Daughter of Superman

Humanity

"Your father is scared, Madine." Grandma was saying.

And why did everyone kept saying that?

"He's scared about losing you." Said grandpa, smiling to her after giving her a few more napkins to clean up her nose.

She had cried a lot these last days, including now, after pouring out her feelings to her grandparents.

"He's not ashamed by you, I doubt that." Said Martha. "And if he is, I will put him in my lap, Superman or not, and give him a few slaps in the butt for that. But he isn't."

Madine managed to laugh at the mental image.

"He loves you more than anything, sweetie." She continued. "The fact that he lets Conner out there and you don't say nothing. He told you himself: his enemies know about Superboy. They don't know about you. And, we all know he cares about Conner just the same, but we can't tell he loves him the same way he loves you. At least not yet."

To that, Madine looked at her, confused. Martha smiled.

"Conner is your brother. He's our grandson. And he's Clark's son. Of that, no one has any doubts. But he came into the world three months ago. It's not enough to build a true and strong paternal love towards him. I believe Clark cares about him, worries about him, and may be starting to love him already. But you, sweetie... he raised you. He was responsible for your conception. I'm not saying it's more important, but..."

"You saying he had more time with me." She completed, understanding. "So he learned how to love me while raising me, while I was growing."

"Yes. He's doing the same thing with Conner now. He'll love him someday. Maybe someday soon. But right now, you're his priority."

Madine sighed and closed her eyes. "I know all that, grandma. But I wish he knew I'm not a baby anymore. I'm not a child. I can defend myself. He's even teaching me how!"

"Then talk to him, honey." She said, calmly. "But talk to him with arguments. Tell him why. Maybe he'll finally listen to you."

"What if he doesn't?"

Jonathan and Martha shared another look, and Jonathan was the one who answered this time.

"Then maybe you'll have to make him listen. But talk to him first."

She looked at them and nodded, promising to at least think about the subject. They hugged her, sent her to the living room and went to clean up the kitchen, still messed up from lunch – they had spent the last hour talking, the TV on mute so not to disturb them.

From what Madine could see, the gigantic plants were still causing havoc around the world. The news would pop up every thirty minutes or less, in the middle of the normal programs, and give them an update. Madine decided she wouldn't come back to Metropolis that day.

Going to her room, she picked her cellphone from her back pocket and texted her dad and Conner to let them know where she was. In the middle of an attack like that, it would be inconsiderate if they got home and she wasn't there.

'I came to Smallville after the plants started to grow. I'll be spending today and tomorrow here. Don't worry about me, I'm fine. Take care of yourselves. Love you both. – Madine."

Madine sent them the same message and then snuggled into the comforters, ready to take a nap. It had been an exhausting morning and she needed some break, because after that, she was going to have to make a decision. A very important and hard decision.

~.~

After the Injustice League was handled, Clark and Conner arrived to an empty home. Before freaking out, though, Clark looked at his phone, finding Madine's message. Conner, apparently, hadn't thought about that and was looking at him with an almost panicked expression.