Disclaimer:
I do not own Young Justice, Supergirl, or any of the associated characters or universe. They belong to DC Comics and Warner Brothers.
Summary:
Deciding to take a break from her regular super-heroing, Miss Martian accepts an invitation to take part in the harvest festival at the Kent Farm. Little does she know there's trouble brewing in the small state of Kansas. Will even the new ally in the form of Supergirl be able to stem the tide? Rated PG-13 for action violence and sexual situations. Set sometime after the Series Finale of Young Justice.
In the heart of Kansas was a small town called (appropriately enough) Smallville. It used to be known as having the best creamed corn in the central United States. Ever since thirty years ago, however, it had a different claim to fame: Meteor Rock Capitol of the World.
It was also known (by a select few individuals) as the hometown of Superman, better known as Clark Kent.
Born on Krypton but raised on Earth, the town had undergone some very strange times during the Kryptonians teenaged years. These days, however, the town was reasonably quiet and laid back, and down on the Kent farm, where Clarks loving Ma and Pa still lived, quieter than most. Enjoying their golden years, the elderly Kent couple still worked to lovingly maintain their farmland, while occasionally playing host to their now matured, superhero son and his odd assortment of new friends.
Next week was the Harvest Festival, and the Kents were busy preparing for the arrival of their guests. Although Clark had declined to join them this year, Connor, his little brother/son/clone, was coming to spend some time on the farm. He'd visited before, of course, though this was the first time he'd be in town for the Harvest Festival.
And this year, he was bringing a guest of his own.
As the sun shone brightly overhead and a gentle breeze drifted by, a strange girl appeared on at the Kent farm. Having descended out of the open air to land lightly on her feet, the first thing she did was check the mailbox and address, confirming her destination was indeed correct. This done, she proceeded to walk along the fence, up the driveway, towards the porch and the front door.
A slim figure of a girl, she looked no older than nineteen, tops. But appearances could be deceiving, and while mentally mature as any Earth college student, she was actually closer to several centuries in age. Her hair was a burnt shade of rich reddish-auburn, and her eyes were a warm shade of brown, bright and clear. Right now, her skin was a vibrantly warm pink, though her adorable freckles continued to shine through, splattered across her nose and cheeks. She wore a faded red outfit consisting of skirt and an over shirt over a white t-shirt, and some dainty shoes on her feet. In other words, looking like she'd stepped right off the bus straight from some nearby big hub like Metropolis or Central City.
Her name was M'gann M'orzz, known by some as Megan Morse, better known to others as Miss Martian.
Smiling, M'gann took her time approaching the front door of the house, her gaze drifting out across the farmland. It was a beautiful, rugged view of the countryside she'd rarely seen outside of television, and it never failed to inspire her with just how natural and... organic... it all felt.
A pair of cows lifted their heads to regard her as she strolled, not even pausing in their grazing as they chewed grass between their smacking lips. She waved to them as she walked on by. They seemed curious, but not outright nervous. Must have somehow smelled she wasn't from around here, though she didn't bother to read their minds and make certain. So long as they weren't too troubled, she was used to strange looks. And though she could read an animals mind, unless it thought in a humanoid fashion it was little more than noise and emotion, impossible to get a proper read on without great difficulty.
A mother hen and her chicks went past, and she deftly side-stepped to give them room to go. One of the baby birds paused at it spotted the disguised Martian girl, nipping at her shoelaces. Then gave up and followed after the others almost immediately. M'gann felt a giggle bubble to the surface, amused by the animal's antics. They were so gosh darn cute.
Garfield would love it here, she thought. It was a shame he wasn't able to join them, but he was busy working with the Rita Farr in Africa on some sort of documentary.
Smiling at the passing birds, M'gann made her way up to the front porch of the Kent farmhouse, admiring as she did how old and... settled... she decided was the right word for it. Like everything had found its place and was comfortable in it. Nothing on Mars, or even in the Watchtower or Mount Justice, or anywhere else she'd lived in the big city, had the same sort of feel to it as this adorable little country house. It even had a quaint little screen door for letting in a breeze while keeping out the bugs.
