Disclaimer: See 'Betrayal'.

Questions and Answers
Elysian Fields, NY

Devlin sat in Khyrran's window seat, looking out at the empty swingset. It was that time of day when he usually got home from school and this was their "playtime". Gail wanted her two children to be close despite their age differences. He was resentful at first, now he'd do anything to get those moments back.

The police had come in, looked for clues, and found nothing. Five days after the fact, they still hadn't made any progress. But if Devlin had to guess, he'd bet that George was behind the lack of progress. Unless the Guardians found a way to bring him back into her life, he was never going to see her again.

Alistair appeared in the room and though Devlin felt the presence, he refused to acknowledge the Guardian. "Devlin, ignoring me isn't going to bring her home," Alistair said. "Come on, Anthanasuis wants to see you."

Devlin sighed, "Whatever."

Upon arriving at Mankato, Devlin immediately noticed that Elvind, the Overseer of Water was missing and that the other Guardians were flanking Anthanasuis in a 'V' type pattern. Alistair pushed Devlin forward and he knelt in front of the most powerful beings on his planet. Anthanasuis nodded his approval and bid Devlin to rise.

"Devlin, your performance this past week has been exceptionally poor. We understand the circumstances, but George has tried once to kill her. Should she come back, there is no doubt that he would try again and again until he succeeded. You aren't strong enough to protect her at this point in time and we are not willing to let the secrets of the Guardians to be known," Anthanasuis explained.

"I understand that. All I want to know is did he kill her? And if not, can I see her; make sure that she is alright?" Devlin asked.

The Overseers huddled together. Finally Anthanasuis turned back to Devlin. "Idan says that it will be allowed but he has three conditions that you must follow."

Idan stepped off the dais to speak with Devlin. "Elvind is down there in human form, should trouble arise and you need him. The three conditions are: one you can not tell them the whole truth, two the guardians need to be sent into hibernation so that Khyrran can not be located easily, and three under NO circumstances are you to try and bring her back home. Alistair is going with you," Idan concluded.

With all that said and done, Anthanasuis brought the Eye of Second Sight down from the ceiling. Upon reaching the floor, the solid, silver eye became a swirling, iridescent vortex that sucked them both in and spit them out on a porch at the feet of a very shocked teenage.

Clark stood from the porch swing as the two guys at his feet stood and dusted themselves off. He wasn't sure that he actually watched them appear from thin air, he just knew they were standing before him. One of them was easily an adult he looked to be about 25, six feet tall, had sandy brown hair and blue eyes. The thing that made him stand out over the other one was he was dressed like Robin Hood. The man was wearing a green tunic that ended just above his knees and brown tights, with dark brown boots. Clark noticed the other one was dressed like he was, jeans, a tee shirt, and tennis shoes, was about his height and his age.

The child in his arms dove for the younger of the two. "Khyrran," he caught and hugged her tight. She grabbed his ears and squealed, "Dewin!" It was then that Devlin noticed Clark standing there. "Sorry, I'm Devlin Sheridan. This is my sister Khyrran. And the man behind me is Alistair. You could consider him my 'guide' through life, I suppose."

Clark relaxed visibly but still held a few reservations about all this. "Clark Kent, Welcome to Smallville. Apparently she knows you and that makes me think you are telling the truth. But how did you appear out of thin air?"

"My boss sent us here to check on Khyrran. She is an essential part of our future," Alistair answered.

Devlin rolled his eyes, "Khyrran and I are gifted kids. We have odd abilities that not many other kids have. Last week she was kidnapped right under my nose. The people who watch us have some of the same abilities we do and gave me permission to come see her."

"Okay…" Clark wasn't sure what to think about these people but Khyrran seemed happier and more content than she had in the past few days. "You seem extremely close."

"I am fourteen and didn't want a younger sister. So our mom forced us to spend time together. It was cool to watch her take her first steps," Devlin said with a grin. His smile faded as he continued, "Unfortunately, taking her home isn't an option."

"My folks are trying to find out if they can adopt her," Clark informed him.

"The adoption papers are being signed now," Alistair piped in.

Devlin sighed and handed Clark a piece of paper. "This is my home address. If anything pops up that you think could be a danger to her, you or your parents let me know." Devlin turned and handed Khyrran to Alistair.

He held up an orange globe that was hidden in his pocket. The globe caught Khyrran's attention and she tried to catch it. The minute she touched it, she began to glow orange, followed by purple, black, then finally white. Alistair sighed.

"Her energy field should be untraceable. I don't think that there will be any problems from here on out," Alistair said.

Devlin took her from Alistair and gave her back to Clark. "She is going to need a new name. Khyrran is too unique and will stick out. But it should be something close. Got any suggestions?"

"There is a girl in my class named Karen," Clark said. "But we could spell it differently."

