Chapter 9

A few weeks since the 'Isis' incident and for the first time Andrea and Mia were coming to visit Clark in Smallville instead of him visiting them in Coast City. He had not wished for Andrea to go through the effort of travelling all the way to Kansas but she pointed out that she had a holiday due and also desired for Mia to get away from the city and out in the country.

Clark had gotten to know Andrea enough to realise when she had made her mind up about something so he turned to making what time he could spend with them as much fun for his daughter as possible.

When he got assigned by Tess to cover a local Cherry Festival, Andrea and Mia ended up accompanying him so here the small family are driving through rural Kansas. The radio is on and it is currently covering the anti-vigilante rally that is taking place today in Metropolis.

It doesn't take long before Clark shuts it off, a frown on his face.

"Surprised you weren't assigned to cover that," Andrea mentions.

"Cat got it," he rumbles.

Andrea looks at him curiously. His tone was off. "I've read your work. You're a better writer than she is."

"You think so?" Clark asks, slight surprise in his voice.

"Yeah."

"Thanks."

"Also didn't you mention that Cat was your partner?"

"Yes."

"So, you're going to cover a Cherry Festival by yourself, why?"

Clark sighs and confesses. "I requested it."

"Again, I ask why?"

"Because Cat is pro the Vigilante Registration Act and I really don't want to have to listen to her rant on vigilantes all day."

"Ah. I see."

"I wish there was something more I could do to stop it."

"Like speak out?"

"Perhaps…but that would mean going public like Oliver. I don't know," he admits he just doesn't know right now how to counter all this anti-vigilante propaganda.

Honestly Andrea doesn't know either. She has a fission of worry that despite being out of the vigilante game for years that this Act might even apply to her. She must admit since Clark came back into her life she's been paying far more attention to that world than she did before. She glances behind her into the back seat where Mia sits just to check on her.

That's when there are two loud pops and the car veers off the road.

"You alright?" Clark asks Andrea.

The brunette nods just as cries emanate from the child in the back. Andrea is out the car is like a shot, opening the back door and gathering Mia into her arms. "Shh, shh," she tries and soothes her upset baby girl as she checks her over. She is massively relieved when she finds no sign of any injuries.

"Is she ok?" the father asks with great concern.

"I think so," Andrea replies before she notices a strange flash of electric-blue in his eyes.

"She's fine. I don't see any internal injuries."

"I'm sorry, what?" she asks, understandable baffled.

"Oh," Clark says, suddenly realising that he's never explained the full extent of his powers yet to her. "I…uh…have x-ray vision."

Andrea looks at him, her brow crinkling. "X-ray vision?"

"Yeah."

"You're serious," she gets from his tone and expression.

Clark nods.

"You can see through objects?"

"Yes."

"Can Mia do that? Will do that? You know what I mean."

"No. From what she told me she didn't inherit any of my visual abilities."

"Abilities? As in plural? More than one?"

Clark shrugs with an 'aw shucks' expression.

"You're really different from the run of the mill meteor freak, aren't you?"

Clark sighs. "Yeah, we're really trying to get away from using the f-word. The technical term is metahuman," he informs her as he moves off to look over the car for damage, avoiding getting to the part where he has to tell her he's not a metahuman. He's really not ready to have that conversation just yet.

Andrea eyes Clark carefully. They've never really discussed it…or more accurately she's never really asked about his abilities but she's a very observant person. It's what made her quite a good reporter, admittedly in her own opinion. It means she's noticed in all the stories about the Blur and what Clark himself has let slip from time to time that he possesses a vast array of powers that goes beyond what seems like the norm for those altered by the meteor rocks.

The Latino woman won't lie and say she hasn't been curious nor will she deny she's had a desire to just come out and ask him straight about it. Perhaps the her of 5-years ago would have but she guesses motherhood has mellowed her out…or perhaps she's afraid of the answer.

She gently rocks Mia in her arms as she walks over next to Clark. "A double blowout?" she queries at seeing the 2 flat tyres.

