Updated A/N: I've edited the story so now it reads a lot better. Hope you readers are enjoying the story so far.
A/N: Sorry this chapter came so late! I've been very busy with a few essays. I've made this chapter longer than usual but have not done much editing so apologies for any mistakes. As usual, please review and favourite!
The door opened and Clark stepped out just as Amber was rubbing the dust from her eyes. "Oh Amber thank god!" Clark said putting a hand on her shoulder and looking her up and down, checking for injuries. Amber looked up still blinking away the stinging in her eyes and saw that Clark was holding a raw steak to his left eye. The steak was thick and concealed most of his face behind it. Amber also noticed his knotted hair and how ripped up his clothes were. "Look what they did to you" Amber said pained, "I'm sorry I couldn't stop them." She felt tears pool in her eyes which helped wash away the remaining dust.
"No Amber, I'm sorry. It's my fault this happened. I should have called us a taxi from the station but I didn't so what happened is all on me. I'm just so grateful Superman found us and that you're okay." Clark said earnestly. "Where is he anyway?"
"He flew off a few seconds ago, hopefully to deal with those bastards." Amber said with a shaky voice and a dark look. Clark stepped aside, "Come in Amber, let's get you cleaned up." Amber stepped passed Clark and into his apartment. She didn't look around, she just followed Clark's limping footsteps to the bathroom where he handed her some clean towels before leaving her to clean up.
Amber locked the door and undressed in a morbid daze. She soon stood under a stream of water, letting the scalding hot water run down her body turning her skin red and tender. Her entire body hurt; her throat from screaming; her spine, ribs and stomach from getting beaten; her head was pounding, and a ringing filled her ears. Eventually Amber got out of the shower and slowly dried herself off making sure to avoid looking into the fogged up mirror. She didn't want to see what she looked like right now.
Clark's sudden knocking on the door startled Amber and she ripped a folded towel from the chair it sat to cover her body. "Amber? Sorry to bother you but your suitcase is here. I found it out on the balcony just now. I'll leave it by the door for you." Clark's voice came through the door quite muffled. "Thank you Clark." Amber called while wrapping the towel around her properly. She put her ear to the wood of the door and listened to Clark walk away before she opened the door and dragged her suitcase into the still steamy bathroom.
Amber dug through her clothes until she found a pair of underwear and a set of pale green cotton pyjamas. Once dressed Amber combed the knots out of her curls and towel dried her hair before braiding it. She noticed with a small laugh that the colour of her pyjamas matched her eyes so she took and big warm, grey coloured cardigan out of the suit case and put that on to cover up the green. Once finished in the bathroom Amber packed her suitcase back up and dragged it out into the hallway ignoring the dull pain in her back.
"Clark?" Amber began walking through his apartment looking for him. It was smaller than Lois's and while walking past the balcony door Amber noticed it had a sweet, almost country style to it. "In the kitchen Amber," Clark's voice came from around the corner so Amber followed it and walked into a small kitchen, which made Clark look much taller than usual. He was leaning against the sink with a bag of frozen peas on his eye now. His other hand covered the other side of his face and he was massaging his temple.
"I've finished in the bathroom." Amber said pulling the sleeves of her cardigan down over her hands. Clark looked up at her and hinted a smile from behind the bag of peas. "Would you like something to eat? I have some chicken soup."
"Oh, no I won't tonight. I'm not really hungry." Amber said looking anywhere but at Clark. "Are you sure? It'll make you feel better, I'm having some too so it's no trouble for me to cook it." Clark persuaded. Amber suddenly felt her stomach become hollow and the thought of food became overly tempting. "Actually, um. Yeah. Some soup would be really nice." Clark smiled at her again and stood up to start making it.
He moved around the kitchen still with a small limp and begun making the soup. He noticed Amber's expression at his limp and waved it off, "I'll be fine by tomorrow morning. I've been kicked off of horses and received worse damage back on the farm." He continued moving around the kitchen until there was a pot brewing on the stove top and the smell of chicken broth began to fill Amber's nostrils. Clark then turned to the freezer and pulled out another bag of peas; using one hand he wrapped a paper towel around it and handed it to Amber. "For you lip, it looks quite swollen." Clark said scrunching his eyebrows together concerned "Thanks," Amber took the bag and tenderly held it against the throbbing part of her bottom lip.
She looked Clark over again as he stirred the soup. He hadn't yet changed and through a tear in his shirt Amber could make out the definition of stomach muscles. She felt her eyebrows raise and she smiled a little, quite surprised. Clark really didn't seem like the type to be packing ounces of muscle despite his height and large frame. He was too… humble.
The sound of liquid pouring into a bowl pulled Amber from her thoughts and her mouth began to water as she watched Clark using the ladle. He placed the bowl on his kitchen table and pulled out the chair for Amber. She sat down and placed her bag of frozen peas by the bowl then began eating as Clark filled a bowl for himself. As soon as the broth hit her tongue she couldn't stop the noise that resinated from her throat. It was a deep rumbling moan that made her blush and Clark smile. "I'm glad you like it," he said and Amber swallowed her soup loudly which made her blush more. They ate in silence and Amber noticed towards the end of the meal that Clark still held his bag of frozen peas to his face as he ate. He hadn't moved it once, not even an inch. How his skin hadn't burned from the ice Amber didn't know but it occupied her thoughts until she finished her soup.
"I'll show you the spare room" Clark said as he got up from the table. Amber quietly followed him and felt her stomach clench when Clark picked up her suitcase from outside the bathroom and limped with it to the spare room. The room was at the end of the small hallway and Clark pushed on the wood of the door with his shoulder walking in as it gave way. He put down the suitcase and flicked on a lamp which dimly eliminated the room casting long shadows across the floor and walls.
Amber saw a single bed tucked into the corner, a chest of drawers by the window and wardrobe on the opposite wall. "The two top drawers are empty and there's some space in the wardrobe for you to put your clothes." Clark said looking at Amber. She looked back up at him and nodded her head, "Thankyou Clark, I'm really grateful for your hospitality."
"It's no trouble Amber. Well I'll leave you to, uh, to get some rest. Good night… I'll um, see you in the morning" Clark said before walking towards the door. "Goodnight Clark." Amber said just as it closed with a snap. Amber delicately shrugged off her cardigan and crawled into bed. The sheets were cold and she shifted around until she lay as comfortably as possible. She lay on her side staring at the wall. Even though she was exhausted Amber's mind began to drift back to the men.
Being attacked once before had been hard enough for Amber to deal with. Having it happen a second time made her throat close over and her skin go cold. Amber scrunched her eyes shut as the memories flashed by in her mind. "Why did it have to happen again? Why me?" She whimpered using the sheets to wipe her eyes. The thoughts floated around Amber's mind until finally she fell asleep. Sleep provided no peace for Amber, she tossed and turned all night and even had Clark checking on her at one point when he was startled awake by her screaming in her sleep.
…
Amber woke early the next morning, before the sun had risen. She tossed around agitated until her memories recalled where she was and Amber relaxed back into her pillow. As the early morning began to light Amber dozed off; waking when the first sunbeam toughed her face through the crack in the curtains. Even though the daylight was steadily getting brighter Amber couldn't bring herself to get up. Her body ached all over and she felt incredibly sluggish. Noises from the streets drifted in and Amber lay with her eyes closed and continued to drift in and out of slumber as the morning ticked on.
The only reason she did get up that morning was the empty rumbling in her stomach becoming too much to bear. With her cardigan wrapped around her, Amber tip toed down the hallway and into the living room. On the coffee table lay a piece of paper with a neat handwritten note from Clark. Amber picked it up and read:
Morning Amber,
I'll be back from work around 6pm. There are fresh towels in the bathroom and please help yourself to any food in the kitchen (I apologize, there isn't much).
If you need to contact me I've listed the telephone number for the Dailey Planet below, just ask for me.
See you soon!
-Clark.
Amber put the note back on the coffee table and wondered into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and found most of the shelves to be empty. The door swung shut as she turned to one of the cupboards. She shuffled around some boxes until she came across an open box of pop tarts. Strawberry flavoured; her favourite. Soon enough the kitchen was filling with the sweet smell of hot pop tarts and Amber quietly hummed to herself as she waited.
The toaster popped and Amber took her pop tarts out to the balcony to eat them. As Amber munched on her breakfast she looked around Clark's balcony taking in her surroundings. Like his apartment, it was smaller than Lois's; there were some pot plants scattered around the place which added some colour to the otherwise bleak setting and there was a nice view of the city. Amber leant on the balcony railing and watched the people down on the streets go about their day for a while. They looked like ants from up high. The area Amber's parents lived was much further away from the city so there was rarely a sight of many people busily going about their day, bumping into each other and disturbing traffic by dodging cars while crossing the road.
To occupy her mind Amber left the balcony and began unpacking her suitcase into the drawers in the spare room. She also explored the apartment, peeking into each room quietly from the door. Amber skimmed through the books on the selves, admired some of the art work that was up on the walls and opened up the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. Surprisingly it wasn't stocked with anything medical related at all. A few contact lens cases, some cologne and a comb stood out amongst the rest of the items.
Amber thought the apartment reflected Clark's personality; it was neat, a little dull at first sight but was full of interesting things that took some time to notice. For example, Amber didn't expect to stumble across a number of astronomy books on the shelf which had lots of bookmarks tagging different pages. Clark seemed like that last person to be interested in astronomy. Amber's favourite thing about his apartment was the open fire place in the living room; she could picture herself sitting by it at night to keep warm. It was a very appealing vision.
Throughout the rest of the day Amber tried desperately to keep her mind busy; but the slightest reminder of last night's event had her going weak at the knees. More than once did she fall to the floor sobbing uncontrollably, once at the sight of Clark's broken glasses and later at the sound of yelling and screaming from the street.
Some comfort, or rather distraction, was found in the television set. Amber sat and watched the daytime re-run programs until Clark arrived home at 6:15. She did have a very brief thought of going for a walk outside but the idea was quickly dismissed. The streets weren't safe to Amber, not even during the day. When Clark walked through the door Amber laid balled up on the sofa, wrapped in a blanket. "Hello Amber," He said to the face poking out as he took off his coat and fedora. "Hi Clark, how was work?"
"Uh, it was… well it was uneventful. Quite a bore really." Clark put his briefcase on the table and walked into the kitchen to get a drink. Amber still watched her program, unblinking. "And how was yours?" Clark asked from the kitchen. "Uneventful." Amber mirrored rubbing her puffy red eyes. Her hand disappeared behind the blanket she was wrapped in as Clark walked into the living room.
The entrance was enough for Amber to tear her eyes from the television set to look at Clark. When she did her eyebrows rose up high. He was fine. Clark was without a scratch on his body. Last night he'd been limping heavily and she never even saw the injury he'd been keeping ice on. Amber gazed through the thick lenses of Clark's glasses. Not a bruise was visible.
Clark, who was standing by the television, adjusted his glasses. "Everything okay Amber?" Amber sat up then walked up close to Clark, the blanket still wrapped around her shoulders. She stood right in front of him and looked him up and down. "You don't have a scratch on you." She said with disbelief dripping off every word. "Yesterday, last night you were limping! You're face…" Amber was at a loss for words. Clark chuckled uncomfortably, "Well my mother taught me ice on a bruise stops the swelling."
"Yeah but you aren't even purple!" Clark sidestepped Amber and walked over to the bookshelf. He traced a few book spines with his fingers. "I, ah, have good genes, always did heal quickly." He turned and clapped his hands together, "Spaghetti for dinner?" Clark didn't wait for Amber to answer; he turned on his heel and headed straight into the kitchen. Amber pattered over to the door way with her jaw hanging open. "You're not even limping anymore."
"I swear I just have good genes. You're not allergic to anything are you?" Clark asked with one arm full of ingredients. "Only pineapple" Amber said still eyeing Clark's ankle. "I'll remember that." Clark replied.
Clark got to work cooking and Amber, after some encouragement from Clark, went back to the sofa. The smell of pasta sauce wafted through the apartment making Amber's mouth water. Clark's cooking ability really surprised Amber; she didn't peg him as the cooking type of man. The two ate in silence that night. Amber spent the whole time thinking about conversation topics but couldn't bring herself to say anything while Clark seemed content enough with casually swirling his fork in the pasta and bringing it out with perfectly round balls of noodles on the prongs. Amber got the feeling he was waiting for her to start conversation if she wanted to but otherwise was going to stay silent.
After dinner Amber had a short shower then curled up in bed with her hair still damp. She wasn't tired but didn't feel like sitting in the living room with Clark; she felt that he would might some private time in his apartment. Amber shifted her damp hair off her neck and looked out the window. The city lights blinked for miles and she found herself thinking about her mother. Amber wished she could curl up next to Cathy and breathe in her comforting scent. When in her mother's arms nothing else in the world mattered to Amber. But now she felt so lost. Eventually Amber fell asleep, she didn't know when but she was happy to finally be at blissful slumber with no nightmares tormenting her that night either.
…
The next week continued much the same way. Clark went to work early each morning; Amber would get up some time later and stay in the apartment; each day she would force herself to leave the apartment (though she only ever got as far as the ground floor doorway before she panicked and ran back upstairs); and Clark would come home and cook dinner for the two of them.
One evening Clark arrived home when Amber was out on the balcony watching the lingering sunset and the stars slowly coming out. Clark walked out onto the balcony and joined Amber where she leant against the railing. "Hey Clark, hey, I found one of your shirts by that plant pot over there." Amber said holding out a dark green button up shirt. "Oh…thank you Amber. I… don't know how it got out here…" Clark said taking it and awkwardly pushing his glasses back up his nose. "No problem. Would you mind if I helped with dinner tonight?" Amber asked turning away from the cityscape view. "Uh, if you want to Amber. You are a guest though." Clark said a little stunned. "I've been here a week Clark and I haven't helped out at all. I would like to do more."
They walked into the kitchen together and Clark pulled out a chopping board and a knife for Amber to use. Next he got a handful of vegetables from the refrigerator and placed them next to the chopping board. Amber put an eggplant on the board and pushed the knife into the purple skin. The knife was so blunt it couldn't even pierce the skin; it only left an indentation mark. "Do you something I can sharpen this knife with?" Amber ran her fingers over the blade, "this has got to be the bluntest knife I've ever felt." Clark walked over and ran his finger along the blade too. "Hm, never noticed before. I think I've got a knife sharpener somewhere in here. Could you check in that drawer?" Clark asked pointing to a drawer behind her. Amber opened the drawer and started digging through the cooking utensils. She'd only been looking for a few moments when Clark's triumphant 'ah ha' had her turn around. He was holding out the sharpened knife to her. "Here you go, I think you'll find it much sharper." Amber took the knife and felt the blade once more. It was very sharp. If she hadn't been so careful the blade defiantly would have sliced her finger tips. "Wow, now that's what I call sharp. Thanks Clark."
Amber begun slicing and dicing the vegetables while Clark cooked some minced beef. Once she'd finished chopping the vegetables Amber watched Clark cook; something about him seemed familiar to her. Amber couldn't quite put her finger on it but it had been nagging at the back of her mind, like she should remember but couldn't. She sighed and leant against the counter top. "So have you heard from Lois?" She asked Clark as he sprinkled some salt into the sauce. He answered without looking at her, "yes she rang today at work. She asked how you were." The way he spoke made Amber feel like there was more. "Did you tell her about the other night?" Amber prodded. "I did. She was quite upset at first but when I said that Superman saved us she was relieved. I told her you got some grazes and bruises but neither of us needed to go to the hospital. She was relieved to hear that. If something had happened to you I don't think she'd forgive me."
"But it wasn't your fault! Did you tell her that?" Amber was surprised that Lois was angry at Clark. "Well I tried to tell her how it all happened but she really only listened when I told her about Superman saving us." Clark said glaring frustrated at the sauce. "I don't think it's entirely fair of her to blame you for not being able to fend off six men then praise Superman for effortlessly swooping in and saving us." Amber thought aloud. "No other man can compare to him in Lois's eyes." Clark said looking even more frustrated. Amber studied him noticing his hand tighten around the wooden spoon he held. "She has a thing for Superman doesn't she?" Amber asked still studying his body language. Clark's eyebrow's creased and his mouth pulled into a frown. "It's not really a secret. She always talks about him and Mr White gives her all the related stories so she can get interviews from him."
"Something tells me that it bothers you more than most Clark." Amber said casually crossing her arms over her chest. Clark put the rest of the chopped up vegetables in the pot as she spoke and he laughed rather disconcert. "Oh no of course not I just think she- what?" He asked upon noticing the deadpan stare Amber was giving him.
"Come on Clark, I'm not naïve and honestly, I had my suspicions after the first time I saw you two together. You just had the biggest smile on your face and this look in your eye when she showed you affection." Clark blushed then sat down at his kitchen table with a sigh. "It's hard to talk to Lois about how I feel when she is constantly talking about Superman." He said intertwining his fingers and resting them on the table top. Amber sat down across from him and gently put a hand on top of his, "Don't worry Clark, you'll get your moment. When it comes, you just have to make sure not to miss it."
"What do you mean by that?" Amber smiled at Clark question. "Honestly, I have no idea really. My mother used to say it to me sometimes. I think just let it mean what you want it to mean."