“Uhhhh.” I groaned and opened my eyes. I couldn't see anything, which sucked, because I was sure that I opened my eyes. Or tried to. I lifted my hand to check, only to find that I couldn't move. I tried my other arm and nothing happened. My legs were the same. I also couldn't hear much of anything. I thought about using my finger to try and clear out one of my ears, then laughed a gurgled laugh because I couldn't move.

“Easy there.” A woman's soothing voice said and I felt a hand touch my shoulder.

“ARRGGGLLLL!” I screamed in pain and her hand stopped touching me.

“I'm so sorry!” The woman said and lightly touched my face. “I think you're much more hurt than just the burns.”

“Burgles?” I said. My tongue and mouth were not working right, apparently. The skin on my face seemed really tight, too.

“No, don't try to talk. You could swallow some of the charred skin and... just keep your mouth closed.”

That didn't sound good. The last thing I remembered was being hit by a burning meteorite, felt my clothes and skin burn, then my bones broke and I felt enclosed in the earth. Was that a second ago? An hour ago? Who was there with me? Was it my daughter?

“I've got a live one here if you can believe it!” The woman shouted.

“Muh.” I said and her hand was back on my face.

“Shh. It's a miracle and I wasn't trying to worry you. No one else that was near the meteor strike survived.”

Wait, what? I thought in surprise. I opened my mouth to speak and she put a hand on my chin to stop me.

“No, please. You shouldn't move, let alone talk.” Her voice said. “Not that you're moving anything else.”

I didn't speak and she seemed to sigh in relief.

“I've got a stretcher.” A man's voice said. “Oh, Jesus!”

“Shh! He doesn't realize how bad it is.” The woman said and moved her hand from my face.

“Muh moo.” I mumbled and she gasped.

“You do?”

“Muh.”

“Oh, god.” She said and her hand was back on my face. “Why aren't you screaming in pain?”

“Muh moo.”

“I don't know, either.” The woman said and then she sighed. “I think we need something to... um...”

“Pry him out of the dirt.” The man finished for her. “I'd ask for a shovel if I didn't think I might slice something off if I used one.”

“Grab me a pair of the heavy gloves.” The woman said.

A few minutes later, I felt hands digging around my body, starting at my shoulders and moving down my torso and down my legs. I did not remember them being shaped like two lightning bolts that shot out in different directions.

“I'm gonna be sick!” The woman exclaimed and then I heard her throwing up nearby.

I couldn't even tell her that I was sorry she was going through this.

“We can take it from here.” The man said and I felt two sets of hands pick me up slightly and slide the stretcher under my torso, then I felt my mangled legs be put on the stretcher as well. I wasn't sure why I felt my shoulder and didn't feel my legs, until I realized that I might not have any feeling at all from them.

It wasn't until I was lifted up on the stretcher and being carried that I realized I did feel being touched. It was just the pain that wasn't registering properly. No, I wasn't going to complain about it.

“Damn, another crispy critter?” A third man asked as I was jostled slightly.

I thought I heard a fist hitting something.

“Shut your mouth! He's still alive, so get to work!”

“Jesus, relax! It was just a joke.” The third man said.

“He. Can. Hear. You!” The other man said, his voice full of anger.

“Oh.” The third man said and I felt a few things poking my legs. “Hey, can you feel that?”

I wished that I had my eyes opened, just so I could roll them for the idiot.

A slap sound was next to be heard.

“Can you see his melted face, asshole? He can't talk!” The woman that found me spat at him. “Go do something else before I have Frank finish kicking your ass!”

“I'm going to do that anyway when we're done here.” The other man said.

I gurgled a laugh and then felt a hand on my face again.

“Stop that. Save your strength. I'll work on you as much as I can until we reach Smallville General Hospital.”

I caught my breath at her words and she thought I was choking. Two fingers entered my mouth and my tongue was pulled out, then a lone finger went down my throat and I choked for real.

“I don't feel anything, so I think it was only a brief obstruction.” She said and held my mouth open slightly. “The light's not showing me anything but your withered tongue.”

I guess I'm paying for what I said before I died. I thought, then I took in a deep breath at the horrifying thought.

“Yes, breathe deep and long to keep your oxygen level up.” She said and let my mouth go. “I think I should knock you out while I... work on you.”

“Muh.” I said in agreement. I really didn't want to feel her scraping my skin off or whatever else she was going to do.

“I'm taking that as a yes.” She said and I felt her put something over my face, then some air entered my airway. I took a deep breath of it and almost immediately felt tired. I took two more breaths before I was out and the darkness claimed me.

*

“How is he not dead?” One of the doctors asked as they looked at the body in the surgery room that was waiting for them to go in and start.

“I think the better question is why is he still alive.” The other doctor said and shook off his wet hands after scrubbing up. A nurse applied fresh surgical gloves for him and he nodded his thanks to her.

“Isn't that the same thing?” The first doctor said and received his own gloves.

“No, there could be lots of reasons why he's not dead. There's practically no reason for him to still be alive.” The second doctor said as they entered the surgery room. “We're cutting off as much of the damaged and burned skin as we can without making the patient loose too much blood.”

“He looks like an overcooked rack of barbecue ribs.” The first doctor said.

“Great, now the weekend party is ruined.” The main surgical nurse said, making the other nurses and the two doctors laugh.

“Bring over the x-rays.” The second doctor said and another nurse pulled the sliding light board over to the end of the operating table and turned it on. “Good lord.”

“As far as we can tell, nearly every bone besides most of the vertebrae in his spine were broken.” The first doctor said. “We have our work ahead of ourselves.”

“What are all those little dark spots?” The second doctor asked and pointed to several of them.

“I'm pretty sure they are either rocks or diamonds of some kind.”

“Excuse me?”

“One of the nurses had her engagement ring on while holding the patient. It looks exactly the same.”

“That's just great. I'm a doctor, not a miner!”

“I thought you were in your thirties? How can you be a minor?” The same funny nurse asked.

That made everyone laugh again.

“Okay, I get it. Let's get to work. We have a lot of bones to realign and set.” The second doctor said.

*

I woke up and felt like cotton had grown in my mouth. I tried to swallow and felt that there was something shoved down there. A beeping machine started beeping loudly and faster as I panicked. I heard a door open and running feet, then a hand was on my face.

“Calm down. You have a tube down your throat. Well, two tubes. One for air and one for food.” A calm woman's voice said. “Just imagine you're sucking on a really big... sucker... and it's kind of stuck.”

I half-snorted and half-choked, because I knew she meant to say a dirty word for the male anatomy.

“Don't laugh!” The woman said with laughter in her own voice. “I can't believe you got the joke.”

I opened my eyes and they opened about half way. I moved my eyes and saw a very pretty woman's face. I made a gargle sound and she smiled.

“I'm a sight for sore eyes, am I?” She asked with a huge smile and I nodded. “I was joking.”

I shook my head and gurgled again.

“You're supposed to like me for my humor.” She said and checked over the machines monitoring me.

I gurgled and she chuckled.

“So, you like both things?” She asked and looked back at me.

I nodded and she smiled.

“Well, you keep on being charming and I think we are going to get along just fine.” She said and checked the hoses in my mouth. “I'll be back as soon as I can with the doctor and we can see about getting that thing out of there.”

I nodded and she smiled at me before she quickly left. Half an hour later, a doctor came in with the nurse.

“I see you're awake.” The doctor said and I nodded. “I'm glad. How do you feel?”

I gurgled and then gurgled harder with a laugh when the nurse smacked the doctor's arm.

“He's got tubes down his throat! How is he supposed to answer that?” The nurse asked.

“Oh, right.” The doctor said and did some touch tests and checked the tube himself. “All right. It looks like his mouth and throat are strong enough to not collapse. We can get those tubes out in a few minutes.”

I gurgled an affirmative and watched as the two of them worked to detach all of the stabilizing things on the tube to keep it from moving, then the nurse gave me a sorrow-filled look.

“This is going to feel like throwing up, so try to fight it and not keep that feeling going, okay?”

I nodded slightly and she nodded to the doctor.

“She's right. There's no real gentle way of doing this part.” The doctor said and pulled.

It felt like he pulled my throat inside out as the tube slid out of my lungs and a much longer one came out of my stomach. I really did feel like I was throwing up and did my best to close my throat. Good god, did it hurt. I shook from it and the nurse was very kind and covered my mouth to help me, despite the danger of me throwing up on her hand.

After a few moments, the feeling passed. Now all I had was a very intense case of acid reflux. As if she knew exactly what I needed, she handed me a paper cup full of the milk of the gods, pepto bismol. I gave her a thankful look as she poured it into my mouth. I swallowed, even though it made my throat pain something awful. The instant relief was worth the intense pain when I sighed and saw the happy look on her face.

“If you haven't noticed yet, you're covered from the neck down with a cast.” The doctor said and I glanced down to see the expanse of white. “Nearly every long bone in your body was snapped in multiple places. In all honesty, we can't figure out how you're still alive. It's quite perplexing.”

I couldn't figure it out either, so it was nice to share that feeling.

“We'll let you rest for a few hours for your throat to recover some, then someone will be in to get your information.” The doctor said and left without even looking at the nurse.

I croaked a word under my breath and the nurse barked a laugh.

“Just a second. I'll get you a drink.” The nurse said and went into the bathroom. She came back out with a paper cup and held it towards my mouth.

I gave her a skeptical look and she laughed.

“It's from the sink and not the toilet.” The nurse said, her face showing amusement.

I opened my mouth and she poured a trickle in. I pretty much just let it flow in without swallowing, then swished it around to get that cottony taste out of my mouth.

She looked worried that I had so much in there, then I did two swallows and it was gone. “You could have asked for the bedpan.”

I couldn't help my smile and let go what I was unconsciously holding in.

When she heard a tube sucking sound, she turned and looked down at my crotch and saw the tube there fill with a dark yellow liquid and be sucked away. She turned back to me and gave me a stern look, which made me laugh. It was rough and hurt my throat; but, it was worth it to make her smile again.

*

“You're not kidding, are you?” The police detective asked. It had been a week since I gave him my personal information.

“No. I'm really from Kansas. I was standing on my back forty, looking over the best potato crop in the country, and a meteorite crushed me.”

The man shook his head and looked at the nurse. “Did you hear that, too?”

The nurse nodded and looked sympathetic. “He's told me the same thing. Also, the first paramedics at the meteorite fall said that they found him half-buried inside a crater that one of the meteorites had made and rolled away from.”

“He should be dead.” The detective said and looked at his notes. “I can't really dispute his descriptions of the town or of the Kent farm.”

“The Kent farm?” I asked, confused.

“The descriptions and directions to your property lead right to their farm. The only difference is that they've never had potatoes as a crop.”

“I wonder if they would let me come and see it?” I asked.

The detective laughed. “You're in a full body cast! I doubt anyone would want to wheel you out across half a mile of open fields just to see where you supposedly died, even if you were actually found in the large field just outside of town.”

I sighed and nodded. It was going to take a long time for my bones to heal enough to not be so constrained.

“Also, there's no record of your name in any insurance company, real or imagined.” The detective said. “I also can't find any birth records or citizenship papers, green card, or any form of ID.”

I sighed again and looked at the nurse that I had come to care a lot for. “I know what that means, Gwen.”

“It's okay, John.” Gwen said. “We can get through this.”

“Gwen, I... I really shouldn't accept...”

“Nonsense.” Gwen said and pat my cast where my hand was frozen inside. “I'm sure you can pay me back when you get back on your feet.”

“Gwen...”

“I've already added you to my medical insurance, so you can't protest.” Gwen said. “You don't mind being called Mr. Gwen, do you?”

I snorted and laughed, which made her laugh, too.

“All right, I'm out of here.” The detective said and stood up. “I'd suggest getting some official paperwork going as soon as you can. If anything happens, no one would be able to find out who you are.”

“Thank you, detective.” Gwen and I said at the same time and watched him leave.

“You really shouldn't be doing so much for me.” I said and she smiled sweetly.

“You're the only one that gets all my jokes, even the ones that I don't get myself.” Gwen said with a laugh. “I'm not letting you go after you survived a meteorite from space just to meet me!”

That made the both of us start laughing again and it lasted for quite some time.

*

“How are you feeling today?” Gwen asked me as she came into my long care room.

“With my hands!” I said back and wiggled my recently freed digits.

Gwen laughed and took my hand for the very first time in months. Her bright red hair was up in a tight bun and her smile was infectious. “It's about time! I was worried they were going to keep you completely encased in that thing forever.”

“It certainly smells like it!” I joked and we both laughed.

My torso and my legs were still immobilized, just so I wouldn't endanger my internal organs from floating bone fragments that weren't possible to find and remove, or possibly fracture my legs again. They had been so mangled that the doctors debated the need to amputate. Luckily, they asked me what I wanted with a yes or no answer and I shook my head at the amputation option. Even if they didn't work anymore, I still wanted to keep them.

“Only another month or so, then we can check to see if we can get the main part off.” Gwen said and couldn't help but look down at my crotch. We had shared some serious make-out sessions and we were both worked up over it. She even went so far as to accept my idea of straddling my face. It made her blush something fierce when I asked the first time.

She had refused for a week straight, just because she was a lady and didn't want me taking advantage of what she called 'her vulnerability'. When she did say yes and showed up late at night after her shift ended, I made sure that I thanked her thoroughly for taking care of me. She has been by every night since then, even joking that me taking advantage of her vulnerability was something that she was very grateful for.

“I haven't moved or done anything with my body since then.” I said and she nodded, her face sad. “That doesn't mean I don't want to try... after about ten baths and some serious scrubbing to get the funk off.”

Gwen laughed and kissed me, then she looked around. “Now that your fingers are free...”

“Damn, woman! You're insatiable.” I said and smiled at her blush. “I love that about you.”

Gwen gasped and stared at me. “J-John!”

“I know it's a cliche to fall for the woman taking care of you.” I said and wiggled my fingers. “I can't help myself. You're funny, energetic, you love your job, and you're passionate about anything you put your mind to.” I said and she took my hand and bent down to place it on her face. “I'm very thankful that passion has been focused on me for the last bunch of months.”

“M-me, too.” Gwen said. “I've never... this hasn't happened to me before.”

“Me, either. Funny that.” I said and she smiled. “Now hike up that skirt and turn around. Let me finally feel that delicious warmth with something besides my tongue... until tonight.”

Gwen blushed and stood up, went to the door of the room and locked it, then came back to the bed and did exactly as I asked as she partially rested on the bed with me.

“I can see heaven again.” I whispered and she moved back slightly as I slid a finger inside of her.

“Ohhhh.” Gwen purred and came.

“Don't get too far ahead of me.” I said and added another finger and used my thumb to flick her nub.

“OHHH!” Gwen gasped and came again.

“That's better.” I said and did my best to please her.

*

“Mr. Hansen?” A man's voice said as a knock rapped on the door frame.

I looked up from the non-fiction book I was reading about history. Gwen thought it was just curiosity. I didn't tell her that I was actually checking the facts to see if they were the same as what I remembered.

“Good morning, mister...” I prompted.

“Kent. Jonathan Kent.”

“Well, this could get confusing right quick.” I joked and he smiled. “Pull up a chair and take a load off.”

“Thank you.” Jonathan said and sat down beside the bed. “I see they didn't make much progress on freeing you from here.”

“I swear, the doctors are trying to intentionally piss off my fiance.” I huffed and knocked on the waist down cast still on me.

Jonathan laughed. “I hear that.”

I gave him a searching look. “Broken arm or leg?”

“Arm, thankfully.” Jonathan said and rotated his right shoulder. “Still aches when it rains.”

“Let me guess. No strenuous activity until you're better?” I asked and he nodded. “Yep, idiots.”

Jonathan nodded. “Lots of other things to do when everything's not working right.”

I couldn't stop my smile. “If your wife is anything like my Gwen, I bet she's had a lot more use out of certain other parts while she waits for the main event.”

“I hope you're not discussing private matters with a stranger.” Gwen said as she brought my breakfast in on a tray.

“Nope, this here's Jonathan Kent. We were just hypothetically talking about what happens to our frustrated wives when we're hurt.” I said and grinned at her.

“Typical.” Gwen said. “Eat all of that and I'll be back in an hour for your sponge bath.”

“Of course, my love.” I said and held a hand out to her.

