When I awoke, I found myself laying in a hospital bed back in Metropolis. At first, I wondered if the whole encounter on the ship had even happened, but as I tried to sit up, the pain in my abdomen reminded me that it was all too real.
"It's about time you woke up," I heard the voice of Lois say. She walked into my room with a bunch of papers in one had and a cup of coffee in the other.
"What happened?" I asked, my voice sounding groggy. Suddenly it dawned on me that I had no idea how long I had been here.
"Where's John?" I asked.
"Who?" Lois gave me a confused look before I finally told her nevermind.
"Well, while you were sleeping, Colonel Hardy and his team surmised that the vessel was just a Soviet era submarine," she informed me. "The Pentagon is denying that there even was a ship."
"But that's a lie!" I exclaimed-- I was outraged, actually. "Of course they're denying it, it's the Pentagon," I raged. "That's what they do! I did not almost die for all our work to be dismissed!"
"I know, I know," she said calmingly, "but without any proof--"
"But my camera! The pictures!" I insisted.
"They were destroyed when you fell after getting attacked by that robot," she informed me.
"There's got to be something we can do."
Lois cleared her throat as she began reading from the papers in her hand.
"An analysis of the surrounding ice suggests that the object had been trapped in the glacier for over eighteen thousand years. As for my fellow journalist's rescuer, he disappeared during the object's departure. A background check revealed that his work history and identity had been falsified. The questions raised by her rescuer's existence are frightening to contemplate, but I also know what I saw."
She paused to look up at me before going on. "I've arrived at the inescapable conclusion, that the object and its occupant, did not originate on earth."
I sat for a moment in stunned silence as she finished reading her report. The words that she had spoke finally sunk in.
"You can't print that, Lois."
"Oh c'mon," she exclaimed. "That's the same thing Perry said."
"Cause he's right," I insisted. "Can you imagine what people would do if they found out there were aliens among us?"
"Well don't worry," Lois rolled her eyes, "Perry's not going to print it."
I sighed in relief but then looked over at her, just sitting there, dejected.
"Why do you care so much?" I asked.
"I just wanted this story out there," she replied. "I wanted our mystery man to know that we know the truth."
"For what?" I challenged. "So we can lord it over him? Like black mail?"
"No," she snapped.
"Then for what?" I asked again.
"One day, people are going to figure it out. Somebody's gonna get a photo or figure out where he lives. I just wanted to do it first. I wanted him to let me tell his story."
"And what if he doesn't want his story told?"
"It's too late," Lois mumbled.
"What?"
"I said it's too late," she said again. "I met with that internet blogger, Woodburn, and he already agreed to post it."
I smacked my forehead with the palm of my hand.
"Not that creeping cancer of falsehoods?!" I exclaimed.
Lois nodded her head, and now it was my turn to hang my head in defeat. My emotions were all over the place, but I knew what we needed to do.
"Then I guess we better get to him first," I said.
Lois looked up at me hopeful.
"But how do we find someone who has spent a lifetime covering his tracks?" I asked.
"Easy," she replied. "You turn over enough stones, and eventually he'll come to us."
***
We began with the urban legends. The friends of the friend who claimed they had seen him. For some he was a guardian angel. For others, a ghost who never quite fit in. As we worked our way backwards, the stories begin to form a pattern.
Finally we got our first real lead when we met the red headed manager of an IHOP, Pete Ross. He didn't say much, but as I looked down at the piece of paper in my hands, I was hopeful that maybe we had finally found what we were looking for.
Pulling out my cell phone, I quickly called for an Über. Within minutes, they were there and I handed the driver the piece of paper.
My heart slammed in my chest as our car pulled over to the side of the road next to a long driveway that lead up to a farm house. Tall stalks of corn grew along one side of the path and on the mailbox was a sign that read The Kent's.
This was it, I thought to myself. We're finally going to get some answers.
***
Lois had long since left the farm, but something told me to head over to the cemetery where Mrs Kent said her husband was burried. I felt a slight gust of wind-- the hairs on the back of my neck standing in response-- and immediately I knew he was there.
"Lois said if we turned over enough stones you'd turn up," I said as I moved away from his father's grave to face him.
"And here I am." His face remained grim as he spoke, but there was a part of him that looked relieved to see me. "So what is it you want?" he asked, taking a step towards me.
I gulped nervously as he took another step in my direction. After watching him destroy that robot, what was to keep him from ripping me to shreds? Not to mention, I knew he was bullet proof. For every step he made forward, I took one step back.
"Lois wants to get the big story on you before somebody else does," I told him.
"And what if I don't want that?"
"I told her you might say that," I replied nodding my head. "But she's right, you know. Eventually someone will blab your secret."
"Then I'll just disappear again," he said.
"The only way you can do that is if you stop helping people altogether. And you and I both know, that's never going to happen."
He studied me intently for a moment and I had that uneasy feeling again.
"My father believed that if the world found out who I really was, they'd reject me out of fear," he explained.
"What do you think?" he asked raising a quizzical eyebrow at me.
"Not everyone can be trusted, Clark--" I admitted. It was the first time I had used his real name, outloud. "--but there are still some good people out there. I think your Dad was a little paranoid, honestly. Maybe you're the one that needs to be willing to take that giant leap of faith first."
The words had barley left my mouth when in a flash, he had closed the distance between us. He bent forward, his lips brushing against mine, and for a moment I allowed myself to imagine what he would taste like.
But then, I remembered everything that had happened the past month in a half. My embarrassing rant at the hospital, the kiss-- God that kiss. I felt an undeniable attraction to the man, but I could also suddenly feel my cheeks flush in anger.
Placing my hands against his chest, I tried to push him away. He didn't budge though, and as he straightened to his full height, he looked down at me upset and confused.
"You left me to die," I hissed, feeling my face distort with anger. "And you didn't even come check on me at the hospital! Not once! If I hadn't come looking for you, would you have come looking for me?" I asked.
"Rose, it's not like that-- "
"Oh really?" I sneered. "Cause it kind of feels like you just tossed me off your ship like I was an inconvenience--"
"Rosie! Stop!"
I paced back and forth as I continued. "Honestly, you know what hurts me the most? And this one is really important, you lied to me. You want the people of earth to trust you, but the last time I checked, it works both ways. You didn't even give me a chance to keep your secret."
Turning on my heel, I headed towards the exit and pulled out my phone to call for an Über.
"So that's it, huh?" he called after me. "I don't even get a chance to defend myself?"
Spinning back around, I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Why should you get a chance when you wouldnt even give me that in return?" I seethed. "Seriously. Why should I bother to listen to anything you have to say?"
Suddenly I found myself wedged between a rock and a hard place. Or rather, a tree and an incredibly large pair of bulging pecs. I silently cursed myself as every one of his glorious muscles pressed flush against me. As his beautiful sapphire pools gazed down at me, I could almost feel my anger melting away--
Almost.
"I could always force you to listen to me." His hot breath fanned against my neck as he bent down to whisper in my ear. "I could tie you up and force you to hear me out-- but I won't."
As he moved away from me, my traitorous body shivered as it instantly craved for his touch. My thoughts were jumbled and I wished for nothing more than to be in his arms once again. I sighed as I leaned into my hand, my fingers massaging my temples in frustration.
"You've got ten seconds to explain yourself" I told him. "And then I never want to see you again."
"I wanted to stay with you, I did," he began. "But you needed medical attention by a real doctor and--"
"And you needed to move your ship," I finished for him.
He nodded his head sheepishly. "I never left after the bank heist in Gotham either. I stayed. I just... I needed to make sure you would be ok."
Feeling my emotions bubble up again, I shoved past him, tears stinging my eyes.
"Rose, wait--"
"It's ok," I muttered, not even bothering to turn around. "I get it."
"I don't think you do," he said-- I angrily spun back around.
"So you've been following me around," I shot back. "Keeping me at a distance. Well, Clark Kent, you've made it pretty clear here that keeping your secret is more important than anything else in this world. I only hope that one day, you decide to finally let someone else in."
I turned back around, heading away from him yet again, but he flashed forward and grabbed hold of my arm. With a gentle tug, he spun me back towards him and brushed away the tears I didn't even know had fallen.
"My father died keeping my secret," he said. "He was convinced that I had to wait, that the world was not ready. I never meant to hurt you," he whispered as he continued to caress my cheek. "If I could do it all over again, I would change everything. I don't want to be alone, I don't care about some stupid secret-- I see that now."
I looked down at his father's grave, and shook my head. Pulling myself away from him.
"Please just give me another chance," he pleaded.
"I just-- I don't know," I muttered, heading out of the graveyard.
"Don't leave." His whisper was barely audible. "Please," he begged.
My heart broke as I looked back at him, a lone tear streaking down his cheek.
"Please, just-- stay with me."