Chapter Fifty Eight: Calm Before the Storm

Harry woke up the next day in bed, with Zatanna draped over one side of him and Kara draped over the other side of him. The two of them snuggled into his chest and he smiled, feeling content.

Zatanna shook herself awake and offered a sleepy smile. "So….so that wasn't a really nice dream? This time it was real."

Harry turned to the side a little bit and kissed her on the lips. He pulled back and smiled. "Not a dream, very real."

Kara woke up and Harry gave her a kiss too. She was his Alpha after all so she would have a special place in his heart.

"I trust you'll be coming around a lot more now," Harry responded when he looked at Zatanna and she smiled.

"Yeah, I have a pretty good reason," she offered, cupping his crotch for emphasis. Harry could go all night long and then some. It was what she was waiting for and better. "I have to get some things in order but after that's done, I'll be coming back on a more permanent basis."

"Glad to hear that," Harry responded when he looked at her and Zatanna got dressed, before she offered Harry one last parting kiss.

"Don't I get a kiss goodbye?" Kara asked with a mocking pout. "I'm only the one who set this up so you could get laid, you know."

Zatanna offered a smile, and she kissed Kara, running her hands through her gorgeous blonde hair and looked into her blue eyes.

"I'll see you later," Zatanna offered when she turned and walked off.

Harry knew that he would in fact see her later.

Kara and Harry were left alone and the two of them exchanged a tense expression before the blonde spoke.

"We still got Doomsday to work on," Kara stated when she folded her arms. "I….I can't believe that Clark has to do that. You realize that I'm going to likely teach my cousin to kill. Lois would be able to do it if she could, Raya would be able to do it if she could, Lana would as well, so would you, I, Karen, and Chloe. Hell even Oliver would too, and let's face it, if he dies in the process….no big loss."

"Kara, be nice," Harry responded but she just grinned.

"But Clark's too much of a boy scout, I'm sure he goes on an endless guilt trip if he accidentally kills a fly," Kara responded when she looked at Harry. "There has to be some way that we can take down Doomsday."

"Avada Kedavra," Harry whispered, turning away from Kara.

"Pardon?" Kara asked but then she realized. "You….you think that would work."

"I don't know," Harry responded when he shook his head. "It either puts down the monster for good or….it makes him unkillable. I'm trying to figure out if it's worth the risk."

Kara wondered as well, when Harry pulled her onto his lap and stroked her hair.

"I came here to protect Kal-El, I don't want him to die," Kara whispered when she snuggled into his chest.

"As long as Lana, Lois, and Raya have their powers, Clark is perfectly safe," Harry responded when he looked at them. "And unless Death decides to pull my powers, they'll keep theirs."

Kara smiled, Harry had been toeing the line as much as he could as of late, although given how fickle Death was, she had a deep feeling of dread. Then again, he already lasted longer than every Herald of Death to date, going on two years. He had the proper grounding.

The last several days, even the last several weeks had been intense and kind of stressful for Harry Potter but despite all of the evil forces he fought, there were instances where Harry knew that he could take anything that the world threw against him. Despite what was out there, Harry shook his head and decided to continue the task that he was doing, or rather finish it because he was almost done with it.

Harry, slowly but surely, made his rounds in the Daily Planet and found everything to be mostly running as it should, nice and smoothly. Or at least as nice and smoothly as a Newspaper company in a chaotic city like Metropolis could be. The latest exploits of the Blur were detailed but now that Lois was in on the joke, she was able to have a bit more fun with her stories. That amused Harry and in some ways, that made him look forward to seeing what Lois's latest efforts were.

Kara and Karen were off doing their own things, with Kara visiting her Aunt at the Fortress of Solitude, even though she would have to stomach Jor-El. Karen was following a lead on the position of where the third key was, and she also commented on trying to find a crystal of some sort. What significance that crystal had, Harry really did not have any idea whatsoever but if Karen thought it was important, than it was important.

Lana and Lois were off doing something with Clark, although the full details Harry decided was their business and no one else's. Clark seemed to have conceded defeat about the entire situation which Harry personally thought was the best thing in the world for him. Harry folded his arms over the top of the table and remained silent, pensive and passive when he stared out the window of the main office.

