Far overhead the quaint little town of Smallville, a satellite hovered. One of many bearing a corporate logo and broadcasting mainly inane television programs and radio stations. But also, in secret, linked to an impressive network of secret imaging that kept watch over the Earth far, far below. In this case, the conflagration slowly spreading out from the fields owned by the Demeter Corporation.

The image zoomed in momentarily on Supergirl and Miss Martian as they sat half-collapsed on the edge of the devastation. It was not hard to imagine what had gone on inside. And so the image flicked off as its viewer realized he had seen enough.

Amidst the darkness of the room, a silhouette became visible, that of a man in a crisp power suit and tie, with a bald domed head and a genial, calm expression on his face. His face was instantly recognizable across the globe, one of the wealthiest men in the world, who had holdings and stock in almost every major enterprise and more besides. The genius mind behind many of the latest technological invocations at his own tiny empire, which had built half of Metropolis and owned more land than some major countries you could name.

Lex Luthor, the head of Luthor Corp and easily one of the brightest minds in the fields of science and business on Earth.

"Well now," he remarked casually. "That didn't go quite as we'd planned, did it?"

"On the contrary," replied another voice, a more guttural growl of a voice. "We set out to achieve our primary objective fully expecting set-backs. And we still achieved our secondary goal. The rest makes for an excellent distraction for at least a few so-called 'heroes' and their young understudies. While the pieces re-arrange on the boards, we can move our own pawns into place."

Another silhouette stepped out of the shadows and into the light, a much bigger, broad shoulder beast of a man, with impeccable black hair drawn into a ponytail and a trio of scars across his brutish looking face. He wore a pseudo-style military uniform of navy blue, and a bear claw dangled from a necklace at his impressively broad chest.

Vandal Savage.

The architect of the Light and all its dealings, including its current alliance with the Dark Gods of Apokolips. Lex Luthor, Vandal Savage, and Dark Seid were at the core of a plan that was designed to re-shape the universe itself down to its very foundation. Billions of lives to be molded and shaped towards a better, brighter future. A plan millennia of years in the making. Only in the last few decades had they encountered anything resembling resistance to their ideals, and even then, in defeat they continued to know victory. Another step towards their plan had just been completed.

"You did manage to secure it, I trust?" Savage asked, his tone wary of disappointing answers.

His partner nodded calmly. "Luthor Corp still has some holdings in Smallville that we were able to take advantage of," Lex replied, opening up his jacket and reaching inside to his inner pocket. "When the fire started we were able to have them disguised as firefighters to assist the noble Justice League in their efforts containing the fire. And of course while they were there they... were able to recover an item on the sly amidst the confusion. It's doubtful anyone even knows its missing."

Pulling out of his inner pocket, Lex Luthor presented the recovered item. An ordinary glass vial with an ordinary black stopper, the sort found in medical laboratories and hospitals all across the world. The contents, a thick viscous liquid that looked remarkably like blood, sloshed about inside of the tiny vial. He handed it to Vandal Savage, who lifted it up to examine it, letting the dim light fall on it.

"Kryptonian blood," Savage mused. "And from a much purer source than our collected samples of Superman. Much stronger, denser molecules allowing for greater absorption and concentration of solar radiation. Yes, I think our ally will be quite pleased."

"He may not have the Supergirl he wanted," Luthor added. "But with this and the technology available to him, he can make for himself a suitable substitute if he so desires."

"Or an improvement," his scarred counterpart replied, tucking the vial away at his thick belt. "Why have a cheap copy when you can come up with an original design? And I must say, the things these Apokoliptan scientists can get up to in their laboratories... is enough to make even me shudder at the possibilities."

The two exchanged a knowing look, the subtext of their conversation clear from their expression and eye contact. Apokolips was a powerful ally now, but it was also a dangerous one. Dark Seid could not be fully trusted. Even he would one day have to be dealt with, though for now...

"All is going exactly according to plan," Luthor stated quietly.

It was almost dawn by the time the Justice League arrived, the fire was starting to spread to a few neighboring farms. But between them and the local fire department, roaring through the early morning with their red fire trucks, they had the blaze under control and out in no time. The last few burning bits of debris were snuffed out by high-speed winds and a healthy application of water. Poison Ivy, of course, was placed in Batman's custody once he arrived. The Dark Knight would be transporting her (heavily sedated, of course) back to her specially sealed cell in Arkham Asylum, back in Gotham. As for the rest...

"It would've been easier if you could have called us before things got out of hand," Batman said, sweeping his dark gaze over the devastation. No lives had been lost, but it was still not a pretty picture. There was a lot of destruction to go around and that in and of itself could be a PR nightmare for the League and any superheroes caught up in it. Hopefully they could spin up the 'saving the town' angle instead, but that was a job for the League Chairman.

