Metropolis

Night

Paige was drinking water as she sat on her bed, deep in thought as she processed everything that happened tonight.

Clark was the Blur. Her charge was a superhero. Suddenly, the moment he had knocked out her would be rapist made a lot more sense.

Paige nearly jumped when Sam Orbed into the room.

"Don't you knock?" Paige asked annoyed.

"Sorry. I just wanted to check how you were doing after everything that happened," Sam said.

"I'm okay I guess," Paige said and paused. "Did you know who Clark was?"

"Did I know he was the Blur? I had suspicions but nothing concrete," Sam told her as he sat down next to her. "I know that must have been a lot to take in."

"You said he was a great hero. I should have put it together," Paige said annoyed at herself.

"And how are you doing with Godfrey?" Sam asked after a moment.

"I don't know," Paige said after a pause. "Something was controlling him. And whatever it was, it was like it could see into my soul or something. It knew things about me…what was it?"

"After I became a Whitelighter, I heard…stories," Sam began slowly and Paige looked over at him. "Of a darkness, one that could turn good Witches to evil."

"You think that's what this is?" Paige asked.

"I don't know, but the Elders are looking into it," Sam said and a beat passed. "Listen, I came to say goodbye."

"Goodbye? What do you mean?" Paige asked in confusion.

"I put you in danger tonight. I knew you weren't at your best, I knew you'd come here to find yourself again. And yet I still involve you in my business. And you were nearly corrupted by whatever was controlling Godfrey," Sam said in self-loathing. "I can't allow anything like this to happen again. You may not think of me as your father Paige, but you are my daughter. And I care about you too much to put you in danger like this again."

"Oh," Paige said lamely as she realized she was being abandoned, again. "Will I ever see you again?"

"When you're ready. And even if I can't be there for you physically, I'll still be watching from afar. This may not mean much to you right now…but I've always been proud of you," Sam said with a sad smile. "Take care Paige."

Sam then Orbed out, leaving Paige alone in the room.

Kent farm

Same time

Clark was sitting on the couch deep in thought when Kara spoke up behind him.

"What do you think?"

Clark looked up and blinked. Kara was dressed in regular clothes, was wearing a dark wig over her blond hair and was hear glasses. She looked…unrecognizable.

"You look completely different," Clark said honestly as he got to his feet. "What's with the new look?"

"You can't save everyone if you're the center of attention," Kara pointed out and Clark nodded, remembering his own experience when he had briefly exposed his own identity. "But I'm not going anywhere until I know that Earth is safe from the darkness. It could be anywhere."

"I was wondering, your bracelet seemed to repel the darkness, not send it away," Clark pointed out.

"I don't think the bracelet will work as a portal. The darkness is trapped inside of a host," Kara explained.

"You're superpowered, why wouldn't the darkness want you?" Clark asked.

Kara's silence and the nervous darting of her eyes was Clark's answer as the truth washed over him like a bucket of cold water.

"It's because you're pure of spirit. That's why you couldn't lure the darkness to you with all your saves," Clark muttered.

"I don't feel pure of spirit, I have just as many issues as anyone else," Kara protested.

"But still, you risked your soul to save me. If you hadn't jumped between us-"

"The dark spirit would have taken over you and your friend," Kara admitted.

"It's like he could see things in me I didn't want to face," Clark admitted.

"Now imagine that creature in possession of all your powers. The people of this planet would be doomed," Kara told him.

"You sound like my father, that I was destined to fail," Clark muttered.

"Failure is one thing, but it's how you overcome it that defines you," Kara told him ash se took off her glasses. "Leave the darkness to me Kal-El. This isn't your fight."

It went against all of Clark's instincts, but he nodded. He would just make thing worse, he thought glumly.

Metropolis, next day

Morning

Paige was sitting at the café she and Clark had agreed to meet at, hoping he'd show. Considering she knew his secret, she couldn't blame him if he decided to chicken out. But, almost right on the dot, she was surprised to see Clark approach her table.

