The four of them flew through the early afternoon sky towards Smallville. Diana insisted upon being with arms reach of Clark the entire flight. Much to Hippolyta's chagrin she reached over to touch him several times. She was being carried by Donna, she figured her the safest choice given that Diana had nearly burned and drowned her five minutes ago. Diana had been in such a foul mood Hippolyta was worried about being dropped. She didn't think she would be allowed to hit the ground, but Diana might want to prove a point.
Clark landed on the outskirts of the property, just as he did the first time with Diana. Hoping the walk would allow them to get out as much awkwardness as they could. Luckily this time there was no ridiculous fishing line argument, his parents were quietly sitting in the living room.
"Diana how do you wear these clothes? They're so constricting. It's like wearing armor, but armor that won't protect me from anything." Donna complained. She was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a sweater, some of the original clothes Clark had purchased before their first official date.
"You insisted upon wearing that. Now you have to deal with it." Diana spoke.
"Is it supposed to be this tight? I feel like I can barely move." Donna turned her upper body back and forth several times to demonstrate her discomfort.
Diana simply smiled silently. In actuality the clothes were supposed to be tighter. They were Diana's clothes, and she was a bit fuller in the shoulders and chest than Donna was, so the sweater hung a little loose.
"You should have worn the dress. All of us said you would be more comfortable." Hippolyta added. Who wore a black skirt that went just past her knees, with a lavender blouse tucked into the waist, and sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Diana had described the look as business casual. Hippolyta picked it because she felt sufficiently covered up, without being too constricted. Also because lavender was one of her favorite colors. Looking in the mirror, she had to admit, the streak of gray hair gave her a more distinguished look. She hadn't aged since she was 34, the year she was granted with immortality on the island of Themyscira, and she looked like it. If anyone asked, she would look far too young to be Diana and Donna's mother. She found she didn't mind the color at all.
Hippolyta inhaled and exhaled deeply. Walking behind Clark and Diana, she took in the scenery. The open fields, the trees, aside from the few modern structures she saw it was almost reminiscent of home.
"Mother why are you breathing like that? Are you alright?" Donna asked.
"Yes little one, I am fine. The air here is much cleaner than the city. It seems to be a much better place to live."
"In a lot of ways it is. I grew up here, and probably one day I'll come back." Clark said.
"I don't know how long we'll stay here, but I need both of you to know, that there are people in this town that know me. They know me as Diana Prince, a human woman who is dating Clark Kent. If we meet anyone other than the Kents you are simply my mother and sister coming for a visit." Diana spoke sternly. "I trust you will both protect our secret."
"You can count on me sister." Donna said happily.
Outwardly, Hippolyta kept her face cool and unfazed, but inwardly she was a wreck. She did not like this situation one bit. There is something here that is not right, she was looking forward to meeting Clark's parents, maybe by meeting them she could figure out what it is that keeps the women here under control.
As they approached the house, Clark leaned over and whispered something into Diana's ear. He was too close. He was also touching her, a hand was on the small of her back. Diana didn't knock his hand away, she leaned up to listen to what he had to say, and appeared to agree with it. All of this made Hippolyta furious.
Clark ran up ahead and cleared the porch steps in one effortless bound. Without knocking or hesitating, he walked straight into the house.
"Alright kids." Clark called his parents kids sometimes, just for fun. "The lights are on, and the curtain is going up. Let's do this."
Martha and Jonathan stood as Diana led her mother and sister into the house. Diana immediately brightened up, happy to see Clark's parents again.
"Hello Mrs. Kent, it's so good to see you again, and you too Mr. Kent." Diana hugged both of them as if they were family. "I would like you to meet my sister, Princess Donna and my mother Queen Hippolyta of Themyscira."
"Hello Princess." Martha said warmly. "Hippolyta." She said, with a bit of an edge.
"Greetings." Hippolyta stated. She was looking directly at Martha, not even acknowledging Clark and Jonathan.
