Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Rescue.

Harry wiped sweat from his brow, as he managed to piece together all of the components. It was a combination of science and magic, which meant this blood red stone could only be used once. Mixing the two was akin to juggling with fire. He managed to burn the notes that he had been sent. The twenty year old Herald of Death continued to check every single calculation, but he held in his hands a rather dangerous weapon. It felt like a magical version of a ticking time bomb.

It would have been a lot easier if he was able to pop in and snatch Chloe before Sinclair got to her. Of course, it was never the easy. There were barriers that Sinclair put up. Harry could go through them, he would survive. In the process he would have killed everyone within a five mile radius on all sides, including the person he was going off to save. Harry wished he didn't care, but despite all of the loss he did. He resolved not to let Sinclair get to him. Tonight, she was going down, if he had to gift wrap her to death personally.

There was something about Sinclair that unsettled Harry, and he wondered about a certain connection. He was brought out of those thoughts by a soft voice.

"So do you have any plan?"

Harry's eyes perked up. Kara stood in the doorway. Her arms were crossed, and she tried not to show any worry on her face. Yet her body language betrayed her true thoughts.

"Going by a classic standby from back in the day," said Harry, as he moved closer to his friend. "Make it up as I go along."

Kara just nodded, as she across from Harry. She had never seen him so flustered in the short time she lived with him. He was always so calm, cool, and collected.

"So, I do wonder," said Harry as he looked at her. "If it came down to a choice, between saving Chloe, or finishing off Sinclair, what should I do?"

"The right thing," said Kara in a quiet voice, as she looked at Harry seriously. "So, it might end between you and Sinclair tonight?"

"Kara, I've got to take her out, even if sends me back to my boss," said Harry as he grabbed her hands. "She's a danger every second she's here in Smallville, to you and Clark, and just about everyone else. She thinks she's doing the right thing, but she's…twisted."

Kara considered for a minute, but she stepped forward, with a pleading look in her eyes.

"Let me help you, we can beat her, both of us," said Kara, as she grabbed Harry's hand to prevent him from walking out the door. "You and I…together…as partners…we can be…"

"I know, Kara, and I know you can handle yourself," said Harry, as his hand lingered on hers. "I just can't bear you see you get hurt because I…well I just can't bear to see it."

Harry paused, before he voiced something.

"Is there a right thing to do though in this situation?"

Kara shrugged her shoulders, and just looked into his green eyes. She saw much in them, determination and a bit of fear. Fear of failing someone yet again, despite his best efforts.

"Kara, I need you to promise me you'll stay away," said Harry as he grasped her hands, and gazed into her eyes. "Please, I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Okay, fine," said Kara quickly.

'If he's not back in an hour though I'm going to help him, regardless of the consequences" she added mentally.

Harry hugged her goodbye. She threw her arms around him, and returned it. They stood in the lab for a couple of minutes, arms wrapped around each other.

"I better get going," said Harry as he slipped his arms from around her waist, reluctantly letting go, but he really had to go.

"Yeah," said Kara as she turned her head away to hide her tears, reluctantly letting go of him.

She watched him fly off.

Kara realized something about her and Harry. She restrained herself to calling him back.

"Good luck," she whispered but Harry was long gone.

She hoped for a little more than a hug, but she just shook her head. Harry had more important things to worry about at the moment, and once they had the journal, Kara wondered where her place in Harry's life would be. She wondered if there was a place for her.

Never more had she wanted to be wrong.

Rosalina Sinclair sat, as she thought about her life, and her goals. Tonight would be the night she took down Harry Potter once and for all. With Potter gone, she would be able to claim the powers of the Deathly Hallows, and ascend to a higher level, where she could abolish death. The world would be perfect if no one would have to suffer loss.

She felt a headache coming on, and not to mention a flashback.

Seventeen year old Rosalina Sinclair walked up to the Headmaster's Office. She requested a meeting with him to find out about a certain young man named Harry Potter. She was let into the Headmaster's Office, and approached Dumbledore at his desk.

