Invincible // Superman

Chapter Forty: Godfall

"So... she killed him?" Silvia asked, not sounding at all surprised that a completely different version of herself killed as well.

"I thought so at first, but then I looked again. A weaker, skinnier version of Parasite stood where the explosion had gone off. Silvia had meant to kill him but I didn't know that at the time. I thought she was one of us... A new hero to help bring light to the world."

Well, that was definitely different to her own Clark's first impression of her... They had hated each other the moment they saw one another.

Kal-El continued. "Turns out she was an inmate, she'd been arrested a week beforehand. She had gone to the evidence locker and stolen her gear back then spotted Parasite on her way out. He was on her hit list... One of her bigger jobs. She knew how strong he was but didn't back down for a second. I've never been able to properly word how amazing she really was; brave, productive, independent, strong, kind...well, when she wanted to be at least. She both does and doesn't fit into the description I give of her. She was unconventional. It was hard to pin her down, even when it came to her personality. You would tell her that she was kind and she'd redouble her efforts to prove you wrong."

A shaky breath moved through her lungs. That sounded a lot more like her than she was expecting. "So, you liked her right away?"

"I wouldn't say that." Kal-El answered. "I respected her but once I found out who she really was and what she did I was instantly against it... and her. I was foolish. I couldn't comprehend her way of thinking... or maybe I just didn't try. Now I see that she was right and even if she had lived, I would have killed her eventually with my idiotic ideals."

Silvia's lips tugged into a frown. "That's not true... She believed in your ideals too. It might have taken her a while but that's because her life was full of hurt and regret... She didn't have any hope that there was another way, you gave that to her." 

"Then I killed her before Joker ever had the chance to make me..."

"No, you don't get it. You gave her something worth living for, you proved to her that there was good still to be found in this world. If she had one greatest fear I can guarantee you that it wouldn't be death..." Silvia felt her fingers twitch as she reached out to graze them against his cheek. "It would be seeing you like this."

Finally he showed some kind of emotion, but it wasn't anything positive. His expression scrunched up and he grabbed her wrist to push her hand away. "You don't know that."

"I do though... because I can't imagine anything worse than knowing you'll be like this for the rest of your life." Silvia tried to move her arm out of his grip but knew that it was pointless. The pill had made her stronger... but she still couldn't compare to Superman. "You said that she was hard to understand, but I know exactly how she felt. This is a different world but, at her core, she was still me. If anyone knows what she'd think about all this..."  Her voice trailed off when she started the feel the pressure her wrist was being held with. She growled. Any restraint she was trying to give herself disappeared. "If you don't fucking let go of me right now I won't only leave you again, I'll skin you in your sleep!"

Kal-El stared at her, blue eyes widening slightly but enough for her to notice. It seemed like this was the first time he truly saw her as similar to his own Silvia. A hot-headed, foul-mouthed woman with a short temper... but one with their heart in the right place. His own Silvia threw out insults and threats to anyone that dared try to intimidate her, or anyone that was getting too close. She got better the longer she was with him but that temper could never be erased.

Kal-El's fingers uncurled from her wrist and she swiftly brought the limb closer to her body so he couldn't grab it again. She was starting to regret snapping at someone that she was meant to be helping, but there was a small moment when Superman's eyes flicked to the draw where Silvia knew the photograph was. That's when she saw it, something familiar in his expression. Something softer... kinder. It was the moment when Silvia knew that he really might change if she stayed long enough and pushed against his knew ideals.