Disclaimer: DC Comics/Warner Bros. Entertainment owns these characters, except for Joanne Kent and Samuel Hamilton; they're mine. This is strictly for my own amusement.

Author's Notes: A pivotal chapter ahead. In this next chapter, which will end ACT I, Talia's stunning plan is revealed, Supergirl comes home, and later, Sam and Jo drop a bombshell on her Father. What will Clark do? This is one of my favorite chapters. I hope you enjoy it. Please read and review. Read on. Thanks guys! :D

~o~o~

Chapter 10: Heartbeat

Meanwhile, back on the Watchtower space station:

Everyone listened to Bruce's long and rather sad history of how Talia and him had become extremely close, but circumstances pulled them apart, and then he dropped a bombshell. He'd had a son.

Everyone gasped at that. "A son? Bruce, where is he?" Clark was hurting for his friend.

"Talia miscarried. He was stillborn."

"Oh no, I'm so sorry. What was his name?" Clark asked then he went to him and touched his shoulder.

"Damian, his name was Damian." He paused as he glanced around the table. "There's nothing more to tell. Talia and I went our separate ways. Her Father and I did not get along at all, and he was an immensely powerful man, a terribly vicious man. He had tremendous power over her. We just couldn't make it work."

Clark took him by the shoulders. Bruce's eyes were bright. "We'll understand if you want off this one, Bruce."

"No, I'm OK, but you were right. I need to confront her about Alex or Lex or whatever his name is."

"But are you sure about that? The memories ...?"

"I'll be alright. Besides, we need to finalize a deal we've been working on."

Clark frowned. "What deal?"

"To sell LexCorp to me."

Hal chuckled. "I wouldn't imagine Alex would be happy about that."

Suddenly, the Hall of Justice doors opened then Kara and Diana walked in. Kara was wearing a brand new costume, designed by her sisters. It was glorious. She looked like a queen, head held high, red boots clapping on the floor, the glorious cape and long blonde hair flowing back behind her shoulders and a smile that could light up a room.

"Kara?!" Clark hurriedly came over to her and enveloped her in a hug.

"Kal-El?!" She hugged him close. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." They stood that way for just a moment, then everyone gathered around Kara and welcomed her back.

Meanwhile, Bruce and Diana stared at each other, not saying anything. Bruce had missed her a lot. She had been gone nearly a day, but she looked fantastic as always. He walked over to her. "Hi," Diana tentatively said. He was staring at her so strangely.

They'd never done any public displays of affection, but he did not care at the moment, especially after his earlier confessions about Talia. He suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her close. "Welcome back," he whispered in her ear.

Bruce's welcome surprised and delighted her and she instinctively hugged him back, but she couldn't help but wonder what had brought this on. "It's great to be back."

They pulled apart, truly happy to be able to see each other again.

Clark had a few questions for Diana. "Welcome back, Diana. Now, would you mind telling me why Kara is here, although we're all happy to see her, but didn't you say at least two months before she was ready to use her powers and adjust to her new home?"

"Kal-El, I'm right here. You can ask me those questions," Kara told her cousin.

"Kara …" Kal-El began.

She interrupted him. "Diana brought me here because it's time. With Luthor II running around lose with superpowers, you need me plus he needs to pay for what he did to me."

"That's not how we operate around here, Kara. We will take care of Alex, but not by force and he will not be harmed."

Kara fumed again but held her tongue.

Diana came over to them. "Clark, Kara has a plan. You should listen to what she has to say."

"While you guys hash out Kara's plan about Luthor II, I'm headed to Gotham, then I'll set up a meeting with Talia." Bruce paused then turned to Diana. She looked worried and upset. He did not want to make a scene, so he hurriedly headed to his flight ship which was docked on the lower level.

Diana was shocked at his plans. "Bruce wait, I'll walk you out."

Clark and Conner hated their super hearing right now. They heard them clearly arguing in the elevator.

~o~o~

"What is going on?" Diana asked, hands on hips. "Why are you going to see her?"

"Now Diana …!"

"Why are going to see her?" She asked again.

He sighed heavily. "She may have answers to a lot of questions, especially about Luthor II, the extent of his powers, and what we'll need to do to defeat him."

