superman } { of new cousins and lost planets

[verystrongly]

Kara: [it starts in a streak over the sky, coming down like a meteor, not unlike what happened the day Clark fell to Earth twenty years ago. It careens through the sky, falling faster and faster and faster until it finally collides, landing with a crash in the middle of the preserve]

Clark: [and he is on campus, sitting on the steps outside the campus library eating a sandwich and reading a book. He hears the object in the air and looks up, then stands as he sees the streak break through the clouds. Others start to notice, pointing up at the sky. He shoves his book in the backpack and blurs out of there, rushing for the impact zone. The trees are on fire! He goes quickly to use his breath to put out the fire before it spreads -- or puts his home at risk -- and then inches closer to the center of the impact.]

Kara: [and sitting there is a ship, almost identical to the one his mother showed him when she told him he was adopted. After a few moments, a few beeps and whirls sound and there's a young girl in the cockpit, still unconscious but breathing easily]

Clark: [and he's going to blink because what the hell?! But he knows the ship, and he will run his hand along the metal before reaching in to check on the girl inside.] Hello?

Kara: [her eyes blink for a moment, and it takes her a bit to come to, but she's having a hard time breathing - it's going to take her a little time to adjust to Earth's atmosphere - but it's not impossible. Just more oxygen than she's used to. She opens her eyes to look at his face and it's familiar, in a weird way, but not all at the same time] Where am I?

Clark: [oh good, she's alive. He'll smile at her] You're on Earth. It's safe here.

Kara: [Earth. Okay. Okay! She got where she needed to go. Now she has a job to do, so she's going to push herself up slowly, trying to swing one leg over the edge so that she can get out of the cockpit, she promised her mother she would look after her cousin, now she just has to find him] I have to find my cousin.

Clark: Whoa take it easy. [because she just landed] Who's your cousin?

Kara: Kal. His name is Kal, and he's all alone. [he's just a baby, he won't be able to make it on his own]

Clark: [and he will pause at that] Kal... El?

Kara: [eyes wide, whirls around] You know where he is? You have to take me too him.

Clark: [he swallows, because she meant a lot of things. He had family, real family. Someone who was supposed to take care of... wait] How old are you?

Kara: Twelve. [she squints at him] Are you going to take me to my cousin or not?

Clark: [smiles] I don't have to, you already found him.

Kara: [it takes her a second, for her to realize that he means himself. She looks around, trying to see if his ship is nearby, and then it dawns on her, and she snorts] No, you're not.

Clark: I know it's a lot to take in. Come on, why don't you come with me? We should probably get out of here before the police arrive to check out what hit the ground. [and he's going to look to find the best place to pick the ship up with because they weren't going to leave it behind to be found]

Kara: It's not a lot to take in. It's impossible. Kal is a baby. [she holds up both her hands to demonstrate how tiny he was] You are not a baby.

Clark: I'll explain when we get back to my place. Just, trust me. [and he is going to just lift that ship out off the ground and hold it over his head]

Kara: [... that actually makes her believe him because her parents warned her of the changes in physiology that happen when they're exposed to a yellow sun, so even if she's not sure she's willing to accept him as Kal, she is willing to accept that he's Kryptonian. So that earns him a little bit of trust] Okay.

Clark: Come on then. [and off they go, and he will guide her to a tunnel that will lead to the basement of the house, almost like a root cellar. As they get further along, it will open up and there is a large lump under a tarp that vaugely resembled the ship in his arms that he lowered down next to it] You know, you haven't told me your name yet.

Kara: Kara Zor El. [she moves to the secondary ship, reaching for the tarp and pulling it back so she can see it. Part of her knows that she should probably ask permission before that, but this other Kryptonian hasn't earned one hundred percent of her trust yet. She pulls the tarp off, covered in dust from years of being hidden, and she knows the markings as soon as she sees them. She recognizes the blanket tucked over the seat. She helped her mother do the embroidery on it in the months leading to Kal's birth. She reaches for it, pulling it into her hands, for a moment, before she turns to face him, confused and afraid because how did she get this so wrong.] How did you get this?

Clark: [sitting down on a storage barrel] It's mine. I put it in here for safe keeping once I was too old for a baby blanket.

Kara: [she looks down at it again, and a couple of tears slip down her cheeks] But ... I left right after you.

