XI

Meanwhile

6:25 am…

The sun peeked over the top of the skyline of Metropolis. My bedroom faced east just so I could feel the warmth of the sun wake me. It was one of the few things from the farm I brought with me when I was sold to the Lane's. I hissed as the thought of her accused family name. As the hot air oozed from my mouth, Diana moaned and curled up closer to me.

"Damn it Lois…" I thought.

The image of Diana asleep on my bed was tainted by the thoughts of my 'wife'. Even absent Lois found a way to ruin the most peaceful image I'd ever seen. As the sun rose higher in the sky, I felt it's warm charging me up. The flames of eyes lapped up the sun's rays. Basking in the sunlight I let my fire slowly start to seep from my eyes.

"I called Bruce last night…" I heard J'onzz voice in my head.

"Could you not bring up his name right now," I replied rolling my eyes.

Gently I lifted myself off of my bed so I wouldn't wake the sleeping angel in my bed. Once off the bed, I floated up into the air. Inches off the ground I stretched upwards to the heavens.

"... Well he didn't pick up…"

"I'll handle it…" I said.

"Alexa, call Owlman…." I ordered.

… Calling Owlman...

The phone rang….

... and rang…

… and rang…

I felt my hands balling up into fists for I knew Bruce was stalling.

"Bruce and his stupid games," I muttered under my breath.

...Oh you've missed me, just leave a message after the tone…

I hung up the phone as I heard a rustling behind me. Glancing back at Diana she was starting to stir. I fought the urge to fly down beside her and wake her with a kiss, but my thoughts of her were disrupted by my phone ringing.

"Alexa, don't answer… " I started to say but I was cut off by Bruce's voice.

"Good morning Clark…" Bruce said. "Sorry I missed your call…."

"Call be back later," I replied almost growling my words..

"And a good morning to you too Clark," he laughed. "You're the one who called me first…"

"I've got company…" I continued as I kept my voice stern.

"Company!?" I heard my wife's voice hissing through the phone. "Who the fuck is in my house!"

I almost flow over to her house and choked the life from her as I tried to stake a claim to my home.

"You know while I was balls deep in your wife when you called…." Bruce snorted. I audibly gagged.

"I'd rather not have that image in my head right now," I replied as I forced the vomit back down my throat.

I didn't care to think about Lois in any fashion with or without clothes on.

"Why not?" Bruce asked with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "I mean wasn't the clay woman more than enough too…"

"Tread carefully Bruce," I ordered.

"Yes," Lois I heard Lois add. "Tread very carefully…"

"I mean, when was the last time you had sex Clark?" Bruce asked egging me on. "Lois

doesn't count because you still had to finish in the shower…"

There was no lie in his statement yet the sickening feeling still kept over me.

"I finished him off…." she hissed loudly. "He's never faked with me… I've been the only one who could…"

Bruce scoffed, "Sure Jan…."

As Bruce and Lois argued amongst themselves I kept my eyes on the sleeping woman in my bed. She was starting to wake up because of the commotion that Bruce and Lois was causing. If I didn't need to ask Bruce to look into Darkseid right at this moment I would have told both of them to shut the fuck up.

"Lois leave," Clark ordered through the phone.

"This is my house!" she hissed. "You can't tell me to leave my own damn house…."

"Try me…" I bellowed back.

"Oh like the whore you have in your bed?!"

Whore, whore! Well if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black. Lois had no room to call anyone a whore.

"There is no one in my bed," I replied. "And if there was it is of no concern of yours."

"Yes it is…"

The sound of Lois's voice was pissing me off.

"I let you sleep with Bruce," I snapped. "You should be thanking me for sending him over."

Lois hissed, "You know what I'm coming over there right now…"

Like the hell she was coming into my house. Especially with Diana in it.

"Come here and I will kill you personally," I growled back.

The fire in my eyes burned hotter the longer I stayed on the line. I needed to maintain control for Diana's sake.

"You can't kill me," she replied. "You need me…"

"Need you…" I growled.

I could hear J'onzz in the back of my mind telling me to count backwards from 50.