"Ms. Sinclair," said Dumbledore, as he offered her a seat. "I must say, I didn't understand why you wanted to see me."

"It's about Harry Potter," said Rosalina without preamble.

Dumbledore surveyed her, as if trying to figure out why she would ask such a question.

"Now, Ms. Sinclair, the poor boy doesn't need to be badgered," said Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eye. "You aren't the first young witch who wanted to get an autograph from Harry Potter."

Rosalina just rolled her eyes.

"I don't want an autograph, I want information," said Rosalina as she looked Dumbledore in the eyes. "My birth name is Rose Evans. I'm the younger sister of Lily Potter. I want information about my nephew."

Dumbledore scanned her. Nothing seems deceptive, so he continued.

"Well, I had no idea about you," said Dumbledore, but he chuckled. "The family resemblance is rather uncanny, the same red hair and the same green eyes, you look just like a younger version of Lily."

"So I have heard for the last seven bloody years," said Rosalina bitterly, but Dumbledore looked at her reproachfully. "Sorry, sir, it's hard to be compared with your dead sister all of the time."

'Not to mention being asked out by boys because you look like the mother of the world's hero,' thought Rosalina, as her stomach turned, revolted at the thought of that.

"Understandable," agreed Dumbledore, as he moved through some of the instruments. "There is really no need for you to worry, Harry has been sent to live with your oldest sister and her husband."

Rosalina's mood darkened.

"Please tell me that she didn't marry Vernon Dursley after all," said Rosalina, her voice raised in a higher pitch.

"Yes, and they have a son named Dudley," said Dumbledore in a cheerful tone of voice.

The seventh year Hufflepuff rolled her eyes at this. Sounds like something Petunia would name her son alright. She supposed she had a bunch of sickeningly sweet names for the little monster.

'After all, mixing Dursley's DNA with Petunia's isn't going to end well,' thought Rosalina.

"Professor Dumbledore, what makes you think that Petunia didn't dump Harry out in the alley in the middle of winter at the first chance she got?" asked Rosalina.

"He's still there, Ms. Sinclair," said Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eye. "I can assure you that Petunia willingly took him in, he's safe and protected at the Dursleys."

That statement did not assure Rosalina Sinclair at all.

'Ten years under Petunia's care, I hope the Wizarding World is ready for a foul little monster,' thought Rosalina darkly. 'He's damaged by now already, he's likely just as twisted as Petunia, and adding Vernon in there…yeah I don't think I could handle dealing with him.'

"Thank you, Professor, I have homework to do," said Rosalina in a neutral voice.

Dumbledore waved her off, and Rosalina Sinclair left.

Rosalina walked from Dumbledore's study. She did not have the heart to tell anyone the conclusions she drew about her nephew. No one would believe her to begin with.

She looked up, and frowned as she saw seventh year Slytherins bullying first year Muggleborn Hufflepuffs. Again, she had seen it for the past seven years, and these purebloods (and some half-bloods) barely got a slap on their wrist or a stain on their reputation.

Rosalina held her wand. If no teacher wanted to put a stop to this, then she would. She would deal with detentions or any other consequences.

It was on that day where Rosalina Sinclair made it her mission in life to protect those who were swept off to the side. She would do so by any means necessary.

"Rosalina, are you still among the living?" asked Knox as he shook the woman.

"Yes, Doctor Knox!" snapped Sinclair, as she looked up. She clutched the gold necklace in her hand. It was a treasured gift her father gave her before he died during her third year at Hogwarts. She used it to make sure she was always there to protect those in need. "Is the woman ready?"

"She is," agreed Knox. "I do hope that your plan will work, and your friend will come."

"He's no friend of mine and certainly no family," said Sinclair in a short tone, as she held her hand, and energy cackled from it.

"My mistake," said Knox in a crisp voice took a step back. "But the real question is will he come?"

