The tropical breeze ruffled Clark, Lois, and Chloe's hair but it wasn't a vacation. They had been lured to a desert island with promises of an exclusive interview by one of the world's wealthiest men, not Lex Luthor but perhaps just as evil and corrupt. They had a vague idea that it might be dangerous but they thought Superman aka Clark Kent could fly them away if need be. Clark, however, had lost his powers the moment he stepped on the island and the helicopter, courtesy of the billionaire himself, had taken off, leaving them trapped. They didn't know how but there was obviously kryptonite somewhere on the island, not enough to kill him but enough to drain him of his powers. Charlie Chang had yet to make an appearance after being there half an hour and they were all slightly unnerved.

"Do you think he's going to try and kill us? Do you think he knows your secret, Clark?" Chloe asked.

"I suppose it could be a coincidence that there's kryptonite," he answered, absent-mindedly twirling his wedding ring.

"I don't think it's a coincidence," Lois said, "and I don't think we're going to get that interview, a story maybe. We have to find good, old Charlie if he's even here, before he finds us."

"Hold on, Lois," Clark said. "I don't have my powers."

"So?" Lois asked.

"So you can't go skipping into danger like you usually do because I won't be able to rescue you."

"I don't go skipping. Most of the time it comes skipping to me. What do you suggest we do, Smallville? Wait until he finds us and invites us to tea? If his intention is to kill us, there's nowhere to run and nowhere to hide."

They knew she was right.

"Clark is just saying that you need to remember to be more cautious than you usually are," Chloe said.

"Anyway, it's getting dark," Clark said. "I don't think it's wise to search for the enemy in a dark, unfamiliar place."

They were all tired from the long helicopter ride, so they agreed to sleeping in shifts. They needed to be at full energy when they found him or his goons. Clark took the first shift. He wanted to stay on guard all night, in case there was an attack but his heavy eyelids refused to cooperate. He knew he wouldn't be able to do it, so a third of the way into the night, he switched with Chloe.

Chloe was feeling slightly refreshed but anxiously waiting to switch with Lois. It was cold. She never did understand how it could be hot in the day but get so cold at night. Lois and Clark were plenty warm. They were snuggling like she had been doing with Lois before but she knew there was no way Lois was going to let her snuggle with her husband. Chloe supposed she could try, covering herself with sand. Maybe Lois would take pity on her.

Chloe heard a crash not too far away. It hadn't woken Lois and Clark. They were surprisingly heavy sleepers to always be getting in peril the way they did but of course in Clark's defense, his super hearing wasn't working. Chloe figured she'd better check it out to be on the safe side and hope it was some kind of wild animal or better yet a tame animal. The disturbance was a fallen tree. Chloe laughed at her paranoia and headed back for camp. She was also surprised that she and Lois hadn't taken to carrying guns. They could certainly use one now. When she got back, everything seemed peaceful and quiet. It took her a moment to notice the feathered dart sticking out of Lois' arm.

"Oh my--Clark! Lois! You have to wake up!"

Clark sat up first, his eyes wide. "What?"

Chloe pointed at the dart unable to do much of anything else, she was so frozen with fear.

"Lois," he said, shaking her awake. "Lois!"

Lois sat up groggily, whether it was because she was tired or due to the dart wasn't clear. "Is it my turn already?"

"You have a dart in you," Clark told her, taking her in his arms. "Chloe, what am I supposed to do?" he asked, too nervous to think.

"Take it out. I'm sure it's poisoned," Chloe said, kneeling on Lois' other side.

Clark pulled it out and blood trickled down her arm.

"How do you feel?" he asked her.

"This isn't one of my more healthy moments and see I wasn't looking for danger. I think this proves my point," she laughed weakly.

Clark looked to Chloe for more help.

"I'm not a doctor and I don't know what kind of poison it is but I think it's already being pumped to her heart," Chloe said tearfully.

"No, no! It can't be true!" he shouted.

"It is," Lois said. "I can feel my heart slowing down but I feel calm, oddly enough. Listen, I have an idea. It's just too bad I didn't think of it earlier. If you swim out to sea, your powers are likely to come back. You two have to get off this island before you get shot too."

"I'm not leaving you," he said defiantly.

"Let's face it, Clark. I'm going to be a corpse. There's no need to take a dead body with you or stay with it. If you want to come back for me later, that's fine, after the danger is over and you've caught Charlie Chang."

"You can't leave me," Clark whispered in a soft, trembling voice.

"It's a part of life. You have to stay strong and live for Jason's sake."

"I know."

"It's hard to lose your mom at 6. I should know. Make sure he always knows how much I loved him."

"He will."

"I love you, Smallville."

"I love you," he said, kissing her forehead.

"Don't be afraid to move on." Those were her last words before she shut her eyes and Clark felt her body go limp.

"No!" he screamed and sobbed at the same time.

The sound of thunder punctuated his cry and rain began to fall.

"We better go," Chloe said.

"This is your fault," he said, standing up. "If you'd been keeping guard like you were supposed to, if you hadn't found a cure for meteor powers, she'd be alive right now."

"Cla--"

"No, you're a hypocrite. You kept saying 'Your powers aren't bad. You can save people' but when you're the one that's different--"

"I'm sorry okay but every person I knew with meteor powers…it ended up being too much for them to handle."

"But you--"

"Stop it okay! I loved her too. She wouldn't want you to blame me or yourself, before you go there. I know you're grieving and you're angry right now but concentrate on getting us out of here and catching her real murderer."

Clark nodded meekly. The rain on his face made it hard to tell if he was still crying but she knew he was. They escaped the island. Charlie Chang had conveniently committed suicide. They came back for Lois' body but it wasn't there. They assumed it had been washed out into the ocean, too big a place to locate her. They had a memorial service for her. She wasn't forgotten, not in the journalism world and especially not in the heart of her family and friends.

3 years later…

Clark was in the Talon having coffee with Chloe.

"So when's the big day?" Chloe asked, trying her best to sound chipper and supportive.

"We're thinking June because it's the traditional month to get married in but we haven't set a date." He gave the ghost of a smile as he said, "We're not even married yet and Lana has already started nagging me, mostly about wedding plans."

"Well, I'm happy for the both of you."

"No, you're not."

"What do you mean I'm not?"

"Chloe, it's been 3 years. Lois would want this. She would want Jason to have a mother."

"I know, I know," Chloe said, throwing her hands up in mock surrender.

"I know what you're thinking and it's not true. I loved Lois more. This isn't me returning to the woman I never stopped loving. It's me getting on with my life."

"I understand."

They sipped their coffee in silence. Clark stared out the window.

"Chlo--Chloe," he said his voice barely above a whisper, he sounded and looked extremely shocked.

"What?"

"I--I know this is going to sound crazy but I--I think I just saw Lois in somebody's car."

"That's impossible."

"You're right. It's just because we were talking about her."

"Sure it is and we were both there when she died. It can't be her."

"Chloe?"

"I know you have to check it out and why not? Stranger, even similar, things have happened in Smallville. Go on."

TBC