November 7th, Saturday 4:45 pm.
• • •

My stomach churned an ungodly flip as Clark, and I finished prepping dinner. I drizzled dressing on the salad and made sure my mother's vegetarian meal was up to her standard. Our mothers drove out together, and my nerves were beginning to get the best of me. I sighed glancing over at the man who looked to be as cool as a cucumber.

"How are you not freaking out right now?"

His blue eyes slid from the roasted chicken to study me for a moment, "I know your mother is going to love me." He stated.

"Wow, way to be confident." I sighed, sensing my nerves he reached for my hand, intertwining our fingers.

"It's just a dinner, relax."

I nodded. Right, it's just dinner.

• • •
5:30 pm
• • •

The wine they had brought was sweet and robust against my palette, and I swirled it around momentarily, collecting all flavors until my mother asked me a question. The wine catapulted down my throat harshly as I registered her words. She was seated across the table from us, next to Martha and was smiling at Clark and I, her food barely touched. Her plate of vegetables and rice still had steam flowing off.

"What?" I choked glancing at Clark. He had fidgeted slightly in his seat and cleared his throat. A sparing glance at Martha and I knew my mother's question was unexpected.

"I asked how does Clark feel about Superman sleeping with his girl? I saw the tabloids. It's hard to miss your daughter being plastered across the screen." She repeated, her eyes were gleaming, and a small knowing smile spread across her red painted lips, and I watched her light eyes slide from my face to Clark's, "So Superman, what say you?"

Silence immediately fell upon the pleasant dinner of roasted chicken, alfredo and wine and her vegetarian alternative. The smell of the food lingered in the air, and I swore my breathing stopped. I hadn't even thought of the fact that she might have seen the tabloids. It was something that hadn't yet registered as a possibility, especially with everything else going on.

Clark and I shared a look, and Martha was quick to break the silence.

"She figured it out rather quickly and honestly you two need to be more careful on how you're viewed in public because if this here old lady can deduce it from just photos, there's no telling who else might suddenly realize it." Her voice was mocking and lighthearted, and she was trying to cut the rising tension, but my mother was not stepping down.

"And here I was worried you wouldn't like him, mom."

"Not at all, he's great. I'm just concerned about my daughter's safety."

Now the silence in the room was filled with thick tension, and I saw Clarks hold on his knife tighten.

"You don't think he can protect me?" I asked, anger pooling to the surface.

"Can you?" Her face was stoic and dangerous as she asked Clark.

"Mom-," I gasped.

Clark leaned forward with such an intense and deadpan look on his face that I stopped mid-sentence to watch him. His shoulders were squared and his jaw set. His bright blue eyes glistened behind his glasses, and a warm feeling fluttered through my chest as I watched the confidence come out of him.

"I care for your daughter immensely, and I understand your discouragement towards this relationship, but I assure you that no harm will come to her. She is the safest she will ever be. Trust me when I tell you this, please."

I studied my mothers face hoping for open acceptance of his words, but as usual, her face was stoic, and only I sighed.

"Mom, I'm not saying you shouldn't be worried, but you're the one who set us up so in a way this is your fault."

Her blue eyes flickered to me, "Annie this is not the time for jokes."

"Mrs. Westmore, if you'd like we can talk more after dinner."

"No. I want to talk to you now."

"What? We're in the middle of dinner! Clark, can't this wait until after? We don't want our food to go to waste. We worked so hard." I turned to Clark's unusually quiet mother for help after he had not responded. She was studying her son and my mother and shook her head.

"Let's let them speak. We can go outside." She said standing up from the table.

I frowned and gestured to the food, but she stopped me, "Come one. The food isn't as important as the conversation they're about to have."

* * *

Outside the sky was dark and the air was crisp and clean. The only sound was of traffic and horns yelling loudly in the distance, and a feeling of dread came over me as I took the seat next to Martha. Clark and I had bought a nice small patio set for my balcony. He had said that it was the least he could do after he demolished my doors, I sigh looking down at the bright yellow cushions atop the metal furniture. She smiled at me, her greying hair swayed in the slight night wind, and she sighed.

"Your mother wants you to be safe. She's acting like any parent."

"Did you know that she knew?" I asked.

Martha shook her head and gave me a weary smile.

I scoffed, "I bet Clark didn't get a stern talking to."

"Ah, but he did. I told him that he needed to be smart around you and he didn't listen. He let the whole world know how he feels about you, and now you are just as fascinating to them as he is," Martha turns to me and takes my hands in hers quickly, "Being with him will be stressful, and your life will be in danger. I don't want this to be another Lois situation." Her voice was heavy, and I could tell there was more of a story there, but I didn't prod.

My nose scrunched at the idea of being compared to Lois.

"She has said that danger follows her anyways, said it was nice to have someone pull her out of it. It became a game to her. His emotions and his life as Superman are not games."

I nodded, "Martha, I didn't even want his help when I got stuck in the elevator at work. Trust me when I say, I am nothing like Lois, and I don't plan on taking advantage of Clark or Superman."

"I know, and I'm not saying you are..."

"I get what you're trying to say, and you have nothing to worry about, Martha. I hate to cut this short, but I'm concerned about how quiet it is. Usually, my mom loves the sound of her voice." I stood up and offered her my hand which she took, and I led her back inside.

The table was still set, and my mother was sitting on the couch flipping through tv channels.

"Mom?" I looked around, "Where did Clark go?"

"Hurricane in Florida," She murmured before settling on a newscast that showed Superman rescuing a family from a heavily flooded neighborhood. On their roofs were brightly painted S symbols.

"Now I do like him, but I still think you need to break up with him." My mother turned to me with such confidence and squared shoulders that she almost made me shiver.

"Excuse me?"

"Whatever is happening with this hearing," Her eyes flick to Martha, "they should be announcing it soon. You're going to be in the spotlight if it doesn't go in his favor, he can quickly become the most hated man in America. Do you want to be the woman who stands by him?"

"I don't know why you think you have a say when it's not your life or your relationship; I'm going to ask you to kindly not ask me anything else for the rest of the night!" I raised my voice at her and turned on my heel to address Martha when her voice shot back.

"I am your mother, and you are my life. I will question this relationship until my dying breath if that means I die before you. Do not tell me I'm not allowed to speak on an issue when it can lead to me not having a daughter anymore."

I kept my back to her and listened as her heeled shoes carried her out my front door, it slammed so loudly and with such force the keys on the hook by the door rattled.

"I'll go speak to her. I won't tell you how to live your life, but don't discount your mothers fear of losing you, she means well."

Martha's hand was warm on my shoulder as she walked past. I let out a ragged breath after the door closed behind her and I slid to the floor, tears spilling down my cheeks.

I couldn't shake the feeling that my mother could be right. One of us, or both of us could suffer greatly, and I didn't know which would be worse. I sat on the kitchen floor waiting for Clark to come back.

He would know what to say to help me feel better.

• • •

So sorry for being gone for so long! College life is not a fun life sometimes and time gets away from me. It's another filler until the third arch starts, which I'm very excited about.

Btw that whole 'Henry Cavill being recast as Superman' had me hating the world just a bit more. So glad that was addressed, and he still is Superman.

Till next time!