After a year away I wasn't sure if anyone would even be interested in reading this story anymore, so thank you for all the hits, follows, favorites and an extra special thank you to: C.A.M.S 22, Spoons There Are, ben10987654321, shugokage, Mythos Thespian and Number1don for taking the time out to leave me a review, you guys are awesome.

After reading what I wrote last week it came to my attention that the formatting on FF cut out a paragraph of text at the ending of the last chapter so I went back and added it in, if you read chapter 13 on the first day I posted it you can go back and see what was added if you want. It doesn't change the ending or anything, if you read it after the first day I posted it just ignore this whole thing.

A/N: This chapter contains references to the following Smallville episodes: Duplicity, Asylum and Reckoning. Pankreation is one of the earliest fighting system in recorded history, it was used primarily by the Ancient Greeks and is considered by some as the precursor to modern MMA.

Two weeks later

Cat and Clark were standing outside her apartment exchanging a goodnight kiss that was beginning to turn into something much more heated; they'd just come from a movie that had involved much more kissing than movie watching.

Cat broke the kiss and leaned in, her hot breath playing along his ear in a husky trill. "So, Clark would you like to come in?"

Clark hesitated, being gifted with his senses granted him a rather unique viewpoint of his date. He could smell the pheromones wafting off of Cat, could see the way her pupils were contracted, could hear the pounding of her heart and the rush of blood to…certain locations on her body, all clear signs of arousal.

His higher brain was telling him now wasn't the time to cross this milestone with Cat, she deserved to know what she was getting into before she decided to sleep with him, but that logic was being drowned out by hormones that were screaming that it'd been years since he'd been with Lana and he was man with healthy man desires that needed to be sated.

Then his Justice League earwig buzzed making any further thoughts on the subject moot for the time being.

In a supreme act of will he shook his head and stepped back. "Maybe another time, I've really got to get going."

Her eyes clouded over in disappointment. "Oh, okay… I guess I'll see you later."

She closed the door and he ran his hand across his face a couple of times in frustration but he didn't have time to assuage Cat's feelings or dwell on what could've been; duty called. He jogged over to the elevator, a quick glance around revealed that there were no cameras or peeping eyes present, he reached into his pocket, pulled out the earwig, placed the device in his ear and tapped it once.

"I read you Watchtower."

Chloe's voice came in loud and clear. "Clark, sorry to interrupt your date but we've got a disaster and it's all hands on deck."

"What's going on?"

"Earthquake, early reports show that the epicenter was about a hundred miles outside of Vancouver, the quake itself was around a magnitude eight. Data is still coming in but aftershocks have been reported as far south as Sacramento."

He pulled the elevator doors open, stepped into the shaft and lifted off. "Casualties?"

"Reports are still sketchy but Vancouver was hit pretty hard, a dozen have been confirmed dead already, the city is a mess Clark. I've already got everyone dispatched but we're spread pretty thin, I need you to rendezvous with Wonder Woman and head over to Vancouver and help out where you can. Your liaison is going to be a member of the VPD's metahumans department; Inspector James Turner."

Superman emerged from Cat's apartment building and rocketed off over the Metropolis skyline. "Alright, do you have a position on Wonder Woman?"

"She's on the city limits, about five miles ahead of you. Don't worry she's been briefed as well."

Superman scanned the skies momentarily. "I see her, thanks Chloe."

"No problem and good luck. Watchtower out," The line went silent and Superman picked up the pace, a few minutes later he had come to a stop in front of Diana. This was the first time he'd seen her since she joined the League. He was aware that she'd been on a few missions and patrols with other League members and he'd heard mostly positive things; she was a bit green and although she tended to take the lead without asking she more than made up for it with sheer determination and natural talent.

"Good evening Superman, I assume you were briefed by Watchtower."

"I was. How are you doing?"

"I am adjusting well." She replied. "Shall we proceed?"

"Yes, quick question; how fast can you fly?"

She raised an eyebrow at his question. "I do not know, why?"

"Vancouver's is about twenty-seven hundred miles from our present location, instead of flying straight there at around sonic speed it'd be quicker if we travelled a parabolic trajectory. We could travel at speed without having to worry about affecting local climate and-

She held up a hand, indicating she understood. "I'm confident I can keep pace, I was blessed with the speed of Mercury."

