"…And there she is, descending from the sky to meet with the leader of the Free World – And there she is, descending from the sky to meet with the leader of the Free World in this momentous occasion, a day that will live forever in history… And there she is, descending from the sky – "

"Louis!"

Louis pressed the pause button on the video program and glanced across the aisle at Hudson, who was flashing him her darkest glare. Which, truth be told, really wasn't that dark at all, and had sent him into peels of laughter more than once. For the moment, though, she was attempting to look as fierce as possible, just so he could understand how truly annoyed with him she was.

"What?" His finger was poised over the mouse, ready to play the video again the moment they finished their conversation.

She waved an impatient hand toward his monitor and the frozen picture of Superwoman landing beside the President on the White House lawn. "Haven't you watched that enough? That confounded thing has been on loop for over an hour now!"

"Confounded?" Louis repeated, grinning at her in amusement. "And no, I haven't watched it enough. This was a momentous occasion, Smallville. Every news organization said so… although yours truly was quoted as saying it first when the meeting was announced!" He tapped his finger on the front page of the Daily Planet where his article, from the week before, was printed.

"Besides -- look at her!" He beamed at the image on the monitor. "Look how graceful she is! How proud! How beautiful!"

Hudson snorted. "That is the ugliest ensemble ever. Her existence has at least proven one thing – aliens have horrible fashion sense."

"Umm, Smallville… what's that saying about glass houses?"

"What?" She glanced down at the gray, slightly oversized suit she wore. "I dress appropriately according to my profession." She brought her gaze back to his, tilted her head slightly and smiled. "Then again, I suppose so does Superwoman – for a circus act!"

Louis shook his head and frowned at her. "No respect, Smallville. No respect. She's a great woman, I'll have you know. Think of the lives she's saved since she's been here! Not to mention how many times she's put a kink in Luthor's various plans for taking over the city." He chuckled. "That's something I'm just never going to tire of."

"Well, Lex might," Hudson remarked, bringing her attention back to the story on the monitor in front of her.

"True. His ego will never allow him to believe that there might be someone out there who is superior to him."

Louis appeared to be thoughtfully silent for a moment, staring at the frozen image of his new heroine with such a sappy expression that Hudson couldn't contain a quick rolling of her eyes. For the last six months since Superwoman had first appeared in the skies of Metropolis, her name was on the tip of Louis' tongue with every conversation. She'd allowed three interviews with him, and each time he'd fawned over her like she was some Hollywood starlet or something. It was adorable, and amusing, but damn frustrating when it came down to the fact that as Hudson, Louis didn't even seem to know she existed. That was her own fault, of course, and it gave testament to the fact that her disguise as the bumbling reporter actually worked.

"Kent!" Perry's voice bellowed across the newsroom, causing Hudson to jump, knocking over her coffee cup which, fortunately for this time around, was empty. "Lane!"

Louis glanced over his shoulder before casting a quick look at Hudson. He didn't seem too concerned with whatever Perry had to say to them, choosing to return his attention to his monitor as she jumped to her feet. Their boss was fast-approaching, long-legged strides eating up the space between his office and their desks before Hudson could meet him halfway.

"You rang, Chief?" Louis drawled as he leaned back in his chair.

"I want you both to get down to Lexcorp Plaza," he barked. "Just got word that Wayne's limo was seen pulling up outside."

"Bruce Wayne?" Hudson asked, blinking in surprise at the name.

"No. John Wayne," Perry responded sarcastically as he snatched his cigar from his teeth. "Of course, it's Bruce Wayne, Kent! Who the hell else would I be this excited about? Something's cooking up between those two, and I want to know what it is!"

Louis swiveled in his chair before jumping to his feet. "The Apocalypse would be my first guess," he replied. "I mean, if they're in the same building and not actually tearing each other apart."

"I've heard they're usually quite civil with one another," Hudson couldn't help but point out as she grabbed her purse, dumping half of the contents as she did so. Above her, Louis sighed loudly as she bent down to pick them up.

"When in public," her partner responded. "I'd love to be a fly on the wall in Luthor's office!"

As Hudson stood, she found Perry staring at her in that unnerving way he had, like he was seeing something beneath the surface that she wished to remain hidden. It had begun happening more and more since she'd started her job at the Planet, and she couldn't help but wonder at times how safe her secret identity truly was. The disguise was still perfect; not once had she ever slipped up. The problem was that Perry White seemed to notice everything. It's why he'd been such a great reporter before moving into an editor position. Little got past him, and every time that Superwoman made an appearance, Hudson always found Perry watching her the following morning. Maybe it was all in her head, but she couldn't help but wonder if he wasn't just the tiniest bit suspicious.

"Kent, weren't you friends with Wayne?" Perry finally asked after a moment.

