Chapter 16

Smallville…

Clark is in the kitchen working on Thanksgiving dinner and actually finds himself happy to be immersed in the normality of it all. It's been a few years since the last time he enjoyed a normal family Thanksgiving dinner.

Only the 'family' in this case is his own. His own daughter, two different versions of her and the mother of said child. Someone he is still peeling back the layers of and getting to know because like him she is very protective of her real self and therefore he has only seen it in glimpses.

He knows Andi is smart and determined. Like any good reporter she does have an inquisitive mind for gathering information and putting it together. Like when she figured out he wasn't a normal metahuman. He also knows that she has basically sacrificed all her own personal ambitions, whatever they may have been once upon a time to concentrate solely everything on their daughter.

He has seen her more vulnerable core back in the cult village when they were trapped in the house together. He saw her self-doubt in her own inner strength. He saw that the scars from losing her mother are still there. It's perhaps the deepest glimpse of the real her he has thus far seen.

Still there is a lot he doesn't know. He doesn't know what her life growing up in Suicide Slums was like beyond the little hints she lets drop from time to time. Like how knowing how to pick locks and admitting she wasn't a model Catholic. And when her mother was killed they were coming home from a gymnastics' meet. It's funny. He can't imagine her as a gymnast but clearly, she was.

Though that does explain her flexibility…which is a train of thought he shouldn't be having right now.

Bottom line is that even if they are friends there is so much more he has to learn. More he wants to learn. He does want to know her better.

"Clark!" a voice calls from the lounge. He leaves the kitchen and walks through. "Yes?" he queries.

Andrea points at the television which is breaking news of a massive refinery fire.

"Just can't get one day can I," he mutters under his breath. Louder he says, "Hopefully this won't take me long but just keep an eye on the dinner for me?"

"Sure."

Clark nods and zooms away.

Andrea gets up and walks into the kitchen to tend to the dinner. Her daughter was being minded by her…daughter. That's still weird but what she means is adult version is looking after her child version…or mini-me as Clark has come to call the child version of their daughter.

That's one of the things she has come to like most about Clark. His sense of humour. Mostly because he is capable of making her laugh.

Andrea has never possessed the most laid-back of personas. In fact, her mother would often critique she took things too seriously. She always argued back she was just very focussed. Take, for example, her gymnastics. Most people probably don't appreciate the amount of time, hard work and training it takes to be any good at it.

A great deal of her spare time growing up was taken with training. Her friends were all centred in that world and had similar traits of focus and determination to her.

That's why it still surprises her to this day that she considers Penny a friend. Penny's personality is so far from her old friends it's almost like night and day and yet…yet she likes Penny.

After her mother was killed, she turned those traits of focus and determination to finding her mother's killer and getting revenge.

And yes, she can admit, if even to just herself, it was revenge she sought, not justice.

But that her…that angry, vengeful version of her, she had to lay to rest once she became a mother. Mia simply brought too much joy into her life to hang onto all that.

And her personality traits instead became laser focussed on providing for and caring for her daughter. Mia was all that mattered…until Clark came back into her life.

She likes Clark. He's a good guy…and she means that. He is genuinely a nice guy. It's not an act or front. As far as she can figure him out Clark is exactly what he appears to be. A good guy trying to help people. He's selfless and self-deprecating but is also smart. Certainly cleverer than he lets on.

It's such a contrast to most of the people she knew. Suicide Slums had this ability to just bring out the worst in people.

At first, she let him be part of her life because in the end she couldn't deny him access to his daughter but as she's gotten to know him, she finds she likes his company. She likes talking to him. He has told her quite a bit now about his life. Being an orphan from another world. Growing up on Earth. Becoming a hero.

Andrea can't say she knows every detail of his life but he has been far more open with her than she has been with him.

As that thought sinks into her brain she pauses from her cooking duties. Clark, the alien from another planet, who has all the more reason to be secretive than her has been far more open and honest than her than she has with him.

Wow.

What does that say about him?

What does that say about her?

Before she can conjure up an answer to either question a soot-covered Clark walks back in the door.

"Everything ok?" she asks.

"Fire's out. Everyone's safe."

"Good job."

"Are you mocking me?"

"Maybe a little," she says with a tiny smirk.

And there's the sense of humour that she displays so rarely.

Clark rolls his eyes.