"Hi, Harry!"

Chloe popped up at this point, saying those words brightly, before she offered Harry a hug for a moment and pushed him back towards his desk.

"So the inspection go alright?" Chloe inquired of him as the blonde straddled his lap with Harry on the desk and made sure the office was locked and secured. One did not need to be a rocket scientist to figure out what Chloe had in mind for both of them. She smiled when she straddled her legs over Harry's lap and peered into his eyes.

"Everyone seems to be running on schedule," Harry commented to Chloe when she slowly unbuttoned his shirt and ran her hands down his muscular chest.

"That's good, I think we should conduct a private inspection of our own," Chloe remarked when she practically purred in his ear as he said that.

Chloe thought that with Kara and Karen away doing what they did, and her being here, this would be the perfect opportunity to score her some one on one Harry time. She could tell by Harry's bulge poking her that he was up for the inspection and she wrapped his arms around his neck, with a bright smile crossing her face.

Harry leaned forward and planted a light kiss to the side of her neck and Chloe shivered when he began to suck on her neck with his very able mouth. His hands roamed all over her body, down her clothed breasts, underneath her shirt grazing her belly, and down her stocking covered legs, before they grazed underneath her skirt, and Harry smiled while he felt between her legs.

"I think I'm not the only one that is up for a little inspection," Harry remarked when Chloe was already undoing his pants with feverish fury.

"Yes, Mr. Potter, I think you're not the only one," Chloe responded with a mischievous grin. "Let's conduct a little...raise."

Chloe groped him for emphasis and then the real fun was about to begin.

Smut/Lemon Begins.

-PROFILE-

Smut/Lemon Ends.

"Kal-El must speed up the time table of embracing his destiny."

"Kal-El is doing perfectly fine!" Kara yelled back when she was at the Fortress, having an argument with Jor-El. To be honest, she regretted putting him back online but her aunt convinced her to do so to give them a balanced perspective of all sides. Although Lara did balance out more of Jor-El's colder and indifferent qualities, there were times where he could be insufferably stubborn. "I'm taking the steps necessary to ensure that his protection is secure until the moment where he's ready. Which is more than I can say about you with all of your twisted tests!"

"I do what I must for Kal-El to embrace the person he is," Jor-El answered in a crisp voice. "Your mate deliberately defied my plans when he brought Raya from the Phantom Zone again."

"Yeah, another one of your tests, which was a brilliant one by the way, Jor-El," Kara practically spat out.

"Kara, Jor-El, this argument solves nothing," Lara cut in before things could get too ugly between her husband and niece. "Kal-El is in a rocky step on his journey, but it is not something that should be rushed because you believe this to be his destiny."

"Do you not see it, Lara, for each passing day, the monster grows in strength," Jor-El argued to his wife and Lara realized that. "Each day we have, is a day that we cannot delay for what Kal-El must do."

Kara understood that Bloome, or rather the monster because she personally felt that any trace of Davis Bloome was killed when Ra's Al Ghul dunked him in that pit, was out there and killing people. She felt a personal responsibility because her, Harry, and Karen had been unable to catch him.

"Kal-El will embrace what he is meant to do, but only when the time is right for him to do so, and not one second before," Lara argued when it appeared that she glared at Jor-El to dare him into challenging him.

"A mother's love often times gets in the face of all logic."

"Yes, but your logic has caused Kal-El nothing but suffering and pain," Lara answered, getting in the last word while she could. She knew her son was destined for great things but pushing him towards that greatness before he was ready to take the steps without any prodding was going to do more harm than good. Kara stood there, the awkward scene before her. "Kara it was good to see you but I think it would be best if you leave whilst I have a conversation with Jor-El."

"Of course, Aunt Lara," Kara answered, knowing what a discussion between her Aunt and Uncle would entail and quickly Kara sped off outside the Fortress.

She stood outside the Fortress where Raya sat waiting.

"Jor-El isn't completely right, but he isn't completely wrong either," Raya answered to break the silence that occurred between the two women.

