Jewel's pov
My patrol started off simple enough, thankfully. Some lost kids, some cats on trees... and then the real fun began. I caught some dummies coming out of a jewelry store, laughing their pathetic little heads off. Let's see who will actually have the last laugh. I stood firm in front of the exit, arms crossed in front of my chest
"Don't think those are yours, guys. Unless you always wear ski masks and tote your AK-47's when you do your Valentine's Day shopping."
As I pretty much expected, insulting them and taunting them set them off. Babies. Now came the fun part. For me at least. They grinned maniacally
"Prepare to be blown away, meddling kid."
I was not impressed. They set off their guns, which I knew they would. That would have been effective, buuut... I was bullet proof. And now I was also done playing games. I used my strength to render their guns into dust, knowing that using my strength to its unbridled capacity I could render coal into a diamond. Next, I used my speed to tie them to a pole and called 911. The cops came to the scene just as I was leaving the scene using super speed, my signature colors becoming blurry as they spoke
"It's the Red-Blue Blur!"
Sadly, by then, I had to change back into my normal clothes and return to the school, where I would meet up with my brothers again so we could go home. I just did not understand why I had these powers, but at least I could use them to do some good. And I knew that if my Dad was around long enough to realize what I was doing, he would freak.
TIMESKIP
Clark's pov
A little while earlier, I had just been talking with Lois and my kids how it would be great to go to Smallville again to see my Mom, eliciting mixed reactions. Jordan was apprehensive, Jon was annoyed, not liking the small town life, and Lois and Jewel were pretty excited. Two out of four if I don't count myself, I'll take Lois and I were at work I fished my cellphone out of my pocket to call my Mom to set up the visit, only to see she was calling me that very instant. Perfect timing. By now the kids had gone off to school.I smiled into the phone
"Ma! I was just about to call you. Sorry, it's just that this morning has been..."
However, the reply made a chill run down my spine as I shot my wife an uneasy look and spoke into the phone
" Dr. Frye."
After listening to my Mom's physician for another second and picking up on her nerves and heart rate, I wasted no time in flying to Smallville. Just straight from the Daily Planet. When I was almost there, I heard my Mom's voice telling me to come home. Then, as I landed near our house, my world crashed. Not because of noise, but because of lack of it. Not all was silent, of course, but the one most important sound at the moment had vanished, never to return. My Mother's heartbeat was gone. It had been weakening while I was en route, but to hear it actually stop from the stroke... First my Dad, now my Mom... Back in civilian attire, I had to take a moment before entering the house. Because I knew. I knew she was gone, and I knew Dr. Frye would struggle to hold it in long enough to tell me the devastating news, unaware that I already knew. And yet I had to retain my composure. Give me Lex, give me Doomsday, give me Zod... but please, not this. And yet, this is what I have been given. After all this time away from her, when I finally come back to see her, she's taken from me.
Blinking back tears and taking in a shuddery breath, I stepped into the house, not daring to look towards her room just yet. I just couldn't. Dr. Frye met me at the door, surprised to see me there so soon. She even momentarily questioned how I was able to get there so soon, but quickly dismissed the question, opting to instead explain what had happened. A fatal stroke.
I could not function for a solid minute there. My parents were gone, and I was so close to seeing her again. I should have come more often, she just wanted me home. And now she was gone forever. Knowing I could not avoid it forever, I entered her room, willing the current situation to not be more than a nightmare, though knowing I was doing so in vain. All that was left was for me to face the reality. Letting the harsh truth sink in and overtake me, I collapsed near her on her bedside, her frail lifeless hand in mine, and cried for who knows how long.
Jewel's pov
When Dad told us what had happened to Grandma, everything came crashing down around me. Around all of us. I just held him tight, both of us crying in tandem. I just could not believe it. She was gone. We ended up making the trip to Smallville regardless, but this time for a funeral instead of a happy reunion. The gloomy mood hung over us like a cloud, and it seemed to have affected the whole town. I knew how much everyone loved Grandma, because she had loved each and every one of the townsfolk just as much.
