There really is no place like home.

Clark could not help but smile as that thought crossed his mind just as the outskirts of Smallville began to come into view...outskirts of course meaning a series of farmers' fields that he recognized. Smallville was not exactly a victim of the urban sprawl that affected some of the larger cities like Metropolis and Gotham. Despite a thriving tourism and farming industry, Smallville still had a population of less than 20,000, and most of that was in the outlying area surrounding what could be politely referred to as the downtown. Despite being an 'All-American' himself, Clark was pleased that none of the larger chains had made their way into his beloved small town. While a certain degree of naivety could attribute that to the small-town businesses being strong enough to fend them off, the fact was that Smallville was just too...small.

While he was not as concerned regarding the protection of his secret identity as he had been in the past as several of his fellow Leaguers knew him as Clark Kent, he would still rather die than give it up, for several reasons. Besides the obvious that his loved ones would be put in danger, it would also destroy any semblance of his roots and upbringing, as the moment Smallville was branded as Superman's hometown, it would be destroyed almost immediately, either by a massive flux of tourists or a super-villain attack who just wanted to get back at him for some reason, and Clark would lose yet another home.

Clark began to fly lower, skimming over the seemingly-endless fields and livestock. As he tended to take the same route in every time he did not spook either the animals or the farmers that tended them. He was not concerned about anyone noticing that Superman flew over Smallville often because the fact was that he was Superman, he flew over everywhere often.

He closed his eyes and let the warm evening air whip around his face and all he allowed himself to hear was the sound of his cape as it rustled in the wind.

He needed this.

He needed to be calm before he travelled to Themyscira, it was why he took the flight-path that took him over his home. Whereas Bruce had forced him to accept feelings that had been welling up in him for some time, he did not want to fly off to catch Diana off-guard. He needed time to think, to put together what he was going to say. He was a Kryptonian, a child born of logic, and no amount of his small-town roots could change that, and if anything they made them more intense. He briefly recalled his father Jonathan spending many late nights with several weather charts and papers spread over the kitchen table as he calculated how they could make the most out of that year's growing season. Anyone who ever questioned the intelligence of a Kansas farmer was quickly brought about to see the error of their ways once they understood the intricacies that were necessary to take on the profession. Some uneducated people refer to it as an extreme form of gambling, spending thousands of dollars on equipment, livestock, and crop seed, all in the hopes that it would pay off with a bountiful harvest. But for a multi-generation farmer like Clark's father, it was never a gamble, it was a calculated operation that always provided the necessary yield to provide for his family.

He allowed himself a brief sigh of sorrowful remembrance for his adopted father. He missed the man greatly, and felt that in this case it would have been nice to hear some fatherly advice on what his next course of action regarding Diana should be. He had to get into a fight with his best friend where they nearly killed eachother just so he would admit to his feelings for the Amazon Princess in the first place. He had no doubt that his father would have exposed his feelings much earlier and gone about it in a much kinder manner than Bruce had.

As the Kent farm came into view, he noticed his mother sitting on the porch of the old farmhouse, and he immediately felt much better. Martha Kent was as tough and as wonderful a woman as there could ever be. No one else would ever imagine that Superman was still slightly intimidated by his mother, or that a man who could catch a tank shell was brought to shame when he had been mischievous in his youth. Clark enjoyed the memory of his mother telling him to "Sit down!" After which he would sulk while his mother brought the proverbial hammer down on him. As he got older Martha began to tell him that she was always proud of him, even when he was behaving he was still in control of himself, the fact that a toddler who could destroy the town with a tantrum, would still dutifully sit down and do what his parents asked of him...most of the time.

"Ma! I'm home!" Clark yelled as soon as he came within earshot.

"I know Clark! You'd think by now you'd know that I can hear the sound of my handiwork coming from three counties away" She got up, smiling at her approaching son.

