"You're free to come and go as you please though we will give you assignments like escorting dangerous prisoners," General Lane explained.
That he could handle as long as he didn't have to go to war. He wanted to be helpful and useful, but he didn't want to use his powers to take lives.
He could smell snow in the air, and he took a moment to let the cold air fill his lungs. The first place he was going to go was to the farm. His mom would probably be baking cookies, and the house would be decked out in their sometimes tacky but always festive Chistmas decorations. It would be his first normal Christmas in a long time and the hardest as it would be without his dad though memories of him would be everywhere.
He was just about to take flight when he saw Lois, who was there for the holidays, and he told her joyfully, "I'm free to leave."
She smiled that breath-taking smile of hers. "There's no one more deserving of it."
"I have a feeling it's you that advocated for my release."
"I did, but it's only because you've proven to them that you're a good person who's not going to cause the destruction of the planet or something."
He laughed awkwardly because he knew there were those who really did think that. "Still, it was nice to know there was someone fighting for me. I heard you got a job at the Daily Planet. Congratulations."
"Yeah, it's not as impressive as it sounds. I take the stories nobody wants like pet adoptions stories, but hey, everybody's got to start somewhere. I'll climb the ranks."
"I know you will, but uh, if you want my first story, I'm willing to give it."
"You mean it?" she asked, eyes lighting up.
He nodded and in her excitement, she threw her arms around him. It was a friendly hug but one that he delighted in and that maybe he held a fraction too long, but she seemed completely oblivious to his feelings.
When she pulled away, he caught sight of a sparkle on her hand, a ring. She wore an engagement ring.
She looked a little self-conscious when he caught her staring at it. "I know what you're thinking. I should have probably waited to establish my career first."
That was not what he was thinking at all. His heart was breaking. Why had he been such a coward and not told her how her felt? He'd feared her rejection was the simple truth of it. He'd been rejected by so many for so long that he was afraid she would say no to dating an alien. Not many were open to dating outside their species and he hadn't exactly been free to take her out, so he'd stayed firmly in the friend zone, convincing himself it was enough.
"But Alex is so sweet, and I know you probably don't see that side of him much, but he is. He already did the math. We can swing it financially, and he's due for a promotion next month. How could I say no?"
He'd known they were dating. Sargent Luthor made no secret of that. In fact, he seemed to rub it in his face every chance he got. He'd just had no idea they were so serious. He supposed he'd thought in the back of his mind that she was still doing it to make her father happy.
"Congratulations again," he was able to say though the words caught in his throat for a moment. He should be happy for her. They seemed affectionate together. The man had genuine feelings for her and she must have felt the same or she wouldn't have said yes. What did it matter that she hadn't found her happiness with him?
"Thanks. You're invited to the wedding, of course."
That he couldn't do. There was no way he could watch her go down the aisle and marry another man. "Sure. If I'm not busy saving the world." He would find someone to rescue even if it meant getting a kitten out of a tree or changing a tire on the highway.