Ringing the doorbell adjacent, M'gann rocked back on her heels and waited patiently to be answered. Moments later, the inner door was pulled open, then moments later the screen door followed suit as someone stepped forward to welcome her. It was Connor, standing there in his black t-shirt and jeans, not looking a day older than when they'd first met. Being a clone, his aging was locked at the moment of his birth.
"M'gann... you made it," he said with a warm smile. "Did you have trouble finding the place?"
"A little," she replied, pleased to see him. "But eventually Ship spotted the barn. It's parked overhead for now, if that's alright."
He glanced over at the barn, only barely able to see the martian bio-vessel, and then only thanks to very keen kryptonian eyes. It was well camouflaged. "We'll check with the folks, see if they want it parked inside for tonight. There's supposed to be a storm."
"Alright, thanks," she said.
Realizing they were still standing on the porch, he beckoned her in. "Come on in, Ma just finished making some of her famous apple pie. It's to die for."
M'gann accepted the invitation, stepping inside and letting the screen door close behind her. The house looked absolutely beautiful to her. Everything looked old, conveying such a deep sense of history and personality that it made all seemed to come to life, giving her a million questions she wanted to ask. Portraits on the wall by the main hallway showed the Kents: an older image of a past generation, the current Ma and Pa Kent in their prime, another of a young Clark, and beside it still another of Conner. As always, the cloned boy did not look pleased at having his photo taken, but the fact that he'd endured it at all spoke volumes of his love for his newfound family.
"Wow... it's beautiful," M'gann said. She paused by the doorway, wondering if it was customary to remove her shoes, but seeing Connor hadn't bothered with his boots, she decided it must have been acceptable. Even so, she treaded lightly to leave as little dust and dirt behind as possible.
Jonathan Kent, affectionately dubbed Pa by the rest of the Kent clan, had just stepped off the back porch when they entered the living room. His wife joined them, coming in from the kitchen at the sound of all the commotion. For his part, Connor looked only a little awkward at the situation, since it was the first time he'd ever brought a girl to introduce to what were essentially his parents.
"Ma, Pa... this is my girlfriend. The one I told you about?" he introduced her. M'gann gave a small wave, aware of the sudden scrutiny from both of the elderly Kents.
"The uh... one from Venus?" asked Ma Kent, peering through her thick spectacles.
"Mars, actually..." M'gann gently corrected her.
"Well we're no stranger to aliens in this household," Pa said. "What brings you by?"
Connor cleared his throat. "I... invited her to join us for the harvest festival."
"I hope it's not an imposition..." M'gann started to say. Both of the elders waved away her concerns.
"Oh nonsense, we'd be delighted if you could join us for the festival. Come on in miss...?"
"Martian," she said, out of habit. "Oh! M'gann. M'gann M'orzz. Or Megan if you prefer."
"M'gann is fine," Martha Kent replied with a kindly smile. "Come on in dear, let's get you settled."
Ma Kent, better known as Martha, escorted M'gann to the second floor up the stairs, the two of them closely followed by Connors. They led M'gann to the room at the end of the hall that had once been Clark's, some of his old memorabilia and posters from days gone past still adorned it, including a Smallville High Football poster and some old stargazing equipment.
Like the rest of the house, M'gann found it charmingly rustic. "It's wonderful. Thank you for your hospitality," she said formally, clasping her hands in front of herself and giving a low bow.
The Kent Matriarch just laughed at her formality, gently patting her shoulder. "Oh don't worry about it dear. Just get settled in, we're having dinner in an hour or so... you two can catch up."
"So uh... I guess this'll be your room for the stay," Connor said. "My room's just down the hall and to the left," he added. "And if you need 'em Ma and Pa sleep in the master bedroom just past mine. Bathroom's over this ways."