Clark self-consciously touched the 'S' on his chest. The cape may be Kryptonian-made but the suit he wore had been crafted by his mother. People thought when they saw the outfit and the way that it stood up to punishment that it must have been crafted on an alien planet, but in the words of Martha Kent "Kryptonian materials are just as easy to put together as any ball of sheep wool". This was also why Clark felt safe leaving his mother at home in Smallville by herself. Not only were her clothes woven with Kryptonian materials, but the entire grounds of the Kent farm had been equipped with alien and mystical technologies that had been gifts from both well-wishers and his League allies.

He touched down in front of her and immediately drew her into a warm hug. It was good to be home and see his mother.

"Ma it's good to see you" Clark said, sighing deeply while holding her gently.

"It's good to see you too son"

Martha Kent could not help the fact that she knew her son as well as she did. She had always been able to tell when something was wrong ever since that first moment when that rocket had landed on their property so many years ago. It was her nature to know her son, no matter how old or strong he got. He was Superman to the world, but he was still Martha's little boy.

"Something is on your mind dear, I could tell the moment I sensed you were on your way" She said, watching Clark's eyes drift downward, knowing that she'd caught onto something very important right away.

"It's Diana mom. I love her".

Clark was very surprised to hear those words come out of his mouth. The bluntness, no further thought, just pure and simple truth. It was then that he realized that Bruce had been right in his assessment, once he had admitted the truth to himself he may as well have been talking about the weather and not the deepest feelings in his heart. However, his surprise at the ease he was able to speak of love for Diana was nothing in comparison to his surprise at his mother's reaction.

"Yes dear, now come inside and have some pecan pie. I just finished making it and I know how much you love it".

Martha could not help but smile as she turned around from her son's gaping expression and began to make her way into the kitchen. Of course her son loved Diana, and she knew that Diana loved him just as much. Just because Jonathan had passed away a few years prior did not mean that Martha was blind to the extreme tensions that existed between the two nor the intense energy that radiated from them when you simply mentioned the other's name.

"I am just glad he figured it out now. I was thinking I would be senile or six feet under before he admitted it" Martha thought to herself.

Clark stood there rooted to the porch floor for another few moments before the shock wore off and he hurried after his mother into the rustic yet spacious kitchen of the Kent family home.

"What do you mean 'yes dear'? I just told you I loved Diana and that's all I get?!" Clark queried, allowing some annoyed disbelief to enter his voice.

"Clark Kent you lower your voice in the house, you know that. Now as for your confession regarding Diana, of course you love her, I think you've loved her since the first moment you came back to visit me after you met her. What were your words exactly?" Martha enjoyed as Clark turned a deep shade of crimson and collapsed into a chair at their oak dining table and buried his face in his hands.

"Please Ma, don't bring that up!"

Martha thought briefly about sparing her son the embarrassment but then decided that he'd made her wait long enough to admit it, maybe he needed to suffer a bit.

"She's so pretty Mom, she's a Princess" Martha watched with delight as he groaned out loud at the recounting. Clark had barely been out of his teens when he had met Diana for the first time and spoke of her like he was a lovesick four year old with his first crush. It was amusing to see the most powerful being on the planet fawning over her the way that he did.

"Why is it so obvious to everyone?! This wasn't easy for me to admit but it seems that everyone else was just waiting for me to wise up. I bet even Hippolyta knows that I love her daughter" Clark sighed in frustration, adding that last part as an exaggerated joke, but then pausing when he saw his mother shift uncomfortably on her feet.

"Wait a minute. You're not telling me that Diana's mother knows? How do you know that?"

Martha enjoyed that Clark's face drained of all colour at the prospect of Diana's mother being aware of his feelings for her daughter. It made her happy that he was actually seemingly scared to death of facing her, it meant to Martha that she had really raised a gentleman.

"Polly and I have been friends for a long time Clark. You think you're the only one who has mystical allies? She came to me quite early on in your two knowing eachother. She wanted to meet the woman who had raised this Super-Man. I can tell you she was quite surprised when she met Jonathan and myself".