Clark: I wish I could tell you what went wrong. I've been here about twenty years now. Crashed out in a canyon a few miles into the forest from here, and my parents brought me home. They named me Clark. [he saw the tears and offered her a small smile] You know, there might be something I can show you that will help. But before we do that, you should probably rest. Get something to eat. Are you hungry?

Kara: [her head snaps up again at the words "twenty years" and she looks both horrified and guilty. Her brain is trying to make this all make sense until she comes across one horrifying solution] I must have gotten knocked into the phantom zone.

Clark: That or just off course. Hit some kind of space junk and it sent you off in a different direction.

Kara: [and he gets a bit of a look] I think I would look a little different if I just got knocked off course in space for twenty years. I mean, you're -- [gestures to his twenty year old form] -- and I'm still the same age I was when I left.

Clark: Unless you were in suspended animation. Then you wouldn't.

Kara: There wasn't suspended animation in those pods, it wasn't supposed to be that long a trip. Which is why I think it was the Phantom Zone. My father used to tell me that it would do that.

Clark: I don't know what the Phantom Zone is. Sorry.

Kara: [takes a deep breath] The Phantom Zone is a pocket in space. If you get knocked into it it's like you just get ... skipped through time. Sort of. You don't even notice time is passing until you get spit out of it.

Clark: Huh. [he will have to ask about that more at the Fortress]

Kara: [and now there's just guilt tears because she's having a very emotional day and she didn't do the job she was supposed to do] And because of that you crashed here and you were all alone, and there was no one to take care of you, and I promised Aunt Lara I would keep you safe and ....

Clark: [no, no crying he can't handle girls crying. He's up and pulling her to his chest quickly] Hey, I'm here, and I'm safe. We're good.

Kara: [this is still so weird, but she leans into it anyway because her planet is gone and she misses her parents so honestly she can use the hug. so she cries it out and tries to catch her breath when it's over and she finally starts to calm down] Sorry.

Clark: It's okay. You've had a long day. A very, very long day it seems.

Kara: [swipes her hands against her cheeks] So what's going to happen with me?

Clark: [he will reach up to wipe the tears from her cheeks] I take care of you. Come on, let me introduce you to my family.

Kara: You have a family?

Clark: Well, my parents, and two sisters.

Kara: You have sisters?

Clark: Yeah. [he will start guiding her to the stairs that lead up into the kitchen] Two. Laura's older, and Cora's younger.

Kara: Wow. So you had a whole family.

Clark: And now, I have a cousin.

Kara: You always had a cousin. [a beat] But I guess you were too little to know that.

Clark: It's kind of hard to remember the first few days of your life.

Kara: [she nods as she looks around the house as they go. architecture is so different on this planet. It feels so ... primitive.] Do you like it here?

Clark: I do. But that's also because I don't know any different. [and once they are in the kitchen, he will call out] Mom, Dad? Anyone home?

Talia: Living room!

Clark: [and he will guide Kara to the living room] So, funny story...

Talia: [her eyebrows go up when she sees the blond girl in front of him] ... Clark, sweetheart, I think you picked up the wrong middle schooler. [glances at her watch] Also doesn't she have soccer practice?

Clark: [blinks] Oh shit, I was supposed to get Cora. Um, okay, Mom, this is Kara. She just crash landed in the preserve from an extended flight here from Krypton. Kara, this is my Mom, Talia. You just hang out here I'll be right back. [and yup, totally going to blur out of there SORRY!]

Kara: [and is just going to stand there, blinking at Talia and not knowing what to do]

Talia: [stares for a moment and sighs] Alright. I need to call the sheriff. Thomas?

Thomas: [brings her the cordless phone] Here you go. You hungry, Kara?

Kara: [just bobs her head wordlessly as Talia takes the phone from him]

Clark: [and he will blur back in] Okay, Cora's at practice now. Sorry about that.

Thomas: Good. You explain this all to your mother and the sheriff while I take this young lady into the kitchen and find her something she'll like to eat.

Kara: [gives Clark a small smile as she follows Thomas into the kitchen.]

Talia: The sheriff's on his way.

Clark: I already removed her ship. It's down in the tunnels with mine.

