Nobody's Child
Chapter Five: Buying Time
Disclaimer: Characters and premise are the property of DC, I'm just borrowing them for a little non-profit fun.
"I got your message," Superman said as he entered Mount Justice along with Superboy.
"Took you long enough," Batman replied.
"You didn't tell me he was Superman!" Superboy exclaimed.
"How do you know that I knew?" Batman asked.
The little boy looked alarmed.
"He knew," Superman assured Superboy with a sigh. "But please don't assume anyone else does." Then he turned to Batman. "And you, don't scare him."
Superboy noticed his friends and squirmed to be let down. "Can I tell them?" he asked excitedly.
"First name only," Clark instructed.
"And! And!"
"Yes," Clark allowed. "You can tell them your Kryptonian name."
"Guys! Guys!" Superboy shouted as he ran off. "I've got a name! It's Conner! Or Kon-El. And the S-Shield isn't an S for Superman, it's for my family's name on Krypton, it's part of my name. Superman showed me how to write my name in Kryptonian!"
"About time," Batman remarked quietly as the other members of Young Justice complimented Superboy on his new name.
"My parents are going to hate only getting to see him as a little kid for a few hours," Clark commented. Then added worriedly, "He's going to be angry again when he's restored to his proper age, isn't he?"
"Probably," Batman agreed.
After several minutes Superboy returned. "Robin said you all figured out how to make me back to normal?" he asked hesitantly.
"Zatara is waiting for us in the infirmary," Batman said. He turned to Superman, "It would be best if you waited here," he said.
Superman nodded reluctantly. Batman offered Superboy his hand.
"Did you hear? My name's Conner. Robin said he had a real name but he wasn't supposed to tell. Do you have a real name?" Superboy babbled. "Cause 'Matches' is NOT a real name."
"Robin and I keep our names secret so we don't get hurt. Without powers we need to be especially careful," Batman explained patiently as he led Superboy to the infirmary. "You need to be careful of your last name, to protect your grandparents."
"Um, Batman," Superoby said hesitantly. He started dragging his feet a little. "I sort of, might of talked to Lois. Even though you said not to."
"What did you tell her?" Batman asked sternly.
"That you said I wasn't supposed to talk to her," Superboy explained. Then he added. "She's nice. Really! I didn't want her to think I was being mean. She looked all sad when I wouldn't. And, and she's nice! Superman likes her. In Jimmy's pictures he doesn't look bothered at all that he's gotta catch her all the time."
"Oh I'm sure it doesn't bother him at all," Batman said sarcastically.
Superboy blinked at him in confusion.
Batman's comm-link activated. "I heard that," Clark said. "And Lois could do worse things to get my attention... Cat burglary for instance."
"Point," Batman said.
"What are you guys talking about?" Superboy asked.
"Girls who fall out of windows verse ones who climb in through them," Batman said.
Superboy looked even more puzzled but didn't ask because they were at the infirmary door. There was a man in a tuxedo and a top hat waiting for them there. Superboy ducked behind Batman's cape. In a small voice he asked "He's going to make me big again?"
Batman nodded.
"What if Superman doesn't like me again when I'm big?" Superboy worried.
"He's worried that you'll stop liking him," Batman said.
"But I always like him," Superboy said, confused at the notion that he could possibly dislike Superman or not want him. In a whisper he added "He's my daddy."
"He feels guilty about ignoring you before. That is why he thinks you might be angry with him. That is why he won't ignore you again," Batman assured the boy.
"But what if me being big makes him feel bad around me again?" Superboy protested. "He likes me now, he didn't like me then. What if he stops?"
"We still need to check that the spell can be undone," Batman said neutrally.
Superboy relaxed for a moment then tensed again. "You won't let me be on the team if I stay little," he fussed.
Batman sighed and guided Superboy to face Zatara. The magician held his hands over Superboy's head for several minutes while he muttered strange words under his breath.
When he stepped back he glanced at Batman questioningly. Batman lifted Superboy onto one of the exam tables then joined Zatara on the other side of the room. He subtly activated a white noise generator to prevent super-eves-dropping.
"I see what Circe meant, saying the Magic moved her to bespell him," Zatara said. "The class of spell is generally used to punish, but the essences of the magic is to bring the inner-self out and display it to the world."
"Beauty and the Beast."
"Precisely. Although the part of Superboy that was brought to the surface was a young child. The spell would be easy enough to unravel, it's powered by the child's need of acceptance. As that need has begun to be met the spell is weakened."
