Principal Balcomb's office at Smallville High was never a really inviting place. When Clark and Jordan were told to come here, Clark wondered what the reason was…
Back on the day, he came here to sign up Jonathan and Jordan, the office had this dark vibe, as if it was telling him: you are not welcome here! And now it was even worse. As if it was one more warning Clark ignored.
Principal Melinda Balcomb didn't like this office, too. When she took this job-opportunity 7 years ago, she got told that this is a quiet town, with a decreasing population, without any mayor trouble to expect. Back then nobody told her that this town is full of a mineral that gives humans powers, that the people are hostile and frustrated, and that everyone is unmotivated and can't wait to flee. She really regrets that she once moved here, too.
The first person, who welcomed her in Smallville back then, was Martha Kent! Martha Kent helped her to settle in, to find a nice house for herself and her family, and to get in touch with the people. Telling her who needed support and who organized so many events in school. She really liked her.
After her death, when she heard that Martha Kent's grandsons were going to transfer to this school, she was excited. She knew, if her grandsons were just a little bit like Martha, she could expect great from them. She definitely didn't expect one to take drugs and the other one to avoid any extracurricular and being 'weird'…
"Why we are here?" Clark asked.
"I want to talk to you about your son!" Balcomb told. She saw that Clark looked on Jordan immediately. "About Jonathan! To your son here I come later!"
Jordan raised an eyebrow at that statement. Wondering what he did wrong. Clark meanwhile was worried…
"What about Jonathan! He is not in school today because… he is sick!" Clark told.
"In Metropolis?" Balcomb asked. "To purchase X-Kryptonite?"
"WHAT?" Clark yelled. "Who says that?"
"I received a call from a friend yesterday! She sent me this photo…" Balcomb said and showed Clark and Jordan what she got.
It was a photo of Jonathan at the bus-station in Metropolis. Standing with his back towards the camera and being greeted by Timmy, whose face was clearly visible. Timmy was smiling and looked a little bit sheepish.
"…she told me your son is meeting this dealer in Metropolis!"
Clark was shocked…
"This boy… is not a dealer! As less as my son is a dealer!" Clark said shocked. "The boy on the picture is named Timothy Tanner! He is a friend of my sons! We used to be neighbors in Metropolis! Jonathan visited him yesterday!"
"Alone? After a taking a long bus-ride to the city?" Balcomb asked with a raised eyebrow.
"How dare you?" Jordan now interfered.
"Jordan…" Clark shut him off. He was shocked about this accusation, too. But no matter how bad things are, he will only make it worse if he makes a scene. "Principal Balcomb, I can assure you that this boy is not a X-K dealer. I can give you his address and his phone-number if you want, so you can ask him and his parents by yourself. I am sure they will be pleased to hear that a High-School-principal from another town accuses their son of being a drug-dealer, despite never meeting him?"
Clark's thread seemed to work. Balcomb put her phone down. But she was still upset.
"Jonathan…he…" Clark began to stutter. He had to tell Balcomb the truth, or the rumors will not stop. "…we… had a fight yesterday… I… broke a promise… I ditched him… and he was so mad on me, that he took the bus to spend the night at this boy's place!"
"Did something happen?" Balcomb could see that Clark was suddenly so upset.
"He… he had a mental breakdown… he is in hospital in Metropolis!" Clark told. He purposefully avoided to say that he was in 'Belle-Reeve', to not to scare Jordan, who was worried enough. "So… if there is anyone going to tell you that my son is out there to buy drugs or do anything else illegal it is character assassination."
Clark was upset. All bad thoughts came up again.
"What happened, Mr. Kent?" Balcomb asked.
Clark moaned… he decided to tell Balcomb the full truth. Of course, without the Superman-secret, but everything to avoid her believing any more lies, someone tries to spread about Jonathan. Balcomb listened to Clark's story curiously and was surprised when he told her that he takes the responsibility for his X-Kryptonite consume…
"It was my fault!" Clark confessed. "I was not there for him! I have ignored his problems! I was blind for what he had to endure in this school…"
"Is this an accusation, Mr. Kent?" Balcomb asked. Just hearing that Clark tries to blame her school let her be upset.
"It is a demand that you fire that bastard Gaines!" Jordan interfered.
"Jordan… stay calm!" Clark ordered harshly.
"It's true! He had no problem with using Jon as the scapegoat!"
"Your brother got caught with those inhalers!" Balcomb told.
"But the whole team took that stuff and Gaines didn't notice!" Jordan moaned. "Now I wouldn't be surprised if he knew it all the time."