Thomas: So, you're probably feeling very out of place. It'll take you some time to get used to things, but Clark hasn't had any issues living here.

Kara: It's just ... very different from Krypton.

Talia: Good. Hopefully the Sheriff will be able to get her paperwork done like he did with you.

Thomas: Well, you have a lot more experience with that than Clark. You know, he's been only able to get his information about your home from some kinda archive place he found. You could maybe give him something he doesn't have, and we can't give him.

Clark: I hope so.

Kara: I guess. [she moves to sit on one of the stools in the kitchen, resting her chin in her hands] I just was supposed to be with him. And instead I missed all of it.

Thomas: Trust me, there's a few years that you're better off having missed. [and he will reach into the fridge and pull out some stuff] So what do you like to eat?

Kara: [and she'll rattle off some meals that are ... very much native to Krypton]

Thomas: [nods, never hearing of any of that, so he will just make her something that Clark really likes: hot dogs and easy mac]

Kara: [and she'll watch him curiously because she's never smelled food like that before. then she'll go back to looking around again] It seems like he had a good family though. Even if I wasn't here.

Thomas: Well, we did our best. But I think that's what you can give him. He has us, but you're his blood family. It's the one thing we could never give him.

Kara: But you loved him. That's what matters.

Thomas: We do. He's our son, no matter what planet he's from.

Kara: Good. [a beat] So what's going to happen to me?

Thomas: Well, we're good friends with the Sheriff in town. He helped us create paperwork for Clark to make him appear as if he was born here. He can help you too. Then, well I don't know if we have any more room here, but we have a few friends in town who you might like to live with. It'll keep you here and close to Clark, since I'm sure you two aren't going to want to be too far from each other.

Kara: [oh. she was hoping she'd be able to stay with her cousin, so her face does fall a little bit, but she nods] Okay.

Thomas: [and the microwave goes off, and Thomas will give her the meal] Here, try this.

Kara: [looks down at it and wrinkles her nose] What is it?

Clark: [walking in because he can smell heaven in a cup] Hot dogs, pasta, and fake cheese. Sounds bad, tastes good.

Kara: [totally skeptical but she's starving so she'll reach for some of it with fingers because utensils are different on Krypton, so she doesn't know what a fork is]

Clark: [and there is a plastic spoon in her hand almost instantly. Thanks blurring cousin]

Kara: [looks at it, then looks up at him like what is this?]

Clark: You put the food into the cupped part and use it to bring the food to your mouth.

Kara: Oh. We ... didn't have these on Krypton.

Clark: [sits beside her] How did you eat food then?

Kara: Most of it we could eat with our hands? Or ... we had utensils but they didn't look like these.

Clark: Well, we have other ones too. That's a spoon, and then there's a fork. [sporks are probably too much for day one]

Kara: [nods as she finally takes a scoop of the food and takes a bite and it's ... strange, but it's not bad so she chews and keeps going]

Clark: [looks up at his Dad] Sheriff is going to pick up Stiles and Cora and then drive out this way.

Kara: What's a sheriff?

Clark: He's someone who is in charge of the people who guard our town and keep us safe.

Kara: ... Okay. [that sounds safe enough]

Clark: He has a son who is friends with my sister Cora. They're both about your age.

Kara: Is he going to decide where I stay?

Clark: Not just him. We'll all talk and figure out what would be best. You can also get a say in it too.

Kara: I want to stay with you. [but Thomas kind of indicated that that may not happen]

Clark: Well, yeah I figured that.

Thomas: Son, there's no more room at the inn.

Clark: Dad...

Kara: [just going to divert her attention down to her food, don't mind her]

Clark: [yeah, and there is going to be arguing because he is not going to have his cousin learn about the world from someone else when he is here. He'll sleep on the couch and she can have his room.]

Kara: [and she's just going to pick up her plate in the process of this arguing and move back into the other room because her ears are starting to get a little sensitive, so she'll sit on the couch where Talia was, in view of the front door, and eat her food]

Thomas: You don't remember how much you ate growing up, Clark. We can't afford another stomach like yours.

Clark: Then I'll get a job and help out.

Thomas: [sighs] I'm going to talk to your mother about it, but your job is to finish school.

Clark: I can take a semester off to help Kara get acclimated to Earth. It will be easier for her because I can help. Come on, Dad, don't do this.