"But, we understand sometimes you have to act quickly to resolve a situation," his big blue partner said. "And we're just glad you're okay," Superman added. Batman nodded, finding himself in agreement with that. The important thing was that no lives had been lost. If that was the case, a generous donation from the Wayne Foundation could help with the physical damages. As they said on Earth: No harm, no foul.

"Just glad we caught on to her scheme before it spread too far," M'gann said. "We almost had no idea she was even here until Connors got kidnapped."

"Probably wasn't her original plan," Batman surmised. "The lead lined laboratory worked almost too well in keeping the kryptonite she was working on off the radar... as well as hiding her from you three," he added, sweeping his gaze over the kryptonians present.

"Until I wandered in and mucked everything up," Superboy guessed.

"We're fortunate you did," chimed in Supergirl. "It's horrible to imagine the kind of damage Ivy could've done if we hadn't stopped her."

"Well she's done for now," Miss Martian said darkly. "She won't be waking up anytime soon and all of her pumpkins have been destroyed."

"Research as well," Batman confirmed. "All of her back-up servers were practically melted by the time we arrived."

"Then it's over," said the martian girl. What a relief.

"I have to oversee her transportation back to Arkham," Batman said, departing without another word.

Superman looked a little awkward at his sudden departure. "Ah... afraid I'm also due back at the Watchtower," he said, placing a hand each on Kara's and Connor's shoulders. "But I'm glad you all are okay."

The three kryptonians shared an embrace, grateful for each other's familial bond, making M'gann feel momentarily out of place. Perhaps sensing such, Connor glanced her way, then held out his free hand to her, inviting her into the hug. Reluctantly at first, she slid in easily right into place at his side. Right between him and Kara. The close contact with the blonde girl felt just as warm and welcoming.

It felt right. Like coming home after so very long.

By the time they got home, the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon. Ma and Pa were worried sick, but all that dissipated as soon as they saw the two girls and boy dropping down out of the air to land lightly on their porch. Martha fussed over the girls while Jonathan look after Connor, the three being beckoned inside. Much as they wanted answers on what had happened, the elderly Kent couple recognized all three were exhausted, and so with little fuss made sure they got a chance to shower and turn in. Ma Kent also made sure to wash their outfits and uniforms.

They spent the majority of the day asleep, most of them sleeping in well past noon, but that didn't stop Martha from making sure they had an excellent meal waiting for them when they did finally wake up. M'gann, the last to rise, still managed a tired smile at the sight of Connor wolfing down mashed potatoes while Kara sipped at some orange juice. The smell of bacon and tomato in the air was positively heavenly, and she helped herself to a generous portion as she settled into a seat beside her boyfriend.

"So glad you could join us dear," Martha said, pouring M'gann some juice as well. "Kara and Conner were just telling us about your little adventure last night... sounds like you had a hell of a time."

M'gann grimaced. That was putting it mildly. "I'm sorry if we worried you."

Martha smiled, wrinkles lining her cheeks. "Oh I know you kids can take care of yourselves. You're just like Clark was back in the day. Never could leave a crisis unanswered, a villain unpunished."

"He called, by the way," Jonathan said, folding up his newspaper at the mention of their adopted son. "From that big ol' space station you all have up in orbit. Said that your friend had been locked up again with no difficulties and the press has been declaring the whole incident nothing more than a... a tragic accident. No mention of any of you."

That was something of a relief, M'gann decided. If too many mentions of kryptonians around Smallville sprang up they could be traced back to the Kents and their connection to the family of El. Then both Ma and Pa would be open game for any criminal or villain bearing a grudge against Clark, Connor, or Kara. M'gann wouldn't want something so awful to happen to such nice people.

"Well, the world may not know of your heroics, but we always will," Martha said, laying a hand on the martian girls shoulder. "You saved the town. More than that you saved our boy, so thank you for that."

She wanted to protest, say it was Kara's help as much as hers, or that Connor had fought off the mind control mostly by himself, she'd only guided him towards what he'd really been seeking, but both of the kryptonians just glanced over at her. Without saying a word, their expressions spoke plainly enough. That this was her moment to shine. Best to just accept it.

"... thank you," she finally said.

Conversation invariably died down on the incident with Poison Ivy and more towards the future. The Harvest Festival was over, tomorrow morning things were going back to the way they'd been before.

Kara was returning to Metropolis to continue her studies. Conner had another mission with the Team that Aqualad had called him in for. Nothing pressing or life-threatening, just another battle in their never-ending fight against the growing menace of the Light. Ma and Pa Kent had a busy day of chores, he with the feeding of the livestock and she with the cleaning out of the attic.

And M'gann?

