Chapter 4

The next few days are madness and you know what pisses off Clark the most is that Oliver did this without telling him. And not just him but Bart, Victor, Dinah, AC also. Perhaps you can throw in Zatanna and John too. Did it ever occur to Oliver that his choice does not affect him alone? It affects all of them. It raises the chance of someone clever putting together some pieces and deducing the links they all have with Oliver.

But has Clark confronted Oliver about it?

No.

Mainly because there are press camped outside Oliver's apartment and even he, for all his speed, would have trouble not being spotted.

Ok, that is not all. He also has a lot on his mind. Two main things being what that dark entity said and the fears and doubts it raised up and second, of course, his upcoming dinner with Andrea where he hopes to sort out at least some access to his daughter.

Truth is he has no idea how this is going to go. He knew Andrea for what? A few hours. He has little idea who she really is.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready for your date-I mean 'not-date' with Mamá?" one particularly irritatingly smug voice asks the question.

"Superspeed," is his one word reply to his daughter who is walking up the stairs to the loft of the barn where Clark is sitting at the moment.

"It is handy," Mia remarks as she leans against the post at the top of the stairs, folding her arms across her chest. "Though since I'm only half-Kryptonian I inherited the watered-down version of your powers."

Clark's brow furrows slightly. Now he thinks on it has he ever clarified exactly what it is she can and cannot do.

"I was thinking…"

"That statement's always trouble," Clark rumbles.

Mia's response is to stick her tongue out at him.

"How old are you again?"

"Blow me," she blows a raspberry.

"You were saying," Clark prompts her, not wishing to start a spat right this second.

"I was saying that if you're going to be in Coast City tonight then maybe the 'Maiden of Might' should cover your hero duties in Metropolis," she proposes.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea. Not with all the controversy Oliver has stirred up."

"Is that why you haven't been doing it these last few days?"

"…Yeah," he says after a delay because the actual answer is no. Ok, it's half a truth. The other half…does he want to confess to his daughter just how much that entity got under his skin?

No. No, he does not. He doesn't want her to know his doubts. He doesn't want to lower himself in her opinion of him. Call it ego if you want.

"Just so you know I didn't know Oliver Queen was going to do that. Or at least I didn't know the date he did it. I think I vaguely recall it from when I was a kid but I didn't watch much news when I was 4, you know."

"I get it," Clark accepts her explanation.

"Still, back to myself going out into Metropolis, don't people right now need to be shown that heroes aren't dangerous or a menace but people with good intentions doing what they can to protect the innocent?"

"You're my age," Clark reflects.

"So how did I get so wise?"

Clark nods.

Mia shrugs. "Not everyone is as lucky as you to grow up on a farm, Papá," she says, her tone carrying a certain weight to it. And sadness.

Clark looks the young woman intently. Annoyance swells up inside him. Not at her but the fact, again, he is being reminded that in her timeline he wasn't there. He ends up relenting. "Just promise me you'll be careful. That dark force, whatever it is, is still out there somewhere."

"No problemo, Papá!" she says cheerfully.

"That's not Spanish," he points out, giving her a look.

"No but it annoyed the hell out of Mamá when I did it," she states proudly.

"And here I thought you were a shy, polite child," he murmurs.

Mia snorts with laughter. "Perhaps around strangers I was but Mamá was well, Mamá."

Clark gives her a short, sad smile. He wouldn't know. Not what Andrea is like. Nor even his own daughter. Whatever happens tonight he has to ensure he at least can get Andrea to agree to let him be part of Mia's life.

Coast City…

"Thank you for looking after Mia tonight, Penny" Andrea is saying to her neighbour who lives on the floor above herself as she drops her daughter off.

"Oh hey, no problem," the blond 20-something says in return as Mia hugs her legs. She smiles and ruffles the little girl's hair. "She's a little angel."

"Yes. She is."

"Besides I consider it my Samaritan's duty to let you get back on the dating scene after all these years."

"It's not been that long," Andrea mutters. "Also, it's not a date," she argues.

"Noooo, of course not," Penny says sarcastically. "It's just dinner with a guy. The fact you've never done that since the day I first met you says absolutely nothing."

"Why are we friends again?"

"Because I helped you up the stairs with your groceries that one time?"

"Which wouldn't have happened if they would just fix the damn elevator."

"Yeah. That'll be the day. By the way you were here before me what happened to it?"

"It was broken when I moved in."

"Seriously? What the hell are we paying that service charge for?"

"I don't know." Andrea takes a breath. "Do I look alright?"

Penny smiles at the question. Yeah, sure, it's not a date. "You look dynamite, sweetie."