Talia: Clark. [and she makes her way in to cross her arms in front of her chest] I know you mean well. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's what's best.

Clark: Mom, she wants to stay with me.

Talia: Of course she does. You're the only person she knows on this entire planet, and her whole world exploded. I'm not insensitive to that. But in the long term, it's not a good fit. We need to think beyond right now. And even if she's not staying at the house, it's not like she'll be going far - I doubt we'll be sending her out of town.

Clark: [sighs, his head falling forward. Yeah, he's defeated]

Talia: [she sighs and takes a step forward, placing a hand on his shoulder] It would look a little strange if we acquired another child every time something fell out of the sky.

Clark: She was sent here to take care of me, Mom.

Talia: [her face softens] That may be, but you were an infant then. You're not an infant anymore. We have to do what's best for her now, and while I don't mind if she stays for a couple days while the sheriff helps find a place for her, in the long run, I think the best thing for her is giving her own space to grow on her own. Not in your shadow.

Clark: But she doesn't have to make the same mistakes I did while learning my powers here.

Talia: No she doesn't. You'll still be there to teach her. I'm not trying to extract you from her life entirely.

Clark: Good, because that wouldn't work. [hint of a smirk]

Talia: I'm well aware.

Kara: [places her plate on the coffee table when she hears sounds from outside and just goes with the instinct] I think someone's coming.

Clark: [and he lifts his head] It's the Sheriff's car.

Talia: I'll go meet him out front. [and she'll head to the door and onto the porch, giving a bit of a wave as she does] Evening, Noah.

Sheriff: Talia. How are things going here?

Talia: So far, so good. [Cora darts up the porch past her mother and stops short for a moment when she sees Kara, eyeing her for a second, before shrugging and darting up the stairs to her room] Please, come in. Can I get you a cup of coffee?

Stiles: [and he's going to spill out and follow Cora, but will skid to a stop at the new person] You're not a Hale. [Hi Kara, you're about to get a lot of attention]

Sheriff: Yes, please.

Kara: [eyes Stiles back for a moment, because Clark's sister she was prepared for. She does not know this new boy] No?

Talia: Take it easy on her, Stiles. [and she'll gesture for Noah to follow her to the kitchen where Thomas and Clark still are?]

Stiles: [looks at Talia] Yes ma'am. [smiles at Kara] I'm Stiles, and you are?

Clark: [yup, because he's not going to let them have this conversation without him]

Kara: ... Kara. Hi. [a beat as she tries to put connections together] Are you the sheriff's son?

Talia: [and they'll discuss the whole situation, how Kara was also from Krypton and Clark's cousin and how it might look suspicious if the Hales wound up with another child so soon after another strange crash]

Stiles: [nods] Yeah. Pride and joy. Most of the time.

Kara: [her eyebrows go up] Most of the time?

Stiles: Most of the time. [that grin is going to get you in so much trouble in the coming years, Kara]

Kara: [yeah, she's kind of sensing that, and just nods before pulling her legs up into her chest and trying not to listen in on the conversation in the kitchen]

Stiles: [and he will look up the stairs, debating about following Cora but eh, it's her house. She's probably just changing. So he will sit on the couch next to her] So we're you from?

Kara: [and since no one has told her she probably shouldn't talk about the fact that she's an alien:] Krypton.

Stiles: Wait, the planet Clark's from? [because he listens to everything]

Kara: [nods] Clark's my cousin.

Stiles: But... [he's doing the math in his head] Shouldn't you be like, older?

Kara: I got stuck in the Phantom Zone. It kind of freezes you in time until it spits you back out again.

Stiles: Whoa. That's gotta suck.

Kara: Yeah. I was supposed to be right behind him.

Stiles: So you should have been here... damn. You were expecting baby Clark and now you have that guy. [jerks his thumb towards the kitchen] So do you have like, some secret mission you were supposed to train him for, to go back into space and fight off evil aliens or something?

Kara: [her forehead wrinkles before she shakes her head] No? I was just supposed to take care of him.

Stiles: Oh. [well that sounds boring] So you were going to be, like, his mom?

Kara: Not his mom, but like ... I don't know. Aunt Lara and Uncle Jor El needed to send him away because the planet was dying and they wanted him to survive. My mother sent me so someone would be there to protect him. They didn't know what to expect on Earth. [a beat] Though they probably just wanted to save me too.

