AN: Sorry for the delay in posting this. I've been playing around with it too much and I keep changing things. I've seen this scene in my head for a long time now. It's one of the scenes I was most excited about getting out of my head when I decided to write this fic. The phone call in this chapter has played over and over in my mind so many times that I almost felt like I was dictating it when I typed it out. I hope you all "hear" it the way I do as you read it.

Also, if you haven't read In the Shadow of my Father, you may be confused by a reference to Jason's 7th birthday. That moment can be found in chapter eight of SomF should you be interested.

So many thanks to my beta readers. First to htbthomas for telling me her favorite part was the phone call! YEAH! And to Hellish who, I think, is starting to channel Jason to some degree! LOL!

A word of warning – minor as it may seem – Jason is growing up. Ahem. And this fic is written from a boy's perspective – a boy who happens to be going through puberty. Now, I'm pretty sure that the majority of my readers are female, so I want to be clear that I do NOT mean offense by anything in this chapter. I'm simply trying to show an honest representation of a teenage boy's life as he's going through puberty. That said… Collin is a jerk. You'll see what I mean as you read.

Age 13 – Water Torture

It was quite possibly the most perfect day to go sailing. The sun was shining bright, the light sparkled across the water, the blue sky overhead had just a dusting of clouds, and the temperature was just hot enough to go swimming, but not stifling to the point where you didn't want to go outside. Alec Buchanan couldn't have asked for better weather for his birthday. And I was one of the lucky few who got to spend it with him and his family on their yacht.

Mom fussed over me as we pulled up to the marina. "Did you pack something warm? I know it's hot right now, but it can get cold out there at night."

"Mom, please," I groaned. "I'll be fine."

"Did you take your meds today?"

I growled. "Yes."

"And you have some with you just in case?"

"Yes," I hissed at her, but it was a lie. I hated that she treated me like such an invalid. I hadn't been sick in so long that I purposefully hadn't packed any of my medication. I couldn't wait to get through the weekend with flying colors so that I could go home and brag to Mom and Dad how I'd gone without any medication. Maybe they'd start to realize that I wasn't the same sick little boy I used to be.

As soon as Mom stopped the car, I flung the door open and jumped out, anxious to find my friends and enjoy the adventure of spending the night on a yacht. My best friend, Marcus Holt, was already on the deck of the boat. He waved at me as Alec came down the ramp to meet me.

"This all your stuff?" he asked, looking at the items I held gathered up in my arms.

"Yeah, this is yours." I passed him the gift I'd picked out yesterday at the store, and he grinned happily.

"Thanks. Let's take your stuff inside. We're still waiting on Collin."

Only a few minutes later, Collin Morrison had joined our group. As much as I liked Alec, I didn't understand why he liked Collin so much. He wasn't anywhere near as smart as the rest of us, and he actually seemed like a bully sometimes. But this was Alec's party and not mine. So, long as Marcus and I could have a good time, I wasn't going to let Collin spoil things.

The four of us watched as Alec's father prepped the boat to leave the marina, and soon we were pulling away from the dock. We whooped and hollered and made such a ruckus that I was certain Mrs. Buchanan would tell us to stop, but she didn't. My mom would have made us settle down, of that I was certain! Given the way the Buchanans didn't seem to even pay attention to the four of us, I knew without a doubt that we would have fun. Little to no adult supervision was the thing I'd been most excited about!

Once we were far enough away from the dock that screaming and yelling seemed silly, Alec turned to us with a wicked grin on his face. "Come on downstairs. I wanna show you guys something."

We followed him eagerly, laughing and trying to take the whole thing in, until we reached the main gallery, which was set up like a huge living room, complete with a big screen TV and several leather couches.

"This is so awesome!" Marcus declared. "I've never been on a boat like this before."

"Me neither," Collin admitted.

They turned to look at me. "Ah, I was on a boat like this once a long time ago. But I didn't get to, you know, have any fun or anything." For some reason, I looked around and was grateful that I didn't see a piano anywhere in the room. Or wigs.