"He'll be here," said Sinclair, malice dripping from her words. "He can't resist the glory, to play the hero and save the girl. It's encoded into his DNA at a genetic level."

Chloe stirred on the table, as Knox moved over.

"It appears her healing powers are a bit stronger than I previously calculated," said Knox, but he looked excited about the prospects. He reached over, to fetch a stronger sedative, but a new figure knocked him back into the wall.

Clark struggled with Curtis Knox, as Knox tried to stab him with the needle. The needle broke on his skin.

"Impressive, and durable," said Knox, as he punched Clark in the chest with full force. He strangled Clark, but to his credit the young man fought back. Knox looked into his eyes with disdain. "You must be the Kryptonian!"

Knox and Clark struggled, but Clark aimed a blast of heat vision up. It bounced off a set of mirrors in the lab, and cut down a set of lights. They collapsed on top of Knox, and Clark flung Knox across his lab.

A blast of energy caught Clark in the back, and Sinclair levitated Clark in the air. The young man went flying, although not willingly when he was hurled to the other end of the lab!

"Clark," gasped Chloe, as she stirred herself weak, as Sinclair swooped in, like a shark smelling blood.

"You grow weak, Kal-El," said Sinclair in a wicked voice, as she conjured two Kryptonite knives, and tried to stab them into the young man, but he blocked them with a large sheet of metal, and pushed them back into her. A pair of punches rattled her.

Sinclair's head whipped around from the impact of the next punch. The force caused her head to twist completely around to the side. Clark's eyes and mouth widened in horror, but the woman grabbed her head, and snapped it back around to face Clark. She blasted him back to the ground.

"Again and again, we do this, my energy will hurt you and kill you…" started Sinclair. Her words never finished, as a figure materialized from under the ground. A fist impacted her face.

Sinclair moved, as Clark tried to get up, but Knox grabbed him, and flung the young back.

"I might look like a mild mannered scientist, but I'm much more," said Knox, as he strangled the weakened Clark, a twisted grin appearing on his face. "Determined to win, I like that, makes strong DNA that I can play with after you're deceased."

The Martian Manhunter and Rosalina Sinclair circled each other, as much of the lab had been damaged.

"You seem determined to protect this menace," said Sinclair, as she battled with the Martian Manhunter. "So be it, you'll burn with him!"

Sinclair held her hand, and the Martian Manhunter was bombarded by a huge blast of simulated yellow solar radiation. She held her other hand, and forced a blast of red solar radiation at Clark to knock him back.

"How are you doing this?" demanded the Martian Manhunter, as he was knocked back hard.

"Magic, it can do anything!" shrieked Sinclair, as they tried to fight through sheer force of determination.

Knox pried open a storage freezer, and Sinclair blasted them inside it, before she sealed the weakened forms of the two aliens inside.

"Put them on ice until I have a chance to study them," said Knox with a twisted grin, as he looked down at Chloe. "Now I believe you have a date with some surgical tools."

"Who do you think you are, Jack the Ripper?" managed Chloe.

"I was Jack the Ripper," whispered Knox. "I was many things, responsible for many wars, but today I will be the man who harvests your organs for…"

"Let her go, Knox."

Knox looked up as he saw a young man approach him.

"Harry, it's a trap!" yelled Chloe, but she was gagged immediately by Sinclair.

"Obviously," said Harry, as he looked at Knox and Sinclair, as he tried to calculate an attack. "So, Curtis Knox, or would you prefer the name…Vandal Savage?"

"Ah, you've done your homework," said Knox as he stared down Harry. He was an impressive looking specimen and the doctor could hardly wait to study this one's DNA. "And you brought the Philosopher's Stone."

"Just why do you want the Stone so badly?" asked Harry as he held the object in his hand.

"Hand it over, Potter," said Sinclair as her fingers twitched, along with her eye.

"Now, Rosalina, I think we can allow him a little bit of explanation," said Knox. "Before I let you loose on him, naturally, and I'd kindly ask you to exhibit some patience."

