Chapter Text
Superman stood in the front yard of an unfamiliar house. He knew this was his destination; he'd looked up and triple-checked the address before leaving. But he wasn't sure he wanted to knock on the door.
“It isn't everyday one receives a visit from Earth's favorite Kryptonian.” A soft, strong voice said from the front porch. “Let alone that he doesn't actually visit for some reason.”
“I'm sorry I...Jeremiah Danvers?”
“Yes. Who exactly sent you to find me?”
“No one. I'm here for a friend, but they didn't ask. I'm really not sure how to proceed.”
“Does this have anything to do with the Department of Extra-normal Operations?” Jeremiah Danvers asked. “And if so why are you involved?”
“Yes but not the way you probably think. No agent of the place could ever ask me to do anything beyond try to defend the planet and expect me to comply. I have a friend who lives at the tower. She didn't send me to find you, she doesn't even know you're still alive. I intend to prove you are. From what I understand, you'd be safe with J'onn if you came back. But it's your call.”
“J'onn.” The scientist said thoughtfully. “As in J'onn J'onzz?!” He exclaimed.
“Nikita has been talking about you for the past five months. She says you're one of the two people she's met on this planet she considers her friends, without any qualifiers. It only just now occurred to me to look you up. I am here to bring you to her...nothing else.”
“Then take me to her. Just, let me tell Eliza first.”
“You underestimate your friends fairly noticeable presence.” Eliza Danvers stated behind her husband. “If Nikita at the DEO is enough to lure you back to that place then go with Superman.” After embracing his wife Jeremiah stood as upright as he could and told Superman to lift him up and away. A request Superman followed with as much care as he did speed. Superman carried Jeremiah Danvers in his arms, as a father carries a 10 year old child, Jeremiah slinging one of his arms around his neck. After a short time Jeremiah looked the alien in the face.
“There's one thing I still don't understand.”
“With respect, there's nothing I could say to do a better job of explaining things than J'onn' could. I am not the 'horses mouth' in this situation. And I don't think I should try to be.”
“True, but you can tell me what to expect? Or let me know how any of this happened before it slaps me in the face?”
“Well, I that's hard to argue with. What do you want to know?”
“Is Nikita still...Does Hank treat her any better?” Superman stared down, bewilderment and disappointment evident on his face. Jeremiah saw the reaction and reconsidered. “You really did trip over this didn't you? Nikita was a colleague of mine. Or at least, I knew her a heck of a lot longer and she means more to me than J'onn. If Nikita stayed at the DEO after our last mission together, I'm hoping it was her choice to do so.”
Superman, or Kal-el looked down at his charge, a self-directed reproach on his face. “Forgive me, I, I was unclear. You are quite correct I stumbled into all of this just recently. Rather, I recently stumbled even further into all of this. Hank Henshaw has been dead for over three years. Director J'onzz is... Well Director of the DEO now. Nikita isn't an inmate or under house-arrest or anything of the sort. She and J'onn follow the star in their own heart...and it keeps them together. Nikita is perfectly free to do anything she wants, go anywhere in the world. She chooses to stay at the DEO and help 'us'...the DEO... be better than we were before.
“So, you're telling me, J'onn J'onzz is in control of the DEO?”
“He assumed the identity of the Kreec-ta that was Hank Henshaw. That's Nikita's word, something from her own language. I'm honestly not sure what it means. She's not the most open person in the galaxy..”
“Can you blame her?” Jeremiah interrupted him.
Superman blushed with embarrassment and sadness. “I mean, honestly there's a lot of this story I still don't know. I know she was at the DEO unwillingly for almost 6 years. I know Hank Henshaw led a mission, during the course of which she met J'onn. I'm only assuming Henshaw died on that mission. Together the two of them are doing everything they can to make sure history doesn't' repeat itself. I don't know enough about either of their stories to know what brought them together. I'm hoping this will fill in the gaps. And that something about the two of them will start making sense to me when they see you again.”
“I doubt it not.” Jeremiah said wistfully. “One thing you should know about Nikita and I: we spoke to each-other as equals, but could never speak completely opening. We understood each-other and fought side by side. But with Henshaw as our Commanding Officer–and her warden– We could never speak 100% freely to each-other.”
"That will be the first error to correct when you get back."
Around 3 in the afternoon Jeremiah Danvers rested comfortably in the arms of Superman. Clark was holding him loosely but firmly as they moved through the air toward the DEO.
“Are you alright?” Clark asked as he slowed himself down.
“I never thought I'd be back here again. I'm not sure what to expect.”
“There's nothing I could say that could sufficiently prepare you for this place, so I won't even try.” Kal replied. “If I'm going to help at all I should say that J'onn will probably be the first person you see and you will be welcomed here by him; he's director now.”