Stiles: Well, parents usually want to make sure their kids are safe. I'm sure that played a big role in it.

Kara: Yeah. And Clark was so small ... they didn't want him to be alone.

Stiles: It's hard to think of Clark being small.

Kara: Well, he was. I've seen it. I totally changed his diapers. [totally going to embarrass her cousin in here, so whenever you're ready, parents]

Clark: [and she will hear him suddenly choke on his drink from the kitchen]

Talia: [glances over with a frown] You alright, sweetheart?

Clark: Yeah [cough] Down the wrong pipe.

Stiles: [is laughing]

Kara: [and that makes her smile a bit because it's been a long time since she's heard someone laugh, or it been because of her]

Stiles: So you're probably going to need to learn how to live here too, huh? It's not as hard as you'd think.

Kara: No, I know, it's just ... a lot of new stuff at once. I remember a lot more of Krypton than he does.

Stiles: Leaving was probably like, yesterday to you, huh?

Kara: [swallows and nods again]

Stiles: I'm sorry. But it's going to be okay. The Hales are nice people, and Clark is a good guy, when he's not being an annoying boy scout.

Clark: STILES!

Stiles: I'm only telling her the truth!

Kara: I don't know what a boy scout is.

Stiles: Someone who is, like, obnoxiously good. Saving kittens from trees and walking old people across the street.

Clark: [shouts up the stairs] Cora, will you please collect your best friend before he corrupts my cousin!

Kara: The walking old people across streets things doesn't sound bad. What's a kitten?

Cora: [dramatic sigh, before starting to make her way down stairs]

Stiles: [nods] Yeah, I'm going to get you an encyclopedia stat.

Kara: [nods] I'm just waiting for them to tell me where I'm going to stay.

Stiles: You're not staying here?

Kara: [shakes her head]

Stiles: Well, maybe you could come stay with me. I mean, I'm here all the time anyway, right Cora? [looks over where she is]

Cora: [she nods] Yeah, he is.

Kara: [shrugs. she likes Stiles, but it's been kind of made clear that it's not her decision]

Clark: [thinking, then looks at the Sheriff] You know, safest place for her would be living with the sheriff. And she and Stiles are getting along.

Sheriff: [laughing] I have no idea how to raise a teenage girl.

Talia: Well, you could always ask your wife.

Sheriff: [rubs the back of his neck] I could.

Talia: It would save us the trouble of having to explain about Krypton to a new family.

Sheriff: And it's not like our kids didn't grow up together anyway.

Talia: It'd be the least removed option. And possibly the least scary one.

Sheriff: Well, I'll call the wife, see what she says.

Talia: And I'll see what we have for her so we can give her at least an overnight bag.

Sheriff: Thanks. [and he will go to walk out to the living room, dragging Clark with him]

Kara: [glances over like she totally hasn't been listening the entire time]

Clark: Kara, this is Sheriff Noah Stilinski. Sheriff, my cousin Kara.

Sheriff: Hi, Kara. I'm sure a lot of this is confusing and scary.

Kara: [just nods because yes. understatement]

Sheriff: [going to sit across from her] You know, I was the one who came up here when Talia and my wife found Clark's pod. They thought anyone else would think they were crazy talking about a spaceship with a baby inside.

Kara: Did you?

Sheriff: Of course. Until I held him, then I realized that he was something special. [smirks up at Clark, before looking back at her] I'm willing to bet you are too.

Kara: ... So what happens to me now?

Sheriff: Well, we can't send you back, obviously. And since the baby's mostly grown up [Clark rolls his eyes] you don't have to worry about anyone but yourself and what you want. But on this planet, a kid under the age of 18 needs to live with an adult who can act as parent or guardian.

Kara: Okay. [that still doesn't clarify too much because she doesn't know what that means for her]

Sheriff: The Hales, no matter how much Clark wants you to live here, can't really afford another kid. It's nothing against you, but they won't be able to afford things like food, clothes, and other things like that you'll need. It doesn't mean you can't spend all your time up here, but they don't have the resources to take care of you and Clark and their two daughters as well. So since my wife and I know about who Clark really is, you don't have to pretend to be something you aren't if you come live with us.

