(no subject)
Title: The Light's last Mistake
Characters: the whole Young Justice team, Lex Luthor, Superman, Batman, Martian Manhunter, Green Arrow, Aquaman
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Clark's POV on his relationship with his Superboy and Lex Luthor
Author's Note: Sequel to A 'normal' family, Family Bonding, Presents and Introspection and a Confrontation
The Light's last mistake
Superman used the flight back to Earth to think back over the last weeks. It had, of course, to do with Superboy. It seemed everyone was telling him to finally take care of his... "son". They didn't seem to understand how difficult it was for him. Contrary to the others, he had already experience with clones, something they seemed to forget. After what had happened with Bizzaro, he didn't want to risk getting attached to his young clone, especially considering that the clone had been created by the Light. He'd expected Bruce to agree but something must have happened to make Batman go from calling Superboy an 'it' to telling him to take care of his son. He couldn't ask Bruce, so he'd tried Black Canary. He still shuddered at the memory of her reaction. She definitely wasn't happy with him for the way he was handling the situation with his clone. So he'd tried Red Tornado... he hadn't known a robot could display that much disapproval.
After that, he'd mostly tried to keep out of it but then everything had changed.
It had all started with the call from his mother. He'd actually been avoiding his parents ever since Superboy had first made the news. Whenever they'd mentioned meeting him, he'd quickly taken off, citing an emergency. He knew that it was cowardly but he didn't want to face their reaction.
In the end it had been for nothing. His mother had called him on his cell out of the blue one day to tell him that she had finally met her grandson and that there were some things they needed to discuss. At that, he'd taken the easy way out: he'd volunteered for a mission far away from Earth.
He'd hoped to avoid the confrontation but when he'd finally returned, he'd found his parents waiting for him in his apartment. They had started out by telling him that he should know better, that he of all people should be able to accept a child, no matter where they were from. That he should be able to understand how difficult it was for Superboy, how much he needed someone who'd understand, someone who'd be able to help him. The worst, however, had been their disappointment. He'd desperately needed something to distract himself from their expression, so he'd latched onto his father's words. How it was understandable that he was shocked to suddenly have a child with his arch nemesis but he shouldn't take it out on the boy. How it was disappointing that Luthor of all people was making more of an effort, was closer to the boy. That there should not even be a possibility of a custody battle. After that, it had been easy to use one of his common pattern and blame it all on Luthor. He'd taken off without explaining himself to confront him instead. Looking back, he knew that he should have taken a moment to calm down and think it through. The middle of Luthor's monthly visit with Superboy, supervised by J'onn and - behind the scenes - Batman was definitely not the best place for him to lose his temper. In a way, he was actually relieved that Batman had been there to stop him before he alienated the others in the League even more. But it hadn't been Batman's appearance that had drained all his anger, it had been Luthor's words before leaving. It was obviously a reference to his time in Smallville. But that meant that he knew his secret identity. Batman had pretty much confirmed it (actually he'd told him that "of course he knows your identity. He knows all identities. What did you think how he got us to meet with him to discuss the custody arrangement?"). What was more, it meant that he remembered how he'd left him behind in Belle Reve.
He was still trying to wrap his head around what all this meant. If Luthor knew all their identities, knew his identity, then why hadn't he ever used that knowledge? ("You know, Clark, there's one thing I'll never forget."* No, that couldn't be it. He did not want to remember that day, did not want to wonder...) And if it was true what J'onn and Bruce suspected, if Luthor really cared for Superboy, what did that mean for them?
He'd left right after his conversation with Batman and had kept to himself for the rest of the week-end, hoping to be able to escape from all the change for a while longer.
He should have known that an angry Lex Luthor wouldn't be ignored.
On Monday, he and Lois had been sent to interview one of Metropolis' high society ladies who was eager to talk about her ex-husband's involvement in some highly illegal activities. When they'd arrived however she'd informed them that would not talk to someone who considered her daughter unnatural, simply because she had been conceived via In vitro fertilization. Lois and Perry had been furious with him. Luckily she'd still been ready to be interviewed by the Daily Planet, just not when it involved him, so they had calmed down somewhat. The downside was that Lois was alternating between looking at him with a mixture of disapproval and disappointment and trying to figure out how the interviewee had known. Clark could guess but if he told Lois that Lex Luthor had spread that information because he refused to accept the clone they had together, that he didn't treat him as a normal child, never mind his son, she'd have his head. So he'd done what had worked once before: he'd volunteered for another mission off-world.