He showed it to her. "Did you bring enough stuff?"
"It's still with the ship," M'gann replied. "I didn't want to seem presumptuous."
At that, he finally seemed to relax. "Nah, Ma and Pa love having company over. And... so do I, for that matter," he added.
She rewarded his kind compliment with a kiss on the cheek. "Be right back."
Floating down the hallway, M'gann exited the back of the house, heading towards the farm, as Superboy made sure to set out some extra towels in the bathroom in case she'd forgotten hers. Some of the red ones, he decided, would work best.
Although he'd been a part of the Kent family for some time, this was the first time bringing M'gann over to meet the folks. In a way, it was like introducing them to her to gain their approval. The girl he was dating. Connor had never done anything like this before, originally because the idea had never occurred to him, and then later because of complications with the Creature named Lagoon. But now that M'gann and he were an item again, he wanted to bring her into his life more completely. Not just the two of them, he wanted to share her with his extended family and help make her part of it.
This weekend, and the Harvest Festival, would be the perfect opportunity for it...
... as long as nothing went wrong.
It did indeed rain that night, a light drizzle that left even the inside of the house slightly damp and humid, despite the wonders of air conditioning to dispel it.
The next morning M'gann took her time waking, stretching out her limbs and cracking every bone in her back as she levitated off of the bed, reveling in the freedom of it. No missions, no schoolwork, no real obligations. This weekend she was going to finally be able to relax. Just her, Connor, and his pseudo-parents.
Taking a moment to make sure the hallway was clear, M'gann still took care to camouflage herself as she headed for the bathroom in the buff. A quick shower later, and she was ready to face the day, sliding on her bio-memetic garments. Connor stopped by shortly after she left her room for the second time, already up and rested.
"You're up early," she remarked.
Connor rubbed his neck awkwardly. "Comes with the territory," he replied. "Smallville's a town of early risers, and Ma and Pa Kent are no exception. Did you sleep well?"
"Sure did! These mattresses feel like clouds," M'gann replied.
He gave a smile at her description, having found it an apt one. The sheets were another matter but nothing was perfect, especially when money was tight for the Kent family. They weren't struggling to get by, but they were careful to manage their monetary income.
"Well if you think that's good wait until you try the food. Nothing beats home grown organics," he spoke from sage experience.
"Oh, and I picked out the best look to wear while I'm here... tell me what you think," M'gann said, raising up her arms and altering her garments with a whim.
Manipulated by her thoughts, the martian fabric molded itself to her frame, shrinking down on itself until it was a rather small checkered button shirt, left unbuttoned and bound tightly together just above her bared midriff, and a pair of cut-off jean shorts that looked positively scandalous, giving a very excellent view of her toned green legs.
That stunned look on Conners face was priceless, but M'gann was even more amused by his surface thoughts. She giggled and gave a little arch of her heel, spinning around so she could display herself from every angle.
"You like?" she asked innocently.
"... you know I do," Connor replied smoothly, managing to put his thoughts back into order. "You look lovely."
"And you always say the sweetest things," she said, standing on her tiptoes and kissing him on the cheek. "Now what's for breakfast? I'm starving!"
So eager to get some food, M'gann all but floated down the stairs, followed by Conner. The aroma of sizzling bacon and ham drew her instantly to the kitchen, where Martha Kent was cracking open some eggs and settling them into frying pan. A soft ding announced the completion of their toast, which sprung out of the toaster.
"How do you like your eggs, Megan dear? Scrambled or sunny side up?"
"Scrambled please. May I be of any help?" she inquired.
Ma Kent shook her head. "Oh no dear, I've got quite a handle on this, thank you... why don't you just relax?"
M'gann smiled at her generosity, settling onto a seat at the table and floating some orange juice and a pair of glasses over for herself and Connor. She also grabbed the toast with her telekinesis to set in the middle of the table on a small plate. Pa Kent, reading the newspaper, raised an eyebrow at the display of telekinesis, but ultimately went right back to his reading. Evidently, he'd seen stranger.
