Jonathan had no idea what to expect when he went closer to the elder version of his mother! Nor had he any idea how the Kryptonian sedative, Lara gave her, was affecting her…
Jonathan sat down next to her so she could see him when she finally opened her eyes.
"Jonathan… oh, Jonathan…" she cried.
"Hello! So… you are from the future, too?"
"Yes! And I am sorry… I am so so sorry!" she cried.
Jonathan could see that she was upset. Extremely upset! Jonathan knew his family was watching them. Lara stood by the side and watched him silently, too.
"Tell me what happened!" Jonathan requested.
What nobody in the fortress was aware of, was that right in this moment a car stopped in front of the open farmhouse…
"Hmm… Look, the door is open!" Chrissy said while grabbing the bunch of documents, Lois asked her to bring over today in the morning and opened the passenger's door.
"At least it means, they are home!" Klye added and turned off the motor to accompany his pregnant fiancée to the house.
Both knew that Lois was pretty upset. Not only because of Luthor, but also because of the current stress with their boys. The Kents didn't tell their friends everything what future-Jonathan told them, but it was stressful for them, too. Kyle anyway only came with Chrissy to ask Lois and Clark if they know when Jonathan will return, as they all miss him in the firehouse.
"Okay, remember… Don't say any word to Jordan about his powerlessness!" Chrissy whispered. "The boy seems to not handle it well!"
"After everything I heard about Jordan and his so-called heroics, I am not sure if the boy should ever get them back!" Kyle moaned. "But I stay with it: He is not allowed to come to the fire-station's summer-fest! The boy has no respect for those who help others without powers!"
"Just stay polite! Lois is very upset, and I don't want her to…" Chrissy said before she suddenly stopped and turned as white as chalk when she saw all the blood on the floor through the open door and let out a horrified scream…
A cold shiver ran down Lois' back while she continued watching her son taking care of her elder self, but she instinctively turned around to look towards east, where North America was. She suddenly had this odd feeling.
"Did I close the door?" Lois murmured before Jordan hissed on her to be quiet.
Lois turned to the holograph again and watched her other son wringing a wet towel, that he used to clean the elder Lois' face and hands from mud and dust that came from the fight. While Jordan wondered, why his brother is caring about the woman who stabbed him, Lois understood immediately that Jonathan did only what Martha would have done in this situation. Jonathan was without doubt a Kent! He does what Lois should have done after the X-K-disaster: Listen!
"Tell me, how did you get here?"
The elder Lois was crying even harder. She was not able to move her body due to the sedatives, but she could still move her head and talk.
"I… I was waiting in your fortress in Siberia! You didn't return…"
"My future self told us that a nuclear war began shortly before he came here!"
"Yes… But the time outside the fortress is suspended! It was supposed to run again when he returns, to see if he was successful…!"
"The time in your time is suspended?" Jonathan was confused. "Please explain that!"
Outside, the also stunned Lois and Jordan still focused on the footage they got from inside, so that they did not notice Clark arriving back…
Clark was so upset and distraught from the recent events and from all the hate, the future version of his wife had for him, that he forgot to change into Clark when he entered the pharmacy in Vancouver and was immediately gawked at. Then he had to endure the curious questions of the pharmacist why Superman needs flu-medicine for a very sniveling teenager which Superman responded all with a simple ‚don't ask'! Then, when he tried to pay, he realized that he had no Canadian money and had to accept the present reluctantly.
Clark knew that a lot of other people in the pharmacy took pictures and that, like everything Superman does, will soon be in all social-media and the press. Hoping Luthor or one of his henchmen will not burn down the pharmacy just because Superman visited it once, Clark flew back and was surprised to find Lois and Jordan outside, watching a holograph of Jonathan and the elder Lois.
"What is going on here?" Clark asked. Jordan once again hissed to shut Clark down and focused on the holograph again.
Inside, the elder Lois start to tell the younger version of her son how she experienced the previous years. Things Jonathan already knew, but also some new things…
Jonathan's life was too difficult with everyone only supporting Jordan and after he left, his powers will kick in. His powers would have kicked in much earlier, if Clark just took him to the fortress, too, make a scan and let them unlock. After Lois' 'Did-you-take-X-K-again-speech', Jonathan faked his suicide to be free and to start all over again…
"I understand why you did it! After everything what we did to you and everything Smallville and its people did to you, I would have done the same! We didn't support you when you were in need, and you wanted to be free! Free to make your own decisions, your own choices and most of all live outside of your father's and your brother's shadow." The elder Lois told.
"When my book was/ will be published? And how?"
"Your lawyer found it in your belongings a week after your disappearance! You never planned to publish it, but you were dead so nobody could prevent it! Another few weeks later it was in all stores a bestseller and after reading that page I packed my things and filed for divorce the same day!"
"This page?" Jonathan asked and held up the page, his mother gave him a few minutes ago. The elder Lois nodded under tears. "You didn't want to divorce him, didn't you?"
"No! No, I loved him! I even still love him! But I couldn't go on like that!" The elder Lois confessed. "We always knew it! We knew that you are alive! We knew it was just to get out of this life! But it is hard, when the whole worlds point on you, calling you a bad mother without her own will who only wanted superpowered children… I left, cut ties with your father and your brother and tried to live on…"
More tears ran down the elder Lois' face. Outside meanwhile Clark was shocked and wanted to know from the present version of his wife what was written on that paper. Lois responded with a loud shut up' and stuffed the towel, Jonathan gave her for her injured face, into Clark's mouth before she focused on the events inside again.
"It must have been hard for you, too?" Jonathan asked.
"Not as hard as it was for you all these years! Of course, I was sad… It is hard, when you get dismissed by your own child! But for you it must have been even worse when we literally dismissed you! But I don't regret that I divorced your father…"
"WHAT? CLARK SHUT UP! HEY, THEY CAN HEAR YOU IN THERE GUYS!" First Clark, then Lois and then Jordan yelled through the closed door!
"Ignore them!" Jonathan advised. "But please tell me… what happened? My future self told us so many… disgusting things… and you didn't answer my question yet! How did you get here?"
"Long story!"
"I have time!"
The elder Lois took a deep breath and closed her eyes before she began to tell him everything…
In Smallville meanwhile, Chrissy and Kyle panicked over the crime-scene they found in the Kent-house with no trace of the Kents.
Kyle's first request was to call the police. But then they remembered Lois' and Clark's request to not to do that, in case the police could figure out something they should know. And a short glimpse into Lois' office showed that a lot of stuff was laying around openly that could easily bust them. So, Chrissy did what came closest to the police and called John-Henry…
John-Henry and his daughter arrived only a minute later in their respective steel-suits with a loud thud on the ground. Natalie placed herself in front of the couple while her father began to investigate the house.
"Nobody home!"
"What happened?"
"We don't know! I was supposed to bring Lois some documents and we found the door open and the house full of blood!" Chrissy explained upset. She suddenly felt so dizzy and nauseous that she had to sit down on one of the porch-chairs.
A quick analyze of the blood revealed quickly that it was Jordan's blood…
In the fortress, the whole family listened to the elder Lois' story. Ignoring their ringing phones and the countless of messages they received from Chrissy, Kyle, John-Henry and Natalie to ask about their whereabouts…
"I always watched you from safe distance! Saw how you flourished after you left. When you were able to show your full potential! You have done so many great things! More important than anything your father or your brother could ever do with their powers. You achieved so much great… it was a huge mistake of us to force you to Smallville and let you believe that you are less important than your brother. He is not suited for this responsibility and these powers…"
"Hey!" Jordan yelled outside, before the present Lois put her hand over his mouth to prevent him from saying something offending or worse.
"There are no words to describe how proud I am on you! You are the hero of the family! Because you proved every day that you don't need them to be one! Screw your father and your brother and their supposed superiority! You were a hero without using your powers! But then…" the elder Lois suddenly became extremely upset again and cried harder again. "I… I… slipped one day your new identity to Jordan! And…"
"My fiancée?"
"Was in the office you and your team worked in! Together with the others! Jordan was watching them… One day… a fire broke out… in a kitchen three floors below… Jordan flew in… and made it only worse… I don't know what exactly happened! He said it was an accident! But he tore apart a gas-pipe… The explosion let the building collapse. 27 people died! You survived unharmed! But your fiancee died in your arms…"
Jonathan tried to imagine this. A building collapsing all around him, he comes out without a scratch… while everyone he cares about dies…
"I am sure you know the rest of the story!" Lois said.
"Yes! I came here, tried to blow up the fortress, formed an alliance with Lara and moved to Russia to study lonely in my own fortress!"
"And it is a beautiful fortress you have! I meanwhile blamed myself… but well destiny knew how to punish me!"
"What is that meaning?"
"Well… you know me! I am stubborn, too focused on my work, and never give myself a break! So, I realized too late that I ruined myself and my body!" Lois explained and was carefully able to lift her right hand to point on the scar on her neck." Lymphoma! The doctor said I have six months left!"
For everyone it was a huge shock. Everyone (including Jonathan and Lara from inside) looked on Lois (the younger one) and was speechless. Lois meanwhile paled while her mind starts to freak out. Ever since her breast-cancer, they knew it could return. The chance was always there and will always be there. But hearing this was still too much…
"I know everyone is listening! This was only my fault! I didn't take care of myself! I was too busy cleaning up after my husband and my son. I sold my soul… That… and the fact that the American Health system is declining steadily due to all the sanctions and the fact that the whole world hates America for having a superpowered weapon make a proper treatment for me difficult anyway. But you, Jonathan…" the elder Lois said before she used her hand to stroke over the teenager's face. "You once again proved how much you care."
"What did I wo? Or will do?"
"One hour after the diagnosis, you suddenly stood in front of my door… with a pot full of Borscht. And we talked… just talked. And over the next three years… you regularly showed up and took care of me! The doctor said I have six months left! But you once again forgave me my unforgivable mistakes! You were there for me, when all others only cared for themself…" Lois cried taking Jonathan's hand to see his arm. "Your brother didn't broke it?"
"No! He turned powerless before he got a chance to come to the seminar!"
"Good! Your arm was paralyzed for years after it! If your father had taken you to the fortress right after it, you would have been able to continue working in the firehouse. But this place was really only for those who can fly! He lied!"
"I swear by my soul that this is not…" Clark tried to defend himself. But Lois, who didn't want to miss any second of this, just shoved the towel back in her husband's mouth to mute him.
She suddenly had to think a lot about the past few months, too. After her diagnosis, Jonathan was doing a lot more in and around the house. And that next to school and two jobs. The one at Brit and Dunn's he quit mainly because Jordan threw himself into training and focused on playing Superhero to burn off steam and get a distraction from his sorrows and his worries. But Jonathan was the one who helped Lois. Who went grocery shopping, drove his mother around, brought her tea to her bed… and who smuggled her laptop and her tablet into her room so she could secretly continue researching.
Lois was not surprised. Jonathan was the one insisting using the fortress to help her. With no one to stop him, he was/ would be able to do that. Jonathan had the potential of becoming a doctor! Instead, they forced him to be a shop-clerk…
"Did you know… about my future self's plan to come back in time to destroy Jordan's superpowers?"
"I knew it! You told me the day before! The world was close from dooming, and I was done with Krypton! You took me to your fortress again… and there I realized that you still never fully forgave me! Before… you came back in time, the fortress was covered in a forcefield that separates it from the space-time continuum. That means… inside the fortress the time goes on, while outside the time has stopped. You took me to your fortress to keep sure that I always remember what happened and what I made wrong!"
"Sounds cruel!" Jonathan murmured.
"But I deserve it!" Lois responded. "I… I suggested to go back to a time before you and your brother knew the truth and before your brother's powers kicked in to warn us. But we destroyed every faith and every trust you had in us. You thought about going back to the day of the barn-scene to destroy Jordan's powers right after he learned to fly. Since your father literally destroyed every trust, you had in us once that day. But you didn't want to be that cruel. So, we arranged for the day of the seminar."
"Because it was when he was on the top of his arrogance and you would be more willing to move back to Metropolis and feel less sorry for his lost powers!" Jonathan concluded. "And so nobody gets to see the video, make the connection and the dominos wouldn't start to fall!"
"Exactly! The day of the seminar… was not the beginning of the end! That was our move to Smallville! But it was the beginning of a downward spiral that made it impossible to escape! Luthor got what he wanted and you… you had the greatest pain…"
Jonathan wondered if it had to do with the experiments and the lab, his future self talked about.
"You had a successful test-travel!" Lois told with a smile. "You went back in time and saw your grandparents!"
"Really?" Jonathan was suddenly very interested. As well as the rest of the family.
"Friday, May 3rd, 1991! You went back to this date and watched your grandparents having lunch on the porch while your father was in school. You hid in the acre and watched them a couple of minutes! One thing you have that your brother never gets!"
"I admit… I would really love to see grandma again!" Jonathan smiled and thought about Martha and all the things he would love to do with her if he gets the chance to see her again.
"You came back, slipped into your protective suit, and left… 5 to 10 minutes… that's what we expect you to come back. But something went wrong. First, out of the blue suddenly Jordan appeared and followed you. And then you didn't return. Either of you. The time portal is still active as long as the time outside your fortress is suspended. This provides the bridge between our and your time to be stable." Lois explained further.
"You mean… I kind of put my fortress into a bubble to take it with me in time while also letting it behind and to preserve it, no matter how much the future will be changed?"
"Yes! We knew everything will be different. But in case something went wrong we both would have kept our memories and your inventions in your fortress! But when you didn't return… I knew something terrible happened. And we waited… day by day passed… with every passing day Lara remembered me more and more how much we failed you and with every day you are missing, your cat looks at me with more hate! That thing hates me!"