The tension was thick, mostly because of Martha, she had the look of a lioness ready to pounce at any second. Hippolyta was more curious and confused, but still ready for anything.
"So, Mama what you got to eat?" Clark asked as he always did when he was home, only this time he was trying to ease the tension in the room.
"I wanted to talk to you about that." Jonathan answered. "We don't have enough for everybody. We weren't expecting company."
"Alright, that's fine. We can cover that. I'll go back to Metropolis and get some cash, and pick something up on the way back." Clark said.
"You couldn't just go to the store here?" Diana asked.
"When I show up out of the blue like this, I don't leave the farm, or if I do, I go where nobody will recognize me. Word spreads fast in a town like this, people will wonder how and when I got here."
Martha and Hippolyta were still locked in on each other. Jonathan knew all too well the look on Martha's face, and if he didn't get a conversation going this situation wouldn't end well.
"Please have a seat." Jonathan signaled a couch for Hippolyta and Donna. Opposite where he and Martha were sitting, with only a coffee table between them.
Hippolyta and Donna sat down, with Martha sitting opposite the queen. Donna looked directly at Jonathan with a big smile. She still didn't know how to act around men, and smiling was what she often did when she was nervous. Jonathan on the other hand didn't understand, a 17 year old girl staring at him, with a big grin on her face.
"I'll get us something to sit on." Clark said, as he and Diana were the only one's who didn't have a place to sit.
"Donna." Diana whispered harshly with a questioning look. "What are you doing?"
"Sorry." She said to Jonathan, who was too confused to respond.
Clark returned seconds later holding a two person loveseat over his head, he started to set it down in front of the fireplace, but Diana moved to help him. Instead of assisting him, she purposely pushed one end of the couch backwards, the quickly sat down. The couch was wildly uneven with the others, Clark didn't like it one bit, and gave Diana a chiding look to let her know. But Clark didn't say anything, instead he lifted Diana up, and moved the couch into alignment, then sat down himself, placing Diana next to him.
Clark & Diana's little squabble broke the mood enough for Hippolyta to finally speak.
"I do not approve of your son."
"I gathered that." Martha said.
"There is a problem isn't there Mrs. Kent?"
"I know what happened this morning when you met with Clark. I don't approve of that. I say let's just get it out there, right now you're in my house. In here, I am the Queen, and I make the rules. And it is the ruling of this queen that if you do anything against my husband or my son, you'll have to answer to me. And trust me, you don't want me for an enemy."
While his mother spoke, Clark felt like a little boy tattletaling on the mean old lady. But the aftermath seemed to make it worth the feeling.
Hippolyta was stunned, Martha's thinly veiled threat was unexpected. Here was a woman, who in body was decades older than herself, but was still fierce, and would protect her family at all costs. What Martha had just said, changed things, it was as if Martha was an Amazon herself. She realized she needed to back off, and being insulting isn't the way to prevent a life of misery for Diana.
"She makes the rules?" Donna asked Jonathan. "So that means you submit her will?"
Jonathan could tell, just as everyone else, that some common ground was being made. He had to be specific with his words. "Uh, she doesn't ask me to. We do things together. It's better that way. That's how marriage works."
"I see. I can explain my actions from earlier. I walked in and saw him in bed with my daughter, I assumed the worst." Hippolyta stated.
"Oh really? He didn't tell me that part." Martha exclaimed. "Clark Jeffrey Kent I thought I raised you better than that!"
"Sleeping!" Clark shouted.
"Hold on now, they're both consenting adults. There's not a whole lot we can do to stop them." Jonathan responded.
"We were sleeping." Clark said again, this conversation was not where he wanted it to be. "And that's the last we're going to talk about it. Your highness, you said before we left you wanted to see what a real family is like, but we're not going to talk about that." Clark didn't even want to say the word sex in front of his parents, it just made him feel creepy.
"Flash and Green Lantern talk about sex all the time, why would it be so different now?" Diana asked.