"Hey," Paige greeted him.

"Hey," Clark echoed as he pulled out a chair and sat across from her.

"Almost didn't think you'd show," Paige admitted.

"I wasn't sure you would either," Clark noted. "Why did you?"

"Because I owe you the truth at least," Paige said honestly.

It was silent for a moment as the two assessed each other. Clark barely knew her and she already knew his secret. It was a lot, Paige knew. But if she was going to help him, she knew she had to give a little.

"I tell you my secret, you tell me yours?" Paige offered and Clark seemed surprised.

"Just like that?" he asked incredulously.

"You know it already, most of it anyway. This way…we don't have any doubts about each other," Paige said and Clark eyed her for a moment before nodding.

"Seems fair. Godfrey, he called you a Witch," Clark noted.

"He's half right. My mom was a Witch, which makes me half Witch," Paige explained.

"And your father?" Clark asked, beginning to get the picture.

"He's what you call a Whitelighter, a guardian angel sent to help guide good Witches. He and my mom fell in love but it was forbidden for Whitelighters to be involved with their charges. So when I came along, my mom and Grams sent me to an orphanage, made sure I was adopted by a good family," Paige explained and Clark nodded as he took a moment to process this.

"But you know, so I assume you met them eventually," Clark noted.

"Yeah. About three and a half years ago, my eldest sister Prue was killed by a demon. My older sister Piper cast a spell to try and bring her back but instead it just brought me into their lives. And after a demon tried to kill me, my sister Phoebe saved my life and the rest is kind of history," Paige finished and Clark was silent as he processed all this.

"I think your family history is even more complicated than mine," Clark finally said and Paige laughed.

"Probably," Paige agreed. "Okay, your turn. You're…him. I take it you're not a Witch or a demon, so what are you?"

"I'm not exactly from around here. Or…from anywhere near this galaxy," Clark said awkwardly and waited for his words to sink in.

"You're a…" Paige trailed off as Clark nodded.

"I prefer intergalactic traveler," Clark said lightly and Paige couldn't help but laugh.

"In the last three years, I've seen Witches, demons, Whitelighters, time travelers, and Avatars, but you might take the cake," Paige said and Clark chuckled.

"You are not the first person to say something like that to me," Clark said lightly.

"So how did you…get here?" Paige asked lamely and Clark took a moment to gather his thoughts.

"I come from a planet called Krypton. Not long after I was born, it started to self-destruct. My father, Jor-El, was a brilliant scientist and predicted this outcome. So he built a ship that would take me here to earth, managing to get me off planet just before Krypton exploded," Clark explained as Paige listened, enraptured by his story. "I arrived on earth a few years later, in a meteor shower that was all that was left of Krypton. Like you, I got lucky; I was found by Jonathan and Martha Kent, the best people I've ever known. They are the ones who raised me."

"So I guess we both got lucky, despite our rotten luck," Paige said after a moment and Clark nodded. "Are all your people…like you?"

"Only under a yellow sun. I didn't have my powers until I landed here. The yellow sun is what gives me my powers," Clark explained and Paige nodded, processing this. "What about you? Are all Witches as good as you?"

"Not always. Just like people, you have good and bad. I take it you've experienced the bad?" Paige asked, noticing how weary he seemed of the word 'Witch'.

"In my senior year of high school, my ex-girlfriend was possessed by the spirit of her ancestor, who was a Witch. Among other things, she stripped me of my powers, tortured me and my then best friend and went on a quest for three powerful relics that almost destroyed the world," Clark explained and Paige winced.

"Wish I could say I was surprised, but my sister's ex-husband turned into the ruler of all evil, so that kind of thing happens a lot," Paige said and it was silent between them. "That thing that possessed Godfrey, do you know what it was?"

"Kara said it was a darkness, it has the ability to prey on that one weakness no one knows they have and possess you. If Kara hadn't been there, you and I would both be its servants right now," Clark said and it was silent once more.

"So what's your plan then? How does the Blur plan to stop it?" Paige asked.

