2
Metropolis, Kansas - October 23, 2023
Clark watched.
It was what he spent a surprising amount of his time doing. Even in a city of 10 million, even in a city that full of crime (and while it was not Gotham, it managed), he had to wait, keep his attention focused. He was watching for another purse snatcher, another rape, another attempted robbery. What he should have been watching for was a Kryptonian on a mission.
Kara popped into reality in front of him and he startled a little. He hadn't been expecting her. The patrols in Metropolis were split four ways. He and Kara switched off every three days, while the Angel of Vengeance and Fawkes took turns picking up shifts as well. He and Kara rarely took the same nights, not unless something evil was brewing with Lex or Oliver needed both of their strengths. It allowed both of them to spend nights at home with their families and not feel guilty that the "Ghost" of Metroplis wasn't doing his duty.
It was Thursday.
He always took Thursdays.
"Kal, we need to talk."
Clark sighed and adjusted his black sweater as he sat back down on the Planet's roof. "We do?"
Kara's eyes flared red for a second before she continued. Yeah, she meant business. "Kon's going to be fifteen in two months."
Clark relaxed. "So, did he ask his Aunt Kara to con a great present out of me. He's too young for a car."
"Not funny, Kal-El."
"Kara-"
"I know you used to think I was stupid."
"No, I used to think that you made a lot of stupid mistakes, that you took too many risks. Then I lapped you in the idiocy Olympics."
She sighed and patted his shoulder. "We didn't know about Lana. None of us could have predicted that you'd have Kon."
"Yeah, but I went to ISIS and told the doctors there about you. I made a lot of bad choices after Kon was already on the way, and you were great about everything. Your parents would have been proud, I bet. You're a great head of the House."
"No, Kal-El, not to go all sexist but that's your job. I never wanted it, but sometimes someone has to tell you when you're being an ass. This is one of those times."
"I don't understand."
"Yes you do. How old was Jax-Ur when you told him about his father, about what Blue Kryptonite really does?"
"I-"
"He was fourteen. And how old were you when your dad showed you your ship?"
"This is a pattern thing."
" You were fourteen. Kon's old enough to know."
"And you can't wait to tell Alura. If she weren't nine, you'd have already done it."
"We agreed to this, that we wouldn't hide Krypton from any of them."
"We haven't."
"No, Kon and Alura think they're fairytales. It's not the same. The history of their family and it's as real to them as the Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia. It has to be that way. I get that. After Lex stole both you and Kon, I'd never risk it. I can't have Alura say something and have someone like ISIS or LuthorCorp take her. I won't have it," Kara replied, her fist clenching.
"I'm keeping Kon protected," he defended.
"No, he's old enough. He's like Jax or like you were. He'd be smart enough to keep himself protected. You owe him the truth."
"We could wait. Kon thinks he's like Chloe. That we're all like Chloe. Would it be so wrong to let him and Alura think they're meteor infected until they graduate high school."
"You're going to be ashamed of us now? Little cousin, I thought you'd learned better," Kara snapped, crossing her arms over her chest.
"No, I'm not. Not at all, but this is hard. He thinks he's human, Kara. Weird, sure, but that's us. I'm about to tell him he never completely was."
"Well he is half-squirrel. That's going to be hard to tell anyone."
Clark blanched. "I can't tell him about Lana."
"He's almost fifteen. He's a freshman in high school and he's brilliant because his bio-mom was an evil schemer extraordinaire and because we're not from here. Kon's not so stupid that he doesn't know he's more unusual than most meteor infected people."
"What?"
"He's been asking me things, James too."
"He's going to Jimmy? What did Jimmy say?"
"Jesus, Kal, he didn't say anything but he did help Kon fix the tile in his bathroom."
"Huh?"
"It broke."
"Right, he slipped or something and offered to fix it instead of make me do it. I didn't know Jimmy helped with that."
"James is helpful around the house. He's a regular Bob Vina."
"Villa."
"Whatever, he's totally helpful. Kon told him how it actually got broken and it had a lot more to do with an extended shower than it did with slipping."
Clark's eyes widened. "What?"
"I really don't want to get into details because I'm not supposed to know. But that's just one thing on top of the hearing he can't control because it didn't develop correctly and the flight and the speed and the fact that he can't heal things like Chloe can. He knows there's something very different about him besides meteor powers and it's scaring him, Kal-El. So either you tell him or I will but we are going to tell him and it is going to be this weekend."
Clark took a deep breath and looked out into the city, the glass walls of the other skyscrapers gleaming in the moonlight. "It's going to be so hard. He's...I never want him to feel the way I did."
"And he won't because you didn't have anyone to show you how to use your powers or anyone to tell you what Krypton was like or anyone else just like you. Kon has a foster brother and a little cousin who are exactly like he is. He's not alone in it."
He nodded. "I know but I don't want to hurt him."
"I think the not understanding his abilities his hurting him more. He's scared, afraid he can't...he feels the way you felt all those years with Lana. I can't let this go on and I technically am the oldest."
"Fine but I can't tell him about Chloe and Lana. For fourteen years, Chloe's been his mom and he doesn't even know Lana, except the way Metropolis knows her-from the stories on page six and Cat's column. He doesn't need to know that Chloe's not blood family."
"Is this because Chloe said this was the way she wanted it or because you're afraid to deal with it?"
