*warning, unbeta'd
Conner sighed as the warm winds danced on his slowly tanning skin. The white sands below him, was enough for him to call a bed. With his sky blue eyes, he looked up at the starlit sky, the Milky Way Galaxy looking back at him. His eyes shined with amazement as a shooting start danced a crossed the sky.
"Make a wish on that star Kon-el. Legend has it, it will make your dreams come true."
Conner glanced up from his flat position, a calming smile fell on his face. Clark towered over the boy.
"I don't think I really need to wish for anything, not anymore."
Clark took a spot next to Conner, glancing up at the same sky.
"Then if you don't mind, can I wish on your star?"
"Not at all."
Conner side-glanced over at Clark, who closed his eyes and wished his heart out. When it seemed he was done with his wish, Clark opened his eyes again. Conner quickly looked away, but Clark caught him. In a quick moment, Clark shot up, grabbed the boy by the hand and the two quickly shot up towards the crystal sky. The movement was so quick, so sudden, it made Conner bust up laughing. The feeling, from his time while being programed by Cadums, was that of a normal person on free fall on a roller coaster ride. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake that laughter, then again, Clark wasn't slowing down in speed either. The older man started to slow down, to a hover, to let the boy catch his breath.
"What the hell was that?"
"Making my wish come true. Wanted to take you out and fly."
Conner rolled his eyes.
"I can't fly, it's not in my genetics…"
"Oh, don't let Ma hear that, she'll most likely give you a thrashing."
Conner sighed, looking down at the ground below him. He was contempt knowing Clark wouldn't drop him, but the position that he was in, hand to hand, with Clark being the weightless being that he is, was dragging around Conner like he was an anchor.
Clark had an idea what the boy was thinking, so he did the next best thing. Tossed the boy into the air and grabbed his feet, slowing bringing Conner back down to sit on his shoulder. Now by this time, after the little rush of air, the teen was full blown embarrassed.
"Hey…what is that you think you are doing?"
"What do you mean? I do this to most 3 year olds."
Conner was being mortified and thanked God that no one else could see this.
"You do know I'm not three physically right?"
Clark smiled, all knowing the real reason why Conner is who he is.
"Still, it's the only option I could think of at the time. Now just relax a bit will you?"
Conner snapped back, not angry, just embarrassed.
"You try and relax…"
Clark giggled.
"If you think this is bad…How do you think the Dark Knight takes it?"
Silence fell between the two. Clark looked away before Conner cracked up laughing. The flyer sighed.
"I should have worded that differently."
"I hang out way to much with Dick."
Clark shot back.
"That could have been worded differently too!"
Clark turned his head, hearing a voice call to him.
"Ma want's us home for dinner."
Conner, who was still laughing, spoke between his gasps.
"Good, I'm starving!"
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"I'm bored. I'm bored. I'm bored. I'm bor…"
"Jason, I swear to God, if you say "I'm bored" one more time, I'm going to get out of this bed and kick your ass."
Jason leaned on the door frame, glancing at an exhausted Dick. The night may not have been eventful, but that damn Batman suit kicked the living hell out of him. The younger boy sighed, leaving the door frame and Dick to fall back into a slumber, hiding his eyes from the obnoxious sun light.
Dick took one last big breath, smelling in the fabric freshener and enjoying the softness of the pillow before sleep took him again. Well it almost took him. Jason returned, with an empty roll used for paper towels. The boy placed his lips around it and yelled.
"I'M BORED!"
Dick's eyes snapped open as he looked over at soon-to-be-dead little brother. (Bada-ta-zing)
Jason watched as an unholy rage seemed to build up in the older teen. Jason lowered his makeshift noise maker and back up a bit. A smart ass smile plastered on his face.
"Just fulfilling the job title of "younger brother"."
Dick shot up from his bed, charging after Jason like a mad bull.
"You are so dead."
"Oh shit!"
Jason quickly turned, just barely escaping Dick's extended hand. The boy let out a chuckle, the thrill of being chase was always fun. Jason jumped over the couch, with Dick not far behind him. In one quick moment, Dick grabbed the boy by the shirt collar, almost catching the boy off guard, but Jason quickly used size and momentum in his favor. Dick fell ass over tea kettle. Jason stood in shock for a bit. He just bested Dick.
The boy couldn't help but laugh. Dick glanced up at him and narrowed his eyes.
"I will get you when you least expected it. It won't be now, it won't be tomorrow, but I will get you."
For a moment, Jason's heart stopped with fear, but he quickly pushed that away with a huge smile.
"Like to see you try….any ways…Good Morning. I made breakfast, let's eat it before it gets to cold."
Dick blinked, pushing himself up and following Jason to the kitchen.
"Wait, you cook? Is it eatable?"
