The Last Daughter of Krypton, part 1: Becoming Parents
By Les Bonser
This is a work of non-commercial fan fiction. The characters used in this story remain the trademarked property of their respective owners. No trademark infringement is intended and no profits are made by the author for writing or distribution of this work.
No permission is given to anyone other than the author to archive this on any website. No permission is given to anyone other than the author to repost this on any newsgroup.
Part 2, Becoming Parents
"Here," Lois said, handing Clark a disposable diaper.
"No," he shook his head. "I can get this."
Clark Kent, Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, sometimes also known as Superman, respected the world over as the preeminent superhero of our age, was struggling with perhaps his greatest challenge: learning to change a diaper.
His mother had insisted that cloth diapers were best. So, here he was, leaning over his newly adopted daughter, Linda Leigh. He lifted her legs up and pulled the diaper out. Again.
He refolded it and lifting the baby's legs, he again placed the diaper under her. He pulled the front through her legs and pinned the diaper together at her hips. "See," he said, "Third time's a charm."
"It was the forth time," Lois said. "And these are easier." She waved the disposal diaper in front of his face.
"Lois, we have to think about the environment, you know."
"Yes, yes, I've heard the story before. Reported on it numerous times, actually."
Clark rechecked the safety pins. Finally, the diaper seemed snug enough. The first couple of times, he'd been so careful not to stick the baby, he'd left the diaper so loose it fell off.
Luckily, he didn't have to worry about sticking himself--otherwise his fingers would have been bloody. Trying so hard to not stick the baby, Clark had driven at least a half dozen of the safety pins into his own thumbs. The bent and dulled pins now laid on the edge of the changing table.
Satisfied that the cloth diaper was in place, he lifted Linda Leigh up.
"Works like a charm," he said, gloating over his success.
His wife just looked at him and handed him the disposal diaper.
"Don't need that," Clark said, smiling.
"Yes, you do." Lois said, looking her husband directly in the eye. She then looked down.
Clark followed Lois' gaze downward. There was a puddle on the carpet. He lifted Linda Leigh further and saw that she'd just wet herself. The diaper wasn't as snug as he'd thought.
Lois reached out for the baby. "I'll do the baby, *you* clean my carpet."
He thought for a split second of pretending to hear some emergency somewhere. He strained his hearing, hoping, just this once, to hear the sound of sirens, or a fire, or a plane crash, anything really--even a cat stuck in a tree. But, for once, Metropolis was quiet.
Letting out a large sigh, Clark turned from the guest room that they'd made into a nursery and went to find the hand-held carpet shampooer.
As he stalked down the hallway, he could hear Lois cooing to the baby. "We showed him, didn't we. That's your first lesson in life, Linda Leigh. Mommy always knows best."
Wonder Woman soared high over the mid-Atlantic. She was headed for a very specific location. It was far from any shipping lanes. And although many had heard of it, few people in the world knew exactly where this spot was. It was the location of the island nation of Themyscira. Otherwise known in Man's World as "Paradise Island."
And Wonder Woman, Diana of Themyscira, was the heir to the throne of the small, hidden island.
She banked slightly in the wind and found the exact spot she was looking for. It was largely invisible. It was only though her mystical connection to the land of her birth was she even able to sense where it was. Diana dove toward the surface of the water. Scarcely one hundred feet above the white-capped surface, she disappeared from our world and slipped into hers. For Themyscira was hidden behind a veil; it was separate from the rest of Earth. Paradise Island, land of the Amazons, existed in a time and place of its own.
She was now only about twenty feet above the surface of the island. She flew directly to the palace. She was here to see her mother Hippolyta, the Queen of Themyscira.
Actually, "Queen" was the traditional title given to the hereditary female head of a nation. It was a title from Man's World--the rest of Earth outside of Themyscira. Here, Hippolyta was simply the first among many equals.
Diana landed at the main entrance of the palace. Philipus, head of the guard, appeared as if from nowhere to greet her. "Welcome home, daughter of Hippolyta," Philipus said, in a dialect of ancient Greek.
Diana returned the greeting, also in ancient Greek, her native tongue. "Is my mother available?"
"Yes," Philipus said, "Hippolyta is always available for her daughter. If I may ask, what brings you home unannounced?"
"A joyous event," Diana said. "The birth of a girl child."
Philipus nodded her agreement. The birth of a child, especially a girl child, was a joyous thing indeed.
