Family
It's a chilly afternoon on the streets of Metropolis as the pedestrians make their way past bell ringers and storefronts lit up with twinkling lights and plastered with signs announcing their sales. Among them are a fit young man with close cropped black hair and a red headed young woman, and while the young man appears somewhat uncomfortable by the hustle and bustle surrounding him, the young woman seems to be filled with holiday cheer.
You know, it's a shame that the Sinestro Corps chose to attack Watchtower yesterday, Megan said to Connor telepathically, It might've been nice to pick up some gifts for the others while things were on sale.
You mean during the Black Friday sales? No thanks, Connor thought back to her, While I could have done without that attack myself, I'm not sure that fighting the crazy humans would have made me any happier. I'm certain it was no accident that they named it "Black Friday".
Megan frowned down at the sidewalk, and immediately Connor felt bad. He realized that the reason Megan wanted to go was because, as nether of them had the education to get a job that allows them the flexibility to pursue their heroic activities without question, nor had they a human family to offer them an allowance, they both had little cash available to them. And while that's usually not a problem, as Watchtower's pantry is usually fully stocked, the expense allotment they're usually given barely covers replacement civilian apparel and the occasional meal, and doesn't leave much to get anything beyond that. Things like Christmas presents.
"I'm sorry, Meg," Connor apologized aloud, "I wasn't thinking…"
"It's okay, Connor," Megan responded, "I understand, really. You're still trying to come to grips with human mannerisms, just like I am. But while I had TV shows like "Hello, Megan!" to help guide me, not to mention my telepathic abilities to help me avoid making too serious of mistakes, most of what you know was programmed into you by Cadmus and Luthor, and you don't know what of that information you can trust. This makes it hard for you to be able to relate to people. I'm just glad that you're able to relate to me, that you can accept me for who and what I really am."
"Thanks for understanding, Meg," Connor said gratefully, "Still, I wish that I knew how Clark and Lois do it. I mean, Clark makes it look so easy, balancing a career, a relationship, and his 'extracurriculars', whereas I seem to keep tripping over my own feet with just the last two."
"I'm sure that his being raised by Jonathan and Martha had something to do with it, but I know what you mean," Megan agreed, "Lois doesn't have the 'gifts' that Clark does, but I don't think that I've met a woman stronger, not even Dinah or Barbara. Even if I had never met her before, in this world or that other, I would have bet that she'd be the best match for Clark, even more so than Diana. I wouldn't mind knowing what it is like in her shoes."
As they pass by yet another bell ringer dressed as Santa, a midget standing next to him dressed in an elf's outfit turns towards them and says, "I'm sorry, I couldn't help overhearing, but I understand that you two have a couple of older friends that you would like to understand a little better? Perhaps what a day in their life is like?"
Taken aback by this little man's unexpected interruption into their private conversation, Connor and Megan took from him to the bell ringer. However, the sense of strangeness only grew stronger as they saw that he was still ringing his bell, paying no heed to his assistant's interest in the two of them. "I'm sorry, but I don't.." Connor began to say.
"It's perfectly all right, young man," the 'elf' interrupted him with a smile, "This just happens to be your lucky day! Wish granted!" Then the little man snaps his fingers and, with a bright flash of light, he disappears.
As Connor and Megan stand there stunned and blinking at each other, the other pedestrians continue milling around them, as if nothing had happened. Then Megan recovers, her eyes widen in surprise, then she rubs her eyes to clear them and voices her confusion in a voice that's completely unlike her own, asking, "Connor, what are you doing here? Where's Clark? How did I get here? Just what is going on around here?"
Connor, who'd been looking just as confused as Megan, suddenly grits his teeth and, in a voice that's not his own, growls in frustration, "Mxyzptlk!"
Meanwhile, back at the Daily Planet, Lois and Clark was apparently in the middle of some conversation from their respective desks when something happened. Now they are looking at each other in utter confusion.
"Clark? Is that you?" Lois asks him in an unusual voice, "Why am I at the Planet? Where did Connor go?"
"Lois, did you just call me Clark?" Clark asks in a different voice, then he notices the faint gleam from the inside of his glasses and he reaches up to touch them as he says "Oh!"
" 'Lois'?" Lois says in confusion, then she looks down at herself and she groans in shock and confusion, "Ooooohhhh! Connor? Is that you?"
"Yeah, it is," Connor confirms from within Clark's body, "And I'm guessing you're Megan?"
"Yes. Connor, what's going on?" Megan asks with Lois' lips, "That guy, you don't suppose….he could have really been one of Santa's elves, do you?"
"More like an imp, an imp named Mxyzptlk," Connor corrected her.
"Mixa….Mexil…?" Megan tries to ask.
"Mxyzptlk," Connor offers, "Just call him Mxy."
"Mxy, then. Just who is he, some foe of Clark's?" Megan asks, "I don't remember him from the League's database."
"He generally doesn't leave any trace of his interactions with the world when he leaves, save for inside Clark's memories," Connor explains, "Clark didn't talk much about him, but as for his relationship with Clark, I'd have to define it as 'nuisance'."
Back on the streets of Metropolis, Lois (as Megan) pulls Clark/Connor down the nearest alley out of sight of the crowd before asking in a whisper, "Clark? Is that really you?"
"Yes, Lois, it's really me," Clark responded from within Connor, his irritation of the imp barely controlled.
"And this Maxy…Mixip…?" Lois tried to ask, her anger growing.
"Mxyzptlk," Clark clarified.
"That IMP did this to us!?" Lois barked, "He changed us into Connor and Megan!?"