Jason jumped up onto a bar stool, he feet dangling.
"How many buildings did you really have to run into before you cause brain damage? Didn't you hear me? I made breakfast, now eat."
Dick glanced up at the counter, shocked at how lovely the dish looked. Soft fluffy pancakes, two sunny side up eggs, bacon and sausage with a hot side of grits.
"There's fresh Orange Juice in the fridge and I bought some more milk."
Dick sat down in silence. He looked over at the food as if it was a master art work. He grabbed a bottle of imitation syrup and dabbed a little of the surgery mess on the perfectly brown surface. He quickly grabbed his fork and knife and cut into it. He quickly pulled it to his mouth and took a bite.
Jason watched, taking a sip of his milk, little bit eager to know how well he had down. Watching Dick nearly melt from the taste, made Jason smile.
"This…is ….amazing with a ZING. There is no way in hell Alfred taught you this!"
Dick slammed his fist down on the counter, making the dishes jump. Dick quickly returned to his meal, wondering what other magic was yet to be tasted on his dish.
With every bite he hummed a tune. Jason couldn't help but feel pleased with himself. He quickly returned to his own meal, enjoying it with someone who cared to stick around.
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Pa Kent glanced over at Conner, who lowered his head every time Pa did so. Ma would noticed and lightly "step" on her husband's toes, it was her sign of, "knock it off". Ma smiled, placing down her fork as she spoke. From Pa's first meeting with Conner, things went from nice weather to cloudy skies.
"It sure was nice for Mr. Wayne to give us this chance. We finally get to meet Conner. You should know, Clark talked about you almost every day."
Ma reached her hand out to the boy, giving him an accepting smile.
"I am glad to get to, regardless of the situation, you are here now. As far as I am concerned you are family."
Conner let out a huge smile.
"You know Ma, I like you. You sure don't beat around the bush don't you."
Ma giggled, placing both hands to her lips.
"Conner dear, with the life I'm living, you have to be upfront and call out the Elephant in the room."
Conner nodded, relieved that Ma Kent didn't hide or shy away from his birth. Many other people have done that, treating his "situation" like it was a taboo not to be spoken of. It made him feel more like an outsider then he already was.
Pa Kent on the other hand, hadn't said much to Conner all day. He spoke to Clark, spoke to Ma, but not Conner. The boy didn't blame him. It's not every day a half part of your son and the other half part is of a crazy man who has more than once, tried to kill them all. All Pa did was look at him, up and down. Narrow his eyes, a frown or a deep grunt. It made Conner want to crawl in a hole somewhere.
Clark saw this and started talking.
"I was wondering if Conner could come to the farm. I know he'd love it out there. He's really good with animals and knows how to take care of them. I would love it if he tried some of Ma's good home baked apple pie."
Pa frowned and spoke, cutting Clark off.
"I don't think that is the best for right now. I only agreed to this because I wanted to try and see if I could do it but I can't. Not right now anyways."
Pa grabbed his plate and headed for the sink. Ma looked ready to snap, but Conner beat her to it.
"I understand sir, I do. You wouldn't be the first and I know you won't be the last. I watched you today. Keeping an eye on me. Always on edge. Wondering if maybe I will turn out like Lex Luthor and try to kill you…."
Pa had his back turned to the family. Ma's anger boiled down to sadness. Clark on the other hand, wasn't too happy at all.
"Conner, you are nothing like Lex…"
Conner forced a smile as he pushed himself away from the table and looked at Ma. He choked back tears, ignoring the heavy lump in his throat.
"Ma, thank you for dinner. It was really good. But if you don't mind, I like to go out for a quick walk…"
Clark grabbed Conner's hand, noticing how much smaller it was compared to his own.
"Conner…"
"It's just a walk, I'll be ok…"
Conner pulled his hand away and made his way out the door, before he headed out into a slight sprint. Clark clenched his fist and looked over at Pa.
"What was that father?"
Ma stood up, angered beyond belief.
"John, I expected better from you….not this!"
Pa turned and looked at them, leaning on the sink counter.
"What was I supposed to do? Having something like "that" around here. With not just our son's DNA but that Mad man's as well? All I could do was see him in the boy and nothing else."
"You didn't give Conner a chance, you judged him the moment you saw him."
Clark crossed his arms, beyond angered and more shamed by his father's actions. Ma too, was ashamed.
"Pa, I want you out of this house. You are not to return unless Conner forgives you. The same goes with the Farm."
Pa walked out of the kitchen and ready to leave out the door.
"So the kid can't fly right?"
"No."
Clark said flatly.
"Good!"
Pa walked out, slamming the door. Ma fell down to her knees and started crying. Clark walked on over to his mother and sat down. She leaned into her son, as he wrapped his arm around her.
