Chapter Twelve

Cassie sat up in bed and looked around the room. It was so bright; the bed sheets were all blue, for some reason it made her smile to herself. She got up and looked around herself. Her clothes from the previous day were neatly folded on a chair in the corner of the bedroom.

She got up and pulled them on and left the room. It lead to an enormous great room involving a kitchen, that you had to go up two steps to enter, a living room, and a dining room, that was on step down from the living room.

Cassie yawned and stretched looking around herself.

"Morning," She turned to see Clark standing over the stove making scrambled eggs. She smiled at him.

"Morning," He was wearing a pair of loose jeans, a white t-shirt and he wasn't wearing his glasses. It didn't really startle Cassie because he obviously never wore his glasses when he was Superman so there wasn't any real need for him to wear them as Clark. Cassie walked over and into the kitchen and leaned on the island in which the stove was placed. "Mmm, breakfast smells good."

"Well, I am not much of a cook, but I can cook mean scrambled eggs." Cassie looked at Clark.

"'Mean'?"

"Too cheesy?" He asked looking at her.

"Just a little." Cassie said giggling.

Clark shrugged his large shoulders and picked up a fork and carefully scooped up some egg and held it out to Cassie.

"Try some," She took the fork and tried it, savoring the fluffy eggs, "So?"

She smiled at him, "They are completely and utterly perfect."

Clark smiled leaning on the counter, "Like you," Cassie went to laugh at the remark but she coughed instead nearly choking on a piece of egg. "Are you okay?" Clark asked instantly looking concerned.

Cassie gave him a smile as her eyes watered and nodded, Clark gave her a funny look as she blushed. "Let's…" She gasped trying to regain what little composure she had left. "Let's eat."

Clark nodded.

Cassie walked down the street savoring the feeling of walking on air. She had just got of work and was going to meet Clark at a little Greek restaurant. He loved her! He, Clark Kent, actually loved her, Cassie. It was too good to be true.

She walked into the Greek place and was shown to the table that Clark had reserved. But fifteen minutes after Clark should have been there he wasn't. Usually Cassie wouldn't have worried over a messily fifteen minutes, but Clark was like her, obsessive when it came to lateness. She looked out the window of the shop as if hoping to see him walking down the street but she didn't.

Cassie's cell phone rang and she dove under the table to retrieve it. She answered it instantly.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Cassie? It's Clark."

"Clark? Are you okay?" It sounded like he was running.

"Oh, yeah I am fine, it's just something is going on down town and Mr. White wants me there to cover the story." Clark said, he sounded like he was trying to be casual.

"Oh, yeah that is fine; I mean it is your job." Cassie said in what she hoped was a bright tone of voice.

"Are you sure?" Clark asked.

"Of course I am Clark, go."

"Kay, come over to my place tonight,"

"Look, call me when you are done and we will talk."

"Kay, love you." Cassie's breath caught in her throat when he said it and joy filled her.

"I love you too…be careful." But he had already hung up.

When Cassie hung up her phone she felt slightly deflated. The waiter came over to take her drink order. "Oh uh, I think I will take a rain check." Cassie said breathlessly, "I just want to go home."

The waiter nodded understandingly, and went to clear the table but as Cassie went to leave he stopped her. "Oh ma'am, don't take the subway there was a crash down there and every train has stopped."

Cassie nodded, "Right thanks." Cassie stepped out on to the sidewalk and looked up at the sky. It was black. The worst thing about the city was that she could never see the stars.

She hailed a cab and told the driver where her apartment was and he drove off. She was worried about Clark, hoping that he was alright. She knew it was an irrational fear. He was Superman but that didn't help, she could only think of him down there, presumably in the subway tunnel trapped. She shivered her old claustrophobia returning.

The cab pulled to a stop at a red light. "Can I open this window?" Cassie asked the driver slightly self conscious.

"Hey ma'am as long as the meter is running you can do the hula back there." Cassie nodded slightly bewildered by the answer and lowered her window as the cab took off again.

The cool air rushed over her face and she started to calm down again. She closed her eyes and leaned back, the cab stopped suddenly making her fall against her seat belt. "Sorry miss, just seems like I have no luck with the lights tonight."

Cassie nodded again and looked out the window. She could see a prostitute standing outside a seven eleven and a great swell of pity welled inside her chest.

"Tina?" Cassie looked at the driver surprised by the outburst.

"Pardon?" She asked.

"Not you…I know her. TINA!" Cassie jumped at the yell. The cab driver was leaning out his window. The prostitute looked at him, shock crossed her face, Cassie was surprised she could move it under all that make up, and then the girl pretended not to hear the driver unconvincingly. "Tina what the hell are you doing?" At this point the driver got out of the car.

"Excuse me!" Cassie said quietly, she had never been one for confrontation. "Excuse me I have to get…home." But the driver was already on the sidewalk asking the girl in a loud voice if her mother knew what she was doing.

Feeling defeated Cassie sat back and looked at the meter on the dashboard that was still running. It would have been faster to walk home at this pace, and cheaper. Cassie closed her eyes and leaned back again.

There was a loud moan that made her eyes open suddenly. It wasn't the car but the car did suddenly start to shudder very violently. There was another scraping moan and the front of the car disappeared in front of Cassie.

It took a few seconds for Cassie to understand what was going on. The street had collapsed under the front of the cab and it was now pointing into a subway tunnel. Cassie sat frozen for a few seconds until she was snapped out of her terrified trance by the shouts of the cab driver and the prostitute.

She blinked a few times before very slowly moving her hand over to her seat belt. The car moaned again and tipped even more. The back tires were defiantly off the ground at this point. Tears filled Cassie's eyes as her hand finally reached the seat belt buckle. Her fingers pressed the button and the seat belt was sucked back into the side of the car making it tilt even further forward.

In her heart Cassie knew the floor of the subway tunnel couldn't have been that far down but it seemed like she was falling into hell it's self. She hand moved to the handle of the door. She tried to concentrate on the cabbie and his friend Tina's encouraging words telling her to hurry but she quickly seemed to be loosing her grip on reality, white spots were appearing in front of her eyes.

Her hand clutched the door handle and pulled on it suddenly, the door swung open and she went to get out but that was it…

The car was falling for what felt like an eternity. The door slammed shut on the side of the hole. Cassie hit the back of the front seat as the front of the car hit the ground. She screamed as the car fell forward and she hit the roof of the car, which was now lying upside down.

She didn't want to move, she was terrified if she did the car would some how magically collapse around her. It seemed like lying on the roof of an old Bel-Air was going to be her last stop.

"Miss, grab my hand." She opened her eyes suddenly to see a hand sticking through the up side down car window. She followed the arm to the body to the head looking at her and her heart caught in the throat. It was Clark… or rather Superman.

She grabbed the hand and he pulled her in one swift motion out of the car. He helped her to her feet and she looked up at him. He seemed much taller some how, and his hair was different. He was studying her very closely.

"Good no broken bones, how about we get out of here." Cassie nodded for lack of anything to say. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and one under her knees and they both floated up to the street. The dropped a couple of centimetre's as he landed and carefully put her on to the street.

"Hope you have better cab rides in the future miss." He gave her a big smile and went to fly away. Cassie found her self holding his arm not letting him take off.

For the first time she looked him directly in the eyes. His brow furrowed slightly looking at her, "Please, be careful." She whispered to him. He stared down at her as if trying to understand what she was talking about before nodding.

"I will be…" He trailed off as if unsure of how to end the sentence.

'I know!' Cassie screamed in her head, 'I know it's you Clark.'

Superman landed heavily in front of her, "What did you say?" He asked looking unnerved.

"Be careful." She repeated slowly.

"No after that."

"I didn't say anything." Cassie said holding his gaze.

"SUPERMAN!" They both looked down the road to see the flood of reporters running at them. Cassie looked back at Superman but he was gone. Reporters banged into her not caring if they knocked her over still running down the street.

Cassie stood routed to the spot for a few seconds before turning and running home.