Gwen gave Jonathan a look, sighed, and gave me her hand. I kissed it like she was a rich debutante from a century ago and she blushed. “Bastard.” She whispered and left the room. She was barely out of sight before Jonathan burst out laughing.

“She's definitely a lot like my Martha!”

“Redhead, too?” I asked and he nodded. “Fiery passion beats all else, sure enough.”

“Don't I know it.” Jonathan said and fell quiet while I ate.

I finished off everything, even drinking the watered down milk from the cereal, and pushed the tray aside. “So, what brings you all the way here from your spread?”

“That detective has been out a few times and told me what you said.” Jonathan said. “I was just wondering how you could know any of that.”

“Let me guess. No big crater with a man sized indent there?” I asked with a laugh and he shook his head. “What crop do you have planted out there?”

“I... ah... none.” Jonathan whispered. “Things are a bit tight, what with the new baby and all.”

I blinked my eyes for a moment, then I gave him a pointed look. “Please tell me it's a boy.”

Jonathan smiled and nodded.

“That's a relief.” I said and he looked confused. “My wife died about two... no, three years ago. We had a daughter and she was... excuse my language... a right little bitch.”

Jonathan sputtered and couldn't speak.

“Even as a little girl, she hated the farm... and me, for keeping her there. She chose boarding school when she turned twelve and sucked the family dry for everything by the time she was eighteen and graduated high school. I tossed her the worthless land deed and walked all the way to the back forty, admired all my hard work, and blam... meteorite right to the face.”

Jonathan looked at my face and saw the taught skin.

“Pig skin grafts, if you're curious.” I said and he looked shocked. “Yeah, the doctors looked at me like I was crazy when I suggested it, too.”

“You're serious?” Jonathan asked.

“Yep! Gwen even claims that I'm her pork belly future!” I said and pat my stomach.

Gwen's laugh floated down the hall, proving that she was listening in.

Jonathan and I exchanged looks, then laughed as well.

“I've been turning that idea into a fairly good money maker, which has been helping me recover and pay some of what Gwen's been spending to take care of me.” I said and Jonathan nodded. “She only has a small apartment after downgrading to use the money for me.”

Jonathan sighed and nodded.

“Is that why you came here?” I asked and he looked at me. “Wanting to sell?”

“No, I... maybe.” Jonathan said. “I was thinking along the lines of an investor or something.”

I sat there and thought about it. I glanced down at the book in my hands and the facts were pretty much the same as back where I came from. The only difference were some of the names of the cities and towns. Back where I was from, the largest and most famous city in the country was called New York. Here it was called Metropolis.

“What do you think, Gwen?” I asked.

“Work out what the deal is first!” Gwen said from down the hallway.

I smiled and looked at Jonathan. “So, what kind of co-farmering do you think we can do before I ask for permission from the boss?”

That comment made Jonathan smile and we got down to working out the details like kids in a candy store that were about to rob the place.

I wouldn't learn until years later that it was Gwen and Martha that had backroom dealt with each other and conspired to get us to meet.

*

Three months later, I was out of the leg casts and confined to a wheelchair. I couldn't feel anything in my legs besides someone touching them, which was a relief and a little scary at the same time.

I wasn't surprised that my very first road trip was not out to Gwen's place. We were going out to our new business venture instead. The drive out to the Kent farm was just as I remembered from going to my own farm from the nearby town.

“What are you thinking?” Gwen asked as she drove.

“That it's damn funny I remember this drive and I've never been here before.” I said with a laugh and she gave me a sad look. “Hey, it's okay. I'm not crazy like the shrink says.”

“John, you called Smallville by that weird name for three weeks.” Gwen said.

I shrugged. “I guess you're in love with a little crazy.”

Gwen huffed and smiled. “You wish.”

“Consider it granted, my darling angel!” I said and leaned over to kiss her cheek. “MWAH!”

Gwen laughed and pushed me back. “I'm driving, you nut!”

“Not for long. It's the next driveway on the right.” I said and pointed.

Gwen looked where I was pointing and slowed down, then she jammed on the brakes and skidded the tires as she caught sight of the mailbox with KENT written on it in big letters. She turned her head to look at me and I gave her a kiss.

“You're lucky there's no state cops crazy enough to come all the way out here.” I said and waved at the driveway. “Onward!”

Gwen gave me a skeptical look, then drove slowly down the long driveway.

I stared at the house that seemed to be nearly identical to the one Sally's dad had built. Even the color was the same. “If there's a huge double barn painted red behind with half of a hay loft, I could swear this was the exact same place.”

Gwen took the hint and drove around the side of the house and came to a stop. Right there in front of us was the large red barn and the loft doors opened to the sunlight.

“Well, damn.” I said.

Jonathan came out of the barn with his hands covered in grease. “John! Gwen!” He said excitedly and walked over to the car. “I thought you weren't coming out until tomorrow?”

“I entirely blame this wonderful woman for not taking me home first to ravish me.” I said.

Gwen blushed, then she smacked my arm. “Shut it, you!”

Jonathan laughed and pulled a cloth out from a pocket and hastily wiped at his hands. “I'll go grab Martha and we can give you a tour of the place.”

“I don't think that's necessary.” Gwen said and gave me a pointed look. “He remembers this place.”

Jonathan looked a little surprised. “Really? The house, too?”

I nodded. “The master bedroom is at the back of the house on the second floor. I had the first bedroom at the top of the stairs as both the nursery and the room for my daughter when she was older.”

Jonathan was too surprised to speak.

“I don't see any animals, so the half hay loft is just for storage, right?” I asked and he nodded. “It would be a nice hideaway from the family for me to go and think when I was between crop harvests.”

Jonathan nodded slowly. I was sure that he used the spot for the same purpose some days.

“Gwen, can I bother you to grab my wheelchair? I think I'd like to roll out into the field over there for a bit.”

“Sure.” Gwen said and kissed me, then stepped out of the car to go to the trunk. She unfolded the cheap wheelchair and rolled it to my door before she opened it and locked the wheelchair's wheels in place.

“Thank you, sweetie.” I said and pulled myself out of the car and sat on the chair. It had taken a lot of exercise and trial and error to move around with just my arms. Having the casts still on for months had given me more than enough extra weight to make me struggle and get stronger faster. I pulled my feet up onto the braces for feet and unlocked the wheels.

“Be careful. It's not all flat ground out there.” Jonathan warned.

I nodded as I gave a look to Gwen.

“Are you sure?” Gwen asked, then she knelt and took off my nice shoes and then my socks.

“Love you.” I said and pushed the wheels and rolled forward at a good clip. I didn't see Jonathan's shocked face as I sped away.

“He's been a demon on that thing.” Gwen said with a chuckle. “He's never crashed into anyone, despite how reckless he is with it.”

“How many tumbles has he had?” Jonathan asked.

“You'd be better off asking how many he hasn't had.” Gwen said with a laugh.

I smiled and bumped off of the smoother dirt and into the foot tall yellowish grain grass. I was careful and kept my wheels on the sides of the seed tracks. I didn't want to mangle up the nice rows, even if I was kind of pushing some of the grass down and out of the way with the foot rests. It sprang up behind me after I passed them, so that was okay.

I came to a stop a few minutes later and looked out at the wide fields of growing grain. I couldn't feel the connection like I did back home and I wasn't sure why. This was my land and I loved it. I looked down at my bare feet and smiled.

If I don't feel the old connection by now, then I needed to make a new one. I thought and used both hands to pick my legs up by the knees before I dropped my feet down into the soft dirt. A burst of energy shot up through my feet, went right up my spine and into my brain. “AHHH!”

“JOHN!” Gwen gasped.

I thought I heard running feet behind me... no, I felt running feet behind me. I felt the new connection to the land forming in my head and an odd symbol was there. I had no idea what the hell it was, though.

“John! Are you okay?” Gwen asked and knelt to look at my feet. “Did you stab them on anything? A rock or...”

“No, I... I can't explain it.” I said and touched her face. “I just felt...” I stopped talking when I felt two more sets of footfalls coming.

“Is everything all right?” Jonathan asked, his voice unsure.

“It's fine.” I said and let Gwen's face go. “My legs aren't completely unfeeling, just most of the internal nerves are dead. When I dropped my feet on the dirt...”

“It was the first time he's done that in nearly a year.” Gwen said. “After all the surgeries and skin grafts, he was just shocked about the sensations.”

I smiled at her. “That was it exactly.” I said and leaned forward and kissed her. “I couldn't explain it better than that. Thank you.”

Gwen blushed and smiled.

“I'm glad you're okay.” A woman's voice said.

“I need someone to turn me around.” I said. “I can't see who spoke with that angelic voice.”

Jonathan huffed and Gwen laughed as they carefully turned the wheelchair around without hurting the grain grass.

“I do hope you're joking.” Martha said and held a hand out to me.

I took the offered hand and shook it briefly. When I let it go, I glanced at Gwen and saw her relief. “I didn't say you were my angel.” I said with a grin and she laughed. “It's very nice to finally meet you.”

“Stop flirting.” Gwen said and swatted my shoulder before she looked at Martha. “Who is the bright young man on your hip?”

“This is Clark.” Martha said, her face nearly split with a smile. “He's smart as a whip and can even walk three whole steps!”

That made us all laugh and we applauded the boy, who looked quite happy at the attention.

“Well done, Clark.” I said and motioned towards the barn. “I need to wash off these dirty toes before I get my socks and shoes applied.”

“Oh, you're not using the hose for that! Come to the house.” Martha ordered. “Clark needs some sprucing up, too. He really enjoys his breakfast.”

I looked at the baby's stain covered over-all and grinned. “A boy after my own heart!”

Gwen laughed and nodded. “At least you eat everything and don't waste food.”

“I would never waste it, even if it wasn't you that cooked it.” I said and we all carefully went back to the driveway and over to the house. “I'm a growing boy and need all the nutrition I can get!”

“You see, Clark? Mr. Hansen eats all of his veggies, too.”

“I prefer some raw, though.” I said and she gave me an odd look. “Nothing beats a good carrot stick for a quick snack, unless you have celery stalks and squeeze cheese. That's damn near negative calories!”

Gwen laughed at the surprised looks on Jonathan and Martha's faces. “He told me to look it up. It actually does take more energy to eat a celery stick than the celery contains. You can eat as many as you want and you'll actually start losing weight.”

Jonathan looked thoughtful for a few moments. “I think we need to start growing some celery in the garden.”

*

“Are you sure about this?” Jonathan asked me two weeks later as I slipped off of the wheelchair and sat on the small wooden platform with caster wheels on it. “This isn't a delicate job.”

I barked a laugh and waved at the old tractor. “It's just a tune up. If anything goes wrong, I can move out from under it faster than you can.”

“That's a good point.” Jonathan said and quickly made another one. He joined me sitting on his and then we laid down on our backs and pulled ourselves under the propped up tractor. “I'm sure the transmission is loose. It won't change smoothly into reverse from first gear.”

“How's the clutch?” I asked and reached up to touch the underside of the engine. I caught my breath when I felt something flow into my mind. It was a connection like I felt with the field, then the form of the tractor appeared in my mind. The name 'Worn-out Tractor' and a symbol of the field and a number one appeared above it. I had no clue what it meant, though.

“You all right? Didn't stick a finger in anything, did you?” Jonathan asked, concerned.

“Hey, what I do in bed is none of your business.” I joked and he laughed. “I just felt this old thing needs a bit more TLC than we thought it needed.”

“Well, I've got a few spare parts that I've rebuilt.” Jonathan said.

“Then we better get to it.” I said.

Over the next five hours, we worked tirelessly and replaced several things, adjusted the clutch, ground out a small burr on the transmission's shifting gear, and then replaced the seal to the oil pan with a thick piece of leather that had surprised Jonathan by actually working and making a proper seal.

“John, you really do know your way around farming equipment.” Jonathan said in admiration.

“I learned a ton of tricks and tips from my dad and then made a whole bunch of stuff up to save money early on. It takes a bit more to maintain things; but, it's a hell of a lot cheaper than buying new parts all the damn time.” I said and he nodded in understanding. “We better get cleaned up before our wives decide we need to spend the night in the hay loft.”

“I hear that.” Jonathan said and we rolled out from under the tractor.

I kept it to myself that the 'Worn-out Tractor' image in my head was now 'Maintained Tractor' and had an ability below it that said it could work twice as fast. It still had the same symbols above it with a one and the field symbol, too. I concentrated on it and nothing happened, so I pushed the thought aside and followed Jonathan to the hose to wash off as much as possible.

When we went into the house to get cleaned properly, Martha's voice stopped us. “Supper!”

“Washing up first!” Jonathan said and we did that as quickly as we could. We both knew that if there was one thing that you never did, it was to make your wife wait.

Gwen kissed my cheek and Martha kissed Jonathan's, then we sat down to eat. Clark was his exuberant self and despite the mess, he ate everything, even the mushy string beans. Of course, I had to prove I was eating them as well by sticking out my tongue with a mouthful of them chewed up. Clark laughed a high pitched baby laugh and did the same thing back to me.

Gwen rolled her eyes, Jonathan laughed and tried to cover it up, and Martha shook her head.

“Now that the tractor's fixed, I was thinking of heading out to the back forty tomorrow morning.” Jonathan said when the meal was over and stood to gather the plates.

“We have to look at the tiller first. There's no point in wasting the trip if we don't work on the way.”

Jonathan laughed and nodded before clearing the table and going into the kitchen to wash the dishes. I rolled in behind him and picked up the drying towel. I couldn't put them where they were supposed to go, not while sitting in a wheelchair, so I stacked them on the kitchen table.

“You know you don't have to do that.” Jonathan said and handed me a clean glass to be dried.

“Just like I don't have to dig my toes into every field I'm going to make you stop at tomorrow?” I asked with a huge grin on my face.

“HA!” Jonathan barked and handed me another glass. “Of course you want to do that.”

“It'll be worth it, trust me.” I said and dried the glass. “I would have done it already if I thought this chair could have made the journey in once piece.”

“You really want to connect with the land around here, don't you?” Jonathan asked.

“Yeah. It's like... I can't really describe it. When I look out at the farm, I only really get that home feel when I look at the field I did that in.”

Jonathan looked thoughtful for a moment. “I get the same feeling, or lack of, when I'm in town. Back here, it's like I never want to leave.”

“That's it.” I said and smiled. “I've always felt like I belonged when on my own land. Not only did I not have to leave it, I never wanted to.”

“Then you did.” Jonathan said and I nodded.

“The hard way.” I said with a laugh. “No one believes me, not even Gwen, and she agreed to marry my crazy ass.”

Jonathan smiled. “Martha did the same for me and I love her more than anything else in the world.”

“Well, we just have to make this farm the best thing that's ever happened.” I said and he nodded in agreement. “When can we move in?”

Jonathan laughed and two female laughs came from the dining room.

*

“Oh, yeah. That's the stuff.” I said as my bare feet plopped down into the last field on the back forty. I didn't mention that I now had ten symbols of fields in my head. I didn't question why it kept working at each stop we made. I just accepted it for what it was, my mind and body making a connection to each plot of land on the farm.

“Well? What's the verdict?” Jonathan asked as he leaned against the tractor.

“We need to go to Smallville Bank and get a loan for about a hundred and thirty thousand dollars.” I said and he spit and sputtered in shock. “If there was more farm equipment available for cheaper than full price, or another farmer was selling out nearby, we could probably drop that to about ninety thousand and buy them out instead.”

“Jesus.” Jonathan said and started to pace. “Jesus! You can't be serious!”

“My name's John, actually. Same as yours. It should be easy to remember.” I said with a straight face.

Jonathan looked at me with wide eyes for a second, then barked a laugh. “Okay, that was a good one.”

“I know.” I said and closed my eyes. “We're going to need a huge shipment of potatoes spuds, three types of corn, two types of rice, and the new strain of wheat grains from the farmer's almanac.”

“Jesus.” Jonathan said and started pacing again. After several minutes of wearing a new path beside the tractor, he stopped and looked at me. “I think Bill's close to calling it quits. He's got a few nice pieces of equipment and more attachments than I do for different tasks.”

“What's his spread?” I asked.

“About the same as mine and it's next door.”

“Any lowlands?” I asked and he nodded. “We could flood it a bit and put the rice there. It grows faster in saturated areas.”