He didn't know what to say to that so he nodded and shot straight up accelerating; he looked behind him and saw she was keeping pace. He pushed further and crossed the sound barrier and a few seconds later the hyper sonic barrier. He looked back and she waved at him, showing no visible strain. He sped up further and a minute later they crossed into escape velocities, he was about to check on her again when she surprised him by pushing even faster and rocketing past him.

He nodded to himself understanding the message loud and clear.

By the time he re-assumed the lead, they were sub orbital. They weren't up high enough to see Earth in its entirety but they could definitely see the curvature of the planet laid out beneath them.

For Diana it was her first view of the planet as and the beauty laid before her took her breath away.

Although Clark had seen this sight before, no less than a few weeks ago he was no less affected. It was good to see something so much greater than all of them; this is why they did what they did, to protect this precious blue marble.

They lingered only for a moment before Superman touched Diana's shoulder to get her attention and then set off in a magnificent dive, she followed gamely and in short order they crossed over the western coast of the United States before turning their heading north, rapidly bleeding off speed as they went.

"That was amazing!"

"The view or the trip?" he queried

"Both, I've never done anything like that before!"

He smiled, her excitement was contagious, reminding him of the first time he'd been to the edge of space, it was one of the most memorable things he'd ever experienced. Any enjoyment they had experienced on the flight over was quickly evaporated as they crested Vancouver and saw what the effects of what had transpired.

Diana knew what earthquakes were of course, she had never seen the aftermath of one though, Gaia the goddess of the Earth protected Themyscira from such calamities and as such she wasn't quite prepared for what was in front of her. "Hera, look at this devastation." She whispered.

From their vantage point floating over the metropolitan area they could see a city wrecked by havoc and chaos. Parts of the city had suffered extensive damage; streets were torn and cracked, Fires were raging unchecked on the east side of the city, broken glass littered the street, some as a result of the earthquake, some no doubt from looters who had seized the opportunity to line their pockets. Sirens; EMS and police, echoed through the air. The Lions Gate Bridge had suffered extensive damage as well; a fifty foot section of the span was gone, all that remained were hanging wires and bent steel.

Dreading what he'd see Superman trained his eyes down into the cold waters underneath the broken structure and closed them a few moments later. Diana saw the haunted look in his eyes and didn't have to ask what he'd seen…or hadn't seen.

Wordlessly he took off heading into the city proper with Diana hot on his tail. As she flew she offered a silent prayer that these people hadn't suffered too much in their final moments. But as much as the loss of life assaulted her sensibilities there would be time to mourn the dead later, in the here and now there were still a job to complete, lives to be saved.

Soon thereafter they spotted a man in a V.P.D uniform flagging them down. He appeared to be in his late thirties and had straight brown hair with a scruffy beard. "Superman, Wonder Woman, it's good to see you both, I just wish we were meeting under better circumstances. I'm James Turner; I'm to be your liaison for the duration of your stay in Vancouver."

Superman nodded vaguely but didn't speak; it looked like he was only barely paying attention. Diana waited a moment but with nothing forthcoming from the Man of Steel she smoothly took over. "We are happy to offer aid wherever we can Inspector, just tell us where you need us."

Turner went to go coordinate with the others in charge of rescue operations. Seeing him step away Wonder Woman turned to Superman and touched him on the shoulder. "Are you okay?"

He nodded grimly. "Yeah, sorry about that, I was scanning the city. We've got our work cut out for us."

In the coming hours Superman's words proved very true, they worked tirelessly for hours at a time, putting out fires, clearing rubble, bracing sagging structures and most importantly saving innocents who'd been caught unprepared by the earthquake. They rescued people by the score but still there were those who were beyond their help, each of the deaths hit Superman and Wonder Woman encouraging them to work harder, move faster, do more.

Diana was clearing away rubble from a collapsed storefront when she heard a shout from one of the rescue workers behind her. A large piece of masonry shifted and out from underneath the ruined remains of an apartment complex Superman emerged. An odd sensation washed over Diana and for a moment it was like the rest of the world was moving in slow motion. White dust caked Superman's uniform but he had a gentle smile on his face, she saw he was looking down and she saw that in one of his arms was a young girl, she couldn't be more than four and she was clinging to Superman as if he was the only real thing in the world.

He tried to hand the girl to a paramedic but she was putting up a fight. "It's okay. I need to go but I promise I'll be back to check on you okay?"

She looked up at him with large innocent eyes . "Pinky swear?"

He smiled and crossed his larger digit with her much smaller one. "Pinky swear." The paramedic took the young girl without any further complaint.

Diana blinked, the world returned to normal speed and she had a feeling that she would remember that moment for a long time to come.

The sun rose and still they worked, between them they had cleared and moved several thousand tons of debris and they both continued, sometimes together, other times separate. According to Chloe it was more or less the same for the other teams. Around mid afternoon the rescue workers had taken a break, the crews couldn't keep up with either Superman or Wonder Woman and Chloe reported that Black Canary, Zatanna and Impulse had all gone to ground to catch some much needed rest; they'd be back just as soon as they were able.

"How are you holding up?" Superman asked.

"I'm still able to work. How are you?" She replied stretching her neck muscles.

He looked to his right, an anarchy symbol had been spray painted across a store front. "I'm alright but it's a shame that these tragedies bring out the worst in some people."

Diana thought back to the image of Superpman cradling that scared child in his arms. "They can also bring out the best in people Kal."

His eyebrows raised at the unexpected use of his first name and her eyes widened at the faux pas, truthfully it had just slipped out. "I'm sorry-

He shook his head with a smile. "It's fine I don't mind…Diana."

They smiled at each other for a moment before Superman jerked his head back at the work pit. "What do you say we get back to it?"

She inclined her head. "After you,"

The next day found Clark at the Daily Planet; he didn't have any more sick days and needed to make an appearance. Rescue operations in Vancouver had ceased and cleanup had begun. Turner had thanked the Justice League for their assistance and had sent them on their way but not before Clark had paid a visit to the local children's hospital to check up on the young girl he'd saved earlier. She'd been reunited with an aunt, unfortunately her parents hadn't made it out of the quake but she still had someone who cared about and that was what was important. With Vancouver off the table he had a couple other problems to deal with; one as Clark Kent and one as Superman.

His problem as Clark Kent walked by on three inch heels and wearing a pink miniskirt without sparring him a passing glance. He knew Car was upset about what had happened the other night and his lack of communication the following day but what could he tell her, more lies that would ultimately come back to bite him in the ass like they had so many times before?

Their relationship had come to an impasse and truthfully he hadn't expected them to reach this point so soon. It came down to three options; tell Cat his secret and lay all his cards on the table, lie to her or break it off. He rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration; he was sick of the lies and he wouldn't traverse down that path again so that was out, so that left only two real options. Tell her or not?

He didn't want to break off the relationship with her however he was cognizant of what keeping his secret entailed, that point had been driven home long ago by Pete and then again with Lana.

In their sophomore year at Smallville High Pete had discovered Clark's spaceship and in order to protect his secret from going public Clark had revealed his abilities to Pete. Learning his secret had changed Pete, in the beginning Pete had thought it was cool, but as time wore on it had caused him to grow at times resentful, depressed and doubtful about his ability to keep the secret. It had altered their friendship, driven a wedge between and ultimately drove Pete out of Smallville.

He remembered one of the last things Pete had said to him, a memory that in hindsight had affected his life more than he realized.

"You think it's easy keeping a lid on your secret? I've got to think about it every time we're around other people to make sure I don't slip. I've got to remember to say 'meteor rock' instead of 'Kryptonite'. I walk around every day afraid that I'm gonna slip up."

Granted Pete had a lot going on in his life at the time, his parents were splitting up, the family farm had been foreclosed on and he couldn't seem to get any traction in his romantic pursuit of Chloe. But the knowledge of his secret had irreversibly changed his friendship with Pete. The result; he and Pete hardly ever talked anymore, they had the occasional phone call and made plans (that inevitably fell through) to get together.

Then there was Lana… He was man enough to admit a lot of the problems Lana and he had suffered from had stemmed from the fact that he had never trusted her enough to reveal his nature to her and the one time he did, it had disastrous consequences for both of them, so much so that he had to venture back in time in order to undo telling her in the first place. That had stuck in his mind and the push and pull of not letting her in had ultimately driven her out of his life and into Lex's arms.

On the other hand Chloe, Lois and Oliver had all managed to keep his secret while maintaining relationships with him. The question was which way would Cat fall, and the answer was…he didn't know.

The truth of the matter was in the two months they'd been dating he didn't know enough about her to tell which camp she'd fall into. Sure he knew all the superficial stuff about her but their relationship wasn't exactly one based on a deep emotional connection, it was much more physical.

Which is part of the problem I guess. He mused.

Well there was nothing to it, he needed to get this over with, with a sigh he rose and headed off to the executive floor. He knocked on the door of Cat's office, she looked up and he noted a look of surprise cross her features before she schooled her expression.

"Can I come in?"

She sized him up for a minute before nodding, he crossed the threshold and shut the door gently behind him. "We need to talk about the other night Cat."

"Okay talk."

He had a seat."You don't know this but before we started dating I was in a relationship, it was serious and…she left me for someone I thought was a friend. It hurt me badly and because of that I have I guess what you could call trust issues. I want you to know that it's not that I'm not interested in sleeping with you but I need more time before I'm ready to commit to that. Before we take the next step I think we need to get to know each other better."

Cat's expression softened. "I understand Clark; my relationship history isn't exactly…sterling either. I always jump into the sex and it usually messes things up." She swallowed and looked down at her table her face redding. " And I don't want to mess this up, I mean you're not like any other guy I've dated before and it's nice and- What I'm trying to say is if you want to wait, that's okay with me."

"Thank you." He said feeling a pang of guilt at Cat's full disclosure.

She smiled shyly. "You wanna have lunch and maybe we could talk this over some more?"

"Yeah." He said forcing a smile.

"I guess I'll see you later, handsome."

With a kiss Clark headed back to his desk. It might not have been the complete truth but it was as close as he could give her at the moment, he hated lying but this was the best solution he could come up with, he hoped he had made the right decision.

The other problem was one that had been weighing on him since the night he'd returned to Metropolis from London and that problem was Mercy. There were a few components that made Mercy so dangerous; she was his near equal in strength, and raw speed. Her reflexes were faster, her fighting skill was much greater and she had that spear.

There was little he could do about Mercy's strength, speed or spear, but he could even the odds in terms of reflex speed and fighting skill should their paths cross again. Truthfully he had never really considered the need for formalized training. His powers (particularly his invulnerability) had always given him the advantage but the ease with which he had been dispatched and how close a call he'd had…well he was definitely reconsidering his previous views; which is why after work that day he headed over to Watchtower.

He'd decided to ask Diana to give him some pointers; she was the most logical choice. She had bested Mercy twice, was familiar with the style of combat he'd need to combat and he was on much friendlier terms with her than Artemis who for some reason was just as cold and prickly with him as the day they'd met and he honestly didn't see her agreeing to anything that would force them to spend any more than the bare minimum of time together.

He found her in the lounge chatting easily with Arthur and Courtney.

"Superman, how are you doing?" she greeted with a smile.

"I'm alright, I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment?"

She looked at him curiously for a moment and nodded. He led her out of the lounge and into the currently vacant conference room, he sat down and she took the seat across the table from him.

He decided that the best way was to get down to it. "I need your help Diana, I'm sure you remember what happened when I fought Mercy in London."

She nodded.

"I- I've been defeated before but never like that, never so easily. It opened my eyes, I need to be ready in case I face her or opponents like her. I need to know how to fight and I was hoping that you could show me."

"How to fight?"

He nodded "You have the most insight into with the way Mercy fights, not to mention I've seen you fight and your skills are formidable."

"You've seen me fight?" she asked in surprise.

"The Tower of London, it was on the news." He elaborated.

"Yes, of course." She replied distractedly.

Diana wasn't sure he truly appreciated the magnitude of what he was asking from her. On one hand her mission was to be an envoy to the outside world and educate it about the ways of the Amazons, teach them the ways of peace. On the other hand the Amazon fighting technique was one of the greatest secrets of her people, a skill that would prove decidedly useful if her mission to this world proved unsuccessful and an army was ever mobilized against Themyscira.

The idealist and pragmatist in her warred; on one hand they were allies and any lessons learned from her would benefit the League as a whole making it a stronger more cohesive unit, on the other hand knowledge once given couldn't be taken away. While she was inclined to believe that there was no way Superman would betray the trust that had been placed in him and the league she could hear every one of Artemis' protest as surely as if she had been present and that made her hesitate.

"I'm sorry Kal but I cannot."

She saw his eyes briefly cloud over in disappointment but he endeavored not to show it. "I understand."

He didn't and any explanation she might offer would only cloud the issue further, she watched him stand and as she did she couldn't shake the feeling that this situation didn't feel right to her, Diana preferred to deal in honesty especially with those on her side and how well could an alliance function if it was based off of half-truths and deceit? It was destined to fail, she was in with the Justice League, so she was in all the way. At the same time her inclinations were not enough, she needed to know for sure and there was only one way to do that.

"Kal, wait."

He stopped and turned to face her.

She stood, reached to her hip, removed the glowing golden rope and held it in her fist. "This lasso is enchanted among other things to compel anyone who touches it to tell the truth, myself included. So know every word I tell you is the truth. You ask for my tutelage in martial training and I wish to teach you. I trust your intentions; however there are many potential ramifications to this decision that go beyond my own personal beliefs, including the future and safety of my people. In order to ensure that the knowledge I offer you will not be abused I wish to ask you three questions while you grasp this lasso; that is the price for my guidance."

She could see the hesitation in his eyes and she wondered if he would refuse but in the next second he stepped forward and grasped the lasso. He shivered like a current had passed through him. "Ask me anything you want."

"Do you have any ulterior motives in asking me to teach you combat training?"

He looked her in the eye. "No, I want to learn how to fight and you seem like the most proficient person to teach me. I figured Black Canary has enough to deal with at the moment and I doubt Artemis would agree, I have the feeling that she doesn't care for me."

So he was at least somewhat aware of Artemis' hesitancy in dealing with him.

She continued on. "If I ask you to not reveal where you learned your martial knowledge, would you honor that?"

"Yes to the absolute best of my ability."

He was doing well so far but the next question would determine her answer. "Do you consider Artemis and I true allies and members of the Justice League?"

"Yes, you two are some of the most competent people I've ever met as well as two of the best looking."

She was curious about his last answer but had promised that she would only ask a set number of questions and it would not bode well to renege on that promise. "You may release the lasso."

He complied and shook his head as if trying to clear it. "That thing is dangerous," He said eyeing the lasso warily

She nodded. "The truth can be a powerful weapon. I have the answers I require."

"And…"

She left him in suspense for a moment before nodding. "I will train you in the martial arts," She paused for a moment. "However it will not be easy, if you are looking for a quick solution I suggest you look elsewhere. I was trained by the finest warriors and they expected nothing short of perfection from me and as your teacher I'll expect nothing less than that from you."

"I'm ready."

She watched him for a moment, taking his measure before nodding. "Very well, we will begin."

He blinked. "What, now?"

She nodded her eyes twinkling in amusement. "Yes, you asked for my tutelage and I intended to give it to you."

He hadn't been prepared for this but he tried to follow gamely. "Okay I guess we should head to the training area."

She shook her head. "That won't be necessary."

He looked at her blankly. "You're not suggesting we start in here?"

"I am," She said fighting to keep a straight face. "We will begin with meditation."

His expression reminded her of a certain Amazon Princess when Philippus had begun her lessons.

"Meditation?" he replied dubiously.

"Yes, the most important weapon a warrior has is their mind, without a properly honed mind, you can not be an effective warrior." She replied echoing Philippus words from so long ago.

"But-"

"I believe the expression is learning to walk before you can run." She replied slyly.

"Okay what do I do?"

And so their first lesson began, after it had concluded it was agreed that they would meet every other day at five in the morning for a two hour training session; one hour for the physical and one hour for the mental.

Diana hadn't been kidding about taking her martial training seriously and the next session saw them jump right into the physical part of his training (in the training room).

They were both in uniform and Diana was pacing in front of him. "We will begin shoring up your stance, defense and strikes. Once we begin you will need to minimize your conflicts with others, your mind and body will be between two different fighting styles. In the heat of the moment your mind will tell you to do one thing, but the muscle memory you have will have you react differently, the hesitation could potentially cost innocents their lives." She came to a stop in front of him. "Now show me your fighting stance."

He felt like a sponge absorbing the centuries of knowledge Diana had to offer. He learned that the Amazon fighting technique was a unique blend of armed and unarmed combat techniques, the closet thing it resembled was Pankreation and according to Diana the two arts shared a similar heritage. However while Pankreation had largely fallen out of use after the fall of the Greek Empire, the Amazon style had been refined and perfected over the millennia.

His eidetic memory easily allowed him to effortlessly recall the techniques she taught him, however acquiring the muscle memory to perform said techniques at a satisfactory level still took time. Diana didn't take it easy on him; she was merciless with her drills and on the value of repetition and practice outside their lessons. For the first time that he could remember he was tired and his muscles actually ached after some of Diana's lessons, Clark was pretty sure this was the closest he'd ever get to experiencing boot camp

It would be years before he could fight with anything approaching the skill of Diana, longer still to match Artemis. Diana immediately discouraged this line of reasoning stating that a warrior developed at their own pace, it was not a competition and the journey was more important that the destination. He took that lesson to heart and adopted a similar mindset and her words became something of a personal mantra; the journey was more important the destination.

By the end of the eighth week he had made enough of an improvement and acclimated well enough to the adopting style that Diana had given her blessing for him to begin using his newly acquired skills outside of practice if he deemed necessary.

Week twelve saw him progress to nerve strikes and he learned where to strike was just as important as how to strike.

He began to incorporate standing grapples into his repertoire during week seventeen.

By week twenty his fighting style was all but unrecognizable from when he started and Diana began to actually spar with him.

For her part Diana was downright impressed with his learning proficiency and dedication, he didn't complain, he showed up on time and he always gave his absolute best. She had been steadily increasing his work load but he rose to meet each challenge and by Diana's reckoning he'd had managed to cram the equivalent of three years of training into six months.

Initially Clark and Diana maintained a teacher-student dynamic; but when people spend so much time together, it's only natural that they begin to grow closer and slowly but surely that's what happened. Their relationship started to shift from teacher-student to one of friendship, the turning point happened twenty-six weeks after Clark had begun his tutelage under Diana. After a particularly tough session which saw Clark manage to slip Diana's guard for the first time. It was a proud moment for both of them; for Diana it was a testament to her skills as a teacher that her student had come so far in such a short time. For Clark it was a statement to his dedication to Diana's routine and his growing awareness as a student that he knew he still had a long way to go.

After conducting their cool down meditation they found themselves doing something they hadn't done too often…talking.

She tossed him a bottle of water. "Tell me about yourself Kal."

He caught the bottle and with a quick blast of freeze breath had the beverage chilly, they swapped and he repeated the process on the second bottle. "What would you like to know?"

"Do you remember anything about your home planet?"

"Nothing directly, I have memories of Krypton but they were placed in my subconscious by my birth father's A.I."

"A.I.?"

Artificial Intelligence; my father's created a copy of his memories and personality and transferred it into a computer program, it runs the Fortress." He went on to describe the fortress and how it had come into existence in such detail that by the time he was done Diana could see it clearly in her mind's eye; a towering palace of crystal, the last storehouse of the accumulated knowledge of an entire species.

"It sounds magnificent."

"It is. I'll have to show it to you one day."

She smiled. "I'd like that."

"Anyway I was sent to Earth in a rocket ship after that, and my ship landed in Smallville Kansas. A farmer and his wife happened to be nearby when my ship crash landed, they found me and raised me as their own. I was a normal kid for the first few years of my life but around when I turned ten my powers started to develop. That about covers my early life, so it's my turn to ask you a question."

She had a mouthful of water so she gestured for him to continue.

"Don't get offended or anything but I'm curious I know you've said Amazon's are ageless, but just how old are you exactly?"

She swallowed. "Why would I be offended, I am Seven hundred and eighty-two; although in this case that age is relative to my upbringing where my next closest peer is two hundred years older than me. How old are you?"

He hesitated for a moment struggling to comprehend being almost eight hundred years old but still being the youngest person in a community. "Twenty-three."

"It's interesting; despite the gap in our ages in your twenty-three years you've experienced so much more of the world than I have." She said thoughtfully.

"I don't know Diana, you may not be familiar with the wider world but from what you've told me you've hardly lived what anyone could call a routine existence. You have experienced things I can only imagine."

She chuckled. "I suppose you're right."

They fell into a companionable silence for a while until Clark saw what time it was. "I have to get going, I'll see you."

She stood as well. "Same time tomorrow," She affirmed. "Get your rest Kal; tomorrow we're going to start working on ground techniques."

"I can hardly wait." He replied wryly.

The next session ended with them discussing what life had been like in Smallville as well as him revealing his human name.

"Clark Kent, the reporter?"

He nodded unsure how she would react. To his relief she found it amusing.

"So that is why Superman happened to be in London the day we met. Tell me why did you decide to conduct your life with two identities?"

"Mainly as a way to protect my family and friends from my enemies, I'd also have to say as much as I enjoy my work as Superman there are times when I need to step away from it all. Separating Clark Kent's life and Superman's lets me do that."

"So which identity do you consider your true one; Clark Kent or Superman?"

He shrugged. "The short answer is both of them. They're both facets of my personality, I play certain elements up as Superman and others down as Clark Kent."

For some reason she wasn't satisfied with that answer. "So what is the long answer?"

He was silent for a moment. "People are multifaceted; we show different parts of ourselves to different people in our lives and I'm no different in that regard. Let's take you for example Diana; In the six months since you joined the League I've seen different sides of you; are you the courageous champion of your people, the fierce Amazonian warrior, the compassionate emissary, the regal princess, the rookie Justice League member and aspiring superhero or all those pieces of the mosaic that makes you, you Diana?"

"I see what you mean," She said with a pause "That was a long answer."

They shared a laugh before Diana sobered. "So of all those facets who gets to see the whole of you Kal?"

"It's a short list. I'd say my mom, Chloe, Lois, Oliver…you."

She stared at him a sensation like she missed a step going down a flight of stairs had taken up residence in her stomach at his words.

"What?" he asked with a bemused expression.

She shook her head. "Nothing, I was just lost in thought for a moment."

"It's nice to know I'm such a riveting speaker." He said with a chuckle. "Anyway it's about time I head out, I'll see you later Diana."

She waved and watched him leave, that odd sensation still present in her stomach.

The weekend saw Clark playing fetch with Shelby and cleaning around the farm, it was unusual that he got much time off and he was enjoying every second of it.

Shelby ran up to Clark; a tennis ball in his mouth. He dropped the ball in his master's hand, his tongue lolling out in anticipation of Clark tossing the ball again. Clark obliged and tossed the tennis ball out into the field; Shelby shot off barking in delight. Clark was watching with a smile when his cellphone rang, he lifted up and saw Dinah's number on his screen.

"Hello?"

"Clark, it's Oliver, he's woken up!"

He could hear the relief and elation in her voice. "That's great news Dinah."

"It is, he's asking to see you, are you busy?"

He bit his lip for a moment. "I can swing by, where are you guys?"

She gave him the address. "I'll see you in a few."

"Okay, thanks Clark."

Shelby had returned with the tennis ball and was trying to hand it off to Clark. "Sorry boy, looks like we'll have to put this game on hold."

Shelby dropped the ball and whined, his ears going flat.

"Come on, I'll give you a treat and we'll play later."

At the word 'treat' Shelby's ears pricked up and his tail started wagging.

Clark smiled and set off to the house with Shelby keeping pace. One Google Maps search, two doggie treats and a few pats on the head later he was off in a blur. A little under four minutes later he came to a stop outside the hospice and after replacing his glasses and straightening his shirt he walked into the reception area.

He signed in on the visitor sheet and was shown back to Oliver's room where he saw Dinah in jeans and a sweater having a spirited discussion with Oliver. He knocked on the door frame and Dinah beckoned him in.

"Wow, when you say a few minutes, you mean a few minutes." Oliver said with a smile.

As he walked over he looked his friend over with his x-ray vision. Most of the broken bones had healed, although Oliver had quite a bit more scar tissue than Clark remembered and his muscles had atrophied a bit from inactivity. Given what he'd been through though it could've been much worse.

Oliver seemed to know what Clark was doing. "How does everything look?"

"Much better. It's great to see you're awake Oliver, how do you feel?"

Oliver shrugged. "All things considered I can't complain."

Dinah rolled her eyes. "Stop trying to be so macho Ollie, you were whining in pain just a few minutes ago."

Oliver grinned lecherously. "Nah, I was just hoping you'd agree to give me a sponge bath babe."

Dinah flushed a brilliant red. "Oliver!"

The young billionaire looked unabashed. "Oh come on Dinah, it's been like eight months… you can't blame a guy for trying."

If it was possible Dinah turned even redder.

It was at this point Clark coughed into his hand. "Um, maybe I should leave…"

Oliver instantly sobered up. "No, we," he indicated the three of them. "Need to talk."

Clark pulled a chair up to the bed and had a seat. "About what?"

"Before I was attacked my mole inside of Luthorcorp has been feeding me info about Lex's various holdings, projects, breakthroughs etc."

Dinah looked at Oliver. "This isn't the first time you've mentioned having a mole, I thought it was some low level technician or something but the kind of information you're talking about has to come from someone near the top."

"Not near the top, the top; it's Lionel. He's been doing some corporate espionage while he's been out of the country. Anyway Lionel came across some documents for a project Conduit and- what?" He stopped at Clark and Dinah's expression.

"Conduit is the name of Lex's little toy soldier."

Clark elaborated further. "I've seen him on the news a few times and I've been keeping an eye on him since Lex threw a gala for his public debut but I've never met him before."

"What does he do?" Oliver queried

"Mainly appears at high profile events as a bodyguard, helping the elderly, you know stuff Lex can have his P.R department drum up reports about. Honestly he kinda freaks me out, those cables of his remind me of snakes." Dinah said with a shudder.

Fragments of memory flash across Oliver's mind, a cable…his bow a… it was right there in his mind, just out of reach. He realized he had his head in his hands and slowly he lowered them to rest on the quilt.

Dinah leaned forward "What is it, are you okay?"

I don't know, it was-" he paused at the concerned looks on Clark and Dinah's faces and swallowed his answer. "Nothing, I'm fine. Back to Lionel's discovery; the documents talk about finding new ways to harness Kryptonite in the development of metahumans."

"Sounds like 33.1" Dinah noted.

Oliver shook his head. "No, that was about the abduction and control of metahumans, this is about the creation of metas… if it's a success Lex will have the ability to raise an army of metahumans anytime, anyplace, all completely loyal to him. This Conduit must be the first off the line, a test run."

"I'll get back to the Watchtower and fill everyone in, we need to move and move quickly to see what we can do about neutralizing this. Don't worry Oliver, we'll take it from here; Lex has an eight month head start on us, we won't give him anymore." Clark rose, shook Oliver's hand, patted Dinah on the shoulder and disappeared in a blur of speed.

Oliver blinked, in the eight months he'd been sidelined something in Clark had changed. This wasn't the same man, the reluctant hero he'd known, sure Clark had been showing progress but this was a bit surprising. "What's up with him, did he eat his Wheaties or something?"

"No he's been like that for a while now, he really stepped up while you were out of commission," Perhaps realizing how that sounded she quickly added. "But he's only keeping the seat warm until you get back."

Oliver frowned slightly. "Then you know he's going to be in that seat for a while longer. You saw my injuries; it'll be months before I'm back in fighting condition."

She kissed him on the head. "You just worry about getting well love; the League is in capable hands."

Oliver knew that and while it was a load off his mind, a part of him, a very tiny part was concerned about just how much more capable those hands were compared to his.

A/N: It looks like we've got a showdown coming up soon with Lex, Superman, the League and Conduit. Did you all catch the Kingdom Come reference, it was blink and you miss it. Pete's quote is actually an amalgamation of two quotes from the Smallville episodes Duplicity and Asylum. Lastly Superman and Wonder Woman training together wasn't a one-off thing, we'll see Clark's training and his fighting style develop over the course of the story. As always thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time.