Claire Kent, Alias Super-Sister: The Boy From Gotham free porn video

CLAIRE KENT, ALIAS SUPER-SISTER: THE BOY FROM GOTHAM by BobH (c) 2011 All characters herein are the property of DC Comics. This story is a sequel to the following tales, which are also available here on fictionmania: 1/ CLAIRE KENT, ALIAS SUPER-SISTER: THE BEGINNING 2/ CLAIRE KENT, ALIAS SUPER-SISTER: THE RETURN OF SUPERBOY *********************** Prologue: The small, blue and red rocketcraft arced through the cold, lifeless void between the stars, its tiny infant passenger the last survivor of his world. Not that he was aware of his unique status or even of the fantastic voyage that was carrying him to a new life on a world far distant from his own. Nor could he have known of the cold, calculating intelligences that followed his flight every inch of the way, watching and waiting. They observed as the rocketcraft entered our solar system, saw its glancing collision with another craft between Pluto and Neptune, watched as it vectored into a landing on our planet in the US state of Kansas, and gazed on impassively as a childless couple found the rocket and took the baby it contained as their own. "The child has reached his new home," said one. "Should we continue to monitor him?" "No," said another, physically identical to the first, "we have more pressing concerns. But when the child is older, on the cusp of adulthood, we will send one of our operatives to study him. Only then can we judge him. Only then will we know what action to take." * Chapter 1: A Glimpse of the Future Ma Kent examined the cover of the newly arrived copy of 'Teen Celebrity USA' and chuckled. "'Super-Sister reveals her make-up secrets for you'," she read. "I have 'make-up secrets'?" said Claire Kent, alias Super-Sister. "Well, yes, actually you do," said Ma, smiling at her newly-blonde daughter who was currently toiling over some incomprehensible device in her secret workshop off their basement. "It also says here that you reveal who you think are 'the hottest boys around'." "Shoot me," groaned Claire, "shoot me now. I never 'revealed' any of that stuff. I only agreed to do that photo-spread because maintaining cordial relations with the media and making myself available to them keeps the paparazzi out of Smallville. They never made stuff up about me like that when I was Superboy." "Yes, well, you're a girl now," said Ma, "and the rules are different for you. Still, there are some very nice pictures of you in here for my scrapbook. It's amazing what a difference professional hair styling, make-up, and lighting can make." Chuckling to herself, Ma Kent went back upstairs while Claire turned her attention back to the device she was making the final adjustments to. It looked like a fairly conventional television, but it was something far more exotic, something she thought of as a 'time telescope'. Having applied her super intelligence to the problem, and incorporated knowledge she had picked up on a dozen alien worlds, she was fairly certain it would work. Tuning it to her own timeline, she set the dials for a dozen years into the future. At first, the screen showed only static, but the static slowly resolved itself into the image of a woman in her mid-twenties walking with great poise down an office corridor. Claire recognized the woman immediately. It was herself as an adult. Claire studied her future self in fascination. She took in the professionally styled hair, immaculately applied make-up, designer dress, tasteful jewellery and four-inch heels and let out a whistle. She was a knockout who dressed and carried herself like a catwalk model. Teen-Claire watched as adult-Claire stopped and exchanged words with a young guy who looked to be about sixteen or seventeen, words she could not hear since the time telescope was not yet capable of collecting sounds. Red-haired and freckled, the young man was clearly attracted to and intimidated by adult-Claire. Flustered, he stumbled over whatever it was he was saying. She chuckled kindly, patted his shoulder, then entered the female restroom. Once inside, she took up position in front of one of the mirrors and began freshening her make- up. Standing in front of the mirror next to hers, reapplying her own lipstick, was another woman who cast a faintly disapproving glance at her. Dark-haired and pretty, this woman wore less make-up and was dressed in a tailored trouser suit that was much more 'no-nonsense' and less overtly feminine than adult-Claire's dress. The two exchanged what appeared to be a few friendly words, then the other woman turned and left. Who was she, teen-Claire wondered? The woman was certainly attractive, and her eyes revealed a keen intelligence. Had she still been male, Claire suspected her adult self would have been seriously attracted to her. As soon as she was alone, adult-Claire began to spin at high speed. Seconds later she was dressed in the familiar blue and red costume of Super-Sister - now Superwoman - the blonde dye having evaporated from her hair. In her hands were her civilian shoes, clothing, and purse. Quickly lifting a ceiling panel and concealing these in the space above, she flew out through the restroom's small window and headed for the roof. Teen-Claire was impressed. Superwoman radiated strength and confidence. Waiting for her on the roof was a man dressed in some sort of bat-costume. He looked imposing and not a little disturbing to teen- Claire, but her adult self obviously knew him and was clearly pleased to see him. The two exchanged a few words, then Superwoman picked him up and they flew off to an encounter with a bizarre looking individual, the right half of whose body was identical to Superwoman's - except for the green skin - and the left half of which was identical to the bat- man's. No sooner had this figure appeared than there was a blue flash, the screen went blank, and smoke started pouring from the back of the time telescope. "Oops!" said Claire, quickly blowing out the small fire with her super- breath. Unfortunately, it looked as if standard electrical components from Earth could not operate in the device for too long before burning out. "Lana's here!" shouted Ma Kent from the top of the stairs, "Time for school, Claire!" Oh well, it looked like the time telescope would have to wait. It was going to take her a while to find replacement components, anyway. She left at speed, flying up to her room and rapidly changing into her school clothes. No sooner had Claire left the basement than a section of the wall began to glow. A man with bright red skin stepped out of the glow and walked over to the still smouldering time telescope. He played a scanning beam of light over the device, frowning at the information it sent back to him. "This won't do," he said, "this won't do at all." * Chapter 2: The New Boy Claire and her next door neighbour and best friend, Lana Lang walked to school together every morning. There was only one thing Lana wanted to talk about this particular morning. "So, Claire," said Lana excitedly as they strolled along, "did you see the latest 'Teen Celebrity USA'? I never knew SixStar were Super- Sister's favorite boy band, or that she had the hots for their lead singer, Justin." "Neither did I," said Claire, truthfully, "neither did I." She had a feeling it was going to take a while to live this down. "Y'know, I'm not sure I'm ever going to get used to you being a blonde, Claire," said Lana, glancing sideways at her friend. "I still don't get why the big change." "I heard that blondes have more fun," said Claire, dryly. "Yeah, right, sure," said Lana, giving Claire's shoulder a playful thump as they passed through the gates of Smallville High. "I hope I didn't just see you use violence against Miss Kent, Miss Lang," said a stern, deep voice. It belonged to their history teacher, Mr Surn, a powerfully built black man with a head as smooth and hairless as