Chapter 11

Clark flew over Metropolis, listening for Tess' heartbeat. He stopped over a shopping mall, thinking he'd heard it but was wrong. "Where are you Tess?" He asked aloud. People below looked up and pointed at him. Clark could hear them talk but tuned it out again to focus on the heartbeat of the missing woman. He touched his earpiece. "Do you have anything, Arrow?"

"Nothing yet," came the reply. "I'm about to check the Southside Docks. Tess is smart; if she can she'll give us a sign."

"I know." Clark sighed. "But what if she can't? We're practically flying blind here."

"Calm down." Oliver ordered. "We'll find her. Look, I'm at the Docks, I'll call you back in 5."

"Ok, tell me what you find. Superman out." Clark disconnected the call, apprehension growing. It had been 5 hours since he'd found Jonathan in the house. A lot could happen in 5 hours. Tess could be injured, bleeding or worse. Snap out of it, Clark told himself sternly. Freaking out won't help her. He looped back, heading north. Please let me find her unharmed, he prayed to anyone that was listening.

Phillips weight pressed down against her. The scent of cheap alcohol burnt her nose. Tess frantically tried to think of something she could do. She suddenly bucked backwards, slamming her shoulders into the cement. Phillips lost his balance and fell off her. Tess quickly rolled up her knees. She wiggled her feet trying to get them out of the tight rope bindings without any luck. She was stuck.

Phillips slowly got to his feet. "You little tramp." He let loose a tirade of cursing that would have made a sailor blush.

She glared up at him. "I may be a tramp but you're a traitorous fraudster who's about to get his arse handed to him."

He laughed. "Really? Cos I don't see anyone coming to your rescue."

"He will." Her voice was strong but her faith was starting to waver.

He pushed her back again and she twisted, landing on her side to save her now severely bruised shoulders. He kicked her in the stomach. "Not even Superman could save you from this." His steel capped boots dug into her kidneys.

She bit back a scream of agony. Her vision started to blacken but she blinked it back. Who knows what would happen if she fell into the abyss again. Where are you Clark?

The door open and a shadowy figure walked in. "What are you doing?" He was angry. Tess squinted at the figure. The voice was familiar but she couldn't place it. "She isn't supposed to be here. Did you hurt her?" He sounded furious now.

Phillips looked down at the ground. "Sorry sir. I just wanted to make Kent pay."

"I can see that," the shadow snapped. He looked down at Tess who was bordering on consciousness. "I just wish you hadn't done this. You're on your own now." He walked out the door.

"Sir!" Phillips called his tone desperate. "Please. I need your help."

"You should have thought of that when you disobeyed me." He opened and walked out.

"Dammit!" Phillips screamed, stamping his foot. "Dammit. Dammit. Dammit." Now he was really screwed.

Martha sat in the rocking chair in Jonathan's nursery, rocking slowly. How did this happen? She thought sadly, looking out the window to the sunset outside. How did this go wrong? She looked over her shoulder at Jonathan tossing and turning in his cot. His intermittent strength had saved him but nightmares plagued him. "Lord please let Clark find Tess. We need a happy ending." She prayed quietly, eyes closed. "Clark has a second chance at happiness. Please don't let him loose it. And you've put Tess through so much already. Let her find happiness, please I beg you."

Jonathan woke up at his grandmother's voice. "Essa?" He looked hopefully at the figure with the red hair in the rocking chair.

"No, Jonathan its Grandma." Martha turned so he could see her face.

"Essa's chair!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. He smashed the sides of his cot and the wood splintered. "You in Essa's chair!"

Martha got up quickly. "Jonathan, it's ok. Daddy will bring your Essa back."

Jonathan kept screaming. "Essa. Essa. Essa." He started crying too. He was jumping up and down and throwing his hands around, making small holes in the walls.

Martha looked at him, helpless. She couldn't go near him when he was like this. There was nothing she could do.

Oliver ran across the rooftops of the warehouses at the Southside docks, nimbly jumping across the gaps. His sunglasses were fitted with heat sensitive vision to enable him to see through walls. So far he'd found nothing.

He ran and leapt over a large alleyway, landing and rolling up onto his feet. A car started up somewhere below him. Oliver ran to check it out. There shouldn't have been any cars in the docks. He arrived just in time to see a black sedan drive away. Jumping down to the ground, Oliver ran to an open door, sliding into the building as it closed and locked itself behind him. He looked through his glasses to find two heat signatures further down the hall. He reached for his crossbow. This could be her.

He moved stealthily down the hall, a man's booming angry voice becoming louder. "You shouldn't let Kent cross me."

Oliver moved in front of the door where the voice was coming from. He kicked it open and walked through it in one fluid motion. "And you shouldn't have crossed me." He let loose an arrow laced with a potent sedative into the man standing over Tess. Oliver ran over to her, pulling her into his lap. "Tess, Tess, can you hear me? Mercy!"

Her eyes flicked open, her head lolling in his hands. "Clark?" Her eyes looked up glassy and unfocused.

Oliver shook his head, tears of relief flooding his eyes. "No, Tess. Oliver." He touched his earpiece. "I've got her."

"Where?" The relief in Clark's voice was evident in the terse reply.

"Southside docks. Warehouse 13." Oliver answered quickly, taking Tess' hand reassuringly.

Clark was there in a heartbeat. "Tess," he breathed, seeing her lying in Oliver's lap. Her face was a dark red colour and puffy from the blows with a split lip. What wasn't red was extremely white. He x-rayed her to find several broken ribs and a fractured arm. He couldn't believe this had happened.

Tess looked up at him. "Jonathan." She whispered and Clark knew what she wanted to hear.

"He's safe with my mom at the farm. Come one." He knelt down and scooped gently her into his arms. "You gotta go to a hospital."

Tess shook her head slowly. "Jonathan first." Her voice broke, from exhaustion, pain or worry Clark couldn't tell.

He was torn. She needed the hospital but she needed to see Jonathan too. "One minute." He said, before taking off.

Oliver got to his feet after they left. He turned on the man on the ground. "You hurt a friend of mine. So now I'm gonna hurt you."

Clark arrived at the farm a second after leaving the docks. He put Tess gently on the couch as Jonathan sprinted down the stairs towards her.

"Essa!" He launched at her, a blur of red and blue pyjamas. Clark caught him before he landed on Tess and eased Jonathan next to her.

"She's hurt buddy. You're gonna have to be careful." Clark told him.

Tess ignored what Clark said and pulled the boy into her lap and hugged him close. If he weren't half Kryptonian, she may have squashed him she hugged him so tight. "I love you so much."

Jonathan tightened his grip around her neck. "Love Essa."

Martha walked down the stairs and smiled at the heart-warming scene before her. "Sweetie, I'm so glad you're safe." Martha's smile fell as Tess looked up and she could see the younger woman's multicoloured face. "Oh Sweetie."

Tess closed her eyes and shook her head gently. "I'll be fine Mrs Kent. It's only a couple of bruises."

"And broken bones." Clark added darkly. Someone was going to pay for this. He stood next to Tess on the couch, watching over her like her guardian angel.

Martha sat down next to Tess. She ran a hand through her hair. "Call me Martha sweetie. You're practically a Kent now but what are you doing here? You should be in the hospital."

"She wanted to see Jonathan." Clark answered for her. "And now's she's going to the hospital."

Tess looked up at Clark with pleading eyes. "One more minute?" She didn't want to let go of Jonathan yet.

Clark pulled Jonathan away from Tess, ignoring the squawk of protest. "Nope. You've got to get checked out." He picked up again, cradling her against his chest. "Mom, can you drive Jonathan to the Metropolis hospital? Knowing him he'll try to run after us."

"Of course." Martha agreed and Clark left again. Jonathan made to follow but Martha grabbed his arm. "No baby, we're going by car."

