Family Relations: Part 1
Generally, Clark and I prefer to keep no secrets from each other. And when I say 'generally' I mean always. No secrets allowed.
Except when it comes to other heroes' secret identities. Obviously, he doesn't tell me those. Not that I don't know quite a few of them already. Being the unofficial-but-totally-official secretary of the League, I get to know shit like that. I have a 'trustworthy appearance', according to Martian Manhunter.
Maybe it's the whole married-to-Superman thing that tends to make me trustworthy in their eyes.
Clark tells me it is because I look so adorable and nice that people automatically trust me. But, you know, he's probably biased. Heck, the guy thought I looked beautiful when I was pregnant. And back then, I hadn't been a pretty sight. I'd been fat as a whale, my face was constantly blotchy, my hair was unkempt and my clothes the most unflattering they'd ever been. If he thought I looked beautiful then, well, then the guy is obviously biased.
I flatter myself by assuming he hadn't simply been lying to keep me from crying. I was very emotional and weepy during my pregnancy.
ANYWAY, back on track.
We are talking about secrets.
So, Clark and I have this agreement that we don't keep things from each other intentionally. It's a good arrangement, not only because it ensures trust and that we won't end up building lie upon lie to cover for our first lie – the snow ball effect, as Clark calls it – but also that the two of us generally tend to stay away from situations we wouldn't want to have to explain to the other. Don't do anything bad and you've got nothing to lie about, right?
Wrong.
Clark is keeping something from me. Something big.
It started when he came back from Justice League stuff the day after independence day. He'd been really distracted and had gone to bed early, barely touching his dinner.
Which was.. odd. The man usually eats for two.
I asked him more than once what was wrong, but every time, he brushed me off, assuring me he was just tired.
So I let him go to bed, figuring he'd tell me when he was ready. Maybe he was worried over some mission.
He kissed me good night and thanked me for a wonderful dinner – which, again, he'd barely touched – and smoothed Lara's brown curls back before giving her a peck on the crown of her head, telling the giggling girl to behave while daddy slept.
The small girl's legs kicked at her high chair in delight, nearly breaking the plastic seat that was honestly too fragile for a half-kryptonian toddler. She proudly said "Dada!" in a loud, high pitched voice, which made Clark smirk at me because she still hadn't said 'mommy' yet.
I rolled my eyes and tried to coerce some more food into our highly energetic baby. Lara's flailing arms knocked the spoon from my hand, sending another wave of peas to the floor.
"C'mon Lara," I groaned right as Clark slipped from the room, "how many peas can you possibly justify getting on the floor?"
After having finished cleaning up the kitchen, I put the girl to sleep. It couldn't have been more than eight or nine PM, but I was exhausted, so I decided to go to bed myself.
Once I entered our bedroom, I could tell Clark was pretending to be asleep.
"So," I spoke up, making sure my voice was loud enough for his superhearing to catch even if he'd been asleep, meaning he couldn't pretend anymore. "Are you going to tell me what's up or do I have to call Batman?"
Slipping out of my jeans and switching my t-shirt for one of his – I'd reached the point where I really didn't sleep in anything else – I got into bed next to him, snuggling into his side when he pulled me closer with one arm.
He let out a sigh at my words. "Georgie, it's nothing. I'll.. explain later."
"Hm." I wasn't really pleased, but I wasn't going to push either. "You better." I answered before rolling onto my side and closing my eyes.
Days have gone by since, and he still wasn't telling me what is going on. I assume it hadn't been incredibly important, because pretty quickly, he started acting like himself again. Well, sometimes he still acts distracted and worried, but it is obvious he's doing his best to avoid that sort of behavior in front of me.
So after some time, I let it go. His weird behavior stopped, so I kind of forget about it.
Forget about it until I get a very unusual phone call one morning, that is.