The Latino woman nods in satisfaction. She was not overly dressed. A nice top, one of her nicer skirts. After all it wasn't anywhere fancy she was meeting up with Clark.

"So, before you go I have two quick questions," the blond raises.

"Ok."

"Who is this guy and when do I meet him?"

"Ugh. It's not a date, Penny."

"Now why don't I believe you?"

"You have a one-track mind?"

"Hey!" Penny protests. "That's not true."

Andrea rolls her eyes and bends down to say goodbye to her daughter. "Now be good for Penny, sweetheart. I'll see you soon."

Mia runs into her mother's arms and hugs her. "Miss you, Mamá!"

"I'll miss you too," the super-strong metahuman says before standing up and heading for the door.

Penny follows her out into the hallway. "Seriously, Andi, why are you being all mysterious about this guy?"

"Can you keep a secret?" Andrea asks, while looking around.

"Course I can."

"He's Mia's father."

Penny's face goes like thunder. "So, the deadbeat finally shows up, huh," she says with real anger on Andrea's behalf.

"He…he's not a deadbeat, Penny," Andrea finds herself saying in Clark's defence.

"Really? Because I've never seen him around," she argues, folding her arms across her chest.

"That would be because I never told him I was pregnant."

That catches the blond woman off-guard. "You didn't? Why not? Is he horrible or something?"

"No. He's not horrible but…we didn't have anything together. It was a one-night stand. I wasn't as careful as I should have been," the brunette woman confesses.

"Oh, yeah. I've totally been there. Guess I was luckier than you."

Andrea gives the blond woman a hard look.

"Not that Mia isn't great, the apple of your eye, the cream in your coffee etc etc," Penny says hastily.

Andrea shakes her head, reluctantly finding herself amused by her friend's antics.

"So why now? Why are you seeing him now?" Penny wonders.

"He…um…ran into a…mutual acquaintance who mentioned I was a mother and he put it together from Mia's age. He came to see me a few days ago wanting to be part of Mia's life."

"Oh. He sounds alright."

"I guess he is."

"You going to let him into your and Mia's life?"

"I haven't decided yet. I guess I'll see what he has to say tonight."

"Sounds sensible. And Andi, if you need advice I'm here for you," Penny assures her friend.

Andrea smiles warmly. "Thank you, Penny," she says genuinely, startling the woman with a hug.

"Squeezing too hard, sweetie," Penny strains to say.

"Sorry," the brunette says, pulling back. "Don't know my own strength sometimes," she tries to pass it off as a joke.

Yeah, she's not kidding. Penny almost felt like her ribs were being crushed. "Also, if he's a douche I know many, many forms of revenge."

"I'll keep it in mind," Andrea says with a grin.

"Well, you better get going."

"Yeah. You have my cell number if…"

"Yes," Penny cuts her off with a smile.

"She's been fed. No snacks please."

"I'll think about it."

"I should be back before her bedtime but if not…"

"Not my first rodeo, sweetie."

"And please don't let Mia interact with those two weirdos," Andrea requests, jabbing her thumb at the door behind her of Penny's neighbours.

"They're not weirdos," the blond defends them.

Andrea arches a sceptical eyebrow.

"Ok, yes they are," Penny concedes. "But they're good people…mostly."

"I'll take your word for it," the brunette says as she heads for the stairs.

"Have a good night! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

"It's not a date!"

"Uh huh. Suuurreee!"

"Ay Dios mio!"

Clark waits outside the diner Andrea had proposed for them to meet at. He brushes some imaginary dust off his shirt. One of his nicest ones. He doesn't pay any heed to why he put that much effort in.

It was a nice night and as the name implies this city sits right on the Californian coast. You can smell the sea air. Or at least he can.

His attention is drawn to a taxi pulling up. It's her. He straightens up as he waits the few moments for Andrea to pay the driver and exit the vehicle.

"Hey," he greets her and internally cringes at how lame that much sounded.

"Hi. You been waiting long?" the brunette asks, making polite chit-chat.

Clark shakes his head. "No."

"Shall we go in?" she proposes, trying to hide her nervousness behind a smile.

Clark nods and the two enter and sit across from each other at a booth.

"Hope this is ok? I'm not a fan of fancy. It was this or the Cheesecake Factory and I have irritating neighbours who go there I would rather avoid," she ends up babbling.

Clark smiles gently. "It's fine, Andrea. I'm a farmboy at heart. I prefer simple."

Andrea smiles slightly.

"How's Mia?" he inquires.

"She's fine. How about your end? How's Mia?"

