FIC: "Observing Your Earth" (SV, 1/1)
Sequel to “The Kindness of Strangers”
Spoilers: General SV universe, some references to Season 6 (especially “Progeny”)
AN: This story fits into the Unexpected Guests series (in which case the epilogue of TKOS is ignored), but can also be read as part of a separate “The Kindness of Strangers” inter-canonical series.
“Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft” belongs to the Carpenters. (Well, apparently it belonged to Klaatu first, but it’s the Carpenters that I’m thinking of here.) “Walk like an Egyptian” belongs to the Bangles.
Observing Your Earth
Lois Lane wrinkled up her nose, remembering the boy in the Santa line at the mall. She didn’t know why he’d acted so weird. He’d just stood there, like he was scared of her or something, and hadn’t said anything - even after she’d been a good girl and talked to his grandma, too! She shook her head and sighed, resting her head in her hands, her elbows on her knees.
And now Lucy was crying again - stupid baby. At least Chloe could talk and run around with her. It didn’t make any sense that babies started out so useless; she kind of remembered Chloe being like that, but only a little. Most of the time Chloe was okay, especially since she usually let Lois be in charge. She was the older one, anyway, so wasn’t that how things were supposed to be?
She got up and went to the doorway. They’d come home from the mall and Mommy and Aunt Moira’d said it was time for naps, but Lois hadn’t slept. She was four years old, after all - she was a big girl!
Hiding behind the door, she peeked into the living room and watched her mother take silly little Lucy into her arms and rock her. “Fussy one, isn’t she?” Aunt Moira said, like it was funny. Lois didn’t particularly find her baby sister amusing.
“Yes,” Mommy said. “But no more than Lois was.”
She had the vague feeling she should be insulted by this, but before she could say anything, there was a tug on her hand. It was Chloe, finally awake again. “Shadow,” she said mysteriously.
“Huh?” Lois asked.
Chloe pointed at the window. “Shadow monster.”
Lois looked where Chloe was pointing and, sure enough, there was a figure in the window, hiding the dark. It was kind of like a man, but not. She looked back at Chloe and saw that her cousin wasn’t scared, not exactly, but she decided that the Shadow Monster had probably been staring at them through the window long enough, thank you very much.
She marched right over to the window and put her hands on her hips, just like Mommy. “Go away, Shadow Monster,” she said with a decisive flick of her ponytail. “Leave us alone.”
There was a little movement, like the Shadow Monster was laughing at her, so she crossed her arms over her chest and repeated her order: “Go away.”
The Shadow Monster’s eyes glowed red and then he shot up towards the clouds. Lois watched, surprised, her cheek pressed up against the cold window. The Shadow Monster could fly! “Wow,” she said, and behind her Chloe gasped.
She’s always liked things that fly.
The “Shadow Monster” allowed himself a chuckle as he lifted into the sky. These girls were definitely showing promise; he didn’t know as much about Kryptonians as he wished he did, but perhaps even now, as a small child, little Kal-El had picked up on it as well, earlier at the mall. Perhaps the three children would cross paths again. He smiled at the thought. The little boy would need friends like these girls, other children who were curious first and wary second. He would have difficulties enough in other aspects of his life on Earth: a few good friends would go a long way in making things more pleasant for him.
He remained above the smoke and exhaust of Metropolis a few moments longer. He had caught Jor-El’s message two months earlier, of course, and had on several occasions considering taking the boy from the Kents and raising him himself. Had he arrived in Smallville any sooner the day of the “meteor shower”, he would have done just that, taking on the form of Jor-El and convincing the humans that he was Kal-El’s natural father. He would have explained things to the boy, of course; his Kryptonian was a little rusty, but he would have managed. With him, little Kal-El would grow up knowing the truth about himself and where he came from, but…
Yes, he would have loved the boy, almost as his own son, but…the child would have been a painful reminder of what he’d lost. And children were always perceptive when it came to those sorts of things. No, in the long run it had been good that the Kents had found him and kept him instead. It was clear to anyone and everyone how they adored the child, and they were good to him - he had seen it with his own eyes, checking on them from time to time, as he had been doing today when he saw Kal-El touch the little brunette girl, Lois. If Kryptonians weren’t even vaguely attuned to the forces of destiny in the universe, he’d eat his newly-earned badge.
