Chapter 19: Parents

Disclaimer: All things Supergirl/Superman belong to DC. No infringement is intended.

The Amazonian island of Themyscira had become something of a refuge for Kara. Thanks to her close friendship with Diana, the Amazons had accepted her as one of their own and she was always welcome. She even had a bedroom in the palace, which she had been explicitly told was hers and that she was welcome to stay there at any time, no need for calling ahead. Someone had even gone to the trouble of carving her sigil into the door, managing to make it look as if it had always been there as part of the ornaments.

As much as she loved her home in Kansas, it was good to get away from there sometimes. She felt anxious, edgy, and knew exactly why. She had made a promise to her son, Clark, and now it was time to live up to it. More than anything in the world she wished that she didn't have to do it. So she had fled to her refuge, thrown her super suit into a corner, slipped into one of the Amazonian togas, and decided to leave her troubles behind for at least a day. A short dip in the ocean had followed before retreating to the balcony of her room to enjoy some sun light.

Relaxing in the sun and looking out across the beautiful island, she almost missed the sounds of footsteps coming up behind her.

"Kara," Queen Hippolyta said, smiling broadly. "It's so good to see you again."

Kara hopped down from where she sat on the railing of the balcony and embraced the mother of her best friend. It was kind of funny, she mused, that her best friend had a mother who only looked a few years older than herself. Somewhat like Clark and her. Only Hippolyta actually was older than her daughter was and by several centuries, too. Or was it millennia even? She wasn't quite sure.

Ever since their first meeting Hippolyta had treated her with the kind of warmth and affection that was usually reserved for family members or life-long friends. Kara often felt that she had found something of a kindred spirit in the other woman, which was another reason why she was here today.

"Something troubling you?" the queen asked, apparently sensing her mood.

"I was hoping to talk to you about something, Lyta," she said, using the shortened name the Amazon queen had told her to use. For just a moment there was a strange look on Lyta's face, expectant, hopeful, practically glowing. Kara wondered about that, but then pushed it aside. "It's about Clark."

And the look was gone. Now Lyta looked almost sad there for a moment, but then the smile returned and she gestured for the two of them to sit down. It wasn't the first time Kara had visited her for parental advice. Martha and Jonathan were great, but at times it was good to get another perspective from someone outside the immediate family.

"What is going on with your son?" Lyta asked.

"I... well, he has worked really hard to master his super powers. He can even fly now. He's still not as fast or strong as I am, but that will come with time and practice. I'm sure he will surpass me eventually. By all objective standards he is... he is ready."

Lyta nodded, understanding. "Ready to follow his mother's example and become a great hero and protector of the world, just like her?"

Kara felt a bit of a blush on her cheeks. "Something like that, yes. He is ready! I have trained him well. I'm sure he is going to do great. But..."

Lyta took her hand. "But you are still his mother and would like nothing better than to keep him safely back home, well away from all those dangers he is likely to face."

Kara nodded, having known that Lyta would understand.

"How do you do it?" she asked the older woman. "Diana is out there, facing danger, battling gods and monsters and alien tyrants... whenever we are in battle together, I fear that she will be hurt. And she is 'just' my best friend. The thought of my son, of Clark fighting and being hurt... especially if I'm not there to protect him..."

"I won't lie to you," Lyta said, squeezing her hand. "It's hard. Very hard. Has Diana ever told you that I initially forbade her from participating in the tournament to select our champion?"

Kara nodded. "Yeah, she mentioned that. She said that there were some pretty harsh words exchanged, too."

"That is putting it mildly," Lyta agreed. "Even back then I knew that Diana was special. That she had been blessed by the gods and was easily the most powerful and accomplished of our warriors. None of that mattered, though. She was my daughter and I didn't want her to leave the island and journey into danger."

Lyta leaned back, wistfully gazing into the past. "When I realized that she had defied me... and that she had won the tournament and was now our champion by right... I felt like I was being torn in two. On the one hand I was so proud of her, on the other I was furious and scared and would have liked nothing better than to lock her into her room forever."

"I know the feeling," Kara said.

"When she left the island, I had to be almost physically restrained not to go running after her," Lyta continued. "And when she came back after that fight with Ares, so broken and hurt…," a tear glistened in the Amazon's face, "I wanted to never let her go again."

"And yet you did."

Lyta nodded. "I think it was even harder the second time around. The first time the dangers had been... vague, distant. Now, though, there were very real. I knew my daughter could... would get hurt. That she might even die."

"How did you manage to let her go?" Kara asked. "Just the thought of Clark being hurt as badly as Diana had been back then..."

"Well, it helped knowing that she would leave regardless, even in defiance of my orders as queen if it came to that." Lyta looked at her. "It also helped that I knew she was not alone out there. That she had someone to watch her back."

Kara nodded. "I will always have Diana's back, just like she has mine."

Lyta nodded as well. "As for Clark, you are doing everything you can to make sure that he will always have someone to watch his back, too. If not you, then one of your comrades from this 'Justice League' Diana has told me about."

She scooted closer, laying her arm around Kara's shoulders. "It's hard when our children stop being children and start becoming adults. It's especially hard when we see them making mistakes, when we see them stumble. But we must give them the opportunity to do so."

