Note: Thanks to my Beta Readers, they are helping me make the story flow better. Part 4 in a couple of day.
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Reflections

Part 3

Soaring fast, well above the city, the rain felt like a baptism on his face. Flying always had a freeing effect on him, no matter what his mood. Somehow, when he donned his suit and took to the air, the weight of life seemed to lift from him. Knowing that he could make a difference in his superhero guise gave him a sense of purpose, something to raise him up from the loneliness of his life. Sometimes, he thought that he only felt really alive when he was being the superhero he had created, playing the part of someone else... someone without all the baggage that one seems to accumulate during their life.

Now, however, he needed to concentrate on finding that accident. The dawn had just begun to break on the horizon, with the sun peeking through a small, distant hole in the clouds. His hearing zeroed in on the sound of a distraught man, pleading for help in Spanish. Finding the accident from the air, he sped to the scene, landing a scant two seconds later.

Surveying the accident, nothing seemed to warrant the distress of the man crying out before him. Calmly, Clark walked over to the man's car, and examined the wreckage, looking for signs of hurt passengers or leaking gasoline. Apparently it was only a fender bender, but the front left tire of the man's car was jammed into its wheel well, making the car unmovable.

The man ran up to Clark, grabbed him by the arm, and pleaded to him in Spanish. "Please, Señor, my wife is having our baby. I think she is ready to deliver. The police, the firemen, they haven't come. Please help us."

Looking into the back seat of the car, Clark saw a pregnant woman lying down, obviously in the late stages of labor. She cried out as another wave of contractions racked her body. He needed to get her to a hospital right away. Opening the back door, he turned, and explained in Spanish to the man that he was going to fly her to the hospital and then come back for him. It was obvious from the man's expression that he wasn't sure that he believed that it was possible for the superhero to do that. For that brief moment, Clark realized that he really did need more interaction with people when in the suit. At least enough so that the public would know and trust all of his abilities.

Focusing back on the situation at hand, he began to explain to the woman what he was about to do, but he stopped short when he saw her condition. Clark had witnessed the birth process a couple of times, and had received enough first aid training to know that this woman was ready to give birth any minute. It was much too dangerous to both her and the baby now to try to move her. He would have to assist her in giving birth right here and now.

He turned to the man and explained what was happening. After assuring the man that he knew how to assist his wife, and his soon to be born child, he instructed him to find a couple of reasonably clean towels and some water. Fortunately, the couple had been out at the Laundromat, so the man was able to produce the towels. He also had a nearly full bottle of drinking water to use. Clark took them, and for good measure, sterilized the water with his heat vision. He then took one towel and ripped a couple of long strips for tying off the umbilical cord.

He instructed the husband to place one of the towels underneath her and remove her lower undergarment. Clark then got the husband to sit next to his wife and explained to him how to help her focus on her breathing during her labor pains. Between the contractions, Clark told the wife exactly what he was going to do, and instructed her to bear down and push when he told her to do so. After another 30 minutes of labor a healthy looking baby boy had entered the world.

Without any prodding from Clark, the baby began a vigorous scream, announcing his arrival. Clark took a moment to look at the small miracle in his hands, and then worked quickly to tie off the umbilical cord in two places with the strips of towel. He then separated the baby from his mother by cutting the umbilical with a precise, narrow beam of heat vision. Using some more of the water, he washed the crying baby was well as he could, and wrapped him in one of the clean towels. After counting his fingers and toes, Clark handed the baby to the new father.

Clark looked at the couple as they bathed in the afterglow of the birth of their new son, the love between them reflected in their eyes, and in the face of their child. As the husband handed his wife their son, Clark left the car to afford them some privacy. By now the ambulance was parked by the car, waiting to take the parents and child to the hospital. The paramedics walked past, staring at him with a small amount of awe on their faces, and almost bumping into the car. Satisfied that the family was in good hands, he got ready to take to the sky once again.

Just as he was about to leave, a shout from behind him got his attention. It was the new father running toward him, asking him to wait. Clark was now worried that something might be wrong. The man caught up with him, a little out of breath, and started to thank him for what he had done.

"It was nothing," Clark said modestly.

"Señor, it was everything. My child may have been hurt, or even worse, if not for you. My wife and I wish to honor you, and name him after you. Please tell me what I may name my son."

Clark was flabbergasted. He'd never expected anything like that. Of course he couldn't give him his real name. Even if the man never told a soul, it was still too dangerous. But he didn't want to insult the father either. After thinking for a moment, he came up with a reasonable compromise.