"I know, and that's what makes it frustrating," Kara whispered to Raya in an undertone between the two of them.

She looked up and saw Lana, Lois, and Clark in the air above them, and smirked when Kara thought about Lois's idea to "train" Clark to get him to fly. It seemed like Lois wanted to do her part as Clark's protector to encourage him to fly, by any means necessary. And by Lois, any means could be a lot. She stepped up her efforts when she found out Clark flew twice recently, albeit under the influence.

"You didn't seem all that fond of me when you found out that I was here," Raya answered when she looked at Kara.

"I'm sorry, I was just projecting the dislike I had for Jor-El onto you," Kara responded in an apologetic voice and Raya nodded by her side in understanding.

"That type of projection can be easy to do, even with the best of us, and I do admit that I want to see Kal-El to do well but I wonder what Jor-El was thinking when he removed all of his emotions from the equation," Raya mused when she looked into the sky, eyes narrowed with amusement when she saw the interplay going on in the sky above. "If he were not to do that, then he would understand what Kal-El is going through, for he went through the very same thing with his father, who also expected great things of Jor-El. Each passing generation, the House of El has had great expectations and more often than not, they've passed and often times exceeded them."

Raya paused before she inclined her head towards Kara.

"Case in point."

Kara was pleased to hear that glowing assessment, she sure thought she was doing good as the Herald of Death of Krypton, although her main objective was to make sure that Clark remained protected until the moment where he was ready to embrace that destiny. Whether it be a month from now, a year from now, or ten years from now, Clark had a great roll in the future of the world, although Kara wondered if the powers that be thought about how great that was going to be when the time passed.

"I take it your problem with Jor-El stems from what happened to your mother," Raya added to break Kara out of her thoughts and her watching Lois and Lana toss Clark back and forth in mid air, despite his protests, in some hair-brained attempt to get him to fly.

"Yes, that's exactly it, he didn't offer regrets, even eight years later," Kara responded, clutching her fists in frustration, Jor-El was someone that she was not the biggest fan of. She liked to think of Clark as Lara's son and only called him the son of Jor-El when he was being a bit of a twat, which was very often the more she thought about it. Of course, Kara wouldn't have Clark any other way.

There was a gentle expression in Raya's face when she gazed back at Kara.

"I do not intend to absolve Jor-El, for he blamed himself and he often did wonder if he was the one who caused that fatal blow," Raya added when she looked at Kara. "Alura was in the middle between Zor-El and Jor-El and either one of them could have been the one to strike her fatally, but...I'm not sure what happened and Jor-El was not either. He decided to seclude himself for the longest time because of it."

Kara looked up in the sky, and continued to amuse herself by watching Lois and Lana and there was a yell of "stop whining and taking it like a man, Smallville!"

"Your mother was a brave and valiant woman and I see her influence shining through on you," Raya answered when she looked at Kara. "While I never had the pleasure of meeting her, I've heard enough of her to realize that she was a great woman. She was a medical scientist in the Kandorian Army and one of the best."

That little fact was news as far as Kara was concerned, she always thought that her mother was a humble botanist and nothing more. Alura was an expert on plants, both on Krypton and other, knowing what properties healed and even what properties killed, even though there was some twisted desire in knowing something that. Although Kara figured that would have to be known how plants killed if one would want to be inventive enough for formulate some kind of antidote.

Raya decided not to tell Kara the other part of what she knew about Kara's mother, figuring that there was no need for Kara to know that. The fact was that Alura was good friends with Zod at one time. In fact, there were rumors that Alura chose Zor-El over Zod, not that was the best choice in the world to make given what hindsight was.

Yep, she thought it would be prudent not to tell Kara that her mother was once friends with one of the greatest War Criminals in the history of Krypton.

Karen showed up at that point and faced them.

"No luck on it," Kara whispered to her when Raya flew up to join the fun above them.

"No, I'm pretty sure someone's messed around in that field but if it was there, it's gone now," Karen whispered when her eyes snapped up. "Maybe that will convince him to fly."

"Maybe," Kara answered when she watched Clark get tossed from Lana, to Lois, and the Raya joined in on the fun.