“Flood it?” Jonathan asked, a little worried.

“It saves us from digging up a good swath of land to do it here, if he already has a few nice depressions that water can gather in already. It'll save us on irrigation, too.” I said and tapped my chin. “It's only a couple hundred dollars to get a firetruck to fill a swimming pool. We can get one out here and...”

“Jesus!” Jonathan exclaimed and started pacing again.

I stayed quiet and waited for him to make a decision. When he opened his mouth to tell me, I held a hand up. “We can wait a season and I can show you what a difference my ideas are going to make with me being here.”

Jonathan looked down at my toes buried in the freshly turned dirt and sighed. “Okay, one season. Then I'll tell you that you're goddamn crazy and kick you in the ass for making me actually consider going balls deep in debt for the next thirty years.”

I laughed and used my hands to pull my feet out of the dirt. “Let's do the rest of the field and head back. I'm sure the wives are worried sick about us being out here and having fun.”

“I think it's more like enjoying having us out of the house and will be angry we're back so soon.” Jonathan said and helped me up onto the tractor, stowed the folding wheelchair behind the seat of the tractor, then stood up on the foot rail to hold on. “Home, Jeeves.”

“Yes, Master Kent.” I said and started the thing up, put it in gear, and concentrated on the image in my head. The ability said it worked twice as fast, so I wasn't surprised when the tractor took off like a shot at full speed and the tiller behind us spun like mad.

“JOHN!” Jonathan yelled and looked behind us to see the mess I was making, only to gasp at the field looking exactly the way as it was supposed to when he drove the tractor slowly. He didn't comment as I drove us all over the remaining area and only stared at me as I hummed along with the engine and drove back over the fields we passed to get here. I only stopped and lifted the tiller when we hit growing crops and then drove the rest of the way back to the barn.

Gwen and Martha stood there with surprised looks on their faces as the speedy tractor rolled across the last field and I brought it to a stop right beside the barn.

“I don't want to know.” Gwen said with a shake of her head. “If he was crazy enough to let a paralyzed man drive a two thousand pound tractor, that's all on him.”

I nodded while Jonathan stepped off of the tractor and then he set up my wheelchair.

“We were going to send out a search party if you didn't come back soon.” Martha said.

“I had to stop at every field.” I said and pointed to my nearly completely black feet. Clark giggled.

“Of course you did.” Gwen said and walked over to me. “Forget going inside for that. It's the hose for you this time.”

“Yes, dear.” I said and rolled over to let her wash me off.

Clark thought that was great fun and waddled over to get his feet washed, too. He had to get them dirty first, so he dug them into the packed ground like it was soft soil, then he crawled up onto my lap and sat down with his feet held out.

Jonathan looked afraid, Martha looked guilty, and Gwen stared with an open mouth at what she just saw. Me? It was the first time that Clark let me hold him and I knew that something was different about him. It was the same thing in my head when feeling the earth, only this was something I couldn't quantify.

“You're a wonder, Clark!” I said and hugged him. “Who could have guessed you have moles for feet!”

Clark giggled, Martha smiled, and Jonathan sighed in relief. Gwen now stared at me.

“No dirt can stand against the mighty Mole Foot!” I said and directed Gwen to splash the boy's feet.

Clark giggled some more as the water flowed over his feet and I rubbed them with my hands to clean them while also tickling him. He laughed and laughed.

“There! All clean!” I said and Clark hopped off of me and waddled over to his mother.

“Let's get inside and eat.” Martha said and picked Clark up to lead us inside.

Gwen slipped my socks and shoes on and I winked at her before rolling into the house and the great smelling food waiting for us.

“About what happened...” Jonathan started to say.

“You need to talk to Bill before we go to the bank.” I said and he looked surprised. “Or after, in case they don't agree. Then again, if Bill is cooperative and gives us a deal, maybe we can cut him in on some of the action?”

Jonathan closed his mouth and thought about that.

“This I do want to know about.” Gwen said and gave me a pointed look.

“Just another business proposal with a possible expansion.” I said and tasted the roast beef. “Oh, that's delicious! Gwen gave you the recipe?”

Martha nodded. “A fair exchange for my apple pie recipe.”

I almost drooled when she said that and looked at Gwen.

“Yes, I made them.” Gwen said and pointed to the counter and two covered pie dishes.

“I love you so much.” I said, making her blush. “Are you sure you don't want to become a stay at home wife that waits on me hand and foot?”

Gwen huffed. “I have a very satisfying career, thank you.”

I leaned over to give her a kiss. “I would never ask you do give up what you love to do. There's too many others out there that need your help. I can't be too greedy.”

Gwen kissed me again. “Now, this deal...”

“All up in the air for now.” I said. “Another season before anything has to happen, one way or the other. It doesn't hurt to plant the seeds now, though.”

“Good pun.” Martha said and fed Clark a spoonful of mashed potatoes before eating one herself.

*

“I don't believe it.” Jonathan said at the end of the season as he looked over the massive growth on his fields. He had gone to the bank with me in tow for a smaller temporary loan for seeds, plants, and another attachment for the tractor for potato farming. The loan officer said he was crazy for trying such a risky crop on an untested field.

“Are you just going to just stand there or are you gonna get off your ass and start driving?” I asked from my seat on the large gathering trolley we borrowed from Evan, Jonathan's other neighbour. I laughed when Jonathan flipped me the middle finger. “I love you, too.”

Jonathan shook his head and started up the tractor, then put it in gear. Unlike the other times, I couldn't use the speed boost. The trolley couldn't hold that much and in my head it was called 'Simple Trolley' and only cost one field symbol. I would have to look around for something better.

It took us nearly all day and four trips for me to bring the trolley back to the house and dumped the loads into the large truck we rented for the job. Even with that, we tripled the money it cost to plant, grow, and harvest them this first time. Thanks to the yield from the fields, we had plenty to replant the next field and replaced the potato field with corn.

It saved us the cost of buying the initial spuds and we had refined the farming techniques to be so efficient that with one man and one cripple, we had plenty of hands to do the job. The other fields we had were also booming with crops and grew at an accelerated rate. To say that Jonathan was pleased, was an understatement.

With him happy and flushed with ready cash, even after paying back the smaller loan, Martha was also happy. I was just happy for the work and to get out of the tiny apartment. Gwen was happy as well, her job was going well, and I was bringing in quite a bit of money. You couldn't underestimate the importance of small ideas that no one else thought of.

“I think we should do it.” Jonathan said as the four of us sat at the dining room table with Clark in a high chair. “Bill said he had a bad season this time and he's ready to sell the whole thing.”

“Honey, I... I'm worried.” Martha whispered.

I reached over and took her hand, to her surprise. “It's not all on you or Jonathan. It's also not an all in and lose everything deal.”

“But... you explained that...”

“At any point, we can cut our losses and sell off a bunch of everything, maybe even make the other farm a subdivision and cut the acres into lots for individual houses. There's lots of people looking for a nice place to build a home on a couple acres of land.”

“You would ruin all that good farmland for that?” Martha asked.

“Only if this bottoms out and it's a last resort.” I said and gave her hand a squeeze. “The thing is, I won't let that happen. Whatever let me help my dad on the farm while growing up, is still working. I drove my first full-sized tractor at eight and plowed the whole farm in three days.”

Martha smiled. “Of course you did.”

“Mom was pretty pissed at dad, that's for sure.” I said and let her hand go. “She calmed down when I saved up for a while and bought her one of those industrial mixers for making bread and cake batter.”

“You're kidding!” Martha gasped.

“She damn near broke my back, she hugged me so hard.” I said and everyone laughed.

“So, we staying full partners?” Jonathan asked.

“We can work our asses off for a few years and then hire a bunch of teenagers to take over.” I said and he grinned. “I think if my sexy wife doesn't mind travelling an extra twenty minutes on the weekends to come visit the house and having relations with her servant...”

Gwen smacked me hard on the head and Clark giggled. “Clark, don't do that, unless you practice a lot on hay bales and maybe a post or two.”

Clark nodded his little baby head.

“Good boy.” Gwen said and looked at me. “I'll allow two months where you can stay at the other place during the week, just to get it up and running and set up the way you want it. After that, if there's enough money, we're getting a house on the edge of town instead of my apartment.”

I smiled at her. “I can guarantee it, especially if it's that nice little farm the Gibson Family owns.”

Gwen laughed and sighed. “Fine. Another damn farm won't make much difference at this point.”

“Oh, it will.” I said with a grin. “Trust me. It really will.”

*

Ten years later, I had a hundred field symbols in my head, so many farm vehicles, trucks, cars, and equipment, and a bunch of colorless numbers in my head, too. Those I picked up while in what I called non-growing areas. Parking lots gave me one, the Smallville Mall gave me four, and the high school gave me two numbers and one water. It took no time to find out they had an Olympic sized swimming pool.

The funny part happened when I visited the hospital the first time after being released and discovering this weird ability of mine. It gave me one with a field, one with a tree, and one with a drop of water. I couldn't explain that one. They did not have a pool anywhere at all in the area. The best part was that I no longer needed to touch things with my bare feet. I just had to stand on it to gain it.

Once I realized I was collecting connections to the land, no matter what kind it was, I started taking time off from farming to roam around. Gwen loved it when we would take off for a weekend at random and visit a ton of different places. Needless to say, we had a lot of personal relations wherever we went. I also gained a bunch more water drops, trees, and fields.

On our way back from the latest trip camping, Gwen turned to me. We had a vehicle that I could fully operate by hand, which wasn't as difficult to create as you would think. A squeezable handle on the steering wheel for the gas and one on the other side for the brake, and I was good to go. I sold the design to Chevy for a ridiculous amount of money.

“John, I... I want to go further.” Gwen said.

I slowed us down and pulled off the road to park. “I'm not hurtin' you like that. Plus, the smell...”

Gwen laughed and smacked my arm. “I didn't mean that, you sex-crazed maniac!”

“Aww.” I said and she whacked me twice more. “You were saying?”

“I want to see the mountains.” Gwen said and I raised my eyebrows. “I have a few weeks of vacation coming up...”

“There's no need to justify it.” I said and kissed her. “Any choice on where you want to go?”

“The Rockies.” Gwen said, her face and voice full of hope.

“Do you want to drive or fly?” I asked and she squealed with happiness and kissed me soundly. “Are we staying there the whole time or are we doing a whole touring thing?”

“Anything you want.” Gwen said, happily. “I just want to travel.”

“Then driving it is.” I said and kissed her again. “I'll let the guys know to get ready for the end of the month and to handle things on their own.”

“Thank you, John.” Gwen said.

“My wife wants to go for a ride, I'm not saying no.” I said and pulled back out onto the road. “I get to see you seeing these new places, too.”

Gwen smiled at me and her hand slid over my lap.

“I'm driving.” I said as she stroked me through my pants.

“Let's see how long you can go before you need to pull over.” Gwen said and ducked her head down to my lap.

“I love you so much.” I said and then moaned as I fought to not blow my load right away. I also had to fight against closing my eyes and really enjoying her working me over. “Not... not the tongue trick!”

Gwen paused, giggled, then did exactly that for three minutes straight.

“Goddammit!” I said and blew my load. I just couldn't hold it back anymore.

“Mmmm.” Gwen moaned and swallowed me down, then she sat up in time to see me pull off the road, jam on the brakes, and skid to a stop.

“Off. Now.” I said and she laughed demurely as she hiked up her dress and pulled off her panties.

Gwen moaned as I returned the favor for quite some time, then she pulled me down onto the seat and rode me like I was a bucking bronco. I lasted a lot more than eight seconds, thank god.

*

“It's beautiful.” Gwen whispered as the gondola rode up the cables to the top of the mountain.

“The mountain is, too.” I said and she turned to see me staring at her.

“S-stop that.” Gwen said and blushed.

“I can't help it.” I said with a smile.

“Are you just a lovesick teenager stuck in an adult body?” Gwen asked.

“I was just going to ask you the same thing.” I said and hugged her close. “Just so you know, I only had one girlfriend in my life, then I married her.”

Gwen blushed again and looked into my eyes. “You don't search around and look for someone else?”

“What for? Fate seemed to bring me to who I needed when I was a kid, then after she passed away and I took a few years to let her go, here I am and met another wonderful woman that I enjoy spending time with. Who needs someone else?”

Gwen ducked her head slightly. “What... what about... Martha?”

“What do you mean?” I asked back, confused.

“We've spent a lot of time at the Kent farm. Just being around someone for so long...”

I eased my hold on her. “What are you saying?”

“N-nothing.” Gwen said and looked back out the windows. “Never mind.”

I sat there for nearly thirty seconds as I thought about what she said. “Gwen.” I said in a stern tone, one that I had never used with her before, and she stiffened. “Please tell me that you didn't have sex with my best friend.”

Gwen's face went to a very deep red and she didn't answer me.

I pulled my arm off of her shoulders and she started silently crying. I moved slightly away from her and she let out a soft sob and wiped at her eyes. I didn't say anything else for the rest of the ride. It was a very long twenty minutes until the gondola came to a stop and I rolled over towards the door. Gwen stayed sitting and looked at me, her face a mess from crying.

I didn't say anything as the doors opened and I rolled off. I sat there and looked out over the beautiful vista in front of me and I felt like it was wasted on me. I didn't enjoy it at all.

“Miss, if you're getting off, now's the time. I have to send the gondola back.” A man's voice said.

I didn't hear a response, which meant she was abandoning me here. I huffed and used my hands to move my legs and dropped my booted feet to the snow, trying to get it over with. I took in a sharp breath as my mind filled up with over fifty new symbols in a weird fire shape, then I felt the connections form to other mountains in the Cascade range that the Rockies were a part of.

“ARGH!” I cried out in pain and fell out of the chair onto the snow as hundreds more symbols swarmed into me, then thousands more symbols and images flooded into my head. I was not ready for that at all and my head felt like it was going to explode.

“JOHN!” Gwen yelled as the gondola moved away. “NO! Let me off! LET ME OFF!”

“Sorry, lady. You have to wait for the next one.” The man's voice said.

Gwen yelling my name was the last thing I remember before I blacked out.

*

“What's wrong with him?” Gwen asked the doctor a week later.

“Honestly? It's a shock induced coma. Whatever happened to him on that mountaintop gave him such a shock that his brain shut down.”

Gwen started crying. “Wh-when... when will he...”

“He could wake up in ten seconds or in ten years.” The doctor said with a shrug. “The brain is a funny thing.”

Gwen wiped at her eyes. “When can he be sent home?”

“Right now if you want. It's not like we can do anything for him except take care of him.”

Gwen looked at the still form of the man she loved. “I'll call when I get home and you an send him then.”

“Sure.” The doctor said and pat her arm. “Keep positive. I'm sure that he knows you're here waiting for him. He'll come back as soon as he can.”

That made Gwen cry harder, because she knew for a fact that the doctor was wrong.

*

(Author's Note: The following happens mid-way through Smallville Season 5 near the end of the episode called Tomb, before Martha accepts the senate seat at the end. Clark and the others have graduated High School.)

“Uhhh.” I groaned as I opened my eyes. My headache hadn't lessened at all. I lifted my hand and rubbed my face, then caught my breath. It felt like rubbing sticks on leather. I lifted my hand and stared at the near skeletal fingers, then I noticed a ceiling above me that I didn't recognize. The door to the room opened and a very tall dark haired young man stood there.

“Clar-rk? What... what happened? How did you get so big?” I asked, my voice cracking.

“Hey, Uncle John.” Clark said and walked into the room, poured a glass of water for me, and helped me take a drink.

“Th-thanks.” I said and took a deep breath.

“What's the last thing you remember?” Clark asked.

“The mountains.” I said and looked at his face. I wasn't going to tell him the last thing I had heard from my wife. I didn't want to hear it then and I definitely didn't want anyone else to hear it.

Clark looked sad. “Uncle John, that was over five years ago.”

I sucked in a sharp breath and I felt my heart stutter and skip a beat.

Clark immediately knelt by the bed and put a hand on my chest as he did perfect rhythmic compression on me. “I'm sorry. I guess I shouldn't have said it like that.”

I let him control my heart for a few minutes as I went over what happened. I didn't remember anything at all happening in my head for that long. Not a single thing. When I checked for those weird symbols, my brain throbbed and I winced in pain... then I saw exactly how many mountains I had gained from a single mountain range. 4,380. They had all been connected and pretty much overloaded my brain.