"Yeah, well, your parents are rich," Collin said. "Must be nice."

"They aren't rich," I said.

"Sure – they aren't rich. They just own a plane," he sneered.

"Well, it's nothing like this boat," I pointed out.

"Yeah," he agreed. "You rich kids sure do stick together."

He brushed past me and joined Alec in pulling out a box from a hidden compartment in the wall.

"Don't let him bother you," Marcus said quietly to me.

"I'm not." I wasn't going to let a grouchy kid like Collin ruin this trip for me.

"Look at this!" Alec said in hushed excitement. "I found it last week and nearly crapped my pants!"

"More like you did something else in your pants!" Collin laughed, reaching into the box and pulling out a magazine.

Marcus and I darted over to take a closer look. My jaw nearly fell into my lap when I realized what they were looking at.

Girls – no – women. Naked women. Lots of naked women. Page after page of naked women. It was a whole box full of nothing but magazines that featured nothing but beautiful naked women. Beautiful, adult naked women at that!

"Holy crap!" Marcus gasped.

"I bet your dad reads these for the articles," Collin teased.

"Magazines like this have articles?" Marcus asked.

Collin and Alec laughed at him.

"You're such a virgin, Holt," Collin said.

Marcus didn't even flinch. "Yeah, like you've gone all the way."

"I have," Collin announced, much to the surprise of Marcus and myself.

"You… went all the way?" I asked in wonder. "With who?"

"Amy Fletcher," he said with a smirk. "She. Is. Hot."

"You are so lucky!" Alec exclaimed. "I knew you guys had done stuff, but… all the way? Really?"

"Really," Collin replied. I noticed that his heart started racing.

"Like, full out… sex?" Marcus asked.

Collin made a face at him. "That's what all the way means, you baby."

"So, what was it like?" Alec pressed in anticipation.

"Man, oh, man," Collin sighed. "Heaven. Pure heaven." He sounded very relaxed, but his heart was thumping away so fast that I could tell he was lying. One of the few perks of my hearing - I could literally hear when someone was lying.

"Amy's got nice boobs," Alec said, trying to sound macho.

Collin shrugged. "They're okay, I guess. Kinda small, but she's got time to grow a nice set of tits like one of these fine ladies." He opened up one of the magazines to the centerfold and smiled at the image. "Now these are tits!"

I felt my face grow very hot as I looked at the picture. The woman had some of the biggest breasts I'd ever seen in my life. Not that I'd seen very many, and I'd certainly never seen any naked ones before. Well, not outside of what they showed us in health class in school. "They're huge," I observed.

"They're perfect," Collin corrected.

"I can't wait until next weekend," Alec sighed.

"What's next weekend?" I asked.

"I have a date with Emily MacInnis."

"No way!" Collin said, obviously very impressed. "She is one hottie I would love to tap!"

Alec frowned at him. "Well, she's my hottie, okay?"

"Oh, sure," Collin said, looking back at the magazines, "you got dibs."

"Where are you going?" Marcus asked.

"Movies."

"Alone?" I asked.

"Yup. Mom said she could trust me."

Collin snorted. "Little does she know!"

Collin and Alec gave each other high fives, and I suddenly understood why Alec had invited Collin to this party. It wasn't because Collin was a good friend or anything, but because Alec thought Collin was experienced. And Marcus and I… weren't.

For some reason that I didn't think had anything to do with my limited experience, I started feeling queasy.

"You kissed her yet?" Collin asked.

Alec nodded. "Yeah, last week after school and a few times since."

"Any tongue action?"

Alec blushed. "A little, but it's none of your business!"

Collin scowled at him. "I tell you I did the nasty with Amy and you won't give us any details on Emily? That's not cool, man."

"Maybe he just doesn't want to tell you," Marcus broke in. Collin turned to stare at him, but Marcus didn't back down. "Some things should be private, right?"

