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A week after the incident on Malina Island, Mallory picked Clark's parents up from the bus depot. They looked more than a little concerned as they greeted the pyrokinetic.
"So, how bad is it?" Martha asked.
Mallory glanced around discreetly. "Not here," she said, noting all of the people crowding around. She brought them to the curb where Lois' pink and white convertible was waiting. The reporter had let Mallory use it to pick his parents up in. Mallory put their bag in the trunk and they were on the road quickly. "It's pretty bad," she said, checking over her shoulder before switching to the middle lane. "He's been cooped up in his apartment since it happened. He's been writing his stories from home, and he won't go out to patrol. Luckily nobody's seemed to notice, I've been patrolling every free second I have to keep the crime down, but I can't keep this up much longer."
Jonathan sighed. "Those poor creatures, going up like that," he murmured.
Mallory twisted her mouth up, debating whether or not to tell them the rest. "It's not just the Kroloteans," she said slowly.
"Then what is it?" Martha asked.
"We found out where he and the others were sent after Vandal Savage took control of the League."
"And?" Jonathan pressed.
Mallory sighed. "They were sent to another planet, and they were put on a rampage, destroying everything and telling everyone who they were. Now, the Justice League, all of us, but especially them, are wanted criminals in an entire sector of the galaxy."
Martha's hand went to her mouth. "Oh, my," she said, "no wonder he's so upset."
Mallory nodded. The street that Lois and Clark's apartment was on was coming up, but she deliberately passed it up to give his parents more time to process everything and plan what they were going to say to him.
"How are they going to fix this?" Jonathan asked.
"Well, the Green Lantern Corps is looking into it, but we haven't heard anything yet."
"Well, I suppose we should get over there now," Martha said.
Mallory nodded and pulled back around the block, pulling into the parking garage on the same side of the street. They walked down the street from there and got in the elevator, going up to their floor.
"Does he know that we're coming?" Jonathan asked.
Mallory smiled. "Well, I guess he does now," she said. The elevator dinged as it opened, and they made their way down the hall. Mallory knocked, and Lois answered the door.
"Hey, glad you could come," she said. Mallory put their suitcase by the door and stood with the reporter while they went to the living room where Clark and Conner were sitting on the sofa. They both stood up to greet the older couple, and Clark shot the others a look that said he knew exactly what they were doing.
"Don't give them any look. They did the right thing calling us," Martha said firmly.
Clark sighed heavily. "This isn't exactly something you can fix," he said.
"No, of course not. It's something that you need to talk out and put behind you. It was a horrible thing that happened, but it wasn't your fault, there was nothing you could have done, and you tried to help."
"I could have saved some of them, though. Or maybe tried to move the bomb once the others were off. I could've taken the blast."
"Really? You knew that then? 'Cause we sure didn't," Mallory said.
"Clark, we're with your parents on this. Don't you think we all feel bad about it? We left the island, didn't even try to give the Kroloteans a warning. At least you tried."
Clark shook his head. "I didn't try hard enough."
Lois scoffed. "Maybe, maybe not. But you know what? You sure aren't trying now. You're leaving the city in someone else's hands. Did you even ask Mallory if she had the time to take on more responsibility? She's back in school now, and she's out there day and night to keep things in check." Her voice got softer and she put a hand on his shoulder. "Clark, people still need you. You can't give up on yourself just because you lost a few battles."
He sighed and nodded. "You're right," he said, a ghost of a smile on his face.
"Well, of course she is," Martha said, standing up. "Now, as long as we came all the way up here, I figure the least you can do is take us to lunch and give us a ride back."
"Why don't you stay for a few days?" Clark asked. "We'd love to have you."
"Thanks, son, but we really need to get back. We hired one of the neighbor's kids to look after things, but I'll be darned if I trust him not to burn the place to the ground."
Mallory chuckled. "Don't worry about that. I lived there for eight months, and nothing burned down. I doubt that a dumb kid with matches could do any better."
The group got to their feet and moved towards the door. They had just gotten to the elevator when Clark suddenly stopped and put a hand to his ear. "What is it?" he asked, then paused, listening. Mallory watched Conner's face as he listened to the other person on the line. His face grew more and more concerned. A moment later, Clark looked at his family, his face serious.
"John got an answer from the Guardians," he said.
"And?" Lois asked.
"We're going to have a meeting to decide, but they recommended that we go to Rimbir and standing trial.
A spike of alarm went through Mallory's chest, but she kept a calm appearance for his parents' sake.
"Oh, Clark, that doesn't sound good," Martha said.
"It's probably for the best. We should get our names cleared, and with the Green Lantern Corp behind us, I'm sure we'll get a fair trial."
They nodded, but none of them felt good about it.
"Well, let's go eat, we can talk about this when we get back," Lois suggested.
