He took a breath, looked into her eyes, and nearly screamed in terror. There, shining back at him, alive and kicking... Mad Dog Lane.

She ached for him, for the loss of his personality, the sheer vibrancy about him that had affected her since the first time she'd met him. He'd been so remote, the past few days, as if his smiles and greetings were something expected of him, purely perfunctory. It was as if suddenly he'd snapped back inside his shell, and no amount of prising would get him back out.

The same old story, she thought bitterly. Clark Kent promised her everything, and then when push came to shove, he didn't deliver.