It's a Wednesday, which is my day off. Clark's in the bathroom getting ready for work. Lara hasn't woken yet – the girl has a serious love for sleeping late, which, as her mom, I'm a big fan of – so I'm, just lazing around in bed.
I'm waiting for Clark to finish his shower so I can take a bath myself, figuring it won't do that I smell of sex when Diana comes over later today.
Anyway, lazing around in bed and feeling overall great. And then Clark's phone goes off.
"Clark, your phone's ringing." I call, even though I know he can hear it.
"Can you get it for me?" He asks.
Picking the phone up, I see that it's an encrypted number, meaning it's probably someone from the League.
Hitting the answer button, I feel a smirk capture my lips as I answer, rolling around in bed so I'm leaning on my elbows. "Hello, this is Georgia. My boy toy is currently unavailable, can I take a message?"
"Oh my god, Georgia." I hear Clark groan in resignation.
"Georgia." The person simply responds. If the gravelly voice isn't enough to clue me in, the unamused tone is.
"Heya, Bats!" I answer happily. "What can I do for you?"
"I need to talk to you." He answers. I instinctively frown, not missing how his tone is lowered, probably to make sure Clark can't hear him.
"Uh, okay. Shoot." I answer.
"When does Clark leave for work?" He asks, still in a low voice.
"Like half an hour." I hear the shower turn off and know the conversation will have to be cut short here, unless he wants Clark to hear. "Listen, he's coming in a second, so I have to go. I'll come to the Watchtower later today, okay? We can talk then."
There's a pause on the other end, and then; "Come as soon as you can. Don't tell Clark."
The call is ended and I let the phone fall from my grip and onto the bed beside me, already thinking hard. Batman wants to talk to me, without involving Clark. I have absolutely no idea what he wants to talk about, but I get the feeling it's pretty important. Batman and I don't talk that often, so for him to literally seek me out like this is a bit weird. And then telling me to keep Clark out of it intentionally? When he probably knows about the whole 'no secrets' thing?
Weird.
I lie down again and wrap my arms around my pillow.
Clark emerges from the bathroom a moment later, looking delicious with a towel around his hips and damp, tousled hair.
I instantly smile at him and let out a small whistle. "You see, it's because of behavior like that that I call you my 'boy toy'." I explain.
He rolls his eyes playfully at me before heading for our closet, switching the towel for a nice, three-piece suit.
"What did Batman want?" He asks as he pulls on the suit jacket and buttons it.
I try to think of an answer that's specific enough to be satisfactory, and yet vague enough to not be a lie.
"He needs me at the Watchtower." I simply answer. It wouldn't be the first time I'm called to go to 'work' at the Watchtower at such a short notice.
Clark pauses. "What about Lara?"
I shrug. "I'll take her with me. She's been before, you know."
"Alright." He slips on his glasses and smiles softly at me, his wife, still lying naked – though covered by blankets – in our bed, looking at ease and happy. He walks over and places a kiss on my bare shoulder. "I'll see you tonight."
"Have a nice day at work." I answer as he lets me pull his face down so I can kiss him on the mouth.
Clark has left the house twenty minutes later, right as I emerge from Lara's room, the small girl in my arms.
Today, she's wearing a blue, knee length, polka dotted dress my mom gave her this Christmas. Clark says I'm obsessed with buying cute dresses for our daughter, but, honestly, how can I not be when she looks so adorable in them? Her bouncy curls, shining blue eyes and constantly wide smile is the truly adorable thing, the dresses just add to her cuteness factor.
Her legs are whipping around beneath her in her eagerness to start the day. Out of habit, I do my best to avoid getting hit by the strong limbs. I'd gotten some vicious bruises due to my own carelessness before.
Having a superpowered baby comes with precautions. Lara is different than Jason, which have been obvious since the moment she was born. The mix of kryptonian and human genes in Jason has made him slightly frail, with a handful of diseases and random bursts of superpowers that he hasn't quite learned to control yet. Lara is.. well she's strong. She's healthy. She is showing great potential for powers. We're not sure what made the difference, if Clark and my DNA somehow fit better than his and Lois, or if it is a complete coincidence.