"Actually, I think it's more like he made us swap bodies," Clark suggested as he looked down at the body he was currently in as his fists clenched and unclenched.
" 'Body swapping'?" Lois scoffed, "That twerp had been watching too many Hollywood movies!"
"Oh, please!" Mxyzptlk chimed in as he appeared out of nowhere, dressed in his usual attire of purple dress suit and derby hat, the green elf's hat sitting atop his derby hat being the one off-note, ""Hollywood steals most of its best ideas from ME! By the way, do you kids like my Christmas gift? I know it came a little early, but since I figured you'd be a little busy around then…"
Lois then flew at Mxyzptlk, grabbing him by the front of his clothes and slamming him into the nearest wall hard enough to crack it and cause dust to fall down from the widow sills above. "Why did you do this to us, imp!?" Lois screamed in his face, "What is your game this time!?"
Mxyzptlk then disappeared from Lois's grip and reappeared some distance behind Clark as he said, "Geez, Lois, I don't remember you ever being this violent! Must be the additional hormones from being within a younger body."
Lois starts to go after the imp again, but Clark places an arm out to block her as he says, "Easy, Lois, remember whose bodies we're in. You don't know your own strength, and we don't want to do anything to blow Connor and Megan's identities."
"That's right!" Mxyzptlk chimed in, "You should listen to your fiancée."
Clark then turns to glare at him as he adds, "Having said that, I do believe that Lois asked you a question. Just what is your game today?"
Mxyzptlk then grasped his chest in mock pain as he said, "I'm hurt by your insinuation, old pal! I already said that this was an early Christmas gift! Well, it's more of a gift for your young friends then for you guys, though I though you'd appreciate it as well. Those kids had been through so much: what with ol' baldy playing Puppetmaster with Connor's head, then Megan getting mixed up with that whole Sapphire business. I just figured that they deserved something nice!"
"And your idea of 'something nice' is traumatizing them even further?" Clark asks as he narrows his eyes.
" 'Traumatize'? No!" Mxyzptlk protested, "They wish to know what is was like to be you guys, all I did was make it come true!"
"And what about our jobs?" Lois snapped at him, "I have that shoot for the web article against the passing of the VRA today, and Clark still has to finish editing his article before he turns it in. I doubt that Connor or Megan know enough to be able to do that themselves!"
"You don't have to worry about your precious jobs, Lo Lo," Mxyzptlk said airily, "When I leave, everything I did will be undone. Even if those kids bungle you guys into unemployment, when you return you'll find your places at that boring grindstone still there."
Lois bristles at the imp's casual use of her name, but Clark says coolly, "So then do it. Say it and go back home already."
"Now now, buddy, it's not that simple," Mxyzptlk said with a slight smirk, "I know that you know the rules."
"You mean the rules you made up?" Clark asked, "The ones that sat that…"
"…either Clark or Superman has to make me say, spell, write, or otherwise indicate my name backwards, then I'll return back home to the 5th dimension," Mxyzptlk finished for him, "Right now, however, you are neither one. So I could say Kltpzyxm all I want right now, but it wouldn't do a thing because it'd be Connor making me do it, not Clark Kent, certainly not Superman."
"Mxy…" Clark starts to growl, but then Lois falls to her knees, holding her head in apparent pain. "Lois!" Clark yells as he rushes over to her side.
"Oh dear! Well it looks as though you're currently busy, and I have other people to see today, so I should get going. I wonder how ol' Saint Nick does it? Tootles!" Then with one last wave, Mxyzptlk vanishes.
"Lois? Are you all right?" Clark asked her.
"So many thoughts! So many emotions! All at once!" Lois exclaimed, her voice tight with pain, her features fluctuating between Megan's human look, her Miss Martian form, her true White Martian form, and various other features, "It's too much, Clark! Too much! I can't shut them out!"
"It's okay, Lois. Don't try to block them, just focus on one thing," Clark suggested, "Concentrate on just my thoughts, my memories, my feelings. Let all that other stuff fall into the background."
Lois nodded, then closed her eyes in concentration. As her breathing slowed, her face cleared of pain, her features settled back into Megan's human appearance. As she opened her eyes again, they were filled with wonder as she said, "Wow! I never realized just how you felt about me! I mean, I know you told me many times before, but to actually see and feel it for myself…!"
"It was just as I've said," Clark said with a knowing smile, "I've never loved anyone the way that I love you. Even if my life was to be extended far beyond yours, that would not change. You are the most important person in my life, I would not want to share it with anyone else but you."
"I know that…now. Thank you," Lois said with a smile, her appearance changing once more, that of her own before Mxyzptlk's 'gift'.
As Clark helped her back to her feet, he suggested with a smile, "Maybe you should try changing back into Megan for now. 5th dimension reboot or not, we don't want to start tabloids talking about Lois Lane going around with someone half her age."
Lois blushed and punched Clark lightly on the arm. At least, she meant to hit him lightly, but the way he was rubbing it told her that it wasn't lightly enough. Clark's right, Lois thought to herself, I really need to watch my strength while I'm in this body.
"Uh, Lois?" Clark interjected, smiling and pointing to his head, "You may want to be careful with your thoughts as well. I heard you."
"Oops!" Lois said smiling, then she closed her eyes and concentrated. She wasn't sure how the shapeshifting worked, so she just thought about how she remembered Megan looks when she was taking a human appearance. When she opened her eyes again, she was looking just like Megan normally does. There was so much that was unfamiliar to her about all of this that she didn't know how she'd ever get the hang of it. Hopefully they find a way to deal with their imp problem so she wouldn't have to.
