Chapter 24

The next day at the Institute...

Charles gazes up at the newest picture on his wall. Like every year it was a group photo of all the students. He takes in the differences...including those who have left for college, like Scott and Jean. Then there were those who had arrived over the course of this last year. Magik, Firestar, Liz Allen, Blank, Chloe...and you kinda can include Angel on the list, though he is kinda old to be considered a student. Same goes for Colossus who only joined after last year's Graduation and photo were taken.

Then there's Kitty. This is possibly the last photo taken of her before...it's still too heartbreaking and sad to even imagine what she is now.

Of course who isn't there yet are the most recent 'new recruits'. Even though it had been 2 weeks there was still some adjusting needed on both sides in regards to the former Hellions. Julian had already been called into the Professor's office...twice for a dressing down.

Charles knew Hellion would be difficult but he was already running at one punishment a week and don't get him started on Julian's arrogant, abrasive and condescending personality. The boy really did think he was better than everyone else. How this was going to work long term was anyone's guess at this point but for as long as Julian didn't cross the line(and he hadn't yet) Charles would try his damnedest with the young telekinetic.

Was going to be a long and busy summer no doubt. After all they had to be ready for the new term in the Fall and the new intake of students. Charles remembers his vision from Apocalypse of a future where hundreds of students were being welcomed and the one doing the welcoming was Emma.

Seemed so unlikely right now considering Emma's actions of late but if he's having faith in regards to his vision about Kitty, he guesses he has to have faith in that one as well. He hopes so. Emma could be so much more than what she chooses to be.

Thinking back on those visions has him wondering what his dear old friend Erik is up to. Magneto has been almost deathly silent this last year. He's not sure if that is a good or bad thing. Perhaps Erik is simply busy with that secret mutant nation of his. The one Charles can't find no matter how hard he tries. In that vision he saw Magneto and a small army at war over some island so is the reason Erik is so quiet is that he is building up that army?

Charles shakes his head. Is he really this cynical over Erik's actions now? Whatever happened to hope?

Speaking of hope though brings his thoughts to Clark, now wearing that outfit he saw in his visions, closer to becoming that symbol, that beacon of hope for the whole world. Despite Apocalypse's best attempts to derail that future it seems the ancient mutant did fail...or at least that is Charles' opinion.

Did that mean, though, the future can't be changed because there were things he saw he wishes wouldn't happen. Like whatever happened to Jean. Her transformation or consumption by the great fiery bird. He had seen no sign or hint what that was. The vision had never been complete or anything but there had been a feeling that Jean, of all people, would become the most terrible of enemies. He could not imagine it.

He could see her right now, out his window. She was packing her car for her trip to see her parents. Clark was helping(obviously since he was going with her) and they were playfully bickering/flirting. She looked so happy and carefree that it makes that vision seem even more impossible. He rubs his head. How much was a definite future and how much was only a possible future?

The issue could be his own prejudice of wanting some things he saw to happen and others not to because it was not all bad what he saw.

Can the future be changed?

In Jean's case Charles sincerely hopes so.

"Why are you packing now when we aren't leaving until after lunch?" Clark asks his oh so beautiful but at times baffling girlfriend as he helps load up her car. Also remember he's going to Boston with her to meet her parents. Yeah. He's not sure he's ready for that one.

"Because we don't all possess superspeed," she replies.

"But you do possess telekinesis," he points out.

"Can you not criticise, please. I have a system."

"A...system?" he asks, perplexed by that answer.

"It makes sure I don't forget anything."

Clark just looks at her. Wow. He means he knows Jean likes to keep her life ordered but a whole system just to pack her car to visit her parents? Seriously? "Can I ask a question?" he requests as he places a case exactly where she wants it.

"Of course."

"Do you miss this place when you're at college?"

"Yes and no."

"Glad you cleared that up," he says in Chloe-like snark.

Jean gives him a look before clearing it up. "Yes, I do miss this place. I've spent a large part of my life here. Before I went to college I spent more time here than I did at home. I miss my friends but on the other hand I do not miss some of the chaos that only happens around here. I do not miss the endless pranks or the gossiping. I'm a private person in many ways and I like to have a private life and not have it spread around the mansion in 5 minutes."

"So yes and no, I get it."

Jean smiles at him. "Why were you asking?" she wonders, though she might have an inkling.

"Because I'm moving out."

Yep, that confirms her inkling. "Why?" she wonders.

