Fortress of Solitude, The Hub

December 31st, 2014, 23:50:00

Conner Kent sat at the access terminal, his head in his hands, and his face damp with tears. Only twelve hours ago he had only been having a terrible day, but now, he was having the WORST day of his life. She had gone into his mind, and tried to change it, modify it, just like Cadmus had. Conner knew her intentions were different, not pure, but different from Cadmus'. But it didn't change the fact that she had gone into his mind and tried to change it. She dared to use her powers to enter the one place he found sacred, the one place he was truly alone. Conner Kent had been broken, Conner Kent was broken. Mind, body, and soul.

"Access code 0-0-0 recognized, Voice print confirmed." The Fortress Computer announced in time with the sound of the teleporter ray "Welcome Master Batman, to the Fortress of Solitude"

Conner sighed, wiped the tears from his face, and turned around in his chair. Slowly, he began to open his eyes. At first he couldn't see anything, due to his eyes being shut and filled with tears,but then his vision began to clear. When his world changed from a violent blur to a moderate one, he could vaguely make out a black figure approaching him.

"Look Batman, I appreciate you trying to help but I really just need to be-" he stopped as his vision cleared completely "-alone?"

Conner knew he had been thrown into the deepest depths of despair, but he was fairly certain that the blonde girl standing before him... wasn't The Dark Knight.

"Um... Hi Conner" She said waving nervously

"Cassie?" The Boy of Steel exclaimed shocked

"Yeah... its me." She said blushing

"Wow. You look uh... amazing." he said, at a loss for words

She giggled "Thanks. I ditched the wig and goggles and well... changed my outfit."

"Yeah, I didn't recognize you." Conner said

"Do I look that different?" she asked, nervously fidgeting with her hair

"Yeah." he told her "Like I said I didn't recognize you."

It was like that for awhile. The two of them were just staring at each other, red slowly creeping onto the others face, recognizable even amidst the glow of the red Rao lamps. Conner was about to say something, but then he realized something important "You're not Batman" he noted

A different shade of color appeared on Cassie's face, or rather all colored drained from it, giving her the look of a child who had wet the bed. She nervously smiled and chuckled, trying to act calm. Conner could hear her heart rate speed up and knew she was afraid to tell him. To combat this he crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, giving her a look his father dubbed "The Gaze" which worked on other members of Young Justice as effectively as the Bat-Glare worked on the Justice League.

Giving up her attempts to stay silent, Cassie sighed "Nightwing hacked into the Bat-Cave and temporarily re-wrote the sensor readings so that Fortress' computer would think that I was Batman." she admitted

Conner continued giving her The Gaze, then he chuckled "Good old Nightwing, hasn't lost his touch."

"So... you're not mad at me?" She asked, twirling a lock of her blonde hair around her finger

Conner paused for a moment, thinking about her question, he shook his head "No, I'm not. I guess... of all the people who could've hacked into the Fortress' systems, I'm glad it was you." he said smiling

She smiled, then her smile faded "Conner... I heard about what happened with M'gann."

Conner's face darkened and he stood up "Who... who told you?"

"...Batman" She squeaked

"How did he-" Conner started

But before Conner could finish his sentence, Cassie threw herself against him, causing the super powered Kryptonian to freeze. Conner could hear the pounding of his heart in his chest, but he could also hear her heart. Both hearts beat erratically, at rates that were unusual for both their species. Every nerve in his body tingled as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Cass what's going-" he started

Cassie placed a finger over his mouth and looked him in the eyes "I know now isn't the best time for you for you to hear this, but I was always going to tell you today... so I will." she breathed in deeply "Conner Kent... I love you"

With her confession complete, Cassandra gently pulled the stunned Kryptonian in, and gently placed her lips against his. At first, the boy of steel didn't know what to do, but then, he made his decision, his past was a world away, it was time for him to move forward. He wrapped his arms around her small, fragile, delicate body, and returned the kiss. After a moment, the pair separated.

"Does this mean you... feel the same way?" Cassie asked

"...I don't know. But I'm willing to find out." He told her

Cassandra's face broke out into a smile as she rested her head against his chest "Happy New Year Conner" she whispered

The Clock that had been counting down behind Conner hit zero and the Red Lamps began to glow white

Conner chuckled "Happy New Year Cassie."

The young warrior smiled and looked up at the Boy of Steel "It will be" and again, brought her lips to his.

Metropolis

September 7th, 2012, 15:12:00

3 years ago

"Oy kid." Lois Lane said, snapping in the face of the dazed Conner Kent "You ok?"

"Um yeah." Conner lied "Just kinda started to drift into space."

"You were smiling." Lois said grinning "What were you thinking about?"

After a long pause Conner looked her in the eye and said "The Future"