"So, what do we do now?" Lois asked him.
"Well, first I think we should find out exactly where in Metropolis we are," Clark said as he dug in Connor's pockets, "It doesn't look like Connor packed his 'work' clothes, and you're not all too familiar with Megan's shapeshifiting and invisibility powers yet, so I don't think we should try flying."
"Too bad," Lois said with a hint of longing.
"So that leaves either a cab or walking," Clark continued as he pulled the money out, "and it doesn't look like we have enough here for a cab, so that leaves us with walking."
"There's always the bus, you know," Lois offered helpfully, a smile pulling up one corner of her mouth.
With a small chuckle, Clark said, "Remind me at our next League meeting to recommend that Connor and Megan's stipend get increased. Anyway, I think that we should get back to the Planet as quickly as possible. I'm worried about Megan."
"Well, I don't think that she may be up to doing the web article, but I don't think that it will tax her enough to go quite as far as to actually be worried about her," Lois said in a tone that belied her words.
"It's not that….well, not only that," Clark said in a grave tone, "J'onn once told me that their telepathic abilities are an integral part of them and how they relate to the world, much like seeing and hearing are to you and me. Now unless you had some sort of telepathic abilities that you never told me about…" When Lois shook her head no, Clark continued, "…then that means that she's back there in an environment that she doesn't really understand, and that she's been effectively struck blind."
"So what we have to do is figure out how to get Mxyzptlk to switch us back, and hopefully we can do so before anyone here realizes that we aren't who we appear to be," Connor explains to Megan.
"Uh-huh," Megan acknowledges, looking rather uncomfortable, "any ideas on how to go about that? Does this Mxy character have any weaknesses, any fatal flaws that we can use?"
"I think that Clark mentioned about something concerning his name, but I can't really recall exactly what about it," Connor answered, "I wish we'd brought our cell phones today, then we'd be able to simply call Clark and ask how to deal with Mxyzptlk."
"I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out, and they've likely realized what's going on and are on their way back now," Megan reassured him, though she still looked rather jittery herself, "In the meantime, we've just gotta keep up appearances and make sure that Clark and Lois still have a job once this mess is all over."
Although the mind link that they shared didn't seem to work in these new bodies, Connor felt he still knew Megan well enough to understand when something was really bothering her. "Megan, what's wrong?" Connor asked in concern.
"Nothing much, really," Megan feebly tried to assure him, then at his raised eyebrow, she continued, "It's just….I can't feel you, or the people in the next room, or those a few floors down. I can hear them, so I know they're there, but I can't 'hear' them. It's one thing to not listen to people's thoughts, but to not be able to hear them is rather unnerving. I haven't felt like this….since the Hatter."
Conner shuddered as he remembered their trip to that mirror world, in which the Mad Hatter used his hat to shield his thoughts from Megan until she had already fallen into his inescapable trap. Connor didn't want to think what would've happened if he had not found her when he did. "it'll be all right," Cannor assured her as he wrapped her up in his arms, "We'll get Mxyzptlk to undo what he did, and then…"
At that moment, a Middle-aged man entered the room whom Connor recognized from various news broadcasts as being Perry White, editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet and, more importantly, Lois and Clark's boss. "I don't know about you kids," Perry began gruffly, "but I have a paper to run and deadlines to meet."
"Yes sir," Connor said apologetically as he straightened up, "Sorry sir."
"Kent," Perry asked as he turned his attention to him, "how's that article coming?"
"It's nearly done sir," Connor bluffed, hoping that it was true, "Just a few finishing touches to go."
"I hope so," Perry said sincerely, "Deadline's coming close and I have a hole on the front page to fill. If the article's not on my desk in the next hour, I'll have to use Kensworth's piece to fill it." The tone in Perry's voice indicated how much he detested that idea.
"Don't worry sir," Connor said past the lump in his throat, "it'll be there."
"Appreciate it," Perry said, then he turned to Megan and asked, "You ready to film your report, Lois?"
Megan, who looked on the verge of hyperventilating, tried to keep her voice steady as she said, "Film….My report?"
"Great Caesars ghost! Don't tell me you forgot!" Perry exclaimed, "The editorial report you were doing for our online paper against the passing of the VRA? It was your idea to do it in the first place!"
Blast! That was being done today? Connor thought to himself, That imp has the absolute worst timing!
"I….I…" Megan tried to reply before her knees gave out beneath her. Luckily, Connor was close enough that he could catch her without revealing Clark's super-speed.
"Lois, are you feeling alright?" Perry asked in concern.
Thinking quickly, Conner answered for her, "Lois must have stayed up all night preparing for that report, even though I asked her to get to bed several times. It was really important to her."
"You know, Lois, if you're not feeling well enough to do this, you could give me the report and I'll just have Janice read it for you," Perry suggested helpfully.
Taking a quick look at Megan, Conner asked, "Could you give us a few minutes, sir? I think if Lois takes a quick breather, she might be up for doing it herself."
"Sure," Perry agreed, "I'll be back in a few to check up on you. Is there anything you'd like me to bring back?"
"Maybe a strong cup of coffee?" Conner asked, trying to play up the sleep deprived angle.
"With cream and sugar," Megan added.
"Okay," Perry agreed again, "You can let me know if you're up for it when I get back."
"Thanks, Chief," Conner said gratefully.
"Don't call me Chief," Perry said as he walked back out the door.
Once Connor was sure he was out of earshot, Connor leaned in and said to her, "Well, it sounds like you've got a bye on this. You don't have to push yourself to do this if you don't want to."