Which brought him back to the present. While he still wasn't too sure how to deal with Superboy, it was about time that he took some responsibility. He wasn't sure what to do.
Suddenly they were contacted from the League Headquarters by... their new member (what was his name again?). "Guys, you need to go directly to the coordinates I'm sending."
They exchanged surprised looks. "What's going on?"
"Luthor contacted the League today to inform us that the Light has captured Red Arrow and used him as bait to capture the Young Justice team as well."
Barry, J'onn and Orin straightened noticeably.
"Who have you already dispatched?" Wonder Woman asked.
"Batman went, accompanied by Green Arrow, Black Canary and Red Tornado."
Flash sighed. "Damn, by the time we get there it will be all over."
"Which is why I contacted you now so that you can go there directly to help, hopefully before it's too late for save them."
Everyone in the shuttle looked confused. "You're not from Earth, are you?" Wonder Woman asked.
He looked confused. "No, why?"
"Because otherwise you'd know better. We'll go there right away," Wonder Woman replied.
Still, they accelerated, mostly out of worry for their side-kicks than for the fellow heroes. Mostly...
Superman involuntarily felt himself tense and ready for battle. He wouldn't allow himself to consider what might be waiting for them. What might have happened to his friends, to Superboy...to Lex.
~*~
When they reached the coordinates, they found a smoking ruin of what had probably once been one of the Light's strongholds. J'onn quickly flew off, probably in the direction he'd felt his niece, so they all followed him.
They found them all sitting or standing near what had once probably been the entrance. M'Gann had come to meet them and was hugging her uncle. Red Arrow was sitting between Green Arrow and Black Canary who were fussing over him, looking quite overwhelmed by the attention. Flash zipped over to where his nephew was sitting with Artemis, checking him for broken bones or any serious wounds. Kaldur made to bow when he saw his king but then looked shocked when he was instead hugged. But what really drew Superman's attention was the last group. Lex was sitting on the ground, Superboy beside him and holding onto his hand. Batman knelt beside him with Robin half hidden under his cape, cleaning wounds on Lex' chest and shoulders.
Superman suddenly found himself standing right in front of them. "Lex?" he whispered.
Wonder Woman joined them as well. "Do you need me to get you to the nearest hospital? Those wounds look rather serious."
Lex forced a smile, teethes gridded in pain. "It's fine. My mutation means that I'll be healed soon."
"They'll still need to be properly treated. Diana, you're here with the Javelin?" Batman said.
She nodded. "I'll call it." While Batman carefully helped Lex to his feet, she turned to the two teenagers. "What about you? Are you hurt?"
Robin shook his head. "Nothing too serious. But Roy was badly beaten when we arrived."
"Lex got hurt protecting me and Robin!" Superboy suddenly exclaimed. "They said their weapon is deadly."
Lex smiled at him. "Don't worry. My mutation means that I'm a lot tougher than a normal human." He gently ran his hand through his hair. "And of course I protected you. You're my son."
Superman just stood there, struck speechless. Deadly. That meant he could have... he could have lost Superboy... could have lost his son before having had a chance to get to know him. He'd kept his distance because he couldn't face the pain of losing a son but now he found that the thought hurt, no matter if he was close to him or not. In fact the thought of Superboy dying, thinking he hated him was more painful than anything else. God, and Lex. If what Superboy said was true then he might have died without his mutation. He wanted to grab them and take them to his Fortress of Solitude where they'd be safe and taken care of. But judging from the unsure looks Superboy was throwing him and the way Lex was actually leaning on Bruce, he doubted that offer would be accepted.
Had he understood too late? Had his cowardice cost him his chance at having a family?
~*~
* It's the start of a quote from the Smallville episode "Asylum". The complete quote is: "You know, Clark, there's one thing I'll never forget." - "What's that?" - "How important your friendship is to me." For those who are interested, here's the link to this scene http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmjOHgb0tMc
So obviously I used some facts from the Smallville Universe as background for Lex and Clark's relationship. As for Superman's reaction to Lex, I used the Justice League cartoon as inspiration. There he always refers to him as 'Luthor' and doesn't like working with him but when he's in danger, Superman worries and calls him 'Lex' (see for example in Destroyer or Injustice for All).
