Tommy watched his neighbors house keeping a look out for proof of life. He really should have brought that police scanner last month but he needed rent money. He watched as the truck Loomis took pulled up. Clark came out first followed by Jamie holding the baby. Followed by Loomis and finally a red haired woman. He can't help but notice the somber mood everyone seems to be in as they come to the house.

Clark, his mother, Jamie, and the baby both left to go upstairs in Tommy's room. Clark watched Jamie finally take time to bond with her daughter at least someone's getting a family thing right.

Martha stood upright. "Clark, let's talk outside for a bit OK."

Clark somberly nodded and followed her.

Jamie watched them go outside. She wonders how mad Martha is at her right now. She can't really blame her.


Outside Clark leaned against the fence just trying to find his center.

Martha looked at him. "I know what you're thinking. But this isn't your fault."

Clark shook his head. "I cost us the farm when I ran away. Everything that happened."

Martha shook her head. "No, Clark we held onto the back 40 a lot longer then we should have. We could have sold it and easily paid off our debts for a year. We all were just too stubborn at the worst time. As for everything that happened here. Your father chose to get involved, the moment Michael attacked you at the farm. He gave his life beleiving this madness should stop by protecting the baby. A heart only beats so many times in one life. Your father used his more then anyone I know."

Clark just looked at the ground broken, any compsoure he had since his house burnt down gone. "It's not right that he's gone."

Martha only held him and hugged him as he cried. "I know, I know."


Loomis held the phone close. "Terrence, I appreciate the offer, but I believe you have your own problems you should be taking care of. Don't worry, I'm not alone." He hung up the phone down trodden.

Tommy looked at him concerned. "Dr. Loomis are you alright?"

Loomis shook his head. "An old colleague, I don't want him involved in this, not when there's two of them."

Jamie came down holding baby Rachel and put her in a 'crib' Tommy made. "Really, a cardboard box with blankets?"

Tommy looked at her. "Let's see you make a crib with household products."

Jamie could only shrug in acceptance.

Tommy watched next door and saw a little boy come home. Well at least one of them is home. Taking that as his cue he silently left the house to heed off a disaster.


Martha came up with Clark, Jamie looked at the two sadly She has seen this story play out more then enough. "I just wanted to say I'm..."

Martha held her hand up stopping the teen. "As I just told Clark unless you're secretly the man in black you didn't do anything wrong."

Clark looked up at everyone like a light switch went off. "Oh yeah, about him." Clark went through his coat pocket and pulled a plastic bag with a can of tomato soup inside.

Jamie looked at it. "A leaky can of soup?"

Clark shook his head. "That's not soup I threw it at the man in black. I think it's his blood."

Loomis' eyes rose in alert seeing the first lead they have on this man. "Good lord, why didn't you leave this with Deputy Watkins?"

Clark looked at Loomis. "Because I don't trust the cops. At least not all of them."

Martha looked at the can. "What about Chloe? She has experience with crime scene evidence right?"

Clark shook his head. "She won't be able to help us in anywhere near enough time."

Jamie thought on it. "OK, so who can we trust that can help us get this figured out fast?"

Loomis shook his head, he already sent Marian out to look into another lead, he won't bring Terrence in, and everyone else is already dead.

Clark took the can. "I know who to take this to. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Jamie nodded in understanding. "Just get back as fast as you can."

Calrk left the building and as soon as he was clear he ran off for the rich part of Haddonfield.


Clark came to a stop and looked around seeing through walls seeing the one he wanted as he quietly knocked on the door seeing a man in a suit looking at him. "I need to see Lex. Tell him it's Clark Kent."

Clark waited for a couple minutes and saw Lex packing his bags for the trip home.

Lex looked up surprised. "Clark, what are you doing here?"

"I need your help?" Clark answered.

Lex looked at him he's never seen that face on Clark before. That crushing pain and agony. He's seen it plenty of times on his own face in the mirror. "Clark, what happened?"

Clark looked at him numbly. "My dad, he... he was murdered."

Lex took a moment to collect himself and hugged his best friend. There's no secret him and Mr. Kent never saw eye to eye on... anything. But he always liked him. He was a parent any son would be proud to call a father. "I'm sorry, is there anything I can do?"

Clark pulled out the can. "I need to know who's blood this is. As fast as possible."

Lex looked at the can getting a bad feeling all around. Clark is a good person but as Lex suspects he wrangles up meteor freaks but just to protect people. This might be a line he won't come back from. "I think this is more of a job for the cops."

Clark shook his head. "I can't do that."

"Why not?" Lex asked.

"Because three cops that I know of just helped burn my house down!" Clark shot off angrily.

Lex took the can surprised. He gets the feeling there's more to this story but for now he's just happy to help. "Alright, I'll look into it."

"Thank you." Clark said.


