Chapter 14

"What did I tell you about taking it easy?" A shadowy figure leant against the doorway, watching Tess as she beat the brownie mixture together in the bowl.

"Clark!" She jumped, almost dropping the bowl. "Stop doing that." She frowned at him. "And I am taking it easy. I could've made a sponge cake. That's much more effort."

Clark rubbed his eyes and walked into the light of the kitchen. "Tess, it's 3 am. Why are you baking brownies?"

"I felt like brownies." She said as though it was obvious. "But I'm not baking them."

Clark lowered himself onto a stool and the bench. "What are you doing then?"

"Eating the mixture."

Clark gave her a strange look. "Why?"

"It tastes just as good without the wait." She shrugged as though it was obvious. "I really wanted chocolate."

"I could've run to a store to get you some if you wanted it that bad." said Clark, still trying to understand her mentality.

"I was awake anyway." She shrugged again, turning away from him. She walked towards the sink and started washing the wooden spoon.

"Nightmares?" Clark hazarded a guess and her lack of an answer was answer enough. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She turned around, facing him. "Clark, you've heard enough of my horror stories. You don't need any more."

"You can't keep it bottled up, Tess. It's not healthy." Clark told her, gazing at her earnestly.

"Do you really want to go there? Because I could say the same thing about you." Tess shot back.

"Touché." Clark had to admit she had a point. "I'll spill if you will."

"What is this, high school?" Tess took a seat next to Clark, dragging over the bowl of brownie mixture. She dug in gleefully, twisting the spoon around to get the most of it.

"Enjoying yourself?" Clark raised an eyebrow at her.

"Mmmm." She nodded, her mouth full. Clark looked away as her tongue snaked out and licked away the excess on her lips, trying to keep images out of his head.

Just a friend. Just a friend. He revived his mantra. He looked back. "You missed a spot."

"Where?"

Clark leant over, and wiped it away with his finger. "There."

She blushed crimson. "Thanks."

"No problem. You're face matches your hair now."

"Like I haven't heard that one before," Tess rolled her eyes.

"Sorry." He said insincerely before continuing, this time completely sincere. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Tess sighed, dragging the spoon around the bowl. "I was dreaming about my father."

"Lionel?"

She shook her head. "Paul."

"Right." Clark nodded, remembering the name from somewhere. Paul Mercer. "About what he did to you?"

"Some and the good times. Which is strange because I barely remember them."

"Tell me about them." Clark encouraged her. She needed the happy memories, no matter how tainted they were.

"It was just little things. Laughing together at a silly TV program. A joke here." A faraway look took over her face. "A family trip to the beach." She gave a sad smile. "Sometimes it was enough to make me forget. To pretend that we were happy. But then that always made it worse next time he lost his temper."

"You're happy now right?" He took her hand gently, avoiding touching the cast on her forearm.

The faraway look faded from her eyes and she picked up the spoon covered with brownie mixture. "Yes, Clark I'm happy now."

"I wasn't talking about the chocolate." He said quietly.

"I know. Neither was I."

5 hours later, Clark was running around the kitchen, trying to make breakfast, dress himself and Jonathan and get to work on time using the car. It wasn't working so well. "Jonathan, stay still." Clark tried to wrestle his wriggling son into a shirt and eat a piece of toast at the same time.

"Pay col!" Jonathan pointed at the TV and tried to run towards it. Clark grabbed him before he could jump off the kitchen table. "

"After you get dressed." Clark told him. "Now both hands in the holes…"

Jonathan put two hands through the neck hole and got stuck. "Pay col!" He cried, wanting to watch his new favourite show. He didn't' care about clothes or the fact he was making his father late for work.

"Hands in the other holes Jonathan." Clark sighed, exasperated. He made a mental note to bring home flowers for Tess and send some to his mother; they deserved it.

"Need some help?" Tess mirrored his position in the doorway from the previous night.

"Tess!" Clark straightened up. "No, I'm good. I wanted to let you sleep in. Did we wake you?"

"Essa! Pay col!" Jonathan interrupted them, his face still inside the shirt.

Tess laughed and walked over to him. She took the shirt off and he jumped down of the table, running towards the TV. "It doesn't matter if he's not dressed Clark. No one else is here to care and I can do that later. What I can't do is get you to work on time." She gave him a pointed look.

"I know. I know. I'm late. I just wanted to get Jonathan ready so you didn't have to worry." Clark glanced at the clock. "Damn, I'm really late."

"So go."

He looked at her, examining her face for any trace of pain or exhaustion. "I can stay if you want me to. Perry understands. He won't mind me taking another day off."

