I squeezed this chapter between cough fits and a very bad case of flu. I'm not sure how I feel about it.

Chapter 13 - Humanity

"Your father is scared, Claire." Grandma was saying.

And why did everyone kept saying that?

"He's scared about losing you." Said grandpa, smiling to her after giving her a few more napkins to clean up her nose.

She had cried a lot these last days, including now, after pouring out her feelings to her grandparents.

"He's not ashamed by you, I doubt that." Said Martha. "And if he is, I will put him in my lap, Superman or not, and give him a few slaps in the butt for that. But he isn't."

Claire managed to laugh at the mental image.

"He loves you more than anything, sweetie." She continued. "The fact that he lets Conner out there and you don't says nothing. He told you himself: his enemies know about Superboy. They don't know about you. And, we all know he cares about Conner just the same, but we can't tell he loves him the same way he loves you. At least not yet."

To that, Claire looked at her, confused. Martha smiled.

"Conner is your brother. He's our grandson. And he's Clark's son. Of that, no one has any doubts. But he came into the world three months ago. It's not enough to build a true and strong paternal love towards him. I believe Clark cares about him, worries about him, and may be starting to love him already. But you, sweetie… he raised you. He was responsible for your conception. I'm not saying it's more important, but…"

"You saying he had more time with me." She completed, understanding. "So he learned how to love me while raising me, while I was growing."

"Yes. He's doing the same thing with Conner now. He'll love him someday. Maybe someday soon. But right now, you're his priority."

Claire sighed and closed her eyes. "I know all that, grandma. But I wish he knew I'm not a baby anymore. I'm not a child. I can defend myself. He's even teaching me how!"

"Then talk to him, honey." She said, calmly. "But talk to him with arguments. Tell him why. Maybe he'll finally listen to you."

"What if he doesn't?"

Jonathan and Martha shared another look, and Jonathan was the one who answered this time.

"Then maybe you'll have to make him listen. But talk to him first."

She looked at them and nodded, promising to at least think about the subject. They hugged her, sent her to the living room and went to clean up the kitchen, still messed up from lunch – they had spent the last hour talking, the TV on mute so not to disturb them.

From what Claire could see, the gigantic plants were still causing havoc around the world. The news would pop up every thirty minutes or less, in the middle of the normal programs, and give them an update. She decided she wouldn't come back to Metropolis that day.

Going to her room, she picked her cellphone from her back pocket and texted her dad and Conner to let them know where she was. In the middle of an attack like that, it would be inconsiderate if they got home and she wasn't there.

'I came to Smallville after the plants started to grow. I'll be spending today and tomorrow here. Don't worry about me, I'm fine. Take care of yourselves. Love you both. – Claire."

She sent them the same message and then snuggled into the comforters, ready to take a nap. It had been an exhausting morning and she needed some break, because after that, she was going to have to make a decision. A very important and hard decision.

~.~

After the Injustice League was handled, Clark and Conner arrived to an empty home. Before freaking out, though, Clark looked at his phone, finding Claire's message. Conner, apparently, hadn't thought about that and was looking at him with an almost panicked expression.

"Claire is in Smallville. She went there when the plants started growing. She sent us a message." He said.

Conner sighed in relief, but didn't say much.

"Is she coming back today?" he asked. "Are you going to pick her up?"

"She said she'll be spending the weekend." Clark sighed, running his free hand over his hair. "I'll call her tomorrow and see if she wants for me to pick her up."

Conner nodded. They spent a few seconds in silence. Both still in their costumes, since Clark had flown them from the zeta tube straight to their living room.

"I'm going to shower and then make us some dinner." Clark said, smiling a little to his younger son, trying to quell the uneasy feeling and worry about his oldest out of his mind for a while. She was okay for now.

"Okay…" Conner said. "I'll shower and help you."

They went their separate ways, ready to do just that. Their relationship at home – without Claire as a buffer – sometimes was awkward still, but Clark had faith things were going to be better with time. They had to.