"I didn't even see what we hit," Clark admits as he glances backwards along the road momentarily.

"Let me guess, there's only one spare, right?"

"I'm afraid so," he replies as he gets his phone out. They're going to have to call for some roadside assistance. Only one problem. "There's no signal."

"Did you anger some deity or something?"

"There are days I wonder," he rumbles in reply. "I can at least change one of them," he decides as he heads for the trunk to get the spare out.

"Do you need any help?" she asks him as she continues to rock Mia who has markedly calmed down now and is simply cuddling into her mother.

"No. It's okay. I've got it," he replies as he lifts the car up with one hand and swaps the tyre over with the other, loosening and tightening the nuts with his fingers. He walks back round the car, carrying the flat trye, frowning as he examines the puncture hole but before he can think about it too much…

"Oh, praise the Lord. You're okay."

The small family turn to find a girl standing there. Perhaps a young teenager in age, dressed in something kinda Amish looking. Looking behind her she had clearly been manning the roadside stall that was selling Lemonade.

"Yeah, we're fine," Clark replies. "It's nothing a mechanic can't fix. Do you know where there's one nearby?" he asks.

"Um, up the road a bit, In Meeker Springs," she answers.

"Thanks," he expresses his gratitude to the girl. He turns to Andrea. "So…"

"You go get the tyre fixed and we'll wait here," she finishes.

"You sure?"

"Of course. I can take care of myself, you know," Andrea says, annoyance underlaying her tone.

"I know, I know. Can't help it. It's the old fashioned farmboy in me," he excuses himself with a lopsided grin.

Andrea gives him a look while the girl in her arms giggles.

"See. She understands," he says proudly, pointing at Mia.

Andrea rolls her eyes. The more time she has started to spend with Clark, the more of him she has started to see in her daughter. "Shoo. Get out of here," she waves him away. In reality this is the most practical approach.

Clark begins to walk up the road, carrying the flat tyre with him, until he is out of sight and then zooms off.

"Would you and your daughter like some lemonade?" the girl asks politely. "It's freshly squeezed."

"Um, yes. Thank you, um…?"

"Charlotte, Ma'am."

"Charlotte. Thank you."

The girl nods and heads back to her stall while Andrea places Mia down and the two walk hand in hand towards the stall…which she can now clearly see is a buggy. There's even a horse here.

"Here you go!" Charlotte says, sounding overly cheerful as she hands over two glasses.

Andrea takes a sip. "That's really good," she has to admit.

"It's the water. It comes from a very special spring."

Andrea nods as she drinks more. It's a hot day so she doesn't take long drinking it down. It's shortly after that she suddenly starts to feel dizzy. So much so, she ends up leaning against the stall.

"Are you alright, Ma'am?" Charlotte asks.

"I'm feeling a little dizzy."

"Mamá?" Mia asks with worry.

Charlotte clears her throat. "My home is only a short distance away. You could come and sit down, out of the sun," she proposes.

If her head was clearer Andrea is certain she would have said 'no' but her head is swimming so she ends up agreeing.

A few frustrating hours later(because geez, how long does it take to repair a tyre?) Clark returns only to find no sign of Andrea or Mia.

"Andrea! Mia!" he calls out for them. Nope. Nothing. Maybe they went for a walk to pass the time, he muses. He tries his phone. Still no damn signal! He looks all over the immediate area and still comes up short. He knows Andrea is more than capable of looking after herself but he can't help but be concerned.

Without an idea of where to look next he decides to finish fixing the car. He replaces the flat tyre and is just putting it into the trunk when he grunts in pain and is shocked to see his hand bleeding from a cut.

"Something I can help you with?"

Clark turns round, surprised. He didn't hear anyone coming. He finds himself facing what must be the local Sheriff. "My friend and…her(he almost said my) daughter, they're missing. I went into town to get a flat fixed and…and now she's gone. I thought that perhaps they went for a walk but I can't find them. You know I've searched everywhere."