"Like you would know anything about it. Have you ever kissed a girl? Have you even touched a girl?" When Marcus didn't reply, Collin said, "That's what I thought. Virgin."

"Alec!" a female voice called from up on deck.

The magazines were tossed back into the box and then shoved under the couch as fast as Alec could manage it. "Yeah, Mom?"

"I've got lunch ready!"

"Okay!" Alec looked relieved that his mom hadn't come down the steps. "We'd better go up."

One after another, the four of us made our way up on deck to where Mrs. Buchanan had sandwiches and chips set out for us. We filled up our plates greedily, taking more food than we should. Collin and Alec kept gossiping about girls while Marcus and I made our way to the table to sit down.

Again I felt that odd, queasy sensation and my stomach lurched as I considered eating.

"Have you ever…" Marcus started.

"Huh?"

"Have you ever… you know… done stuff with a girl?" he said quietly.

I frowned. "No."

"Have you kissed a girl?"

"No," I admitted. "And I doubt that Collin has done everything he says he's done. He's probably kissed and done some other stuff, but gone all the way? I don't think so."

Marcus picked at his food.

"Why are you worried about it?" I asked. "Collin's a jerk. And if he keeps messing around, he's gonna end up with some kind of disease."

Marcus started to smile.

I went in for the kill. "It wouldn't surprise me if by the age of seventeen, his penis turned purple and fell off."

Marcus snorted and doubled over, trying to hide his reaction from Alec and Collin. I doubled over as well, but not from laughter. Once again, my stomach did a flip-flop, making me very nauseous.

"You okay?" Marcus said, looking concerned.

"Yeah, I just feel… I think I'm seasick." I didn't have any other way to describe it. "I'm sure it will pass, though."

"Just warn me if you're gonna blow chunks, okay?"

Alec and Collin joined us to talk about the latest video games out on our game systems and the various plans everyone had for the summer. I was very glad the conversation had shifted back onto a topic that Marcus and I could actually contribute to. Not that I didn't want to talk about girls, I just didn't want a phony like Collin to mock me about my inexperience. And even though I managed to eat half of my sandwich, the uneasy feeling in my stomach didn't go away. In fact, it intensified.

When we were done and we had cleaned up our mess, Alec led us into the upper gallery to show off some of what he called his dad's "under sea collection." Since the plan was for all of us to go snorkeling later, Alec thought we should at least get a heads-up on some of the stuff we might get to see in the ocean. The shelves of the gallery were lined with all sorts of shells and sand dollars and other such remnants of aquatic life. There were a few fish mounted on the walls for display. And naturally, there was coral in a wide variety of colors.

"This is weird stuff," Marcus said, picking up a lumpy chunk of misshapen green and black rock. "What is it?"

"Oh, that stuff?" Alec said, taking it from him. "We're not sure. It's like some kind of weird coral. It's cool through, isn't it?"

"Green coral?" Marcus said. "I've never heard of green coral."

"Yeah, and it doesn't feel like coral," Alec added. "There's tons of it, though." He turned to look at me. "Hey, White, you're the science genius. What is this stuff?"

He tossed it to me, and I caught it. And I instantly felt weak at the knees.

I looked down at the greenish black rock in my hands with an overwhelming sense of dread. This was not coral. This wasn't even a substance native to earth. I was sure of it. I could feel it right to my very bones.

"Jason?" Marcus said. "What's wrong?"

I looked up at my friends, who were now all staring back at me, making me feel even worse. Could they tell? Had they noticed how dizzy I suddenly felt? How long before they realized that I wasn't exactly human? Marcus was already looking at me in concern. I knew that I had to do something fast or it would become very obvious that I certainly wasn't normal.

"I don't know what it is," I lied, handing the rock back to Alec. "I'm gonna go… outside."

Somehow I forced my legs to hold me up and take me away from the source of my illness. I figured once I got outside that the effect would wear off or lessen in some way and I would again just feel slightly nauseous, but I had no such luck. I sat down on one of the benches on the deck and wondered just how long it would take for the feeling to go away.