As for the Light... Well, considering they just majorly pissed Batman and Lex, plus drove the whole League into overprotective parent mode... let's just say: see ficlet title
Characters: the whole Young Justice team, Lex Luthor, Superman, Batman, Martian Manhunter, Green Arrow, Aquaman
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Clark's POV on his relationship with his Superboy and Lex Luthor
Author's Note: Sequel to A 'normal' family, Family Bonding, Presents and Introspection and a Confrontation
The Light's last mistake
Superman used the flight back to Earth to think back over the last weeks. It had, of course, to do with Superboy. It seemed everyone was telling him to finally take care of his... "son". They didn't seem to understand how difficult it was for him. Contrary to the others, he had already experience with clones, something they seemed to forget. After what had happened with Bizzaro, he didn't want to risk getting attached to his young clone, especially considering that the clone had been created by the Light. He'd expected Bruce to agree but something must have happened to make Batman go from calling Superboy an 'it' to telling him to take care of his son. He couldn't ask Bruce, so he'd tried Black Canary. He still shuddered at the memory of her reaction. She definitely wasn't happy with him for the way he was handling the situation with his clone. So he'd tried Red Tornado... he hadn't known a robot could display that much disapproval.
After that, he'd mostly tried to keep out of it but then everything had changed.
It had all started with the call from his mother. He'd actually been avoiding his parents ever since Superboy had first made the news. Whenever they'd mentioned meeting him, he'd quickly taken off, citing an emergency. He knew that it was cowardly but he didn't want to face their reaction.
In the end it had been for nothing. His mother had called him on his cell out of the blue one day to tell him that she had finally met her grandson and that there were some things they needed to discuss. At that, he'd taken the easy way out: he'd volunteered for a mission far away from Earth.
He'd hoped to avoid the confrontation but when he'd finally returned, he'd found his parents waiting for him in his apartment. They had started out by telling him that he should know better, that he of all people should be able to accept a child, no matter where they were from. That he should be able to understand how difficult it was for Superboy, how much he needed someone who'd understand, someone who'd be able to help him. The worst, however, had been their disappointment. He'd desperately needed something to distract himself from their expression, so he'd latched onto his father's words. How it was understandable that he was shocked to suddenly have a child with his arch nemesis but he shouldn't take it out on the boy. How it was disappointing that Luthor of all people was making more of an effort, was closer to the boy. That there should not even be a possibility of a custody battle. After that, it had been easy to use one of his common pattern and blame it all on Luthor. He'd taken off without explaining himself to confront him instead. Looking back, he knew that he should have taken a moment to calm down and think it through. The middle of Luthor's monthly visit with Superboy, supervised by J'onn and - behind the scenes - Batman was definitely not the best place for him to lose his temper. In a way, he was actually relieved that Batman had been there to stop him before he alienated the others in the League even more. But it hadn't been Batman's appearance that had drained all his anger, it had been Luthor's words before leaving. It was obviously a reference to his time in Smallville. But that meant that he knew his secret identity. Batman had pretty much confirmed it (actually he'd told him that "of course he knows your identity. He knows all identities. What did you think how he got us to meet with him to discuss the custody arrangement?"). What was more, it meant that he remembered how he'd left him behind in Belle Reve.
He was still trying to wrap his head around what all this meant. If Luthor knew all their identities, knew his identity, then why hadn't he ever used that knowledge? ("You know, Clark, there's one thing I'll never forget."* No, that couldn't be it. He did not want to remember that day, did not want to wonder...) And if it was true what J'onn and Bruce suspected, if Luthor really cared for Superboy, what did that mean for them?
He'd left right after his conversation with Batman and had kept to himself for the rest of the week-end, hoping to be able to escape from all the change for a while longer.
He should have known that an angry Lex Luthor wouldn't be ignored.
On Monday, he and Lois had been sent to interview one of Metropolis' high society ladies who was eager to talk about her ex-husband's involvement in some highly illegal activities. When they'd arrived however she'd informed them that would not talk to someone who considered her daughter unnatural, simply because she had been conceived via In vitro fertilization. Lois and Perry had been furious with him. Luckily she'd still been ready to be interviewed by the Daily Planet, just not when it involved him, so they had calmed down somewhat. The downside was that Lois was alternating between looking at him with a mixture of disapproval and disappointment and trying to figure out how the interviewee had known. Clark could guess but if he told Lois that Lex Luthor had spread that information because he refused to accept the clone they had together, that he didn't treat him as a normal child, never mind his son, she'd have his head. So he'd done what had worked once before: he'd volunteered for another mission off-world.