"Clark's being triple teamed and not in the good way," Karen answered, for some reason her mind felt clearer since she lost the crystal.

"Yeah, thanks for that image," Kara responded with a shudder when they decided to leave Clark in the very capable hands of Lana, Lois, and Raya.

Or perhaps at their mercy.

At their mercy seemed to be a rather good term, for they did not appear to have any.

"Come on, enough is enough," Clark responded when Lana tossed Clark back to Lois. "Are you going to be the least bit tired yet?"

"Never!" Lois yelled with an amused expression on her face.

"Yeah, Clark, you should know we can go for hours and hours," Lana responded with a wink at the implications of the statement.

"It is an essential part of your training," Raya responded when she caught Clark and threw him back.

Clark had no idea whatsoever how this was an essential part of his training but he went with it. It wasn't like he could fly away, no matter how much he willed himself to.

"I think I hear someone calling for help!" Clark yelled but this fell on deaf ears.

"Nice try, Smallville, but we have the same super hearing that you do and we don't hear anyone," Lois responded as the other two women nodded.

Harry continued his work at the Shining Light Foundation, checking on some of the guests as he walked around. A buzzer echoed and he moved over to pick up the communication link to see who was calling.

"Harry, Oliver Queen wants to know if you have a few moments to spare," Megan answered on the other end.

Harry wondered what he wanted but decided he might as well get this over with.

"It's fine, send him on up, I'll be there," Harry answered when he looked at the latest copy of the Daily Planet, describing the latest exploits of the blur or blurs rather, saving a runaway train from certain destruction. Harry also found the article regarding a group of heroes calling themselves the Doom Patrol who stopped another crime outside of the city limits to be quite enlightening.

Oliver popped up at that moment to see Harry standing there.

"Oliver, I see that your leg is much better," Harry answered and for the past few months, Oliver had been out of it, due to the fact that he was shot in the leg.

"I'm on the mend, although I've been through worst," Oliver responded when he looked at Harry. "There's something that I need to inform you about that you should know, or someone."

Harry waved his hands for Oliver to proceed.

"Tess Mercer, she's very interested in digging up information on you," Oliver responded before he paused and waited for Harry to answer.

To be honest, Harry knew that Tess was extremely interested in digging up information on him, given her inner nature; she would want to have all of the cards on the table out in front of her. In fact, Harry was pretty certain that Tess was interested in more regarding information and also more than about the partnership that Luthorcorp and the Shining Light Foundation enjoyed. That was the sense that Harry got when he thought about it.

Oliver saw that Harry was being rather nonchalant about the situation so he offered him a few more words.

"I don't know if you realize what type of woman Tess Mercer is or what she's capable of," Oliver responded when he looked back at Harry.

Harry drummed his fingers on the side of the desk, when he half watched Claire on the other side.

"I understand what kind of woman Tess is and I understand what she may be capable of," Harry answered when he turned towards Oliver and looked into his eyes dead on, staring him down. "But I don't think you understand what kind of man I am and what I'm capable of."

Oliver thought so, he didn't know that much about Harry Potter himself, although Clark did vouch for him several times. Of course Clark would stick up for Harry, he was practically family and all that. Oliver offered Harry a spot in their group but he turned it down. Which was a shame as from what Oliver observed here at the Shining Light Foundation, Harry seemed to be a natural leader and would be perfect for leading that group of super heroes, but Harry once again claimed that he had little time on his hands.

"I'm sure you have plenty to things to say about Tess and I'm sure she has plenty things to say about you," Harry responded, cutting to the chase. "Whatever past you two have...it's in the past and it should remain there. I've got to worry about what I have to do in the present."

"And you do realize that there's some kind of super powered serial killer running loose in Metropolis," Oliver answered when he looked back at Harry.

"Believe me, Oliver, I realize that, and I'm taking steps to prepare the only person who can defeat him for his destiny," Harry answered when he looked away from him.

There was a very real possibility that Clark could die in this battle with Doomsday, that was a point that Karen, Kara, and Harry discussed previously. They did not want to bring this up to Clark because the last thing they needed was for him to start second guessing himself. That would end up getting him killed faster than anything else.

