Jon stood in a field, surrounded by corn…
The sky was blue and a soft breeze blew over the croops. Jon felt so weak and alone. He felt lost and abadoned… he yelled for help but nobody was there to help him…
He had no clue where he was. Until he suddenly heard a male voice calling his name…
Jon turned around to see the farmhouse. It was looking so inviting and bright. As it was inviting him to come in and feel better. The voice called his name again…
"Dad?" Jon could hear that his voice sound younger. He was younger. He was little… a little child.
Jon reached the farmhouse. His father stood on the porch.
"Jonathan… come to me my boy…"
Jon raised his arms. He wanted to get to his father. Wanted to hug him… But suddenly something, wearing a red cape, came from the sky, landed in front of his father and hugged him instead. While Jon fell down and ended in the mud…
With tears in his eyes, Jon saw his father hugging another, dark haired boy. It was not Jordan. He was standing next to them and his mom was standing on the other side. His father looked down on him and smiled awkwardly…
"Oh, hi Aleksandr… You like your new room in the barn?"
Jon woke up scared and felt the sweat running down his body. He couldn't believe it… Is he really believing that his father is able to do something like this? No! But… What? What the fuck is going on with him?
With tears in his eyes, Jon tried to fall asleep again. But he was not able to. The sun already starts to rise again. He had no clue how long he slept anyway this night. It was almost 6 am. He heard that familiar 'swoosh' again. Indicating that his father was back from Greece…
After spending hours in the Earthquake region, Clark returned to find his wife Lois sleeping on the couch. After Jonathan hid in his room, she hoped to be able to talk to him later. But she was waiting so long that she fell asleep in front of the TV. Clark took a blanket to cover her with it, turned off the TV and silently went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
Today is Sunday. A big, shared family breakfast will let everyone feel better, he guessed…
Jonathan laid awake in his bed, glaring on his Smartphone. Hearing his father downstairs working in the kitchen. Jordan was already awake too and, in the bathroom, right next door. Jon took his smartphone and the note he got from the woman… googling her country and the place she noted down…
Moldova is a small landlocked country, located in Eastern Europe between Romania and Ukraine. They had the lowest GPD per Captiva and the fastest shrinking population in Europe. Once one of the richest parts of the Soviet Union, corruption and wrong decisions after the independence turned it to the poorest place in Europe everyone leaves to work abroad and transfer money back their. But what he saw on the photos looked nice and peaceful…
The town of Vadul-lui-Voda (obviously the hometown of his 'supposed real parents') was located East of the capital Chisinau and is well known as a resort. During the Soviet era, several million tons of sand were brought in to create a wide artificial beach. Today it retains a small, mostly local, tourist trade… The pictures were nice. It looked so peaceful… And honestly nicer and more inviting than Smallville…
Jonathan continued watching photos on his Smartphone. Watching the photos of that foreign place, let him feel some kind of… he couldn't describe it… better! It was like there is some connection to this place…
Jon was so deep focused on his phone, that he didn't mention his brother entering…
"Jon…"
Jonathan was so surprised that he shrieked and threw the phone away.
"Can't you knock before you enter!" he moaned.
"I did! Come on, breakfast is ready…" he said before he lifts up Jon's smartphone from the ground. "What is that? Where is Moldova?"
"It's for a school project!" Jon lied. But his brother knew that it was a lie.
"What? I know that's a lie… Jon, what's going on with you?"
"Why do you ask? You can hear everything, Superboy!" Jon moaned and left to get to the bathroom…
A few minutes later, Jon arrived in the kitchen. His father prepared a big breakfast, as it was a holiday. They were alone so far…
"Good morning, Jonathan! You… gosh… are you okay?" Clark asked when he saw how terrible Jon looked.
"I didn't sleep well!" Jon said. And it was no lie! He dumped himself on his usual chair. It smelled like pancakes, bacon, eggs and fresh brewed coffee. Jon was not in mood to talk but he couldn't just remain silent all the time. "Saw you were in Greece?!"
"Oh, yeah… I was able to prevent big losses." Clark said, placing the scrambled eggs on the table. "Jonathan… I want to apologize for yesterday…"
Jon looked on his father with big eyes.
"…I should had asked you before. I know it was unfair from me to only involve Jordan in it. And now you can probably never ever see what the place was able to do or to show you. Or meet your grandfather…"
"It's okay…" Jon moaned. Remembering 'his grandfather' telling him a not reverend family member in his dream.