Well, first she was going to stop by her uncle J'onn's place and water his plants of course. Then it was off to the Watchtower. She didn't have any missions coming up with the Team that she knew of, but she had some plans to re-model one of the labs onboard to serve as an agriculture bay. She was thinking about bringing over several species of martian plants and growing them onboard the station. She would have liked to do it on Earth proper but it seemed unwise to introduce alien plant-life to the surrounding soil before she knew exactly what effect it would have on the environment. Even so, right now she was curious to learn more.

But it could wait. Right now, she was just glad for the chance to relax.

After dinner, M'gann went in search of Connor, but he'd already gone back to bed, still worn out from the previous night's events. Plus, it was growing late. The sun had already set and the sky was growing darker by the minute, but M'gann wasn't feeling tired after her long rest. She decided not to bother the Kents and floated herself up to the roof of the household and settled down there, just outside the hallway window. Idly she folded her legs up and wrapped her arms around her knees, watching the night sky. She didn't see Mars yet, it may have been in the other hemisphere, but she looked for it anyway. That tiny speck of red in the night sky.

It was humorous, in a way. On Mars she'd dreamed of coming to Earth for so long, watched it in the night sky like a blue heaven waiting to be visited. But after coming here, it had all seemed so different. So much more real. In ways she couldn't fully explain or understand. More than just the senses, the places, the foods. It was the people who seemed so much more real to her. Connor wasn't some two-dimensional character in a television sitcom, he had real depth to him. Ditto Kara, who wasn't some arch-nemesis or rival, but a fire forged friend. Ma and Pa Kent, Superman, her uncle J'onn, Wally, Dick, Artemis, La'gann, and so many others. And they'd helped to shape and grow her own personality from a martian ditz (if she was being honest with herself) to a dark anti-hero psionic warrior... to a real, genuine superheroine. And more importantly, a part of something greater than herself:

A family.

Lost in her thoughts, M'gann almost missed the subtle sound that reached her ears moments later. A curious shift of wood against wood. Like a window sliding open. She guessed instantly who it was, even before the soft voice reached her ears.

"M'gann, you up here?"

"You know I am," the Martian girl replied, partially sarcastically. If she was trying to hide from a Kryptonian she'd have to find a room lined in lead.

"Point," Kara conceded.

"Shouldn't you be resting?"

"Kryptonians recuperate faster than humans do," the blonde replied. "Besides I had to put a second load of laundry in. I can't show up back in Metropolis with a dirty cape, Kal will never let me hear the end of it. What're you doing up there?"

"Couldn't sleep," M'gann replied, kicking her bare feet. "Thought I'd get some night air. Come join me?"

"Why not?" asked Kara, floating out the window and landing on the rooftop besides M'gann. She wasn't wearing anything on her feet, and likely wasn't wearing anything under her overalls either, but still didn't feel the cold. Kryptonians were definitely made of sterner stuff than that. By contrast, the Martian girl welcomed it. Even with the alien sky and strange constellations, the cool air helped remind her of home.

"Whelp, that's a Harvest Festival we're not going to be able to forget anytime soon," Kara said.

A grimace stretched across pretty green features. "Yeah, I guess not..."

"At least we didn't have anyone lose their lives in this whole fiasco. I'm glad you decided to join us this year. Without you, we would've never found Ivy."

"Without you, I don't know if I could've stopped her on my own."

"Hey, you were there to save my bacon when I needed it. So... thanks."

"You saved mine right afterwards," M'gann pointed out, giggling a little as she realized they were still competing. "Neither of us would've gotten out if it hadn't been for each other."

"Fair enough. Call it a tie then."

"I guess farm life really is tougher than I thought it'd be," M'gann joked. They shared a good laugh at that.

"Yeah it's not every day you fight a crazy plant lady and her army of mutated pumpkins. Usually we just have to worry about the killer tomatoes," she said with a laugh.

"Tomatoes?"

"... joke," Kara clarified. "It's this old movie... nevermind, I'll show it to you some time."

M'gann nodded. "I'd like that."

"You're alright, Mars girl," Kara said, giving an affectionate punch to M'gann's shoulder.

She responded in kind. "Right back at you, Kryptonian."

They shared another laugh at that, as the night sky lit up with starlight. Tomorrow they'd be leaving to return to their respective lives, which had many differences, but at the core were the same. No matter what planet they had originated on, Earth was their home now. And no matter what they looked like on the outside, inside they were the same. They had the hearts of heroes.

Authors Notes:
Please review and favorite if you enjoyed.

Since the story is primarily Young Justice based, a scene involving the Light was called for to show the Smallville attack was not entirely random, but yet another of their evil machinations of Savage and other interested parties to one day rule over all. And, as per usual, the baddies still won even as the heroes managed to pull off a victory of their own. Dark Seid still wants his ultimate Female Fury.

Writing this story, I'd originally planned to show a lot of the similarities M'gann and Kara have with each other, but as I did more research it became more and more apparent the two girls could not be more different if they tried. Yet we love them both anyway, despite, or perhaps because of, their differences.