Chapter Text
13 years later...
Lara Kent yawned as she put her book down on the night table in her bedroom. The door to her room opened and her father, Clark Kent, came in. He looked a little tired, but not so tired he couldn't kiss her as soon as she went to hug him. Her father wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pressed his lips to her forehead.
"So how was Wichita, Dad?" Lara asked as he sat down on the chair in front of her desk. Lara went to him and sat down on his lap.
"Long plane trip, sweetheart. Your mom's on assignment and where's Jonathan and Jordan?" Clark asked.
"In their rooms. Jonathan is talking to his girlfriend and Jordan is playing some game where he gets a kick out of beating up Superman. I'd rather play Lego Star Wars, Kingdom Hearts, or Burnout Revenge," Lara said, rolling her eyes.
Yeah. Your mom told me that Jordan's mad at me for missing his session," Clark said, lifting his glasses slightly to rub his eyes.
"That's an understatement. He's attacking Superman as violently as I crash cars or use the keyblade to attack Heartless," Lara said as they walked down the hallway to Jonathan's room first. Clark knocked on the door.
"Come in," Jonathan said.
"Hey!" Clark said excitedly as he and Lara entered Jonathan's room
"Hey!" Jonathan said back to his father and Lara.
"What's up? Mom said you had news," Clark said.
"Eliza, one second," Jonathan said.
"Hi, Eliza!" Lara said.
"Hey, Lara! How's the eighth grade?" Eliza asked.
"Okay. I really liked meeting my history teacher. My teacher, Mrs. Couch really likes me," Lara said.
"Mrs. Couch likes everyone at Metropolis High. She's the cookie-baking grandma everyone ever wanted," Eliza said/
"I do have the cookie-baking grandma in Smallville," Lara said.
"Oh, right. Out in the boonies," Eliza said.
"So, what's the news, Jonathan?" Clark asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm actually starting QB," Jonathan said.
"For varsity?" Clark asked, sounding excited again.
"Yep. Yeah. I think I'm the first Freshman to ever do it. And some of the upper classmen are pretty ticked off," Jonathan said, apparently deciding modesty wasn't something he wanted to do.
"Don't worry about them," Clark said.
"Dad's right. They might get over it once they see how good you are," Lara said.
"Worry? No. It's awesome. You should have seen their faces. Um...Dad, Lara," Jonathan indicated the screen where Eliza was waiting.
"Oh. Right. Yeah. Okay, okay. Hi, Eliza!" Clark waved as he went out the door.
"Hi," they heard Eliza say.
"Hey, congrats," Clark said as he closed the door.
"Thanks, Dad," Jonathan said as he turned back to his computer.
"Proud of you," Clark said, sticking his head back in the room.
"Okay, thanks," Jonathan said.
"Okay, I'm outta here," Clark said, closing the door again.
"Thanks. All right," Jonathan said as they went down the hallway to Jordan's room. The music was earth-shattering loud.
"We really need to buy him headphones for Christmas, Dad," Lara said under her breath.
Clark knocked and when there was no answer, opened the door.
"Hey!" Clark tried to call Jordan over the music.
At no answer, Clark turned the music down and looked at the screen. Superman was fighting someone who looked like Cad Bane from "Star Wars: The Clone Wars."
"Wow. You make a pretty good Superman," Clark said, watching the screen.
"Superman's boring. I'm Raiden," Jordan said.
"Huh. Um... I'm sorry I, uh, missed our therapy today, um...I was in Wichita for a story," Clark said.
"You couldn't catch a flight back. Mom said," Jordan said, shaking his head.
"So, uh, high school starts tomorrow. You nervous? Because, you know, it's okay if you're nervous. I know Freshman year was pretty tough for me. Did I ever tell you about the time I was the team manager of the-" Clark started to say.
"And everyone duct taped you to a tractor, yeah. Life's a little different in Smallville than it is in Metropolis," Jordan said as Raiden electrocuted Superman.
"Okay, well, you know, if you...if you need anything, if you want to talk, I'm here," Clark said as Superman got tossed to the ground with electricity. If it was possible Lara saw her father wince as he turned to leave the room.
"Hey, Dad?" Jordan asked, turning to face his father and sister.
"Yeah?" Clark asked.
"The music?" Jordan said and turned back to his game.
"Right," Clark said as he turned the music up and closed Jonathan's door.
"Well, I'm gonna go back to my book, Dad. See you in the morning," Lara said as she left his side and went back to her room.
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Lara rubbed her eyes as she entered the kitchen. Her mother couldn't cook to save her life, so the meals fell to Clark. Martha Kent and home ec had taught her father how to cook. The closest Lois ever got to cooking was picking up the phone and ordering pizza or Chinese takeout. The strong smell of coffee filled the room. "Lara, sit down. I'll have your meal in a minute," Clark said from his place by the stove.
Lara sat next to her brothers and poured a glass of orange juice. "One day I'm gonna ask how he knows when I'm in the room and he is turned so he can't see me," Lara muttered under her breath as she heard the toast pop up.
"Get 'em while they're hot," Clark said, putting scrambled eggs in front of Jonathan and fried eggs in front of Lara.
"Thanks," Jonathan and Lara said.
"More juice?" Clark asked as Lois came in, trying to fasten the top button on the back of her blouse.
"I think I'm good. Thank you," Jonathan said as he put the football team playbook in his backpack.
"Dad, can I have the apple butter, please?" Lara asked. While her mother and Jordan liked grape or strawberry jam on their toast, Lara and Clark preferred apple butter from the Cracker Barrel restaurant an hour from Smallville. Clark pulled out the jar and set it by Lara's plate.
"There you go," Clark said.
"Thank you," Lara said as she scooped out some butter with a spoon and slathered it all over her toast.
"A little help?" Lois asked, indicating the button. "Your mom called while you were in the shower about a visit," Lois said.
"Are we going to Grandma's?" Jonathan asked around a mouthful of eggs.
"I think we're overdue," Clark said, going back to the stove.
"Great. Smallville," Jonathan said in a voice that said he didn't look forward to Smallville.
"Sounds great to me. I like Smallville," Lara said, taking a sip of juice.
"It's not that I hate Smallville, Lar. It's a place where you can spend a full year in one afternoon," Jonathan said.
"It's not that bad," Lois said, picking up her jacket and case that carried her laptop.
"Wow. Is that how you're going dressed today?" Jonathan asked as Jordan entered the kitchen with his books and backpack. Jordan gave Jonathan a stony look. "Somebody got the punch-me-in-the-face memo," Jonathan said as a car horn honked. '
"I should dress like you? Like some sort of human participation trophy?" Jordan asked.
"No, but you could watch a, like, how-to basic video on style," Jonathan said with a teasing smirk.
"Wow. You can act like such an obnoxious pain before first period," Lara said, rolling her eyes.
"Enough. All of you, go, your ride's here," Lois said. She started to hug them. "Bye. I love you, guys," Lois said as she hugged and kissed all three of them.
"Love you," Jonathan said as the three of them went to the front door.
"Good luck today, guys," Clark said.
"Thanks, Dad," Lara said as Jonathan opened the front door and they left the brownstone.
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Morgan Edge stood across the street in front of his limousine as three children left the house; two boys and a girl. "Hey, Lara, you gonna try out for the literary club?" The blond boy asked.
"I'm not quite sure yet, Jon. I'm thinking either history or literary. I loved the Renaissance festivals that Grandpa took me to," Lara said. Morgan's eyes took in the girl. She had blue eyes like her grandmother and namesake. A closer look at her face and she looked like everyone on her grandmother's side. Morgan wondered if she had gotten the other gift that made her special. His father said she wouldn't when he said he had found her. She would be like everyone else here.
"Do both," the other boy with curly long hair said.
"I don't know if I have time for that, Jordan," Lara said as they got into the car and drove away.
"Tal-Rho?" Leslie Larr asked.
"It's her. She has my mother's eyes and her name. Keep her safe," Morgan said as the car went around a curve.
"Of course, Tal," Leslie said in deference as she followed the car to the school.