A/N- Wow, it's been a while since I updated this story. And what's even better, is that this is the last chapter so it takes off one story that I'm working on. Now don't get me wrong, I loved writing this...but one less story to concentrate on is a good thing to. Tell me what you think of this chapter/story and look out for the sequel 'The Boy That Destroyed the World' within the week. And let me know if you catch the appearances by two characters before they joine dthe Rogues Gallery

A big thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, and favored/alerted this story. You guys gave me a reason to not give up on this story.

The Tide

"Heaven's not a place that you go when you die
It's that moment in life when you actually feel alive
So live for the moment
And take this advice, live by every word
Love is just a hoax so forget everything that you have heard...

...She didn't even notice, or pay much attention
As the tide came in and swept her three into the ocean..."

-The Tide by Spill Canvas

"You know what you have to do, Jack." The breathy voice was next to him, but Jack kept his eyes trained on his reflection. "It was always gonna end up like this..."

Jack's fingers gripped the edge of the counter, the bathroom door locked as his grandmother and Jeannie slept. He had had another dream again and woke up to hear that stupid laughing clown in his room. So the teenager had run to the bathroom in an attempt to escape the clown, but it obviously didn't work.

"Even if you hadn't done anything, your father would have killed her...and Jeannie." A childish giggle filled the empty bathroom. "You were meant to do this, Kid. I mean, uh...why else would people call you a freak? Your father knew...that's why he um..."

Jack was now looking to the left of him, the clown motioning to his left cheek. This had been going on for a month now and Jack was certain his grandmother knew something was bothering her grandson, but he had shut everyone out of his life to avoid the sort of questions he knew his grandmother wanted to ask.

"What do you mean he knew?" the words didn't come out as a growl like he had intended.

"He knew there was a reason you were so serious...he knew what made you. Smile. More." The words shouldn't have made sense, but they did. "You see, your father...he uh, he knew that hurting people would um..."

The sentence ended with another one of those bone chilling laughs, Jack's eyes narrowing as he watched the clown double over in laughter.

"Why else would hurting your so called 'friends' make you happy? Why else do try so hard to follow the rules?"

"Because..." Jack started, cut off by a snicker.

"Try all you want, Jackie Boy...you're different. You see the things everyone else refuses to see, what they uh, need to see. Your father knew you laughed at the pathetic citizens following their rules...he knew what you are." The teenager found himself listening carefully to that mockingly cheerful voice, his head nodding in agreement with what the clown was saying. "You have to show...them the truth."

"How?" Jack whispered, his eyes looking at that jagged smile.

"You uh, know how, Kid."

As he stood there, images of everything he had ever wanted to do flashed through his mind as a small giggle left his lips. Those images were soon replaced with those of his father and everything that man had done to him.

"What's the matter, Junior?" his father's voice broke through the daze Jack had found himself in as soon as his head hit the wall. "Why the sudden change? Just a few moments ago I was the funniest God damn person you saw!"

Jack just glared at the older man in front of him, his fingers curling into fists. The fifteen year old felt his blood pounding in his ears as he stood there, his father slowly making his way over to him.

"Why so serious?" the words were growled out as a hand wrapped around his small throat, Jack's hands scrambling to keep his father from choking him. "You used to smile all the time, JJ. Your mom misses your smile...you need to smile more, don't wanna make your mom upset do you?"

"You have that taken care of, don't you?" Jack choked out, a smirk coming to his face.

"You little shit!" a fist landed on the side of his jaw, quickly followed by a series of blows to his face.

The only thing that Jack could think of doing was laugh, laugh and spit blood in his father's face. As the beating went on, Jack's laughter died until he could barely breathe.

"You're still being serious, boy." the fifteen year old felt the cold stinging of his father's switchblade pressed against his cheek. "Maybe I should teach how to smile freely...or perhaps another time."

Jack fell to the floor, his hand clutching his bleeding nose. Darks eyes looked up at the sneering face of his father as a scowl dried on to his bloody lips. There was nothing he would love more than to...