Inside the palace, Diana found her mother in the thorn room. "Daughter!" Hippolyta exclaimed.
"Mother!" The two women exchanged an embrace.
"What brings you home?"
"A female child came to our world today," Diana told her mother. "I came here to make an offering to the patron goddesses in her honor."
"Who is this girl child we honor?"
"My comrades in the Justice League intercepted another rocketship from Krypton. The child is actually Superman's cousin."
The women started to walk to the Temple of Hera to begin the sacrifices.
"But, he came here many years ago...Krypton is dead..." Hippolyta was confused.
"I'm not entirely sure I understand it myself," Diana said. "But apparently this rocketship was sent at the same time as his, but passed through some sort of 'time warp'."
"A baby?"
"Yes. She was born on the moon when I removed her from the birthing matrix." Diana paused, realizing how insane all this must sound to her mother. Themyscira had been isolated from the rest of the world for nearly three thousand years and most of them knew little of modern science.
"And where is this child now?" Hippolyta looked distressed. "Why have you not brought her here for our sisters to raise?"
"I wanted to," Diana admitted. "But since the child is Kryptonian, the group decided the best person to raise her was Superman and his wife."
Hippolyta looked at her daughter, her gaze a mix of apprehension and concern.
"I understand how you feel, Mother. I feel the same way," Diana said.
"A child of that power, she should be here. Where we can oversee her properly..."
"I agree. But I'm the child's 'god mother,'" Diana interrupted, "and will oversee her education in the way of the Amazon warrior."
"Very well," Hippolyta announced.
"Clark and Lois are very capable people," Diana said. "I'm sure she'll be fine."
Before the day was over, Diana and her mother had offered sacrifices to Hera, the Goddess of Marriage and Queen of the ancient Greek gods, Hestia, the Goddess of the Hearth and Home, Athena, the Goddess of Knowledge, Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt, Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love and Beauty, Demeter, the Goddess of Earth and Harvest, Nike, the Goddess of victory, and Hebe, the Goddess of Youth.
The two Amazons asked their patron goddesses to watch over the young Kryptonian girl child. They asked that their sacrifices guarantee the child success in life and in battle.
Diana offered separate sacrifices to Hera asking the goddess to watch over the child's adoptive mother and to Hades, the God of the Underworld, to watch over the child's biological Kryptonian mother's soul.
When the two finally emerged from the Temple, they discovered that their Amazonian sisters had prepared a feast in honor of the baby girl from the stars. Apparently, Philipus had been busy spreading the word. But then, it had always been hard to keep any secrets on such a small island.
Diana smiled at the love and appreciation of her fellow Amazons. Later that night, at the head feast table, she offered the first toast of many.
Oracle sat at her computer console. It was nearly three in the morning. She removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes. When she put the glasses back on, she saw his reflection in the computer monitor.
"One of these days, you're going to give me heart failure," she said to the shadow hovering over her.
Batman responded, "I doubt it."
"So, what brings you here at this hour?" Barbara Gordon pushed her wheelchair back from the computer and spun around to confront her visitor.
"Just checking in," the shadow said in that deep grave voice.
"You could have done that on the radio," she pointed out. "You want something." It wasn't a question. It was a statement. She knew him almost as well as anyone else.
"How's Batgirl?" He asked, his voice softening slightly. After all, he was talking to a trusted ally, not some street punk.
"She's asleep. Nothing eventful happened on her patrol tonight. Enough with the small talk. What do you want?"
"The Kent's new baby," he said.
"Way ahead of you," Barbara smiled. She rolled her chair over to a side table and handed him a manila folder.
The Dark Knight Detective took the folder and opened it. Inside were masterfully forged documents. A birth certificate for the child, a death certificate for the child's "mother," and adoption papers.
"I already made the changes to the relevant databases," Barbara said. "But I'll need someone to planet these papers. I'd do it myself, but..." she said. She motioned to her own legs. She'd been unable to walk since the Joker shot her several years before.
"I'll do it," Batman stated. "Who's Sarah Black?"
"She's a twenty-three year old woman from North Platte, Nebraska who died in an automobile accident early last week. Her week-old newborn daughter died also."
Batman nodded, his face grim.
"But...now, the baby's listed as having miraculously survived the accident. The mother's also been listed as being a relative of Martha Kent. Her last wishes were that her aunt Martha take care of the child. Due to their advancing age, the Kent's have passed the child to their son, Clark. Clark and Lois will have to sign the papers, of course, before you plant them."