"You don't know Potter, like I do!" yelled Sinclair. "He's a devious little…"

"You know, you're rather animated for a corpse, Sinclair," taunted Harry, as he took a step forward, as Knox half restrained Sinclair and half looked at Harry.

"Years ago, I posed as an apprentice to Nicholas Flamel, and tried to get my hands on the Philosopher's Stone," explained Knox. "I was only able to steal a partial copy of notes. I could transmute lead into gold, but the method to create the Elixir of Life that was lost on me."

"Continue," said Harry, as he mentally calculated the energies coming off of Sinclair's body.

'Sinclair's time is running short, her latest body can't be sustained for more than thirty minutes,' thought Harry. 'Keep Knox talking, Potter.'

Clark's eyes opened, as he woke up. He shivered; his powers were at its lowest.

"I underestimated her," gasped the Martian Manhunter. "Her danger is far greater than I could have realized."

"She's stronger than she looks," agreed Clark, as he tried to look for anything in the storage freezer that would allow him to escape.

The walls cracked open behind them on the outside of the building, and it allowed them to exit.

Clark looked up, and was confused who done this for them.

Naturally, he was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth, as he helped the Martian Manhunter outside.

Both saw a familiar figure fly off into the night sky. The red cape fluttered in the breeze as she flew off.

"Enough chatter!" yelled Sinclair as she knocked Knox over and made a mad dash for the Stone "The Philosopher's Stone is mine!"

She jumped at Harry, but she flew through an incorporeal duplicate. She turned around, to see the real Harry Potter charge her, and slash his hand at her. Sinclair was blown off of her feet from the impact.

'That trick never gets old,' thought Harry, as he prepared to do battle with Sinclair. He transfigured and animated the chair to try and trap her, but Sinclair was a step ahead of her enemy.

"Tonight, it ends," said Sinclair, as two spells ricocheted off of each other.

"Yeah, you're right," agreed Harry, as he burned her hands, and shoved her against the wall. Several of the containment tubes containing the harvested organs knocked over. The Philosopher's Stone slid to the ground, forgotten and promptly buried underneath the fallen tanks.

"WATCH OUT!" yelled Knox in absolute horror as they battled closer, but it was too late.

In her fury, Sinclair tried to smash Harry, but he smashed the containment tank containing Sophia. Harry made a movement to try and seal the damage, but Sinclair grabbed Harry by the throat, and the two continued to duel, as the remaining life faded from the women on the floor. Sinclair sent broken glass at Harry, but Harry blasted them all with one fluid movement.

Harry knocked Sinclair through the wall and both had disappeared into the next room. The moment they were out of sight, Harry pulled his hood up over his head.

Chloe managed to free herself using one of the surgical tools to cut the strap. She looked up, and saw Doctor Knox on the floor, cradling his wife. A single tear rolled down his cheek.

"Doctor Knox," said Chloe, slowly as she looked at Knox.

"She's gone, the thing I wanted to prevent, I caused it," said Knox as he held her unmoving remains in his arms. "Thousands of years alive, everyone I ever met died. We all die eventually, Death can be harsh. She's even beyond your healing abilities now Chloe Sullivan. The organs her body has rejected…it's all Sinclair…"

Knox shook his head.

"All my fault," said Knox, but he realized something. "One last hope…the Stone, where is it?"

Chloe backed off slowly, in fear that Knox might have a breakdown and do something insane in his crazed grief.

Now robed as the Herald of Death, Harry slashed an energy scythe at Rosalina Sinclair, but she blocked it. They slashed their attacks together, the duel getting more intense. All Harry had to do was outlast her, but she was determined to get full mileage out of her body.

"I've suffered long enough!" yelled Sinclair, as she tried to stab Harry with some red hot knives, but Harry deflected them.

"Yeah, suffer, you," said Harry as he deflected her attacks back at her. "Look, Sinclair, when people die, there's a good reason why they should stay dead. You're not really alive…"

Sinclair tried to burn Harry's face, but Harry dodged her flames. He had put the pieces together a bit ago, but he was certain he was correct. The battle continued, but Harry held her back.