~.~

They ate mostly in silence, each lost in their thoughts. Conner was trying to find a way to talk to Clark about Claire, without his dad being mad at him. Clark, lost in his own thoughts, didn't realize the frail breath his son took before gathering the courage to ask.

"Why don't you let Claire be a superhero?"

Clark paused with the fork halfway to his mouth, and then put it down. He sighed.

"She always told me she would be a doctor. That she wanted to help people a different way. I was more than okay with that, but then she apparently changed her mind."

"She told me something like that when I first got here." Conner remembered.

"Yes… But I can see she wants to be a hero, too. If you're wondering."

"Then why not let her?" Conner asked. "Why not at least tell about her to your friends in the League?"

"My friends in the League know about her."

"All of them?"

Clark grimaced, and Conner sighed, asking again:

"Why, dad?"

Clark looked at him, and suddenly Conner could see the worry, the love and the insane amount of doubts his dad had.

"Because I'm scared," he admitted, making Conner surprised. "Ever since I saw her for the first time, she became the most important thing in my life. And I have many enemies. People without any moral code who would kill her just to make a point. I…" he gulped. "I can't lose her. I'd go mad."

He stayed in silence, wanting to ask why he was allowed, then, but thought it wouldn't be fair. No matter how much they acted and treated him like he was family, Conner knew he really wasn't. He was a clone, a weapon made to fulfill the will of the Light, and despite the fact that he knew Clark and Claire cared about him, he also knew he didn't have the same bond with them. Most importantly: he knew Clark didn't love him, not the way he loved his daughter.

But it was okay, he forced himself to think. It was okay because their situation was very special, and Clark treated him like a son, and they were bonding. Maybe one day, he could feel the same amount of love that Clark gave Claire towards himself. For now, he could deal with being the "less favorite" son.

"You are different in this." Clark started again, taking Conner out of his musings. "By now my enemies know about you. They might notice that we have a relationship like father and son soon, and they might use you to come to me, but… I can't really do anything about that."

"So you're keeping Claire out of the hero business to protect her?"

Clark sighed.

"Yes. I keep telling her that, too. But I feel like it's not enough anymore."

"She can take care of herself, dad…" he tried. "Maybe it's time to let her?"

Clark looked at him intently for what it felt like a whole minute.

"You talked to her."

It wasn't a question.

"I did." He answered truthfully. "She's disappointed. I guess seeing me with the Team makes her sad."

Clark sighed. "I… Noticed she wasn't herself these days."

"She's trying to hide, but… She's hurt. And I… I think you should talk to her. Really talk to her."

Clark put his head in his hands, looking tired and sad, and Conner hated to be the one to do that to him. But remembering his sister's words from the day before, he forced himself not to regret his words.

"And maybe you could rethink the whole decision of not letting her out? I mean, you are training us, dad. And if she wants to be a hero… she'll find a way to be."

Clark looked at him for a few more moments before sighing again.

"Maybe you're right. I… have to think this through."

He nodded, wanting to have an answer, but he knew it was too son yet.

Clark didn't talk anymore, and Conner respected his silence. He helped his dad clean the kitchen and they went to their rooms, and Conner just had to believe everything was going to be alright in the end.

~.~

The Team met Zatanna in the end of a training day with Canary. Her father, Zatara, didn't like the idea of Zatanna out there fighting, and her situation was very alike his sister's. He wanted to introduce them, but didn't know if it was the right thing. At least not yet.

They 'kidnapped' Zatanna to go after Tornado, and it turned out to be a very good decision. She helped them fight the Tornado family, and together they defeated the Red Volcano – Tornado newest brother – and brought Tornado home. He was going to need repairs, and the League was working on that, but at least now they knew Tornado wasn't a mole, and he was alright.

Well, things were mostly alright. They still didn't know who was the mole in the team – if there really was one – and they needed to figure it out.

But until then, they were alright.

So, thoughts? Don't forget to review!

And as usual, tell me if you find any mistakes, so I can improve my writing.

And thank you for putting up with my ridiculous schedule for posting this fic. I'll try to be better.

xo