Disclaimer: I don't own the characters; they belong to Siegel, Shuster, and the CW.
"So this is the life Kal-El chose," Morgan Edge, or Tal-Rho, squinted disdainfully through the dark at Lois, Jonathan, and Jordan. "It's even more disappointing up close."
"You're not welcome here," Lois informed him. Tal-Rho heard firmness in her voice…and fear in her heartbeat.
"That's no way to speak to family, Lois," Tal-Rho chided her. "Especially with young boys around," he added, looking at the twins.
"Where's our dad?" Jonathan demanded. His show of bravado was amusing.
"When I left him, he was a crumpled heap in his little ice castle. Peculiar place to build a fortress. I chose the desert," Tal-Rho said, lifting his chin. "Like to feel the sun on my face."
Speaking of bravado…Jordan Kent, the oldest, Tal-Rho now knew, thanks to his walk through Clark's memories, took a step forward, a fist clenched. "Leave," he said, projecting an air of confidence Tal-Rho knew easily he didn't possess. "Now!" Jordan barked at him.
"Jordan, stop," Lois ordered him, her heart pounding.
Tal-Rho surveyed the boy. "Well, I see your son's inherited your false bravado," Tal-Rho said, amused. He paused, sensing a change in the boy.
Jordan's eyes burned red. And then, a burst of heat vision came Tal-Rho's direction. He countered it, his own powers, honed by years of practice, easily overwhelming the beams from the teenager and sending Jordan tumbling across the yard. He landed hard, in the dirt. "Jordan!" Jonathan gasped, running to his brother's side, his mother right behind him.
Tal-Rho thought of his discoveries that day. How important Kal-El's family was to him. His empty threats, his pleading with Tal-Rho not to hurt the infants. This is the life he chose, these weak creatures, Tal-Rho thought. Over his own heritage.
Over his own…family.
It was then that Tal-Rho had an epiphany. He had found Kal-El's greatest weakness. The one thing that would destroy his half brother just as easily as any kryptonite would. No, Kal-El would never join him, his loyalties to Earth were too strong.
But perhaps….another mind might be more easily broken. Melded.
He took a step towards the family, just as Kal-El tumbled out of the sky to land between Tal-Rho and his family.
"Impressive," Tal-Rho said, not meaning it. He'd delivered the man quite the beating; between that and the solar flare, it was a wonder he had the strength to even fly back to Smallville. But then, Kal-El was predictable.
Kal-El struggled to stand, breathing heavily. "I'll do whatever you ask," he breathed, and there was that pleading tone that set Tal-Rho's nerves on edge. "Just leave my family alone."
Tal-Rho shook his head. "No, I don't think you will," he said, picking Kal-El up by the collar and throwing him across the yard. "You've been corrupted, Kal-El, by this woman." Lois threw him a glare that, had she possessed the powers of the two Kryptonians, might have sent him halfway to the Atlantic. "By these…people," he continued. "No, I see it now. There is no turning you against them."
He strode across the yard, past Kal-El, writhing on the ground, and grabbed Jordan Kent by the arm. The teenager flinched in his grip.
"Jordan!"
"No!"
Clark rolled onto his side, raising a hand in a futile gesture. "Don't," he begged.
Jordan locked eyes with his father. "Dad!"
There was a rush of air, and then, they were gone.
Clark Kent was oblivious to the world around him.
His head pounded. Edge had drained him, physically and mentally. The look in Jordan's eyes haunted him. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think.
What if I had just said yes? his mind kept asking him over and over.
Sam Lane was pulling out all the stops, calling in every favor he knew of to find Jordan and Morgan Edge. Clark had a pretty good idea of where they could start looking, but sending the full military might of the DoD and Sam Lane out to Monument Valley might jeopardize Jordan, and he couldn't live with himself if…if…
Lois was in the other room with Jonathan. He could pick up on her reassurances, but the worry in her voice was evident. Jonathan….Jonathan was a mess.
I swore I would never let anything touch my family. That who I am and what I can do wouldn't interfere with them having a normal life.
"This seat taken?"
Clark blinked, and raised his head just enough to see Kyle Cushing standing next to him. He'd been so lost in thought he hadn't realized that Lana and her family had arrived, no doubt for moral support.
He didn't say anything though, but Kyle took a chair and flipped it around so he could rest his forearms on the back of it. "Day's been pretty damn crazy," Kyle said, more to himself than Clark. The two men sat in awkward silence for a moment. "We, ah, we heard about Jordan. Jon texted Sarah."
Sarah. He knew how much Sarah Cushing liked Jordan. What will Sarah do if…
"They're gonna find Jordan," Kyle told Clark. He drummed his fingers on the top of the table. "You know, you oughta be in there with Lois and Jon," he said finally.
"I can't go in there right now. This is my fault," Clark whispered, surprised that he even had the energy to admit it.
Kyle frowned. "Um, no, I'm pretty sure that particular responsibility lies with the man who's tryin' to make aliens outta all of us," he objected. He shook his head. "And there's a sentence I never thought I'd ever say."
"I made the call," Clark said quietly. "I moved us here. Took the boys away from everything that was…safe. Normal."
"You did what you thought was best for your family," Kyle reminded him. He glanced down at the table. "So did I," he said after a moment. "Sure as hell didn't work out like I planned."
"You couldn't have known," Clark told him.
"Yeah, well, neither could you," Kyle pointed out, and Clark looked up at him. "Look, Kent, my opinion probably don't mean anything to you, and I am probably the last person on the planet to be givin' a pep talk, but... from somebody who's spent most of the last few months on the sidelines of my family's life…" He tossed a thumb toward the living room. "That right there is the best damn thing in Smallville. So you screwed up. They're gonna love ya through it. It don't pay to hide what you're feeling, 'cause they're gonna see right through it. So man up, and get in there, and get through this together. 'Cause I can speak from experience that tryin' to cope on your own is a lousy idea."
He stood up. "If there's one thing I've learned in the past few months," Kyle added, "it's that you Kents are a force to be reckoned with." He nodded to him. "You're gonna get Jordan back," he assured him again. "Ain't nothin' you can't do," he said, pointing to Clark, and then waving a hand toward the living room. "Well, I said my piece. Now I'm gonna take my girls home, let you folks get to work."
"Kyle."
Kyle stopped. Clark stood, offering him a hand. "Thank you," he told him, sincerely.
Kyle shook it, wincing a bit in Clark's grip. "Damn, Kent. I'd hate to be Edge if you ever get your hands on him," he said with a laugh, shaking out his fingers.
Clark smiled faintly. "Must've been that pep talk." He clapped Kyle lightly on the back, and the two men headed into the living room, where their families were waiting. Kyle crooked a finger at Lana, who squeezed Lois's hand and got off the couch, pulling Sarah away from Jordan. The Cushings started out the front door. Kyle shot Clark a look over Lois's head as Clark pulled his wife into his arms. Clark nodded once.
Kyle caught the determined set to Clark's jaw, the fire in his eyes even as his hold on his family was tender.
Heaven help Morgan Edge, Kyle thought.
Author's Note: It feels weird leaving this here, but I kinda want to see how the next episode plays out before I figure out if I could continue this AU. So I'll leave this in progress for the moment :)