"You can't trust her, Bruce, not after what happened between you two."

"I know that Diana. I don't trust her, believe me, but … umm … we need to finalize the deal to sell LexCorp."

"But I thought you said you didn't need to see her in person to finalize the deal. Everything was being handled by your lawyers."

Bruce closed his eyes, sighed again and tried to be civil. Diana was worried about his meeting. He turned to her, took her by the shoulders and went straight to the heart of the matter. "Diana, it's over between Talia and me. You know that, don't you?"

"Of course, I do, but I know how much you cared for her." She paused. "She wanted to marry you, and you know why." Diana shocked him with that statement.

Bruce was done talking about Talia and Damian. Before he could reply to that stunning comment, the elevator doors opened. He quickly exited, headed to his ship and jumped on board.

"Bruce, wait, please! I should not have said that!"

He was not listening. The ship dropped from its docking station then shot up in to the sky turned and shot down to Earth.

Diana closed her eyes for a moment, but when she opened them, her eyes were bright and she couldn't see the ship anymore. "I'm sorry, Bruce."

~o~o~

Meanwhile, in the Hall of Justice:

J'onn interrupted the meeting with an announcement. "We have a shuttle arriving in a few minutes, Clark."

"Who is it?"

"It's Jon-El, your daughter Joanne and … Samuel Hamilton."

Kara was thrilled. "Oh, I get to meet your children, Kal-El? That's wonderful."

Clark was stunned. "Who did you say?"

J'onn hid a grin. "You didn't know they were coming?"

"Of course, I did." Clark tried to cover his slip. He inwardly groaned then shook his head. Lois.

Kara was thinking that her plan to thwart Luthor II would have to wait for now.

Everyone headed down to the landing platform and waited for Kal-El's children and Samuel Hamilton to arrive. Clark was happy to see them in spite of Lois not telling him her plans, but he knew what Lois was thinking. After what had happened at the conference, the hidden gun and Luthor II's super powers, she was terribly worried about them. He was too, even before he knew about Luthor II coming to the conference, the hidden weapon or his devious plans.

Jo was the first to greet him. "Dad!"

"Hi, honey." He hugged her close and kissed her cheek. "You haven't been up here in years, well, since …" He couldn't finish. It was right after Conner's illness. She wanted to be there to support his recovery, and coming to the station had been a thrill for her.

"I know, but Mom …"

"I know your Mother, and under the circumstances, it was a good idea."

"Mr. Kent, it's good to see you again Sir," Samuel held out his hand.

Clark shook his hand. He'd seen the news conference. "How are you Sam? My wife can be a bit … ummm …"

"Determined?" Sam suggested with a smile.

"Yes, just a bit. Come aboard and we'll give you a tour, but I want you all to meet someone first."

"Who is it Dad?" Jon-El asked his Father.

Kara tentatively peeked out from behind the airlock doors. "Hi," Kara greeted everyone with a smile.

"You speak English?" Jo asked her cousin.

"Joanne, Samuel, Jon-El, this is Kara, or as everyone will know her soon enough, Supergirl, my cousin from Krypton," Clark introduced her.

"Supergirl?!" Jon-El asked.

Kara came out to stand before them. "Supergirl?"

"Yes, I gather you like the name?" Kal-El asked, smiling at the look on her face.

"Yes, I do," she replied and returned his smile.

Then after meeting the League again, shaking hands, everyone headed for their tours.

Clark could not help but wonder about the sleeping arrangements. Sam would have his own quarters, the same for Jo. Jon-El would probably head back to Hawaii to be with his girlfriend, whom he not seen in over a week, the same for Conner. And since most of the League did not normally stay on board at night, himself included, they would practically have the place to themselves. Oh, boy. They needed a chaperone. Any more bright ideas, Lois? I know … Kara and Diana could stay on board. Where is Diana anyway?

After showing them most of the station, the sleeping quarters, the galley, the med lab, the monitoring center, the Hall of Justice and the flight deck which was manned every hour of the day by retired NASA scientists, they headed back to the Hall of Justice.

Sam was excited and thrilled to be on board. "This place is amazing, so much more than I ever could have imagined." He pulled out his cellphone to take photographs.

"Sorry, Sam, photographs are not allowed up here," J'onn told him.