After the service we met up with Sarah Cushing, a friend we had made over a summer in Smallville. Her mom is Lana Lang, Dad's ex, and her dad is Fire Chief Kyle Cushing. He's... a topic for another day. Somewhere in the conversation with Sarah, Jordan mentioned problems with the wifi, and Jon said the router probably needed to be reset. Looking at him like he had an extra head, Jord spoke
"Jon, it's in the barn."
Welp, there goes that. Dad doesn't allow us there. At all. Says it's too dangerous. I'd most likely be fine, but I can't really tell him that without complications. Sarah, out of the loop and pretty brash, deadpans
"Ooh, mysterious. What's wrong with that?"
Voicing my earlier thoughts, my brothers spoke
"Dad doesn't like it when we go there. Says it's dangerous, stuff that can kill you."
Sarah then said she knew enough to keep us safe, and, having no other choice, we went with her. Why do I feel like I am going to get into something I'm going to regret?
As we went in, Sarah spoke
"Yeah, your dad's right. Pretty much everything in here can kill you."
She also did not seem to be saying that sarcastically. She showed us a hay raker and I had never seen one before.
In the meantime, Sarah seemed to be getting a little into Jordan, which was nice to see. They seemed to be getting along well, and she invited us all to the bonfire at the Schuester mines, but gave Jordan her phone number. He could really use a friend while we were here, so I was happy. Once we got to where the router was, there was a clearly unstable, old, wooden ladder leading up to it, and even Sarah cautioned
"Jordan, be careful."
He shrugged the warning off
"It's just a ladder."
Yeah, just a ladder he quickly fell off of! Jon noticed that a bunch of metal pipes were going to fall on him, so he tried to shield Jordan. I immediately shielded both of them, right as we were covered and pelted with those pipes. I could get them off, weight wise, but not with an audience. The boys shifted beneath me, and I did not know what they were doing. My only focus was to protect them.
Clark's pov
As Lois and I were talking, I heard a loud crash. Before I could discern what it was, Sarah came running out of the barn, frantic
"Somebody help! The boys and Jewel! They're hurt!"
I sprinted towards my children as fast as humanly possible, and it was a nightmare. The knowledge that I could have gotten there in mere milliseconds but had to tone it down was unbearable. At long last, I got to the barn, instantly checking them for injuries while they were still under the pile of pipes. Thank goodness for x-ray vision. They were alive and mostly fine. With Lois at my side, I began to chuck away the pipes as if they were weightless. Which, for me, they technically were. Once I saw my kids, Jon was the first to speak, about Jordan
"It was his idea..."
Fiercely protective of each other in one moment, throwing each other under the bus the next. Yeah, those were my kids. Later on, after they were seen by a doctor, they seemed disbelieving. At least the boys did. Jon's jaw hung wide open
"They're saying all we have are mild concussions?"
Lois and I shared a look
"You got lucky."
After all, they had no idea about me, and we had no idea if they inherited my Kryptonian DNA and powers or not. We think Jon might have, based on his performance on the football field, but we aren't certain. Later into the night, Lois was trying to convince me to tell the boys, but if Jonathan was the reason they had gotten off easily with the accident, I did not want Jordan and Jewel to feel alienated or less special, or anything negative. Especially given all the hardships Jordan in particular already had to face. I was so close to having him pull away from me completely... I did not want to lose my kids, I had already lost so much so fast... Not my kids too, please.
Jewel's pov
Once we knew that our parents were going to be away from the farm for a while, the boys and I quickly went back to the barn. Jordan's idea. I was only fine with it because I knew I could keep them safe. Jon interjected
"What are we looking for?"
Jord replied
"Anything weird or out of the ordinary. Did you not notice how Dad, the same man who falls every year while putting the star on the Christmas tree, seemed to be tossing those pipes off of us like they weighed nothing? And what does he tell us every year we come here?"
Jon scrunched up his nose
"I dunno... don't put your finger in there?"
Shaking his head, Jordan replied
"Stay out of the barn, dummy"
Jon spoke again
"What if the whole pipe thing was just adrenaline?"
Sadly nothing deterred Jordan, who found a latch on the barn floor. Interestingly enough, it opened to reveal a secret bunker, and...