"Well it's not because I'm trying to get away from Ali," he only half-jokes.

Jean cocks her head slightly. "You know I don't think you've ever really explained to me what it is between the two of you."

Hasn't he? Probably not. He sighs. "Because I don't like to think about it. I was in a bad place."

"And she's a reminder," Jean deduces his issue with the punk rocker. She reminds him of something he would rather forget.

Clark rubs the back of his neck. "It's a long story."

And Jean can tell that standing out here is hardly the place to tell what seems like a very personal story. "We can talk about it when you're ready," she tells him, being completely supportive.

"Thank you," he says softly, his heart swelling up more with his love for her for being so understanding.

Jean gets them back on topic. "So why are you really moving out?"

"Because with not just the former Hellions here but the new intake in the Fall, me keeping my two halves separate and secret will become all but impossible," he reckons.

Jean can't really disagree with him.

"And besides what is Graduation but a moment of transition. One journey ending..."

"And another beginning," she finishes off the thought.

"I've loved my time here but it's time for a change. Also all that stuff you said about this place."

"Hmm, hmm?"

"Totally agree with you."

Jean smiles, walks up to him and gives him a kiss. "Well I guess that makes us quite a pair, huh, Mr Kent?" she says with playful affection.

"I would say so, Miss, soon to be Doctor, Grey," he says back in the same tone, playfully bopping her nose with his finger.

They grin stupidly at each other, staring into each other's eyes. Since they declared their love for each other, their bond feels deeper than ever and getting deeper all the time.

"I...uh...sorry."

Clark and Jean turn their head to find Scott, of all people, has shown up. There hasn't been much mending of the bridges between them in the last couple of weeks.

Jean tries to keep any irritation out of her voice at being interrupted again(something that seems to happen to them way too often) and be as polite as possible. She's got no desire to add to the aggro. "What is it Scott?"

"I was wondering...can I talk to Clark?" he requests. "Alone?" he tags on.

Clark arches an eyebrow. Wow, ok. This is new. He shares a look with Jean where he gets across that he'll agree to that.

"I'll, um, go double check my room and make sure I haven't forgotten anything," she makes the excuse to leave, making sure to give Clark a quick kiss before she goes. Not that she's rubbing it in Scott's face or anything. That would be so petty and not like her at all.

That leaves the two young men alone.

"So what can I help you with, Scott?" Clark asks, adopting his famous pose with his arms crossed over his chest. He watches varying emotions pass over the now shadeless mutant's face. On an aside, despite the currently poor state of their friendship, Clark was actually pleased that one good thing came out of the whole debacle with Zod. That being Scott's now fully repaired brain and control over his powers.

"I owe you an apology," the Alaskan native finally comes up with.

Mild surprise appears on the young Kryptonian's face. He never saw this coming. Especially considering its been 2 weeks. "About?" he decides to push Scott on.

"Everything probably," Scott has to admit and boy is his pride ever taking a hit here. "But especially about Emma. You were right."

"Scott, I wish to God I hadn't been," Clark admits his feelings on the issue.

"I get that. Still I do apologise. I honestly do not know what got into me."

"Well Brainiac for one. Zod for another."

Scott winces. He may not remember the possession by Zod but he has a fair impression now just what the Kryptonian General did while in his body and it was not pretty to say the least.

Clark spots the wince. "What Zod did was not your fault, Scott. If anything it's mine for failing to prevent his release," he expresses his guilt over it. He feels responsible. "And in all honesty we don't know just how long Brainiac was manipulating you. For example my guess is it was Brainiac who tipped you off on my investigation into Emma."

Scott could see that was very plausible. He never looked into who it was as much as he should have. What the hell was the matter with him? He can remember doing and saying everything but really can't recall the why. Why he was doing it.

"Also I can't judge you considering my various less than noble deeds while Apocalypse was trying to manipulate me so therefore I accept your apology Scott," Clark forgives him. After all people have forgiven him for how he acted while being under the influence. It would be double standards on his part if he didn't forgive Scott.

That makes Scott feel a little better. "What about Jean? How does she feel?" he wonders.

"Oh no. You're on your own with that one," Clark says. He's so not getting sucked into that. "Have you apologised to her yet?" he wonders. He guesses not because Jean would have said but never hurts to ask.

"Nope. Still working up the courage to. No offence but she's scarier than you."

"I'll give you that one but if you want some advise learned from painful, painful experience she prefers apologies in person and doesn't accept apologises written in a letter," he recalls his spectacular failed attempt to apologise to her around this time last year.

