Not With Me
I guess that's just part of loving people: You have to give things up. Sometimes you even have to give them up
-Lauren Oliver
Krypton, Day of Destruction:
Lara Lor-Van ran down the metallic halls, her footsteps echoing as the sounds of metal clashed against one another. She held her son close to her as another pair of footsteps joined her. "Lara, we must hurry before it's too late" a young woman called from behind the woman.
Soon they reached the room where they stored the escape pods room in the last war against Daxam. The young woman ran to the podium, a holographic keypad appearing in front of her.
Lara shushed her newborn son, rocking him gently. "Where are Allura and Kara?" She asked only for her sister-in-law and niece to appear with another young woman. "Mal, help Lara and Kal" The girl at the podium called out to the younger girl.
Mal had blonde hair and wore a dark green cloak, she looked at her older sister and nodded before running to Lara. "Do you have the sunstone crystals?" Mal asked the mother as she gently placed the body into the pod. Lara's face darkened as she revealed only one.
"Zeta stole my own, he will only have his father's guidance and you Mal" Lara choked, kissing her son's head. "I pray the gods will give you the mother you truly deserve Kal" Lara whispered. Mal looked to her sister as Kara's pod launched.
"Lara, come" Mal held the older woman back. As Kal-El's pod was launched on course to the planet Earth, the El brother and an older woman joined them. "Shara call for two more pods now" The older woman told the eldest sister, running to Mal.
"Mother, what is happening?" Mal asked her, confused as to why two more pods were needed. "You my child. The gods have given me one last vision before we succumb to our sin" The woman, Naeza Alor spoke. Her eldest, Shara quickly ran to her sister's side. Her dark purple cloak shimmered as the last two pods had docked.
"You, Mal will have a daughter in a world different to ours. She will stop Zeta-Rho's dark plan. You must make sure she protects the next generation of the House of El" Naeza explained to the youngest Alor.
"Me? Mother, I am not—" "No my child you will be. Now for this to succeed, you must follow the instruction in my crystal" Naeza began to tear up as she held both her daughters tightly. "Do not fail our ancestors, my daughters. Protect the House of El" Naeza told her daughters before ushering them to their pods
As the pods left the dying planet, Naeza stood with the boys she swore to protect. "Elrisia Alor will stop Zeta-Rho"
Jor-El's A.I sighed as he told his son what the Alor family had done before their home was destroyed. "The House of Alor were one of many, dedicated to protecting the families of the high council. Emma's grandmother, Naeza had been protecting my brother and me since the age of fifteen. The Alors only had women take the mantle as they were the most suitable" Jor-El began to explain to Clark, his holographic arms behind his back.
"These families were advanced genetically, allowing some to gain heightened abilities similar to the effects of the yellow sun. I theorised that Mal and Shara may gain extra abilities under this world's sun" Jor-El added before looking at his son. "Then why doesn't Emma have any Kryptonian powers?" Clark asked his father, watching the girl mumble to herself once more.
Jor-El only hummed at the question. "My theory is, whatever world Mal left her in, its yellow sun did not replicate the same properties as the ones in this world. Until her cells can adapt to the sun, it will be only a matter of time" Jor-El answered before using the fortress to inject the sick girl with something. "This should ease her pain" Jor-El spoke softly.
"Wait, if Mal is Emma's mother, then where is Shara? Maybe she can help" Clark claimed, hope carrying his words. "Like Mal, Shara would have obtained a more human name. All I can show you is a memory of what she looked like before she came here" Jor-El told his son, worried his hope may blind him.
Clark only nodded his head, "Anything". Jor-El showed a hologram of Shara Alor, the image causing Clark to widen his eyes.
<><><>
Sienna Clarks closed her book as a knock on her door echoed her empty home. "Two moments!" She called as she got up from her couch. She opened the door, a smile on her face. "Clark, how lovely to see you" Sienna smiled at the man. "Yeah, I was wondering if I could ask you something" Clark smiled back with curiosity. Sienna stepped to the side to allow him to enter her home.