a billiard ball. "Oh, stop ragging on them, Abe," chuckled the woman he had been talking to. "But it's so much fun, Clarice," he laughed, as Claire and Lana continued on past them and entered the main building. Claire had liked Mr Surn since he came to their school three months ago -though she had still been Clark then - but she was not a big fan of his sense of humor. At their lockers, the two girls dumped their school bags and grabbed the books they would need for their first class. Without even thinking about it, Claire examined her reflection in the mirror inside her locker door, brushing a few stray hairs back into place and nodding approvingly. She had fallen into the female behaviour of checking her appearance this way several times a day without even noticing (though Ma Kent had noticed, and she approved). Smoothing down her skirt, Claire glanced over at Lana,and frowned. Her friend had a photo in her hand and a sad expression on her face. Gently taking the photo from Lana's hand she placed it on the shelf and closed the locker door. "I miss him, too, but it's time we were in class," she said. Lana gave a small smile and nodded, taking Claire's arm. As always, Claire felt enormously guilty at moments like this. It had been two months since she had faked the death of Clark Kent, and Lana was still hurting. On the hallway wall was a poster for the end of year prom, four weeks from then. Now that they were 15 years old this was the first year they were eligible to attend. Not everyone their age did attend, and not attending would not mark you as a social outcast in the way it would someone who didn't attend in their final year, but it was still considered cool to go. They were friends rather than boyfriend and girlfriend but as Clark Kent, Claire had been planning to ask Lana. Now she was wondering if one of the boys in their class would ask her, and how she could turn him down gently. The two girls took their usual seats in class - next to each other, of course - and assumed they were the last arrivals but when their teacher Mrs Marston came in, the same 'Clarice' who had been talking to Mr Surn, she had a boy with her they had never seen before. "Wow, he's cute!" whispered Lana. Claire had not yet become used to thinking of boys that way, but she could not deny the newcomer was handsome. Tall, dark-haired and athletic-looking, there was something about his eyes and the way he carried himself that suggested this boy had more hidden depths than the average teenager. Claire also had the vague feeling she had seen him somewhere before, but could not recall just where. "Class, this is Bruce Wayne," said Mrs Marston. "He and his folks have just moved to Smallville and they'll be with us for the next few months. I hope you'll make him feel welcome." "I'd love to make him feel welcome," said Lana, with a whispered giggle. "If you'll take a seat, Bruce, we can get started," said Miss Marston. Bruce Wayne scanned the room, as if weighing up all those in the class, then headed for the empty seat next to Claire. "Mind if I sit here?" he smiled, his voice surprisingly deep for one so young. "Uh no, not at all," said Claire, slightly flustered. "You're blushing!" whispered Lana. "Am not!" she whispered back, hotly, knowing this was a lie. "If you and Miss Kent have quite finished, Miss Lang," said Mrs Marston, to laughter from the class, "we can get started.!" "Yes, Mrs Marston!" they said in unison, mortified by the attention. The two girls kept their heads down for the lesson that followed, not wanting to draw any more attention to themselves, but despite herself, Claire could not resist stealing sideways glances at the handsome newcomer. Something about this Bruce Wayne gave her a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. When he caught her glancing at him one time and gave her a smile, she felt herself blushing furiously and it felt like she was having palpitations. If not for the fact that, as a Kryptonian, she was immune to human ailments, she would have sworn she was coming down with something. "So, Lana and Claire, wasn't it?" Bruce asked them when the class finished. "Care to show the new boy where the next class is?" "We'd be delighted," said Lana, taking his arm, "wouldn't we, Claire?" "Sure," said Claire, clutching her books close to her chest and feeling irritated with Lana for no reason she could have articulated. "I heard we were getting a new Doctor to cover for Doc Sawyer while he's away," said Lana, "would that be your father?" "It's Robert Wayne, yes," said Bruce, "but he and Sarah aren't my true parents; Mrs Marston got that wrong. No, despite the coincidence of their surname we're not related. My real parents were killed during a mugging." "Oh, I'm so sorry!" said Lana. "That's OK," he replied, giving a thin smile. "It was years ago." Claire noted the set of his jaw and the narrowing of his eyes as he said this. Years ago the tragedy might have been, but Bruce Wayne was clearly far from over it. "I wanted to travel the country," he continued, "find out what life in America is like beyond East Coast high society. I was intrigued when I learned about Smallville, a small town of the sort that doesn't really exist in most of the country anymore. It's somehow managed to preserve itself against the passage of time." "Tell me about it," moaned Lana. "It sometimes feels like it's still the 1950s here." "Don't knock it," said Bruce. "There's a lot to be said for traditional small-town values. Anyway, the family butler Alfred, who's also my legal guardian until I turn eighteen, did some research, found that the Waynes would be in Smallville for the next few months, and got them to agree to act as my foster parents for that time." Their next period was Mr Surn's history class. When they took their places this time, the girls chose seats either side of Bruce Wayne. Usually, despite Mr Surn's strange sense of humor, history was one of Claire's favorite subjects, but not today. Try as she might she couldn't concentrate on what he was saying. Though she didn't even glance at him, she was hyper-aware of Bruce Wayne sitting next to her. Claire was confused by her feelings. She felt hot, flustered, and the butterflies in her stomach were wearing tap shoes. She didn't understand what was happening to her but at the end of class when their lunch break arrived and lana invited Bruce to join them in the commisary, she knew had to get out of there. "Lunch with the two prettiest girls in class," he smiled. "You sure know how to make the new guy feel welcome." "Uh, you and Lana go on without me," she said, "I've - uh - just remembered something I need to do." Without pausing to let them respond, Claire then ran off. In a nearby alley, she swiftly stripped off her outer garb, stuffed the clothing into the pouch in her cape, then took to the skies as Super-Sister. She flew straight upwards, heading out of the atmosphere. There was nothing quite like the coldness and silence of outer space when it came to calming her. Usually, that is. This time there was a surprise waiting for her. The spacecraft was gold in color with red fins, a classic configuration rocket, but it had a nose shaped like an arrowhead and painted green. Small retros along each axis emitted an occasional burst of gas, keeping it in stationary orbit, high over Smallville. Claire did not recognize the craft as the product of any of the alien races she was familiar with. Curious, she slowly circled it, examining it carefully. She tried peering inside with her X-ray vision but it would not penetrate meaning the hull had a layer of lead shielding. While not in itself suspicious given the need of anyone less physically impervious to harm to insulate themselves against the hard radiation found in space, Claire was surprised they did not have magnetic shielding instead. Lead seemed a bit primitive on a ship this advanced, but then again it