It was a relatively quiet night in Gotham, by the Batman's reckoning. So far, only a couple of armed car robberies, and an attempted murder had occurred and Batman wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth what with his villains being silent for once. A voice called over his earpiece, "Master Bruce, you have a visitor."
"Who would show up at this time of night?"
"Mister Kent and a guest, Master Bruce."
Batman paused, weighing the pros vs the cons of calling it an early night. He could continue to patrol the streets or go see what Clark could possibly need at three in the morning. After all, if Clark had brought over someone that Alfred didn't know and couldn't find any information on, then there must be a problem and some questions would need answering. And if there were two things that Bruce hated most, they were problems and unanswered questions.
"…I'm on my way."
"Please do try to drive safe, sir."
Bruce scowled as he pulled into the Batcave, noticing that Alfred had let Clark and his mysterious guest downstairs. He got out of the car, and with an exaggerated flourish of his cape, he quickly stalked towards the two. "Superman, what can I do for you?"
"It's alright, Bruce. This is Kara, my cousin. She knows both my Kryptonian name and my adopted name." Batman frowned, "Who is this Bruce you speak of? I am the Batman. I don't even know a Bruce."
"Oh my gosh," Clark huffed. "She knows that you are Bruce Wayne: billionaire by day, and Batman, vigilante by night."
Bruce's frown got deeper; he would have to have a talk with Clark about divulging personal information like that at a later date. "Fine, now tell me why she is here with you."
"That's what I'm here to talk about." He paused, uncertainty clouding his features momentarily, "Uh Kara, why don't you explore around the cave a little?" The girl bobbed her head a few times reluctantly before wandering about. Bruce had to wonder if Clark had even told her why she was here.
Clark hesitated before slowly speaking. "Bruce, I need a favor. A big favor."
"What, Clarke? Just spit it out."
"I need you to take in Kara," Clark rushed out.
Bruce choked on his saliva and hurried to cover it as a cough, "I'm sorry, what? You want me , Bruce Wayne, to watch over your cousin for you?"
Clark ran his hand through his thick black hair, sighing harshly, "I know how it sounds, but I just can't take her in right now. My apartment only has room for one and it would be hard to explain to Lois why I suddenly have a thirteen year old girl who doesn't look like me living at my apartment. I'm not even sure if she is fully a girl. You are the only one that I trust enough to be able to deal with this."
Deal with this? Bruce was starting to see Superman in a new light, "And it would be easier to explain that for me? You understand that I would have to give up my cover as a playboy bachelor to do this? That the press is going to wonder why I've stopped showing up at parties, why I suddenly have a young girl living in my manor."
"You can always say that she was dropped off on your doorstep and you took her in. You can make her a completely new identity, make records for her. Give her a social security number, forge a birth certificate. I can't do those things as a reporter for The Daily Planet, Bruce. I don't even know how to do those, but you do and you can. Please, Bruce, you really are the only person I trust enough to do this." It was becoming quite clear to Bruce that Clark had thought long and hard about this. The man didn't even have the decency to try to make it work with the child. Being an orphan himself, Bruce was growing increasingly angry at Clark for being so careless.
"Alright, Clark. I will do this for you, but keep in mind that you will owe me for this." Bruce would do and just about say anything to get the man out of his house before he caused further damage to the child standing a few feet away. If she was anything like Clark, she heard everything.
"Thank you so much. I will try to stop by every once in awhile, to come visit. I really can't tell you how grateful I am for this. Good night, Bruce." Batman watched in disbelief as Clark didn't even stop to tell his cousin goodbye before he flew out of the cave. What kind of a man could be so uncaring as to leave a child with someone that the child doesn't even know? To throw them into such a foreign environment. Bruce stared at the sky where Clark had disappeared, losing respect for the man with each passing second. He would raise Kara into someone that Clark would be envious of. He would show Clark the hidden gem that he had thrown away, had tossed aside like week old garbage.
Alfred cleared his throat behind him. "Master Bruce, the girl…"
He startled, having momentarily forgotten that he wasn't alone. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and slowly walked over to where Kara was standing, a frown on her face as she looked up at the starry night.
"How much did you hear?" he asked as he stood next to her.
"Everything. I'm just a burden, aren't I? I was sent here to watch over and protect him, but Kal is all grown up and I failed. I have no purpose, and now he doesn't want me."
Bruce got down on one knee and took off his cowl. "Kara, listen to me. When we lose purpose, we find another one to concentrate on. We always strive to do better, regardless of success or failure in the past. And as for you staying here, you are more than welcome to join my family. I will always have space for you. I'm going to assume that you also lost your parents in the explosion that took Krypton and since I know what it is like to lose your parents at a young age, I will not turn you away."
Tears in her eyes and throat choking up with emotion, Kara whispered, "Thank you. That means a lot to me." She hesitated before continuing, "So what happens now?"
"If it's alright with you, I would like to legally adopt you. We would bring someone up to the manor to make everything official." Bruce paused, "How do you feel about that?"
Kara sniffled and shuffled her feet, muttering, "I would like that very much, sir."
Her face became panicked, "But only if you're sure! I wouldn't want to impose or anything."
A hint of a smile appeared on Bruce's face, "Of course, Kara. I have never been more sure of anything in my life. I just have one question, though, and I apologize if it is uncomfortable for you to answer. What did Clark mean when he said that he wasn't even sure if you were fully a girl?"
Kara wrapped her arms around herself. "You aren't going to want me either after I tell you. I'm…different from other Kryptonians, I'm not normal. I was born with male genitalia instead of female parts. I don't know how Kal found out since it was a closely guarded secret between my mother, my father, and my aunt. It's probably just another reason that he doesn't want me."
Bruce was infuriated. How could Clark be so callous? To throw away family just because it was inconvenient? Because Kara was different? He would be having words with the Man of Steel the next time they saw each other. If anything, Kara's admission only hardened his resolve. He wouldn't throw away someone as precious as Kara. He kept his face soft as he addressed the blonde.
"Oh sweetie, it's going to be okay. We'll just have to show him what he is missing. This changes things a little, but it's alright since we can make some documents for you. If it is alright with you, I would like to make all of your records show you as male. You will probably be in some newspapers growing up, and it will ensure no one asks any questions you aren't ready for. One more thing, would you like to change your name on paper? Alfred and I can still address you as Kara if you want."
"That's fine with me, sir. What were you thinking for my name?" Kara was bouncing on the balls of her feet. She almost couldn't contain her excitement. This would definitely keep her mind off of Kal's abandonment for a while.
Bruce grinned, "Well, I think we should keep it close to your real name. So maybe Karson? You would be Karson Wayne in public and Kara Wayne in private. What do you think of that?"
"Honestly, sir, this whole prospect sounds exciting. It solves any problems for the foreseeable future." A grin took over Kara's face, and Bruce found himself returning it. Vowing to never let that smile fall from her face ever again.
"Kara, I need you to do one more thing for me. Please stop calling me sir. If you're comfortable with it, I'd prefer that you call me dad or father. Is that ok?"
"Yes, sir…I mean, yes, Father. Thank you again."
Bruce let of a sigh of relief and stood, extending his hand to Kara, "Alright. Now tomorrow, we will make some documents for you, get someone up here to make it official, and get you some new clothes. As for tonight, why don't Alfred and I get you settled in? Let me just get changed and then we'll go," Bruce quickly stripped out of the Batsuit into some warm sweats. He took her hand and led her up the stairs into the manor.