"Oh, I see." He was extremely disappointed.

"You understand why, right?" J'onn asked.

"Of course, I do." He put his cellphone away.

"Has anyone seen Diana?" Clark asked anyone who was listening.

"She left a message that she was headed home for a few days," J'onn replied.

"Home, do you mean Washington?"

"I guess, she didn't say," J'onn replied.

"Dad, when's dinner?" Jo asked her Father.

He glanced at his watch. "In about an hour."

"Ok, Sam and I will checkout our quarters, and we'll see everyone in the galley in an hour. Come on Sam."

Kal-El gave Sam the stern face just in case.

Sam got the message loud and clear. "I'm coming!"

Kal-El watched them leave. Lois trusted them, so why am I so worried? Jo was old enough to know her own mind, but Sam was almost twenty. I do trust them, he told himself staunchly. And after the press conference, he was sure of them, just as Lois had been.

Sighing to himself, he headed back inside and hoped to drum up a few babysitters for his daughter and her friend. He was still her Father no matter how old she was.

~o~o~

Sam's quarters, a few minutes later:

"I still can't believe we're actually up in space," Sam whispered with awe in his voice. "Wow, look at this view."

"It's still amazing after all this time." Jo went to the window, and they looked out at the moon and the stars. They appeared as if they were almost close enough to touch.

"It's like a dream," he said then he looked down, and Jo had taken his hand in hers. He squeezed it tightly. "Your Mom must have been truly worried to send us up here."

"I know, she's usually pretty aggressive about protecting us, but this surprised even me."

"Are you talking about the big reveal seven years ago?"

"Yes, my Father explained to me why he had done it."

"It was because of Luthor's threats, the fact that he knew the truth about your family, wasn't it?" It was a statement not a question. He didn't give her a chance to answer. "And now, your family is taking desperate measures to protect you." He turned from her and went to sit on the bed.

"Sam, please don't do this. None of it was your fault."

"If I hadn't come forward, Luthor II would not have come to the conference, and now? Look at us."

She came over to him, sat down and took his hand. "Look at this as an adventure, something we can tell our … ummm …" She looked at her shoes, embarrassed by her slip.

He couldn't help but smile. He raised her chin. "Were you going to say … grandchildren?"

Now seemed to be the perfect time to tell Sam about her dream so long ago. "Sam, I had a dream … about you after I rescued you and your family that night at least I think it was you."

He frowned, remembering his dream. "What did you dream?"

Jo wondered why he had frowned. "It was a good dream."

Relieved, he squeezed her hand. "Go on."

"Well, I was in a wedding dress." She peeked at him from underneath her lashes. He did not appear shocked, only a bit amused.

"What happened next?"

"I danced around for a while in front of a full-length mirror because I was so happy and then suddenly I was at the alter standing in front of a man. I looked up into my future husband's face, but then I woke up."

"And you think it was me?" He smiled at her then he couldn't resist her as he touched her cheek and then her lips. "Don't answer that." Suddenly, he leaned back on the bed and Jo leaned over his chest.

He raised her chin, leaned up a little, and then he kissed her ever so sweetly. Jo opened to him freely. After a few kisses, he murmured, "It was me."

"Oh, Sam," Jo cried and kissed him again.

Sam suddenly rolled her to his back. His kisses became a bit frantic, then he kissed her cheek, her ear and then down her throat.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. "Dinner is ready!" It was Kara.

They both jumped up from the bed. "Coming!" Jo and Sam said at the same time.

"This was not a good idea," Sam whispered to her and tried to make light of their unusual situation.

Jo came into his arms, eyes closed and then her eyes suddenly popped open. "Don't move. I can hear it."

"What, what do you hear?"

"Your heartbeat," she said, and smiled from ear to ear, still holding him close.

He smiled indulgently over her head. "Jo, of course you can. I mean, you do have your head on my chest."

She leaned back and tried to explain her powers. "But it's different for us, Sam. My Dad can hear my Mom's heartbeat from miles away."

"You're joking."

"I'm not joking."

"That's incredible. Wow, you truly are something." He reached up to smooth her hair so it didn't look too wild. "There."

Her eyes were bright as she stared at him. "We've waited so long, but we can do this."