"Slow down, honey." I tell her. "Just a quick breakfast and then we're going, okay? Mommy promises."
Lara squeals happily and lets me place her in her high seat with no complaints.
Half an hour later, we're out of the house too, and heading for the nearest Zeta tube to the Watchtower. Once again, I begin wondering what Batman wants to talk to me about. I hope Clark isn't in any sort of trouble that he's been keeping from me. Then again, that would explain his weird behavior.
As soon as I land on the Zeta platform of the Watchtower, Lara starts kicking again, wanting to get out of my grip and down so she can explore.
I hoist her further up on my hip and tell her to settle down. She stops kicking for a moment, but the peace only lasts until she catches sight of 'Uncle Barry', because then she starts squirming again, adding loud, high pitched baby squeals to the mix.
The speedster notices us immediately – and given the way my daughter is currently shrieking with the force of a fog horn, I'm not exactly surprised – and he approaches us at superspeed, standing before me in a second.
"Lara!" He shouts, expectantly holding his arms out for the girl. She tries to reach him as well, and I quickly hand her over, watching with a fond smile as he tickles her stomach and coos at her.
"I thought you had the day off?" He asks me then, turning his attention away from the toddler currently trying to reach the small decorative wing on the side of his head.
I shrug. "Batman asked me to come. Has something he says he needs to talk to me about." I tell Barry, assuming Batman doesn't mind. He said 'don't tell Clark', not 'don't tell anyone'. "Can you watch Lara for me while I talk to him?" I ask next, knowing finding a babysitter at the Watchtower won't be a hard deal. Most of them adore her, and the rest find her interesting, if nothing else then from a scientific point of view or because of her father.
"Sure thing." Barry agrees readily. "I'll take her to the cafeteria. We'll see you later."
I nod and thank him, pausing to hand over her nursing bag and kiss Lara's temple before I head towards the main room.
Batman is there, as usual, pouring over his screens with a concentrated scowl on his face. Briefly, I find myself wondering if Robin joining that new young team of sidekicks – wait, they don't like to be called that – has made Batman more lonely. I shake the thought away, knowing that, if he wants company, he can easily seek it out. He is part of a large team, and knows several members quite well. The guy likes solitude.
"Batman," I greeted even though I know he probably already knows I'm here. "You wanted to talk to me?"
He doesn't look up from the screens, so I figure whatever he wants to talk about can be found on them. I step closer and squint at them as I take in the young unfamiliar faces I see.
"That's the new team right?" I ask, hoping to prod something out of him. He doesn't get to call me up here and then not answer my questions.
To my relief, Batman starts talking.
"A few months ago, the Team was formed. Robin, Aqualad and Kid Flash infiltrated a Cadmus building and discovered a huge net of underground labs, and in one of them, they discovered something unexpected."
I listen silently as he explaining, knowing this must be something important. Batman isn't exactly the type to tell stories without some serious motive.
"A clone, made from Superman's DNA."
His calmly spoken words feel like a lightning bolt going through my body, and I take and instinctive step back. "Wait, what?" is all I can think to ask.
"The clone has the body of a sixteen year old boy, but in reality, he was grown in about sixteen weeks. So far, Clark refuses to acknowledge Superboy's existence."
For a long while, I don't say anything. A lot of emotions are coiling around inside me, the most prominent being anger, confusion and betrayal because he didn't tell me.
"I had no idea." I assure Batman. He nods, just barely.
"I assumed as much." He says, "Which is why I called you here. You need to speak to Clark. Make him see sense. The boy needs his father, but Clark refuses to accept that."
I feel anger win over, slowly but surely. "Oh, I'm gonna do more than that." I promise. "When can I meet him? The clone?"