"Señor, I have no name to give you, but I have met many wonderful people in my time here. There is a wise man I admire greatly who taught me much. It would honor me for you to consider the name Jon. But you may never tell anyone why your son has that name."

"I understand, Señor. Then my son's name shall be Juan, in honor of your mentor. Vaya con Dios, mi amigo." He extended his hand out to Clark.

Clark clasped the man's hand and shook it. "The same to you and your family."

With a final nod, the man turned to return to his family, and Clark slowly rose into the air. The rain had finally subsided, and the clouds began to move away from the city.

*********

Within seconds of the superhero leaving the scene, a white jeep screeched to a halt in front of the ambulance. A woman shrouded in a yellow rain parka jumped out of the SUV and ran to the car, where moments ago the baby had been born. She got there just in time to see the paramedics placing the mother and her baby on the stretcher, preparing her for transport to the hospital. The woman caught up with the father and questioned him on what had just happened. He excitedly answered her question, finishing his story by pointing into the sky. The woman looked up slowly into the clouds, and then shook her head. Shoulders slumped and audibly sighing, she walked back to her jeep. As she climbed back into the driver's seat, she paused for a moment to look back into the sky. Those who saw her witnessed the determined look on her face. She then looked away from the sky and slammed the door of her vehicle shut.

The father watched the woman leave as he stood by the ambulance, waiting for the paramedics to place his wife and child inside. A knowing smile crept on his face, as he muttered, "Buena suerte, Señorita."

*********

Clark sped off to the center of the city and found one of his favorite spots to stand and think - the top of the Bank of Metropolis building. It was one of the tallest buildings in the city, and had no other tall skyscrapers in the immediate vicinity. He landed on the decorative structure adorning the roof of the building, a stylized version of a dollar sign. It made a good perch for him, and even someone standing on the roof wouldn't be able to see him. He stood there, his arms crossed and his cape fluttering in the wind behind him, staring at the horizon and the rising sun.

He thought about what he had just witnessed, recognizing that a life full of miracles, like that one, couldn't be all that bad. He shook his head when he realized he had been wallowing last night, when he had no right to do so. He was blessed with the ability to make a significant difference in the world. It was an opportunity that few people were afforded, and he should be satisfied with that.

He thought once more of the happy family he had helped this morning and felt privileged that he had been able to lend a hand. Holding that newborn boy in his arms had been a true miracle. He had once thought that someday it would be his newborn baby that he would hold, but that wasn't going to come to pass.

It was the price he paid for choosing to play the superhero. He couldn't bring himself to endanger anyone by allowing someone to get close to him. It was bad enough that he spent every day worrying what would happen to his parents if anybody found out that Clark Kent was playing superhero in his spare time. They would have no peace, not to mention the possibility of them becoming targets for anybody who wanted to take advantage of him.

Take advantage of him... The cool morning breeze caressed him, as that thought intruded his mind. Suddenly he was back in France, all those years ago, happy with a woman he thought he loved...

[** The south of France, three years ago. **]

Clark was in a panic now. How much could he trust Lena with his secret, and how would she react to hearing it. Furthermore, he honestly didn't know where to begin. Stepping back from he, he looked into her eyes trying to gauge her emotions. She was looking at him intently, obviously expecting an immediate answer to her question.

"Let's get inside first, then we can talked about the how's and why's. Are you sure you don’t want me to go after those guys first?"

“No, like I said they’re long gone anyway. Besides, I rather you stay with me right now.”

“All right then, let’s get off this roof.” He took her hand and started to lead her to the rooftop door. She watched him silently as they walked toward the door, which worried him more than anything else. He had always fantasized how he would tell someone... some woman, about his abilities. He had many practiced speeches, but none of his rehearsals included plucking a woman out of a mid-air plunge.

Of course he wouldn’t have to explain anything to her if it had been anybody else he had rescued. Usually he wouldn’t stop to talk to someone after the occasionally rescue he indulged in. But his concern for Lena had overwhelmed his common sense. Now he would have to face the consequences - telling her about himself. She would be too smart for him to lie to her at this point. So assuming he could get up the courage, Lena would be the first person with whom he shared his secret.

When they reached the door they fortunately found it unlocked, and were able to reenter the building without any trouble. They exited into the hallway of the top floor, and found the elevator, taking it to the eighth floor. Exiting on her floor, Clark led Lena back to her room. Stopping in front of the door, Clark peered over his glasses to examine the lock. It showed no signs of being forced or picked. He pushed his glasses back up and turned his head to speak to Lena. "They must have had a key, the lock doesn't have any signs of tampering."