"I'm familiar with the requirements." Batman said. He turned to leave.
"Batman?" Barbara said.
He stopped.
"Bruce...," she said, her voice lower. "Why are you doing this? Why *you*?"
Batman, Bruce Wayne, stopped and considered what Oracle said. She was right. She had numerous operatives that could plant the doctored papers. Why had he insisted?
"Let's just say, it's my present to the Kent's on the birth of their new child." And he left as quietly as he'd arrived.
As Batman moved across the rooftops of Gotham City, he pondered his motivations. He hated lying to Barbara. But he couldn't let anyone know his plans.
He hadn't told Oracle about his research into Kryptonian genetics. He didn't tell her that he knew far more about raising a Kryptonian child than the Kents had thirty-five years ago. But then, they hadn't known at the time that their son was from an alien world.
He knew exactly what nutrients the child would need to flourish--she'd grow up strong and healthy right from the beginning. Unlike the nutritional happenstance that marked Clark's upbringing.
Someday, that child would grow up as strong, or possibly even stronger, than either Clark or Diana.
He had to remain close to the child. He'd play the dotting "uncle" if necessary. She could become a powerful force for good in the world. Or evil.
He was prepared for either eventuality.
Perry White, Editor in Chief of the Daily Planet, sat at his desk and stared at the computer terminal that occupied a large portion of his desk. He had yet to get used to the new technology. He would have preferred to review the galleys before sending the afternoon edition to print. But now, he was ruining his eyes trying to review it on-screen.
Engrossed in his task, he sensed more than heard someone at the door to his office. Perry looked up from the computer terminal to see his star reporter, Lois Lane, standing at the door.
"Good heavens," Perry exclaimed. "Is that a baby? Don't tell me Lucy had her baby already..."
"No, Perry," Lois beamed, "This is *my* daughter."
Perry stood up, his legs suddenly weak. His blood pressure medicine needed adjustment again--he mentally reminded himself to schedule a doctor appointment later in the afternoon. After the evening edition went to press.
"*Your* daughter?" Perry wondered.
"She's an orphan," Lois explained. "Clark and I are adopting her. Her name is Linda Leigh."
Perry held out his hands. Lois gently transferred the baby to Perry's waiting arms.
Perry's face lit up as he looked into the face of the sleeping baby. "She's a sweetie," Perry said. "Are you and Clark sure about this? Raising a baby is a big responsibility. Trust me, I know."
"She's family, Perry. We have to raise her. Her parents are dead. Who else would do it? We can't just see her shuffled off to foster parents or some orphanage somewhere."
"She's related?" Perry asked.
"Her mother was a second cousin to Clark's mom. No other family to raise her...Martha and Jonathon wanted to, but they're getting older, you know," Lois said. She hoped she got the story right. She and Clark had rehearsed it all morning.
A private messenger had delivered the adoption and other papers first thing this morning. Lois continued to marvel at the capabilities and resources of Clark's "friends."
She didn't like lying, especially to Perry. She was a journalist after all and dedicated to the concept of truth. But, since discovering Clark's secret, she'd also learned that there was sometimes a greater good to be considered.
Lois only had to imagine what would happen is the government got ahold of the baby. Or some ruthless person like Lex Luthor. What sorts of evil would they perpetrate, she wondered. She shuddered whenever she thought of the tiny Kryptonian baby growing up with Lex as a father. It was bad enough that he got his hooks into Matrix. Thankfully, Mae learned the errors of her ways and divorced herself of his influence.
Perry nodded. He understood about family obligations. "I suppose you and Clark will be wanting to take some time off. Get acquainted with becoming parents."
"Uh, yeah, I guess so," Lois said. "We were sort of thinking about both working part time. That way we can take turns staying at home with Linda Leigh."
"Darling, I'm sure we can work something out," Perry said.
"Clark's toying with the idea of working at home full time, concentrating on his novels," Lois said.
"Where is the proud father?" Perry wondered.
Oh, he's in Japan pulling a stranded oil tanker off a reef, Lois thought. "He's out looking for a diaper service," Lois lied. Again.
For not the first time, she wondered how Clark kept all the lies straight. She thought maybe she should get lessons from Batman. He'd been the one that had apparently had developed the cover story for where the baby had come from, Lois thought to herself.