"You're stronger than I am, Jo." He paused. "It's just …" He paused again then he looked into her eyes. "I want you."

Smiling, she whispered, "I want you too."

He suddenly took her hand then closed his eyes for a moment at their heartfelt confessions. "Let's go eat."

~o~o~

Kara was outside their door waiting for them, and decided to give them some advice. She had overheard them earlier and knew what they were doing.

It was true. Girls do mature faster on Krypton. If her planet had not exploded, she would probably have been married by now to her chosen husband with maybe a child on the way within the year. But this was Earth and things are different here. She'd heard the sisters on the island talking about pre-marital sex and the problems it could bring. It did not have to be that way.

After they had exited the room, she raised an eyebrow at them. "Hungry?"

They glanced at each other. "What's for dinner?" Jo asked her cousin.

"Dinner can wait for a minute. We should talk."

"Are you going to give us a lecture? We don't know you," Sam declared.

"No, no lectures, just a word of advice."

They reluctantly followed close behind. "Go on, we're listening," Sam said and braced for a lecture anyway.

They approached a seating area on an observation deck looking out over Mother Earth, the blue Moon and the twinkling stars. "It is beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is." Both Sam and Jo agreed then they all took a seat.

Kara watched them for a moment. "There's only one thing you can do."

"Oh, and what's that?" Jo asked, curious about her answer.

"Get married … in secret."

"What!?" Jo and Sam exclaimed at the same time.

"You're in love. Any idiot can see that. Why wait years and years for your parents to agree or not? Or you can break up now," Kara stated bluntly.

Sam took Jo's hand. "We are not going to break up."

"Then what's stopping you?" Kara asked.

"I'm not old enough." Jo shook her head not believing that they were actually having this conversation.

"Jo, you'll be of legal age in a few days and ..." Sam began.

"Are you actually considering her advice? Our parents would kill us."

"I don't think so. They know us, and they know we would not have come to this decision lightly."

"I'm not so sure about that, but …" Jo was reluctant to think about this, but her heart was almost about to burst with happiness at just the thought of marrying Sam.

"You have a lot to discuss." Kara stood up then. "I'll see you at dinner, but if you want to talk, you know where I live." Smiling, she left them alone.

~o~o~

Gotham City, Bruce's office, a little while later:

Just before his meeting with Talia, Bruce tried unsuccessfully to reach Diana.

You've reached Diana Prince. I'm unable to take your call. Please leave a message and I'll call you back as soon as I can. Bruce shut off the phone then cursed a blue streak. She's still not answering my calls.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. It was Talia. "May I come in?"

Bruce sighed but didn't bother to get up from his chair. "Of course, come in, take a seat."

Talia watched him for a moment then she shook her head. "What happened to you Bruce?"

"What are you talking about Talia?"

"The Bruce I knew would never allow a lady to come into his office without helping her to her seat or even offering a drink or something."

"We're past formalities Talia." He stared at her trying to see past all the years of pain and regret. She was still the same, just as lovely as ever on the outside, but she had changed. They both did. "Why did you do it?"

Talia ignored his question. She poured herself some water from the bar then took a seat. "Do what?"

"Build that monstrosity."

"He's a clone. There's no law against that, not anymore." She took a sip of water appearing bored to him.

"I want the truth, why did you do it?"

Sighing, she decided to tell him what he needed to know. "I thought I could control him. He may have Lex's memories, not all of them apparently, but I saw it as a way to boost profits. You know, a Luthor back in the fold, running the company, but he's a child. Everything he's done since revealing Kara has been my doing."

"You told him to do those things?"

"Actually, I told him not to do any of it, but he did just the opposite, as a child would do."

"Unbelievable. So, where is he now?"

Talia purposely did not answer his question. "He's dying, Bruce."

"Is it the clone disease? I've heard of that, but his powers … how extensive are they?"

"It's hard to say for sure. He can run fast, but that's all I've seen so far."

Bruce was thoughtful. "Talia, did you send revealing photographs to Clark Kent?"

"What photographs?"

"Tell me the truth, Talia." She wouldn't look at him. Bruce continued, "Why would you do it?"

"I needed leverage." She took another sip of water.