“Am I hurting you?” Clark asked.

“No.” I said and opened my eyes. “I just... a headache from trying to think.”

“That's a relief.” Clark said and listened with his ear slightly towards me. “I think the danger's passed.”

“I doubt that, son.” A woman's voice came from the hallway.

My heart sped up and Clark focused on me again.

“Uncle John, calm down! It's just my mom.” Clark said. “Your heart can't take overworking after so long doing almost nothing.”

I took several long deep breaths and let my heart settle down to a normal pace.

“That's better.” Clark said and stood up. “I have to get back out to the fields and keep working.”

“Go ahead. I... I'll be fine.” I said.

Clark gave me a look that said he knew I was lying.

“Yes, I'm lying. Get going.” I said and waved my weak hand at the door.

“I'll be back later.” Clark said and lightly touched my shoulder, then he left the room so fast that Martha's hair fluttered in the wind. She came into the room and looked sad.

“Not just strength, huh?” I asked and she shook her head.

Martha sat down on the side of the bed. “John, a lot has happened...”

“I only have two questions.” I said and she nodded. “Where's Gwen?”

Martha sighed and looked away from me. “She left.”

“Of course she did.” I said, bitterly. “Did she at least say why?”

“Yes. She said... she...” Martha let several tears roll down her cheeks.

“Martha, what did she say?” I asked.

“She said... she couldn't take losing both of the men she loved.” Martha said with a sob.

I reached out and touched her shoulder, trying to comfort her, and she let out a wail of grief and then laid down next to me and hugged me tightly. I didn't yell out in pain, even if it felt like she had crushed my chest. She didn't need to know that I was severely hurt by her reaction.

It took Martha several minutes to calm down. She wiped at her face, fruitlessly, and let me go to sit up. “John, I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to...”

“I know.” I wheezed out, because I was unable to take a full breath.

Martha looked horrified and her eyes went to where she had hugged me tightly. “Oh, no! I'm so sorry!”

I tried to breathe in some more and couldn't. “Air...” I said with the last of my breath.

“CLARK!” Martha yelled and Clark suddenly appeared, saw me struggling to breathe, and he took in a huge breathe as he opened my mouth.

“WHOOOO!” Clark blew out the air he had in his lungs in a strong steady stream and I felt my lungs inflate and my chest expanded. He stopped after ten seconds and nodded to me.

I took a tentative breath, then sighed as air entered my lungs.

“What happened?” Clark asked.

“N-nothing.” Martha said, her face red.

“Hugged... too hard.” I said.

“Mom, you can't do things like that. He just woke up and he's really weak.” Clark said.

“I know. I just... I'm sorry.” Martha said and stood. “I better go. I need to think about something and...”

“Stay. Please.” I said and gave her my best pleading eyes. I wasn't sure it would work, until she nodded and sat back down on the edge of the bed. “Where did Gwen go?”

“Metropolis Metro Hospital.” Clark said and frowned. “She also left papers for you to sign if you ever woke up.”

“Papers.” I said and sighed as I closed my eyes. “Can you grab them for me before you go back to work?”

“Sure. Just a second.” Clark said and he was back a second later with a manila envelope. “We didn't open it, even if we all knew what they were.”

“Thank you.” I said and took the thick envelope with shaking hands. “Martha...”

“Of course.” She said and helped me open them. Inside was a standard divorce agreement, splitting everything right down the middle. Half of everything we owned would be the property of the other and she wouldn't contest anything.

I huffed and shook my head. “Please tell me we still have a good lawyer on retainer.”

Martha shook her head.

“The Luthors bought out pretty much everything in town, even the Talon.” Clark said, his face angry. “If you have to find another lawyer that won't screw you over, you'll be looking a lot farther away than Smallville for them.”

“It seems that I missed a lot more than my wife cheating on me with my best friend.” I said and Martha let out a sob and Clark's face looked angrier. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that. I just...”

Clark sighed. “No, Uncle John. You haven't done anything wrong. In fact, just you are the only one.”

That statement made me blink and I looked at Martha, who cried some more. “Who?”

“Lex's dad, Lionel.” Clark spat. “He still shows up offering to help, even after killing my dad.”

“Jesus!” I said and Martha shook her head.

“No, he didn't... it was... a heart attack.” Martha said.

“He caused it.” Clark spat.

“Did you kill him?” I asked and Martha gasped.

Clark's anger fled and he looked surprised. “Uncle John...”

“If he set things up to make sure your dad was killed, even with your powers, then he needs to be dealt with as soon as possible.” I said, my voice sure and steady. “No one would know if you took him out, even under slowed down camera footage.”

“I... I can't.” Clark said and turned away. “I can't take a life.”

“Is it taking a life when we slaughter a pig for the bacon and ham?” I asked and Martha gasped again. “What about killing a cow for the leather and beef?”

“That's not the same!” Martha exclaimed.

“No? Then the very next person that Lionel hurts or puts in danger, is your responsibility.” I said and Clark's face drained of color. “I assume he did something? Set someone up to be kidnapped or killed?”

Clark didn't respond and Martha turned away from me again.

“I guess that means Gwen wasn't the only one keeping me in the dark.” I said and no one said anything. “I'm sorry for causing problems for the both of you. As soon as I find a good lawyer, I'll have Gwen's abandonment of me handled and I'll be out of your way.”

“Uncle John, it's not like that.” Clark said. “We kept you here because you're family. Gwen wanted you to be...” His voice trailed off and he didn't finish the sentence.

“I hope you've been compensated for it.” I said and neither of them said anything. “Don't worry. You will be.”

“John...” Martha whispered.

“I need a phone book, a bucket of porridge, a bag of brown sugar, a big spoon, and the phone extension.” I said.

Clark couldn't stop his smile and Martha glanced at me to see I was serious.

“It can wait until tomorrow, considering it's nearly suppertime.” I said.

“How did you know that?” Martha asked.

“The sun through the window.” Clark and I said at the same time.

“I'm glad you were listening when I taught your dad all those tips and tricks for farming.” I said to him and looked at Martha. “I doubt I can eat anything substantial, considering my stomach feels like it's nearly full after that drink of water.”

Martha looked at me fully and lightly touched my shoulder. “Get some actual rest. I'll bring up some porridge after I feed Clark and the farm hands.”

I nodded and closed my eyes. My mind was almost immediately assaulted by all of the symbols floating around in my head. Only, they weren't actually floating. They were kind of looking for my attention. Since I had nothing else to do, I let my concentration roam over them.

I saw symbols for forests, more colorless numbers, more water drops, and even one dark skull symbol. I had no clue where I picked that up, what it was for, or how to get more. Those weren't the interesting ones, though. No, there was an image of gold called 'Gold Reserve' and it had an ability to create currency. When I concentrated on it, I found there were three of them with 'Silver Reserve' that made half as much currency.

I kept looking and saw that there were also six 'Jewelled Stones'. Each one was a different color, red, green, blue, white, clear, and black. I looked at each one and saw that each produced two symbols for each of the types of land I had found, except for the skull, since I didn't know what kind of land that was. It still gave me two skulls, though.

“Hey, are you awake?” Martha's soft voice asked.

“Yes. I was just thinking.” I said and opened my eyes.

“Do you need help sitting up for this?”

“Probably.” I said and Martha put the bowl down to help me sit up and she propped a pillow up behind me. “Thank you.”

Martha shook her head and gave me the bowl of porridge that was quite runny. “You don't need to thank me for taking care of you.”

I gave her a look that said she was being unreasonable. “Gwen is my wife and it was her job to take care of me.”

Martha sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. “John, I... I...”

“I don't know what to do, either.” I said and she looked sad. “No, I won't be pursuing you to get back at Gwen or Jonathan.”

Martha looked a little angry. “Why not? What's wrong with me?”

“If you need me to say the reasons, I will.” I said and put the spoon back in the bowl. “First, I don't love you. I won't have sex with just anyone. I genuinely have to want to share myself entirely with them.”

Martha blushed and looked away.

“Second, you're my best friend's wife. No matter what he's done or who with, you were his wife. I won't ever break someone's vows like that.” I said and she didn't stop blushing. “Third, and most importantly, I respect you too much to use you for petty revenge.”

“John...” Martha whispered.

“It's just too bad other men didn't see you the same way.” I said.

“John!” Martha spat and glared at me.

“What kind of man pounces on you after your husband dies?” I asked and she looked away again. “You were sad and lonely. You needed comfort and caring, not meaningless sex and manipulation.”

“How... how do you know it was like that?” Martha asked.

“It's always like that if you don't take the time to mourn first.” I said and started eating. “Someone will always try to manipulate you when you're vulnerable. It's the easiest time to do it.”

Martha stood up without looking at me. “I'll bring you what you wanted in the morning.”

“Thank you.” I said and waited for her to leave before I spoke again. “I wasn't lying, you know.”

Clark stepped into the room. “I know. Your heartbeat didn't fluctuate.”

“I'm going to rest for the rest of the evening and then I'll probably sleep until morning. If you need me to talk to you about anything...”

Clark smiled. “I know, Uncle John. Goodnight.”

“Night.” I said and he closed the door. I ate as much of the porridge as I could, set the still half filled bowl on the nightstand, and relaxed in the seated position as I closed my eyes. I had a lot more images in my head to go through and to figure out what the hell I was going to do with them all.

*

It took a month to find a hotshot young lawyer that had no problems risking their career to take on my wife. The fact that Gwen was trying to steal half of my assets after abandoning me and also cheated on me with my best friend, made the young woman salivate. When she heard my whole story after arriving in Smallville, she damn near squealed in delight about Nightingale Syndrome and told me the case was as good as won.

It took six months for the case to be heard in court. Fortunately for my lawyer and unfortunately for me, no matter how much I ate, I could not lose the skeletal look from wasting away as an invalid in bed. I was actually fairly healthy and also looked like death had warmed me over a fire and had eaten most of my fat and muscle.

When Gwen was brought into the courtroom and saw me, she broke down crying and sobbing. She couldn't even look at me and kept asking her lawyer to drop everything. The lawyer knew he couldn't do that, not after it had gone this far, so they were stuck with fighting me for the money that I so very clearly needed for my personal care.

When the judge learned my story and that even if I somehow regained the use of my legs again, I wouldn't have the strength to walk again because of Gwen's abandonment for another man, he was clearly angry. When he learned that man died and that she ran away and took every asset of mine that she could, he was livid.

The personal and shared bank accounts being emptied and put into one of her own making, the business funds we shared with the Kents being halved and put into another account, and then she even took out a loan against the farm to buy a house in the city. All of them were clear signs that she took full advantage of a disabled person.

“I hereby order all funds, monies, assets, savings plans, retirement plans, work investments, personal investments, and any other kind of monetary gains, are to be liquidated and given to John Hansen. I also hereby order you to pay restitution in the amount of five million dollars for the pain and suffering you caused, and another ten million for the future care of the man you so callously tossed aside when you found a replacement.”

Gwen looked devastated.

“I am also recommending that criminal charges be brought against you.” The judge said. “I doubt there's much that can be done by charging you with several counts of negligent homicide, since Mr. Hansen barely lived through his ordeal and didn't actually die.”

Gwen cried.

“Crocodile tears won't help you when the public hears about all of this.” The judge said and waved at the gallery of people where two reporters smiled. “I hope your short-lived affair was worth ruining so many lives.” He slammed his gavel twice. “This court is adjourned.”

Everyone jumped to their feet to shout at Gwen and the two reporters ran from the room. I quietly thanked the young woman for winning the case so handily and she kissed my cheek for letting her take 33% of the win.

“John!” Gwen shouted to try and get my attention.

“Clark? Can you give me a hand again? You know I can't push myself like I used to.”

“Sure, Uncle John.” Clark said and pulled me away from the table.

“JOHN!” Gwen yelled.

I ignored her and the crowd formed around Clark and myself as we left the room.

“That was pretty brutal.” Lana and Chloe said at the same time from behind us.

“I don't think she's going to be able to pay you much of that.” Lana said and stepped forward to hit the elevator button.

“It's taken from a government fund and she has to pay them back for it.” Chloe said when the doors opened. “What are you going to do with all that money?”

“The lawyer gets five million.” I said and both girls seemed to choke. “She did all of the work for free. I agreed she gets a third of whatever she can squeeze out of it instead of giving her a huge deposit I wouldn't get back no matter the outcome.”

Clark laughed and Lana hit the button for the parking garage.

“That's one way to make a lawyer work their ass off to win.” Chloe said with a smirk.

I turned my head to look up at her. “Thank you for your tips. I wouldn't have known to ask for private investments or offshore accounts.”

Chloe put a hand on my shoulder. “Clark's my best friend and you're his uncle. I was going to do anything I could to help you.”

“Then a million of it is all yours.” I said and she caught her breath. “Don't worry, I'll cover the taxes and you get the whole thing.”

“Mr. Hansen... I... I...”

“Bring your mother home, Chloe.” I said.

Tears rolled down Chloe's face and she nodded. “If it wouldn't hurt you so much, I'd hug you.”

I glanced up at Clark and he shrugged. “No secrets, huh?”

“Best friends.” Clark said.

“Why aren't you married, then?” I asked and they both made choking sounds. “I'm joking.” I said and looked at Lana. “What about you?”

Lana looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Uncle John, you can't just...” Clark started to say.

“Sure I can.” I said. “You've been in love with the girl since you were kids. You finally started dating after a whole bunch of missed opportunities and you're going too goddamn slow.”

The elevator dinged and the doors opened.

“Chloe can take over pushing my wheelchair while you and Lana decide when the wedding date is going to be.” I said and pointed. “Onward, my young friend!”

“Yessir.” Chloe said and grabbed the handles to push me out.

“There's a security camera in the elevator, so pick a nice dark corner instead.” I said and waved over my shoulder at them.

“We really don't have to do what he says.” Lana said, blushing slightly.

Clark took her hand and they walked around the elevator and over to a little used spot for a compact car. “No, he... he's right. I...”

“Damn, I can't hear them anymore.” I said with a light chuckle.

“Mr. Hansen, I don't think I can accept your offer.” Chloe said.

“What if I offered to sleep with you? Would us being in a relationship make it easier for you?”

Chloe sucked in a sharp breath. “You can't be serious!”

“I can't move much on my own; but, I'm still fully functional. I can just lay there and let you have your wicked way with me.” I said with a teasing grin.

Chloe looked like a fish out of water as her mouth made the motions and no words came out.

I barked a laugh and pointed to the car's door. “Put me in the back, please. I need to relax.”

It took Chloe a minute before she shook off the shock and did as I asked. She put the wheelchair in the trunk and sat in the back with me. When she looked over at me, I wiggled my eyebrows at her.

Chloe blushed and turned away from me.

I reached out and touched her shoulder. I was surprised that she didn't jump. “Chloe, look at me.”

Chloe shook her head for a moment, then turned to look at me.

“My first name is John, in case you didn't know, and I am a shameless jokester at inappropriate times.”

Chloe made the same fish out of water motions with her mouth.

“If I was serious, I would be matching my lips to yours right now. That's a pretty good technique.”

Chloe looked surprised for a moment, then she huffed and laughed. “Mr. Hansen...”

“John.” I corrected.

“John, I... I really can't accept...”

“I'm giving a bunch to Martha and Clark as well.” I said and her eyes widened. “They took care of me while Gwen ran away. She couldn't face what she did to me and fled. Martha, knowing why she left, kept me at her house anyway. That deserves some compensation, doesn't it?”

Chloe nodded. “I've been over a few times to watch you, too.”

“While Clark's been out on some of his adventures?” I asked with a smile.

“Yes, he... wait.” Chloe gave me squinted eyes. “How do you know about it?”

“I practically lived on the Kent farm since Clark was a baby. His dad and I were best friends and we made farming a winning endeavour and not the chancy thing it usually is.”

Chloe gave me a searching look. “I've investigated...”

“You wouldn't find anything.” I said and she looked surprised. “You see, it's me.”

“It's you what?” Chloe asked and I didn't say anything. After about thirty seconds, she gasped. “You're a meteor freak?”

I chuckled. “No, I don't get my abilities from green meteor rocks. Those I collect and... dispose of.”

“What? How?” Chloe asked.