"You have some anger management issues, Rosalina Sinclair," said Harry, but he just paused. It all made so much more sense now. He added, nearly taunting. "Or should I say, Rose Evans?"

Sinclair shrieked like a banshee at that name, broke out from her containment, and began to fire curse after curse at Harry. Harry dodged them with adept reflexes.

"That girl means nothing to me!" yelled Sinclair, but Harry could see she was breaking down both mentally and physically. "Potter…you…will die!"

"After you."

Sinclair blocked the energy scythe, as they continued their duel. The two pushed back, as Sinclair's mind flashed back to the first time she encountered Harry Potter.

Rosalina Sinclair moved down the streets, dressed in a cloak as quick as her legs could take her. She just escaped a group of Ministry Aurors that had tried to capture her to bring her in. Voldemort had taken over the Ministry, and Potter and Dumbledore both allowed it to happen.

Her friends had been captured, and brought to the Ministry. Rosalina clutched her wand. Purebloods once again, they got away with murder, or even worse. She cast charms that cloaked her face, and then was able to blend into her surroundings.

She heard voices. Rosalina continued to move, towards three figures in the distance.

Her eyes widened, as she watched Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger rush down the streets, muttering in the distance.

Rosalina followed closely behind them, she could almost touch them. They went into an inn, and Rosalina watched a group of Death Eaters move in to attack them.

She was torn between helping them, and just leaving it alone. Despite what Harry had turned into, he was still family, technically.

A loud explosion echoed from inside the inn. Sinclair moved in, and watched two more Death

Eaters rush to back up their associates, but immediately; she blinded them with a disorientation spell.

The two Death Eaters stumbled around, and took out each other with Killing Curses, seeing each other as their most hated enemy. Rosalina looked up, and saw the trio inside knock out the Death Eaters. Then her eyes widened, as they just simply modified their memories, rather than cut out the cancer.

Rosalina Sinclair clutched her wand.

'Every single person that dies from there, is on their heads for leaving those bastards alive,' thought Rosalina, as she rushed in when the trio had disappeared.

On the floor, Rosalina saw a book that Granger had dropped. It had to do with something called

Horcruxes. She stuff into robe, and made her way to catch a plane to Mexico.

From there, she would get into the United States of America, where she would be free.

The battle raged on, but Chloe peered through a crack in the wall. The robed figure that saved her all those weeks ago showed up once again, and Harry seemed to have vanished around that same time.

The woman put a hand to her forehead, and her mouth opened wide. Sudden realization dawned on her, and she felt like an idiot for not piecing it together the obvious before now.

Knox meanwhile slid himself across the floor, and found the Philosopher's Stone. The jagged age of the stone pricked him in the finger, and dripped a golden substance into his blood.

Curtis Knox at that moment was visited by a seizure and sweated bullets.

"No, pain, pain, I feel pain!" yelled Knox who seemed both horrified and jubilant. "But, I could never feel pain, could I?"

Clark showed up, with the Martian Manhunter closely behind him. He moved over to help Knox as his hand blackened, and blood splash to the floor.

"No, my wife, she's dead, and I feel something," said Knox as he looked at Clark his eyes widened. "I'm being pulled…I don't understand, I thought nothing could kill me. My entire life would be doomed to see the people around me die!"

Knox collapsed on the floor. He would hopefully join his wife soon, in his eternal reward. The Stone crumbled into dust. Clark listened for a heartbeat or any signs of life, but found not one hint.

"Are you okay?" asked Chloe, as she nearly tripped over the debris from the fight.

"Well, I'm healing," said Clark, as he turned to the Martian Manhunter. "Knox…"

"Dead," said the Martian Manhunter as he checked the downed form of Curtis Knox. "He was immortal, but someone had removed the chains of immortality from him."

Clark found himself just nodding at this moment, as he helped Chloe away.