"Noted."

The two fall into silence as Clark uncrosses his arms and shoves his hands in his pockets. The tension between them has lessened now. "So have you actually talked to Emma since it happened?"

Scott's face falls. "No. Not sure what to say that won't end in a screaming match."

Clark can see the weight Scott is carrying. He knows that feeling all too well. "As someone who has a tendency to bottle everything up can I advise don't. It's taken a long time but it's only by getting my burdens off my chest have I started to be able to move on from Apocalypse. If clearing the air with Emma is what you need to do to release this burden then do it. At least then you'll know where you and she stand and if you're not prepared to do that then at least talk with someone, Scott. Keeping it inside...is not healthy."

"I know," he accepts but he just doesn't know where to even start with Emma this time. He'll have to confront her eventually but it isn't going to be today.

"And if all else fails go the Logan route and trash the Danger Room."

Scott reluctantly chuckles as he imagines himself doing that. "Tempting," he quips.

Clark chuckles along with his friend...and yep, you know what, Clark still wants to call him that. Their friendship may not be what it was but they can still be friends.

"Can you believe he and Storm are having a baby?" Scott asks, his own personal disbelief at it clear.

"Oh I know. I've had to hear all about it from Rogue who decided for some reason me, her ex, is the person who has to hear all her issues about it."

"Youch," Scott sympathises.

Clark's face saddens. "It's probably because she doesn't have Kitty to talk to now," he thinks. After all Kitty and Rogue were the original odd-couple when it came to being best friends.

"Yeah," Scott says, his tone sad and remorseful as he has to recall what has happened to Kitty. It's so wrong that that has happened to her. It's not fair at all. He has to hope that somehow, some way, one day they'll find her and help her.

Not wanting to linger on that Clark asks, pointing, "How's everything with your eyes?"

Scott smiles softly. "Well I am appreciating being able to see in colour again," he mentions wistfully. "I'd almost forgotten what it all looked like. As for my powers...getting there. Having to learn how to activate and deactivate them. That was never an issue before."

Clark nods along. "Yeah, I remember having to figure that out for my heat vision," he says, understanding what Scott is going through.

"Alex has had some...suggestions," the brown haired young man says with a grimace as he recalls his brother's 'suggestions'...if you even want to call them that.

Clark chuckles.

"I think, though, I'll still wear the visor when on a mission. It allows for more precise control than I think I'll ever be able to manage," the older boy airs his thinking.

"Also spares you having to come up with a new codename," Clark quips.

Scott laughs at that one. "I hadn't actually thought of that," he admits but Clark has a point. Keeping the visor means he can keep the codename of Cyclops. "So I hear you're going to meet Jean's parents," he raises.

"So I've been told," Clark jests about how it happened, using humour to hide how nervous he actually is about it.

"Good luck with that. Her dad is kinda intimidating," Scott recalls from when he had to meet Jean's parents, back when the two were dating.

"Well I am invulnerable to physical harm, Scott," Clark points out.

"That'll help I guess," he dead-pans.

"Thin ice, Scott. Thin ice," Clark remarks about where he and Scott stand right now and therefore he better be careful where he treads.

Round the back of the mansion, in the greenhouse, Martha and Ororo were having their regular morning tea before the white haired woman would depart to go visit her sister and tell her in person about the new life growing within. Ororo couldn't help but smile every time she thought about it.

Naturally Martha was very happy for her friend. Though it did bring a bit of melancholy as well as it reminded her of her own lost baby. Of course she never let it show. What she was letting show was that she wasn't feeling 100%. Hadn't been for a few days now.

"Are you sure you're feeling ok, Martha?" Ororo asks, concerned.

"I did see Hank and he couldn't find anything. He said if it hadn't cleared up by the end of the week he'll do more tests. I'm hoping it's just a bug. Maybe I caught yours," she jokes.

"I never had a bug," Ororo points out.

"What? Oh, yes. Sorry, sorry. My mind is a million miles away this morning this seems."

"So it seems," Ororo agrees as she sips on her tea but as she does so a crazy thought enters her head. Martha's illness always seemed to be more in the mornings than the afternoons and therefore maybe she does have the same 'bug'...or it's just a crazy thought...but what if? "Martha can I ask you a personal question?"

"Of course," the older woman permits.

"When was your last period?"

"What?!" Martha splutters, caught out by that question.