"So Clark is the only one who can stop him?" Oliver asked when he stood back and watched Harry. "I'm not sure what I find more vexing, the fact that you're putting this much faith in Clark or the fact that you put no faith in anyone else."

Harry did not even bother to respond, there were certain things that Oliver did not need to know, certain bits of inside information that he had that should not be thrown in the hands of others. That was something that Harry needed to keep under his hat to thrive and survive.

"I have faith in plenty of people but there are times where...we've got to look at things from a certain perspective and realize what must be done," Harry responded to Oliver.

That cryptic message seemed to not please Oliver but Harry was not in the business of pleasing people, he was in the business of figuring out what needed to be done for the good of everyone. It was not easy to make those decisions and he could tell that some might crack. Sure he bent a few rules along the way to get what he needed done but that was the way the ball bounced in this situation.

"I'm going to level with you, if Clark doesn't win this battle, the world is doomed," Harry answered when he looked out the window.

"He'll need all of the help that he can get to deliver the final crushing blow to this monster then," Oliver prompted.

Harry's eyes turned towards Oliver's and he stared him down. Oliver felt as if Harry was burning a hole through his head although if he had heat vision that could be more than possible if Oliver did not watch his step.

"I can count on you and your team to help."

Oliver's face contorted into a slight grin. "If there was any question about that, then you don't know my team at all."

"I hope you pack a lunch because Doomsday is not going to be any easy pickings," Harry responded when he shifted on his feet and took a mere moment to stare down Oliver. "Believe me, I wish this was much easier than it was, but it's not going to be easy. And he will roll over your team to get to the final battle with Clark, there's no question in my mind about it."

Oliver could tell that Harry was on his mind and he noticed what Harry's daughter was doing, she was shooting arrows at a target with expert precision. He turned towards Harry, a smile on his face.

"Girl has a good shot, if I'm ever in the market for a sidekick..."

"No, Oliver," Harry answered when he cut him off, shooting down that suggestion, even if it was not given too seriously.

Harry vowed to make sure Claire didn't have to fight any life endangering situations until she was thirty at least, maybe forty, he didn't want the life for her that he had. Where he had to worry about everything crashing down his head no matter what. The dark haired wizard stepped forward and watched Claire light the arrow on fire before she shot the flaming arrow into the target.

"Now that's something I can't quite do," Oliver responded when he watched.

"Maybe if Claire's ever in the market for a sidekick, she should look you up then," Harry responded with a slight smile when he looked back at Oliver. "As for what you said about Tess, I know how to handle women like her."

Oliver could take that statement anyway he wished and Harry was pretty sure that he did take that statement to heart in a certain way.

Claire walked around the Kent Farm while Karen, Kara, Chloe, and Harry talked about everything. She knew that Harry was in a relationship with all three of them but it didn't bother her at the slightest. Most girls her age might be a bit disturbed by something like that but Claire looked at things from a slightly different perspective.

She had three Moms which meant she was three times as awesome. At least that's what the perspective was in her mind, she was sure people would argue with her about that point but she found herself uncaring about the opinions of other people. She continued to walk around the farm happy and really not paying attention to anything.

"Raya's got this plan for Clark that will hopefully get him ready to defeat Doomsday," Kara responded when they walked across the farm. "It's a long shot but do we have any other shots right now?"

"We can weaken Doomsday up for Clark to jump in for the kill," Harry answered and the three of them nodded.

"Yeah, all our lifeline readers say is Clark has to be the one to kill him, it doesn't say what happens before that," Chloe responded when she placed her hands on her hips. "Of course, that lies the problem, Clark killing, he's always tried to avoid that."

"But we all know that something like that is unavoidable," Harry offered and Chloe nodded in response, they all did know that something like that was unavoidable.

Harry still considered the Killing Curse but there was so much that could go wrong with that.

The problem was that people like Clark, his upbringing, as Kara once said, was both his greatest strength and his greatest weakness. It was quite the paradox to be honest, with two sides of the same coin continued to be batted around.

Karen grinned when she saw Clark walking out on the barn. She caught eyes with Claire who was in on the little joke.

