Call Her Superfriends

They gathered around Lois Lane's kitchen table. Big Barda, Wonder Woman, and Zatanna had brought ice cream, Batgirl had brought a bottle of wine, Hawkgirl and Power Girl had brought rum and tequila, Encantadora a plate of pot brownies which no one had touched yet. Supergirl and Raven of the Teen Titans were over eighteen but not yet old enough to drink, so sipped Diet Dr Peppers as they watched the Daily Planet's Greatest Reporter cry, shove peanut butter pecan into her mouth, and gently go to pieces.

"That," Zatanna said with a low whistle as she examined the reporter's aura. "Is the most robust anti-abortion charm I have ever seen. Anything that could overcome those protections would probably end up killing you."

"Indeed," the female Dr. Fate said, the glow from the Amulet of Anubis dimming. "Literally. If you were struck by a car, you would still be horribly injured, but your life would be extended until the moment of birth. I believe you literally cannot die, for most purposes, until the child is viable."

"I mean...you don't have to abort it," Supergirl said. "I mean, it isn't the baby's fault that the parent is...I mean, you're a good person! That counts for something, right? And I mean...I'm sure if you asked Superman he would...I mean he really likes...you would be a great mom."

The blonde Kryptonian blushed and sipped her soda. Big Barda reached out and patted the blonde on the head.

"On Apokalips, we have **** in these matters. Our cycles and breeding are managed. Generations spawned at the will of Darkseid, to replenish the ranks of his armies and slaves. Abortion is a crime for which **** is only a mercy granted at the end of excruciating tortures. I would choose **** before giving birth to an enemy's child," she stated, matter-of-factly.

"**** may still be in the cards," Raven said as she drew up her legs to levitate in mid-air, her cloak not quite touching the floor. "Giving birth to a half-demon is no small matter. My mother almost died. Other women have died. The children ate their way out of them."

Wonder Woman shot the young witch a look. The Amazon moved behind Lois and massaged her shoulders.

"We can find another option," Diana assured Lois. "Perhaps we can transfer the pregnancy into another willing host...and the curse with it?"

Zatanna scrunched up her nose and poured a glass of tequila.

"Any attempt to remove the child prematurely will be...resisted." The sorceress knocked the liquor back and made a face.

"There's always a Thanagarian abortion," Hawkgirl pointed out, hefting her mace. "On my planet, women drink poison, or throw themselves into combat until they succumb to their wounds, triggering a miscarriage before seeking medical attention. We can reduce her to the point of ****. Then we can remove the fetus, and resuscitate her with advanced medical technology."

Every eye in the room stared at the winged woman. Encantadora reached out and nabbed a brownie. She winked at Lois. "I like what Supergirl said. I think you'd look sexy with a little baby belly. And if you do want to keep the baby chica, you got lots of aunties to help you. Just sayin'."

"While the charm prevents harm to the fetus," Doctor Fate's voice echoed hollowly in her helmet. "It does not affect the course of the pregnancy per se."

Power Girl, who claimed to have been through a mystical pregnancy herself (although no one quite remembered it). "So you can...what? Freeze it in time so that it doesn't advance?"

"Exactly. While Lois would still be pregnant, we can prevent the gestation from progressing until we achieve a solution. Or, at worst, indefinitely. The pregnancy is early enough that she should feel few side effects."

Batgirl, who had been silent until now, spoke up. "The problem here is not the pregnancy itself, but with the charm, correct? While I don't claim to understand much about magic, it seems to me that most spells end when the spellcaster is defeated. What if we...took out Blaze? Would that eliminate the anti-abortion charm, and allow Lois free reign to decide for herself whether to continue the pregnancy?"

The magically-inclined superheroes glanced from one to another.

"That's a tall order," Zatanna said. "Blaze is very powerful."

"If she can do this to Lois," Batgirl said quietly. "Blaze can do this to any of us."

That caused spines to stiffen. Wonder Woman looked around at the assembled group. Knuckles cracked.

The caped crusader turned to Lois Lane.

"Lois...this is your pregnancy. Your body. Your choice. We're here to help you. What do you want to do?"