Deciding he’d left the girls in peace long enough, he dropped down beside the house again, taking care to stay well-hidden.
The two mothers were sitting at the dining room table, talking. “Gabe has the costumes all thought out, but I’m not sure I even want to go, Ellen.”
“Oh, come on, Moira. It’ll be fun. Someone has to keep me company. Sam’s not going to be here, as usual-” The woman was interrupted by little Lois tugging on her sleeve.
“Mommy, Chloe wants her song,” Lois whined. “I’m tired of Chloe’s song. Play the ‘Gyptian song.” Where is the young warrioress I saw earlier? he wondered, but he gave the girl an indulgent grin, though he knew she couldn’t see him - not this time. Ah, well, she’s still young.
“Now, Lois, play nice. Aunt Moira can play both of them for you. Be patient.”
As the song was started on the stereo, the two girls soon started dancing around the living room as small children often did. He recognized the song before long. It wasn’t often played, but it made him smile at human naivete regarding aliens, and of course the line about an “interstellar policeman” always amused him. He himself wasn’t interstellar, of course, but he had wondered if the song’s writers hadn’t somehow encountered a member of the Green Lantern Corps, though as far as he knew, none had ever visited Earth before. In due time, Earth would rate its own member to be certain, but that was surely a few years off still. When that time came, Earth would enter a new age - an age of heroes, he believed. Kal-El wasn’t the only special child he was keeping an eye on.
“Out with it, Moira. What’s so horrible that Gabe wants you to dress up as for the New Year’s Eve party?”
“Promise you won’t laugh?” Moira asked, hiding a little behind her dark hair.
“I promise.”
“He’s convinced I’d make an excellent Legendary Lady.”
Given the human woman’s face and figure, and the long dark hair, her husband wasn’t wrong, he decided. She did bare a resemblance to the comic book character, particularly the television show version he’d caught from time to time on reruns. However, given the likelihood of snow in the next few weeks, the costume would be ill-advised. Humans required a lot of protection from the cold and he’d yet to see an artist’s concept of Legendary Lady’s superhero costume that wasn’t, in a word, scanty.
It seemed a little unfair, in his own personal opinion: her some-time love interests and fellow superheroes Warrior Angel and Dark Knight never went cold for lack of appropriate costuming.
Not that he spent much time on the more intricate details of that comic-book universe.
“Well, your hair’s the right color, and you’re tall enough…” Ellen said, laughing.
“It’s going to snow.”
“Then go as her secret identity! I’m kind of guessing that Gabe was going to be Lt. Eastham to match, right? Take the opportunity to wear Air Force blues and not get teased by Sam all night long.”
The song finished and the dark-haired woman got up, sighing. She changed the tapes and a more familiar tune soon played. Lois gyrated to it enthusiastically at first, but it seemed that little Chloe was tired now. After a few more measures, Lois gave up and sat down next to her cousin. “Hi,” she said to Chloe.
“Boy touched you,” Chloe observed with confusion.
“Uh-huh,” Lois replied, making a face.
“How come?”
Lois just shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. Stupid boy.”
“Hm.” If Chloe had been older, he would have thought she was deep in thought, concentrating on finding an answer. But she was only three years old - very young for a human girl, and so it did not surprise him when she got back up off the carpet and said, “Okay. Dance now.”
Lois jumped up with her and soon the two were running around the living room as though their encounter with Kal-El earlier had never happened.
Taking a deep breath and smiling, satisfied by his observations, J’onn J’onzz lifted himself back into the sky and flew away.