"You really want to talk about that with your mother in the room. Because I don't." Clark exclaimed.
"I suppose not." Diana agreed, after thinking about it.
"If we don't change the subject I'm leaving."
"But, Clark that doesn't help anything if you leave." Diana added.
"Why do you two antagonize each other?" Donna asked suddenly. "This is at least the fourth time you've done it. Diana, you've done it twice with furniture, and Clark you did it when talking about fighting. If you claim to like each other why would you purposely do such a thing?"
No one had a good answer, but Hippolyta was going to give it a try anyway.
"Because they should not be together. Clark, I'm sure there are many women who would obey your every word. You should have one of them."
"Nobody wants a slave. It's a relationship, give and take, compromise and sacrifice. Plus it's entertaining." Jonathan said.
"You would said that." Martha nagged. "You love to get on my last nerve."
"No more than you get on mine!"
"Jonathan, you won't even answer a simple yes or no question without giving me a hard time." Martha exclaimed.
"We're back on that again? If you must know that wasn't a yes or no question. That required far more effort than I was willing to give just then."
Hippolyta became confused as Jonathan and Martha continued to argue over something that happened probably very recently. Some couple they were. "Diana, you see these two, who have been together for many years, still argue with each other. How could you willingly want to be a part of that?"
"Do you not argue with Phillipus? She is your oldest and closest friend. How can it be so different? Besides they don't always argue, they make love as well." Diana said.
"Nope!" Clark yelled again. "Not going there either!" As it is, with his super hearing, he knew way too much about his parents love life over the years. He was damn sure not going to talk about it!
"A hypocrite as well." Hippolyta said to Clark. "You wish to 'make love' with my daughter yet..."
"Nope! I'm leaving! I'm going to get the food, and I'm not coming back until you people get your heads out of the gutter!"
Clark quickly stood and left the house. Diana raced to catch up with him.
"I'll be back soon. Mother, I expect you to honor your promise."
As they watched the young couple take to the sky Donna, was unsure what to do with herself. She had been quietly listening to the conversation for the most part, but without Diana she felt really out of place. She figured she'd just have to muscle through it.
Clark and Diana flew back to Metropolis in no time, without Hippolyta in tow they could push a little faster. Only slow enough to keep their clothes from being ruined by the speed and heat. They headed into a grocery store to pick up anything they'd need to eat.
"Why did we come back to Metropolis?" Diana asked.
"So that my credit card company doesn't freeze my card. If you ever noticed, if I ever go out of town I pay for everything in cash. Keeps people from tracking where I am all the time."
"I see." Diana said. She didn't really care about that, she really wanted to ask about what had been on their mind all day. Since this was the first time they'd been alone, she wanted to talk. "So what happened last night? You kind of fell apart there."
"Right. That." He said solemnly. "I do that from time to time. Sometimes I just need to vent."
"I figured that, but you were talking about Krypton, why?"
"Sometimes I dream about it, how they were told what was going to happen, and did nothing about it. When I see the signs here, I can't help but think about them, and I wonder if I'll be able to stop the world from destroying itself."
"If it comes to that, yes you will. And I'll be right there with you the whole time. I love it here too you know. But we should hurry, I don't know how long Donna can play referee to our parents." Diana wondered if there was more to it than he was telling, but they needed to get back.
Back on the farm, things had gotten more relaxed. Hippolyta listened to the stories of Clark's accomplishments. Both as Superman and in his personal life, nothing that was said would point to him being a bad person. Any parent would always portray their child in the best light, but Hippolyta was hard pressed to think they were lying. It was also odd how Jonathan and Martha so quickly forgot their earlier argument, they had been on the same page for a little while now.
Their relationship was built on friendship and trust. A foundation that had lasted for over 30 years, and seemed strong enough to endure another 30. It was just as Clark and Diana said their relationship was based on. It was not based on control or domination from either side. She still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that at a moment's notice everything could change, leaving one of them in pain. She desperately did not want her daughter to have to deal with that.