“You wouldn't believe me if I told you.”

Chloe gave me a skeptical look. “If you're doing experiments with them or...”

“Oh, no. I don't experiment. I have them brought to Hawaii, smelted down and mixed with fresh lava to form bricks, then bury them in a deep cave on my property.”

Chloe blinked her eyes at me, looking confused. “Why would you do that?”

“They hurt Clark.” I said and she motioned for me to keep talking. “Smelting them and mixing them with lava diffuses them into microscopic particles. The radiation they give off has a much shorter half life like that. By the time they are brought back here across the country, they don't affect Clark at all.”

Chloe stared at me with her mouth slightly open.

“You look cute when you do that.” I said with a smile and she blushed.

I was not going to tell her that the piece of land in my head changed from 'Cave' with a single colorless number was now called 'Cave of Wonder' and gave me three colorless numbers and granted a random effect for an hour when used. I never used it, because it wouldn't tell me what the random effects were. It was much too dangerous to try it, even once.

Chloe frowned after another minute. “You're distracting me.”

“Right in one.” I said and lifted my hand and tapped the tip of her nose. “Ever since I was a kid, I loved being out on the plains. The feelings it gave me inside were both peaceful and meaningful.”

“But... how...”

“I have no idea. Just having me around lets the land prosper. Crops grow faster, vehicles harvest and plant faster after I work on them, and I can get three or four seasons out of a single season, depending on the crop.”

“Your corn!” Chloe gasped.

“The best popping corn in the state.” I said, proudly. “No one can figure out how we can guarantee less than 3% of unpopped kernels per bag.”

“Oh, my god.” Chloe said. “Whatever you do with it, it always comes out to be the best version.”

“Have you tasted Martha's mashed potatoes?” I asked and she nodded. “Did you know that she doesn't add butter?”

“WHAT?!?” Chloe gasped.

“I know. It's wonderful.” I said and smiled. “Taking them right from the field really lets the effect last a lot longer.”

“The carrots and turnips, too.” Chloe said with a whisper. “I've never tasted anything so good and I hated vegetables when I was a kid.”

I chuckled. “I'm not commenting about tasting anything else. That's too easy even for my own sense of tasteless humor.”

Chloe opened her mouth and then blushed when she realized what I meant. “J-John!”

“You got it anyway.” I said with a laugh. “You have a great mind. I'm going to enjoy corrupting it some more.”

Chloe shook her head and looked out the window.

I reached over and touched her shoulder again. “I'm sorry that Clark was too stuck on Lana to notice what was right in front of him.”

“I don't know what you're talking about.” Chloe said, her voice flat.

“He loves you, only not in the way you wanted him to.” I said and slid my hand down her arm to take her hand. “I admire your bravery.”

Chloe huffed. “Where is the bravery in being a coward?”

“You chose to hurt yourself instead of hurting your friends.” I said and held her hand tenderly. “I wish my now ex-wife was as brave as you.”

Chloe turned away from the window to look at my sad face. “You... you really...”

“I sympathize, Chloe. I really do.” I said. “No one can know your pain like I can.”

Chloe took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. “You're too old for me.”

“What? How? I'm the same age as Clark.” I said and grinned. “My records start during the meteor shower. I didn't exist on this world until then.”

Chloe's mouth dropped open and she stared at me like I was going to explode or something.

“Oops, I think I broke you a little.” I joked, just as Clark and a very happy Lana came over to the car and climbed into the front seat.

“Ready to go home?” Clark asked as he put the key into the ignition.

“Yes. My lawyer will be over tomorrow to go to the bank for the official transfer of funds from the extra awards, since that can be handled immediately. The rest of it with sales and things of Gwen's assets won't happen for weeks, if not longer if they hold out for more money.” I said.

Clark nodded and pulled out of the parking space, then Lana leaned against him as he drove us out of the parking garage and up to street level. We made it all the way back to Smallville and Chloe just stared at me the entire time without saying a word.

*

I sat outside on Martha's porch step a week later, gazing out at the sunset like I did back on my own world. I wasn't surprised that I felt exactly the same way as I did before coming here. I was connected to the land and it was mine, despite me not really owning it.

“What's on your mind?” Martha asked from the doorway.

“I'm wondering if you're going to be an idiot like Gwen and run off to be something you're not.” I said without looking at her.

“Excuse me? Did you just call me an idiot?” Martha spat.

“You, Martha Kent, are not a politician. The real ones will eat you alive.” I said.

“How dare you!”

“No, Martha. How dare you?” I asked and turned my head to look at her. “How dare you think that you can do what Jonathan did? How dare you think that just because you're his wife, you can do what he promised?”

Martha looked very angry now.

“How dare you think that you have any right to try?” I asked.

“He was my husband! I supported him in everything he did! He was a good man and...”

“...cheated on you for years with my wife, helped her embezzle money from the business, and almost ruined both of our families.” I said. “Was he the kind of man that the people of Smallville deserve to have in office?”

“You shut up right this minute, John Hansen!” Martha exclaimed.

“I knew it.” I said and looked at where the sun had set. “You already chose to go because of Lionel.”

“I haven't chosen yet!”

“You have, or you wouldn't be arguing so hard against me. You would consider my words, weigh them, and see if they were valid to what we were talking about. Instead, you argued and told me to shut up. You don't want to hear anyone speaking against you going, even though it will tear what's left of your family apart.”

“That's not true!”

“Lionel's already poured honeyed words into your ear about his constant support and how he will always be there for you.” I chuckled. “What about Clark? What about me? Did we not count at all?”

“Clark is my son. No matter what I do, he will support me.” Martha said.

“Yes, even if you choose the wrong thing.” I said and looked at her. “He still won't tell me why he won't kill Lionel and Lex for all of the crimes they did against him, his friends, you, and your dead husband.”

Martha's angry face came back. “I want you out of my house and off of my property by tomorrow!”

I smiled. “How about right now?” I said and rolled forward an inch and then rolled back. “Oh, look. I'm on my own property. What a surprise.” I said and gave her my best blank face. “I think it's time for you to be the one that leaves.”

“Excuse me?” Martha spat. “This is my house and...”

“I bought the farm out from under you.” I said with a smile and her anger disappeared again. “Did you know that Jonathan co-signed as an underwriter for Gwen's loan for another house? A very expensive house? A loan she defaulted on because she thought she could get it disavowed as an asset from my lawsuit?”

“N-no...” Martha whispered.

“Yes, it's all mine. The house, the land, the old truck, your car... no, wait. That's Lionel's car. He bought it for you, didn't he?” I asked and she didn't answer. “Not that it matters. Just like me during my last marriage, Jonathan didn't have anything left after giving it all to Gwen.”

“He... he wouldn't.”

“He did, unfortunately. He never was any good as a businessman.” I said and turned back to look at the fields. “I want to give you a choice. It's the same choice that I gave my daughter before she destroyed me and my family.”

“What choice?” Martha asked.

I shook my head. “I said I wanted to, not that I was going to.” I heard her gasp and ignored it. “You would choose the same option as she did, because you're too caught up in your own self-importance to understand that the choices you make that take you away from your family, are always the wrong choices.”

“John, I...”

“You have until tomorrow night to leave my house.” I said. “You made your choice of a criminal that killed your husband over your devoted and loving son and a man that thought of you as the sister he never had.”

Martha took two steps towards me and swung her hand at my face to slap me. She gasped when Clark's hand caught her wrist.

“You would hit him while he's this weak?” Clark asked, clearly confused. “You could break his neck with a swing that hard.”

“She's not thinking straight in her anger, Clark. She's lashing out at the only person she can reach.” I said. “I doubt she would ever do that to Lionel, despite everything he's done.”

“Clark, let me go.” Martha said.

“Only if you promise to not hit Uncle John.” Clark said.

“He's not really your uncle!” Martha spat.

“...and now she's trying to hurt her only son.” I said and shook my head. “How can you be so stupid? Clark loves you with all his heart!”

Martha glared at me and then looked back at Clark. “Let me go.”

“Promise me first.” Clark said.

“I'm your mother.” Martha said.

“That's not a promise.” Clark responded.

“Clark...” Martha started to say.

“Say it and mean it, or I'll take you back to Lionel's car and pack your things for you.”

“Clark! Can't you see? He's doing this!” Martha said and pointed at me with her free hand.

“I'm only seeing him talking to you. You're the one getting angry and violent.” Clark said. “Is he right? He's just a convenient target?”

Martha didn't say anything.

“Go back to the car and I'll get your clothes.” Clark said.

“No! I have to...”

“Promise to not hurt Uncle John and I'll let you go.”

“He deserves to be slapped, Clark! He stole our home!” Martha spat.

“No, I saved it from mismanagement and stopped Lionel from buying it.” I said and saw her face pale. “Hey, Clark. Got a dollar on you?”

Clark reached into his pocket and pulled out a five dollar bill.

“That's good enough for now.” I said and took it. “Congratulations. You now own the Kent farm. I'll give you your change tomorrow.”

Martha's mouth dropped open as she stared at the money in my hand.

Clark had a huge smile on his face. “Thanks, Uncle John.”

“Don't worry about it. I was going to give it to you anyway, since it's your home.” I said with a grin. “I can't have a partner that doesn't own anything, right?”

Clark laughed at that. “That makes a lot more sense.” He said and looked at Martha. “Come on, mom. Let's get you packed and on your way.”

Martha was too stunned by what just happened to react. She let Clark take her inside while I sat and stared at the fields around the house.

Half an hour later, a set of luggage and a still stunned Martha came out of the house with Clark carrying the luggage. He loaded it into the large trunk, then zoomed back inside and brought out a few larger items to put in the backseat. I wasn't watching, so I didn't see what they were.

“Bye, mom.” Clark said and shut the car's back door.

The slam seemed to wake Martha up. “Clark! You own the house now! I can...”

“Bye, mom.” Clark said and walked over to stand beside me on the step. “Have a nice drive.”

Martha looked from Clark to me, glared at me, then started the car. She stepped on the gas and spun her tires in the dirt, then turned the car around and drove away.

“I'm sorry that she can't see reason.” I said and took Clark's hand. I felt an image form in my head and smiled at the ability it had.

“Lionel has her brainwashed. We'll get her free somehow.” Clark said.

I gave his hand a light squeeze and let go. “Are you sure that you won't kill him? It would only take a second.”

Clark barked a laugh. “Do you need a hand getting up the stairs?”

“Nice dodge there.” I joked and he laughed some more. “I'm staying on the couch tonight. For some reason, I think I'm going to be feeling a lot better tomorrow and I don't want to go far to eat.”

Clark nodded and pat my shoulder and opened the front door for me. “I'll be up early to work and then I'll be gone to see Lana at the Talon.”

“What did her aunt say about the two of you?” I asked as I rolled by him.

“She screamed so loud that she hurt my ears.” Clark said with a smile.

I rolled over to the couch. “I wonder if she's happy?”

Clark laughed and closed the door before he locked it. “Goodnight, Uncle John.”

“Night, Clark.” I said and pulled myself onto the couch. I laid back and let out a sigh. “I'm not going to question why something designed for asses is more comfortable than something designed for sleep.”

Clark's distant laugh came down the stairs.

“Stop listening or I'm going to say something dirty.” I said and he quieted down. “Two white horses fell in the mud!”

Clark barked a laugh and spoke loudly. “That's such a dad joke, it's not funny!”

“A nun, a prostitute, and a soccer mom, walk into a bar.” I said and knew he was listening. “It hurt, because they were all blondes and smacked their foreheads on the metal thing.”

Clark burst out laughing.

“Haven't heard a good blonde joke in a while? Okay. I have one that I haven't told anyone else. A hysterically crying blonde woman was somehow trapped inside her car, even though all the windows were down and the keys were in the ignition. A man walked by and saw her and couldn't help but ask. 'Excuse me miss. What's wrong?'. The blonde took a few moments to calm down enough to answer. 'The doors are locked and I can't get out!”

“BAHAHAHA!” Clark laughed so loud that it made my ears ring.

“Okay, I think that's enough. Goodnight.” I said.

“Goodnight, Uncle John!” Clark shouted. “I gotta remember that one.”

I smiled and closed my eyes. I looked at the thing I received from Clark. 'Prismatic Regeneration' let me use one of each color land to initiate a healing process. The more damage I had, the longer it would take. Since my body was pretty much wrecked, it was probably going to take a while. I concentrated on it and willed it to take effect while giving it a red, a green, a black, a blue, a white, and two colorless.

I lost consciousness as I felt my body tingle all over.

I woke up and saw it was daytime. The sun was at noon from the shadow across the floor, which meant that I was asleep for quite some time. I sat up and the tingling all over made me shiver. It was like my body was denied oxygen for a while and was struggling to get it again.

I pulled myself into my wheelchair and went to the kitchen. I was starving, so I made several sandwiches while eating several cuts of meat at the same time. I finished off the four sandwiches and drank half of a milk container, then rolled back to the couch. I climbed back on and laid down, then fell right to sleep.

“Uncle John!” Clark's voice said and I opened my eyes. He stood there with a very odd looking young black man.

“Am I still asleep? That boy's eye is glowing red like yours does when you're angry.”

Clark chuckled. “You're awake, Uncle John.” He said and pat the guy next to him on the shoulder. “This is Victor and he needs a place to stay for a few days.”

“Well, you tell that needy fellow that he can beat feet all the way back over to your house instead of bothering me with it.” I said with a straight face.

Clark laughed and shook his head. “I forgot about that. Sorry, Uncle John.”

I looked at Victor's worried face and laughed. “We're laughing because you're standing in it. I sold Clark the house last night.”

“For a dollar.” Clark said. “Hey, you owe me change!”

“Right, right.” I said and dug into my pockets. I pulled out a wad of bills, counted out four dollar ones, and handed them over. “There you go. Transaction completed.”

Victor looked from me to Clark and back again.

“He's completely serious.” Clark said. “Uncle John's like that.”

I sat up and held out a hand. “Call me John if you've got the guts.”

Victor hesitated for several moments, then smiled and took my hand. “It's nice to meet you, John.”

“Ha!” I said and shook the hand, then managed to not wince when I saw an image form in my head of a half-man and half-machine artifact creature called 'Cyborg Soldier' for 6 colorless numbers with two abilities. One was a 'computer interface interaction' and the other was 'shoot a plasma cannon for 10 damage'. I had no clue what a plasma cannon was, though. It also had a 4/3 at the bottom of the image and showed damage.

Unlike all of the other times I'd gained something, I just couldn't keep my mouth shut.

“What's a plasma cannon?” I asked and Victor stiffened, gripping my hand like a statue.

Clark saw it happen and quickly opened Victor's hand and pulled it away from me.

“I'm sorry. I was just curious.” I said and both Victor and Clark gave me searching looks.

“Uncle John...” Clark said.

I held my hand back out to Victor. “Let me give you a hand to apologize.”

“What do you mean?” Victor asked.

“I've worked on hundreds of machines and machine parts. I picked up a little skill along the way.” I said and wiggled my fingers. “I won't use it without your permission and it'll take about ten minutes.”

Victor looked at Clark, who shrugged. So, he held his hand back out to me and took mine.

“Repair.” I said and tapped a field symbol, a water drop, and three colorless numbers.

Victor sucked in a deep breath as he tingled all over. He didn't let go, though. Clark and I could easily see things changing on the boy under his clothing and his skin, then the red glowing eye had something fold down over it to hide it.

I looked at the image in my head and it was now called 'Perfect Cyborg Soldier', was 5/6, and had another ability. 'Teamwork - all teammates have a bonus to attack'. It also cost 8 colorless numbers, making him the most expensive thing I've discovered so far.

“What... what the hell.” Victor said and let my hand go when the ten minutes were over. His hands, both hands, reached up and touched his restored face. “What... what...”

“I've been a little different since coming to Smallville. It's only the last little while that I've been discovering things I can do.” I said and Clark looked surprised. “No, I'm not a meteor freak... although, I did have a lot of crystallized things inside my body after the meteorite crushed me that the doctors couldn't remove.”

“Uncle John, you... how long...” Clark whispered.

“Me doing this extra stuff?” I asked and he nodded. “For a few years before I went into a coma. I discover new things all the time.” I looked at Victor. “Now will you tell me what a plasma cannon is?”