"So what've you two got planned for today?" Ma Kent asked as she set some plates down at the table for each of its occupants.
"Oh Conner said he was going to take me into town to see more of the sights," M'gann replied. "See more of Smallville from the ground. I think he mentioned this nice café we were going to stop for lunch afterwards... uh... the Claw, was it?"
"Talon," he corrected her gently.
"Oh I remember the Talon," Martha said in a wistful tone of voice. "I remember back when it was a movie theater... goodness that feels like ages ago..."
M'gann smiled, listening to her words, feeling the emotion behind them. You didn't have to be a telepath to tell there was a lot of history to be found here in Smallville, and with the Kent family. And she was anxious to explore all of it and learn more about them.
Breakfast passed in relative silence after that, since it was considered rude to speak with your mouth full, and they had all brought their appetites. Conner even went back for seconds. When they were finally finished, Martha set about preserving that which hadn't been eaten (which was very little, it seemed) while M'gann levitated the stained utensils over to the sink to be washed.
"Dear..."
"Please, Mrs Kent," she insisted. "It's the least I can do for all your hospitality."
Knowing when she was defeated, Ma Kent threw up her arms politely and thanked Miss Martian, who levitated the plates, glasses, and utensils into the sink, rinsing them clean of any clinging food particles, then into the dishwasher. It was an older model than the one they had back at Mount Justice, or even her uncle J'onn's apartment. For a moment, she couldn't quite get it to work, no matter how much she pushed the 'on' button.
"Here, it needs a..." Connor slid out of his seat and lightly slapped the top of the counter over the dishwasher. It hummed to life finally. "... bit of a kick-start."
"Thanks Conner."
"No problem. You all set to head into town?" he asked.
"Sure am!" M'gann replied, eager to see the sights.
"'kay, then I'll be right back, forgot something upstairs," he said.
M'gann finished her orange juice, but took her time levitating the glass and plates over to the countertop to rinse clean. She figured if she couldn't help prepare the food she could at least help with the wash. From the tired little smile on Mrs Kents worn face, M'gann knew she was grateful without having to even read her mind.
Today was going to be so exciting, she thought. Connor had promised to show her a little around Smallville and the Kent farm, let her see the highlights of the former and the business of the latter. The Festival wasn't due to start until tomorrow, but there was still plenty to do in town and lots to see, and she was practically bursting with excitement, all ready to go.
The doorbell rang, a merry little chime, interrupting her thoughts.
Since she was closest to the door, and feeling she owed her hosts some kind of repayment for their kindness, M'gann was on her feet in seconds. "I'll get it!" she called out over her shoulder, all but gliding down the hallway and to the front door. Remembering at the last minute to shift her skin tone to a healthy pink, she opened up the door.
"Welcome to the Kent Farm, can we help you?"
On the other side of the door was a young woman almost the same age as M'gann, standing a few inches taller and a lot more muscular. Her hair was a vibrant shade of blonde, like wheat in a field, and her skin was deeply tanned from many long hours in the sun. She wore a simple outfit, a white shirt two sizes too small for her, baring her midriff, a red coat thrown over that, and a pair of tight jeans. White shoes adorned her feet, though she wore them without socks. She also had a floppy straw hat atop of her head, completing the look of a stereotypical farmers daughter.
"I sure hope so," said the young woman, lifting up her floppy hat and revealing a pair of eyes so brightly blue they shined like diamonds. For some reason they reminded M'gann of Connor's eyes. "I'm part of the Kent family. Are Ma and Pa around?"
"Oh yes, they're in the kitchen," M'gann replied, only somewhat puzzled. She thought she'd met all of the Kent family. "I'm Megan, what's your name?"
"Kara," the blonde replied. "Kara Kent."
Authors Notes:
Been wanting to do this story for ages, finally sat down and knocked it out. I hope you enjoy.
Special thanks goes to CallMePo for honoring me with the artwork for the story.