"You two have an argument?"

Clark frowns, wondering what is being implied here. "No."

"Better wrap that. Cut looks pretty nasty," the Sheriff comments.

"Yeah, I cut it on the rim of the tyre," Clark explains as he wraps a handkerchief round his hand. Though that explanation explains nothing because he doesn't know how it is possible it happened. Are there solar flares or something today? Are they affecting his powers? He asks because that has happened before. "Look there was a girl here, she might know where they went," he suggests to the Sheriff.

"Girl?"

"She was about 12 years old, selling produce on the side of the road, she had a horse and buggy."

"We're in the middle of nowhere," the Sheriff says, scoffing. "Never seen anybody set up shop here…" the man laughs, "there's not enough traffic."

Clark is starting to get annoyed. "Well, I know what I saw alright, I'm not making this up."

"Why don't we go down to the station," the lawman proposes.

"I'm not going anywhere till they get back," the dark-haired young man insists, getting more and more visibly annoyed as he strides up the road to where the cart and buggy had been parked.

"Mister calm yourself down," the Sheriff warns him, following.

It is now Clark spots it. "Look," he says, picking up a piece of wood with nails in it. "This must be what we ran over. Now if our blow out wasn't an accident, someone could've done this on purpose," he is starting to think and as he does so his concerns over Andrea and their daughter grow.

"I think you better get a move on before you get yourself in some trouble," the Sheriff tells him, his tone getting more and more serious.

"I'm just trying to show you," Clark argues.

"I'm not going to say it again," the Sheriff says sternly, his hand hovering over his baton.

Clark throws the wood down as he tries to restrain himself, remembering that his powers aren't working. He then goes over to where the buggy was and spots tracks. "Those are tracks from the horse and buggy, now if there was no girl how do you explain those?" he asks.

The Sheriff comes over. "They do look fresh," he will admit. "Run up the road a bit. Alright you proved your point, lets take a hike. If your friend is out there, we'll find her."

Clark nods in agreement, feeling a sliver of relief. He truly hopes this is nothing.

Meanwhile, Andrea and Mia are riding in the buggy with Charlotte. Andrea still feels dizzy and unfocussed but at least her daughter seems to be enjoying the ride. "You seem to have a lot of experience with horses," she remarks to the girl.

"We live a very traditional way of life out here," Charlotte says.

"My daughter's never been out of the city, let alone seen a horse before."

"Then perhaps you could stay a short time in our village and allow your daughter to get to see the 'country life'.

"Maybe," the brunette replies, while rubbing her face.

"Do not fret we are nearing home and then you can rest," Charlotte tries and reassures the green around the gills woman.

A short time later they enter pass through the village. Charlotte wasn't kidding about living the traditional way. It was like turn of the last century looking. Andrea didn't even know Kansas had groups of people who lived like this and she's a native Kansan.

"Lovely place. How many people live out here?" Andrea asks, her long buried reporter's curiosity making a reappearance.

"Our whole congregation. We're believers. Father bought this land long before I was born and moved us out here from Idaho, so we could all live together," Charlotte responds as she pulls the cart to a stop.

"Look Mamá! Party!" Mia points excitedly at some sort of celebration the townsfolk seem to be having.

"It's the Harvest Festival. Whole town comes out to celebrate."

An older woman approaches them. "Bless us child, did you bring a guest to our home unannounced whom we are unprepared to welcome?" she asks Charlotte in a mildly chastising tone before turning to Andrea. "I'm Ruth, Ruth Cavanaugh," she introduces herself.

"Andrea Rojas and this is my daughter Mia. Say hello, sweetie."

"Hello!" Mia says too cheerfully which she totally gets from her father.

"Bless you, Child," Ruth greets the young girl with a warm smile.

"Miss Rojas was feeling a mite unwell and I offered her a place out of the sun to regain her sensibilities," Charlotte explains to her mother.

