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"I think this is a bad idea. Maybe I should just go."
"Hmmm?" Lois fussed in the kitchen not paying much attention to her guest. "What are you talking about?"
"I just think maybe this was a bad idea. The jet is still at the airport. I can just go back to Gotham right now." Lois turned and focused on Selina. Her face was pale, was that fear in her eyes? What could possibly be scaring Selina Kyle, Catwoman, of all people? Clark backed down from this woman regularly, even Bruce preferred not to argue with her. Was it a toxin? Had she been in a fight with Scarecrow before she left Gotham? Maybe she should call Bruce.
"Okay." Lois smiled. She ushered Selina into the living room to sit down. "What's going on?"
"I should just go. I should leave before she gets here." Selina grasped Lois' hand. "You understand, right?"
"Before she- Who?" It took Lois a moment, then she almost laughed out loud. She controlled herself though because there was a definite look of panic in Selina's eyes. "You want to leave before Martha gets here. Martha Kent? Who's coming all the way from Kansas just to meet you."
"This was such a bad idea!" Selina shoved herself up off the couch to pace.
"Did I just find out Catwoman's Kryptonite? Small town Kansas farm women?" Lois chuckled. "Oh come on. Smallville doesn't scare you one bit. You terrify him a fair amount which is something Martha and I laugh about a lot. You don't have to worry that meeting his mother -"
Lois' eyes widened as Selina actually flinched. 'Meeting his mother' was something that Selina was never, ever going to have to do with Bruce but meeting Conner's Mother now that was an entirely different matter.
"Oh Honey." Selina looked over at Lois with miserable eyes. Lois stood and walked over to the upset woman. She put her arm around and rubbed her back. "The boys just want you and Martha to get to know each other."
"Sure. The amazing epitome of all mothers is going to get to know the infamous Catwoman." Selina's voice was a little hoarse. "When she does she's never going to let her baby boy near me again. Bruce respects her, you know. Highly. 'She's wise.' His words."
Lois' eyes widened, high praise from the Dark Knight but she couldn't let that distract her from the problem at hand. "Martha's not like that. She -"
Selina cut her off. "It would hurt, it would hurt to lose Conner but what if Bruce decides that this wise, amazing mother of all mothers has a point about not letting me near her son? What if he-" She stopped, unable to voice the awful thought in her head, squeezing her eyes shut.
Lois grabbed Selina by both shoulders and shook her slightly. "Don't you dare even think like that! If God himself came down from on high and told Bruce Wayne to take Dick away from you he still wouldn't do that! To either one of you."
Selina opened her eyes. "Why? Why wouldn't he? I keep waiting for him to come to his senses, to realize who he's handed that treasure to. I'm a thief from the East End of Gotham. My mother died when I was 8 and she was the only good thing I had." A light flashed in Selina's eyes. "We won't even talk about the things that my father did after she was gone. Escaping to the street was the good option. Maybe I shouldn't be allowed near those boys."
"That's enough of that kind of talk." Selina and Lois both whipped around to the doorway of the living room to see Martha Kent standing there.
Martha let herself into the apartment quietly using Clark's key. It was unlikely, he'd told her, that she would be able to sneak in with Selina there but she thought she would try and surprise the girls. She was spending the day with them and everyone was meeting up for dinner later. Dick and Conner were bouncing out of their sneakers with excitement at this meeting. They had been coordinating every detail for weeks. Dick had even arranged for her and Jonathan to fly first class and hadn't that been lovely? There was a suite waiting for them at the hotel as well.
She'd come in just as Selina shoved herself up to pace across the living room and frowned. It didn't seem like Selina was as excited about this meeting as Dick had indicated she was. Martha stood quietly in the darkened hall, watching and listening. It didn't take long for the root of the problem to show itself. Martha stepped forward into the living room to reveal herself.
"That's enough of that kind of talk." She said smartly. Both women whipped around to look at her, shocked. Selina took a step backward.
"Mrs. Kent. You're early." Selina desperately wanted to not be in this room. The woman had obviously heard at least the last part of what she said which only gave her proof that Selina should not be around Conner.
"Yes, Dick's idea. A surprise for both of you and to give us more time together. He's such a sweet considerate boy." She smiled at Selina, headed for the couch. "Come, sit next to me."
Lois gave Selina a nudge before taking a chair. Selina walked automatically towards the couch and sat down. Martha gave her hands a pat.
"You are even more beautiful than all those photos of you and Bruce that get splashed everywhere." She smiled fondly at Lois. "What is with all my boys finding such beauties? I haven't seen one of Dick's up close but I bet they are all beautiful too."
"I'm holding out for Barbara." Selina surprised herself by answering. "She's stunning - inside and out. Smart too. Maybe smarter than Bruce."
"See? That's what I like to hear. Brains, beauty, personality. Must devil Bruce as well." Her eyes twinkled. "Boy needs to be kept on his toes. I hear you do that quite well." Selina froze. Martha kept on talking as if nothing had changed. "Dick and Conner tell me stories all the time. Dick, that boy adores you. He's lucky to have you."
"I'm," Selina's throat was suddenly very dry. "I'm the lucky one."
"You are. He's a wonderful boy. A great light, especially with all he's been through but he has Bruce and Alfred...and you. Like I said, those boys have told me lots of things. So has Clark. I don't doubt that boy has said some things to make you less than comfortable with the thought of this visit." Martha watched as all emotion disappeared from Selina's face and her back straightened. "That's impressive. Learn that from Bruce? Clark means well but we all know just how hard that head of his is."
Martha watched Selina for a quiet moment, waiting for any answer or a hint of emotion. "Where you grew up, who your parents were, doesn't make you who you are now. Lifting yourself out of that life, building something good and clean for yourself, that shows who you are." She held up a hand when Selina opened her mouth to speak. "I know you were a thief to make that happen. I also know you never hurt anyone. That you protected a lot of people along the way. That you used a good part of that money to help abused women, children, and animals. I also know that you left that life behind for Bruce and that boy. That you risk your life just like the rest of them do now." She laid her hand on Selina's cheek. "I know that you were there for Conner as soon as Dick told you about him. That you made him feel real and human when my own boy couldn't even get it through his thick skull to acknowledge him. I owe you for that."
"It was the right thing to do." Selina whispered.
"It surely was." Martha said. "But not everyone could manage it and that isn't why you did it. I'm making you a promise right now - if Bruce ever tries to take that boy away from you he and I will have words."
Selina snorted and her eyes started to sparkle. "Oh, now that I want to see."
"Now there she is. That's Bruce's girl that I've been hearing so much about." She opened her arms. "Give me hug hello and let's get this visit started proper."
Selina sank into her warm embrace. "Thank you, Mrs. Kent."
"You don't be silly now. Call me Martha."