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Between Two Worlds
By AmandaK

Summary: A coup on New Krypton sends Clark fleeing back to Earth with his nine-year-old “son,” Jor-El. He arrives in Smallville to find Lois and their son, Jon. Clark must now find his place on Earth once more, while helping Jor settle in and becoming the father Jon never had.

Author’s Note:
For the purposes of this story, Kryptonian dialogue will be noted by <>. Telepathic communication will be noted with []. Hopefully, this will be easy enough to follow.

Warning:
There is some description of severe war injury in this chapter. There are no vivid details but the basics of the injuries are described.

Chapter 4
SMALLVILLE – PRESENT

“So, what happened next?” Lois asked. Clark had paused in his story, lost in his own memories of Jor’s birth and the days following. “Were you able to stay in New Kandor for long? Did they send you back to the war front? How long did the war last? Did you help raise Jor?”

Clark grinned at the familiarity of her rapid-fire questions. Lois in full reporter mode was always something to behold. She was truly breathtaking when she was in her element.

He took a sip from his tea before answering. “To answer your first question – no, I wasn’t able to stay for long. They wanted me back at Fort Liguhsh just a few days later. Those first few days with Jor though… I’ll never forget them. He was so small. And even though he wasn’t really mine, I felt a sort of bond with him. I tried to step back and let Zara and Ching have those special moments for themselves whenever we were alone, but they were always inviting me to hold him, to be part of their little family.

“And we were a family, officially of course, but also personally. Zara became like a sister to me and Ching was my brother.” Clark looked down into his near empty cup. “It’s really hard to accept that they’re gone. They were such a huge part of my life for the past ten years. I never would have survived the war without them.”

“The war was long, then?” Johnathan asked, prompting Clark to look up at his father.

He nodded. “Yes. It was… it was too long. So many lives were lost on both sides. At a certain point, Nor’s forces dwindled enough that he gave up traditional war strategy and started something like guerrilla warfare. His men would spring out of nowhere, attacking our troops or even civilians. The Kryptonians had never seen anything like it. They didn’t know how to combat something so unconventional. And my own knowledge is limited to historical texts, not strategic plans. We took quite the beating for a few years before we finally managed to gain the upper hand again.”

“And Jor?” Martha inquired. “Were you able to spend much time with him?”

“No.” Clark answered with a sigh. “I couldn’t make it back to New Kandor often. My leave time was short and sporadic. When I did make it back, I think I spent most of my time either in meetings with the Council or sleeping. I was exhausted, physically, mentally, emotionally. I don’t think I’ve ever been so tired in my life. I was… doing whatever I had to just to make it from one day to the next.”

He frowned deeply, remembering things he didn’t want to remember, things he couldn’t talk about. Shaking his head, he looked back up at the waiting faces and offered a half smile and changed the subject back to his son. “Jor didn’t see much of me at all until he was seven. We talked over holo-message but that mostly consisted of him informing me of his progress in his lessons. He was… very well educated. I don’t think he had much of what we would consider a proper childhood.

“From the time he could talk, he was receiving lessons in manners, history, politics, science. He could read and write before he turned four. Basically, they started him very early on everything he would need to know to one day lead New Krypton. He and Zara were very close and I know he loved Ching as well, though he considered him to be more of an uncle. They were always there for him, even as he was pushed to learn and study far more than should be expected of a boy his age.”

“I guess that explains why he’s so… aloof?” Lois fished for the right word to describe Jor-El. “He acts like an adult trapped in a child’s body.”

“In many ways, that’s what he was expected to be.” Clark acknowledged.

Lois nodded and then latched onto one detail he had mentioned. “So, what happened when he was seven? Did the war end?”

Clark turned away and shut his eyes against the memories threatening to invade his mind. He needed to tell them – wanted to tell them. He just didn’t want to remember all the details. He didn’t want to go back there.

“Clark?” He felt Lois’ soft hand come to rest on his arm and he focused on that, centering himself in the present.

He breathed deeply and finally compelled himself to answer her. “No. No, I wish it had.”

Another breath. “When Jor was seven – that was when…”

Another. “That was when I was injured.”

Three gasps came from those in the room with him and Lois’ hand squeezed his arm. “What happened?” she whispered.

He took several moments to gather his thoughts. Objective… just tell the story. Like writing an article. Don’t make it personal.

But it was personal.

He shook his head and just dove in. “There was an attack on a small farming village. Nor’s men looted their stores and burned their crops but they didn’t stop there. They went after the women and the children. They left the place in ruins and… the few survivors had nothing left to live on.

It was supposed to be a recovery and relief operation. Normally, I wasn’t allowed anywhere near the front lines – but helping people, that’s something I know how to do. I’ve aided in enough earthquakes and mudslides and tsunamis. I just wanted to be able to do something for once. To really help.”
Clark shut his eyes again. “We didn’t know that Nor’s troops were still close by. They’d raided the village to draw us out. They were waiting for us.”

