An Unexpected Encounter

On the weekend, by the lake on the outskirts of Metropolis.

Kara was starting to regret believing Jay, as she was beginning to feel this was a traditional "meeting the parents" situation.

She had chosen to appear as Kara Kent today, as the Supergirl persona seemed a bit too out of place for a picnic. When she showed up wearing a bright shirt and skirt, with those square-framed glasses, Mr. Reynolds' jaw nearly hit the floor.

"You're... Ms. Grant's assistant?" he asked, surprised.

"Yes, I'm Kara Kent. Nice to meet you," she replied.

Mr. Reynolds shook her hand dazedly, unable to snap out of his astonishment. It wasn't hard to understand why; as Ms. Grant's personal assistant, Kara had given everyone the impression of a clumsy, simple-minded girl. It seemed difficult to reconcile that image with Supergirl. He took a serious, second look at Kara, realizing that what made her seem so silly was just the bulky glasses; behind the thick lenses were a pair of clear, bright eyes.

After a long appraisal, Mr. Reynolds commented, "You look like two different people."

"That's the idea," Kara smiled. "Superman once told me I'd be surprised at how effective glasses could be for disguise. I didn't quite believe him then."

And so, they naturally fell into conversation. The start wasn't bad. Initially, they all seemed a bit reserved. The Reynoldses were seeing a real superhero up close for the first time, and Kara... well, she didn't know why she was nervous.

But that phase passed quickly. Jay was pleased to see that the Reynoldses and Kara seemed to be getting along well. The Reynoldses' questions initially focused on her life as Supergirl. They showed great interest in Superman and other superheroes' lives outside of their heroic duties. They expressed considerable surprise upon hearing various anecdotes from Superman's upbringing.

When Kara mentioned that Superman's origin story began on an unassuming farm in Kansas, Mrs. Reynolds exclaimed in surprise, "Good heavens, he's a farm boy from Kansas?"

"Smallville, that's the name of the town," Kara added. "He invited me to his home."

The Reynoldses' expressions grew even more astonished. They exchanged glances, and then Mr. Reynolds said, "My goodness, Jane, you and Superman are from the same hometown!"

Mrs. Reynolds immediately puffed up with pride, seemingly quite pleased with the distinguished people from her hometown. Mr. Reynolds pondered for a moment, then said, "That sounds... reasonable, but I guess we just never thought of it that way. Conventional thinking made us all assume Superman would just descend from the sky to help people, and when he wasn't helping people, he'd be floating behind some cloud, looking down on humanity like a god. But he grew up on Earth, so of course, he'd have his own life."

Mrs. Reynolds suddenly thought of something and interrupted, "Right, what about his parents? Are they still around?"

"Yes," Kara nodded. "They still live on the farm in Kansas. They're really wonderful people. I visit them often when I have time off... They're like the only family I have left."

"Maybe we can go together next time," Jay interjected. "I'd like to meet them too."

"Of course," Kara smiled. "They'll be very happy to meet you."

They set up the grill and started preparing lunch. Mrs. Reynolds asked a few more questions about the Kent farm, but soon her interest shifted to Kara herself, which was the beginning of her ordeal.

Mrs. Reynolds started asking if she had a boyfriend. Kara shyly admitted she had, but it had been a while. She then proceeded to ask about Kara's personal interests, making Kara feel quite uncomfortable, like she was being interrogated.

Seeing that the situation was developing in a way that wasn't ideal, Jay stepped in to interrupt. "Uh, I think I forgot some ingredients in the car. Do you mind coming with me to get them?"

Kara looked at him like a savior and quickly said, "I'll go with you."

The two walked halfway around the lake to the parking area. Jay opened the trunk and started rummaging through it, actually finding a forgotten cooler bag in the corner. Kara leaned dejectedly against the car and said, "You lied to me. I don't think I can ever trust you again."

Jay held his hands up innocently. "I didn't lie. I told you my dad wanted to meet the superhero who saved his life, and that's the truth. I never promised my mom wouldn't ask unnecessary questions."

Kara thought about it and realized it was true. So, she had misunderstood?

The more she thought about it, the more she felt tricked. She huffed in a petulant manner, "I'm mad, anyway. You owe me compensation."

"Okay, okay, I lied. It's my fault," Jay said, raising his hands with extreme solemnity. "So, how do you want me to make it up to you?"

This time, Kara was stumped. She had just been complaining casually and hadn't actually thought of anything specific. She tilted her head and thought for a moment. "I haven't thought of it yet. I can tell you when I do."

Their eyes met by chance, and they suddenly realized they had unconsciously moved incredibly close to each other. Jay felt as if an indescribable magic emanated from her clear blue eyes, holding his gaze captive, making it impossible to look away.

In an instant, the green mountains and forests, the clear lake surrounding them, all blurred in Jay's vision. The blue sky and white clouds faded to the point of near disappearance. It felt as if the only person left in the world was the beautiful woman before him, and even the silly glasses perched on Kara's nose seemed endearing.

He didn't know what he was thinking at that moment, or rather, it was more likely that he had stopped thinking altogether. He allowed his super-brain to go into temporary idle mode, letting instinct drive him to slowly, boldly move closer to Kara's exquisite face. She looked at him with her beautiful eyes, showing no intention of avoiding him. Jay felt his senses unleash uncontrollably for a brief moment. He could clearly hear Kara's soft, rapid, and heavy breaths, the accelerating beat of her heart within her chest, as if it were setting a blood-pounding rhythm. Oh, and his own heartbeat, equally losing control and becoming unbalanced.

They were closer than ever before. The two figures on the sun-drenched lawn merged into one. Jay could smell her unique, fragrant breath and was involuntarily drawn to her vibrant, jade-like eyes.

But just as something seemed about to happen, a discordant sound pierced through the dense bushes and simultaneously entered both of their keen ears. They abruptly separated, seeing a flicker of awkwardness in each other's eyes, then simultaneously and tacitly shifted their attention to the rustling bushes.

What followed was completely outside the normal scope of a family picnic. They never expected a woman to suddenly emerge from the rustling bushes by the tranquil lake. She was wearing a work uniform that seemed to belong to a company employee, with incongruously long black rubber boots on her feet. Her steps were unsteady, her face pale, and her eyes were somewhere between conscious and unconscious, as if she might collapse at any moment.

Emerging from the bushes seemed to have used up all her remaining strength. She collapsed onto her knees, utterly spent. The two of them rushed forward to support her, preventing her from falling.

Jay felt she looked somewhat familiar, perhaps they had met somewhere before.

But Kara let out an incredulous cry, "Lois!?"

Jay instantly remembered where he had seen this woman – on the wall of The Daily Planet, in a photograph framed exquisitely. This was Lois Lane, the legendary reporter for The Daily Planet.

She was the heroine of Superman's story.