She shook her head. "Barely acquaintances, Mr. White. I stayed at his estate one weekend with Lex – there was a masquerade. You probably read about it in the gossip pages."

"And I'm sure Wayne will look forward to catching up with you, Smallville," Louis told her with a grin as he took her by the elbow and began steering her toward the elevator. "Old acquaintances united against a common foe! It's the perfect hook."

Hudson couldn't help but frown. "Lex isn't my foe, Louis."

"Maybe not from your point of view," he responded, giving her a wink as he hit the call button beside the elevator. "Think Luthor would see it the same way? That last story you wrote on the dockworkers' wages caused Lexcorp stock to drop two points. And you just know that's gotta make the CEO of Wayne Enterprises happy. Hell, Wayne will probably be more than willing to tell you ever dirty little secret about Luthor and Lexcorp if you ask him."

"I doubt such a thing would be necessary," Hudson pointed out as she pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose. "I shouldn't have to resort to using my acquaintanceship with Bruce to learn things about Lex and his business dealings that I likely already know."

Louis shrugged as the elevator doors opened and he stepped inside. "Ever think Wayne might use you to glean a little info?"

She shook her head as she joined him. "Unless he's changed quite a bit, I don't think Bruce Wayne would do such a thing. He's… well, the man I remember had a little more class than that."

At the silence beside her, Hudson turned her head to find Louis regarding her thoughtfully. "What?" She asked.

"Seems like you admire him quite a bit." He grinned. "Must've been rough back then… a teenage farm girl with two of America's most eligible billionaires fighting for her attention."

That wasn't exactly how she remembered it. The night of their introduction, she'd attempted to set his mansion on fire. Well, not on purpose. A burglar had broken into the coat room, where she happened to be hiding out from complete embarrassment after making a fool of herself to his guests - and he'd pulled a knife on her. She'd used her heat vision to knock it out of his hand, only to set one of the fur coats on fire. The entire room had been demolished by the time it was put out, his guests had lost all of their very expensive coats, as well as purses filled with Heaven knows what, she'd been mortified, and Lex had spent the rest of the evening in laughter.

"Don't be surprised if we get to Lexcorp Plaza, Bruce takes one look at me and calls in his security," she admitted with a sigh.

"Somehow, I doubt that, Smallville," Louis replied softly as they stepped in to the lobby, glancing over at her in a manner Hudson couldn't quite decipher. "Somehow, I doubt that."

*****

The rest of the meeting with Lex had gone exactly as Bruce anticipated that it would. He'd brought up the real estate questions again. Lex had shrugged them off with a non-committal smile. Bruce had asked for another glass of brandy, tossed a few thinly veiled insults in Lex's direction, allowed him to believe the alcohol had slightly gone to his head, and then warned him about staying the hell out of Gotham before departing. Knowing Lex, he was probably sitting back in his office, confident in his own mastery of the world around him, laughing at Bruce's pitiful objections to Lexcorp's intrusion into his city. For the moment, none of that really mattered. Bruce had far more pressing questions that needed answers; Fox and the rest of the board would take care of the real estate matter without his interference.

Stepping out of the Lexcorp lobby onto the steps leading down to the street, he squinted for a moment against the bright rays of the sun. Metropolis always seemed to be overly bright, as if clouds did not know how to exist here. The streets were too clean, the buildings constructed of reflective materials that gleamed in the sunlight, and even the citizens seemed to dress as if they had something personal against anything dark. He was always on edge when he came here, which was why he generally chose to stay away. Gotham was where he belonged, and Gotham was where he was needed. Cities like Metropolis were simply foreign to him.

Unfortunately, he had to remain in Metropolis a while longer, so as he made his way down the clean concrete steps, he affected the same loose and relaxed gate of the people around him. He flashed a smile at every employee of Lexcorp that was hurrying in the opposite direction, and kept it in place as he noticed no less than a half dozen reporters surging up the steps to cut off his escape to the limousine.

"Mr. Wayne! What has brought you to Metropolis?"

"Mr. Wayne! Is it true that you're having a secret love affair with the mayor of Metropolis' wife?"

He chuckled.

"Mr. Wayne!" An overly exuberant man stepped directly in his path, and shoved a small recording device into his face. "Louis Lane with the Daily Planet. Is it true that Wayne Enterprises is currently developing a secret merger with Takashi Shipping?"

Bruce smiled at the question. "Well now, if it were a secret, why would I answer your question?"

Not waiting for a response, he started past Lane only to come to an abrupt halt as he recognized the tall, dark-haired woman hovering behind the man.

"Hudson Kent, isn't it?" He immediately called out, reaching for her hand and bringing it to his lips. He kissed it, lingering a little longer than usual to watch in amusement as her face flushed three different shades of red. "It's been a long time."