wasn't unusual for races to have odd gaps in their technology. Not every scientific field progressed at the same pace on every world, after all. Above an external airlock door a single word was flashing red on a small screen, an English word: ENTER. This was either a trap or an invitation. Claire chose to believe the latter and entered the airlock. The door closed behind her, the chamber filled with air, then the inner door opened with a hiss to reveal two occupants, who appeared to be an athletic-looking Earth-standard human man and woman but probably were not. "We're honored to have you aboard our ship," said the man, stepping forward and thumping his his right fist against the left side of his chest in salute. "The reputation of Superboy of Earth and his sister has reached even our world of Thanagar, far away in what you know as the Polaris system." "If you come in peace then I welcome you to our planet," said Claire, eyes taking in their clothing, which from the waist down was similar to her own save that the leggings were green rather than blue and had a red stripe running down the outside. Both were dark-haired, but where the man was bare-chested the woman wore a tight red halter made of some sort of leather. On stands against one wall were two harnesses each bearing a large and magnificent pair of feathered wings and a hawk's head mask. "I'm Vander Kol and this is my partner, Thallis Shay" said the man. "We're Thanagarian police officers and we've come here in pursuit of a criminal from our own world, a man we've tracked to this planet. We believe he came here six of your months ago and is currently living in your own town of Smallville." Inwardly, Claire groaned. Yet another alien in Smallville. Her presence there seemed to attract them like bees to honey. "What has this man done?" she asked. "Kallon Phon has broken our most sacred laws," replied Vander Kol. "He must be returned to his homeworld to face our courts." "Do you have a picture of him?" "Alas, no," said Thallis Shay, looking pained. "When he fled Thanagar he managed to successfully wipe all his official files and all the images we had of him with it." "I see," said Claire. "Well, I'll keep an eye out for your fugitive, but I must warn you not to try and apprehend him yourselves. Due to my own encounters there are those in authority on my world who know aliens sometimes visit the Earth, but the general populace is unaware there are other intelligent races in the universe apart from my own now dead people and I'd like to keep it that way. They don't even have space travel of any consequence yet, just robot probes and an orbital shuttle, and they're not ready for that revelation." "I understand," said Vander Koll. "We too, like to keep cultural contamination to a minimum when visiting worlds more primitive than our own." "Good, then it's agreed," said Claire, heading for the airlock. "It'll probably take me several days, but when I have something to report I'll get back to you." "We ask no more of you." After Claire had left, Thallis Shay turned to her partner. "So that's how we're going to play this?" she queried. "For now, my love," he replied, stroking her hair and gently kissing her lips before opening a low level cupboard. He took a box from where it was stowed inside this and opened it. "If the Kryptonian captures the deviant for us then all good and well. If she should prove to be an obstacle, however..." He lifted the gun from the box, sliding the cover back from the lead- lined main chamber and smiling at the sight of the glowing green crystal of kryptonite at the heart of this rather special laser-pistol. "Well, let's just say she won't be one for long." * Chapter 3: Secret Identities Sitting at her desk after lunch break, Claire mulled over her encounter with the Thanagarians. Interesting that they never explained exactly what crime this Kallon Phon had committed, only that he had broken their "most sacred laws". It was that word 'sacred' Claire didn't like. It was one of those words that could cover a whole range of offences, many of which Claire didn't regard as crimes. What should she do? It might well turn out that she did not approve of all their laws, but if the Thanagarians were duly authorised representatives of their world's legal system, didn't they have the right to return Thanagarians who broke their laws back to their own planet for judgment? "Keep frowning like that and you're going to permanently wrinkle that pretty brow!" "Oh hi, Lana," said Claire as her friend seated herself at the next desk, obviously eager to tell her something, "What's up?" "You mean you haven't heard?" squealed Lana. "While you were off doing whatever it is you were doing, some guy in a sort of homemade one-man tank tried to rob the Smallville Savings Bank." "What? Did he get away with much?" "That's just it," said Lana. "He didn't get away with anything. When he turned his tank and headed back out through the hole he'd made in the wall, someone wearing a cape and a mask came swinging in on a rope and knocked the tank right over - I guess it must've been top-heavy. Anyway, with his tank on its side the man inside was helpless and so the police were easily able to arrest him when they arrived on the scene. I saw the whole thing!" "And the masked hero?" "Oh, he took off before the police arrived. No-one knows who he was, but everyone's talking about him." "What did he look like?" asked Claire. "Give me all the details." "Well, his cape and mask were a dark tan color, and the mask was modelled on a flying fox. Apart from the cape and mask he wore ordinary street clothes." "Looks like Super-Sister has some competition," mused Claire. She would have to check this new hero out at the earliest opportunity. The rest of the day passed in a blur. Bruce Wayne sat with them during their remaining classes and at the end of the day he invited them back to Doc Sawyer's house, which he and his foster parents were currently renting. "I'm glad to see Bruce is already making friends," said Sarah Wayne, bringing them a tray of iced teas on the verandah. She was tall, red- haired, and her simple dress made the most of her classic hourglass figure. "Thank you, Mrs Wayne," said Lana, taking her glass, "but I think Claire and I kind of monopolised him today. We never really gave him a chance to meet any of the guys." "I'm sure Bruce didn't mind being taken under the wings of two such pretty girls," said Doctor Robert Wayne. He was tall, had dark curly hair and was wearing a T-shirt and shorts that did nothing to hide his athletic build. Like his wife, he appeared to be in his early-thirties. From the way they looked at each other, and from the little touches each gave the other as they passed, Claire could tell they were deeply in love. "I'm trying out for the football team tomorrow," said Bruce. "I'm sure I'll meet plenty of the guys then." "We could certainly use some new blood on the team," said Claire. "We haven't won a game in months." "You follow football?" said Bruce, surprised. "We go to practice games so we can watch hunky guys in those tight little trousers," laughed Lana. Claire remembered Lana dragging her along a practice session soon after she became a girl and making detailed and appreciative comments on each player's "tight little butt". She had been mortified, and found herself blushing at the memory. "Yes, I do follow it," said Claire, glaring at Lana. "Will you come and watch my tryout, Clare?" asked Bruce, with a grin. "I..yes..I'd love to," said Claire. No sooner had the words left her mouth than Claire wondered if his grin was because of what Lana had said. Oh no, did he think she'd only said yes because she wanted to see his butt in tight football shorts, which wasn't the reason at all? Yes, Bruce probably had a nice little butt, but...wait! Why was she even thinking about his butt? She found herself blushing again and glanced over at