She strolls up to him and runs a finger over a soot smudge. "You might want to clean up?" she suggests showing her now black finger-tip.

Clark runs his finger over the same spot and finds his finger-tip covered in soot as well. He is just away to wash-up when his phone rings. "Come on!" he complains.

Andrea finds herself chuckling.

Clark ignores her as he answers. "Oliver?...Where are you?...You could have just come in you know…I'll be there in a second," he says with a sigh as he ends the call. "Sorry about this but can you…?" he gestures around the kitchen.

Andrea nods.

"I'm going to throw him into orbit," he grumbles under his breath and he exits the farmhouse…and heads straight for the barn where up in the loft is one blond billionaire/archer. "This better be really good, Oliver," he warns his friend.

"Sorry to interrupt your little family get together," Ollie says, genuinely being sorry. "But this is important. You remember your little run in with Deadshot awhile back?"

Clark quirks an eyebrow.

"You might wanna sit," Oliver suggests.

Clark's mood falls because it's never good when people say that.

Metropolis…

Martha's meeting with General Lane at Lois' apartment was not going as well as she hoped. She knew he would be resistant to giving heroes a fair shake but the fact he even agreed to meet with her had given her some hope his mind could be changed but instead she had had to listen to some spiel about how vigilantes incite anarchy and want to take the law into their own hands.

She's beginning to think the General only agreed to this meeting because he thought he could talk her round. In fact, that's probably exactly it.

In that case is this a waste of time when she could be spending the day with her son and her granddaughter.

Right now she is taking a 5-minute break from the man and wanders into the kitchen where she finds Lois cooking. "I never realised you were such a good chef," she says.

Lois smiles almost timidly. "Well between an absent father and a layabout sister someone had to learn the basics," she jokes.

"How are you, Lois?" the older woman asks. "I never really got a chance to ask earlier."

"Yeah, daddy like to get straight to business," the brunette woman comments on her father and the way they cut right to it as soon as Martha got in the door. "I'm good. Thanks for asking," she answers the question.

"I hear you took an assignment in Africa as a foreign correspondent."

"What can I say? The Dark Continent appeals to me."

Martha chews over her next words. She's got to be honest here and admit she really, really wants to ask Lois about what transpired with Clark but is worried if that is interfering too much in her son's life. He's an adult now and last time she butted in with Checkmate and the Kandorians…well to put it mildly he wasn't very appreciative.

Before she can decide which way to jump her phone rings. "Excuse me," she says as she answers it. "Hello."

"Senator."

Flagg. "What do you want?!" she asks in a harsh whisper. "I'm busy."

"Just checking in with an ally."

"We are not allies," she sneers…and then suddenly finds herself being scrutinised by Lois.

"Some advice. Take a walk. I'm across the street."

Martha goes tense as the phone call ends. "I'm…um…going to take a walk. Clear my head," she informs Lois before she hastily beats a retreat out the apartment. She exits the building and crosses the street. Sitting on a bench is the man in question.

"Senator. Sit," Flagg says. "You'll draw attention," he points out.

Martha reluctantly sits herself down as far away from the man as possible. "You've taken up stalking now?" she says in an accusatory tone.

"What is intelligence gathering but a form of stalking? In the name of national security some of us have to make compromises so the majority can live in the freedom they are promised. You should understand that Red Queen."

"Cut to it, Flagg. Why are you here?"

"To help you. I'm going to guess General Lane is being rather stubborn."

"You been listening in?" she asks, barely able to hide her outrage.

"Hardly need to. A wise man always studies his enemy."

"General Lane is not an enemy."

"Isn't he?"

"No," she insists. Disagree with the man she might but she won't consider him an enemy.

"You're a magnanimous individual Senator but I'm afraid defeating the VRA will take more than an optimistic view of the world. It'll take tough choices. Something else you should be familiar with from your time in Checkmate."

"You know I said to cut to it and you haven't."

"Tough choices, Senator," he says as he holds out to her a memory stick.

"What's this?" she asks as she takes it.

"Leverage. In the name of national security the good General had had to get his hands dirty in ways that would be very detrimental to his reputation were they ever to become public."

"Bribery," Martha names what it is really is.

"Tough choices, Senator," he repeats. "You want the VRA stopped you use it. Refuse and know this; I'll do whatever it takes to kill the act and you are aware of my methods. Have a good day," he signs off as he stands up and walks off.

