Cinderella, a young justice fanfic

A/N: This is a story that is based off a song that I haven't heard in years that I found on Apple Music. It's by Stephen Curtis Chapman called Cinderella. It made me thing in depth about the relationship between a father and a daughter and this story was born. Hope you like it.

BTW: The story is mostly a translation to the lyrics, though some parts will be added or taken out in order to better fit the story or eliminate redundancy.

Cinderella

She spins and she sways to whatever song plays
Without a care in the world
And I'm sitting here wearing the weight of the world on my shoulders
It's been a long day and there's still work to do
She's pulling at me saying "Dad I need you!
There's a ball at the castle and I've been invited
and I need to practice my dancin'
Oh please, Daddy, please!"

Every day Clark comes home, he is exhausted beyond belief. What with having to deal with Perry and keep up appearances at the Daily Planet and saving the world as Superman, it's understandable for him to want to do nothing more than collapse into bed every night. Lois understands this as well, but their 4 year old daughter does not.

Rosalie has always been a very imaginative child, and like every child, seems to have an unlimited supply of energy to spare day in and day out. The fact that she is part kryptonian doesn't help either.

The first thing Rose does when she sees her father is run into his arms with a big smile on her face. "Daddy! Daddy!" she says. "The prince invited me to the ball at his castle, but I don't know how to dance. Will you teach me?"

Though the Man of Steel wants to do nothing more than go upstairs and crash into bed forever, the bright light and joy that shines in his daughters eyes is all the energy boost he needs.

"Of course. Anything for you my princess."

Clark puts Rose on the ground, and once he is sure she is ready, he begins to move his feet from side to side, Rose watching them move as she copies the movements. He gives her a couple spins and twirls, the blue flowery dress she wears twisting with her movements.

They continue this pattern for a while, and once Rose finally gets used to the repetitive movements, she looks up at her father with a smile gracing both her face and features. The look on his daughter's face is enough for him. He doesn't at all regret choosing to do this for her.

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone

She says he's a nice guy and I'd be impressed
She wants to know if I approve of the dress
She says, "Dad, the prom is just one week away
And I need to practice my dancin'
Oh please, Daddy, please!"

Prom is the night of the year for every teenage girl, right behind her wedding day, and though Rose isn't your average girl who dreams of her prom night, that all changes when Danny Mincoldwin asks her to go with him.

Clark has never seen his daughter so dedicated to her appearance in her entire life. He actually didn't see why she thought it was that big a deal.

"He's the hottest guy in school Daddy, and he asked me to go to prom with him." She gushes from the changing room in Macy's, trying on her fifth dress.

Lois was supposed to be there to help her, but something came up at the Planet with her having to go all the way to San Francisco to do a story, so Clark went in her place.

"When you were in high school, if you asked the most popular and prettiest girl in school to go to prom with you and she said yes, how would you feel?" When Clark didn't answer immediately, Rose let out a triumphant huff. "That's what I thought."

For the majority of Clark's childhood, he had a crush on the same girl. A one Ms. Lana Lang. They were friends elementary through high school up until graduation, at which point they both went their own separate ways. He used to want nothing more than to call Lana his girlfriend, but it appeared as though she didn't feel the same way.

Having a crush on your best friend can be like that. Always suck in the friend zone either because neither one of you knows how the other feels or one simply not having mutual feelings for the other. But that is okay for Clark because if he had gotten together with Lana, he would have never met Lois or had Rosalie.

Speaking of the Girl of Steel, Rose came out of the dressing room in a black and white gown that went all the way down to cover her feet. It clung to her nicely without looking to revealing and had sparkles along the lining of the neck that made her baby blues sparkle in the light. All in all, she looked amazing.

"So," Rose asks, a bit self-conscious. "What do you think?"

"I think you look amazing princess." Rose smiles at her father's approval, confident that if he likes it, so will Danny.

…

Rose had left for prom with Danny about an hour ago, and Clark wasn't too happy about it.