Lana, who had watched all this play out on Claire's face and was grinning from ear-to-ear at her friend's obvious embarassment. Fortunately, talk then turned to less potentially awkward topics, and thirty minutes or so later, knowing they had homework and chores to do, the girls made their excuses and headed home. "Bruce is so into you," said Lana, as they walked the quarter mile or so to their homes. "He is not!" declared Claire, hotly. "Really?" said Lana, surprised by her friend's obtuseness. "If you didn't pick up on it you must be as oblivious as most guys are when a girl comes on to them. You mean you didn't notice how he only had eyes for you and how it was you he asked if she wanted to watch his tryout and not both of us?" "I......" Claire was speechless for a few seconds as she processed what Lana had said and realised her friend was right. "And you don't mind?" she said. "Of course not!" said Lana. "And you could do a lot worse than having Bruce Wayne as your boyfriend." The trouble was, Claire wasn't sure whether she wanted a boyfriend at all. Lying in bed that night, Claire found herself tossing and turning and unable to get to sleep. This was unusual for her. Ordinarily she was asleep within minutes of her head hitting the pillow, but for some reason she could not get Bruce Wayne out of her mind, could not stop thinking about him. It was maddening and it made no sense but it was also making sleep impossible. Sighing, she got out of bed and padded over to the window, gazing out over the quiet town. Apart from a few late-night bars and a couple of small clubs catering to older teens, Smallville did not boast much of a night life. Being essentially a farming town meant early morning starts for most of the menfolk, which usually also meant early nights, too. Claire seldom ventured out this late on a school day but she decided that a night-flight might be the very thing to clear her head. Donning her Super-Sister costume, she quietly opened her window and slipped out into the darkness. Not having any particular plan in mind, Claire flew slowly and aimlessly over the town at first until it occurred to her that this was the perfect opportunity to check out the one-man 'tank' Lana had told her about. If the Flying Fox had knocked it over in the manner she claimed then he might well have left some trace of himself on it, something by which Claire could track him down. The local police had impounded the tank, so Claire headed over to their small impound lot. This would be locked, of course, but that was no impediment to someone who could fly straight over the fence. The lot was unlit, but no sooner had Claire arrived than she realised she was not the only one interested in the tank. Under cover of darkness, two shadowy figures were examining it. "Who are you?" demanded Claire, landing twenty feet away from them. "And what are you doing here?" Startled, the two figures exploded into action, one soaring into the air on giant wings while the other leapt forward, growing and transforming as it did into a mass of fur, fangs and muscle. Whatever the beast might be, it was no match for a Kryptonian and Claire easily tossed it aside, slamming it into a pile of junked cars where it lay, dazed. Claire walked over to the creature but she had barely taken a step before a powerful green beam lanced down out of the sky causing a small explosion of asphalt in front of her. Startled, she took a step back, glancing up instinctively and seeing nothing. When she looked back at where the beast had lain it was gone. In the second or so her attention was elsewhere it had vanished without trace. The whole encounter had barely lasted ten seconds and Claire had not got a good look at either intruder. "What the heck was that thing?" came a voice from behind her, as the impound lights came on. "And where did that green laser beam come from?" Claire turned to face the newcomer. He was dressed in ordinary street clothes to which he had added a cape and cowl she recognised from Lana's description. "The mysterious Flying Fox, I presume," she said. "What are you doing here?" "Follow up," he said. "After taking out that tank today I left in a hurry before the police arrived, but I really wanted a closer look at it. I got here barely a minute ago, but I turned the lights on too late to get a good look at the intruders. Do you have any idea why those two were interested in the tank?" "No, none at all, but at the moment I'm more interested in you. Who are you and why have you decided to become a masked crime fighter?" He pulled back his cowl to reveal the face that had filled Claire's thoughts all day. "I'm Bruce Wayne," he said. "Hello, Claire." "Wh..what?" said Claire. "There's no use denying it," he said. "Knowing Clark Kent was Superboy, it wasn't difficult to figure out you must be Super-Sister." "How could you possibly know about Clark?" "This isn't my first time in Smallville," admitted Bruce. "It isn't? But when...?" "I passed through town a few months ago, in the company of a small time hood named Thad Linnis. I could do stuff like that before Alfred decided I needed to have guardians when I was away from Gotham. Anyway, Linnis was a low-life, but not particularly dangerous or threatening. He wanted me to uncover Superboy's secret identity since he thought he could then use that knowledge to blackmail him. I agreed for reasons of my own, but I never intended to tell Linnis. And I didn't." "So you figured out my brother's secret identity. But why were you with Linnis in the first place?" "I'm training myself to be the greatest detective I can. Understanding what makes lowlifes like Linnis tick is as important a part of that task as being skilled enough to uncover that Clark Kent was Superboy." "But you looked different then," said Claire. "I didn't want anyone to recognise me, so I altered my appearance a little - another important skill...but wait. You weren't in Smallville yet so how did you know what I looked like then, unless...oh. I knew the death of Clark Kent had to have been faked, but I never worked out why. You're him, aren't you?. You're Superboy." "Not anymore. Superboy is gone, and he's not coming back." Claire's heart was pounding. She could not read Bruce's expression, could not guess what he was thinking. Would he consider her some sort of freak? The thought that he might was almost unbearable. "Can you tell me how it happened?" he asked, gently. Claire bit her lip, then nodded. Haltingly at first, she related the story of Superboy's encounter with what he assumed to be an alien spacecraft but which turned out to be a timeship, one piloted by a vengeful woman who used a strange ring to switch his gender as punishment for having spurned her. "And thanks to the wonders of time travel, I hadn't even met and spurned her younger self yet," said Claire, bitterly. "That's a terrible thing to have happen," said Bruce, gently placing a hand on each of her shoulders and gazing into Claire's eyes. "I can imagine how difficult it must be to deal with something like that. How're you holding up." "OK," I guess," replied Claire, relieved at the evident concern in his voice. "It was really difficult at first, but I think I'm adapting, that I'm slowly getting used to being a girl." "Good," said Bruce,lifting her chin, "because while the feelings may be new to you, I'm pretty sure you're attracted to me and it would be a crushing blow for my belief I'll one day be a great detective to discover my powers of observation aren't as sharp as I think." "They are," said Claire, admitting it to herself for the first time, her mouth dry and her heart racing, "every bit as sharp." "That's good to know," he smiled, leaning in to kiss her. It was a gentle kiss, a lingering meeting of lips that they broke after half a minute or so, but Claire felt it all the way down to her toes. "Wow!" she whispered, surprised to find she was trembling. "First