Her behavior should not have shocked him, but it did. "You wanted leverage against Superman, against the League … but why?"

"I have my reasons."

Bruce stood up and came over to her finally realizing what she was up to. "What do you want?"

It was clear. She looked him in the eye. "You."

He couldn't believe it. "Me? That's over, Talia." He turned from her and went to stand by the window.

She followed him and stood just behind him. "Is it? I saw you when you looked at me during the rescue at LexCorp."

"Talia, we can't go back. It's impossible."

Then Talia put all her cards on the table. "Damian …"

His face was furious when he turned back to her. "Don't you dare go there …"

"Bruce … he's alive."

~o~o~

The Watchtower, later that same evening:

After making a decision together, Sam and Jo reluctantly approached her Father. He was busy with Watchtower staff making preparations for Kara's debut in a few days.

"Dad, can we talk to you for a few minutes?" Jo asked her Father, her heart pounding for what was to come. Sam felt the same way.

"What is it Jo?" Clark asked. He sensed something was obviously wrong by the looks on their faces. They looked terrified.

Sam and Jo glanced at each other. "Can we go somewhere?" Jo asked.

Clark frowned. "Of course, we can go to my quarters." He then briefly spoke to the staff saying they would finish their meeting first thing in the morning.

After entering his quarters and shutting the door, Clark turned to face them. "Alright, what's going on?"

Jo began by asking her Father a few questions that had been bothering her for years. "Dad why haven't you taken me to the Fortress, introduced me to my grandparents, given me a Kryptonian name, not to mention informing me of my true heritage? Is it because I'm a girl?"

Clark was taken aback by all of her questions. "No, honey, you were too young and …"

She interrupted him. "That's always been your excuse, hasn't it? Well, it won't work this time. I'm not too young to do this." She squeezed Sam's hand. "We love each other and … we want to get married."

Clark was truly stunned. He didn't know what to say. He shook his head. "What did you just say?"

Sam jumped in hoping that he wouldn't get burned alive by heat vision. "Mr. Kent, I love your daughter and …" He tentatively began.

Clark turned on him. "You did this to her. This was your idea wasn't it?"

"Dad, we made this decision together. Please can we talk about this rationally?" Jo asked her Father.

Clark took several deep breaths and tried to calm down. "My answer is no. You're too young." He turned to leave hoping to end the discussion.

Jo stopped him with her next words. "If we were on Krypton, I would be married by now."

Clark stiffened then he slowly turned back to face them. "How did you know about that?" He frowned. "Who have you been talking to … your brothers?"

"No, it was Kara," she answered, stunning him again.

"Kara!?" His lips thinned.

"Don't blame her. She thought I knew about my heritage."

"Jo, we are not on Krypton."

Jo sighed and went to him and took his hand. "I know that, Dad, but Sam and I, we've always had this connection and it's not going away, not ever." She paused. "You can't keep us apart, and we don't need your permission to do this. We're old enough to know what we want, but I wanted to tell you our plans out of respect."

Clark closed his eyes for a moment, and then he opened them and stared at his little girl, his baby girl. When he looked at her, he always saw her that way. It had been the same with Jason. He remembered that first moment he had seen him in the bullpen all those years ago. Sighing, he touched her cheek. "Honey, I do know what you're feeling, I do, but …"

"You can't give your blessing," Jo murmured feeling devastated and so hurt that tears sprang into her eyes.

"No, I can't." Clark felt horrible when he saw her tears.

She dropped his hand, turned to Sam and said, "Sam, let's go."

"Jo, wait ...!" Clark called to her, but she refused to talk to him.

They left her Father's quarters without a backward glance.

End of ACT I: All I've Ever Wanted

TBC!

~o~o~

Song Inspiration: Heartbeat, Leona Lewis.

A/N: Takes a deep breath! I've decided to end this chapter as the first Act. In the upcoming second Act, Sam and Jo are at a turning point in their lives, and what they decide to do next will turn this story on its ear. Bruce and Talia are in for a world of hurt, even more so than years ago. Stay tuned for more.

ACT II: When You Believe, will begin in two weeks! Sorry about the delay, but plots need to be plotted. Thanks for reading. Please tell me your thoughts. Reviews would be so wondrous and so gratifying! *begs unashamed*