Jamie waited patiently for Clark to come home. She watched as the door opened and saw Tommy come in a nice shiner on his right eye. "What happened to you?"

"She hit me." Tommy replied as he sat down.

Jamie looked over as little boy with blond hair came in and sat down followed by a blond haired woman Tommy's age. Jamie instantly perked up seeing the familiar face. "Kara!"

Kara Strode turned around and saw her for a moment. A black haired teenager with a very familiar smile. Tommy told her but seeing and knowing are two different things. How did she survive the fire? "Jamie, it is you!" Kara rushed over and glomped her cousin. The two cousins stayed in a hug taking a moment. A bit of tears of happiness on Kara's end. "Thank god, everyone thought you died in the fire. Would have visited you in the children's hospital but Dad refused to take anyone."

"It's OK." Jamie said from her end. "You kind of punched my friend though."

"Your friend was perving on me last night with a telescope and came over unannounced in my son's room with him in it when I found him. He's lucky I don't play softball anymore." Kara replied easily enough. 'Hey mommy, this creepy guy knows about dinosaurs' not music to a mother's ears. "Would have called the cops but he promised to take me to you. Said my life was in danger."

Jamie nodded. "It's true. My uncle's loose again." Kara blanched at this knowing the story. She turned over to the little boy. "Who's this?"

Kara smiled looking over. "Jamie, meet my son Danny."

Jamie smield kneeling down to be on his level. "Hi Danny, I'm your cousin Jamie."

"Hi." Danny replied shyly.

Kara looked over at a fussing infant in a box. "Whoa, Jamie what have you been up to these past six years?"

Jamie looked at her cousin sadly. "I don't want to talk about it."

Kara nodded seeing the instant shut down. "Well, I wasn't much older when I had Danny, if you need advice, just let me know."

Jamie nodded gratefully as Clark came in. "Did you find out anything?"

Clark shook his head. "No. Give him some time though." He looked over at the two new people. "Who are these two?"

"My cousins Kara and Danny?" Jamie answered.

Clark thought on it for a moment, why does the name Kara sound so familiar? Better asked question for later. He looked down at Danny. "Nice to meet you both."

Kara looked at Jamie and saw a glaze in her eyes. "Jamie, you OK?"

Clark quickly ran over and caught her.


A zombie approached a girl with blond hair ending at her neck. "Oh, I love the outfit what is this slutty cop?"

The cop turned around revealing a cop shirt that ends just abover her navel. "No, sexy cop." The girl smile and picked off the buttons on her shirt opening it and showing her breast with two badges covering her nipples. "This is slutty cop."

Zombie smiled as she put her shirt back on and grabbed her by the waist. "Oh, well then maybe we should blow off this party and I can get better acquanited with slutty cop."

Sexy cop shook her head. "Uh uh, we still have to show up for the party for Halloween and then I want to take Suzie trick or treating with rebel candy givers."

Zombie smiled playfully. "Curse you for not being an only child. Lucky you the only knowledge in this Zombie's brain is who's giving out candy and money so it should be a fun night for the three of us and a way to say fuck government for cancelling Halloween."

Sexy cop just kissed him. "And I love you for that."

"So, what's she dress..." Zombie turned to the corner staring seemingly directly into Jamie. "HEY! Are you perving at my girl you freak!"

Jamie watched as the Shape seemingly exlpoded out of the corner knife in hand and stabbed Zombie.

Sexy cop quickly jumped on his back trying to pull Michael away. "Leave him alone."

The shape backed into the mirror knoocking Sexy Cop into it and glass all over the floor as she fell to the floor as well.

Zombie picled up a shard of glass and ran at the Shape.

The shape only pulled the knife out of Zombie's shoulder turned him around and stabbed him in the back as he fell to the floor instantly dropping the glass. .

Zombie looked up and saw the shape leave. "I can't, I can't feel my legs." He looked at the Shape walking to his grilfriend. "Run!"

Sexy cop tried to run past the Shape only to get caught at the waist and slammed into the wall and knocked to the floor. The Shape put his hands around her neck and lifted her up high enough that her legs were closer top the Shape's neck then the floor.. "No! No!"

Zombie tried to pull himself to her. Seeing the nicest the girl he knew turn shades of blue as her eyes started turnign red. "No! No! Leaver her alone and kill me!"

The Shape looked at the lifeless form of Sexy Cop for a moment tilting it's head before simply dropping her. He walked Over to zombie and pulled his knife out of his back.

Zombie shouted. "I swear to god I'm gonna..."

The shape just stomped him in the head shutting him up and with five more stomps he was doing nothing but stomping red paste into a bathroom floor.

Jamie watched Michael take his leave of the bathroom and bumped into another kid whom her uncle just sent off in a different direction among a great sea of people in costumes and Haddonfield Park sign.