When Danny arrived to pick Rose up, there was a look he gave Rose that made Clark want to burn the boy's face off with his heat vision. The vibe he got from the boy wasn't a good one at all and he was tempted to have Superman make a special celebrity appearance at Metropolis High's annual prom. But he didn't want to ruin his daughter's big night on a hunch. Though that doesn't stop him from wishing Rose had gone with either Dick or Wally, who would have been much better choices than that Danny guy.

So the Man of Steel decides to distract himself by catching up on How to Get Away with Murder before it comes back this fall. Shonda Rhymes seems to be outdoing herself with all the new twists and turns in both Scandal and this new show, how is one to keep up emotionally.

Just before the opening, Clark's phone rings; when he picks it up to see who is calling, he sees his daughter's smiling face from when the two of them went to a fair in Smallville over spring break.

"Hey princess, why are yo-"

"Dad," he hears his daughter's voice hitch from the other end of the phone. He immediately goes into full protective father mode.

"Rose, where are you?" he asks as he zips up the stairs and back down in a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt, before going to the closet the grab his shoes.

"Th-three blocks e-east of the school, near the new pla-plaza." She stutters.

"Ok, stay right there, I'm on my way." He says as he zips out the front door.

…

Flying would more than likely have been a faster way to get to the plaza, but the last thing Clark wants is for someone to find his daughter in whatever metal position she is in and have to deal with Superman as well.

When he arrives at the plaza, he immediately spots Rose crying next to the fountain in the center of the auburn brick road.

"What happened Rosalie?" he asks softly as he approaches her.

Rose looks up at the sound of her father's voice, her mascara streaming down her face with the tears she sheds, and immediately runs into his arms, burying her face into his shirt as she continues to cry.

Clark can do nothing more than hold the girl, knowing not to push and that she will explain once she has calmed down enough. Once that time arrives, Rose removes her face from her father's shirt, he's lucky it's black, and sniffles a couple times.

"Danny didn't really want to go to prom with me. His girlfriend was jealous of the fact that I spent so much time close to him because we have most classes together, even though we don't talk, he probably didn't even know I existed till she pointed me out." Rose rolls her eyes and sniffles before continuing. "So after he picked me up, we drove around for a while because prom hadn't started yet, we went to some parking lot and he and his friends, who came in a different car, tried to tie me up; I was out of it for a while because I was in such a state of shock, but I beat the crap out of them and ran here." She laughs at the thought. "Their plan was to tie me up and drug me a little and make it look like I slept with the football team, the guys who came in the other car. I ran here, called you, and here we are."

By the time Rose is done with her explanation, Clark is shaking with rage. The guy his daughter has the biggest crush on, turns out to be the biggest jerk. The Man of Steel himself is ready to get up and kick all of their asses, and he stands to do just that, but a hand on his arm stops him.

"Don't worry about it Daddy. I handled it. I took some pictures before I left and threatened to show them to the entire school should one of them say something about the incident." Rose smiles through her tears, a genuine smile. "What would they do if the entire city knew the Met High football team got beat up by a girl? Not only would their reputations be ruined, but they would lose their full rides to Met U in the coming fall. Plus I did a number on Amber, so she probably won't be at prom or at school until her face heals."

Clark still wanted to tear the team a knew one for messing with his daughter, but the look on Rose's face at the potential agony of the people who ruined her night made him smile. Rose was always one to look at pretty much every dark situation and see something bright. He and Lois did try to raise her as an optimist.

Rose lets out an exasperated sigh and stands, straightening out her dress as she does. "I guess we should get going. This night has been one of the most tiring of my life."

Just before Rose can take off, Clark grabs her hand and pulls her back to the ground.

"What is it?" she asks.

Clark doesn't say anything, he simply pulls out his iPod, a gift from Rose and Lois for Christmas the year before, and turns on 'All of Me' by John Legend. Rose looks up at her father in confusion as he places the device at the edge of the fountain and holds out his hand.

