As
promised , this story tells what could have happened if Clark had left with Zod at the end of Season 9. This story is complete, so I will try and post every other day.
Characters and some dialogue taken from "Smallville," owned by WB and DC Comics. For fun and not for profit.
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~Prologue~The golden light shot upwards from the console, a beam that appeared once the Book of Rao was in place. One by one, the Kandorians began to ascend towards the radiant beacon, to their unknown new home. Even though he had chosen this, had made it happen, Clark suddenly had the desire to hold on, to somehow not be taken up with the others.
He had always believed he had a destiny here on Earth. How could he have been so wrong?
His human side still affected him, no matter how many times he tried to set it aside. He would miss those he cared about, those he loved…
And there was one, more than any of the others, who would be the hardest to leave behind. Her kiss was still fresh in his memory…
“Can you ever forgive me for thinking you were him?” she said, guilt over having mistaken Zod for the Blur laden in her voice. Lois’ back was turned to him, as she knew they both had to protect his identity. She was always protecting him – almost as much as he was always trying to protect her.
She held up the Book of Rao for him to take. Her trust in him was infinite it seemed… and yet he still couldn’t tell her the truth. Partly out of needing to protect her, and partly out of fear.
“Please say something,” she pleaded. “Anything…”
As he reached for the Book of Rao, he felt her slim fingers in his grasp. A spark of connection went through him at her touch, even as he hid his face from her in the shadows.
Suddenly, he needed a moment of truth for both of them. He would be gone forever after tonight. She had to know what she meant to him, even if she never knew who he really was.
He pulled her to him, into the shadowy alcove, damning the consequences of stealing this one moment. He leaned over her and kissed her with all the passion and love he felt for her. She seemed slightly startled at first, but her lips quickly became pliant under his, as she sought to give as much as he gave. He thought perhaps in her soul she knew she was kissing Clark, even if her mind hadn’t caught up quite yet. But he dared not speak, dared not break the moment with an admission of his duplicity.
Reluctantly, he pulled away, though not before one last, tender kiss. He felt the desire to say her name well up in him, for her to know, finally, who her hero really was—
But instead, he left her, knowing that leaving her knowing the truth known would be far more painful.
Clark felt his feet leave the ground. He was suddenly ripped away from the city, from the people he cherished, and a guttural “No!” escaped his lips in protest.
He rose at the same time as Zod, and their eyes met, hovering over Metropolis, floating towards some unknown future. Zod’s lips curled in a triumphant smile.
“You’re mine now, Kal-El.”
They disappeared through the golden beam, into the clouds. In a bright flash of light, Clark Kent left the earth forever.
~Three years later~Lois Lane entered the Daily Planet, her Blackberry pressed between her shoulder and her ear as she struggled to carry in her files and notebook from last night’s workload.
“I’ll be on the plane to Washington tonight, Mrs. K. Do you think I have a shot at getting in a question at the press conference? Will Lex – sorry, President Luthor—“ she did an eye roll—“even remember me?”
She nodded thanks as someone passed her a cup of coffee on the way to her office. “I know, but this could bring about nuclear war. He’s more than flirting with danger by making us the largest nuclear threat on the planet… OK, Mrs. K. I’ll phone you when I land at Dulles. See you later.”
She hung up her phone with a sigh and began sorting through the newspapers and other mail on her desk, doing what she did every day: created two separate piles of things she would deal with immediately and what could be put off until later. Then she took her coffee and today’s edition of the Planet and sat back in her chair. Her headline graced the front page, and although she always got a thrill when her articles made it above the fold, she was sad to read this one: “President Luthor gambles with nuclear threat.”
She sighed, setting the paper back down, and walked over to her large window that overlooked the city. It was days like this, when the world seemed so hopeless, that she missed the Blur the most… that she missed Clark the most.
As always when she thought of him, a wave of sadness and regret came over her. She had only figured out that he was the Blur the night he had kissed her… and then disappeared forever.