"A SPACESHIP?"
We all whisper-yelled when Jon and I pulled the tarp off of the intergalactic ship. What was going ON here?!
A quiver in his tone, Jon, the second oldest, spoke
"Uh, guys?!"
It was only then that I realized that a tiny, crystal-like piece of the ship had floated out of it's form and towards mine and Jordan's hands. Cool, but also, what in the world?! We heard our parents return, and we knew we needed answers. Now. Our parents had just returned from speaking to Lana at the bank, something about the farm, but that did not matter now. Jordan was the first to speak, irate
"So THAT'S why?! THAT'S why you never wanted us in the barn?! Because you keep a stinkin' alien ship in there?!"
Seeing the crystal thingy in his hand, both my parent's went pale. I was more frightened by the second, yet happy to just let the scene unfold before my eyes. Finally looking Jordan in the eyes, Dad spoke
"Look, I can explain."
I wasn't so sure I wanted to hear this, but part of me wanted to. Jordan rose his voice again
"Yeah, CAN you? Can you explain how we fell 30 feet and are fine?!"
Jon tried to pacify him, begging on behalf of Dad
"Just give him a chance!"
Not paying any attention, Jordan went on
"All you said is we were lucky, but that was a lie, wasn't it?"
Much to our surprise, Dad spoke
"Yes, that was a lie. Look, that ship brought me to Earth."
Safe to say, he had our full attention now. What I couldn't figure out is how Mom was unfazed. But a few things started to make more sense to me, as I came to understand more and more as my brothers grew all the more confused. Dad went on
" Landed right here in Smallville, right in those cornfields over there." He pointed at them for emphasis. Then he went on
" I was sent here, when my planet, Krypton, was destroyed."
My world stopped, but now everything made sense, and I no longer was confused about anything that had been happening to me. But I kept quiet, allowing Dad to go on, and to confirm my suspicions
" Because I wasn't from here, I had certain powers."
Not in belief, the boys spoke
"So what, you're saying you're Superman?"
That set Jordan off, as he angrily went barreling towards Dad ranting
"You're not him. We've seen Superman, we've seen him!"
Almost somber, Dad took off his glasses, and the face of the Kryptonian hero became at once recognizable. Jordan and Jon had no words, but Jon looked as though he might throw up. I was just taking this all in, thinking of how things made a lot more sense in my life now, and laughing at the irony. I tried so hard to draw Superman out, when I could have called for Dad down the hall all along. As a final demonstration, he flew up a few feet carrying the truck over his head. Yep. Dad was Superman. Mom tried to pacify the boys, but Jordan was way too angry, saying that he probably had the medication and anxiety because of Dad's biology mixed with Mom's, and that Dad might have been sent here to be a hero, but he certainly wasn't sent here to be a father. Jon asked Mom and Dad to leave them alone, going to console Jordan. Good. Now it was my time to face the music.
Rather nervously, I spoke
"I need to talk to you both... Dad, I think I'm like you. I - I have powers."
Taking advantage of their stunned silence, I went on
"I don't know if that's why we got lucky in the barn. I was on top, but they were shifting left and right under me and covering me too, somewhat. But I have had these powers even back in Metropolis. I was seeking out Superman for help, because I was training myself..." I chuckled a bit at the irony, then went on
"I have speed, strength, I'm bullet proof, heightened senses..."
His look was a mix of pride and horror
"You're the Red Blue Blur."
I nodded, and once I showed him my alter ego's outfit, he finally eased into a more relaxed smile
"I'm so proud of you. I'm going to help you. But I wanna give you this."
The red jacket HE wore as the Red Blue Blur. The one with the crest of the House of El on it. I was more than willing to swap jackets for my outfit. I always held out hope Superman would find me and help me one day... Guess it happened, but I never expected it would be like this. We did make a wise decision not to tell the boys about me yet. I was giddy, and relieved to have an actual reason behind my powers, after about a year. And now, finally a mentor, and an explanation for Dad's many absences over the years. Maybe this new chapter of our lives in Smallville were going to be the best yet.