"Lacking anything to do since she her only valid identity in this period is as a 4-year-old. I really need to do something about that."

"Forgive me if I still have a hard time wrapping my head around that."

"Me too actually despite the fact I see her every day."

The waitress comes over and takes their orders.

"So how about you, Andrea? How are you?" Clark wonders.

"Me? I'm good."

"You still in reporting?"

"Ah, no. When I got set up here Chloe strongly advised that I keep a low profile. I work in a coffee shop."

"Chloe?"

Andrea nods.

Clark shakes his head. He guessed she was involved but never knew how much. When he finds her they are so going to have a long talk.

"How is Chloe?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen her in a while. She's…out the country," is what Clark comes up with since he can't really discuss the truth.

"Oh," Andrea says, her brow furrowing. She liked Chloe. She hopes the blond is ok. The waitress brings their drinks. "What are you up to these days?" she reciprocates the question.

Clark takes a sip of his drink. "I…uh…work at the Planet."

"Really?"

He nods.

"I'm flattered. I think," she says, making a slight face.

Clark chooses to take that in good humour. "Well, the reasons you worked there apply to me as well," he points out because Andrea was there due to the Planet being a hub where information flows in about what is happening in the city. It helped her in her vigilante days and the same is true for him.

"You enjoying it?"

"Mostly."

"Mostly?"

"The partners I keep getting assigned with can be…trying."

"Ah."

"Yeah," he murmurs. "So can we talk about Mia now?"

"I suppose we should," she says.

"I meant what I said a few days ago, Andrea. I want to be part of Mia's life."

"Why?"

Clark frowns. "What do you mean, why?"

"It's a legitimate question," she defends it.

"I'm her father. What other reason do I need?"

Andrea snorts rudely. "Yeah? My father walked out on my mother and I when I was 7, Clark. He didn't give a damn about any of that parental responsibility stuff."

Clark's face softens. "I'm sorry that happened to you."

"I don't want your pity," she says extremely defensively.

"It's not pity, Andrea. I'm also not your father. You know what else it is not?"

"No."

"It's not about me. It's about Mia. You want to know why she came back to this time?"

Andrea looks at him closely.

"Because she wanted to meet me. She's 24 and never had the chance to and this is only a matter of opinion on my part, I admit, but it seems to me that Mia feels like she lost something. Had something missing from her life. So, you can refuse to let me part of our daughter's life if you want to Andrea but before you do, please think about that. Think about on what you are denying Mia."

Silence emanates from the brunette as she chews over his words.

Metropolis…

Speaking of Mia, she smashes through a window 5 stories up of an apartment building on fire before flying out carrying out 2 young children and returning them to their parents. Then she is clotheslining a thief trying to escape from the jewellery store he was robbing. Next, she is breaking heads as she intervenes in a shootout between two gangs in the midst of a turf war. Bullets bounce off her as she ends this war before anyone is killed. Her night continues as she rips a car apart freeing its occupants after a car accident, allowing the first responders to attend to the passengers within.

Mia smiles at how well her night is going. Her smile falters slightly when she spots amongst the onlookers one Lois Lane giving her a disapproving look she has seen before on the same (albeit older) face in her own time.

Before the press hordes can descend upon her, she rises up into the air and flies off towards the Watchtower. She flies in through the window and lands on the floor. She sits herself down in a chair and turns her attention to the computer she had left performing a task for her.

Mia leans in closer than necessary. "Now then, where are you, you little psychotic bitch?" she murmurs under her breath, real seething anger barely contained in her tone because this is the main reason she travelled back in time. Yes, absolutely, she wanted to meet her father. Yes, she wanted to earn his trust because she wanted him to bring her to this place. The Watchtower had the technology and access to the databases she needs to find her target and once she does…well once she has found the psycho bitch who took everything from her then her life, her Mamá's, her Papá's…it will all be better. Just you wait and see.

Coast City…

After dinner Clark and Andrea walk along the waterfront. This is mainly so they can air thoughts they couldn't do surrounded by people at the diner.

"I need to know why, Andrea. Why you didn't tell me about Mia?"

"I told you. I didn't want to go to jail. I didn't deserve to. Not for killing that piece of garbage."

"Andrea you've only seen a fraction of what I'm capable of. You really think Chloe's intervention could have stopped me finding you if I really wanted to?"

"Are you saying you let me go?"

"I'm saying I know how you felt, Andrea. I understand why you thought killing your mother's murderer was the answer because I've been in that place."

"Your dad?"

"No. Her name was Alicia. She was someone I cared for a lot and she was killed. I hunted down her killer and I wanted nothing more than to end his life. I had my hands around his throat and…" He stops, turns and ends up leaning on the railings.

