Hey, guys!

So, I'm hoping that this won't happen, but this story might be going on a temporary hiatus. I hurt my wrist and I see the doctor about it next week. Depending on what he says, I might not be able to write. But... We'll see.

I hope you enjoy this chapter though!

Chapter Eighteen

The textured white ceiling still reminded Jon-El of where he had grown up. When he saw it, he could feel the annoyance in his chest, like a painful heartbeat.

He didn't understand why it annoyed him, or why he still missed his childhood home. The house had been the most unhappy place he had ever been in, filled with screams and terror.

The fear he had felt on even the most dangerous of missions didn't compare to the way he felt when he had walked in the door of his old home. He could still remember his hand shaking as he reached out to grab the cold doorknob.

The bruises and injuries were worse too. He had taken the brunt of his father's anger for longer than he could remember, he had learned how to use makeup to hide bruises before he even understood why he was hiding them.

He had learned to hide behind a fake smile, a skill he still used more often than not.

It made hiding his injured chest and sore body from the Kents much easier than he expected it to be, but as the day wore on, his smile became a lot harder to fake.

Thankfully, no one ever came into his room at night. No one was around to see the tears he tried to hide.

No one was around to hear him muffle his screams.

He rolled over on his bed, trying in vain to find some semblance of comfort. The bed that had once felt like a cloud was now a spring-filled nightmare against his bruises.

Jon-El couldn't get comfortable, he couldn't sleep.

His eyes burned as he stared aimlessly at the ceiling above him. There was something he could try, but he didn't want to be caught…

As slowly as Jon-El could, he stood up and walked through the dark house that was far too similar to his childhood home.

At any second, he expected his father to speed around the corner and stop him in his tracks. His father would yell at him for still being up, he would add to the bruises on his body, and Jon-El would have to take it.

But he wasn't there anymore. Jon-El was on a completely different earth in a house that just looked the same.

That didn't mean that he didn't expect pain if he got caught.

By some miracle though, he didn't seem to alert the Kryptonians in the house as he snuck down the stairs and into the kitchen.

He began looking through the different cabinets as quickly and quietly as he could. During the time that he had lived here, he had seen Lois pull a bottle of pain medication out of the cabinet, but he had never taken the time to figure out which one it had been.

He knew it was wrong, stealing medication from them. Sure, it had never been in the list of rules that they had given to him, but it didn't have to be. Jon-El knew that he shouldn't.

But he was desperate, he didn't know what else to do. He couldn't take a deep breath anymore, and the pain was so bad that he couldn't sleep.

He just couldn't get caught taking it.

He had known better than to touch anything that wasn't his back on the other world. He remembered what had happened when he had messed with things that didn't belong to him.

He had only stolen medication from his parents once. He had learned his lesson after that.

Finally, he found what he was looking for. It was a big bottle, something that Jon had taken for a headache and Lois had taken for some wrist pain after too much typing. Surely it would help his chest.

And that was when the light turned on.

"Jonathan?"

Jon-El spun around at the sound of his father's voice. "I wasn't doing anything!"

Clark frowned at him. There wasn't any anger in his eyes, but there was something else that Jon-El couldn't place. Concern?

"What are you doing up?" he asked.

Jon-El hesitated. He had been caught red handed stealing medication from them. Maybe if he was honest, he wouldn't be in so much trouble.

Jon-El fought the urge to duck his head in shame. A blow to the head was a lot worse than one to the cheek. "I'm sorry," he began. "I just… I know I shouldn't have, but I…"

Clark's frown grew deeper. "Shouldn't have what, Jon-El?" he asked.

He opened his right hand, and showed Clark the two white pills inside of it. "I'm sorry…" he said again, though his heart beat so loudly he could hardly hear his own voice. He knew his apologies would get him nowhere.

Clark's eyes widened and he looked up at him. "Are you in pain?"