Already, a plan – a stupid and reckless one, maybe – is forming in my mind. If my husband isn't going to take care of his clone – his son – then I damn well will. I'm going to meet the boy, get to know him. Let him know not everybody considers him unwanted.
Briefly, I feel bad for thinking about going behind Clark's back on this, but the emotion doesn't survive for long. If he feels it's okay to keep something as huge as this from me, then I will find it perfectly okay to seek the boy out without telling him first. I'm kind of pissed off as well, lending me the courage to do this.
Half an hour later, I'm standing in the kitchen of Mount Justice. Batman beamed me here, though I hardly need help anymore. I think it's more to keep up the pretense that I do not know the location of the hide out. Batman likes to pretend that I, as a civilian, despite my Justice League Mascot status am not privy to most of their secrets. I think it's the main reason he hasn't told me his secret identity yet. I know most of the Leaguers know.
Not that it bothers me – as I've already mentioned, I already know. That is my superpower: figuring out superheroes' secret identities.
Either way, half an hour later, I'm standing in the kitchen of the Cave, Batman looming behind me as if his presence will justify him letting me know about the place. In a way, Mount Justice really isn't much of a secret. Everybody knows where it is – people just don't know that it's inhabited by a bunch of teenage sidekicks – erh, I mean teenage heroes.
Lara is on my hip again after I spent almost ten minutes arguing with Flash over babysitting her. As much as I love the League, I'm not yet comfortable with leaving my babygirl with them when neither Clark no I are with her. She's too young for that.
She's kicking her legs furiously, trying to escape my grasp and go explore this new and exciting place. I keep her on my hip for now as I wordlessly study the young man in front me. He looks much more doubtful than I, his blue eyes a weird mix of really intense, confused and apprehensive.
"Hi." I say eventually.
He looks at the dark hero behind me for a split second before looking at me again. "Hi." He says back.
I'm startled for a second. His voice is not just similar to, but completely identical to Clark's. I've seen pictures of Clark as a teenager, and this boy looks like he's taken straight out of those. He does not just look like Clark – he is Clark. I can't see a single difference, except that Clark look much happier in the pictures than this tense boy before me.
I can spot confusion so clearly on his face that I finally take pity on the boy, sighing loudly. Without looking back at the caped crusader, I move Lara from my hip and shove her at Batman's chest. He seems to wrap his arms around her purely on instinct, and pointing a quick look over my shoulder, I almost bust out laughing at the uncomfortable look on the usually stoic man's face.
I turn my full attention onto Superboy, who is eyeing the small girl in the Dark Knight's grip. I'm pretty sure I spot a tiny glimmer of amusement pass over his face before he turns icy blue eyes back onto me. I take a few steps forwards, making sure to stay at a respectable distance, but also close enough that I do not seem as if I am keeping a deliberate distance from him out of animosity.
"I'm Georgia." I introduce myself. Pointing a finger behind me, I offer him a lopsided grin. "That's Lara."
"I'm Superboy." he says automatically, like it's a fact he's been told his whole life. Like it's his very essence.
I tilt my head. "Don't you have a real name?"
He regards me uncertainly before looking behind me, probably at Batman.
"You can trust her." the Batman's gravelly voice assures him. "Georgia works with the Justice League."
Connor looks at me again, brow furrowed further as he studies my frame. "I don't recognize you."
I smile again and laugh once. "Oh, I'm not a superhero. More of a secretary, really."
He nods in acceptance and then says, "I'm Connor."
A small smile slips onto my face again at the similarity between their names. "It's a nice name." I compliment, doing my absolute damnest to not get off on the wrong foot with this poor boy. If what Batman tells me is right, then he is in serious need of a parental figure. And if my idiot husband is not going to provide it, I certainly am.
He looks like he doesn't know what to do with my compliment, so I plow on.
"I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here, seeking you out." I raise an eyebrow at him – an art I have finally mastered after years of practice and a bit of advice from Clark – as if daring him to contradict my obviously true statement.