"I hope it is no imposition," Andrea says.

"Oh, never an imposition to help those in need," Ruth assures the woman. "In fact we have supper promptly at sundown. You can join us and regain your strength," Ruth offers.

"Well, uh, there's my friend. He might get worried if we're away too long," Andrea says.

Ruth looks to her daughter who explains what happened with the car and the flat tyres. "Ah. I see. It is no issue. I will have our neighbour Frank return to the spot and advise your friend of your whereabouts and then he can join us as well," she says…too easily if anything.

"If it is no trouble…"

"Of course not. Please, join us. Break bread. You and your beautiful daughter. Afterwards you can join in the celebrations."

"Mother always makes more than enough," Charlotte pipes up with.

Andrea looks down at Mia who is clearly quite enamoured with the festival taking place. It would be good for her to get to play with other children. "In that case I would be honoured, thank you."

"Good. Good," Ruth says happily. "Go fetch your father, Charlotte. Tell him the ham needs carving," she commands her daughter. "Now let me aid you down if you are feeling unwell," she offers.

While Ruth does this Charlotte runs over to her dad, Joseph Cavanaugh. "Did you see them father? I brought mother and child," she says to her father.

"Good work child," he praises her. "You've saved us all," he says with ominous undertones.

While Andrea and Mia join the Cavanaugh family for dinner Clark and the Sheriff are still following the cart tracks, coming across a deserted house. Clark frowns hard, trying not to let his fear over what has happened to Andrea and their daughter get the better of him.

"Mister I think we're barking up the wrong tree, there's nothing out here for miles. Look these tracks are probably left by hunters, they bring in carts back in here to haul up game all the time."

"Do they also leave spikes in the road to give people flat tyres?" Clark asks bluntly.

The Sheriff makes a groaning sound. "Two by four probably fell off a passing truck. Look It's only natural for you to be worried about your girlfriend."

"She's not…we're only friends," Clark corrects the lawman.

"Uh huh. I'm starting to think we made a mistake here. Your friend probably just decided to take a walk while she waited for you. My bet is if we go back to your car she'll be there."

Clark is only half-listening as something in the water of a nearby pump has caught his eye. "There's crystals in this water?"

"Ah, meteor shower '89. Couple meteors hit the spring."

"Blue meteor rock?" Clark queries as his sudden loss of power is starting to be explained.

"Yeah, killed one local and destroyed acres of crops. But it did give us a gift," the Sheriff says as he pumps some water out. "Best drinking water in the county. Meteor seems to purify it."

"And everyone here's ok?"

Sheriff nods.

"Because I grew up in Smallville, the green meteor rock has been harming people for the last twenty years."

"Not here. I've been drinking this water my whole life. I haven't had so much as a common cold." The brown-haired lawman chuckles. "Yup, we're all just fine."

Then a bell chimes in the distance.

Clark turns his head in that direction. "If there's nothing out here then what was that?" he asks, now highly suspicious.

"Something I wish you hadn't heard," the Sheriff says regretfully the moment before he hits Clark in the back of the head with his gun knocking the currently powerless alien out cold.

"We believe in living a simple life. No modern technology and no worldly temptation. We keep to ourselves, helps us stay on the righteous path," Joseph is explaining their way of life over the kitchen table.

"I remember my mother trying to keep me on the 'righteous path' and I drove her to utter exasperation by rebelling," Andrea says, now able to talk about her mother with warm feelings rather than pain and grief. "I didn't understand why at the time. I thought she was trying to constrain me. Dictate my life. It wasn't until I became a mother myself, I understood what she was doing. She was just trying to protect me," she says, brushing her hand over the top of Mia's head as the young girl eats way too much as usual.

"Yes, sadly it is too often only with age and experience we learn the wisdom our forebearers possessed and tried to teach us," Joseph says.

Something is niggling at Andrea. Her mind has remained too foggy to quite grasp it but something is…off here. "I…well thank you for the meal but Mia and really should be getting back to the car. I'm sure Clark must be back by now."