Jamie took a breath coming back down. "Michael's at some sort of Halloween party."

Clark looked at her, it's Halloween. "That could be anywhere."

Tommy shook his head. "No, he's at Barry Simms party."

Jamie turned to Tommy. "How do you know that?"

"Easy... It's the only party." Tommy replied.

Kara turned to Jamie. "After you disappeared. Halloween was outlawed a bunch of teenagers are fighting to get it back tonight. Some of the adults are even trick or treating for kids. Oh my god my brother's there."

Clark put his hand up cutting her off. Forming a plan already. "I'll get him and tell him to get out of town."

Jamie stood up. "Hang on I'm going with you."

Clark shook his head. "No way, it didn't work last time."

"It wasn't Michael last time." Jamie pointed out. "And if he sees me he won't be anywhere near Rachel."

Clark frowned seeing her point and even if he leaves without her he has a feeling Jamie will just follow him. "Alright."

Tommy looked at the two. "Guys, it's full costume, they won't give you a moment's peace if you're wearing anything less for Halloween."

Clark nodded in understanding. "I'll take care of it."

Jamie nodded. "Kara, can you take care of the baby?"

Kara frowned not really sure what's happening right now. But if they're going to take care of her brother she can at the very least babysit. "Of course."

Tommy watched them go. "I'll fill her in."

Clark looked at Jamie as they walked out the house. "Do you suffer from motion sickness?"

"No" Jamie replied.

"Please, don't tell anyone about this." Clark begged as he scooped Jamie up. She had to see him destroy that tree in one punch. Before Jamie could register what happened she was in the alley next to Vincent's Drug Store.

Jamie looked at Clark for only a moment it wasn't exactly the fear Clark imagined as a smile came across her face. "i knew it, I knew there was something different about you. So let's go inside we gotta get dressed." She's just happy to have a guardian against Michael at this point.


Clark went into the store and immeidately grabbed the only costume that will fit him at the last mintue as his face dropped. "You gotta be kidding me!"

Jamie didn't see the problem that costume has been around for hundreds of years probably. "Go get dressed."

Jamie looked at a couple outfits before her hand was grabbed she was set to scream but saw it was only a teenage blond boy. Jamie looked at the employee name tag and sighed see a familiar name. The leader of hell when she was a child. Jason Remar hadn't seen him since that stupid yellow Frankenstein thing on Halloween. He was a friend until he always bullied her just for having bad luck in DNA on her mother's side.

Jason looked at her for a moment. "Do I know you?"

Jamie shook her head. "No, I just have one of those faces."

Jason watched her try to leave but grabbed her. "Oh, I do know you, Jamie Lloyd. Of course you'd show up today is your whole freak family here too. After all what other day would you show up for." Jason just laughed not letting go. "I figured you'd already have a costume after all every day is Halloween with your..." Jason stopped seeing Jamie's not even paying attention to him and is focused on the other side of the isle and started breathing methodically. He turned around and saw Jamie was staring at office supplies. Particularly the largest pair of scissors you'd ever see. "I-I-I was just kidding... just calm down." Jason went to the back of the store a lot paler then when the conversation started.

Jamie just smiled and grabbed the costume as Clark left the changing room. Jamie looked at him and looked away blushing from the green leathery cloth and the bow at his back.

Clark frowned in it. "OK, I don't understand why the SCPD can't catch this guy, I mean... it's just grease paint."

Jamie nodded. "Yeah, grease paint. Excuse me."

Clark leaned against the wall waiting for Jamie to get changed. Clark turned to the TV only to hear a familiar song at six o clock. Which means eight in the east coast. At least it's the last time he'll hear the song this year as kids in three specific masks got closer. "Happy Happy Halloween Hallowen Halloween Happy Happy Halloween Silver Shamrock." Clark listened as the music stopped and the TV's voice got deeper. "Now is the time you ghost and ghouls and witches too come closer watch for the sign. Watch as All..." Clark watched as the Silver Shamrock logo turned into a bat logo wrapped in a yellow circle. The three kids just shrugged and walked away talking.

"That was stupid."

"Yeah. Let's go see if anyone is actually giving out candy."

Clark only shrugged agreeing with the children as Jamie came out her hair done in very sloppy pigtails, a shirt too small for her with Puddin's little monster written on it. He can tell her about that costume tomorrow he suspects she doesn't know. "You dressed like that for the baseball bat dodn't you."

"Yep." Jamie wrapped her arm around his. "You ready?"

Clark nodded. "Alright, let's go."


Author Notes

For people who think Clark and Jamie are too cheerful after the last chapter. It's sadly just a common occurrence in Jamie's life at this point. And until the final season Smallville Clark's first reaction to grief is usually violence at whatever he sets his sights on and he knows where Michael is.

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