Clark sat in the waiting room, anxiously waiting to be allowed to go in and see Tess. He tapped his foot, not really reading the magazine that he was flicking through. His mind was elsewhere. He couldn't get the image of Tess where he found her out of his head. She was so fragile and he couldn't even save her. What use was Superman when he couldn't even save those he loved? Clark's eyes widen at the stray thought. Loved?

A pretty, young nurse came over and tapped him on the shoulder. "Are you Clark Kent?" He nodded, not trusting his voice. "Miss Mercer is asking for you. She's in room 401."

Clark nodded his thanks and speed walked to Tess' room. She was dozing lightly but woke when he walked in. "Clark…" Her face had developed even more colours in the hour since he'd seen her. He could see the bandages wrapped around her middle and the sling on her arm.

He stood, not knowing what to say. "I ah…" Guilt swamped his heart.

"If you say you're sorry I'm going to find some green k and hit you with it." Tess told him. "This is not your fault."

He sat at the foot of her bed. "I should have protected you better. I shouldn't have ignored a threat like that. It was stupid."

"It was stupid." Tess agreed. Clark looked up at her, surprised. He'd expected her to berate him for saying that. "You were over confident. But you couldn't have known."

"I should have." He stood, frustration rising. "I should have known."

She flinched at his angry tone but kept her voice even. "Unless you've developed clairvoyant powers that you failed to tell me about, you couldn't have known."

"I'm Superman," He hissed. "I should be able to protect you. I should have been able to find you." Tess sighed and leant back into the pillows. Clark immediately felt guilty about dumping all of this on her. It was selfish of him. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. You don't need to hear this."

"But you need to hear this: You are not perfect. You are not a God. The world does not revolve around you and everything is not your fault."

Clark looked at her. He'd known she could be blunt but that was borderline harsh. "Tess…"

"Sorry, that was harsh." She apologised.

He sat back down again. "But it was true. I needed to hear that thank you." he took her hand and held it. "You always know how to bring me back to earth."

She smiled tiredly. "Where's Jonathan?"

"Aren't I your favourite Kent?" Clark joked, trying to lighten the mood. They'd had enough angst to last a lifetime.

Tess' lips quivered. "Maybe, maybe not."

Clark mock frowned. "And now you've broken my heart." Then he smiled. "Mom took him to the cafeteria to get him something to eat cos he was getting fussy."

"Kay." Tess' eyes flickered shut. "Tell me when they get back."

"You should get some rest. Jonathan can see you tomorrow." Clark told her reassuringly.

Her eyes flew open. "I want to see him tonight."

Clark leant back, taken aback by the strength of her voice. "Okay."

"Sorry," Tess sighed. "I just…. I just… never thought I'd see him again. I was so scared Clark."

"You're allowed to be scared, Tess. It's normal." Clark told her reassuringly.

"I've never been scared that I was leaving somebody behind though." She said softly, looking up into his eyes. "Somehow it's worse than being alone."

"You're never going to be alone again." Clark promised her. "I won't let that happen and neither will Jonathan."

"Clark.." Her tone was disbelieving but hope blossomed.

"Jonathan was distraught when he thought he'd never see you again. Mom said he destroyed him room and put at least a dozen holes in the walls; he was so upset." Clark told her, running his thumb up and down the back of her hand. "I don't know what I would've done if Oliver didn't find you when he did."

"You would have found me yourself." Her eyes stayed shut this time, her voice fading as sleep took her. "You just love to keep me waiting."

Clark looked at her strangely, remembering where the words came from and the woman who'd said them. "I'll try not to next time."

Tess didn't answer because she was asleep. Martha and Jonathan walked into the room and Clark motioned with his free hand to be quiet. Jonathan silently crawled up onto the bed, curling up between Clark and Tess. He put his small hand on the two adults' joined hands, smiling up at his father. Clark smiled back. Everything was going to be ok. Everyone was back together. We're safe. I'll keep us safe.