"I like Mister Clark!" Mia declares merrily. "He's nice to me. You're mean!" she says, sticking her tongue out.

Andrea smiles indulgently at her daughter while shaking her head. Heaven knows where the 'Mister Clark' thing came from but it's what she calls him.

"You should finish your dinner, first," Joseph insists.

"It would be bad luck for our guest to leave our table early on the night of the harvest celebration," Ruth adds.

"Can't we stay for the party, Mamá?" Mia asks. "It looks fun!"

Before Andrea can politely shoot her daughter's hopes down Joseph steps in. "Fun has nothing to do with it. We glorify the day we were shown the Lord's sign."

Andrea focusses her gaze on him. There was something in his tone that cut right through her fuzzy brain. Something underneath the disturbing righteousness that she recognises only too well. There was the pain of grief. "What exactly was a sign?" she wonders.

"Fire came from the heavens, tore down our village."

"And our daughter Esther was taken from us," Ruth says in sadness. "She was ringing the town bell to warn everyone of the danger. She was struck down where she stood."

"Oh God I am so sorry, that's awful," Andrea says as a fellow mother. She couldn't even imagine losing Mia.

"Before that we suffered a terrible drought, been years of bad crops, people were hungry and sick. But our daughter gave her life so that we could all prosper," Joseph states in absolute blind faith.

"Ever since our crops have been bountiful and our people never get sick," Charlotte adds on.

"Amen."

Andrea's heart starts to beat a mite harder in her chest. These people were insane. "And you think this happened because your daughter died? I'm pretty sure that didn't make it into version of the Good Book I was taught in church."

"I don't expect you to understand, you're not a believer," Joseph dismisses her.

"Bull! I'm Catholic. Mass every Sunday for as long as I can remember," the Latino woman retorts as her eyes take in the room, planning out her route of escape.

Joseph shakes his head. "Every year since her death, we have offered our Lord a sacrifice. And he has rewarded us."

"As I recall it our Lord Jesus Christ sacrificed himself for us so we would never have to. Not to mention that sacrifices belong to the Pagan belief system, not our Lord's."

"We do not make these choices easily and I feel sorrow for you but know your sacrifice will be for the Greater Good," Ruth says.

"My sacrifice?" Andrea inquires, fear starting to pit deep in her stomach.

"The same one the Lord asked me to make."

"You daughter has been chosen, just like my sister. This was your last supper," Charlotte says.

Rage. Utter, infinite rage stirs inside Andrea's breast. She grabs Mia and lifts her into her arms. She starts to back away from the lunatics. "If you think for one second I will let you harm so much as a hair on my daughter's head you are even more crazy than I thought."

"You can't leave," Joseph tells in her complete belief.

"Watch me!" Andrea spits our furiously. "Don't try and stop me," she warns them. "Or I will show you the Wrath of the Angel of Vengeance," she vows. And with that she turns and runs for the door. As soon as she steps outside some men grab her. Andrea assumes she can just easily throw them off. What with her superstrength…but nothing happens. It is then she finally notices that the power that has been flowing through her veins these last 5 or so years is gone. Mia is ripped from her arms as she is forced down to her knees. "No! No! Mia!" she screams as she futilely struggles.

"Mamá! Mamá!" Mia screams back as she struggles.

Andrea screams to the heavens in pure rage as she is forcibly held down. "Be brave Mia! I'll come for you! I promise!" she screams as her daughter is pulled out of sight.

Joseph steps out into the porch of the dwelling. "Rejoice my people! We have our sacrifice!"

The gathered townsfolk all chant together, "Praise the Lord!"

As she is pinned down Andrea makes a very dark promise. "Argh! I'm going to kill you! Do you hear me?! You're dead! All of you!"

Author's Note: So onto Harvest we go. I'll get onto the explanation of Andrea's power loss but obviously it was needed or this would be a rather short story arc. Thanks to everyone who has written reviews.