That leaves Martha sitting there, looking at the stick in her hand. Like he said; Tough choices.

Smallville…

In the barn Oliver is using a camera set to pick up the ultraviolet to look over the spot where Deadshot had hit Clark all those months ago. "It's exactly what I was afraid of," he says as he shows his friend the image. The mark of the Suicide Squad.

"Flagg's tracking me too?" Clark queries, frowning deeply and he tries to grasp the ramifications.

"Which is a bit surprising considering your impermeable skin," the blond man remarks.

"He must've used blue kryptonite," is all Clark can figure. "Oliver, we have to figure out why he's tracking us."

"Yeah, Tess is working on that back at Watchtower; which I appreciate the help but she's running around there like she owns the building," Ollie complains.

"If it wasn't for her we wouldn't know about these tattoos and we wouldn't even be on Flagg's trail," Clark points out.

"And that gives her the right to go around making changes without consulting us? It was all fine as it was. The way..." Ollie trails off.

"The way Chloe left it," Clark finishes off for his friend.

Silence.

Clark sighs and runs his hand through his hair. "Oliver, you may not want to hear this but Chloe is not Watchtower any longer and Tess has a right to make changes that suit her style better…"

Oliver opens his mouth to protest but Clark holds his hand up and stops him.

"But," the dark-haired man relays, "you're right in that she should at least let us know beforehand. Once we've dealt with this Flagg situation we'll talk with her."

"Yeah, right," Ollie says in a sullen mood.

"Also, we really need to figure out what we're doing with the whole team thing," Clark points out since they've never sat down and tried to formalise how it should work. He can barely remember the last time he saw some of the others.

"Yeah. It kinda has been left to hang in the wind for a little too long," Ollie agrees.

"Just let me say my farewells and we'll head to the Watchtower."

"Uh, yeah, sure. How's that going by the way? With your little family?"

"Beyond my mom showing up out the blue, just swell," the dark-haired alien says, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Oliver winces. "Ooh, awkward."

"You have no idea considering I hadn't told her yet about Mia."

Oliver double winces. "I'd hate to be you."

"Yeah. I'd hate to be me as well."

Unknown Location…

Flagg was back in his mobile base of operations.

"Do you think she'll use it?" his colleague asks in regards to the info that was given to Senator Kent.

"It doesn't matter either way. I was never going to let Lane survive the day anyway."

The man looks at Flag curiously.

"A test. To see how much of the Red Queen was still around," he explains his actions around the Senator. "Is the homing signal from the Senator's phone still operating?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then prepare the missile," Flagg orders.

"Yes, sir."

The Watchtower…

"I intercepted a Suicide Squad transmission. Flagg is seemingly targeting someone for a hit but we need to decode this message fully before I can determine who," Tess is reporting, game face on.

"Come on, Chloe would've had this finished like yesterday," Oliver, now in his Green Arrow costume, complains.

Clark, in his Blur costume, makes a face behind his back. That's not going to go down well with the redhead. He hadn't realised the tension between the two was this bad.

"Oliver, I'm trying to help you, and you keep acting like I'm the enemy," the redhead says, clearly stung and also fed-up of her ex's attitude.

"Well, you know what I'm just trying to get used to all the changes around here ok? Look I, I come here and I think of Chloe, alright? I think of all the time that I spent here with her, and I just...it's hard for me being here with someone else, ok?"

Clearly when this is over Clark is going to have to lend a sympathetic ear to his friend over Chloe. He means, he's hurt she's gone too but Oliver taking it out on Tess isn't the answer.

Tess, meanwhile, nods in understanding. "Ok. And I'm not trying to take her place Oliver, but at some point you need to start treating me like I'm on your side."

Clark clears his throat to remind everyone that he is actually still here. "The message?" he prompts.

Tess nods and buckles back down to work.

"So…do you think it's any one of us he wants to kill?" Oliver ponders aloud.

"That doesn't make any sense. Flagg would try to recruit both of you before he'd try and kill you," Tess argues.

"How can you be sure?"

"Because Flagg spends so much time on the front lines with superpowered people that he identifies with them. To him you're all freedom fighters and he would attack anyone that threatens that. Presidents, senators, the military...it doesn't matter."

That's when it strikes Clark. "The tattoos."