Which brought him back to the present. While he still wasn't too sure how to deal with Superboy, it was about time that he took some responsibility. He wasn't sure what to do.
Suddenly they were contacted from the League Headquarters by... their new member (what was his name again?). "Guys, you need to go directly to the coordinates I'm sending."
They exchanged surprised looks. "What's going on?"
"Luthor contacted the League today to inform us that the Light has captured Red Arrow and used him as bait to capture the Young Justice team as well."
Barry, J'onn and Orin straightened noticeably.
"Who have you already dispatched?" Wonder Woman asked.
"Batman went, accompanied by Green Arrow, Black Canary and Red Tornado."
Flash sighed. "Damn, by the time we get there it will be all over."
"Which is why I contacted you now so that you can go there directly to help, hopefully before it's too late for save them."
Everyone in the shuttle looked confused. "You're not from Earth, are you?" Wonder Woman asked.
He looked confused. "No, why?"
"Because otherwise you'd know better. We'll go there right away," Wonder Woman replied.
Still, they accelerated, mostly out of worry for their side-kicks than for the fellow heroes. Mostly...
Superman involuntarily felt himself tense and ready for battle. He wouldn't allow himself to consider what might be waiting for them. What might have happened to his friends, to Superboy...to Lex.
~*~
When they reached the coordinates, they found a smoking ruin of what had probably once been one of the Light's strongholds. J'onn quickly flew off, probably in the direction he'd felt his niece, so they all followed him.
They found them all sitting or standing near what had once probably been the entrance. M'Gann had come to meet them and was hugging her uncle. Red Arrow was sitting between Green Arrow and Black Canary who were fussing over him, looking quite overwhelmed by the attention. Flash zipped over to where his nephew was sitting with Artemis, checking him for broken bones or any serious wounds. Kaldur made to bow when he saw his king but then looked shocked when he was instead hugged. But what really drew Superman's attention was the last group. Lex was sitting on the ground, Superboy beside him and holding onto his hand. Batman knelt beside him with Robin half hidden under his cape, cleaning wounds on Lex' chest and shoulders.
Superman suddenly found himself standing right in front of them. "Lex?" he whispered.
Wonder Woman joined them as well. "Do you need me to get you to the nearest hospital? Those wounds look rather serious."
Lex forced a smile, teethes gridded in pain. "It's fine. My mutation means that I'll be healed soon."
"They'll still need to be properly treated. Diana, you're here with the Javelin?" Batman said.
She nodded. "I'll call it." While Batman carefully helped Lex to his feet, she turned to the two teenagers. "What about you? Are you hurt?"
Robin shook his head. "Nothing too serious. But Roy was badly beaten when we arrived."
"Lex got hurt protecting me and Robin!" Superboy suddenly exclaimed. "They said their weapon is deadly."
Lex smiled at him. "Don't worry. My mutation means that I'm a lot tougher than a normal human." He gently ran his hand through his hair. "And of course I protected you. You're my son."
Superman just stood there, struck speechless. Deadly. That meant he could have... he could have lost Superboy... could have lost his son before having had a chance to get to know him. He'd kept his distance because he couldn't face the pain of losing a son but now he found that the thought hurt, no matter if he was close to him or not. In fact the thought of Superboy dying, thinking he hated him was more painful than anything else. God, and Lex. If what Superboy said was true then he might have died without his mutation. He wanted to grab them and take them to his Fortress of Solitude where they'd be safe and taken care of. But judging from the unsure looks Superboy was throwing him and the way Lex was actually leaning on Bruce, he doubted that offer would be accepted.
Had he understood too late? Had his cowardice cost him his chance at having a family?
~*~
* It's the start of a quote from the Smallville episode "Asylum". The complete quote is: "You know, Clark, there's one thing I'll never forget." - "What's that?" - "How important your friendship is to me." For those who are interested, here's the link to this scene http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmjOHgb0tMc
So obviously I used some facts from the Smallville Universe as background for Lex and Clark's relationship. As for Superman's reaction to Lex, I used the Justice League cartoon as inspiration. There he always refers to him as 'Luthor' and doesn't like working with him but when he's in danger, Superman worries and calls him 'Lex' (see for example in Destroyer or Injustice for All).
As for the Light... Well, considering they just majorly pissed Batman and Lex, plus drove the whole League into overprotective parent mode... let's just say: see ficlet title