AN: As promised, this chapter has lots more action to it. I hope you feel the pacing of it as I intended. I'm hoping this chapter reads as well as I envision it in my head. I've had this scene eating away at my brain for weeks now. It plays like a movie in my head and trying to describe everything well enough to do it justice is a little daunting. My beta reader told me without prompting that she felt it played out like a movie, and that's exactly what I was going for. So I hope that most of you feel the same way.

Thanks to Red Devil and htbthomas for the great beta reads and for cheering me on. And thank you to each and every one of you that has left a review. I feel like I'm the dark horse in the fan fic world of Superman right now. Not everyone can tolerate the angst, but those of you that are enjoying it enough to tell me which parts especially moved you are the ones that keep me writing. I still have loads of angst to work through with these characters, but if you stick with me, I just might be able to have them reach a reasonable resolution and still stay true to the story line I have thrust them into. Really – thank you! I thrive on feedback!

Chapter Four

"Oh, Jason! This is beautiful!"

Kate's face lit up in pure astonishment as she slowly turned around and took in her surroundings. Her eyes traveled over the lush forest, complete with its green foliage and various plants in bloom. The terrain was slightly rocky, with a cliff climbing skyward in the distance and a small stream with trickling, clear water nearby.

"It's exactly what I was wanting!" she gasped.

"I know," I replied.

She smirked at me. "How did you find this place?"

I shrugged, knowing that I couldn't very well explain that the first time I saw this forest it was from the sky while flying without the help of an airplane. "Just because I've lived in Metropolis all my life doesn't mean we never took vacations," I offered. "We came here a few times when I was a kid." We meaning me and him even though we never really came here. We just flew over it. Kate would assume I was referring to my mom and dad, and I wasn't about to correct her.

"I love it," she sighed, wrapping her arms around my neck and smiling brightly.

"I thought you might."

She had mentioned a while ago how much she missed nature. There were trees and flowers and such scattered about Metropolis, but not the thick, far-as-the-eye-can-see type of nature that she was used to back home in Virginia. I had decided right then and there to bring her here for her birthday. The coast was pretty heavily populated, but a two-hour drive up state was all it took for Kate to have the scenery she had been longing for.

"I guess this explains the picnic basket, huh?" she said, planting a quick kiss on my lips.

"Well, I figured you would want to eat at some point today, and the closest McDonalds is about a half hour away."

"I am hungry," she confirmed. Her eyes shifted lower suddenly as she stared at me in an entirely seductive manner. "But I'm not really wanting food right now."

"No food?" I smirked, pulling her body against mine.

"Nuh uh," she said, shaking her head. "Please tell me you brought some kind of a blanket for us to um…sit on."

A moment later, I had the blanket spread out on the soft, green grass and welcomed Kate to sit down next to me. She knelt down slowly and pushed on my shoulder, indicating that she wanted me to lie down. I happily obliged her, bringing her down with me. Our lips met passionately as we took advantage of the solitude of our surroundings.

Much to our mutual disappointment, that solitude only lasted a few minutes. Voices and raucous laughter in the distance alerted both of us to the fact that we wouldn't be alone for long. The sounds were coming from several young men who could just barely be seen making their way though the woods.

Kate groaned and rolled to the side, covering her face with her arm irritably. "Can't they hike somewhere else?"

"It's okay," I assured her. "They'll pass by and go on their way and we will be left on our own again."

She made a face at me showing what little faith she had in that plan. Suddenly, she sat straight up and twisted around to look behind her. "Where's the water coming from?"

I looked around to try to see what she was referring to. I hadn't noticed the sound of the water, which surprised me. Kate was obviously a good distraction.

"The water has to come from somewhere," she said. "Didn't we pass a cave a little ways back?"

"I think so. Why?"

She stood up and held out her hand to me. "Come on. Let's go find it."

"You want to leave our perfect picnic spot to go look for a cave?" I asked in disbelief.

"I want to leave this spot that will soon be crawling with teenage boys to go find a more secluded spot where you and I can be alone for a while," she explained.

"But a cave?" I said skeptically. "That's not very…"

"Romantic?"

"Comfortable."

In the distance, one of the boys shouted. "Hey, look, I think those people are making out!" His friends snickered and cheered in response.

Kate eyed me and crossed her arms over her chest. "Still want to stay here?"

I didn't need to rethink it. "The cave it is."

We haphazardly stuffed the blanket back into the basket and made our way down the stream to the opening of the cave hidden under the slope of the cliff.

"It looks wet," I frowned.

"It looks private," she countered, heading into the cave without so much as a glance back at me.

I sighed and followed her in. We walked hand in hand for a while until the light began to fade to near darkness. I felt her hands grab at my shirt and tug me forward until our lips met. She moved backwards until her back was pressed against the wall of the cave. "This is much better," she muttered against my mouth.

"Only you would think a cave is better than the soft grass," I managed between kisses.

"And only you would think I'd be willing to make love in a cave," she panted, as the kissing grew more intense.