"Dad wants to take it to a lab somewhere and have it examined," I heard Alec say as they came up on deck. "He thinks we might have discovered some kind of new mineral or something."

"That would be awesome," Collin said. "They'd probably give you money for it."

"That would be sweet," Alec agreed, "especially considering how much of the stuff there is out here."

My three friends looked over the railing of the yacht and into the water.

"Oh, cool!" Marcus exclaimed. "I can see it!"

I gaped at him. Surely not. This couldn't mean what I thought it meant. There couldn't be more of it… in the water. I stood up, my legs shaking beneath me, and looked over the rail to have my worst fear confirmed. I turned and somehow ran over to the other side of the boat to see if there was any place safe. Again I saw it, deep under the water, the sparkling green rock I'd hoped I'd never see. And now I was surrounded by it.

I took a step back and found it difficult to feel my legs underneath me. I was weak. More than weak – it was as if my energy was depleted. Like the batteries that powered my system had completely worn out and left me with absolutely no strength at all. I looked up at the sun, so bright and intense, and willed my body to absorb the energy from it. But the sun was billions of miles away… and the water was closer.

"Jason, you look sick," Mrs. Buchanan said from next to me. I hadn't heard her approach. In fact, now that I tried to take notice of the things around me, I realized that I really couldn't hear anything very well. It was as if the volume had been turned down.

"He said earlier that he wasn't feeling well," Marcus explained.

"It's probably seasickness," she said with a smile. "Why don't you go lie down for a while downstairs?"

I nodded and pushed myself up onto my feet. My legs were like jelly underneath me and I clung to the handrail of the stairs as I made my way down where I could literally fall onto the couch.

What was I going to do? It was everywhere. There was no place for me to go to get far enough away from it so that I could even start to feel better. I couldn't run away from this. Land was over an hour away. And the one person I could call out to that could even possibly come and help me would become just as sick, if not more so, if he even came close to where I was right now.

I didn't know what to do and I was scared. I was terrified. Would this kill me? Was I going to die if I didn't get out of here soon? I had touched the rock and it hadn't hurt me. I looked down at my hands to confirm that fact and found not a single burn mark. Wasn't this stuff supposed to burn?

I could feel my heart hammering away in my chest and fear took hold of me. I was starting to panic, and rightly so! But I couldn't panic. If I started to panic, then my breath would become shallow and I would have an attack. I couldn't have an attack now. I couldn't. I didn't have my medicine.

But it was too late. Even as I tried to convince my mind that I wasn't going to panic, I noticed that my breath was getting shorter and difficult to manage. The air around me seemed heavy and thick and I couldn't get enough of it into my lungs. I tired to breathe deeper, to fill up my lungs and calm down a little, but it was no use. I gasped and coughed and wheezed in and out.

This was not happening. This was not happening!

I tried to slow my breathing only to find it impossible to get enough air. I couldn't breathe deeply without coughing, and so my breath became quicker and shallower. All the while, my legs felt weaker and my body heavier. My eyesight went slightly blurry and sounds were distant and ringing. It was as if my entire body refused to function normally. Even my heartbeat was out of control.

I sat up, desperate to try something – anything that would make me feel better. I'd had attacks before when I couldn't get to my medicine right away, but I'd never had one while sitting smack dab in the middle of kryptonite central! I was so weak, so tired. I'd never felt so tired before. And I was beyond terrified.

Suddenly, I spotted a phone on a table against the far wall. Clumsily, like a toddler learning to walk, I stumbled over to where I could flop down on a chair and pick up the phone. My hand was shaking as I considered what number to call. Mom… or him? Neither of them could do much for me. Mom couldn't get here with my medicine and he couldn't get this close to the kryptonite. Mom would be angry that I hadn't brought my medicine. But I didn't want him to know how frail and human I was. In the end, I dialed Mom's work phone.