"It will work out ok Ma, it just has to…"
"I hope you are right Clark, I do. I just know your father…"
Clark nodded in agreement.
"I know…I learned his avoidance technique…"
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Conner looked out at the bay. His eyes, blood shot from crying. He couldn't believe how happy he was just hours ago looking out at the night sky and now…now he felt sick. Leaned his head into his knees, letting the tears fall again. He was not normally like this, at all.
"I want to go back home."
He called out into the blackness.
"You and me both."
Conner shot up, tears still fresh on his eye lids. Pa Kent walked out of the shadows, still looking sour. Conner turned his attention back over to the bay.
"What do you want?"
Pa started to kick the sand around his own feet, both hands in his pockets.
"I'm was told not to come back till I'm forgiven. Damn well took me hours to get here…"
"Your forgiven, now leave."
Pa took a deep breath, smelling in the air.
"You see, I can't do that. While walking, looking for you, l cleared my mind some."
Conner didn't say anything, he just lowered his head back down to his knees. Pa continued, walking closer to the boy.
"I never did give you a chance. I'm still full of anger."
Conner cracked out a chocked laughed.
"Join the club. I feel angry all the time."
A hand rested on Conner's shoulder. The boy stiffened, but he didn't look up.
"I'm sorry you feel that way. I'm also sorry for the way I acted…"
Conner still didn't say anything. Pa pulled away, looking back behind him, wondering how far off the Villa really was.
"Let's get going back. In the morning, I can try again."
"You're trying sucks by the way. But I give you kudos for finding me…"
Pa scratched his head, looking at bent trees.
"Wasn't that hard, wouldn't need a Detective to find you or anything."
Conner got up, rolling his eyes. He was trying to stop crying, but to no avail. Pa turned away when he saw those tears. It was eating him up inside to know that he cause not only Ma's tears, but the boys as well.
The two men started walking back to the cabin in silence. Twigs broke and snapped under their pressure and small hiccups escaped Conner's mouth. Pa started thinking again. Conner really was a three year old child.
"Are you doing alright?"
"No I'm not. I'm upset, feel tired and sick."
Pa stopped and turned to look at the boy. His features became pale.
"When did you start feeling sick?"
"A little while ago…"
"No, I mean the first time. The only time Clark ever got sick is if he was near…"
Conner's eyes lit up, knowing what Pa was talking about.
"Kryptonite! Is that why I'm feeling this way? If that's the case, we have to tell Clark right away."
Pa nodded making his way, but something happened. The ground below him fell way. Conner saw this and jumped head first into a large gaping hole. He was able to get to Pa before the two hit the bottom. Conner used his body to protect Pa from the debris below.
The quick rush of air, the free fall and the sudden stop knocked the wind out of Pa, but he quickly recovered, looking around in the darkness. Conner held him tight, his warm body used as a shield.
"Boy. You ok?"
Pa got no response, just labored breathing. Pa knew that what he heard wasn't good. The old man pulled himself up, grabbing a lighter he had for emergencies and lit it. In the darkness, the glowing green stone shone everywhere with the single source of light.
What horrible luck for the two to fall down a sinkhole with a large amount of Kryptonite. Pa quick turned his attention to Conner, who was suffering most of all.
"Conner, wake up."
Pa moved, looking around the boy with his lighter. He started to panic when he noticed a green shard sticking through the boy's leg. It was then Pa realized that this boy was more than a copy of his son. He was a living, breathing being who needed help.
Pa kneeled down, lifting the boy's head softly, resting Conner's head on his lap. His once labored breathing, seemed to ease. Pa closed the lid of the lighter and looked up at the hole they both fell through. He called out with all his might, knowing the one person who would hear him call.
"Clark, HELP!"
In a roar, Clark appeared before the sinkhole, horrified by what he saw. He knew he couldn't fly in and grab them out, the Kryptonite would drain him.
"Pa, are you and Conner alright?"
Pa called up.
"I'm fine son, but Conner isn't doing too well. Fine me some rope and a gurney, we'll get the boy out first."
Clark yelled back, panic in his voice.
"I'll be right back."
As quickly as he showed up, he was gone.
Pa looked back down at Conner, he was starting to ster. His breathing was now starting to go ragged again and Pa didn't know why. The boy opened his eyes, blood shot and scared.
"What happened. Why do I feel this?"
Pa started to pet the boy's head, hoping it would calm him.
"It's called pain, but I need you to focus on something else."
Pa took his free hand and found Conner's, he grabbed it. Conner started to breath heavy again, fear building up with every breath.
"It's ok boy, I'm here…I'm here…"
"It hurts. I'm scared."
Pa started to reassure Conner, that everything would be ok.