Jack was brought out of his memory at the glint of the steak knife he had grabbed; his feet had taken him to the kitchen during his memory. He kept hearing that mocking laughter, his own soft giggles joining them. For the briefest of moments, time seemed to stand still as Jack considered what had crossed his mind.

"C'mon, Jack..." the horrid breath in front of his face let the sixteen year old know the clown was sitting on the counter before him, his dark eyes looking up to meet the endless pits where the clown's eyes should have been. "Do it...complete that uh, gorgeous smile."

Jack continued to stare at the twisted grin on the white painted face, his fingers gripping the knife's handle tighter with every passing second. He took a deep breath as he brought the utensil up to his eye level, studying the edge in horror as images of his father flashed in his mind.

"I need help," he whispered as panic seized him. "I'm listening to an imaginary clown, for Christ's sake! I..."

"Need to do it. Think of it this way, Jacky...it's a God damn joke out there, all it's missing is a punchline. From how your life has played out...I think you're um, the only...qualified to deliver it." Jack was shaking his head in an attempt to make the clown's words nonsense, but it didn't help.

A gloved hand gripped his, slowly bringing the knife to the corner of his perfect cheek and, for the first time, Jack didn't fight back. He was aware of the sharp edges tearing into the untouched flesh as it sawed its way up his cheek, but his mind seemed to have shut down on him. There was an echoing laughter that filled the house as the slicing continued, warm blood spilling on to the white tiled floor. The teenager made no sound as withdrew the now bloody steak knife, a gurgled chuckle leaving his stained lips as ripped open the sealed cheek once again.

Jack doubled over in laughter, a clanking sound meeting his ears as the knife fell to the floor, before falling to his knees in his blood. As he knelt there, the sixteen year old couldn't help but feel as if his father had lucked out in the accident.

"Jack?"

His head snapped up to see his grandmother standing in front of him, an expression of terror on her aged face. This sight just caused Jack to cackle harder as he continued to think about his poor excuse of a father.

"He's lucky..." Jack choked out, hardly aware of the spell of dizziness that fell on him from the loss of blood. "If that...fuckin' accident didn't kill him...I would've uh, repaid him for his...services."

Jack struggled to his feet as he watched his grandmother run to the phone, her fingers quickly dialing the number.

"I wasn't the serious one, y'know? It was...him. He needed the um, smile." Jeannie had entered the kitchen at that point, a scream leaving her mouth at the sight of her brother. "I would've given it to him...just like he uh, gave me mine. The. Exact. Same. Way. Except...he wouldn't have lived!"

"Jack!" Jeannie was rushing to his side, his arm pushing her away as he fell back to the tile.

"Why so serious, Jeannie?" he muttered as his eyes drifted close.

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Pain was what greeted him as he woke up, dark eyes fighting the grogginess of the drugs he had been given. If Jack hadn't been staring at his hand, he wouldn't have thought it was moving towards his throbbing cheeks. The feeling of medical tape met his fingertips, and the sixteen year old forced himself to smile through the pain as the memory came back to him. His gaze fell on the sleeping form of Jeannie on the small couch in the room and that of his worried grandmother.

"Who died?" he croaked, a giggle escaping at the price of more pain.

"JJ...Jack," his grandmother began as she shuffled towards her grandson, sitting in the chair next to his bed. "You're going away for a while."

"Why?" his brow furrowed as confusion took over him.

"Something's wrong with you, sweetheart. I always knew your father did more than beat you," Jack stared at her, it was funny anymore. "You'll be going to Metropolis for as long as it takes to make you better."

"Why Metropolis?"

"They have the best staff to deal with children like you,"

His eyes dropped to the worn hospital blanket as his grandmother continued talking, but it all fell on deaf ears. He closed his eyes as panic replaced the pain he was feeling, panic at the idea of leaving Jeannie. How was he supposed to protect her if he was on the other side of the country? He didn't plan for this to happen.

"Lesson one, Jackie Boy..." Jack looked around the room for the clown, ignoring his grandmother's concerned look. "Never make plans. Ever."

