Disclaimer: I, of course, own none of these characters and have no rights or affiliation of any sort in relation to them or Smallville. I merely play with them for the entirely non-profitable enjoyment of myself and other Smallville fans. Please don't sue!

Summary: (AU) Stripped of his powers and much of what he held dear, Clark is now a recluse living alone in the mountains. A mystery woman he rescues from an icy death might be just what he needs to heal his broken heart and find his way back to his destiny.

Timeline: Basically canon up until about season 5, minus a couple of main characters and their storyline. A few events are omitted or occur at a different time to suit the needs of the story, everything different is (hopefully) explained during the course of the story.

Rating: K-T, PG

Prologue

Clark's feet crunched through the unmarked snow. A fresh layer had fallen the day before yesterday and for the most part, it was a pristine white, unmarked by any animal or human trail. Clark's hands were thrust deep into the pockets of his thick jacket, his head down watching his feet as he reached the tree-line bordering the small clearing around his cabin.

Clark had lived there for almost six years. He'd bought the mid-sized cabin from an elderly couple who, in their more mobile years, had used it as a holiday home. Clark had moved there on a warm spring day with a suitcase of clothes, a pick-up load of supplies and a broken heart. He'd wanted nothing more than to stay there until the end of his days, alone with the trees and bird song.

The isolated cabin was two-thirds of the way up a mountain, only accessible by a four-wheel drive trail. The nearest "neighbours" lived an hour away on the outskirts of a small town called Oyen, where he bought his supplies once every three months. Not that he knew any of them. The only people he'd spoken to in the six years he'd lived in the area were the middle-aged woman who ran the grocery store and the two men who worked in the hardware store.

After walking through the woods for around fifteen minutes Clark came to his destination; a small clearing in the forest that afforded a clear view of the valley and the eastern continuation of the range. Clark caught his breath as he gazed at the mist filled valley, and the orange halo rising over the distant mountain tops. The beauty of a mountain sunrise still surprised him with its sheer scale, despite the number he'd observed. They were even more spectacular in winter, with the sunlight glinting off the snow and the chill keeping him alert.

He lost track of time as he took in the sight before him. It was only as he was turning to leave that he caught sight of it; a flash of bright red.

Six years of mountain living had taught him that nature had many colours, but this particular shade of scarlet was not one of them - especially not in winter. Clark squinted down the mountain in curiosity. Surely no hiker would be that far up the mountain? He'd never seen them this close, and never in winter. They tended to stick to the trails in the cold season; if they came at all. Drawn by curiosity, he carefully made his way down the face, zigzagging through the trees.

As he came closer he could see that it was a parka lying in the snow. At first he assumed it had been dropped by a hiker and he was busy wondering why someone would have taken it off in this kind of weather - he'd noticed a bit of a drop in the temperature that suggested another fall of snow was on its way. It was not a good time to be stripping off layers. Clark abandoned this train of thought as he came within ten metres of the parka and realised it had legs.

Clark speed down the rest of the slope, to get to the fallen hiker, a sense of urgency overtaking him. Falling to his knees, he gently rolled the woman onto her back. Her face was almost as pale as the snow it had been resting on, and her lips were faintly blue, but he could see the small puffs of her breath on the cold air. Clark let out a breath of his own in relief. He carefully wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her half up onto his lap as he tried to rouse her.

"Hey," Clark spoke to her gently, "Wake up. Open your eyes."

Receiving no response, he pulled her closer and patted her cold cheek.

"Come on sweetheart," Clark called her, having no idea what her name was, "Come on, wake up, please..."

Hazel eyes cracked wearily open to look at him, and he couldn't help but grin in relief. She opened her mouth as if to speak.

"Shhh," Clark hushed, scooping her up off the ground, "You're alright, I've got you."

The hiker blinked at him for a moment before wrapping her limp arms around his neck, cuddling into his warmth. Clark hugged her more tightly to himself and continued to murmur words of comfort to her as he made his way home.