"And if you do nothing?" Batman asked.
"It will break on it's own in two weeks, a month at the outside," Zatara said.
"Leave it," Batman decided. "Let him have as much of a childhood as he can."
"The best course of action for us is simply to allow the spell to wear off on it's own," Batman stated. "Superman, I assume you'll be able to continue watching him for the next month?"
"Certainly," Clark said quickly. "I'll need some help to shore up his cover story. Other than that I can manage."
After Superman and Superboy had gone, when Batman and Robin were the only ones left in the control room at Mount Justice, Robin hopped up on top of the railing and balance-beamed along it. "You're such a liar," he said grinning.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Sure you don't and you weren't trying to do something nice for Conner either," Robin said.
"If this increases his mental stability it is only to the world's benefit. He does have Superman's powers," Batman replied.
"Of course," Robin agreed factiously. He flipped into a handstand and grinned up at his mentor brilliantly. "It was nice though."
Superman touched down in his parent's backyard and set Superboy down. He straightened up the little boy's wind blown hair. "Conner, I have to go to work today. Especially today. We're going to expand on 'Matches' story about why you're staying with me."
" 'Cause my mom's your cousin and you're watching me," Superboy parroted, as he'd been coached to do.
"Right," Clark said. "But since you're going to be staying little for a few more weeks we've got to explain why my cousin... Who doesn't really exist, hasn't come back to get you. So you're going to stay with your grandparents today and play with Krypto. But I'm going to come back by six, I promise. Then I'll take you home and if you want I'll teach you more Kryptonian. Okay?"
Superboy pointed to six on his new watch. "You'll come back by then?" he checked. Clark nodded. "And I can call you if I want?"
"Yes, J'onn's on monitor duty and he knows to patch you through to me. I always have my JLA comm on, so you can get me at any time." And since it had a subharmonic vocalizer he could answer regardless of who he was with. "You going to be okay?"
Superboy nodded. "It's okay."
Clark walked him inside. "Ma, Conner's here. I'll be back by six at the latest." He crouched down by Superboy one last time. "I'll come back as soon as I can," he promised.
Superboy nodded solemnly.
As Clark flew away he heard Superboy wondering to himself "I'm Clark's cousin now. What'll I be when I'm big?"
Clark faltered in mid-air. 'It was one thing for Superman to have a clone. But how was Clark Kent supposed to explain a sixteen-year-old, who looked exactly like him, appearing out of no where?'
Matches looked hunted as he appeared in the Daily Planet's staff room. He slipped across the room, taking just long enough to garner a few curious stares. Then he grabbed Clark Kent by the lapels and shoved him against the nearest wall, making them the center of everyone's attention.
"For god's sake Kent, stop kicking ant-hills!" Matches exclaimed. "D' you wanna get us all killed? You may not like Joey, but Mae's your family."
"I just want to know where my cousin is," Clark said, frowning as he straightened his glasses. "Her son wants to know where his mother is."
"The kid's best off where he's at," Matches declared. "No one cares about the kid. But if he's in the middle of it not many 'd care if he got hurt."
"What have you and Joe dragged Mae into this time?" Clark demanded angrily.
"Trust me, the less you know the better. Just keep the kid. Mae knows to keep her head down and she'll come get him as soon as she can. The more attention you drawn the worse it gets."
While Matches and Clark were having their confrontation Lois quietly picked a spot mid-way between the elevator and the stairs.
"Leave it be and the dust 'll settle. It'll all work out for the best, trust me," Matches finished. He released Clark then made his exit.
Lois slid into the elevator after him a moment before the doors closed. "So, you're from Gotham, right?" she asked.
"Now why would you think that Toots?" Matches asked with absolutely no trace of a Gothamite's inflections in his thick Jersey-mainland accent.
"Oh, I don't know, but odds are..." Lois replied sarcastically, thinking about Superboy and which heroes would be likely to opt for an undercover operation.
"You're more guts than sense, ain't ya?" Matches remarked. "Sad in such a nice looking doll." For a moment his hand cupped Lois' ass. Without a second's thought she spun around and decked him.
Lois stared down at the man slumped on the elevator floor, blinking up at her, broken sunglasses dangling crookedly from on ear. "I guess not," she said to herself.
"Lois has a great right hook," Clark commented over his comm.
"Somewhat better than I expected." Batman admitted. "On the plus side, she's given up her theory about Batman and Matches Malone being the same person."