kiss as a girl?" grinned Bruce. "First voluntary one," smiled Claire, feeling a giddy mixture of excitement and trepidation. The part of her that was still Clark Kent was confused and worried by her reaction, but she consciously decided to ignore it, for now. "'Voluntary'?" said Bruce, raising an eyebrow. "Look, we both have school tomorrow," said Claire, "so I'll tell you all about Super-Bully while I fly you home." * Chapter 4: Boyfriends. "OK, spill!" said Lana Lang after classes the next day as she and Claire sat in the bleachers at Smallville High, watching the football tryouts on the field below. "About what?" asked Claire, feigning innocence. "You know what," said Lana. "Watching how you and Bruce were around each other today, even a guy could have figured out that something had happened between you since yesterday." From long experience, Claire knew the only way to deal with Lana when she got like this was to come clean and give her the truth, or at least a version of it. "If you must know, I crept out after dark and met up with Bruce," she said, "and we kissed." "You did not!" squealed Lana, her mouth making a perfect 'O' of shocked surprise. "Did, too!" said Claire, smiling at the memory. "What was it like?" said Lana. "I need to know all the details. Did he take you in his arms?" "No, he didn't," said Claire. "We were facing each other and he lifted my chin and looked deep into my eyes. My heart was racing and I swear my knees started to tremble." "Then what happened?" said Lana, hanging on Claire's every word. "Then he leaned in and kissed me. He's a very good kisser. I felt that kiss through my entire body." "Ooh, you lucky cow!" sighed Lana. "I so envy you!" "Well, there's always the new boy," said Claire, nodding in the direction of the football field. "I saw the way your eyes lit up when Mr Surn introduced him to the class this morning." "I can't deny it," said Lana, grinning."I like this trend of a gorgeous new boy joining the school every day. I hope it continues." The new boy was Pete Ross. Good-looking and blond, he and his family had only just moved to town but he was already down on the football field, attending the tryouts alongside Bruce. Both boys had shown impressive kicking and ball-handling skills, easily equal to those of the best players at Smallville High, and Claire was pretty sure both would make the team next season if they kept in shape over the summer. "You weren't the only girl in class who liked what she saw," said Claire. "If you're going to make a move on him you need to do it sooner rather than later." "You're right," said Lana. "It looks like they're just finishing up down there so I may get my chance in a few minutes. Y'know, if the boys do make the team we ought to try out for the cheerleading squad." "What? Are you kidding?" "Why shouldn't we?" said Lana "Rumour has it Jane Collins is pregnant, and with Kate Atkins and her family moving to Metropolis that'll open two slots. I know we're on the young side, but we're both pretty enough and tall enough - though you might need a padded bra to improve your 'assets' a bit." "Lana!!" "OK, OK, only joking about the bra," laughed Lana. "Good," said Claire. "Oh, and one other thing about Bruce." "What's that?" "He told me it was your idea for him to become the Flying Fox." "Ah," said Lana, looking sheepish. "C'mon Lang, it's your turn to spill now. What were you thinking?" "Hey, I was showing him this witch doctor's cape and cowl my Dad had brought back from Africa - I had it with me in case we had a show'n'tell - and we heard a report about the bank attack on the radio. I could tell Bruce wanted to get over there but that something was holding him back. I'm not even really sure why I did it, but I fished the cape and cowl out of my school bag and told him that if he didn't want to be recognised he could take them. He did, and the rest you know." "I wonder why he didn't want to be seen?" "Who knows? I...hey, they've finished! C'mon!" When the girls joined them on the field the boys were comparing notes about their performances in the tryouts. "Hi, boys!" said Lana, attracting their attention. "Oh, hi!" said Pete Ross. "Lana...Lang, isn't it?" "That's right, Pete, and this is Claire Kent, Bruce's girlfriend." Girlfriend? Mortified, Claire shot Lana an evil look. She might have said something to her then and there had Bruce not smoothly slid his arm around her waist, saving her any embarrassment from Lana having put her - put them - on the spot. "Say, how about we all go to the coffee bar together?" said Lana. "That way you boys can relax after your exertions and we can fill Pete in on everything he needs to know about Smallville." "Sounds good to me|" said Pete. "Me too," said Bruce. "We'll see you out front after we've showered. "'Girlfriend'?" said Claire after the boys had departed. "What ever possessed you to introduce me as Bruce's girlfriend?" "Hey, you and he are creeping out after dark for make-out sessions," said Lana. "If you're not boyfriend and girlfriend you should be. Plus, I've seen how skittish you can be around boys who look like they might be interested in you, Claire. You needed a push so I gave you one. You should be thanking me." "Yes, well. Never do that again." Claire had been both pleased and surprised when Bruce had put his arm around her waist, but did it mean anything beyond him wanting to spare her embarrassment? She was encouraged when, after they all met up in front of the school twenty minutes later, he took her hand and they walked hand-in-hand all the way to the coffee bar. Bruce treated tham all to coffees. "So, Pete," said Lana, when they had settled in around a table, "tell us about yourself." "Not much to tell, really. My Dad's job means we move around a lot and he's just been assigned to Smallville so here we are." "What does he do?" asked Claire. "He's a police forensic scientist. Chief Parker of Smallville P.D. requested more manpower to deal with the increasing - and increasingly odd - crimes you're seeing here. Actually, both sides of my family have been involved in law enforcement. My grandfather was a Secret Service agent and, on my mother?s side, I have an uncle in Scotland Yard. I might go into it myself one day. I mean, I'm fascinated by my Dad's forensic work and he's been teaching me some of his techniques." "Really?" said Bruce, his interest piqued. "Do you follow the 'Journal of Forensic Science'?" "Every issue. It's only one of my favorite reads." And then they were off, discussing all manner of abstruse and obscure matters and totally ignoring the girls. "Boys!" sighed Lana, turning to her friend. "So, Claire, what did you think of the new shades of lipstick they reviewed in 'Teen Celebrity USA'? Which one do you think we'll all be wearing next season?" Claire was actually interested in what the boys were discussing but she could see Lana was bored silly by it so she was happy to indulge her friend in some girl talk. She had slowly developed an interest in such matters since becoming a girl herself anyway, and she did have a genuine preference when it came to which lipstick she and Lana were likely to be wearing in a few months time. Surprisingly, getting all girly and arguing the merits of various lipsticks with Lana was a lot of fun. "I think we're boring the girls," said Bruce, eventually noticing their separate conversations. "Only a little," said Claire, giving him a smile and squeezing his arm. "I have an announcement," said Bruce. "My foster parents are taking me out camping in the woods over near Beaver Creek this weekend. They want to commune with nature and I'm happy for the chance to brush up on my basic woodsman's skills. I know it's kind of late to spring this on you, what with it already being Thursday, but it would be great if your parents would let you join us." They all thought this was a great idea. "Wait!" said Claire, turning to face Lana. "You