It was about 45 minutes later when Clark and Diana returned. Everyone was still seated as they were, and no one looked like they had just gone 12 rounds in the ring either. Maybe without them around they could air their feelings better. Donna however looked very excited to see them again.
"We're going to put these away." Diana announced, with a handful of bags.
"I'll assist you." Donna said, quickly heading towards the kitchen with Clark and Diana.
In the kitchen, Clark put away the groceries alone, as the two sisters didn't know where to put things anyway.
"So how has it gone?" Diana asked.
"Mother is just listening. She hasn't said much. I think she's beginning to have some respect for Mrs. Kent, I'm not so sure about Mr. Kent though, or Clark."
"It's a start." Clark said.
A little while later everyone had broken off to do something else. Donna had gone with Clark and Diana to explore some of the places he used to play as a boy. Jonathan had gone outside, and Martha was beginning to prepare dinner. Never a woman for the kitchen, Hippolyta chose to go outside to see what Jonathan was doing.
It took a little while to find him, as he could have been anywhere. She found him in the middle of a clearing, sitting on a stool with an easel in front of him.
"You're a painter?" She asked, coming up behind him.
"Me? No, not really. I'm not very good, it's just nice to release stress."
"I never had the talent for art, but my daughters do."
"I've found it's not really about talent. It's about serenity, happy little trees over here, maybe a bush or some happy clouds."
"Happy trees?" Hippolyta asked.
"Forget it." Why did he even say that? She was from ancient Greece, there was no way she would get a Bob Ross reference. "I come out here to get away from everything. It's just me and God. It's peaceful."
Hippolyta changed the subject. "This whole business of love, between our children. I don't understand it."
Jonathan paused before speaking. "Have you ever loved someone?"
"Yes."
"I mean, truly been in love? Not made from family bonds, or forged by shared experience, but unconditional love, by choice."
"Perhaps not."
"I'll tell you. It's awesome. To wake up every day and have Martha there with me. Weather the harvest is strong or we have to struggle to get by, she's going to be there. It took a long time and a lot of work for us to get to where we are. And it's all been worth it. And I couldn't be happier to see Clark pursuing that. It's something he's wanted his entire life, something he thought he couldn't have."
"Perhaps the work has paid off for you, but the lives of our children are not so simple."
"No they aren't. Clark may be the strongest man this world has ever seen, but to me he'll always be the little boy I picked out of a spaceship all those years ago."
"Diana will always be the little girl I held in my arms. She was made of my own blood, sweat and tears, I cannot bear the thought of harm coming to her. Especially not from someone she trusts."
"It's a two way street you know. She could hurt him just as easily as he could her. Only I don't think that's going to happen. They've seen struggles that we... or at least I, could only imagine. They've seen the ugly parts of life, and still want to pursue happiness. There's been peace here for a while now, but it won't last. They both know it, if they're together when the next threat comes, it'll make them that much stronger, because they'll go extra hard to protect the other."
"It's not easy, watching our children grow is it?" She asked.
"Not at all. But we have to let them, otherwise we stop them from becoming the people they want to be. All that will do is drive them away from us."
"Yes." Hippolyta agreed. "I'm beginning to understand that. After my first meeting with Clark, on Themyscira, and last night in my anger, I saw the look on my daughter's face. It broke my heart, I betrayed her. I do not wish to do that again. I realize that I cannot force them apart, but how can I not lose her?"
"Just try to accept the life she wants, accept the people she chooses to have in her life, and she'll come back to you."
"Accepting him, means going against everything I've believed for my entire life."
"No one ever said life was easy, but in the end I bet it'll be worth the effort."
Hippolyta chuckled lightly. "I've never heard such wise words from a man."
"Is that right? I'd say that's quite an accomplishment for me." He began laughing, and Hippolyta joined him.
