Clark-

I watched as her eyes fluttered closed. Her long eyelashes fanned out over her cheeks while her perfectly kissable lips were pursed in concentration. She was so beautiful-- I'd felt that the day I met her-- how could I have ever thought that keeping my secret was more important than her.

With her eyes still closed, she massaged her temples and I wondered what was running through that pretty little head of hers. At least she was still standing here, I thought. Perhaps she would give me another chance like I had asked. I was so drawn to her, more so than any other human I'd come in contact with.

"Fine."

"Wh-- What?" I stammered, blinking a few times in confusion. I wasn't sure if she had really agreed or if I had imagined it.

"Fine." She repeated the word slowly as she popped both of her eyes open to look at me. "I'll stay. Unless you'd rather I didn't--"

"No!" I yelled a little harshly as I cut her off. I sped forward and smiled as I looked down at her. "I mean-- no," I tried again, this time more gently as I interlaced her fingers within mine.

She eyed our hands suspiciously but didn't pull away.

"Don't fuck with me, Clark," she warned as she gazed into my soul. "No lies, no running-- and you have to be willing to play a game," she smirked.

"And what game might that be?" I asked cocking an amused eyebrow at her.

"Twenty questions."

***
We trekked the three miles back to her motel room in town and as soon as we got there she collapsed on the bed. When I realized she was wearing heels, I had offered to carry her, but of course she had refused.

I sat down on the edge of the bed next to her, the frame creaking in objection to my weight.

"So when do you want to start this game?" I asked.

She groaned into the pillow before turning to look at me. My heart swelled as she smiled at me but it burst even more as she reached for my hand.

"Well first, we need to shower," she said. "Especially you," she teased. "You smell like you haven't showered in weeks."

I grimaced at that and knew she was probably right.

"So while I take a shower," she continued, "why don't you order some take out?"

I smiled as she squeezed my hand before releasing it. She got off the bed and walked over to the desk, throwing a couple carry out menus in my direction before prancing off to the shower.

"Hey! What would you want?" I called to her as she shut the bathroom door.

"Surprise me," she yelled back and moments later I heard the water turn on.

I shuffled through the menus and finally decided on Chinese but I had absolutely no idea what to order.

"Smorgasbord it is," I muttered.

A couple of minutes later, Rose emerged from the bathroom with nothing more than a towel wrapped around her lithe body. Immediately I could feel a tightness in my pants and as soon as she turned her back to me, I made a mad dash for the bathroom.

God, what the hell was wrong with me, I silently cursed at myself. I hadn't had feelings like this since high school and even then-- I let the cold water run down my body and tried to focus on that instead of her.

A sudden pounding on the room door brought me out of my meditation. Thankfully I had thought to grab my small bag before rushing into the tiny tiled room. I pulled out a pair of gray sweatpants and put them on before stepping out to where Rose was receiving our food.

Rose stood in the doorway in a pair of sexy white shorts and an oversized gray sweatshirt. The shirt hung off her shoulder and I could see the delivery guy getting off on her pink bra strap that was showing. What was even worse, was that the guy was awkwardly flirting with her and I could tell she was in need of saving.

"So much food for such a lil' thing," he winked. "You know, I could always come back and help you eat all of this," he offered before gesturing at the box.

With an awkward cough, Rose tried to dismiss him."That's ok, really--"

"How 'bout I get your digits off of your order ticket and give you a call later, just in case you've changed your mind?"

I could feel my temper rising-- who the hell was this guy? Not to mention, he was bordering on stalker territory with that last comment.

Stepping forward, I cleared my throat, making sure the guy could get a clear view of my flexed, bulging muscles. In just a couple of strides, I stood next to Rose and glared down at the punk, towering over the both of them. My lips twitched and I held back the smile that threatened to emerge as the guy looked up at me, eyes widening in fear.

"Uh, here," he mumbled, gulping hard as he practically threw the box of food into Rose's arms.