"You didn't get to dance or even attend prom. I want to make it up to you." Clark says with a soft smile as Rose takes in the words.

When she does, she smiles widely at her father and eager takes his hand; the two of them dance around fountain to John's tranquil and devoted tenor voice.

"Thanks Dad." Rose comments from her position on her father's shoulder.

"Anything for you princess." He replies as the two continue their dance.

So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone

She will be gone

But she came home today with a ring on her hand

Just glowing and telling us all they had planned
She says, "Dad, the wedding's still six months away but I need to practice my dancin'
Oh please, Daddy, please!"

When Clark saw the ring on his daughter's finger, he that day everything would change. He isn't mad nor does he dislike his daughter's suiters. Yeah, suiters.

Rose's best friends, now fiancés, stood on either side of her with smiles to match Rosalie's own. Apparently this had been an idea that had been floating in both Dick and Wally's minds for quite a while, they just never had the time to come out with it. What with everyone starting college and the new additions and changes to the team.

Clark can't actually think of anyone better for Rose than the two people who have been with her, and crushed on her, since they first met. Though sometimes Dick tends to be slightly neglectful, putting business over pleasure, and Wally at times doesn't always say or handle a situation in the best ways, Clark knows that both men would give their lives for his daughter in a heartbeat, and she would in turn do the same.

It is currently the night before the wedding and Rose is freaking out. She asked Clark to come over to her apartment, the one she owns in Gotham, simply on the verge of a breakdown.

"I don't know what to do Daddy." She cries as she continues to pace back and forth in front of the couch, which Clark is currently sitting patiently. "The past couple weeks have been so stressful. Two weeks ago the florist said they might not have Wally's mom's favorite flowers for her table at the reception. Then yesterday the dress company said they lost my dress in the shipment and don't know if they will have on ready by the wedding day, plus the weather man said it's supposed to rain tomorrow." Rose lets out an exasperated sigh as she plops down next to her father. "I just don't know what to do."

Clark can't exactly say he knows how Rose feels because his and Lois wedding day was perfect. Not a single hitch in the schedule, the second time.

"The first time your mother and I tried to get married it was a disaster. A couple weeks before the wedding, your grandfather, Jor-El, gave your mother my powers for a whole 24 hours in order to show her that my life was going to be faster and more important than most, and she thought that meant she wasn't meant to be in it, so she broke off the wedding." Rose closes her eyes and leans against her father as he continues. "Then, a couple days before the actual wedding, we exchanged vows and I told her that I would make time for her, no matter what. Granted we didn't get married till after you were born, years later, due to Dark Seid, but my point is that everyone, including me and you might have a hard time in life, but the people around us help keep us strong in order to push through our difficulties."

Rose looks up at Clark, still a bit unsure whether or not she wants to believe what he is saying.

"Do you believe in your heart of hearts that Dick and Wally love you and are willing do anything for you?" Rose nods her head firmly, though it doesn't erase the confusion from her eyes. "Well believe that no matter what happens, be it the flowers or the dress, rain or shine, that they are will to do whatever it takes to be with you. That they will love you no matter what."

Clark knows his daughter understands what it is he is telling her and that she knows she will get through tomorrow. His friends and family helped him through his trials and tribulations on his wedding day and he is going to do the same for Rosalie.

"Dance with me." Rose says all of a sudden as she gets up to turn on her radio. "You and I haven't danced in a long time, and when I get married I don't know when we will be alone to do it again."

As the years went by, dancing became an outlet for Rose. Whether she was happy or sad, she always wanted to dance her way through life. Clark thinks its interest how she wants to become business woman at Wayne Enterprises when she could have become a dancer and live her life's joy for the rest of her life.

And if right now really is the last time, at least for a while, that Clark can dance alone with his daughter, he sure as hell is gonna take it.

A/N: Like I said, this is something that popped into my head a few days ago and I just had to share it. R&R and tell me what you think.