Honor to Us All

The News

Chris and Jor sat at the kitchen table at home, eating the lunch that Lara and the girls had prepared and left for them, when the front door swung open. Lara walked in her, her face flushed from both exhaustion and excitement. Her breathing came out in short, uneven patterns, and she could scarcely contain herself. "Jor! Jor!", she cried, running to her husband's side. "Wait until you hear the wonderful news!"

"What is it?", Chris asked in between bites of his sandwich, his interest peaked. Before Lara could tell him, Connie hurried through the door and over to her grandmother, quickly placing her hand on her shoulder. "Um...can we talk about this in private?" Deep down, Connie was afraid of how Chris and Katie would react to the news. Lara nodded her head understandingly. Jor looked at his daughter and grandchildren. "Children, leave us be."

Sola bobbed her head up and down. Like all Kryptonian girls, she had been raised to obey her father's command with no questions asked. She grabbed her older niece's hand and led her out of the room, motioning for Chris to follow them. Once the younger half of the family was seemingly out of range of eye and ear, Lara sat her and Connie beside Jor. "Kona has decided to take the matchmaker's test!"

Jor's face broke out into a broad grin, forming wrinkles on his aged face, as he looked over at his eldest granddaughter.  "Is it true?  You feel ready to be married?"  Connie felt her stomach do somersaults, but she kept a calm front and nodded her head.  Jor smiled from ear to ear.  "This is wonderful news!  Your grandmother and I have been hoping that you would consent to seeing Yenta!"

Lara clapped her hands in delight.  "Oh, we have so much to do before we can send you to her!  We must get your cousin, Carria, to sew you a new gown for the occasion!  She has the finest hands in all the village!  From this day hence, I am going to devote every minute of every day preparing you for the matchmaker!  We'll need to cover curtsies, dancing, social manners...and what girl can become a proper lady without knowing the special tea ceremony?"

She grabbed Connie by the hands, pulling both of them to their feet. "This is just marvelous! Oh, we simply must tell your father right away!" Connie's heart caught in her throat. In all the fuss, she had forgotten that they would have to tell Clark about her agreeing to see the matchmaker and be married to a man of her choosing.

Superman and Lois had left early for work purposes, agreeing to pick up the children when the time had come. They had automatically assumed that their stay was only temporary. Her decision would mean she would be living on Krypton permanently. And if she did not return to Earth, it fell to Clark to tell her friends so and why.

Jor stood from his chair.  "I will inform Kal-El!  I shall go outside the gates and call him on his 'cell phone'."  Connie felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders.  She had been dreading telling Clark the news.  But if Jor was telling him instead, it spared her a lot of worrying over what she would say to him.

Before he left, Jor walked over to her and kissed her on both cheeks. "I am so proud of you, Kona. You're doing the family a great honor." His words made Connie beam with happiness. Her grandparents were already proud of her, and she hadn't even done anything yet.  She could just imagine how joyful they would be when she passed the test and found a husband.

While the three were discussing their plans, not one of them noticed three little heads peeking out from behind a wall, carefully listening to every word that had been said between them.
-----------
As Connie made her bed that night, she was surprised when she saw not just Katie and Sola enter the room, but Chris as well, all three wearing white night attire and looking at Connie steadily.  She noticed Katie chewing on her pretty fingernails, and her muscles tightened.  Katie only ever bit her nails when she was nervous about something.

"Is something wrong?"  Chris and Katie exchanged awkward side glances before their gaze fell on their sister once more.  "We heard you talking with Mama and Papa.", Chris said slowly.  "We know you're planning to take the matchmaker's test."  Connie fluffed her pillow and grabbed her flowing white nightgown.  "So?"

"So, it doesn't sound like you, Connie.", Katie said, pausing from biting her pretty nails.  "You saw the girls that lined up for the matchmaker today.  They were all decked out in silk and jewels and lots of makeup...you don't even like to wear a skirt.  Not even if it has shorts underneath."

"Besides, you have to act like a proper lady to pass Yenta's test.", Chris said as Connie went behind a silk folding screen to change into her nightgown.  "Don't get me wrong, you're awesome...but you're lacking in the femininity department."  Connie straightened her gown as she stepped out.  "I can be just as refined and ladylike as those other girls."  Katie shook her head sadly.  "Honey, my bear slippers are more elegant than you!"

Connie shook her head as she sat down on her bed, trying to mimic the grace of a lady seating herself delicately.  "This isn't about me!  Its about making Mama and Papa proud.  If I bring honor to our family by passing that test, it'll prove to everyone that I really do belong here!  And then I can stay forever!"  Chris blinked twice in surprise.  "You don't wanna go back to Earth?"

Connie bit her lip and shook her head.  "No...no, I don't.  I finally found a place where I can be a normal girl, where I'm appreciated by others.  I'm not about to give that all up to go back to being some weird little invisible nobody."  Chris sat next to her.  "But if you stay, that means we'll have to stay, too."

Connie looked up at him, surprised.  "What?  Why?"  "Because,", Katie said, seating herself on her own bed, in the way Connie had tried to copy for herself, without any hardship.  "We couldn't go back to Earth if you weren't.  We couldn't imagine a life without you."  Connie felt a warm glow in her heart.

Chris pressed his lips firmly together, before finally speaking.  "Alright.  If passing this test is what you really want...Katie and I will support you all the way."  "Yeah!  I'll even help Mama give you etiquette lessons!", Katie cried.  "It'll be good practice for when I'm old enough to take the matchmaker's test!"  Sola sat next to Katie, getting a little giddy herself.  "I'll join you!  Its never too early for a girl to start!"

Connie put an arm around Chris and pulled him closer to her.  "I love you guys."  The younger girls jumped off of Katie's bed and wrapped their arms around Connie and Chris, the children all sitting together in a great big group hug.