"Look Clark, I'm flying!" Claire yelled with a giggle when Karen levitated her into the air.

"Of course you are," Clark responded in a tense voice as Lois and Lana cracked up at the look on his face when they walked beside him.

Clark looked up in the sky, there was not a cloud in a sky, not a bird, or a plane even, but there was some mental block in his mind that prevented him from reaching his heights. There was a part of him that was still scared about potentially embracing his full Kryptonian heritage in a way that would allow him to take flight. Kara encouraged him to do so on his own time table but Clark felt inadequate when he was on the ground and everyone else could fly.

The last two times he embraced his full Kryptonian heritage, it nearly ended badly but at the same time Clark wondered if he should let go to his humanity. Maybe to beat a monster, he would become a monster.

He really hoped it would not have to come to that.

Lana sensed what Clark was thinking about.

"Clark, I know you're thinking that you have to become like him to defeat Doomsday, but trust me, there's other ways," Lana remarked when she put her arm around Clark .

"Yeah, we'll knock him around for a little bit, weaken him up, and you can knock him into the afterlife," Lois added in a pleased voice.

Killing was another problem, Kara told him that Clark had to be the one to kill Doomsday.

"It's time for you to learn a lesson that I hoped not to be the one to teach you and your father prayed that you never had to learn," Raya remarked when she stepped forward and placed her arms around Clark gently. She smiled when she looked in his face.

"How to kill?" Clark asked when he swallowed the lump in his throat but Raya stared back at him, shaking her head.

"Anyone can learn how to kill, it's a matter of knowing when to kill that is the skill you must master."

Clark did not really distinguish between the two points because he felt that there was always another way but Raya felt in time he would be able to distinguish between them, given enough time and perspective about the situation.

"Trust me Kal-El, as much as we wish there was another way, in war, there isn't, and against Doomsday, you are in war."

Raya looked back at Clark, hoping that he got the message.

"When will I know when the time is right to kill?" Clark asked, feeling that the entire nature of killing was going against everything he thought.

It was Kara who interjected with an answer of her own.

"It is an inner instinct that makes us realize that it's something that we need to do to save the life of hundreds, rather than doom them. It's something that we don't feel pleasure out of but we feel like its a necessity," Kara explained to him before she placed her hands on her hips and peered into Clark's eyes. "To me, that's the difference between wanting to kill and knowing when the right time was to kill."

Clark knew that his cousin would know better about killing people than most, given that the responsibilities that she had but it was not something that he took a drastic step to do.

"Clark, no one is going to judge you any differently if you...if you have to take a life to save hundreds or even thousands more," Lana responded to him and Lois decided to input with some words of her own.

"Yeah, war is hell but there's an entire world out there that is going to chew you up and spit you out if you don't do what is necessary out there."

Once again, Clark thought that they spoke the right words but it was something that he was not prepared to do. Yet, he would have to take these steps of what was necessary.

"It's not something that any of us take any great pleasure in doing," Harry added speaking up for the first time when he looked at Clark. "But there is something that needs to be done, if nothing else, so the lives of countless can be saved."

Clark noticed that particular point was drilled in the back of his head over and over again, the fact that there were many lives on the line and a knot formed in his stomach based on these thoughts. He thought about everything he got through and wondered if his training started much sooner than Jor-El even realized. Every single event in his life lead up to something but what that something was, Clark had no clue about.

"Is this the day that you embrace who you are?" Harry added when he looked at Clark and Clark opened his mouth to respond but Harry cut him off. "Only one person can answer that question and that is the very same person that looks back at you every single day when you wake up in the morning. The same person you see when you stare back in the mirror."

Harry came to that point of realization years ago when he figured out how killing was an ugly business and one that he accepted had to be done, even if he did not like it. Clark was coming to that same realization, much the agitation of him, Harry was sure.

"When the time is right and only when the time was right, you'll know," Harry added when he turned around to look into the distance.

Clark got the message loud and clear, Harry offered this advice as it prevent him from doing something that he regretted. At the same time, Clark was far closer than anyone, even Clark could have realized.