"Jordan, stay calm! It makes no sense to make a scene now!" Clark said, trying to calm down the situation before it escalates again.
"Maybe it is overdue to make a scene! Or in this stinking school nothing will change!"
"Watch your words young man!" Balcomb interfered. "With that high number of unexcused absences, you have no…"
"But it is true! Someone put a stink-bomb or something into the wall behind my brother's locker. Every time he opened it, he says that it stinks like mold!"
"Jordan, please… I want to help your brother, too! But you don't help him by this!" Clark begged before turning back to the principal. "My son is not, and he never was, a drug-dealer… I might not have made that clear after the X-Kryptonite-incident, but it is a fact!"
Clark should have stepped in for Jonathan, he knew that now! He should have talked to Jon about his motives, about his feelings and why he covers for the dealer! He knew it now, but back then he only insisted on apologizing to everyone without realizing how much the boy was suffering under the situation himself. But that changes now…
"Mr. Kent… ever since your sons attend to this school, I have the feeling that something is going on in your family that…" Balcomb start to talk before suddenly the door was torn open by the secretary without knocking.
"Sorry… I…" the woman yelled. She was pale and worried.
"Norma, I said that…" Balcomb start to rant.
"I am sorry, but the school-authority is on the phone! It is urgent! Seriously urgent!" the secretary said, making a gesture with her hand, that seemed to be a code.
Clark didn't know what it meant but Balcomb was suddenly very upset and looked on her phone. One of the buttons were blinking, indicating that there was a call. It had to be something serious.
"We are done for now!" Balcomb said a bit dismissively. It was obvious that she wanted to get rid of them. "We talk later about this!"
"My son is no drug-dealer!" Clark told again before he stood up from his chair and looked on Jordan. "Jordan, go to your class…"
"But…"
"No complain! Go to your classes and tell Natalie the latest news when you see her! After school we talk about your brother at home!"
Jordan complained again. But Clark took him by his arm to get him out of the office. Reminding him that there was nothing they could do for Jonathan now, expect waiting!
Both had no idea that Jonathan was sedated and laying in the back of an armored DOD truck that was flooded with red sunlight and brought to a special location…
"Who is this boy?" the soldier at the wheel asked. "Could he be the son of Tal-Rho?"
"Maybe? Or maybe the son of Superman?" the man next to him on the passenger seat suggested. "Whoever he is, the blood-test proved it: He is Kryptonian!"
If Jonathan would hear that, he would freak out again…
His father Clark was on the verge of it, too…
"Kal, get Jonathan here!" Lara's angry and demanding voice echoed through his ears again.
Clark was so upset after the new demand from Lara, he got to hear hourly that he was trembling. He wondered if Jordan heard it, too and hoped that he does not do something stupid.
Clark walked through the corridor. He had to get out of the school. After this embarrassing talk with Balcomb and the poisonous glare he got from Jordan he had to leave.
On his way out he passed his son's locker. Clark remembered how Jordan mentioned that Jonathan complained about a moldy scent from the wall. Clark used his x-ray-vision to check if there was maybe a dead rat in the wall. What he didn't expect was that the whole wall and the isolation was full of black mold…
"AGHHH… Mold!" Clark wailed and left the school disgusted.
This was a serious matter. He had to report this somehow. This was a security risk. How could the school miss this for so long? What about the budget for the renovation? When Clark reached his truck, he took his phone to call Lois. She should know about this! Maybe she finds a way how to convince the school to remove it immediately.
Even after the third call, Lois didn't pick up. Clark moaned again. Sure, she was mad on him. But she should know that the school, her kids go to, was full of mold. Clark thought about getting Jordan out of his class again, but the boy was so mad on him for being there now, it would be too confusing if he takes him out again. Clark decided to call the Gazette.
"Smallville-Gazette, Chrissy Beppo speaking! How can I help you?"
"Chrissy, this is Clark! Is Lois with you? I need to talk to her!"
"Oh, I need that, too! I am bombed with calls about Superman's fight with Ally yesterday and only Lois can answer them. But she does not pick up her phone and does not respond to my messages since she called me and told me that she does not come to the office today!" Chrissy wailed tired and annoyed. She had a short night, too.
"What? When?"
"Some time ago, I could hear that she was driving somewhere! She told me that she will not come today because she must handle something important. She didn't tell me what, but she was crying! And that a lot!"
Clark shuddered. What is Lois doing? He reached out his hearing to find her voice, but she was not talking.
"I call you back!" Clark said, ended the call and flew back to the farm.
He left his truck behind; he ignored the car that was approaching the farm and he ignored the loud scream he heard from Balcomb's office. Clark rushed into his house to find the wardrobe in his and Lois' bedroom open. Some of her clothes were missing. The drawler of the dresser was open, too. More things of her missing. What was also missing was a suitcase and a bag with wigs and make-up, Lois used in the past for undercover research…
"Oh my god… Lois…"
Clark had no time to cope with the possibility that Lois might have just left him, before suddenly the doorbell rang, followed by three loud knocks against the door…
With his superspeed, Clark rushed to the door, in a weak hope that it could be Lois, but instead a middle-aged woman, with badly dyed hair, thick round glasses and a blouse with flourish design stood in front of the door.
"Clark Kent?"
"Yes!"
"I am from the Youth-Welfare! The CPS-office in Metropolis has informed us! We need to talk!"
Clark could suddenly feel how his heart dropped. Can it get even worse?
Exactly this question, Lois tried to deny when she checked herself in the mirror of the motel-room, two blocks away from Belle Reeve Clinic, to check if her disguise with the wig, the glasses and the make-up was good enough.
She knew, what she was going to do was illegal. She could be in even bigger trouble than she already was. But it was about Jonathan! Her baby! Her son! She let him down too often in the past! She can't accept that others tell her now to stay away from her son.
In the past few hours, she was thinking a lot about what happened. About Jonathan, his motives, the reasons he does not trust them anymore (if he ever did that), the X-K, the barn-scene, and of course how to go on.
Did she really just leave Clark? Did she really pack up her things and left Smallville? She admits that she didn't like it in Smallville, too! People saw in her only the big-city-lady who wants to prevent them getting jobs from Edge. But things got better. If she had taken better care of Jonathan and seen how much he was struggling under everything, she might have been able to prevent his X-K abuse? He might have told her about Candice immediately, so they could have found a way to get her out of it. Organize help for her and her family?
But for that it was too late! Jonathan became sick! Everything they feared would happen to Jordan if he is powerless, happened to Jonathan. Jonathan suffered under their neglect, the burden of being powerless and the feeling of being unloved and left out. Lois thought about what Lara told Jordan yesterday and she really wondered, why she was so stupid to not tell Clark to take Jonathan there, too. If the boy had a better understanding for this site of him, he might not have taken the X-K, too? Knowing that it could hurt him?
But all this had to wait for now. In her disguise, and with the fake ID she has, she goes to the psychiatric clinic and checks that Jonathan is fine. She couldn't face him in person (he would recognize her and think that she does it again) but she needed to keep sure that he got at least treated well.
The Belle-Reeve-Psychatric-Hospital was as uninviting and scary as the last time, Lois sneaked in for a story a few years ago. Not as scary as the Arkham-Asylum in Gotham City (another place she once sneaked in) but it gave her shivers. The entrance hall at least got renovated and was now in warm beige. Lois approached the information-desk where an elder woman was sitting on her computer. In the reflection on her glasses, Lois could see that the woman was playing Solitaire on the computer. Maybe out of boredom…
"Hello!" Lois said with a disguised voice. "My name is Doctor Beth Miller! I am youth-psychologist! I was informed that one of my patients was delivered here yesterday. I would like to check on him and talk to the head of the station."
"Name?" the woman asked bored and with a voice that was so deep, Lois thought would rather fit to a man.
"Jonathan Kent!"
The woman began to type something on her keyboard. Lois could see in the reflection in her glasses that she was searching for him in her database.
"What was the name again?"
"Jonathan Kent!" Lois repeated. "He might be brought here anonymous or as John Kent. He was in the West-Metropolis-Medical-Center after a head injury!"
Nervously Lois watched the woman typing on her keyboard again to look for it again. Suddenly also feeling guilty for her son's head-injury…
"There is no Jonathan Kent in treatment here! I am sorry, you are wrong!"
Lois suddenly turned pale: "But… I got the information that he was brought here!"
"Wait a second…" the woman told, and Lois could see in the reflection on her glasses that she opened another database to check it there. The worst feelings and scenarios suddenly start to play in her head. "…hmm… a J. Kent was announced but he hasn't arrived yet."
"Where is he now?"
"According to what I see here… he should be in… ehm… he is in quarantine!" the woman told and looked up. "If you would… ehm… Dr. Miller?"
The woman could only see Lois running out again in fear… she tried to grab her ELT, but that was shattered in an evidence-bag at the police-station…
At the DOD headquarter, Sam instinctively tried to grab his ELT, too. But that was still laying at the Kent-farm. This was not good! Hardcastle just confronted him with the result of a blood-test, that said that Jonathan is Kryptonian.