"Jonathan, I see something is bothering you!" Clark said and sat down next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You know you can talk to us about everything. What happened?"
Jon wanted to say it out loud: He really wanted to say out loud that he doubts to be their son! That a woman from Eastern Europe claims to be his real mom. That he does feel weaker and weaker, the longer he stays with Superman and Superboy under the same roof. That it hurts. That it hurts to see them toghether while he isn't even able to open a jar without pain.
But Jon couldn't. His voice failed. Everything he was able to do was shrug. He is the one always being there for others, but he can't just one time be the one to need someone else. Was it his kindness, others praised on him? Was he too friendly? Was it time to finally explode and to yell out things that will force every other inhabitant of this house to cry? Gosh… he really wanted to explode, but he couldn't…
"Neighter I, nor your mother will force you to talk. But we love you and we want you to be well. You know,… I was ehm… yesterday, in the fortress…"
"It's fine…" Jon lied, before his father tells something about Krypton or being Superman again.
"If you say it." Clark said. In truth he could see and hear that it wasn't.
Jon mentally agreed: He felt left out. This turned into jealousy. Yeah, he was jealous that he was not able to do that incredible stuff bis father and brother were able to do. And he was disappointed. Disappointed that he never sees the fortress it's full 'glory'. Disappointed that his father thought an after dark trip to a cave that looked more like a snow-dump would cheer him up. Not knowing who he is, what is his place in this family or how to keep up with Superman, his possible successor and Lois…
He didn't say a single word during breakfast and went back upstairs immediately after. He had no appetite. But he forced himself to eat something, just to show that he was fine, which he wasn't.
When Jon was upstairs, he used the computer in his room to learn more about his supposed home-country. Lois and Clark meanwhile asked Jordan for advice. As his twin, they hoped he would be able to help them understand what's going on.
"Did you really think that kidnapping him to the Artic after dark will raise his mood?" Jordan asked.
"I thought it could let him feel that… gosh… your right! This was too late! I should have take you both there in the first place." Clark said.
"We are just worried!" Lois said. "Since our fight yesterday… he is so… reserved and… broody… and…"
"Hmm… You really don't get it, don't you?" Jordan asked.
"What?" Lois and Clark asked.
"Okay… I'll explain you…"
Upstairs meanwhile, Jon searched the Internet for all the things, the woman wrote down on the note.
He figured out that it was an address. A small house in the town of Vadu-lui-Voda, in Moldova. He googled the hospital again: Four kids were switched at birth back on the day he was born. Three were identified and live with their real parents again. One was not… Him maybe? His mother wrote this article! Did they keep him to… No! No, according to what his parents said, they never ever guessed that he was switched at birth.
He needed more clues… a proof! Something, that gave him the confidence to confront his parents. Maybe he finds something in his parents' documents. But they would mention it when he searches their folders. Than he remembered that his 'grandmother' Martha had copies of everything…
Downstairs, Lois and Clark felt worse than before. After Jordan finally told them that Jon was always holding the wrench and pushing his own feelings always away to be there for others. The time had come, that Jon's batteries were empty and he needed now the attention, their parents seemed to fully give to Jordan. Just because Jon had no powers, doesn't mean that he needed attention, too. Especially after everything power-related…
"Gosh… I was always afraid, that something like this could happen!" Lois wailed. "That only one of you gets powers and that the other one feels left out!"
"Why didn't he tell us?" Clark asked worried.
"You really ask? He has the Lane-stubbornness!" Lois added, before they suddenly could hear the loud squeaking from upstairs.
"That's the ladder to the attic…" Clark said. He knew that sound.
Jon remembered that Martha, once showed him 'her special hiding-spot' up in the attic. Jon climbed up the shaky ladder to get into the attic.
Jon found the light-switch and looked around. The attic was full boxes. Mostly holiday-decorations and other stuff that they used just once or twice a year. But it used to be a safe hiding place for some of Martha Kent's stuff.