Kara looked back at her. "And do our best to be there to catch them when they fall?"

Lyta smiled. "Of course. That's what parents are for."

"Why did you wish to talk to me, Miss Kara?" Alfred Pennyworth asked.

"You are Bruce's father," Kara told him, gratefully accepting the cup of tea he served her.

"Certainly not," he replied, sitting down at the other side of the table. "Master Thomas was Bruce's father and he was a good father. And a good man."

"I have no doubt about that, but he died when Bruce was just a young boy. Ever since that day you have been his father."

Alfred sighed, but did not deny her words.

"I am not sure whether Bruce has told you this, but I have a son. His name is Clark. He is 14 years old."

The only reaction Alfred showed was a raised eyebrow. "Master Bruce did mention that you had a son. I must admit I had thought him to be younger than that."

"I get that a lot," she said, smiling. "Clark, he... he is like me."

"You mean he has the same extraordinary powers you have?" Alfred asked. "Fascinating."

"He certainly thinks so, yes." Kara sipped from the tea. "And I... well, I kind of promised him that, once he has mastered his powers – which he has – and certain other conditions have been met – and they have – I would allow him to... to join the family business, so to speak."

"I see," Alfred said. "Am I right to assume that you have certain reservations about young Mr. Kent following in your footsteps?"

She nodded, staring into her cup.

"Master Bruce knew what he wanted to do with his life almost from the moment his parents died," Alfred said. "For quite some time I tried to steer him onto a different path, but he would not be dissuaded. And I... I felt that if I could not prevent him from walking this dangerous path, then the least I could do was not let him walk it alone."

"Because you're his father," Kara repeated.

Alfred chuckled. "Maybe, from a certain point of view."

"Bruce is just a normal man," Kara said, putting the cup down. "Every night he goes out, faces criminals with deadly weapons. How do you...?" she trailed off.

"Honestly, some nights I don't." Alfred told her, looking into the distance. "I have lost count of the nights when I sat down in that cave in the darkness, waiting to see whether Master Bruce would return home safely... or not. Sometimes I imagine that Master Thomas and Miss Martha are there, accusing me of not properly taking care of their son."

"I am certain they are thankful for your presence in their son's life," Kara said. "Even people as driven as Bruce need the support of their friends and loved ones."

"Then I am sure your son will be all right, Miss Kara," Alfred returned, "for having someone like you in his corner. But in regards to your question, I don't think there is a trick or method when it comes to people we love going into danger. It is something one simply has to get used to, I fear."

"Does it get easier?" Kara asked.

"I will let you know if it ever does," he replied.

Despite being a woman in her mid-twenties, Kara had never officially moved out of her childhood home (such as it was). There were several reasons for that, of course, chief of them Clark. Smallville was Clark's home, the only one he had ever consciously known, and Kara did not want to uproot him. Besides, it was not like commuting was much of a problem for someone who could fly at supersonic speeds. K-Solutions had offices in Metropolis, Gotham, Washington DC and several outside the US, too, but she mostly used them only for client meetings.

And then there was this, Kara mused, her eyes looking out over the vast open fields of Kansas. She would never get tired of this view. Even in those difficult first few years on this planet, she had always enjoyed the view. Endless oceans of wheat, grass, and corn, swaying in the wind. She had seen pretty much every corner of this world, plus several alien ones, but there was no other view that said "home" to her as much as this one.

She still slept in the same room Martha and Jonathan had put her in on that very first day here on Earth. It looked different now, of course, as Kara had redecorated it several times. The crib where Clark had slept in at first was in the attic now, he had long ago gotten his own room. The bed was about her sixth of seventh, she mused, seeing that she had broken quite a few before she finally got her powers under control.

Walking past the shelves, she let her gaze sweep across the assorted knickknacks that had accumulated over time. A photograph showing her all dolled up up for her first harvest dance, with the ticket from her first rock concert also clipped into the picture frame. In a small jewelry box next to it were the earrings Martha had given her to celebrate her getting her GED at fourteen (clips, of course, as it was hard to pierce an invulnerable ear), a golden ring with an engraved L, and the necklace Jonathan had gotten her for her 18th birthday. The folded-up blanket into which Lara-El had wrapped her son Kal just before handing him over to Kara was sitting next to it, the sigil of the House of El adorning one corner.

Her gaze moved on to the closet, which contained clothes she hadn't worn in years, but couldn't really part with. Maybe she should clean it out some time, just so she would have more space for her current clothes, which had spread across the chairs and desk.

"Reliving your misspent youth, sweetheart?" Martha asked, coming into the room.

"Mostly just wondering how much stuff has turned up here over time. Possibly a living proof of the ongoing expansion of the universe."

"Or proof that you are just the same as most earthborn women, sweetheart." Martha squatted down to pick up a discarded T-shirt. "And that you still haven't learned to keep your room cleaned up."

"You do realize I am capable of cleaning this entire room in a few seconds, right?"

"And yet you never seem to do it unless you wish to admonish Clark for the untidiness of his room and not be seen as a hypocrite."