"But this was obviously important to her," Megan protested, "I can't just let someone else take it from her."
"That's probably because she knows how important to Clark and the rest of us that the VRA gets defeated," Connor reasoned, "Still, under the circumstances, I'm sure that Lois wouldn't mind your letting someone else do it for her. It'll be fine."
"Will it?" Megan countered, "What if this 'Janice' doesn't do as good a job as Lois, and the VRA passes as a result? I'm not sure that I could forgive myself for that, especially if we get switched back just before the report is filmed."
"Megan…"Connor began.
"No Connor, my decision is made," Megan interrupted him, "I'm gonna stand in for Lois on this, and that's that!"
Connor sighed, then he smiled with the corner of his mouth as he said, "Well, you certainly got Lois' stubbornness down."
Megan returned his smile, then she headed over to Lois' computer. After getting it off sleep mode, she announced, "Great, it looks like she had it typed up already!" After hitting the Print button, she then moved over to Clark's computer, where after a moment's examination she said, "And this appears to be the article that Perry was referring to. It looks okay, 'though you may want to run it through spellcheck before you hit Print, just to be sure."
Perry walks back in the door then with a styrofoam cup of steaming hot coffee. "Here you go, Lois, cream and sugar," Perry said as he handed ot out to her, "And I talked to Janice, and she said that if you're not feeling well that she'd be glad to…"
Putting on her best Lois face, Megan set her fists on her hips as she said, "Thanks for the concern, Chief, but I don't care if I had come down with laryngitis or am in a full body cast! It's my story, so I'm running it!"
"Very well Lois, I know better than to argue with you once you've made your mind up," Perry conceded as he walked Back out the door, "I just hope you know what you're doing. Come on, they're waiting for you in Makeup."
As Megan followed him outside, the printed report in hand, Connor caught the corner of her eye and the look he saw told him that she was hoping for the same thing. When they were gone, Connor began looking over Clark's article while he pondered the situation with Mxyzptlk. He might not be able to contact Clark, who surely knew the imp the best, but since he seems to be a magical creature then Zatanna may know how to deal with him. But even if he managed to catch her at Watchtower, there's no guarantee that the pones at the Planet were secure enough to…
At that though, a stunning revelation connected several things in his head, and Connor had the craziest idea. Could it really be that simple? Crossing his fingers and hoping the conclusion he drew was the correct one, he set himself at Clark's computer and got to work.
Meanwhile, the sun is setting as Wally and Artemis are strolling the streets of Paris, France. Dressed in their civilian attire, Artemis looks somewhat uncomfortable as she says, "This is beautiful, Wally, but why are we here? I didn't hear any reports of any supervillain attacks in France."
"There weren't any," Wally confirmed, "But I promised you once that we'd come back here, and since we don't get many quiet moments, I thought that we should take advantage of the ones we do get."
Artemis gasped and placed her hand over her mouth as she whispered, "You remembered!"
"Of course I remember," Wally agreed, "That was the last moment we spent together, you know, before…"
Before Wally risked his life, and nearly lost it, to stop the Reach's plans to cover up their illicit activities by vaporizing the Earth. That was one of Artemis' most bitterly painful memories, with the more recent one of Wally racing against the Black Flash coming up a close second.
As if Wally was reading her thoughts, he continued, "Sorry that I didn't have the money to take a plane here, but I figured that this place had such bad memories unfairly attached to it, I figured it was about time we started making some good memories here."
Artemis wiped a tear from her eye, Artemis smiled and said, "That's very sweet, Wally. The fact is I've gotten used to the feeling of running in your arms, and the way you kept our destination hush-hush made it very exciting."
"That's good to hear," Wally said as he sighed with relief and he reached in his pockets," The truth is that I wanted to come here for a very specific reason…"
As he dug through his deep pockets, a snowflake landed on his nose, startling him and distracting him from his search. As he looked up and saw other flakes joining that one Wally said in disbelief, "Snow? I didn't read anything about snow! Paris wasn't supposed to be getting any for at least another week or two!"
Apprehension and wonder both readily apparent on her face, Artemis asked, "You don't suppose that Captain Cold or some other ice villain broke out of prison and is now hitting the Louvre or something?"
"I hadn't heard anything about it, but I'll check it out in a second, and I'll bring our equipment back if it turns out we need it," Wally said as he resumed his search within his pocket, "but at this moment, not even Doomsday could make me move from this spot."
As Wally takes to one knee, Artemis' eyes widen in surprise as she gasps, "W-W-Wally?"
Removing his hand from his pocket closed around something, he takes Artemis' hand with his other one as he says, "Artemis, we have been through so much together, and you've put up with so much from me: From my immature crushes on Megan and Zatanna, to every stupid thing I've said and done since we've first met. Yet, even back then, I think Kent Nelson must have known how this would end up going wen he told me to 'find my own little spitfire; one who would not let me get away with nothing.' And you hadn't, you always called me out when I was being an idiot, and I couldn't be gladder that you did. I know that we had initially planned to retire early form the hero business and lead quiet lives, but even if we did so tomorrow danger will always be a part of it. Everything we've been through, from the Reach to the Black Flash business and even the revelation of the possible future that awaits us if we cannot stop the Light; all of it has made me realize that we may not have all the time in the world to waste, and even if we did I wouldn't want to anyway."
Opining his other hand, he reveals the small box inside. Letting go of her hand for a moment to open it, he reveals inside a spectacular diamond set in a gold band. Gasping again, Artemis asks, "Oh Wally! How did you…?"