"Lois Lane, Daily Planet."

I gasped… and wheezed… and couldn't find my voice.

"Jason?"

"Mom," I managed to squeak.

"Jason!" she said in a panic. "What's wrong?"

I wheezed. "I can't—" and gasped, "breathe."

"Where's your medicine?"

Gasp. "I don't—" choke, "have it. I didn't—" huff, "bring it."

"WHAT?" Jason! Oh, my God! Is this an attack?"

"Yes," I struggled.

"Oh, God! Jason!" She was angry, but more than that, she was worried for me. "Okay, you listen to me. Go out on the deck of the boat and yell for Superman."

"Mom—"

"Just do it, Jason."

I coughed. "No, Mom."

"Jason! There is no arguing about this! Go yell for Superman!"

"Lois?" I heard a familiar man's voice say in the background.

But Mom didn't hear him. "Jason, you know I can't get there in time. So, please, go and yell for him!"

"Lois, what's wrong?" he asked again.

"It's Jason. He's having an attack and he doesn't have his inhaler."

"Oh, no. Where is he?"

"MOM!" I barked hoarsely into the phone before she could tell him.

"Yes? What is it, honey?"

"Is that—" I gasped, "Mr. Clark?"

"Yes, it's Mr. Clark. Why?"

"Kryptonite!" I said as forcefully as I could. "Kryptonite!" I repeated, and ended up coughing. I needed him to hear me. I needed him to stay away. If this stuff made me feel this badly, I couldn't even begin to imagine what it would do to him.

"What did you say?" Mom asked very slowly, her voice dropping in volume.

"It's everywhere," I panted out. "In the water." I wheezed in and out – in and out. "I can't yell—" and gasped, "for Superman." Pant. Pant. "It would," more coughing, "kill him."

There was silence on the other end of the line while I continued my pattern of wheezing and gasping and coughing.

Somewhere in my brain I registered the fact that Clark was no longer talking in the background. I didn't know if it was because Mom had moved away from him or if he had moved away from her.

"Jason," Mom said in an unsteady voice. "Where is Mrs. Buchanan?"

I only gasped in reply. My strength was all but gone.

"Get Mrs. Buchanan on the phone."

I didn't want to do this, but I supposed it was the only way. I tried to take the deepest breath possible and somehow was able to yell loud enough to Alec that he came gingerly down the steps.

"Holy crap!" he said once he saw me. "Jason, you okay?"

I shook my head. "Your mom. Get," I coughed, "your mom."

"MOM!" he yelled. "JASON'S SICK!"

I cringed inwardly, but for only a moment. Mrs. Buchanan came darting down the steps and ran over to me. "Jason, what's the matter?"

I held out the phone for her to take it. I closed my eyes and tried to ignore how sick I felt – how totally inhuman I felt. My head was spinning as I heard Alec's mom saying things like, "Yes, we'll do that right away," and, "It will take us an hour to get back to the marina," and "What can I do for him?"

She hung up the phone and I felt her soothing, motherly hands on my arms. "Jason, honey, let's get you up on deck for some fresh air. We'll take you back to the marina where your Mom will meet us with your medicine."

I don't quite remember how I got up on deck, nor do I remember very much about the journey back to shore. My body was so weak, and what little air I could manage to get into my lungs seemed too thin to do any good. I do recall Collin laughing and saying how much I sounded like Darth Vader. And I'm pretty sure Marcus told him to shut up, but I was too tired to notice much.

The further we went away from the kryptonite, the better I felt, but not by much. It seemed to me that the effect was lingering even under the bright sunlight. It worried me that I wasn't feeling better and I couldn't help but wonder if I was too human for the sun to really heal me.

By the time we reached the dock, my breathing was nothing more than a series of incredibly short, painful gasps for air. I somehow managed to squeak out an apology to Alec for spoiling his party, but he said not to worry about it. I knew, though, that he would never invite me out on his yacht again. Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. I didn't think I'd ever want to go near water any time soon.

We docked and Mrs. Buchanan carried my bags while Mr. Buchanan helped me down the ramp. Mom rushed to me, hugging me for only a moment before thrusting my inhaler into my hand. I pumped the medicine into my mouth and took as deep a breath as I could. Right away, I could feel my airways opening up, allowing me to breathe more normally. Mom pointed to the car and told me to go and sit down. She talked for just a few minutes with the Buchanans, thanking them for coming back so quickly, and then joined me in the car. I was slumped over against the passenger side door, my head resting on the cool pane of glass separating me from the world.

"Let's get you home where you can rest," Mom said, and I could hear the worry in her voice.

I hated that. It made me feel like an invalid – like a disappointment. As if I needed to disappoint one more parent!

We drove down the street more quickly than usual. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, taking in the sunlight coming through the windows. Now that I could breathe naturally, I was more aware of how my body felt, how weak and tired I really was. The sun was warm – strong – and I craved it.

My thoughts drifted back to my seventh birthday… when he had taken me flying all around the world… and something he said stood out to me, grabbing me and forcing me to pay attention.

"The sun is strength, Jason."

He had spoken with such authority that I didn't dare argue with him.

"It is power. You must rely on it like you would a friend. If ever you feel weak or tired or hurt, stand in the brightest spot of sunlight you can find until you start to feel better."

I remembered how small I felt, and how innocently I had responded to his statement.

"Sunlight can make me feel better?"

"It might not make you feel perfect, but it will make you feel better."

"Really?"

"I promise."

I mulled it over in my mind. If ever you feel weak or tired or hurt… I'd never felt more weak or tired or hurt in my entire life. Never, even with all the hospital and doctor visits, had I ever felt this… wretched. Stand in the brightest spot of sunlight you can find until you start to feel better.

I opened my eyes to see us turning the corner next to Metropolis Central Park. The sun was hot and the people in the park were basking in it, tanning their skin. I suddenly knew what it was I had to do.

"Stop the car!" I ordered.

"What?" Mom sounded panicked.

"Just pull over and stop the car!"

She did as I asked. "Are you sick? Do you need to throw up?"

I didn't answer her. I just shoved the door open and darted out of the car and into the park. My legs were still wobbly, but that didn't matter. I didn't have far to go.

Sunlight was beating down on me. I could feel its power as it warmed my body. I stopped just shy of the shade and stood with my arms out wide and my chin thrust into the air. The heat – the warmth – it was so staggering. I'd never really noticed how strong it could be until just this moment. My legs buckled under me and I sunk down to the earth, sprawling out so that the sunlight could now hit every part of my tired body. My breathing was starting to slow, and my heartbeat was growing steady, and the sunlight felt so good against my skin. I wanted to lie there all day, just soaking up as much sunlight as was humanly possible. Correction - as was Kryptonian-ly possible.

I'm not sure how long I lay there with my eyes closed. I heard the sounds of people laughing, playing Frisbee, eating lunch. I heard dogs barking and cars driving by. I heard my mom call my name. And then I heard him.

"Jason."

I opened my eyes to find him standing over me, reaching his hands out to me.

"Come with me."

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Where you'll feel better."

I didn't ask any more questions. I didn't even remember that I was upset with him for everything that had happened the last time he took me away. All I knew was that he was here and he was going to help me, because I knew exactly where he was taking me. He lifted me off the ground effortlessly and in the next instant we were above the clouds where the sky was vibrant blue and the light from the sun was infinitely brighter.

I looked into the sun without hesitation, willing my body to absorb whatever energy it could. For the first time ever in my life, I wished that I was more Kryptonian than human and thus more capable of turning the power of the sun into power in my body. The radiation was thick as it pulsed through my skin, soothing every sore feeling and restoring my system to normal. I closed my eyes and dropped my head backwards, exhaling in relief.

"How do you feel?" Superman asked.

I looked into his concerned face. "Tired," I said too quickly. "I mean – I feel good. I feel so much better now. But I'm still a little tired."