"Hmmm… How about C-A-R-I-N? That sounds alike and would distinguish her so that I could find her later on should we lose contact," Devlin said.

Clark nodded. "My ma will like that."

Devlin looked at the screen door. "We need to go. Drop me a line sometime soon, would you? It would be nice to keep up with her progress."

"Sure," Clark shook hands with them, Devlin gave Khyrran one last hug and they were gone.

Martha came out onto the porch, "Clark would you come in here please? We were going to choose a name for the baby and we want your input."

"How about Carin, Ma?"

"So what do you think about Khyrran's new home?" Anthanasuis asked upon their return.

"I think you need a better transportation system than that Eye thing. But they have already raised one open-minded alien. A powerless Guardian host should be a breeze," Devlin answered.

"Caught on to the alien thing, did you?"

"He has an odd aura, that's all. And I do recall some training on spotting other species. But I think that Clark and I will be good friends and he may be a powerful ally someday."

Anthanasuis simply smiled and sent them back to Earth.

Devlin and Clark spent the next two years exchanging letters and every so often phone calls. Devlin never appeared in Smallville like that again, though he wanted to. Khyrran had adjusted to her new surroundings and was one of the smartest kids Clark had ever met. And one of the most troublesome. She managed to get into so much trouble, Clark began calling her Jinx. No matter what she did, it always ended in disaster. Devlin found these stories amusing and told Clark some of the stuff she did in New York.

Things began to change right after Clark's sixteenth birthday. He began noticing that he was different… really different. One day, he finally broke and confided in his girlfriend, Lana Lang, about it. He didn't really get to explain because his new hearing skills picked up a camper passing through Smallville, blow a tire. The driver lost control and Clark took off toward the gas station at the edge of town. Just as the entire wreck exploded, Clark showed up. He pulled the couple out. Behind him he heard a child scream. He went back into the fire without hesitation. Lana ran onto the scene just as a second explosion ripped through the station. Clark came walking out of the fire with the little girl in his arms. He fell to his knees and the little girl ran to her parents.

Lana ran up to Clark. "You're not even burned. How…?"

Clark looked at her, gulping in air, "I don't know."

"And I'm getting stronger everyday, Pa," Clark commented as he bent a pipe like a pretzel. Jonathan whistled as he took the pipe. "And that's not the half of it." Clark stared at the pipe.

"It's getting hot." Jonathan jumped as the pipe melted and became two separate pieces. "All you did was look at it."
"I know," Clark replied as the phone rang inside.

"That was Lana," Martha said as she joined them on the front porch. "Third time tonight. Clark, won't you talk to her?"

"What can I say, Ma?" Clark asked. "I don't even know how it happened. Suddenly I was running faster then I've ever ran in my life," he continued rising from the porch. "I ripped the camper like it was cardboard, the fire never touched me. I always felt I was different even before you and Pa told me I was adopted, but how is it possible I can do these things?"

Jonathan turned to his wife. "I think it's time Martha." 'The whole truth this time,' he thought.

In the shed, they walked to the locked wooden box along the back wall. "We never showed you this, son. I guess we didn't know how to explain it." Jonathan unlocked the box. "Still don't," he continued as he opened the lid. Inside lay a gleaming white space craft."You know how some babies are found in baskets? Well this is how we found you."

"You're kidding, right?" He looked at his folks. Martha gave him a look. "You're not kidding. So, where did I come from?"

"We don't know," Martha answered. "There wasn't much inside. Just some blankets and this." She held out a small box.

Jonathan took it and shook the box next to his ear. "Never could get the darned thing opened. Maybe you've got the magic touch," he said handing it to Clark.

Clark took it and the top began to flash. The box projected an "S" inside a diamond onto Clark's forehead. Martha and Jonathan just stared as Clark began talking to the box.

"No, no, it can't be true!"

"It's hurting him!"

"Let him be, Martha."

"I AM A NORMAL HUMAN BEING! I DON'T BELIEVE ANY OF THIS!"

Suddenly, the message ended and Clark dropped the box. "It's not true. I'm not a freak. I'm not; I'M NOT!" He yelled as he hit one of the shed's support beams.

"Clark!" Martha exclaimed.

He glanced over his shoulder with a tortured look and backed out of the shed. Clark took off running, despite Jonathan calling after him. He ran harder, faster. Before he knew it he was at Gulliver's Ravine. Without hesitation he jumped and landed on the other side, completely unharmed.

A/N: The part with Clark discovering his powers comes directly from the second episode of STAS entitled "The Last Son of Krypton" pt.2, produced by Alan Burnett, Paul Dini and Bruce Timm and written by Alan Burnett and Paul Dini. Gotta give credit where credit is due folks

And many thanks to AhToLoveABat, keep reading... you might just get your wish later on ;)