The black suitcase, Jon was looking for was right where they left it the last time. It was full of dust and wasn't moved for a very long time. Carefully he pulled the suitcase out of the shelve and opened it. He knew the combination: 101-179! October 11th (19)79. The day his father arrived on Earth. He witnessed it back then when she showed him this place. But now he understood the code…
Carefully he opened it to find a lot of documents. Copies of their birth-certificates and other very important documents. Martha Kent kept copies of everything important. Jon found his and Jordan's birth certificates. He was born at 10:38. Jordan was born at 10:51. Six minutes after her child… Six minutes… and he seven before…"
That's a long time. But also enough time to… no the other child died eight hours after the birth. But… he thought his parents were with them all the time. Or where there several minutes between where the nurse could have made the mistake…
Gosh, this is so confusing. His parents… the man who claims to be his father is Superman. A man with supersenses. Wouldn't he had mention it? But was he even there? Or was he elsewhere on the world? Die he see him after his birth? Or just hours later, after the other baby died and he was switched?
Jon looked threw the other stuff. He found his mothers booklet with her pregnancy checkups. They knew that they except twins. And she gave birth to twins…
Jon continued searching the suitcase. He found old pictures, he and his brother painted when they were little. She kept them all those years. And so many other things… She really loved them. Even if they were not related, she loved them with all of her heart. And Jon loved her, too. He really missed her…
There was no doubt: Martha Kent was his grandmother. No matter whose son Jon is. Even if she knew that he was switched at birth or adopted or Clark Kent's son… she was there for him. Jon didn't find any clues in the documents. There was no evidence. But a lot of nice memories. Carefully he put everthing back into the suitcase and closed it to put it back into shelve that start to crumble immediately…
Boxes, old clouthes and other stuff rained down on him, forcing him to shriek. And causing a rumble, everyone else on the farm was able to hear…
Not even a second after the shelve fall apart his father was next to him…
"Jonathan, are you okay?"
Jon got a lot of dust into the face but was unharmed. He just couched briefly and nooded to show that he was not hurt. Just the shelve was not anymore, revealing some kind of door with a combination lock.
"Oh, what a chaos. We need to tidy out this place, one day." Clark said before he mentioned the locked cupboard. "What is that?"
"Hey, what's going on here?" Lois asked, when she came up the ladder, too.
"Lois, look what Jon found!" Clark said crawling closer to the cupboard.
Lois came up, too. Followed by Jordan.
"What did you do up here?" Jordan asked.
"Aw… just looking for something!" Jon said, hoping that the subject will change before he has to explain too much.
Clark looked after the lock. He was not sure, what his mother would hide in there. But what ever it was, she was very carefully.
"The closet doors are covered with lead inside!" Clark said. Now he was a bit worried. He wanted to open it now. Just to see what his mother was hiding from him.
"Dad, why you don't just tear the lock away?" Jordan asked and went closer.
"I don't want to break anything! Hmm… combination… what could be the combination?"
"Zero-five-zero-three-zero-seven!" Jon murmured. Clark and Jordan looked on him questioning.
"Our date of birth?" Jordan asked confused. His father meanwhile turned the number wheel, and it was indeed correct.
"Oh… good guessed!" Clark said when the lock opened, and they were able to open the cupboard. "Oh… she did it…"
Two big packages, both wrapped in superman-themed wrapping paper. There was a letter for Clark on the top of it. There were also cloths in different colors, stuff for sewing and a basket full of remnants inside.
"Are that presents for us?" Jordan asked surprised when he saw them.
"I told you so. It happed. But I was prepared!" Clark read loudly from the letter. "She did it! She really did it!"
"Dad, they were for our last birthday." Jordan said, reading from the card on it and starts to shake the present. It felt like something fabric. "Jon, look… there is one for you, too!"
Jon wanted to leave, but Jordan already threw the present and Jon cached it in reflex, like he would catch a football. He could feel the content. He didn't need to unwrap it to feel that this was obviously a suit… a super-suit…
"Boah… why you didn't tell us that grandma made us Super-Suits?" Jordan asked when he opened his present and found a dark-red suit with the famous S-shaped symbol on the chest. A cape and boots were also included. "Wow… I like that color…"
"Oh, my gosh… she was always convinced you two will be follow in my footsteps one day." Clark blushed.
"This is wonderful…" Jordan cheered. At first he was not very happy that he was half Kryptonian. But now that he had better control of his powers, he was more open to that part of that heritage. He still couldn't imagine himself in his father's suit, but he liked the one his grandma made for him. It was soft, felt comfy, was not too puffed up and seem to match him…
Jon on the other side, felt more and more like an alien in this family. He didn't want to open the package. He didn't deserve it. He is human. He has no birth rights to the symbol of the house of El. And Martha made this obviously thinking that he will be follow his father into 'Supermanning'. Ten years ago, he would had done everthing to be able to fly, or to have a Superman-suit. Remembering how he, Jordan and their friends used to play Superman…
"Come on!" Jordan yelled. "Open it! We want to see yours, too!"
