Chapter 22

Smallville, Christmas Day…

As usual Clark was up before everyone else. Habit of a lifetime. His grown-up daughter is not far behind him. They wish each other a Happy Christmas.

"Mamá and Mini-Me still asleep?" the half-Kryptonian asks.

"It was a long day yesterday, especially when you're not solar powered," Clark explains.

Mia sits herself down at the kitchen table.

"So did you learn something from yesterday?" Clark wonders since he never had a chance before now to ask his daughter how yesterday affected her.

Mia takes a few moments to think about her answer. "It was nice seeing what Abuela did. I never had a chance to before."

"No?"

She shakes her head. "I wanted to meet my living relatives…Schrap! That makes me sound so slagging selfish, doesn't it?" she berates herself for choosing to pay little attention to her own grandmother's life story over taking a road trip down to Mexico.

"No. Not at all. It makes sense to want to see those who are alive first. After all they're the ones most likely to be able to tell you something about the ones who have died," Clark shows understanding over her choices.

"I always seemed to be too late," she says, kinda morose in her tone. "Abuela was gone. Mamá. You…gasp!" she clamps her hands over her mouth. Frag! Frag! Frag! She wasn't supposed to say that!

Clark stares at her before he says, in a soft voice, "I kinda figured it out, Mia."

"Y-you did?!" she stammers, shocked by her father's admission.

Clark nods. "It made no sense that you couldn't come find me unless I wasn't available in some fashion. So, unless I went off on a road-trip through the galaxy or something I figured it could only be one thing."

"I didn't want to lie to you. I swear!" Mia says, close to panicking.

Clark moves to sit down beside her and takes her hands into his. "I know. You didn't want to reveal too much about the future. My future. I understand. You're right. I shouldn't know too much about the future. Takes the fun out of it," he jokes with a lop-sided smile.

Mia smiles in spite of her turbulent emotions. "So, you really don't want to know the details?"

"It's definitely better I don't. Also don't mention this to your mother."

Mia mimics padlocking her mouth closed. She completely agrees. Her mother needs to know nothing. At least not until she's made sure she saves her mother's life.

Later that morning, once young Mia and Andrea are up, comes the inevitable opening of gifts…or in young Mia's case a mad dash to see how quickly she can rip the wrapping paper off and throw it into the air.

There are repeated mumblings of 'I'm so embarrassed' from future Mia. She cannot recall being such a dreg. Then again it was all a long time ago and as much as she wishes she could remember every detail of her Christmases with her mother the sad truth is she can't.

Anyway, adult Mia's mood perks up when she gets a gift from her mother which turns out to be a banging new jacket. "Schway!" she chirps up happily as she throws it on. "This rips!" she compliments it.

Andrea just looks at her daughter blankly, having not spent enough time with her to grasp all the slang words she uses.

"That means she likes it," Clark fills in. "Speaking of ripping," Clark murmurs as the child version of his daughter does just that to the wrapping paper again as he goes to try and stop her…though how on Earth one stops a hyperactive 4-year-old Clark has certainly not managed to figure out yet.

"So, P-Clark what did you get M-Andrea?" Adult Mia asks, having to stop herself twice from saying Mamá and Papá.

"Oh right," Clark says as he gets Andi her gift.

"Kina small," Adult Mia critiques it.

"Oh, stop," Andrea tells her grown-up daughter off. "It's fine. It's fine," she insists as she carefully removes the paper. Growing up poor made her money conscious which means she tends to try and always save the paper. Good habit considering her minimum wage job. Once the paper is off it reveals a small box which Andrea opens to find within a beautiful silver cross necklace. Andrea is no jewellery expert but seriously this must have cost him a pretty penny. It looks to be exquisitely made. "It's beautiful Clark," she says, truly touched by it.

"I recalled your like to wear necklaces only this one is a little safer to wear," he explains where the idea came from. "Try it on," he requests.

Andrea does try to get it on and ends up fiddling with the clasp, so Clark helps her which ends up with them very close together, their faces almost touching in fact.

For a second adult Mia thinks they might actually kiss…until her Mini-Me ruins it by jumping in-between. Does the embarrassment never end?