"Chloe said it was my call and I don't want to ever do anything to imply Chloe's not the mother."
"Aunt Martha isn't related to us, but I think of her the same way I always thought of Aunt Lara. It doesn't matter."
"It does to me. I just...Lana's dangerous and psychotic and I don't want to explain to him that that's in his gene pool. I think alien from Krypton is enough without her mess on top of it."
"You should tell him everything. These things never stay a secret for long and he can tell that his powers and Chloe's don't match. He can see that he doesn't look like her."
"Well Chloe and Lana are the same height and they both have green eyes," he defended, feeling like an idiot.
"And Lana's complexion is darker by a shade than either of yours and the shape of his eyes are hers, the texture of his hair. He's Lana in so many ways and he has to have noticed it. We had to lie to keep him safe, but I don't want to lie to him anymore."
"It's easy for you to tell Alura when the time comes. You and Jimmy have always been crazy about each other. She comes out of this perfect marriage, but Lana didn't love me and we had the messiest divorce in history and we weren't even married!"
"I understand that more than you think. I know what my parents had and it was painfully like Dax-Ur and Mary or you and Lana are now. But lying about it, pretending it's fine, we always see through it. You've had fifteen years to figure it out. No more waiting, Kal-El. He deserves to know everything."
Clark nodded and folded in on himself. "I just don't want to disappoint him."
"Hey,so how was patrol?" Chloe asked, smiling as he flew through the window.
"I hope Andrea was on top of her game tonight," Clark replied. "Because my cousin ambushed me."
"She did?"
"Yeah, she's on a kick for me to tell Kon everything." Clark would have worried more about Kon overhearing except he was sleeping over at Gerald's tonight. Besides, under the most ideal of circumstances, Kon's hearing was almost impossible to focus. They were working on it, but whatever way his not-quite DNA had lined up, the human half had diminished his ears' capabilities.
"About time. Good for her."
"You're my wife. You're supposed to back me up."
"Clark, I've been begging you for months too. I'm glad Kara and Jimmy are on the initiative."
"Jimmy?"
"Hive mind. They agree on everything."
"Scary when that happens." Clark deadpanned, slumping onto the bed.
"Ha-ha," she countered, taking his hand. "It's going to be okay. I mean, you got over being mad with your parents in like a day."
"True. I just...I get a bad feeling about all of this."
"And you worry too much."
He sighed and squeezed her hand. "You sure you want another? Crazy alien drama all over again."
"If you can take meteor infection madness."
"You're fine, Chlo."
She nodded, "It's a two-way street. We can take each other's weirdness. Besides, I always wanted Kon to have a brother or sister. I finally got that Pulitzer for the meta rights legislation coverage. I just...I'm glad we're trying. I know it's been slow going."
Which was a slight understatement. Chloe had won her Pulitzer almost a year ago and had celebrated by coming home and announcing it was time for a second child. They'd been trying, sometimes several times a day, for almost a year without luck. It had taken Kara and Jimmy much less time, he and Lana as well.
He hadn't said anything to her, but Clark was beginning to worry that the two of them weren't compatible like that. Chloe's heart was concentrated with Kryptonite, her entire body had been altered by it.
He was allergic.
It wasn't so insane to think that maybe a second child wouldn't be possible, at least not without the same methods that his mom had used to get him. He'd been thinking that over-hell Bart in all his subtlety had suggested that too (just to him)-but hadn't dared to say anything to Chloe. She'd wanted this so badly.
"I love your weirdness. Compared to mine, it's boring."
"Meh, I raise the dead. What do you do, Ghost?"
"Everything else," he replied, leaning forward to kiss her and then stopping.
"Hey, I haven't even had garlic today." Ignoring her joke, Clark brought his hand to his mouth and sped to the bathroom, making it there in time just barely to wretch. Chloe was there soon, her hand stroking his hair. "Are you okay? You didn't mention Kryptonite on patrol."
Clark flushed the toilet and then perked up his ears. It was easy and expected this time to picked out the rushing beat. Closing his eyes, he just managed to keep himself from banging his head against the toilet's back. Chloe'd wanted so badly to be the one this time. "Chlo, I didn't patrol at all. Kara got to me early. I haven't been near Kryptonite in two months." He turned back to her and watched her go from frowning to wide-eyed.
"Oh, I...really?" her voice was quiet, unsteady and he felt terrible. If he couldn't do what he could, then they would never have a child of their own between them, but he knew that Chloe wanted this. She'd never breathe a word about it for as long as they both lived (which could literally be just this side of forever), but he knew it was cutting into her.
He nodded. "Really, really." Reaching up, he pulled her arm over his shoulder. He caressed it, letting his fingers trailing over her skin. "I love you."
Sniffle.
"I love you too."
He pulled the arm lower, placed her hand over his stomach. "The baby is yours, you know. All yours, just like Kon. You're the mother."
Gentle lips on his temple. "I know."
"I'm sorry."
"What for?" Tone forcefully chipper. "This is amazing."
Clark turned around to face her and he sighed at the forced smile she wore. "Chlo, it's okay to cry, just this once. I know what you wanted."
She was in his lap then, shaking with tears she refused to shed. "I have everything I wanted. So, when do we get to tell Kon he's going to be a big brother?"