She had been overjoyed after that kiss, realizing her hero and the man she loved were the same person. She had thought she might tell him she knew the next day at the Planet, or at least give him plenty of encouragement to eventually tell her the truth himself.
But Clark never showed up at the Planet the next day, or the next.
She had gone to the farm, but there had been no sign of him.
Knowing he was the Blur, she thought maybe he had been caught up in a mission, dealing with Zod. That he would return in a matter of days. But as days turned to weeks, and weeks turned into a month, she finally accepted the truth.
Clark was gone for good.
One night, when the pain had gotten to be too much, Lois had called Mrs. Kent, her last connection to the family that had meant so much to her.
“Mrs. K? It’s Lois,” she said, her voice thick with tears, having hit her low point. She missed Clark desperately, and she hated how helpless she felt… She only had memories of him, the most indelible being that kiss from the Blur— even after almost a year and a half, it was seared into her soul, and she knew she’d never forget it.
“Lois? How are you honey?” Martha said, her voice sounding a little strained.
“Not so good… um, I was wondering when you’d be at the farm? I—I really need to talk to you.”
Martha paused for a long moment. “It’s about Clark, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” Lois said softly, reaching for another tissue.
“I’ll be at the farm this weekend. Come down anytime you like.”
“Thanks Mrs. K.”
Lois hung up the phone, feeling marginally better that she could speak to Mrs. Kent about Clark. She didn’t know what kind of answers she’d get, but at least she could put away this lonely feeling of hopelessness…
Was he dead?
She didn’t know. She couldn’t think that he was, though. Something had happened to him, that much was certain.
But he was the Blur, invincible.
He had to be alive… she had to believe that.
~\S/~
Lois arrived Friday evening at the farm. She was relieved to see Mrs. Kent’s car already in the driveway. She hadn’t been here since Clark had disappeared, and she feared if she had to face seeing this place alone, that she’d lose what little control she had over her emotions.
As it was, tears stuck in her throat as she walked up to the house, a house full of memories with Clark. She even half-expected to see Clark come out and meet her on the porch, wearing some hideous flannel shirt and ready with a bantering tease. But the fact was, he wouldn’t come… he was gone. And she had resolved to come here to ask Mrs. Kent why and where.
As she plodded up the short flight of stairs, she saw Martha through the screen door, already preparing to bake something.
“Lois!” she greeted with a warm hug. “Come in!”
Lois wrapped her arms around Mrs. Kent, a small balm on the pain she felt in coming here.
“What would you like to drink? Some juice?”
“Sure,” Lois said absently, searching for words to begin.
Martha poured Lois a glass of orange juice and handed it to her.
Lois stared at the glass for a long moment, not drinking it, as her thoughts were somewhere else. She felt so alone, even in this house of so many pleasant memories. The whole Kent family had lied to her for years. And even though she understood the reason for keeping Clark’s secret, she couldn’t help but feel that she hadn’t been good enough or trustworthy enough for them to tell her. She had had to figure it out all on her own.
She decided not to prevaricate, but come out with the truth. She wouldn’t give Mrs. K another chance to retreat behind the lie. She knew it was so ingrained in her, that Lois had to be as forthright as possible. She set down the glass, and looked straight at Martha Kent. “Mrs. K, I know Clark is the Blur.”Lois paused, expecting Martha to deny it. But she simply waited for Lois to continue. Under the weight of Mrs. K’s benevolent stare, full of understanding and acceptance, Lois felt her emotions give way. “But what I don’t know is why he’s disappeared,” she said at last, her voice breaking on the last word, tears coming to her eyes.
“Oh, honey, come here,” Martha said, wrapping Lois in her motherly embrace once more. Lois fell into her arms, glad to at last have that burden out in the open; to be accepted and worthy to carry the secret with her.
“Please, tell me everything you know, Mrs. Kent. I will find him. I can’t believe that he’s—“
“He’s not,” Martha said firmly, pulling out of the hug to look Lois in the eyes.