"The next time you want her to punch you," Clark said warningly. "Get more creative."
"He helped me change the oil in the old tractor," Jonathan informed his son as the grease-bedecked child threw himself eagerly into Clark's arms.
"You came back!" Conner exclaimed. He looked at his watch. "A quarter hour early!"
"I wanted to see you," Clark said. He looked to Jonathan and commented, "You enjoy returning him to me dirty too much."
"Grandparent's prerogative, son," Jonathan said.
"Moremomma was gonna teach me fractions, cause I kept asking when you were coming back, but I already knew 'em," Conner giggled. "I remember all the stuff the Gegnomes showed me even if I'm little. So she taught me algebra instead. They stick letters in math problems!"
"We think he has your edict memory," Jonathan said. "But his comprehension might be effected by the de-aging, or by having all his education downloaded, not natural that."
Clark realized that the grease and oil on Conner was quickly being transferred to him by the affectionate child. "Let's get you a bath," he suggested as he carried the boy inside.
"With bubbles and ducky?" Conner checked.
Clark nodded. "Ma?" he called, pausing at the kitchen door. "Mind if we stay for dinner? Pa let Conner get filthy, I don't want to fly him to the apartment until the grease is gone."
"Of course not dear," Martha said smiling to herself and resolving to tell Jonathan that his timing was brilliant.
After dinner Clark flew back to Metropolis with Conner. Once they were settled in for the evening Clark sat on the couch with Conner in his lap and started writing out the Kryptonian alphabet with the English phonetic equivalent beside it. Conner watched, fascinated.
Conner was working on copying it for himself with the doorbell squealed. "Remember, Lois doesn't know I'm Superman," Clark reminded Conner before answering the door. Conner made a zipping his lips motion.
"Lois, what brings you by?" Clark asked. He eyed the over-night bag hung over her shoulder curiously.
"The last time I left the kid with you, he was a wreck less than twelve hours later," Lois informed Clark. "Besides, you thought giving a five-year-old spaghetti was a good idea. Honestly I'm doing you a favor Clark." With that Lois invited herself in. "Hey kid!" she called. Conner waved. "Do you mind the couch?" she asked Clark. "I figured the kid and I can share the bed."
"I suppose that works," Clark forced himself not to laugh at the way Lois was taking over his life and apartment without the faintest hint of self-consciousness.
Conner scribbled something on his paper then showed it to Lois. Lois stared at the odd shapes and dots with a raised eye-brow.
"It's his name, Kon-El," Clark interpreted. "He's still not supposed to tell you anything."
"Someday I'm going to figure out why Batman thinks you're so much more trustworthy than I am," Lois remarked. She ruffled Conner's hair. "So you're Kon-El, huh? That's a cute name."
Conner crossed his arms and scowled at her.
"Okay? You're too grown-up to be cute?" Lois laughed. "You're in a much better mood than the last time I saw you."
Conner bounced up and down on the couch excitedly. He wanted to tell her about having Grandparents and Superdoggy and cows and chickens and haystacks and tractors and GREASE! and Moremomma's pies and being almost positive about Clark being his daddy. Since he wasn't supposed to talk to her, Conner threw himself on Clark and hugged him enthusiastically to show her why he was happy.
The next morning Clark went to wake Conner up to take him to the farm. While he actually did appreciate Lois' help, as having her in the apartment had made it easier to decide he could deal with the screams he'd over-heard during the night, but there was still the principal of being kicked out of his own bed to address. So he made a point of waking her up while he was waking Conner.
"Wha?" Lois grumbled sleepily.
"Gotta get Kon-El ready for the babysitters'," Clark explained cheerily.
"But! Moremomma and Moredaddy!" Conner protested loudly.
"Can't tell Lois I'm flying you to Smallville before work," Clark explained, pitching his voice too softly for Lois' ears.
"Too early," Lois groaned and pulled a pillow over her head.
"What do you mean? The sun's already up!" Clark asked, playing up the innocent farmboy... who'd been up at the crack of dawn for chores his entire life... And okay, alien who only needed about three hours of sleep a night anyway... Either way, not someone who minded seeing the sun rise.
Lois threw a pillow at him. Conner, deciding that looked like fun, did as well. Clark laughed at both of them, then picked Conner up and carried him to the bathroom. "Coffee's on," he called back to Lois over his shoulder.
"Morning person!" Lois grumbled as if it were a four-letter word. She pulled the blankets back over her head and went back to sleep.