Biggest chapter so far? I think so. Got a little excited. Enjoy!


Chapter 4 – Schooled (part 2)

They ended up on a very deserted part of Kansas. Or so was what Clark told them. Claire didn't seem to mind where they were, like Conner. They just looked at their father in expectation. Clark smiled.

"You both seem awfully excited for this."

"Of course, dad." Claire said. "You never took me to train before."

Clark seemed unsure of what to say next, and things got a little awkward. Conner decided to clear the air.

"So, you said you were going to help me with my landings…"

Clark got out of his unsure state, and looked at him almost grateful. "Yes. It's a good way to start. First, you need to jump as high as you can, and I'll just watch and point what you need to do to keep it subtler, okay?"

Conner nodded, getting himself in a better position to jump.

"Can I do that too?"

"Sure, sweetie."

She smiled and mimicked Conner's position. Clark smiled.

"On three… One, two, three!"

They jumped. Conner put all the power he could muster into that jump, going only up, not taking any directions. He felt more than saw Claire going up with him, as high as he could, which surprised him. Claire didn't have any training, yet she seemed to be just as powerful as him. Genetics, he supposed.

He didn't do anything different when he landed, only slightly bending his knees so he could have more balance. Clark was looking at both of them in a pensive way.

"Not bad, Claire. But your landing is as rough as Conner's. We're going to work on that." He smiled to them. "The bending of your knees is a nice choice, Con, but there are other ways to land so you don't put much effort into them. Believe it or not, the wrong way can make you sore after a battle."

"Even with our invulnerability?" Claire asked for him.

"Yes, even with the invulnerability. I learned that the hard way." He grimaced. "Now, let's try it again. This time, you both try to put your weight into your toes, not so much on the whole feet. Can you do that?"

"We can try." Conner said, shrugging.

"All right, let's do it. On the count of three… One, two, three!"

They jumped again, but the landing ended up being exactly like the first. Clark told them not to get frustrated that easily. Their powers, sometimes, took a little training to get used to in the right way.

So they kept doing it. Jumping as high as they could and landing, each time differently, applying their father's advice, trying to see the best way. A way they could do it and still maintain their cover, in Conner's case.

Claire was a fast learner, which made Conner a little frustrated and he ended up going back to square one. She smiled for him, sympathetically, but he didn't want her sympathy. He wanted to be like her, and he knew he couldn't.

"Ok, I think it's time for a little break. You both wait here, I'll be back in two minutes." Clark said, flying away before any of them could think of something to say.

"Uh. I wonder if he's going to abandon us." Claire said.

"What?" Conner's eyebrows shot up, his eyes wide.

Claire noticed his expression and corrected herself quickly. "I'm just joking. I'm sure he just went somewhere to save someone. He'll be back soon."

"Oh." Conner blinked, and then sighed, sitting on a big stone nearby.

"You seem awfully quiet." Claire said. "Not that you're really a talker…"

"I'm just…" he didn't know how to say it in a light way, so he decided for the blunt truth. "I wish I could learn fast like you. You already improved a lot since we got here, and you weren't even coming in the first place!"

He saw how Claire's eyes widened in surprise, and looked away to avoid seeing if he had hurt her with his words. He didn't want to know.

But then, Claire was sitting beside him, a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Con, everyone has a different pace to learn new things. The fact that we're half kryptonians doesn't change that." She chuckled a little. "I may have been training on my own for a while, that's why I learned this landing thing a little faster. I was training on my own."

Conner looked at her now.

"Dad knows?"

She shook her head. "He doesn't even dream about it. And please, let it be our little secret, ok?"

He bit his lip, but nodded.

"Let's try it again, shall we? Dad's taking a little bit longer than he said he would." She frowned.

"Ok…"

They got up, and Claire helped him with more landings. They were on the same routine, doing things over and over again, and Conner was starting to know his strength a bit more, and how to do what he needed to do.

When he finally made the perfect landing, something like two hours later, Claire was there, clapping and cheering, and he had a big smile on his lips.

"I knew you could do it!" she said, hugging him fiercely. He returned the hug.

"Thanks."

She let him go, and then frowned. "I just… I think dad missed the best part of your training."

Conner noticed the sun was starting to fall, some stars already visible to human eyes in the sky.

"Is he okay?"

Claire didn't know.

They decided to wait. He said he was coming back, and he never broke his promises if he could avoid it, Claire said. So they sat in the rock they talked earlier and talked a little more. About the things Conner wanted to learn. About Claire solo-training, and what she had learned so far (nothing much, she said she started training barely a month ago). Another hour passed, and Clark was nowhere to be seen.

"Ok, I'm officially worried now." Claire said, picking up her phone from her top, right between her cleavage. Conner blinked, and she smiled sheepishly. "It was the only place I had to put it."

He didn't answer.

She unlocked the screen, making sure she had service before hitting a few buttons and putting the phone on speaker, so they both could hear.