Andrea steps up beside him. "And?"

"And if I hadn't been talked down I think I would have squeezed," Clark confesses.

Andrea stares at him, his face only lit by the streetlights, emotion wrought deep on his face.

"You know what angered me the most. It was that I couldn't talk you down the way I was."

"Clark…you couldn't have. Trust me. Nothing you would have said could have reached me. I wasn't listening to anything except my own pain, grief and rage."

"And now?"

"Now…the rage is gone. The pain…"

"Never goes away," Clark knows because he still feels it deep inside.

"No."

"I don't think I ever wanted to throw you in jail, Andrea. I did want to stop you before all that rage consumed you and turned you into something dark. I guess I wanted to save you," he says with a small, lame laugh. "I'm sorry I couldn't," he apologises.

Andrea swallows hard as emotion threatens to rise up. That touches something deep inside her. She reaches over and places her hand atop his. "Don't be sorry, Clark. It wasn't your fault," she finds herself telling him. "In the end it was all me. My choices. My actions. My…obsession. It was the only way I had to cope with my grief."

"I'm the poster boy on how not to deal with grief so I'm not going to lecture you there. What I will say is that learning I've had a daughter for 4 years and her existence being kept from me is its own version of pain and loss."

"I…didn't know what to do Clark. If I told you…I can't give you the answer you want because I don't know why. Unless you want lame excuses?" she points out because in all honesty that is all she has. Excuses.

Clark takes a moment. He won't lose his temper. He won't. "I'll let it go, Andrea. For Mia's sake I'll let it go because the most important thing I want is to be her dad. Compared to that…my anger at you means nothing."

Andrea is stunned by that. If their positions had been reversed, she doesn't think she could have let it go. Oh. Realisation strikes her that to deny Clark access to Mia when's he willing to not hold her to account would make her really selfish. Maybe that's why she didn't tell him? She doesn't want to share her daughter? Except Mia is their daughter, isn't she? Deep down she knows the correct answer. "Yes."

Clark turns to look at the brunette intently, hope blazing in his expression. "Yes?"

"Yes, Clark. You can be part of her life. Not that I know how we'll make it work. God, how do I even go about telling her who you are?" she asks the ether.

"Has she ever asked about me?"

"She's old enough to notice that other children have fathers but she's not directly asked no. Though I know one day she will. At least I can give her an answer now."

"I want to help, Andrea in any way I can."

Andrea shakes her head slightly. "You're too good for this world, Clark," she remarks at the way he has behaved since this started.

"I'm not a saint, Andrea."

"Oh, I definitely know that. After all that's how we got into this mess in the first place," she says with a wicked grin.

Clark flushes involuntarily.

"Look. I don't think we should just come out and tell Mia the truth right off. Perhaps she needs to get to know you a bit first. Are you free next weekend?"

"Sure."

"Then how about next Sunday we spend time together. All three of us."

Clark smiles. "I would like that."

"Though what about adult Mia?" Andrea wonders about.

"Though I have travelled through time I'm no expert on it but I doubt it's a good idea for the two Mias to interact with each other."

"God, that is still so weird to even think about," the brunette shakes her head in disbelief. "Though you sure she really is Mia?"

"I haven't seen anything to contradict her claim, no but maybe one day the two of you should meet. You' d probably be able to tell better than me if she is our daughter."

Andrea can see the logic behind that. "So, I guess we should call it a night."

"I guess so," he agrees, albeit a tad reluctantly and turns round properly to face her. "I did have a nice night, Andrea."

"So did I. Then again since I pegged us trying to kill each other that is a low bar," she jokes.

Clark takes the joke as it is meant. He also did mean it about it being a nice night. When they were just sitting chatting over their meal on topics other than their daughter it was fun. "I'll see you next Sunday then. Just call me with the time and place."

"I will."

"Then goodnight, Andrea."

"Goodnight, Clark," she says in return as she watches him walk off. She may have joked but that did go far better than she thought it would. Clark was far easier to talk to than she thought. She may even say she had fun. Certainly, it was the best date she has had in ages.

The brunette's eyes widen slightly. What did she just think? No. Not a date, dammit!

Ugh. That's all Penny's fault, putting that word in her head because it was most assuredly not a date. No siree. And no little voice at the back of head saying otherwise is going to change her mind about it.

Author's Note: This is just mostly filler bridging between Supergirl and Homecoming. Though did reveal a little more as to why Mia came back in time. And geez that Penny person seems sorta familiar don't she. Wonder where I got her from? Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews.