Tal didn't hold back his tears of joy. Jon didn't eighter…
They were floating over the river Thames in London together. Both didn't care that people on the ground could see them, or that Tal's identity could be exposed. What really mattered was that they were together again.
"Oh god… Jon… is that really you?" Tal cried happily looking on the teenager's face.
"It's me!" Jon said.
"Aww… you're back… aww… hahaha…" Tal was so happy.
Jon cried in joy, too when he hugged Tal. Both overwhelmed by their feelings and by that joy. Four years have passed! Four years in which both thought they will never see each other again. Four years, Jon spend on building a pod that brings him back to Earth…
"Aww… look at you… you… look absolutely incredible!" Tal said even happier when he saw Jon in his Kryptonian garment. Just like the one, he loves to wear. The house-of-El crest looked so good on Jon, as if it was made for him. "And you fly!"
"Yeah… I finally learned it! Thanks to you!" Jon said happily. "My body adapted to the red sun while I was in Argo!"
"Argo? It survived?" Tal's smile got even brighter. The thought about other Kryptonian survivors was making him even happier.
"Yes… There are more settlements and colonies and… aww… Uncle Tal, you won't believe what I figured out! My father is…"
"Kal-El!" Tal said. "Your father is Kal-El! I am in touch with him now! And he is eagerly waiting to see you! Come with me…"
Tal realized that they should go back to his mansion before anyone sees them. Jon realized that, too. And so they flew side by side back to Tal's mansion. Seeing Jon flying right next to him, filled Tal with such a pride. Four years ago, the boy was barely able to activate a power. But now he was flying by himself and had probably more powers.
At high speed Tal landed on his terrace, just a second before Jon did. But Jon left a little crater, before slipping over the ground and kicking over a heavy marble statute that was fixed on the ground and got shattered in pieces.
"Ouwch…"
"Aghh… Jon, are you okay?"
"I'm fine…" Jon said, when he lift from the ground and start to brush the dust off his suit. "Aww… I am so so sorry for that! I hope that statue was not expensive."
"Don't care! It's just a statue! The main thing is that you are here! You're not used to land, right!"
"That was my first flight! I didn't land since I departed in Yellowstone!"
"Yellowstone? You were in Yellowstone?"
"My pod crashed into the lake there!"
"Aww… Jon…" Tal start to hug, Jon again, who hugged him back happily. "I am so so happy that you are back! How you were able to come back? Why do you come now? How many Kryptonians survived? Aww… Wait… Your father…"
Jon became a bit pale at that point. But he could understand that Tal wanted his father to be with them now.
"…your father… he needs to know that you are back…" Tal said and speeded into the house to get the ELT, he got after joining the family.
In Smallville, nobody was aware of the happy news yet…
Lois freed the table from her documents while Clark stood on the stove to cook his mother's hamburger-casserole for dinner.
"I have the feeling Nattie is hiding something from us! Ever since I returned home, she is avoiding eye-contact with me!" Lois said.
"You think she has messed up with something?"
"Well, it was definitely not about Jordan's hair. By the way he looks now more like you than ever!" Lois said with a bright smile. Clark had to laugh. "No, I think it is something else?"
They had no clue that Natalie was aware that Jordan will tell his girlfriend Sarah today that he is Superboy. And that without their parents' permission. Natalie was up in her room (Jon's room in other Earths) turning on loud music to distract herself. All while Jordan picked up Sarah at home and brought her to Atlas Pond.
It was private property. But a popular hangout for couples who wanted to have a intimate date. Jordan asked the property owner for permission before, brought some candles with him, a blanket to sit on, on the bridge and took all his self-composure to not to freak out by himself about what he was about to do.
"Wow… this looks actually pretty nice!" Sarah Cushing, daughter of Lana Lang (Clark's childhood girlfriend) and Kyle Cushing, chief of the local firehouse, said when she saw the romantic place, Jordan prepared.
"This is a special evening!" Jordan said with a smile and led her to the bridge. "You deserve only the best! And most of all… you deserve to know something! Something really important…"
Back on the farm, Clark was still stirring the dish on the stove while Lois set the table…
"Jordan is really upset because it doesn't go well with Sarah lately! Mainly because of the secret!"
"Now that you mention it… I had a thought, but I knew it was ridiculous." Lois suddenly had this suspicion.
"What, Lois?"
Lois was just about to say that she fears, Jordan could tell the family-secret to Sarah when Clark could suddenly hear Tal's ELT, followed by his half-brother's frantic voice…
"KAL, KAL, KAL… COME TO MY PLACE! QUICK! NOW! COME ON! KAL…"
Hearing his half-brother's frantic and upset voice calling out for him, let Clark at first thought the worst.
"It's Tal… something happened!" Clark said and speeded out of the house to fly to Tal's mansion in London to see if his brother was in peril…
A few seconds later, Clark, now in full Superman-gear, was approaching Tal's mansion. Even from far distance, Clark was able to see the crater on the terrace and the destroyed decoration. Clark flew closer and was now floating over the terrace when he spotted Tal through the big panorama window, talking to a boy in a weird black outfit.
"Do you think he really wants to see me?" the boy seemed scared.
"Of course…" Tal's voice reassured him before Tal could see Clark floating over the terrace outside. "…look… he is here!"
The boy turned around and Clark was shocked! He knew this face…
It was Jonathan. He saw his face on the countless of pictures they collected. After his departure to Argo, they spent a lot of time collecting every available information about Jonathan and his life with his adoptive parents. They had scrapbooks full of photos and articles at home and were able to recall his whole live as if they were always present. In their new fortress, they were even able to make a simulation that showed them, how Jonathan would look like now.
But this was not a holograph. He was real. He was here. He was alive. And he was scared! Scared and ashamed when he spotted his father, who landed slowly and carefully and faced the boy in front of him now.
Jon was terrified. He always dreamt of meeting Superman. After figuring out that he is his father, Jon always wondered why he got abandoned by him. And now there was this fear that he will reject him. But he has powers now. Does it mean he will accept him now? But does he really want that, if he would only do that because he has powers? Because it would be not real!
Clark looked onto his long lost son's scared face and approached him. He put his hands on the boy's shoulders and looked on him. Studying every square inch of his face and every hair on his head. And Jon looked on his father, too. Seeing his eyes filling with tears. Expecting the worst.
Rejection. Offense. Scolding. For some reason, these feelings came into his minds. But instead, Superman burst out in tears and pulled him into a tight hug…
"JONATHAN! SON!... OH MY SON… I AM SO HAPPY…" Superman cried.
Jon was surprised about this reaction. But suddenly he felt that it was real. He missed him really. His father really missed him. Maybe his fear that he got rejected was wrong. Jon lift his hands to hug his father, too. Feeling his father's strong and muscular body under the tight suit, that kind of felt like cotton. And feeling the tears of his father that soaked his own suit.
It was real! His father really missed him. And he was really happy to see him!
"Oh… You're alive! My son… I am so happy… How did you survive? Aw… YOUR MOM! YOUR MOTHER, YOUR BROTHER, YOUR SISTER… THEY HAVE TO SEE YOU, TOO!"
Overwhelmed and full of joy, Clark departed into the air again to get the rest of the family from Smallville…
At the farm, Lois turned off the stove after the timer beeped to prevent the dish from overcooking and then turned to her daughter who was standing now in the kitchen and looked down on the ground.
"Okay… what is going on, Nattie?" Lois asked stern.
Natalie knew, Jordan will hate her. Otherwise, was she aware of the consequences of Sarah knowing the secret. And of course, world-renowned investigative journalist Lois Lane is able to see it in her face.
"It's Jordan!" Natalie confessed.
"What about him?"
Natalie was not able to answer, as suddenly her father speeded into the house, so fast that he blew the dishware off the table…
"LOIS, NATALIE… QUICK, JON IS BACK!" Clark yelled full of joy and grabbed them without warning to fly them to London.
Jordan meanwhile was sitting on the bridge over Atlas Pond with Sarah and prepared for the reveal…
"Okay… but I have to warn you. This is huge! And you can't tell anyone. Not even your family." Jordan said.
"Understand!" Sarah responded.