"Yes." He responds shortly and I note he is not like Clark in that aspect – the boy of steel speaks in far shorter terms than the man.
"Batman told me about your.. situation." I admit. I'm stalling on telling him that I'm Superman's wife. Perhaps it's because I'm worried of his reaction. Perhaps it's because I've never told anyone of my association with Superman before, knowing that it could be potentially dangerous.
But I don't care. This boy, above anyone else, deserves to know. He thinks Superman is his only family – that his only family has rejected him. And I need him to know that he's wrong. He has me and Lara as well, if he wants us.
He frowns at me as if wondering what situation I'm referring to.
"I'm talking about your situation with Superman." I elaborate.
He looks defensive now, like he wants to ask how that's any of my business.
"I'm his wife." I blurt out, feeling the need to get it out as quickly as possible. "Lara is our daughter."
Behind me, Batman shifts uncomfortably. I argued with him for fifteen minutes in the Watchtower over how much I could tell Superboy. I stood fast and firmly told him that this was my problem now, and so I would tell him as much as I see fit. He made me promise to at least not tell him Superman's real name. And I agreed, as long as I got to tell the boy anything else I'd find important.
Connor's eyes widen and he looks worried now. Perhaps he thinks I'm going to tell him to stay away from Superman. That the hero already has a family and doesn't need Superboy.
Before he gets to react to my statement, there are footsteps in the hall and Robin appears in the doorway, looking young and energetic as usual.
He analyzes the situation before him quickly and then smiles at me, clearly having guessed what this is about.
"Hey, Georgia." He greets.
Superboy turns to the much shorter boy, his thoughts clear on his face; You knew?!
I offer him a grin. "What's up, shorty?" I ruffle his hair once he gets close enough and he swats a hand at mine.
"One day I'm gonna be much taller than you, and you're going to eat your words." He threatens. He looks at his mentor next, clearly fighting uproarious laughter at the sight of him holding a hyperactive, superpowered toddler in a blue, polkadotted dress and curly pigtails.
I look at Batman too and share a private grin with Robin before flicking my head at his mentor. The boy understands my meaning and approaches Batman, freeing him of his adorable burden.
Robin puts Lara on the floor and holds onto her hand as she starts to excitedly drag him along on slightly unsteady legs. Sometimes, she gets so excited she forgets she can't walk that well yet.
They disappear from the room and I finally turn back to Connor. Almost as soon as he's released from babysitter-duty, Batman leaves as well, the sound of the Zeta tube echoing in the Cave a moment later.
He looks questioning, and I shrug. "I've known Robin for four years now." I explain. "He helped Batman and I save Superman's life once."
Connor looks surprised, like he would have expected the scenario to be the other way around. I shortly explain the deal with the escaped prisoners and how I'd sorta dealt with our kidnappers while Clark was useless from the kryptonite.
"I – I didn't know he was married." Is all he can think to respond with.
I shrug. "We've only been married for three years – almost. It'll be three in a few months. Anyways, it's not common knowledge. I don't want to be publically associated with Superman – would be too dangerous."
He seems to understand, because he nods thoughtfully. At this point, I realize I probably need to explain why I'm really here. I sense my sharing personal information has put him slightly more at ease – at least, he doesn't seem to think I'm here to tell him to back off.
"Do you like ice cream?" I ask next.
He frowns at me again and I begin to think it's his go-to face. "I've never tasted it." He admits, looking slightly embarrassed. I remember what Batman said about him being force-grown in a pod, how the supposedly sixteen year old boy before me is not even six months old in reality.
I smiled at him, hoping it comes across as reassuring and not amused at his expense. "Well, I know this really great ice cream shop in Metropolis and I was thinking – do you wanna go?"
I find myself holding my breath as I wait for his answer. I've extended an olive branch now, so to say. It's up to him now if he accepts it. Either way, I'm glad knowing I've done what I can to help this boy for now.