"Well it just occurred to me that you've been ill more early in the day rather than later...or to put it another way you've had morning sickness."

"That's ridiculous I had my last period..." she trails off as she tries to recalls when it was. "Oh," she says, in complete and utter shock.

Ororo smiles at the sheer silliness of her friend's expression. "You know I believe I still have a spare test lying around," she mentions.

"Uh huh," Martha says, still clearly stunned.

"Drink up your tea and I'll go fetch it."

"Uh huh."

Ororo smirks. Well this is going to make today more interesting.

"Do you think she's happier now her sisters are here?" Clark asks Sooraya in regards to Penance. Since he was leaving after lunch he was saying some of his farewells this morning, including to the former(or still current?) Monet St Croix. Of course this farewell included a hug as Clark remained one of the very few people who can give her any sort of physical contact.

"I think so though I believe I have said before I am not even certain she recognises them any longer," the veiled girl replies.

Clark sighs and looks at Penance with her utterly innocent expression. "There are moments I wonder about that."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean there are moments when just for a few seconds her expression changes and it's almost as if she remembers who she is but before she can grab the memory it slips away from her."

Sooraya looked at Penance and tries to recall if she has seen those moments. Perhaps she has.

"I promised to help her you know and I'm no closer to that than when I said it," he says with deep regret.

"I remember but you should not feel guilt."

"Shouldn't I?"

"No. It is not a promise broken. Just not fulfilled yet. I have faith there is a way. That you will find a way."

Or to put it another way, for Penance her journey has not yet reached its end.

"Not sure what you're basing that on, Sooraya," Clark says with a small scoff. He hasn't a clue how to help Penance become Monet again. Only Selene knows how it was done.

"Faith."

"Faith can be good, Sooraya but it can also be blind," he cautions her in putting too much in him.

"Not for as long as it is paired with reason," she argues. "Faith and reason are the shoes on your feet. You can travel further with both than you can with just one."

"And what reason is there in believing I will fulfil this promise?"

"The reason of seeing you perform the impossible nearly every day."

Clark shakes his head and laughs. "There is hardly anything impossible in what I do."

"Faith and reason, Clark. Perhaps you rely a little too much on reason and not enough on faith."

"There's a story behind that. It involves my parents' terrible, terrible decision to send me to Sunday School and a teacher whose view was that I was a creation of the Devil."

Sooraya has no idea how to respond to that.

Daniels Residence, New York...

"Ororo!" Vivian greets her sister warmly as the two woman share a hug and kiss each other on the cheek. "It's been too long," she remarks since they last saw each other.

"It has," Ororo agrees. It saddens her a little that her duties at the Institute restrict how often she can get away to visit her sister.

"Come in, come in," Vivian shepherds her sister inside.

"How's Carl?" Ororo asks after her brother-in-law.

"Oh he's fine. Out at work. Would you like something to drink?"

"Just some tea, thanks."

"I'll put the kettle on. Make yourself at home," Vivian tells her sister.

Ororo takes a seat and waits for her sister to return from the kitchen.

Vivian takes a seat opposite. "So what brings you round today?" she asks.

"Well I have some news actually. Something I wanted to tell you in person."

"Sounds serious," Vivian reflects, her brow furrowing slightly, hoping that whatever Ro is about to say isn't bad news.

"It kinda is."

Vivian reaches over and takes her sister's hand into her own. "Whatever it is you know I'm here for you."

"Thank you Viv," Ororo says with a smile, feeling her sister's love for her.

"So what is it?"

"Well, you know a couple of Christmases back you made mention of wanting to be an aunt."

"Yeah?" Vivian says cautiously before her eyes widen as she gets it. "Are you?"

Ororo nods.

Vivian squeals in delight and in moments is hugging her sister tightly. "Oh Ro, this is great! I mean I didn't even know you and Logan were trying for one."

"We weren't," the weather mutant has to confess.

Vivian arches an eyebrow and Ororo shrugs. What can she say?

"How far along are you?" Vivian wonders as she sits herself back down.

"About six weeks," she can report what she now knows about how old the foetus is.

"What tipped you off? Morning sickness?" Vivian wonders.

"I had a bit of an upset stomach but it wasn't overly serious so I thought it was just a bug. No, I found out another way," she says, referring to Zod.

"How did Logan take it?" Vivian asks, her eyes full of curiosity.

"Better than I thought actually."

"Is he excited?"

"Not sure that's the word. He's...accepting. Supportive."