"Hello. You called Clark Kent, from the Daily Planet. I'm sorry but now I can't answer. Please leave a message and I'll call you back as soon as I can, if needed be."

The bip the followed made Claire frown. She hit a few more buttons, calling again. The call was never completed, and then she bit her lip.

"His phone in out of service, and I can't reach his comm. link from the League." She looked at him. "And he never turns his comm link off."

"Something must've happened." Conner concluded. "But what?"

"I don't…"

Her answer was interrupted by a phone call. Conner looked at the screen just as Claire pressed the button to answer the call. The caller ID had Unknown on it.

"Hello?"

"Claire?"

"B?" She seemed surprised. "Where's dad?"

Conner frowned. 'B' sighed.

"We're in the Watchtower. We just got back from a big fight. Your father's recovering his energies, but he can't go pick you up yet. I'm tracking your location so I can send the jet in, so stay in line for a few more seconds, okay?"

"Ok…" Claire said, while Conner was trying to remember whose voice was it at the phone. He knew that voice. "Is he okay? Are you?"

"He's fine. I only have a couple of bruises." Claire scoffed at that, and the voice laughed. Which was, somehow, weird. "Ok, a couple broken ribs and a lot of bruises. I've had worse."

"Yeah, I figured." She sighed. "I was worried. I tried the number you gave me for the comms but couldn't reach it."

"Some comms were damaged in the battle. Your father lost his." The voice became a little distant, and then. "Ok, I have your location. Stay there, the jet will be there for you in a couple minutes."

"Ok, B. Thanks."

"You're welcome. Take care."

"You too."

He hung up, and Conner saw Claire drew a breath of relief.

"Who was it?"

"You didn't recognized the voice?"

"No…"

She smiled. "Well, I guess he was talking like himself, so it would be hard to recognize if you don't know him." She chuckled. "It was Batman."

Conner's eyes almost got out of his eye sockets. "Batman?!"

"Yep." Claire's eyes were shining with mischief.

"But… he laughed."

Claire laughed too, and then: "Yeah, he does that sometimes, although it is rare."

Conner was so surprised he almost didn't saw the black jet coming their way. But his sister did, so she got up and called him.

"Come, the jet is here."

He turned to see nothing less of the Batwing hovering their way, and then landing very close to them. The door on the back opened, and then… Robin came, civil clothes and sunglasses, a big mischievous smile on his lips.

"Did anyone called for a Bat-taxi?" He asked.

Claire laughed and ran for him, hugging him very tight, and Conner could see the smile and the force Robin put in hugging her back.

"Robbie!" she sang. "It's so good to see you that I ain't even gonna tell B about the Bat-taxi."

He cackled. "Thanks. It's good to see you too, Claire." And then, "Hey Conner."

"Hey Robin." He smiled. "You driving?"

"Autopilot." He whined. "Bats didn't taught me how to drive the Batwing yet. Although I do know a few commands…"

Claire laughed. "I'm sure you'll learn soon enough. Now let's go home, I'm starving!"

She entered the jet, and Robin and Conner followed her, smiling along the way.

~.~

Clark got home late that day. He smiled tiredly to his children when he got in the kitchen and saw them eating a pizza. They both hugged him and Claire asked profusely if he was okay, who was it, and who the hell thought that could hurt Superman and she would give them some words, and please dad, you sure you're okay?

Conner was worried, too, Clark could see, but he was more quiet than Claire on his worry. After he reassured his children that he was fine, he ate with them, telling them the tale of the android Amazo and how it took a lot of Leaguers and four hours to stop him. Plus, how he was taken at the Watchtower to sunbathe, because he was so weak he couldn't even fly himself up. Claire made him shower and rest after dinner, and by rest she meant a very nice and cozy evening watching movies with them. He complied, if only because he was sorry Amazo had took the time he had with them, and tomorrow he was coming back to work, which meant another day of his crazy schedule as a full-time reporter/superhero.

But it was okay, Clark thought, as he saw Conner and Claire falling asleep on each side of him, their heads falling to his shoulders. As long as he came back home, too see and hug his children, it was okay.

~.~

The next mission was to make sure Amazo's parts got into Star Labs safely, as Conner figured it out the day after. It wasn't so easy as they thought, and they did have some trouble with it, but eventually, they made it. Conner saw improvement on his fighting after the training he had with Claire and Superman, and was complimented by Black Canary (and Batman, if his nod was anything to go by) after. Also, he figured something about himself, too.

He really, really hated monkeys.


This is completely unbetaed so sorry for the mistakes. Tell me about them so I can fix it, please. :)

I love, love this chapter. It's the beggining of a routine that'll make Con and Clark a lot more family, and also... *giggles* Robin, of course. *giggles like a fangirl*

Tell me: which episodes from YJ season 1 you want to see on this story? Feel free to give some ideas too. I know where I want to take this story, but I love talking theories!

So, leave your comment and hopefully I'll see you soon. Or as soon as I can. Whichever comes first. ;)

xo