"Thanks Clark," said Chloe in a quiet voice.

'Harry's little secret, that's his to tell,' thought Chloe, as she allowed her friend, at half power, help her past the debris.

The Martian Manhunter slipped off, his work for the night done, for now. He needed to reassess certain matters, regarding a certain girl who saved them both.

Harry and Sinclair circled each other, as they continued their brawl, on a cliff. The two edged closer to the end.

Sinclair screamed at the top of her lungs, but Harry impaled a blade into her chest.

"As long as I live, you can never be free of your crimes," said Sinclair as her fists clenched together.

Harry's eyes opened, as he spotted a necklace on Sinclair's neck. He knew what the necklace was immediately. Harry waved his hand, as he thought of the composition for something would surely destroy her little trinket.

Sinclair shrieked in agony, as a jet of Basilisk venom sprayed both her and her necklace. The venom ate through the Horcrux around her neck.

"That's how you've been hanging on Sinclair, but I need to make sure!" yelled Harry as he charged her, before he blasted a green energy scythe at her, but Sinclair blocked it with a shield.

Her body was coming apart, but she refused to be pulled into the afterlife. Rosalina Sinclair was strong, she escaped death many times. She was a survivor.

Harry flipped himself into the air, before he grabbed her around the head.

'Okay, this will suck," thought Harry, as he forcefully disapparated Sinclair and ripped her body in half, purposely splinching the woman.

There was a pained scream, as Sinclair's body being shredded in half created a magical backlash. Harry closed his eyes, and put a shield to block the backlash. The explosion was contained, but Harry stumbled back off of the edge of the cliff.

A flying girl caught Harry in her arms. Kara flew off, and blasted Harry off to the safety of his home.

She flew Harry inside his home, and set him down on the couch. Kara looked at him, as Harry's blurry vision tried to reconcile what happened.

"Thanks, Kara," said Harry in a low voice, as he looked at her, standing there in her Supergirl attire. She reached around, and just hugged him. He returned the hug, but he deflated in her arms, completely fatigued from all of the energy he expanded to put Sinclair down for good.

"Just rest Harry, it's okay," said Kara, as she held him carefully. "You…she's gone this time, isn't she?"

"I'll know in a minute," said Harry as he tried to sit himself up. Kara got him juice, and a couple of sandwiches.

Harry ate and drank, to regain some of his strength. Kara held onto him, as if she was afraid he would fall apart if she let him go.

"Okay, the moment of truth," said Harry, as he closed his eyes. "Rosalina Sinclair, she's dead right this time. As in deader in dead? She's not a clone, or a body double or a hologram or just a figment of my imagination. Please, tell me she's gone."

"She is dead," confirmed the lifeline reader.

"Really?" asked Harry in a skeptical voice.

"Yes, she's gone," said the voice. "She's currently in the afterlife right now, and making quite a scene about that arrangement."

"Clarify please," said Harry.

"The higher ups do not like immortals," said the voice. "This Curtis Knox was someone Death had her eye on for centuries. Sinclair was used as a means to lure him into the afterlife."

Harry blinked. He just let that set in for a minute. Kara frowned.

"Now, she's gone, right," said Harry, slowly and carefully as if addressing a five year old.

"I did say yes," said the lifeline reader once again.

With another smile, Harry collapsed back against the cushions of the couch.

"Free, I'm free," said Harry as he raised his arms in weak, but great triumph. "No more, it's all gone, she's all gone."

Kara had no words, but she just gave Harry a bright smile.

"Did Chloe and Clark get out okay?" asked Harry.

"Yeah," said Kara, as she dropped next to him. "Clark managed to get her out of there, and to safety. They're both shaken up, but they'll be okay."

"That's good," said Harry, as Kara curled up next to Harry on the couch.

They enjoyed each other's company quietly for a few minutes.

"So let's see if there's anything good on television," suggested Harry.

"That sounds nice," agreed Kara, as she rested against him. Harry flipped on the television, as they looked for something to watch.