[end]
Spoilers: General SV universe, some references to Season 6 (especially “Progeny”)
AN: This story fits into the Unexpected Guests series (in which case the epilogue of TKOS is ignored), but can also be read as part of a separate “The Kindness of Strangers” inter-canonical series.
“Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft” belongs to the Carpenters. (Well, apparently it belonged to Klaatu first, but it’s the Carpenters that I’m thinking of here.) “Walk like an Egyptian” belongs to the Bangles.
Observing Your Earth
Lois Lane wrinkled up her nose, remembering the boy in the Santa line at the mall. She didn’t know why he’d acted so weird. He’d just stood there, like he was scared of her or something, and hadn’t said anything - even after she’d been a good girl and talked to his grandma, too! She shook her head and sighed, resting her head in her hands, her elbows on her knees.
And now Lucy was crying again - stupid baby. At least Chloe could talk and run around with her. It didn’t make any sense that babies started out so useless; she kind of remembered Chloe being like that, but only a little. Most of the time Chloe was okay, especially since she usually let Lois be in charge. She was the older one, anyway, so wasn’t that how things were supposed to be?
She got up and went to the doorway. They’d come home from the mall and Mommy and Aunt Moira’d said it was time for naps, but Lois hadn’t slept. She was four years old, after all - she was a big girl!
Hiding behind the door, she peeked into the living room and watched her mother take silly little Lucy into her arms and rock her. “Fussy one, isn’t she?” Aunt Moira said, like it was funny. Lois didn’t particularly find her baby sister amusing.
“Yes,” Mommy said. “But no more than Lois was.”
She had the vague feeling she should be insulted by this, but before she could say anything, there was a tug on her hand. It was Chloe, finally awake again. “Shadow,” she said mysteriously.
“Huh?” Lois asked.
Chloe pointed at the window. “Shadow monster.”
Lois looked where Chloe was pointing and, sure enough, there was a figure in the window, hiding the dark. It was kind of like a man, but not. She looked back at Chloe and saw that her cousin wasn’t scared, not exactly, but she decided that the Shadow Monster had probably been staring at them through the window long enough, thank you very much.
She marched right over to the window and put her hands on her hips, just like Mommy. “Go away, Shadow Monster,” she said with a decisive flick of her ponytail. “Leave us alone.”
There was a little movement, like the Shadow Monster was laughing at her, so she crossed her arms over her chest and repeated her order: “Go away.”
The Shadow Monster’s eyes glowed red and then he shot up towards the clouds. Lois watched, surprised, her cheek pressed up against the cold window. The Shadow Monster could fly! “Wow,” she said, and behind her Chloe gasped.
She’s always liked things that fly.
The “Shadow Monster” allowed himself a chuckle as he lifted into the sky. These girls were definitely showing promise; he didn’t know as much about Kryptonians as he wished he did, but perhaps even now, as a small child, little Kal-El had picked up on it as well, earlier at the mall. Perhaps the three children would cross paths again. He smiled at the thought. The little boy would need friends like these girls, other children who were curious first and wary second. He would have difficulties enough in other aspects of his life on Earth: a few good friends would go a long way in making things more pleasant for him.
He remained above the smoke and exhaust of Metropolis a few moments longer. He had caught Jor-El’s message two months earlier, of course, and had on several occasions considering taking the boy from the Kents and raising him himself. Had he arrived in Smallville any sooner the day of the “meteor shower”, he would have done just that, taking on the form of Jor-El and convincing the humans that he was Kal-El’s natural father. He would have explained things to the boy, of course; his Kryptonian was a little rusty, but he would have managed. With him, little Kal-El would grow up knowing the truth about himself and where he came from, but…
Yes, he would have loved the boy, almost as his own son, but…the child would have been a painful reminder of what he’d lost. And children were always perceptive when it came to those sorts of things. No, in the long run it had been good that the Kents had found him and kept him instead. It was clear to anyone and everyone how they adored the child, and they were good to him - he had seen it with his own eyes, checking on them from time to time, as he had been doing today when he saw Kal-El touch the little brunette girl, Lois. If Kryptonians weren’t even vaguely attuned to the forces of destiny in the universe, he’d eat his newly-earned badge.