Dinner was much more relaxed, they sat in the kitchen eating fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, broccoli and biscuits. The food was prepared very differently than Hippolyta and Donna were accustomed to, but they both enjoyed it. Conversation flowed much more freely as well, the parents had one thing in common, silly stories about raising superpowered children.
"Clark is a very patient man." Martha began. "But when he was young, he drove me up the wall sometimes. I'll never forget, one day, he decided he was hungry..."
"Oh here we go." Clark complained. "Can I tell the story, I want it to be told right. So, I was about 14, I was just discovering my heat vision, and one day I wanted a hamburger. So I went and I asked, 'Mama will you make me a hamburger?' 'No' she says, 'You're old enough to make it yourself' she says. Which was true. I could make a burger no problem. But since I was on my own, I wasn't about to wait around. So I put the meat into the pan, and zapped it, thinking it would be done in no time. In the end, I just melted a hole in the pan."
"A hole, in my good frying pan. I spent years seasoning that pan so the food cooked in it would taste right. He ruined it in three seconds. I still get mad when I think about that."
"Then she hit me with the pan. Right in the head." Clark added.
Diana laughed loudly at that. She hadn't heard this story before.
"I wasn't trying to hit you on the head." Martha explained. "You ducked into it, it's not like it hurt you anyway."
Diana was still laughing, Clark didn't like that.
"Oh laugh it up sweetheart. I'm sure you've done some embarrassing things in your life." Clark offered, hoping Hippolyta would tell a story.
"As a matter of fact, she has her own kitchen incident." Hippolyta offered. "She was probably 10 years of age, learning to bake bread. I was told by her teachers that she refused to put her hands into the dough, then decided to break the mixing bowl. I do not recall what happened next but, I do remember being told that she dove inside the brick oven and broke it as well."
Clark threw his head back in laughter, he predicted that Diana threw tantrums to get out of doing chores, but didn't know she would stoop that far. "You dove inside the oven? Who does that?"
"It seemed like a good idea at the time. I don't know what I was thinking. I didn't want to bake any bread, I wanted to go hunt down a hog. They made me rebuild the oven after that."
They continued to tell stories after dinner was finished. Hippolyta couldn't help but notice, that most of hers were secondhand stories. There were a lot of times where she had to be a Queen, and missed out on being a mother. It occurred to her, that since Diana was romantically involved with Clark, there was a very real possibility that Diana could one day end up with children. She envied the Kents and their close relationship with their son, and wouldn't want to miss out on seeing a granddaughter grow up, even a grandson. It would be difficult, but she would have to learn to accept it. For no other reason than to keep her daughter as part of her life.
"Clark." Hippolyta spoke, "I have come to your world, seen your home and met your family. There are still many things I do not approve of, and others I simply do not understand, but it appears you are a fixture in my daughter's life. I realize that I cannot dictate Diana's life to suit my desires, she must live on her own. I have decided, that you will be given the opportunity to earn my trust. What say you?"
"Good." Clark simply said. Diana smiled.
"Clark, do you know any nice boys for me to meet?" Donna asked.
"I don't." Clark looked directly at Hippolyta as he spoke, he was not about to blow his chance after three seconds.
"Good, Donna we will return to Themyscira now. Mrs. and Mr. Kent I thank you for your kindness and hospitality. Diana, always be safe."
She stood and started for the door, before turning back. "Clark, do you recall my parting words before you left Themyscira?"
Clark thought, 'if you ever hurt my daughter in any way, there is nothing that will stop me from ending your life in the most agonizing way you could ever imagine.'
"I do." he said.
"Good. Always remember them. Come little one."
Donna led her mother outside, wrapped her arms around her and leaped towards the clouds. As soon as they were out of sight, Diana jumped into Clarks arms and kissed him with everything she had. Clark was a little uncomfortable given the fact that his parents were in the room, but Diana didn't care.
"It may have started out bad." She said happily, "But I think today went pretty good."
"I suppose it did." Clark said. "I suppose it did..."