do realise there are no shops or boutiques in the woods, right?" Lana gave her shoulder a playful thump while the boys laughed. Later, back home, Claire asked Ma Kent for permission to go on the camping trip. "What will the sleeping arrangements be?" she asked. "Doctor Wayne and his wife will have a big double tent while we'll sleep in our own individual single tents." "And you give me your word there won't be any funny business? I've seen how much you like Bruce Wayne." "Ma, we're only fifteen!" said Claire, exasperated. "And I'm nowhere near ready to go that far with a boy yet." "Fifteen or not, you still have those raging teenage hormones surging through you. I remember what it was like to be that age. You may say you're not ready, but in the heat of the moment you can throw caution to the winds." "I give you my word, that won't happen," said Claire. "OK, that's good enough for me," said Ma Kent, mollified. "You're a sensible enough girl that I know when the time does come you'll use protection." "Ma!!!!!" * Chapter 5: Camping Beaver Creek was fairly isolated being a two hour drive from Smallville and almost an hour away from the nearest farmhouse. Arriving Saturday mid-afternoon, the Waynes and their teenage charges set up camp in the small clearing in the middle of the woods. When the tents had been erected, the teenagers set off in search of suitable kindling for the campfire. No sooner were they out of sight of the tents than Lana spun Pete Ross around, put her arms around his waist, and they began to kiss. Bruce looked surprised by this. "Pete asked Lana out on a date last night," explained Claire. "Looks like it went well." Bruce slid an arm around her waist and smiled at Claire. She returned the smile. With no words necessary, they too began to kiss. After about ten minutes, both couples came up for air. "Whoa," said Claire. "If we don't return with kindling soon, Bruce's foster parents are going to start wondering where we've got to." "Claire's right," said Pete. "That was fun, and I hope we get to do more of it, but we need to make sure we get our chores done, too." As they were collecting kindling, Claire smiled at the memory of that kiss. Just thinking about it made her tingle. It surprised her how quickly and how willingly she had fallen into the role of Bruce's girlfriend, how thrilled she had been when he had asked her to the prom yesterday, and she wondered if as well as changing her physically the strange ring that had turned her into a girl was also having a delayed effect on her mentally. Whatever the reason, she didn't care. All that mattered was how happy Bruce made her feel. Much later, after their evening meal and as night was falling, the three couples sat around the campfire and exchanged stories. Not long after this they turned in for the night. They would be making an early start tomorrow. The attack came without warning. It was early Sunday morning and Claire was, she thought, the only one awake. She was sitting in her tent, in her pyjamas, when it happened. Four small disks dropped from the sky, one landing in front of each of the tents in which the teenagers had been sleeping. No sooner had they landed than each emitted a pulse of energy into its adjacent tent. Whatever it was supposed to do, the pulse had no effect on Claire, but in the second or so the disks took to land and activate, Claire had switched into her Super-Sister costume at super-speed and was flying out of her tent. She was just in time to see Vandar Koll descend from the skies on his mighty wings and land in the middle of camp. "Ah, Super-Sister!" he said. "Good. You're just in time to see me apprehend the fugitive." "He's here?" said Claire, caught off-guard. "Yes. Those somnula disks I dropped in front of the other tents will ensure their occupants remain asleep during the arrest. No point in causing more cultural contamination than we need to, after all." He turned to face the large tent housing the Waynes. "I know you're in there, Kallon Phon," he shouted. "Time to come on out and surrender yourself into my custody." In response, the tent suddenly blew up into the air leaving two figures standing there, both wearing wings identical to Vandar Koll and both poised and ready for combat. So Bruce's foster parents were aliens! "Wait!" said Claire. "I thought you said you were only looking for one Thanagarian criminal...." "We are," said the voice of Thallis Shay from overhead as she simultaneously fired some sort of beam from that instantly dropped the Waynes in their tracks. "Nicely done, my love!" said Vandar Koll as his partner touched down beside him. "They had no idea you were there." Claire looked over at the fallen Waynes, and was astonished to see that Sarah Wayne no longer looked like a female Thanagarian, that her wings had actually been a part of her. Unconscious, she had reverted to what must be her true, alien form, her wings absorbed into her body. She had the same golden skin, pointed ears, and antennae as Chameleon Boy, Clare's colleague in the Legion of Super-Heroes, which meant they were the same species. And that wasn't the only thing they shared in common. "She's a Durlan!" said Claire. "And she's a man!" "Yes," said Thallis Shay, distaste in her voice. "Their perverted relationship is why Kallon Phon is under arrest." "So same-sex relationships are illegal on Thanagar," asked Claire, "or is it the Durlan choosing to be a woman?" "Gods, no!" snorted Vandar Koll. "We're not barbarians." "I myself was born male," said Thallis Shay, "but it was obvious to me from a very early age I should have been born a girl. There is no stigma attached to such matters on our world so shortly before puberty, and with the blessing of my parents, I underwent our gender reassignment procedure. Now I am in all respects a woman." "A very beautiful woman," said Vandar Koll, smiling at his partner affectionately, "and the mother of our two children." "Then why...?" "Mating with a non-Thanagarian, of course. Inter-species miscegenation is a very serious crime." "So you're not homophobic or transphobic, just racist," came a new voice. Claire turned to see Bruce, drop down from the tree at the edge of the clearing from where he'd been listening to their exchange. He was wearing his Flying Fox cape and cowl. Obviously, he had not been in his tent when the somnula disks went off. "And who might you be, youngling?" asked Vander Koll, in an amused voice. He clearly saw no threat in this strangely-attired teenager. "A friend of Super-Sister's," said Bruce, "and someone who isn't going to let you take the Waynes. They may have broken your laws but those laws are unjust. And justice trumps law in my book. Every time." "And how exactly do you propose to stop us by yourself?" "He's not by himself," said Claire, walking over to stand by Bruce, "because he's right. Your law is wrong and I'm not letting you take them." "That's too bad," said Vandar Koll, and in a single swift motion he pulled the kryptonite laser pistol from his holster and fired at Claire. The green beam creased her skull and she collapsed to the ground, dazed. At the same time, Thallis Shay brought her stun ray to bear on Bruce, but he was too fast for her, Even as she was drawing a bead on him he was already pulling a pair of bolas from the back of his belt and hurling them at the Thanagarian. The rope wrapped itself around Thallis Shay and the metal balls on the end slammed into her skull, knocking her out. Bruce turned back to face Vandar Koll, who had taken a prisoner. Holding the still dazed Claire, he pressed the laser against her temple. "Either you surrender or I execute Super-Sister!" he said. "Oh, I don't think so," said a new voice, calmly, a beam of green light lancing down from overhead and vaporizing the laser pistol. "No, not you!" shrieked Vander Kol, as a powerfully built, scarlet- skinned man floated down from above, to land gently on