Jordan lift and walked away, he planned to walk around a tree, change behind it, and come out as Superboy on the other side. And when he is in front of her, he will put off his glasses…
But Jordan had no chance to even try to. He just put off his glasses to pull off his Shirt when suddenly and out of nowhere he got grabbed by his father to get flown to London, too.
Jordan was shocked. He feared his father figured out and will scold him now. Everything went so fast, he only noticed that his mother and his sister were with them, too. Despite his own powers, everything was a blur and he couldn't respond until they arrived in London at Tal's place.
"Hey, what was that?" Jordan complained.
"LOOK!" Clark yelled and pointed on Jon.
Lois, Jordan and Natalie turned around and saw Jon standing in his Kryptonian outfit in Tal's living-room and looking on them with big eyes.
"Jonathan?" Lois gasped in shock.
Natalie and Jordan gasped in shock, too. It was really their brother, whom they believed that he is dead! He is alive and back on Earth.
"Hi!" was everything Jon was able to get out.
So there they were. His family. His biological family. This was without doubt Lois Lane. The famous reporter who knew Superman. Now it made sense… of course Superman has better press when his own lover writes articles about him.
"Awww… I can't believe it! It's you… It's really you. Jonathan, my Baby…" Lois said, overwhelmed by her emotions. "You are alive… I am so happy…"
"Brother…" Jordan said with big eyes when he approached him, too.
So this was his twin. The boy everyone thought, died at birth. His whole life, Jordan felt if something was missing. A part of him! He suddenly returned. Jordan forgot Sarah waiting for him in Smallville and just hugged his brother, too.
Natalie joined them. She was crying, too. Happy to finally met her other big brother.
Jon was overwhelmed by the warm welcome. Or the surprise that his mother is Lois Lane. Or that they were happy to see him. Maybe his fear that he was coldly abandoned by them because of his supposed powerlessness was unjustified?
Earth-AU…
"I agree with you that some of this visions are caused by events on another Earth. Somehow, the doppelganger of your father created indifferences when he visited our dimension. It's possible that other doppelganger of you experience the same!" Lara told Connor in his Alaska-fortress.
"Why now?" Connor moaned. Tomorrow was going to be an important day. Full of anger he kicked against a boulder on the ground that flew through the fortress and shattered into gravel when it hit the wall. "I can't go on! I am not able to do that again!"
Full of sorrow, Connor sat down and buried his face in his hands. Then he suddenly noticed the presence of a familiar heartbeat.
"Connor?"
Hearing his wife's soft and calm voice let him shiver.
Janet was here. Despite her pregnancy, she made the hike to this place.
"How did you get here?"
"Ehm, Connor… your fortress is not far from town!" she said with an innocent smile. "And my dad brought me in his jeep! The whole family knows the location!"
"Right!" Connor said abashed.
"Connor, I wanted to apologize for being so rude before! I know this is not easy for you!"
"No, Janet! You were right!" Connor said while his wife sat down next to him. "I am so stiffed on being normal, but I was never normal, if I am honest to myself. I killed my old self to be free, but I will never be free. I wanted to be powerless but got them after I was not able to learn properly about them."
"Remember what you offered me when I figured out who you once were?" his wife asked.
"Yeah… I offered you to leave this town, never come back and leave everything behind!" Connor said.
"And I told you that we will never forgive you if you leave!" Janet said with a smile. "Connor, we all love you here! You have done so many great things. We all can't live without you anymore. And no matter what, we all stand behind you! And you know what, even if they all would know that you were once… you know who… they would be on your side. Not because of your powers. Every day you prove everyone that you are a hero! And for that you don't need your powers. Or a costume with a cape and boots. Even if I have to say, you would look good in it!"
"Very funny!"
"Yeah, but I am serious! Connor, we went through so much together. And this crisis will be solved like we solved every else before. Together!"
With a bright smile, Connor put his arm around his wife and kissed her.
"What have I done to deserve you?" Connor asked now in a better mood.
"You were just yourself!" his wife said and so they start to kiss and got more intimate.
Lara watched them with big eyes before Connor removed her crystal from the podium and she vanished, so that they were undisturbed.
Earth-TUD25…
"Do you have an explanation for this Kal?" Lara asked sternly.