Clark smiled at her hospitality. Sienna closed the door before leading Clark to her kitchen. "You have a lovely home, family visit much?" Clark asked, seeing how they were three bedrooms and only one was occupied. "No, they don't live in the states" Sienna answered, handing him a glass of water.
Clark nodded but Sienna gave him a questioning look. "What is going on in that brain of yours?" She asked him with an eyebrow raised and her arms crossed. "It's Emma, she's sick" Clark stated, his face darkening. Sienna changed her demeanour drastically. "What happened?" She begged to know.
"Why don't you tell me, Shara" Clark spoke carefully. Sienna only frowned at the name, stepping back. "It's Mal, she's back in this world" Sienna stated as if she already knew. "And now Emma is getting worse. Soon she won't be able to draw the line between her past and her present" Clark added, hoping Sienna could help. "Mal has never cared for her family. I should have known the day she abandoned you in those fields that Elrisia would be hurt" Sienna scoffed at herself, grabbing a bag close to her.
"I can help her, but I'll need your help too"
<><><>
Jordan knelt on the ground next to Emma. Her fingers had turned black, her veins no longer the poisonous green but a dark and disturbing black. "No... I promise... to be good" Emma sobbed gently, trying to move her arms to no avail. Tears fell from her half-lidded eyes. "Mom, she's getting worse" Jordan called for his mother, holding Emma's hand.
Lois didn't know what she could do or say to comfort him. Even after Tag attacked him and his brother last night, all Jordan cared about was her. "You're Dad will have a plan" Lois told him.
That's when Clark came from the front door, his face holding fear and concern. Sienna came from behind him, rushing over to Emma. "Ms Clarks?" Jordan asked, shocked to see the school counsellor. "Please call me Sienna, may I?" She asked, hoping to examine Emma closer.
She held her hands up, her eyes squinting at the black. "Rao help me" She cracked as Emma stirred. "Aunt Nat... please don't go...don't leave us...please" Emma cried uncontrollably, her body raking with her sobs.
"Shhh... Sun goes down and we are here together" Sienna sang softly, raking her finger through Emma's ratted hair. Emma's breathing lowered gently. "Fireflies glow like a thousand charms" Sienna continued until her sobbing faltered before her body laid calmly on the couch.
Jordan looked at the pair in awe. "How did you do that?" He asked her. Sienna only held a soft smile. "I was playing it the other night. She knew one of the lines. I used to sing it to her mother when solar storms plague Krypton" Sienna reminisced with a small yet sad smile.
"You're from Krypton?" Lois exclaimed, coming closer to the woman. "Yes, I was the one who suggested sending Clark and his cousin here" Sienna stood tall as she looked Lois in the eye. "And I'm the only one who can save her" Sienna added.
Lois looked at Clark, looking for his side in that matter. "She's right, Sienna can help her" Clark told his wife. Sienna waited until she could hear her heartbeat regulate. "Now, before I begin there is something you all need to know" Sienna stated, catching everyone's attention.
<><><>
Sienna stood at the top of the dining table. "Since Emma is half Kryptonian, she will start to develop her powers the moment she comes in contact with any Kryptonian object" Sienna began to explain. "But, if that's the case. Why does Jordan have powers and not me?" Jon asked, referring to when they both touched Clark's pod.
Sienna nodded at the question, already having an answer. "You two aren't from the Alor bloodline. Unlike you, Emma was always meant to have abilities. It's how the Alors protected your family for generations. But her powers will be linked to yours" Sienna looked directly at Jordan. The entire family was taken back by the woman's words. "How is that possible?" Lois asked the woman, her tone one of a very protective mother.
"Ten years ago, you spent a summer here, in Smallville. That very same summer, Mal foolishly brought Emma here. She wanted to rebuild the broken bonds between El and Alor. You three played together, only your grandmother knew the real reason. Then when Mal decided to once more turn her back on her duty, she altered your memories to believe that instead you spent had entire summer with one, Sarah Cushing" Sienna explained to them, a wave of anger lacing her voice.
"Why would she do that?" Clark asked the woman. Sienna only shrugged, "If I knew I would tell you. But all know is that Mal doesn't want her to be who our mother saw her to be. So, once Emma was waiting for Mal with Martha, I used what I had left of my mother's power to link Jon and Jordan to Emma and that also meant—"
"Their powers, Emma will have the same powers as Jordan" Jon connected the dots, earning a bright smile from Sienna. "Exactly" Sienna smiled, scrunching up her nose in excitement. "Okay, but how are we even gonna help her?" Lois pointed out.
Sienna only faced the woman, a plan already made. "Mal wants Emma to re-experience the memories that hurt her deeply. If I can find one that holds enough emotion, I can open a back door to a memory that she holds close to her, then and only then, I will be able to remove the kryptonite" Sienna explained to the family.
They all nodded in agreement when Sienna remembered something. "But there's a catch. When I do this when I enter Emma's mind. She will relive her memories and you all will witness them" Sienna warned them, knowing the truths Emma hid from them. "Her past does not paint a beautiful picture".
<><><>
Sienna gently walked over to Emma, shaking her softly to wake her up. Emma stirred as her eyes opened weakly, the grey colour making Sienna more cautious. "Emma, I'm here to help" Sienna spoke softly. The entire room had been reorganised to make as much room as possible.
Emma looked at the woman groggily, barely knowing who was in front of her. "Let me help you up" Sienna smiled, holding the girl up. Emma stumbled for a moment, making Jordan flinch from his spot near the window. Sienna only held her until the young girl could stand on her own.
Sienna held her hand just above Emma's head, her eyes glowing a bright purple as her veins acquired the same colour. Suddenly the room began to change. The dull walls turned a sickening white, the floors turning from wood to pristine white tiles. People in hospital scrubs filled the room.
Emma also changed, her hair was now longer and a faded pink. Her clothes consisted of a lilac purple jumper, black ripped jeans and of course, her flash inspired converse. Her demeanour also changed from her sickly stance to one of anxiety bubbling as her hands raced to her mouth, biting her nails and tapping her foot.
"Emmie!" A voice called. Emma looked to her left, a sigh of relief escaping her lips. "Adam!" Emma called, hugging a boy tightly. He had brown shaggy hair and almost towered over her. Another boy stood from behind Adam, one with curly hair and tattered clothes. "How is he?" Adam asked, pulling away from Emma.
"Stable, thank Apollo. They said he overdosed. Addy, they pumped his stomach" Emma choked, shaking her head in disbelief. Adam was shocked at the news. "What! Jonathan. Our Jonathan, the guy who only smokes weed in a group, overdosed? On what?" Adam exclaimed, making Emma step back. Emma brushed her hands through her hair turning around from Adam, not knowing she was facing the Kents.
"Wow, always knew she was a fan" Lois remarked, seeing the giant writing on Emma's jumper. 'LOIS LANE STAN' in giant letters in a complementary yellow colour.
Emma's eyes lit for a moment before her face darkened. She turned back to the boys. "Why don't you go see him Addy, he'll want his little brother" Emma forced out. Adam hesitated for a moment before nodding. He looked back to the other boy, before walking away disappearing as he passed through the Kents.
"I can expl—" the other boy started before Emma cut him off. "You stayed behind when the ambulance came" Emma stated calmly, too calm. The boy gulped, "Emmie please" He begged her. "No! You did this! You! After everything we've been through Jordy!" Emma screamed, her hand pointing to anything yet nothing at the same time. Emma tried to hold back her tears.
Jordy looked at Emma with a fearful look. "You're angry I know" He spoke carefully, making Emma look at him with anger. "Angry? Trust me, I'm worse than Superman affected by red kryptonite right now!" Emma screamed at him.
"I stood by you. With your dad, the trial, rehab! I want against everything I believed in when I sold weed to put you into rehab. I never once asked for anything else but my friend back and this is how you repay me? Putting Jonathan in hospital!" Emma screamed at him, pointing her finger at the guilt-ridden boy.
"Emmie, I'm sorry" He sobbed at her, tears streaming down his face. "Sorry? My cousin almost died Jordan because of you! His best friend!" Emma cried, her mouth covered by her hand as she tried to hid the sobs. "I don't know what else to say, Emmie" Jordy cried out for her. Emma only shook her head at him.