the ground. He was dressed in a green and black costume with white gloves, a stylised picture of a lantern on his chest and a glowing green ring on the middle finger of his right hand. "A Green Lantern!" sneered Vander Koll, spitting the name out like a curse. "I'm an authorised officer of the Thanagarian police force, in pursuit of a wanted fugitive. You have no right to interfere in this." "Ah, but I do!" said the Green Lantern. "Earth is not a signatory to any galactic treaties. I know Thanagarians like to believe their laws apply everywhere, but you have no jurisdiction here." "Oh, and I suppose you do?" "When it comes to extra-planetary threats, yes, I do. I won't interfere with Earth's internal affairs and I won't allow others to either." "What about cultural contamination?" said Vander Koll. "These fugitives are guilty of that by their very presence." "No, I don't believe so," said the Green Lantern. "They were living quiet lives as Earthlings and would have continued to do so had you not decided to flush them out. If anyone in this affair is guilty of risking cultural contamination, it would be you and your partner." "So you just want us to leave them here?" he shouted, glancing over to where Bruce had revived his foster parents and was helping them to their feet. "That's exactly what I want. They will go back to being Robert and Sarah Wayne and you will go back to your homeworld. Earth is now off- limits to Thanagarians and will remain so until the Guardians decide otherwise. Your people only respect power. Do you think you have enough to challenge the Green Lantern Corps?" Vander Koll's silence was all the answer that was needed. Claire had revived and was now standing beside the Green Lantern, along with Bruce and the Waynes. Glancing at them, seeing a Green Lantern, a Thanagarian hawk-man, a shape-changing alien, Bruce in his Flying Fox garb, and her in her Super-Sister costume she had an odd, almost precognitive flash. For a split second she thought she saw a vision of herself as an adult and part of just such a team of champions of justice, but only for a split-second. She shook her head, annoyed at herself for this flight of fancy. "Leave now and do not return!" said the Green Lantern. Knowing he was defeated, Vandar Koll revived his unconscious partner and as soon as he was sure she was up to it, they both spread their wings and leapt into the skies. Within a few minutes they were just dots on the horizon, then they were gone. "It was you in the impound yard, wasn't it?" said Claire to the Green Lantern. "That wasn't Vandar Koll's laser pistol but the beam from your ring, but why?" "I didn't want you to capture the Wayne's," he said, "not until I'd conferred with my masters, the Guardians of Oa, and asked what action they wanted me to take regarding them." "And what were you doing in the impound, anyway?" Claire asked the Waynes, noticing that Sarah had reverted to her human form and her husband had a protective arm around her. "We'd never heard of anything on this planet like that mini-tank," said Kallon Phon aka Robert Wayne, as he started unfastening the harness that secured his wings, "and fearing it might be alien technology that had fallen into the hands of local criminals, we figured we needed to check it out. If it was Thanagarian then that meant our pursuers were closing in. Of course, it turned out to be nothing of the sort and we almost got ourselves caught for our troubles." "Good," said the Green Lantern. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like a private word with Super-Sister." When they had moved out of earshot of the others, he turned to Claire. "After I use my power ring to restore the Waynes' tent I'll remove the somula disks and myself. Before I do so, you need to fly away with the Flying Fox so that Bruce Wayne and Claire Kent are in their tents when the Waynes come to wake them." "So you now know I'm Claire Kent." His face broke into an enormous grin. "Miss Kent, I've always known." "And I know who you are, sir," said Claire, smiling at him. "You may have changed the color of your skin, but I'd recognise my history teacher Abe Surn anywhere." "I suppose you would," he chuckled. "My true name is Abin Sur, and I am the Green Lantern of space sector 2814, which includes both the Earth and my home planet, Ungara. The planet of your birth, Krypton, was in the neighbouring sector, whose Green Lantern is my friend and colleague Tomar Re, of the planet Xudar. He was charged by the Guardians with saving your people. Tragically, he failed. The Guardians observed as your rocket craft escaped the destruction of Krypton, and tasked me with watching over you as part of my duties. This I have done from time to time over the years and, in the wake of you becoming Super-Sister, I was recently instructed to assume a human identity and watch you much more closely." "Why?" asked Claire. "Because of the increasing number of events around you involving time travel," he said. "Though the Guardians don't like it, done responsibly it need not present any problems. Done carelessly, however, it can cause immense problems. Causality itself can become unravelled around time-travellers with potentially catastrophic results. Saturn Girl of the Legion of Super-Heroes has sensibly arranged things so that you forget any details concerning your own future when you return to the present from their time, thus preserving continuity. However, your transformation from Superboy to Super-Sister has already caused some local disruptions." "How so?" asked Claire. "As it was explained to me, that just created a branch in time. In one branch I continued on as Superboy and in the other - in this one - I became Super-Sister." "Yes, ordinarily that's what you would expect, but the temporal mechanics were disrupted by Robin the Boy Wonder." "I'm sorry but, who?" asked Claire. "In the future he will be the partner of the Batman you saw when you first turned on your time telescope - and, yes, I know about that," said Abin Sur. "Before you became Super-Sister he travelled back in time to enlist the aid of Superboy in defusing a booby trap that would kill Superman in his time." "That never happened," said Claire. "I'm sure I'd remember if it had." "Oh, it happened," said Abin Sur, "but when you became Super-Sister it couldn't have because you will never become Superman. Do you see the problem?" "It created a time paradox," said Claire, quietly. "Exactly. So instead of an orderly alternate timeline being created by your transformation, we got one where a past event was also altered so that it never happened for you. However, these things are never quite that simple. Like a stone being thrown in a pond it creates ripples and those ripples cause further minor changes of their own, unpredictable 'collateral damage'. I think I've mapped them all now, and I don't expect there will be any more." "What were they?" asked Claire. "Well in your original timeline you invented the time telescope before you learned about the Phantom Zone," he said. "Here the opposite happened. The other thing is that Pete Ross wasn't supposed to arrive in Smallville this early." "Whew, I'm glad he did," said Claire. "I'd be feeling terribly guilty about Lana if he hadn't." "That's as may be," said Abin Sur, "but given the temporal disruption there's already been around you, I'm afraid I can't let you keep your time telescope, and you have to promise never to build another." "I understand," said Claire, "and I give you my word." "Good," said Abin Sur, smiling. "And now Miss Kent, I think you and the Flying Fox need to vacate the scene." "Yes, sir," said Claire, "but before I do there's one thing I want to ask you. On your homeworld, Ungara, what do you do when you're not being a Green Lantern." "Why Miss Kent," he grinned, "I'm a history teacher." * 6. The Prom Claire examined her make-up in her vanity table mirror and frowned. Her