"You probably will be for a few days."

I didn't understand. "But the sun…?"

"Can only do so much," he finished. "You'll need to rest. Kryptonite—" he pursed his lips in thought. "It all depends on how much kryptonite there was and how long you were exposed to it, but you could feel weak for a few days."

I nodded, remembering that even he ended up in the hospital once after being exposed to kryptonite. And then I remembered something else – something he would probably find very interesting.

"I touched it," I said softly. "I held it in my hands and it didn't burn."

He squinted at me. "Not at all?"

I shook my head. "It just felt like rock."

He hummed thoughtfully. "Regardless of that fact, it still made you sick, right?"

"I felt—" I wet my lips, considering what this would cost me to admit. He already thought I was a weak and incompetent little boy. Would this make things worse between us? I didn't want him to think worse of me.

"What did you feel?" he prodded. His eyes searched my face and I found the words spilling out of me unchecked.

"I felt like my whole body was shutting down. I couldn't stand up or walk even. Things seemed a little blurry and sounds were muffled. It was – it was horrible."

He nodded slowly. "That sounds about right. Was it… painful?"

"Painful?" I didn't understand what he meant.

"Yes, could you feel it – more than just being tired or weak. Did it physically hurt you to be near it?"

I thought about that for a second. "I don't think so. I just – I just felt sick. And then when I realized what it was, I started to panic. That's what caused the asthma attack," I added quickly, making sure he understood that the attack was totally separate from the effect of kryptonite. "If I had tried to stay clam and not panicked about what was happening, I probably wouldn't have had the attack. It wasn't until I actually figured out what was making me feel so bad that my asthma acted up."

"But other than that, it wasn't painful?"

I shook my head.

"And it didn't burn when you touched it?"

"No."

The wheels were spinning in his head and I wished I could read his mind to know what he was thinking. Was this a good thing or a bad thing? Were my answers what he wanted to hear or was I proving to be, once again, a disappointment?

I looked away from him and took in my surroundings. The blue of the sky – the intensity of the sunlight – the quiet, peacefulness of the silence. I loved it up here. I could stay up here all day if he would let me.

"It's so quiet," I whispered, drawing his immediate attention. "Sorry, I didn't mean to – I know you were trying to think. Sorry."

"Is it really quiet for you?" he asked.

"Yes." I suddenly understood why he was looking at me in such an odd way. "Isn't it quiet for you?"

"No, I can hear everything."

Again I looked away, ashamed of my inabilities and the obvious dissatisfaction on his face.

"I can hear your mom," he said softly. "She's worried about you. Are you feeling better?"

I nodded wordlessly.

"Then I should take you back."

We landed in the middle of the park where Mom was waiting for us. A crowd of onlookers had gathered and were watching us very closely, whispering about what they thought happened and making crazy assumptions about the cause behind my rescue.

Mom flung her arms around me and held me tight. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Mom," I answered quietly.

She took a moment to look me over, inspecting me to make sure I wasn't lying to her, before shifting her focus to him. She smiled softly at him. "Thank you."

"There's no need to thank me, Ms. Lane." He smiled at both of us.

I felt the sudden urge to hug him, which was strange, considering that I'd never felt that before. I very nearly stepped up to him and wrapped my arms around him, but I held back. There were too many people watching.

"Make sure your son gets some rest and he should be fine," he added.

A jolt went through my body. Your son. He'd said your son. And I heard the addition – not mine.

He waved and smiled at the crowd, as usual, before pushing off the ground and soaring up into the sky. I watched him fly away, only to be distracted by the fact that my mother was hugging me again. It only made the emptiness inside of me deepen and intensify.

Once we were home, I went right up to my room and collapsed face first onto my bed, falling into a fitful sleep plagued with dark dreams filled with kryptonite ships and the image of a man who frowned at me. A cool breeze covered my body and I couldn't determine whether it was happening in the dream or in reality. For some reason, my mind chose reality and my eyes flittered open to feel a presence in the room. I jerked around to see him standing by my window.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to wake you."

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see how you were feeling. We didn't get a chance to talk… with the crowd there." He took a step closer to me. "Are you all right?"

I nodded, but I couldn't hold back the emotion. I felt a surge through my heart at the fact that he had come to check up on me. He hadn't just left me alone like he did so many other times. He came back this time, and that meant the world to me. My chin quivered and my eyes flooded with tears.

"Jason?" He was next to my bed now.

"I was so scared," I breathed, finding the strength to admit my fears.

He sat down on my bed and placed his hand on my arm.

"I thought—" I kept my eyes down, away from his piercing stare. "I thought I was going to die."

His hand gently moved up to my shoulder.

"I didn't know what to do." I choked back a sob. "I just didn't want to die."

"Oh, Jason." His fingers brushed my hair away from my face.

I don't know who moved first or how it happened, but somehow I ended up with my arms around him, squeezing him so tight, it was as if I were holding on to him for life. He held me against him, my head buried into his shoulder while his hand consolingly patted at my back. I felt safe. I felt almost… loved.

"Shh," he said. "I would never let that happen."

I sniffed, but couldn't speak.

"You're going to be all right," he assured. "You'll be fine."

"But if it happens again…?" I mumbled once I found my voice.

"Jason," he said, pushing me back so that he could look into my face. "I came here tonight to tell you that I don't think kryptonite can kill you."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I've been thinking about it. From what you described, the way it wasn't painful and the fact that you could touch it without it burning your skin, I don't think it can kill you."

"But I thought it was deadly to you?"

"It is deadly…to me." He paused before saying, "But you are partly human, Jason, and kryptonite doesn't hurt humans."

"But it does hurt me!" I scowled, thinking he didn't believe me when I explained how badly I felt. "It did hurt! I was sick and I felt—"

"Yes, it made you sick. I don't doubt that. It does have an effect on you, but I don't think it will kill you. So if ever this happens again, and I'm hoping that it never does, you don't need to panic or be afraid that you could die."

I gaped at him, at a loss for words.

"Jason," he focused his intense gaze on me, "you look as if I'm telling you something bad, but this is a good thing. Kryptonite won't kill you. Your human side prevents that."

"How can you be sure?"

"I'm not, and it isn't as if this is something we should experiment with. However, based on what you told me, I really don't think it would kill you."

Why did he keep repeating that? It was as if he were saying, "Jason, you're too human for kryptonite to work on you. It only affects Kryptonians, and you're not one of us. You're only human." I lay back down on my stomach, pulling my pillow to me and wanting to sink into the mattress.

"Jason, are you okay?"

I nodded. It was a lie, but I figured he wouldn't understand why I was upset about this. Logically, I should be happy that kryptonite couldn't kill me, but for some reason I felt like it was just more proof of how inadequate I was. Like I had just given him one more way to prove that I wasn't a credible member of his family. Yet he didn't seem to notice that any of this troubled me.

"I also wanted to let you know," he continued, "that you'll probably be tired for a few days. Don't expect to feel perfectly normal right away. Give yourself some time." He waited for me to say something, but I didn't have anything to add. "It might take you longer to fully recuperate than it does for me."

"Why?" I asked.

"Well, just as your human side countered the effects of the kryptonite, it might also impede the way the sun can heal you."

Oh, great! Why didn't he just slice my arm open and pour lemon juice in the wound? That wouldn't sting as much!

"I'll come back in a day or two to check in on you. If you need to, I'll take you back up for more direct sunlight. Hopefully, that won't be necessary."

Yeah, hopefully. So you won't have to face the fact that your kid is a deviant who can't heal properly.

"Well," he sighed. "I'll let you get some rest now."

I didn't answer him. I couldn't. I didn't turn around to look at him.

"Goodnight, Jason."

Just like usual, he was gone and I was left, once again, to deal with things on my own.