"What exactly did you do to her?" Clark asked Zatanna only about twenty minutes later, as he carried Lana back to the room that Inza had given her.

Zatanna shook her head, "I just, you know…calmed her down. Put her to sleep."

"You must have knocked her out pretty well," Clark said, stepping into Lana's room.

"Yeah…it was a pretty potent spell…Lana might not even remember what happened, it might just seem like some sort of hazy dream…so maybe we shouldn't breach the subject with her," Zatanna said, watching Clark set Lana down on her bed. He drew Lana's covers over her and then turned to Zatanna.

"I should go see how Dr. Fate and Inza are doing."

"Go," Zatanna nodded. "I'll be there in a second." The sorceress watched Clark go and then pulled up a chair, seating herself next to Lana. She hung her head and, taking Lana's hand in hers, brought it up to her forehead, her heart heavy with regret.

Zatanna was wracked with guilt for what she had done, but she wasn't sure what else she could have done from trying to stop Lana from going on a killing rampage. Fiddling with her mind had been difficult, at best, and Zatanna wasn't too sure on how it worked out since Lana blacked out right after Zatanna finished whatever it was she had been doing. She also hated lying to Clark about what she had done, but Clark was so full of high, strict morals that he wouldn't understand why Zatanna did what she had done.

She just hoped she'd never have to use a spell like that on a friend again.

"Lana…I'm sorry, sweetie, I really am. Goddess, I've screwed you over so many times in the past couple of weeks, haven't I? First with flaying you, and then bringing you back as something, well, completely different from what you were…and now this. Playing with your mind. Erasing memories, rearranging events…I didn't want to do any of it, Lana. Really, I didn't. It's a violation, and I know it…but there wasn't any other option, you know? Dr. Fate was knocked out, and you were completely channeling and overdramatic version of Carrie White. If you ever remember any of this…I hope you can forgive me…I just…" Zatanna faltered and held back her tears. One slid through anyhow, sliding down her cheek and dropping down on her satin pajama bottoms. "Sleep well, okay?" she said sweetly as she kissed Lana's forehead.

The same forehead that her magick had touched only moments ago…

Zatanna stopped that thought from going any further. She couldn't dwell on what she'd done, couldn't think about it too much. She'd done what she'd had to do, and that was that. There was no time for regrets, no space in her heart for guilt. There never could be, because magick could be dark and dangerous, and she knew she'd have to face it all as she grew older.

She had to grow from this and make herself stronger. She needed to learn how to compartmentalize.

In sudden need of fresh air, Zatanna let go of Lana's hand and left the room, deciding to go stand outside under the gentle morning shower for awhile.

"So, I heard I missed a huge thing last night," Bart greeted Zatanna the next morning at the breakfast table.

Zatanna grimaced. "You don't have the slightest clue what you missed. Seriously, be happy that you were Little Nemo in Slumberland last night, because you did not want to be with us."

"What happened?"

"Lana went crazy, she tried to kill Clark, we had to knock her out. That's really about it."

"I got to miss you making with the magic?"

"Yep, you did."

Bart gave Zatanna puppy eyes. "But I love watching you do the magic thing you do."

"And we will stop this conversation right here," Zatanna said as Clark walked into the room, showered and fresh. "How's Lana?" she asked him as he greeted them a good morning.

"Still asleep. She looks peaceful, so I don't think we'll have the teenage terror from last night running around when she wakes up. Where're Kent and Inza?" Clark asked as he grabbed a pitcher of orange juice and poured himself a glass. He sat himself down across from Zatanna and Bart and looked at both of them expectantly.

"Here," Zatanna said, sliding him a note that she had found on the desk in her room. "They've both gone out, Kent on some superhero business and Inza to run some errands. She should be back in a couple of hours."

"So, what's our plan then," Clark asked after scanning over the note, which was written in Inza's elegant script.

"I think stay here for another day, make sure that Lana's of the good, and then we leave for Smallville."

"What's the situation with Lana, anyway?" Bart asked. "What did Dr. Fate and Inza tell you?"

"Oh, you guys are going to love this," she said, leaning in to tell them about her conversation with Fate and Inza. She went over what Dr. Fate had said about the three souls, and what it could possibly mean for Lana and the rest of them.

"It's times like this when I wish I didn't have a penchant for asking questions," Bart said when Zatanna was finished. "So, this is worse than the whole 'Lana's a goddess reborn' theory."

"Possibly. I mean, yesterday she was ready to go all vengeance demon on Clark. Lana's harboring an incalculable amount of power, and she's a veritable atom bomb. If that girl ever gets aggravated enough and explodes, there's no telling what the hell will happen. Or, you know, hell will happen."

"So…what…we tread lightly around Lana now? No aggravating her?"

Zatanna nodded. "No aggravating her, no royally ticking her off, and Clark? Stay away from women in general, okay? I don't want Lana remembering…well…you know."

"You actually think I'm going to want to see any women now? After yesterday? Zatanna, I don't know if you realize this but -"

"Whoa, wait, hold on Clark. I'm not saying you're some sort of playboy. All I'm saying is that you are close to Chloe and Lois…and let's face it; there are times when you've got minor flirtations going on with both of them. Lana sees it, she might flash back to yesterday, and we so do not need that. Ever."

"Have you had a chance to speak to Dr. Fate about all the stuff that Madame Xanadu was hinting at? Regarding Lana's great destiny?"

Zatanna shook her head. "No. That's another reason we need to spend today here. I'm just worried, though, you know? That her destiny might be something more on the…well…evil side of things."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. Everything that happened yesterday. The fact that Lana has two souls besides her own vying for power over her physical presence. The fact that one soul's a powerful witch and the other's an ancient goddess who we know nothing about. Can any of this be any good?"

A stunned silence came over the table as the three of them pondered Zatanna's last words.

She awakens in her bed, shocked, shaken, and unsure. Something happened yesterday. She doesn't remember what, but it was bad…horrible.

She feels different, though, more powerful. It's almost as though something is missing from her physical body. Something important, something integral. It almost feels as though she has more space inside the body that she has inhabited. Like, she's less cramped, less conflicted. There are no more doubts anywhere in her mind, and her power feels like it has doubled in intensity.

That's when she realizes what has happened. How things have suddenly looked up in her favor.

It isn't just that there's more space in her body. It's more than that. It's the simple fact that the body's previous owner is no longer there. At all. She doesn't know where that person has gone, nor does she care. Why should see? Things are suddenly looking as bright and shiny as those crystals she's been after for hundreds of years now.

Isobel smiles to herself wickedly as she sits up in her bed. Now she's in the driver's seat. Now she owns this body.

Oh, but this is going to be so good.

Writer's Note: Okay…so this chapter popped up faster than I expected it to, lol. Work was dead today, and I really had nothing else to do, so I went ahead and hammered out this chapter. Hope you guys like it. :-D.

Lol, Mark. "Pulling a habit out of a rat." Love that! Honestly, though, I don't think Zatanna screwed up on Light…I think she meant to rearrange his mind and make him a lame bad guy. Then again, I could very well be interpreting that wrong.

Nightcrawler, this mindwipe did anything but help their situation. Zatanna still has a long way to go before she gets a complete handle on her magick, and so messing with people's minds isn't something she should be doing just yet…but she does out of necessity. And I do promise some Clana action, because you can't have a Smallville tale without any Clana action…but it's going to be sometime coming. I hope you can stick with me until then?

Anyway, keep on r-and-ring, and I should have another chapter up soon! Thanks for the reviews so far guys…really really appreciate them to no end!