"Clark is coming back. He's going to get us some things to get us out of here."
A voice called down from the opening. Clark had returned.
"I'm lowering the rope and gurney."
"OK Clark, send it all down."
The board lowered, reaching ground level. Pa returned his attention back to Conner.
"I'll be right back. Will you be brave for me?"
Conner just squeezed his hand, letting Pa know it was ok.
Pa got up, limping his way over to the supplies. He grabbed the board and laid it parallel with Conner. Pa brought out his lighter again to look at the boy's leg.
"Conner, I'm going to count to three alright? I have to pull your leg off of the crystal."
Conner took a deep breath, pushing out some words.
"OK."
"Alright, ONE…"
Pa pulled up at that number, causing Conner to scream out in shock and pain. In a quick movement, the old man lifted the boy and placed him onto the board, dragging Conner with him to the ropes. Pa tied them off at both ends, calling up to Clark.
"He's on! Take him up."
Clark grabbed both ropes and flew into the sky, Conner was raised from the pit and laid back down on the ground again, away from the sinkhole. Clark burned the rope off at the knot and returned to lift his father out. Pa grabbed the rope and Clark pulled him out. Both men made their way over to Conner.
Pa went down, pulling out the first aid kit and wrapped Conner's leg. Clark didn't know what to do but look on in a bit of a shock. He'd see people hurt, killed even. Close friends and family, but this time it was different. It was Conner who was hurt.
The sucked in a painful breath.
"What the hell happened to two and three?"
"Two and Three, you happy now?"
Conner closed his eyes, trying to shut out the pain.
"No…"
Clark came kneeled down, resting a hand on the boy's head. Conner opened his eyes again, seeing the worry in his face.
"I'm going to fly you to the Villa. Pa, do you think you can hang on my back?"
"I can."
Clark nodded, moving over to pick Conner up, who hissed at the touch. The wet sticky blood just wasn't from his leg, he also had wounds on his back. Clark held the boy as soft as he could. Pa wrapped his arms around Clark and the three shot off for the Villa.
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Jason and Dick walked around Gotham like they owned the place. It was no secret that they were there. Oh no, not at all.
Jason "huffed" for the 14th time before turning around to try and grab at one, of many, flashing cameras. Dick couldn't help but giggle at the plight of his younger brother.
"Jason, keep calm and don't let the paparazzi bother you."
Jason turned his back to the mass that followed them.
"How the hell did they know we were here…"
It slowly clicked with Jason. It was when he went out shopping for breakfast, someone must have spotted him. Jason frowned even more. Dick noticed this and played with Jason's hair.
"Hey now, turn that frown upside down. "
Jason still didn't smile.
"I'm not used to this like you are. Last time I had my picture taken this many times was when I was getting a mug shot."
Dick blinked, shocked by that realization. He quickly turned that shock into a smile.
"Well then, let's change that!"
"Eh?"
Dick raised his hand and called out.
"Taxi!"
A yellow cab showed up, the driver slowly becoming gob smacked about her upcoming customers. Dick couldn't help but smile at the cute lady behind the wheel. Dick opened the door and pushed Jason in. The boy giggled, because it was a playful push. Dick quickly climbed in back. With the widow down, he asked the woman.
"Miss. Could you please take us the Metro Mall?"
The Taxi cab lady nodded, fighting back a blush before she started to drive off. Dick and Jason watched as the fun sucking flees started to scramble for the Metro Mall. Dick sighed, turning his attention back to the lady up front.
"Could we have a change in plans? The Aquarium instead please!"
The woman nodded, glancing back at the boys.
"I kinda guessed as much. Don't worry about me boys, I'll keep my mouth shut."
Jason lit up, hearing the world Aquarium made his heart flutter.
"Wow! Are we really going there! I've never been to one before! This is so cool!"
Dick leaned back in the cab, resting his elbow on the arm rest, glancing over at Jason, who quickly settled down.
"It's OK to act your age you know."
Jason nodded, still restraining himself. He looked out the window, watching as the world went by him.
"I know that….I'll try to do that more often…I kinda like it."
"I'll accept that for now. We'll have many more "vacations" you can let loose in."
Jason nodded.
"Sounds like fun."
The lady called out to the boys in the back.
"I can take you to the private entrance. My husband works there and that's were famous people enter when they want to view the place."
Dick looked a little crestfallen.
"Aw, and I was looking for a date tonight."
Jason quickly elbowed Dick in the ribs, which caused Dick to cough and giggle.
"Dude, you are not even legal yet. You're going to get this lady in trouble."
The Taxi cab driver couldn't help but giggle.
"Oh, I'm flattered."
After a bit of a drive, the taxi slowed to an entrance. A guard walked out, greeting the lady in the cab.
