TW: Glad to hear it.
Halliwell Manor
Morning
"Look Paige, I'm doing everything I can at The Bay Mirror, but I'm an advice columnist and Elise doesn't exactly listen to me about stories like the VRA," Phoebe said as she talked to her sister on the phone.
"I know, I'm just trying to get as much as sway here as I can. There's only so much Tess can do without coming off as biased," Paige said with a sigh. "Listen, it's almost time for the rally, so I'll talk to you later."
"Bye. Good luck," Phoebe said before they both hung up.
"No news on the VRA then?" Piper asked as she put something in a pot.
"They're trying to sway as many people as they can over in Metropolis, but it's hard with so much antihero propaganda," Phoebe said and Piper nodded.
"And what is Elise's stance on heroes and the VRA?" Piper inquired.
"She doesn't necessarily approve of the Blur or vigilantes, but she hates the VRA. Not that she can come out and say that without getting backlash," Phoebe said tiredly.
Kent Farm
Same time
Paige had barely hung up the phone when Clark sped in.
"Everything okay?" Clark inquired.
"Yeah, just trying to see where things are at with the VRA," Paige said and Clark nodded.
"Look, I appreciate everything you and Tess and my mom have been doing, but the vote is tomorrow. And I'm still going to save people, whether they want me to or not," Clark told her.
"A lot more than you think," Paige said as she grabbed the TV remote.
Clark looked over at the TV as Paige turned it on and switched the channel to a news channel. A rally was being held with the caption 'Pro-Hero rally in downtown Metropolis'.
"A small motorcade has pulled up beside the podium. It looks like the keynote speaker has arrived," the reporter said as Clark looked at the screen in disbelief.
"A lot more people believe in you, Oliver and the others than you think," Paige said with a slight smile. "They just need someone to give them the courage to stand up."
Clark watched in increasing disbelief as Martha got out of the motorcade and was introduced on the podium. He almost laughed, he should have known with all the campaigning she'd been doing to overturn the VRA.
"Someone like my mom," Clark said amused as Martha took the podium.
"These are difficult times. With heroes being painted as criminals, it's easy to lose hope. But if we don't speak up now, then when?" Martha asked and the crowd cheered. "My father always said 'life only asks of you what you can handle'. Sometimes we can't do it on our own, that's why we need to join together in this crusade like a family, so that our united strength shines through the darkness like a beacon, inspiring others to find their voices. None of us is born to hate, we're taught to. That's why we need heroes, to remind us we are all meant to fight truth and justice."
"YEAH!"
"To take a stand against fear and hate."
"YEAH!"
"To go to the polls tomorrow and vote down the VRA!"
Clark watched, stunned and humbled as the crowd joined is mother in a chant of 'vote down the VRA'.
"See? Not everyone buys into the fake narrative that heroes are the bad guys," Paige said with a slight smile.
Clark smiled but, before he could respond, he heard the sound of thunder. No, not thunder he realized with horror as he turned back to the TV, seeing his mother down on the podium before some men in suits begin leading her away. Without a word to Paige, Clark sped out of the house as Paige stared at the screen, worry filling her heart.
"Please, please don't let him lose her to," Paige muttered, hardly believing she was praying to God. "Please."
Metropolis General
Later that morning
Clark walked into the hall, heading towards the room where his mother was. A guard stationed outside moved to intercept him.
"I'm her son," Clark said, silently daring the man to stop him.
"Yes, Mr. Kent," the man said as she stepped aside.
Clark walked over, opening the door to see his mother, one arm in a sling but otherwise alright.
"Hi Sweetheart," Martha said warmly as she saw him.
"Mom," Clark said in relief, rushing over and hugging her as much as he could without hurting her.
"Hi," Martha said warmly, returning the hug.
"Are you okay?" Clark asked as they released each other.
"I'm fine. They convinced me to wear a bullet proof vest and the other bullet just grazed my shoulder," Martha assured him.
"Why didn't you tell me you were in town? I could have protected you," Clark pointed out.
"I had to protect you, Clark. The whole state is watching, it's not safe for you or your friends to be caught in the spotlight," Martha said as she took off her sling.
"So you step into the spotlight, and look what happened. Someone shot you," Clark argued.
"They shot a senator, to frighten people from going to the polls," Martha shot back. "I have to get back out there and encourage people to stand up for what they believe in."
"So more of them can get hurt? Mom, people are upset, they're getting violent," Clark cautioned.
"Clark, if you don't let me do this, there will never be a day when you can come out of hiding. People need something to believe in," Martha argued.
"I'm not gonna let you sacrifice yourself," Clark said firmly and Martha softened.
"Your father and I made a pact, many years ago. We knew protecting you would always be dangerous but we vowed to do it, even if it cost us our lives. I'm willing to sacrifice the same thing your father did," Martha said to Clark's dismay.
"I'm not gonna let you go on a suicide mission for me. The person who did this to you is still out there and I'm gonna find them. I'm not ready to say goodbye to you too," Clark said firmly before speeding out of the room and Martha closed her eyes, letting her emotions wash over her.
