There Will Be New Roses
[Her story doesn't end.]
"Do you refer to both Jor-El and Jonathan as 'dad'?"
"What?" Clark replied distractedly, still immersed in his typing up his story.
"I mean … as an adopted child, how did you address Jor-El?"
Clark stopped what he was doing and faced her. "I call Jor-El by his name, and my father's …. my father."
She nodded in acknowledgement. His situation was different of course, both his fathers having loved him, but still, she didn't have a lot of people in whom she could confide. She didn't particularly want to confide in Clark.
"Tess, you can talk to me," Clark offered and she exhaled a laugh. "I mean it."
Her emerald eyes met his blue ones. "Thank you."
It was her way of ending the discussion, but for once he pushed her a little further.
"You taught me I had a prejudice that I didn't know existed against Luthor blood. I thought I was incapable of causing the pain that Lex and Lionel were. Then I saw myself as a Luthor and I learned that I wasn't above them at all. You showed me that. You taught me acceptance. And even though you may do things differently than I would, you've always been on my side. Even in moments where you had every right not to be, you were my friend. You've become a far better friend to me than Lex ever was. The best friend I've ever had."
She smiled. "You too."
TBC!