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Where Do We Go From Here, chapter 7

It was a month after Max had moved in with the Kents. He was in the JLA Watchtower sitting in front of Batman.

"How has your first month gone?" Batman asked.

Match replied, "It's gone well, thank you. It took a little bit of adjustment, but I think I'm settling in."

At Titan's Tower, Superboy was being questioned by Wonder Woman.

"How has Match been adjusting?" she asked.

"It's a little harder for him than he wants to admit," he answered. "He's doing okay, though."

Clark sat down with his parents at their kitchen table.

"How's Max doing?" he asked. "No problems, I hope."

"He's very polite and helpful," Jonathan replied.

"He seems a bit nervous," Martha said.

"What do you mean by that?" Clark asked.

"He's quiet," Martha replied. "He looks surprised when we thank him."

"Have there been any incidents where you've compromised your other identity?"

"No."

"He hasn't done anything in his civilian identity to reveal he's Match, has he?" Wonder Woman asked.

"No, he's really good at the secret identity thing," Conner replied. "He's a natural at it. I wasn't as good when I started. Of course, he's got his spy training."

"Matt hasn't done anything to reveal his powers, has he?" Clark asked.

"No, he's very good about that," Martha said. "I'm not sure I'd think he had powers at all if I didn't know better."

"Are his powers even back?" Jonathan asked. "I haven't seen him use them at all."

"What's the status of your powers?"

"I estimate that I'm at five percent of my previous level. It's a slow recovery. I haven't demonstrated any of the extra abilities that Superboy has recently manifested."

"How are you getting along with him?" Wonder Woman asked.

"It's a little stressful sometimes," Superboy admitted. "I'm not used to having someone my age in the house or sharing a room. He's also so perfect that it annoys me sometimes. Still, he gives me room if I need it, and I do the same for him."

"How's he fitting in at school?" Clark asked.

"He doesn't talk a lot about it, but he's doing very well," Martha said. "He and Conner are the top students of their year."

"Both of them?" Clark asked, surprised.

"I think Max's being here has got Conner more focused," Jonathan said. "He hasn't had any more attendance problems and is trying harder."

"That's good to hear," Clark said.

"How is your physical condition?"

"I've fully recovered. I've resumed most aspects of my fitness routine."

"What does that involve?"

"I run for approximately ten miles. I also perform calisthenics."

"Where do you find the time for this?"

"Before the others in the household have woken."

"Anything you think we should know?" Wonder Woman asked.

"He's hard to get to know, but he's a good guy. He can occasionally do or say something that sets me off, but it's unintentional. I think he's actually helped me out a bit."

"How?"

"I've become more responsible. I have a little brother to look out for, right?"

"How are the two of you dealing with two teenagers?" Clark asked.

"It's not as difficult as I thought it would be," Martha confessed. "Conner's come around, and Max helps out a lot. He's taken over some of the household chores which makes life easier."

"I was used to it just being the two of us," Jonathan said. "It was nice to get some time alone on the weekends, but that won't happen until Max fully recovers."

"I might be able to get him out of here on the weekend," Clark said. "How are you doing financially?"

Martha and Jonathan exchanged an uncomfortable glance.

"Not as good as we hoped," Jonathan finally said. "We're getting by."

"You should have told me!" Clark said. "I can help out."

"You shouldn't have to," Martha protested.

"It's because I asked that you're taking care of them. Lois and I make more than enough between the two of us to help."

Batman, the Martian Manhunter, Superman, and Wonder Woman met in the Watchtower.

"He's guarded," Batman started. "He claims to have adjusted, but he could be lying."

"I sensed no deception from him," the Martian Manhunter said. "However, he has an extraordinarily disciplined mind and would likely sense my intrusion if I went beyond surface thoughts."

"I think he's hiding something," Superman admitted. "I don't think he means to betray anyone."

"We should confront him about it and make him divulge his secrets," Wonder Woman said forcefully. "It will settle any concerns we have."

"That would imply that we don't trust him," Superman pointed out.

"I don't," Batman said bluntly.

"He was an enemy just a short time ago," Wonder Woman added.

"He deceived your charges," J'onn said. "That could be affecting your judgment."

"That reinforces my point," Batman replied. "If he can deceive a trained observer like Robin, then it's better to be sure."

"It should color my judgment," Diana said. "What has he done to deserve the benefit of the doubt?"

"He saved Superboy's life," J'onn reminded them. "He did that despite suffering serious injuries."

"You've asked our opinions," Batman told Superman. "We've given them to you. The final decision is yours."

Batman stood up and left. Wonder Woman followed.

"You're troubled," J'onn told Superman.

"They make excellent points," Superman admitted. "It would be logical to follow their advice."

"It would. You're not a creature of pure logic, though."

"I'm not. I want to trust him. He's been good for Kon. His presence has helped him adjust."

"There's more to it than that, isn't there?"

Superman colored and looked at the ground. He paused before continuing.

"Did I ever tell you what happened in our first meeting? I was an energy being at the time, so perhaps my discomfort with that affected me. It's just an excuse though."

J'onn remained silent.

"Superboy was melting, and it didn't look like he'd make it. I felt guilty, guilty for holding him at arm's length. I wanted to save him to have the chance to make up for any deficiencies in our relationship. Match represented the best chance to save him. I didn't see him as a human being, just as an object. Can you believe that I told Steel to 'get the clone?' I didn't even acknowledge his name."

"You're worried that you may be trying to make up for that?"

"In part. I'm worried that I'm falling into the same line of thought. I'm concerned about how his presence affects my parents or Conner. Whether it's a good thing for them. I haven't been asking whether it's been good for him."

"You don't have the emotional attachment to him that you do to them. Not yet."

"I don't like thinking this way."

"It is your choice. You may wish to consider one last question."

"What's that?"

"Batman and Wonder Woman gave you reasons to not trust him. You've given reasons why you want to trust him. Do you trust him?"

Superman stared at him for a moment before ruefully smiling. "You always know how to put things in perspective, don't you J'onn?"

He continued. "I do trust him."

The end

I'm going to take the opportunity to thank everyone who's commented on this story and Brothers in Arms.

Match is slowly recovering his powers. When Superboy's powers were drained, his recovery was slow, so I decided to take it the same way.

I am currently working on a sequel tentatively titled "Tragedies of the Past" that would be classified as an action/adventure-angst story.

Any and all comments welcome!