“Then—where is he?” Lois asked, wiping the tears from her cheeks.
Martha sighed and gestured that they move to somewhere more comfortable. She led the way over to the couch. “Have a seat, Lois. I’ll do my best to explain.”
Lois sat down, making room on the couch for Mrs. Kent to join her. Martha held both of Lois’ hands in hers, her face full of sadness and wisdom.
“Clark… came to us as a child, from, well—,” Martha began haltingly, seemingly unsure how to explain, but gesturing vaguely above her.
But Lois, even in her emotional distress, was sharp as a tack. “The first meteor shower?” she asked, incredulous, even as her mind began whirling with the implications.
Martha nodded in confirmation. “He developed these abilities… and eventually became the Blur… I mean, it’s more complicated than that---but, he thought his planet was destroyed. He thought he was the last of his kind, until he met the Kandorians… a group of people that survived the explosion of Krypton.”Martha glanced at Lois. “I know it’s hard to understand and a lot to take in… but, he led them to a new world, where they wouldn’t be threatened here or… Zod---“
“He wanted to take over, didn’t he? Zod?” Lois said, getting chills of fear, remembering her encounter with him when she almost gave him the Book of Rao. “Clark led them away to protect Earth.”
“Exactly…”
The two women sat in silence a long moment, each lost in her own thoughts.
Lois eventually sighed, leaning into the sofa. “Do you think he’ll ever come back?”
“I don’t know, Lois… But I know Clark. And if he can, he’ll find his way back.”Lois had treasured that conversation with Mrs. Kent, the first glimpse into the truth about who Clark was, despite how painful that she hadn’t learned it from the man himself.
She kept herself sane by believing that eventually he had planned to tell her. Yet her self-doubtful side made her wonder what had been taking him so long… Had she been so untrustworthy?
She sighed, taking another sip of her coffee. She knew she could replay this loop of anger, frustration, and self-doubt for hours. It came down to the fact that he hadn’t trusted her with his secret, and she may never know his reasons.
It didn’t mean that she stopped loving him or missing him.
It just meant that she would never stop searching for answers.
Eventually, it became more and more painful to work at the Planet, and in time, Lois accepted Perry’s offer to go to Africa. While there, she met Carter Hall. They had several late night heart-to-hearts, and she had learned that he knew Clark. She couldn’t escape his memory after all…
The arid desert air felt clean and warm on her skin. She felt like she could be reborn, start her life over without Clark, become the reporter she always knew she could be.
This world was so different from the noise of Metropolis, or even the stillness of the farm. It was foreign, alien… she repressed a sigh, trying not to wonder what the world that Clark was on was like… was it empty and barren like the Sahara? Rich and green like the deep jungles she had flown over to get here? Or something else entirely that she couldn’t even imagine?
It didn’t matter… he was lost to that other world, whatever and wherever it was. Just as he was lost to her.
At least here, she had work to keep her focused, occupied…
It was only in the evenings, after long talks with Carter and a few shots of whiskey, that she would lie restless in her tent, unable to sleep after the stories he told her. Destined ,yet ill-fated love... Nietzsche and his theories about an Übermensch… Clark, a super man?
She would wake up in hot sweats in the cool desert, feeling as if something was wrong. And she would long for arms that she knew would never hold her…The desert had been meant to be her escape, yet it simply crystallized the feelings in her heart. She loved Clark… no matter how far away he was, no matter if he never returned…
Carter had eventually convinced her to return to Metropolis, convinced her that Clark would return if he could, and that she belonged at the Planet, and not in some faraway desert, running away from her fears and regrets.
When Lois had returned to Metropolis a year later, she had felt the loss of Clark even more acutely. She missed covering the Blur in the Planet, and she missed the man sitting across her desk that she had fallen in love with…
And she had resolved to find a way to keep the Blur’s legacy alive.
~\S/~
As the plane landed at Dulles, Lois was shaken awake by the landing, having dozed off on the flight.
