Silvia had fallen asleep in the bathtub after a long while of sleeplessness. She had stayed up, images flashing constantly in her head and refusing to give her peace. In the midst of her horror it was like her body shut down from the exhaustion it brought. That was probably the only reason she was able to sleep.
She hadn't wanted to lay in Superman's bed. She didn't want to be anywhere near the man, and so she had turned to the bath as her accommodation for the night.
Sometime during the night she felt her body being shifted into familiar arms. In her gaze she had cuddled closer to the warmth as if the whole ordeal had just been a bad dream.
"Clark..." She mumbled groggily, hands gliding over the textured symbol on his chest.
"It's alright, I'm here now." She heard his voice answer, his arms tightening around her.
Soon she was placed onto a surface much more comfortable than the previous one. The mattress was soft and she sunk right into it. Soon she was lost in deep sleep once more with a large hand being stroked through her hair.
The morning light shining on her face was what woke her up completely. It was nothing compared to the sun in her Metropolis but it was still annoying enough for her to groan in irritation.
She opened her eyes into slits, letting them against to the light. When they did she saw a figure sitting beside the bed and jumped up in shock. Superman was staring at her, and it wasn't her Superman either. It hadn't been just a terrible nightmare... It was real.
"H-How long have you been there?!" She said anxiously.
"All night." The man answered in a monotone. "I was afraid you'd disappear if I looked away."
Silvia wasn't sure if to be creeped out or feel sorry for him. Ultimately, her mind decided on both. She pulled the sheets higher up on her body but her eyes held sympathy, she would probably be the same way if she ever lost him.
Silvia wanted to remind him that this wasn't her universe, that she had another Superman waiting for her but before she could even open her mouth the door swung open. Diana stood in the doorway, a long dress hanging off her broad figure. The straps were hanging off her shoulders to show off her immense cleavage and there was a slit up the right leg.
"Kal-el, the meeting's about to start." Diana said, completely ignoring Silvia's presence. "We should meet in the war room before they arrive."
Her voice turned slightly sultry and Silvia didn't need any explanation. Superman didn't even give Diana a glance. He just waved her out. "Not today. I'll see you at the meeting."
Diana was too proud to show it but Silvia could tell that she was hurt. Her eyes skimmed over to the blonde with a somewhat spiteful glare before she left without another word.
Superman's hand hovered over Silvia's cheek tenderly. "I must go and sort a few things out. I won't leave you alone for too long and I won't be far away." His words sounded as if he was trying to comfort himself more than her. He was trying to convince himself that she was safe as long as she stayed close.
"Okay..." She said in an unsure voice. "Can I leave for a little while? I'd like to see more of Metropolis..."
Superman went quiet for a moment. It was apparent that he wasn't going to let her leave. "I'll take you as soon as I can. Just stay here for now... I can't lose you again."
"Clark... I m-mean Kal-el." The use of his Kryptonian name made him flinch. "You're treating me like a prisoner. You of all people should know that I don't do well in a cage..."
"If that cage keeps you safe then that's all I care about." Superman twirled a strand of her hair gently around his finger. He leaned forward to kiss her but she instinctually pulled away. The man's expression fell but he still managed to brush his lips against her cheek. "I'll be back before you know it."
"Don't rush." Silvia said, avoiding his gaze entirely. "I'd hate to deprive Diana of your company."
Superman tensed. "Diana and I... It's nothing."
"I don't think she sees it that way. She seems to really care about you."
"Diana knew what this was from the beginning." He said heartlessly. "She knew I could never love her."
Silvia bit her lip. "That's awful..."
She had been relieved to hear that he had moved on, but apparently Diana was just a place holder. Not only that but she was so blinded by her feelings for him that Diana was encouraging this destructive change in the man.
Superman's expression was unreadable. "We don't need to discuss this any further. Whatever we had ended the moment you returned to me."
"But Kal-el I-"
"I have to go." This time she could hear the regret in his voice. "What I'm doing here will ensure your safety. Just wait for me a little longer."
With that he was gone and Silvia was left alone, trapped in an invisible prison. If she wasn't allowed to leave the Fortress... maybe she could look around. Not that she cared if she couldn't. Silvia wasn't in the practice of taking orders.
The girl scrambled off of the bed, not bothering to get changed before scavenging through the room. There wasn't much left to discover, but in one of the draws she hadn't checked yet there was a set of keys. They were old and rusty. They didn't belong in the Fortress... much like the two doors she had passed by.
Curiosity blazed in her silvery eyes. She quickly grabbed the keys and rushed out only to find that there was no guard on duty yet. They probably realised that she would get through them too easily to bother.
The hall was practically deserted. Anyone up this early was likely attending the meeting. It was far too easy to reach the two wooden doors in the middle of the Fortress. She randomly selected one, or more specifically, the door that was dented with chipped brown varnish and a brass colored lock.
The key closest to her fit into the lock perfectly and clicked when she turned it. With a nervous buzz bursting through her body she pushed it open to reveal... another room. At first glance she was confused. Why would Kal-el seal off some stupid bedroom?
Then she looked again. It didn't fit in with the rest of the hideout. It looked like a room from a small house. There was a mattress just as large as Kal-el's in the middle, two sets of draws, a cupboard and photos littering the walls. From the doorway she found it difficult to see what the framed photographs were of, but when she stepped in closer she wished she'd never opened the door in the first place.
They were pictures of her and Clark together. One was of Silvia making a ridiculous face and Clark staring at her oddly, another was in front of the daily planet (Clark was dressed in the usual large coat and thick glasses). Many were of them around the 'old' Metropolis but others were taken at different locations all around the world; China, Japan, Mexico, Hawaii, France, Africa, Egypt, Australia, England, Italy. Anywhere and everywhere.
As much as she tried to hold it in, the pain came out like an uproar from her throat in the form of a silent sob. He looked so much like her Clark in those shots that it not only made her miss him more, but it surfaced fear that this would happen to them as well.
Silvia shuffled over to the cupboard, hands shaking as she pulled it open. It was full of clothes around her size, as if Kal-el hadn't touched them since her death. They didn't look anything like what she'd wear now. They were too... colourful, and anything that was a bit duller was maternity clothes.
Her shoulders heaved with emotion and her hands clenched into shaking fists in a desperate battle against the sorrow that hit her. Still, she refused to cry over something that didn't involve her. It may have been another version of her child, but it wasn't hers. There was nothing to cry about... or so she told herself.
Ignoring her own heartbreak became impossible when she entered the second room. It was for a baby... all done up and waiting for their child. The crib was small but beautiful all the same. It had blue blankets neatly made up and a teddy bear of a similar shade sitting beside the pillow. There was another photo in here but in it Silvia was visibly pregnant and Clark's hands were placed delicately on her stomach.
The room was painted deep aqua with animals traced onto each wall. Toys sat unused and covered in dust and the changing table was the same. Brick by brick, Silvia's walls came tumbling down. the tears in her eyes turned the rainy day into a whirlwind of grays and yellows. She sprinted out of the room and slammed the door behind her. She couldn't look at it anymore.
It was at this time that she missed Clark most. He would've put his arms around her and kissed her until the horrible truth of that world faded at least a little. This only upset her more.
Her eyes were burning and her chest felt heavy as if it were filled with lead. She could no longer see clearly as she raced back to Kal-el's room. She had never wanted kids. Silvia was certain that she'd be a terrible mother. She had no instinct for it because she herself had never had anyone to learn from... but knowing that a version of her and Clark, any version, had lost their son brought fresh pain whirling in her chest.
Her red, tear-rimmed eyes stared at the entrance to Kal-el's bedroom, with watery streaks falling down her face. Silvia smoothed her now chaotic hair and wiped the tears from her cheeks which were now blotchy and mottled. Her whole face was washed with a dull pink, including the very end of her nose.
She was just starting to control her quivering shoulders when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She whirled around, mouth open to utter the man's name before they smacked a hand over her mouth to silence them. Barry walked her into the room, shutting the door behind him and taking a gadget out of his pocket. He pressed a small, green button and they were enveloped in some kind of force field.
"Now you can talk." He said, calmly tucking the contraption away. "Sorry, Superman would have heard us otherwise."
"But he can't now...?" Silvia asked somewhat afraid.
"No, Bruce made this. It cancels out any noise from the inside." He tapped on the dome surrounding them and a resounding 'ting' filled the air. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions and I'm sorry I couldn't answer them before. We don't have much time but I'll tell you whatever I can."
Though she was relieved to finally get a few more answers, her voice came out trembling. After what she'd seen she was afraid of what she might learn. "Let's start with why you brought me here then... What's the plan? How in the hell am I suppose to fix all this?"
"Well, if I'm being honest, Bruce outright protested to bringing you here. I'm not sure how it is in your world but in this one you and Bruce never really saw eye to eye."
"Yeah, it was the same where I'm from..."
Barry looked a little amused by the thought that they hated each other in multiple universes. "Then you can probably understand why he didn't want you here. Bruce's original plan was to send over the Superman from your world, have him fight ours, and hopefully bring him to justice."
"I'm glad you didn't... Clark's going through enough right now." Silvia shook the memory of Jonathan's funeral out of her head. "But why me?"
"I still remember how Clark was before all this. He was my friend. He saved this planet more times than all of us combined. I guess I still hope that he's still in there somewhere, and if anyone can bring it out of him it's you."
"... I'm sorry, I really do want to help him but I'm not sure how I'm suppose to convince him that he's wrong."
Barry shrugged. "He changed you once, remember? I'm sure that you can have the same effect on him... You'll have to, otherwise there'll be nothing to stop Bruce from bringing your Superman here."
Silvia gulped. The stakes were already too high for her liking. "Alright... I'll try. If I'm going to do this though I need to know everything that happened five years ago. I need to know what happened to Clark... and to me."
Barry flashed her a saddened look. The story was a hard one to tell but she was right. She had to know what happened if she was going to stay there...
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