Of course, signs could be misread and theories could be wrong, that was one thing Harry understood better than anyone.

Tess made her way to the Shining Light Foundation, taking quick strides with a purpose but she stopped outside to go over what happened in her mind. The papers for Harry Potter buying into Luthorcorp had been signed, their partnership was merely a formality.

There were many instances where she thought she had all of the answers but people kept changing the questions. That was not something that Tess found endearing at all to her. She enjoyed being in control and if she was not in control, her mind tended to be agitated.

Harry Potter was someone who vexed her, he held the key to many mysteries and what was he doing? In some ways, she figured he was making the world a better place, call it a gut feeling that she had but in other ways, he seemed to be an enigma. Tess could come up with a hundred theories about what Harry Potter could be but none of them could be right, many of them could be off the mark.

She would find out, that was the type of person that Tess Mercer was. The files Lex had on her answered some questions and opened up the Pandora's Box for even more mysteries. The deeper she went in, the further she felt in over her head. The red haired woman walked up the stairs, a purpose flickered in her eyes.

She thought by now she would take the plunge and go inside, but something prevented Tess from taking that step inside, at least not yet.

The reports of more murders disturbed her a little bit, there were thirty deaths and none of them had a pattern which was even worse. It meant that they were acts of senseless violence, wanton destruction, the type of sadism that blackened the hearts of people. The police were no closer to capturing this person or people behind this than they were before, in fact, Tess wondered if they...no she could not think about it.

Someone had to stop them and Tess put together all the jigsaw puzzles together. The final statement of Lionel Luthor echoed through her head.

"Death will visit them all after the Doomsday."

No matter how many times Tess went over that statement in her mind, it was all the same, everything caused her to stand on her toes. Her breath hitched in her body and she spun around before making her way through the front doors of the Shining Light Foundation. Harry told her that if she needed to discuss anything with him, his doors were upon, but he would prefer that she come with a good explanation.

Tess intended to come with that good explanation when she continued to make strides with a purpose, thinking about what she would have to do to face Harry.

"Is Mr. Potter in?" Tess asked to the young girl at the desk, Megan, Tess thought her name was.

"One moment please, Miss Mercer," Megan responded when she moved over, peering over the glasses she wore, to maintain an air of being professional despite being barely older than eighteen. "Harry, Tess Mercer is here to see her."

"Tell her I'll be ready to see her in ten minutes," Harry answered without missing a beat.

Megan turned to Tess.

"I'll wait," Tess responded but at the same time, she tapped her foot on the ground, nonchalantly and carefully while she watched the seconds tick by.

X-X-X

"Very good Rachel, and that's where we stop for today," Harry responded when he was training Rachel to get a better hold of her powers. "You've actually got this more down than you think."

The sixteen year old half demon turned to Harry with half smile, coming from him, she appreciated these glowing words of praise.

"It's easier with each session we had," Rachel answered when she looked at Harry, peering into his green eyes before she shook her head and remained focused. "You're a very able teacher and these children here, I'm sure they appreciate what you're doing as well."

"Yes, I'm sure you are as well," Harry answered and Rachel nodded before she took a long look at Harry, it was hard to convey her emotions into words.

Especially when such emotions could get the better of her but before she could say anything, a knock was on the door.

"I'll talk to you later, Rachel," Harry responded and Rachel made her own way out, knowing that business called and she would be a burden there.

Harry opened the door to allow Tess to enter the office. The woman walked inside, tall and proud before she took a moment to look at Harry. He seemed to be in the midst of a rather intense work out and Tess heard another girl's voice from in there.

"I trust I'm not interrupting anything," Tess remarked to break the silence when she looked around his office.

"No, you're not interrupting anything," Harry responded when he offered her a chair to sit down and she took it. Harry sat behind his desk so he could look Tess in the eyes.

"So is your better half around?" Tess asked when she looked over her shoulder.

"Kara is off on a business matter, she'll be back before too long," Harry responded and Tess knew that that was going to be all of the information that she would get out of Harry at this time. "I've heard that you've been busy. There have been rumors that you've been checking up on my background."