Clark paused for a moment, seeing the expression on her face as she pulled the room key out of her pocket. She looked like she was trying to figure out everything about him and what he could do, giving Clark that "bug in the glass jar" feeling. But he quickly shook it off, and stepped aside to allow her to unlock to door.

After they entered the room and secured the door, Lena walked over to the wet bar and poured herself a drink. Clark noted that she looked remarkably calm for someone who had just been tossed out of a window. She turned to him and waved the whiskey bottle in his direction, silently asking him if he wanted some also. He shook his head in refusal, and turned his attention to the broken window. Staring at the window, he finally voiced his question to her. "So, are you going to tell me now what's going on, and why those men threw you out a window?"

He didn't have to look at her to know that she was already pouring herself a second glass. Clark turned to see her quickly drinking the glass of whiskey before answering. "In a moment. I think I need to sit down for a minute first and collect myself.” Pointing her finger at Clark, she added, "And don’t think you’re going to distract me from what you did."

Clark watched her pour a third glass, then walk across the room to the couch. She sat down softly, and stared into the glass of whiskey she held in her hand. After staring at the glass for a minute, she set it down on the coffee table without drinking the liquid inside. She then looked directly into Clark's eyes, giving him the impression that she was weighing what she would tell him. Finally she took a deep breath, and said, "I guess I owe you an explanation after plucking me out of mid-air.” Then after a beat, “You really did do that, didn’t you?”

Clark just nodded, but didn’t say anything. Seeing that he wasn’t volunteering any more information, she continued. "OK, obviously I have to go first, but you’re telling me everything right after that." She took a calming breath, then said, "Those men were trying to steal my... shipment without paying for it. One of them was that man from the cafe who negotiated to buy it from me. I guess he thought the price was too high." She shrugged as she said her last comment, without any humor in her voice at all.

Clark silently joined her on the couch and took one of her hands into his own. She just stared down at Clark's hand, and sighed heavily before continuing. Her voice was strangely detached as she spoke. "I never expected him to take such drastic measures."

"If he wanted your shipment, why did he try to kill you?"

She looked up into Clark eyes suddenly, as if surprised by the question. "Oh, well, he didn't do it on purpose. When I refused to tell him anything, he tried to hit me. I, of course, defended myself. I had the upper hand for the most part, until one of his goons tried to tackle me, and ended up knocking me through the window. I have to guess that they panicked and fled as soon as it happened."

Clark couldn't believe that 'matter-of-fact' tone she had when describing what happened to her. He started to ask her about calling the police, but she interrupted him by asking, “So you’re going to tell me now how you can fly."

Clark made note that she had made it a statement, not a question. After a moment’s hesitation he began to tell her everything about himself. Once he started, he found that he couldn’t stop himself. It surprised him when he realized how much of a burden it had been carrying this secret for his whole life, without anybody to talk to about it except his parents. The novelty of being able to share this with someone opened up the floodgates within him.

He started at the beginning, with his parents finding him in the crashed spaceship, then his growing up as a normal Kansas farm boy. Normal, that is, until his powers started to manifest themselves at age ten. He described to her each power - when he first discovered it, how he had to learn to control each one, and the steps he took to hide his powers. She was wide-eyed as he described his strength and invulnerability, and she screamed when he demonstrated his abilities for her by lifting the couch, with her on it, high into the air with only one hand.

She interrupted only occasionally, asking for clarification on one point or another. She had many questions at the end, but Clark’s demonstrations and answers seem to satisfy her. Strangely, she seemed most interested in his invulnerability and asked for multiple demonstrations of his ability, one of which involved a very nasty looking knife she produced from somewhere.

When she was done with all her questions, he stood there in front her, not saying anything, seeing that she was still processing it all in her head. She then got up and asked Clark if she could have some time alone, perhaps 30 minutes or so, to think about everything. He of course understood, and made his way to the door to leave. Before he could go, she touched him on the arm and said, “Just so you know, I won’t ever forgot what you did for me tonight, or that I might be dead if not for you.”

He smiled, and gave her a quick peck on the cheek before leaving. He turned and left the room, hearing Lena close the door behind him.

He spent the next 30 minutes walking around the hotel, trying to see if he could find out who gave out a copy of Lena’s room key. Having no luck he went back up to her room. She opened the door immediately after he knocked, apparently waiting for him by the door. By the look on her face, she seemed to have decided something. Looking directly at Clark, she reached out for his hand, and pulled him over to the couch to sit down with her.

After they sat down, Lena just stared down at Clark's hand, which she was still holding, for a minute before looking up at him and saying, "You know, Clark, this was all a lot to take in. But it’s hard to dispute the facts when I see what you can do. When I was here, by myself for the last few minutes, I was thinking how lonely it must have been for you always to have to hide this from others. It must be very hard to go it all alone like this.”

“Sometimes it is.” Clark was happy to see that she could understand that about him.

Lena chuckled ironically, and then continued. “Believe me, I know how it is to go it alone. I always thought that I could take care of myself, and I've avoided any kind of long-term relationship. I enjoyed the feeling that I could do it all on my own. I went it alone because I thought that I would never meet anyone who could keep up with me. Or meet someone who would just like me the way I am. But tonight, I think I learned that I might have been wrong. Maybe I do need someone... someone like you."

She leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder, her fingers slowly tracing a line over the muscles of his chest. The sensation of her touch felt like small electrical charges along his body. He put his arm around her, drawing her protectively close to him, and began to gently stroke her hair. He felt conflicted about what to do next. Just minutes ago she had, in effect, told him that they had no future together. Now she was telling him that she needed him. Of course, he himself knew what it was like avoiding long-term relationships. Maybe it was the time to take a chance with someone, even if in the end it didn't work out for them. He hated the thought of being alone for the rest of his life, so maybe it was time to change that.

His faced buried in her hair, he softly said, "I thought that you weren't my type of girl." He tried to put as light as a tone he could into the statement.

She turned her head to look at him - a small, but wicked smile on her lips. "Really, Kansas, you’re going to have to learn what a woman really means when she says something. You should have put up more of a fight."

Completely bewildered, he exclaimed, "I should have put up... You told me that you didn't want to -"

"Oh, shut up, and kiss me, you idiot." Without waiting for any response, she kissed him hard and possessively on the lips. Clark had no choice but to respond. His mind saying, 'Hey, wait a minute', but his body telling his mind to pipe down and enjoy the ride.

Without breaking the kiss, she reached up with one arm and hooked it around his neck, forcing him deeper into the kiss. Softly nibbling on his bottom lip, she moved her kisses down to his chin, and then his jaw-line. Finally done with her assault on his senses, she leaned back slightly, and gave him a smoldering look... one which may have incinerated mere morals.

"So, are you going to keep bringing up things I've said in the past?"

Clark shook his head slowly. "No ma'am. Not me. It’ll never happen again."

"Good." She smiled, and captured his lips once again. After exploring his mouth, her lips made their way down his chin, then to his throat, and ended up trailing down to his chest. As she made her way down, she undid the buttons of his shirt one at a time. When she reached the third button, she felt Clark's hand on her face, gently turning her to look at him.

"Lena, as much as I'm enjoying this, I don't think I'm ready to take this any further. I want to get to know you better first. I've been waiting all my life to give myself to the right woman. When I finally do, it has to be more than an act of love. To me it will be a commitment. You understand, don't you?"

She stared at him in surprise, as if she couldn't quite believe what he had told her. Releasing her hold on him, she sat up, never taking her eyes off him. Suddenly she got up, collecting the untouched glass of whiskey from the coffee table, and walked over to the wet bar. She contemplated the glass for a few seconds before pouring the contents down the sink.

"You've waited all this time for the right woman." Her statement was spoken so softly, that Clark didn't think that he would have heard it without his special abilities. As he thought about what to say next to her, she whirled around, a warm smile on her face. He was taken aback by the sudden change in her demeanor, but he waited patiently for what she was going to say next.

"Clark, that's so sweet. If I heard that from anybody else, I would think that was some kind of line. But somehow I know from you that you really mean it. And I do want you to know me better, even though that will be a new experience for me. I just hope you can be patient with me."

Clark grinned warmly at her as he said, "I'm in no hurry, and I do want to get to know you, the real you, better." After a beat he continued, "You know, I have to say, you are really taking the fact that I may be an alien from another planet very calmly. I thought you be more... I don't know... more anxious than this. I mean it is a pretty incredible story when you think about it."

"Well, you're a pretty incredible guy, Clark. Besides, considering what you can do, being a visitor from another planet is as good as an explanation as any other. There could be other explanations, like you’re a failed government experiment. But frankly, with my connections, I would have heard about something like that.”

Now Clark was curious. “Connections?”

Lena shrugged. “I deal with government types all the time. If some government produced someone like you, the word would have been out on the street long ago. Plus the fact that I’m fairly familiar with the state-of-the-art in robotic and biological technology. There is no organization out there that has the capability of producing something... someone like you. And I think ‘Angel’ is out of the question too. Therefore, being an extraterrestrial is the most plausible answer.”

"Oh.” Then after a moment’s thought he asked, “So it doesn't bother you that I may not be from Earth?"

"Not unless you're hiding some weird appendage underneath those clothes of yours, or you plan to kidnap me for some kind of alien experimentation. Plus the fact you feel pretty human to me, so who cares where you're from?"

Clark was positively giddy inside. All his scenarios about telling someone the first time about his origins and abilities always ended badly. But Lena took it all in stride, and it didn't seem to bother her at all. He got up from the couch and crossed the living room to where she was standing. Without hesitating, he took her up into his arms and gave her another kiss. This time he tried to put his emotions, rather than his passions, into it.

As he was kissing her, he had the vague impression that something wasn't right. But what could be wrong? He was kissing a beautiful, exciting woman and she accepted him at face value. All should be right in the world. He pushed those thoughts aside, and focused on showing Lena how he felt with his kiss. As their lips finally parted, he saw that her eyes were closed, heard what could only be described as purring coming from Lena.

"You know, Kansas, you're making this wait thing very hard on a girl."

"Sorry, didn't mean to."

She opened her eyes, and sighed heavily. "Men. Space men." She shook her head in amusement, then patted Clark on the chest before moving back to the couch. She sat down heavily, and sighed one more time. Clark had heard the term 'smoldering eyes' before, but always thought it was an exaggeration from cheap detective novels. But the look in Lena's eyes right now could start a forest fire, and he could feel his resolution faltering already. He started thinking, quickly, how to say goodnight gracefully (while he still had some self control left), when Lena spoke first.

"Unless you want me to attack you before the night is over, I think it's time to say goodnight, Mr. Kent."

Clark actually contemplated allowing her to attack him, before shaking himself mentally and replying, "Yeah, that's probably a good idea." Then, remembering something, he asked, "By the way, when are you going to call the police?"

"I'm not."

"What! Why not? That man tried to kill you."

"Believe me I know, but the police are useless around here, and I don't have any proof or witnesses. I'd just end up making more trouble for myself. No, I think I leave the locals out of this for now."

Clark wasn't exactly happy with her reasoning but it was her choice. Still, maybe he could do something.

"Would you like me to stay out here tonight? I can go without sleep for four or five days at a time, so it wouldn't be any problem. I'll just grab a book and read and you can get some sleep."

Lena seemed to find this amusing, chuckling and shaking her head. "My own personal knight. No Clark, I'll be fine. They probably think I'm dead or in the hospital anyway. You go home and rest. Come by at eight and pick me up for breakfast. Now go. Shoo." She waved her hand in a shooing motion at him. Seeing him rooted to the spot, she got up and took him by the hand, leading him to the door.

As they got to the door, she reached up and stroked his face gently, once. "It is very nice offer, Clark, but I've still got some things to think about, so it would be better if I was on my own tonight. Besides, even if you were a complete gentleman and stayed out here all evening, you would still be a major distraction." She brought her hand around the back of his neck, and drew him into a short sweet kiss.

He smiled at her, and said, "I understand. I'll see you here at eight then." He reached down and opened the door, giving Lena one more warm smile before leaving and walking down the hall. As he approached the elevator, a look over his shoulder confirmed that she was watching him walk away. She looked beautiful, standing there in the doorway. He employed his enhanced vision to bring her face closer into view. When he zoomed in, he saw her face was full of intense scrutiny. It caught him by surprise, but he knew that she had a lot of information to digest about him. So it shouldn't worry him. Yet he felt that tickle in the back of his mind again that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite grasp what it was.

The sound of the elevator doors opening broke him out of his thoughts. He entered the elevator, still perplexed at his feelings.

Later that night, he was sitting on the roof of a nearby building, his hearing tuned to alert him to the sound of any trouble coming from direction of Lena's hotel room. He would forgo sleep, if only for his own peace of mind, to keep an ear out for her. His mind was full of pleasant memories of Lena, what they had shared this evening. Maybe what was bothering him was the fact that they wouldn't have gotten this close if someone hadn't tried to kill her tonight. Yes, that must be it exactly. He picked up his book, and started to read again by the moonlight, a happy smile on his face

End Part 3