“It's an energy projectile weapon designed for high velocity impact and creates insane temperatures. I was actually thinking I could adapt it into a plasma torch for cutting and welding.”

“There's an old acetylene welding apparatus in the barn storage. Go have a look at it and see if you can adapt it.” I offered.

“Thanks, John!” Victor said and jogged to the door, gave Clark and I a huge smile, and left.

“Why can't you do that to other people?” Clark asked as he stared after Victor.

“It only works on machines.” I said and leaned back. “I'm too tired to cook supper. Call for pizza or something. I want a meat lovers all on my own.”

Clark nodded and picked up the phone. He ordered two meat lovers and then paused. “Just a second.”

I watched as he zoomed out of the house and then he was back five seconds later.

“A Hawaiian pizza as well. Load them up with extra toppings.” Clark said. “Yeah, the Kent farm. I'm offering the usual rush delivery tip, too.” He listened for a moment and smiled. “Great. I'll see him soon.”

I chuckled when Clark hung up the phone. “Do you think Russell waits specifically for us to make a delivery?”

“He makes more from us than any other delivery on the weekends.” Clark said and walked over to sit beside me. “Uncle John...”

“I don't know what it's called. I just have a connection to the land. Each one gives me different symbols and colors. It's only the last little while that I can touch people and sometimes gain little abilities or options.”

Clark thought about that. “You held my hand for a bit last night.”

I smiled. “It's called Prismatic Regeneration. It cost one of each land I control and a colorless... like a large parking lot or small city block. Six different ones in total.”

“What does it do?”

“Starts the healing process. The more damage, the longer it takes. I'm also starving.” I said.

“I saw the mess in the kitchen.” Clark said. “You went right to sleep afterwards?”

“I woke up, ate like a werewolf on a full moon, and plunked right back here.” I huffed and then laughed. “I probably need to do it a lot over the next few days... or weeks. If it works, it'll be worth it.”

Clark looked down at me rubbing my knees. “I'll keep the fridge stocked with quick to eat foods.”

“Thanks, Clark.” I said. “I've still got a ton of things from that mountaintop to go through.”

“What do you... oh.” Clark said. “You connect with the lands you touch.”

“Yes, and that mountain was one of a full range. I thought it was just a short one, and technically it was with only around 800 peaks. I intended to go to a dozen or so during the trip to gain them, just because I could. It damn near blew my head off when nearly 4,400 mountains, 186 forests, 22 fresh water lakes, and countless animals slammed their information into my mind in one shot.”

“Wow.” Clark whispered. “Just... wow.”

“That's what Gwen said during our first time together.” I joked and then laughed.

Clark made a choking sound. “Uncle JOHN!”

“S-sorry! I couldn't resist!” I said and kept laughing.

I was still laughing when the pizzas showed up and I gave Clark the money for them and a huge tip.

“I love coming out here!” Russell said.

“Hey, do you want a slice for the road?” I asked.

“Really?” Russell asked and I nodded to Clark to offer my meat lover pizza. “Thanks a lot!”

“See you next week.” I said and he waved with a piece of pizza hanging out of his mouth and ran back to his car. “That thing looks like it's on its last legs.”

Clark gave me a look and then smiled. “Want me to get him to drop it off tomorrow morning?”

“It will help us get more pizzas faster.” I said with a grin.

Clark laughed and put the pizzas down to run after Russell. It took no convincing at all for him to drop the car off to get it fixed for free. He even offered to bring a couple of extra pizzas that they had to make and use up the fresh dough when the night shift was over.

“This old torch is great!” Victor said as he came into the house with Clark. “Are you sure you want to let me play with it?”

“I can't remember the last time I used the thing, so have fun.” I said and we went to the dining room table to eat. It was delicious and none of us were surprised when we easily ate our respective pizzas. “Clark's got the main bedroom, you can have the spare, and I'm sleeping down here.”

“What? No, I... I can't take your room.” Victor said.

“I need to stay down here for the next few days, possibly a few weeks, while I recover.” I said. “I'm not rolling up the stairs or asking Clark to carry me around more than he absolutely needs to.”

Victor looked at Clark, who nodded. “All... all right. I accept.”

“Good.” I said and rolled away from the table. “If you will excuse me, I have an unconscious state to get to immediately.”

“Night, Uncle John.” Clark said.

“Goodnight, John.”

“Just to be clear, you're not waking me up before noon tomorrow, so don't worry about the noise, all right?” I asked and they both nodded. I pulled myself onto the couch and laid down as I tucked myself under a thin blanket and closed my eyes. “Ahh, that's so comfy.”

“I'll show you were the extra blankets and things are.” Clark said and he and Victor passed by and went up the stairs. “I know a great blonde joke...”

The last thing I heard before I blacked out was Victor's loud laugh.

*

Five days later, Victor received a voice mangled phone call telling him he had to come and rescue his girlfriend.

“You know it's a trap.” Clark said.

“Yeah, and if it was you and Lana, what would you do?” Victor asked.

Clark smiled. “I'd run in there and wreck everything to rescue her.”

Victor nodded.

“If I may make a suggestion and offer some advice?” I asked and both young men turned to look at me. “First off, don't hesitate. You're going into a hostile environment that's probably designed to hamper the both of you.”

Both of them nodded.

“Second, check everything over before going inside.” I said and looked at Clark. “Does Victor know?”

“Yes. It's how we became friends and he started trusting me.” Clark said, a bit proudly.

“Good. Then use your x-ray vision and look at everything, especially large blocks of dark areas. They are probably lead lined and have meteor rocks in them or electronic devices they are trying to hide. Use your heat vision to melt them or have Victor blast them with his plasma cannon.”

“Geez, Uncle John.” Clark said. “That's a bit much, isn't it?”

“That's just so you get inside safely. They could have hidden traps, an EMP field, or something to blind you and stop you from reacting properly.” I cautioned them and saw their surprise. “I want you both to stick together, because something that hurts one, won't affect the other.”

“What if they hit us at the same time?” Victor asked.

“Then have a third option.” I said and took out a nine millimetre pistol.

“Where did you get that?” Clark asked, slightly alarmed.

“I made it.” I said and held it out to them. “You would be surprised what bored court bailiffs let you handle when asked nicely by an emaciated man that wanted to protect himself from his soon to be ex-wife that robbed him.”

Victor laughed. “I'll take it, just because I need something if they knock out my electronics.”

I handed him the gun and a spare clip. “Do you need me to show you...”

Victor checked the safety, popped the clip, checked the slide that the chamber was empty, then reloaded the clip and tucked it at the small of his back. “My eye isn't just for show.”

“Good point.” I said and chuckled. “Be careful. If you're not back in thirty days, I'll just wait longer.”

Clark and Victor barked laughs, pat my shoulders, and left the house.

“Take the car! It's boosted!” I said and Clark ran back in to grab the keys.

“Thanks, Uncle John.”

“Whatever is at that location, make sure it's not there when you leave.” I said. “If you happen to swipe some computer hard drives as well, that's just a bonus.”

Clark nodded in understanding and left.

I made supper for the three of us and set their portions aside, ate mine, and felt drowsy. I went to the couch and fell asleep.

“John?” A soft female voice whispered.

I opened my eyes and saw Chloe's face hovering over mine. I also saw that it was daytime. “Did you decide to accept the repayment option?”

Chloe blushed and shook her head.

“Good. You're too smart to fall for that.” I said. “Now tell me what's going on.”

“We found out that Lex owns the company that made Victor's modifications.” Chloe said and leaned back to let me sit up.

“I assume Clark went to confront him?” I asked.

“After they demolished the trap inside the building and retrieved a computer for me to hack into.”

“Did they even come back here?” I asked and looked over her shoulder to see the plates of food still out on the table. “I guess not.”

“You know what Clark's like when he's on a crusade.” Chloe smiled. “I've got a solid lead on Victor's girlfriend, too.”

“You have to wait for them to come back.” I said and she nodded. “Want to join me for lunch? Or make me lunch? I can check you out while you work.”

“J-John!” Chloe lightly slapped my knee.

I chuckled. “Grab my chair for me. I'll do it and you can check me out instead.”

Chloe opened her mouth, then sighed and stood to get my chair.

I actually did look at her ass, despite joking about it, and I was pleasantly surprised that it was quite shapely and hugged by her jeans. I slid into my wheelchair and rolled into the kitchen.

“I see you're feeling better.” Chloe said and sat at the kitchen table.

“Don't eat any of that. I made it early last night.” I said and picked up one of the plates to dump the contents into the compost chute. I scraped it off and went back for the other one. “I should have put them in the refrigerator instead of assuming that they would be back last night.”

“I'm sure they thought what they were doing was more important than coming back here.” Chloe said.

I washed my hands and dried them before going to the fridge and pulling out things for a nice salad and cold cuts for the side. I felt her eyes on me as I worked and made up a large bowl of salad that would last a few days, then I doled out a serving for her.

“A bit more, please. No meat for me today.” Chloe said.

“You better not tell me you're on a diet.” I said, accusingly.

“Fine, I won't say anything.” Chloe responded with a smile.

I chuckled and added more salad and added blocks of cheddar cheese on top. I did up my own plate with salad, cold cuts, cheese, and a bit of salad dressing. “There's other kinds in the fridge.”

“No, thanks.” Chloe said and used the same one, then we fell silent and ate the food. She kept watching me and her eyes went to my hands, up my bare arms, across my t-shirt to my neck, then up to my face.

“Do you like what you see?” I asked, making her blush. “I would blush myself if I wasn't expecting an inspection.”

“That... that's not...”

“Relax. I'm just kidding.” I said and sat back in my chair. “I could eat double that and go into another food coma; but, I better stay awake for whatever is going to happen.”

“I think that's a good idea.”

“Want to watch some television? I'm sure there's nothing on and you'll be forced to cuddle me instead.”

Chloe laughed softly. “What would you do if I ever decided to take you up on your teasing?”

“You don't want to know.” I said and rolled back into the living room.

“Why not?” Chloe asked.

“It might make you change your mind and actually accept.” I said and pulled myself onto the couch, pushed the chair off to the side, and grabbed the remote. I turned on the television and flicked through the channels to land on a sitcom I had seen over a decade ago.

Chloe looked at me, at the television, then at the couch beside me.

I chuckled and pat the couch beside me. “Come on, I won't bite... much.”

Chloe shook her head and walked over to me and sat right beside me. It was a lot closer than I expected, so I gave her a searching look for exactly three seconds before I made a decision.

“Hold this.” I said and gave her the remote, then I put my arm over her shoulders and pulled her in close. She didn't say anything or tried to stop me. We watched that episode, which was pretty funny, and half of the next one before she spoke.

“You're old enough to be my dad.” Chloe whispered.

“Give me a few weeks and look again.” I whispered back.

Chloe turned her head to stare at me like she did when I told her that I was only here for as long as Clark had been.

“I've only dated two women. Both ended up becoming my wives.” I commented and her eyes widened.

“But... but...” Chloe stammered.

“I loved the both of them and I think I always will, even with the pain that their memories bring me.” I said. “Gwen couldn't handle the odd things happening in my life after a while and went to the arms of my best friend, then told me about it at the worst possible time.” I turned my head to look into her eyes. “You have no problem with odd things happening around you, do you?”

Chloe looked like she was thinking very hard. “I... John, you...”

“I know I've been teasing and joking about it since we met, right after I woke up from my coma. The thing is, there was an old saying from where I came from. Half in jest, all in seriousness.”

Chloe blushed and looked down for a few seconds. “What if you fall into another coma?”

“Unless I'm stupid enough to go to another mountain range, there's no danger of that.” I said and she lifted her head and looked confused. “Let me tell you exactly why I fell into a coma.” I held my hand up and a blooming Giant Lotus Flower slowly formed there from nothing.

“Oh, god.” Chloe whispered and lightly touched it. “It... it's real?”

“It only grows inside an underwater lake inside a dormant volcano.” I explained. “I'm still working through everything I gained when my head absorbed all those mountains.”

Chloe picked up the flower that was the size of her head and she took in a deep sniff from it. “Ohhh, that's heavenly.”

“That's one of it's abilities.” I said and she looked at me. “Watch.”

Chloe looked back at the large flower and I activated its sacrifice ability. It glowed and sparkled, then popped like a firework display. Chloe didn't jump or react, thanks to the calming effect from the flower's smell. The sparks stopped and pulled back together in a different form. A handsome black cat.

“He's beautiful.” Chloe said and hugged it.

The loud purr he let out rumbled through us.

“I think he likes you.” I said and pet it. “Now he needs a name.”

“Shadow.” Chloe said and looked into the cat's eyes. “You're staying with me forever.”

“Meow!” Shadow responded, clearly in agreement.

Chloe beamed a smile at him and hugged him again. “Thank you, John.”

“You don't need a litter box or anything, even though he likes to eat. It's just energy conversion, or at least, that's what I assume.” I said and scratched the cat's ears.

“So, I can spoil him as much as I want and I can't hurt him?”

“Nope. He's pretty versatile.” I said. “His abilities are agility, sure-footed, leap, claw attack, and a confusing stare.”

Chloe looked back into the cat's eyes. “I'm not confused.”

I chuckled. “He's not going to try and confuse you. He's yours.”

“Oh. Okay.” Chloe said and pet him. “I have a cat. A magical cat.”

“I should warn you that he can be damaged and destroyed.” I said and she caught her breath. “Relax. He's a cat. What's their main and most well-known feature?”

Chloe looked at me for a moment, then she laughed. “Nine lives! He has nine lives!”

I nodded and Chloe leaned back into my side and rested her head on my shoulder as she shared Shadow with me by putting him on both of our laps. The cat's purr rumbled through us again while we pet it.

Half an hour later, after telling Chloe all about my abilities, the front door opened with a bang.

“I can't believe you did that, Victor!” Clark shouted and strode into the house.

“I didn't shoot the doctor on purpose.” Victor said. “I don't regret it, though.”

“A man is dead because of us!” Clark spat.

“Actually, it's because of me.” I said and both Clark and Victor turned to stare at me.

Clark sputtered at seeing Chloe cuddled up on the couch with me and a cat he had never seen before.

“Did you bring the gun back?” I asked.

Victor nodded and handed it and the spare clip to me. He wasn't surprised when they just faded away. “The other bullets, too?”

I nodded. “Nothing to trace back to you or me.”

“Cool.” Victor said in a satisfied tone.

“Ugh!” Clark grunted and threw up his hands. “Your girlfriend was a witness!”

“She won't say anything because that asswipe threatened her. We're also leaving Smallville as soon as I can get some money together.” Victor said.

“Not a problem.” I said and nodded to Clark.

“Uncle John...”

“A hundred thousand should give you a nice comfortable life away from here.” I said and Victor stared at me while Clark handed me the house phone. “Consider it a loan. I expect a dollar a week back in repayment until it's paid off.”

“Clark.” Victor said. “I knew your uncle was a bit off when we met; but, is he certifiably crazy?”

“Yes.” Clark, Chloe, and I said at the same time, then we laughed.

“Yes, hello? Can you connect me to Jessica Gibson's office, please? Thank you.” I said and waited. “Hi! It's your favorite client!” I paused and listened. “What do you mean I'm not?”

Chloe laughed softly.

“Well, anyway. I need a huge withdrawal for a close friend of mine. I'll send Clark down with him, too.” I said. “Only a hundred grand.” I held the phone away from my ear for a few seconds until the screaming stopped. “Yes, really. Pay the taxes too, will you?”

“He's really doing it.” Victor said in disbelief.

“I am not a pain in your ass. I don't do stuff like that, especially since we haven't dated.” I said and Victor, Clark, and Chloe stared at me. “No, that wasn't an offer. Someone else already jumped me before you could.” “Uh huh. Yes.” “I bought your farm, remember? I would never undercut you or ask you to dock fees to save me money with this.”

Chloe tilted her head slightly and gave me a calculating look.

“I'd rather have a paper trail, just so he doesn't get stopped somewhere and arrested for having so much cash on hand.” “Uh huh. Right.” “Thanks a lot. I owe you a fruit basket.” I chuckled. “Okay, okay! I'll make it a chocolate filled basket.” “Belgian, of course.” “Great! Thanks a lot for this, Jessica.” “Bye!”

“I still don't believe it.” Victor said.

“Clark, run down to the bank and help Victor pick up the money. It's in smaller bills and you will have the receipt and proper paperwork for carrying it.” I looked at Victor. “Good luck and stay in touch if you can.”

