First of all, Superman and Wonder Woman and other characters mentioned in this fanfic are the property of their respective owners.
Second, the situation with Darkseid mentioned here will be explained in the succeeding parts of this fanfic. I got the idea from a vlogger on Youtube. He referred to the pandemic as "the situation" in all his videos I've watched.
Clark heard the familiar buzz of a Justice League portal opening up a few feet behind him. On the other side he could see Diana, Victor Stone and J'onn J'onzz. Diana could not contain her relief at finding her husband, "Thank the Gods! We have found you, Kal!"
He calls out to Logan as he held an infant in his arms, "Logan! You can come with me! You can raise Laura in my universe. Its not perfect but its certainly much better than this!"
Logan shakes his head. "I ain't goin' with yah, Bub. I've lost too much an' besides I'm just not parent material. I know Laura'll have a good life with yah and yer lady."
"You still have a chance at a better life, Logan. Together with Laura."
Logan looks at Diana and takes a sniff at the air. "Yah better get goin' now cuz I'm bettin' Master Mold's already sent Sentinels when it detected that portal's energy discharge."
Clark puts a hand on Logan's shoulder, "I won't forget you, Logan. I will tell Laura all about you and what you've been through when she comes of age."
"I think it's better that yah didn't, Bub. Laura doesn't deserve to have these memories. She doesn't need to know how this world turned on its heroes."
"Go, Clark. Those Sentinels are getting close."
Logan lets his claws out and heads for the clearing. He stops midway and takes one last look at Laura and says, "Take care of my little girl, Clark."
Clark nods and blurs into the portal.
"This is the moment we have all been waiting for. Our special guests on this special edition of the Cat Grant Show need no introductions. Everyone watching from home and in the audience, say hello to Superman and Wonder Woman!"
The studio audience cheered and applauded as Clark and Diana walked into the studio.
Cat Grant stands up to give Diana and Clark each a buzz on the cheeks.
Cat takes her seat while she motion Diana and Clark to sit on the couch. "This is so amazing! I finally have you on my show! With all sincerity, I'd like to say thank you."
"The pleasure is all ours, Cat," Clark replied as he sneaked a glance at Diana.
"I just can't get enough of this cute couple. So, after the situation with Darkseid, the two of you took a breather from the League. For more than 2 years there were no sightings of Superman and Wonder Woman," said Cat.
"After that situation with Darkseid, we, Kal and I, took stock of a lot of things. We looked back at the things we've lost and most of all, the blessings that came our way. Kal and I decided to take some time off for some personal matters. We went back and forth from Smallvile and Themyscira. We had a lot of things to process," replied Diana.
"Is it safe for me to assume that the two of you are..?" Cat left the question hanging as the audience waited on bated breath.
Clark and Diana looked at each other and nodded to Cat. "The answer is yes, Cat. Kal and I are married." Diana flashed the wedding band on her hand for Cat to see.
Cat was dumbfounded as the audience went wild. "Ohmygod! Ohmygod! Ohmygod!" said Cat as she held a hand up to fan herself.
When the cheers and applause subsided, Cat asked, "So how did you two get together if you don't mind me asking. Was there a mutual attraction?"
"Yes, there was. But it was more for me. I have never met a woman like Diana. During our first meeting all I could do was smile whenever Diana looked at me," Clark replied as he looked at Diana.
"At first I was wary of Kal," Diana replied as Clark softly squeezed her hand. "But as we got to know each other, we became the best of friends and I developed deeper feelings for Kal which I did not understand at first. I am happy I listened to my heart this time."
"That's so sweet, Diana," said Cat. Looking at Clark and Diana, she added, "So, what are your plans? Are we going to see SuperWonderbabies soon?"
"Short-term, League membership has increased and there are heroes who are more than capable of handling any situation, Kal and I have decided to step down as full-time members to concentrate on our personal lives. Rest assured, if ever our assistance is required we are just a call away."
"How about long-term?" asked Cat.
"We haven't thought that far yet, Cat. We're still enjoying the moments we spend together as newlyweds," replied Clark with a sheepish grin as he scratched the back of his head.
The audience laughed along with Clark and Diana.
Once the laughter subsided, Clark spoke with a serious tone, "As we all know, Diana has no secret identity. Everyone knows her as Wonder Woman and also as Princess Diana of Themyscira, Ambassador."
Clark looked at Diana as she gave his hand a soft squeeze as if to reassure him. "That's what I also want for myself. No more hiding. I want to live my life as an open book for everyone to see. You all know me as Superman or Kal-El of Krypton but I am also Clark Kent, the adopted son of Jonathan and Martha Kent of Smallville, Kansas and most of all, husband to Diana Kent of both Themyscira and Smallvile, Kansas."
Clark takes out a pair of glasses from a concealed pocket and puts them on and Diana musses his hair a bit.
Cat's smile widened when her excitement turned into recognition of the person in front of her.
"Clarkie!" Cat screamed and hugged Clark. "Who would have thought that during my time at the Daily Planet I was just a few feet away from Superman? This is so surreal! My God! Perry and Jimmy will be thrilled!"
The audience was silent for a moment and then the whole studio shook with their cheers.
Cat turned around, wiped away stray tears and looked straight at the camera saying, "You've seen and heard it here first, America."
Deep within the Pentagon, General Sam Lane takes a long drag on his cigar as he switches off his monitor.
A custom jet-black late model Rolls-Royce Phantom slows to a stop at the main gate of the Department of Metahuman Affairs compound. Alfred Pennyworth opens the driver's side window to show his identification to the guard on duty. After a call for confirmation, Alfred is waved through and is told to head for the main building's underground parking facility.
