Irene was well aware of the game that Dr. Silas Stone was trying to play. After waiting for him for half an hour in the lobby of S.T.A.R. Labs it was clear that he was trying to discourage her. He was making a point to her that she was not important and simply taking up his time. It was a game that they always played anytime Irene came in need of a source, only this time the research that Silas had now was too important for her to play nice.

The moment that Dr. Stone stepped out of the elevator with the same cold expression that he always wore, Irene made sure that her expression matched his. Normally, she would have greeted him with a practiced smile that she used for all her sources, but she couldn't find it in herself to even try. "I've been waiting almost an hour Dr. Stone."

"I'm a busy man."

"And I'm a busy woman." Irene replied making no attempt to hide the annoyance in her voice, she could only take so much of that man's arrogance. "So how about we get started?"

Silas nodded as he led her to his office, neither of them bothering with any small talk along the way. At the center of his office was the glowing Kryptonian stone encased in glass, research and data displayed on holograms around the entire room. Clearly the last couple of days Silas Stone hadn't left his lab, completely dedicating himself to studying the stone.

"Our first theory was that the Kryptonian stone came to Earth during the Battle of Metropolis. But then our studies showed that the stone has been on earth for about thirty years." Silas began as he gestured to some data on the holograms, numbers that he knew she could not begin to understand, but one thing was clear to her.

If the stone had been on Earth for roughly thirty years, that meant that it had to have come when Clark first arrived from Krypton as a baby.

"And it has no effect on humans?" Irene questioned.

"No. It only negatively affects Kryptonian blood cells, breaking them down. In the process it weakens the specimen. Though the effects only seem to be temporary due to their quick healing abilities."

"And how were you able to study the stones' effect on Kryptonian blood cells?" She asked, but the answer came to her as soon as the words left her mouth. Dr. Stone remained silent, but Irene was aware that the realization was written on her face. "You have Zod's body don't you?"

When Superman had to kill Zod, Irene had never stopped to question what had happened to his body. It was naive of her to think that they would have buried or disposed of it. Of course the government had made the decision to keep the body for experimentation, just like how Zod's ship was currently residing in Metropolis.

"The sample cannot be weaponized for any other purpose other than killing a Kryptonian. That is all you wanted to know. Correct?" Dr. Stone questioned instead, not bothering to answer her previous question.

Irene looked at the glowing stone at the center of the room, resenting it for being the only thing on this planet that gave her a reason to worry about Clark. "What you're saying is that the stone cannot only weaken a Kryptonian, but also kills them?"

"It can weaken the Kryptonian, making it possible to kill them, yes." He replied and Irene was very aware that he was studying her every reaction.

"In your research did you find anything that can protect a Kryptonian from the effects of the sample?"

"Lead. It seems that lead blocks the effects of the sample."

Irene nodded, taking in all of this information and its implications. If the stone or the research got in the wrong hands it was practically a direct guide on how to kill Clark. "I'll have the sample now."

Silas remained silent for a while before he placed a protective hand over the glass case that held the stone. "Miss Miranda I can't do that."

It was a response that she expected, yet hearing them brought an unexpected anger in her."And why is that?"

"We study zeno-science here at S.T.A.R Labs, this is an important sample that can be used to further understand our knowledge of alien technology." He explained to her with a tone that anyone would have used on a child throwing a tantrum. "It stays here."

"In the wrong hands this stone and this research gives someone a direct guide on how to kill Superman." Irene replied, attempting to reason with him. An attempt that she knew would be met with no results.

"I admire your work ethic Irene. In that aspect we're alike." Dr. Stone stated as he looked down at the glowing green stone. The ambition in his eyes only gave Irene more reason to ensure that she left the building with the stone. "We put our careers at the forefront of our lives and do what we need to do to be the best."

"We're nothing alike Dr. Stone. I'm willing to put the people I love above my career. Something that you were never able to do."

The calm exterior that Stone always presented racked in that moment and Irene realized that she might have gone too far. She crossed a line that she shouldn't have and turned the conversation unprofessional. Mentioning the family that Silas Stone had lost was a boundary that she shouldn't have crossed. She had attended Elinore and Victor Stone's funeral a couple of months ago, she had known this family for a very long time. And a part of her always resented Silas for always being so cold. Maybe it was because she would have expected for the man to shed at least one tear for his wife and son. But she knew better than to judge the way a person dealt with their grief.

"You leave my family out of this." Silas Stone snapped before regaining her composure.

"If you don't give me the stone I'm heading straight to the Daily Planet and turning in an expose I have prepared on S.T.A.R Labs and their possession of the crashed Kryptonian ship." Irene stated firmly. It was more than just a threat, it was something she was planning on carrying out if Stone refused. "I'm sure the citizens of Metropolis would like to know that the ship that invaded their city and caused the death of their loved ones could be blocks away from where they live."

"Are you threatening me Irene?"

"Not a threat. A warning." She replied, and although she found no enjoyment in being this cold it had to be done. "Give me the stone and every copy that you have on the research."

Stone was silent as he walked across the room removing the flashdrive from one of the computers, all the holograms and images around the room fading away in an instant. He remained silent as he got a large file from one of the cabinets and as he used a palmscan to open the display case. "There, you have the only two copies."

"And I trust I have your discretion?" Irene did her best to keep her voice even as she took the flash drive and files from Dr. Stone and the green stone from its display.

"As long as I have yours."

"Thank you Silas." Irene said, and she meant every word. Silas Stone would probably never want to help her on another case again, but this time she was genuinely grateful that she knew that he wouldn't speak a word. That he respected her enough to even accept studying the stone at all, when he could have easily not let her back in S.T.A.R. Labs again. "I overstepped and I hope that after this we can remain friends."

She waited for a moment, for any kind of acknowledgement from Dr. Stone that he heard her. But as the seconds ticked by he remained silent and Irene took that as her answer.

That either Stone wasn't ready to forgive her or that he never would be. And Irene found that she was okay with that even with the guilt she felt for being cruel. 

She had expected him to show up on her balcony as he always did, in his Superman suit. Instead, he surprised her with a soft knock on her door, his tie slightly crooked and with a smile on his face.

It had only been five minutes since she had called him, asking him to meet at her apartment. It was no surprise that he had gotten to her as quickly as he did, she knew that he was just as eager as she was to know the results of Dr. Stone's research.

"So this is all the research that Dr. Stone completed on kryptonite." Irene declared as she handed the large file to Clark, who took it with a small smile on his lips. Although the kryptonite terrified her, the new discovery also excited her. And to talk about it with Clark was something that she had been looking forward to. "Basically the kryptonite negatively affects your blood cells by breaking them down and therefore making you weak."

"Kryptonite?" He questioned as he raised a single eyebrow.

"Yeah. I came up with it just now." Irene said with a smile as she sat on the couch beside him. "Pretty good right?"

Clark nodded as he began to flip through the file, though it seemed that he wasn't actually paying much attention to the files contents. "Next time I need to give something a name I'll come to you."

"I made Silas Stone give me every copy he had on his research."

"And the Kryptonite?"

"Right here." Irene stated as she pulled the lead box that was sitting on her coffee table closer to them. It had taken her multiple stores to find anything that was entirely made of lead to keep the stone stored away. "Lead. Apparently it blocks the effects of Kryptonite."

"Makes sense. My x-ray vision doesn't work through lead."

Irene remembered him mentioning the he couldn't see through lead, it seemed like such an irrelevant thing then. Now she realized that small details like that were important. "Trust me it wasn't easy finding a lead box."

Clark looked back up at Irene in surprise, before becoming serious. He almost seemed angry and it was a reaction that Irene didn't expect considering everything that she had to do to make sure that the kryptonite was out of anyone else's hands. "I'm assuming Dr. Stone wasn't too happy?"

"The man probably will never want to see me again." Irene admitted.

"He was a friend of yours right?" He questioned, and Irene began to realize that he was upset with her. With the decisions that she made and the consequences that came with her actions.

Of course Irene wasn't happy with the way that things turned out. Dr. Stone was an important man, and losing him as a contact wasn't something she would have wanted. In the end all she really cared about was that Clark was safe.

"I did what I had to do. I don't regret that."

He stubbornly shook his head in response, and with every passing word Irene knew that they were closer to a fight. "You didn't have to go through the trouble."

"Clark, have you not been listening? This thing can kill you." Irene replied in disbelief as she gestured at the lead box that was sitting on her coffee table. "If I have to lose Silas as a source to protect you that's okay with me."

Clark remained silent for a moment, his eyes never leaving hers, and before Irene was even able to react he had leaned forward pressing his lips to hers. Irene couldn't help but be stunned but the moment was gone in an instant.

It was a quick kiss, a simple brush of the lips that lasted only a moment but was able to overwhelm her senses.

Clark seemed just as stunned as she was, yet he made to move to put more distance between them. "I'm sorry..."

Irene shook her head, not wanting his apology and fearing any kind of regret. After all this was what she had been wanting for the last couple of days. But who was she kidding, it was what she had wanted since she had finally found Clark in Smallville almost two years ago.

So she wasn't willing to let go of this moment just yet. Before he could speak another word she pulled him closer to her by his flannel shirt, closing the distance between them. This time she felt as his lips perfectly came over hers as he placed one hand on the side of her face.

He smiled into the kiss before deepening it and pulling her closer to him. The kiss was soft at first, both of them still filled with an uncertainty that they couldn't explain. But as the uncertainty slowly began to fade away, the kiss became more frantric as they both tried to find release for all the feelings that had been plaguing them both for the last couple of months.

A soft moan escaped both of their mouths as they fell back on the couch, Clark's lips leaving hers as they trailed down her neck. Although Irene missed the feeling of his lips against hers, the new sensation of having Clark's lips explore her neck clouded any other thought on her mind.

Irene was incredibly aware that Clark could hear the rapid beating of her heart, and for once she found that she didn't care.

As Irene slowly began to work the buttons of Clark's flannel, he suddenly froze, pulling away from her slightly. She could see the slight panic in his eyes, and the realization of what was happening began to dawn on her. He was needed somewhere else, and as wonderful as this moment was to her right now it was insignificant to what was happening somewhere else in the world.

"There's a fire." Clark said quietly with a shakiness in his voice, his eyes practically pleading for her understanding. "Irene..."

"I understand. Go." She urged him, seeing the hesitation on his face. Of course, she was disappointed and slightly irritated that they had been interrupted but what Clark had to do was important. He carried a heavy responsibility and she knew it would be selfish of her to ask him to stay. She knew who he was, and she had no right to be upset or angry.

Clark took her hand, as if the gesture would make up for him leaving so suddenly. "I'm so sorry. But I'll be back."

Irene nodded because that was all she could really do considering that she was still out of breath, he said those words like a promise that he wasn't willing to break. And she believed him when he said that he would come back.

That was her mistake.

After two hours had slipped by she slowly realized that he wasn't going to return. Even as she watched the news for any new disaster, she hoped that he would stay true to his word.

Words that she believed were a promise. The reality was that maybe he had forgotten about her. She was insignificant in the greatness that was his life. And although she felt the hurt buried deep in her chest, she knew better than to let her feelings get the best of her. 

A/N: Here we go as I promised this was an exciting chapter. Tell me what you all think of this chapter. A little romantic drama will be happening, but trust me this slow burn will be worth it for what I had planned.