Vivian hmms. "So are you two going to take the next step now?"

"You mean marriage?"

Vivian nods.

"I'm not sure we really need to formalise what we have with a ceremony, Viv," Ororo says to that. In all honesty despite being her and Logan a couple for over 18 months now marriage has never really entered her head. It doesn't seem necessary to her.

"Then how can I organise your bacherolette party?" Vivian pouts making her sister roll her eyes.

"You can organise my baby shower, how about that," Ororo throws her sister a bone.

"Well ok, as long as we can make it a double celebration," the brown-haired woman says cryptically.

Ororo looks puzzled. "What double celebration?"

"Well lets just say if you hadn't come here to see me I was going to come see you to tell you the news."

"What news?"

"What do you think?" Vivian asks with a coy smile.

Ororo looks intensely at her sister and blinks. "Are you?" she repeats Viv's words from earlier.

"Yep," Viv says as her smile grows enormously.

This time it is Ororo getting up to give the hug...although she did not squeal. That would be undignified. "Have you told Evan?" she asks about her nephew as she sits back down.

"That's part of the reason I was coming to see you. You can get in touch with him easier than I can."

"Has he not been keeping in touch?" Ororo asks, her tone serious and disapproving.

"Not as often as Carl and I would like."

Ororo sighs. Seems she needs to have words with her difficult at times nephew. Though just getting to see him can be tricky. The Morlocks do not like unannounced visits...apart from Clark maybe. Perhaps she could ask him to arrange it.

"I also wanted to come because..."

"Because?"

"What are the chances this little one will be a mutant?" she asks, patting her stomach. "After Evan..." Viv sighs at having to relive the difficulties with Evan. "I'll love them regardless," she makes clear. "I would just like to know."

Ororo could get where her sister was coming from. She had been separated from Evan far sooner than perhaps any parents would like to be from their child and Evan had been difficult. She knew how upsetting the whole situation had been for Viv and Carl when Evan ended up with the Morlocks. "There's always a chance, Viv because you carry the x-gene. As for knowing for sure, that requires doing a DNA analysis and even then, like yourself, it doesn't always become active. It's more Charles' and Hank's area than mine though about what the precise odds are. I'll arrange a meeting," she offers.

Vivian nods. "Thank you."

"Of course. You're my sister. I would do anything for you, Viv, you know that."

"I do. So about that double baby shower. I have ideas," the older Munroe says with a glint in her eye Ororo knows all too well. It spells trouble.

"Well it'll have to be a triple baby shower."

"Huh?"

"You remember Martha, right? Martha Kent."

Vivian nods. "What...are you saying...is she?"

Ororo nods as the ridiculousness of this situation just become apparent to her. All 3 of them...think of the hormones...and yes, that means the test she had Martha take came up positive. "In fact if I'm right she's probably just breaking the news to her family right about now."

At the Institute...

"Holy Jesus fucking Christ!" one red-headed pyrokinetic swears.

"That's definitely blasphemous," one dark-haired Kryptonian says back.

"Oh screw you!"

"One of these days this'll actually sink in when I say it but once again I'll pass, thanks."

"Children," Jonathan says sternly. "Enough, please. We're talking about your mother...and oh my God, we're having a baby!" he says in a shocked whisper.

"Well that took longer than I expected," Martha says dryly at Jonathan's delayed reaction. She had told him before they told the kids up here in their quarters. Her lips quirk up in mirth at the look in his face. As for herself...she felt like she was handling this quite well so far. May not last considering what happened last time...no, no. If she thinks on that she'll fall apart.

"So...you're really having a baby, mom?" Claire queries, still not able to believe it.

"I am."

"Uh..." she trails off, not sure what to say or do or even feel. She is just stunned.

Martha must admit it's funny to see her rather foul-mouthed daughter so shocked. "What about you, Clark? Anything to say?"

Clark wrings his hands nervously. Now the initial surprise is over...his guilt is hitting him like a million tons of bricks. "I...shouldn't...after last time..." It was all his fault after all.

Martha's face saddens. "Clark, honey. We forgave you for that," she assures him.

"Yes son, we did," Jonathan joins in. "It was an accident. It wasn't your fault."

"Yes, it was," he mumbles, his eyes on the floor, unable to meet his parents' gazes. Even if they had forgiven him he can never forgive himself for being that stupid, careless and thoughtless. He feels a hand on his shoulder and looks up to find himself looking into his mother's forgiving eyes.

"Clark. I don't hate you. I'm not angry at you. I let all of that go because you're my son and I love you," she tries to convince him.

"I'm sorry, mom," he says, his voice choking on emotion, on the verge of crying.

Martha pulls his head to her bosom. "I know you are," she says, kissing the top of his head. Clark can seem so powerful, so invulnerable but you scratch under that surface and his heart is just as vulnerable as everyone else's. She is well aware of how much he blames himself for that incident. Aware even if he never says it himself because she's his mother. Not to mention...after she discovered he had run away how much she blamed herself for pushing him away. Yeah, she can excuse herself over her pain of losing her unborn baby but she won't excuse herself. When she discovered he was gone it was the same pain of loss. Twice in a matter of days. God, she loathes remembering that summer. Is it any wonder they rarely talk about it.

Claire sits, twiddling her thumbs, deeply uncomfortable and unsure what to do. She and Clark had already had this talk back in Metropolis a couple of Christmases back and considering she had killed those MRD guys she found herself unable to be any sort of judge on him. Though it did help her understand her brother a lot better as to what motivates him to be Superman.

"We can't undo the past," Jonathan speaks up. "We all have things we wish we could take back but we can't. All we can do is move forward and not repeat our mistakes. Tearing this family apart for any reason would have been a terrible mistake so we forgive because we love...and I know we'll all love this new baby who will have two older sibling as great role models."

"Well me maybe," Claire mutters, unable to help herself.

"I'm not going to dignify that with a response," Clark mutters back as he pulls back from his mother and wipes away a stray tear from his eye.

Martha chuckles, blinking away the tears in her eyes caused by this deeply emotional moment. She feels Jonathan put a protective arm around her waist and hold her close. This why she loves this family. They all love and support each other. Even Clark and Claire, no matter how much they bicker.

Was this totally unplanned? Yep, you betcha. Hadn't entered her head to try again for a baby but now that she is pregnant how can she be anything but happy. Because of last time there will always be worries but she'll push them to the back of her mind. This baby is going to be brought into a happy, loving family.

You know Graduation is all about new beginnings and it seems the Kent family is about to get its own. It is certainly going to make the next year interesting, that is for sure.

"I know, Lockheed. I miss her too," Illyana finds herself confessing to the little purple dragon as they sit together on Illyana's bed. Ever since Kitty vanished her pet had been depressed and for some reason had been using Illyana as a substitute owner.

Not that Illyana is really complaining. She's not. She likes Lockheed and is frankly just as depressed as he is. She hasn't felt as bad as this since she ended her relationship with Clark.

She just wonders where she went wrong. She really thought she could help her friend. Help Kitty not become just like her with a dark, corrupted soul...or rather what's left of her soul. From what she knows, which is just as she said to Kitty once is more than you think but less than she would like, she failed...miserably.

Illyana lets out a sad sigh. She had told Kitty that her inner light was stronger than her darkness. Maybe that still holds up. From what she knows Kitty...Carnage, she mentally corrects herself, hadn't embarked on a killing spree or done much of anything as far as anyone knew.

That was a good sign right?

Or maybe Illyana's living in forlorn hope.

Though it seems odd to her that she feels any kind of hope. As many have oft remarked she has a rather fatalistic personality.

"Is this another thing I have to kill Clark for?" she asks Lockheed.

The dwarf dragon blinks at her.

"Yep. Probably is," she confirms to herself.

Lockheed rises off the bed and plants himself on her shoulders, rubbing his cheek against hers. Her other self just beneath the surface has never seemed to phase the little dragon. Illyana scratches him under his chin in return.

Illyana wishes she had been there, with Kitty, when it happened. Maybe she could have done something. That feeling is doubly intense when you consider, that in the end, she wasn't even needed. Clark stopped Zod on his own. Though his plan that ended with having his ass whooped was just dumb. He must be slipping.

The blond sorceress looks at Lockheed. "Even though it makes no sense Lockheed, I'm not going to give up on her," she tells him. "She's out there somewhere and somehow we'll bring Kitty back. Just don't ask me to explain why I'm saying this because I have no clue. It's all based on a very shaky foundation of hope that underneath all that darkness our friend is still in there. Don't know why I believe that except that Clark is dead. He is so, so dead," she swears because it has to be his influence on her. Has to be.

The alternative explanation is that Illyana's not as lost in the darkness as she thought she was. That somewhere under it all is a good person rather than a monster.

Yeah, no, much more likely it's all Clark's fault.

"So how does it feel to know you're going to be a big brother?" Jean asks her boyfriend. They had just left the Institute and were on their way to Boston.

"Exciting...and scary," Clark answers truthfully.

Jean smiles at him and for him and Mr and Mrs Kent. They were such good people. They deserved this slice of happiness.

Clark glances over at Jean. She knows about the pregnancy but what she doesn't know is what happened last time. What he did. He's not sure how to tell her. Rao, he swears in his head. There are just...there are still many secrets he has that he has not told her. How does he even start with this one? He has no answer right now. He'll have to think on it. "So why are we driving when I can fly us there in minutes?" he asks the question that has been bothering him ever since Jean insisted that they drive to her parents.

"Because I like having my car for my independence," she replies.

"I can fly the car as well you know. For me it's not heavy...at all," he just has to make clear.

"Maybe also I want to just spend a leisurely few hours with the guy I'm in love with."

"Leisurely? America's roads? Do you actually drive all that often?" he asks her in disbelief because having flown over America's roads many time, helped people caught in accidents many times, leisurely is not a word he would use to describe them.

"Oh my god," she mutters, looking to the heavens only very briefly, before returning her focus on the road.

Course Clark's other reason for his griping is that Jean's car is kinda small and he's a big guy and therefore it is a bit cramped.

Jean turns on the radio...only to turn it off immediately when it turns out to be of J. Jonah Jameson's rants. "That guy is a tool."

"Preaching to the choir."

"Please say you're not thinking of getting an internship there. I've never understood why Peter keeps working for the guy."

"Jean, don't take this the wrong way please but your family is comfortably middle-class. Peter and his aunt aren't. He needs the money to support himself and her and Jameson was willing to pay for his pictures of Spider-Man."

Jean can't disagree with him. Her family don't count as poor by any stretch of the imagination. "You didn't deny my first point," she realises.

"Is it my first choice? No but the Bugle is on my list of options," he has to concede.

Jean shakes her head in slight disbelief. "What I don't get is how does Jameson link Peter, I mean Spider-Man, to the global earthquakes?" she asks in relation to the topic of one of JJ's many anti-Spider-Man rants in the wake of Zod's attempt to reshape the planet. "That's just..."

"Crazy?"

"Amongst other descriptions, yes."

"I do not know what Jameson's beef is with Spider-Man. Neither does Peter. From the day Spider-Man started getting noticed Jameson has seemed to have this irrational dislike of him."

"Does it bother you?"

"That Peter gets unfairly picked on, yes."

"No. That's not what I meant. You stopped Zod. You saved the world but the world doesn't know you did it. It doesn't even realise how close it came to being destroyed. You're getting zero credit."

"Good. I'm glad," Clark says, slightly surprising her.

"Why?"

"Never wanted credit. Never wanted praise. Besides the whole thing is my fault because I screwed up."

"That's not true, Clark," she argues. "You are not responsible for Brainiac and it was a big part of this," she reminds him...again. Despite her reassurances that it wasn't his fault over the last couple of weeks he just will not seem to let go of his self-blame.

"Hnn," Clark demurs before he enlightens Jean with a confession. "I never really wanted to be Superman...at first. That's not why I came to the Institute. I came because I had decided I was tried of denying who I was. What I was. I wanted to discover who I was, what I could do, learn how to control my powers properly. I never even thought about being an X-Man. Again, not at first but your guys' passions and beliefs got to me. Still, I would have been perfectly happy being some anonymous X-Man and letting you guys take all the credit. The whole becoming Superman was never the plan. It just sorta...happened," he finishes lamely.

"Want to know what I think?"

"Of course Jean. I always value your opinions," he says with complete sincerity.

"I don't think you were ever meant to be just an X-Man. I think you were always meant to be something more. X-Men stand for something very particular. Human/Mutant equality and while you will stand up for that I think you are destined to stand for something...broader. Something greater."

Clark sighs. "Jean, I think you know my issues with being 'destined' for anything."

Yeah, she does. "Sorry. Couldn't think of a better word," she apologises. "But that is my opinion," she confirms for him. "Being at the mansion...was just a step on your journey and now you've graduated onward to the next step, whatever that is."

"One journey has ended. Another is about to begin," Clark recounts those words from what seems like oh so long ago. It may not have actually been Jor-El but those words...they were good ones.

"Exactly," Jean agrees, flashing him a warm smile.

