In that eternity of nothingness there was a never ending pain, and without any control of her body she couldn't even cry or yell. That was the worst part. There was no release. Silvia felt like she was dying, or maybe she was already dead. The concept of losing her life had never phased her... until she met Clark. Now she was terrified that she'd never see his face again, or hear him ask her a million questions in one sitting.
Fear had a vice-like grip on her mind before flashes of light appeared. They happened in spurts that felt like they were hours apart, but each time she could glimpse at reality.
First it was a familiar room; off-white and surrounded in advanced technology. Then it was a woman, broad-shouldered and severe, her red hair twisted into the tightest of buns. She had a strangely blank, moon shaped face, wire-framed spectacles, and no makeup apart from a smear of yellow lipstick. Her mouth was moving but Silvia heard nothing but a loud buzzing noise. Next time Superman was there, staring down at her in a way that made her wish she were dead. Last was the room again - empty and alone.
Those were her only windows to the outside world for God knows how long. This ended on the day a new gasp of air filled her lungs and her whole body jolted back to life. It was like her brain was reconnecting to every muscle and limb, making them twitch out of control until they fell still.
Silvia's blue eyes snapped open to a familiar ceiling and she regained all her senses at once. She could hear the groaning of patients in the next room. She could smell the horrible hospital food being carted down the halls. It was like being reborn... but more painful.
The blonde girl tried to sit up but a wave of pain zapped through her. A grunt became lodged in her throat at the sudden feeling and she slowly laid back down. It didn't look like she was going to be moving for a while...
"Glad to see that you're awake." The same woman Silvia had seen before appeared from behind the curtain. Her gaze was fixed on the papers in her hand, pen hovering above the first page. "Do you know where you are?"
"Hell?" Silvia muttered through her pounding headache; it felt like her brain was being shredded from the inside out. The woman didn't look impressed and Silvia sighed. "S.T.A.R Labs."
The scientist quickly ticked something on her end of the paper then glanced back up. "And do you remember who brought you here?"
"No, but I'll take a wild guess and say it was Superman."
This time when the lady ran her pen across the paper she did it with a lot more precision. Silvia could almost imagine each line she was making before her brown eyes flicked back up. "Before we reveal your medical record I also need your full name and birthdate."
Silvia scoffed. "Reaper's my name. Have you not visited the cult website of late? Apparently I'm a seven foot tall male, born by Gods hatred of our sins."
It was true, there was a small cult online that praised Reaper and his deeds. Yes, his. They thought she was a man. Not only that, but they posted illustrations of what Reaper supposedly looked like; a giant with a burly beard and muscles large enough to rival Bane's. It was somewhat entertaining to see people's ideas of her visualised, despite the fact that they were the complete opposite of her.
Reaper moved in the night so she was barely seen, they couldn't be blamed for having their small fantasies of her... or him. Though when Lois posted that article with a fairly clear picture the cult had instantly denied it. They said it was a fake. A copycat.
"I'm not interested in your little fan club." The scientist groaned.
"Well, that makes two of us." Silvia smirked, pain shooting through the side of her skull that instantly wiped her smug expression away.
"Joke all you like but you are not permitted to leave this building until I confirm that you're not suffering memory loss." The scientists eyes narrowed and her pen tapped against the pages still held securely in her opposite hand. "Now, full name and birthdate please. No need to be cautious, you've already been here before and know we are unable to release patient information. Besides, we already have full reports on you including your name. We're only asking to make sure that you know who you are."
"Of course I know who I am!" Silvia hissed. "I'm not suffering any memory loss. I remember everything!"
The woman tapped her foot impatiently. She didn't look like she was willing to repeat herself.
The blonde sighed. "September 17th, Silvia Stone."
The scientist refused to move an inch. Her stare drilled into Silvia like brass to sapphire and her lips pursed. "We took blood samples and linked it to both your birth certificate and government files. I wouldn't suggest lying to the people that saved your life. Now I'll ask one more time, what's your real name?"
Silvia froze. Her whole body tensed then stiffened against the healing wounds until she could feel nothing else. Her jaw tightened but this only worsened her pain, it felt like it had been dislocated and was in the later stages of mending. There was nothing she could do but answer the question, no matter how angry it made her. "Silviana Blackwood..."
The scientist nodded. "Very good. I'll have someone come in and inform you of your injuries." She nodded to someone out of Silvia's view. "You can come in now, Taylor."
Minutes after she had left someone else took her place... The woman that had tended to Silvia the last time she was brought there. "You're making a habit out of wasting our resources." She said, the edge of her mouth tugging upward.
"If it's such a waste then stop helping me." She grumbled back.
"Now, that would be an even bigger waste." The woman smiled and glazed over the report she was holding. "Your healing capabilities are greater than we originally thought. Last time you were here the blade Batman stabbed you with hit a major artery, and it was so sharp that whenever your body tried to heal it the blade would just cut it again. This was the only thing that sent you to us."
"See? I told you. I'm fine-"
"This time, however, you were on the cusp of death." Taylor interrupted, taking a seat next to Silvia's hospital bed and reading through the long list of injuries. "We had to temporarily heighten your healing factor to make sure that didn't happen. Your skull had been split open, but because we had already pumped you with enhancements, there was not enough time for surgery. We had to try and realign it in little more than half an hour before your body fixed it."
Silvia's hand quickly flew up to her head... her hair was still there but beneath the tangles there were deep cuts. "Thanks... I guess."
"The rest of your body was gravelly wounded. You had at least fifteen broken bones and four fractures, your torso was riddled in bullet holes, your face was almost cut open, and that's not to mention the deep gushes that had punctured multiple arteries." Taylor leaned back in her seat, report falling to her lap with a gentle tap. "The gun used was a Desert Eagle... If you weren't Meta you'd be nothing but meat right now. You should be deader than my great grandmother. Whoever did this to you really must despise you... or like you, I honestly can't tell with you mercenary types."
Silvia grunted her response. She really wasn't in the mood for a lecture, even less to hear about how badly she had lost to Deathstroke... again.
Before Taylor could find something else to mention there was a a gust of wind that Silvia was sure no one else heard. Then the curtains to her section of the room parted and Superman stepped inside. Silvia groaned. "Oh God... Can't you give me a break?"
"Sorry, I told him you were awake." Taylor said as she pushed out of the chair. "He's been here every day since you were admitted."
Silvia probably should have felt flattered but all she could concentrate on was the words 'every day'. Her eyes darted to Superman then back to Taylor in panic. "How long have I been here?"
"Almost a week."
Her voice rung in Silvia's head and suddenly she couldn't breath. "N-No... I was suppose to meet Clark at the-" she tried to get out of bed but the pain it evoked was too much. A sharp inhale hissed passed her teeth and Superman rushed to her side.
"Don't stress, I made sure he was informed that you were put in hospital." His tone was softer than Silvia was use to, his eyes filled with concern.
"Why would you do that?!" Silvia growled. "Couldn't you have said I was out of town or something? You didn't have to make him worry!"
"He deserves to know." He responded, nodding for Taylor to leave the room. "I said you were attacked on your way home. He doesn't know about Reaper."
Silvia let out a breath of relief, though she couldn't relax completely with Superman still there. He wouldn't stop staring at her, like he thought he'd never see her awake again... Not that Silvia thought that would bother him. They weren't exactly close. That only made it weirder.
"Will you stop gaping at me and just tell me what you fucking want?" She finally snapped at him, uncomfortable that he hadn't left yet.
"I'm glad you're alright." He said so sincerely that Silvia almost believed him. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to ask until you completely healed, but apparently it can't wait."
Silvia huffed. "Well, hurry up then."
"There was a body found not far from you with two bullet holes to the head, something largely considered as your signature..."
"You think I killed him?" Silvia sneered. Not this again.
"If I thought you did it I wouldn't be asking." Superman replied honestly and Silvia glanced up at him in surprise. "But I do need to know who actually killed him or the blame's going to fall on you."
The blonde would usually find no reason to tell, but this time she couldn't help but feel like she had to. It was rare that anyone ever put faith in her. "It was the same person that did this to me - Deathstroke."
Superman's brow darkened and his lips formed a thin line. "What were you doing getting involved with him?"
"We've fought before, I'd been hired to eliminate him... The injuries were a lot worse and I got no hits in at all. He had no problem killing a teenager but he said it'd be more interesting to let me live. He thought I'd get stronger and actually put up a fight worth having." Silvia growled in annoyance. "After that I delayed a few of his hits by a few seconds and he's had a problem with me ever since. Apparently he hates being late on a contract."
Superman's gaze softened. "How old were you when you first fought him?"
"I don't know, Dude. Sixteen or Seventeen... Some shit like that. I don't keep track." The girl shrugged. "Have I proven my innocence yet? Can you just leave me alone now?"
The man of steel's smile was faint. He almost looked bothered by her wanting him gone... and the way his jaw locked reminded her of Clark. "Sure." He said lowly, trying to conjure the same confidence that he always had. "I hope you feel better soon."
Guilt stabbed Silvia directly in the stomach as she watched him leave, though she had no idea why. She swallowed what little pride she had left and decided to at least give him a little credit. "Hey, boy-scout!" She called out and he stopped to look over his shoulder at her. "... Thanks for saving me. I owe you."
Finally his smile seemed to return, but it wasn't the one he always wore to charm people. It was gentle, maybe even sweet. "You don't owe me anything. I told you that before."
Silvia could feel herself weakening, just as Deathstroke had told her. Still, she couldn't stop her expression from slipping to something that nearly resembled compassion. "You're making it very difficult to keep hating you, Steely."
"So are you." He replied with a chuckle. Within seconds he was gone again, and Silvia was left alone to the irritating squeaking of nurse shoes and the groaning of patients once more.
There was nothing to be said about the remainder of her stay at S.T.A.R Labs. She stayed in her bed begging to be released but they refused to let her go for another two days. By that time she was so eager to leave that she practically sprinted out of the door.
On the bright side she could actually move now without being in severe agony. She still had a few bruises and scabs though, the bigger wounds were likely to be added to the large array of scars that littered her body.
When Silvia returned to her apartment she was met with the same atmosphere; screaming from the other sections and the smell of burnt food. This only added to her shock when she reached her room to find that her door was no longer broken... In fact, it looked brand new. Stuck to the handle was a sticky note, dark yellow that contrasted greatly with the royal blue ink. 'Hopefully this should keep you a little safer. Ring me as soon as you're able. - Clark'.
Silvia's mouth stretched into a smile, and suddenly the pain didn't matter. She should have taken a few more days to heal but she was desperate to see him. This had happened before and it would probably happen again... She wanted to make sure that next time she had no regrets.
Regardless of any aches still pulsing through her system, Silvia turned right back around and headed back into Metropolis. She remembered stopping by Clark's house once after he forgot his wallet. The route was still embedded in her mind.
His apartment building was leagues ahead of her own, but by any other standard it would be considered plain. The stairs were made of solid metal and didn't threaten to collapse beneath her when Silvia climbed them though, and that was enough for it to look like a luxury.
Silvia knocked on the door she recalled being Clark's, but there was no answer. Just when she was about to try again it finally swung open. Clark only needed to glance at her slightly cut up face to start worrying. "Oh my god, Sil. I was so worr- Are you alright?!" He said in alarm but was only met with a gentle push as the girl entered his room. His brow furrowed but he complied by closing the door shut behind him.
There was a moment of silence between the two; Clark waiting for Silvia to explain why she was there, and Silvia feeling a wave of embarrassment for something she hadn't done yet. Her silvery eyes flicked up at him for barely a second before she averted her gaze once more. Why was this so difficult for her?
Silvia cursed herself. She had already pushed away her own stubbornness once today, and with Superman of all people, Clark deserved nothing less.
Concern wrinkled the bridge of Clark's nose and he braced both palms on her shoulders, convinced something was wrong. Her face was white and her breathing labored, and he could swear he felt a hint of a tremble. "Does it still hurt? Do you need to go back to the hos-"
Silvia, having suddenly gained a hint of confidence, quickly wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face into his chest. This stopped the man in mid sentence, his eyes wide in shock. She was trying to hug him but the action was so foreign to her that she wasn't entirely sure if she was doing it right... Was she holding him too tight? Was she too close? These questions turned into anxieties but it was too late to go back now.
"Thank you..." She whispered into his shirt, feeling his muscles stiffen in further surprise. "For fixing my door, and worrying about me... and, well, I guess everything."
Clark's hand grazed against the small of her back, but it took another few seconds for him to find his voice again. "Are you sure you're feeling okay?"
She shook her head, pulling a few inches away from his chest. "I'm fine, really..."
Clark nudged her chin up with his thumb, and her lips parted with a sharp intake of breath. And then he saw it. The gentle rise and fall of her chest, the soft rose in her cheeks, the skittish look in her eyes, flitting to his lips and then quickly away.
Comprehension suddenly oozed through him like heated honey purling through his veins. Could it be? Was it possible that cold, callous Silvia Stone was beginning to warm up?
The thought sent warm ripples of shock through his body, thinning the air in his lungs. His gaze gentled, taking in the vulnerability in her eyes, the fear in her face, and all he wanted to do was hold her, reassure her.
As if under a spell, his gaze was drawn to her lips, parted and full, and the sound of her shallow breathing filled him with a fierce longing. Slowly, he bent toward her, closing his eyes to caress her mouth with his own. A weak gasp escaped Silvia as she froze, but she didn't relent.
The taste of his lips was far more than she bargained for, and she drew close to him with a raspy groan. With a lot more control than she had, Clark cupped the back of her neck and kissed her deeply, gently, possessive in his touch but yet it felt like he was holding back.
Silvia's body melded to his with an answering sigh. Her hands reached to grab the fabric of his shirt, scrunching it up in her fists. The kiss made her heart flutter and set her chest aflame. It felt like he was overthinking his every movement as if the slightest shift could hurt her, but for Silvia it made the world fall away like it had stopped turning on its axis.
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