Life was good for the first time ever for Harry Potter. With Rosalina Sinclair finally dead, there was a huge burden off of his shoulders.

They watched television for a little bit, before both crashed on the couch for the evening. The journal would be another matter for another time.

"Clark, just head home, I'll be fine," said Chloe, as she rested.

"You nearly got dissected in there, Chloe," argued Clark.

Chloe sighed, he was just being his usual self, but she was fine. Beside she had something interesting to think about.

"If you need me, I'm just a phone call away," said Clark in a reassuring voice, and Chloe nodded. She watched him leave at that moment.

Her headache would leave by the morning she suspected.

The mystery of the robed man had been solved, but that just left her more unanswered questions. Unanswered questions that made sleep rather difficult to come to her on that night.

Lex stepped from the light. He could tell that someone had been snooping around where he had stashed the journal. Despite he had it moved after the woman had warned him away from his study, someone still tracked it down. Potter might have easily found the journal if it had been in his study, but the moment he was warned, he had it moved.

Yet, the journal was gone.

Whoever had taken the journal likely had no idea what they were dealing with. Lex punched up the security footage from earlier tonight. There was an attempt to disable the security, but there were other backups he could recall.

"Let's see, who was snooping around that shouldn't have been," said Lex, as he noticed a figure. The vault had been compromised, and the journal switched with a duplicate with a similar cover. The figure was disguised, but Lex recognized her movements immediately.

She thought she could outmaneuver him. He was just willing to let it go, let her move on with her life. Lex closed his eyes. He had failed in the worst way; his best security had been compromised. Who knew what else Lana had stuck her nose into regarding him.

He would have to make arrangements to track the journal back down, before it fell into the wrong hands. While he was skeptical about certain matters, the fact that people now seemed to be after it made him all the more curious.

Lex prepared to reacquire that blasted book, even if it required a bit of time and careful planning.

Chloe sat up a few days later, as she thought about what had transpired. A soft knock on the door, brought her back to her senses.

"Come in!" called Chloe, but the door opened and Harry and Kara walked in. She looked at them, as she struggled to find the words to say to Harry after what she found out the other evening."Oh…hi Harry."

Kara and Harry looked at each other.

"We're just stopping by to see if you're holding up after the other night," said Kara, as she surveyed the other woman.

"Yeah, are you doing alright?" asked Harry as he surveyed the woman. Chloe just looked at them.

"You really do have some heavy secrets don't you," said Chloe after a moment's thought. "The fact of the matter is, I figured it out…the big one…the robed one…you know what one I'm talking about."

Kara and Harry stood on either side of her. Their faces remained blank and emotionless.

"Yeah, I'm about ready to be drugged and dragged off to your super-secret lair of death to get my mind wiped, aren't I?" asked Chloe, trying to act casual. Somehow she was not surprised Kara knew about Harry's double life.

"Well that depends," said Harry as he surveyed her.

"Did you blab Harry's secret to anyone?" asked Kara, looking at the other woman through narrowed eyes.

"No, I swear," said Chloe as she looked at both of them without blinking. "I…you know no one would believe me anyway if the owner of the Shining Light Foundation and Death was one in the same."

"Ah, but I'm not Death," said Harry. He lowered his voice into a cryptic whisper. "I'm merely just a humble employee."

"What, do you have to collect Death's dry cleaning or something?" asked Chloe with an amused expression on her face.

Harry just winced at that thought, and turned to Chloe, his eyes narrowed. He gave her the dirtiest look he could manage. "Yeah, if I get that added to my list of things to do, I'll be sure to thank you."

Chloe sat rigid, feeling like she was being scanned.

"For the record, on top of everything else, I about figured you could read minds," said Chloe, breaking the very awkward silence that lasted for minutes.

"The mind is not something simple to be read," said Harry with a smile. "I could tell if you were lying by your heart rate, how many breaths you take as you talk, and your body language."

"She seems like she's telling the truth," said Kara with a smile.