In return adult Mia watches her mother give Clark a gift. A copy of the Associated Press Stylebook.

"I know I gave up journalism a while ago," Andrea feels a need to explain her gift, "but during my short stint I learned enough to know that that book is considered…"

"…the journalist's bible," Clark finishes off. "Is this your copy?" he has an inkling.

"It's a gift, Clark. Say thank you and move on," she advises him, showing she doesn't want to talk about it.

"Thank you," he says.

"I, uh, actually have a 2nd gift for you," the Latino woman mentions.

"You didn't need to do that," Clark insists, knowing she is not well off.

"No. In this case I do," she argues with such a firm tone it gets Clark intrigued. "Mia, sweetie, come here," she calls out to her little girl before reaching over and placing the dark-haired girl in her lap. She brushes her daughter's hair back with her hand. She really hasn't given this much thought as to what to say exactly but needs to do it before she loses her nerve. "Mia, honey. You like Clark, don't you?"

"Si, Mamá."

"And do you know how other children have Papás?"

Both Clark and adult Mia eyes go comically wide in the exact same expression.

Child Mia looks back at her mother with a frowny face, puzzled.

"Well, see, the thing is, my little Angel is that Clark is your Papá."

Child Mia frowns deeper as she looks at her mother and then see turns to look at the comically stunned Clark and then back to her mother who nods at her and then nods in Clark's direction. Mia slowly slides off her mother's lap and wanders over to Clark. "Are you really my Papá?" she asks, sounding far older than she actually is.

It takes a moment for Clark to find his voice and when he does it comes out hoarse. "Yes. I am."

Child Mia cocks her head as if trying to assess if Clark has changed in some way. She then leaps upward and Clark catches her in his arms and hugs her tightly. He looks at Andrea, his eyes glistening with tears. "Thank you," he says two words which can never come close to expressing how he feels right now. No more lies. No more secrets. He can openly be Mia's father.

Speaking of Mia…or the grown-up one she is struggling to breathe as her emotion threaten to boil out of control. All her life she wanted this. This exact scene. To be a family with her mother and father. She's not going to be able to keep her emotions in check. "Excuse me," she says, her voice croaky as she dashes out of the room.

Adult Mia dashes all the way out the house until she stands on the porch. She doesn't even notice when she starts crying.

"Are you ok?"

Mia turns her head to see her mother has joined her. She dashes at her tears. "I'm fine. It was just…"

"Just?"

"I never had that," is all the time-traveller can come up with.

It takes a few moments but it eventually sinks into Andrea what her daughter is referring to. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"If you never had that then it must have been because I chose never to introduce you to your father."

"I…" Frag! What can Mia say? She can't reveal the truth. "I…was never angry at you, Mamá. I promise. A little disappointed maybe but I swear I never resented you or anything like that."

"Still, you shouldn't have had to travel through time just to meet your father," Andrea reflects, in a way beating herself up for what she thinks another version of her did.

"Um…what is that saying you have in this time? Shit happens?"

"First off, don't swear young lady," Andrea chastises her daughter. "And yes."

Mia looks at her mother with a cocked eyebrow and catches the smirk and the two women burst out in laughter. The two then share a hug.

"I'll overlook the swearing this time but if I ever catch you taking the Lord's name in vain, I don't care how old you are I'll ground you faster than even you or your father can move."

"Si, Mamá," Mia says in an obedient manner as she rolls her eyes.

That night, after young Mia has worn herself out, Clark and Andrea, together, put their daughter to bed which involves Andrea singing a song softly in Spanish until the little girl's eyes droop closed and she slips into a deep sleep.

Afterwards the two parents head downstairs and sit on the porch swing, sipping on the last of the eggnog.

"Thank you for having us today," Andrea says.

"I should be thanking you for telling Mia who I am."

Andrea's face grows a little pensive. "Honestly, I should have done it before now," she admits.

"Why didn't you?" Clark finds the question slipping from his lips, fuelled by the lingering resentment of missing out on his daughter's life.

Andrea sighs. "I've asked myself that. Not just today but ever since you reappeared in our lives."