Kara: [that's a bit of a relief. but still a little nerve wracking because new places and new people, but still:] Okay.

Clark: And I'll come spend the night so you aren't alone.

Sheriff: You can get to know us, see if you are comfortable and I can write up the paperwork. And if you're not, we can see if there's another family looking to adopt that you might like, but they may not know or believe about Krypton.

Kara: [nods. she has already set her mind to making this work, because trying to pretend and not be herself seems like so much work and not something she'd be good at, but she appreciates that she isn't being forced]

Sheriff: Of course, you're also going to have to put up with Stiles.

Kara: [glances over at Stiles and seems confused] That's a bad thing? He's nice.

Stiles: I have a reputation. [Shrugs] Total lies.

Clark: [snorts, crossing his arms]

Kara: [still confused, but okay. she shrugs] I think I can handle Stiles.

Sheriff: [and so he will call Claudia and tell her what's up and that he's bringing Kara home and Clark's spending the night]

Claudia: [and she will be fine with it and go make up the guest room and the couch]

Stiles: [and he is going to pretty much show Kara where everything is once they get home]

Kara: [and she will take it all in, but a lot of it is overwhelming, so eventually when it's time for bed and she's alone for the first time all day and it all really settles in in terms of what happened, she's gonna curl up in bed and .... cry some more. This one isn't panic and fear but more grief for her parents and her planet, emotions she never really got to process while being frozen for twenty years. She does her best to be quiet so she doesn't bother anyone, but Clark can probably hear her, thanks to that super hearing]

Clark: [which he does, so he's going to softly sneak outside, and then fly up to her window and sit on the roof, knocking on her window]

Kara: [she sniffles a bit, before sitting up and brushing her cheeks] I'm okay.

Clark: [he gives her a soft smile, knowing she isn't] Come with me.

Kara: [sighs but does as she's told]

Clark: [and to keep the Stilinski's from hearing them on the roof, he will gently pick her up and fly her to the top of the roof where they can look up and see the stars]

Kara: [and she'll sit up and look up at them, before saying quietly] They're different from home.

Clark: How so? [he wants to know]

Kara: I don't know any of these constellations, at all. It was a whole different galaxy.

Clark: I wish I could have seen it.

Kara: I miss it so much.

Clark: [leans back] You know, I spent my whole life growing up wishing I knew what it was like. I have recordings, but I was never there. I never got to feel any of it.

Kara: In some ways that's better. There was no saving our planet, and in the end it was ... terrifying. But ... I remember times when it was beautiful too.

Clark: Yeah, but in other ways, you have this piece of yourself that you can never really know or understand.

Kara: Do you want to know?

Clark: I do, more than anything. I have so many questions you can answer for me. But I don't want to overwhelm you either. You've gone through a lot.

Kara: At least questions about Krypton I actually know the answers to.

Clark: I know. But what I'm trying to say is that I may not be a baby for you to take care of, but I still need you.

Kara: [a pause before] That wasn't why I was upset.

Clark: Do you want to talk about it?

Kara: [there's a moment where it feels like her chest is caving in again and she drops her head] I just want my mom.

Clark: [he will reach his arm around her shoulders and pull her into him a bit]

Kara: [and she will take that comfort and just lean into his shoulder as she tries not to cry again]

Clark: [and he will just sit there and hold her, giving her all the comfort he can give her]

Kara: [and she'll finish crying again, and swipe at her cheeks] Sorry.

Clark: Don't be. You actually remember what you lost. If I can help, please let me know how.

Kara: [nods] Right now I should probably just try to sleep.

Clark: Come on, I'll take you back down.

Kara: [nods and lets him]

Clark: [and he will fly them down, holding her in his arms and then just floating at the window to help her climb in] I'm just downstairs if you need me, ok?

Kara: [nods] I'll be okay. I was prepared for this - as much as anyone can be prepared for losing their entire family and their entire planet.

Clark: You still have me, Kara. No matter what, I will always be here with you.

Kara: Thanks.

Clark: [and he will make sure she is safely inside, and then land and head back into the house]

Kara: [and she will eventually fall asleep, and hopefully will have no nightmares]

Clark: [and he will stare at the ceiling for awhile until he just drifts off]