Halliwell Manor
Not long after
"So Mrs. Kent is gonna be alright then?" Piper inquired as she, Paige and Phoebe sat around the living room.
"Yeah, from what Clark told me she got winged but nothing serious. She's gonna stop by the farm later," Paige said and Phoebe raised an eyebrow.
"Oh. So it's time to meet the parents. How are you feeling about that?" Phoebe inquired.
"Nervous as Hell. None of my other relationships ever lasted long enough to get to this point. And she's a freaking senator," Paige said and they could see how nervous she was.
"Paige, just be yourself. She raised Clark after all, I'm sure she'll love you," Piper said trying to reassure her.
"I hope so. I'm gonna head back to the farm, change and try to make something for lunch. Wish me luck," Paige said before she Orbed out.
"Well, she's freaking out," Phoebe noted.
"It's her first time meeting a boyfriend's parents. And since we know from Wyatt she and Clark are in it for the long haul, she's probably meeting her future mother in law. I know how I would feel meeting Leo's parents," Piper noted before someone knocked on the front door.
"Well, let's hope Paige knows what she's doing," Phoebe said before making her way towards the front door.
Opening it, she stared in surprise at Darryl standing on the other side.
"Hey. Is now a bad time?" Darryl asked.
"No, no come in," Phoebe said, letting Darryl inside before closing the door.
"Darryl, when did you get back into town?" Piper asked as she walked into the room, surprised to see him.
"Last night. I was on my way to work when I thought I'd stop in," Darryl explained.
"How are you? How are Sheila and the kids?" Piper inquired.
"We're doing as best we can. It's not every day you have to go on the run from your own government. We just told the kids we were going on vacation, don't think they really understood what was happening," Darryl noted with relief. "Is Paige around?"
"You just missed her on her way back to Metropolis. She's kind of freaking out about Clark's mom being in town," Phoebe explained and Darryl nodded.
"Right, I heard about that on the news. Clark is actually one of the reasons I stopped by," Darryl said, confusing them. "I'd like to be able to meet with him, if that's okay. There's something I'd like to say to him."
Metropolis
Same time
At the sight where his mother had been shot, Clark watched as police broke up a fight between protestors. Things were getting out of hand, he thought grimly. Looking at the podium, his eyes were drawn to a small spot of blood.
His mother's blood. He'd come this close to losing her.
Clark gingerly reached down; touching the blood before bringing his hand up to his face, seeing a small spot of it was now on his finger. He stared at it for a moment before he looked up, seeing someone in a hoody with their back to him a few feet away.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Clark barked out.
The figure turned around and Clark was surprised to see it was Oliver.
"Does Chloe know you're out here?" Clark asked.
"Not exactly, no. She worries Clark. You know, I can't stay holed up at Watchtower all day long. I'll drive myself crazy," Oliver said as he approached and Clark couldn't disagree. "Your mother was up here standing up for me too."
"She won't be doing much of anything if we don't find out who did this," Clark noted grimly. "You find anything?"
"No," Oliver said with a shake of his head. "No, the cops haven't found anything either. They can't even find the bullets."
Clark frowned before looking around. Spotting shattered glass outside a phone booth, Clark realized that was where the shooter had been when they fired. Clark approached the booth with Oliver following him. But when Clark was close to the glass, something happened that he didn't expect. Clark almost stumbled, feeling weak and the glass started to grow a familiar green.
"Clark, you alright?" Oliver asked concerned as Clark backed up a bit.
"It's Kryptonite. The police didn't find any bullets because they were made of meteor rock. They turned to dust on impact," Clark said, thinking out loud.
"The shooter knows your weakness," Oliver said as the truth hit them.
"They probably thought I'd jump in front of it," Clark said as he turned around to face Oliver. "This wasn't political. It's personal."
In a rundown apartment, Alexander Luthor was sitting at a table, holding a gun when he heard one of the floorboards creek behind him. He jumped to his feet, whirling around and pointing the gun at a bearded man in dark clothes.
"Impressive instincts," Zankou complimented. "Almost as impressive as your work with Martha Kent."
"Who are you?" Alexander asked coldly and Zankou smiled.
"You can call me Zankou. But I'd like to talk about you. You tried to kill Martha Kent. But she wasn't your target, was she? It was him," Zankou noted and Alexander stared at him for a moment.
"I thought he'd blur in front of the bullet and the kryptonite. But he didn't come. He wasn't there to protect her," Alexander said emotionlessly as he lowered the gun.
"No, no he wasn't. He has a habit of interfering with my plans as well," Zankou said as he approached Alexander. "Neither one of us can kill him alone. But together, we may stand a chance."
"You want to work together to kill him," Alexander noted and Zankou nodded.
"And I know where to start. First, we attack him where he is most vulnerable," Zankou said with a dark smirk.
The Alexander arc is obviously going to go differently, starting with an alliance with Zankou. Things are about to get intense.