"I am not a china doll, Clark." Tess crossed her arms defensively. "I won't fall apart because you're not here. You've already taken two weeks off. You're not taking another day off. Perry may feel guilty but I doubt he feels that guilty."

"Ok." Clark agreed, resigned. "Call if you need anything. And I mean anything."

"I will," she started walking to the door, clearly edging him towards it. "Got everything?"

Clark patted his pockets. Wallet, pen and car keys were all there. "Yep." He nodded.

"Good. Have fun in the traffic." She shut the door in his face.

"Love you too!" Clark yelled out jokingly. He realised what he said as he walked to the car. Stupid, stupid Clark. She's just a friend. I really need a better thought-speech filter.

Tess leant out the kitchen window. "Good bye Clark!" She yelled at him, barely holding back a laugh. She turned back to the lounge room, and went to join Jonathan. "So what's happening on Play School today?"

"Well isn't this quaint." Lex Luthor peered through the glass pane in the kitchen door, watching Tess and Jonathan make gingerbread men. "The picturesque family."

Tess stood up, wiping her hands on her apron. "Jonathan, go and watch some TV." She waited until he'd scurried into the lounge room before walking out onto the porch. She closed the door behind her. "What do you want Lex?"

"To see how you're doing. Can't I care about my sister's wellbeing?"

Tess folded her arms defensively. "Then where were you 6 weeks ago?"

"I didn't hear about your," He picked the word carefully, "ordeal until yesterday, I swear." He looked at here sincerely but Tess didn't believe him.

"So with all the people you have watching me and Oliver, none of them saw me get abducted? None of them saw anything?"

"I know. I really should fire them shouldn't I?" He smiled at her. "So how are you?"

"Lex, what do you want?" Tess asked in a tired tone. She didn't want any part of Lex's games.

"To see how you are. It must have been terrifying for you to be trapped like that. I bet it brought back memories." Lex took a step towards her, invading her personal space.

"I'm fine Lex. Unlike some people, I got saved." She held his gaze. "If you want I could put in a good word for you and the next time one of your harebrained schemes blows up in your face, they might help you too."

Lex chuckled. "Funny. I was going to ask you about your vigilante hero."

Tess raised an eyebrow, poker face intact but worry starting to build up. "My hero? Lex don't you know that you're my hero." Sarcasm dripped from her words.

"Flattery will get you no where." Lex raised her chin using two fingers. "Who is the Green Arrow?"

"Why would I know?" Her heart started flutteringly like a hummingbirds. He couldn't know about Oliver and Clark. He can't.

Lex smirked and removed his fingers from her face. "Because after Superman raced in and saved you, Green Arrow had a little 'talk' with former Congressman Phillips. By talk I meant torture session."

Tess paled. "I don't understand. Why would he do that?" Oliver was supposed to be on the reform, not the relapse.

"He seems to be under the impression that you are friends. Very good friends." Lex watched her closely for any tells. "So are you, good friends I mean?"

"Do you really think someone like that, who broke into the mansion more times than I care to remember when I was there, would consider me a friend?" Tess lied with a straight face. "We used to be on opposite sides. I doubt they'd even trust me. He was probably just using it as an excuse to beat the guy."

"Maybe." She could tell Lex wasn't buying it. "Or maybe you're covering for him."

Tess sighed. "Believe me, don't believe me. I really don't care. Just go Lex."

Lex put on a mock sad face. "Anyone would think you didn't love me."

"Anyone would be right. You're not my family Lex." She turned to go back into the house.

"And Clark is?" Lex laughed. "You turn down a renowned and rich lawyer for a farming journalist with more secrets than the CIA, you must have it bad sis."

Tess' eyes flashed angrily. "What I have is none of your business. Clark and Jonathan are my family and you might want to consider that before you insult them."

"Or you'll what?" Lex demanded smugly. "Sell your story to the magazines? Oh wait, you can't. You're under a gag order. You can't say anything against me without going to prison." He poked her in the shoulder mockingly. "You. Can't. Touch. Me."

Wanna bet? Tess squashed the thought. Revenge was not the answer any more, no matter how much she wanted it. "Maybe not. But I can still tell you to get the hell of my property."

Lex walked backwards. "It's not your property Tess. Just like Clark will never love you like you love him. He's too pious for people like us."

"I'm nothing like you." Tess spat at him.

Lex smiled. "But you were. And a leopard can't change her stripes." He got in his car and drove away.

Tess leant heavily against the door. She sighed. Lex was planing something and that never went well. I have to warn Clark.