"That can wait. For right now I think I'll just settle for a quiet summer spent with you," he says, truly meaning it.

Jean's chest feels warmer just hearing that. Yeah. A quiet summer would be a nice change of pace.

15 days ago(the moment Clark escaped from the Phantom Zone)...

High above the Earth a large, brilliant white ball of light flashes into existence. The ball then divides into a dozen smaller balls of light which arc across the surface of the planet. One falls down in the Arctic. Another in Australia. The others fall upon every continent of the Earth.

In Argentina Pedro Fernandez is tending to his flock of cattle when there is an almighty splash from the nearby river. Curious he goes to investigate. His eyes widen when emerging from the water comes a wraith-like entity, grey, decaying, tattered robes hanging from its form.

In his native Spanish he exclaims, "My God!"

The creature then flies right at him and Pedro Fernandez knows no more.

Author's Note(Brace yourselves I got a lot to say): Clark generally doesn't hold a grudge anyway but considering his experience with Apocalypse it would make even less sense if he continued to hold one against Scott. So, yep to quote Syndrome, Martha and Jonathan did get biz-zay and Jean's words that the Kents deserve a little slice of happiness is exactly why I decided to make Martha pregnant. After all if they managed it once there is really no good reason they couldn't do it again. Fun fact; Jean's little speech about Clark's destiny being greater than just being an X-Man I was originally going to give to Scott as part of the rapprochement between him and Clark but as I wrote it I realised it would fit in better at the end with Clark and Jean. That whole small scene is also why the battle with Zod didn't play out on a bigger scene with the world not knowing a thing about it so Jean could ask him about that very fact. It also reflects my original intention when I started this story which was less Clark standing out on his own and more just being part of the team, an X-Man. An idea that lasted about 6 months, if that. In the end, I guess, it just boils down to the fact, if it wasn't obvious from my writing, that Superman is one of my favourite characters and I just wish he was written and portrayed better than he is far too often so that instinct won through in the end and these series of stories ended up being just a different journey for Clark to becoming Superman. What would be different if he was just an X-Man? Well this whole series would be shorter for one thing(grins wryly) because Clark would be having less on his own adventures. He wouldn't have met Spidey for another and without that meeting there would probably be no Peter/Kitty because the two would never have met...or at least not until later in their lives and Carnage would probably just be Kasady. Him saving Wanda from being brainwashed really only happened because he ran into her while out patrolling so she may have ended up being an intractable villain, remaining part of the Brotherhood instead of his 'sister'. Possibly wouldn't have met Bart, depending on how I would write the meeting with Andrea differently. Same might be said for Cyborg meaning Victor doesn't get saved but instead gets turned into the leader of the Reavers like Lionel was intending. As for what else, couldn't say without reviewing backwards through the whole thing but you know the saying involving a butterfly flapping its wings, Clark not taking up being a solo hero would have consequences that ripple outward across the whole series, changing, not everything but a lot of it. The light hitting the Arctic was obviously Clark and (spoiler alert) I mentioned the one landing in Australia because that's Raya. The Phantom we see at the end of the Zod episode in Argentina is in fact Bizarro. And that is it for Year 3. Done. Thank you to everyone who wrote reviews for not just this story but all of them and that is relevant from what I'm about to say in my second note. Please read on.

AN1: 10 years. Go look it up. I started the first story of this series back in May 2010. I never imagined it would go on this long. Of course its length has become its problem. I have written so much that there is no doubt story threads I have completely forgotten about. Getting through Year 3 I tried to focus on the main beats more and everything else less, pushing lots of characters into the background. My main aim was to get Clark through Graduation from High School and have him prepared to move out the mansion because it is a fairly natural stopping point, if I wanted to stop and that is the dilemma I now have. I'm not short on ideas for this universe. In fact I have a whole sketched out series of stories stretching years into the future(which I might put up as a bonus chapter if you all want to see it). No the issue is motivation. Whether I really want to carry on. 10 years is a hell of a long time and it has been harder and harder for me to find the reasons to keep writing this universe. Year 3 alone has taken 5 years plus when it has probably been the shortest since that very first story. It may well be time to stop and move on to something else. Have I decided 100%? No but at the very least I'll be taking a long break from it. The other thing I might do is write an epilogue of sorts with Logan(Days of Future Past style) waking up after changing history and discovering what the world now looks like so we can see where some of the characters end up many years in the future.

AN2: As ever hope everyone is safe and well.