"Remain claim Clark," I muttered over and over in my head.

After a few moments I heard Bruce tell Lois to leave us.

"You can't take his side on this," she said. "I am his wife!"

"One who sleeps with his best friend," Bruce snorted.

"He is mine…" she snapped back.

"...25…" I mouthed as I closed my eyes.

I fought to keep my flames at bay as I once more heard Diana moving below me.

Lost in my counting I only heard Lois's voice screaming cunt out. Bruce seemingly waited for Lois to be fully gone before he spoke again.

"So…."

I knew by the tone of his voice he was going to try and dissect me. Bruce was first and foremost a man of science. He needed something to pull apart constantly.

"You know you could have called me after you left her house," I said interrupting Bruce. "Diana is still asleep, you could have woken her with your foolish games."

"So its Diana now," Bruce replied.

"Your point?"

Bruce laughed, "It means you are now on a first name basis with her..."

Diana moaned. There was something primal about the way the faint moan left her mouth.

"Damn she sounds hot…" Bruce grunted through the phone.

I couldn't reply to him. Bruce's words were laced with a sexualized tone. A tone I didn't care to hear from him.

"So how was she?" Bruce asked as he lowered his voice.

"I didn't sleep with her," I blurted out.

"You had a beautiful woman in your bed last night and you didn't sleep with her?!" Bruce asked.

Again I didn't reply to him.

"I mean what woman would tell you no…."

No matter how innocent he tried to make his voice, I knew exactly what he meant. I might roast a person alive but I'd never force myself onto anyone. Especially after what happened with Lana.

I took in a deep breath and sighed, "I couldn't do that to any woman."

Bruce smirked,"You care about her don't you?"

I grunted, "Stop trying to analyze me Bruce. I'm not something in your owl cave…"

"True enough," Bruce replied.

"I need you and J'onzz to look into something for me," I said.

As I spoke I heard her softly call me by my name.

"Ultraman…"

Swiftly I float back down to the ground. As my feet touched the ground continued talking to Bruce.

"I need tabs on movements in Darkseid's territory…." I said lowering my voice.

She didn't need to hear that bastard's name ever again. She was safe here, well safer here with me.

I watched her swipe the sleep from her eyes as a stray piece of her raven hair fell into her face. My hand moved on its own before I could stop it. It brushed the piece of hair behind her ears. They lingered on the edge of her cheek.

"Good morning," I said as my thumb brushed again her cheek.

Her face molded into my hand as her eyes closed. Everything in that moment felt… right. I went to hang up the phone but Bruce blurted out that bastard's name. The rage within me boiled up to the surface.

Bruce asked, "What does Darkseid have to do with us?"

Diana's eyes opened and she looked up at me in horror. Looking down at her terrified eyes I saw my own flames pouring out of the corners of my eyes. Quickly I remove my hand from her face and turn away from her. I leapt from my bed and stood several feet away from her. I tried to speak to her but no words come to me.

Keeping my back to her I start to countdown once more trying to claim myself down. It would have been much easier if it wasn't first thing in the morning. I was freshly charged from the sun.

"... You came back…" she said softly.

Her voice was trembling. I could hear her heart beating rapidly in her chest.

"This is my house," I said back. "Why wouldn't I?"

I tried to keep my voice as neutral as possible as I spoke. As I spoke I hear her get out of my bed. My room was filled with her scent. It was as fresh as a lily flower.

"I didn't mean to make you…" she said as she placed her hand on the small of my back.

As I felt the cool touch of her hand on my flesh I knew I needed to get away from her. The with the pureness of the sun fresh in my veins I would probably break her in half if I wasn't careful. I cringle away from her touch and created some distance from her.

"J'onzz will bring you something to wear," I said to her coldly.

"I'm sorry," she muttered.

The gentleness of her voice made my knees weak. No one had ever told me that they were sorry.

"I'm not a killer…" she continued.

I kept my eyes gazing out of the window as she spoke. Her heart continued to beat with increasing speed.

"... My name is Diana by the way," she said so quickly I barely made out what she said. "What should I call you?"

Without thinking I said it, my real name.

"Kal-El,"