"Only my friends call me that. You are not my friend. Friends don't hurt each other" Emma stated before Adam returned to the hallway. "Hey! What is going on?" He asked, placing a hand on Emma's shoulders. "Ask your boyfriend, he's the one who almost killed Jon Jon" Emma spat at Jordy with a glare of pure rage.
Adam looked between the two, shocked at Emma's words. "Babes, is this true?" Adam asked, hoping that Emma may have gotten the wrong idea. Jordy couldn't look him in the eyes, only confirming Emma's words. "I think you should go Fieldings" Emma spoke with malice in her voice.
The Kents had never seen her so angry at one person. She looked as though he were to say the wrong thing she would kill him on the spot.
Sienna walked over to her, Emma was oblivious to the woman. "Show me, show me something good" She whispered, changing the room once more.
The hospital walls turned a lilac purple. Arches replaced the doors and the floor turned to a darker wood than the one in the Kent home. Emma's hair was a light purple now and shorter too as it rested just above her shoulders. She wore a white collared shirt with blue and gold stripes, a dark blue wool jumper with what appeared to be a school crest and grey pants. But what shocked the family was that Emma was wearing her glasses
She moved a few steps before a melody on a piano filled the quiet room. "Ems, is that you?" A voice called out. Emma walked towards where the piano stood in the Kent home as it was replaced with a different one and a woman with fiery red hair. "How was school today love?" The woman asked in a light Scottish accent.
Emma only shrugged at the woman, sitting beside her. "It was... good. I didn't have any panic attacks and thankfully Mr Fitz was out so I didn't have to listen to his homophobic bullshit" Emma told the woman, joining her as she played the piano. "Good, you take your meds?" The woman asked, looking at Emma with an eyebrow raised.
"Yes" Emma dragged out, earning a nudge from the woman. "Hey! Nat what was that for!" Emma asked, rubbing her side.
"That's her Aunt Natalie" Jordan gasped as the woman only laughed.
"Because Emma, you need to realise that they help you. Now, sing with me" Natalie pursed her lips smiling as she changed the melody. Emma rolled her eyes at her, "You're impossible".
"Someday, this could be, this could be ordinary" Emma sang softly with the piano as her guide. "Someday, could we be something extraordinary? You and me side by side out in the broad daylight. If they laugh, we'll say, we're gonna be someday" The pair sang together in harmony.
Emma joined in on the piano, a smile the family had never seen placed on her face. But one had seen it, Jordan.
"If different was a superpower, we'd be so flawless' Emma's voice falter as the room changed once more, returning to the Kents living room. Emma lost the healthy looks she had as she fell back from the stool she now sat on. Jordan was quick to catch her before she hit the ground.
Sienna ran to her, beckoning Clark to follow. "Jordan, keep her upright. Clark, shield her eyes" Sienna commanded them. "Why her eyes?" Clark asked the woman. "The moment I take away the kryptonite, her powers shall emerge. I feel that a wound that will heal quickly will ease her conscience more than a burning home" Sienna explained, pulling her top up to reveal the wound where her sister stabbed her.
One would expect dried blood, not black goo pouring out of it. Sienna placed her palms together, shutting her eyes as her veins glowed purple again. As she separated her palms slowly, a dark purple dagger began to materialise. "That's supposed to help her?" Jordan asked, staring at the dagger in fear.
Sienna only smirked. "One of my abilities. I can create weapons of absorption. I'll use this to remove the kryptonite and then throw it into the sun" Sienna answered swiftly. She moved some of Emma's hair, "This is gonna hurt little one, I can only promise to be quick" She spoke softly before plunging the dagger into her wound.
As the black began to slowly retreat to the wound, red began to glow around her eyes. "Kal, be ready" Sienna warned him as the dagger glowed brighter along with her veins and eyes. Emma began to breathe heavily, tears forming in her eyes.
Sienna quickly removed the dagger, causing Emma to scream as loudly as possible. She latched onto Jordan's hand as her eyes opened and her newly acquired heat vision activated, burning Clark's skin. Lois held Jonathan's body close to her as Emma's cries got louder. Sienna held Emma's other hand until the blazing red cooled as her breathing started to calm.
<><><>
Emma sat in a dark corner of the barn, her knees close to her chest. She was a fucking idiot. How did she not think for one moment that she could be half-Kryptonian? In all seriousness, she was staying with the Kents! Her mother was a cruel, cold-hearted bitch but she was not stupid by any means. There was a reason she never got arrested for her shit.
Emma hated herself for not seeing the signs that her mother was taunting her with that stupid cloak for a month. Maybe Martha or Mal was right. Maybe all Emma is ever gonna be is stupid, pathetic and useless to everyone in her life.
"Em?"
She shot up from her current winge session to see Jordan at the entrance of the barn. She quickly wiped her eyes before standing up and brushing away some of the hay stuck to her pants. "Over here!" Emma called out, walking towards him.
Jordan looked relieved to see her, happy she seemed okay at least. "How are you holding up?" Jordan asked her. He understood that this type of news was hard to swallow, especially seeing as less than a month ago, they were all but fictional characters to her.
Emma shrugged, "Well when you put a deadly kryptonite poison, hidden secrets about your entire life and having your period on top of it.... I've been through worse". Even though Emma seemed unfazed, Jordan knew better seeing as her entire answer was just a bucket of sarcasm.
He raised his eyebrow at her. Emma only gave him a look, shaking her head gently. "Jord, I'm fine. Just shaken up. I mean...I'm fucking Kryptonian! That's both super cool and deadly terrifying at the same time!" Emma exclaimed with some truth to her words.
Jordan laughed slightly, seeing her smile was something he missed all day. He didn't know how she could do it. Make everything dark, something good and full of light. Only Emma could do it and he loved that about her.
Emma noticed how Jordan had come closer to her, not truly taking any mind to it as he smiled at her like she was holding up the sky. "At least we have each other, right?" He lit up, giving her a gentle nudge at her elbow. Emma laughs slightly, her smile widening greatly. "There's no one else I'd rather have by my side" Emma told him with the most enthusiastic tone ever.
Jordan gently came closer, the space between them decreasing quickly. "You really mean that?" Jordan asked her, his voice soft and low. Emma nodded at him, his eyes catching her attention with ease. "Always" She whispered, her heart beating faster than ever before.
Jordan leaned in, his lips filling the gap between them. It was like electricity sparked inside as their lips gently crashed into one another. Jordan's hand went to cup her cheek as Emma kissed him back.
And for a moment, everything felt right. Emma didn't hesitate to kiss the boy she was falling in love with. But all good things come to an end.
Like a hammer to a wall, Emma pulled away from Jordan. Her fears and anxieties bubbled to the surface as she turned away from him. Her guilt had shown itself as her fingers ghosted her lips. She truly was stupid.
"Em? Did I do something wrong?" Jordan asked, confused as to why she pulled away. Emma shook her head, not trusting her brain to allow the right words to leave her mouth. "Are you sure?" Jordan went to take her arm but Emma turned to him. The fear of God in her eyes as she took a step back.
"This...we can't happen Jordan" Emma spoke with a shaky voice. Jordan was taken aback by her choice of words. "What? Why?" He asked her. He must have done something to cause this. Maybe she didn't even like him in the first place and he read the signs wrong. "You are gonna be with some girl who deserves you... just not with me" Emma bit back her lips as the wrong words fell from her tongue.
She wanted to be with him so badly it hurt. Emma wanted to be the girl Jordan loved, not Sarah. But being envious never ends well, not for people like Emma. She had to let him go before they both got hurt. She had to leave him thinking she didn't care, that she was caught up in the moment.
Jordan looked like a kicked puppy at her words, making her heart clench at the sight. She didn't want this, not like this. Jordan didn't want to believe her, he knew Emma and when she lied he knew one thing for sure. Emma always bit her lip when she lies.
"I'm sorry Jord, I really am" Emma choked before leaving the barn and Jordan in it. She had hoped he would realise she was a mistake and that he actually liked Sarah.
But little did the girl know, Jordan was now determined to find out why she lied to him and to convince her that he wanted to be with her and no one else.