(Merry Xmas, Gracie! Hope you have a great one, God bless you!)

Jon's pov

After Dad took all of us out to sea to build the new Fortress of Solitude, a place even designed for Mom and myself, I was still on a silent, albeit very exhilarating high. I was finally going to be a part of more Kryptonian things! The words he said to me on the boat rang freely in my ears. I was still having trouble believing they were real.

"My Mom has been wanting to meet you". "She has some Kryptonian tech I think you'll find pretty cool."

Because of how fractured and delicate our relationship had been lately, I was surprised Dad even mentioned me to my Kryptonian Grandmother, Lara. I grew to believe that I had no place in Kryptonian things. I was so happy and relieved to know that he had made a point of telling her about me! Ok, Ok, I know it seems like I'm making Dad out to be terrible, and he's NOT. But our fights lately and his spending more time with Jordan had left me a bit unsure of myself. But Dad had put my worries to rest on that boat. I still replay the whole thing in my head in anticipation of the day I'll go with him to meet my Gra... Uzeju. That's what Dad said the word for Grandmother was. Not long after, I went to sleep, a smile on my face.

TWO DAYS LATER

My alarm, the rooster, and the sun all woke me up at the same time. There was no trying to sleep for 5 more minutes. With a sigh, I got up and began to get ready for school, being nearly bodychecked by my Dad in the hallway to the bathroom. He caught me gently by the arm and almost laughed at the still-present bedhead

"Whoa, where's the fire?"

I was surprised at his nonchalance. He had already made his stance on playing hooky and respecting teachers clear.

"Uh, I gotta get ready for school, Dad."

He shook his head

"Not today. You said you were studying the Arctic, right? How about a field trip to what closely resembles the Arctic?"

That woke me up real fast. This was it. The moment I would meet Uzeju at the Fortress and learn about Kryptonian tech. I was so giddy, I almost squealed. Soon, we were gone.

Flying with Dad is AWESOME! In record speed, we had made it to our destination, and walked into the Fortress. Uzeju's sunstone was already projecting her holographic AI when we got there. She smiled

"Kal, how are you? And you must be my Jonathan. My Jon-El."

A blush crept across my face, contouring a smile. I was hers. She loved me. And I belonged. I was an El in her eyes, and not my deranged inverse.

"Yes, Uzeju. I'm Jon."

A twinkle in her holographic eyes caught my attention

"I'm so glad I finally get to meet you, Wona. My Aos."

I knew from a few overheard conversations that wona was grandson and aos was baby. I could feel the love and warmth she radiated, even in the form she was in now, that of an AI.

Her smile widened

"Now, let me show you some tech you might be interested in."

I followed her eagerly, surprised at how marvelously complex each gadget was and how easily I could understand it once she explained to me. Finally, I felt like I could be immersed in my other culture, my heritage. Once I finished building the space craft I had wanted to recreate successfully, and only taking 20 minutes to assemble it, both my Uzeju and my Uki, that is, my Dad smiled proudly at me, Dad being no less proud than he had been of Jord when he learned to fly. This is easily one of my favorite days, and I was happy to spend more days just like this.