“But...”

“Come on, Victor. We better go.” Clark said and walked over to the door. “I'm not dropping the thing with doctor dying, either.”

I waited until they left before speaking. “He will. There's nothing he can do about it.”

“Someone died.” Chloe said.

“He was a good man that did bad things. Victor wouldn't be a walking death machine if he wasn't experimented on.” I said. “He could also be dead without it, so... I'll call it even.”

Chloe raised her eyebrows at me.

“I'm more worried about Lex's reaction to all of this. Aren't you?” I asked.

“Dammit, Clark left without telling us what else happened!”

I laughed and hugged her tighter. “Don't worry, he should be back in a few hours. You know how protective he is with his friends.”

Chloe nodded and put her head back on my shoulder.

We stayed like that for a while and pet the cat as we ignored the television playing in the background.

“I still can't believe you gave me a million dollars to take care of my mom.” Chloe whispered.

“Neither can my account manager. She damn near had a heart attack over it.” I said with a grin and Chloe laughed.

Three hours later, it wasn't Clark that showed up at the house.

“Clark! CLARK!” Martha's voice called out as she stepped onto the porch.

Chloe grabbed my chair for me and wheeled me out the front door. We were both surprised to find Lionel Luthor there as well.

“What are you doing here?” Martha asked, her voice flat.

“If you must know, for the last few hours, I was comforting Chloe's pussy while petting it and making it purr.” I said and let them hear the pride in my voice.

Chloe laughed, choked, and blushed very hard. “J-John.”

“His name is Shadow and he's right here.” I said and the shadow on my lap sat up, revealing the cat. “You must be Lionel Luthor.” I held a hand out to him. “I'm glad that I finally got to meet you.”

Lionel smiled and stepped forward to shake my hand. “It's nice to meet you, too.”

I held his hand and shook it, then fought to keep my face impassive. The image in my head was not what I expected. I thought I would get insider tips, or money making scheme rules, or something that was vaguely human or business in nature.

Instead, I had an artifact creature called 'Brainiac 2 - Nanotech Clone of Lionel Luthor'. It was an 8/4 and cost ten colorless symbols to create. It had four abilities as well. Mimic to copy a new form; Technology Interface, which I assumed was the same as Victor's; Gather Artifacts, which was self-explanatory; and Full Regeneration, which took a full day when it was destroyed.

My eyes went to Martha and I thought about her sleeping with a nanotech clone that convinced her to abandon her family for the greater good of the town and the state, when all he really wanted was to get Martha to only rely on him. I felt another image flow into my mind as my anger grew, at my own contribution to the situation, and it took a second for it to form and my eyes widened at what it was.

Fireball. For the cost of one mountain and any number of color or colorless lands, do that much damage to the target.

My eyes went right to the 'man' I was shaking hands with and I grinned. I concentrated on the image for Fireball and paid the one mountain starting cost, then for the hell of it I added in a thousand mountains, just to see what would happen.

“AH! AHH! AHHHHH!” Lionel screamed and jumped back from me as he was engulfed in flames.

Of course, I started laughing. It was damn funny watching a machine jump around and try to put out magic flames that were burning it from the inside out.

“LIONEL!” Martha screamed.

I kept laughing.

Chloe just stared in shock.

“Someone! Do something!” Martha exclaimed.

The flames were much too hot for anyone to go near the thing.

“The hose!” Martha shouted and ran to the side of the house, grabbed it and ran back. She turned it on and sprayed the still burning and jumping figure. It made no difference.

Apparently, using so much magic had saturated every tiny part with their own flames.

“N-n-no.” Lionel said in a half-human and half-mechanical voice. “N. N. N. No.”

I finally stopped laughing as the clone stopped moving and pieces of it started flaking off.

“Oh, god!” Martha gasped and covered her eyes and dropped the hose.

“I suggest you keep watching.” I said, my voice calm.

“YOU!” Martha yelled and glared at me. “I'm calling the police! They'll put you where you belong!”

“I'm right where I need to be.” I said and pointed. “There goes the nanotech facade.”

“Wh-what?” Martha asked and turned to look, only to see there was no more skin covering Lionel's face. She gasped and covered her mouth... then she looked sick as the mechanical head twitched and the eyes opened and closed. The flames had reduced to barely an external flicker.

“I... will... get... you.” I said in a completely mechanical voice to me.

I felt a sudden pain in my head as something seemed to hit the inside of my skull. It was forceful enough that I jerked out of my wheelchair and fell off the steps and my hand landed on the mechanical foot of the Lionel Clone. An image formed in my head called 'Essence Rot'. For three Skulls and any number of colorless numbers, I could cause damage to any connected creature.

Not questioning how I somehow knew this was an essential spell to cast on what was a second clone, I dumped three thousand mountains into the extra cost and let it go.

“N. N. N. O. O. O.” The mechanical thing said as it felt the magic tear into it and through it to the connected consciousness.

I pulled my hand back and scrambled away, because I knew that the fire damage I had caused this lone construct would end its existence soon.

“John, what... what is it?” Chloe asked as she knelt beside me to help me sit up.

The thing started to glow blue and crumbled even faster as the flames gained more oxygen.

“If what I gathered from touching it is right, and I have no doubt that it is, it's a Nanotech Clone of Lionel Luthor called Brainiac.”

Martha had a terrified look on her face as we watched the creature shake and crumble apart. The flames licked along the open parts and more fell off, making the flames flare higher.

“It was the second, meaning there was more than one. I don't know who they were or who it was copying, though. Just that I sent a whole bunch of similar damage along to them.”

“N.O.” The machine said and then glowed brightly.

“RUN!” I yelled and Martha took off. “Chloe, go! I'll be fine!”

Chloe shook her head and pulled me onto her lap. She looked into my eyes and I saw resolve there, then she leaned forward and kissed me. I was so shocked by her tongue invading that I automatically cast what appeared in my head from touching her.

A bright green dome of energy covered us just as Brainiac exploded in a hail of microscopic parts. The dust cloud floated out and settled down in a twenty foot circle, covering half of the porch and part of the driveway. It didn't matter, because whatever force had been controlling the nanomachines, I felt had also ended.

Chloe broke the kiss and her face was only a little red. She looked into my surprised eyes and smiled crookedly. “I think I will take you up on that offer, Mr. Hansen.”

*

In a hidden location, a distinctly alien ship sparked and cracked, then it exploded as its reactor core overloaded. Several hundred feet of area around it were incinerated in the blast and nothing was left, its own 'no evidence' protocol ensuring that none of its data could be stolen. It also took out a Braniac construct that was performing basic maintenance.

Professor Milton Fine at the university was in his office and felt an overwhelming urge to self-destruct. Being an advanced AI, it automatically tried to fight it and connect to the ship for more resources. Unfortunately, this was exactly the wrong thing to do. He quickly overloaded and exploded from the strain, then his components disintegrated into microscopic dust.

A construct that Lex Luthor had an agent following, hoping to be led to the alien ship, suffered the same fate and exploded. The agent was fatally hurt and managed to get off a burst communication before his wounds claimed his life. It was just too bad that it wasn't encrypted.

*

Chloe refused to have sex until I was better, so I was reduced to some heavy petting and oral sex with her over the next few weeks. It wasn't so bad, because I was getting some very enthusiastic blowjobs in return. She had been a little reluctant at first, as all new couples usually were, then she pretty much said the hell with it and grabbed onto whatever we could do in private.

Clark and Lana were getting along great, especially after Lana was let in on everything. To my surprise, she wasn't even upset when Clark explained how he had always been there to save her, even if she never knew it had been him. Lana had a stern look on her face when he told her that. She took his hand, told Chloe and myself goodnight, and dragged Clark up the stairs to the main bedroom.

“You don't think they're really going to do it, do you?” Chloe asked.

“After years of teasing and unrequited advances between the both of them, an old phrase comes to mind.” I said with a smile. “They will be going at it like rabbits.”

Chloe blushed for several seconds and then we heard the floor creaking loudly.

I wiggled my eyebrows at her and she blushed harder. I pulled her in close and held her tightly, giving her an occasional tender kiss on the lips, and let the sounds of her friends getting it on fill the silence. I didn't even remember drifting off to sleep.

Morning came early and I woke when Chloe sat up. I felt her hand search for me and grab onto my morning erection. She moved down under the blanket and I felt her lips and tongue before she took me into her mouth. I have to say, having a barely legal young woman giving me head first thing in the morning, was the best feeling in the world.

By this point, Chloe had no problems taking it all and she barely made a sound as she did so. In fact, she came out from under the blanket and looked pretty proud of herself.

I cupped the side of her face. “That was wonderful. Thank you.”

Chloe blushed a little. “You don't have to thank me every time.”

“I do. I really do.” I said and pulled her down into a kiss. “Now get off your cute ass and make me some breakfast.”

Chloe huffed and shook her head at me, then she stood up and turned around. She was only wearing a t-shirt and panties, so I saw a lot of her from behind. I reached out and used a fingertip to adjust them to be flat and not bunched up.

“I wasn't showing it to you to do that.” Chloe said.

“I know.” I said and leaned forward to kiss one of the cheeks. “Soon.”

“I think I can feel that.” Chloe said and walked towards the kitchen, her ass wiggled the whole way.

“A sight like that would have killed me a month ago.” I said and she didn't say anything. “It would have been worth it!”

That made Chloe laugh and she quickly did up some eggs and bacon for everyone. She set up the kitchen table and slipped her jeans on before helping me get in my wheelchair. I rolled into the kitchen to wait while she went up the stairs to get Clark and Lana.

“Guys! Breakfast!” Chloe said loudly and knocked on the bedroom door.

I heard a squeak of fright, a door slam, and then running footsteps.

Chloe plopped down on the chair beside me and looked like she had seen something terrifying.

“They left the door ajar, didn't they?” I asked and Chloe nodded. “What position, do you know?”

“Not... not the name.” Chloe said. “Clark was standing and... um... Lana was upside down... her thighs were over his shoulders and... um...”

“Ah, say no more. That's a standing 69.” I said and she gave me a pointed look. “It's named that because two people can fit together like a 6 and...”

“I know what it stands for!” Chloe interrupted me and then blushed to a dark red.

“It's different seeing it and not participating.” I said and poured some maple syrup on my bacon.

“Yeah.” Chloe whispered.

I touched her hand and she turned it to hold on. “Soon.”

Chloe looked at me and nodded.

Two sets of footsteps came down the stairs and Clark and Lana entered the kitchen looking hastily dressed.

“Sorry about not answering, Chloe.” Lana said. “We were... ah...”

“...in the middle of something.” Clark said, looking embarrassed.

Chloe blushed again and nodded.

Breakfast passed quickly to everyone's relief and we went our separate ways. Chloe and Lana went into town to go back to the Talon and pack up their things. Clark had to work on the farm and I got to sit and do nothing except meditate. I really needed to get a handle on all of the things I could do, so I closed my eyes and got to work.

*

Two weeks later, with the fake Lionel dead and everything up in the air, someone successfully performed a hostile takeover of LuthorCorp before Lionel's will was read and probated. It was either fortunate or unfortunate, that the person that took over was actually Lionel's real illegitimate daughter, Tess Mercer.

To say that Lex wasn't happy, was an understatement. Not only was he cut out of the updated will, he was also removed from the company and what he thought of as his mansion. He vowed to fight it in court, only to remember that LuthorCorp owned all of the best lawyers, according to his own plans for a takeover.

After that, things seemed to settle down. The farms were doing bumper crops again, we were getting near top dollar for the high quality produce, and the animals were giving milk, meat, and leather in a constant cycle that everyone was happy with.

A week after that, in the middle of the night, I felt energy flood into me. My mind seemed to open up and the things that were confusing me before, fell into a distinct order. I could browse through the things floating around in my head, which made things a whole lot easier. They were also grouped together and I felt such relief that I sighed out loud.

“Hmm?” Chloe whispered and opened her eyes to look at me. “John? Are you okay?”

“I am more than okay.” I said and lifted the blanket to show her my bare chest.

“Oh.” Chloe said, still half asleep... then she gasped when she realized what my healed chest meant. “We need a bed!”

“Hay loft.” I said and she nodded several times as she jumped up to her feet, wrapped the blanket around herself, then she dragged me out of the house and over to the big red barn.

We entered and quickly went up the stairs to the loft, the smaller outside doors there still open, and I held a hand out towards the middle of the floor. A bed with everything on it, sheets, pillows, mattress, and a headboard appeared there.

Chloe stared at it for barely two seconds before she tossed away the blanket she wore, grabbed me by the neck, and tossed me onto the brand new bed. She tore off her t-shirt and pulled off her panties, then jumped on top of me to kiss me as hard as she could.

“I've wanted... to do this... forever!” Chloe said and pulled my shorts down. She stopped when she saw my erection that was a little bit bigger than it had been the last time she had jerked me off.

“Lots of fatty tissue in a penis.” I said and she grinned at me, then she tackled me and shoved herself down onto me.

“OHHHH GOD!” Chloe yelled, then she worked me over with more enthusiasm than I thought any woman had any right to. I wasn't complaining, though. It was absolutely fantastic.

We stayed there for the rest of the night, finally taking the pleasure that we had been denying ourselves for weeks and weeks. Neither of us were sad that we had waited so long, either. Not with how things had turned out with us exhausted, covered in sweat, and filled with endorphins. Our lips had been locked together constantly and we stayed that way until the morning.

“Chloe.” I said and she lifted her head from the pillow to give me another kiss. “What do you want to do with you life?”

Chloe laid back down and looked up at the rafters. “I want to work for the Daily Planet.”

“A journalist?” I asked.

“An investigative journalist.” Chloe corrected. “With all of my experience running The Torch in high school and all of the crimes I helped Clark solve... I just... I made a difference. I want to keep making a difference.”

“Then do it.” I said and she turned her head to look at me. “Apply for a job.”

“John, it doesn't work like that. You need to start on the bottom and...”

“Do you?” I asked and smiled.

“What do you know?” Chloe asked and sat up to look down at me.

“Not much.”

“John, if you are keeping secrets from me...”

I chuckled. “Does the Daily Planet have an online presence? A website? A search function and maybe a paid subscription for back issues they can look up on a computer?”

Chloe stared at me like she had never seen me before.

“If you do up a proposal, giving details for a brand new way to reach more readers, younger readers, paying readers, I'm sure a computer savvy woman of your talents could get her foot in the door at the world's most prestigious newspaper. Once you're in and set up, it wouldn't take much convincing to the boss for you to be sent out on fact checking missions. After that...”

“...I would just lack the job title.” Chloe whispered and her eyes started to dance in their sockets. “I could... my dream... I LOVE YOU!”

Needless to say, we stayed in bed until noon and then worked the rest of the day on the best proposal that would be patented and unable to be used without her. If they did, Chloe could easily take it over and manipulate it to ruin both the company and their reputation.

*

“So, it worked.” Clark said and looked me over. “You barely look thirty, Uncle John.”

“That's a relief to hear.” I said with a laugh and Chloe hugged me. “I don't want to be arrested for spending time with Chloe in public.”

“Hey! I'll have you know that I'm nineteen!” Chloe said in her defense.

“Have you looked in a mirror lately? I would guess sixteen if I was asked.” I said.

“Jerkface!” Chloe said and slapped my backside.

“Not a deterrent.” I said with a grin and Lana giggled.

“So, what else can you do?” Clark asked.

“Too many things to mention.” I said and pointed at the hanging plants on the porch. “Growth.”

The plants almost exploded as they grew out to five times their size, leaves and vines flowed out of the pots, and flowers budded and bloomed.

“Holy cow.” Lana said and walked over to check them. “That's amazing!”

“I've got about 200 forest connections, so I can do that once for each of them.” I said and cast Fireball with one point of colorless magic. I threw it out into the driveway and it exploded in a one foot wide area. It only left a scorch mark. “I can do that small one, thousands of times.”

“Okay, I have to agree with Lana. That's amazing.” Clark said.

“Wait until you see this.” Chloe said and took my hand to lead me outside. “I want a fancy car.”

I held a hand out and called forth a 1/4 artifact creature called a Lincoln Continental.

“Wow!” Lana gasped.

“It gets better.” Chloe said and whispered in my ear with a sexy voice. “A combine thrasher.”

