Invincible // Superman

Chapter Fifty-Two: Memorial

"She's going to Smallville, apparently." Powergirl answered for her. "To see Martha."

Silence filled the room as deadly as any toxin. What was once a group of friends reminiscing was now as still as a graveyard. They all exchanged sorrowful looks, unsure whether to speak on the matter or not. Hal decided to break the awkward atmosphere by asking "So... How's Martha holding up?" but he regretted it as soon as the words had left his mouth.

"She lost her husband a while ago, now she's lost her son... Her only son. She's doing as well as you could expect." Silvia replied rather darkly.

The room fell still again, Hal instantly sealing his lips shut and leaning back against the couch. Silvia let out a huff. She knew she'd end up ruining it somehow... Clark wouldn't have wanted the night to end like this. He wouldn't want them to be sitting in solemn sadness.

For the sake of Clark's memory, Silvia managed to bite back her grief for long enough to speak. "So... what were you talking about before?"

"Oh, just the time a few detectives discovered that Clark was Superman." Hal jumped at the opportunity to end the awkward exchanges. "He was younger, a little less cautious. Apparently he had landed in an alley as Superman and walked out as Clark. When they didn't see Superman follow they came to the conclusion that they must be the same person. The speculation didn't last long, not after he put on the dorky act."

Somehow, the reminder of Clark's clumsy persona brought a genuine smile to Silvia's face. It was sad, and trembled when it reached too far, but it was still the first real relief she'd had from her pain. "Yeah... He was always good at that."

"Good enough to fool you." Hal grinned.

"Speaking of which, Clark never told us about how you found out he was Superman." Aquaman started, voice as clear as you'd expect from a ruler. "Must be a good story."

"Not really..." Silvia answered stubbornly, tightening her grip on the beer bottle and taking a large gulp.

"Aww come on." Supergirl begged cutely. "I've always wanted to know!"

Silvia gave the Kryptonian a blank stare. She didn't want to tell them, her selfish nature had taken hold. That was her memory... One of the last remnants of Clark that she had left. It was a flawed and embarrassing moment in their lives, but it was still theirs. Silvia didn't want to share it with anybody else. When she sensed the anticipation hanging in the air, however, she decided that they needed to hear it - to bring them peace for at least a few more minutes.

"I... don't know where to start." She sighed, slouching in the seat and taking another swig of alcohol.

"Well, when did he tell you?" Diana assisted. "You can start there."

"He didn't tell me. A wall fell on us and he caught it. His glasses came off." Silvia stated a little blandly. She had never been talented in story telling, whether it was retelling real events or fabricating fiction.

"Really?" Powergirl shuffled forward on the opposite couch. "I thought for sure he would have told you before it came to that."

"What did you do?" Barry asked curiously.

"I... shot him." Silvia replied and the whole room fell into murmurs. Most of them looked surprised at first, but Hal and Richard smirked as if they had expected this answer.