"This is impossible! There must be a mistake!" Sam tried to defend himself.
"You call this a mistake, Sam?" Hardcastle said harshly and turned around the screen of her computer to show Sam the test-results she received just seconds ago by E-Mail. "His blood is Kryptonian!"
"My grandson is human! This is totally impossible!" Sam wailed. He always hoped that Jonathan is human and will never be detected. But Clark's genes seemed to be stronger. Suddenly he had an idea: "He took X-Kryptonite several times. Maybe it caused these anomalies in his blood!"
"You know exactly that this is a lie! We have the medical reports of countless of people who were caught with X-Kryptonite and who have taken it. None of them had any changes in his blood! This boy is without doubt Kryptonian!"
Sam tried to not to, but he paled. Jonathan referred as Kryptonian? The boy hates Krypton! He rejects it! There was nothing to safe anymore! Now it was only about limiting the damage!
"Sam, I demand the truth! Your daughter has an own ELT! She is known to have a good relationship to Superman! Did she have an affair with him?"
"No! No, it's…" Sam wailed, turning even paler. "Vicky, I…"
"Hardcastle for you, as long as you haven't told me the truth… General Lane!"
Sam lowered his head in shame, while also instinctively trying to grab for his ELT again… realizing that he was not able to handle this without Clark… without a Kryptonian? Jonathan was right! Can it even get worse from now?
"Where is my grandson now?"
"At a safe location, with the other Kryptonian!"
"WHAT?" Sam yelled. Realizing that it got even worse…
Lois in the meantime, ran across the streets back to her motel to change again. After half of the distance, she already pulled off the wig from her head and continued running. Something was wrong and it was something terrible…
She grabbed her phone and saw the various ignored calls and messages from Clark. But she was still too mad on him to ask him. Her father was no option either, since he only wanted to take advantage of Jordan's powers. Maybe there was a simple and logical explanation for it? Or maybe the CPS fooled her to keep her away from her son? She couldn't call Chrissy without explaining her why Jonathan had this breakdown… Even if she really liked her and thought about telling her the secret…
Lois grabbed her phone and called John-Henry instead…
"John, I need your help!"
In Smallville, Clark looked ever and ever on his phone again to see if Lois at least read his messages…
"Mr. Kent, I am still talking with you!" the woman from the local youth-welfare said harshly.
"Sorry, I… ehm… still waiting for my wife to call back!"
"What I could see tells me that she left you!" the woman said with a raised eyebrow.
The first thing the woman did was making a tour through the house. Seeing not only Jonathan's damaged trophies in his room, but also their looted bedroom, that made it clear that the man in front of her was just left by his wife. Maybe because of the incident? Ever since she was here, she asked unpleasant questions, Clark was either not able to answer because it would bust their secret or were hard to bear.
"I don't beat my son and I don't purposefully hurt him!" Clark told ever and ever again.
"The boy your son Jonathan fled to, told him yesterday evening that you prefer your other son over him, that you allow him to cheat, and that Jonathan is scared of you!"
"And I am ashamed for it! Deeply ashamed!" Clark wailed. "I failed… I failed both my sons; I admit that! If I could turn back time, I would make so many things different."
Clark knew exactly what:
Taking Jonathan to the fortress, too! Letting him scan and showing him openly that he is a full legit member of the family, too. And who knows, when Lara is right, they might figure out why Jonathan has no powers and do the same with Jordan or give Jonathan powers! Whatever they decide?
Not allowing Jordan to join the football-team! It was right: It was not only unfair towards Jonathan, who worked so hard to get where he was, but also dangerous. Jonathan's broken arm, the incident with Jimmy Cutter and Gaines' bad treatment of Jonathan (Clark would need to investigate, too) would have not happened.
Spending more quality time with the boys that has nothing to do with powers! If he was fully honest to himself, he and Jordan mainly bonded over their powers and 'their' shared origin. But it was Jonathan's origin, too! And aside from their powers, Clark had to admit that he had no clue what else to do with Jordan. Maybe this is the reason he is not able to bond with Jonathan?
All these thoughts let Clark become even sadder…
"Listen… My plan to grow closer to the boys with this move was a failure. I know that now!" Clark said, a tear running down his face. "And what happened yesterday evening at the house of that other family was never our purpose."
"But it happened! You are not able to figure out what your son is feeling, so you had to spy him out with a bug!"
"This bug, is a… was a device to call Superman in an emergency!"
"You really want us to believe this fuss?" the woman asked. "Mr. Kent, I am sorry… but after everything I heard and everything I see here in this house, I think it is better for your son to get some distance!"
"He can have it if he wants! I allow him everything he wants! He needs a break from Smallville I admit that! Maybe to stay with a friend, or with his grandmother for a while…" Clark bit on his tongue after the last sentence.
"Oh, yes… the other thing that makes no sense: Timothy Tanner told my colleague in Metropolis that you strictly prohibit him to know his grandmother, for some reason! Why?"
"I… I have no reason! And his grandmother already said that I am going to bleed for this!" Clark wailed.
He looked on the clock on the wall. 24 hours ago, he was with Jordan up in the Arctic and practiced flying. 24 hours ago they were so happy and thought that they have something to celebrate. And now his family was falling apart…
"Listen… I know you just do your job, but I have to go and help my son! I need to find my wife! And I have to report something to the school! There is mold in the walls."
"Mold? Really?"
"Really!"
"Mr. Kent, is this an attempt to get out of this talk?"
"No… it is… aww…"
Clark couldn't tell this woman that he was able to see the mold with his X-ray-vision… the more he talked to her, the more he felt as if he was loosing…
Another one who felt like the greatest fool in the world was Jordan…
His relationship with his father, with his grandfather and with his mother seemed so wrong. His brother was sick, just because he didn't listen to him and was selfish. And everyone seemed to blame him. At least if felt so. Timmy Tanner, whom he always considered as a friend, suddenly was so mad on him, too… but he was his only hope to figure out more about Jonathan…
Jordan knew, he couldn't just grab Jon and fly him to the fortress. It would just worse his brother's condition and his picture of him. He lost faith in his parents and his grandfather. And Sarah, who doesn't know about his powers, would not understand him if he tells her. Her mother would see it as a reason to stay away from her daughter even more. Timmy was his only chance…
Timmy was surprised about the high response to his attempt to organize help for Jonathan…
Jonathan Kent was popular, valued and looked up to in Metropolis among his classmates and his friends. He was someone who stepped in for others, who defended the weak, and who was always able to calm down a bad situation. In Metropolis everyone was happy to call him a friend. But in Smallville, everything changed.
Everyone, Timmy was able to organize for this meeting, was shocked to hear that Jonathan got rejected by the people in his father's hometown. Everyone thought that they would welcome Jon there with open arms and not try to destroy his life with lies and wrong accusations.
Timmy expected about 3 or 4 additional students to his meeting with Jay Nakamura's school-newspaper-club 'The Truth'. But now there was a crowd of at least 20 among him. Additionally, to this, was his uncle Coach Patterson. They didn't even fit together at a table in the cafeteria, so they had to move out to this spot at the edge of the school's campus, right next to the fence. There was a table, where Jay and his fellow 'reporters' already build up their computers to research. Others brought even snacks.
Timmy stood in front of the group and was overwhelmed.
"Wow… If Jonathan would see this…?" the boy murmured. Confident that they will find a way together to get Jon out of that Podunk somehow.
Jonathan didn't see this, but his brother Jordan did…
Lunch-break in Metropolis was at the same time as in Smallville! Jordan wanted to use this opportunity and talk to Timmy.
After getting rid of his babysitter Natalie (Clark and John-Henry both told her to keep an eye on him), Jordan sneaked out of school, rushed with his superspeed to Metropolis in just a few minutes and reached his and his brother's former school where he localized Timmy with his super hearing.
It was a weird feeling to be back on this place, where he had so many bad memories on. He wondered what would have happened if they didn't move and he had his powers here? Would he have been able to fight back and get Cutter expelled earlier! But Jordan put all those thoughts aside for now, since he wanted to talk to Timmy urgently.
He was surprised to find him with a bunch of other teens. And he heard them talking about his brother…
"I informed the school-authority! They start an investigation against Gaines and the principal of that school!" Timmy's uncle whispered.
"Great… If we could…"
"Psst… Timmy…" Jordan hissed from his hideout.
He stood beyond the mesh-wire-fence, that surrounded the campus, in the bushes and tried to get Timmy's attention without to be seen. But Timmy had no hearing like him and was too distracted by the others.
"Timmy! Timmy, I am here…" Jordan said a bit louder now. But Timmy was distracted by the guy with the pink dyed hair, who showed him something on his laptop, that let Timmy smile. Jordan lost his patience, got out of the bushes and placed himself clearly visible at the fence to yell. "TIMMY!"
Hearing his name gotten yelled let Timmy turn around in reflex and see the boy with the long curly hair beyond the fence…
"JORDAN?!"
Suddenly everyone went silent, and all eyes were fixed on Jordan, who suddenly felt as if he was on display…