"Depends on who you've heard these rumors from," Tess answered, when she looked Harry dead on in the eyes. "If you've heard them from a certain archer playboy, you should know that he's got hang ups of his own that I don't think he'd want me spilling to you."

"I know there are three sides to every story," Harry responded when Tess took the cup of coffee Harry offered her. She sniffed it, to make sure there was no tell tale signs of poison. Not that she expected Harry to poison her but one did not deal with dangerous people without being a little careful. "There's the perspective of Person A, the perspective of Person B, and there's the truth. The truth is somewhere in the middle, although it might lean closer to one side, as opposed to the other."

Tess allowed this all to sink in when she drank her coffee.

"Call what I'm doing due diligence, but I must say, your life seems about as dull as sitting in Luthorcorp stockholders meetings," Tess responded, choosing her words carefully. She had not been able to find anything concrete other than boring mundane facts.

"Sorry to disappoint," Harry answered when he flashed her a slight smile that caused Tess to lose focus of what she was doing but only for the moment. "You didn't come here for chatter, did you?"

Tess shook her head. "No, I didn't, I came here with the problem. The serial killer...I trust you've heard about him."

"Yes, I did," Harry agreed when he slid out the papers. "They're talking about how this is some super...meteor-infected person."

Tess could tell that the word they used were rather different but she also could tell that Harry shared her skepticism about the true nature of this monster. She peered back into Harry's eyes, taking a look into his emerald orbs for a brief moment before she adjusted her thoughts.

"I've been through several notes that Lionel Luthor left behind," Tess responded with Harry turning around, his full attention was on Tess. He wondered if Lionel wrote about his knowledge of Clark's secret and that fact made Harry nervous about what Tess knew. He would assume that she knew nothing but also assume she knew everything. Harry would act like he knew nothing until she said something and than he would be fully aware of what she said. Tess allowed these words to sink in before she looked at Harry. "He knew that this monster was going to come to pass, it's more than a mere monster."

"Much more," Harry agreed when he shifted on his desk. "But does he realize what will happen if he's not stopped."

"It must be the traveler," Tess added when she peered back at Harry.

"The traveler?" Harry asked, feigning ignorance but Tess did not buy it for a second.

"Yes, you and I both know who I'm referring to," Tess responded when she shifted through the notes she took.

"Do we?" Harry fired back, keeping his statements vague and short.

"Yes, we do," Tess agreed when she looked at Harry. "And I understand that while he must be the one...it doesn't matter what happens to the monster before the final blow is delivered."

Tess ran her finger over the top of the coffee cup, and the intensity in her eyes could not be denied. Harry matched her with the same intensity.

"You're not the only one who has been helping out the meteor infected, as you know," Tess responded when Harry cupped his hand to his chin and nodded. "And some people decided not to find help at the Shining Light Foundation, instead they moved to other...less than able venues and thus got themselves in trouble."

Harry knew what Tess referred to, it seemed like much to his agitation, the powers of some twisted them around the bend, to the point where they could not function in society.

"I've got a team and got them a second chance," Tess responded when she looked at Harry. "I've taken certain precautions."

Harry had a grim idea what she meant by precautions.

"Of course, your insight is valuable, given what you might know and I think you have more puzzle pieces to this entire mess than any of us," Tess mused, but Harry did not confirm nor deny any theory. She had no need for him, she saw enough in his eyes. "I'm proposing an alliance, we find the killer, take him down and...allow the traveler to deliver the crushing blow, providing he has it in him."

"He will," Harry added.

"I hope he does something to earn your confidence," Tess answered when she extended her hand outwards to shake. "If we combine our resources we could put a stop to this."

Harry grabbed her hand and shook it, but he remained an intense eye contact with her. Tess found herself lost in his eyes the more he looked back at her.

The alliance was on but would it be enough?

Harry knew that there was a chance this plan could go south, which was why he had a contingency up his sleeve in case Tess's team did something unpredictable like power-crazed meteor mutants might.

There was nothing that Harry was not willing to do to make sure everything went smoothly and he suspected that Tess had the same ambitions.

To Be Continued in the Next Arc "Alliance."