"And I trust Kara's instincts," added Harry in a confident voice. "But you seem to be telling the truth, so everything's all verified."

"Fair enough," said Chloe, as she heard a knock at the door, which cut the meeting short.

Clark let himself in a moment later. He was about to check on Chloe, but he stopped as he saw Kara and Harry standing there.

The tension could be cut with a knife.

"Um, hi," said Clark breaking the silence as he looked at both of them. "Kara, Harry."

"Hi Clark," said Kara.

"Clark," said Harry with a polite nod. "What brings you here?"

"Just stopping by to see how Chloe was holding up," said Clark. "How about you?"

"Likewise," said Harry.

"Did you give any thought to what I said the other day?" asked Kara as she looked at her cousin.

"I…really want to believe you," said Clark as he looked at Kara, as her hands were on her hips. "I just…need a bit more time to figure this out. I actually was defending you in there you know, I couldn't believe the Martian Manhunter would say such things, he's helped me in the past, but they did…"

"Make a lot of sense," replied Kara, as she nodded, getting where Clark was coming from. She didn't like it, but she understood. "Well, you know why I'm not a fan of the Manhunter…"

"You saved him though," said Clark.

"No, I saved you," said Kara. "He just happened to be trapped in the same room."

"You wouldn't have left him there, I know it," inputted Chloe speaking up for the first time in a while.

"Maybe," agreed Kara. She likely would have saved him, but she was not about to admit that out loud. "Just give some thought to what I said, and when you're ready, I'll accept whatever choice you decide to make."

Clark nodded. Kara turned to face Harry. "So, are you about ready to leave?"

"Yeah, I don't know about you, but I'm hungry," said Harry as he looked at her. "It's close to lunch, how about we go out for pizza?"

"I'd like that," said Kara with a smile. "So see you later you, Clark, Chloe."

"Bye," said Harry.

"Yeah, bye, enjoy your date," said Clark, which caused both of them to freeze for a minute, but they recovered, and moved off without another word.

"You do realize they're the only two that likely don't realize it," said Chloe, when they were out of earshot. She looked at Clark in amusement, and Clark laughed.

"I'd imagine so," said Clark, as he looked at the spot Kara and Harry once stood.

They would be good for each other, if they could figure it out.

Kara and Harry sat outside at a table in the fresh air, enjoying their pizza.

"So, what was the deal with Sinclair?" asked Kara.

Harry remained silent for a long time.

"She was a sick woman, who got driven around the bend by my world's government," said Harry. "She made some bad choices, and I had to put her down. Maybe she's at peace now, but she's gone."

'As far as I'm concerned, that six year old girl, she froze to death when Petunia left her for dead,' thought Harry to himself. 'I could have been like her; I had every reason to be like her.'

Sinclair was gone, and he needed to focus on more important matters.

He watched Kara, and started to wonder about the true nature of his relationship with her. There were possibilities that visited Harry's mind, but he tried not to get too distracted.

With Sinclair gone, the journal was next. Then, he could figure out where he stood, and what his purpose was here.

Harry promised himself not to obsessed over one little book. He had a second chance at life, and he would take full advantage of certain opportunities. For twenty years, he never truly lived. This time it would be different.

He smiled, as he watched Kara finish her pizza.

A call interrupted his thoughts.

"Three more, okay make sure they get settled in, I'll be over in the afternoon after I eat lunch," said Harry. "Is Claire doing okay? Yeah I know, the nightmares were bad, but given what was done to her, it's a wonder she's doing as well as she is. She'll work through it, just be patient. It's not going to go away in a few weeks."

'If I ever get my hands on the bastard who experimented on her,' thought Harry, as the wind chimes rattled, as the passing bystanders looked nervously at the sudden wind. He calmed himself.

"I'm paying," said Kara, but then she grabbed Harry before he could protest. "After all of the things you've done for me, lunch is the least I can do."

Harry just had to smile. The two become invisible, as they flew up into the skies to the Shining Light Foundation HQ.