“Okay an alien in charge of the DEO when did that happen. More accurately: how?”
“Martians are shape-shifters...he looks human now.”
“That would explain it.”
Clark tells the story of how he met Nikita and the man he thought at first was Director Henshaw. And of Nikita and J'onn's private mission to make the D.E.O into something Jeremiah would have chosen to be part of.
“...So that's how that happened.” Superman told Jeremiah as they flew through the air.
“You mean until this, you never knew who I was?”
“I knew who you were, because of Kara. I never knew anyone else loved you so much.”
Jeremiah nodded sagely. “Hank must have learned at least a little kindness.”
Superman looked down at him completely bewildered. “Or is she still under the equivalent of house arrest?”
Superman slowed down as he approached the tower. And when, a few minutes later they were hovering 20 feet above the skyscraper that was their destination, he made no attempt to land.
“I don't understand. Nikita said she was an inmate when she was brought into the DEO.”
“And she was, for almost five years. Then she became an asset, not an agent of the DEO but...I guess it was kind of a work release. My point is Nikita would never choose to work at the DEO under a Crich-ta like Henshaw, unless he'd eased up on his 'All aliens are potential threats' philosophy at least a little bit. So did he change or not give her a choice?”
“Sir...Hank Henshaw has been dead for 4 years. Nikita has chosen to stay at the D.E.O. As a full agent and stands as a positive example for all of us. The LAST thing she is, is an inmate or a propped up 'token' alien. Wh—OH.”
“Do I have to ask? Because I am asking.”
“Jeremiah...Director J'onzz will want to be the first person to greet you when we walk in.”
“J'onn is director now how...” Realization blanketed the former agents face. “Martians are shape-shifters. J'onn assumed his identity to reform the D.E.O. And he is the one who recruited Nikita as an agent.”
"That's about the size of it."
"And Nikita and J'onn...are friends?"
"The closest to each-other you can be without wedding bands."
Jeremiah sighed audibly. "Yeah. I'm glad."
They touched down on the balcony on the next to highest floor. They clearly were not expected. A young agent, the equivalent in experience to a Air Force lieutenant walked up with his hand on his gun. A dark haired, pale-faced young man standing beside him simply smiled and waved with his left hand. “Superman, good to see you again. Who's your friend?”
“Winn, find director J'onzz have him meet us in the conference room.”
“That won't be necessary.” Came the smooth calm voice that resonated from a man known to most as Director J'onn J'onzz. “I think I...” His gaze met that of Jeremiah Danvers. J'onn did not say anything more for several seconds; neither did anyone else.
“J'onn, is that you?” Jeremiah finally breathed.
“I think we need to go up to the conference room. We have A-Lot to talk about.”
Kal-el, J'onn Nikita and Jeremiah Danvers all gathered in the situation room overlooking the main operations center of the building. For a moment no one said anything.
“Someone should say something before even Kal ages.” Nikita prompted.
“Jeremiah...I never thought I'd see you again...I thought you were dead.”
“Apparently you're too good at wearing his skin. I let people think I died...so Hank Henshaw wouldn't come after me. I have an apology to make you, Nikita...not sure how to start.”
“For believing I was dead? We're both guilty on that one.”
“For assuming you were better off believing I was dead. Assuming you were out there alone and wandering, better off than you would be with me...for never telling anyone you existed.”
“If you didn't know I was here why come back?” Understanding flickered across her face. “Clark overheard the two of us talking and brought you back here to clear things up. You didn't know where I was until today...and you thought Henshaw was still in charge of this place.”
“I have to admit I'm more than a little confused right now.” J'onn said blankly.
“No less than I am about all this.” Superman quipped.
“I experienced the best and worst of humanity for 11 months the first time I was here.” Nikita said automatically, almost mechanically. “Both of them were with me when I met you, J'onn in the mountains that day. I learned all I needed to know about you to trust you as soon as I saw you shake hands. I knew you were the one picking me up from Clark's house, because you weren't being an ignorant arrogant asshole and still recognized Jeremiah's name. I've never met anyone on Earth like Jeremiah before...no one else who was born here. And now that explanations and easily-remedied mistakes are cleared up, can we get to the actual reunion part? I also never thought I'd see you again...I never thought get a chance to talk with you both at the same time...we need to find a patio bar and a place that serves cuba libre's.”
“I'm sorry, what?” Kal-el said blankly.
J'onn J'onzz stepped up. “Kal, Jeremiah, Nikita and I saved each-other from Hank Henshaw. That's actually how any of us met, including you and her. Until now at least some of us thought the others died that night.”
“You do realize I can't get drunk.”
“You realize I would never try to get myself drunk?”
“And if I become ill, I won't have far to go.”