For Better or For Worse

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Clark was speechless.  "F-Father?!  I-Is that really you?!  Y-Y-You're alive!"  Jor- El nodded.  "Yes, Kal, my son...I am."  He took off his labcoat, to reveal his clothing.he wore a long sleeved shirt of dark navy blue, the cuffs and the collar, a giant scoop neckline, lined with solid silver, as gold and silver were both so common on Krypton, they were practically worthless.  His belt was made of softened, flexible silver as well, and it lined the end of his long pants, which were made of the same deep blue material.  On his feet were plain black leather shoes that covered his toes, but showed the top of his feet.

"But-But how is this even possible?", Clark exclaimed.  Jor held his head high.  "After I sent you to Earth, my Leauge of Scientists contacted me.  They had heard of my plan to save you and were inspired by it.  They built rocketships, one for each family on Krypton, big enough to suit their size.  On Krypton's last day, as many Kryptonians as we could find were guided into the rockets, including me and your mother, and we all left Krypton just as it exploded.  After weeks floating in space, we found a new planet, similar to the one we lost, with no people inhabitants, and we made it our new Krypton.  Once settled, we League of Scientists unanimously decided that from now on, our society would have nothing to do with machinery and technology.  We abandoned our excessive ways and reverted to the customs of our ancestors. We do everything by hand, go to Temple every Sacday, and arrange marriages so that babies will be made.  We are happy in our new lives.  The only thing that was missing was you, Kal-El.  For twenty-five years, I have been working to bring you back home, even if just for a short time.  And now..."  His eyes watered.  He threw his arms around Superman and hugged him tight.  Clark hugged him back.  "Father..."  "Son..."

The kids stood there in shock.  This man was Jor-El?  And the Kryptonians were not a lost race, as had been believed to be for so many years?  Just then, Jor noticed them.  "And who are these young ones?"  Clark smiled.  "These are my children, Conner, Chris, and Katie."  Jor smiled.  "Zoompta!  I have grandchildren!  I'm old!"  He walked towards them.  "Do they have Kryptonian names?"  "Yes.  Conner's is Kon-El, Chris goes by Lord-El, and Katie is Kata-Zor-El."  Jor beamed brighter than the moon.  "Come, my grandchildren.", he said as the gates opened behind him.  "And I will show you your home."
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Jor led his family through the village.  All around, men were carrying heavy things, ladies were gossiping, and children were running around.  The men and boys were all wearing the same things Jor was wearing, only in different colors.  The women and girls wore similar clothing, only in a feminine form.  They had on long sleeved dresses with the hem ending just below their knees, with the same shiny silver lining on their cuffs and hem and V-neck neckline, their heads were adorned with the same silver band, and they wore shoes similar to the men's.  "After Lara and I got settled in our new home, I started a new job as the town blacksmith.  Lara stayed home to take care of our house and home, and to also raise the children."

At last, they arrived at the house.  It was a quaint little cottage, with thick wooden walls and a strong steel roof.  Jor knocked on the door.  It opened to reveal a middle-aged woman.  Her outfit was the prettiest lavender hue, and she had wavy auburn hair that fell all the way down to her waist. She had long, lovely black eyelashes that complimented her ice blue eyes, just like Clark and Conner's.  When she saw who was with her husband, her hands flew to her mouth, trying to hold back the flow of tears that was threatening to burst through.  She ran over and threw her arms around her long-lost son.  "Kal-El!  My baby!  Its been so long!"  She clung onto him as if she'd never let go.  She saw the children with him.  "More Els!  This is a proud day for the family!"  She stood by her husband, tears of joy spilling down her face.  Jor put his arm around his wife, holding her close as they looked at the lost members of their clan that had been found after so many years' his face shining brighter than the sun itself.

"Welcome home."
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M'gann rang the bell.  "Breakfast time! Come 'n' get it while its hot!"  At once, the crowd of team members ran into the kitchen.  While most didn't live at the Cave, it was a tradition that they spend their Monday mornings there, eating the all-out breakfast buffet that Miss Martian cooked to prepare themselves for which would, no doubt, be a busy week.  However, halfway through the meal, Tim noticed something off about the current seating arrangement.

"Hey!  Where's Superboy?"  At the sound of his words, every head at the table turned to where said powerhouse usually sat for their Monday morning breakfast bonanzas.  Sure enough, his chair was empty.  Not only that, but Katie and Chris's regular seats were empty as well.  "Huh...that's weird,", Garfield mumbled, his mouth full of soy bacon.  "Supey never misses our weekly Monday pig-outs."  Just then, Barbara noticed Dick wasn't looking at her in the eye, or anyone else for that matter.  He just sat there, staring at his plate, moving his scrambled eggs around with a fork.  "Dick...what's going on.?"

Dick swallowed the lump in his throat. He stood up out of his chair. "Team...I've got some good news and some bad news.", he announced. "The good news, is that last night, Superman, Conner, Chris and Katie found Kryptonians living on another planet, including Jor-El and his wife, Lara. They escaped from their original planet before it exploded." Everyone started talking and cheering. Barbara jumped to her feet and hugged Dick. "Rich, that's amazing!" Suddenly, she pulled away. "Wait...what's the bad news?"

Dick stared down at his feet. "The bad news is...well, Conner and the rest of the Kents are gonna be spending their time there, sorta like a vacation. Y'know, get to see their home and family." Tim stood up. "How long will they be gone?", he asked. Dick raised his coffee mug to his mouth and said something, his words mumbled by the blockage. "What?" He did the same thing again. "Cith wookz." "Come again?" Dick sighed and brought his mug down. "Six weeks."

Bart choked on a sausage.  Jaime spit out his orange juice.  Cassie dropped her plate, which she had cleared and was bringing over to the sink, and it hit the floor and broke into a dozen pieces.  M'gann's reaction was the strangest of all.  Once Dick had said those two small words, she froze, her hand stopping with her fork halfway towards her mouth.  She didn't move, just sat in her chair, like someone had pressed "pause".  The only indication that it was still her was her auburn eyes, looking at Dick, growing wider and wider by the second.  She felt as if the time itself had stopped, leaving her with thoughts and memories of Conner running through her head.

Mal was the first to break the silence.  "Six weeks?!  That's over a month!  What are we supposed to do without Conner?!"  "Now guys, this is a great opportunity for Superboy!", Dick said.  "We can't hold him back just 'cause we want him here!  That'd be selfish!  Its only for a few weeks.  Before you know it, it'll be over and we'll have him back."  Tim sighed.  "Dick's right.  It'd be selfish of us to put our needs before his.  Besides, its not like he's gonna move there permanently.  Its only for a few weeks."

Garfield put his fork down.  "I'm not hungry anymore."  He slid his chair away from the table and left.  One by one,  the Team put their forks, knives, spoons, plates and cups down and left, too, until only M'gann and La'gaan were left sitting.  He had the biggest grin on his face, and his red eyes seemed to be lit up.  "Neptune's beard!  Six whole weeks without Super Ex-Boyfriend around to cockblock us!  This is great!  Right, Angelfish?...Angelfish?"  M'gann was still sitting there, frozen, still as a statue, staring at the empty kitchen table.  Finally, she put her fork down, shook her head slowly and blinked twice.

"Six weeks without Conner?"

Looks like the Team is about to learn a lesson about appreciating what you have while you still have it.  By the way, can you guys do me a favor? Check out my story Meet the Trouble Tykes, it'll give you the details on Chris and Katie, and other characters that I have yet to introduce! Again, I do not own Young Justice.