Alfred maneuvers the car into the facility. After making a full stop, he quickly exits from the driver's side to open the passenger side door for Bruce Wayne.
By force of habit, Alfred never takes his eyes off of Bruce as he walks the few yards into the receiving area. His hand strays to his holster when he sees a man in a black polo shirt with khaki tactical pants walk up to his charge. From a distance, Alfred continues to observe the man as he leads Bruce to a row of elevators. Definitely ex-military, Alfred thought to himself.
The man quickly punches in a series of numbers into a keypad beside the leftmost elevator. When the stainless steel door slides open, Bruce gives him a nod steps in.
When the door slides to a close, Bruce feels the elevator begin its quick descent to A.R.G.U.S. headquarters some eight storeys below the Department of Metahumans Affairs main building.
As soon as the elevator door slides open, Bruce walks towards the conference room. He knows his way around A.R.G.U.S. Headquarters, having visited the facility many times.
Another man wearing a black polo shirt and khaki tactical pants opens the soundproof door to the conference room for Bruce. Seated around the conference table were, Colonel Steve Trevor, Director Amanda Waller and General Sam Lane.
Director Waller stood up and said. "Thank you for coming at such short notice, Mr. Wayne. As you can see, we have the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Sam Lane and Colonel Steve Trevor with us."
"Good evening, General, Colonel," said Bruce giving Lane and Trevor nodding to both.
Bruce unbuttons his coat as he takes a seat. "What exactly is on our agenda this evening, Director Waller? By the way, have you reviewed the dossiers of all active and inactive League members I sent you?"
"I have received them, Mr. Wayne. Thank you. However, upon scrutiny you may have omitted some details in two of the dossiers you have submitted," replied Waller.
Bruce was surprised. "Omitted? I'm sure I have been very thorough in my remarks and observations."
"You failed to mention that Superman and Wonder Woman have been secretly married. We only found out about it this morning on the Cat Grant Show. This may pose a threat to national security," said Waller.
"What? I find it hard to believe that them being married is going to be a threat to national security," replied Bruce somewhat bemused.
Trevor butts in, "Let me put it this way, Mr. Wayne: Superman is an alien from the planet Krypton and Wonder Woman is an Amazon. Both are considered omega-level metahumans. What if, heaven forbid, they woke up one day and said 'Fuck the human race, let's do a Darkseid.'"
"Can you hear what you just said, Trevor? Have you gone fucking crazy?" Bruce started to laugh. "Are you sure you're talking about our nation's security here or is it just your wounded pride, Colonel? Each one of us around this table remembers the time Wonder Woman rejected your wedding proposal on national television. Maybe you're just sore because Superman ended up marrying your girl!" Bruce's remark almost caused Lane to spit out his coffee.
"You meta-coddling bastard! I'll show you! No one makes a laughingstock out of me!" said Trevor as he reached for his holster. Bruce quickly got to his feet to defend himself.
Waller steps in between the two men and says, "Gentlemen, please, can we set aside our hostilities for the moment?"
Waller turns to face Bruce. "Mr. Wayne, we called this emergency meeting because the Department is highly concerned that two of the most powerful members of the League may produce offspring."
"Offspring which may develop powers similar or greater to that of Superman and Wonder Woman. It is has been decided by the Council that we cannot let them reproduce," added Lane.
"Frankly speaking, whatever Superman and Wonder Woman do on their personal time is none of my business. That includes getting married, having children or whatnot!" Bruce butted in.
General Lane slams his hand and points a finger at Bruce. "Mr. Wayne, may I remind you that you are an agent of the Department of Metahuman Affairs! The Justice League of America was created for the purpose of surveillance and assessment of these metahumans by any means necessary! After being under the cudgels of Darkseid for 5 years we had to make sure that no such thing will happen again. So what they do in their public and private lives is your damn business!"
General Lane calms down, takes a puff of his cigar and adds, "We made you, Wayne. We made the Batman. Remember that."
"I just don't understand where this attitude of yours comes from, Brucie. We helped you avoid a lengthy jail term for the murder of Joe Chill," Trevor said condescendingly. "We even helped you save your Daddy's company and this is how you repay us."
"You blackmailed me, Trevor. Maybe I should just come clean about Joe Chill," Bruce replied.
Trevor snickers. "And then what? First Degree Murder is 30 years minimum. There's a possibility you could get out on parole in 8 to 10 years for good behavior but what good is that? You'll be broke because we'll be taking back everything we gave you. WayneCorp will just be a footnote in Gotham City's history. Save yourself the heartbreak, man and just stay the course."
Bruce felt cornered. He throws his hands up in defeat and says. "OK. What is it you want me to do? I don't have the manpower to place all members of the League under surveillance."
Trevor stands and slides a sheet of paper in front of Bruce. "We've got the solution to all your problems, Bruce."
Bruce took a glance at the piece of paper. "Brother Eye? What's that?"
Waller presses a button on the screen of her smartphone. In less than a second, two panels of the conference table slide sideways to reveal a holographic projector. She presses a button on the projector and it starts displaying information about Brother Eye. "Brother Eye is one of the most advanced surveillance technologies A.R.G.U.S. scientists have developed. As we have done with our previous technological developments, WayneCorp will be given complete access to the technology and you, Mr. Wayne, will take full credit for it. We always take care of our own."
Bruce thought to himself. What the hell have I gotten myself into?