"And what's the answer?"

"At first I was worried you were there to arrest me over what happened and to take Mia away from me."

"I was never going to do that."

"I know that now. After that I think I was just being kinda selfish. Not wanting to share Mia but I pushed that part aside and decided to let you be part of her life."

"Thank you for that."

"But the honest truth is I think I've been transferring."

"Ok. You've lost me," Clark will just admit.

"It was something Father Mulcahy said yesterday when we talked. He suggested that I've let my issues with my father get in the way of my thinking."

"I'm not your father, Andi."

"I know. I know," she says before rubbing her face. "I know I'm not good at sharing my feelings. I've been trying to remember if that was always true or did it start after Papá left. I know it hurt Mamá even if she tried not to show it."

"Sounds like you may have followed her example," Clark suggests.

Andrea stares into the distance. "Maybe. Look, if I've been transferring my anger at Papá onto you, I'm sorry," she apologises. "You are not him. You're a good father to Mia and I'm glad you are part of our daughter's life," she gives her God's honest opinion.

"And I'm glad to be part of hers…and yours too," he says sincerely.

"You're just saying that."

"Yes, I am."

Andrea clocks him around the back of his head. "Jerk. Also ow! What is your head made of?!" she says as she shakes her hand.

Clark takes her hand and starts to rub it. "My head is made of the same stuff yours is. It's just a little denser."

"More like a lot denser," Andrea grumbles out the insult.

Clark just shakes his head in amusement. "There. Better?" he asks about her hand.

"Yes. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Thank you for yesterday as well. I'm not sure I've had a chance to say it yet but I loved what you did. You were right. I had lost track of Mamá's charity work. She's probably ashamed of me."

"No. I'm certain she's proud of you."

"I should have carried it on. Instead I got obsessed with revenge and then I had to leave town, basically abandoning my life and her legacy."

"Ok, so you made a few mistakes," Clark will concede. "But I know what grief does to you, Andi," he points out to her. "Maybe I never met your mother but I think she would understand and that she would forgive."

"You're right." Pause. "You never met my Mamá. She would have kicked my ass for this," the Latino woman states, even cringing a little imagining it.

"Well, that works too."

"Do you ever take anything seriously?" the brunette gripes at his lame humour.

"When the occasion calls for it."

"I can't believe you are the father of my child," Andrea gently jabs at him.

"Well, I can't believe you are the mother of my child," Clark gently jabs back.

"What? Instead of that woman you're seeing?"

Clark instantly tenses.

Andrea notices. "What? What is it?"

In a quiet voice he replies, "We broke up."

"Oh," Andrea says, caught short.

"Yeah," he blows out a breath.

"You never said," she lamely points out.

"I know."

"Want to talk about it?" Andrea offers.

"I thought I knew her. Turns out I didn't."

"I actually have really little experience to fall back on here. I spent most of my teenage years training to be a gymnast. Didn't leave a lot of time for dating," she excuses why she can't say something comforting.

"I'm not expecting you to magically cure my broken heart, Andi. Believe me this isn't the first time. I'll survive."

"How about the cliched 'She's an idiot for letting you go'?"

Clark chuckles. "Thanks for trying," he assures he appreciates the attempt.

Andrea reaches out, takes his hand into her own, interlocks their fingers and gives it a squeeze.

Clark gives her a small appreciative smile and the two slip into a comfortable silence.

Unbeknownst to both is the fact this little moment is being spied on by a certain visitor from the future. Today had been the Christmas she always wanted. Her together with her parents.

A small voice at the back of her head criticises her for being so dismissive of the Christmases she spent with Aunt Penny.

Don't get Mia wrong. She loves her Aunt Penny. Loves the fact that Penny dedicated her life to raising the daughter of her friend and she loved those Christmases too….but she always felt like something was missing.

If events had played out differently maybe Mia wouldn't be here, back in the past but events played out like they did and she can't go back. That was made plainly clear to her but those bunch of hypocrites. So, she can't go back until she changes events. Fixes them and fixing them means saving her Mamá and looking at the image of her parents sitting together, almost as if they're a couple only makes Mia more determined that she is going to stop that psycho bitch by whatever means necessary.