He looks almost vulnerable for a moment, and his voice is the softest I've heard it when he speaks next.
"I'd like that."
I beam at him, and a small smile flits across his own face, his body unwinding slightly from its tensing.
"Great! I'll just track down Robin and Lara, and we'll be on our way!"
He follows behind me at an unsure distance as we head further into Mount Justice. For a moment, I think he's wondering whether I'm allowed to walk about unattended by Batman, but he doesn't ask. I wonder if it's because he's afraid of offending me and thus ruin the chance of getting to know his father's family better, or if it's because he remembers Batman telling him that he can trust me.
We find Robin in the common room a few minutes later, with Lara propped up in his hip, looking mighty pleased at the attention he – or Lara, really – is getting from a green skinned female. I recognize her from a picture J'onn has showed me, and know this is his niece.
She is cooing happily at Lara, who giggles, showing off what few teeth she has, and grabs hold of the green finger tickling her chin. The girl lets out a surprised laughter when the toddler immediately puts the captured finger in her mouth.
"Lara," I say teasingly, gaining the attention of the three people in the room. "what have I said about drooling on other people?"
The green-skinned girl smiles at me as she discreetly wipes her finger off on her skirt.
"It's okay." She assures me as I pluck Lara from Robin's arms. She sticks a hand out. "I'm M'gann."
"Georgia," I shake her hand. "You're Martian Manhunter's niece."
"You know my uncle?"
I nod, my smile secretive. Batman said I could reveal my identity to Superboy. He didn't say anything about this girl, however, so I don't elaborate.
"Can I ask what you're doing here?" She asks cautiously, even though it's a perfectly fair question.
"Oh, I'm here to pick up Connor. We're going to Metropolis." I shoot a grin over my shoulder at the silent boy behind me.
M'gann looks at him next with a confused look, but before she can ask any more questions, I speak up again.
"Speaking of which, we need to get going if we want to get back before my husband gets off from work." Connor nods as I turn back to M'gann. "It was nice to meet you. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon."
We approach the Zeta tube and I plot in the destination, recalling the lesson Clark had given me on how to do so. I wave a hand at Robin and M'gann before walking through the tube, appearing in Metropolis a second later. Superboy arrives behind me and we turn the corner of the hidden alley, hitting upon a very busy street only about half a mile from the ice cream shop I had in mind. I regret not bringing a stroller with me for Lara, as the girl, with the added weight of her nursery bag, quickly gets to me.
"Connor, can you please carry this for me? My shoulder is starting to ache." I ask the silent boy politely. He accepts the nursery bag without a word and we keep walking in a silence I hope doesn't feel awkward for him. I'm not entirely sure what to say and my eyes keep darting around, hoping to find some sort of topic for conversation.
Soon, I start chatting about pointless things, keeping an excited and friendly look on my face in the hopes of making Connor loosen up a bit. He does after a while, but he's still very short in his answers. I wonder if, because he's only been alive for a few months, he's not quite used to conversations yet. A normally born child has years to learn speaking and conversing – they start out with small noises that eventually become words that then become sentences. But Connor, because he looks like a teenager, is expected to be able to converse like one, even though speech patterns and social ques can take years to learn.
I decide to not let it bother me that he's so short in his answers – it's not his fault.
Either way, the thought leaves my head as my eyes find the ice cream shop and I point at it happily. "This is the place I talked about!" I tell him. "C'mon. I'll even let you decide yourself how many scoops you want."
We enter the shop, and I can't help but wonder how the next hour is going to pan out.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISS AU! (u kno who u r)
Since you're the one person who's been nagging me the absolute most about posting this fic, I just knew I had to post it on your B-day. Aren't I good?
Anyways, this is only the first part and I know it lagged a whole lot in the Clark department. I sorta love that, the second he turns his back, Georgia is out doing shenanigans. I hope you like Lara - named after Clark's kryptonian mom.