"Hey Babe, what brings you here?"
"Special Guest. Gotham's Finest. The Wayne brothers."
Both boys' couldn't help but roll their eyes at that one. A horrible tag in a newspaper that seemed to stick on them like a stigma.
Dick and Jason got out. Dick handed over 5 $100's. The shock on the drivers face matched that of her husband's.
"This should cover everything!"
"Oh but I couldn't"
Dick quickly turned and left, dragging Jason with him.
"Thank you! See you again sometime!"
Quickly making his way into the entrance before the lady could stop them. Jason didn't mind it, even if he acted a little put off by it. Just seeing the lady's day made was all he really needed.
"So what does getting my picture taken and going to the Aquarium have in common?"
Dick grinned, skipping half way in the process.
"Oh, you just have to wait and see!"
The two boy's made their way to the ticket booth, bought their admition fee and fish food at the counter.
Jason looked around the cement place. Seeing murals of sea life and mystical mermaids. It was new to him and he slightly wondered if Aquaman's home looked something like an aquarium.
"Jason, this way!"
Dick called out. Jason snapped back to attention, running over. Dick looked around, noticing the art work as well.
"Bruce and I went here once, a long time ago. Maybe next time we call all go out as a family…"
"Alfred too!"
Dick blinked, before nodding.
"Alfred will come too. Otherwise he won't hear the end of it from you."
Jason smiled like a Cheshire Cat. Dick couldn't help but raise an eye brow.
"The two of you sure get along well."
"It's because Alfred says I have an old soul. We kinda enjoy the same things."
Dick liked this, the little conversation he had with Jason that revolved around family and not "Batman". It was going to be a little bit of a walk before the two got to the inner entrance of the Aquarium, so Dick thought it was the best way to kill time.
"Oh like what?"
"Like old Movie's with Clint Eastwood, John Wayne and James Harness!"
"Oh all Western movies huh?"
Jason clenched his fists; his youthful side was breaking out again.
"Not just Westerns, but Albert Hitchcock films as well! And if you get the chance, try to watch Dead Ringer with Betty Davis in it! The story had me on edge!"
Dick thought back to all the movie collections they had, that one didn't stick out at all.
"Does Alfred have that in a collection I don't know about?"
Jason quickly ducked his head, laughing a bit sheepishly.
"Well you see, I saw that movie with Harvey Bullock…as Robin…"
Dick quickly looked at Jason, his jaw had dropped.
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Bruce knows so it's ok!"
Dick set his jaw back into place.
"Does Alfred know this too?"
"Yes."
"Damn it, so they left me out of the loop!"
The two walked in silence for a whole two seconds before laughter escaped from their lips. The laughter died when the two met a wide double door that was placed in a whale's mouth. Dick couldn't help but fall back into old memory lane.
"When I first came here, I thought this was Monstro from Pinocchio. I was afraid to even walk near it."
"So how'd you get inside?"
Dick narrowed his eyes, his lips turned into a pout.
"Bruce grabbed me, threw me over his shoulder and marched right in. Evil bastard…"
Jason's whole body shook with laughter.
"Want me to hold your hand little baby?"
Dick shrugged, grabbing Jason's hand in a strong grip and marched on. Jason was getting used to Dick's "random acts" of "Crazy-ness".
"Thought you'd never ask."
Dick took his free hand and opened the door, dragging Jason in with ease. The boy was becoming a rag doll in Dick's care. The warm humid heat and watery smell his Jason first with a rather calming motion. His eyes later fell on to the large tank before him.
"WOW!"
Dick let go of Jason's hand, whom by this time when for a full sprint run towards the tank. The boy placed his hands on the glass, looking out into the clear, crystal waters. The fish that swam back and forth. Dancing with the manmade current in unison. The mass mixture of black, white and yellow moved like one living being. Not long after, a huge fish swam by with a menacing look. Regardless of how ugly it looked to most people, Jason found it beautiful.
The older teen couldn't help but pull out his cell phone for this moment and record the awe Jason was glowing. He couldn't help but wonder what other reactions he'd get out of the boy in the next room.
"Hey kido, we can spend all day in here if you want, but there are other rooms to explore."
Jason nodded, not even bothering to look at Dick. His eyes glued to the numerous fish that reminded him of butterflies in the blue sky.
The two reached another door.
"You'll like this room! I sure did when I was here."
With the door closed behind them, the dark room was illuminated by the sunlight above the tank. Shark's shadows reflected down the descending hall way.
"This…IS….Amazing!"
The round shaped hall way, gave an astonishing view of the sharks that swam in the water.
"Look at that Hammer Head! Is that a Tiger Shark! Is there a Great White in here too?"
Dick looked out into the water himself, singing a familiar tune.
"Ba-dum…..ba-dum…. ba-dum…."
Jason joined in, after all who wouldn't sing the Jaw's theme song in a situation like this."
"badumbadumbadum!"
The door opened, causing the two boys to knock off their little musical short. It appeared more people were showing up as well. Dick shot his head towards the other exit, leading to another room. Jason nodded back. Sometimes words weren't needed to communicate.
The two glanced back at the family that entered. It was a mother and a father with their boy walking between them. Giggles escaped the child, but slowly died down before he realized he was in the Shark Room. Before they all knew it, the boy started to panic a bit.
"Are the sharks going to eat me?"
The boy quickly clung to his mother's leg. The woman frowned a bit at her son's action.
"Come now Tim! There's nothing to be afraid of…."
It didn't take long for Tim to recover and reach for his father.
"Dad! Could you lift me higher! I want a better look."
The man tossed the boy up to his shoulder, causing the child to giggle.
"Oh Jack…He's 10 years old now…"
"Relax Janet, I got this…I won't be able to when he gets bigger."
Both Dick and Jason had longing looks, both sad and yet happy. Happy for the boy and his family. Sad because they didn't have their parent's around to share a moment like that. The two quickly left, leaving the family in peace.
Jason glanced around the new area, to return his mind to happy thoughts. Those thoughts quickly changed when he smelt something good. In the moment of smelling something good, his stomach growled. Dick draped himself over the smaller boy, resting his chin on Jason's head.
"I think you are hungry. I think I am too!"
Dick looked around the food court room, seeing small sit down eateries. His eye sparkled when he saw something wonderful.
"Let's have some corn dogs."
"Corn what?"
Dick almost looked offended.
"You mean "you" never had a corn dog before? The one who swears up and down that you've eaten every dog in existence."
Jason smiled, now understanding what a corn dog was, but still unsure of what the corn was for.
"OK great leader, surprise me! But can we also get some Pizza…I'm really hungry. Being chased by those Paparazzi took a lot out of me."
"Sounds good to me! Besides, we will work it off by tonight anyways…."
Jason deadpanned Dick, leaving the older teen blink wondering what he did wrong.
"What?"
"Do you even realize half the words you speak always end up with double meaning…"
Dick shot back, a sly smile appeared.
"Only if you take it that way."
"Touché. Now go get the food, I'm hungry."
Jason quickly took a seat and sat down. Dick shrugged, making his way over to the food court. Jason leaned forward, hiding his face in his arms. The only way you could really tell if he was blushing or not was from his glowing red ears. Dick had pulled a fast one on him. The boy sighed heavily, trying to fight back to his normal skin color.
It didn't take long, for something set Jason on edge again. The boy shot up, looking around him. He felt it again. That feeling of cold eyes on his back. Jason glanced back at Dick, whom was still waiting in line. With his mind decided, Jason stood up.
Living on the streets made Jason much more aware, much more cautious. He always had to keep an open "eye", even without seeing. He always watched out for the potential killer, child molester and rapist. He knew what this feeling was. It was the feeling of hatred, a lust to kill. He felt that same feeling from last night. Whomever it was, Jason knew. Knew that that person knew, that he was Robin and Dick as Batman.
Jason made his way over to a restroom that read "Out of Order". He narrowed his eyes, knowing this is where he felt those eyes look out at them. Jason glanced around the room one more time, making sure no one saw him enter it. He just wanted to make sure no civilians got hurt if things turned out bad.
With one quick push, Jason made his way into the broken restroom. His eyes adjusted to the flickering lights. He paid close attention to it. The lights were motion censored. Meaning a presence was needed to activate it. He couldn't figure out why now, the lights had turned on. He hugged the tiled walls, glancing around a wall to see if anyone was out in the open.
Nothing.
Jason looked at the mirrors, using the reflection to see if he could see feet underneath the six stalls in the room.
Nothing.
So that meant the person was standing on the toilet seat. The boy glanced around the room, trying to find a long distance weapon. He grinned when he spotted a mop. He made his way over to it, grabbing the wooden handle and made his way to the first stall.
Jason let a sigh escape him, as he pushed open the first stall. A loud "screech" was heard that made the boy cringe. Nothing in the first one. No sound coming from the others either. With a quick motion, Jason knocked all the door's back, resulting with no perp.
Jason let out a heavy sigh, then a little laugh. He leaned on the wall, calming his nerves.
"Huh…must have been my imagination."
Jason was almost resolved to leave, when he heard something. It was clicking noises, coming from the ventilation shaft. He glanced up at it, wondering what was making that noise. He turned his attention to a bucket. He grabbed it and flipped it upside down. He was going to use to as a stepping stool, to reach the vent and see what was in there.
Jason stood standing on his toes. The vent covering was loose, so he removed it to get a better look. He couldn't even imagine anyone being in there, it was too high and small for a grown man to fit. Jason peered in, looking into the darkness. The noise still clicked, over and over again. Jason looking into the darkness, his eyes trying to adjust. He couldn't tell if his mind was playing tricks or not, but he thought he saw movement, heard a sinister laugh. His eyes widened with fear as he heard a click behind him. His breath hitched and his heart pounded. Jason was distracted and whatever was in the vent was now in the room with him. A hand reached and pulled him down, dragging him away. Jason let out a pitiful yell.
A man dressed in Janitor clothing looked down at Jason, a finger pointing in the boy's face.
"Can't you read! "Out of Order?""
The man yelled.
"No Sir, Yes Sir, I mean I'm sorry Sir."
Jason just nodded like a dumbfounded fool. He prayed to the heavens that no one in the family saw this.
The Janitor frowned, rolling his eyes.
"Get out of here before I kick you out."
"Yes Sir, bye Sir, Thank You Sir."
Jason quickly made a B-line towards the door, leaving the mop on the wall with his hasty escape out of the bathroom. The Janitor cracked a huge laugh. It was great scaring kids. His eyes traveled up to where he saw the boy looking into the vent. In all honesty, he was a bit curious as to what the boy was looking at up there.
The Janitor glanced in. He too, was confused by the clicking sound. He turned to his belt to grab a flash light, to look into the dark vent. He flicked it on, but it seemed to no avail. Then he did see something, movement. The blackness wasn't darkness at all. It was a hoard of screaming cockroaches. The man quickly backed away in disgust, but the mass blew out at him, grabbing him in the process. The man yelled in fear, but he was quickly silenced as the bugs attacked his open mouth. He started gaging, scratching at his throat, to no relief. He tried to run, but the bugs dragged him closer to the vent. The mass was lifting him off the ground. The man's eyes widen with fear. He was moving at a speed so fast, his body became contorted and dragged deeper in to the vent. Whatever life he did have, quickly died in that darkness.
88888
Dick glanced at a flustered Jason. He took a cleaned straw and started poking at the boy's head.
"You OK?"
Jason nodded, pretending the whole bathroom incident didn't happen. Jason took one last glance at the restroom that was out of order. The Janitor hadn't come out yet. Jason sighed, pegging his fear on an overactive imagination.
"I'm fine…"
Dick cleaned back, munching away at his corn dog.
"After this, let's go see the Penguins."
Jason gave Dick a sour look.
"I hate Penguins."
"Psh, Jason please, these Penguins are nice. They don't have guns on top of their heads."
Jason still ate away at his Pizza, ignoring the little "inside" joke of Killer Penguins. Dick can poke fun all he wants.
A tug at Dick's leg turned his attention away from Jason, to a young boy with a camera. Both teen's glanced at each other, then at the boy. It was the same child in the shark hall way. Before either of them knew it, the boy took a picture and ran off giggling. Jason and Dick looked at each other again, somewhat confused.
"What the hell was that about?"
Dick blinked, the flash was blinding. It then dawned on him. He slapped his head like a dork.
"That's right, I forgot about that. Man whoever that kid was made me remember!"
"Remember what?...HEY!"
Once again, Dick took off, dragging Jason by the arm. Dick quickly made his way over to a tall box with a curtain.
"A Picture Booth!"
"A Picture Booth? Dick, really?"
The older teen pushed the younger in. The two looked around in the tight compartment. Dick put in the $7 fee and the Camera started counting down.
"I wanted to share this with you…I'm glad we were able to do this!"
Jason's hard ass exterior melted. He decided it wasn't so bad. The first picture was of just the two, relaxed and happy. The other four, resulted in funny faces and poses. At the last photo, Jason giggled.
"I'm glad we were able to do this too!"
8888**8
Alfred sighed heavily. His surgical attire was covered in blood. The old man took a seat with Ma, Pa and Clark, whom all looked worried.
Pa looked down at his hands.
"Will the boy be alright?"
Alfred nodded, but he glanced over at Clark.
"Conner will recover physically, but right now his blood is extremely toxic. That it is slowly killing him. No bones are broken and his leg and back wounds will heal in a short while."
Clark, whom had been pacing for hours, wore out his shoes and the carpet under his feet. Hearing that news made him thank his non-human DNA.
"Is Bruce looking into it?"
Alfred nodded, glancing over at the portable Batcomputer, where Bruce was working non-stop for a cure in the living room.
"He is, but isn't finding the results that he wants. If do say so sir, you might have to ask Lex Luthor for help."
All three Kent's frowned and barked in an agreement to "No!"