"Wait, you forgot your tip!" she called after him.

"Keep it!" I heard him yell before hopping into his car and screeching off.

Rose frowned as she came back into the room. "That was weird," she said. "I wonder what got into him."

Arms filled with the box of Chinese food, Rose kicked the door shut with the back of her heel before turning to look at me. As I stood there, shirtless and in all my glory, it didn't take long for her to piece it all together.

"Clark Kent!" she scolded. "Did you scare off that poor delivery man?"

A smirk tugged at my lips as I simply shrugged my shoulders in response.

Setting the food down on the bed, she turned to me and burst into the most beautiful laughter. "He was a total creeper anyways," she giggled.

We grabbed a couple plates and filled them to the brim with food. I was proud of myself as somehow it seemed I had picked all her favorites.

"So what is your favorite food?" she asked as she twirled some noodles around on her fork.

"I'm pretty basic," I replied. "Steak and potatoes, that kind of thing. You?"

She gestured to the food before her. "We're eating it," she beamed.

"Favorite color?"

"Red," I answered. "But the color of your eyes is a close second," I said.

I watched as a small blush crept up her cheeks, her lips parting in a large grin.

"What about you?" I asked.

"Green," she replied. "Definitely green."

"How old are you?"

"Nu uh uh-" she tsked, "it's not your turn yet," she said. "But I'll tell you if you tell me."

"Thirty-three," I said.

"Twenty-eight," she replied. Immediately I could see her calculating the age difference between us.

"So what's your real name?" she asked.

I took a deep breath before answering. This time I vowed to tell her the truth. No more secrets.

"Well, my parents here, named me Clark Joseph Kent," I told her. "But out there," I said pointing towards the sky, "on Krypton, my birth parents named me Kal-El," I replied.

She nodded her head thoughtfully. "So which one do you prefer?" she asked.

"Well, I've gone by Clark for thirty-three years," I said. "It seems kind of weird to change that now."

"And that was two, by the way," I smirked. "The first time we met- who were you at the hospital for," I asked my next question.

She shuffled in her seat nervously before answering, and I could tell this was a subject she wasn't comfortable discussing.

"My brother, Liam," she replied.

"He was on the oil rig, right?"

"Yes," she smiled and I could see there was sadness in her eyes. "Thank you for saving him," she replied. "He's all I have left."

"I thought he was crazy when he first told me what happened." She set her plate down on the table as she spoke.
"A man with incredible strength? Ok, but not entirely unheard of. But a man who could fly? Now that's really something," she said. "What else can you do?" She asked as she slowly got up and walked over to me.

As I sat in my chair, she came to stand infront of me. Her hip leaned back against the table we were eating at. With her arms crossed infront of her, she waited patiently for my answer.

"I'm fast," I began. "Super fast, and I can hear things from really far away. I can also create gusts of wind and ice with my breath and I'm impenetrable to bullets."

She gasped slightly as I lifted up her shirt, revealing the nasty wound I had left on her abdomen.

"You already know what I can do with my eyes," I growled as I angrily glared at the scar on her stomach. I found myself lightly tracing it with my finger before pulling back and replacing her shirt.

"Clark," she whispered my name as she grabbed for my hand. "You saved me."

I looked up at her curiously as I felt her plump lips brush against my knuckles.

"But I hurt you," I ground out. Sometimes I could still picture the pain on her face. "I should have been more careful--"

Shaking her head, she moved forward slightly as she placed her arm around the back of my neck. "You saved me," she repeated again.

As she looked down into my eyes, I reached up and caressed her cheek. With a strong arm, I crushed her to my chest capturing her lips in a kiss. This time she didn't stop or try to push me away.

As she pressed her soft body into mine, I let out a slight moan as she tugged on my hair in an attempt to deepen our kiss. My large hands roamed her body and moments later she pulled back, struggling to catch her breath. She felt so small and frail in my arms and I never wanted to let her go.

"I will always save you," I promised, growling into her ear. "Always."