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He stood there in the airport, his collar turned up and his hat pulled low over his face. A duffle bag and a backpack were slung over his shoulders as he waited to board the plane that would take him to the doctors who would be able to fix him, or so he had heard. Jack glanced out of the corner of his eyes and watched the stocky guard look around the airport; his doctor had ordered a guard to accompany him on his way to Metropolis in case he tried to do anything to himself or the other passengers, apparently he was "unstable". Jack rolled his eyes at that though as he made his way to his assigned seat, allowing the guard to take the window seat.

The sixteen year old closed his eyes and leaned his head back; trying to forget the awkward goodbye he had given his grandmother and Jeannie. It wasn't that he wouldn't miss them because he would, it was because there was a confusion of feelings he held about what he had put them through. And he didn't want them to know that. Jack opened one eye as the seat on his left was taken by a man in a business suit, his fingers drumming nervously on his knee. The teenager had both eyes opened as he stared at the red head next to him, smirking at the glances the man sent his way every so often.

This went on until the plane had taken off and the captain had turned of the fasten seatbelts sign. It was then that Jack decided to have a little bit of fun.

"You look like someone who uh...likes mysteries." Jack was now fully facing the guy, aware that the guard was watching him closely.

"I more of a riddle man, myself actually..." the man corrected, his brown eyes glancing at Jack's scarred cheeks. "But I'll listen to anything that needs an answer."

"I bet you're wondering about my...lovely smile, huh?"

"I don't...mean to be...rude." this man was clearly lacking in self-confidence.

"Wanna know how I got 'em?" Jack's tongues darted out to wet his lips before he continued, not bothering to wait for an answer. "I was in a wreck, a nasty one that killed several people. Among those dead was my parents and sister...you can image my reaction that news. While I didn't die, I was uh, scarred by a slice of metal that had broken free of one of the cars. It...flew through the windshield, straight uh, through my mother's neck...and through the side of um, my face. Leaving me with this wonderful smile."

"I'm...I'm uh...sorry?" the man's eyes darted from side to side as he squirmed in his seat uncomfortably.

Jack just smirked.

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They had arrived in Metropolis a little over an hour ago, and Jack now found himself sitting in the waiting room as the guard checked him into the psychiatric hospital, handcuffs encircling around his wrists. His tongued darted at the corner of his mouth as he foot tapped on the tile, dark eyes darting around the room. A set of doors on the other end of the room opened, revealing a family of three; two parents and a brunette girl no older than eleven year olds.

Jack watched as the family walked passed him, the girl slowing down as her baby blue eyes took in the sixteen year old's appearance. He smirked in anticipation of her reaction to his face, but was surprised when she gave him a smile. A genuine smile.

"Harleen! Hurry up," the father called as he swiftly walked back over to take his daughter's hand, pulling her after him as he shot Jack a disgusted look.

Jack turned to watch the girl leave the waiting room, aiming a wink her way as she looked over her shoulder to give him one more smile. A soft chuckle left his dried lips as the father tugged on the girl's hand once more, causing her head to face forward.

"What have we told you?" her mother's whisper was louder than it should have been. "Don't stare at the people in this place,"

"Not all of them are like your brother." That was when the voices were out of earshot, Jack's attention going back to looking around the area for something interesting.

"C'mon, Napier." He was pulled to his feet by a new guard, his old one leaving the room. "I'm going to take you to meet your doctor and then I'll show you your room,"

Jack was led down a series of corridors before he was brought into a posh office, an older man sitting behind a wooden desk. He looked up as the teenager was brought, sat on the chair across from him, and left alone with the doctor.

"Hello, Jack." He smile gently, but Jack knew it was strained. "I'm Doctor Holt and I'm here to help you..."

"I know why I'm here." Jack interrupted, his dark eyes glaring at the man. "I'm crazy, not stupid."

"Very well," the sixteen year old watched as he scribbled something down. "Why don't we start with you telling me about yourself?"

Jack's tongue darted across his lips as he settled into the clearly used chair, his fingers beating on his thigh as he thought of what to say. His gaze caught the man's quick look over of his face, and Jack fought back a giggle.

"You look nervous, Doc. Is it the scars?" Jack chuckled as he leaned forward, a glint in his eyes as the clown's laughter filled his head. "Wanna know how I got 'em?"