Lois and Perry walked out into the bullpen. Cat Grant was out of the office, but Ron Tripp and Jimmy Olsen were both there. Jimmy immediately grabbed his camera and began getting snapshots of the new mother and daughter.
"That better not be the Planet's film, Olsen," Perry said.
"Uh, no, Chief," Jimmy responded. "The paper uses only digital cameras now, remember? This is my own personal camera."
"Technology," Perry muttered. "Digital this, digital that. What's the world coming to? Next thing you know, there'll be computers in the bathrooms."
The rest rolled their eyes; Perry was on another rant about how the world was changing too fast. They'll all heard it before. Many times.
Ron said, "Boy, Lucy's going to be surprised. Here she's been thinking that she was going to be the first to have a baby."
"Yeah, and she'll be mad at me for stealing her thunder," Lois said.
"She's too busy dealing with swollen ankles and being uncomfortable to be mad," Ron said. Lucy Lane was due to deliver in less than two months. "Have you called your folks?"
"Clark's folks know, but I haven't gotten up the nerve to call mom and dad," Lois admitted. She still remembered her father's behavior at her wedding and his reaction to Lucy's pregnancy.
Superman flew into the bedroom window faster than the human eye could see. He could hear the phone ringing downstairs--Lois must not be home, he thought.
He grabbed a bathrobe from off the bed and pulled off his cape as he headed downstairs. Clark grabbed the phone in mid-ring. "Hello," he said, tucking the phone under his ear as he slid on the bathrobe over his costume.
"Son, I was beginning to think you weren't home," Jonathon Kent said on the other end.
"Just coming in, Pa," Clark explained.
"How's my new granddaughter?" Jonathon asked.
"She's fine, Pa. Same as she was last night when we were at the farm."
"Where's Lois? I figured if you were out, she'd be home."
"She's not here," Clark said. "She's probably at work."
"She took the baby with her?"
"I'm sure she just wanted to show Linda Leigh off around the paper," Clark said. "Everything's fine, Pa. Everything okay there?"
"Yes, of course, son."
There was something funny about his father's voice. "If you say so, Pa."
"Well, there is something I was wanting to tell you about."
"Oh?" Clark asked. He wondered if his father's heart was bothering him again. Clark had almost lost his father a couple years before from a heart attack.
"Don't give me that tone of voice, son," Jonathon said. "There's nothing wrong. Your mother and I have been thinking about this for some time, actually."
"Thinking about what?"
"Well, you know, we're getting older. We've been talking about this being the last year we'll farm the place here. We're going to retire."
"Pa, you're not selling the farm!" Clark was heartbroken to think that his parents would sell the farm. It was his refuge--the place he recentered himself when the pressures of being Superman became too much.
"No. We're not going to sell the farm," Jonathon reassured his son. "We're keeping the farm; going to leave it to you and Lois and my new granddaughter. No, we're just going to lease it out the fields. And your mother and I will still live here. Well, most of the time. We might do some traveling. Never did have a decent honeymoon. I thought I might treat Martha to a second honeymoon. Maybe go to Hawaii or something."
"Ma'd like that," Clark said.
"And it'd give us time to come visit you in Metropolis. You might need some help with the baby."
"I think we can handle it, Pa."
"I'm sure you and Lois will make good parents, Clark. But there'll be times when you need time to yourself. Martha and I can babysit."
"We'd like that."
"And God only knows when you'll both be running off on some story or something." Jonathon emphasized the word "something." "You can't just do that and leave the baby alone."
Clark knew what his father meant; it meant he couldn't just rush off as Superman and leave the baby alone. He knew there would be times when Lois wouldn't be around and he'd have to determine which was more important, the fate of the world or the well-being of his daughter.
He and Lois had already discussed hiring a nanny, but had pretty much dismissed it. There would be too many questions to answer. It would mean taking one more person into their confidence, one more person knowing Clark's secret.
"We've been thinking about that," Clark said. "We're thinking about both just working part-time. Take turns being home with the baby. And I'll have to juggle my schedule."
"I'm sure you'll do what's best," the elder Kent told his son. Changing the tone of the conversation, he said, "You just make sure to get lot's of pictures of my granddaughter."
"Don't worry, Pa. If Lois is at the Planet, I'm sure Jimmy is getting lots of pictures," he laughed.
End