Alfred sighed, pinching his fingers between his nose to calm his rising stress.
"Well, another alternative is wait and see if Master Bruce can whip something up. In the meantime, Master Clark?"
Clark looked at the older man with uneasy eyes.
"Yes?"
"Go get Miss Megan. Conner very much so wants to see her."
Clark smiled, happy to take the order.
"I'll do that…But can I see him before I go?"
Alfred nodded.
"You all can. He's awake now, just I want him staying put so we can keep an eye on him."
A ragged call came from the living room of the Villa.
"Alfred, I need more coffee please. 29 hours and counting and I'm surrounded by corn people."
Alfred couldn't help that cheeky smile before setting out to make more coffee. The three Kent's left the kitchen to join Conner in the guest room.
Conner looked ragged. His damaged leg was warped and raised, while the rest of him hid underneath the covers. His face was too pale from the lack of blood. Having it tainted with Kryptonite didn't help much either.
"Hey, some vaca right?"
Clark quickly walked over to Conner, resting a hand on top of Conner's head. The older man leaned down, resting his forehead onto Conner's forehead as well.
"Thank you for protecting my father. You just take it easy ok? I'm going to get M'ggan for you."
"I'd like that…"
Clark pulled away, heading out to Miss Martian's current location. Ma quickly took a chair and sat next to Conner's bedside. She held on to his hand and started to pet it. Conner found it rather southing. Pa on the other hand, was now having conflicting feelings of guilt. Guilt that he caused this. Cause the boy to be upset, cry and depressed. Now he damn well nearly killed the boy with his bottled up anger.
"I'm not mad at you."
Conner spoke out. This cause Pa to bite back some of his growing tears. Ma couldn't help but look at her husband. She knew him too well.
"If Conner isn't mad at you, neither am I."
Pa let out a stifled cry. He quickly made his way over to the other bed side and kneeled down to his knees. His old warm hands, grabbed Conner's cold ones. Too cold for someone with Clark's blood.
"It's my fault you ended up this way. I'm sorry…."
Conner couldn't help but giggle; his lack of blood mixing with poised blood was making things seem a lot funnier in his head.
"Don't worry, took Clark a year to say that. Doing it in a day works just fine for me."
Ma started to pet his Conner's head. The motion was so calming he couldn't help but drift to sleep.
8888
A loud knock on the door echoed in the apartment building. A woman called out from her bed.
"Artemis. Could you get that. I'd ask Wally but he's already asleep."
"Got it Mom!"
Artemis quickly ran to the door and opened it up. She blinked at the stranger at the door.
"Can I help you?"
Clark sighed heavily. Artemis had no idea who he was.
"Hi, I'm Clark Kent. Is Megan here?"
"Hey Meg, it's for you!"
She turned to look at the man. She leaned on the doorway, trying to read him.
"Don't I know you? I only know one other Kent, but…"
"…."
Clark could not believe that the girl before him was Artemis, Green Arrows side kick.
Megan walked out of the shared rooms and glanced outside to see Clark. She almost blew up with both shock and anger. Shock that "Clark" was here and angry that things most likely SNAFU'd on the trip.
"I'm listening."
The tone in Meg's voice was not a happy one. It was a voice Artemis heard once and frankly, didn't want to hear it again. She knew it had something to do with Conner.
Clark waved her over.
"It's a rather private matter…"
Artemis raised her arms up in defeat.
"OK, I get the hint, I'm leaving."
She quickly made her way back to her room and closed the door. Megan just looked at Clark like he was an idiot. She was still angry about Clark had treated "her" boyfriend.
"So…."
"Conner got hurt and he wants you…."
"What did you do?"
"Nothing…and why do you think I had something to do with it…."
Clark gave out a heavy sigh.
"Look, it's almost 7 A.M. where Conner is at right now. I think it would do him some good if he woke up seeing you…."
Meg nodded. She changed her appearance to be in her Miss Martian uniform, ready to take off with the older man.
"Art, I'll be back. Don't wait up!"
Wally's voice could be heard behind the door. Turns out he wasn't so asleep after all.
"Oh don't worry about that, she won't have to wait up at all, hehe."
Another voice called out from the mother's den.
"Wally, I swear to God if you knock up my daughter. I'm Shoving both of my paralyzed legs up your ass."
"OH MY GOD MOM!"
Clark looked over at Megan. A horrifying thought crossed his mind and Meg couldn't help but narrow her already glowing eyes.
"Don't you dare ask about my love life."
"Note taken! Can we please go now?"
"Lead the way!"
Clark jumped up, flying into the sky, Megan not too far behind him. Clark had to fly slow enough for M'ggan to keep up. He was just left with an unnerving feeling that if looks could kill, he'd be dead by now.
TBC on Part 4