"You don't want to make love?" I said, rather surprised.

She pulled my shirt out from my waist band and slid her cool hands up my back. "Not until I get my birthday present."

I traced her jaw line with my nose, stopping to kiss the spot where her neck met her ear. "This is your present."

She arched against me and dug her nails into the skin on my back, driving me wild with desire. "Jason." My name uttered in that way was the most intoxicating thing I'd ever heard. "Ask me."

"Ask you?" I questioned, nuzzling the soft, fragrant skin of her neck.

"Ask me," she repeated, kissing me fully on the lips.

I couldn't wait any longer. "Marry me?"

"Yes."

And just like that, the tide burst open and what little restraint we were holding in check broke. She kissed me with a reckless abandon I'd never felt before. I tried to hold back, constantly reminding myself that I had to be gentle…constantly gentle…careful. I'd always been careful with her – never rough, always tender and delicate. If I didn't control myself, I could very easily hurt her. Especially here in this dangerous rocky place. But Kate wasn't interested in talking things slowly. Her legs wrapped around my waist, pulling me snugly against her. Her hands were everywhere at once, distracting me from my task of keeping her safe. I couldn't do this here. The risk to Kate was too great. As much as my body would hate me for it, my mind knew that I had to stop.

I broke away from her kisses rather abruptly and pounded my fist against the wall of the cave. "Damn it!"

Her eyes were wide with confusion. "What's wrong?"

"Your ring."

She blinked. "My ring?"

"Yes, you know, your engagement ring." Slowly, carefully, I pushed her away from me until her legs were firmly planted on the ground. "I've been carrying the blasted thing in my pocket for days now, worried that I would forget it. And now I have done just that."

She smiled. "It will be there when we get home." She leaned forward to resume the kiss, but I knew if things got heated up again I wouldn't be able to stop.

"It's in the car," I said.

"Oh! Well then, we can get it when we go back to the car."

"But I want you to have it now."

Her face fell. "But we would have to leave."

I looked at her frown and decided to try the honesty route. "Kate, I can't make love to you in a cave." I listened very closely to try to determine the location of the boys. When I didn't hear them, I said, "Besides, I bet those kids have gone."

She thought about it for a moment, and in the sudden silence a new sound could be heard. The sound of cracking rock…sliding…grinding. "What is that?" she asked, turning around to try to find the source of the sound.

And then I realized what had happened…I had pounded on the wall. I must have hit it too hard and cracked something in the rock. My eyes were drawn up to the ceiling of the cave only a few feet above us to see the crack forming…breaking…ripping.

"Shit," I gasped. "Run!"

I grabbed Kate's hand and pulled her behind me, my feet traveling faster than normal in an attempt to escape before the rock fell on top of us.

"Jason! I can't keep up!"

Her hand slipped from mine as she tripped over some loose rocks and landed with a thud on the floor of the cave. She screamed in pain…or was it in fear?

"Kate!" I called, darting back to kneel by her side. "Come on, we have to get out of here!"

"I can't!" she cried. "My ankle!"

Before I had a chance to even try to pick her up – before I could even think of another solution – the wall of the cave collapsed down around us.

Everything happened as if in slow motion. Kate's scream echoed through the cave as she turned onto her stomach and covered her head, waiting for the rocks to crush her. My mouth formed the word, "NO!" as I yelled out in desperation. Instinct kicked in and I flipped onto my back and locked my arms straight out above me. The wall fell down into my hands, knocking the breath out of me and scattering a few rocks over the ground.

Beside me, Kate still had her face covered. Her panting breath matched mine as I used every ounce of my strength to hold the wall up. Slowly, her face turned to the side to look at me in wonder before her gaze traveled the remaining distance over my arms to come to a stop on the wall above us.

"Jason?" she whimpered in a mix of terror and wonder.

"Kate, listen to me," I panted. "You have to get out of here."

Her eyes were wide with fear. "No."

"Yes," I hissed. "I don't know how long I can hold this. You have to crawl out of here."

Tears were swelling up in her beautiful green eyes. "No, Jason. I'm not leaving you."

"Kate, just trust me on this! Get out of here! Get help!"

"Help?"

I closed my eyes, cursing myself for what I was about to say, knowing it would be the end of everything I had built with her. "Superman," I muttered. I swallowed hard, fighting back the anger I felt at myself for having to rely on him once again. My breath caught in my throat and I felt my arms begin to shake. There wasn't time to dwell on my inadequacies.

I looked into her tear-filled eyes with intensity. "Crawl out of here," I stammered, "and yell for Superman."

"What?" She gaped at me.

"Yell for him. Say my name. Say it over and over again until he comes."

"Jason…I…"

I knew what I was asking of her. I knew she didn't believe he would come.

"Trust me!" My breath was ragged. "He'll come. If you say my name, he'll come."

The tears were falling down her cheeks now. Her chin quivered as she said, "I love you."

I wondered if it would be the last time I would hear her say it. "I love you, too. Now please, hurry!"

The sound of her body sliding away from mine was soon replaced with her cries for help. I closed my eyes again, feeling awful for making her call out to the one man she never wanted to call out for. Her voice rang out through the cave, piercing my heart.

"SUPERMAN!" She sobbed. "SUPERMAN HELP US! IT'S JASON! PLEASE!" A cry caught in her throat as she gasped for air through her tears. "PLEASE! JASON IS HURT! HE'LL DIE!" Another sob echoed through the cave before her voice rose in intensity and desperation. "JASON WILL DIE IF YOU DON'T COME AND HELP US! PLEASE!" She was crying full out now, her voice falling as she began to lose hope. "Please…please don't let him die. Please."

And then she gasped, inhaling sharply, her cries stopping entirely.

"Where is he?"

It was his voice that asked the question – that deep, soothing voice that gave no room for doubt that everything would be all right.

"The cave," Kate muttered. "He's in the cave."

"JASON!" he called out to me.

I pursed my lips, hating him for being the one I had to depend on, while at the same time feeling relieved that he was here. My arms ached under the weight of the wall and I knew I didn't have long before my strength gave out.

"I'm here!" I answered.

"Jason, can you see me?"

I winced, thinking of how Kate would respond to my answer. I squinted at the rock above me, concentrating on the molecules as they whirled around me until they blurred and became clear. The rock was thick above me, but there, high above the cliff side, was Superman.

"I see you," I managed.

"Jason, the rock is solid. If I try to burrow you out, I risk the rest of the mountain coming down on top of you."

He was right. "Okay," I called, waiting for his solution.

"I'm going to burn a hole through it, wide enough for you to push the rock out. When you see enough light, I want you to toss the rock up to me."

I groaned. Could he make it any more obvious to Kate that I was a freak?

"Fine," I spat out in anger.

The heat from his eyes went to work melting the rock above me, cutting a hole wide enough for the wall I was still somehow managing to hold up. The beams cut closer and closer to me, rapidly easing some of the burden I was supporting. As soon as I felt enough of the rock give way, I lowered the wall just enough to give me some leverage to heave it forward. I gritted my teeth, straining under the weight of the wall, and pushed with all of my might. The wall went soaring upwards until he caught it and slowly lowered it onto the cliff.

Free from the strain of the wall, I tried to breathe deeply only to find my lungs gasping for air. Dust particles filled the empty space and I coughed and wheezed as a result.

From above, I heard him say, "Are you all right?"

I could hardly speak. "Yeah," I coughed. "Gimme a sec."

"Get out into the sunlight," he ordered.

I rolled onto my stomach and coughed into the crook of my arm. "I'll be fine." I said it even though I was still having trouble getting enough air into my lungs.

"Where is your inhaler?"

Good Lord! He really thought I was still a child! "I got rid of that annoying thing years ago," I wheezed through another coughing fit. "I don't need it anymore than I need the damned sun." I nearly choked getting the last bit out, but I couldn't hold back from saying it. My ego had taken a beating and I wasn't going to go down without a fight.

Firm hands suddenly gripped tightly at my arms, pulling me off the ground and soaring into the air. I thrashed around, kicking my legs and struggling against his grip. "Put me down!" I barked though another cough.

But he wouldn't listen. We flew higher and higher, over the trees, above the clouds, up into the thin atmosphere; all the while I squirmed and tried to break free of his hold. He came to a stop facing the sun. The light was so bright it stung even my eyes to look at it.

"You can hate me all you want, Jason," he said from behind me. "I will stay out of your life, if that is what you want. But don't you ever turn your back on the sun!" He'd never spoken to me so forcefully before, and I trembled. "It is your strength. It is your life. Ignore your connection to me if you want, but don't you dare ignore the sun."

I froze, not knowing how to respond.

"Now, look at it!" he demanded.

I was still panting, both out of exhaustion and in surprise at how he was addressing me. "I…I…"

"Look at it!" He thrust me forward, out into the open air away from his body so that the only thing I felt, other than his hands on my arms, was the glorious warmth of the sunlight.

Hesitantly, I gazed directly into the sun, blinking rapidly until my eyes adjusted to the light. My breathing gently slowed as the heat radiated and pulsed through me. My eyes slid shut and my head fell back as I soaked up the radiation and felt my body begin to return to normal. My heart slowed and settled into a more regular rhythm. The blood in my veins throbbed with energy. Every molecule in my body responded with strength.

When I opened my eyes, I immediately caught the sound of Kate's cries from below. I glanced over my shoulder and said, "I feel better, so will you take me down now?"

"Another minute. Your pulse is still too fast."

I sighed and shifted around, waiting. The minute passed too slowly and I again demanded that he put me down. "Listen, Kate is freaking out down there," I pointed out. "I can hear her, so I know you can, too. Now please, take me back down there before she has a coronary!"

"All right, Jason," he complied. "We can go back now."