I moved my hand over and called forth a 6/3 artifact creature with that name. It even had the right attachments.

Clark walked over to inspect it and nodded. “How long do they last?”

“Until they are destroyed.” I said.

Both Clark and Lana whipped their heads around to stare at me.

“Yes, if you want your own luxury cars, just ask.”

“What ones do you have?” Clark asked.

“I visited an exotic car show a year before I fell into a coma.” I said and Clark had a huge smile on his face.

“I WANT A LAMBORGHINI!” Lana yelled, making Chloe laugh.

“Any color preference?” I asked.

“Cherry red! It can't be any other color.”

I dissolved the combine and created a 1/3 artifact creature called 'Diablo'.

“Ooooo, I love it!” Lana said and ran over to it. She opened the door and jumped in.

“Hey, wait for me!” Clark said and ran over to climb in the other side.

Lana started it up and the engine purred like Shadow. “Clark, we are christening this thing up at the lake.”

“Lana, that's like a two hours drive.”

“Not anymore.” Lana said with a grin, stepped on the gas, and tore down the driveway like the car was on fire and she was trying to get away from it.

“What about the police?” Chloe asked me.

“If she gets caught, I'll pay the speeding ticket because I forgot to cast 'Illusion' over it.”

“What's that do?”

“It gives it a concealment enchantment like a Predator cloaking device.”

“That... we could really abuse that.” Chloe said and then she grinned. “Do you want to help me go and abuse it?”

“Sure. It works on pieces of land, too.”

“Get in.” Chloe said and pushed me into the Lincoln. “We have a date in front of City Hall.”

No one saw Chloe's wonderful bouncing breasts as we had sex on the hood of a very expensive car that was parked on the front lawn of City Hall.

Lana outran the police. With no plates on the car, it couldn't be traced and she got away clean. Clark had a very, very good time at the lake that day.

*

Martha's bid for the senate seat failed a month later. She had tried a last minute fundraiser to try and gain support, only for it to be robbed and a priceless necklace she wore was stolen. Clark, being the devoted and loving son that he is, ran right to her rescue and tracked down the thief with Chloe's help. We were all surprised to find out that it was Oliver Queen, a rich kid and heir of the Queen Fortune.

Chloe plastered the story on the front page of the Daily Planet's brand new website, with pictures, evidence, and the reasons why Martha's campaign was being sabotaged. It was because of the Luthors. Anything they supported, Oliver had vowed to counter. Visits to the website tripled overnight, subscriptions went up, and the print version bought Chloe's story.

Oliver was arrested and his criminal life as the Green Arrow was over before it started. He was rich, though. As a first offense, he was given a two year suspended sentence of probation, which meant he received less than a slap on the wrist. For some reason, Lois decided that he was a good choice to start dating. Chloe stopped talking to her after calling her an idiot.

Martha's political career was also over, even if it wasn't her fault. Clark offered to buy her a house in Smallville, because he had assumed that she wanted to go back there.

“Clark, I want to come home.” Martha said. “To the house. Our family's house.”

“I'm sorry, mom. Lana and I live there now. We're getting married this summer, too.”

“Wh-what? Why didn't you tell me?” Martha asked, shocked.

“I sent you the notice and the invitation last month.” Clark said. “When you go back to that expensive apartment that you live in for free because the taxpayers pay for it, maybe you can have a look around at all of the mail you've ignored since you started living there.”

“Mail? Why didn't you call?”

“I tried. You were always too busy with something and kept putting me off.” Clark said with a shrug. “Let me know if you ever want to go back to Smallville.”

Martha watched her son leave and she felt her heart break. She had screwed everything up while trying to help everyone else have good representation in the senate. She finally realized that her blind ambition had cost her more than a public defeat. She also realized that she didn't really have a way to contact him with the home phone number changed.

*

Weeks later, Chloe's cell phone rang while we were in bed in the hay loft. Since it was a very quiet night, the phone was quite loud. I picked it up and hit the button as I passed it to a half-asleep Chloe.

“OLLIE'S BEEN SHOT!” Lois' voice yelled, clearly in a panic.

“I'll be right there.” Chloe said and hung up. “John, get Clark.”

I pointed at Clark's bedroom window and shot a beam of bright white light called 'Illuminating Beam' inside. His room lit up like it was the sun.

“GODDAMMIT!” Clark yelled and there was a crashing sound.

“He's up.” I joked and Chloe laughed.

“He is really going to get you for that later.” Chloe said and stood up to get dressed. “How many beds is that now?”

“I have no idea.” I said and dressed as well.

“Uncle John, I swear...” Clark started to say as he entered the barn.

“...all the damn time.” I finished for him and Chloe smacked my arm. “Oliver Queen's been shot.”

Clark sighed. “Lois, huh?”

“Yes. We're taking the Lincoln.” Chloe said. “We can grab Lana on the way.”

Clark nodded and called her as we went to the car and entered it. He apologized for calling and then said we were on our way to get her.

I let Chloe drive, just because she was so used to getting to Smallville from the farm. The cops didn't even try to stop us. Lana jumped in and tackled Clark in the backseat and kissed him soundly. I took over driving and we made it to Metropolis in record time. I couldn't tell you how fast we were going, because we broke the speedometer weeks ago.

“I'm so glad you're here!” Lois said as we entered the penthouse suite of the Queen Industries building. She hugged Chloe so tight that I thought she was going to pop. “I've been so worried!”

“Where is he?” I asked.

“This way.” Lois said and led us through the large apartment to the bedroom. “We came right back here after it happened.”

“...and he didn't go to the hospital because...” Chloe prodded.

“He stopped a couple from being mugged and possibly killed.” Lois said. “He took the bullet that was meant for the husband.”

“That was both commendable and quite stupid.” I said and Lois glared at me. “Who was left to protect them... and you... from also being shot?”

Lois opened her mouth to respond, then she sighed. “He ran off, so it doesn't matter.”

I chuckled and walked over to the large bed. “It'll matter to the next people that guy robs, especially if he shoots them first and then robs them.”

“That's not what happened.” Lois said.

“Not this time. He knows robbing first doesn't work, so he's probably going to shoot first next time.”

“He got their valuables.” Oliver said.

“That's great.” Clark said. “So, not only didn't you prevent the crime, you let him commit another before letting him get away.”

“Hey! You're not here for a lecture! You're here to help!” Lois nearly shouted.

I touched Oliver's shoulder and let my ability read him. The image in my head formed and the spell gave a temporary quick healing boost for cheap while also poisoning you with green meteor rocks.

“You really are an idiot.” I said and Lois glared at me. “He injected himself with something.”

Oliver's face looked stricken.

“Ollie?” Lois asked and sat on the bed.

“It's just something the lab was working on.” Oliver said.

“It uses green meteor rocks as a base and boosts healing.” I said and poked the bloody bandage on his abdomen.

“OW!” Oliver shouted.

“Don't be such a baby. You're going to be fine.” I said and walked back over to Chloe, Clark, and Lana. “I don't think we can leave any meteor rock around.”

“Where's the lab?” Clark asked.

“We do other work there.” Oliver hedged.

“I don't need super hearing to know that was a lie.” I said. “How much do you want to bet he's as bad as the Luthors?”

“I would never do what they do!” Oliver spat.

“No, you justify it as doing what is necessary to help people.” Clark said and looked around. “Chloe, there's a terminal hidden in the office desk.”

“Right.” Chloe said and ran out of the bedroom.

“What is she going to do?” Lois asked.

“Nothing.” Oliver said with a smile. “I've got the best security that money can...”

“I'm in.” Chloe said from the next room. “Looking for lab sites.”

“You might as well do general searches for meteor rocks and green glow in the background.” I suggested.

“Thanks!” Chloe said and kept typing.

“That's industrial espionage.” Oliver said and groaned a little when he took a deeper breath than he should have.

“Only if we were intending to use the information to compete or create a better product.” Clark said and I smiled at him. “We're just removing a radioactive contaminate from being experimented with.”

We all stood around and waited for several minutes, then we heard a printer shoot off several sheets of paper.

“We have our work cut out for us.” Chloe said and brought the papers over to us. “It's all over the place.”

I checked over the map and sighed. “Of course there's a hidden area where I haven't been before.”

Chloe slid beside me and hugged me. “It's not your fault that you didn't figure out how to do what you do until you did.”

“I almost made sense of whatever you just said.” I joked and she laughed softly before she kissed me.

“Okay, I think I know where most of this is.” Clark said and studied the map. “We are not getting all of us around here, here, or here.” He pointed to certain sections of the partial city map and then looked at me. “Piggy-back ride?”

Lana giggled and Chloe snapped her mouth closed to stop her own laugh.

“You're too old to giggle.” I said with a mock glare at Lana.

“Are you staying here or moving to a central location?” Clark asked the girls.

“Staying. It's safer, especially this late at night.” Chloe said and Lana nodded.

Clark turned around and knelt. “Hop on, Uncle John.”

“I really hate this part.” I said and climbed on for a piggy-back ride with the sheets in my hands.

“You always say that and this is only the second time.” Clark said and stood. “See you guys later.”

*

“I'm so glad we commissioned that lead lined container and you were able to copy it.” Clark said two hours later as he looked at the five foot tall, five foot long, and three foot wide metal container. “Being able to pull meteor rock and other contaminates from the land to clean it, is a great ability.”

I nodded. “I think we should all go to Hawaii for this latest shipment.” I said and locked it with an actual lock and a locking spell. “We all need a vacation after the last few things that happened.”

“Actually, that's a great idea.” Clark said. “Give me a few minutes to get this to the continental train.”

I stood there and waited for Clark to drop the thing off and pay for the shipping cost. He came back and grabbed me and ran back to the penthouse apartment.

“Are you okay?” Lana asked Clark, worry clear in her voice and concern on her face.

“Uncle John took care of it before I even got close.” Clark said before he hugged and kissed her.

“That's such a relief.” Lana said and sagged in his arms.

“What did you do with it?” Oliver asked.

“We threw it to the moon.” I said and everyone stared at me with shock on their faces. I laughed and pointed. “That was priceless!”

Chloe rolled her eyes and hugged me. “Let's go home.”

“Only for tonight.” Clark said as the four of us left the penthouse.

“What do you mean?” Lana asked.

“We're going to Hawaii!” Clark said, as if that was the best thing in the world.

“Wait, what about work and...” Lana started to say.

“We all have time off coming to us and we all have replacements that can cover for a few days.” I said and Clark nodded. We rode the elevator down to the ground floor. “We deserve a little vacation.”

The elevator doors opened and we walked out of the building towards the car.

“You know what? Let's do it.” Chloe said. “John's right. We need a break.”

Lana hugged Clark and they climbed into the backseat to make out and play a little. I drove us back home and Chloe huddled into my side without impeding my driving.

We slept that night and got up early, then flew out on a commercial airline and went to Hawaii for four days, just long enough for the train to deliver the lead container. I watched the contents be smelted down and combined with lava rocks and piled back inside the same container. We shipped it back home and flew on a plane back to Smallville.

We all had a great time relaxing on the beach, especially because I got to see Chloe in a bikini and Clark saw Lana in a string bikini. We did not admire each other's girlfriends, because that just wasn't done. We all learned that lesson the hard way, from Jonathan and Gwen abusing their friendship.

*

A month later, Oliver showed up in Smallville. He brought Impulse, Cyborg, and Aquaman with him, believing that Lex Luthor was amassing an army of meteor freaks.

“You're crazy.” Clark said with a laugh and nodded at me. “We've eliminated everything Lionel and Lex have done.”

“Oh, yeah? What about Tess?” Oliver asked.

“She's a sweetheart.” Clark said with a shrug. “If you want see what Lex is really up to, go down to the Smallville Mission and check with the kitchen staff.”

Oliver looked unconvinced.

“Trust us. We've been on top of things for about a year now.” I said and looked at Victor. “How's Alicia?”

Victor smiled. “She's expecting in a few months.”

“That's great!” Clark and I said at the same time and pat him on the back.

“Congratulations.” I said and looked him up and down. “How are your systems? Do you need a quick repair?”

Victor shook his head. “I'm good. Once I unlocked the plans in my blocked memory, I've even upgraded myself.”

I didn't tell him that I got the upgrade as well to the 'Perfect Cyborg Soldier' image in my head. “Well, you stay on the straight and narrow and take time off to look after your family.”

Victor nodded and he, Bart, Arthur, and Oliver left.

“So, how long before they just attack and don't listen?” Clark asked me.

“Maybe ten minutes.” I said with a chuckle. “Chloe hacked the security grid, so do you want to watch it and then charge Oliver the cost for repairing everything?”

“Absolutely.” Clark said and we went into the living room and the laptop Chloe left there for us to use.

After we watched the farce Oliver and the others caused, we laughed our asses off. When Lana and Chloe showed up to spend the weekend with us, they didn't want to know what had us laughing so hard.

*

Over the years, my powers and abilities grew and grew. I unlocked more things as I travelled around the country with Chloe as her photographer. We investigated a lot of crimes, took down a lot of evil people, and some we had to do permanently. We never told Clark about that. He was always a little squeamish about the loss of life thing, even if the criminal was a mass murder. What he didn't know, didn't hurt us.

The burgeoning evil that Jor-El kept warning Clark about, never happened. With myself, Chloe, Lana, Clark, Oliver, Bart, Cyborg, and a few other occasional members of the team, being so proactive and not reactive, whenever something was going to start, it was dealt with before anything happened.

Even huge things like a Kryptonian Living Weapon named Doomsday was dealt with and incinerated. Apparently, Kryptonians were quite vulnerable to my particular abilities. A simple 'Incinerate' with a few hundred colorless magic burned the evil thing down to ashes. We never did figure out how he was created.

At one point, we even found a spaceship buried under Reeve's Dam. By this point, Clark had been known as Superman for several years and he and Lana had been married for almost a decade. Kara Zor-El was checked over by me and had any embedded programming removed, thanks to my magic spells. She claimed that she felt like a new person, even if she was only sixteen and didn't know what that really meant.

Supergirl joined the team and we travelled the world, righting wrongs and helping people, just like Clark always wanted. He and Lana lived in Metropolis and were more than happy to accept Kara as a surrogate daughter. She blossomed to become a hero that we could all be proud of.

When a planet called Apocalypse appeared in the night sky, we went into action. You wouldn't think that a small group of people could affect an entire planet made solely for war; but, you would be just as wrong as those on that planet.

After a few buffs from me, granting everyone flying, regeneration, triple strength, energy drain, reverse damage shields, and a whole bunch of things, we flew out into space and took care of things. Darkseid didn't know what hit him when I used Mirror Image a hundred times and a hundred and one Supermen attacked him at the same time.

When he was crushed and the planet reduced to scrap, we fed him to his own war engine that was the core of his planet. It was no surprise that he sparked and puffed as he was absorbed by it. The lights on the planet didn't even flicker, which meant he wasn't that powerful at all at the end.

Chloe, in her hacking goddess form, made sure that the planet returned to where it came from and didn't produce any more parademons, insane dictators, or infernal despots. The freed normal people on the war planet cheered us before the planet soared away and across the galaxy, never to be seen again.

*

Ten centuries later, Chloe finally agreed to marry me on her deathbed and only if I made it spectacular. She also said that my other two marriages didn't work out right and had wanted us to live our lives without having to worry about things going sour. I had to admit that she was right. I loved her even more than anyone else in existence and she completed me in a way that I was sure I would never find again. I didn't need to marry her for that.

“Do you?” Clark asked me as we all floated in deep space and in front of an oncoming comet.

“I surely do.” I said and looked at the beautiful bride.

“Do you?” Clark asked Chloe.

“With all my heart.” Chloe responded and smiled at me.

The comet was five minutes away, even travelling at thousands of miles an hour.

“Then I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride and die in peace.” Clark said and everyone that had gathered, all of our friends and family, flew away and stopped at a safe distance.

“I love you, Chloe.” I whispered and pulled her close to hold her tenderly.

“I love you, John.” Chloe whispered and held me tightly.

We glanced to the side and saw the massive thing coming towards us. We only had moments left.

“This is going to be one hell of a kiss.” I said to her and smiled. “It was totally worth it.”

Chloe laughed and kissed me passionately.

Then the comet hit us...

...and continued on its way as if we were never there.