I will."

They embraced again, and Jor-El gently suggested, "Perhaps you'd like to have some time alone together?"

Kal released the Earthman and smiled a little sheepishly. "Yes, father, we would like that." He gave Jor-El a hug and whispered, "Thank you."

His face as he left the room put Inaure to shame, and when Jor-El was alone again, he comforted himself with that, with the knowledge that he'd done the right thing at last. So this match was not what he had ever imagined when he'd contemplated his son's future, but perhaps it would turn out well enough. The Earthman, it appeared, had studied every Kryptonian text in existence. He'd comported himself admirably enough at the spring festival to win the Matriarch's favor, something Jor-El himself had never managed in all his years. The Earthman certainly had a lot of gall. Who knew? He might do very well in Kryptonian society, after all.