The room was quiet when Clark reappeared, the air around him still vibrating from the displacement. Diana sat at the edge of the bed, arms resting on her legs, watching the door as if she knew the exact second he would walk in.
"You're back early."
Clark closed the door behind him. "Not really."
She tilted her chin, studying his expression. "Where did you go before sunrise?"
Clark moved closer and sat beside her. The mattress dipped slightly, and for a moment they simply breathed the same air.
"I went to the Arctic."
"Arctic." Diana blinked slowly, absorbing the information like someone trying to assemble a puzzle without instructions. "I'll need you to elaborate on that."
Clark rested his hands on his thighs, tone neutral. "I built a fortress there. I used the three crystals."
"A whole structure?" Her tone was practical, without extra emotion. "Alone?"
"I brought what I needed." He lifted his gaze. "And I found a projection of my father."
Diana stayed silent for a few seconds. "Your father… the Kryptonian one."
Clark nodded. "It's a hologram. A guidance program. He… talks too much."
Her mouth curved into a small contained smile. "I imagine. Must run in the family."
Clark let out a soft sigh. "He tried to dictate how things should be. But I told him I'm not following everything he wants."
"Good." Diana tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I don't need to understand the technology. I just need to know you're in control."
"I am." Clark held her gaze for a moment. "But he'll insist."
"Then tell me when you want to break his stubbornness again. I can help."
Clark raised an eyebrow. "You and a hologram?"
"I've fought worse things." She smiled slightly. "And won."
Clark leaned back a little, his expression more relaxed. "Do you want to see the Fortress?"
"Of course." She placed a hand on his chest, pushing gently. "If you built a house at the end of the world and don't want me to see it, then I'd start getting suspicious."
Clark chuckled lightly. "That's not why I didn't tell you."
"I know." Diana tilted her head. "But I still want to go. One day. No rush."
"Deal."
The silence that followed was calm, familiar. Diana studied his face with something between curiosity and routine.
"You came back different," she said lightly. "Not worse. Just… carrying more."
"It's nothing."
"It is. You just don't want to talk about everything at once."
He looked away, but the small smile betrayed his restrained humor. "Maybe."
Diana leaned in slightly. "Clark…"
Her voice died when the phone vibrated on the table.
Bzzz
Bzzz
Clark closed his eyes for a second, annoyed at the timing. Diana laughed under her breath.
"Go on. It must be important."
Clark picked up the phone unhurriedly. "It's Chloe."
"Then it is important."
He slid his finger across the screen.
"Chloe?"
"Clark, I need you to come to school. Now."
Clark frowned. "What happened?"
"It's about Lana. I don't want to say it over the phone. But it's serious."
Clark exhaled slowly. "I'm on my way."
"Thank you." The call ended.
He put the phone in his pocket. Diana crossed her arms, observing him.
"From her tone, you don't have a choice."
Clark nodded. "She doesn't call like that for nothing. Something must've happened."
"Go." Diana stood, stepping closer to adjust his collar. "Then you'll tell me what you really found in that fortress."
"I promise."
She placed a hand on the back of his neck, a brief, firm gesture. "Be careful at school. And be careful with Chloe. She always gets closer to the truth than she should."
Clark caught her hand before she stepped back. "I'll be quick."
"I know." Diana smiled softly. "And if you're late, Kyla's eating your portion of dinner."
"Then I really have to go."
A short kiss ended the moment simple and enough.
Clark opened the door.
Diana watched him walk down the hallway. "Clark…"
He looked over his shoulder. "Yes?"
"Don't let Chloe drag you into too much trouble."
His half-smile flashed quickly. "No promises."
He vanished the next second, his footsteps echoing until they disappeared.
Diana stood at the doorway, taking a deep breath, ready for a day that had only just begun.
___
The Talon
The room above The Talon was silent when Lana grabbed her backpack from beside the bed. Jason leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching her every move. Something heavy had been brewing in his eyes for days.
"You're different."
Lana raised her face slowly. "Different how?"
"Distant." He stepped closer. "Like you don't want to talk to me anymore. Or even look at me properly."
"Jason, I'm late. We'll talk later."
"No." The word came out too fast, almost like a plea. "We talk now."
Lana exhaled, fingers tightening on the backpack strap. "What do you want me to say? I have a lot going on."
"And I don't?" Jason ran a hand through his hair, restless. "I left everything in France, Lana. I fought with my mom, with the team, with everyone, just to come back to you."
"I didn't ask for any of that." Her voice came out firm, though tired underneath. "You came back because you wanted to."
"For you." He insisted. "It was always for you."
Lana looked away briefly, as if searching for breath before continuing. "Jason… don't put that weight on me. I came back alone. I was trying to start over."
"And in that new start, I don't fit?" His voice trembled for the first time. "Because that's how it feels."
Lana closed her eyes for a moment. "It's not that simple."
"For me it is." He stepped closer. "I just want you back. We were happy before."
"Before." Lana repeated softly. "Before everything changed. Before Smallville. Before I had to understand my own life."
Jason opened his mouth, but no words came out. Silence filled the room, dense and inevitable.
Lana slung the backpack over her shoulder. "I don't want to be late. I'm going."
When she tried to pass him, his hand closed around her arm.
"Lana, wait."
She stopped instantly. Her gaze rose from his hand to his eyes — slow, sharp, like a silent blade.
"Let go."
Jason realized the mistake immediately. His grip loosened, hand pulling back quickly. "I'm sorry. I just… don't want you to leave like this."
"I'm leaving because I need to." She adjusted the backpack without raising her voice. "And because this isn't a conversation to fix in two minutes."
Jason swallowed hard, chest rising slowly. "I don't want to lose you."
She hesitated a moment — long enough for the words to land where she wished they wouldn't.
But she didn't answer. She only turned and walked to the door.
The door opened, revealing the narrow staircase leading down to The Talon's café floor. Lana descended slowly, each step matching a thought she wasn't ready to face.
'Maybe I should end it.'
The thought came quickly — she pushed it aside before it became choice.
Jason followed behind her silently, a few steps farther back, as if afraid to get too close and repeat the mistake.
Neither spoke when they reached the ground floor.
Neither closed the distance.
Neither tried to fix anything.
Too early for decisions.
Too late to pretend nothing was wrong.
Lana pushed open the Talon's front door and stepped out into the street. Jason stopped in the doorway, watching her walk alone until she turned the corner and disappeared.
He didn't call out.
She didn't look back.
The day had only just begun, and they already felt trapped in a story they no longer knew how to continue.
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