"Aww… Later, maybe!" Jon said and left. Hiding his 'grandmothers' present behind his back.
"But… I want to see that, too!" Lois said. She had no clue what to think about this. She accepted every of Martha's decisions and opinions. But her son's in Super-suits?
Jon felt worse than before. He was holding the 'dream of every Superman-fan' in his hands: An authentic superhero-suit. Not one of those cheap copies for Halloween, made in Taiwan, China or wherever. This is an authentic, superhero-worthy, high-quality, handmade suit. And Jon was not able to tear away the paper to see it…
Jon's smartphone beeped… Relieved about the distraction, Jon put it out of his pocket.
"Sorry, I need to check that one!" Jon said, having an apology to get away.
His family watched him leaving, the present still hiding behind his back awkwardly. His family watched him with big eyes, but Jon just wanted to leave… leave and get rid of that suit, he was sure he will never need.
Back in his room, Jon instinctively threw the present into the trash-bin and looked on the display of his phone, to see that he got a message from Timmy in Berlin: 'Have you told your parents?'
Jon wrote back. 'Not yet!'
'Don't procrastinate it!' 'It will get worse!'
Maybe Timmy was right: Better an end to terror than terror without an end! Jon looked on the present in the trash-bin. He felt bad for throwing the last present of his grandmother, she (without doubt) worked hard on, away. It was an offense to her. And he felt bad for doing it.
Jon went to the trash-bin and glared into it… still not knowing what to do. Obviously, everyone was convinced that he is of 'Kryptonian-heritage', but he feels more and more foreign…
Suddenly his father knocked on the door. When Clark came in, Jon quickly put the present out of the trash-bin to prevent his father from seeing that he wanted to throw it away…
"Jon, what happened?"
"Nothing!" Jon lied again. Hiding the present behind his back.
"Sure? Jon, I am honestly pretty worried now. Is it awkward for you that your grandma made a super-suit for you?"
"What? Ehm… No… Nothing…"
"Ask him about Moldova?" Jordan, who was still up in the attic, looking for more presents, yelled.
"Jordan, shut up!" Jon yelled. His face became deep red.
"Moldova? What about Moldova?" Clark asked.
"I am… ehm…" Jon honestly wanted to yell out here and now that he is Moldavian. Not Kryptonian, no Kent and no Lane! Because he can't feel any connection to them anymore. Because he wants to be human.
Clark could hear his son's heartbeat becoming faster. The blood running threw his vanes faster and the liquid in his stomach start to bubble. His son was hiding something. That's for sure. Something he was afraid to tell him.
"It's just a school project!" Jon lied again.
Clark knew it was lie. But he decided to play along… "I could help you!"
"How?"
"Well… I could… fly you over there and you can take some photos."
Jon was surprised. Did his father just offered him to fly him to the other side of the globe to visit a country, Jon didn't know existing till yesterday? It felt like a bad joke. Like his father tried to fool him. Anyway, his father never ever offered him to take him on a flight before. At least he couldn't remember!
"Yeah, we could spend a little time together. Just the two of us! And in Moldova it is much warmer than in the fortress…" Clark said. He knew that Jonathan might think that this is a bad joke. He knew that Jon felt like being fooled. Or that he never offered him to take him on a flight… But: Something was going on! Jordan mentioned that Jonathan was pretty interested in Moldova. Clark knew every country, ever city and every village on Earth. What ever his son was interested in Moldova, Clark wanted to know it, too now…
Jon feared a trap. If he would be ten years younger, he would ask his father to take him on a flight every day. But now… should he risk it? Should he use that chance to get a look on the place, he 'really' comes from? Gosh, he was still not sure who he really is?
Jon had no clue why, but he shrugged and nodded unconsciously. For Clark, it was a yes…
This time, Clark waited for Jon's okay before the departure. And this time, Jon didn't scream again. And once again, he couldn't feel it! He couldn't feel this feeling, when flying with him. There was absolutely nothing.
Clark holds his son tightly… hoping that this father-son-trip… will finally raise his son's mood and finally gives him some answers, why his son is so sad today…
Please Review and keep well!