Jon-El nodded. If Clark was anything like his doppelganger, then Jon-El was already in for it anyway, he might as well be honest. "Yes, sir."

"Stay there," Clark said, then sped up the stairs.

Jon-El could feel the tears beginning to form in his eyes as his hands shook with panic. He had no idea what Clark was about to do, or why he had run off like that.

He had just wanted relief from the pain, a good night's sleep for once. But he should have known better. He didn't deserve it, he didn't deserve relief.

He bit down on his lip to keep the tears at bay.

When Clark finally came back downstairs, Lois was right behind him. She seemed to have the same worried expression that Clark did. If it wasn't for the pain in his chest, it would have made Jon-El squirm.

"What's going on?" Lois asked as she walked up to him. "Where do you feel bad, sweetie?"

Jon-El ducked his head. He didn't want to tell them the truth. He didn't want them to know that the guard had been able to overtake him, that his once-invincible form had been too weak to keep the guard away.

But he knew that lying would only get him in more trouble. Clark had X-Ray vision, if he didn't believe him, then he could just use it to find the injuries.

"My chest," he whispered as he kept his head down and his gaze glued to the floor. He didn't want to see their reactions to him once again being hurt. How could they stand it? This was twice now…

"Where on your chest?" Clark asked.

"My ribs…"

"Can we see them, sweetie?" Lois asked.

Jon-El hesitated, then lifted his shirt. He tried to prepare himself for the taunting, for the mocking, the smack across the face for disgracing his family with his weakness…

Instead there was silence.

Jon-El lifted his head, afraid of what would happen next.

"What happened?" Clark asked, and Jon-El held back a wince. No matter how hard Clark tried to be gentle, Jon-El couldn't hear anyone but his accusatory father. The one who would blame the injury on him, and taunt him for being weak.

"In the cell…" he started, but almost immediately found that he couldn't get the words out. He didn't want to tell them what had happened.

"Did someone do this to you?" Lois asked, and she reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder. The touch was gentle and soothing.

He nodded as the memories he had been trying to push aside came back into the front of his mind. "There was this guard…" he tried to explain.

"Lois, I think we need to take him to the DoD," Clark said.

With those words, Jon-El's heartbeat spiked as panic washed over him. "Why?"

They wouldn't send him back for this, right? It hadn't been his fault… Was it because he was too weak? Not only a disgrace to his alien heritage, but to the Kents as well?

"The doctors will be able to help you," Clark explained. "They'll know what to do, and it won't expose you to the world. Any doctor here in Smallville would panic if they heard your heartbeat."

Jon-El swallowed as he tried to process what Clark was telling him. He had been to a doctor before, but this was different. He had to be hidden away, taken to a secret facility with doctors who would have to keep what he was a secret for the rest of his life.

Jon-El had never felt more uncomfortable in his skin.

"They'll take good care of you, sweetie," Lois told him. "I'll make sure of it."

Jon-El looked over at her, and frowned. "You're coming too?"

It wasn't that he didn't want her around, but it was late at night. Wouldn't she rather be sleeping?

"Of course I am," she said.

At her words, a small wave of relief rushed through Jon-El. She was putting him first, making sure he was okay.

He tried not to feel guilty at that realization though. He didn't deserve for her to stay up and make sure that he was okay. He wasn't worthy of that, not after everything he had done.

"We should probably get going," Clark said. "I texted Sam and he'll meet us there."

Jon-El's heart skipped a beat in panic. He had forgotten about Sam Lane… Would he be like the man on his world? Would he be like the kind and loving grandpa that Jon-El had betrayed?

"Are you ready?" Lois asked.

Jon-El hesitated, then nodded. It was a lie. The only one he had told them so far tonight. He definitely wasn't ready to be back at the Department of Defense, he wasn't ready to see the man who looked like his grandpa.

But he didn't have a choice.

"Yeah," he lied. "I'm ready."

I hope you enjoyed!

Thanks for reading! Love y'all!