"Hmm, what?" the green clad archer inquires.

"That's what the tattoos are for. He's tagging those he's interested in in recruiting."

"Could be," Tess agrees that's a possibility. "But the fact he's active now suggests he already has a new squad ready. He wouldn't risk it otherwise."

"We've really got to talk about how you know so much about the man," Oliver tells her which only gets him a classic Tess Mercer eye-roll in response.

Unknown Location…

"And the rockets red glare, bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there," Flagg says with all the passion of a zealot.

"Missile is locked on target, sir," his colleague advises.

"Then by all means; Fire!"

The Watchtower…

"That address looks familiar," Oliver comments as Tess cracks the coded message to reveal a set of coordinates.

"That's Lois' apartment," Clark says with a sudden intensity.

"But why there?"

"My mom's there, meeting with one of the biggest supporters of the VRA who also just happens to be in town for Thanksgiving with his daughters."

"Flagg wouldn't care about the collateral damage as long as he achieves his goal," Tess says.

Clark's face twists up in anger for the second he remains there before whooshing away.

Unknown Location…

Flagg watches the track of the missile as it heads for its target and feels like saying a few words. "God Bless America!"

Metropolis…

"I think it is clear we are never going to agree, General," Martha says with a heavy heart as she has reached the end of the road with trying to argue with the man. She stands up from the chair she is in, her hand reaches into her pocket and she ends up fingering the memory stick Flagg gave her. No. She won't use it. She compromised her principles once. Never again. Not if she ever wants to be able to look Jonathan in the eye one day when they meet again in the hereafter.

"Seem so," the bald man says gruffly. "But we warned, Senator, if you continue to side with these vigilantes when they try and take over this country with anarchy your office won't protect you."

"I appreciate the honesty, General," Martha says, her voice tainted with derision, "So I'll be honest in return. You want to protect these United States but yet as soon as you feel threatened you find it justifiable to take away everyone's rights. The only anarchy that is coming is the one you will bring about with your little witch hunt. You think people will just quietly go along with this? You're deluded. There will be riots and protests all over this country. You sit there pretending you're being brave when you're, in fact, acting out of fear."

"I think you should leave now," General Lane says sternly, her words clearly having stung him.

Martha moves to do so when a voice speaks up.

"She's right."

"Lois? What are you doing?" Lucy hisses at her older sister.

"Speaking the truth. It's what reporters do but you and the truth have never been close confidents have you, Lucy?" she insults her little sister.

"Lois, this isn't the time," her father argues.

"When is it? When the country is tearing itself apart?"

"That won't happen."

"I hope not but Mrs Kent is right. You're acting based on what? Fear of people you've never met. Never spoken to and yet you jump right to Defcon 1. All the people you want to label vigilantes are not all bad, dad. I didn't say anything before because I just wanted a nice family Thanksgiving for once," she says, almost bitter at how few nice Thanksgivings she's had. Despite her issues with Clark Lois could not listen to her father's nonsense any longer. "I love you, dad. I do but this law is a mistake and trust me, you will live long enough to realise that."

No-one likes their family dramas played out in public. Especially not a 4-star General who is so use to never showing weakness.

Martha looks at Lois with admiration. There. There's the woman she thought would be so good for her son. Maybe it's not beyond salvaging. Then her attention is caught out the window by something small in the sky. Something that is getting larger and larger fast. Something that is heading right for them. Oh my God. "Everyone out!" she screams but there is no way any normal human being could move fast enough to get away.

Luckily outside is someone most decidedly not a normal human being. Clark races down the street, everyone and everything appearing as if frozen compared to the speed he is moving at. He glances up and sees the missile. There is no way even he can get everyone in danger out the way in time.

His only alternative is to stop the missile while it's still airborne. He briefly thinks of detonating it with his heat vision but it's so close to the ground the explosion will still do a lot of damage…unless he absorbs as much of it as he can.

That means he has to get off the ground so bends his knees and pushes off the ground, hoping he judged the jump right.

Oh no, no, no. He hasn't judged it right. He's going to miss it. He can't miss it and that single thought permeates his brain so deeply he basically doesn't notice when his airborne trajectory shifts. Clark closes his eyes one moment before impact. This is gonna smart.

BOOM!

Author's Note: Yes, for a moment there Clark is genuinely flying. From small steps and all etc etc. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews.