Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Guide.

Harry completed a rather scaled down, but mostly accurate retelling of his life. Kara remained by his side. Lily looked at the pair of them, calm, eerily, and utterly calm.

"So what do you have to say for yourself?" asked Harry coldly.

"This is far worse than I thought," said Lily. With another motion, she waved her hand.

Before Harry could protest, a bright light engulfed the two of them. Kara and Harry had been sucked into the journal. They spiraled through the air and landed with a hard thud.

"What was that about?" asked Kara, rubbing her head in confusion. She got a good look around, and opened her mouth to protest. She saw scribbles on the wall and many of them were Kryptonian.

"You sucked us in the journal!" yelled Harry, getting into Lily's face. "I swear, if you don't send us back I'll…"

"You have no comprehension how much this situation has been screwed up!" shouted Lily.

"Oh, and I suppose you might have an idea," said Harry, staring down this distorted image that resembled his mother.

Lily shook her head to regain her bearings.

"Yes, everything that happened, words fail me," said Lily, shaking her head. "Your entire life was the opposite that I planned. You were supposed to grow up mostly isolated, and detached from your peers. And then Death slaps the keys on you, and doesn't train you before merging them with you. That could have destroyed you!"

"Let's find a way out of here!" suggested Kara quickly as Lily as in the process of ranting. The two tried to find an exit, but they looped back into the journal.

"Let us out of here, now," said Harry in his most dangerous voice.

"No, you're staying here until I figure this out," said Lily, shaking her head. "Those three keys they could have ripped you apart without the proper training."

"Oh, don't act like you care," said Harry, folding his arms.

"Of course I care, I'm your mother," said Lily hotly.

"Oh, that's a good one," said Harry sarcastically. "Did you or did you not tell me that you just got through selling me out in a bargain to Death? Kind of hard to put that behind me…"

"Listen, you're being ungrateful!" yelled Lily, as her temper grew. "You know nothing, and…"

"Harry obviously knows more than you do," interjected Kara, wrapping her arms around her boyfriend and glaring at this woman. "He knows a lot more about human decency, and the fact his actions have consequences!"

"I wasn't aware you had anything to do with this conversation," said Lily. "So why don't you just be quiet, or I'll shut you up myself."

Harry turned to give her a nasty glare and Lily took a step back. She realized how she overstepped her bounds.

"Don't you dare ever threaten Kara again," said Harry coldly, shutting Lily down. "To think, I always wondered what it would be like to meet my mother. Now I realize, I'm better off not ever knowing you."

"And what's with all of the symbols on the wall?" asked Kara. "They're Kryptonian…it was you wasn't it!"

Lily remained collected and calm.

"I saw you, sulking around, my father didn't really pay much attention, but I saw you," said Kara. "It was when I was about seven or eight but I remember you! What were you doing on Krypton?"

There was silence.

"Kara asked you a question, Lily," said Harry.

Lily remained silent, feeling the full implications of Harry using her given name and not "Mum" or any other variations.

"That's really none of your concern," said Lily.

"Well, I guess what I do is none of your concern," said Harry. "You can either tell me the truth, or I'll make you let me out."

"Fine, you want the truth," said Lily. "The truth is Death took me there, she took me places every now and again, whether I liked it or not. To worlds that were eventually destined to die. Yet, this one was a bit different. Death pointed you out, Kara, and said this is the one from Krypton."

"Did someone make a bargain for me?" asked Kara in a cool voice.

"She didn't exactly tell me," said Lily dismissively.

Kara was not going to let her off the hook that easily.

"How come I wasn't informed of this?" demanded Kara.

"Death only informs her heralds directly under the most extreme circumstances," said Lily. "Plus, she likely figured since Harry found you, he would inform you. Given he was supposed to find this journal first."

Harry closed his eyes. He was reaching the point he almost wished he never found the journal.

"You were sent here for a great purpose, Harry," said Lily.

"Yeah, so I was told," said Harry in a disgusted voice.

"I'm your mother Harry, couldn't you at least give me the benefit of the doubt?" asked Lily.

Harry remained silent and chose his next words carefully.

"Benefit of the doubt, yeah, well I've given so many people that, there isn't much benefit to it," said Harry as he looked at her. "Every single person died because of this game, many of them I did care about…"

"You weren't supposed to," said Lily, shaking her head.

"It's easier to groom a puppet that's been isolated," said Harry darkly. "Ask Dumbledore how well playing games with me turned out for the magical world. It caused many people to die. Good people, because he couldn't get over himself or face his own demons. But I guess you're no different than him."

"I'm nothing like Albus Dumbledore!" raged Lily. The books on the shelves rattled at this declaration.

Harry realized he struck a nerve. Kara stood behind him.

"Why was I sent here?" asked Harry. "Why was I sent to Smallville of all places? What was the grand plan, Lily? Answers, I need them, and you better start explaining to me."

"Fine," said Lily taking a deep breath. "This all started generations before you were born, before I was born, and before my parents were even born. It all ties back to one single minded obsession of the Evans family over the years. There were whispers for years, many times over many cultures about a traveler coming from a distant world. The traveler would have powers beyond all mortal man."

Harry and Kara exchanged a brief covert look. Neither opened their mouth, but both were thinking the same thing.

"My family, they were all about control and power," said Lily. "It was an obsession of the Evans bloodline. There were no family with us, and no friends, only resources to use to get ahead. It was a competition both inside and outside of the family."

"I can imagine," said Harry in a cool voice.

"And the obsession only got worse when I became a witch, and brought home a book I stumbled upon during my second year of Hogwarts," said Lily.

"That would be around the time where your sickly younger sister would have been born, wouldn't it?" asked Harry. "You know, that particularly dirty family secret, Rose, remember her?"

"Don't talk to me about Rose!" yelled Lily suddenly, her temper getting to her. "I regret everything that happened to her!"

'Not as much as I do,' thought Harry to himself.

"Just keep with your story, so we can get out of here," prompted Kara.

Lily took several moments to compose herself and just had to hang her head. This was not the cheerful meeting she envisioned. She could strangle Death for this. She did suspect Harry would have a bit of an attitude; he was her son after all. However, nothing prepared her for how this meeting was turning out.

She needed to gain Harry's trust, for her plans to work. She needed to gain Harry's trust to lead him towards his destiny.

"Fine, just give me a minute," said Lily. "My parents were obsessed with controlling the mysterious traveler and the great power he possesses. They hinted that any child who could find them the proper information would be rewarded. They were not too happy with me; it interfered with their perfect life to have their little girl become a witch."

"Aunt Petunia seemed to think differently," said Harry arms folded. "I remember her constant rants about how her parents were so happy to have a witch in the family. They stand out in my mind."

"I don't doubt Petunia had to hear them," said Lily with a sad smile. "But I heard my share of rants directed at me. Petunia was normal and not a misfit. How, she would bring honor to the family legacy, and not spend ten months at some shady boarding school in Scotland. Of course, precious Petunia and all of her poise couldn't give them the gift I brought them. A gift I regretted later on."

She got nothing, but two rather dubious glares from Kara and Harry.

"It was a journal belonging to Rowena Ravenclaw, concrete proof that the traveler was coming and he would show up before the end of the twentieth century," continued Lily. "I also found something else, more notes made by the fame seer Cassandra Trelawney. Further proof that backed up what Rowena found out. It detailed a planet exploding in green rocks, the coming of a traveler, and three heralds who would hold the keys to his success or his demise."

'Three heralds,' thought Harry, but he said nothing out loud. He knew about Kara, but who the hell was the third?

"My parents tripped over themselves to give me attention and respect after I gave them their precious information," said Lily. "It wasn't worth it in the end, but when I was thirteen after years of playing second rate sibling, I finally won the game. My parents shared the information with their associates in high society."

Harry shook his head. His mother had less sense than he did at that age. He would never do anything so brazen.

"Of course, their arrogance exceeded all bounds and they got beat at their own game. They had many associates, and did not know the truth about a lot of them. One such family was the Malfoys."

"Really, they didn't seem to be the type to even give Muggles the time a day," said Harry skeptical immediately.

"They did keep an eye on the higher rungs of society, those who might pose a threat to their master," explained Lily. "Lucius took the information about the traveler back to Voldemort, and he tried to have my parents killed over it. That's what initially kicked off this entire mess. I trust you know about the prophecy."

Harry gave a stiff nod.

"Well the reason Voldemort tried to kill you was because he knew about my family's mission," said Lily. "The fact you were prophesized to be the one to stop him just caused him to step up his efforts in taking out my entire bloodline. If he had succeeded in killing you, he would have followed through to Petunia next. And then he would have likely sought out the traveler himself, to use him as a weapon"

Kara tried to hide her fear at the thought of that possible scenario. She had seen enough about Voldemort to know that him finding and using her cousin would be the worst case scenario to end all worst case scenarios.

"What about the deal you made?" demanded Harry.

"The deal was a snap decision," said Lily. "I was fourteen years old. I didn't think about the consequences…"

"When I was fourteen years old, I was fighting Voldemort for my life," said Harry.

"Yes, I know, "said Lily as she closed her eyes. "It never was supposed to happen like this, but now we can make things right. You just have to trust me."

"Trust you, yeah that's going to happen," said Harry in a dismissive voice.

"You can't achieve your role as the Herald of Death without my help," said Lily.

"Harry can get on just fine without you!" said Kara, grabbing her boyfriend's arm tightly. "He's rather resourceful, and he doesn't need any special help from you. All we learned from this journal was that it was because of your selfish actions…"

"If it wasn't for my selfish actions, Harry wouldn't be alive!" yelled Lily, and Harry realized she was right, but the statement just felt so wrong. "You know Harry, I'm not sure if I approve of your relationship to this girl."

Harry was angered behind words, and he pushed his mother back. Lily knew then he was powerful, because he should not be able to do any damage to her otherwise.

"Your approval is unneeded!" yelled Harry. "You know what…I can get on just fine without you. If you have information I can actually use about these powers, give it to me now. It seems to be me like you're hoping that I indulge in the old Evans family obsession about this traveler rubbish."

"It's not like that at all, well not anymore," said Lily, in a soft voice.

"What changed your mind?" asked Harry.

She took several deep breaths and turned toward Harry.

"Well it was the day you were born," said Lily. "Harry, I know it's hard for you to trust people. After the life you lead, it would be asking for miracle. And I'm really sorry about some of the things I said. About you and about Kara, they were all way out of line. It's just…I don't want anything bad to happen."

Harry said nothing, and turned around to look out the window.

"Harry looked up to you," said Kara. "He told me himself. Every other adult authority figure in his life had flaws, but at least he could see his mother as a good person."

"I wanted Harry to have a happy childhood," said Lily. "I don't even know what possessed Sirius to ask for the change of the Secret Keeper."

"Well, did you have any second thoughts about your little deal?" asked Harry.

"Yes, I may have," said Lily, remembering it. "Once I found out the prophecy, I knew the end was here for me, and then anything that happened to you would be out of my control. James also put off finalizing the will to November 1st. Death decided to punish me for trying to back out one last time."

Lily remained thoughtful.

"If you blame anyone, blame her," said Lily. "I don't deny I was selfish. Even up until my marriage…I won't lie. I only went with James because he was the best match to fulfill my bargain. I did grow fond of him. And when my son got born, I stopped seeing you as some tool that I had to groom…but another life."

She walked around the library. She turned to Harry and Kara.

"Please look at me," said Lily. "I swear, I'll make things right, somehow. This situation…well it's gotten twisted. You got the journal way too late; you got the keys before you understood your powers."

"Just let us out," said Harry, still rather annoyed. "If you think you're going to run my life…"

"I won't, I swear," said Lily. "If you ever need any help, I won't turn you away. I am proud of how my son turned out in spite himself. Despite that life, which should have twisted you to evil or at least extreme bitterness, you turned out wonderful."

"Can we go back now?" asked Kara.

"Yes," said Lily without a thought.

She sensed the paradox going on in Harry's head. He would not exist if it was not for the deal, he accepted that fact. Yet, he did not like the fact this deal was made. There were many benefits he acknowledged, but also a bit of a curse.

With another movement, the true powers of the journal kicked in. Lily regretted pouring her emotions into the journal because this made it a lot harder than it really should have been.

'Harry, find it in your heart to forgive me for what I've done,' thought Lily. 'I'll implant as much awareness of your powers into both of your minds as I can. I'm sure Death would have liked me to rewrite your personalities to get something more obedient and less independent, but…I won't do it.'

Lily closed her eyes. She got a good scan of the natural abilities of Kara and Harry. They could handle an information dump into their minds, with nothing but a headache. They were strong and would remain so for all eternity. If worse came to worse for humanity, and it was beyond hope, she could arrange for all humans to be wiped out and use these two to repopulate the Earth.

In a way, it would be her ultimate revenge on Death. A world filled with immortals, and no one could ever pass to the afterlife.

Yet her consciousness squashed those dark impulses. Lily still felt a small bit of obsession to win the old Evans family race. The traveler was here in this place, Smallville. Harry could control his destiny and Lily felt smug satisfaction that victory was in her grasp.

Lily allowed herself to go dormant once again. It was a strain to keep awake for this long. She could move through any building created by her bloodline from the journal. Beyond that, she had to co-opt someone's body.

The sunlight shined over them. Harry's eyes opened, as he found himself on the floor. He had a splitting headache, as Kara rested next to him. His arms steadied her so she did not roll in the table.

"Kara," whispered Harry gently.

She opened her eyes, and came back to life.

"Oh, hi, Harry, why does my head hurt?" asked Kara.

"You tell me, and we'll both know," said Harry, but he saw the journal open on the desk. Memories flooded back to him the past night. "She didn't."

"What did your m…Lily do?" asked Kara.

"She just knocked us out and dumped an entire load of information into our minds," said Harry. "About our powers, I think she might have crammed at least the entire three years of training into one eight hour session."

Kara adjusted her eyes. She had new awareness, things that she did not know before. Harry helped to her feet.

"What else did she jam into our minds?" asked Harry.

"It just seems to be information, I can't make sense of most of it," said Kara.

More writing appeared over the journal.

"When you need to make sense of it, you'll understand."

Harry looked at the journal and with a wave of his hand shut it. He levitated the journal in the air, and threw it in the vault. He slammed it shut.

"I don't think I can handle looking at that book right now," said Harry, and the two moved from the study into the living room.

Harry vowed not to let the unconventional circumstances of how he came to be get to him.

Both Harry and Kara parked themselves onto the couch.

"I think she thinks you were going to be your ticket to controlling Clark," said Kara breaking the long silence. "I can see it in her eyes; she's still obsessed with it."

"You and me both Kara," said Harry. "I…can't do that to him. I'm not like my mother. I'm just…"

"Harry, I know you won't," said Kara, pulling Harry in close. "I understand everything you're going through."

Harry nodded. He knew exactly how Kara felt like when the idealistic image of her father she built up had been shattered. Kara ran her hands through Harry's hair, causing it to stand up on end.

"I'm pretty sure she didn't plant any subliminal hints in either of our minds," said Harry. "My anger with her…it's the same I remember from last night."

"Mine too," said Kara, but she looked at Harry. "I was hoping to have a better ending to that night that getting sucked into the journal."

She stifled Harry's apologies before he could even begin them with a kiss. Harry returned the kiss, feeling her soft lips against his. Kara straddled Harry's lap. The two melted into each other with their passionate activity. Harry held her body against his, feeling her against him. His fingers moved up her nightdress. He traced patterns over her lower back, before his hands moved downwards.

Her sultry moan filled his mouth as he began cup her rear end into his hands. She rubbed against his very prominent bulge. She leaned back from the kiss, to work the sash open on her nightdress.

With a sexy little grin, Kara unraveled it, and let it pool to the floor. She wore nothing, but a lacy white bra and blue panties with a red bow. She pulled back his shirt and put her mouth to his neck, sucking on it.

"Kara," breathed Harry, eyes glazed over. "I don't know if I can resist you much longer."

"Don't resist me then," said Kara, pulling back and tracing patterns on his chest and arms with her hands. "I don't want you to resist me."

Kara pressed her lips against his once more. Her tongue worked magic in his mouth. Harry returned it. They felt the inside of each other's mouths, as Kara's barely clothed body writhed against his. Harry felt her up, gaining more confidence with each passing moment.

The dark haired young man had the presence of mind to rotate Kara and she was on her back on the couch. Harry kissed her full lips as she laid back and sighed into his mouth. Kara traced her fingers down his chest, past his stomach, past his belt line, and down into his pants.

Harry marveled at this beauty beneath him. He could sense she was just as hot for him as he was for her. He deepened the kiss. The two continued to passionately make out for a time. Kara continued to work over him, and then began to pull his pants down.

She licked her hand clean, and shifted her gazed towards Harry.

"I want you," breathed Kara in his ear. Her hot breath inflamed his mind.

Harry nodded, getting the meaning. He scooped up Kara in his arms and took her up to the main bedroom to step up their activities.

Clark sat outside of the Kent Farm, deep in thought. The events of the last couple of days weighed heavily on his mind.

"Well you look like you got an entire plane of Kryptonite dropped on you."

Clark looked up, as Chloe stood before him.

"Oh, hey Chloe," said Clark in a somber voice. "Sorry…I just hadn't gotten any sleep."

"Is there any particular reason why?" asked Chloe as she sat down next to Clark.

"Last night, I had to do something…well I had to do something that I don't want to talk about," said Clark. "Yesterday was a day I would like to forget"

Chloe looked at him for a few seconds.

"I see."

"Kara's upset at me, Harry's upset at me, and Lana's upset at me," said Clark, as he thought about the situation.

"You were busy yesterday," said Chloe, with a nod. "So do you want to talk about it?"

Clark explained his day, well most of it. Chloe remained silent for most of it, just waiting until Clark finished speaking.

"So, I made a mess out of things," concluded Clark. "I overstepped my bounds with the entire crystal thing, and now…I'll never do that again. Especially since both Harry and Kara were right about the entire mess. I had no right to that crystal, especially after what it did to me."

"It's giving you nightmares, isn't it?" asked Chloe.

"The crystal, or the fact my cousin isn't talking about me?" asked Clark.

"All of the above, all of the above, I can see how that would stress you out," said Chloe as she looked at him. "But you'll get over it. You'll be back putting your foot in your mouth in no time."

"Thanks for the confidence boost, "said Clark and Chloe just smiled. "I just can't believe Lana would do something like that."

"Yeah, but we never truly know who people are," said Chloe, looking off into the distance. "Her marriage with Lex changed her, and it's a shame things aren't back to the way they were. I sometimes wonder about everything that happened there. She came back, and all seemed well. But nothing is well, isn't it? Something happened to her last night, and she's out there somewhere."

Clark nodded. He hoped wherever Lana was, she didn't get hurt.

"So have you heard from Kara or Harry?" asked Clark.

Chloe remained silent as if debating on how much to say to Clark.

"Last time I spoke with Harry, he was on some wild goose chase after that journal of his," said Chloe with a frown. "It's really consuming his life."

"It's just his mother's journal," said Clark. "What could be that important?"

"Everything else from his parents was destroyed, that's his one link to his past," said Chloe. "I tried to get in touch with him this morning, but I couldn't. His cell phone was turned off; I tried twice, about two hours apart. I've found out something related to the meteor infected that he might want to know."

"Is this something I should be concerned about?" asked Clark.

"Yeah, it's a concern," said Chloe. "Belle Reve got a turnover in management. They got a new doctor, someone who is used to the strange and mysterious. In fact, it's in his name, someone called Hugo Strange, I don't know if you've heard of him."

Clark pondered that for a moment.

"Name rings a bell somehow, but maybe you can give me a hint," said Clark.

Chloe just proceeded to explain.

"He was fired for unethical behavior from a place that has the worst turnover rate ever in curing their patients. It's a place called Arkham Asylum, in Gotham City. Half of the staff ends up becoming guests of the state eventually. And there isn't a meteor fragment in the city. It's crippled by constant gang wars. And the police are on the take. It's just one big cesspool of corruption and insanity."

"Makes Smallville look rather tame," said Clark in a conversational tone.

"That might be the understatement to end understatements," said Chloe. "They have a serial killer who leaves taunting messages in the form of riddles, a cannibal with a scaly skin condition, and a murderous gangster with a split personality that talks to a ventriloquist dummy. Not exactly an inviting place to live."

Clark just shook his head at this.

Two young adults rested in each other's arms.

"I think we missed breakfast," breathed Harry.

"Filled up as is," cooed Kara in his ear. "I know you had plenty to eat."

Harry just smiled. They shared something special with each other. The first attempt had been a bit awkward, but after about the second or third time they got into the swing of things.

The two leaned up against the pillows on the bed, their naked sweaty bodies pressed against each other.

"That was much better than any of my dreams," said Kara, as she leaned over to give Harry a kiss. Harry returned it. It was light and tender, but still felt very nice.

It seemed a lot longer than a few hours. Harry wondered if he had used his time stopping powers to stretch out the time they had for their activities.

"Reality can be much better than any dream," said Harry, playing with her hair as she rested against him. "We might actually make it to lunch."

"I think we should take a shower first," suggested Kara, with a smile. "We did get quite a workout after all."

"Shower sounds wonderful," said Harry.

"C'mon then," said Kara, grabbing Harry by the hand, and pulling him down the hallway, before the couple took a shower.

The shower took three times as longer as usual due to the two getting sidetracked, but it was worth it. The couple finally got dressed a little past noon. Kara wore a nice red sweater and tight blue jeans. Harry was attired in pants and a sweat shirt.

"How about we go out for lunch today?" asked Kara.

"Sounds good, I'm too tired to cook for some reason," said Harry with a cheeky grin.

"I wonder why," said Kara, who looked over Harry. Tight pants really served him well.

"I'm sure the culprit's under my nose," said Harry, as he pulled her into another kiss. Kara returned it with a furious passion.

Both had reason to smile, despite what happened the previous evening. Harry broke the kiss, and moved to check his cell phone to see if anyone called him when he was preoccupied.

"I better call Chloe back, to see what she wants," said Harry, and Kara waited for him to return his call. "Hey Chloe, it's Harry, sorry I've been busy this morning."

"Oh, just this morning," said Chloe. "So…did anything interesting happen last night? Anything involving any journals."

"Switch to the other communication link if we're going to continue this conversation," said Harry, and Chloe did as she was told. "Yes, I found it, last night, it was in a Military Base at Area 51. I had to rescue Lana first, but I got it out."

"Lana really swiped it," breathed Chloe. "I can't believe it."

"I'm not about to ask you to defend Lana, or going to waste my breath demonizing her," said Harry. "Lex had the journal, and Lana took it. It's just one big mess that I really don't have the time or the patience to deal right now. Especially given the fact I'm having certain reservations about wasting time looking for the thing in the first place."

Chloe appeared taken aback.

"What did you find out?" asked Chloe.

"Never mind," said Harry. "It's….family secrets that I wished stayed buried with the dead."

Chloe remained silent for a moment.

"Does Lex know that you have the journal?" asked Chloe.

Harry snickered.

"Dare, I ask why you find that question so amusing?" asked Chloe.

"As far as he knows, he took it back," said Harry. "I'll be keeping a close eye on both of the Luthors. I've found out enough to make me very worried."

"I've been telling you about Lex for three months and…"

"Chloe, settle down," said Harry. "I'm in the habit of forming my own opinions based on evidence I've personally uncovered. And I've uncovered enough."

Harry took a breath, before he decided to let the bombshell drop. "Lex is supplying the United States Government with meteor rocks, and they're experimenting on people. Orphans and prisoners…it's an entire seedy mess and I think I've just scratched the surface."

"Think you could even begin to clue me in," prompted Chloe.

Harry shook his head. It was a long extensive process, and he only scarcely investigated it.

"Shining Light Foundation, after business hours on Monday, I should be able to find out how deep the conspiracy I'm dealing with is."

"Fair enough," said Chloe. "I've got something for you too, involving Belle Reve, and their newest member of staff. I've dug up a ton on him, and…it doesn't sound good."

"Well I'm sure it would be worth it, "said Harry.

"Yeah, it's worth it," said Chloe. "You get what you pay for."

"And if I recall, I am paying you a lot to uncover any information about the meteor infected for me," said Harry.

"Well this is well worth my pay grade," said Chloe. "I still haven't figured out how you make all of this money. You don't make a dime off of the Shining Light Foundation."

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you," said Harry mysteriously.

"Well, just don't get caught…I think," said Chloe. "Just this information…well it could be a game changer. Especially given what you might have found as well. I've dug up some dirt on this guy, and….you'll be concerned."

Dread filled Harry at that moment.

"Okay, Kara and I are heading off to lunch, so talk to you later," said Harry.

"Okay, you and your girlfriend have a great time on your date," said Chloe smugly.

"Yeah, me and my girlfriend will have a great time on our date, just like we had a great time all morning," said Harry, and Chloe was rendered speechless.

She finally found her voice.

"Wait…you're actually…finally, together now," said Chloe, as Kara laughed. "She's listening in to every word we're saying right now."

"Pretty much yeah," said Harry, as he eyed Kara, who grinned mischievously over in the corner.

"Hi, Chloe," said Kara jumping in on the call. "You know, it might be a good idea to watch what you say in front of our guests. They tend to have ears you know."

"What are you talking about?" asked Chloe, confused.

"Claire, she overheard your little commentary about me and Harry," said Kara in a reproachful voice.

"I didn't think she was listening," said Chloe, and now Harry looked curious.

"What did you say Chloe?" asked Harry.

"Never mind, you figured it out, you don't need…to know," said Chloe, backtracking. "I got to go…things to do."

Chloe excused herself from the conference call. The couple laughed.

"Chloe voiced our need to work out our sexual tensions," said Kara. "And Claire overheard her."

Harry just gave a slight knowing smirk.

"I think we cleared that minefield pretty well," said Harry as he held her in close.

"Oh, I almost forgot in all of the excitement of the last day," said Kara, as she dug into her bag and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "Claire drew this."

Harry took the piece of paper, and saw the picture. He looked at it, with a slight smile on his face.

"That's very well done," said Harry, closing his eyes to regain his composure. "I never thought I made that big of an impression on her."

Harry placed the drawing on the coffee table, and made sure nothing would happen to it, as he turned around. He wiped his eye.

'Bit of dust in my eye I think,' thought Harry to himself.

Kara and Harry took each other's hands, and walked out the front door, before they flew into the fall breeze high above Smallville to enjoy a day out.

Lex reclined in his study, savoring the fruits of yesterday. The journal was back in his hands, and moved to a more safe location. He read an e-mail for Harry, which thanked him for all of the help he gave on the journal.

The bald young man had to shake his head. He believed that fake was the real thing. Harry Potter remained blissfully ignorant.

The doorknob turned, and Lex looked up to see his guest. He did not give any permission for anyone to enter. He held his hand on his desk to call for security, but Lionel Luthor invited himself in.

"Hello, Lex," said Lionel breaking the silence.

"What do you want?" asked Lex, but his hand still hovered over the button.

"Can't a father check up on his son?" asked Lionel.

"Depends on who the father is, and who the son is," said Lex, but he withdrew his hand. "But you wouldn't give me the time of day, unless you wanted something. So again I say, what do you want?"

"Very well," said Lionel and he sat down to face his son. "I'm here to give you a warning. One that listening to would be of your benefit. I understand that you've been meeting a few times with Harry Potter."

Lex gave a stiff nod. That's all his father got.

"Stay away from him, Lex," said Lionel. "He's not someone you want to be around."

"Really?" asked Lex, mock thoughtful and he looked at his father. "Could that be because you got caught red handed snooping around his headquarters yesterday and spent some quality time in a holding cell?"

Lionel's lack of response was all of the response Lex needed.

"Losing your touch in your old age, aren't you?" asked Lex. "I know what Harry Potter is. Altruistic, a bit naïve, and on a mission to save those who cannot be saved."

"Manipulation runs deep within his bloodline Lex," said Lionel. "On his mother's side of the family, they might project the image of a friendly and respectable family. But snakes can be respectable when they want to. Up until the moment they bite you."

"So, whose family are we talking about again?" asked Lex after he pondered the manner for a moment.

"His grandparents were called Briar and Violet Evans, never formally charged for anything underhanded, but there were accusations," said Lionel, acting as if he did not hear his son's flippant comment. "They should be respected in some way, but their own obsession brought them down. They were killed by a glorified terrorist who had delusions of grandeur. But, they were obsessed with control."

"Again, whose family are you talking about?" asked Lex.

"That blood flows through the veins of Harry Potter," said Lionel, once again ignoring the question. "They helped their share of people in their day. When they could get something out of them, and they were obsessed with controlling power beyond all comprehension."

Lex drummed his fingers on his desk, looking merely bored.

"I do not wish for you to be dragged down with that bloodline," continued Lionel.

"The ship has long since sailed for you feigning an interest in my well-being," said Lex coolly.

Lionel regarded his son for a moment.

"You have the journal, or rather you took it out of my trash," said Lionel in a crisp tone. "Potter's looking for it. He told me as much when I met with him."

"It's taken care of," said Lex and Lionel's gaze looked at him. "It's not any of your business, but Potter thinks he has the real journal."

Lionel took a few breaths and concluded in a soft voice.

"You really think you won this round against him, don't you, Lex?"

Lex offered a smirk.

"My success rate speaks for itself," countered Lex. "And the embarrassment you suffered yesterday, well that speaks for itself, doesn't it? It seems to me like the great Lionel Luthor has gone soft. But old age does get the best of us."

"Old age is not something you'd experience at the rate you're going," said Lionel.

"Is that a threat?" asked Lex.

"No, not a threat, merely an observation," said Lionel. "A conversation with you seems to be a waste of oxygen, as usual. You're playing with fire, just don't get burned."

Lionel did not even offer a goodbye. Lex watched him leave. He wondered briefly, but shook his head.

He had the journal, it was safe, and now he could focus more time in figuring out why Potter wanted it so badly.

After a nice lunch together, Harry and Kara enjoyed a nice stroll around Smallville. They did not speak much, just enjoyed the sights and the company of each other. The two walked around a park. The fall breeze flew in their face. They sat down on a bench. Harry and Kara wrapped their arms around each other. The shared body heat allowed them some comfort against the dropping temperature.

Harry never appreciated the beauty of life more than he did now, being with her.

"You know how to show a girl a good time," said Kara, breaking the silence.

Harry did not know how to respond to that little statement.

"Really, I'm…really I'm just making this up as I go along," said Harry with a sheepish grin on his face.

Kara laughed, and gave him a light kiss, before she shifted against him. "Keep improvising Harry, it's working out well for you."

She took a breath.

"Sometimes it's just best not to think," said Kara, resting her head on Harry's chest. "We might have been together a little bit sooner if you had just gone with your instincts. Sometimes you can outsmart yourself."

He looked into her beautiful face, the smile on her face. The breeze continued to kick off, leaves blowing around.

"You never told me what happened with Clark and the crystal," said Kara.

Harry made sure the anti-eavesdropping spells held up. He explained what happened, including the conversation he had with Jor-El. Kara looked pleased when she heard Harry told Jor-El off.

"So are you going to talk to Clark?" asked Harry.

Kara pondered this a little bit. She sighed.

"I just want him to understand what he did and why it upset me," said Kara. "He could have hurt someone, or himself. I don't really blame him, but he's got to learn to think a bit more."

"No, I blame Jor-El, myself," said Harry.

"Me too," sighed Kara. "So do you want to talk about the journal?"

"Not really," said Harry with a sigh. "My mother…well I just can't believe what she did. And the fact she thought that I would just accept her help without any argument."

"You might have been thrown into that role," said Kara, sliding over to straddle Harry's lap and look him into the eyes. "But…you're a remarkable person. No matter what, no matter how many obstacles were thrown in your way, you still did the right thing. It would have been easy to take control and use your powers to abuse people and control them for your own benefit."

Kara placed her hands on either side of Harry's face.

"It's just another obstacle thrown in your life," said Kara. "One you will be strong enough to overcome. It's just far bigger than the others. But you're a strong person Harry."

Kara looked into his eyes.

"It's not because of your powers," said Kara. "It's because of your strength of mind and your heart. You're amazing."

"You're pretty amazing yourself, Kara," replied Harry, and she pressed her lips onto his with another kiss.

The kiss lasted a minute real time, but ten minutes by their perspective as Harry subconsciously stopped time once again. They pulled back and Kara shivered a little bit.

"It's getting a bit chilly out here," said Kara.

Harry grabbed her tight.

"Let's get back home and warm up then," suggested Harry, wrapping his arms around her.

Kara melted into Harry's embrace, and they returned back home. The two cuddled together on the couch in front of the fire, half watching television until dinner time.

Despite everything, life was good, and what happened the previous day was put behind them.