"Umm, yeah." She snatched her hand back, gave him what appeared to be a forced smile, and then clutched her enormous purse in front of her as if in fear that he planned on stealing it.

She was a far cry from the bubbly, enamored teenager he'd met years before. The significant change in her demeanor was actually quite amazing. If he didn't already know it was all an act, he'd wonder what had happened to her.

"You know, I was just talking about you with Lex," he began, stepping closer to her to block the probing eyes and ears of the press around them. "If I'd known you were so close by, I would have suggested we all have lunch together."

Hudson's eyes grew as round as saucers, and Bruce had to bite back a smile. "Oh! That… that wouldn't have been a good idea, Mr. Wayne."

"Bruce, please." He smiled. "I'm teasing. I would never wish to put you into such an awkward position, Miss Kent."

"Hudson… uh, please."

"Hudson, then."

"Excuse me," Louis Lane cut in, flashing a pointed look at her. "Smallville, would you like to introduce me to your friend?"

She blinked at him. "I thought you'd already introduced yourself?"

Bruce thought he might have to mark this down as one of the most amusing encounters he'd witnessed in a long while. Though Louis Lane was a fairly well-known reporter for the Daily Planet, proving that he was good at his job, it was plainly obvious that he had no idea regarding the truth that was literally under his nose at the moment. Otherwise, Bruce seriously doubted he'd be giving Hudson Kent such a quelling death-look.

As if finally catching on to his meaning, Hudson quickly gave Bruce a small smile. "Bruce Wayne, this is Louis Lane, my partner at the Daily Planet."

"We've met," Bruce acknowledged, pointing out the rude behavior of Louis earlier, before turning from him completely and slipping his arm around Hudson's waist as he guided her toward the sidewalk.

"Say, why don't you join me for lunch, Hudson? We could spend some time catching up. My plane isn't scheduled to leave until later this afternoon. I'd love to find out what you've been doing with yourself the last few years."

"Well, I really need to – "

"She'd love to join you!" Louis interrupted when Hudson was clearly about to decline the invitation. "Don't worry about it, Smallville. I'll take care of that other story we've got – after all, what else is a partner good for? You go on and catch up with Wayne – er, your friend."

"Looks like you're out of excuses," Bruce said with a smile, holding his arm out to her.

Hudson still appeared ready to argue. She stared at his arm as if it were a weapon of some kind, cast one more glare in Louis' direction, and then finally, cautiously, took his arm. "I suppose you're right," she said, forcing a smile up at him.

Ignoring Louis as he called out to them to have a good time, Bruce led her down the rest of the steps toward the waiting Rolls Royce. He paused a moment as the driver opened the door, allowing the press to take their photographs, holding Hudson's arm steady even as she seemed ready to throw herself into the backseat. Once certain there were enough photos of them to drive Lex mad for the next week or two, Bruce released his hold on his lunch date, smiling as she did toss herself unceremoniously into the car. She looked disgruntled, and very prepared to say things she actually wasn't prepared to say. Her manners seemed to win out, though, as Bruce settled himself beside her, and she gave him another smile, primly folding her hands on her lap.

"Any suggestions for lunch?"

"Oh, wherever." She waved a hand. "I get the feeling I'm more of the burger and fries kind of gal, compared to Mr. steak and lobster beside me."

Bruce chuckled, nodding to the driver. "The nearest diner."

"You don't have to, really," Hudson told him, squirming in her seat.

"I insist. I prefer you be comfortable enough to share all of the juicy gossip that Metropolis has to offer."

Her eyes flashed quickly to his, as if attempting to delineate what exactly he was referring to. "Oh, well, I'm not really good with gossip."

"You're a reporter – of course you're good with gossip. You can't tell me you don't know everything there is to know about Superwoman. Such as what she likes to eat, where she likes to hang out, who she's dating…"

Hudson looked offended. "I most certainly do not! I could care less what that… that… vigilante charlatan is up to!"

Bruce flashed an amused smirk at her fake outrage. "I take it you're not a fan of Superwoman?"

"No one in their right mind would be," she replied, doing a damned good job of not meeting his gaze. For a moment, Bruce considered pointing out to her the old adage of protesting too much, but then he knew he had a tendency to become a bit defensive whenever the topic of Batman came up, so he let it go.

Leaning back against the seat, Bruce continued to watch her as Hudson's gaze traveled everywhere but to his own. He wondered if she were simply nervous because she worried that he might put two and two together regarding her identity, or if it were something else entirely. The last time they'd met, they were both close to Lex Luthor. While her marriage and subsequent divorce from the head of Lexcorp was common knowledge, his relationship as Lex's business rival was a little less clear-cut. And if that was what she believed, coupled with her identity as Superwoman, Bruce could understand why she would be unsettled around him.

It hadn't taken long to figure out Superwoman's secret identity. A little less than 24-hours from the moment she'd appeared on television screens around the world. The one weekend she'd spent at Wayne Manor with her obsessively possessive boyfriend at her side had left Bruce more than a little curious as to what she seemed to be hiding. But he'd been younger then, and certainly far more naïve, with plenty more important concerns to occupy his thoughts. Shortly after she and Lex had departed, Bruce forgot all about Hudson Kent from Smallville.

And then Superwoman had appeared.

The mere presence of an alien on Earth left Bruce with cause for concern, no matter how altruistic her intentions might seem. And once he'd realized Superwoman and Hudson Kent were one in the same, having previously met her did little to quell his apprehensions. It was due to Alfred's advice that he hadn't gone immediately to Metropolis to confront her; Alfred had suggested that he give Superwoman time to prove herself, and that it might be a good thing to have someone else out there to help fight the injustices in the world. Bruce's only problem with that was he had trouble accepting the idea of an alien having the authority to decide what was right and wrong when it came to humanity. What gave her the right? And how could the world be assured of her trustworthiness? It was one thing for someone like him to don a costume and spend his nights scaring criminals into behaving. It was quite another when the person doing it happened to be super-powered; deflecting bullets and knives with her bare skin, shooting heat from her eyes, flying. God knew he had his share of maniacal psychopaths who seemed to get off on taking on the Batman, but the ever more inventive ways that criminals relished in trying to kill Superwoman were becoming worrisome.

Besides, with the presence of Hudson, who was to say there weren't more aliens out there?

The ride to the diner was mostly quiet for Hudson's part. Bruce regaled her with tales of his time abroad, leaving out the more interesting points, and wondering why she seemed to tense as he spoke of it. She did ask after Alfred and his home, mentioning that she'd heard about it burning down, but she said little else. He had no doubt she was sizing him up in the same manner as he was her, the only difference being he had a little more information to go on.

The diner they pulled up to was typical for its kind in a major city – settled on the corner of a busy intersection, crammed with the lunch crowd now when it would most likely be empty come dinner time, with a mostly cold and detached atmosphere that promised great food but less than noteworthy service. Bruce caught the occasional glance of recognition as they entered and more than a few glares when he slipped a fifty to the hostess in order to get a seat before the line of customers waiting. Hudson sighed beside him but said nothing, apparently used to such behavior from a previous billionaire that she knew.

"You've told me very little about what you've been up to, Hudson," Bruce commented after they were settled with menus and glasses of room-temperature tap water.

"My life isn't near as exciting as yours," she said, burying her face behind her menu.

"Somehow I have trouble believing that." He reached out and tugged her menu down, forcing her to meet his gaze. "You were married to Lex Luthor, after all."

There was a flicker of pain in her eyes, and Bruce immediately found himself regretting his words.

"Yes, well, everything was exciting during that time period. And then my life went back to being boring."

Bruce smiled softly, surprised that she was able to draw such sympathy from him. He couldn't decide if it was a good thing or not that she appeared to be so very human. Had Lex known the truth? He wondered. Is that what caused the dissolution of their marriage? It was difficult to make sense of, knowing Lex Luthor as he did. He highly doubted he would keep such a thing secret, especially considering how much Lex despised Superwoman and wanted the world rid of her presence. Bruce knew he should probably warn her of Lex's plans but now certainly wasn't the time.

"I was sorry to hear about what happened," he said. "As well as I know Lex, I couldn't quite figure it – him killing his father."

Hudson's eyes flickered away from his. "He was acquitted of all charges, you might remember."

He nodded. "Yes. After you claimed his innocence."

Her gaze flew back to his. "Are you implying that I lied on the stand, Bruce?"

It was all the answer he needed. Bruce's reservations regarding Superwoman grew with the knowledge that she'd allowed Lex Luthor to get away with patricide. Had it all been due to some undying devotion to him? And had it ended when she became racked with guilt? Or something else?

"I just remembered I have an interview scheduled over at City Hall in twenty minutes," she exclaimed suddenly, getting quickly to her feet and offering what Bruce could only interpret as an annoyed smile. "I'm sorry I have to run out on you like this, Bruce. I'm sure it's something you're not very used to having happen to you."

He smiled easily as he stood. "You'd be surprised."

Hudson raised an eyebrow. "Not entirely." She held out her hand to shake his. "It was good seeing you, again, Bruce. Enjoy your trip back to Gotham."

She ducked into the crowd and out the door before he could respond. Bruce's smile faded as he watched her go. He didn't want to believe the worst of the young farm girl who, once upon a time, had laughed freely and brought to heel, no matter how long it lasted, a man like Lex Luthor. But he'd learned the hard way that things weren't always what they seemed, most people couldn't be trusted and Hudson was an unquantifiable factor.

What was the truth that existed in the heart of an alien?