Running a hand through his hair, he took several more breaths before continuing. “I don’t remember much of what happened – I try not to. There were… kids. We were trying to get them onto the transport. I ran back to help the last group and… it all goes blank after that. I was told that a mortar fell close by and that I took a lot of shrapnel. But I don’t remember anything until I woke up after surgery, back in New Kandor.”

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NEW KANDOR, NEW KRYPTON – 2 YEARS AGO

He felt heavy, like some great weight was holding him down. His mind felt fuzzy, unable to concentrate on any one thought. Gradually he became aware of noises around him – a steady beeping and the sound of some kind of pump – but he couldn’t make sense of them.

Then came the voices.

“This is all my fault.”

He recognized the voice – a woman. He knew her. But what was her name?

“You could not have known this would happen, Zara.”

Zara. That was it. And the other voice was familiar too. Ching – his mind supplied through the haze.

“He should not have been there at all.”

“No. But Commander Tunn-Bisk told us that he insisted.”

“I mean he should not be here!” Zara raised her voice but then lowered it to a near whisper. “I never should have brought him here. He never wanted to be a part of this.”

“You did what you thought was best for our people.”

“But not what was best for him.”

For several moments there was only the sound of the machines and the quiet footsteps of someone pacing.

Then Zara spoke again, “We should send him back.”

“Back?”

“To Earth.”

“The Council would never allow it.”

“The Council would not have to know. His injuries are so severe, it would be simple enough to claim that he succumbed to them. We could send him to Earth in secret – as his parents did.”

There was silence and then, “I fear he would not survive the journey on his own. He requires medical care. By the time he recovers enough to travel, your proposal would be implausible.”

“Is there any physician we could trust to make the journey with him? To ensure he arrives safely? Once he is under the yellow sun, he will heal quickly. We only need to –”

“There is no one. The people have allowed Kal-El to lead us through this war but he does not have their trust. He has had no time to build report with them and his manner has always been considered strange. They follow him for your sake and for Jor-El’s.”

Zara scoffed. “They would not care if he died. Why should they care if we sent him home?”

A hand touched his - Zara’s – warm and comforting. “I am so sorry, Clark. You’ve given so much for us. I only wish we could give you what you most desire.”

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SMALLVILLE – PRESENT

“Well, they obviously didn’t send you home.” Lois sniffed and turned away, wiping her eyes discreetly.

Clark looked up and saw that his mother was also dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief and his father’s face was grim. “No. They decided the risk was too great. I was… I was on something like a ventilator for several weeks. They had me pumped so full of painkillers, I wasn’t fully conscious for quite some time – just fading in and out, hearing pieces of conversation or sometimes just listening to the machines.”

Lois looked at her lap and bit her lip. When she looked up again, her eyes were set with determination. “Just how extensive were your injuries?”

Clark hesitated, looking between her and his parents. He wasn’t sure he ought to share all the details with them. They didn’t need to know. He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I’m fully healed now and after a few days in the sun, even the scars will –”

“Clark.” Lois stared at him hard. She wanted to know and she wasn’t going to stop asking until he told her, no matter how much it hurt her to hear it.

Glancing up his parents, Clark saw them both nod. They wanted to know as well. With a heavy sigh, he gave in. “My arms and legs took a lot of shrapnel. I lost a lot of blood and the scars are pretty severe.” He was suddenly very glad he hadn’t had a chance yet to change into something more comfortable than his Kryptonian body suit. Only his hands, feet, and head were exposed. They couldn’t see how bad it really was and they wouldn’t see, if he could just manage to keep covered until the scars faded.

“Like I said, it should only take a few days for them to go away once my powers fully return. I also suffered some head trauma. And beyond that um…” Clark stopped to order his thoughts and how best to explain without going into great detail. “A large piece of shrapnel struck me in the back. It, um… it pierced through my left lung, close to my heart. Apparently, I was very fortunate to survive the surgery.”

As Clark looked back up at his loved one’s horrified faces, he was glad that he couldn’t sense their emotions the way he could with Kryptonians. On New Krypton, everyone kept their emotions under control, rarely allowing themselves have a strong response to anything. Clark wondered if this was why. On a planet of empaths, strong emotions had the potential to cause chaos. Whatever Lois and his parents were feeling right now – he was better off not feeling it too.

He cleared his throat and tried to steer the subject on, from his injuries to his recovery and back to Jor. “I was pretty much bed ridden for six months, while I healed. As soon as I was stable, they allowed me to return to the apartment I shared with Zara and Jor. That was when I finally got to spend time with him.”

Clark smiled, remembering the shy, but determined, seven-year-old peering into his room for the first time, then approaching his bed and offering to sit with him. “He would read to me – usually just history and science texts, whatever he was learning at the time. Sometimes he would tell stories from Kryptonian mythology. When I felt well enough, I started sharing stories from Earth.”

“What did he think about those?” Lois asked with a soft smile. There was still pain behind her eyes, but she seemed grateful to have moved on.

Clark chuckled softly. “He was confused, at first. He’d only ever known New Krypton. How do you explain oceans and forests to someone who has never even seen a tree or a lake? All of New Krypton’s water is underground. It rarely rains, never snows. There are only a few species of animal and nothing like what we have here. I spent most of my stories just explaining what things were – describing in as much detail as possible but so much of it all just baffled him.

“The stories themselves led to so many questions. Why did the third pig not simply show his brothers the benefits of building with stone? Did Red-Riding Hood require eye surgery? Why would someone make a cookie in the shape of a man? The whole purpose of fairytales was lost on him. So, I tried to move on to Greek mythology – stories from The Iliad and The Odessey – but the imagery proved to difficult to translate into Kryptonian.

“Even so, he seemed to like listening to me talk about Earth. So, I started just telling him about my childhood – growing up here in Smallville.”

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NEW KANDOR, NEW KRYPTON – 2 YEARS AGO

< “The fish was so large that my father had to help me pull it in. My mother cooked it when we got home and we had a wonderful dinner that night.” >

< “Father?”>

Clark stopped telling his “big fish” story and looked over at the boy who sat at his bedside. Jor’s daily visits had become the one thing Clark could truly look forward to during the long months of enforced bedrest. He hated being cooped up with nothing to do. But even he had to admit that it was necessary.

The muscles in his arms and legs needed time to heal from the severe lacerations which had covered them. And his lungs – he couldn’t deny that it still hurt to breathe deeply and he tired quickly. His physicians had been worried about infection and any unnecessary activity had the potential to expose his wounds to more bacteria. If any of his flesh became necrotic, it would mean more surgery and a longer recovery.

So, Clark did his best to follow doctor’s orders and stay in bed.

He was restless.

He was often tired and took long naps but, whenever he was awake, he itched for something to occupy his time.

Jor’s visits had been a life saver. The boy was bright and curious, if a bit too stiff and formal for a boy of seven, by Clark’s way of thinking. He had Zara’s gentle confidence about him and something of Ching’s quiet integrity. Clark wondered how much of Jor’s manner was nature versus nurture.

< “Yes, Jor?”>

The boy met his eyes evenly, displaying none of the shyness he’d shown several months ago when these daily visits had begun. < “You often speak of Earth. Did you prefer it there?”>

Clark blinked, unsure how to answer the unexpected question. Finally, he sighed and decided to be honest. Jor would be able to tell if he lied anyway. < “Earth was my home. I grew up there. It is all I knew before I came to New Krypton. It is a beautiful planet with so many wonders. And there are many people there whom I miss greatly. So, yes. You could say that I did prefer it there.”>

< “Why did you leave, then?”> Trust a child to ask the hardest questions.

Why did he leave, indeed?

He often asked himself the same thing.

He certainly didn’t leave Earth to become a military leader.

He didn’t leave Earth to watch the people of his birth kill each other in a brutal civil war.

He didn’t leave Earth to nearly be killed by a mortar.

He left Earth because…

< “I left because I thought I could help,”> he finally answered.

< “Help New Krypton?”>

Clark nodded but frowned as a wave of confusion passed into his mind from Jor’s. The boy continued to meet his gaze steadily.

< “Did you not help New Krypton? You and mother are our leaders. You do what is best for our people.”>

Sighing, Clark looked away from his son. < “It is… complicated. When I left Earth, I believed that I was coming here to help prevent a war. But when we arrived, we found that it had already begun. Since I have been here, I have been unable to bring the war to an end. And so, I do not feel as though I have helped New Krypton.”>

Jor was quiet for several moments and Clark wondered if he should return to his fish story. Before he could pick up where he left off, however, Jor asked another question.

< “When the war does end, will you return to Earth?”>

Clark froze. He wanted to say yes. He wanted to return to Earth more than anything. But he couldn’t say that to his son. Everyone, including Jor-El, needed to believe that Clark was here to stay, to rule as Kal-El for so long as he was needed. And could he leave? Even if it were possible, if the Council would allow it, could he leave Zara to rule alone? Could he leave Jor?

They had not been close for the first seven years of his life. But in the last few months, the bond Clark had felt with Jor at his birth had returned. He had truly come to think of this boy as his son.

Could he really return to Earth and leave his son behind to one day fulfill his destiny as ruler of New Krypton? Could he really stay on New Krypton and never see Lois or his parents again?

Clark gave the only honest answer he could.

“I do not know.”