"Do you remember a few days ago, when you held off Dark Archer while I battled Vertigo and his stolen Gravity Gun in the abandoned coal mine?" Wally asks her.
Artemis nods as she answers, "You had me worried when you walked out of there with a severe limp, all covered in soot."
"Coal dust," Wally corrected, "Anyway, it turns out that the friction heat of my running and vibrating through the walls, combined with the pressure caused by the increased gravity generated by Vertigo's stolen weapon, caused a good deal of the remaining coal to be turned into diamonds. The limp you saw was caused by my stepping on one of them." Wally then gestured to the ring in the box as he continued, "This one, in fact. So I scraped them into one of the crevices of the tunnel wall before dragging Vertigo and the Gravity Gun out of there. Then, after I'd confirmed that the coal mine didn't belong to anyone anymore, and you'd fallen asleep, I went back to the mine and took the diamonds to a local jeweler who I knew performed charitable work for the community. My only request was that he pick the best one out of the bunch and set it into a band for me."
"Oh, that must have been a fortune you donated!" Artemis said in stunned astonishment.
"It didn't matter, we aren't in this business for the paycheck, and as far as I'm concerned, you're worth it," Wally assured her, "You changed my life the day I met you, and I cannot imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else. You are my past, my present, and if you accept, my future. Artemis Liam Crock, will you…?"
"Yes!" Artemis interrupted him as she threw her arms around him in a tight hug, tears streaming down her face, "Of course I will, you big dope!" Then she lifted his face to hers to share in a passionate kiss.
As he got back to his feet, Wally said, "Well, I suppose we should now go see if any villains are responsible for this strangely romantic weather, then we need to get back to the States to do something really dangerous."
Artemis looked at him in confusion as she asked, "What would that be?"
Wally then smirked as he said, "Telling your mother."
Artemis then chuckled as she socked him in the arm, then he scooped her up as they raced through the streets of Paris.
Back at Watchtower, Doctor Fate is in one of the empty chambers, hovering in midair in a meditative pose, when Zatanna enters the room. As she clears the door, Dr. Fate regains his feet and turns to face her. "Ah, Zatanna. It's been a while since you last came to speak with me in private. Are you here to ask to speak with your father again?"
Zatanna keeps her voice neutral as she says, "Actually, I came here to talk to you, Naboo."
"I see," Dr. Fate replies, "And what was it you wished to say to me, child?"
Zatanna takes a deep breath before saying, "I came to tell you, that you're a right, selfish bastard!"
"Have a care what words you choose, child!" Dr. Fate warns, "For I am…"
"Naboo, one of the Lords of Order, Sorcerer Supreme, yadda, yadda," Zatanna interrupts, "Guess what? I don't care! You took my father, my only remaining family, from me while I was still a teenager! You practically used me as a hostage and effectively forced my father to put on the helmet!"
"Your father donned my helmet of his own free will," Dr. Fate countered, "Actually, I was surprised that he was so willing to honor our arrangement. I'd half expected him to try and seek a loophole to avoid it."
"And what have you done to show your gratitude to his keeping his word, hmm?" Zatanna said back to him, "For the last six years, I've spend almost every birthday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas virtually alone! All because you won't let my father have two minutes to himself!"
"It cannot be helped, I cannot let myself be locked away in some room again, unable to counter the plans of the Lords of Chaos!" Dr. Fate argued, "This world needs Doctor Fate!"
"All the time?" Zatanna countered, "Was the world in peril this last Thanksgiving, when I had to spend the day with other people's families? Or today? Do you sense any of the Lords of Chaos trying to bring the world to ruin?"
After a moment's concentration, Dr. Fate stated, "I am sensing a strange and powerful entity on the earthly plane currently, but he does not appear to be one of the Lords of Chaos, nor do I sense any malevolent intentions from him, so no."
"Had it possibly occurred to you that the reason people are so hesitant to wear your helmet stems from your lousy attitude?" Zatanna reasoned with him, "That they know that once they don your helmet, you won't ever let them go for the rest of their lives, not even for one moment?"
"And what would you suggest child?" Dr. Fate asked her.
"There is an old Earth saying, you probably were around when it was coined so it's possible you know it already," Zatanna answered, " 'You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.' If you were to allow your hosts to have more of a personal life, then I'm sure that they would more readily don your helmet whenever you were needed to protect this world, especially since their not doing so would endanger those that they care about. Heck, your doing something as simple as that might make your helmet into something like a treasured heirloom, being passed down from father to son, mother to daughter, ensuring that you always have a host you can call upon to help you protect this world."
"But Kent Nelson…" Dr. Fate started to argue.
"…was old, and you can't pretend otherwise," Zatanna interrupted, "He was too old to continue taking the role of Dr. Fate, too weak to prevent you from falling into the hands of the Lords of Chaos, and he had no heir to pass you on down to. I'm certain that he was simply keeping you safe until the day he found a worthy successor to take up your mantle. However, while Mr. Nelson might not have had an heir to hand you on down to, your current host does: me."
"Hmm," Dr. Fate pondered, "Zatara is protesting your words, but I am finding myself intrigued by them. Please continue."
Zatanna nodded as she took another deep breath. This was the moment she was working up to. "I may have been little more than a child when you took my father, but since then I've grown into a young woman who's more than capable of making my own decisions, so I want both you and my father to understand that what I'm proposing here. As I'm no longer a child, I don't need my father around all the time, but I would like to see him on the days that it matters most: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Birthdays, the day I get married, you get the idea. Of course, he'd have to be under the agreement to answer your call to don the helmet again whenever you need his help to protect the world."
"Interesting," Dr. Fate stated, "But what if he should refuse to answer my call to put on the helmet again?"
"I don't think that will happen until he decides he's ready to hand the helmet over," Zatanna countered, "But if that should ever happen, then I will take it that he's ready to retire as Dr. fate, at which point I will simply take up your mantle myself, under the understanding that you will allow me similar leeway with my own family. That is my proposal and my promise."
After a moment's pause, Dr. Fate said, "Zatanna feels uneasy about what you're proposing, but he does not find it to be unreasonable. I myself am finding the possibility of maintaining a stable presence in this world a rather pleasing one."
"So then you'll take up my offer?" Zatanna said hopefully.
"I will….meditate on what you have said," Dr. Fate countered, "When I have come to a decision, I will let you know."
"Oh," Zatanna said somewhat let down, then added, "Well, thank you for hearing me out, Naboo."
As she turned to leave, Dr. Fate called out, "Child….no, it is wrong to keep calling you a child, for you have clearly gained much wisdom since we were last one. You have given me much to think about, and for that I must thank you."
"I can't take all the credit," Zatanna admitted, "My friends shared some ideas with me, that's all."
"But my dear, that's what wisdom is," Dr. Fate corrected, "It does not come from any one source, but is the collected knowledge of many. The fact that you are acknowledging the ideas of others as being as relevant as your own is proof of your growing wisdom. Until next time, Zatanna."
Zatanna allowed herself a small smile as she replied, "Until next time, Naboo." Then she turned and left the room.
Back at the Daily Planet, Megan's unease was growing again. It was easy to act brave while Connor was around, but now that they were separated by several rooms and a couple of floors, she felt as if she was weak, deaf and very human. She found herself barely able to sit still as the makeup artists touched up on key features of Lois's appearance. Trying to not sweat away their hard work was next to impossible. She knew, on a conscious level, that these people had no intention of harming her (or rather, of harming Lois, whom she appeared to be). However, on a subconscious level, all she could see were unfamiliar faces whom she could not get a read on at all. Much in the same was that one Jervis Tetch was.
As she sat down in front of the digital camera that was going to be used to film the editorial report for the online Daily Planet edition, Megan's anxiety grew until she felt an unfamiliar pain in her stomach. It wasn't like hunger pangs; she's had those before. This pain, however, was sharper, more insistent, almost a churning sensation. The closest sensation that she had to this was the times when she was battling Count Vertigo with the others, yet even that sensation was different. As she tried and failed to focus on the words on the printed page, which seemed to swim in front of her eyes, she heard the voices of the others talking quietly around her.
"What's wrong with her?"
"She looks rather nervous, almost panicked."
"I've been here a few years, and I've never seen Miss Lane look like that before."
"Lois?" Perry leaned over and asked her in concern, "Are you going to be all right?"
As the pain in her stomach doubled and seemed to claw its way up her chest, she heard someone comment, "Look out, she's going to blow!"
Megan didn't know what 'going to blow' meant, but as the pain intensified further she found herself unable to stay upright any longer. Megan fell forward onto all fours and wound up getting violently sick onto the floor.
Perry, who was patting her back, looked up at one of the others and said, "Go get Janice for me, would you?"
No! It can't end like this! I can't give these people the wrong impression of Miss Lane! Megan thought to herself. "Wait Chief, can I just go get cleaned up in the bathroom and try again?"
Apparently Perry didn't feel that she was too ill to lecture her about not calling him Chief, as he simply said sympathetically, "Lois, I know how important this is to you, but you're clearly not well enough to do this today."
"Please, I think that I just ate something earlier that didn't agree with me," Megan pleaded, "If I wash up and splash some water on my face, I'm sure I'll be feeling much better."
Perry sighed then suggested as a compromise, "At least let me get Janice prepped, in the event your stomach doesn't settle."
Megan felt that she shouldn't press Perry for more than that, so she nodded in agreement, then headed in the direction Perry indicated the nearest bathroom was. Once she was alone inside, she went over to the sink and rinsed out her mouth from the tap, then proceeded to dab off the splatters that hit her outfit. As she splashed water on her face, she started to fell better again. However, the moment she thought about going back out there again her stomach once again felt like it was tied up in knots. Was all this a reaction to nervous tension, or perhaps was it a result of her current mental blindness? Either way, she felt a great swell of respect for Miss Lane's strength, as well as a deep shame for giving the others an inaccurate portrayal of her. The fact that that Lois could face situations like this without the gifts that Megan took for granted filled Megan with a deep admiration for her and a longing to be just like her one day.
However, now Megan was faced with a conundrum. Perry was getting Janice ready to run with Lois' report. If she went back out there and told Perry to let Janice do it, she might end up solidifying the others mistaken impression of Lois. On the other hand, if she went back out and tried again only to have another episode, then she'd only end up making matters worse. Megan saw no good way out of this predicament, she only hoped that Connor was having better luck than she was with his assignment.
Back in the corner office that Lois and Clark share, Connor was reviewing the printout of the latest edit to Clark's article. Back when he'd attended Happy Harbor High, Connor learned a little about editing shorthand, but to apply it to something that appears to be at least college-level work was, at best, difficult and taxing, not to mention boring. As if to echo his thoughts, Connor heard Mxyzptlk say from up above him, "I don't know how you can stand to be doing that, it looks to be extremely boring to me!"
Connor looked up in irritation, then returned his attention to the paper as he waved him off and said, "Go away imp, you're distracting me."