"He doesn't," Clark said, taking her back. "You saw what happened last night Paige, I was nearly possessed. If this darkness can gain control of me, there's nothing anyone will be able to do to stop it."

"So you're just gonna give up?" Paige asked in disbelief.

"I don't know what else to do Paige. Only someone pure of spirit can fight it off and I've proven I can't. You saw it Paige, it can see things about us even we don't know. I can't fight it when it preys on weaknesses I don't know I have," Clark said fiercely.

Paige paused, staring at him. Sam had told her Clark was about to stop off the destined path. Clearly, Clark was meant to fight this darkness but didn't know how to overcome his own issues. And Paige had an idea how to help with that. But she needed to do something else first.

"Um, before I forget, here," Paige said, pulling out the flash drive and putting it on the table.

"What's this?" Clark asked as he picked it up, looking at it curiously.

"What Godfrey or whatever was possessing him was going to use to expose Oliver Queen as the Green Arrow," Paige said, taking Clark back.

"That's why you were there last night," Clark realized and Paige nodded.

"Your friend has some powerful friends looking out for him. But until he's ready to hear that, I think that should come from you," Paige said as she gestured to the drive.

Halliwell Manor

Not long after

In the living room, Piper and Leo were sitting on the couch, watching as their sons Wyatt and Chris played together. It was a rare moment of tranquility in the lives and Piper and Leo were enjoying it when, suddenly, Paige Orbed in.

"Gah! Paige, how many times have we told you not to Orb without knocking!?" Piper snapped, startled by Paige's sudden entrance.

"Sorry, was a last minute stop. I didn't really plan to come home so soon. Hey buddy," Paige said, kneeling down a placing an arm around Wyatt, who looked up at her with a smile.

"Did something happen?" Leo asked concerned.

"Yeah, I kind of need your help," Paige said as she looked up at them. "That potion you used to send Leo on a Vision Quest? I need it."

Luthor Corp

Same time

Oliver was in his office, tying a tie when the doors to office opened up. Looking over his shoulder, Oliver saw Clark walk inside.

"Hey Clark. Drop by for a cup of coffee?" Oliver quipped.

"No actually. I came here to give you this," Clark said as he took out the drive.

"And that is?" Oliver asked.

"The copy of the files Godfrey was going to use to expose you as the Green Arrow," Clark revealed and Oliver was silent for a long moment.

"Huh," Oliver said and Clark looked at him oddly.

"Are you okay? I just expected you to be a bit more relieved," Clark said concerned for his friend.

"I appreciate it Clark, really I do. I can only imagine the lengths you went to get this. But I can't have the people I care about fighting my battles for me anymore," Oliver said as he grabbed his suit jacket and put it on.

"If this is about Chloe-"

"She left to protect me. And as long as I keep my secret, the people I love will keep getting drawn into the crossfire," Oliver said and Clark's hair stood on end.

"Oliver, what is this? What are you doing?" Clark demanded and Oliver looked at him sadly.

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way Clark," Oliver apologized before pressing a button his phone. "Send them in please."

"Yes sir."

As Oliver stepped back, the doors to his office opened. Clark turned around, watching in shock as various reporters walked in. As Oliver stepped into the center of the room, Clark realized what was about to happen but knew there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"Thank you all for coming," Oliver told the reporters. "I've brought you here to make an announcement. People have these so called vigilantes all wrong. There's only one way to set the record straight. I am Green Arrow."

As the reporters swarmed Oliver, asking rapid fire questions, Clark and Oliver locked eyes. Regardless of whether they agreed or not about Oliver's decision, they had the same thought: Oliver had just poked the hornet's nest.

This will not be the last time we see Sam or Kara, I do plan to bring both of them back down the line but for now, Clark and Paige need to manage without them.

Hope I did okay on the Clark/Paige scene.

I do plan to do Homecoming, although as you can guess by the scene at the Manor, my version will be very different.

Oliver's 'I am Green Arrow' scene is still awesome all these years later.