"A cat? I am holding a cat in my fortress?"
"You needed company! Siberia is not only wide. It's also lonely!"
"Makes sense!"
Outside, the thought of a cat woke up some memories in everyone…
"I hate cats!" Jordan shuddered.
"I would have guessed he is more a dog lover. Our inverses had a cat!" Clark murmured.
"I knew we should had agreed to the boy's wish of a pet when they were little!" Lois wailed.
Inside, the elder Lois continued…
"I realized that I had to do something. I knew that a week passed like it passed here! I was worried your father locked you up at the DOD again…"
"Again?!" the rest of the family asked shocked and Lois and Jordan looked over to Clark who turned as white as chalk and let the shopping-bag from the pharmacy drop. Will he really do that, or would it be his fault when Jonathan gets locked up in the lab?
"…I took one of your Golden-Kryptonite leftovers and followed you. I went to the farm and saw you were not home. I took a bag of cow dung and spread it under the window. I knew your father would warn Mr. Branden to use his fertilizers on such a hot day! I waited until he was gone and… well… you know…"
"Was it necessary to stab him? You hurt him terribly!" Jonathan said before he showed her something on his phone. "Chief Cushing wrote me! He and Ms. Beppo found the blood in the house. They were scared as hell!"
That was the moment, Lois realized that she indeed didn't close the front door. She pulled out her own phone and saw the countless of messages she received from their friends. She wrote back hastily that they are fine and focused on the conversation inside again.
"Six seconds!"
"What?"
"According to my future self, six seconds were missing to permanently turn off Jordans powers. In six to seven weeks, he gets them back!" Jonathan explained. "When Lara scanned him here today, she confirmed you only extended his powerlessness for a week. His cells are already damaged."
"I didn't expect him to bleed so hard, or the shard so sharp!" the elder Lois told and turned her head to Lara. "I am sorry! I know we brought shame over the house of El when we excluded Jonathan without reasons! Or when we forced him to life far beyond dignity in this awful town. Not able to show his full potential. I accept every punishment."
Lara looked on the elder version of her daughter in law with a stern look on her face. But she nodded. Lois counted this as an accept and turned her head back to Jonathan.
"Come closer… I want to tell you something. Don't let your father listen…"
As if on cue, Lara made a gesture with her hand and the scene muted. Making it impossible for anyone outside the fortress to hear anything. Even for Clark…
"What? What is that? Clark, what they are talking?" Lois asked upset.
"Wait… let me see…"
Clark couldn't hear anything anymore. But he was able to read lips a little bit. He couldn't see what the elder Lois was saying, since Jonathan was covering her face with his head when he went closer. But he was able to see that Jonathan was suddenly very well tempered and the teenager took his phone.
'Sounds good… I call chief Cushing… he will help me to get it…" Clark was able to read from his son's lips.
If someone would have called Clark in his teenage days, that his own son will one day trust Kyle Cushing more than him, Clark would had called it a bad joke. If not an offense! He and Kyle were very far from being friends. On the contrary! But this was another prove how much Clark missed and that he didn't use the move as an opportunity to bond with him, too.
They watched Jonathan turning to Lara and saying something to her before he took a blanket and covered the sick and weak elder version of his mother and went to the opening entrance to face his family.
"She needs a moment to be alone!" he explained, crossed his arms and looked on his family.
Lois became pensive… maybe she should do it! She should accept the job-offer at the planet! She would be stupid if she doesn't. And Jonathan had good arguments. Clark became pensive, too! He knew Lois was not 100 percent happy in Smallville, too. She was an ambitious and intelligent woman with very limited opportunities in Smallville. And he had more and more the feeling that this town was not able or willing to be saved anymore. Jordan only remained silent and lowered his head in shame. His good life in Smallville was a lie anyway. Sam was only interested in his powers, and after all his brother went through, it was evident that his parents were, too. And this hurt.
"And what do we do with her, now?" Lois asked.
"We should wait a bit till she calmed down! In the meantime, I should go back to the farm to calm down everyone!" Clark added suddenly remembering their upset friends.
Jonathan took the bag from the pharmacy from the ground to look inside.
"Take your medicine Jordan!" Jonathan said and handed the bottle to his brother. "And then we look after our guest!"
"Something is weird about this… when in the future, the time is suspended, why it didn't start to run again when the older Jonathan and Jordan vanished. I mean… the timeline was changed! Why the time in the future is still the same?" Lois asked.
"Hey… that's right!" Clark said. "Shouldn't have everything be changed and different now? Let's ask my mother for advice about this!"
When the Lane-Kents entered the fortress again, everyone was shocked to see that the elder Lois was gone…