Read her lips. Whatever it takes.

Elsewhere…

After the…unfortunate failure with Lutessa and the Kryptonian Granny Goodness had been forced to relocate her girls to a new facility…only this one was out the way where she doubted even Lutessa could find it.

Within the building one of the girls, known as Lashina, stares at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Lately she's been having dreams…and not just when she is asleep but waking dreams of a nightmarish place filled with fire and demons.

And yet it was not a place she feared or desired to get away from. It was a place she knew. A place where she had been someone important.

Someone…Elite.

"It's why I erased your memories."

Lashina looks up to see in the reflection of the mirror Granny standing behind her. She frowns which is her only reaction.

Granny continues. "By erasing your human memories, it allows your past life…your true existence to begin to resurface."

Lashina turns round. "There's a word…a name."

"Yes?" Granny encourages her.

"Darkseid."

"Our Lord and Master."

"I…served him."

"All serve him. We all exist solely to serve him and him alone."

"Something…happened, didn't it?" Lashina inquires, battling her very sketchy memories.

"A…miscalculation."

Lashina's eyes narrow.

"Since the beginning, our Lord has sought the Anti-Life Equation with which mastery over the very fabric of the cosmos becomes possible."

"I remember. We were called to an audience in the Throne Room. To witness our Lord's final triumph."

"Yes," Granny confirms.

"What happened?"

"An…error in the Equation. It unleashed an Anti-Life wave that washed over Apokolips, annihilating all organic tissue."

"Then how are we here…on this…tasteless planet…in these pathetic forms?" Lashina asks, disgust in her voice.

"Our bodies may have been destroyed, my dear but remember we are Gods. We do not die like mere, pathetic mortals. Our essences lived on. Formless. Shadows of our former selves, haunting the ruins of Magnificent Apokolips."

"It was awful. To be only half-alive. To feel nothing. To be unable to touch anything," Lashina reflects as the memories resurface.

"Yes. I did so miss being able to tutor my precious children," Granny says with some sadness about it all.

"And then?"

"Our Great Lord, through his sheer Will, retained his power but more than that. Part of the Anti-Life Equation bonded to him and through it he saw how we could be reborn."

"Literally."

"Indeed. Our Lord arranged for our essences to travel to this world and inhabit new vessels. Unborn cubs."

"Why these humans? These pathetic, primitive primates?"

"You should recall Lashina, dear, one does not ask why Darkseid makes decisions. One merely obeys but I can assume he saw something in them that can be useful to our full restoration which he has promised will be accomplished. A prophecy whose full details our Lord has chosen not to reveal to me."

"If the Lord says it to be so then it will be so. Does not mean I…enjoy being reborn in such a weak form."

"There are ways to strengthen your body. The meteor shower 20 years ago brought to this world the means to do this. There are others, who have already become one with our Lord, who possess the knowledge and now that they have succumbed to the salvation Darkseid brings they are working on the procedures required."

"I have a question."

"Of course, my dear."

"Where's Barda?"

"I have yet to find the vessel she was reborn into."

"So does that mean I'm in charge?"

Granny chuckles. Lashina's ambitions were not unknown to her. Of course, on Apokolips, everyone fought to get ahead of everyone else. You either strived to be Elite or suffered as one of Lowlies in the hell that was the Fourth World. "For now, I suppose," she caveats it.

Lashina smiles slyly before Granny ruins it.

"Of course, beloved Harriet has a case."

"She's a lunatic."

"Now, now, be nice," Granny waggles her finger at her student.

Lashina scoffs. Nice? To Harriet? That'll be the day. But with every second that passes she can feel herself regaining what she had lost. Remembering who she truly is…and once she is restored to her full self then all those who oppose her will once again have reason to fear.

Author's Note: I think it was well past time for Mia to be told that Clark is her father. Also, my take on the Apokoliptians is that they were all destroyed by Darkseid botching an attempt to gain mastery over the Anti-Life Equation, forcing them to have to be reborn as humans and there is a prophecy which tells of their restoration. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews.