The front door creaked open. Clark entered, removing his coat slowly. His eyes swept across the room, lit by the dim glow of late afternoon. The air still carried the scent of rain and wet grass.
Tina appeared at the kitchen doorway.
"You're back early."
"Less than I'd hoped."
He hung his coat on the back of the sofa. His boots left small streaks of mud on the rug.
"Where's Diana?"
Kyla emerged behind Tina, tying her hair with a loose elastic.
"She went to see your mom. Left about two hours ago."
Clark fell silent for a moment. He looked out the window. The fields seemed too quiet.
"Did she say anything?"
"Not much… just that she needed to go."
Kyla crossed her arms. Her eyes lingered on his face a second longer than necessary.
"She said she'd be back before dark."
Clark nodded. He went to the fridge, grabbed a glass of water, and drank slowly.
"Is she okay?"
"They got along well. Talked on the porch for ages."
Tina approached, a dish towel in hand.
"Do you want us to fix something to eat?"
"No. I just need to think."
He left the kitchen, heading to the back porch. He sat on the wooden bench. The silence there was better. Almost no sound, just the faint hum of insects.
His super-hearing kicked in reflexively. He caught footsteps at the front of the house. Then the sound of the gate. Diana.
She entered through the main door. Stopped when she saw Tina and Kyla in the living room.
"He's back already?"
Tina nodded toward the porch.
"He's out there."
Diana took a deep breath. She slipped off her shoes and walked silently to the porch.
Clark didn't turn his head. He just felt the weight of her presence approaching.
"You went to see my mom."
"Yes."
She sat beside him. Hands in her lap, eyes fixed on the horizon.
"You seem different."
"So do you."
Clark looked ahead. The clouds were starting to hide the sun.
"Was it good to see her?"
"It was. I… missed that. Someone simpler. Who looks at you without expecting power or answers."
"She liked you."
"I know."
Clark twirled the empty glass between his fingers.
"But you came back… off."
Diana took a moment to respond.
"It's just… she reminds me of my mother. Of what I lost to be here."
The silence between them stretched.
"I get it."
"No… you don't. You still have her. You can walk over and hug her. I…"
She stopped.
Clark let out a slow breath.
"You're not mad at me?"
"No."
"Then why's your heart racing since you walked in?"
Diana looked at him. Her face was calm, but her eyes carried something heavy.
"Because seeing your mom… made me realize I might want one too. Even if just for a moment. Even if in another place."
Clark stared at the wooden porch floor. The Air Crystal hummed in his shirt's inner pocket. The mission still incomplete. But now, more than ever, he realized what he left behind every time he went out.
"Have you thought about going back?"
"For a second. But then I remembered why I stayed."
Clark met her gaze. Her eyes were softer now.
"I won't leave you alone, Diana."
"I know."
She touched his hand. Her skin still cool from the wind. But her touch was firm.
"We'll finish what we started. But when it's over… I want to go back. Even if just for a day. To tell my mother it was worth it."
Clark nodded.
"You will."
She looked at him for a moment. Then stood.
"I'm going to take a shower."
Clark watched her walk inside.
He stayed there, alone, listening to the house. The sound of water in the kettle. Footsteps upstairs. And the silence between them… shrinking.
Clark knew the search for the crystals was bigger than him. But in that moment, what mattered most… was inside the house.
---
Airport
The gate opened with a muffled hum. Passengers streamed out in a line, some hurried, others exhausted. Lana walked slowly, dragging her wheeled suitcase across the cold airport floor. Her thick sweater didn't hide her tense shoulders or the fatigue on her face.
The night's chill slipped through the automatic doors of the terminal. Her hair still carried the airplane's scent—dry air, metal, disinfectant. Her face was bare of makeup. Just deep dark circles and a restrained expression.
'I'm back.'
She looked around.
Smallville's signs were the same. Old font, faded colors. But they made her breathe deeper.
'I'm not running anymore.'
The suitcase bumped her heel. She pulled it more firmly. Passed a family hugging. Two kids shouting. She sidestepped.
'Paris seemed perfect. But it was just pretty.'
The images came in flashes. Jason smiling at a café. The hidden library. The old church. The tattoo on her shoulder. The mysterious book. It all felt as distant as the other side of the world—because it was.
'I've changed.'
She walked to a glass wall. Pressed her forehead against it for a moment. The reflection showed a tired but resolute woman.
'I thought I had to run to find peace. But all I wanted… was to come back.'
A tear slid down, but she didn't wipe it.
'And Jason…'
Her hand gripped the bag's strap. Too tightly.
'He was good. Better than I deserved back then. But… he's not from here. He's not part of this.'
She closed her eyes for a second.
'Smallville is. Always was.'
Outside, the Sullivans' old pickup parked slowly. Lana took a deep breath, adjusted her coat, and pulled her suitcase with more resolve.
'I'll see Chloe. Then stop by the Kent farm. And then… I'll figure out what the hell's going on with this tattoo.'
The skin on her shoulder itched faintly, as if it had heard.
But Lana didn't react.
The automatic door slid open.
She stepped out.
And for the first time in a long time… she didn't want to run back.
---
Clark's House
Clark stood by the window. The bedroom lights were off, leaving only the moon's faint glow to fill the space. Smallville's sky was clear, cut by sharp stars. A breeze slipped through the window's cracks, carrying the scent of cold earth.
"The sky's clear tonight. Like the town stopped just for it."
Diana appeared behind him. The creak of the wooden floor under her bare feet was the only warning. She still wore a white towel, wrapped around her body. Her wet hair dripped down her back. Her shoulders were relaxed, but her eyes still carried traces of the unspoken.
"The nights here are different."
Clark kept his gaze on the moon.
"Less noise. More truth."
Diana stopped beside him. Her arm brushed lightly against his. The warmth of her body broke the room's chill.
"I don't regret it, Clark."
"I know."
He looked at her slowly. His eyes traced her still-damp body. The towel hugged the curve of her waist. Drops on her neck glinted in the moonlight.
"You're more beautiful than this entire sky."
She gave a half-smile. The kind that came from her eyes, not her mouth. Clark took a deep breath, unashamed.
"The night's perfect. But you…"
His fingers grazed her back, moving slowly up to her shoulder.
"You made it all disappear for a second."
Diana watched him. Her eyes steady, but with something softer there.
"Even with everything going on?"
"Especially because of it."
She stepped closer. Her face inches away.
"You're trying to fix the world, Clark. But I didn't come just for that."
"I know. And I'll take you to her."
Diana pressed her forehead to his. The touch was silent, intimate, unhurried.
"But not tonight."
"No. Tonight… just us."
Her breath brushed his chin. The scent of fresh soap lingered.
Clark held the towel gently, not pulling. Just touching.
"You're okay with this?"
"With you?"
She lifted her chin slightly.
"Always."
The silence filled the room. The cold no longer mattered.
And there, without another word, Clark leaned in. His hand on her waist, her warmth meeting his. The towel slipped slowly, but neither looked at the floor.
'She chose to stay.'
'And I'll prove it was worth it.'
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