They agreed, and they went a few blocks away to the steak house the Jonathan liked, spending the whole meal ignoring the elephant in the room and pretending that everything was ok. When they got back to the apartment, there was nothing to say. They knew that Clark would have to go, so all his parents said was that they loved him and they would support whatever he decided to do. He left with them to bring them back to the farm, and Lois, Conner, and Mallory sank to the sofa.
"What are the chances of them getting cleared of their charges?" the reporter asked.
The young heroes looked at her, but neither said anything. She sighed and rested her head on the back of the sofa.
"Yeah, that's what I thought," she said, her voice heavy.
They didn't say anything else, just sat and thought about what would happen if, or rather when, the Leaguers went to the planet that they had terrorized.
A week and a half passed in a flash with the Leaguers getting ready for their departure and everyone else getting ready to not have some of the powerhouses of the League available. For the ones who were personally connected to the accused, the time was complicated. They moved through their days like nothing was different, but in the backs of their heads there was a timer counting down the hours they had left. No one voiced the possibility that they wouldn't come back, but they all knew that it was there just the same.
Too soon, the day came, and the League made their final preparations. That evening, the six Leaguers, Icon, and the Leaguers and team members connected to them gathered on the secluded beach outside the cave to say a final goodbye. Even Jess showed up for Batman, standing with Dick, Tim, and Barbara in front of him. Her presence made Mallory feel good, even if she wasn't saying anything and her face was conflicted. Clearly there were still a lot of problems with her and Bruce, but Mallory was glad she'd put them to the side to say goodbye, and she knew Dick was too.
Captain Atom was there to see the Leaguers off and get final instructions from them as the acting head of the League while they were gone, so he was standing with John Stewart to give the others some space. Raquel was saying goodbye to her dad, who was going along to help with the legal end of things. Hal and Guy were already on Rimbor, letting the court know that the League was coming in peace and that they expected a fair trial. Hawkman was also going along to be with his wife, so they were standing off to the side, waiting for the others. Megan was hugging her uncle, Cassie was talking to Diana, and Mallory and Conner were standing in front of Superman. There was a sense of strained urgency hanging over the group, and the fact that they were all ignoring it only made it more palpable.
"How long will you be gone?" Conner asked, filling the silence.
Clark put a hand on his shoulder. "However long it takes to clear our names," he said.
Mallory shook her head slightly. Clark had been more at peace since he'd heard that they were going to do this trial, and he didn't seem to have any fears about what might happen. She just wished she had more confidence in the situation.
He noticed her concern and added, "but we will be back. While we're gone, though, I want to ask you to do me a favor and keep an eye on Lois for me. I know she can be a handful, but just make sure she doesn't take any risks she shouldn't, or see that she has some backup. She's not going to have me listening for her falling out of buildings or getting kidnapped."
Mallory and Conner chuckled and nodded. "Sure," Conner said. Mallory tilted her head. "You're not going to ask us to look after Metropolis while you're gone?" she asked teasingly.
Clark smiled and shook his head. "I don't have to, you already do an amazing job of that. A few years ago, I wouldn't have felt like I could be out of the city and League duties for a week, much less leave Earth for an indefinite amount of time. I couldn't be prouder of the two of you."
"It's time," John announced.
Clark turned back to Mallory and Conner. "Goodbye, Con-el," he shook Conner's hand, then looked at Mallory, who bit her lip to keep the storm of emotions inside of her. He pulled her into a hug. "Don't worry, we're going to come back, Torch. I promise."
It was the first time he'd used the nickname since that last fateful night before she'd joined the League. It felt comforting, and Mallory smiled and nodded, letting him go.
He and the others walked towards the Green Lantern, forming a group close together. John lifted his hand up and a bubble started to close around the Leaguers. They were looking at the people they were leaving behind gravely. Just as the bubble was closing, Wonder Woman said, "May the gods be with you all." Clark's eyes stayed on Mallory and Conner until the spaceship was formed and they could no longer see him.
The small group left on the beach stepped back as the construct lifted into the air and shot off into the sky, the wind blowing their hair back. They watched the spot long after the ship disappeared.
Nate was the first to leave, walking back up the beach towards the cave. Jess sighed and followed him, and Dick and Barbara looked at each other before following her. The others went inside one by one.
Eventually, Mallory was alone on the beach. She felt like there was a weight crushing down on her, and she knew that the next few months would be harder than ever. She sighed and flamed up, made a fiery horse, and rode it out over the water, then up into the sky, looking back over Happy Harbor spreading out at the base of the mountain. She shut her eyes and pictured Clark's smiling face and optimistic voice. She would make him proud. She would keep Metropolis safe, she would keep Earth safe, and she would make sure the public kept their faith in the Justice League. She had to. She didn't have a choice.