lipstick was fine, but had she overdone the eyeliner and mascara? Too much of each and you ended up with bush-baby eyes, which wasn't the effect she was going for at all. "Can you zip me up, Mrs Kent?" asked Lana. "Of course, my dear," relied Ma. "Breathe in." Lana did so, and Ma Kent zipped up the back of her prom dress in one, swift motion. "Thanks." "You're welcome, Lana," said Ma, then turned to her daughter, who was still sitting at her vanity table studying her reflection, the back of her own prom dress still undone. "Stop fretting, Claire, you look lovely," said Ma, "and I'm sure Bruce will think so as well." "Are you sure?" said Claire, a note of worry in her voice. Despite herself, Ma had to smile. Her daughter might be the strongest female on the planet, but when it came to looking good for a boy she suffered the same insecurities as any other teenage girl. "He's a teenage boy," said Ma. "You'd have to suffer a total fashion disaster for him to be put off, and probably not even then. Trust me on this. Now stand up and let me zip up your prom dress. Your dates will be here any minute and I don't want you keeping them waiting, young lady." Claire did as she asked. "Thank you for helping us both get ready," said Lana, as Ma Kent was zipping her daughter's dress. "No, thank you," said Ma. "I really enjoyed this. Preparing two such pretty girls for their first prom was a total pleasure." Claire had put on her new, three inch stiletto heels and was walking up and down the room. Her physical powers meant she wasn't likely to stumble, but like any other girl she needed practice at walking elegantly in them. "I think you've got the walk down, Claire," said Lana, approvingly. "No one would know this is your first time in serious heels." "Lana's right," said Ma. "You walk beautifully in them and look very graceful, very feminine." That was the moment they heard the doorbell ring downstairs, and Pa Kent answering it. "This is it!" said Lana, squeezing her friend's hand. "The moment of truth!" Claire smoothed down the skirt of her dress, took a final glance in the morror to make sure nothing terrible had happened to her make-up in the ten seconds since she'd last checked it, then nodded to Lana. They left the bedroom together and, hand-in-hand, descended the stairs. Bruce and Pete were waiting at the bottom of the stairs, looking very handsome in their tuxedos, and the girls' appearance had just the effect they had hoped it would. When they saw how lovely their dates looked, the boys' eyes went wide and their jaws dropped. "Even Bruce," thought Claire, trying to look cool but giving in to a huge, excited grin. She and Lana had spent hours getting ready, a process Claire had enjoyed much more than she would have imagined she would even a few weeks earlier, but the way Bruce was looking at her made it all worthwhile. When Lana and Claire reached the bottom of the stairs, the boys gave their dates a brief hug and a little air-kiss to the cheek - it had been made clear to them that mussing the girls' make up before they got to the prom would not be appreciated -then put the crossages on them that each had brought. "Have a great evening,kids," said Pa Kent as they exited, "but be back here before eleven." Outside, the girls were stopped in their tracks by the sight that greeted them. "A limo!" said Lana, excitedly. "You sprung for a limousine!" "Actually, it belongs to Bruce," said Pete. "You drive a limo?" said Claire, momentarily non-plussed. "Hardly," laughed Bruce. "I mean, I can, but I'm still a bit young to be allowed out on public roads. No, we have a chauffeur." As they approached the car, the driver got out and opened the rear door for them. He had a thin moustache and was dressed in full chauffeur's uniform. "Good evening, ladies," he said, as Claire and Lana climbed in, followed by Pete, and Bruce went around to the door on the far side so that each boy was sitting next to his girlfriend. "Where to, Master Bruce?" asked the chauffeur, as the limo pulled away. He had a British accent. "Just drive round town for a while, Alfred," said Bruce. "Smallville High is close enough that we walk there every day and we have some time to kill." "Very good, Master Bruce." "Alfred?" said Claire. "The family butler and your legal guardian." "One and the same," said Bruce. "Although he lets me have periods away, like my current one with the Waynes, he still likes to check in on me periodically. So I suggested he combine this one with the prom and bring along the family limo." "Cool!" said Pete Ross. Bruce pressed a button on his armrest and a drinks cabinet folded down from the back of the seat in front. It opened to reveal four champagne glasses and a chilled bottle of wine. "Non-alcoholic, of course - Alfred wouldn't allow it any other way," said Bruce. He handed them each a glass, poured out the wine, and declared a toast. "To the future, and to all the wonders it will bring us!" "The future!" they shouted, and threw back their drinks. When they'd done so, Claire saw Pete giving her the strangest look. He turned away as soon as he saw she'd noticed his attention. In the week since they had been camping she had caught him looking her the same way several times. She wondered what it meant, if anything. It was probably nothing. What she did not know was in the few seconds before the somnula disk had landed in front of his tent and made him instantly fall asleep, Pete had already been awake. Because of the way the tents were angled, he could see Claire in hers, sitting there in her pyjamas. Which meant he was perfectly positioned to see her switch into Super- Sister. And the reason Claire kept catching him looking at her strangely was that he was still trying to process the information that his classmate was the Girl of Steel. He would never betray her secret, but now that he knew it he was unsure what he should do with that knowledge. When they evntually got to Smallville High, they were greeted by Abe Surn, Robert and Sarah Wayne, and Clarice Marston. "We're on chaperone duty," said Mrs Marston, "and we'll be keeping a particular eye on the fifteen year-olds." "That's only to be expected," said Bruce, as Claire took his arm. Lana groaned. How was she going to make out with Pete if the party police got over-protective? The school had made a reasonable job of fitting the gymnasium out as a dancehall and though there were few kids there of their age there were plenty of the sixteen-through-eighteen year olds. To his surprise, Claire pulled Bruce onto the dancefloor as soon as they got there. He had no objection to having her in his arms, but he raised an eyebrow quizically. "Easiest place to have a private conversation without Pete and Lana overhearing," she said. "So what's the deal with your foster parents?" "How do you mean?" "Why did they volunteer for chaperone duty?" "Curiosity, I'd imagine. If you're an alien, prom probably seems like a strange and fascinating ritual, one worthy of study." "Yeah, about that," said Claire. "Has knowing they're aliens made it weird living with them these past couple of weeks?" "I have a very pretty, totally delightful alien in my arms right now," said Bruce. "I'm serious, Bruce!" she said, giving his shoulder a playful thump but pleased by his compliments. "No, it hasn't," he replied. "Since it was the Flying Fox who learned their secret and they don't know I'm him, I have to pretend I don't know. Which is easy enough. Aliens or not, they're good people. Plus, I'm learning something about what it's like to have a secret identity and how to maintain it. That's experience that could come in useful in the future." They did a lot of dancing throughout the evening, quite often with Pete and Lana dancing alongside them, though Claire could have done without quite so much by SixStar being played. She liked the slow dances best. Being in Bruce's arms, with her head on his shoulder, felt