Clark was just sitting there in disbelief. Her mother knew Hippolyta, and well enough to refer to her as Polly? Clark had never even heard Diana refer to the Amazon Queen as anything other than Hippolyta or Mother. As if she heard his train of thought, Martha further explained.

"She actually showed up at our front door. Damn near gave poor Jonathan a heart attack out of fright when she arrived brandishing that sword with two spear-wielding bodyguards. She confronted me about what she saw as mutual feelings between you and Diana and her concern for her daughter being corrupted by you, my son. Needless to say I think I caught her off-guard when I did not back down, and I still think she was quite surprised to see this petite lady as your mother. I invited her and her guards in and we continued the conversation over dinner. I have never seen a woman eat that much potato salad in my life, you'd think she'd never had Kansas barbecue before" Martha laughed at both the memory and the look on Clark's face.

"So what happened after that?" Clark said, now digging into the pie, trying to take his mind of the shock from his mother's revelations.

"She has come to visit at least once a month for the past 10 years Clark. Each time she comes, she and I both grow more frustrated at both of your inactions. She initially said that you would not be a worthy son-in-law because you did not face up to your feelings earlier, but as Diana did not either, she eventually got past that, and we realized that you both would come around when you were ready. We knew long ago that it would only be a matter of time, and you both did not need either of us interfering".

Martha noticed the elation of Clark's face that Diana's mother seemed to already approve of their union, and decided it only fair to quickly bring his head out of the clouds and back down to reality.

"Just because Polly approves of you for her daughter, do not think that means that she will go easy on you or that I will go easy on Diana. We both know this. She has elaborately described her plan to test your worthiness on Themyscira once you formally ask for Diana's hand in courtship. You'll be walking into hell my son, and I'm partially to blame as I have had a hand it giving Polly some ideas as to what to put you through".

Clark was in disbelief at that moment, that not only did Hippolyta already have a series of tests set up for him to see if he was worthy of Diana, but his mother had actually played a role in helping her design it.

"I haven't even spoken to Diana about these feelings and already you two are planning how to make me suffer for it when I do?"

He couldn't help but feel slightly off-put by how much detail and planning so many people had put into their eventual getting together. He had initially thought of maybe questioning his mother as to what would have happened if they had never gotten together, but he decided not to even bother. Mothers knew their children very well, and Martha was no exception, and both she and Clark knew that.

"You both have already taken a long time to admit to these feelings dear. Consider what Polly has in store for you a punishment from both her and myself that you took this long" Martha said, leaning in and giving her son a kiss on the cheek.

Clark could not help but marvel in his mother's strength and the way that she had just yet again put the Man of Steel in his place.

"I was actually on my way to speak to her, but I decided to stop in and clear my head before I did" He said, and was immediately met by the stern glare of his mother and her immediate clipped rebuttal.

"And how is your head now? Clear?! Good! Now get your caped butt out of my home and go tell that poor woman how you feel before I go and get some of that kryptonite out of the cellar and drag you there myself!"

Clark laughed and drew his mother in again for a hug, which she returned, laughing along with her son.

"I'll tell both of them that you said hello" Clark said as he began to move toward the door.

"The coin has two sides Clark, you remember to tell Diana that she is due for a visit to the farm as soon as she can".

Clark stopped and shuddered briefly. He did not envy what Diana would have to go through with his mother. Diana loved Ma and she loved Diana but that was not going to stop her from grilling her into the ground. Clark was also willing to bet that Hippolyta had given Martha some advice as well on how to better test her daughter.

"I will Ma, see you soon!"

And with that Clark shot out of the doorway and into the sky, streaking towards the hidden island and where he knew Diana would be staying. He was a man on a mission, his head clear and his aims true.

He was a man in love and he had a job to do.

A/N: So Clark is off to Themyscira to speak to Diana. Will he get there before all hell breaks loose? Next up it's back to the Themyscira where Hippolyta has a very special guest to introduce Diana to on the island. Who's up next?