Jonathan just stormed out after gotten scanned. When he woke up he had no memory on what happened. Just that he was not having a vision this time and just fainted… he couldn't remember something, he hadn't experienced!
Lara figured out what her doppelgangers on the other Earths figured out, too. Just that Jonathan was extremely upset when he realized what was going on and demanded to get home immediately. Yelling loudly that Kryptonian things doesn't mean to affect him as he is human and that there is absolutely nothing good about Krypton.
"Kal, I demand the truth! Does Jonathan deny his Kryptonian heritage?"
Clark moaned. "Yes, mother!"
"And why? Is that the reason you only bring Jordan to the fortress all the time?"
"No!"
"So what, Kal? How can it be that your own son does not want to accept his own heritage?"
"He has no powers, so he sees himself as human!" Clark responded.
"Being Kryptonian has nothing to do with powers!" Lara complained. "Kal, talk to him and send him in again! I want to talk to him in private!"
Clark nodded and left to meet Jon standing outside, looking out on the stormy sea.
"Jonathan…"
Jonathan turned around, making a face as if he wanted to kill him with his glare.
"You didn't care when I had trouble adapting to Smallville. You didn't care when I needed you when everything went downward. Why you suddenly care? Because I have some Kryptonian sickness?"
"No, Jonathan! But whatever is affecting you is making us all worried. Your grandmother confirmed it. Something is going on, and you… what if it's getting worse? Or when you have flashbacks to other events."
"You think I am looking forward to experience again how Jordan broke my arm? Or how he tried to kill me when he was possessed? Or how you guys didn't ask me how I was after? No!"
Clark lowered his head in shame.
"I know you must think sometimes that we prefer your brother because he has powers." Clark confessed. "But…"
"I don't think so, I know it. You showed me that when you only introduced Jordan to your father, than to your mother, all while I got bullied in school for what he did when he was messing up. You leave flying with him, when I needed you, to show me that you are not interested in me! You humiliated me and when Jordan makes fun about me and my efforts, you don't say anything. If I would talk to him the same way he did to me, you would ground me! Or do you think everything I am good for is getting coffee orders, too?"
"Wait, did he tell you that?" Clark asked shocked.
"Yeah… I am useless. That's what everyone keeps telling me!" Jonathan moaned before he took a deep breath to calm down. He was not in mood to discuss this now. "Okay… I talk with Lara. But I am not happy about that and I tell her the whole story."
After that Jonathan entered the fortress and Lara closed the door to lock Clark out. A tear ran down Clark's face… Lara confirmed that whatever is happening, it is affecting Jonathan's mind and his person. And Clark could see that all the negative memories tore up old wounds, Clark thought they went over.
But maybe it was time for Clark to admit that it was not…
Earth-Krypton…
Clark was glad when his son showed up at his place to talk to him. And surprised when he got a lead lined bag pulled over his head and got dragged out. Only to land in a foreign fortress in the desert and was trapped in a forcefield. But glad to see his son and his A.I. again…
"You have a lot of explaining to do!" the Jonathan-A.I. said.
"And better quick! Before I have another flashback to a bad time." Connor added.
"What do you mean?" Clark asked upset. Trapped in a forcefield of red-solar energy and turning pale.
"You know exactly what we mean! Your Trips to other Earths! How much did you change in that other Earth?"
Clark lowered his head in shame and start to tell everything…
Earth-359…
The reunited family was crying and cheering for minutes in Tal's living-room…
They ignored Sam's frantic calls and his yelling over the ELT Signal and Jordan totally forgot Sarah waiting for him… they were all so happy to have their Jonathan back…
"OH MY SON…" Clark said happily. "…I am so happy to finally meet you!"
"Yes, thank you…"
"OH… HOW YOU MADE IT? HOW YOU WERE ABLE TO GET BACK?" Clark yelled still full of joy.
"I constructed a pod. With uncle Zor-El… I…" Jon was extremely nervous and start to tremble. "…I… I have a question…"
"Everything! You can ask us everything you want! You must have millions of questions! Ask!" Clark said still full of joy.
"Just one… Why did you abandon me?"
Suddenly the room was filled with shocked silence…