Deciding he’d left the girls in peace long enough, he dropped down beside the house again, taking care to stay well-hidden.
The two mothers were sitting at the dining room table, talking. “Gabe has the costumes all thought out, but I’m not sure I even want to go, Ellen.”
“Oh, come on, Moira. It’ll be fun. Someone has to keep me company. Sam’s not going to be here, as usual-” The woman was interrupted by little Lois tugging on her sleeve.
“Mommy, Chloe wants her song,” Lois whined. “I’m tired of Chloe’s song. Play the ‘Gyptian song.” Where is the young warrioress I saw earlier? he wondered, but he gave the girl an indulgent grin, though he knew she couldn’t see him - not this time. Ah, well, she’s still young.
“Now, Lois, play nice. Aunt Moira can play both of them for you. Be patient.”
As the song was started on the stereo, the two girls soon started dancing around the living room as small children often did. He recognized the song before long. It wasn’t often played, but it made him smile at human naivete regarding aliens, and of course the line about an “interstellar policeman” always amused him. He himself wasn’t interstellar, of course, but he had wondered if the song’s writers hadn’t somehow encountered a member of the Green Lantern Corps, though as far as he knew, none had ever visited Earth before. In due time, Earth would rate its own member to be certain, but that was surely a few years off still. When that time came, Earth would enter a new age - an age of heroes, he believed. Kal-El wasn’t the only special child he was keeping an eye on.
“Out with it, Moira. What’s so horrible that Gabe wants you to dress up as for the New Year’s Eve party?”
“Promise you won’t laugh?” Moira asked, hiding a little behind her dark hair.
“I promise.”
“He’s convinced I’d make an excellent Legendary Lady.”
Given the human woman’s face and figure, and the long dark hair, her husband wasn’t wrong, he decided. She did bare a resemblance to the comic book character, particularly the television show version he’d caught from time to time on reruns. However, given the likelihood of snow in the next few weeks, the costume would be ill-advised. Humans required a lot of protection from the cold and he’d yet to see an artist’s concept of Legendary Lady’s superhero costume that wasn’t, in a word, scanty.
It seemed a little unfair, in his own personal opinion: her some-time love interests and fellow superheroes Warrior Angel and Dark Knight never went cold for lack of appropriate costuming.
Not that he spent much time on the more intricate details of that comic-book universe.
“Well, your hair’s the right color, and you’re tall enough…” Ellen said, laughing.
“It’s going to snow.”
“Then go as her secret identity! I’m kind of guessing that Gabe was going to be Lt. Eastham to match, right? Take the opportunity to wear Air Force blues and not get teased by Sam all night long.”
The song finished and the dark-haired woman got up, sighing. She changed the tapes and a more familiar tune soon played. Lois gyrated to it enthusiastically at first, but it seemed that little Chloe was tired now. After a few more measures, Lois gave up and sat down next to her cousin. “Hi,” she said to Chloe.
“Boy touched you,” Chloe observed with confusion.
“Uh-huh,” Lois replied, making a face.
“How come?”
Lois just shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. Stupid boy.”
“Hm.” If Chloe had been older, he would have thought she was deep in thought, concentrating on finding an answer. But she was only three years old - very young for a human girl, and so it did not surprise him when she got back up off the carpet and said, “Okay. Dance now.”
Lois jumped up with her and soon the two were running around the living room as though their encounter with Kal-El earlier had never happened.
Taking a deep breath and smiling, satisfied by his observations, J’onn J’onzz lifted himself back into the sky and flew away.
[end]