"You look stressed out, Connor. What do you say you put that paper down for a minute, pull open that stuffy jacket, then you and I can go a couple of rounds?" Mxyzptlk offered, "That always seemed to help your 'big brother' to blow off steam."
Connor sighed but didn't lift his eyes from the paper as he said, "Time and deadlines may not mean much to you guys in the 5th dimension, but I have maybe half an hour left to finish editing Mr. Kent's article and place it on Mr. White's desk before it gets lost in the shuffle. This is difficult enough as it is, and I'm not going to risk losing Clark his job for him because you're bored and want to wrestle!"
Mxyzptlk waited for another couple of beats before yelling in exasperation, "Oh for Pete's sake, kid! Give me that!" Mxyzptlk then snatched the article from Connor's hands and looked at it for a couple seconds before saying, "Jeez, kid, didn't you learn about spellcheck in that school you went to?" Then he moved his finger across the page, with incorrect letters being magically crossed out. As he held the paper back out to Connor, Mxyzptlk said, "There you go, just re-type that as it's been edited and it'll be good to go. Then we can go out and get some fresh air for a change!"
Connor smiled up at him, but didn't take the paper back yet as he said, "Thanks for your help, but I think it's time for you be headed back home, don't you?"
"Huh?" Mxyzptlk said in confusion, then he looked back at the edits he'd indicated on the article. "K-L-T-P….Hey, you tricked me! How did you…?" But Mxyzptlk vanished before he could finish his sentence, leaving the paper to flutter back down to be caught by Clark. As he read the paper, Clark chuckled as he said, in his usual voice, "Well done Connor, that was very clever indeed!"
Back at Watchtower, Cyborg is looking around the 'living space' Grace had made for herself within the station's database.
"Hey, girl! This place is looking fine!" Victor complimented her as he looked at the virtual surroundings she'd generated.
"Thanks!" She said as she started to blush, "I know it's only a temporary situation, but this place really helps me to relax. I modeled it after the room I had back in high school, you know, before my accident."
"So you're getting settled in okay?" Cyborg asked her.
"Yeah, I've been doing great!" Grace confirmed, "You guys have been much kinder to me than I deserved!"
"Hey, none of that talk now!" Cyborg gently reprimanded her, "It's not your fault what that body-snatching Terminator made you do."
"Maybe, but I still feel that there should've been something more that I could have done to stop her," Grace said gloomily.
"I really don't think so, but even if you could have figured it out, it might have only gotten you noticed and 'deleted' faster," Cyborg countered as he laid his hand comfortingly on her cheek, "As it stands, you're right where you belong, with us, and soon we'll get your body back as well. Then it'll be payback time for Mr. Luthor!"
Grace blushed again and smiled as she said, "Believe me, I'm definitely looking forward to that! Ooh, ooh, ooh, come take a look at this, Victor!" Grace exclaimed as she took Cyborg's hand and led him out of her room into another one that looks more like a combination of a gymnasium and a firing range, "Guy programmed this in after he recharged the station's Green Lantern battery. This way I can practice on utilizing the station's defensive systems without draining the battery's reserves! He even implemented a training program that Kilowog had designed, that way if I need to activate the defense systems again I can do so just like a real Corp member!"
"That sounds great!" Cyborg agreed.
Grace's excitement had not yet died down as she continued, "Guy also convinced John Stewart to enhance the defensive systems and extend them to the station's exterior! That way, when Apokalypse does come calling, we'll have a nasty little surprise waiting for them!"
"I'll bet!" Cyborg said with the same energy, then he shook his head as he asked, "Batman will scold me if I didn't ask: How is Watchtower's OS repairs going?"
"Just great!" Grace said, her enthusiasm not lessened by the change in subject, "It's absolutely fascinating to watch it work! I wouldn't have thought it possible, but the station's OS has nearly repaired all the damage the virus had done all by itself! I imagine that by this time tomorrow I won't be needed here anymore!"
"Just because the computer won't need you to work its systems doesn't mean that we won't need you," Cyborg assured her.
"Thanks, but I think that, should we get my body back, I'd like to go and get my college degree; for real this time and under my own merits, not with an AI force-feeding the answers through my mouth," Grace said with a note of longing.
"Say, have you been in contact with your parents yet?" Cyborg said thoughtfully.
Grace's mood dropped a couple of octaves as she answered, "No, not yet. I thought about it, but I thought it would not be a good idea while Luthor still has the AI in my body pretending to be me. If I tried to contact them, I'm sure that he'd have her say that it was just a cruel prank some hacker was playing on them, and then it's just be my word against "me", and personally I think that they'd believe the daughter that they can see over the one they can't." At Cyborg's sad expression, Grace smiled and patted his cheek as she said, "Don't worry Victor, it's on my list of things to do once my body is mine once again."
"I'm glad you are remaining upbeat and hopeful about all of this," Cyborg said to her.
"Well you guys gave me that hope. You make me hopeful! I don't care what anyone else says, that is your best superpower of all!" Grace said cheerfully.
Cyborg smiled and started to say something when Grace held up her hand and cocked her head as she said, "Wait, it sounds like the others are back, and from the timbre of their voices it sounds like they're excited about something!"
"I guess we should go and find out what's up then," Cyborg said as he turned towards the system's virtual exit, then he turned back towards her and asked, "You are coming, right?"
"Of course! I'm getting my hologram warmed up now, and I'll meet you there," Grace confirmed with a smile. Then Cyborg returned her smile and walked out the door."
"Wow! I've seen less sparkle in the outfits of both Siegfried and Roy!" Zatanna commented in a dazzled tone.
Back in the Zeta Tube room, the members of the Team and the League are gathering in a large crowd around the ones who just arrived; with the ladies admiring Artemis' new ring and the guys patting Wally on the back, congratulating him.
"I knew it!" Megan said as she hugged Artemis, "I'm so happy for you!"
"Congratulations, man!" Connor said as he rubbed his knuckles into Wally's scalp, "You two are perfect together!"
"This means I'm gonna get some cousins, right?" Bart said excitedly.
"I don't think I've seen anything that spectacular in the throne room of Olympus!" Cassie said in wonder.
"Say Oliver, when are you ever going to propose?" Dinah asked him.
"Uh….I….uh…" Oliver floundered.
"Pressure's on Ollie!" Artemis said ribbingly.
This prompts laughter from both groups as Grace's hologram materializes in the room, with Cyborg entering through the far door shortly afterward.
"Wow, that thing is amazing!" Grace said as soon as she saw Artemis' ring, "I don't think that I've ever seen a ring quite like that, and believe me when I say that Lex did not skimp on his marriage proposals! Not that he ever tried to propose to 'me', thank goodness!"
"Congratulations, man!" Cyborg said as he got close enough, then he shook Wally's hand as he continued, "It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy!"
"So the heat from your running created it?" Barry said in fascination.
"And pressure from Vertigo's Gravity Gun," Wally added.
"Sounds like a trick you could perform by yourself, Clark," Hal said to him.
"Maybe, but I prefer my ring anyways," Lois said as she looked at her own ring fondly, "The rock may not be as big as Artemis', but I think that the fact that this is the same ring Jonathan used to propose to Martha makes it more special!"
"It's perfect!" Megan said fondly, then she remembered something and asked in an embarrassed tone, "Uh, Lois? What happened after…well, you know…"
Lois smiled knowingly as she said gently, "It went off like clockwork. When I found myself in the bathroom I rinsed my mouth out again, as there was still a bit of taste left in there, straightened my hair back up again, then went back out to them. Perry offered to let Janice take over for me today, but I declined. I convinced him that it was just a deviled egg that had started to sour and that I'm fine now. The printout you made was a little soggy, but I didn't need it as I had the report memorized. Once they touched up my makeup, the rest went smoothly."
"I'm so sorry about what had happened, about how I made you look!" Megan apologized, "I wish I could be strong like you!"
"Don't worry about it, I'm sure that everyone has had 'a bad meal' at some point in their lives," Lois assured her, "And you are strong! You couldn't have been expected to function at peak capacity right after experiencing a severe handicap like that. And the way you deal with all those voices in your head all the time, day after day! If Clark hadn't been right there to coach me through it, I might have gone mad after only 5 minutes! You're probably one of the strongest people I know!"
"I must compliment you too, Connor!" Clark said to him, "The clever way you dealt with Mxyzptlk so quickly, how did you do it? I don't think we ever really discussed the way to get rid of him."
"Well, I did remember you had mentioned something about how his name being the key to dealing with him," Connor explained, "Then there was something I remembered from several bits of fiction and myths about someone's name being a powerful tool against them, and I figured that'd be especially true for a mystical being like him. Then there was Zatanna and how she casts spells by saying them backwards, and I recalled Klarion indicating that was the simplest way to do magic. The rest was an educated guess."
"Well I'm still very proud of you for coming up with it so quickly," Clark said fondly, "And you don't need to worry about your edits, I was able to fix them quickly enough and got the article to Perry in plenty of time."
"And my report is now live on our website," Lois adds, "and even though it hasn't been on very long , it's already generating a lot of positive feedback! Many people are even adding their own testimonials in the section reserved for comments, telling others how at least one of you guys had saved and/or positively changed their lives at some point! With this much positive press countering Godfrey's bile, I think that someone would have to be bitterly crazy to approve the VRA!"
"Sounds good," Batman complimented her, "and we thank you for the help you've given us here, but our work is far from done. Even if the VRA does get defeated by this, we still have to deal with Luthor creating a Reach-tech Cyborg army for the Light, then there's the matter of the impending Invasion by Apokalypse. We can't allow one possible battle victory to deceive us into thinking we've already won the war."
"Of course we won't," Oliver assured him, "Trust me, we'll take care of all that in due time. But for now I think we should all go to the dining hall! We have an engagement to celebrate and some Bachelor and Bachelorette parities to plan!"
Everyone follows Oliver out of the room then, so no one happens to see as a wavering distortion of the air materializes behind them, and no one is around to hear a voice that sounds remarkably like that of Cassie Sandsmark emanating from it, saying, "Connor? What happened? Where did you go? Connor!" before the distortion disappeared.
So you see, kids? I'm not such a bad guy! Sure I might come off as annoying at times to 3-dimensional characters such as yourselves, but I've actually got a heart here, and take a look at what good I did here today! Lois now truly understands and appreciates what difficulties come with being part of the power set, and Megan equally knows how hard it can be to simply be an ordinary human, so they both have a greater appreciation of how strong the other is. Connor and Clark are closer than ever as well! Then there's that perfect romantic moment I'd arranged for Wally's proposal to Artemis…
What! You're saying I had nothing to do with that!? Didn't you see that sudden snow? You think that was that eskimo Captain Cold!? That was ME, ME I tell you! You know what, that's it! I'm not helping anybody anymore! From now on, the only person I'm gonna make happy is me! Geez, the gratitude of some people is absolutely galling!
End of chapter.