Chapter Twelve

Clark Kent held Lana Lang tight in his arms as they soared high above Shuster's Field.

"Clark…" Lana whispered, her eyes wide like a little child's. "Why didn't you tell me you could fly?"

He looked at her… her beautiful dark hair blowing gently in the breeze, her soft lips slightly parted… He just wanted to kiss her and have that kiss last for all eternity.

"Because, Lana…" he said. "I couldn't… until you gave me wings..."

Knock knock knock.

"Clark," Lana whispered, leaning in closer to him. He could feel her breath against his lips. "Someone's at the door."

"Don't be silly, Lana, we're outside."

Knock knock knock.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "You really should get that. Someone might need you."

"Lana…"

Knock knock knock.

Clark's eyes opened slowly as the wonderfully sweet world of his dream faded into the waking world, and he found himself back on the sofa bed of his and Chloe's hotel room.

Someone was knocking at the door.

Clark quickly x-rayed the bedroom and saw that Chloe was still asleep, undisturbed by the knocking. He got up and went to the door.

He opened it to find Mary Jane standing there, doubled over in pain, propping herself up against the doorframe with one hand as the other grasped her ankle. Blood had soaked through her pant leg, and she was drenched from head to toe with rain water.

"Oh my God… Mary Jane, what happened?"

"Clark… Peter needs your help," she said, her voice high and shaky.

"We have to get you to a hospital," Clark said.

"No, please, listen to me. He's got Peter, the Green Goblin has Peter."

"Whoa… okay, slow down and tell me what happened."

"He… the Goblin just attacked me, and Peter tried to save me… and… oh God…"

It had obviously taken every last ounce of strength and determination that Mary Jane had to get her to Clark's door. She fell into his arms and burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.

Clark gently put his arm around MJ and stepped out into the hall with her, closing the door quietly behind them so they would not wake Chloe. He looked around and saw that no one else was in the hallway.

"How did you find me, anyways?" he asked.

It took her a minute to compose herself well enough to form a coherent sentence. She pulled her face away from Clark's chest, his shirt soaked with her tears.

"P-Peter and I talked, after the night of the convention… he told me you guys were staying here…"

Her eyes were still welling up with tears. Clark tried to wipe them away with his index finger.

"If the Goblin has Peter, we need to call the police," Clark said.

"No," Mary Jane said, shaking her head. "They can't stop him, he's too strong… I've seen what he can do before."

"Then what do you want me to do?"

"You can stop him, Clark… I know you can."

"Me?"

She stared him straight in the eyes as she blinked away her tears. "I know you have powers, Clark."

"What! What're you talking about?"

"The night of the convention, the night you saved my life… when the ceiling was collapsing. It was going to cave in on top of me… but you… you ran in, out of nowhere, and held it up with your bare hands, over your head… Then you picked me up and carried me, through the all the debris and the flames and everything… I saw the fire come out of your eyes and burn a path for us through all the rubble…"

"I thought you were unconscious…"

"I know you did. But I wasn't. Clark… if anyone can save Peter now, I know it's you. Please, you have to try."

"I don't know. I want to help, but… isn't Peter friends with Spider-Man? He could probably do a lot more than I could."

Mary Jane looked down and closed her eyes. She shook her head again.

"Why not?"

"Clark… I shouldn't tell anyone this. He doesn't even know that I know."

"Know what?"

"Clark, Peter is Spider-Man."

Clark took a step back. "Peter… what!"

"Peter is Spider-Man. They're the same person. Look, he doesn't know that I know that… All I know is that he's in trouble and he needs help, and I don't know where else to go…"

She started crying again, harder this time. He took her in his arms again and let her cry into his chest.

"Okay," he whispered. "I'll help him. I'll do whatever I can."

"Thank you…" she whispered between sobs. "Thank you…"

He x-rayed her ankle. It was indeed broken. "I want to get you to a hospital first," he said. "That way, you'll be safe, and they can take care of your leg."

She nodded, weakly, and allowed Clark to pick her up.

"We have to stop at Peter's house first," she said as he started carrying her down the hallway. "There's something you'll need to get."

Clark didn't ask her what it was, because he was pretty sure he already knew. He was more concerned with how he was going to stop the Green Goblin. Or how he was going to find him, even. Then he remembered what Lex had told him at the hospital.

"Mary Jane," he said. "Who's Harry Osborn?"