He watched them go towards town from the living room window. He didn't care much for parades but still wished Kara would lighten up and stop seeing him as just a clone. After he was done with all he needed to do for the dinner he went to his laptop and started to write. While in the kitchen he had come up with a good topic. He really wanted to write something worthy for the news. Overtime, besides respecting Superman as his mentor, he realized he also appreciated Clark Kent's honest and shocking style of writing. Many saw Superman as a polite, unable to hurt an innocent soul kind of man (alien), but as a writer he was bold and even scary. You really didn't want to be on the opposite end of his articles. He thought of the recent events in the world and though of how he dissected those he covered with certain coldness, but also without missing those affected by the events. Just as he felt short on his powers compared to those of his mentor, he also felt short on his skills to write what he wanted to say.
As he was about to give up he sensed a car driving towards the farm. There was something familiar about the person in it but he couldn't remember from where. Once the car parked he stepped outside and saw the one and only Lois Lane staring at him in shock.
"What are you doing here?" she asked him with a frown, "are you a stalker or something?"
"I live here," he said crossing his arms.
"Then you are his son," she said with a smug smile, "who would have thought Smallville had a love child"
"I am not his son," Conner said with a sigh, "we are cousins"
"Right," she said rolling her eyes, "now where is he?"
"He went with our cousin to the parade in town" he said wondering why she would come this far looking for Clark.
"Cousin?" she asked.
"Would you like to wait for him inside?" he said before she nodded and followed.
"It has been a long time," she said looking around, "but this place hasn't changed a bit"
He was about to ask her when she visited before but she seemed sad at remembering. She probably knew Clark's parents. Many said they were the kind of people you learned to care for within a short time.
"I thought Clark would spend the day alone. I didn't know he still had family since he was adopted and well…"
Conner he brought some snacks from the kitchen, "is a long story"
"Maybe I should go" she said after thinking for a moment. She had only come because Clark told Cat Grant that he would spend a few days at the farm. Lois thought she would keep him from moping around.
"So you are still friends," he said with a small smile.
"Kind of, but I am still upset that they published that picture of Superman kissing Wonder Woman, and they call us a scandal mongering rag"
"They were under a mistletoe," he said unable to forget the even from last year, "and Superman made them write another article with the right details"
"I know! But it still bothers me that Clark has more pull with the League than us" she said picking into his laptop; her turned to away from her. He only had a few lines written but it was still embarrassing to have an award winning reporter looking at your work.
"I don't think that's true," it was actually one of the Team's members who took the picture and accidentally leaked it. Cat Grant was just faster on finding it than the Daily Planet.
"But he barely talks to me anymore," she rolled her eyes, "is like he also agrees with Clark that he doesn't like where the Daily Planet is going"
"Maybe he does, but that doesn't mean he doesn't care anymore" when she still got into trouble, though it wasn't often, he was still there to save her.
"Are all the Kents goodie two shoes?" she asked giving him a skeptical look.
"Clark is a good role model" he shrugged. Then he sensed Clark's car coming back.
"Lois?" he said faking surprise at seeing her in his living room with Conner.
"Hey Smallville, you didn't tell him you had a kid" she teased.
"Conner is my cousin, on my biological father's side of the family, just like Kara" he stepped to the side for Kara to come in. It wasn't exactly a lie, right?
"Hello," she said trying not to show it bothered her that people thought Conner was her cousin's son.
"And here I was thinking you would spend the holiday like a splinter," she sighed getting up ready to leave.
"Why don't you stay?" Conner didn't realize what he said until the words came out of his mouth. He looked towards his mentor who didn't seem a bit bothered by the suggestion. This day from what he understood was also about friends and for her to come this far to check on Clark it must meant she still saw him as a friend.
"You are already here," Clark said adding his own invitation, and he knew she would just go home to a frozen meal if he let her go, "and Conner is pretty good cook"
Both Conner and Clark looked at Kara. It took her a moment get it.
"Ehm… I kind of don't want to spend the whole day just with two guys" she told Lois.
Lois looked at all three before she started laughing, "It's a fact, you Kents are too nice but I guess that's okay. I will stay as long as I don't have to bake anything"
"Deal," laughed Clark remembering the one time she tried to bake cookies and then gave them away in the office. Half the office was so sick they couldn't get to work the next day and the other half to constantly go to the restroom.
"You are remembering the cookie incident" she said in a deadpan before she wasn't able to hold her laughter again.
Kara and Conner shared a look of agreement for the first time. This was going somewhere.
The rest of the day they set the TV to play some of the games from that day. Conner had little to no interest on them. Clark watched them from where he was trying to make a decent cornucopia but more from out habit than anything else.
"That was a nice Flea Flicker!" Lois shouted after a quarterback handed the ball off to a running back who in turns pitched it back to the quarterback who then threw it to a receiver down field.
"A what?" Kara asked before Lois explained to her the move, "oh," she didn't think earthling games could be that complicated.
Once the game was over they turned the TV to where the Metropolis parade was showing.
"How much you want to bet a bad guy is going to try to ruin it?" Lois said with a sigh.
"I am sure the League kept a few people around just in case" Clark said as he continued working on the Cornucopia.
"Clark?" Lois asked turning away from the TV to watch him. Conner who had been working on his article on the readying chair looked up as discreetly as possible to watch the exchange.
"Yes?" Clark asked keeping his eyes on his work.
"How do you think Superman spends his Thanksgivings? He was raised on Earth and in this country after all" she asked with a thoughtful look. Conner wondered if she was worried his mentor was alone on this day.
"I really wouldn't know, maybe he doesn't" Clark said as calmly as before.
"You think he celebrates Kryptonian holidays, if they have any holiday that is" Lois thought out loud.
Kara was about to answer when Superboy used his abilities without thinking to drown any word she spoke. She glared at him but then he pointed with his eyes that they weren't asking her. Kryptonians did have a few holidays, and weren't that different from those on Earth at times. His mentor tried to spend a few of them like it was done in Krypton, especially since Kara arrived so she wouldn't feel alone.
Conner didn't really try to join as he didn't like policies Krypton used to have on clones. He admitted some of them were okay, but others really made his blood cold.
"Maybe" Clark shrugged.
"You two are friends, aren't you?" she shot her arrow in a form of a question.
"Not really" Clark said dodging the metaphorical arrow.
"C'mon, you and Cat have been doing plenty of reports on him. You must have a source" and she doubted it was just their fans that sent them the info as soon as they saw it.
"Off the record?" he asked her and she nodded, "not really, is just luck" it was because of their fans, but most of the Superman related stuff was thanks to him.
"If you weren't Smallville I would say you are lying," she said crossing her arms and returned to watch the parade. Interestingly enough there were no incidents.
Clark shook his head in misbelief. He wasn't a boy scout like the others said. He hoped he had a chance to show her someday.
After a walk around the fields which was a Kent tradition before having the Thanksgiving dinner and then having a look at the damn tractor no one could fix they went inside to have dinner.
"And the kid cooked it all?" Lois asked in awe and Clark and Conner started to bring the dishes out.
"Most of it," Clark said as an embarrassed Conner and him placed the rather large bird in the center of the table, "alright, since Lois is joining tonight I am going to explain the rules" it was also the first time Kara and Conner had Thanksgiving with Clark, but that was left unsaid, "we are giving thanks using the alphabet going from the oldest to the youngest. Since I am actually the oldest I will start. I am thankful for All the people standing around this table." He said with a smile before looking at Lois.
Lois Lane was speechless for a moment. Her father, when they used to celebrate Thanks giving together was a more straight forward, "Ehm… I am thankful for the… B… Baked goods we are hopefully eating soon" she said before the rest smiled, even Kara.
"Kara?" Clark prompted.
"I am thankful for the Cherry pie, it's my favorite" though she didn't say she missed Mrs. Kent's pie and didn't think Conner's would be even close to be as good.
"I am thankful for the Dear friend who took the time to teach how to cook this dinner" he said without thinking much about it.
"I am thankful for Each time friends and family are able to see each other such as this occasion"
"He is good," Lois said before trying to think what to say, and then she said with a smirk "I am thankful for Football and all the good looking players involved in it"
And it went on and one, of course they skipped X and then had a calm meal.
"I might kidnap your cousin and turn him into my personal cook" Lois announced as they started on the dessert, "this is good"
Kara stared at her slice of pie before taking a small bit of it. It was good, but of course she didn't say it out loud. Still, she was glad to taste it was not as good as Mrs. Kent's.
"Have you ever thought about going to culinary school?" Lois asked the teen.
"Actually I am already studying journalism and creative writing" he said hoping the question of his age wouldn't come up.
"I thought you were still in High School" she said surprised.
"I am few years ahead," he said before taking another bite from the pie. It wasn't as good as Megan's.
"Like how many," she had seen him writing before, but she had thought it was part of his homework for school. Like the classic 'what did you do for Thanksgiving'. He muttered something under his breath, "what did he say?"
"He is ahead by three years, actually he needs to complete one more semester to get his journalist degree and then one more after that for the one on creative writing" Clark said looking at his clone with wonder. He had never seen him act like that before, "he worked for two degrees at the same time, so I made him take a break here at the farm for at least one semester"
"Two degrees," Lois said looking at the boy a little shocked, "so your are mentoring our competition" and Conner could swear she really did see him as a threat.
"You could say that, but I actually asked him to write something for Clarkcatropolis" Clark said proudly. He believed in Conner's potential.
"That's unfair," Lois said crossing her arms, "just because he is your cousin you don't get to steal him"
"I am not stealing him, he is my cousin" Clark laughed, but a little tense. He had a feeling as where this so called conversation was going.
"What if I offer you a chance to publish it at the Daily Planet?" she told Conner who was at loss of words.
"He is not a fan of the Daily Planet, not since Galaxy Communications took over" he said in tense voice, much like he was facing a bad guy.
"Is that you or him talking Clark?" Lois said with a smirk, "the boy can talk, you know?"
Then they both turned to look at him. He realized then that he had no ally on this situation. He looked a little hopeful at Kara who had smirk on her face. No ally at all.
"Well?" asked Lois with a serious voice
"Take your time Conner," Clark said confident Conner would decide to side with him.
In reality both offer were rather tempting. He admired Clarkcatropolis because they were what the Daily Planet used to be. They were all about the truth and sought justice by making people aware of what was going on in the world. But then again he knew if he could get his work published at the Daily Planet that would be a great push in the future for the career he hoped to build.
"Conner?" asked his mentor a little worried.
"I haven't even finished," he admitted, "let me think about it"
"I place you in the first page," Lois said with a fanged smile.
"Mr. White is still the chief editor," Clark reminded her.
"We are old friend" she said though she knew Clark had seen through her bluff.
"You can be as free as you want on what you want to say" Clark offered with his kindest smile.
"Right, like letting a teenager say whatever… I mean we can work around the loopholes, don't worry about the editors" Lois said before Conner stood up.
"I will think about it," he said trying to sound more decisive before the two very competitive reporters. He gave his mentor an apologetic look, but he really wanted to consider the offer.
Clark sighed in resignation, "alright"
He allowed himself to relax before walking towards the kitchen, "I am going for a walk" he said and a few moments later he was walking away towards the forest where he usually practiced. He was glad he had better hold over his powers but all the pressure back there was making it difficult for him to concentrate. When he made it to the woods with ease he was able to make the loose debris taken into the air and star following him like a storm. He had a good hold of that now, and after the encounter he had in El Paso, he realized he had yet to find his limit. He lifted boulder, fallen trunks, and anything heavy he could find. He then jumped using the larger objects as steps until he reached the top of the trees and had a clear view of the night sky.
It was an incredible sight and when the cold autumn wind blew and he felt its chill he allowed his senses to expand around the forest.
"That is something," Conner almost lost his concentration when his mentor appeared before him. He had travelled there so fast his senses barely had time to register his arrival, "I think I could talk to Kaldur about giving you access back to the Watchtower"
Since Conner had joined Bart, Tim and Jaime on trying to build a machine to go to Bart's time he had been restricted access to the Watchtower, just like the rest. He didn't mind as much as things had calmed down.
"I need some more time," Conner said, "I think I can do more. I noticed when I am in contact with someone I can sense their thoughts and feelings. If they are strong enough I don't even have to touch them. Also…" he looked pointedly at his floating mentor, "I think I can also do that"
"I don't doubt it, but I think you do" Superman floated closer to Conner, "you have a lot of potential and me and all those around you can see it. Still you doubt yourself"
"You are not talking about my powers only, aren't you?"
His mentor smiled at him before his expression became regretful, "sorry for acting that way before. I don't know what came over me. I know it would be a great opportunity to have your work in the Daily Planet, so if you decide to do that…"
Conner nodded in understanding. He was glad he could decide without worry. He hadn't made up his mind but he was glad his decision would not be swayed by his mentor. It was his life out of the Team, something he was still getting used. He was aware of how things worked, but he wasn't sure how to go about them. Even after he ended his relation with M'gann he still hadn't seen anyone else.
He knew there were plenty of women interested on him back at school but he had no idea on how to respond to their interest. He looked at his mentor and thought about asking him, but then again it might not be the best moment.
"Let's go back home, or they will worry" he said before Conner game him a questioning look, "she has behaved, hasn't she?"
"She tried to lobotomize me" he reminded his mentor, "and I can sense she is still on edge when she is around me. I am surprised she ate my cooking"
"That's an improvement, isn't?"
"I guess so," said Conner as they walked back to the house.