Kara frowned, only to blur into motion and a few seconds later everything in the room was tidy, every piece of clothing put away, and even the bed was perfectly made. Kara was sitting primly on top of it, her legs crossed.

"I have no intention of commenting on the state of Clark's room today, thank you very much," Kara said haughtily, though the corners of her mouth were curving upwards.

"Consider me rebutted," Martha smiled, sitting down on the bed next to her. "What are you thinking so hard on, sweetheart?"

"The pros and cons of letting a super-powered teenager loose on the world, I guess." Kara let herself fall back onto her bed. "And the joys of being the mother of the world's first teenage superhero."

"Well, not really the first," Martha told her. "Or have you forgotten that you were already performing super-powered feats of heroism when you were still in your teens, too? I think I've got you beat there."

"Only on a technicality," Kara replied. "I didn't go public until I was twenty."

Martha put her hand on Kara's. "But you went out into the world and used your powers to help people long before that. Do you think it was any easier for me, just because you didn't yet have a colorful costume and a public image?"

Kara looked down. "Probably not, no. I hope I didn't worry you and Jonathan too much back then."

"We always worry," Martha corrected her. "It doesn't matter whether you are facing a robber with a knife that can't possibly hurt you or an alien tyrant capable of beating you to death."

Kara looked up, guilt flashing in her eyes. "What... how...?"

"You might be a good enough actor to fool the world at large, sweetheart," Martha told her, "but Jonathan and I know you too well. We saw how badly you were hurt, no matter how much you acted like it was nothing. And the whole thing where you supposedly stayed up in space for days to work on your space station? Please!"

Kara closed her eyes, feeling like a teenager again who had been caught fooling around in the barn. "I didn't want you and Clark to worry," she said in a small voice. "There was nothing you could have done."

"And you think that matters?" Martha asked. "Kara, I am your mother. I will always worry about you, no matter how old or invulnerable you are. Just like you will always worry about Clark, no matter what. How would you feel if he gets injured in battle and tries to hide it from you?"

"I'd put him over my knee," Kara muttered, then looked up sharply. "Don't you dare!"

"Pfff! You wouldn't even feel it, so what would be the use?"

Stroking her fingers through Kara's hair, Martha grew serious once again. "You have one big advantage when it comes to Clark, you know? Compared to me, I mean. You can go out there with him. You can protect him far better than I ever could protect you. Be thankful for that, dear!"

Kara nodded. "I will!"

"Of course the big disadvantage is that, sooner or later, he will be horribly embarrassed by having his super-powered mom along."

Kara answered Martha's smile. "I fail to see how that is a disadvantage!"

The two women collapsed on the bed, laughing.

"You have trained him well, sweetheart," Martha told her. "He is ready and I am sure your example will see him through. And who knows? Maybe Clark will be an example to others as well. Maybe we'll see even more teenage superheroes in the future."

"Rao, I hope not," Kara replied. "Teenagers are bad enough without superpowers."

Kara did her best to maintain a neutral face, but it was getting increasingly hard not to smile. They were sitting around the dinner table in the Kent farm and Martha had just put the food on the table. They were still eating dinner together whenever they could, though Kara could not always make it due to her many responsibilities. Still, whenever she could she came home to eat dinner with her family.

Opposite her, Clark was fidgeting in his seat. The 14-year old had always been a very active boy; sitting still had never been one of his greatest strengths. Today, though, he seemed to be finding it more and more difficult. She pretended not to notice and wondered how long Martha's ironclad rule to eat first and have family discussions later would hold up.

"So?" he finally burst out, a heartbeat after the dishes were cleared from the table.

"So what?" Kara asked. The strain of not smiling was increasing rapidly.

"You know what," he huffed, crossing his arms and glaring at her. "Luthor is in jail!"

"Luthor is in investigative custody," she corrected him. "His trial won't be for another month or so."

"It still counts as being in jail!" Clark insisted.

"Really? Have you talked with your lawyer about that?"

Clark just gave her an incredulous stare, apparently not certain whether she was kidding or not.

"You promised, mom," he finally said, pouting with the best of them.

She finally cracked, letting the smile spread across her face. "That's true, Clark. And we always keep our promises. But there will be a lot of rules, you realize? Rules which I expect you to follow to the letter, otherwise we're going to put an immediate stop to this and not talk about it again until your 18th birthday."

Clark looked a bit subdued at that, but still vibrated with excitement.

"So we'll do it?" he asked hopefully.

She sighed heavily, mentally beating down every mothering instinct she had. "Yes, we will."

He let out a joyful whoop and jumped in the air, almost hitting the ceiling of the dining room. Martha and Jonathan looked on with smiles that were part indulgent and part wistful. The second of their alien children was almost grown up.

"When do we start?" Clark asked, excited beyond all measure.

She sighed. "Tomorrow. First thing we're going to do is visit a good friend of mine."

Clark's brow furrowed in confusion. "What friend?"

End Chapter 19

Author's Note: As you have no doubt guessed, next chapter will see the debut of Superboy, finally. Hope the scattered hints to future plot lines in this chapter weren't too obvious (or too obscure).