She waited until the flight attendants gave them the okay, then turned on her Blackberry to text Mrs. Kent that she had arrived.
She hadn’t seen Mrs. Kent in almost a year, being so busy with work, and Martha had been preoccupied with her own work in Washington. So much had changed over the last three years…
Lois had worked non-stop to inform the public about the dangers of electing Lex Luthor, but to no avail. He had campaigned on jobs and clean energy, but instead had brought high unemployment and forays into nuclear energy that had made the US the only developer of nuclear weapons in the world. Now he was collecting nuclear weapons from around the world, arrogantly declaring that only America should have them, threatening the balance of power with the UN, including playing fire with some very volatile nations.
Mrs. Kent had gotten her a spot at the televised press conference tomorrow, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t nervous to face him head on. Lex had always been a bit strange, but ever since he had reappeared after supposedly having died, it was like he was a completely different person. He never spoke about his past, and she wondered if something had happened to him to make him forget. At this press conference, she hoped to find out how much he remembered.
It was moments like this, that she missed Clark… heck, she had one of those moments at least once a day. It used to cause a dull ache in her heart, now it just made her sad and regretful. She was worried about the future. The world could sure use the Blur…
Lois collected her bags and saw Mrs. Kent, standing with one of her interns at the arrivals area. She waved at Lois.
“I made it, safe and sound,” Lois said, giving the older woman a hug.
“I have you all set up at the Hilton downtown. We’ll conference tomorrow morning about a carefully worded question I have in mind… I know you have ideas of your own, only I’ve been following this—“
Lois laid a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, Mrs. K. I need all the advice you can give me.”
Martha seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. “Okay, then… We’ll have dinner out tonight. There are a few members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that I want you to meet. They all know your father, General Lane…”
“A military dinner… “ Lois groaned inwardly, knowing certain protocols and attitude would be expected and would zap all her remaining energy. But she gamely smiled in answer, “All right, I guess I’m up for anything.”
“Well, they are wary of the way Luthor is handling this… what they say will be off the record, but I figured the more you know—“
Lois nodded. “The better I can handle the press conference tomorrow, I understand.”
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Lois got back to the hotel after midnight. She was thoroughly exhausted, having listened to the concerns of the two Joint Chiefs and then, as the night waxed on and more drinks were had, she became privy to their old war stories. Martha had left them after ten, but Lois had hung out a little longer, drinking whiskey shots with the old warhorses. Her father would have been proud.
They confided that they didn’t trust Luthor, that he seemed off-balance some days. His personal staff said he was moody and would ask odd questions about things he should know about. The public at large was mostly unaware, and it was in the interest of national security that no one realized the president was a little off. But those on the inside, were beginning to get nervous about the intentions of President Luthor.
Lois eventually left the bar, tucking all the information she had learned tonight into her arsenal, and decided that her subconscious could best deal with it while she slept.
When she got back to the hotel, she changed her clothes, brushed her teeth, and snuggled under the covers. Her purse was sitting on the bed, and she reached for her wallet.
Inside, she carried a picture of her and Clark. No one else knew she had it, but despite its sentimentality, it comforted her somehow.
Lovingly, her fingers passed over Clark’s face.
“I sure could use your help,” she whispered quietly. Lois turned on her side, and set the picture in front of her, imagining talking to the man himself. She felt cheated of the chance to have these intimate conversations with him, if they had ever been able to get past his secret. But these little talks with his picture in the evenings gave her some comfort, let her feel as if she was still connected to him somehow.“Some days are easier than others, you know. I’m quite capable… But there are days, Smallville—“ she spoke softly, readjusting her position on the pillow. “There are days when I’d give anything to see my partner again… and my hero.”
A tear slipped down her cheek, though she didn’t bother to wipe it away. “I never got to tell you that I knew about you. I never even got to tell you what you really mean to me… But I hope you know. Wherever you are, I hope you know…” Lois kissed her fingers and then laid them gently on the photo.
“Goodnight, Smallville. See you in my dreams…”
